You can be healthy and fit, learn how.
Recently, a friend of mine was told she was prediabetic. She changed her eating habits, started exercising, and was able to get off her high blood pressure medication. In addition to losing weight, she is no longer considered prediabetic.
Today, I am reviewing five pieces of advice that will change your life by getting you healthier and more fit. Now, before I get into the five pieces of advice, there are several other things that contribute to being healthy and fit. I won’t cover all of them but I’ll help improve your health and fitness by advising on five areas.
Committing to change
“Every new year, people commit to improving their health. Losing weight, eating healthy or joining a gym are all resolutions that many believe they will complete this time. So what happened? Maybe getting tips on what to do is as important as what you commit to do.”
In order to be healthy, you need to control what you eat and how much.
In order to be fit, you need to exercise to break a sweat and eat foods with high-quality nutrients.
You need to track what you put in your body and how much. Also, track your sodium.
You need to drink lots of water. Energy comes from the hydrogen in water.
It's ok to have a cheat day each week. Maybe Sunday is the day you eat what you want, within reason.
Control what you eat every day
The first piece of advice is to control what you eat every day and how much in terms of calories, nutrients, sodium, sugar, protein, fats, fiber, and water. The recommended intake ratio is 40% Carbs, 30% Protein, and 30% fat.
You should replace white bread with whole wheat. Whole wheat bread is much higher in fiber and vitamins. You should also reduce snacking on processed foods such as crackers and chips because they contain lots of carbs and sodium, which can cause weight gain and increase blood pressure.
When shopping, look for lean meats, beans, and leafy vegetables. Reduce the fat in meats by buying lean and cooking with healthy oils. You get lots of protein from lean meats and beans. In fact, a growing number of people are switching to a vegetarian diet so animal meats are out altogether. You can get your protein from lentils, beans, nuts, peanut butter, soy, and other foods.
You should pay close attention to reducing fried foods, packaged items and eat more nuts, fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. If you must get fried chicken, remove the skin before you eat it. You’ll be surprised how much fat is in the skin. Anything in a box, can or bag is usually unhealthy in many ways, in addition to being high in sodium.
Because Americans get so much extra sodium, I created a video on reducing sodium intake.
Sodium is a big factor, among many others, in contributing to high blood pressure. According to the CDC, high blood pressure is preventable, and cutting your sodium level is a big part of reducing blood pressure. Don't believe me, check the CDC website here >>.
Most Americans don’t consume enough vegetables. We should be getting 3 to 4 servings of vegetables every day. The veggies you choose should be across the color spectrum. The colorful veggies have many different nutrients that the body needs, so make sure you get lots of servings. The more veggies the better and usually lower in calories depending on how they are prepared.
Scientists are very clear that calories in versus calories out is the biggest contributor to weight gain or loss. Less calories and you lose weight. More calories and you gain weight. Now, keep in mind that some people may have medical issues that can affect metabolism and weight. But generally speaking, calories in versus calories out. So, keep that in mind to balance your week.
“The average calorie intake for women is 2000 per day and 2500 for men.”
You should always measure portion size. An example of this is meats should be the size of your palm. The best way is to read the food label to identify what a single serving contains, so you can measure portions correctly.
You also need to manage temptations. Never go to the grocery store when you are hungry and leave the chips and cookies in the store. Stock up on healthy snack items such as fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Exercise enough to break a sweat
The second piece of advice is to exercise regularly and mixed cardio and weight-bearing exercise. Exercise at least 3 to 5 days a week and you got to sweat. The official guideline is to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. Any combination of minutes counts, so if you do 90 minutes over two days, you are good. Seniors who do not have access to a gym can get lots of exercise at home by gardening, walking around the yard, walking up and down the stairs 10 times, and use bottles of water for weights.
If you have bad joints and can get to a pool then water exercises are the way to go because it takes all the stress off your joints and muscles.
Another exercise option is low-impact cardio videos for seniors. Another benefit of an exercise video is the ability to pause it and go at your own pace. You should use small weights in the beginning so as not to hurt muscles or joints. Monitor your heart rate with a wrist device like a Garmin or Fitbit.
Track what you eat each day
The third piece of advice is to track what you eat. Tracking apps not only makes it easy to know what you consume, understand eating habits, plan your meals and make adjustments from one day to the next. MyFitnessPal is a free app that tracks just about everything and you can compete with friends on steps, calories, and weight loss.
Most people don’t have the willpower to eat well all the time, so an app can help by entering items before you eat out at restaurants. This way you know exactly what you will get.
For example, Oliver Garden's Tour of Italy has 1,520 calories and a day and a half worth of sodium. That does not count the soup, breadsticks, and dessert. And the fat makes up 860 of those calories.
I bet you didn't realize that just by looking at the plate.
Using an app also doesn't have to be a lot of work because you can scan the barcode at home for easy entry. It is critical to balance calories and nutrients for the week. If you go over on Monday then eat less on Tuesday.
You can share this data with your doctor in order to have a quality conversation about your eating habits.
Drink lots of water throughout the day
The fourth piece of advice is to drink lots of water. Less water makes you weak and lethargic. Body energy comes from the hydrogen in water, so less water means less energy. Drinking lots of water during and after exercise reduces muscle soreness. Also, dehydration can cause headaches, sluggishness, dizziness, and fatigue.
“Water enables the body to absorb vitamins and other substances, flushes out toxins and waste and regulate body temperature.”
Don't beat yourself up if you slip a bit
“No one has the will-power to change a habit on the first attempt.”
Ok, I know I covered a lot so far and we are on the last piece of advice. Let's admit one thing now, most people do not have the discipline to eat well 7 days a week so don’t beat yourself up if you go over sometimes, just make it up the next day. One way to do that is to eat well during the week and eat what you want on Sunday but within reason.
Everyone has foods they can’t part with, like ice cream, cake, or cookies. Just eat less of it. And the magic thing to remember is you can offset cheat days by exercising more that day. That slice of cake at 500 calories can be offset by doing a Zumba or spin class and burning it off.
Summary
I hope these five pieces of advice will help you change your life and get more healthy and fit. Just remember the key rules;
Eat healthy foods to be fit and eat fewer calories
Exercise 3 to 5 times a week and break a sweat. Cardio is great for the heart.
Use a food & fitness tracker. You know you can't remember how many calories you ate.
Drinks lots of water even if you are not thirty.
Everyone slips, so make it up tomorrow.
If you need help with a plan, I'm here for you at www.tips4living.org
