Burn, Baby, Burn

It has been a very hot week here in the UK. The gym seems to have been a little quieter. Heat can definitely have an effect on your motivation, but the way to get around it is to prepare by spending a lttle time in the heat, and then spending a little longer each time so that you can acclimate to the conditions. It is important to also remember that chances are, your gym has air-conditioning, which means there are no excuses as to whether or not you go to the gym as scheduled.

Speaking of heat, I found the following in the US fitness magazine Maximum Fitness. Keith Klein is the founder and CEO of the Institute of Eating Management in Houston, Texas and Heidi Skolnik is a sports nutrition consultant for the New York Giants:

' Burn, Baby, Burn

Not all calories were created equal. Each of the macronutrients - protein, carbohydrates and fat - has a different impact on your metabolic rate because of how much energy your body must expend to digest them. This is known as the thermogenic effect of food (TEF). Protein has the greatest thermogenic effect because it temporarily raises your metabolic rate by up to 20 percent. Complex carbohydrates increase it by 10 percent, followed by fat, which increases it by four percent. "What this means is that for every 100 calories of protein you consume, your body uses 20 calories in digestion," says Klein. "For every 100 calories of carbs, it burns 10. For every 100 calories of fat, it burns four. Simple sugars and highly processed foods have a much lower thermogenic effect because they require far fewer calories to digest." When a food is processed, like what occurs in all kinds of protein powders, it takes less effort for your body to digest it. For example, a chicken breast is harder to digest than a protein shake because the powder has always been broken down to some degree. Chicken, a natural and non-processed source requires more work for your body to take away all of its nutrients than the shake, thus burning more calories in the process.

The TEF is another reason why you should divide your total calorie intake between several smaller meals throughout the day. "Each digestive event can further increase your metabolism by up to 10 percent," says Skolnik. '