FamilyInShape

Start your fitness journey one small change at a time

The journey to fitness is truly an easy task—in theory. We write a plan of action. What we eat, what we should not eat, our exercise routine, how we avoid temptation, record our progress and constantly learn about nutrition and fitness. Unfortunately, applying the theory to real life is not as easy. The high energy fitness gurus would like you to think it is, but it’s not. And if the words “nothing in life is easy” sound familiar to you is because it’s true. 

Changing bad habits into good ones, one small step at a time, is the best way to keep from falling off the well-paved path. You still have to work hard and be mindful and accountable for the daily choices you make, but there’s no need to overwhelm yourself only to give it up a week later. It simply won’t work and then the yo-yo dieting begins. Ugh, there’s that word again.

For the next 14 days—Focus on Nutritional changes. Change one thing in your diet—you don’t have to do them all, just pick one to get your started, here are some ideas:

o drink 1 cup of coffee less than before

o eat one fruit in place of chips or another snack

o replace a soft drink with water

o change your milk from whole to 2%, or 2% to 1%

o use less sugar in your tea or coffee 

o change one condiment to a lower fat version – salad dressing=olive oil and lemon, mayonnaise=sour cream and mayo, butter=olive oil, etc…

The idea is to make one or two small changes and stick with them until you can do them without much thought. These are small enough to make a big impact but also easy to manage. Each time you become comfortable with your current change then you can add another. 

I have made many permanent changes over time. In the next 14 days I will be adding more fruit or vegetable to my daily snacks. So instead of cheese and crackers, I may have cheese with apples, a Granny Smith apple to satisfy my crunchy, tart cravings and fruit smoothies when I need something sweet.

What changes are you willing to make to begin paving the path for your fitness journey? Share them in the comments, maybe someone else will benefit from your ideas.

Stay well,

Spin Diva  

Water or sports drink?

Is anyone else feeling a bit overwhelmed with the variety of drinks being offered? How about those sizes? There was a time when a small was actually only eight ounces, now you’re lucky if you can get away with a liter. One good example is at the theater. Their small is 16 oz, while the large, well they should just pour that baby into a bucket and wheel it to your seat. While they’re at it, they should also provide you with a port-a-potty so that you don’t have to miss any part of the movie.

But closer to home I am talking about the different types of water available at the market, each offering something “good” such as vitamins and antioxidants, others are invigorating, energizing, relaxing or calming, etc. etc. The list of goodness goes on for miles. I guess these are the things that the market thinks we want and NEED. A simple quick-fix to all our problems bottled up for us to enjoy at home or on the go.

What they don’t tell you is that they are also filled with sugar, calories, and sodium. If you open a bottle you are most likely to drink the whole thing even though each bottle holds two servings, sometimes, two and one half servings. This is where reading the nutrition labels carefully comes in handy. Not everyone truly understands nor reads these valuable labels. Some people know how to read them and understand them but sometimes choose to be in denial and believe in maintaining ignorance. This is especially true when they really enjoy each bite of sinfully delicious…whatever they’re about to eat. Believe me, I know! 

I don’t see anything wrong with changing up your water and trying something with flavor or fizz, just for fun.  As a fitness professional I recommend water 90% of the time, the other 10%, sports drinks, which is reserved for those who engage in vigorous exercise lasting more than 60 minutes. Sweating causes the loss of water and salt which can lead to dehydration. Sports drinks contain electrolytes that help you recover faster than water.

For the average person who engages in moderate exercise (60 minutes or less), your best option is definitely water. No additives, no sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, artificial anything, added vitamins, calories, etc. If you provide your body with healthy nutrients throughout the day, you will have armed yourself with all that you need to make it through a hard workout. But if you decide to take in something other than water, read your food labels and then measure the calories burnt against the calories you are about to drink—then ask yourself, is it worth it? 

An article on the ABC News Good Morning America website provides more details on this subject.

Stay Well,

Spin Diva

Don't whine because you gave up chocolate!

It seems people these days spend way too much time talking about miracle diets and fast weight-loss. My favorites are the ones that give up something for Lent in hopes they'll never crave it again. Like that's ever going to happen. They spend 40 days out of the year avoiding food, this is their big sacrifice.  The real sacrifice is to those of us who have to hear them whine on a daily basis.  Don't tell me you gave up chocolate or coffee or potato chips because the more you talk about it the more I will be tempted to always show up with all three in my hands, just to get a rise of out you.

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a really good effort and what better time than Lent, when you feel you need to be accountable to God, to give up something you probably shouldn't be overeating to begin with.  I respect what you're doing; keep up the good work beyond Lent.  But please, quit whining about it.  Must you salivate at the site of chocolate brownies and behave like an unfed lion because you have not been able to eat chocolate in the last 30 days?  Whose fault is that? Not mine? Then, please, back off and let me enjoy my brownie and "fat-free" milk in peace.  And wipe your mouth, you're still salivating.

Personally speaking, I eat what I like to eat and I also eat what I crave, all in moderation. But because I eat nutritious foods, exercise and rehydrate my body regularly, I do not crave much on the junk side of foods.  When I do eat my share of 'junk' I don't feel one bit of guilt, I simply enjoy the blissful moment.

It is very important to understand what your body really needs when you are craving something.  Thirst is often confused for hunger and this often results in eating too much of good and sometimes bad thing. The problem is that your thirst will linger until you give it H₂O.  Other times we eat out of boredom and again we find that food will not satisfy that feeling, so if you are bored go for a walk or go to the gym- guaranteed you won’t be bored there.

Balanced nutrition, plenty of exercise, and H₂O--it's no miracle!

Spin Diva