Have you found it difficult to balance a healthy diet with increased exercise or training?
Midtown Chicago’s Registered Dietitian, Jenny Maloney, is back to tell you how.
Spring is training season for many members. If you have a marathon, triathlon, 5K, or other athletic competition on the calendar, you’re likely exercising more and getting hungrier as well.
There is a fine line between fueling for your exercise or sport and overeating, which can result in weight gain despite an increased caloric burn.
The tendency after a hard workout is to eat twice as much as you normally would, and this can get you into trouble, so ensure that you are eating an overall healthy and balanced diet. Are you consuming enough fruits and vegetables? Are you choosing whole grain versions of foods and lean protein?
Once you are eating a variety of healthy foods, then you can start to think about fueling for exercise. Instead of eating two desserts after a hard workout, add an extra serving of fruit, vegetables, or protein, or add an extra healthy snack. For example, if your dinner is a chicken stir fry, add another ½ cup of brown rice and an extra ounce of chicken. If you are still hungry after dinner, you can always have a snack.
Make sure to eat before and after exercise so you are not starving when you are done. During the off-season or taper periods, cut down your portions but continue to eat healthfully. When you are in training or exercising more, you can eat more but make sure the food is still healthy.
What race(s) are you training for this spring?
As the obesity epidemic grows in scope, so too does the “blame game.” Lack of exercise, over-consumption of food, sedentary work environments, lifestyle choices, biological predispositions, genes…the list of possible culprits for America’s fatness goes on.
Fast food is a common target. Earlier this month, an advocacy group launched a campaign petitioning 26 hospitals across the country to remove a major fast food restaurant from their cafeterias with the aim of sending a “better message” to consumers.
Some of the reasoning behind the group’s initiative comes from a 2006 study published in the journal Pediatrics that concluded that allowing fast food centers to operate in hospitals not only affects guests’ consumption of fast food on the day of their visit, but also unintentionally boosts the perception of the “healthfulness” of fast food in general. Here’s more research that supports the initiative:
Courtesy of wagnerfpa.wordpress.com.
So being near to fast food increases the likelihood of obesity, but will removing fast food from hospitals (and other institutions and neighborhoods) help solve the problem?
Consider this:
Blaming fast food restaurants for obesity can place us on a slippery slope. Should we remove buses from our streets to force people to choose the less convenient, but “healthier” walking or biking options? After all, sitting for long periods of time is correlated with obesity, and most adults do not get the recommended level of exercise.
Similarly, while we should limit consumption of fast food, we can’t eliminate it from the American diet as long as there is a demand for convenient, inexpensive, and (arguably) tasty food. We need to improve health through education and develop incentives that encourage healthy lifestyle decisions, proper nutrition, and exercise.
Perhaps a partnership between hospitals and Weight Watchers (or other proven commercial weight loss programs), or the establishment of walking groups or active events within hospital walls, could promote lasting change.
We won’t make any progress in the fight against obesity by playing the blame game at the expense of taking responsibility for our health into our own hands.
Courtesy of www.topnews.in.
What do you think? Will restricting fast food lead to a decrease in obesity? How can we as individuals, families, and institutions promote a healthier America?
Courtesy of eatright.org.
March is National Nutrition Month, and this year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is urging Americans to “Get Your Plate In Shape.” With the help of the “My Plate” model, which replaced the Food Pyramid in June 2011, the experts are giving us a reminder of the healthy nutrition goals we have heard before:
Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy good company, great meals, and generally relax for a few days.
However, lots of food and relaxation are not particularly conducive to working out and staying fit! So, what can you do to stay on track with your fitness goals during the festive season?
We have special classes on Thursday and Friday, a Fit Tip, and a chance to give.
Thanksgiving Day 11/24/11
We are open from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. However, the Nursery and Snack Bar are closed. Try the new fitness machines, play some tennis with the family, or swim a few laps before sitting down to lunch/dinner.
Want to get your pre-caloric burn on in a class? Here’s what we’re offering on Thanksgiving Day:
Fit Friday 11/25/11
We are open 6:00 am – 6:00 pm, Nursery 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, and Snack Bar 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.
We also have a couple of specials for the day after Thanksgiving: Turkey-Busting Boot Camp for adults and Junior Thanksgiving Camp.
Turkey-Busting Boot Camp 9:00 am – 11:00 am is complimentary to members and guests.
Drill Sergeants Briggs, Rous, and Hannan have prepared a post-Thanksgiving Boot Camp guaranteed to work off those pounds and stay ahead of the game. Sergeant Wiedenfeld will be conducting a Cardio Tennis station for a fun new way to burn Thursday’s casserole calories.
Kids need something to do? Junior Thanksgiving Camp runs from 9:00 – 11:30 am providing tennis, fitness, and lots of fun and games, open to all ages and levels.
For adults on the tennis side we are running:
Here are a few tips that may help you be a little kinder to your bodies over the holiday season from personal trainer Jessica Porter:
Finally, the holidays are also a time of giving.
Midtown is collecting used racquets for the Stephanie Waterman Tennis Foundation. There is a drop-off box at the club for outgrown and unwanted racquets, which will help the foundation’s mission to help at-risk and/or economically disadvantaged children to have a better future through learning to play tennis. You can clear the clutter and help a child. The drop- off box will be available until December 19, 2011.
With our schedule back to normal for Saturday and Sunday, we hope to see you at Midtown sometime over the holiday weekend. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
How are you burning calories over the long holiday weekend?
