Calorie intake with Exercise

As previously discussed it was important for everyone to calculate their BMR for basic caloric intake to maintain your weight. The Harris-Benedict equation has additional calculators for someone who incorporates exercise. To maintain weight you take the basic caloric calculation discussed in the previous blog (655 + (4.3*your weight in pounds) + (4.7* height in inches) - (4.7* age in years)) and apply the following factors:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR *1.2
• Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days a week): BMR * 1.375
• Moderate activity (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days a week): BMR *1.55
• Very Active (hard exercise 6-7 days a week): BMR *1.725
• Extra Active (very hard exercise/sports + physical job or 2x training): BMR * 1.9

Whoohoo...sounds great, right? So in the previous example the 5 ft 7 in lady who is 150 pounds and 45 years old gets the basic BMR of 1403 * 1.2 which equals 1684 calories a day....to maintain her weight. But it's not all about the scale is it? It's about getting fit and while she may be a good weight for her height, without exercise the fat could be building around her organs and making her unhealthy. And if she wanted to lose weight, and not exercise, she would have to only take in 1184 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week. Not a great plan!

If she incorporates moderate level activity into her week she can increase her caloric count to (1403 * 1.55) 2175 to maintain. If she wants to lose weight then the caloric intake becomes 2175 - 500 = 1675. WOW...she can continue eating the same caloric intake but with moderate exercise, lose weight and fat!

Obviously the results have to be customized for the individual and their goals but this basic principle applies to all women. Without exercise, your chances of being healthy diminish so knowing the numbers and incorporating exercise is putting your best foot forward to a lifetime of healthy living. Take the first step today!

Getting Fit for the Holiday

It's time to take matters in my own hands and teach others the basics of a good aerobic fat burning exercise session. We all need a little help getting to that next level and my mission is two fold....One to help other learn the "acceptable" level of a good fatburning session and to make sure I stay focused during the hardest time of the year! Oct-Dec is the hardest time of year and weight gain can be achieved easier than any other time of the year. Those extra pounds that we aquire and never seem to loose the rest of the year. Now is the time to take a stand. I've enlisted 5 participants to engage in a physical fitness program that is designed to teach them how to make the most of their aerobic activities. It's NOT a group fitness class but it is an educational, motivational program designed to teach those participants to make the most fat burning strides when working out.

Week 1 begins next Monday, November 2. 5 participants will commit to 2 aerobic sessions with instruction and commit to further aerobic and fitness activities outside of these two sessions. My mission is to provide the proper guidance to make each participant self sufficient beyond the program and actually lose weight during the time of year that most GAIN. What a wonderful concept and what a wonderful time to engage in this type of program. Jan 1 and beyond is easy...there isn't anything easy about losing weight now!

I will be tweeting almost daily about a new method or new thing to introduce and you can follow along as well at www.twitter.com\womengettingfit. The tweets will start next week so even if you aren't part of the program this time around, take advantage of the motivation and advice provided during the 6 week program. It's going to be enlightening and I'm looking forward to reaching the next level myself so get your blinders on and lets stay focused together....

Calculating your way to weight loss.

Do you know how to calculate your caloric intake for a day to maintain your weight? Everyone burns calories a little different throughout a day and your basal metabolic rate is the term used to define the basic calories your body burns through normal activities. Just breathing takes a specific amount of energy and burns calories but don't hold your breath hoping to lose weight! It takes a plan and committment to change your life each and every day.

To calculate your BMR using an unscientific approach as a general rule of thumb, you can take your current weight x 10 to derive the basic number of calories you should take in a day to MAINTAIN your weight. That means if you currently weigh 150 pounds then you can consume 1500 calories in a day and maintain your current weight of 150 calories. Of course there are other variables that go into it. For example if you consume a high carb diet with lots of refined sugar, your body will take the excess sugar and store it as fat so even though you may be within the caloric intake you can consume, you may actually gain weight! Shame on the 100 calorie packs as they only serve a wildly intelligent marketing plan and underserve the consumers. Wow this can be complicated.

A more accurate way to calculate your BMR is to use the women's Harris-Bennedict principle for calculating your caloric intake to maintain weight.
655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
Using this calculation and using a 150 pound woman who is 5 ft. 7 inches and 45 years old you derive a calorie count of 1403.

Now that we know what it takes to maintain our current weight, it is necessary to know how much deficit we must create to LOSE weight. Rule of thumb is a deficit of 500 calories a day below your BMR for 7 days or a total of 3500 calories per week. Clearly using this example with no exercise you must only consume 903 calories a day to lose just one pound a week. While this might get you the results on the scale you seek it still lacks a fully healthy approach to fitness and nobody should be eating less than 1200 calories a day.

A better approach is to incorporate exercise to create some of the deficit that you seek to lose weight. Burning calories through exercise can create added benefits, like increased muscle that will help you burn more calories in a day and maintain your strength and endurance. Cardio and heart healthy exercises reduce or eliminate diabetes tendancies or high blood pressure that can lead to more severe conditions. The good news is, if you have any of these conditions currently, you don't need to throw in the towel...it's reversable through a healthy lifestyle.

It's all about making choices and understanding the basic principles of weight loss! Here's to a healthy lifestyle and calculating a plan to lose the weight that might be holding you back from your goals.

Simple Strategy for a Healthier YOU

Most of us ladies wake up on a Monday morning with the left over euphoria of the weekend past. Perhaps there is guilt of eating too much and exercising too little and the weeks upcoming tasks staring us in the face. Making lists, planning our weeks accomplishments based on what didn't get done last week, and looking forward to the next weekend as we look bleary eyed in the mirror. We make a pact with ourselves that "this week will be different"! We'll stay more focused, spend more time on our health and fitness, and get more done. Problem is, nobody injected more time into our week. In fact it seems as we gain maturity, father time seems to continually rob us of what we seek....more time to take care of ourselves.

Here's a couple of ideas to steal the time you need and keep you on track. First of all, make a pact with yourself to give up one of your food temptations this week. Write it down and keep it in your purse, on your refrigerator, and at your desk. When you go to bed at night, remind yourself of that one accomplishment and how well you did that day. Second, take an hour every evening while watching one of your favorite shows on TV to exercise. Kiling two birds with one stone will give you back the time and motivation you need. Even if you've exercised already that day, take time while watching TV to relax doing a few yoga moves or some sit ups. Two things will happen, you'll burn more of those calories you had for supper and you'll feel less likely to snack later that evening as exercise naturally curbs your appetite. Next, drink 8 glasses of water each and every day. Get rid of those impurities in your body and feel the effects of what a fully hydrated system can do for you. Finally, make a meal plan for the week, make a list and stick to the plan. Even when things don't go as planned, get back on track and fix the meal that you had targeted for the day. Pack the leftovers for lunch the next day when cleaning up your evening meal and you will quickly have the bases covered.

Make these small changes and it will make a huge difference. Do it a week and it will soon become a habit and second nature. Each week, make additional small changes and before you know it, it becomes a lifestyle that you can't live without. Isn't that what it's all about anyway?

Holiday's Mean Eating Outside the Box

Someone told me today that most weight gain happens between the months of October through December. Halloween candy dancing around our heads and our waist, tempting us at ever corner. Those evil offices and retail stores that offer a jar or bowl of candy for their patrons and employees aren't doing us any favors. And those bowls of sweet temptations don't go away at the end of October, they just turn into full meals of carbs and no-no's. December is the worst with marrying sweet candies and cookies with full winter stuffed carb meals to make us "fat" for our natural need to stay warm in the winter. Feeling full yet?

These months are all about portion control! Now is the time to start to cut back. If you've been changing your diet along the way you may be less tempted to step outside of your newly developed lifestyle but if you haven't changed your way of life up till now, then now is the best time to focus on changing how and what you eat on a daily basis. Don't beat yourself up if you sneak a piece of candy or have stuffing with that turkey on Thanksgiving BUT restrict those times as an exception and not the norm. There will always be temptation and you need to reward yourself each day that you stay focused and on track. At some point, it will become a way of life! And really, isn't that your goal?

Don't fall into the eating trappings of the season and stay your course. You can reward yourself in January for a job well done while others are frantically assessing "What did I do to myself?"

If I had 5 cents.....

If I had 5 cents for every time I heard the phrase, "I just don't have time to workout", I'd be rich. If I could collect a nickle each time someone said that to themselves or others, I could fund the health care reform! All this talk about health care reform and the money it's going to take to fund the ability to care for the uninsured. Just start collecting from those who don't find the "time" to take a preventative step towards better health. I listened to the TODAY show this morning talk about the "fat acceptance" movement and I was amazed at how the simple act of taking time to exercise would solve all these issues. I tend to agree that we all can't be paper thin and we have to accept our body image no matter what we were blessed with and just because you might be overweight does not mean you are unhealthy. Exercise is about getting and staying healthy! It can correct diabeties, heart disease, bone density issues, and stimulate heathy cells in our body to fight disease to name a few. In combination with a healthy diet you can achieve any goal you set for yourself. Health care wouldn't be an issue, if we just took the time to take care of ourselves first! Set your priority and take 30 minutes each day to exercise. It could save your life so you have time for all the other important things that fill your day!

Where Have I Been

Ok Seriously, I can't believe I haven't been blogging. Where has the time been going? So much has been going on I've neglected to keep you all inspired with my sometimes witty and sometimes serious commentary on the whole health and fitness scene. As most of you know, I've taken up biking but crashed and burned the second day out at RAGBRAI so better luck next time. Still looking for bike enthusiasts to join me on Saturday morning or whenever the mood strikes. I am daily inspired by the women at the gym...everyone with a different story and some dedicated toward their health and others not so dedicated....but as I always say, at least they are giving it a try which is better then most of the population. With health care in the news on a daily basis what better time to join into the cause of PREVENTION and getting out and doing something about it. It all starts with YOU! Each individual getting motivated to do something to make a difference in their lifestyle will surely change the rising cost of medical if less medical care is needed...."supply and demand". Let's decrease the demand TOGETHER! Get off you bum and do something for yourself! Get motivated, get with it, and get going!

Fun at middle age

For all you fans of the group Steppenwolf, I hope you enjoy this fine cartoon video.

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-walt-babyboomers-blurb,0,1036393.blurb

This definately puts everything in perspective for us baby boomers.

I know it's been awhile since I've updated the blog...October...geez, I really need to be more vocal, but I'd like to be a little more dilligent this year. It's all about sharing and hearing from you all as to what your struggles are and how you are doing. I've enjoyed my winter so far...keep the warm weather coming but a new year brings new goals to set. I hope you all are still sticking with your New Years resolution because now is about the time that everyone falls off the wagon. This is why we are offering so many options to stay healthy and fit at the gym. Don't lose your focus as summer will be hear sooner than you can say "summer is fun". There's a whole host of excuses for not sticking with your fitness routine when summer gets here so make a difference and get into the habit before the warm weather is here for awhile. Share your dreams and goals with us at the gym and post your goals on our wall of dreams! We want you to visualize them and be reminded of them every time you walk into the gym, your home away from home!

Until next time...see you at the gym!