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What are Carbohydrates?

February 23, 2009 By 5 Comments
A bowl of porridge with apple and blackcurrant.

In a number of my previous articles I have stated that you should go for complex carbohydrates where possible and minimise your consumption of simple carbohydrates.  After thinking about this for some time I realised that I had never fully understood or explained the difference between the two.  That's why today I am going to be discussing carbohydrates in greater detail. WHAT ARE CARBOHYDRATES? Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients with fats and protein being the other two.  They are made from a combination of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen hence the name 'carbo' (meaning … [Read more...]

Kick Things Up a Notch: The Top 3 Everyday Cardio Exercises to Help You Stay Fit

February 18, 2009 By 8 Comments
A woman in the gym drinking a bottle of water.

Hello everyone.  Today's article is a guest post from Nick Clipton who manages and writes for the weight gain blog: http://www.buildingbodymuscles.com/.  Nick's blog contains lots of fantastic muscle building information and also reviews many of the top body building programs so feel free to check it out after you have finished reading. ----- The importance of exercising cannot be stressed enough no matter what body type it is that you have.  The human body is made to move and if you are leading a sedentary lifestyle with hardly any exercise, there is a big possibility for you to … [Read more...]

9 Top Tips for Maximising your Metabolism

February 15, 2009 By 39 Comments
An apple next to some measuring tape and two dumbbellls.

In my last three articles I revisited the topic of boosting your metabolism discussing the effect that both food and exercise can have.  I explained that metabolism generally refers to the number of calories your body burns in a day.  It is influenced by three main things: - Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive). - Your level of Physical Activity. - The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat). Today I would like to bring all this information … [Read more...]

Exercise and Metabolism Revisited

February 12, 2009 By 25 Comments
Two women sitting in the gym.

In my last few posts I have been revisiting the topic of boosting your metabolism.  I began by explaining exactly what metabolism is and then moved on to explain how eating affects your metabolism.  Today I am going to discuss how exercise affects your metabolism. As I mentioned in previous articles metabolism is influenced by three main factors: - Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive). - Your level of Physical Activity. - The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest … [Read more...]

Eating and Metabolism Revisited

February 10, 2009 By 20 Comments
A grilled salmon steak with lemon, tomatoes and parsley.

In my last article I answered the question 'what is metabolism?'.  In that article I explained that metabolism (the number of calories you burn in a day) is essentially the sum of three parts: - Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the number of calories you burn performing the basic functions that keep you alive). - Your level of Physical Activity. - The Thermic Effect of Foods that you Eat (the number of calories it takes to digest and absorb the foods you eat). In the past I have written about the effect food has on your metabolism.  However, after reviewing these articles I have … [Read more...]

What is Metabolism?

February 7, 2009 By 6 Comments
A woman's body surrounded by a border of fruit.

As regular readers of the Free Fitness Tips Blog may know one of the topics I covered in some detail in the past is boosting metabolism.  Since writing these articles I have discovered two main issues with them.  First, I did not actually explain in any of these articles what metabolism is.  Secondly, some of the information in these articles is upon review not 100% correct.  That's why today I intend to correct any of the false information in those previous articles and explain in detail exactly what metabolism is. WHAT IS METABOLISM? Many people claim that they cannot lose weight … [Read more...]

What is Cancer?

February 3, 2009 By 9 Comments
A cancerous tumour.

In a number of my previous posts I discussed the various types of cancer.  However, one thing I failed to do in these posts was to actually define cancer and explain what it is.  That's why today I am going to discuss exactly what cancer is and explain the various types, causes, signs & symptoms, tests and the treatments available. WHAT IS CANCER? Cancer is a disease that affects the body's cells.  Every cell contains deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a substance that contains coded instructions called genes.  These genes tell the body's cells when to divide and reproduce and when to … [Read more...]