A Healthier New Year

So the New Year has come and you have vowed to shed some pounds accumulated over the holidays?  It is perhaps the number one New Years resolution made by Americans.  So here is some advice:  Check with your doctor, use commons sense, be patient, and eat & exercise in moderation!  Have I totally bummed you out?  Ok, here is another reality let down…. fad diets do not work, and there is no magic cure or pill. A modest change in lifestyle that includes a healthy, well-balanced diet and 45 minutes to an hour of exercise 3-5 times a week does.

Drink lots of water, reduce your fat and sugar intake and increase your fiber. But most importantly, watch your portion size and calories!  And while reducing calories is good, like anything else it must be done in moderation.  Check with your doctor what is right for you.  If you reduce calories too much, your body can go into “starvation mode” and reduce your metabolism to survive.  Then you are likely to regain the weight when you return to even a maintenance-eating plan. 

Make exercise as important to your day, as a shower and brushing your teeth. I know you are trying to juggle your family, work and friends, but exercise is important for your health, heart and your brain!  Do not forget to consult with your doctor to see what is safe and suitable for you.

You do not like to exercise?  If you just can't get yourself to do step aerobics or jog, try to remember what you liked to do as a child…play ball, walk around the mall or outside in a nature setting, roller-skate, dance in your living room or ride your bike. Then do it!  If you can, find a friend to do it with you.  The companionship will make it more fun.  For an added bonus, if you are the ambitious type, who likes the feeling of accomplishment, clean the house, organize the basement, closets and garage. The constant moving and lifting is great (with proper body position lifting techniques) and the feeling you will get from the accomplishment is an added bonus!  Do not forget to warm-up and stretch before you begin any physical activity!

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) is a nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles, the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products. ACE advocates a healthy, safe and lifelong commitment to exercise. They recommend carefully setting realistic goals after meeting with your doctor. They can access your strengths and limitations and can work with you to achieve and maintain you goals. 

For more information on ACE call (800) 825-3636 or just click to visit the American Council on Exercise.