A Healthy Way of Life Company

Nutrition for Fitness

3 Posts tagged with the goals tag

sunset.jpg"I know what I need to do, I just don't do it." Does that sound familiar? I hear that from close to nine out of ten people I talk to about leading a more Healthy Way of Life. I often give people the benefit of the doubt in assuming they do know someinformation about nutrition and exercise, although it is often a mixed amount of accurate and innaccurate information from news, friends and conflicting books or magazines. Some people really do know some good information about nutrition and exercise, but don't follow through with what they know. So, for some, it's knowing what to do. For others, it's just doing it. Over the next several months, we'll take a look at some of the basic habits of a Healthy Way of Life. To help those that want to know more about what do do, we'll discuss some topics for the purpose of education. For those that need to just do it, each week can be a challenge to start changing habits.

Willingness to Change

If you were to ask people within your social circle how willing they are to change their exercise & nutrition habits, you'd likely get a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons may include: I don't have time, it's not realistic, it's too restrictive, I can't eat what I want to eat, etc. The reasons often include assumptions about what proper nutrition is. Too many people equate good nutrition with being on a diet, which means needing to give up foods they like, OR it means they must change their daily habits to make a new way of eating fit in with their lifestyle.  To live a more healthy way of life, we have to be willing to change. When the fear of continuing down the path we are on is greater than the comfort of staying in our normal routine, we are ready to do something different. Some of the triggers that help people take on a more healthy lifestyle include:

 

- seeing the impact poor choices are having on their children

- a friend or family member facing the destructive results of poor nutritional habits

- the scale hitting an all-time high

- needing to find a new store to shop for clothes

- a picture of themselves that opens their eyes


Many people reach the point of willingness to change and some make a very valiant effort to do it, but they just cannot stick with it.

Ability to Change

A very small percentage of people can dramatically change their lifestyle overnight. Many will attempt to do so, but if they try to change too much at once, they may hit a point of saying "this is just too inconvenient." Also, if they dramatically change their nutrition and exercise habits and don't see a dramatic change in their health and fitness, they may end up claiming "this doesn't work for me" or "I just can't lose weight." The truth is, changing the effects of a lifelong way of eating can take time. Every time you eat, you are affecting your entire body's biochemistry. Undoing years of poor choices can take time. To make the changes stick, I cannot stress enough the importance of making one to two small changes into habits and then focusing on the next small habit. When done the right way, it is amazing how different your lifestyle can be over the course of a year.

You may have heard the story of a frog in boiling water, but I want to put a different spin on this story. If you haven't heard it before, it goes something like this:

If you put a frog in boiling water, it will immediately jump out. If you put a frog in cold water and slowly turn up the heat, it will stay in the water until it boils to death.

This story is often told to explain how we can become more and more deconditioned or sick over time without knowing how far we are from health. Put another way, if someone attempts to change too much, too fast, even though he or she is making healthy choices, it can be such a drastic change that they throw up their hands an say "I can't do this." The point is, if you start from where you are today, and work on very small changes, you can drastically change who you are over time, without feeling like it's too much to take from week to week.

Getting Started

You don't have to wait for a New Year's Resolution to make a commitment. Start now. There is a reason this weekly article will be written on a Sunday. The week is just beginning. As the weeks go on and we get into food choices, you may be able to run to the store to prep for the week. Before taking on the challenge of change, you have to commit yourself to it. Willingness to change usually has to include a reason to do so. So, for this week, there are two challenges.

First, consider how much better your life will be if you commit to a lifestyle change. What would be different a year from now? How would you feel? How would it impact your life and the life of those around you?

Second, be willing to share with others. There are millions of people who feel just like you, have gone through similar experiences, and want to know they have someone like themselves to relate to.One of the most underutilized features of the new website is the ability to communicate through discussions and through comments in blog posts. My hope is that this weekly series will result in comments following the post, that lead to discussions with those who are actively trying to change their lifestyle. No one has arrived at an ideal lifestyle. We're all just at different points long the path. So, for this week (don't leave me hanging ) please post a comment that describes how your life will be different by committing to making one new change ever week over the upcoming year. If you're reading this and are already along that path, please share your experience so far. I'm hoping you will continue to share your thoughts, successes and struggles as we look at one new habit each week.

 

In health,

Tom Nikkola

 

This article is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, noras a substitute for medical treatment, nor as an alternative to medicaladvice. Use of recommendations in this and other articles is at thechoice and risk of the reader.

457 Views 6 Comments Permalink Tags: weight, loss, nutrition, health, goals, change

Leadership1.jpgEveryone has heard of the idea that "you become like those you hang around with." Research is beginning to show the significance of this idea as it relates to health and fitness. Even with people's busy lives today, technology is allowing us to stay connected with people like never before. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and the brand new (yes it will take some getting used to ) myLT website allow groups of people to stay in touch with up-to-the-minute updates.

 

A recent study published in the journal Obesity (April, 2009) looked at the impact of social networks (social circles) and obesity. They found that those whose network was made of other overweight people were much less likely to find success in losing weight. In creating social networks, the article stressed the importance of having the network include those that are at normal or healthy fitness levels. People looking to lose weight should get to know other people that are in the kind of shape they want to be in. That way they'll have an example to follow.

 

Another study in the International Journal of Obesity (Sept, 2008) showed that people on a weight-loss program had a significant impact on the weight loss of spouses that were not directly part of the exercise program. The spouses lost weight because of the example they were seeing in the other partner.

 

There are a couple of key points about both of these studies. It's important to understand the influences around you outside of Life Time Fitness. It's easy to have a healthy mindset in the club, but at work or out with friends on the weekend, it can be a different story. Your sphere of influence outside of Life Time can be much more powerful than the sphere of influence within Life Time.

 

Second, an in-person or on-line network can be a great way to be positively influenced and help you stay on track with your goals. These principles are not only for those looking to lose weight. People looking to do a triathlon, bodybuilding or figure competition, get better at basketball or tennis, or any other health or fitness goal, have a much better chance of success by finding like-minded people.

 

Each person who signs up for myLT will go through a learning curve, but after that, you can write your own blog and have friends follow it, you can set up friendships inside the Life Time community, participate in discussion boards, or follow the blogs of some of the Life Time Fitness staff (like this one).

 

The more you can keep your attention on messages that are positive, educational, and aligned with the goals you have, the more likely it is you'll succeed.

 

Yours in health,

Tom

Nutrition Program Manager

893 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: team, fitness, weight, loss, networks, competition, nutrition, goals, support, eat, influence

HWOL Triangle1.jpgWelcome to our new site! I'm excited to have the opportunity to share education and inspiration through this new website. I hope you will find this to be a great resource to help you along in your goals toward a more Healthy Way of Life. Some of the objectives of this site is to provide:

 

  • clarity about the science of nutrition and how it impacts your fitness goals
  • direction, to help you use what you learn to achieve your fitness goals faster
  • inspiration, from reading articles from experts in our organization and from the success stories of members who have faced challenges similar to yours
  • answers to many of the common questions people have about nutrition and fitness.

 

Nutrition is a very individualized topic. While many topics are written about for the population as a whole, there are certainly individual needs that can and should be addressed. As time goes on, I hope to have a wealth of information available to you for any goal you may have. The exercise part of your fitness program can sometimes require as little as 3-4 hours per week. Proper nutrition requires attention during a much greater portion of your week. It can be a challenge for many people, with our fast-paced lifestyles and processed foods available everywhere. The journey to achieving optimal health through nutrition is really just that - a journey. It is an ongoing process of learning and experimenting. Over time, you'll discover what works best for you to look and feel your best. Hopefully this site will serve as a resource that can help you get there.

 

You can expect to see something new each week from Dominique Lopez-Stickney, RD (Lake Houston, TX), Dr. Matt Marturano, ND (Troy, MI), and from me. You will also find articles written by a few of our other Registered Dietitians, including Suzanne Parker, RD (San Antonio, TX), Lisa Schwinn, RD (Romeoville, IL), or Abby McQueeney-Penamonte, RD (Parker, CO) and/or other Registered Dietitians and Personal Trainers throughout the month. All of these Fitness and Nutrition Professionals can be a great resource for you. You'll also see current nutrition news and upcoming events. Finally, if you're interested in any of our outstanding products or services, you'll find information easily accessible on the main Nutrition page.

 

If you would like to, please feel free to contact them directly. In addition, if there are topics you'd like to see discussed, you can contact me. We also hope many of these articles become discussions, either in the actual blog or in the forums. Be sure to come back often and learn something new.

 

Yours in health,

Tom

234 Views 0 Comments 0 References Permalink Tags: fitness, training, weight, loss, nutrition, health, coach, goals, guidance, support, nutritionist, dietitian