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Monthly Archives: January 2017

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February’s Small Step: Plan Ahead

Just as we can’t wing it when it comes to work, home and personal obligations, so it’s true with fitness.  To say, “I will go to the gym three times a week and eat three healthy meals a day,” without a concrete plan for how you’ll accomplish that is to set yourself up for failure.  We must have strategies for exercise and healthy eating if we’re to have a realistic chance of living a lifetime of fitness.  Planning ahead is this month’s Small Step strategy.

Planning Ahead for Exercise

Here’s the tricky thing about converting yourself from a person who doesn’t exercise to one who exercises regularly: Exercise usually isn’t enjoyable until one is doing it regularly.

Often, motivation is high for the first two weeks and then a workout or two are skipped.  Eventually, an entire week goes by without an exercise session and the person gives up.  But, if a person can get into a regular routine early on and, in the process, find a few types of workouts that speak to her, the positive workout effects begin to kick in and then it’s much less of a struggle to get psyched up for the next workout.  (You can read about this phenomenon in That Elusive A-ha Fitness Moment.)

Therefore, the first month is critical to setting this groundwork.  You must:

  1. Devise a concrete, specific plan.  Outline in writing: when you’ll workout, how long the sessions will be and what you’ll do for your workouts.
  2. Schedule workouts on your calendar.  Schedule them at times when they’re unlikely to get bumped.

To start, aim for a 15-20 minute workout at a moderate pace or beginner class of any length every-other-day.  Regularity is more important than duration or intensity in the beginning.  Consistent workouts with recovery days in between will jump-start your exercise routine without over-taxing you and you’ll begin to see and feel positive results in short order.  These results are what converts the sedentary to regular exercisers.  You can, and should, add to frequency, duration and intensity with fewer recovery days as your enjoyment level increases.

Any type of exercise counts as a workout: brisk walking, cycling, yoga, strength training, martial arts, dance.  Mix it up, variety is healthy.  If you do exercise you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with it.  If you already have one or more go-to workouts that are enjoyable and accessible for you, you’re way ahead of the game.

But, most who aren’t working out regularly haven’t found something they enjoy.  This is the month to treat this like a buffet.  Try two or more of the following this month:

  • Get a one-month or week-to-week pass to a gym that offers novice classes or equipment you’d like to try
  • Schedule a session or two with a personal trainer
  • Sample a local studio that offers specific classes at beginner levels such as yoga, Pilates, Spin, Zumba or martial arts
  • Try online exercise streaming or borrow DVD workouts from your library (select beginner level)
  • Explore a few training apps or test run a fitness gadget

If you try something and don’t like it, move on, try something else.  And be sure to schedule walks in your neighborhood or over your lunch break at work – walking is an underrated, excellent form of cardiovascular exercise.

The more options you sample, the more likely you’ll find at least one you enjoy and can use to build a lasting fitness routine.

You don’t have to do this alone.  Having a workout buddy (or two) greatly increases your chances of sticking with it.

Planning Ahead with Your Diet

What diet and health studies have shown is people tend to consume fewer total calories and eat more nutritionally balanced diets when they prepare their own meals at home.  Our busy lives make it difficult to accomplish this on a regular basis.  Which is probably why Americans eat a large percentage of restaurant and take-out meals and store-bought processed foods.

A little planning and effort done on your least-scheduled day of the week (Saturday or Sunday for most people) can go a long way to accomplishing a full week of home-based, healthy meals.

Plan meals, especially for your family’s busiest weeknights.  Create a shopping list based on your plan and stick to your list at the grocery store.  Be sure to plan quick and healthy foods for breakfasts, snacks and lunches, including those that need to be portable, and add those items to your list.

Here are links to previous posts with helpful tips on planning, shopping for and preparing nutritious meals at home:

When you do have time to make a healthy meal from scratch at home, make extra.  Leftovers can be refrigerated and saved for a super-busy weeknight, packaged in one-serving portions and frozen for a quick meal in a pinch, or packed for lunches the next day.

This month is a tall order but I know you can do it.  If you plan out your exercise and meals each week this month, it will be easy to keep doing it week after week throughout the year.  The more thorough your planning, the more likely you’ll be able to follow through with your plans.

Remember to keep your plans realistic.  These should not be pie-in-the-sky wishes.  They should reflect your abilities, likes and dislikes and, most importantly, your unique schedule and lifestyle.  What works for someone else may not work for you.  Make a plan that works for you.

If you’re new to the Small Steps series, you can read about the philosophy and strategies of the series here.  Know the Small Steps strategies don’t need to be done in any particular order and are independent of one another.  So, you can begin the series with this post, continue throughout the rest of the year and pick up what you missed next year.

Previous Small Steps posts: January’s Portion Control.

 

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Fitness At Your Fingertips

In today’s Wall Street Journal “The New Gym Class, Live on Your Phone” reports on a growing segment in the fitness industry.  The data shows that while the majority of fitness dollars is still being spent on traditional gyms, that percentage has been falling since 2014.  The data also indicates that the money is shifting toward subscription-based on-demand services.  In fact, consumers are now spending more on these newer services than they are on the most popular fitness studio offerings of yoga and Pilates.

ClassPass offers a menu of options at different fitness studios in 31 cities in the U.S.  Subscribers pay a flat, monthly fee to take three to ten classes per month, depending on the subscription level chosen, from any of the studios who participate in the ClassPass network in that city.  This is less expensive than taking these classes a la carte directly from the studios and offers subscribers more variety in their workouts.

But, growing even faster are live and on-demand workout streaming services.  The Daily Burn currently has the largest share of this booming market.  The basic subscription, at $15 monthly, gives subscribers access to 200 recorded workouts plus a daily workout that streams live at 9am and then is available on-demand for the next 24 hours until the next live workout airs.  The premium subscription, at $27 monthly, gives the subscriber access to 600 recorded workouts and a larger menu of live workout streaming options.  As one would expect in any burgeoning industry, new players are entering every day, giving consumers more options at competitive prices.

One can easily imagine the limitless applications of these services and why they are displacing traditional gyms and boutique studios.  They’re at your fingertips to be played on any device with streaming capability – phone, tablet, computer or internet enabled TV.  They can be done anywhere, anytime, and in complete privacy.  No worries about traffic, parking, lockers, embarrassing mishaps, rude behavior or being shut out of a full class.  Offerings run the gamut of fitness disciplines.  Suffice it to say, if it’s offered in a gym or exercise studio, you can get it through an on-demand subscription.

Many of the workouts don’t require any equipment.  But, equipment-specific workouts are also available.  So, if you have access to items like a spinning bike or free weights, you’ll have even more workout options to choose from.  There are also duration options.  Sure, there are the standard 50-60 minute workouts.  But there are sessions that can be done in 10, 20 or 30 minute increments as well.  Finally, when one takes all the variables into consideration, it’s clear these services are more affordable than most gyms and studios.

Some smaller gyms and studios are catching on.  They’re installing large screens in their group exercise rooms to broadcast live streaming workouts giving clients the ability to take advantage of the variety offered by subscription services without giving up access to equipment or the social aspect of an in-person group fitness class.  Some are offering this as part of their membership packages, others are offering access for a small additional fee.

My home workout equipment

As a fitness professional, I’m very excited about the opportunity this gives so many Americans who want to exercise regularly but haven’t been able to make it stick.  The two biggest obstacles most people cite for not working out are lack of time and money.  You may not have time on a busy weeknight to get to the gym for a one-hour class, especially when you factor in commute time.  Even if you have the time, there’s no guarantee the class you want to take is offered at the time you can be there.  But, you probably can find 30 minutes most weeknights to pull up a workout – whatever workout you feel like doing in the moment – for a fraction of the cost.

If one of your 2017 goals is getting fit, consider a subscription-based service.  It may be the exercise platform you’ve been wanting and needing all along.

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Guide to Winter Fitness & Shoveling

That’s me post 2015 blizzard

A quick check of my blog history tells me I’m a running a little later than usual on my annual post about cold-weather workouts and safe shoveling practices.  So, without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about shoveling and working out safely when Jack Frost and Old Man Winter settle into your neck of the woods.

Winter Workouts + Shoveling = Fantastic Fitness

Unlike working out in extreme heat, working out in cold temperatures can be beneficial if your goal is maximum calorie burn.  The body needs to work extra hard to keep the core warm while also supplying the cardiovascular and muscular systems with oxygen and blood to get you through your workout.  The best way to accomplish both of these things is for the body to generate its own heat and energy in the form of calories burned.  So, the more the mercury drops, the more calories we burn when compared to the same workout on a milder day.

Shoveling has even more calorie-burning benefits.  On average, we burn 288 calories per hour while shoveling.  Even more impressive is the nature of the workout.  Shoveling is a high-intensity, full-body strength training workout that raises the heart-rate enough to qualify as cardiovascular exercise too.  Plus, this type of workout maximizes post-exercise calorie burn (EPOC), known as after-burn.  Meaning, in the end, one burns far more than 288 calories per hour while building muscle and strengthening bones.

Safety First

Conditions that limit winter workouts: Working out in extreme cold, as the boosted calorie burn implies, is taxing on our bodies, particularly the cardiovascular, pulmonary and circulatory systems.  It’s recommended that those with the following conditions avoid shoveling more than a few inches of snow and check with their physicians for guidance on cold-weather activities:

  • Cardiovascular: coronary artery disease, arrhythmias, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease
  • Pulmonary: chronic asthma, COPD, emphysema. lung cancer, edema
  • Circulatory: atherosclerosis, diabetes with neuropathy, history of stroke, embolism or aneurysm

Conditions that limit shoveling: The heavier or deeper the snow, the longer one has to shovel and the colder the conditions the more rigorous the task.  In addition to the above conditions, individuals that fall into any of these categories should avoid shoveling more than a few inches of snow:

  • Elderly, obese, deconditioned or sedentary individuals: If you can’t jog on a treadmill for 20 minutes without stopping, it’s probably unsafe for you to shovel heavy snow or for extended periods of time.

Protecting yourself during cold weather workouts: There are specific parameters for when not to exercise in extreme heat and humid conditions, but not when it comes to cold.  The reason is it’s possible to guard against things like frostbite and hypothermia if one is properly dressed and prepared.  Most running community websites seem to agree that it’s okay, if geared appropriately, to run outdoors as long as the temperature with wind chill is 0 degrees or above.  Here’s how to be safe and prepared:

  • Dress in layers:
    • Under layer: Synthetic, thin fabrics that wick away moisture. Avoid 100% cotton.
    • Middle layer for vigorous workouts: This is your insulation layer to absorb and capture heat from your body.  You want it to be warm but not bulky.  Wool and fleece are good insulating yet lightweight fabrics.
    • Top layer for vigorous workouts: A lightweight jacket with a water resistant shell is a good choice to keep dampness out and block the wind.  Even better if it has mesh venting in the armpits to allow for evaporation.
    • Middle & top layer for light to moderate workouts: Your body won’t be generating as much ambient heat and you’ll feel the elements if it’s under 20 degrees.  Choose a synthetic under layer (see above) with a lined parka or ski jacket and fleece-lined warm-up pants.
  • Protect the extremities: No matter the type of workout planned, you need to protect against frostbite.  Fragile tissues in the extremities – hands, nose and other areas of the face, ears and feet – are especially vulnerable.  Cover these areas and avoid prolonged exposure when temperatures with wind chill get close to single digits.  Keep in mind synthetic fabrics are better at keeping your skin dry and wool and fleece are great for insulation when choosing hats, gloves and socks.  When shoveling, insulated and water-proof boots and gloves with good tread and grip, respectively, are a must.
  • Know the current and predicted conditions and choose accordingly. It’s best to avoid early mornings and mid-to-late evenings since these tend to be when it’s darkest and coldest, increasing all risk factors for injury and exposure ailments.  If these times can’t be avoided choose well-lit routes, wear reflective clothing and a light.  But, even in daylight, there are plenty of dangers when temperatures are below freezing.  Know the current air and wind chill temperatures and if any major changes are expected in terms of wind speed and precipitation while you’ll be out.  Unless your activity requires snow or ice, choose routes with the least ice and snow cover.  And, the colder and windier the conditions, the shorter your workout should be.
  • Pick the roads more travelled.  If you should take a spill off your bike or severely turn an ankle on your jog in extremely cold conditions, a few extra minutes of waiting for help could put you at high risk of frostbite or hypothermia.  This is especially true if you’re working out alone.  Stick to well-travelled areas, have a charged cell phone with you, and be sure loved ones know your route and how long you plan to be out.
  • Shoveling Tips:
    • Proper form: Lift with your legs, not with your back or shoulders; switch hand positions regularly to avoid imbalanced muscle strengthening; don’t overload your shovel.
    • Use the right shovel: Avoid one that’s too short or too heavy for you.
    • Stretch: After shoveling stretch back, shoulders, chest, arms, abdominals, hip and thigh muscles.
    • Re-Fuel & Re-Hydrate: Lean proteins and water are what’s needed for the muscles to recover.

Now you’re ready to show winter who’s boss!

 

 

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Fit Tip of the Month: Portion Control Illustrated

We’re in the second week of the new year and many are already struggling to stay on track with fitness resolutions.  The Fit & Happier Blog is here to help with the Small Steps Series.  January’s assignment is to focus only on portion control.  I can describe the amount of various foods that constitute a correct portion.  But it’s much better understood and remembered to literally show you.  (Hint: click on the photograph to increase the size.)

Breakfast

Cereals: Due to the combination of affordability, convenience and quick-consumption aspects, cold cereals with milk are a popular breakfast choice.  But, as you will see, serving sizes, calories and other nutrition information aren’t entirely equal among brands:

These three cereals all have a suggested serving size of 3/4 cup, which is the first listing under Nutrition Facts.  The calorie amounts (second line) are fairly close, ranging from 190-210 calories per serving, not counting added milk.  Other important numbers to look at are grams of fiber, sugar and protein, all listed near the bottom of the Nutrition Facts but above the ingredient list.  The higher the fiber and protein numbers and the lower the sugar numbers, the better the quality of the calories in that food item.

It’s important to remember that not all cereals have a serving size of 3/4 cup:

The serving size for the raisin bran is one cup while the wheat cereal servings are measured in number of squares (21).  The moral of the story here is, with cereals, you need to read labels and measure out servings.

If you like hot cereal, a serving size of oatmeal is 1/2 cup uncooked or about one cup cooked.  It clocks in at 150 calories, not counting any dairy or sweeteners you may wish to add.

Other breakfast items: Items like yogurt and fruit or eggs and toast are great alternatives to cereal for breakfast.  Follow the suggested serving size for the yogurt.  Two eggs and one slice of whole grain bread (see below) or English muffin, served with a side of fruit, is a nutritious and filling breakfast.  Be careful with bagels.  Most store bought bagels are over-sized.  Half of one of these large bagels would constitute a proper serving size.

Lunch & Dinner

The rule is proteins and grains should each take up 1/4 of your plate and the other half should be filled with vegetables and fruit.  Here, I’ve used a combination of actual foods and common household items to better understand the proper proportions for components of a balanced meal:

Proteins: The deck of cards represents the protein on the plate and, generally speaking, measures in at 4 oz.  Proteins at meals tend to be meats, fish and poultry.  But, the same rule would apply to dairy, legume (such as beans and tofu) and egg-based meals.

Grains & Starches: The measuring cup pictured contains brown rice.  A serving of grains like rice, quinoa, barley, farro, pastas and breads measures in at about 1/2 cup.  The same portion rules apply to starchy produce such as potatoes, corn and legumes.

Vegetables & Fruit: A full half of your plate should be made up of produce.  Any combination of fruits and vegetables works.  Though the US government recommends having a higher proportion of vegetables to fruit each day.

Dairy & Fats: The US government’s balanced meal recommendations also include a serving each of dairy and fats.  Proper portions of these are discussed below.

Snacks & Extras

Snacks: As we’ve become more portion-conscious, food manufacturers have done a better job of packaging snack food into pre-portioned, sensible sizes.  Read labels and choose snacks high in fiber and protein and low in added sugars and other simple carbohydrates.  The following features the proper serving size for nuts (1/4 cup) and a tablespoon, two of which constitute a serving size for nut butters:

Breads: Pictured is one slice of 100% whole wheat bread.

Fats: Fats are necessary.  Many of our vital nutrients need fat in order to be digested and absorbed properly.  Consider the size of the above purple tablespoon for the following:

  • Salad Dressings: 2 Tblsp
  • Mayonnaise: 1 Tblsp

Milk: It’s recommended that 8 oz of milk accompany a meal, see photo below:

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages are a tricky category.  First, the serving size is different for each type of beverage.  Second, even among similar types, there are varying percentages of alcohol which affect calorie total.  For example, a 12 oz beer ranges from 100 calories for a light beer to over 200 calories for a stout.

Wines have similar variations.  Also, red wines are traditionally served in larger goblets as compared to whites and are more likely to be over-poured.  The proper portions are pictured above:

  • Beer: 12 oz, 100+ calories
  • White Wine & Sparkling Wine: 4 oz, 100+ calories
  • Red Wine: 4 oz, 120+ calories

Hard liquor has a higher alcohol content than beer and wine.  A single of hard liquor is 25 ml which translates to just under one fluid ounce and contains 60-120 calories, depending on the liquor.  Mixed drinks have more calories.  A single is pictured below, one neat and the other on the rocks:

Desserts

The best rule of thumb is to consume desserts in the portion size in which your grandma used to make them.  For example, pictured is the cupcake liner she would’ve used, which is about 1/2 cup:

It’s the proper serving size for cakes, muffins, quick breads and pies.  Half cup is also the serving size for ice cream.  Below is a one cup measure next to a white ramekin and a blue “ice cream” bowl.  The chances of someone scooping only a half cup of ice cream into that blue bowl is practically nil.  When portioning out desserts, use the smallest bowls and plates you have.

Oreos are one mass-produced cookie that’s remained a sensible size.  Pictured below, you’ll notice they have a serving size of two and each is close to the size of a cookie dough scooper.  Remember this portion guide with all cookies, brownies and bars.  Also pictured is a one ounce square of dark chocolate.

Hope this guide helps you keep all your portions under your control.

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January’s Small Step: Portion Control

SMALL STEPS SERIES 2017

It’s time to start a new year of my Small Steps series.  You can read about the philosophy and strategies of the series here.

If you started the series mid-way through the year last year, continue to build upon your fitness journey throughout the early months of this year.

If you completed the entire series last year, congratulations!  You are well on your way to a lifestyle that supports strength, health, balance, stamina, energy and overall feelings of well being.  Use the Small Steps posts at the start of each month to serve as gentle reminders of the keys to fitness and recommit to those healthy habits, particularly the ones that are most challenging for you.

If you’re new to Small Steps, welcome!  Join in and follow the path to a fit and happier life.  January’s Small Step is portion control.

Portion Control

The Basics: Have unlimited fresh or minimally cooked fruits and vegetables; proteins, grains, starches and fats need to be portioned out.

  • Meals: Proteins and grains should each take up 1/4 of your plate leaving the other half for produce.
    1. Adhere to suggested serving sizes: Cereals, dressings, dairy, condiments and anything else that’s poured or scooped out of a container should be consumed at the recommended serving size.
    2. Actually measure:  This will take a bit of time investment on the front end.  In short order, you’ll know exactly how much cereal and milk to pour into your bowl or dressing to put on your salad to constitute the appropriate serving size.
    3. Audit yourself: Even though you’ll get the hang of accurately eye-balling serving sizes, it’s human nature to cheat up over time.  In addition, it’s common for food companies to fiddle with serving sizes and for there to be varying suggestions among similar products.  For example, some of my favorite cold cereal brands have serving sizes that range from 1/2 cup to 1 cup.  For both of these reasons, it’s important to get into the habit of double-checking labels and regularly measuring out portions.
  • Snacks & Beverages: Portion control isn’t only for meals.  Follow the above steps 1-3 with snacks and drinks too.  And never eat directly from the container.
  • Treats: Pastries, Desserts & Alcohol: We have a tendency to binge on high calorie foods because we rationalize that we’re doomed whether we eat two cookies or half the box.  The truth is, a treat here or there won’t erase all the good you’ve done, but a whole container could.  The better way to look at it is to accept that treats are part of your diet, not apart from it.  They should be consumed, enjoyed and savored in the correct portions.  In reality, if you allow yourself small indulgences when you crave them, you actually crave them less often.

The Extras: Sometimes controlling portions is less about the concrete and more about the intangibles, like the attitudes, habits and sub-conscious elements we bring with us to the table.  So, here are some tricks of the trade to help you outsmart those psychological factors that sometimes sabotage our portion-control efforts:

  • Water Bottle:  Always have one with you.  Often we think we’re hungry when we’re actually dehydrated.
  • Smaller Plate: Using one gives you the visual illusion that you’re eating more than you actually are.
  • Distraction-Free: Eat sitting at a table with no electronic devices (that includes TV) or reading material.
  • Eat Slowly: Focus on tasting and enjoying your food.
  • Smarter Seconds: Second portions of produce are okay, avoid taking another portion of meats or starches.
  • Strategize: Plan and shop for meals in advance.
  • Purge: Rid your pantry and office of high-calorie, low-nutrition food .
  • Doggie-Bag Dining: Choose one of the following options when dining out: order from the small plates menu; split a full entrée with a dining partner; immediately after it’s served, cut your entrée in half and ask your server to box one portion to bring home.

There you have it, the first Small Step to take control of your health in 2017!  Join the movement and share your success stories, tips and questions along the way.  We’ll all benefit from shared experiences and knowledge.

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