Monday, October 31, 2011

Make what you like to do count for you!

We all only have so much time in the week.

Do you love to watch TV?

Read the newspaper?

Facebook?

Spend time with the family?

Whatever it is you like to do......factor in some movement, action or exercise around it so you really make it count.

Some people spend 4 days out of a month yes...almost 96 hours watching TV!

If you spent a quarter of that tie pedaling a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill do you know the long term benefit you would yield yourself?

Same with the newspaper or facebook.

Time with the family...head to the park or wrestle go to the beach...it is allwithin your reach and in your control...you just need to take a new perspective or approach.

Trick or Treating can be awesome family time and great exercise if you don't eat a candy bar a house on your hike!

Think about things a little differently and the impacts on your life could be amazing!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Get Outside

Colder weather is on the way but that is OK!

There are many studies that are coming out to suggest getting a run, bike ride or a simple walk is better for you if done outside instead of on a treadmill or in a gym.

First off the change in your surroundings will enable you to burn a few extra calories and work out a couple extra muscles due to the wind and terrain changes as well as sudden situations that arise like dodging other runners or crossing a street.

When you do things outside people naturally get a boost in self esteem as they feel better in the "great outdoors" instead of in a sterile gym or basement.

It also helps your brain.........if you start walking in just 90 days blood flow to your brain will increase 15%....this will helping your mental dexterity.  It will also lower your BP and your heart rate.

Get outside and reap some of these rewards!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Have you found your Motivation

I have been speaking with some people that are really stuck in a mental rut when it comes to weight loss and fitness.

I am starting to find that there is much more to understanding why you want be fit or lose weight than actually the effort that you will put into doing it.

Many people want to lose weight or they vow to get fit and short term they are actually successful.

What I want to share with you is the secret.

Anyone can lose weight or get fit short term...until you truly dig into the reason you need to change your lifestyle you won't be successful long term.

You will go up down and all around untilyou find the reason that you truly desire to be fit happy and healthy.

On the other hand you may need to identify what keeps you from being fit happy and healthy....that reason can be as big an obstacle as not having a driver.

Figure out what is in your way mentally or physically and deal with it.

If there is no impedment then get something that will motivate you long term and commit to it...that will make the difference.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The weather will be changing

Don't let weather changes put an end to your fitness routine.

Think about what you will do to stay active as the weather turns for the winter.

If you don't have a plan in place it will be very easy for you to slack off.

If you put a plan in place ahead of time you will be ready.

As long as the temperatures are above zero my wife and I bundle up for our daily walks...below zero it is to the indoor bike and treadmill in the basement.

There is no guess work we know by the thermostat what our workout will entail any given day.

Take control of your day don't let your day take control of you...or the weather!  :)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Always a reason!

People were asked why they don't fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables?

Too Expensive    30%

Don't pair well with the rest of the meal       27%

Half a plateful is too much      21%

They aren't always served    21%

Seems like 69% of the reasons are very controllable.  30% being too expensive may be relative.....the medical procedure you could incur down the road because of an improper diet could be viewed as pretty expensive as well.

I love to eat at buffets....I get three plates of steamed veggies and about as many plates of fruit.

I find the expensive reference interesting since when at a buffet I see mounds and mounds of things on people's plates that are not fruits and veggies.  I think there is a cultural view of fruits and veggies as punitive in nature.

People are forced to eat their veggies and in many cases fruit is offered in place of a delectable chocolate dessert or something of that nature so it is viewed as a fall back not a treat.

All these points are just made to get you thinking.

I know it makes me think!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

We all need some good news

Seems like all to often as people look for nuggets to motivate themselves all you get is depressing news.

If you eat a burger at Wendy's it will take you three hours of walking to burn off the calories or if you eat a donut at Krispy Kreme you need to chop wood forever to burn the calories.

Other times we are told if we don't get our heart rate up or exercise for an hour a day there really are no benefits.

When these type stories run they tend to upset people to the point that they give up or they lose motivation.

There was a great story that came out last week and it should be very encouraging.
Th good news is that a mere fifteen minute walk daily can add three years to your life.

That news does not promise a new life or the ability to lose 30 lbs in a week but it is a positive affirmation for an attainable goal.

you need to set your sights on something that is do able.

This is extremely do able and the thought of an extra three years should be motivational.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Is it harder to lose, gain or maintain?

This is the million dollar question and the answer seems to be very different depending on whattype person you are.

I can gain weight in minutes not days!  :):)

I can lose weight pretty quickly as well if I need to.

Maintenance to me is where the tremendous challenge lies.

What I have found is you need to give yourself a large window 10 - 15 lbs so that you can go up and down depending on different body composition situations.  Time of month?  Maybe you had a HUGE meal at a Holiday and it takes your body some time to process.....there are going to be large swings one way or another so I think in maintenance mode you have to stay on top of your weight and give yourself a realistic window to go up and down.

Much easier to reign yourself in if you are 8 lbs over your goal than if you slide 20 lbs away.

It is interesting to think about weight loss or weight gain as potentially easier than maintenance but it is the same in many things in life....when driving your car if someone says speed up or slow down that is simple.....if they tell you to stay right at a certain number it is  bit more challenging.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Weight Gain has Nothing to do with food!

Did I just put that in writing?
Yes, if you did not put anything n your mouth you would not gain weight.

That being said if you are able to control yourself and live life moderately you can eat what you want when you want.

Most issues that occur with weight gain tend to have direct relation to some kind of stress.

When you are dealing with things in your personal life that feel like they are too big too overcome many times than not you will veg out on the couch or ou will head straight to food.

It is in these times you must do a gut check and figure out where you are at and what stance you will take in relation to pigging out!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Slow Down

When yuo exercise you look to speed things up.  Take your intensity to a new high any work out you can.

On the other side of this there is one of my favorite activities.....EATING!

This is a quick thought I wanted to throw your way.  Think about slowing down as much as possible when it comes to eating.  This will help your body let your mind know when you are full or comfortable.  It usually takes 20 minutes for your mind to understand that you have been feeding.  the other thing this does is allow you to enjoy and savor your food....if you like to eat why rush?  Take your time enjoy it.

There are three basic levels of eaters.  Slow, moderate and fast.  A slow eater eats 1.5 oz of food a minute, moderate 2.5 oz and fast 3.1 oz.

Man of us have heard to slow down when we eat but there is a new way to think about this which should make plenty of sense to you.

The more food you eat per minute the more calories you are taking in.

As you slow down your eating you are slowing down your calorie intake.

Who would have thought an easy way to cut calories is just to slow down.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Calorie Counts

It is funny that I wrote the note I did yesterday in relation to serving size.

Today in the USA Today the discussed the way teens have no idea what calorie count a meal has.

It is scary to think the larger the meal the farther off the kids were....if a meal was 1500 calories kids thought it was 700  if a meal was 1000 kids thought it was 800 if a meal was 750 the kids thought it was 500.

We are living in an age where we have been conditioned to think if we order a meal it is the same no matter what the size of the sandwich the side or the dessert.

We must understand going forward that the eyes need to tell us when something is larger than the average serving.

We must take responsibility.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Serving Size

How many times do you think a burger is a burger....a baked potatoe......a muffin.....a cookie?

Many of us get caught in the trap of the size of food being the same no matter where you eat it or purchase it.

Many muffins can be three times the size of a true serving.

Cookies can vary by four times the size.....a baked potatoe 2.5 times the size.

The challenge is understanding what a true serving is and in the world today it is very hard to get a handle on this.

Everything is mega sized supersized double sized triple sized it never seems to end!

You need to have a real good understanding of what an appropriate serving is or you will get lost in the Biggie Size/Super Value Size mentality.

The way I got a handle on this was to truly get a feel for what a serving size is.

Whether it be a chicken breast or a piece of pizza you really must get a handle on what a true serving should be or your pant size will blow up as fast as the biggie size.

Next time you go out to eat start thinking about the size of the protions you are served and learn what fills you up.

A burger at McDonald's is very different than a burger at a sit down restaurant...whereas neither are good for you the size and calories differential can be staggering.