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:
What’s new at Midtown in 2012? Club Manager Kat Gerdts talks about what we have planned for you and how you can make next year your best yet.
January is always a good time to review and reaffirm goals.
At Midtown, our goal is a renewed focus on your experiences. Whether you’re here for fitness, socializing, nutrition, tennis, skiing, networking, spa indulgences, or any combination of these, our goal is to ensure you’re able to enjoy your time at the club while meeting your own goals for the new year.
So what’s new in 2012?
Group Core – An intense core crunching group exercise class. Watch for the BTS launch later in January.
Power Plate machines - They provide a full-body workout in less than 30 minutes using vibration technology and all 5 elements of fitness: stretching, balance, core conditioning, strength training, and massage.
Yamuna Body Rolling - Returns to our Pilates studio on January 7th. This class fills up quick, so make your reservations early!
Healthy Eating Class -On January 11th, join our friend in food, George Economos, from Whole Foods Market to help combat some of those less-than-nutritious holiday choices. Combine his tips with our Lose 5 Pounds in 5 Weeks program also beginning in January and no one will ever know about those pesky holiday pounds. We won’t tell.
The Pro Shop- From the latest shoes to support your feet (sore from all the holiday running), to foam rollers and Yamuna balls to bring a little Midtown home with you, we’ve got all your fitness needs covered. Or, test the latest tennis racquet to see if it will help your game. And while you are there, ask about Midtown’s new Lowest Price Guarantee!
Super Team Tennis - Kicks off on January 13th. The kids can get involved in Junior Super Team Tennis at the end of the month.
Powernet – Midtown’s Private Networking Club returns on January 25th. This is a great way to build your business connections.
M Cafe – Join us on Friday, January 27th, as we sample our new seasonal wines and delicious hors d’oeuvres.
Ski Clinic - Work on your cross country skiing technique at our clinic on January 28th, just in case it ever snows.
January’s Spa Specials -If all this activity takes a toll on you, indulge in a spa treatment. In January, we’re featuring our GM Collin Hydrolifting + facial or Fire & Ice Massage, which combines hot stone and therapeutic techniques for the ultimate stress reduction.
Treat your cold, dry skin to a professional analysis, then experience a Renewal Peel and our new take-home Mask. Instant moisture – what a relief! Secure your seat at the front desk for this limited, exclusive demonstration seminar.
January is another busy month, and we’re looking forward to helping you enjoy it as much as we plan to.
Happy New Year!
M2 Personal Trainer Adrian Fleisher has been involved in the fitness, wellness, and coaching industries for approximately 20 years. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science Education from the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, and a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science from Austin Peay State University. He also holds a Master’s in Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School of Business.
Adrian is certified through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He has extensive experience working with elite level athletes, but enjoys working with all types of clients.
Adrian is answering your fitness questions today.
I have been working out for a while, and have begun to see a drop off in progress. What is up with this?
Adrian: Most individuals enter into a program with the best intentions. They work out with great regularity. Usually, these individuals are rewarded for their efforts with some physiological changes. More muscle, greater strength, better endurance. Also, their clothes fit better, they sleep better, and they experience greater energy.
BUT, then the dreaded workout plateau hits. When I meet with a client who is experiencing this, it usually takes just a few questions to get to the cause.
Most clients are victims of their own habits. They come to the club, get on the same piece of cardio equipment, hit the same “quick start” button, and do the same level, every single time. To the human body, this is like eating oatmeal for breakfast, lunch AND dinner, every single day.
You get the point.
The human body (or in our parlance, the “human organism”) is absolutely awesome at adapting to the stressors placed upon it. Weights, cardiovascular training, balance training, stretching, etc. are all examples of stressors. The human organism is also incredibly efficient at adapting just enough to these stressors.
To sidestep the plateau, you need to be proactive in implementing variety into your workouts. Go ahead, push that “random” button. Possibly hop on a different piece of cardiovascular equipment. Seek out one of our qualified personal trainers for guidance on one of our group programs. When you change the stressors you place upon your body, your body will thank you by changing!
I am most interested in losing a few pounds. How do I go about losing weight?
Adrian: Fat stored in the body serves a number of purposes; one specifically is fuel for the body to function. Believe me when I state that there are many ways to go about losing weight. Some of these methods are very, very aggressive, and as a result are not recommended. When entering into a weight loss program, remember that you are attempting to take caloric money out of the body’s energy account.
Your body will fight you a bit in this process. This is exactly why prudent weight loss strategies include a three-pronged approach. Through utilizing proper nutrition, cardiovascular training, and strength training, you will gain the best results.
Each element within the strategy is equally important:
I tend to keep the nutritional process very simple with my clients.
Food fulfills a very utilitarian need to fuel the body, and also provides a fundamental experienced through the eating process. Eating a meal is social as well as physical. It brings families together, allows for business deals to be (excuse the pun) hashed out, and satiates the physiological and psychological need to eat.
Far too often, clients are trapped in the weighing, measuring, and stressing over the numeric component of food. Personally, I believe this takes away from the fundamental joy of food. Make no mistake about it, a person needs to have the basic understanding of portion size, and how that plays into well balanced eating decisions.
Further blog posts will elaborate further regarding each of the above. Midtown also has a great educational program regarding nutrition. Please see Neil Wywialowski, our Fitness Director and he will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Thanks, Adrian.
Do you have a question for Adrian or another personal trainer? Share it with us in the Comments section and we’ll answer it for you in a future post.
