Weight Loss Article

A normal adult gains an average of 2.5 pounds every holiday season. That may not seem like much. But this means that by the time the average college graduate turns 30, they will have gained 20 pounds just from these 4 weeks per year. Inevitably, this turns one’s thoughts to dieting. Everyone knows that dieting is a good way to lose some weight. Who hasn’t met someone that has lost weight on the Atkin’s Diet, or the South Beach diet?

But, a diet only aids you in losing body weight, with no regard to what type of weight you are cutting. Studies have shown that as much as 25% of weight loss through dieting alone is lean body mass (and not fat weight.) In addition, many fad diets are very difficult to stick with in the long term. Therefore, the chance of gaining some, if not all of the weight back is very high. The greater challenge to losing weight is losing the correct weight, and keeping it off. Dieters without an exercise regimen suffer a relapse about 85% of the time. However, dieters who included an exercise regimen relapse only about 24% of the time.

A more effective plan may be to slowly change your dietary lifestyle while introducing exercise back into your life. Exercise has been proven to provide the body with significant body-fat loss, even in the absence of a change in diet. In addition, adhering to an exercise regimen can have the following positive effects:

• Burns calories
• Increase “toned” look
• May decrease appetite for sweets and fats
• Enhances metabolism
• May eliminate risk factors such as cholesterol and high blood pressure
• Better posture
• Improves self-esteem
• Increase odds of permanent weight management.

Whether you simply need help mapping out a successful exercise program and getting a little kick-start, or you need someone with you for each important step, I can help. Please call me at (609) 304-7598 for a free consultation and body composition analysis. Remember, the true key to success is not found in a diet alone, but in an overall healthy lifestyle commitment!

Reference:
Lifestyle and Weight Management- A.C.E. Consultant Manual

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• Tip of the Month

  June 2010

  Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

  Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
  First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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• Recipe of the Month

  June 2010

  Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

  This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

  4 large eggs
  4 large egg whites
  1 cup nonfat milk
  2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
  4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
  1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
  1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
  3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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