Pedometer tips

Pedometer Tips

1.       Purchase one! I find it best to spend some money on one so they don’t keep falling off and breaking and so that you have more invested in the pedometer (AKA meaning you will be more likely to use it!).

a.       Recommendations: Fitbit Zip (www.fitbit.com). (They also sell at Best Buy, apple stores, etc) Retails for $59.99

b.      Omron brand. Can buy at Target, Best Buy, etc

2.       Wear ALL DAY LONG! No matter what clothes you are wearing or changing in and out of. Many people make the mistake of wearing their pedometer only for workouts.

3.       The goal is 10,000 steps per day (or about 4-5 miles of walking.) This includes day to day activities and exercise). Average your first 3 days wearing your pedometer and increase by 500-1000 each week until you are close to your goal. Example: If your average is only 4,000 steps, then aim for 5,000 everyday. Once you start being consistent with 5,000, increase it.

4.       Most pedometers work best if you wear above one leg or the other on your waistband.

5.       Don’t forget to log your steps! Keeping a log helps you track changes over time. (Click on link below to some great free resources).

Good luck!

Click here for a free monthly pedometer journal!

Kelly Devine Rickert, MS, RD, CSSD, LDN

Registered Dietitian

Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics

Franciscan St. James Health

708-679-2717 (For appointments)

CDC report finds people live longer if they practice one or more healthy lifestyle behaviors

Healthy behaviors include not smoking, eating well, getting regular exercise and limiting alcohol consumption

People can live longer if they practice one or more healthy lifestyle behaviors – not smoking, eating a healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, and limiting alcohol – according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

During the study period, people who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were 63 percent less likely to die early, compared to people who did not practice any of the behaviors. Not smoking provided the most protection from dying from all of the causes examined.

“If you want to lead a longer life and feel better, you should adopt healthy behaviors– not smoking, getting regular physical activity, eating healthy, and avoiding excessive alcohol use,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H.”

People who engaged in all four healthy behaviors were 66 percent less likely to die early from cancer, 65 percent less likely to die early from cardiovascular disease, and 57 percent less likely to die early from other causes compared to people who did not engage in any of the healthy behaviors.

The study, “Low Risk Lifestyle Behaviors and All-Cause Mortality: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III Mortality Study,” is published online today by the American Journal of Public Health at http://ajph.aphapublications.org/first_look.dtl.

Researchers analyzed data from CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III Mortality Study, a mortality follow-up of NHANES III survey participants aged 17 years and older who were recruited from 1988 to 1994 and followed through 2006.

The researchers defined low-risk health behaviors as never smoking, eating a healthy diet, moderate intensity or vigorous intensity physical activity, and moderate alcohol consumption. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, men should drink no more than two drinks per day; women, one drink per day.

Among people in the CDC study, 47.5 percent had never smoked, 51 percent were moderate drinkers, 39.3 percent had a healthy diet, and 40.2 percent were adequately physically active. The percentage of people who reported low-risk behaviors did not differ significantly by gender. Mexican-Americans had more healthy behaviors compared to whites and African-Americans.

The authors noted the challenges in encouraging a large percentage of the U. S. population to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Although studies have shown only a small percentage of people have adopted all of these healthy lifestyle behaviors, significant progress has been made in decreasing the rate of people who smoke. This study adds to the mounting evidence of the substantial gain in life associated with healthy behaviors, and underscores the need for the clinical and public health communities to work together to promote greater adoption of these behaviors.

For more information about CDC’s efforts to promote healthy lifestyles visit www.cdc.gov/tobacco, www.cdc.gov/alcohol, and www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao.

Stand Up For Your Health -- Physiologists And Microbiologists Find Link Between Sitting And Poor Health

June 1, 2008 ScienceDaily -- Physiologists analyzing obesity, heart disease, and diabetes found that the act of sitting shuts down the circulation of a fat-absorbing enzyme called lipase. They found that standing up engages muscles and promotes the distribution of lipase, which prompts the body to process fat and cholesterol, independent of the amount of time spent exercising. They also found that standing up uses blood glucose and may discourage the development of diabetes.


To view the rest of the article and video click here or cut and paste the link into your browser.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2008/0610-stand_up_for_your_health.htm

Your Food Choices May Be Costing You More Than a Grain of Salt

The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day, which is well above the recommended amount of 1,500 mg per day. Consuming this much sodium a day may be easier than you think if you consider that just one teaspoon of table salt has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium, almost 1.5 days worth.

In fact, the vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. Examples include bread, packaged pasta/rice dishes, lunch meats, bacon, cheese, soups, snacks and fast foods. Sodium is naturally present in all vegetables, dairy products, meat and shellfish. For example, 1 cup of low-fat milk contains about 107 mg of sodium, contributing to your overall sodium intake.

Beyond the harm caused by high blood pressure, research has shown that excess sodium can be toxic to humans. For example, some studies conclude that a high salt diet might contribute to the following: stiffer arteries which are often the early sign of heart disease, increased calcium losses which could eventually lead to osteoporosis and the excretion of high levels of protein in the urine, worsening kidney damage initially caused by high blood pressure.

Whether you are sensitive to salt or not, most Americans can benefit from reducing sodium in their diet. Reconsider your typical food choices and try some of the following ways to cut back on sodium:

• Eat more fresh foods especially fruits and vegetables, which can balance some of the negative effects of sodium.
• If you purchase processed foods, opt for the low or reduced sodium options.
• Check food labels and limit products that contain MSG, baking soda or powder, disodium phosphate and sodium nitrate.
• Use fresh herbs and salt free seasonings to flavor your food.
• Decrease your use of sodium-laden condiments such as soy sauce, salad dressings, ketchup and sauces

Article published by: Ellen Muhammad, Dietetic Intern

Super Size Your Weight Loss Results with Physical Activity

Have you heard of the following statement: “fewer calories in plus more calories out equals weight loss?” Well, not only is this an often repeated statement, it is a scientific fact! You can actually super size your weight loss results with increased physical activity or exercise. Exercise or daily physical activity, in general, helps you lose weight by using calories that would otherwise be stored as fat as fuel. Exercise can also help prevent most, if not all, chronic diseases including: heart disease and stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and osteoporosis.

With all of these remarkable health benefits why not get started today? Unsure of how-try these simple ideas for starters:

• Dance to your favorite songs and burn approx. 202 calories per hour.
• Go for a walk and burn approx. 86 calories per hour.
• Mow the lawn and burn approx. 259 calories per hour.
• Play actively with your children and burn approx. 104 calories per hour.
• Clean your house and burn approx. 144 calories per hour.
• Go for a walk or tread water in the pool and burn approx. 173 calories per hour.

By simply increasing your activities of daily living such as those noted above, you can super size your weight loss results by increasing the amount of calories you burn throughout the day with little or no conscious effort!

*Caloric expenditure estimates obtained from www.fitday.com.

Article published by: Ellen Muhammad, Dietetic Intern

Burn extra calories without even trying!

Posted 4/25/2011 on http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/23/earlyshow/saturday/main20056739.shtml

(CBS News) With summer right around the corner, you may be looking to shed some pounds, but you may not always have enough time to exercise or hit the gym. But on "The Early Show on Saturday Morning," Cynthia Sass, registered dietitian and author of "Cinch! Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches," explained how to burn calories throughout your day: at the office, at home - even while you're asleep!

AT THE OFFICE: By cutting 100 calories per day, a person can lose 10 pounds in a year. That's the equivalent of 10 tubs of Crisco.

There's a new study out that explores the danger of prolonged sitting. Scientists now believe that "excessive sitting may be so taxing on our physical health that even a vigorous workout once a day can't really counteract the deleterious effects," says the Wall Street Journal.

But you can burn calories sitting at your desk by fidgeting, like tapping toes, moving around, or fussing with hands. That can burn off up to 800 extra calories per day, the equivalent of an hour-long spin class.

RELAXING: With a full night's sleep, you can burn around 200 calories.

Spend an hour typing on your computer: Keep those fingers flying for an hour and you just might burn 100 calories, or what you would burn by jumping rope for 10 minutes.

AT HOME: Cooking burns about 150 calories per hour! You can burn half of what you eat for dinner merely by cooking it yourself!

After dinner, loading the dishwasher for 30 minutes burns 105 calories, and washing them by hand eats up 160 calories.

You can also burn 72 calories while doing laundry. And ironing for 30 minutes burns about 70 calories and tones the muscles of the upper body. Stand up straight at the ironing board and press down firmly. Switch hands periodically so you don't overdevelop one arm.

An hour-long massage can burn more calories than you might think -- 230 calories -- the same as an hour of light weight training.