5 Truths about Exercise

Exercise and Weight Loss: 5 Truths
By Miranda Hitti WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

"You've heard it time and again -- to lose weight, you need to exercise and watch your diet, so that your calories burned exceed your calories consumed.
But if you've been working out and your extra pounds won't budge, you may be wondering why that seemingly simple strategy isn't working.
Don't hang up your sneakers and throw in the towel. If you do, you're going to miss out on the biggest weight perk exercise has to offer, experts tell WebMD.
First, you may need a reality check about what to expect from exercise. Here are five truths about exercise and your weight."

1. Exercise is only part of the weight loss story.
2. Exercise is a must for weight maintenance.
3. Food splurges may undo your efforts.
4. Exercise machines may not tell the whole calorie story.
5. One daily workout may not be enough.


READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN DEPTH: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-and-weight-loss-five-truths

Walk it out on a Wednesday

Walking is healthy way to exercise and is great for those who don't enjoy running or are not in the condition to run. There are many benefits to walking such as, it helps maintain weight, keeps blood pressure level down, reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol and lowers stress levels. A person of any age can walk and the chance of injury is quite lower than running since it's not as intense. You can always speed up to burn more calories.


Pedometer: Clip it to your pants and it will count the number of steps you take. It detects the motion of hips.


Ways to increase your daily steps:
Take a walk with your spouse, child, friend, or family member
Walk the dog
Use the stairs instead of the elevator
Park farther from the store, better yet, walk to the store
Get up to change the channel
Walk to your co-workers desk
Walk over to visit a neighbor
Go outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding
Go on a mild hike
Walk on the treadmill

Lower HFCS in your diet!!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture shows that each American averages 142 lbs of sugar per year, and 59 lbs of this comes from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). HFCS is found in ketchup, fruit yogurt, salad dressings, bread and many many processed foods. This sugar DID NOT exist in 1970 but it's convenient now because it is cheaper and sweeter than sugar. It blends easily into foods, prevents feezer burn, and extends shelf life.

Why HFCS not healthy: The body handles this sugar differently than regular sugar, preferring to funnel it into fat stores and tricking our brains into thinking we need more food. HFCS is on the hot seat for raising colorectal cancer risk.
To avoid HFCS: Buy 100% fruit juice without HFCS, choose fresh fruit over fruit juice, and eliminate soft drinks. It isn't realistic to completly eliminate HFCS but you definitly can lower your intake.

Have a healthy, happy week.

- Based off of Metabolic Maintenance's Nutrition Alert Article by: Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D.

Summer Activity!

Hiking is a good way to get your exercise in for the day and you can bring your kids or dog along too! Get out there and explore what's around you. Hiking trails range from easy to difficult. So for those of you that don't consider yourself an outdoor kind of person, you can choose a shorter hike. You can purchase a local trail guide book and read how many miles, the approximate time it takes to hike, and what scenery you will see. Below is also a website that list hikes through out the U.S.

GET YOUR HIKE ON!

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/hiking/hik_guid.htm

p.s. Remember to bring a buddy for safety.