Improving You! — Step 2
Step 2: Make a list of
the foods you commonly eat. Spend 5-15 minutes per day learning about
two of those food items. Note serving
size, calories, fat, protein, sugar and sodium levels in each item. Start
a journal.
Consistency is critical for 
anything
you want to achieve. Most everything you do requires practice and consistent
performance to be successful. Whether it’s driving a car, gardening,
performing your job or raising children, consistency will result in
success more times than not.
This includes your eating. There is nothing that can derail your
efforts for health and wellness quicker than inconsistent and haphazard
eating. I don’t want to be a downer, but you know how much effort
it takes to burn 300, 400 or even 500 calories. If you are really working
hard you might be able to burn 500 calories in 30 minutes. Unfortunately
it can take less than 5 minutes to put it right back into your body. Most
people know what foods are good and bad, but there are shades of gray
that can cause confusion.
The only way to combat this issue is to become an informed eater! It’s
your body and you should know what you are putting into it before it crosses
your lips. So how do you do that? It is easier than you
might think, but as with anything worth doing, it takes some upfront time
and effort on your part. Once you’ve got it, your investment starts paying
you dividends.
These 5 steps will help you understand and begin to modify your eating
patterns to what is most effective for you. There is no magic pill or potion,
powder or treatment that I can give you or recommend to help you with this.
This just takes good old-fashioned work. So here we go:
- Write down your favorite foods and foods you eat most days in any
given week. For example if you eat a bowl of oatmeal, a cup of yogurt
with blueberries and a glass of milk for breakfast, write down oatmeal,
yogurt, blueberries and milk.
- Now that you’ve written down most of the foods you eat it’s time to
do some investigating about what’s in those foods. There are so many
resources available online that you can find one that works for
you. Most will require you to register (usually free) to get the benefits
of the site. You can check out www.myfitnesspal.com or www.thedailyplate.com.
You can use their tracking tools if you want, but it’s not necessary.
Use the nutrition label from the package if you have it.
- Look over your list of foods and commit the information you found out
about them to memory. It should be easy enough... these are foods you frequently
eat.
- The next few pages in your Food Journal are there for you to
write down what you eat, when and how much. It is important to KNOW
what you are actually eating. At this point you don’t need to change
anything you eat or how much, just record all the things that go into
your mouth, including liquids.
- Continue recording your food intake for at least a week where you are
eating relatively normal.
Meet with your trainer or a staff member to discuss the results and start
utilizing the Favorite Foods portion of your Journal.
Middle Age and Female Fat
Monday, September 13 at 6:30pm
Lifestyle Fitness is offering a special seminar
on the fat gain that women typically battle when entering the middle years
of life. Ken Crowell is presenting information that all women should know
to help them prepare for and deal with the inevitable. The seminar is free
to Lifestyle members and available to non-members for $10. Space is limited
so reserve your spot now at the front desk.
Add Variety to Your Workouts
You'll remember in our last newsletter we talked about the importance
of changing your routine. The many classes we offer are a great way to
do that! Why not try a BOSU class?
The BOSU Class
The BOSU class focuses on building muscular strength,
core strength, cardio conditioning, a
nd improving balance, body control
and coordination by using the BOSU Balance Trainer along with hand weights,
medicine balls, and body weight.
The class is suitable for all fitness levels because modifications are
offered so all participants are working at an appropriately challenging
level. After attending classes on a regular basis, participants report
improved balance and ease of movement in everyday life.
Our BOSU class is offered twice a week: Tuesdays at 8:30am and Thursdays
at 7:30am. Classes are 45 minutes in duration. There is a 9 participant
limit in the class, so come early to reserve your spot and join in the
fun.
Class Schedules
With the start of the school year there may be some changes in our class
schedules. We encourage you to check the website for the latest
schedule.
Member Profiles
Remember to check the lobby board to see who our "Member of the Month" is.
It's always fun, and can be inspirational too, to learn about our friends
here. And, who knows, you might find yourself up there!
This month say hello to Diane and Bruce.
Here
is a treadmill tip. Most of you have your usual settings for incline and
speed. You can burn a few more calories by moving your incline level up just
.5 to 1%.
Have
you checked our newest Grab ‘n Go for the Arc? The Stair Step is fun and
challenging! As always we have provided workouts at the Basic, Moderate and
Advanced levels.
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