10K/5 A Day Diabetes Program
November 19, 2004
What you weigh is not as important as your body composition (how much muscle and fat you have). If fat loss is your goal, you must come up with a realistic way to keep it lost! You know the answer: Diet and exercise work together to produce a greater effect than either has alone.
Did you know it takes an excess of 3,500 calories to make a pound of body fat. Most people can consume 100 fewer calories per day without difficulty. Yet, this reduction results in about a pound per month of loss, or twelve pounds per year! A 500 calorie daily deficit adds up to a pound of fat loss per week!
Examine your eating habits. How frequently do you consume fat and sugar? Fat is a concentrated source of calories. Fat consumption makes you fat faster. The maximum daily grams of fat recommended at 1800 calories (for example) is 60 grams. Simple sugars are not filling, so it’s easy to eat a lot.
Has your diet become produce-poor? Consume 5-9 servings a day from the
fruit and vegetable group. Watch your portions! A fruit serving is one whole fruit, or ½ cup. A vegetable serving is one cup raw or ½ cup cooked. The average American eats only 1 ½ servings per day from the fruit/vegetable group. Watch your portions in all the other food areas too! A diet rich in fruits and vegetables helps to reduce risk for heart disease, some cancers, and diabetes. Add interest to your meals. Try something new.
Walk. Walking is universal. It requires no special skills, can be done solo or with others, and can be used to accomplish errands. It is often overlooked as a fitness activity because of its simplicity. Although slower paced than running, it burns the same number of calories for a given distance (about 100 calories per mile). It takes approx. 105 minutes of walking to burn up 1 slice of pie a la mode.
Use walking as a way to get outside and see the seasons. Preparation is simple. You need good shoes, comfortable clothing, and a place to go. During cold Weather stay dry, insulate, protect from the wind. Dress in layers. Hats contribute to warmth: "If your feet are cold, put on a hat." On very cold days, protect your face with a mask or scarf.
How to take the "Walk" Test. (1) Decide on a 1-mile flat course. (2) Find and count your heart rate (pulse is best found inside your wrist bone near the thumb or on your neck either side of the adam’s apple). (3) Count the number of beats in 15 seconds, multiply by 4 to get the beats per minute (BPM). Resting rate is usually between 60-80 BPM (increases when exercising, frightened, temp. changes, and when in pain). (3) Warm up your muscles for a couple of minutes (stretching can do this). (4) Go! Walk your mile as fast as you can and write down how many minutes and seconds it took to complete. (5) Immediately take your heart rate. You shouldn’t worry about what anyone else does, however, if you must know how you "rate", a good walking speed for men is under 10:15 per mile; for women, under 11:45. An "average pace rate for men is 13:00 per mile, for women, 14:30. Train for a minimum of four weeks and then complete the Walk Test once again. If you walk faster or if your heart rate is lower at the same speed, then your fitness level has improved! Take your age and fitness level into consideration.
The costs of a sedentary lifestyle are subsidized by all of us. Help yourself and the economy by keeping fit. It takes approx. 105 minutes of walking to burn up 1 slice of pie a la mode.