Many times I have people question "Where do I start, I don't know where to begin!?" For those of you who have repeated these same words I have compiled the following list for you to follow when beginning a new fitness routine.
1. One Day at a Time.
Are you starting each day by focusing on breakfast? Make sure the first meal you eat is a healthy one. Many diets have met their untimely end due to a poor breakfast, which turned into a poor lunch, which turned into a poor dinner, which turned into a poor week... You probably get the picture. If you did have a day that included some slip-ups, breakfast is the perfect time to get back on track. Just start over with a healthy meal. Don't think about the cookie you had at lunch yesterday or even the office party you have to go to tomorrow. Concentrate on today and worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
2. Two People To Support You.
Don't isolate yourself. Do you have two people who can be supportive and help you make sound decisions? Use the resources you have to tell what you might think are the silliest stories: How you passed up some potato chips during lunch, that you had a perfect meal plan day, or that you weighed in and lost two pounds.
3. Three Goals and Three Rewards
Create a goal system for yourself and write it down (if you haven't already). Short Term Goal- Figure out where you want to be in two weeks and write down a non-edible reward (a new CD, a movie, whatever...) If you reach your goal, make sure to give yourself the reward. If you don't reach your goal, and it may happen, look at the progress you made and set another goal. Medium range- Decide where you want to be in 2 months and make the reward just a bit larger. (New walking shoes, a day at the salon, a new pair of pants.) Long term- Figure out what your goal weight is and when you think you can reach it. Set up a vacation for that date or find another way to celebrate your achievement. Give yourself a little leeway here. Don't cancel a trip if you are 3 pounds off. The point is to look forward to something in the future.
4. Four Pieced of Fruit.
Have you been skipping that banana at breakfast and just eating two muffins, or just having cereal and milk? The fruit will help fill you up and reduce your cravings. Fruits are especially important when just starting out.
5. Five (or more) Servings of Vegetables.
Eating all your vegetables can be especially challenging. Vegetables can be harder to get all of your servings than fruit. Generally speaking, they take more time to prepare, and we only think of them as dinner foods. One of the best ways to ensure you get all your vegetable servings is to plan ahead. Although, I am a big believer in fresh vegetables, stock up on frozen and canned veggies, in case you forget to buy fresh ones. When preparing your meal, fix the vegetables first. That way there will be no temptation to just eat your entree and leave the veggies in the fridge.
6. Eat Six Times A Day
Oddly enough, one of the keys to losing weight is eating often. You should be eating six times a day. That's three small meals and a snack after each meal. The faster you can get into this eating habit the better. This will keep you from becoming hungry late at nights, when you may be tired and not have as much will power.
7. Seven Days of Exercise
If you haven't been exercising this may sound difficult. Visions of endless jogging and hours spent in the gym. Start slow and start with what is right for you. Walking every day is a simple way to begin. Even if it is just for 10 minutes, get yourself in the habit of getting up and moving. Walk during your lunch hour or visit a co-worker instead of calling. If you can, adding a couple days of free weights will help you build muscle and ultimately keep your metabolism running at a higher level.
8. Eight Glasses of Water a Day.
It is hard to believe this can actually help you lose weight. It makes sense that eating well should help, but how does adding water help. Your body needs lots and lots of water. More than most people give it. Water keeps the body in balance. Besides, sometimes we can mistake thirst for hunger, leading to a snack instead of old H2O.
9. Nine Different Activities in Your Workout.
Don't let yourself get bored doing the same exercises repeatedly. Half an hour worth of sit-ups or walking the same route every day can be boring, even for the most motivated exerciser. By trying different things, you will actually be working your muscles in a more productive manner. Our bodies become accustomed to exercises we do all the time and start becoming more efficient and burning fewer calories while performing them.
10. Ten Minutes of Journal Time a Day.
Take time to reflect and write down some of the frustrations you may be having. Being aware of how you feel mentally can help you feel better physically. Your journal doesn't have to just be what you ate and how far you walked. How is dieting making you feel? Frustrated, confident, grumpy, or proud. All of these may cross your mind at one point or another. Writing them down may be a good way to cross them out of your mind.
Sep 30, 2008
Sep 3, 2008
100 Calorie Snack Packs, What's the Deal?
Today, I would like to address the "Snacking Issue"
This is one important issue that our Nutritionists always bring up in our Lecture during the first week of boot camp. She talks about making changes in your diet according to where you are or how far along you are in the process.
When choosing a between meal snack it is important to remember that all calories are not created equal. Let's look at 100 calorie snacks from Nabisco, for instance. Great, 100 cals. Doesn't sound like a lot and in fact its not. Unfortunately those calories come from simple starchesthat your body breaks down very quickly. If you don't use that energy up in that next half hour or so , it gets stored as excess energy: FAT. (On the flip side, complex carbs take longer to break down in the body,therefore can be burned off all day long and therefore have less of a chance to be stored as fat.)
Lets take a look at those seemingly innocent snacks:
*There is little to NO FIBER (to keep you fuller longer , keep digestive tract running appropriately
*NO PROTEIN (to help build back the muscle that you broke down in class therefore leading to muscle wasting and slow metabolism)
*NO VITAMINS/MINERALS/ANTIOXIDANTS (to replenish what you burned off, rebuild skin/organ/immune system, fight cancer diabetes/heart disease/high BP)
*HIGHLY PROCESSED, LOTS OF SUGAR & CHEMICALS to maintain years shelf life (leave you feeling dehydrated, drained of energy when insulin/blood sugar peaks then plummets, nudges you towards seeking out another poor choice)
*TONS of SALT -upwards of 250 mg of salt for a handful of food is OUTRAGEOUS (leaving you bloated accounting for daily changes on the scale, dehydrated, tired and "thirsty" [no pun intended] for a sugary drink.
Look, if you are used to eating brownies as a mid day snack, then yes, 100 calorie snacks (cheese nips, oreos, snack mix) are the way to go! You have made a smarter choice here b/c these packs teach you portion control. Unfortunately that's all they teach you. I can stick 100 calories worth of cheese fries in a bag and market it as a "100 calorie snack" and I wouldn't be lying, but is this healthy? NO! You wouldn't be fooled by that so why get scammed by Nabisco??
So if you are not eating brownies as snacks and you are at a different place in your weight loss regimen then what are you supposed ot eat? Girls, I am glad you asked. It's time to go to the next level. AWESOME snacks that will leave you full, help replenish protein to build lean muscle, give you energy, hydrate you, contain calcium, make you happy etc etc:
-low fat yogurt plain flavor (with fruit or nuts on top)
-nuts (unsalted of course)
-fruit! grapes, apples, peaches, bananas, etc etc
-sliced veggies with olive oil and vinegar drizzled on top (takes 3 mins cut the night before, or no minutes if you did a batch of them already on sunday night)
-natural peanut butter by itself or on fruit/1 slice of wheat toast
-tuna fish with lemon (keep a can opener in your desk at work and lemon in the fridge
-avocado and beans
-oatmeal (with fresh fruit/nuts/berries on top)
-low fat cottage cheese (NOT fat free, too much salt) with something fun on top
-sweat potato (can easily be thrown in the microwave at work)
-small salad with protein on top
-salsa (read the label! some have tons of salt) and veggies
Once you break the sugar addiction, realize that you must plan these snacks the night before, and get away from the quick fix options you will see a world of difference. This difference will manifest in not only the way you look but the way you feel!
It is importantly for you to be cognisant of the calorie/fat/salt/protein content of your food. AND you have to also go another step and read the ingredients to uncover what is behind those numbers. They say "the numbers don't lie" but when it comes to food, most often they do.
Good luck, and if you want more info like this then ask me! OR you can come down to Waldbaums in Oceanside Long Island tomorrow night 7-8pm. SIGN UP HERE>>>
This is one important issue that our Nutritionists always bring up in our Lecture during the first week of boot camp. She talks about making changes in your diet according to where you are or how far along you are in the process.
When choosing a between meal snack it is important to remember that all calories are not created equal. Let's look at 100 calorie snacks from Nabisco, for instance. Great, 100 cals. Doesn't sound like a lot and in fact its not. Unfortunately those calories come from simple starchesthat your body breaks down very quickly. If you don't use that energy up in that next half hour or so , it gets stored as excess energy: FAT. (On the flip side, complex carbs take longer to break down in the body,therefore can be burned off all day long and therefore have less of a chance to be stored as fat.)
Lets take a look at those seemingly innocent snacks:
*There is little to NO FIBER (to keep you fuller longer , keep digestive tract running appropriately
*NO PROTEIN (to help build back the muscle that you broke down in class therefore leading to muscle wasting and slow metabolism)
*NO VITAMINS/MINERALS/ANTIOXIDANTS (to replenish what you burned off, rebuild skin/organ/immune system, fight cancer diabetes/heart disease/high BP)
*HIGHLY PROCESSED, LOTS OF SUGAR & CHEMICALS to maintain years shelf life (leave you feeling dehydrated, drained of energy when insulin/blood sugar peaks then plummets, nudges you towards seeking out another poor choice)
*TONS of SALT -upwards of 250 mg of salt for a handful of food is OUTRAGEOUS (leaving you bloated accounting for daily changes on the scale, dehydrated, tired and "thirsty" [no pun intended] for a sugary drink.
Look, if you are used to eating brownies as a mid day snack, then yes, 100 calorie snacks (cheese nips, oreos, snack mix) are the way to go! You have made a smarter choice here b/c these packs teach you portion control. Unfortunately that's all they teach you. I can stick 100 calories worth of cheese fries in a bag and market it as a "100 calorie snack" and I wouldn't be lying, but is this healthy? NO! You wouldn't be fooled by that so why get scammed by Nabisco??
So if you are not eating brownies as snacks and you are at a different place in your weight loss regimen then what are you supposed ot eat? Girls, I am glad you asked. It's time to go to the next level. AWESOME snacks that will leave you full, help replenish protein to build lean muscle, give you energy, hydrate you, contain calcium, make you happy etc etc:
-low fat yogurt plain flavor (with fruit or nuts on top)
-nuts (unsalted of course)
-fruit! grapes, apples, peaches, bananas, etc etc
-sliced veggies with olive oil and vinegar drizzled on top (takes 3 mins cut the night before, or no minutes if you did a batch of them already on sunday night)
-natural peanut butter by itself or on fruit/1 slice of wheat toast
-tuna fish with lemon (keep a can opener in your desk at work and lemon in the fridge
-avocado and beans
-oatmeal (with fresh fruit/nuts/berries on top)
-low fat cottage cheese (NOT fat free, too much salt) with something fun on top
-sweat potato (can easily be thrown in the microwave at work)
-small salad with protein on top
-salsa (read the label! some have tons of salt) and veggies
Once you break the sugar addiction, realize that you must plan these snacks the night before, and get away from the quick fix options you will see a world of difference. This difference will manifest in not only the way you look but the way you feel!
It is importantly for you to be cognisant of the calorie/fat/salt/protein content of your food. AND you have to also go another step and read the ingredients to uncover what is behind those numbers. They say "the numbers don't lie" but when it comes to food, most often they do.
Good luck, and if you want more info like this then ask me! OR you can come down to Waldbaums in Oceanside Long Island tomorrow night 7-8pm. SIGN UP HERE>>>
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