Have you ever
ordered the child’s plate at a restaurant? I highly recommend
it!
While traveling
last month I found myself at a restaurant in John Wayne airport
and I had a hankering for a burger. I looked at the menu –
½ lb patty! Holy cow (no pun intended)! “I can’t
eat that much food” I exclaimed to the waiter. I sweetly asked
if I could order the child’s burger and he kindly obliged me.
When it arrived
I had a hard time imagining that a child could eat that big of a
burger and plate of fries. I said, “This is the child’s
burger?” The waiter nodded and smiled in agreement. In the
end I couldn’t even finish it all.
I’ve done
the same thing at Coldstone Creamery (great ice cream!) with child’s
size servings. I guess when faced with a small sale or none at all
the sale wins.
I agree we each
take responsibility for what and how much we eat. If you’re
like me though, it’s sometimes tough to let food go to waste
(better wasted on the plate than in the body though). So keep open
to the option of kiddie size when available.
Of course a
child’s plate of macaroni can’t compete with a filet mignon…
To
your health,
Heather
Heather
Lynn Moreno
PeopleFit USA, President
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"To
be able to choose the line of greatest advantage instead of yielding to
the path of least resistance is the essence of freedom." -
George Bernard Shaw
Last month we talked
about three secrets to keeping motivated: Find Your "Why," Keep
Track of Your Progress and Get Objective Feedback. I hope that you have
begun implementing one or two of them into your fitness program.
Another secret is
to do less. Yes, you heard me right. I know that this newsletter is not
the only place you find health and fitness information. Even if we're
not looking for it, it's all around us: in magazines, newspapers, TV,
even at the office water cooler. It is easy to be bombarded with all the
messages and jump from idea to idea, never fully practicing one let alone
mastering anything.
If you want to keep
motivated AND see results, don't try to implement everything you hear
(from me or any other source) all at once. Pick one or two ideas and when
you have those working, add another. It is easier to take on and accomplish
more once you are already successful at what bit you are doing. Sometimes
clients want to work right away on both exercise and diet but experience
tells me this is usually too much too soon. If people fail in one area,
say a late night cookie escapade, it then follows that "I've blown
it anyway, why exercise this morning?" Then people waste a lot of
time starting and stopping and never reach their desired goals.
Just like results
from exercise, building motivation and consistency takes time. Fitness
is not just about reaching a destination, it is a journey where you will
learn much about yourself and grow from your experiences. If you take
your time and master each piece of the fitness puzzle you will accomplish
more in the end, much sooner than if you try too much too soon. Keep your
short term goals in mind and enjoy the journey to reaching your ultimate
goals.
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Did
you know that you don't have to stretch before you exercise?
Most people are surprised to hear this. Unless you have a particularly
tight muscle group(s) that you find it better to stretch before
exercise, you can save it for afterwards. Either way, always start
out the first few minutes of exercise slowly so that you warm up
your muscles, including your heart.
Did
you know that potatoes contain potassium, vitamin C, fiber and several
antioxidants? I think potatoes get a bad rap because usually
they come fried! Check out www.potatohelp.com for recipe ideas like
chipotle mashed potatoes.
Did
you know that exercise can help you sleep better? ACE Fitness
Matters reported in their January/February 2004 issue that a research
study showed "both stretching and aerobic exercise can help
improve the quality of sleep and reduce the incidence of insomnia,
although those who exercise aerobically saw greater improvements."
(source: Sleep, 2003; 26, 830-836.) Today, that's a benefit we can
all use!
Did
you know the daily fiber recommendation is 25 grams? It is shown
in studies to be beneficial to the digestive tract, possibly reduce
the risk of some cancers and heart disease, and slow the release
of sugar into the blood stream after a meal. Fiber is found only
in plant based foods—not meats. Fruits and veggies are a great source
and so are many complex carbohydrates. Read labels. I recently found
a tasty bread that is only 90 calories per slice, has five grams
of protein and four grams of fiber – I love it!
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If I had to pick the
one trouble spot people complain about most it's the lower abs. Actually,
you don't have lower abs. What? I can hear you saying, "But Heather,
I feel it burning when I work them."
Your "upper"
and "lower" abs are all one muscle called the rectus abdominus.
You have other muscles deeper that cross your hip joint that are activated
when performing certain abdominal exercises. However, that burning sensation
you feel should not be mistaken for working your "lower abs."
You have other abdominal
muscles, including the transverse abdominus which is activated simply
by holding in your stomach muscles. You can "work" them while
driving, at your desk or talking on the phone. Just don't hold your breath!
You also have obliques which are the muscles on the sides of your stomach
that are activated with a twisting motion.
So how do you get
a flat stomach? For some people genetics may preclude you from an ideal
flat stomach but my motto is to do the best with what you've got!
First things first:
if you have excess abdominal fat, doing abdominal exercises will not burn
it off. That happens through a proper calorie balance between metabolism,
cardio exercise and supportive eating.
To tone and strengthen
your abdominal muscles you want a routine to challenge the entire muscle
group and to give the muscles variety so that they keep responding. Put
together any combination of exercises such as crunches, double crunches,
bicycle crunches or ball crunches to name a few.
There are many core-based
exercises that work the abdominal muscles too by having you stabilize
yourself doing other moves. You can take a Pilates class or buy a tape.
Some gyms even have 30-minute ab classes (talk about killer abs). There
are many ways to whittle down your waistline to keep it fun and effective.
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