What? Don't Diet?

Yep!  You don't need to diet to lose weight and get fit.  Does that mean you can eat as much as you want of anything you want. No, of course not.

Losing weight and getting fit is about eating less and being more active.  I do not advocate extremes in either direction. 

• Eat less.  Either through smaller portions or skipping a second helping.  
• Limit snacks.  Go for a good piece of fruit or some veggies instead of chips or ice cream.
• Move more.  Park farther from the store entrance.  You will find a parking spot easier and the walk is good for you.
• Don't ban foods.  The second you ban foods from your diet, like ice cream or chocolate, you will start craving it.  If you love ice cream, have a small bowl.  Just don't eat the whole pint.

Losing weight, getting fit, and feeling better is about moderation.  You want to push yourself, but don't push far enough you fail.  Build on small successes, and suddenly you will find your goals are within reach.

If you need help in setting goals and coming up with ideas on how to lose weight, get fit and feel better, send me an email.  I would be more than happy to help.  Do it now.  The sooner you start, the sooner you feel better.

Small Gradual Changes Work!

Making small changes in your eating habits and activity levels does have positive effect on weight-loss/fitness.  It is how I lost my weight about 10 years ago and it has helped me maintain it since.  I am not the only one who has found that it works.  The website RealAge just this week put out a health tip on the subject.

"Part 1: Just walk an extra 500 steps every day.

Part 2: Trim a mere 100 calories from one meal each day (that's roughly equivalent to eating one less tablespoon of butter, drinking three fewer sips of soda, or leaving three or four bites at a meal). Pretty simple, right?"

My beginning tips would be similar.  Put a little less food on your plate.  Make sure you drink plenty of water.  And walk around the house during TV commercial breaks (going up and down stairs would be even better).  Once you have started, it is easy to find time to feel better.

So what are you waiting for.  Start today.  Don't wait until the beginning of a week or month or year.  Do it today!

If you would like help in planning out a fitness program, let me know.  I would be glad to help out.

Back to the Grind

I have finally gotten back to working out after having oral surgery recently.  I have not, so far, made the mistake that many people do.  I cut back on my routine by about 60 percent.  I don't want to get overly sore because my fitness level is lower.

When you take a break from working out, you lose your fitness level by about 5 to 10 percent per week.  So if you are starting back after a break you need to plan your work out accordingly.  Build back up to where you were slowly.  Don't expect to get back to where you were quickly.  Just know that by starting back on the fitness trail, you are on your way to meeting your goals.

If you are starting back on a fitness program after some time off and need some help in planning your workouts, send me an email.  I would be more than happy to help.

Study Shows Walking Works

In my last post: "What Kind of Exercise?"  I said that you should work up to being able to walk 20 minutes a day to feel better, lose weight, and gain a little muscle.  It turns out that I am not the only one saying it.  On NPR's Health Blog "Shots", in a post called "Even a Little Exercise Can Help Your Heart", they show where even as little as 15 minutes of walking a day can lower your risk of heart disease 14%!  Even the Center for Disease Control (CDC) agrees that walking 15 minutes a day will help (Although they recommend a little more).

In addition to the reduction in heart disease, 15 to 20 minutes of walking a day will help you lose weight, lower your risk of diabetes, and best of all, make you feel better!

If you need a little help in setting up a time to walk or if you want advice on other types of activities and diet changes to help you feel better, contact me either by comment or email.  I would be happy to assist you for free!  I know the hardest part of starting a program is actually starting the program.  But once you start, you will wonder why you took so long to start in the first place.

Get Started Today! Feel Better!  Get Fit!

What Kind of Exercise?

I don't know about you, but I don't like the word "exercise".  It brings back to many memories of PE in grade school.  I prefer the term activity.  And whether you prefer the term exercise or activity, one of the best in terms of losing a couple of extra pounds of fat and gaining muscle is... walking!

"Walking?", I can hear you say.  "Walking is something I do everyday and I don't lose weight."

That is because you are probably doing only a minimum amount of walking.  You walk from the door to the car.  You park in the closest space to your destination, even if it means waiting five minutes for someone to pull out of the space you want.

I am not talking about the few step you currently take.  I am talking about working up to walking about 20 minutes a day.  And not to go anywhere in particular, I am talking about just walking for 20 minutes a day so you will feel better.  It is even better if you walk with one of your friends.  The time will fly by and it won't seem like exercise.

If you would like to start walking and feeling better and would like a personal, free plan, send me an email or leave a comment.

West Virginia is Fat!

This should come a no news to anyone, but West Virginia is fat (note that is fat with an "f" and not a "ph"). According to the 2010 study by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, West Virginia is joined by 11 other states having an adult obesity rate over 30%.  Pardon the pun, but this is a big problem. 

I know that part of West Virginia's problem is our diet, high in fried foods, lack of access to in some places to fresh fruits and vegetables.  Another part of the problem is the lack of exercise.  Being a rural, mountainous state presents problems.  One is isolation.  Many people live outside of cities and town along curvy roads.  It is dangerous enough to walk along them, let along run or ride a bicycle by them.  Two, there is a lack of nearby facilities.  Yes, we have Gold's and other gyms in West Virginia, but to use them, you need to travel a bit.  And with the current school consolidations, there are fewer tracks to use.

We need to attack obesity.  I am willing to do my part.  I will provide coaching and training free (for the time being) to anyone in Berkeley or Jefferson Counties in West Virginia who asks me for it.  I can meet with people either individually or as a group.  Let me know if you are willing and ready to fight obesity too!

The Obesity Numbers are Still Bad!

According to an article I read a couple of days ago in The Journal, America is still obese and the numbers do not look too encouraging.  It said that in 1995 no state had an obesity rate over 20%.  But 15 years later, only one state has an obesity rate of less than 20%.  What has happened?

Life in the US happened.  Schools cut down on Phys.Ed. time for kids.  Kids sitting around playing video games.  People spending more and more time on the internet.  Fewer people cooking meals at home.  More people eating out at restaurants.  Restaurants making portions larger.

Obesity is a major contributing factor in diabetes, heart disease and many other ailments.  Quite a few people who are obese, do not know they are.  Quite a few more know they are obese, but either do not have the time, energy or knowledge to do something about it.  I am willing to help people get fit. 

My philosophy on fitness/weight-loss is simple.  Eat smaller portions of better food and move more than you are moving now.

If you need help in losing weight or getting fitter, maybe I can help.  I will work with you to create fitness goals, design a plan to help meet those goals, and help you stay on track.

Let me know if you are interested.  Either email me or leave a comment.