Class #6

Foods for Fuel

There are alot of ways to think about healthy eating.  If you try to think about everything at once, it can get confusing.  Healthy eating doesn't have to be difficult, though.  The four simple steps below will help you eat healthier and feel stronger every day.

1. Eat a good breakfast every day.
Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day!  It improves your attention span and your ability to do things.  It boosts your energy and helps prevent overeating later in the day.  At breakfast you're more likely to take in important nutrients, such as calcium, protein and fiber.

A good breakfast includes at least 1 serving of protein, whole grains, and fruit. (A great breakfast would include 2 servings of whole grains.)

2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
The 2010 u.s. Dietary Guidelines recommend adults eat at least 5 1/2 c. of fruits and vegetables a day.  This means fruits and vegetables should fill up half your plate every meal.

• Fruits and vegetables are high in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber-all of which you need.
• Fruits and vegetables are associated w/ lowering your cardiovascular disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.

3. Limit sweetened drinks.
It's best that you don't drink them at all.  Sweetened drinks don't have much nutrition, and they have a lot of extra calories.  They're one of the causes of obesity epidemics in the U.S.  When you're thirsty, reach for a drink with no added sugar.

4. Eat meals at home with your family.
research shows that people who eat together as a family as least 4-5 times a week are more likely to:

• Eat more balanced meals and healthier foods
• Drink fewer sweetened beverages
• Taken in more essential nutrients
• Have better vocabulary and conversational skills

Put together a plan of how your going to incorporate these 4 things into your lives.  Doing this will help you with that needed energy.  It will help your health improve.  It will help you feel better overall.

Think of those times of when you have just eaten a large burger and fries with an extra large soda.  How do you feel within 2 hours after completing that meal?  Are you feeling sluggish?  Do you feel like you need a nap?

We all know that candy (sugar) and caffeine will give us that quick release of energy; but how are we feeling after it wears off?  Do you feel more tired then you did before? 

So think about what it is your eating and ask your self;  "How am I going to feel in a few hours after finishing this meal?"

Was it really worth it?

Healthy eating habits can improve your life in so many ways.  When you make healthy choices about what you eat, as well as how you eat, you'll have more energy, better health, and quicker recovery from illness or injury.

Find out how many calories you are burning.

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/health-resources/health-topics/healthwise/content/calc001/calories-burned.aspx#calc001-sec

Week #5.

Get off the couch and get moving!

Being active is the best way to get those calories "OUT" and burn fat.  So get off of the couch and get some more physical activity.  Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Move the TV out of the bedrooms.
2. Balance TV time and activity time. Make a rule that minutes of TV watching equal minutes of physical activity.
3. Set Limits. TV can be habit-forming. To keep from overdoing it, make a few rules. Like; no watching TV on weekdays, no more then an hour every night, not until after homework is done. Etc. Whatever is going to help make the difference.
4. Use a timer. Set the timer for 30-60 min.  When the timer goes off so does the TV or computer.
5. Don't eat in front of the TV. Take the TV out of the kitchen. Don't allow eating in the TV room.
6. Don't surf.  Schedule TV instead.  Deciding in advance what programs you want to watch during the week, makes a bigger difference then sitting and surfing throughout the channels waiting for something to pop up that interests you.
7. Be conscious.  Do you automatically turn on the TV when you come home? Is it on all the time even when no one is watching it?  Try to break these BAD habits.
8. Make the most of TV time.  Move the treadmill or stationary bike in the TV room.  Do calisthenics during commercial breaks.  Watch TV standing up-while you do arm circles, knee bends and leg lifts.

Here are 2 amazing statistics:
*According to the A.C. Nielson organization, which tracks TV use in the U.S.; the average person spends a whopping 4 hours a day watching TV.
*Another survey (the American Time Use Survey) found that watching TV accounts for about half the leisure time for the average person.

How does your family compare to the national average? Track your families TV time for a week and compare.  Then set some rules and boundaries to help.

Ideas of making it happen:

1. Go for 60 every day. You need at least 60 min. of activity every day.  This includes playtime. exercise, and just moving.
2. Transport yourself.  Bike or walk to various places around your neighborhood.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Choose parking spots that are the furthest from the doors.
3. Play, play, play. Allow for lots of instructed time for active play.  Break out the balls, jump rope, hula hoops etc. Walk the dog, head for the park, take the little one on a walk in the stroller etc.
4. Make it a family affair.  Adopt active habits that everyone can do.  Walk each night after dinner, play tag or ping pong. Do needed chores together around the house or outside. Getting a family swim pass and go together regularly.
5. Rev it up aerobic.  For 20-30 min. every day, do something- anything!  As long as it gets your heart pumping.  Biking, running, hiking, basketball, skating etc. Just get outside and do it.
6. Stretch your body.  Stretch a little every day, and set aside time for a stretching activity 2 or 3 times a week.  Yoga, Pilate's, martial arts, dance, and gymnastics ass help with flexibility.
7. Build strength. Do strength exercises 2 times a week.  Calisthenics like push ups, pull-ups, sit ups, and knee bends are best and easiest for most people.  If you want to lift weights, keep them light. 

Hopefully following a few of the tips will and can make a difference in your life.

Here is some more helpful information for you to view:

http://selecthealth.org/Forms%20and%20Documents/SelectHealth%20Wellness/getfit.pdf

Weekly Tip

Weekly tip:

Keeping Tempting Foods Out of Sight

It’s hard to resist temptation when it’s staring you in the face. When office workers were given candies in clear dishes to place on their desks, they helped themselves to candy 71 percent more often than a similar group that was given the same candy in opaque dishes so that the candy wasn’t visible. 

We’re all on the "see-food" diet.  So don’t let yourself see what you don’t want to eat.  Do yourself a favor and keep tempting foods out of your sight. If you’re going to keep snacks at home, stash them inside a cupboard; and instead keep apples out on the counter.