January 9, 2009 10:16 AM
Winter Fitness Tips
My good friend, Margaret Park, who is a registered dietitian and should probably start her own blog :) posted this at our ML 2009 Diet Group. But everyone needs to see this:
Hello and good morning ladies! I introduced myself the other day as being a registered dietitian and wanting to try and provide some support and information for you. Below is a tip for the day followed by a recap of the list I gave on Thursday for those that are new to the group on ways to incorporate "purposeful movement" into your daily lives.TIP FOR THE DAY - Remember you don't have to have a gym membership to get exercise and you don't even have to leave the house. Do you have a bike collecting dust in your garage? If so you can convert it to a stationary bike. I found this bike trainer on Amazon, but I know sporting goods stores sell them too: Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer
. My husband has had one in the basement for a few years and it was worth the investment. Don't have a bike? Check out craigslist, freecycle, friends, yard sales, even places like Wal-mart/Target have inexpensive bikes.
Some ideas for purposeful movement*Use a pedometer to monitor activity level each day. This is the pedometer that I use:Sportline Walking Advantage 340 Faceplate Pedometer
There will be people that put the pedometer on and easily get to the 10,000 steps and that is great, but if this is a normal level for you, you may find you need to kick it up a notch and add a few thousand more steps consistently before you see improvement.
* No more stacking stuff on the stairs to take up later, just do it now and you'll get another 20+ steps.
* In parking lots (you've heard this before), park far away and walk. Park near the farthest cart-return so that you can plop kiddies in a cart and possibly add an extra 200+ steps.
* When you are unloading your car, don't try to pick up all 20 shopping bags and carry them in at once, do multiple trips (even leaving the non-perishables in the car for later if your concern is having kids underfoot while unloading).
* When doing laundry (which can seem never ending), you can do stretches. I put the clean clothes on a bed and stretch from side to side as I fold and reach for the next article (think back to your PE class in elementary school). I throw the clean socks on the floor and then bend over to pick them up and then match them (again a never ending battle, but it leads to a lot of good stretching and deep breathing!)
* If you've been sitting at the computer for a long time, set a limit and for every XX minutes you have to step away and walk X flights of stairs. Barbara gave a great add-on to this by using the mini-trampoline
and jumping after sitting for a set amount of time at the computer.
* Dance! Doesn't matter what you look like or what the music is. You can turn the TV off, put in some fun music and dance (ask the kids to join in). I love when my kids look at me like I've lost my mind as I start dancing around the family room (usually to some fun 80's tunes!). It's fun to be silly.
* Wii Fit it! Never thought I would encourage video games for good health, but I'll tell you the Wii Fit is lots of fun. I have a neighbor that comes over and we take turns cheering each other on (and laughing a whole heck of a lot too). We try hard to knock my oldest son's high scores down (he likes to try win them back).
Have a GREAT day!
I also want to add for those of you who might travel or get outside the house much :) -
*Park as far away as you can from where you're going.
*Use stairs instead of elevator.
In 2006, when I was busy losing 80 pounds, I happened to be doing a lot of traveling. At the airport, I always walked rather than taking the conveyor belt (or whatever they call that thing you stand on because 1/4 or a 1/2 a mile is too much for an American to walk. I really reevaluated everything I did in terms of "How can I make this experience burn more calories rather than fewer?
We are very blessed at our Diet Group to have Margaret's input - and I will be posting more in the days ahead.
Comments
Is there any way for someone who has not joined your diet group to visit the ML2009 diet group site? I am pregnant, so didn't join, but I'd love to be able to read tips & other's successes.
thanks
Posted by: Tracy | January 9, 2009 10:50 PM
