In this seemingly time-starved era, people are searching for short cuts to get things done in less time. The drive-thru, remote control, microwave, internet… all save us time. The interesting thing is that each of these always keeps us sedentary and while we save time, we are still busy. Where did all of the time go that these inventions have saved? Well, I can’t answer that, but I can help you save time with your exercise program.

Burning more calories in less time may seem like a wild infomercial claim or too much work, but I have good news. It does work and with less effort than you might think. I decided to perform an informal study to prove the point.

One of my favorite exercises is walking around Atascadero Lake, just a five minute drive from my home. The lake is about one mile around with beautiful scenery. I wore my Caltrac (a small pager-like device worn on the waistband to track calories burned) and did two workouts at the lake in the same week.

The first workout consisted of walking with a friend. My friend brought her baby in a stroller and we walked briskly, twice around the lake. While it was not quite a power walk, we did pass a few slower people on the path and felt we had a good workout. The walk took 46 minutes and I burned 269 calories.

A few days later, I went back to take the same path twice around the lake. This time though, I added one to two minute intervals of jogging sandwiched between three to four minutes of quick-paced power walking. The results? I went the distance, jogging for several short intervals that totaled nine minutes. The workout took me only 30 minutes (a time decrease of 16 minutes) and I burned 330 calories (an increase of 61 calories)!

Many people have an old-school view of jogging and don’t realize that a minute here and there is not only doable but makes a huge difference in their results. It can also add a whole new dimension to your workouts. Willing to give it a try?

I’m not a fan of vegetables. The benefits are great, it is just that there are very few I really love to eat and even some that I can’t stand (asparagus to name one).

I do love artichokes but never considered what their nutritional value might be. I mentioned this over dinner to my husband who found a link on the subject and emailed it to me – what a guy! Here is just some of the information for a medium artichoke (percent daily values as calculated for an adult on a 2,000 calorie diet):

• 25 calories; 0 calories from fat
• Protein 2 gm
• Dietary Fiber 2 gm (12%)
• Potassium 170mg (5%)
• Folic Acid 10mg
• Foliate 10%
• Magnesium 10mg (10%)
• Phosphorous 6mg (6%)
• Vitamin C 10mg (10%)

While the artichoke won’t be winning any super-food contests, it’s not too bad. As long as I keep my amount of mayonnaise dip within reason. . .

To your health,

Heather Moreno
PeopleFit USA , President

You know childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions. Society blames the TV, the computer and the lack of PE and overabundance of soda pop in schools. The problem with all this blame is that the focus remains on what isn’t working rather than bringing a positive focus to the situation. This blame also keeps the focus on something that parents cannot necessarily control.

Encouraging children to be active is easy because children are naturally inclined to movement. And, studies show that if children become active early on, they are more likely to be active adults and suffer from fewer adult problems, such as chronic fatigue syndrome.

The first thing parents can do is take part in a fitness program of their own. It’s not the parents’ fitness level that makes a difference, but their participation. A study quoted by the American College of Sports Medicine shows that in families where both parents were active, 95 percent of the children were active. Sounds like great motivation for parents!

Second, encourage your child to participate in activities they enjoy and to experiment with new sports. Pass on to your children the skills you have developed and learn new skills with your child to further support them.

Third, focus on the fun of the activity rather than performance or weight loss. Children respond to fun and encouragement, but may quickly shut down if they receive negative feedback about their performance or feel pressure to lose weight. Many adults relay stories to me about weighing-in at weight loss meetings at the age of 11, feeling shamed and less than encouraged, still harboring those feelings years later.

Just like those commercials that tell parents “kids listen” when it comes to smoking, drugs, etc., they also listen and learn when it comes to fitness. Starting your children on an adventure of being active will benefit them for a lifetime. What a great gift!

Need another good reason to exercise? You got it – prevention and/or control of diabetes is a great one.

Simply put, diabetes makes it difficult to control blood sugar. There are two forms of this disease: Type I (also insulin-dependent or juvenile-onset diabetes) and Type II (also non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes). We will focus here on adult-onset as it is the most common form, affecting 90-95% of all diabetics, and is preventable and/or reversible in most cases, unlike juvenile-onset.

The consequences of adult-onset diabetes are serious. It can lead to blindness, reduced circulation, cardiovascular disease, nerve damage and, in severe cases, limb amputation and death. Here are several risk factors for developing Type II diabetes:

• Body mass exceeding 20% of ideal
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Family history of Type II diabetes
• Blood pressure at or above 140/90
• HDL cholesterol lower than 35 or triglyceride level > 250
• Impaired fasting glucose levels
• Member of high-risk ethnic groups including African-American, Hispanic, American Indian, Pacific Islander and Asian

The good news is Type II diabetes can be controlled with proper nutrition, exercise and, if necessary, medication. Many of the risk factors including high blood pressure, activity level, cholesterol and triglycerides can be improved to reverse diabetes. And, if you are at risk but are not diagnosed, you can use nutrition and exercise to prevent or at least reduce your risk of developing this disease.

If you have diabetes, a registered dietician can help you with an eating plan to control your blood sugar and reduce many of your risk factors. To locate a professional near you, go to www.eatright.org.

A change in diet alone will not control diabetes. Consistent exercise is a crucial component and the proper amount and type of exercise will help control weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar levels, increase circulation and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. Below are general exercise guidelines for Type II diabetics:

• Participate in endurance (cardiovascular) exercise, such as walking, swimming and biking, four to seven days a week, for 40 to 60 minutes per session. If you are not exercising currently, please progress slowly to this level, any exercise you can do now is better than not exercising.
• Exercise predominately at a low to moderate intensity.
• Carry a fast-acting carbohydrate snack with you in case you experience sudden low blood sugar.
• If advised by your physician, check your blood sugar levels before and after exercise. Do not exercise if your level is outside of your doctor’s recommendations.
• Always wear shoes that are in good condition. Check your shoes regularly for wear and replace if necessary.
• Check your feet on a regular basis for cuts, blisters or infections, including after exercise.

The best news is that this disease is controllable and often preventable, especially when quick and proper action is taken.

Is that good reason enough to exercise?

“Yo-yo” dieting is where a person repeatedly loses and regains weight. According to new findings by researchers at University of Washington’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, it may have a lasting, and even negative impact on immune function. The Hutchinson study interviewed 114 overweight, but otherwise healthy, women about their 20-year weight-loss history and found that long-term immune function was higher among those who had been fairly weight-stable over several years, but lessens in proportion to how many times a person loses weight.

This decrease in immune function and activity has been associated with increased cancer incidence and vulnerability to colds and other viral infections. If long-term studies replicate these results, there are the implications for the millions of Americans who constantly battle the bulge.

Scientists speculate that there is yet another reason why we repeatedly regain weight after dieting. Our body is programmed to store fat and counteract diets to get us back to the highest weight we have ever been. This is controlled by a mechanism some call the "fat memory," which is how our ancestors used to survive famines by eating enough to enable them to go for days without sustenance. Because nowadays there is an abundance of food and a tendency to overindulge, the body gets confused about weight gained over and above what is needed and it can reset your fat thermostat too high. So when you shed unwanted pounds, your body then uses its resources to ensure that you regain them.

The good news is, by changing your habits you can reset your thermostat. Here are four tips to trick your fat memory and stay slim:

1. Work out. The only sure way to get round the fat memory problem is to exercise, thereby increasing your metabolic rate and burning calories. At the same time, you will strengthen your immune system and build muscle, the extra weight of which will trick your body into believing you have enough fat stores and stop trying to gain more.

2. Think in the long-term. Forget about rapid-weight-loss. Instead, cut food intake by 100-200 calories a day. Sure it may take longer to lose the weight, but this approach won't trigger your fat memory alarms. Because dieting ingrains your fat memory even more, it is best to introduce changes which you can sustain over time if you really want to stay slim. After two to three days on restricted levels of food, your body goes on red alert, releasing hormones which slow down the metabolism and digestive process, prompting it to lay down extra fat reserves, so don’t look for a quick fix!

3. Banish binges. As well as a fat memory, we also have a cognitive memory, which means we find it psychologically difficult to adjust to changes in eating and return to normal eating patterns. If you do overindulge, try to cut back over the following few days, rather than starving or pigging out for an entire week. Also, try never to go for longer than three hours without eating something. The body may think it is in a “starvation state” and send hormones to the stomach that create hunger pangs and increase your cravings and appetite.

4. Be patient. It's difficult to put a precise figure on it, but once you gain excess weight it could take time to reset your body's fat thermostat back to its lower level. So any changes you make really must be for life. With some effort and patience, you can retrain your body to be slimmer.

About The Author: Susan Johnson is the founder of Susan's Healthy Gourmet, which provides fresh, nutritionally balanced, and calorie-controlled meals that are individually prepared and packaged to order. To learn more you can call 1.888.396.3257 (EZ-MEALS) or visit them on the Web at www.susanshealthygourmet.com (be sure to mention Heather Moreno & PeopleFit USA when you call).
You can also register for Susan's the popular online
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