Exercise in a Bottle?

 
 
exercise-in-a-bottle
 
 
     A recent Chicago Tribune article piqued my curiosity with the title “Next food frontier: Exercise in a bottle”.   I had to laugh when they referred to this possibility as “every couch potato’s dream”.  Well I’m not a practicing couch potato but I sure wouldn’t mind having the opportunity, if it presented itself, to get in some exercise by drinking a smoothie or snacking on a health bar once in a while.
 
    The article went on to say that scientists at Nestle (yes, the ones that used to make all things chocolate!) are hard at work committed to the goal of satisfying health conscious consumers.  Sounds like it’s in the distant future and meant more for those among us who are not able to exercise due to illness or age.  In the meantime, here are two ideas to consider that might help give your metabolism a little boost while waiting for science to imitate the effects of exercise.
 
      Green Tea spiced with Ginger:   Studies show that drinking up to 24 oz. of green tea can burn up to 100 calories. Give your metabolism     an extra boost by adding ginger. While it’s well known that ginger is widely used as a natural remedy for motion sickness and as a digestive aid, other research also shows it has benefits related to metabolism. (source)
                                                                                                           
            Red Pepper-  Capsaicin is the key to burning more calories and it’s  contained in red pepper. Thermogenisis (producing heat to use up stored energy) seems to play a big role. Try including  pepper flakes as well  as jalapenos or cayenne in your recipes.  Need more  persuasion to try the hot stuff? Take some tips from this article here
 
    So while you are revving up your metabolism today with these two zesty ideas, take a moment to think about this new theory of “exercise in a bottle”, what is your take on it?
 
(Main photo source)

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