Avoid The Hype And You'll Stay Fit For Life
Newcastle Herald
Tuesday April 29, 2003
BEFORE you launch like a raging bull into an exercise program or conversely feel so overwhelmed that you don't know how or where to start, here are a few things to consider before you get started.
SETTING MACRO GOALSAND MICRO GOALS
MACRO goals are what I call the ``big picture" goals ie: what do you wish to achieve or where do you want to be in six months, 12 months or five years from now? Micro goals are the ``in between" steps taken to promote the achievement of your macro goals ie: what needs to be done on a daily/weekly or monthly basis to achieve those goals?
Allocating time to exercise must become a priority if you are to achieve exercise or weight loss goals. There will always only be 24 hours in a day and how we manage and use time throughout the day is entirely within our own control.
Sometimes this may mean making the decision to exercise at the expense of doing something else.
As Dr John Tickell (1995) said: ``If you can't put aside a little time now for some recreation and exercise, make sure you put aside a lot of time later for illness".
PREVENT CALORIE AMNESIA -KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL
IF you are serious about losing weight, you need to think about and plan your food intake. At the risk of sounding matter of fact, exercise alone will not promote weight loss if your nutrition does not support this. Investigate your eating patterns and consider some of the following:
Do you eat or skip breakfast?
Do you eat when you are bored, tired, stressed or only when you are hungry?
Do you eat 2-3 large meals a day or 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day?
Are you eating the larger portions of your food intake in the evening or during the earlier part of the day? Planning 5-6 small meals a day helps to keep your metabolism burning those unwanted calories and is essential for weight loss and in maintaining or increasing your energy levels.
Keep a food journal and recording everything you eat throughout the day. It may help to raise awareness about how much you actually eat, as well as more clearly identifying what foods you are consuming.
Many of us underestimate the amount we eat throughout the day yes, those biscuits at morning tea get recorded along with the glass of red wine with dinner and eating the kids' leftovers that you couldn't bear to waste (or waist).
KEEP AN EMERGENCYSUPPLY OF HEALTHYFOOD CHOICES ON HAND
WHEN you're starving and a healthy food choice is not an immediately available option, you are more likely to reach for quick solutions and risk undoing all your hard work and progress.
Try a pro-active approach for these occasions and keep an emergency supply of healthy food choices on hand eg: tins of tuna in spring water, four bean mix, nuts and seeds, dried apricots, fresh fruit.
Each of these are infinitely more healthy than reaching for a biscuit or a fat filled fast food snack and will satisfy your hunger whilst keeping you on track with your macro goals.
BE WARY OF PROGRAMSAND DIETS THAT PROMOTEFADS A WORD ABOUT HIGHPROTEIN, LOW CARB DIETS
WITHIN the weight loss industry at present there is much talk and hype about high protein and low carbohydrate diets.
The assertion is that eating high levels of protein and little if any carbohydrate promotes weight loss.
Although it has been demonstrated that weight loss does occur on these kinds of diets, other evidence also suggests that in the long-term there are other health implications that need to be considered. High protein and low carbohydrate diets may:
Place enormous strain on the kidneys, which over time may lead to the development of kidney stones;
Cause constipation, as high protein diets are low in essential fibre;
Result in reduced energy and lethargy;
Be associated with higher levels of fat in one's diet, which can lead to an increased risk of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), stroke or heart disease.
EFFECTIVE EXERCISE
IF you share the same philosophy as many people do when it comes to using exercise time, you want to know that what you are doing is going to enhance your goals and the time you invest in achieving these.
To obtain the best results you need to ensure that your exercise program is effective and matches the goals you wish to achieve. Some questions to consider regarding your exercise program include the following:
Am I working the big muscles of my body the biggest calorie burners?
Am I exercising at an intensity which keeps me in my training zone most of the time and assists me to achieve my goals?
Are my exercises functional to my everyday living?
Am I performing my exercises in the proper way with correct technique?
How much incidental exercise do I get in the course of the day ie: do I look for the car park closest to the gym entrance or am I prepared to walk a little distance?
HITTING ANEXERCISE PLATEAU
SOONER or later the exercise plateau presents itself to most regular exercisers. You know the feeling - you are still going to the gym, eating a balanced diet, doing the ``right" things and yet nothing much is happening.
If (or when) this happens, it might be time to re-evaluate your program.
Often something as simple as changing the time, intensity or introducing variety to your program will be enough to get you off the plateau.
Another possibility to consider is to use this time to re-examine the tools you are using to measure your gains ie: are you relying on the scales or calipers to indicate you are being ``successful" with your exercise or are you considering how you feel an increase in energy, feeling fitter, more able to get through the day feeling less stressed and changes in the way your clothes fit and feel?
GO FOR IT
HEALTHY living enables you to eat well, exercise right and enjoy the benefits of feeling good about yourself.
Aim for a lifestyle that keeps you in optimal health and fitness throughout all the year - this, when all is said and done, is true health and fitness success!
Article supplied by The Forum Sports and Aquatic Centre at The University of Newcastle. Web site: www.newcastle.edu.au/sport Ph: (02) 49217001
© 2003 Newcastle Herald