10 Things to Stop Doing if you Want to Walk Off Weight

It's spring time and we're all happy to get outdoors and enjoy the warmer temperatures and longer days.  If you want to use walking to lose weight, you need to take several positive steps -- about 10,000 positive steps per day! But in addition to doing the positive here are 10 things to stop doing.

1.  Stop Finding Excuses to Not Walk or Exercise 

You don't burn calories during the exercise you don't do. There are a million excuses for why you can skip your walking or exercise on any given day. If you plan to walk off weight, you must conquer those reasons why you didn't get in your walking steps. Every. Single. Day. Here are the most common excuses to skip exercise. Keep an exercise log so you can be honest with yourself about how much exercise you actually got during the past week.

 

2.  Stop Thinking You Burn More Calories Than You Really Do 

Brisk walking is an excellent fat-burning activity. But you need a reality check about how many additional calories you are burning. An hour of brisk walking will make your body dip into its fat reserves for energy. But it is very easy to over-replenish those calories with a post-workout snack. A typical full-size energy bar is 300 calories, or about your expected calorie burn for a one hour walk. Don't use your walking workouts to justify eating more calories.

 

3. Stop Forgetting to Wear a Pedometer 

Nothing beats a pedometer as a reality check on how much you actually are moving throughout the day. For weight loss, first see how many steps you walk in a typical day. Then set a goal of 2,000 more steps per day than that average number. Check your pedometer frequently during the day to stay on target and look for opportunities to get in more steps. As you are able to achieve more steps consistently, increase your target goal by another 2,000 steps per day. Work your way up to 10,000 steps most days of the week.

 

4. Stop Thinking Breathing Harder and Sweating is

A good brisk walking workout will result in you breathing harder than usual. That is a good sign that you are getting into the fat-burning heart rate zone. Warm up at an easy pace, and then walk at a brisk pace for 30 to 60 minutes to get your body to burn some of the fat you want to lose.

5. Stop Doing the Same Walking Workout Every Day 

If your walking workouts are always on the same route, at the same pace, or with the same treadmill workout -- switch it up. Fast days, easy days, interval days, long slow days -- each has its own benefits. Change up your walking workouts to get your body to build muscle and burn calories.

6. Stop Assuming You Know How Much You Really Eat 

To lose weight, you need to be honest with yourself about how much you really eat. The best way to do that is by recording everything you eat for several days (check out an earlier blog post for an excellent site to record what you eat and your activity levels - Dietitians of Canada), and looking for ways to change your eating habits.

7. Stop Eating Like You Just Walked a Marathon

Walking expert Rob Sweetgall often joked that too many walkers walk for 10K and eat for a marathon. You may fall into this trap with justifying adding french fries to your lunch or having a full-fat sweetened latte after your walk. If you walk with a partner or walking group, you might fall into social eating habits that encourage eating too much before, during, or after your walk. Know your basic calories-per-day metabolic rate and how many calories you burn while walking.  Save the blow-out for after you actually walk a full marathon!

 

8. Stop Drinking Calories

How many calories are in the pops, fruit juices, coffee drinks and sports drinks that you drink each day? Can you get used to drinking water and black coffee instead? You need water during walking workouts of 30 minutes or more, and you probably need electrolyte (salt) replacement if you are sweating and walking for over 60 minutes. But you don't need to drink extra calories.

 

9. Stop Avoiding Hills and Stairs 

Adding bursts of intensity to your walking workout can help build your fitness and get your heart rate up. Hills and stairs are the easiest way to add these into your workout. You might even want to add a detour that specifically includes a hill climb or climbing stairs. On the treadmill, switch it up with hill intervals.

 

10. Stop Sitting Still 

If you get in your walking workouts most days of the week, but you sit for most of the day at work or school, you may still have a slower metabolism and increased health risks. Find ways to break up sitting time with bouts of standing, pacing, or walking. This is one way to get to 10,000 steps per day. Every bit of movement and standing burns more calories than sitting still. This can add up to burning hundreds more calories per day.

Tracking...

The following article was written by our daughter, Lindsay.  Occasionally we should track what we eat and our activity levels ....because we can be surprised by what we are or are not eating!  Take a few minutes to check out the Dietitians of Canada link below and more importantly commit to track for a few days.  I'd like to hear back from you what you discovered about yourself??  I'm going to do the same....

Keeping Track

                         “I eat tonnes of veggies”

“I hardly eat any salt”                              “We eat lots of fibre”

      “I’m not getting enough protein”        “I watch my fat intake”

Are you sure?

As a Dietitian, I hear statements like this all the time. How do you really know if you’re getting enough of what your body needs if you don’t keep track from time to time? For people who are trying to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight, or watch their intake of certain nutrients, keeping track from time to time can help.

Gone are the days of scribbling down food choices and amounts into paper notebooks, or even bothering with tallying up servings, points, or grams of fat. Food diaries have become sophisticated and will do most of the work for you. Numerous tools are available to help you keep track of your food intake, activity level, and let you know how you’re doing. eaTracker is one such tool created by Dietitians of Canada.

How does it work?

Create a user profile, which requires that you provide some details about your health including your age, height and weight. You’ll have the option of listing some lifestyle goals of your own, or even picking one if you’re not sure.

Search for the specific foods from your last meal or snack and add it to the list.  Add any physical activity you’ve done as well. At the end of the day, eaTracker will give you a very visual and detailed summary of how your intake measured up with what your body needs and some tips for ways to improve. You might be surprised by what you see.

What else can eaTracker do?

Eatracker can also analyze recipes for their nutrient content and connect you with a dietitian coach to work with you along the way.

How Much Does it Cost?

It’s free (no kidding).

Is there an App for that?

Of course.

Written by Lindsay Van der Meer, RD

Functional Fitness

Functional Fitness is a term we are hearing more and more, but do we know what it really is?  Do you sometimes ask yourself "Why am I doing this exercise?"  You are not alone in asking that question and often trainers don't know why either ....maybe they've always done it (tradition) or maybe you're risking injury by continuing to do it.

I am sharing this article from the Calgary Herald which explains Functional Fitness very well.  Thanks to our friend Tom, for sharing this link.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Functional+training/6339192/story.html

Baby Plank!

Consider the egg....

Its purpose is to bring new life into the world and to nourish that life until it reaches the point where it can survive on its own. No wonder eggs are one of the most nutrient-rich foods available to us – often referred to as a perfect protein. The egg is a symbol of spring and new life partly because of the nourishment it provides. But it is also because during the winter, chickens do not naturally lay many eggs. The return of the light brings the return of eggs.

Eggs Are Loaded with Nutrients

Eggs have lots of vitamins. They are rich in the B vitamin family, and also contribute vitamins A and D. In particular, egg yolks are one of the greatest sources of riboflavin, B12, and choline, which may well not only help developing brains in utero, but protect us from age-related memory loss. In the mineral department, eggs are especially rich in selenium. Eggs are also abundant in lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids which protect our eyes from macular degeneration, among other benefits. And the lutein in eggs seems to be better absorbed than when it comes from vegetable sources. Almost all these nutrients are in the yolk of the egg.

Some eggs even have significant amounts of omega-3 fats. So-called "Omega-3 eggs" have usually been been fed flax seeds to raise the level of omega-3 fat in the eggs. Also, hens that have been allowed to feed on a variety of natural food for them (greens, grubs, etc) produce eggs with more omega-3 fat. "Pastured eggs" are one name for these hens, though note that "free range" hens usually don't share this diet).  One egg provides 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat (1.5 saturated and 2 monounsaturated), and about half a gram of carbohydrate.

Eggs in a Low-Carb Diet

Not only are eggs a low-cost and low-carb source of protein and other nutrients, but they have uses specific to low-carb diets. Egg whites can provide structure to baked goods made with nontraditional ingredients such as nut flours and flax seed meal and can provide the basis for desserts.

But Isn’t it Bad to Eat Too Many Eggs?

Eggs have a lot of cholesterol, so for a long time it was considered unhealthy to eat too many. However, advice is changing on this as more research comes out.  Evidence now shows that eggs are not in any way harmful to our health. In fact, some studies show an improvement in blood lipids from eating eggs. It seems that this high-cholesterol food raises our "good" cholesterol rather than the "bad."

The above paragraph about cholesterol leads me to share the attached link about statins and exercise.  Everyone I know who is taking a statin has had different experiences.  Some noted no changes and others were unable to continue with their presciption or had to have it change.  Read on...

 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/do-statins-make-it-tough-to-exercise/

Five weight-loss mistakes

Losing weight can be a frustrating, anxiety-inducing process, but it doesn't have to be if you have the right attitude. Here are some common weight loss mistakes you may be making ….. and stop sabotaging yourself:

1.  Giving Up Too Soon. Falling off the exercise and diet wagon happens to everyone. It's tempting to give up on exercise after weeks (or months) of failing to stick with a program or skip workouts completely if you run out of time. It's also tempting to ditch healthy eating after a massive Oreo-fest, but renewing your commitment after a boo-boo is the most important thing you can do to succeed.
Solution. No matter how long it's been since you've exercised, do something active right away, like a quick walk, to help you take control. If you don't have time for your regular workout, use whatever time you have to be active. Ask yourself which is better: exercising for 10 minutes or not doing anything at all. If you ate too much, admit your mistake and move on. One mistake (or two...or three...) doesn't equal failure!

2.  Expecting Immediate Weight Loss. After weeks of exercise and healthy eating, frustration often sets in when the scale doesn't move. Remember, you didn't gain weight overnight and you won't lose it overnight either. Spending too much time scale-watching might lead to a maddening desire to quit exercise forever.
Solution. Focus on the immediate benefits of exercise. Pay attention to how you feel while you're working out. You should feel energetic and alert. You may notice you sleep better, your body feels stronger and you're less stressed. The benefits of exercise go way beyond weight loss and appearance!

3.  Doing The Same Thing and Expecting Different Results. It's important to do exercises that you enjoy, but if you've been doing the same ones for months (or even years), you've probably reached a weight loss plateau and, even worse, complete boredom with your workouts.
Solution. Change what you’re doing.  It can be as simple as choosing a different walking route or changing the amount of weight you're using. Try something new and do it every six weeks. Your body needs regular challenges and so does your mind, so don't allow yourself to get into a rut.

4.  Having The Wrong Attitude. People often view exercise as punishment, something that cancels out the naughty things you ate yesterday. Obviously, no one wants to spend time punishing themselves so changing your attitude about exercise can go a long way towards motivating yourself to do it regularly.
Solution.Exercise should be a reward, not a punishment. Being active is the reward your body deserves for working so hard each day. Our bodies love activity (even if our minds resist it!) so think of exercise as your gift to yourself--something that will make you feel good now and will add to your quality of life for years to come.

5.  Having Unrealistic Expectations. Six-pack abs, thin thighs and a sculpted body. Don't tell me you don't dream about this! We all want perfect bodies, but, for most of us, it's just not going to happen, whether it's due to genetics, aging,  body type or some other factor we can't control.
Solution. Set realistic goals. Not everyone can achieve six-pack abs, you know. And, honestly, visible abs have no function other than to look great in bathing suits (and, how often do you wear a two-piece bathing suit?). Set a goal that means something--getting stronger so you can play with your grand-kids, or strengthening your back so you have good posture. Give up on the idea of trying to look like someone else. You're you. Don't you want to be the best YOU possible??

Here's the deal: The picture wasn't of a celebrity. It wasn't of a supermodel. It was of a woman sitting in her underwear with a smile on her face and a belly that looks...wait for it...normal.

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html