by Donna Johnson
(Health Secrets) A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated, difficult, or hard. It simply needs to be something you want to do because you know it results in feeling better, sleeping better, moving better and enjoying life the way it was meant to be – full of fun, laughter, and joy. Make up your mind to start from where you are and move one step to the right on the continuum of sickness to fitness.
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Six things you need to know to reach your goal
*Set realistic weight release goals. A lot of this in the math: calories in and calories out. 3500 calories equals one pound. And, shedding one to two pounds a week is realistic if you are monitoring your food intake and exercising regularly. To lose one pound per week you need to burn an extra 500 calories or eat 500 calories less (or a combination of the two). And don’t forget to make sure your nutritional needs are being met while doing this.
The bad news is change happens slowly. However, this is the good news too. You don’t gain 5 pounds by eating a hot fudge sundae, and you don’t lose 5 pounds by walking on the treadmill for an hour. One hot fudge sundae does not make a disaster and one hour on the treadmill does not make up for lots of hot fudge!
Learn how to read labels on food packages and become familiar with what to stay away from and what to watch out for when purchasing packaged food. A few good examples:
Sugar in any form should not be in the first 5 ingredients of the item.
You should be able to pronounce each of the ingredients.
Know what each of the ingredients are before deciding to eat a particular prepared food item.
Portion control is key to understanding how many calories you are consuming. Start by reading the package and determining how many servings you are eating. Most people underestimate the number of calories they eat and overestimate the number of calories they burn. The first step in the process is wrapping your arms around portion size. Weighing and measuring food is a must until you have a good feel for what you are consuming.