Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Can You Really "Walk Off" the Weight?

 This is a little more detailed repost of an article I found on LiveStrong.com. This article was short and sweet and in a few paragraphs detailed the number or calories you could burn while walking, specifically walking while pushing a stroller. Your weight and the pace you at which you are walking affect how many calories you burn. I originally sought this article out because on the calorie counting website I use: MyFitnessPal.com there were several entries for "walking" under the cardiovascular activities. They had various pace of walking and more detailed types of walking such as "walking a dog" but I was always walking pushing my daughter in her stroller so I googled "walking while pushing a stroller" and this is article I was drawn to.

This is the general breakdown of the article

Calories Per HOUR burned while pushing a stroller 2mph (slow)
130lbs = 147 cals
155lbs = 176 cals
180lbs = 204 cals
206lbs = 232 cals

Calories Per HOUR burned while pushing a stroller at 3mph (moderate)
130lbs = 195 cals
155lbs = 232 cals
180lbs = 270 cals
205lbs = 307 cals

Calories Per HOUR burned while pushing a stroller at  3.5 mph (fast)
130lbs = 224 cals
155lbs = 267 cals
180lbs = 311 cals
205lbs = 354 cals

Calories Per HOUR burned while pushing a stroller on an incline at a fast pace
130lbs = 354 cals
155lbs = 422 cals
180lbs = 490 cals
205lbs  = 560cals

After reading this article I realize I'm probably burning signficantly more calories when I walk because of the area that I live in. No matter which way you walk half of the walk is on an incline. Yay!
 For more information from the source go to
http://www.livestrong.com/article/311997-calories-burned-pushing-a-stroller/

Friday, January 13, 2012

Lake Side Community Church - Biggest Loser Challenge

Hello Friends and Followers! I just wanted to share with you an opportunity I have had presented to me. A church from a town not too far from where I live has begun and Biggest Loser Challenge and Ministry. They have Zumba and Weigh-ins on Wednesday nights and I have been asked to be a guest speaker to share my weight loss and fitness journey to help inspire and motivate the participants in their Biggest Loser Challenge.
The Biggest Loser Challenge is taking place at the Lake Side Community Church of the Nazerene in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. They have Weigh-ins every Wednesday night from 6:30-7:30 pm with Zumba before hand starting at 5:45.

 I think it is wonderful that a church has taken an interest in its members' physical health and wellness in addition to nuturing their spiritual needs.  I will post more once I find out more specific details. I am honored and look forward to this opportunity.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The "In-between" Days

We're still in the midst of the holiday season. If you are like me you've already made it through one of the most food intensive days of celebration and are preparing for the next. For me it was Christmas Eve and Day celebrations, now I have a few days before New Years festivities. Whichever winter holiday you celebrate chances are you've made it through the bulk of the major "eating days" and are preparing for the next.

Its hard to pass up all those left over cookies, nut rolls, cakes, goodies, and other sweets, but these "in-between days" as I like to call them can be the key to avoiding the typical 5 to 10 pound holiday gain. Use these days to refocus your healthy eating efforts. If you are the kind that likes to go visiting during this time of year, where you are offered treats at entry house, you can still be polite and eat a cookie, but opt for water instead of soda, alcohol, or blended drink.

Use the time you have to yourself to make the best healthiest food choices so when you are confronted by treaty treats the impact won't be as severe. If you keep in mind that the holiday its over and today is just another day (as far as eating goes) its easier to get back on track. It's also easy to let your workout regime slip during this time of year, making sure you get that metabolism boost will also prove to be worth the effort.

If you use a calorie counting website our App to help you stay on track, chances are you may have changed your goal to maintaining your current weight or only losing half a pound a week, today is the day to change your goal back to your typical weekly weight loss goal and keep at it until the New Years Eve party.

This morning I started off with yet another better breakfast....oh and my better breakfast did incorporate some left over holiday ham!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Goal #1: Achieved - Lose 20 lbs by My Birthday!

So, here they are, the dreaded "Before" shots. I'm looking forward to the after shots. I will try to update them after every goal date.
My original goal: Lose 20 pounds by my Birthday which is in the beginning of December.
My original weight was: 175

<----In this picture these are my stats:
weight: 172.5 lbs
Measurements: The tape measure I was using only went up to 40 inches...
Bust with sports bra on: about 41 inches
Waist: 40 inches
Hips: ?? the tape measure I was using only went up to 40 inches! How embarrassing is that?
Thigh: 22 inches





Goal #1 achieved and then some!
Today I weight 149.5 which is a total loss of 25.5 lbs so far!

In the picture to the Right, these are my stats! -------------->

Weight: 149.5lbs
I got a new measuring tape that went up well beyond 40.
Bust with sports bra on: 40 inches...
(whos says that the first place every woman loses weight? LOL)
Waist: 35 inches... yes folks, that's a 5 inch difference.
Hips: 39.5 inches.
Thigh: 20.5 inches.

HOW AM I DOING IT???

How am I doing it? I have been giving people the short and sweet answer because I've found that when I've tried to tell the all the details they stop listening as soon as I say the word exercise, but you folks are reading this for a reason so I'll give you all the details.

First of all, as many of you know I have been using MyFitnessPal.com to keep track of my calories and nutrients. (Yes, I know that sounds a whole lot like counting calories doesn't it? That's a lot of work. Most people's eyes glaze over when I say that and they stop actually listening, because, who wants to be bothered with doing something as tedious as counting calories?)

FITNESS TOOLS

Well, MyFitnessPal doesn't making it as tedious. I even have the app for it on my smart phone so all I have to do is search the data base for the item I'm eating or one similar to it and click the "Add" button for whichever meal I'm eating. It counts the calories and nutrients for me. And if there are times that I have a food that isn't in the database and I can't even find one that's similar to it it's just as easy to add a new food based on the stats on the nutritional labels. The other benefit of MyFitnessPal is that it's a built in support group. You can find people just like you fighting the same battle against weight loss, cheer each other on, give and received advice and tips, and keep track of all your progress all in one place.

My other weapon of choice is EA Sports Active 2. Ok, this was a gift from my dad who has heard me whine about wanting to get healthier and be in better shape. I love this game. One of the few video games I will actually play, mostly because it gets your whole body moving. I jumpstarted my weight loss by using the 9 Week Program built in to this game. It's was awesome!

When I first started I didn't think I would make it through the first workout, but I kept pushing through. This game gives you everything you need, a resistance band for building muscle, a heart rate monitor, and it keeps track of your stats within the game as well. You can get nutrition tips and keep track of your weight loss all within the framework of this game.

CHANGING THE WAY I EAT

I used to eat 3 planned meals a day and snack whenever I wanted to on whatever I wanted to. When I started my current job they provided breakfast and lunch for the children under my care and since I was their teacher I had to eat the meals with them. So I adjusted my schedule to include a small snack in the morning so I could eat breakfast and lunch at school with my children, then I'd eat dinner at home with my family, and once again snack whenever I felt like it. Which is one I could never lose the weight I gained from my pregnancy and in fact was adding more.

So, now I eat 5 or 6 smaller meals a day. Each meal is planned as far as how many calories I can eat at each one based on the daily calorie goal caculated by MyFitnessPal.com. I start my day with a small health snack under 200 calories as this point, breakfast is under 320 calories, lunch is 500 calories, dinner is 450 calories, and my late night snack is 120 calories. Remember this is what I eat to lose about a half pound of weight a week at the current weight of 149.5. How much you weight now and the rate at which you want to lose weight would change your total number of daily calories which would also change your calories allotted per meal. Your daily activity during the day also plays a roll in the number of calories you can eat in a day, since I'm constantly running after 17 three to five year olds five days a week I consider myself to be lightly active which allows me to eat more calories then someone who would consider themselves to be sedentary during their work day. Again, these calories are all calculated by MyFitnessPal for me.

There are days I allow myself to splurge, but I track it all so I'm aware of how many calories I am going over my goal each day. If you've been reading my blog for a while I'm sure you've read the article on the benefits of splurging once in a while.

THE FORBIDDEN FOODS

I have none. Yep, that's right, there are no forbidden foods. I keep my focus on trying to eat the healthiest lower calories foods I can like veggies, lean proteins, fruit, water, etc. But I do allow myself to eat the things I love once in a while. I've had a Whopper Jr on occassion and there's no way I was passing up my sister's pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, and I love me some chocolate every now and again. I've just gotten more disciplined ad when I allow myself to eat these types of foods. If I know there's birthday party coming up, I make sure the meals I eat during the day are that much healthier and lower calorie to make room calorically for the birthday cake and ice cream I might have at the party. And then, I try not to go overboard at the party. A small piece of cake a little scoop of icecream and log it all in MyFitnessPal. Along with my article on splurging is the explanation of how changing up your diet once in a while can actually be good for your body because then it doesn't become complacent. It doesn't get used to buring the same type of calories in the same way every day. If you don't completely deny yourself a certain food then you don't crave it as much. No cravings means no binging, no binging means better weight loss.

WATER

In the past few weeks I've been making it a point to drink more water. I will have an 8 oz glass as soon as I wake up in the moring with my multivitamin. Another 8 oz when I get to work in the moring, another 8 oz on my break if I get one and then several others when I'm at home. I have noticed a drastic increase in my weight loss since I've started drinking more water. As a matter of fact, even though

EXERCISE

As I've mentioned I have been using EA Sports Active 2 as my main workout regime, but I've also take the opportunity to get in some physical activity whenever and where ever the opportunity has presented itself. I've gone on many many walks with neighbors and friends, took part in a Zumba Class that was part of a training day at work, taken the long way or the stairs at my daughter's day care...etc. But don't think I'm someone who's working out every single day without fail. I started out workout out 4 days a week with EA Sports Active 2 as was part of the requirements for the 9 week program, but as my grad class become more intense during midterms and finals I found I've had less and less time for pretty much everything else in my. So, my fitness routine turned into a once a week event usually on Sunday. This is important because I was still aware that I needed to workout. I didn't just give up on trying to exercise. And now that I'm finished with my grad classes I'm going to start hitting it hard again as many days a week as I can.

PEOPLE

I can not tell you how important it is to surround yourself with positive supportive people. I'm very fortunate to have the family and friends that I do. They have noticed my progress and have kept encouraging me from the first noticible 5 pound loss where I am now. I've also learned how to ignore the neigh sayers and the negative influencers that try to tell me to eat more or give me excuses why you should not worry about tracking my calories or try to tell me that I don't need to lose any more weight. I have my goal in mind, a healthy goal and I am determined to stick to it.

DISCIPLINE

Adopting a healthier lifestyle has more to do with discipline than anything else. You have to be strong in your mindset to commit to your goals. Today, I can walk out to my kitchen to get my daughter something to eat or drink and see the chocolate cake sitting on the counter and not even feel tempted to eat it. When I go out to eat with friends, if I haven't planned the meals a head of time, I have the discipline to choose the healthier items on the menu. At this point, four months into this lifestyle change I actually prefer the healthier foods.

I also have the discpline to not let a rough spot get me down. I am committed to my weighloss goal. If I don't lose a half pound one week, I don't dwell on it. I keep in mind how much weight I've lost so far and get back at it the next day.

REALISTIC GOALS

In closing, I just want to remind all my readers old and new that my approach to weightloss and fitness is not meant to turn anyone into a super athlete. Nor is it some scheme to lose weight fast. This is a realistic approach for the average working person. A way to get healthier and stay healthier through simple lifestyle changes. The goals I set for myself and the changes I make to my lifestyle are all based in reality, nothing drastic. Which is why I have been met with such success for the past four month. I do not take any form of weight loss pill, I do not subscribe to any particular diet plan, to lose weight and keep it off, your plan of attack has to be one that you can sustain for an extended period of time... i.e. the rest of your life. Diet pills and restrictive diets do not fit that bill. The only supplement I take is a daily vitamin to help make sure my nutritional goals are met.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

A Better Breakfast - with Green Peppers

Its been a while since I added a better meal mostly because my breakfasts & lunches consist of what I have to eat with my Pre-Kers during the program day. But feeling the need to get back in the health nut groove I reached for a couple healthy classics and added a fruit and veggie for a filling healthy breakfast diverse in nutrients.


3 scrambled egg whites

4 strips butterball turkey bacon

1 green bell pepper raw (cut into strips)

1 Clementine orange

1 cup Fat Free Organic Milk

1/2 cup Wench's grape juice


This breakfast is quick and easy to make and includes protein, dairy, fruits, some fats and oils, and vegetables for only 360 calories is you only use cooking spray to fry the eggs and bacon. 


Enjoy! And as always if you have a Better meal that you would like to share please do so under the "YOUR Better Meals" Links!


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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Understanding the Body Mass Index (BMI)

Everyone has their own idea in mind for what their ideal body weight would be. Some of those expectations come from our own personal experience, such as the weight we were when we considered ourselves to be in the best shape of our lives. Sadly many of our body image issues and lofty goals come from the media, unrealistic depictions of what the perfect woman or man should look like. We forget that the men and women magazines depict as being beautiful have a team of people working with them to help project these images. The other source we might go to, and in my opinion the only source that matters, are medical standards of what is a healthy weight for our bodies. Our body weight can affect many aspects of our health, put us at risk for certain disease or help prevent others. Of all the influences that are out there I feel that health related sources for ideal weights are the most reliable. Our memory of what we used to be or our weight from when we were in "the best shape of our life" might be unrealistic because as we get older our bodies change, our schedules change, and the things we used to do to be at the weight we once were just aren't realistic.

Our family and friends are great cheerleaders, most of the time, but it's too easy to not believe family or friends when they tell you that you look great because let's face it we all think the same thing, "They are your family and friends so they are supposed to tell you that." But medical and health related tools are unbiased. They don't care who you are, what you used to look like, or what the media thinks. Their only concern is that you are at a healthy weight.

There are many different health related sources out there some more accurate than others, but some also more easy to use and understand than others. One source many fitness sites offer is one of the simplest tools to help you determine your ideal body weight. The Body Mass Index (BMI). Many sites offer free BMI calculators in which all you have to do is input your height an weight and they determine where you fall on the BMI index.

The numbers differ slightly from site to sight but in general when one looks at an BMI chart or uses a BMI calculator a score below 19 indicates that you are underweight, between 19 - 24 is considered "normal" (I personally do not like the word normal as a descriptor for anything, but that's the classification they use.) A BMI score between 25 - 29 is considered overweight. 30 - 39 is considered obese, and 40 or above is considered extremely obese sometimes referred to as morbidly obese. This information is all really great, but it doesn't really give you a goal weight to focus on for your height. In order to determine a healthy goal weight it's best to look at a BMI chart instead of just using a calculator.



This image of a BMI chart was taken from the Fort Worth Lap-Band website.
 http://www.fortworthlapband.com/BMIChart.aspx

I chose this image mostly because I feel that it is the easiest to understand and includes weight for every height between 4'10" and 6'4" instead of every other inch like some of the other charts do. As you can see from this chart there is quite a range of weight for each height that is considered "normal" or healthy. Basically, one's goal reach a body weight that puts them in the GREEN column.

For example, I am 5'3" and am currently 152.5lbs. which as you can see, still puts me in the "overweight" category. Which is much better than the 175 I was in August of 2011 when I first began my weight loss journey. Note that the "Normal" weight for someone of my height is between 107 and 135. That's almost a 30 pound weight range. The reason there is such a big gap is because there are many body types out there and BMI indexes cannot differentiate between weight from muscle and weight from fat. This is where your have to use a little bit of common sense and honesty with yourself. I know from experience that I will never see 107lbs. I haven't been 107lbs since I was in middle school. When I was the thinnest I ever was in my adult life I was 117lbs and only had 14 % body fat (as indicated by a skin fold calipers test). But I was also on an alarmingly low calorie diet (at the time I didn't realize how unhealthy it was) lifting every day, and running every other day. To lose enough weight to get to the lower end of he "normal" range of BMI for my height I would have had to lose muscle mass. So, instead my goal weight comes from a more realistic and healthy version of me when I was in college. For the majority of my adult life I had been around 125 pounds. Which as you can see puts me well within the "normal" range for my height. And was the result of working out regularly and eating a healthy diet.

There are other health related tools you can use to help you determine your ideal weight such as the skin fold caliper test I mentioned, if you can find someone who is trained in how to accurately use them. There are other more sophisticated and expensive tools uses by professional athletes and other health professions, but the BMI charts and calculators are the best tool for the average person. As long as you keep in mind that weight is not the most important factor. That is why most fitness sites encourage you to take other measurements such as waist and hip measurements or heart rate tests.

I have included links to several websites that offer free BMI calculator from sites associated with the health issues or diseases that can result from being overweight and of course the

 The Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institute of Health
 http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/


American Institute for Cancer Research
http://www.aicr.org/reduce-your-cancer-risk/weight/tools_bmi_calculator.html?gclid=CPmbpt7BxawCFcZM4AodkVbtqg

You can also find many other BMI calculators and charts by using your favorite search engine.

Don't get hung up on the young girl or guy you used to be.
Don't let the media tell you what your ideal body weight is.
Set realistic goals and aim to be healthy!



Friday, November 18, 2011

Make Your Next Food Choice a Better Food Choice!

One mistake many dieters seem to make is thinking that if they don't eat perfectly (according to their diet plan) their whole day is shot so they should just keep eating whatever they want and start anew tomorrow. While making sure you eat better tomorrow is definitely a good idea, you don't have to wait that long to make better food choices.

One misstep doesn't ruin your whole day. I know sometimes it's frustrating when you have been eating and working out according to your plan and then in a moment of weakness or special occasion you eat something that you or your diet plan has deemed as "forbidden" and it feels like all the work you have done this far was for nothing. Don't give into that feeling of guilt or hopelessness and especially don't let it ruin the rest of your day. You can start making better food choices with your very next choice. So, just because you ate a piece of chocolate cake at Uncle Fred's 80th birthday party at 2:00 doesn't mean you should just give up for the day and eat a whole bowl full of Bon Bons as a midnight snack and it definitely doesn't mean you should skip a meal altogether.

Remember when you eat multiple small meals throughout the day it keeps your body in calorie burning mode. So if you know there's going to be cookies and cakes at a Wedding Reception, don't skip a meal to reserve the extra calories for the junk food you know you will fall victim to, just eat small healthier, lower calorie meals before the reception. This will have you feeling fuller at the reception so you will be less likely to eat more junk food. Going to the reception hungry because you tried to reserve calories for the special occasion could back fire in a big way because you'll eat more of the higher calorie less healthy foods there.

Each food choice you make can help make a difference. So start with your next food choice. If you had that piece of chocolate cake. Make sure you drink water instead of soda and eat a better meal later that day.  That way you only took on a few extra calories today. And you can still start new again tomorrow and make sure you stay on track!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Setting Mini Goals

You've made one of the most important decisions of your life. You've decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle, to lose weight, and get in shape. You look in the mirror and pick apart the parts of your body you fantasize slimming down or becoming more defined. You step on the scale and think to yourself, "I'm X number of pounds heavier than I ever wanted to be in my life." According to BMI indexes you fall into the "overweight," "obese," or "morbidly obese" categories. At this moment the concept of losing as much weight at you need to be considered healthy seems insurmountable, especially if you have tried many different ways to try and lose weight in the past. So what do you do?

Set mini goals. We all have mini goals in our minds anytime we set out to do anything. The same is true when we evaluate ourselves in the mirror, on the scale, or in any other way when it comes to our bodies. We all think, "I'd feel so much happier if I could just get down to my pre-pregnancy weight" or "I'd look so much better if I could just lose an extra 10 pounds" Almost immediately following that thought is, "but it would sure be nice if I could get down to the weight I was when X number of years ago" and then finally, but I would sure love to to be in as good as shape as I was when I was in college or the the shape I was before..."

When you look a big goal it's easy to get discourage, especially in weight loss because weight is gained so much easier and faster than it is lost. So, when you're only losing weight at the rate of a pound or two a week (the best case scenario to develop better food and health choices over a long period of time). It's hard to get excited about being 5 pounds lighter in one month when you have 50 pounds or more to lose. This is where the mini goals come in. When you sent a mini goal you get that sense of accomplishment several times along your weight loss or fitness journey. Which motivates you to keep pushing toward your overall goal.

Those of you who have been following me on facebook, twitter, or myfitness pal know that I have set several minigoals for myself. I started out with an overall goal of losing 50 pounds. My first mini goal was to lose at least 5 pounds in one month. My next mini goals was to lose 20 pounds by my birthday (in 4 months). Once I reached both of these goals... one well head of schedule as my birthday isn't until next month! I decided on another reasonable mini goal. 10 more pounds by the new year. This is a rate of 1 pound a week... yes even over the holidays.

The other key to continued success is being able to forgive yourself and setting realistic expectations. If you only lose 9 pounds when your goal was 10... still recognize the 9 pounds you did lose. Set a more accomplish able minigoal for he next round.

So to recap.

1) break down your overall goal into mini goals
2) be realistic about your mini goals
3) acknowledge your accomplishements even when you don't make your mini goals
4) forgive yourself and keep focused.



Thursday, November 3, 2011

EverydayHealth.com: How to Reduce Stress With Diet Diet Center - Everyday Health

Message from Sender: Saw this article posted on twitter. Thought it might be interesting to share.

Everyday Health: How to Reduce Stress With Diet Diet Center
A healthy diet can help reduce stress, and some foods in particular offer stress-busting qualities.


Make The Most Of Your Health, Every Day!

Come on in and explore the best health site on the Web. Everyday Health features:
  • Health information, personalized just for you!
  • Condition-specific Health Centers
  • Health Guides from A-Z
  • Expert Q&As from leading MDs
  • Interactive tools and calculators
  • Message boards by condition
  • Breaking medical news and features
  • Over 200 delicious and nutritious recipes

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Eating Season: Tips to Survive!

So, Halloween has come and gone and sitting somewhere in your house may be a huge stash of your kids' candy. And you've been feeling guilty and maybe even a little like you're losing your focus or maybe have even fallen completely off the weight loss wagon. Fear not! And don't give up! With the holidays coming up everyone stresses and worries about overeating and trying all kinds of tricks to try to stay within their calorie or nutritional goals. All the stress isn't helping. So maybe it's time to just relax and accept that yes, you are going to over eat at least a few days out of each of the next few months, but you've worked hard to this point to lose the weight you've lost and get in the shape that you are in now. Don't throw it all away over a few days of feasting. There's plenty of days between Trick-or-Treat and Thanksgiving that you can get back on track, and days between Thanksgiving and your winter holiday (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, Solstice...etc) to get back on track and even a few days between the winter holiday and New Years Eve to workout and eat right. After that, unless you celebrate Three Kings Day or Russian Orthodox Christmas (or some other January holiday that I'm not aware of) you can pretty much get your healthy lifestyle back in full swing. Also keep in mind, sometimes varying your diet can sometimes help boost your metabolism for a while. This following is a repost of a blog post I wrote when I had the A Better Reflection: Nutrition Blog as a separate blog.

Boost Your Metabolism: Splurge for a Day!

As you may know, health and fitness isn't a new concept for me. I used to be in fantastic shape (as evidenced by the Picture/Logo I use for A Better Reflection blogs and FB page.) I do keep in mind that research is constantly being done on key health and fitness issues and people are constantly learning knew things about how the body works. When I was in college, I used to restrict myself to eating healthy and watching my diet diligently during the school/work week, then on the weekends I'd allow myself to eat however my social life dictated. Keep in mind this didn't mean I went out and made it a point of eating more calories or unhealthy food, I would just relax and not focus on it so much, and yes, I'd have a big slice of chocolate cake and 2 scoops of Ice cream at a friend's birthday party. I had read that varying your diet in a similar way actually shocks your system and boosts your metabolism as long as it doesn't happen more than once a week.

The theory behind this is that your body is expecting to burn a certain number of calories a day in the form of specific types of food. So, when you have a random day in which you take in a considerable amount of more calories and foods that you don't normally eat, it shocks the system and kicks it into high gear for a little while.

I have been using this theory since I started my journey to get back in better shape and so far I am finding success with my nutrition and weight loss plan, but never wanting to be one that passes on misinformation, I decided to do a bit of research to see if there is still anything out there to support the Splurge to boost your metabolism theory, and I was able to quickly find one!

Check out this article on Model Diet Plan to find out more about this theory and more tips to boost your metabolism such as these 10 Tips:

1) Don't Starve Yourself - this actually decreases your metabolism
2) Cut Back on Alcohol
3) Put a little spice in your life... or a least in your food!
4) Take your vitamins and Omega 3s
5) Build some muscle!
6) Take time for Green Tea
7) Get more Iodine in your diet
8) Keep it cooler in your house - your body will burn more calories to regulate your body temp
9) Eat more Blueberries and Watermelon!
10) and of course, Vary your diet once in a while

For more on these tips visit:
http://www.modeldietplan.com/metabolism.htm