Exercise and Fitness Blog

Further research was published in The Lancet today that supports the connection between cancer risk and having a high Body Mass Index (BMI). In a previous post, I mentioned a study that clearly established this link. This most recent article highlights that the awareness of the risks associated with obesity are not new, but that several long term perspective studies have now been able to compile a large amount of their data from the past decade.

One startling comment suggests that in 2005 obesity overtook smoking as the leading cause of preventable death. This should be a wake up call to everyone who thinks that as long as they avoid bad habits, like smoking or excessive drinking, they should be fine. In fact the reality is that in order to stay healthy requires a proactive and active approach to health.

What can we do then to get started on our way to a healthier lifestyle? Below are a few ideas that you can start doing TODAY!

I think that we all remember the food pyramid from elementary school days. It is a good reminder that our diets need to be balanced. Take a minute, print out this food pyramid and evaluate your diet. Are you getting the right proportions of different food groups? If not, make a plan to incorporate what you’re missing back into your diet. Maybe you could start taking a lunch to work with you, rather than eating out, or choose places to eat out that provide the balance you need in your diet.

Another great tool is www.CalorieKing.com. They have a database that will tell you how many calories are in your favorite foods (like the 540 calories in a Big Mac). With a little discipline you can plan your meals before you arrive at the restaurant.

Some people may ask, “what is the best exercise to lose weight”? I think that there are a lot of exercises that would work great to lose weight, including running, jogging, swimming, biking, hiking, walking… I think you get the idea. The biggest factor in losing weight isn’t exclusively the exercise that you choose. To lose weight you need to burn more calories that you take in. So, whatever exercise you’re doing, keep logging it in Maintain Fit so that you know how many calories you burn on average and then adjust your diet to match (or be just lower). Be consistent and you’ll start to lose weight.

If you know of some other great ways to lose weight in a natural and healthy way, take a minute and post a comment. For your benefit I’ve also linked the original MP3 of the Lancet journal in this post. I hope you enjoy listening.

 

 The Lancent, Feb. 16, 2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I read this title in an article on Google news today and it struck me as a bit funny. Doesn’t that go without saying, or at least without research. From the time I was old enough to talk, and certainly during my early school years, my Dad would tell me to go to bed early, don’t over eat and be active in my lifestyle. As I’ve done those things it has been easy to maintain a healthy weight and I always have energy enough for what I need to do.

I suppose that in a world of pills and miracle cures it doesn’t hurt to be reminded that “Healthy Lifestyle Is the Secret to Longer Life, Researchers Say”… So I’ll repeat the timeless counsel of my wise father.

• Go to bed early
• Don’t eat too much
• Live a physically active life.

If you want to read the original article, find it here. And as always, leave your comments (especially if you’re over 90).

I’ve just added a user trust logo to the bottom of every page on Maintain Fit. It is a system that will let the users communicate with others what they think of the site. It is super easy to use. Just click on the blue User Trust logo at the bottom of any page and answer a couple of simple questions.

Please take a minute and give your feedback to help others know what you think about the Maintain Fit free exercise log service. Thanks for being part of the growing Maintain Fit community.

Some of you may remember a previous post in this blog in which I mentioned a study that suggested nutritional needs should be met through diet alone. There may now be some evidence to support this in the case of sugar vs. artificial sweeteners. The basis of the study suggests that animals (that includes us humans) associate the sweet taste of food to is caloric content. This holds true for sugar, which has a high density of calories, but not for the artificial sweeteners.

In a study they did using rats, they found that the introduction of artificial sweeteners caused a group of rats to gain weight and eat more than a second group of rats that received food sweetened by glucose (or regular sugar). The conclusion, they suggest, could be that using artificial sweetener has the potential to interfere with an automatic process and may result in weight gain.

If you’re into reading scientific reports, here is the original study, which gives a lot more detail than this small post. The take home message seems to be to maintain a well balanced diet, where the food you take in meets your nutritional needs, and to maintain an active lifestyle with enough exercise to stay fit.

I’ve received several requests recently to add metric fields to various activities.  This means that you can customize your fitness log even more.  I hope you enjoy the new fields.  As always, drop me a line with any special requests or ideas that you have for your fitness log.  There is a good chance that someone else will want  it too.

Five years ago when I started running I was an outdoor runner only. I had the opinion that the only people who should use a treadmill were in rehab or physical therapy of some sort. Then I got married, had children, finished school and my schedule was a lot different. It was so much harder to find time to go running outside. Last fall I finally broke down and bought a treadmill.

What a great choice. My wife mentioned that a local store was closing out some of its models at 50% off. I went that night and bought one. It featured incline (which I haven’t used very much), quick speed settings and a space saver feature that would let me fold it up when I wasn’t using it. Much to my surprise, I use it a few times a week and I love it.

Before getting a treadmill I worried that I would buy it and then never use it. As it turns out, I go running about three times a week on it. Keep in mind that during the winter months at 5:30 AM (the only time I can find to run) it is about 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside (that’s below freezing). Having a treadmill has significantly reduced my barrier to running and I’m more consistent than I ever was without it. As a bonus, my wife really likes to run on it too. She now uses it two or three times a week.

If you’re ready to take the plunge, this new year might be the perfect time to do it. I found that ProForm.com is in the process of closing out some of last year’s models with savings of up to $800. They both offer free shipping (which is probably quite a bit for a treadmill). Here are some quick links below and I think that the sale ends Monday (1/21), so be quick (the last time they did this sale I think they sold out before the ending date). If you do pick one up, please let me know if you have the same positive experience that I’ve had running on my treadmill. It’s been great to be running regularly again, and to feel like I have a system that will keep me consistent.

Here are the links. Let me know what you think!

SAVE $800 on ProForm iLOG 550 Treadmill

$500 OFF! ProForm 755 CrossTrainer + FREE Shipping

This video illustrates how easy it is to personalize Maintain Fit for your own preferences. I’ve simplified the exercise log so that it is now much easier to add exercises to your profile. This means it is easier to use all that Maintain Fit has to offer! Now, all you have to do to change your exercises profile is choose from a list of fields and calculations (e.g. time, distance, pace, calories, etc.). New calculations include calories, BMI and more. Watch the video tutorial below. If you find I’ve missed a field you would like, just send me a request to add it (or post a comment and answer the poll on this post in the forum).

The Maintain Fit community is getting bigger every day (about 70 new accounts a month). Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

 

 My Exercises Profile Tutorial: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The first of the year has arrived and the new beta website is now in the lead at www.maintainfit.com.  While this is exciting, it also means saying goodbye to the last site that I launched in January 2001.  In seven years I logged nearly 1900 miles of running on the olds site.  With a couple hundred miles already logged in the new site, it is ready to take the lead.

Read more about it here: http://www.maintainfit.com/articles/content/view/22/1/

With the usual collection of delicious holiday treats, including chocolate, sugar cookies, eggnog and the like, I wound up feeling a bit down on Christmas morning. After opening presents with the children and fixing a nice french toast breakfast, I asked my wife if she wouldn’t mind me going for a quick run. She agreed.

I thought that if I could just run for a few minutes it would help out. I remember hearing when I was younger that in order to get aerobic benefits from an exercise I would need to maintain an elevated heart rate for at least 18 minutes. With this in mind I started up the treadmill and ended up running 2.25 miles in just 20 minutes! I was thrilled. It did help me feel better and it also reduced my appetite for sugar and sweets, which helped me stay on track for the rest of the day. The kids were busy playing with their new toys and didn’t even notice that I was gone. When I came back in my wife said it was her turn and went for a quick run too.

In short, it really isn’t that hard to slip out for a quick run, even on a holiday with family around. Even a short run can make a big difference when it comes to how you feel during the holiday season. Give it a try. If you just can’t tear yourself away, you might just try parking further away from your holiday destinations when shopping or going out with friends and family during the holidays. For many people there is still a week of holiday cheer ahead (until new years), so get out for a walk or run, then come let us know how it went.

Happy Holidays!

To help Maintain Fit users stay fit through the holidays, we put together a music workout mix.  Today was the first of two login help sessions to help members access their account and download the workout mix MP3.  Several people logged in and downloaded the music during the session.  We would love to hear your thoughts on the mix and how it has helped motivate you to workout through the holidays.  Post your thoughts in the forums:

http://beta.maintainfit.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13

The next login help session will be Tuesday, Dec. 18 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM MST.  We look forward to answering more questions then.