Associates in Nutrition & Sports Specialty

Take time this weekend to evaluate your family’s fitness goals. Creating a routine that works for the entire family is the best way to stick to your exercise goals and improve your health.

Here are a few suggestions to make exercise a part of your family’s routine:

• Plan to exercise at a certain time every day, so it becomes part of your schedule.
• Write up and sign a contract, where you agree to exercise.
• Mark your family calendar with a daily appointment for exercise.
• Keep a diary of all of your exercises. Log everything you do, and your progress.
• If you need support, have your doctor write out an exercise prescription, including how much exercise you should do and how often.
• Try joining a health club or gym. Paying a membership fee may prompt you to get your money’s worth and go more frequently. Many gyms offer family memberships. If you have children, find a gym that provides daycare for young ones or offers fitness programs for older children.

By getting the entire family involved, you can support one another and make fitness more fun!

It’s Halloween weekend, so while you are enjoying treats, make sure you fit in fitness to offset any extra calories you may enjoy this holiday!

Halloween is the perfect time to enjoy dancing as a way to burn calories and have fun. Try “the monster mash” or other Halloween tunes and dance while you party! If you plan to trick or treat, enjoy a few extra laps around the neighborhood without stopping at every house for a treat! Instead, take the opportunity to enjoy the fall weather and take in the eerie sights and sounds of Halloween as you walk through a park, neighborhood or local trail.

Happy Friday!  It’s time to plan your family fitness activity for the weekend. Here are a few tips that are perfect for this time of year:

• Visit a nature center and enjoy a hike.
• Enjoy a canoe or kayak trip.
• Go camping where you can pitch a tent, gather firewood, fish, bike, and walk.
• Visit a local farm where you can pick your own strawberries, peaches and apples.

Remember to keep your family active to enjoy a healthy lifestyle!

A good way to check whether you are within a healthy weight range is to calculate your  ”body mass index” (BMI).  BMI is a fairly good indicator of a person’s body fat based on height and weight. It is also used to assess your risk of certain weight-related health conditions.

A BMI calculator can help you determine your status. Click here to take the BMI test:  http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/index.html

• If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the “underweight” range.
• If your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9, it falls within the “normal” or healthy weight range.
• If your BMI is 25.0 to 29.9, it falls within the “overweight” range.
• If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the “obese” range.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has an online calculator to provide BMI and the corresponding BMI weight status category. Use their calculator for adults, 20 years old and older. For children and teens, 2 through 19 years old, use the BMI Calculator for Children and Teens.

This national program focuses on the importance of women’s health and fitness with activities planned around the country. Here are a few guidelines for women on ways to improve their overall nutritional and physical health:

Eat healthy:
-Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains every day.
-Limit foods and drinks high in calories, sugar, salt, fat, and alcohol.
-Eat a balanced diet to help keep a healthy weight.

Be active:
Be active for at least 2½ hours a week. Include activities that raise your breathing and heart rates and that strengthen your muscles.
Help kids and teens be active for at least 1 hour a day. Include activities that raise their breathing and heart rates and that strengthen their muscles and bones.

Protect yourself:
-Wear helmets, seat belts, sunscreen, and insect repellent.
-Wash hands to stop the spread of germs.
-Avoid smoking and breathing other people’s smoke.
-Build safe and healthy relationships with family and friends.
-Be ready for emergencies. Make a supply kit. Make a plan. Be informed.

Manage stress:
-Balance work, home, and play.
-Get support from family and friends.
-Stay positive.
-Take time to relax.
-Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
Make sure kids get more, based on their age.
-Get help or counseling if needed.

This is also a good time to take inventory of your current nutritional status and make necessary lifestyles. Also, be sure you make any annual health check-ups, including gynecological care, dental, vision and overall physical examinations to ensure that you are taking all necessary steps to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Fit in Fun on Friday is my weekly blog on ways that you can stay fit with the family. Here are a few ideas for the weekend, rain or shine:

As fall approaches and the weather begins to change, it’s a great time to enjoy a hike or walk through your neighborhood, local parks, trails or the beach. A three mile walk at a leisurely pace can burn up to 300 calories per hour. Take this opportunity to establish a family exercise routine and add daily walks to your family calendar.

If the weather is not in your favor, it’s time to get creative with your family fitness plans. There are plenty of options for indoor fun right in your own home. How about a family dance party? Let everyone choose their favorite dance songs and get your groove on.  You can burn approximately 300 calories while dancing at an aerobic pace so burn baby burn!

Remember, combining exercise and a balanced diet will help your family develop good habits to support a healthy lifestyle.

Fit in Fun on Friday is my weekly blog on how you and your family can enjoy family activities AND keep fit and healthy.

A weekend bike ride is a fun activity that you can enjoy with the whole family. Find a local park, cruise the neighborhood or local bike trails. Just a 30 minute leisurely bike ride can burn more than 130 calories for adults, depending on your weight.

Remember to wear a helmet, sunscreen and ride safely!

Back-to-school means back to the courts and fields for student athletes. Reaching peak athletic performance doesn’t mean you have bulk up on carbohydrates or chug the latest sports and energy drinks. Student athletes have unique nutritional needs, requiring approximately 2,000 to 5,000 calories per day, depending on body composition, amount of exercise and other health factors.

Here are some tips for fueling your body for optimal strength and energy:

-Eat a variety of foods including protein, carbohydrates, fats, calcium, minerals and vitamins; lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and dairy for calcium provide a balanced diet

-Avoid supplements and steroids, which can have negative side effects on your health

-Avoid extreme diets. Youth athletes require the proper amount of nutrition and depriving your body of proper nutrients can cause decreased energy, muscle loss and sometimes, more serious health problems

-Hydrate with water; avoid caffeine and sugary drinks
Before practices and games:

-Be sure to eat a small, balanced meal approximately 2 to 4 hours before the event and include proteins and carbohydrates such as a turkey sandwich, or pasta and tomato sauce

-No time for a meal? Eat a light snack less than 2 hours before the event such as low-fiber fruits, crackers or yogurt

-Hydrate by drinking plenty of water before, during and after sports activities; avoid caffeine

Because body sizes and activity levels vary from person-to-person, you need to alter your diet to fit your individual needs. For more information, visit http://www.mypyramid.gov/ and create a personalized plan that works best for you.