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Posted by Healthy Habits on Friday, July 30th, 2010
To beat the heat, get used to it - think this would help us in the Mid-South? It’s important to remember to take it easy when you begin working out in much hotter conditions.
Can you be both fit and fat? This article suggests that fat is not a good measure of cardiovascular fitness -
Most of us could lose weight by eating 1500 calories a day. Here’s what that would look like:
Like these links? Like our Facebook page and receive more like this several times a week. And leave a comment below with your thoughts on the information in these articles and links to any articles you found interesting.
Posted by Healthy Habits on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Hunger is a double edged sword in this great land of ours. Too many people go hungry every day, and way too many people are overweight (2/3 of our population). I don’t know how to fix the problem of too little food, but I can help with the overeating side.
Hunger is defined as the physical need for food, while appetite is the psychological drive to eat. In a land of plenty, we must learn to recognize true hunger and to master our appetite. Many people find a hunger scale useful, in which you consciously and carefully rate your hunger from 1 to 10, with 1 being starvation, 5 being neutral, and 10 being stuffed to the gills. Once you understand how to gauge your true hunger, you can make better decisions about whether to eat or not.
Of course, to make this work, you have to master your appetite; that is, you have to overcome those often-unconscious triggers that lead you to want to eat even though you’re really not hungry. These triggers can be specific to individuals, but there are some common ones. These include boredom, stress, availability of food, time of day, aroma, watching TV, going to a movie, host expectations, and cultural norms.
What can you do to improve your control of the whole eating process? Here are some tips:
1) implement the hunger scale and eat only when you’re at stage 1, 2 or 3
2) try not to get to stage 1 or even 2; eat when you’re at 3 so you have more control
3) plan ahead to take healthy snacks to keep yourself at 3 or above
4) eat meals and snacks that feature complex, fiber-rich carbohydrates, protein, and then fat in that order of prominence to feel more full for a longer time
5) study your eating habits to identify the triggers that lead you to eat unconsciously
6) develop strategies for overcoming those triggers
7) order smaller size meals in restaurants, have doggie bags delivered with the meal, and divide the food immediately so you can’t overeat
8) drink water when you think you’re hungry and before meals to fill up your stomach
So, who’s hungry – truly – like a 1, 2 or 3? Who just thinks they might be hungry? Whoknows the difference? Which one are you?
This article originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of The Healthy Habituator, our montly e-newsletter. Interested in getting it delivered to your inbox every month? Submit your email address in the box in the left-hand column.
Posted by Healthy Habits on Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Obesity is certainly bad for your physical health; according to this report, it may be bad for mental health as well.
Here’s another reason to get kids to be more active – it seems to make their bones stronger when they are older. Read the story here.
We’ve all done it – overindulged on foods that aren’t good for us. Here’s what to eat to help counteract the bad stuff.
13 ways to get your exercise outdoors – put some fun into your workout!
Get your fruits and veggies any way you can – including this Spinach Pineapple Smoothie. And try it before you say it sounds like a bad combination!
What have you read lately that caught your attention? Leave a comment and let us know!
Posted by Healthy Habits on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
 In the January 2010 issue of our e-newsletter, the Healthy Habituator*, I listed the top 10 tips to improve your fitness in 2010. Now that we are mid-way through the year (and how did that happen so quickly??), I want to look at these tips again, as a reminder and a check-in to see how we are doing. The tips are:
1. Vary the Variables – Changing up (challenging) your routine, whether it is eating, exercising, spiritual, mental, or financial, is key to keeping things fresh, making progress, and reaching your goals.
2. Plan the Work and Work the Plan – If you don’t know where you are going, you won’t be able to get there! Figure out what you need to do, how you’re going to do it, and when. You have to make it work for you. Success is in the details – and be sure to plan for changes in the work (see #1).
3. Go Old School – Push ups, chin ups, and jumping rope were hard when you were younger, and they still are! Body weight training is challenging, but it is also productive, worthwhile and fun!
4. Suspend Your Disbelief – Suspension training is hot in the fitness world. Try out the TRX or other such systems. Don’t be intimidated that the Navy Seals use them – they can be customized for all fitness levels.
5. Curb the Carbs – We all like simple carbs but they are a very unhealthy habit and need to be reduced whenever possible. You get much of the pleasure and more nutritional benefit from whole grains and complex carbs.
6. Try Tubing – Not just tubing, but also cable systems. They engage your core on every move so you burn more calories and improve your functional capacity. Perfect for chopping exercises.
7. Bolster Your Balance – Dyna Discs, wobble boards, foam rollers, stability balls, Bosus and other balance tools provide a great challenge for your body in different ways. Add them to make your workout exciting and productive.
8. Lose Some Liquids – About 20% of the average person’s daily calories come from liquids, but they are overlooked as a place where you can cut back and help yourself lose weight. Don’t forget to include them when looking at your daily calorie consumption.
9. Change Up Your Cardio – Make your body adapt! Change the exercise you do, the intensity you work at, the time you spend at it, the equipment you use. Get out of your comfort zone – and see how your body responds.
10. Combine Moves – Adding weight is not the only way to increase the challenge. What about combining a squat with a shoulder press? Lunge with cable high row? Crunch with chest press? Be creative! And talk to your trainer for ideas and to make sure you are doing them right.
So where are you in 2010? Have you added in some of these already? Let us know what you’ve done and how it has helped. Need a boost for the rest of the year? See how many of these you can incorporate in your workout.
*Healthy Habituator is emailed the middle of each month. Want to get “All The Fit News To Email”? Sign up is on the left side of the page.
Posted by Healthy Habits on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Here are more links to articles we think are interesting. Do you agree? Leave a comment and let us know what you like…
If we are what we eat, what are we if our produce has less nutrients than in years past? Take a look at this article and see what you think -
Are you putting on sunscreen each time you go out this summer? If so, are you doing it correctly? Take a look at this article for what you should be doing and how often -
Take advantage of all the fresh fruit available this time of year – here’s a list of 100 Calorie fruit desserts – if you try one, give us a review!
New study shows that childhood obesity leads to a lack of exercise, not the other way around. What do you think of that?
If you like these links, “Like” us on Facebook for more links posted every week…
Posted by Healthy Habits on Friday, July 9th, 2010
Here are some links to articles found around the internet. Which ones do you like? What stories have you found that you can share? Please leave a comment and let us know.
Pull out your slow cooker and put it to good use this summer with these recipes. Helps keep the heat out of the kitchen on hot days.
It is recommended you eat more fish – but watch where it comes from. This story tells how the mercury threat is greater in ocean fish than freshwater –
According to this story, the old heart rate formula doesn’t work for women over 35. Read on for the new formula to use.
Biking may help premenopausal women stay slim as much as walking.
Inspiring story of how a man made healthy life changes after suffering a stroke at 33 – we can all learn from the changes he made.
Posted by Healthy Habits on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
 The SUCCESS we are talking about is a formula mainly based on the habits of successful weight controllers from the National Weight Control Registry. This post features the letter U for UNPLUG.
Unplug yourself does not mean literally. But, Registry participants report watching less than 10 hours a week of television – that’s less than an hour and a half a day. How do you compare to that? No mention is made of computer time or going to the movies or other such sedentary pursuits. How much time do you spend surfing the net or on Facebook?
Here’s what I think: if you were to keep your total sedentary TV, internet, movie, Facebook, reading, etc. time to 2 hours a day or less (other than while at work) and you are active for much of the rest of the time, you would probably be making a positive contribution to controlling your weight. If you exercise or do housework or engage in some other activity, while the TV happens to be on, then I would not count it as part of the 2 hours – as long as you are truly active, moving, more engaged in the activity than in the TV.
So, going back to our last discussion about the letter S for SCHEDULING, schedule your workout or some housework during a TV program you want to watch. You’d be surprised how easy and enjoyable it is to watch and move at the same time, without missing anything from the show. Plus, you tend to intensify your movement during the commercials. This has the additional benefit of helping you avoid those annoying ads, especially the ones that try to make you hungry or thirsty for calories you don’t really want or need.
Go ahead, try unplugging yourself more often. You’ll be glad you did.
This article originally appeared in the June 2010 issue of the Healthy Habituator, our monthly newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter in the box on the left side of the page, and be among the first to get the latest information from Healthy Habits Fitness!
Posted by Healthy Habits on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
 The 4th of July weekend is coming, and many people are making plans to be outside. Good for them! Getting out of the house and office can be a great mental and physical break. However, make sure you don’t forget food and activity safety. Here are some links with great information:
Many people will spend a lot of time outside this weekend. Here’s some tips to help avoid harm from the heat.
Healthy makeovers for some popular summertime recipes (link previously posted on our Facebook page – check it out for new links every week)
Two links with water safety tips for those hitting the lakes, rivers, and pools this weekend:
First, the US Coast Guard offers great boating safety resources.
Second, healthy swimming no matter where you go.
Tips for summer food safety to avoid unpleasantness this holiday weekend.
However you choose to celebrate, have a great 4th of July weekend!
Posted by Healthy Habits on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010
There is a lot of information on the internet claiming to help you live a healthier life, but who has time to look through everything they come across? Here are some links to recent articles that we think are interesting. Take a look and see if you agree:
What the gulf oil spill means for your dinner
Americans are exercising more but still getting fatter – what do you think would reverse this trend?
Much to busy parent dismay, chasing kids may not be the workout if feels like it is
If you get too much sun, here’s some home remedies to help
If you like these articles, be sure to “like” our Facebook page, where we post other links periodically throughout the week.
Leave a comment and let us know what links have you found relating to “healthy habits’.
Posted by Healthy Habits on Saturday, June 19th, 2010
Here’s a list of some of the links posted on the Facebook page over the last few weeks. Take a look, and let me know which ones you find most helpful.
Your body’s big enemy? You’re sitting on it!
No sweat ways to burn calories
Exercise, eat right to boost metabolism, and lose weight
Tips for summer food safety
Get help for your aching feet
To see all the articles, check out our Facebook page, and we’d love for you to “like” it if you already haven’t.
Which article is your favorite? What type of article would you like to see more of?
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