As an ACE Certified Fitness Instructor for over two decades, I have been required to keep my nutrition education current by regularly taking online courses, even attending the renown Cooper Clinic in Dallas to acquire their “best” advice for helping men, women, and students achieve then maintain weight loss.
Yet, I’m discovering that most Americans are simply not paying attention to the health reports.
This month, the CDC reported that obesity has hit a new, national high:
"The nation's waistline is expanding -- with nine states reporting more than 30 percent of their residents are obese -- a far cry from 10 years ago when not one state had such a high prevalence of obesity, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say.
In 2007, only three states reported an increased prevalence of obesity above 30 percent -- Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi," Dietz said during a telephone press conference. Now, there are nine states that exceed [that mark]: Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama."
If you fall into the category of obese, overweight, or struggling to lose even ten pounds, I want to encourage you to make even one little change in your diet that will have a big result in your overall health, in addition to expediting weight loss.
Here are a few simple ways you can begin to cut back on or burn calories:
(1) Start by eliminating sugar. A helpful article on the Family Education website suggests that sugar is number one food additive in America. To eliminate unwanted calories from sugar, begin by reducing sugary drinks and sodas from your daily diet. Start by simply removing sodas from your home and only drink them when away home. Next, be diligent to read all labels on packaged foods, searching for one of the 25 different names used for sugar in your packaged foods—such as dextrose, sucrose, fructose, glucose, and maltose…
2) Increase your physical activity each week. I'm sure you already know this, but by burning 500 calories each day for one week (or 3500 calories), you will lose one pound of weight. Find a friend and develop a workout plan that has variety and intensity--begin with twenty and increase to forty minutes--by walking, biking, jogging, climbing stairs, or gardening, etc.
(3) Eat less fat. Eliminate up to 500 calories daily from your current diet by avoiding fried foods or full-fat creams/milk/cheese products. If you do, you're guaranteed to see immediate results.
Perhaps it’s time for you to answer the following question no matter what state you live in: Are you getting healthier or heavier? If you're getting heavier, it's time to get healthier!
Be encouraged!
Becky Tirabassi
As a lifelong Alabama resident , I would like to comment on one of the reasons not excuses that we have such a high obesity problem in our state. For most it's hard to imagine the temperatures we have here. Yesterday it was 101 with a heat index of 105, that in addition to 90-100 % humidity.
ReplyDeleteit's like this for many months of the year. We are still wearing shorts at the end of October. In March it reaches the 80's & by April we are already in 90 % + temperatures. While we joke about the 2 weeks of winter we get , it's not that far off. Even then I only know of 2 days this past winter we had temperatures below the 40's.
The humidity factor can truly take your breathe away. Before an accident I had , I did my walking between 9 -11 pm, when it got down to the 70-80's.
There is of course exercise in your home but it's not the same as outdoor activities that are so much more enjoyed & easy. Most days we are lucky if our AC keeps in in the mid to high 70's in the house. While overeating, emotion eating is a problem everywhere, ours is more an exercise problem.