Yes, we've all done it. Sitting in front of a TV, at a party, at our desks in midafternoon, even at the dinner table while conversing with friends and family... mindless eating. It's not necessarily a mealtime, or even snacktime. It's just that the food is there, or we're bored, or we're socializing. And somehow, we pop in an extra 500 calories or more into our gaping mouths without a thought.
It's easy to hit 400 calories per meal. By time you have a lean piece of meat, some fruit and salad, and a whole-grain bread, you've reached it. So three meals a day at 400 calories each is already 1200 calories. Add two snacks of 100 calories each, and you're at a common dieting goal of 1400 calories per day. Now, throw some mindless eating into the equation, and that diet is suddenly in dire straits!
It is my hope to accomplish two things with this blog: The first is to give you information that will arm you with knowledge about health and fitness. The second is to actually encourage you to act upon that knowledge to revolutionize your health.
In that light, here is a Web site that has some wonderful tips to avoid mindless eating - especially during this holiday season. Plan NOW to avoid the season of overindulgence!
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21826056/?GT1=10547
Monday, November 26, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Post Thanksgiving Blues
Here we are ... the Saturday after Thursday's food fest. Yes, Thanksgiving is over and so is Halloween ... we're on the home stretch to Christmas and New Year's! How did you do so far? Are you sitting at the kitchen table today feeling downcast and sick to your stomach from overindulgence? If so, fear not! It's never too late to pick yourself up and change directions. I mean that! I'm proof in the pudding.
Let's forget the past few weeks and focus on the next five weeks. The weeks ahead have no mistakes in them yet. They are like clay at this point - ready to be molded and shaped the way you want. That's right ... they way YOU want. Only you can determine what you will eat and what you will do in the days ahead. The past is done, you can't change it now. But the future is open with wonderful opportunities! So ... sit down today and make a game plan for yourself. Get as detailed as your personality needs. For some, that means you only need the ideas in your head and you'll act on those. For others, you'll need to physically write down foods that you'll choose to eat, meal plans, and even time slots for exercise with a list of which exercises you'll do. How detailed you get in your plans is an individual thing - however, a game plan, regardless of it's physical formation, is essential to achieving success in health and fitness!
One thing you could try: Game plan what you will NOT eat in the coming weeks. You see, we all have poor nutrition habits of some sort. Pick one and determine to avoid it for these five weeks. That way, you'll have conquered something that's already been an issue for you instead of trying to come up with something new to do in a nutrition regime. It might be eliminating soda, or eating after 7:00 p.m., or eating more than one dessert, or snacking on junk between meals, etc. YOU know yourself.
After you've game planned the one poor nutrition habit you can eliminate these next five weeks, game plan an activity that you will commit to for these five weeks. Do you have an exercise tape you like? How about a stationary bike or treadmill? Is your climate temperate enough that you could fit in a daily walk? You will be amazed at how much holiday stress you alleviate when you've got your body moving - it increases serotonin levels which is the chemical that boosts your "happy" mood. And don't forget, you can ALWAYS incorporate smart choices into your daily life...taking stairs instead of elevator, take a parking spot at the back of the lot, getting that "thing" from across the room instead of asking your child to do it, etc.!
The one thing that will revolutionize your body shape the most is boosting your metabolism. Your metabolism is the level at which your body burns calories, and the more efficient your metabolism, the better it burns those dawg-gone calories you eat! Click on this Web site to see some great tips to revving up your metabolism: http://body.aol.com/diet/basics/metabolism-boost
It is my wish for you that you see hope for your health in these food-crazed weeks leading to Christmas and New Year's. Remember, you can't change the past, but you can certainly change the future!
Let's forget the past few weeks and focus on the next five weeks. The weeks ahead have no mistakes in them yet. They are like clay at this point - ready to be molded and shaped the way you want. That's right ... they way YOU want. Only you can determine what you will eat and what you will do in the days ahead. The past is done, you can't change it now. But the future is open with wonderful opportunities! So ... sit down today and make a game plan for yourself. Get as detailed as your personality needs. For some, that means you only need the ideas in your head and you'll act on those. For others, you'll need to physically write down foods that you'll choose to eat, meal plans, and even time slots for exercise with a list of which exercises you'll do. How detailed you get in your plans is an individual thing - however, a game plan, regardless of it's physical formation, is essential to achieving success in health and fitness!
One thing you could try: Game plan what you will NOT eat in the coming weeks. You see, we all have poor nutrition habits of some sort. Pick one and determine to avoid it for these five weeks. That way, you'll have conquered something that's already been an issue for you instead of trying to come up with something new to do in a nutrition regime. It might be eliminating soda, or eating after 7:00 p.m., or eating more than one dessert, or snacking on junk between meals, etc. YOU know yourself.
After you've game planned the one poor nutrition habit you can eliminate these next five weeks, game plan an activity that you will commit to for these five weeks. Do you have an exercise tape you like? How about a stationary bike or treadmill? Is your climate temperate enough that you could fit in a daily walk? You will be amazed at how much holiday stress you alleviate when you've got your body moving - it increases serotonin levels which is the chemical that boosts your "happy" mood. And don't forget, you can ALWAYS incorporate smart choices into your daily life...taking stairs instead of elevator, take a parking spot at the back of the lot, getting that "thing" from across the room instead of asking your child to do it, etc.!
The one thing that will revolutionize your body shape the most is boosting your metabolism. Your metabolism is the level at which your body burns calories, and the more efficient your metabolism, the better it burns those dawg-gone calories you eat! Click on this Web site to see some great tips to revving up your metabolism: http://body.aol.com/diet/basics/metabolism-boost
It is my wish for you that you see hope for your health in these food-crazed weeks leading to Christmas and New Year's. Remember, you can't change the past, but you can certainly change the future!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Outstanding Beginner's Plan
Here's a beauty of an exercise plan if I've ever seen one! It's for those of you who are real beginners to the whole exercise concept and wonder: Just HOW do I begin exercising? This plan is from Runner's World (see Web link below) and it's a very nonthreatening program to get yourself running.
First, you may wonder why I keep bringing up running? Good question! It's because in my own personal experience, running was the ONLY exercise that made a difference in my actual body shape. It not only helped me lose weight, but it reshaped and toned my body, as well as boosted my metabolism! That said, I'm sure running isn't the magical exercise. What's "magical" is finding an exercise for you that is INTENSE. At least more intense than what you're currently used to! You need to amp up your effort and work your body. That truly is the way to rev your metabolism, burn fat, and build muscle! Diet alone won't do it. A stroll through the park won't either! So find that "magical" sport - it could be swimming, power walking, an intense exercise/cardio video, rowing, bicycling.....you get the idea.
Here is the beginner program for jogging (and walking), called the 30/30 Plan, according to Runner's World:
1. You will exercise 30 minutes for the first 30 days. Walk out your door and walk 15 minutes one direction and then turn and walk 15 minutes back to where you started. (This is where I will modify their plan: exercise 30 minutes the way the program tells you - but ADD another 30 minutes of walking - or some other movement - to the program after you've finished their routine. Aim for a whole hour of exercise a day if you want to really rev metabolism and change body shape).
2. For the first 10 minutes of your workout: Absolutely no running! Only walking. For the last 5 minutes of your workout: Absolutely no running! Only walking.
3. During the middle 15 minutes of your workout: You're free to jog or run - just as long as you do it easily and don't push yourself. During these middle 15 minutes: Jog for 30 seconds, then walk until you feel recovered, jog 30 seconds again, walk until recovered, and so on. Jog, walk, jog, walk....
4. Once this has become comfortable, adapt a consistent 30/30 pattern: 30 seconds jogging, 30 seconds walking, 30 seconds jogging, 30 seconds walking, and so on.
5. If you follow this 30/30 pattern for 30 days, (and train continuously every day), you can complete this stage in a month. If you follow this routine, you will be able to cover between one and two miles walking and jogging. You are now ready to progress to the next stage.
Listen to your body. Everyone is different in their ability to adapt to exercise. You might find this routine is too slow in progressing and want to amp it up more. Go ahead! Or it may suit you perfectly as is - stick to it! Either way, you're working your way toward health!
http://body.aol.com/fitness/running/beginner-workout
First, you may wonder why I keep bringing up running? Good question! It's because in my own personal experience, running was the ONLY exercise that made a difference in my actual body shape. It not only helped me lose weight, but it reshaped and toned my body, as well as boosted my metabolism! That said, I'm sure running isn't the magical exercise. What's "magical" is finding an exercise for you that is INTENSE. At least more intense than what you're currently used to! You need to amp up your effort and work your body. That truly is the way to rev your metabolism, burn fat, and build muscle! Diet alone won't do it. A stroll through the park won't either! So find that "magical" sport - it could be swimming, power walking, an intense exercise/cardio video, rowing, bicycling.....you get the idea.
Here is the beginner program for jogging (and walking), called the 30/30 Plan, according to Runner's World:
1. You will exercise 30 minutes for the first 30 days. Walk out your door and walk 15 minutes one direction and then turn and walk 15 minutes back to where you started. (This is where I will modify their plan: exercise 30 minutes the way the program tells you - but ADD another 30 minutes of walking - or some other movement - to the program after you've finished their routine. Aim for a whole hour of exercise a day if you want to really rev metabolism and change body shape).
2. For the first 10 minutes of your workout: Absolutely no running! Only walking. For the last 5 minutes of your workout: Absolutely no running! Only walking.
3. During the middle 15 minutes of your workout: You're free to jog or run - just as long as you do it easily and don't push yourself. During these middle 15 minutes: Jog for 30 seconds, then walk until you feel recovered, jog 30 seconds again, walk until recovered, and so on. Jog, walk, jog, walk....
4. Once this has become comfortable, adapt a consistent 30/30 pattern: 30 seconds jogging, 30 seconds walking, 30 seconds jogging, 30 seconds walking, and so on.
5. If you follow this 30/30 pattern for 30 days, (and train continuously every day), you can complete this stage in a month. If you follow this routine, you will be able to cover between one and two miles walking and jogging. You are now ready to progress to the next stage.
Listen to your body. Everyone is different in their ability to adapt to exercise. You might find this routine is too slow in progressing and want to amp it up more. Go ahead! Or it may suit you perfectly as is - stick to it! Either way, you're working your way toward health!
http://body.aol.com/fitness/running/beginner-workout
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Fight Global Warming AND Weight? It's a Win-Win!
According to an Associated Press article by Seth Borenstein, there might just be a link between America's obesity epidemic and global warming! Experts suggest that people can fight them both by cutting calories and carbon dioxide simultaneously.
The article states: "Get out of your car and walk or bike half an hour a day instead of driving. And while you're at it, eat less red meat. That's how Americans can simultaneously save the planet and their health, say doctors and climate scientists."
Although unlikely to happen, the payoffs could be huge. One calculation indicates that if all Americans between the ages of 10 and 74 walked a half hour a day in place of driving, annual U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, the chief greenhouse gas, would be cut by 64 MILLION tons. That translates into about 6.5 BILLION gallons of gasoline saved and Americans would shed more than 3 BILLION pounds overall!!! Now those are big numbers!
According to Dr. Howard Frumkin, director of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Environmental Health, "A simple intervention like walking to school is a climate change intervention, an obesity intervention, a diabetes intervention, a safety intervention." Wow, that's called getting some bang for your buck!
The CDC is considering promoting the "co-benefits" of attacking global warming and obesity-related illnesses through everyday exercise (such simple things as walking to school or work).
For my family, walking to school or work is out of the question, as it is for many Americans. For those of us who live in rural areas, there is no mass transportation we can tap into, and a ten-mile walk to school or work is not feasible. At least not practical for most. (However, I do have a friend who rides his bike nine miles to and from work each way during the summer months - his workplace has showers available for its employees!) So changing our daily activities to make an impact on our health AND environment might be: commute to work with neighbors - walk to the neighbor's house to catch the ride; once in town for shopping, park in one place in a plaza and walk to all the stores instead of getting in and out of the car to drive short distances; buy in bulk to save on trips to town, and then store food in basements - where retrieving items takes effort by climbing stairs, etc.; or get permission from school districts to have a central bus stop for the children instead of stopping at each individual driveway - children can walk to the central bus stop within a reasonable distance.
Need any more incentives to improve your health? Get creative today!
The article states: "Get out of your car and walk or bike half an hour a day instead of driving. And while you're at it, eat less red meat. That's how Americans can simultaneously save the planet and their health, say doctors and climate scientists."
Although unlikely to happen, the payoffs could be huge. One calculation indicates that if all Americans between the ages of 10 and 74 walked a half hour a day in place of driving, annual U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, the chief greenhouse gas, would be cut by 64 MILLION tons. That translates into about 6.5 BILLION gallons of gasoline saved and Americans would shed more than 3 BILLION pounds overall!!! Now those are big numbers!
According to Dr. Howard Frumkin, director of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Environmental Health, "A simple intervention like walking to school is a climate change intervention, an obesity intervention, a diabetes intervention, a safety intervention." Wow, that's called getting some bang for your buck!
The CDC is considering promoting the "co-benefits" of attacking global warming and obesity-related illnesses through everyday exercise (such simple things as walking to school or work).
For my family, walking to school or work is out of the question, as it is for many Americans. For those of us who live in rural areas, there is no mass transportation we can tap into, and a ten-mile walk to school or work is not feasible. At least not practical for most. (However, I do have a friend who rides his bike nine miles to and from work each way during the summer months - his workplace has showers available for its employees!) So changing our daily activities to make an impact on our health AND environment might be: commute to work with neighbors - walk to the neighbor's house to catch the ride; once in town for shopping, park in one place in a plaza and walk to all the stores instead of getting in and out of the car to drive short distances; buy in bulk to save on trips to town, and then store food in basements - where retrieving items takes effort by climbing stairs, etc.; or get permission from school districts to have a central bus stop for the children instead of stopping at each individual driveway - children can walk to the central bus stop within a reasonable distance.
Need any more incentives to improve your health? Get creative today!
Saturday, November 3, 2007
10 Ways to Cancer Prevention: NEW RESEARCH
The World Cancer Research Fund just released its expansive 2007 Expert Report which gathered incredible findings correlating cancer to diet, physical activity and weight. The research on cancer prevention included over 100 researchers and institutions worldwide.
A key finding in this report was the link between body fat and cancer! Fighting cancer includes maintaining a healthy weight.
Here are the top 10 ways according to the research to engage in cancer prevention. After losing my mother and sister to cancer, if there's anything within my control to fight this insidious disease, I'll do it!
How about you?!
1. Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
2. Be physically active daily for at least 30 minutes.
3. Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (particularly processed foods high in added sugar and fat, or low in fiber).
4. Eat more variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans.
5. Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
6. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women a day.
7. Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt/sodium.
8. Don't use supplements to protect against cancer, opt for a balanced diet.
9. It's best for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for up to 6 months.
10. After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/research_science/recommendations.lasso
A key finding in this report was the link between body fat and cancer! Fighting cancer includes maintaining a healthy weight.
Here are the top 10 ways according to the research to engage in cancer prevention. After losing my mother and sister to cancer, if there's anything within my control to fight this insidious disease, I'll do it!
How about you?!
1. Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
2. Be physically active daily for at least 30 minutes.
3. Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (particularly processed foods high in added sugar and fat, or low in fiber).
4. Eat more variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans.
5. Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
6. If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to two for men and one for women a day.
7. Limit consumption of salty foods and food processed with salt/sodium.
8. Don't use supplements to protect against cancer, opt for a balanced diet.
9. It's best for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for up to 6 months.
10. After treatment, cancer survivors should follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.
http://www.wcrf-uk.org/research_science/recommendations.lasso
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