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.

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.

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!

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.