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Acknowledging Aging
Dale Bumpers College
Avian Influenza and
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Source: US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Health and Human Services. Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 4th ed., 1995. |
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The following are Healthy Steps that can help each of us to manage his or her own body weight in realistic fashion.
The Healthy Steps are not in a particular order although some of the steps naturally harmonize with others. They were selected because current research suggests these steps may be the most helpful to American adults in selecting habits and behaviors that will lead to healthy weights throughout life.
Exercise - When you exercise regularly food energy
can be used for the activity rather than stored as fat. Research shows even
moderate physical activity produces healthful benefits. Walking, bicycling,
and light jogging are exercise that prepares the heart and lungs to work
more efficiently. Activities that strengthen muscles help build and maintain
lean body mass which produces a lean, trim look.
Exercise boosts your morale. People who are active feel good about themselves.
Rather than stimulate appetite, exercise helps to regulate appetite so that
it matches energy needs.
To increase your physical activity, determine how active you are now. Identify
times of the day when you could add more exercise. Even parking farther
out in a parking lot as you go to work or do your shopping increases activity.
Squeeze in walks during lunch hours or after an evening meal. If you've
been a non-exerciser until now, start gently and slowly. "No pain,
no gain" doesn't apply here. It's most important that you enjoy your
chosen activity so you will continue to do it.
Talk positively to yourself - Too often we compare
our own body sizes and shapes to others, forgetting that their life circumstances
are different from our own. Positive self-talk allows us to identify aspects
of ourselves that we like and appreciate. When you focus on your likable
traits and grow to appreciate them you will have less time to belittle personal
characteristics that really don't affect your self worth anyway. Positive
self talk encourages positive thinking and positive actions.
Set goals - Charting a course for yourself by defining
the direction in which you will head is a key to success in many phases
of life. Set small, achievable goals. Work hard on one or two goals at a
time. Once achieved, move to the next goal step. Goals that require you
to take action are best.
Setting the right goals is an important first step. Most people trying to
lose weight focus on just that one goal: weight loss. However, the most
productive areas to focus on are the dietary and exercise changes that will
lead to that long-term weight change. Successful weight managers are those
who select two or three goals at a time that they are willing to take on,
that meet the following criteria of useful goals:
Effective goals are 1) specific; 2) attainable; and 3) forgiving (less than
perfect). "Exercise more" is a commendable ideal, but it's not
specific. "Walk five miles everyday" is specific and measurable,
but is it attainable if you’re just starting out? "Walk 30 minutes
every day" is more attainable, but what happens if you're held up at
work one day and there's a thunderstorm during your walking time another
day? "Walk 30 minutes, five days each week" is specific, attainable,
and forgiving. In short, a great goal!
Reward yourself - Give yourself a reward when you achieve
a goal or do something that has required effort. Rewards can be small gifts
to yourself, allowing special times for yourself or with others, or going
to special events. The important point is to let rewards serve as a reminder
that you have been successful. Rewards are best when they closely follow
your accomplishment.
Choose low fat - Ounce for ounce, fat yields more energy than either carbohydrate or protein. The body also prefers to burn carbohydrate for energy and saves fat for storage. A high carbohydrate diet will satisfy energy needs with less chance of excess fat storage. High fat diets, on the other hand, lead to excess energy that is stored as fat. Moderate to low fat intakes are between 40 to 65 grams of fat each day if your energy needs are between 1,200 to 2,000 kilocalories. You can work toward lower fat intakes if you:
Watch portion sizes - There are no forbidden foods
but sometimes the amount you eat can weigh you down. Controlling portion
sizes of foods is a step we often forget. Next time you eat, check your
serving sizes. If your serving sizes are consistently larger than standard
servings, take that into account when you eat. (portion sizes for pasta
or cooked vegetables is a tennis ball cut in half; meat, fish, or poultry
is about the size of a deck of cards; and portion size of leafy vegetables
is about the size of a tennis ball).
Assess your own healthy weight - Too much emphasis
has often been placed on fitting into a certain weight category or wearing
a certain clothing size. Society's misplaced emphasis on thinness has encouraged
some people to use supernatural efforts to maintain extremely low body weights.
The human body requires some body fat to protect internal organs and store
energy. Excess fat, however, taxes the heart and lungs. If the excess fat
is carried around your abdomen, there is greater risk of disease. If you
can pinch more than an inch or your waist measure is equal to or greater
than your hip measurement, trim your weight.
Complete a behavior inventory - One of the most useful
steps in managing weight is to complete a behavior inventory. Check your
habits for snacking, eating in response to hunger, and preparing foods.
Snacks can be a part of your daily food plan but they need to be planned
carefully. Snack choices make a big difference in fat intake if you select
high fat snacks.
Determine how hungry you are when you eat. Delay eating if you are not really
hungry.
Changing the way you go about eating can make it easier to eat less without
feeling deprived. It takes 15 or more minutes for your brain to get the
message you've been fed. Slowing the rate of eating can allow satiety (fullness)
signals to begin to develop by the end of the meal. Eating lots of vegetables
can also make you feel fuller. Another trick is to use smaller plates so
that moderate portions do not appear meager. Changing your eating schedule,
or setting one, can be helpful, especially if you tend to skip, or delay,
meals and overeat later.
Choose a variety of foods - Build your daily food
choices around the Food Guide Pyramid. Choose a variety of foods from each
group and eat from all of the groups. Eat within the recommended number of
servings for each food group to meet your nutritional needs.
By "watching your portion size" and "choosing low fat"
you will develop food habits that will last a lifetime and will help you
to manage your weight.
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