Borden: Create your own faux antiques

Information on the role metabolism plays in fitness, and making sock monkeys will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Creative Living

Author and fitness guru Kate McKay is going to talk about the role metabolism plays in fitness. She’ll also share suggestions for five meals per day and says it’s all about portion control. Her book is titled “Living Sexy Fit… at Any Age.” McKay lives in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Debra Quartermain is a designer and crafter, and she’s going to demonstrate kitty sock crafting, which is a takeoff from years ago when making sock monkeys was so popular. This is an easy and fun craft that children will especially enjoy doing. Her business is Debra Quartermain Design in New Brunswick, Canada.

Information on machine applique techniques, creating faux arts and crafts antiques, and recording special memories will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m.

June Mellinger, director of education at Brother Sewing Machines, will demonstrate automatic machine appliqué techniques. She’s from Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Since antiques from 1900-1929 are skyrocketing in value, Bruce Johnson says we can create our own faux arts and crafts antiques, and he’ll show how to do this. Johnson represents Minwax in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Author Sharon Niederman will explain why it’s so important to record special memories and events in our lives. In fact, she became an author after spending years recording the lives and stories of people she had met through the years.

Metabolism and fitness

What does metabolism mean anyway? Metabolism is the process by which food is broken down and converted into energy, which fuels your body right down to the cellular level. Often, people who excessively diet can sabotage their metabolism; however, the truth is that very few people genetically have "slow metabolism." You can speed up your metabolism by putting the following healthy habits into practice today:

• Increase your muscle mass. People with higher levels of muscle tend to have a higher resting metabolic rate. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), each pound of fat burns only 2 calories a day, while muscle burns between 35 and 50 calories per day.

• Focus on intensity in your cardio program. Doing sustained-level intensity is great, but performing a higher level of cardio (or HIlT training) will be more effective at increasing your metabolic rate.

• Embrace grazing. Studies show that eating more frequently each day keeps the metabolism elevated. As a result, you will burn more calories throughout the day, even at rest.

• Eat more protein. First, protein makes you feel full longer due to its dense makeup, reducing your need to binge on carbs to reach the same level of satiation. In addition, your body burns more calories to break down proteins (8 calories per gram for proteins vs. 4 for carbs).

• Eat your fiber. Higher-fiber foods (oatmeal, flax-seed, brown rice, sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, green beans) provide steady, long-lasting energy and make you feel full and satisfied longer.

• Drink up. A moderate amount of caffeine (1 to 2 cups a day) raises your metabolism slightly, increases concentration and improves heart health. Green tea also contains antioxidants that boost the immune system.

• Eat your healthy fats. Monounsaturated fats like olive oil help reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Polyunsaturated fats such as walnuts, almonds, flaxseeds, and salmon, are filled with omega-3s and reduce triglycerides and inflammation in the body. Coconut oil has also shown to kill off sugar cravings.

• Stay hydrated. When the body does not have enough water, several functions slow down, including the ability to burn calories. Muscles are roughly 65% to 70% water, so if they are not fully hydrated, they cannot perform as effectively, thus decreasing your calorie burn. Also, the body is not as efficient at burning fat when it is not hydrated for down shifting your metabolism.

“Creative Living" is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.