Physical Activity | How Big Is Your BUT? Blog

January 21, 2013

5-to-Thrive Series: Move

Do you equate your forgotten fitness resolutions of years past to lack of willpower? Before you play the shame and blame game, ask yourself: Did you enjoy it? Make it a priority? Do it for the right reasons? If you answered no to those questions, it’s time to take a fresh approach and beat the exercise slump with top Move strategies.

Welcome back to guest bloggers Beth Stark and Mandy Rother, The Dietitian Duo. Their “Keepin’ It Real” motto and approach guides you to make simple changes to build a lifestyle around nutritious and delicious foods, regular activity, stress management, self-love and positivity.

Part 2 in the 5-to-Thrive Series

MOVE: I will strive to move more to energize my body and mind.

Be true to your exercise personality.

Ditch the stigma of conventional workouts and consider: What invigorates you? What do you look forward to doing? Recognizing what you enjoy and what motivates you is the first step to sticking with a plan.

How to Thrive:

-Do what you love and incorporate activities that energize you. The right exercise is one that leaves your muscles pleasantly tired and your mind refreshed.

-Find your best time of day. When do you feel most awake? Are you more likely to stick with your goals in the morning, over lunch, or after work?

-Stay interested and keep your body challenged by trying something new each month. Find a new yoga class, take dance lessons or try indoor rock climbing.

Schedule yourself time to move.

Exercise does more than burn calories. It helps lowers your risk for disease, builds healthy bones, improves immune function, relieves stress, boosts mood and promotes cognitive health! To reap these benefits, we need at least 150-200 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. But let’s be real—you likely already know getting enough exercise is important. The challenge is keeping it a priority when life gets hectic.

How to Thrive:

-Make a specific goal each week. What? When? Where? How?

-Plan ahead! Review your schedule for the upcoming week and make a nonnegotiable appointment with yourself.

-Have a back-up plan. Life has a habit of getting in the way so be prepared with at-home express options if you’re short on time.

Move your booty to shake a bad day.

When you’re stressed, depressed or just downright moody, what do you turn to? If life has got you down and it’s hard to get up, exercise may be just what you need. Regular physical activity helps battle depression, reduce stress and anxiety and boosts self-esteem.

How to Thrive

-When you know you have a rough week ahead, find an exercise buddy who can give that little nudge you need to get going.

-Venture outside your normal routine and plan something fun! Find your inner kid and go ice-skating, play kickball or whatever makes you smile!

-No matter what you accomplish, pat yourself on the back and know that it’s a step in the right direction.

Missed Part 1? Click here for Nourish

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January 15, 2013

How Big is Your BUT?

If the size of your ‘but’ is blocking your success and preventing you from reaching your goals, it’s time for a mental boot camp.I recently heard an interview with weatherman Al Roker where he was talking about his weight and that he had to come to a point where he was ready for change.

Is life getting in the way of what you want to accomplish? Do you have dreams and goals that you want to come true but your ‘but’ gets in the way. No, not that ‘b-u-t-t’ ‘butt’ although you might be feeling that your bum or backside is a little larger than it was last year.

I’m talking about the b-u-t ‘but’ that keeps you stuck in your rut and prevents you from moving ahead, reaching your goals and making your dreams come true.

You know the ‘but’…you would like to take that spinning class ‘but’ your schedule is already jammed. Or you feel exhausted and need to get more sleep ‘but’ you need to do laundry, wash the dishes so sleep never seems to happen.

Your contentment level and attitude affect your weight. When you are overwhelmed and stressed, it’s impossible to find the time to eat well, shop and prep food, exercise or do anything else for yourself…and you feel guilty when you do. Stress eating can be tied to tough and emotionally stressful events in your life.

Food is an outlet and is available ever direction you turn. It’s legal and calls your name when you’re mad, hurt, sad and stressed. There have been days when my schedule is brutal and things just didn’t go well at all. I admit it…I may have eaten mint ice cream more than once for dinner.

You known what I mean… those chocolate chip cookies at your favorite bakery or the mocha chocolate chunk ice cream that calls your name …just a little won’t hurt. Food helps to mask the emotions that we don’t want to feel or deal with. But a happy meal is not going to make you happy in the long run.

Let this be the year you kick the ‘but’ out of your life and have a mental boot camp with yourself…an up close and personal inventory if you will. Take a hard look at your day-to-day life and decide what must be addressed, changed, adapted, deleted, whatever…so that you and your family find more contentment.

So think about:

*Your time: if you want to eat healthier this year, put time in your calendar to plan, shop and prep/cook. Time, or lack of it, is a big issue. One night a week when the grocery flyers are posted online, I set aside 30 minutes or so to plan out meals for the next week after looking at schedules. Otherwise, it’s too easy to turn to take out or fast food when you have no plan.

* Find a window of opportunity to shop and then set aside time to prep/cook. I try to do this on either Saturday or Sunday. Typically I make something like chili or lasagna/manicotti that will give me leftovers for another meal. I also cut up fruit veggies, make egg salad or other sandwich spreads for work lunches. It’s the secret to eating well in a busy home. I value my health and that of my family so this get’s a top priority.

* If you stress eat, get rid of the foods that call you name. Clean the pantry or fridge so you have to work harder to go get those foods. Don’t totally give up these foods because then you will want them even more. Instead, buy the smallest size of the best item, such as chocolate, and truly enjoy it.

Remember focus on tweaking your life one small step at a time. When that small step becomes a habit and part of the way you live, then tweak again and add the next small step. You’ve got what it takes to find contentment in life and make those dreams happen. The ‘but’ has just been in the way blocking your success.

Want more food ideas to help keep your immune system perking along? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

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December 30, 2012

Nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser Shares Fat-Blasting Tips

Do you want to grow bolder with your health? Lose weight, look great and feel good about yourself? You’ve seen talk show guests touting that you should take raspberry ketones or completely cut wheat from your diet in order to lose weight. Let’s get real…there’re a zillion unproven yet hyped weight loss miracles at your finger tips on the Internet.

But who’s really getting the benefit…your body or the pocket of the person or company promoting the latest miracle? Come on…weight loss is hard work…right? If all of these miracle products worked, our country wouldn’t be fatter than ever.

So, I went to the prime time nutritionist to give it to us straight…the registered dietitian and James Beard award-winning chef who has successfully worked with contestants for 13 seasons on TV’s The Biggest Loser. Cheryl Forberg knows what she’s doing and she joins me on the podcast this week.

Cheryl says that each contestant on the show has a personalized tailored calorie budget just for them. She meets with each person and provides instruction and guidance on the new healthy eating plan.

Fat Blasting Tip: Cheryl shares that one diet does not fit all. Each person has different needs … a different metabolic rate. Don’t miss this: muscle tissue burn 9-10 times as many calories as fat tissue. Exercise helps maintain this fat-burning muscle mass as you lose weight.

Cheryl suggests to only change one thing at a time and consider this: lose the white stuff as much as possible which means white flour, added sugars, white pasta, white rice, etc. Swap them for the whole grain versions such as brown rice, whole wheat flour, multi grain or high fiber, low glycemic pasta such as Dreamfields or trendy items such as quinoa.

Be sure and check out Cheryl’s new book: Cooking with Quinoa for Dummies. If you haven’t tried quinoa, it’s a seed with grain like properties and is pronounced keen-wa. Cheryl’s simple way to cook it is to 2 parts liquid to one part quinoa. You can mix cooked quinoa with nuts, cinnamon and dried fruit for breakfast as a hot cereal or use broth in place of water and add herbs/spices for a quinoa side dish.

And this fat blasting tip from Cheryl may surprise you: skipping meals, particularly breakfast, promotes weight GAIN. She says that skipping meals makes you eat too much, too fast, and eat the wrong things. You lose your natural hunger cues.

Having a party? Try Cheryl’s recipe for Chunky Onion Dip.

Want more tips from Cheryl to help keep you grow bolder with your health? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

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June 16, 2012

Beverages, Bellies and Backsides

Have you been listening to all the chatter on banning bake sales in Boston and shrinking soda sizes in New York City? So what’s your opinion?Should laws be enforced that cut off calories at the 16 ounce mark or ban bake sales in order to curb the obesity crisis in our country? As a guest on Sean Hannity’s radio show, I was on a panel discussing bake sales and obesity. Needless to say, the panel was divided…just like many of you.

There are numerous children in this country who are overfed when it comes to calories but undernourished as it relates to nutrition. Portion sizes have become obscene. I’m not big on regulating what you can buy or order nor do I think that putting the blame solely on beverages or bake sales is going to change the face of obesity. But I am big on empowering children, teenagers and adults of all ages with the information to make a smart decision. Change begins with yourself and knowledge as I see it, is power!

So here is my question to you. Do you know how many calories you…your body…needs on a daily basis? Have you considered that number and how it compares to the calories in many of the beverages you drink? It’s my opinion that most of us have no clue how many calories our bodies need everyday nor what that looks like in terms of quantity or portions.

So calculate the number of calories you need each day to maintain the weight you are right now.

Multiply your current weight ______ x 12 = _______ calories you need each day if most of your daily workout is done with your fingers and your mouse. If you work out, you can eat more, probably 150-300 calories more as a rough calculation.

Want to lose one pound this week? One pound = 3500 calories / 7 days = 500 calories less you must eat each day or burn off thru exercise.

In the case of the 150 lb person: 150 x 12 = 1800 calories day – 500/day = 1300 calories allowed each day to lose one pound. That’s not a lot of calories and less than what I like to see most people consume.

You are probably groaning by now…why is she having me think about this? Because I want you to get it…to see how few calories you need as compared to the calories in a serving of many items you drink.

How many calories a day do you drink?

As my dietitian colleague Edie Hogan says…are smoothies really that smooth? The 40-ounce peanut power plus grape smoothie from Smoothie King weighs in at 1460 calories and 42 grams of fat. Wait a minute… what about that 150-pound person who only needs 1300 a day to lose one pound a week? This smoothie would be the only thing you could consume all day and still be over the calories you need. But you could order the 20-ounce and make it skinny for 530 calories and 21 grams of fat.

Even the Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister so popular with kids contains about 340 calories for the bottle (20 ounces) that is supposed to be 2.5 servings according to the label. But I ask you, how many kids would drink less than one half a bottle and stop? Compare that to a 10-ounce bottle of 100% juice for 110 calories. Big difference.

Look at the nutrition information which most companies post on their website. If you have a place you love to go, familiarize yourself with their offerings and find the best and healthiest. I think we are totally unaware of the calorie content of most items and how easily you can drink 2000-3000 calories a day. Think small size and a simple drink…without a lot of extras. Check the Nutrition Facts label to see how many servings in the container and how many calories per serving. Remember, regular coffee has zero calories but a fancy coffee drink can edge all the way up to 1500 calories. So think before you drink!

Want more information? Listen to this week’s podcast.

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February 17, 2012

Heart Throb: Smart Steps to Protect the Women You Love

Think about this…heart disease is the number one killer of women. Yet women often receive less care by the medical community for their hearts than men do. At the same time women are typically more concerned about the health of others and are often too busy and stressed to take care of themselves.

Heart disease in women is often overlooked and can have a tragic ending. Every week in the background you hear my awesome producer Billy P. You don’t want to miss Billy P share his story about the totally unexpected loss of his wife in this week’s podcast.

These preventive tips can help women improve their health, feel better, hopefully avoid medication and live longer.

Tip #1 Find Out Your Numbers

* Cholesterol profile including triglycerides, HDL and LDL

* Blood pressure

* Body mass index (check out this simple BMI calculator: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ )

* Blood sugar

* Waist circumference

Money is tight, medical costs are high…I hear you. But you and the health of those you love are much more important. Every week there are free health fairs and clinics with opportunities to take advantage of and find out some of these numbers.

It’s true that you can’t change your family history, gender or your age for that matter, but you can alter your diet, exercise/activity level, whether you smoke or not, and your weight.

Tip # 2 Once You Know Your Numbers, Ask Yourself if You Have Metabolic Syndrome

How do you know? According to the American Heart Association and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, you may have metabolic syndrome (which puts you at a greater risk of diabetes, stroke, heart disease) if you have 3 or more of the following risk factors:

1) Your waist is greater than 35 inches

2) Your triglycerides are higher than 150 mg/dL

3) Your HDL (protective cholesterol) is less than 50 mg/dL

4) Your blood pressure is higher than 130/85 mm Hg

5) Your fasting blood sugar is higher than 100 mg/dL

Tip # 3 See a Health Care Professional

If any of your numbers are abnormal, now is the time to see a health professional. Remember, high blood pressure is called the “silent killer” as it generally has no symptoms. When you lower your blood pressure, you reduce the chance of stroke by 35-40%, heart attack by 20-25% and heart failure by 50%.

And did you know that two out of three people with diabetes die of heart disease? Don’t miss this…women with type 2 diabetes develop heart disease at a much younger age compared to non-diabetic women. Making smart changes in the diet, losing some weight and moving around more can help to prevent or postpone diabetes.

You are busy, I know that…your schedule is over full and you’re stressed most days. But I don’t want you to put off taking care of you any longer…you and your family are worth it. Tell me what you’re doing. I want to hear from you.

Want more information? Listen to this week’s podcast below.
Listen to this week’s podcast

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November 18, 2011

Superfoods to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk

Does diabetes run in your family? Has your blood glucose (aka blood sugar) been a little elevated? According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC), approximately 35% of adults 20 and older, and 50% of adults 65 and older have pre-diabetes.

Have you heard the term pre-diabetes? It’s used to describe above-normal blood sugar levels that are not quite elevated enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Here’s the kicker: unless lifestyle changes are made such as weight loss, tweaks to the diet and more exercise, pre-diabetes typically progresses to diabetes.

But I like to focus on the good news. If you are pre-diabetic or diabetes runs in your family, you can take control now and help prevent diabetes. If you have diabetes, smart habits can reduce your blood sugar level enough that you may need less medication or none at all.

Joining me on the podcast this week to bust some diabetes myths and talk superfoods is my guest Regina Ragone, registered dietitian and Food Director at Family Circle magazine.

One of the most common diabetes myths is that eating too much sugar causes diabetes. You my eat very little sugar or few sweets and still develop diabetes. Weigh gain plays a big role in diabetes and it doesn’t matter what foods you eat or drink to put on the pounds.

Diabetes Superfoods to Add to Your Diet:

Leafy greens

Nuts

Herbs and spices: particularly cinnamon, oregano and turmeric

High Fiber Foods: Susan: such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, beans, lentils, oatmeal

New research is looking at both regular consumption of caffeinated coffee and a normal blood level of vitamin D as potentially protective against diabetes.

Be sure and try this month’s Family Circle recipe: turkey scaloppine with tarragon-mushroom sauce at the WDBO.com/healthcenter.

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast

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April 19, 2011

Screen Time Making Couch Potatoes of Your Kids?

Are you concerned that your children have way too much face time with a screen…TV, computer, cell phone, and video games? You’re probably right on target. According to the National Institutes of Health, children and teens spend more than four hours watching TV every day and more than seven hours using some type of entertainment media.

Needless to say, physical activity just isn’t happening which means that inactive children are more likely to be overweight. WeCan! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition) is a science-based national education program from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and helps children ages 8-13 stay at a healthy weight.

This week is Screen-Free Week, a great reason to scroll down screen time and replace it with physical activity.

So whether you’re a parent or health professional or both, try some of these easy ways to reduce screen time plus check out these tips for getting active that include ideas such as:

• Walk your children to school

• Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV

• Play with your kids at least 30 minutes per day

• Dance to music with your kids

Do you have tips that work in your family to stay active and cut face time with a screen? Tell me.

Win a Copy of “7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies“! Register for a chance to win a copy of “7-Day Menu Planner for Dummies”! We’ve got delicious, nutritious meals for your family… so register now to get cookin’!

Want more? Listen to this week’s podcast below.

Listen to this week’s podcast

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January 21, 2013

5-to-Thrive Series: Move

Tag Index

January 15, 2013

How Big is Your BUT?

December 30, 2012

Nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser Shares Fat-Blasting Tips

June 16, 2012

Beverages, Bellies and Backsides

February 17, 2012

Heart Throb: Smart Steps to Protect the Women You Love

November 18, 2011

Superfoods to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk

April 19, 2011

Screen Time Making Couch Potatoes of Your Kids?