Are you counting calories like the rest ofAmerica? As we all strive to become healthier, focusing on what we eat is necessary. Many of us use various websites and phone apps to track every single bite that is eaten. Do you know what you are counting? Do you truly know how many calories your body needs?

Your caloric need is based on your metabolic rate. In the simplest terms, metabolism is the sum of all chemical processes in your body. These include digesting food, producing energy, building muscle, repairing tissue, storing food for later use, and many other functions. Every individual needs a different amount of calories per day. This need is based on age, sex, height, weight, body composition, and hormonal activity. Even two people of the same height and weight may have different caloric needs.

When using websites and apps to track your food, these websites give a general estimation of how many calories your body needs, but it may not be accurate for you. This could make it harder to achieve your fitness goal. You could also unintentionally become malnourished if you are eating less than what your body requires.

There are various ways to estimate your caloric need. The most common way is through predictive equations, which use your height, weight, age, and sex to determine your resting metabolic rate (RMR). RMR is the sum of how many calories the body needs at rest. If you were to lay in bed all day with no additional activity, RMR is the amount of daily calories necessary to perform the most basic bodily functions like breathing and circulating blood. Predictive equations then multiply the RMR by an activity factor based on how active you are throughout the day. The formula determines the total number of calories you need to maintain your weight. If you eat less than your body needs to maintain your weight, it should result in weight loss. Some equations are more accurate than others. Another way to calculate your rate is to measure either your oxygen consumption or carbon dioxide output. It is a more accurate measurement than the predictive equations because it is more individualized.

It is important to be conscious of your food intake, regardless of your fitness goals. If you choose to count calories, it is beneficial to know how many calories your body truly needs. Houstonian Lite offers metabolic testing by using a handheld machine called The BodyGem. It measures your oxygen consumption and calculates your RMR in 8-10 minutes. If you are interested in finding out more information, please contact me at jdiggs@houstonianlite.com.

By Vaughn Marxhausen

What is the one thing that we always tend to run out of?  TIME!  It seems as if there is never enough time to get things done.  With this respect, we have a tendency to put the things that we typically don’t like to do on the back burner, so that when we don’t get to it, we can use the excuse of, “I ran out of time.”

Exercise is a prime example.  Our day gets packed with meetings, traffic, family commitments, social events, work schedules, facebook and twitter posting, etc…that we don’t get the chance to fit in our best intention of that hour workout. 

Guess what?  You don’t need to spend an hour in your workouts.  You can get a great workout in 10 minutes.  If you keep your intensity high and focus on exercises that target large muscle groups, you can actually benefit from only 10 minutes. 

Keeping with your exercise schedule, even if it is only ten minutes will help burn calories, increase your metabolic rate and most importantly keeps the momentum going so that you don’t get out of your exercise habit.

 To get the most out of your workouts, seeking the advice of a fitness professional will reap many benefits, not to mention, they are knowledgeable about what works and what doesn’t.  This will keep your workouts effective and efficient which means continued RESULTS!

A registered dietitian or “RD” serves as an integral liaison in helping individuals and communities make changes for a healthy delicious diet.

1. You have prediabetes and want to stave off diabetes. A registered dietitian can change your life by teaching you skills that will help you lose and keep off weight and keep diabetes at bay.

2. Your community has high levels of obesity. A registered dietitian can work with public health, government, school and other local leaders to create wellness programs that promote healthful eating and physical activity for everyone.

3. You are a marketing manager for a large food company and know consumers’ preference for good-tasting food that is healthy. A registered dietitian can make the connection and work with your food scientists to develop new products that will be successful in the marketplace.

4. You want to improve your performance in sports. A registered dietitian can help you set goals to achieve results — whether you’re running a marathon, skiing or jogging with your dog.

5. You have had gastric bypass surgery. Since your stomach can only manage small servings, it’s a challenge to get the right amount of nutrients in your body. A registered dietitian will work with you to develop an eating plan for your new needs.

6. You realize you need to feed your family healthier foods but you do not cook. A registered dietitian who has special culinary skills can teach you how to cook in a simple, convenient way.

7. Your teenager has issues with food and eating healthfully. A registered dietitian can assist with eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia and overweight issues.

8. Your community wants more local foods to be available. A registered dietitian can lead efforts to make sure foods will not only be healthy but also will positively affect the local economy.

9. You just had your first child, are concerned the baby is not eating enough and need help and confidence for breastfeeding.  A registered dietitian can provide guidance and assurance that you and your infant are getting enough iron, vitamin D, fluoride and B vitamins.

10. Your mother, who is increasing in age, wants to stay in her home. A registered dietitian leading a local congregate dining and home delivered meals program can obtain a nutrition screening to make sure this happens.

Resource: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

We are one month into the New Year.  Are you still on track with your resolutions? Do you still remember your resolutions? Every year, we all go through the same cycles of setting larger-than-life goals, only to forget about them a couple weeks into the New Year. Have you ever stopped to reflect on the reasons why?

It is easy to start off the year thinking that this year will be different than the last. In actuality, it SHOULD be. You should end the year smarter, stronger, wiser, and healthier, but these are things that take time to achieve. When setting your goals, determine what you will do differently to achieve them, but make sure these actions are realistic. Set a big goal, and then break it down into smaller goals in order to achieve your big goal. Aiming to lose fifty pounds by the end of the year may sound like a large feat, but when you make a goal to lose four pounds a month, it becomes more attainable. Once your goals have been set and written down, create action steps that you will take to achieve your small goals. Be sure to pinpoint what you need to do differently to lose the four pounds. Do you need to exercise more? Do you need to eat out less? Determine what actions need to be changed.

Make sure that the goals you set are challenging, but achievable. Setting a goal to cook five days a week when you normally eat out seven days a week is a big step. Remember, goals can always be changed as you achieve them. First, try committing to cooking 2-3 days a week. Once that has become a habit, you can then increase to cooking five days a week. What we are trying to achieve is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix, and permanent change takes time. Do not try to do it over night. That causes burnouts and setbacks. While it may seem necessary to set extreme goals, think back to all of the outrageous goals you have made in the past. Did you achieve them? If not, I advise you to start smaller, but keep the big picture in mind.

Lastly, write out your goals. Put them in a place that is visible so it will be a constant reminder of what you are working towards. Then, get to work! This year will be different than the last. I challenge you to make it so.

“One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.” ~Sidney Howard

Joy Diggs is a certified personal trainer and Registered, Licensed Dietitian for Houstonian Lite Health Club. For more information on fitness programming or weight management and nutritional services, Joy can be contacted at jdiggs@houstonianlite.com

Diabetes is a serious condition characterized by an absolute or relative deficiency of insulin. Insulin’s job is to take the sugar (glucose) from your blood and transport it into your cells. So if insulin is deficient or impaired, the sugar cannot readily enter the bodily tissues. As a result, all that sugar just circulates around in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose levels damage nerves and blood vessels leading to other complications such as heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death among people with diabetes. In addition, uncontrolled diabetes can eventually lead to vision loss, kidney failure, and amputations.

In Type 1 diabetes, the body simply does not make insulin at all. This form of diabetes usually occurs before the age of 30 and has been referred to juvenile diabetes. The cause of Type 1 diabetes is thought to be an autoimmune (immune system attacks itself) response directed at the cells that make insulin. Of the estimated 23.6 million people with diabetes in America, approximately 5 to 10% have Type 1 diabetes while 85-90% has Type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetics have impaired insulin action. Their insulin may be elevated, reduced, or even normal but still have high blood sugar. What causes Type 2 diabetes still remains unclear. Although a family history of Type 2 diabetes is one of the strongest risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, it only seems to matter in people living a Western lifestyle. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) claims “Americans and Europeans eat too much fat and too little carbohydrate and fiber, and they get too little exercise.

Type 2 diabetes is common in people with these habits.”
In addition to proper nutrition, it is no surprise that increased daily physical activity is known to be of importance in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that 150 minutes of physical activity a week (30 minutes, five times a week) helped prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes. In this study, people also lost 10 to 20 pounds by making changes in their eating habits. It has been established that aerobic (cardiovascular) endurance training increases insulin action in skeletal muscle, but the effect of resistance training has not been well described until recently. The Journal of Physiology published a study indicating that “resistance training increases skeletal muscle insulin action – in line with the well-known effects of endurance training.” A 23-48% increase in insulin action has been found to occur with light-to-moderate resistance exercise. Thus, resistance training may also be considered in the treatment of insulin resistance. For more information on this study, refer to J Physiol. 2003 September 15; 551(Pg 3): 1049–1058.

Note: Since people with pre-diabetes and diabetes may have a heart or other diabetes-related problem, the American Diabetes Association suggests one get a doctor’s approval before beginning any exercise program. Newsletters and referenced articles provide general information only; they are not meant to replace advice from a physician. For more information on diabetes, go to http://www.diabetes.org

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Overview
Runners are like cars in that they get better mileage from higher-quality fuel. Many runners make the mistake of taking in inadequate nutrients and then suffer from low energy during runs, ultimately bringing them to a painful, cramping halt.
To safely fuel your body for stronger runs, prioritize taking in complex carbs.  These are the fiber dense, grain or starch-based carbohydrates that fuel your muscles to ward off fatigue and perform better. Protein also is just as important for recovery following runs.

Carb Up Before You Run
Elite marathoners are known for eating pasta dinners the night before an event. This is because whole-wheat pasta is a very complex carb, meaning that it breaks down slowly, giving your muscles long-lasting energy. Pre-run pasta meals
usually have a protein source, such as chicken or turkey, and a vegetable source, making spaghetti with meat and tomato sauce a great choice. Try adopting this strategy and you’ll likely see a big change in energy during your runs. Other strong grain choices include quinoa and brown rice. The morning of a run, you can increase the effectiveness of your carb loading by eating a banana. Bananas have some carbs and fiber for energy, and also provide potassium, which helps to keep cramps away.

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Timing Meals For Best Performance

For recreational runners, it is most important to ensure that you are taking in whole grains, fruits, lean proteins and vegetables daily. Maintaining a healthy diet is paramount. For endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, who run
longer distances and train more frequently, the timing of meals is a bigger concern. Carb loading the night before a long run is important, but it is not the only pivotal piece of the athlete’s nutrition program. Athletes should eat their pre-run meal two to four hours before performance because it allows for full digestion of foods so the nutrients can be used for fuel and the body supplies nutrient-enriched blood to the working muscles, rather than to digestion.

Recover With Protein

Following your runs, prioritize protein intake every bit as much as you prioritize rehydration. In the same way that you must replace fluids lost by taking in water, you must also feed your muscles proteins, which aid in the recovery of slightly torn muscle fibers, which need rebuilding. Within 45 minutes of completing exercise, the body processes protein at its fastest rate, which makes a post-run meal a good decision. Lean cuts of white meat poultry, tuna or bison are great choices. Adding a vegetable serving can also help to replace some vitamins needed in recovery.

Other Options

Spaghetti is not the only optimal pre-run meal. There are numerous whole-grain sources, lean protein options and creative ways to incorporate vegetables into your meals. Other examples include blue corn tortilla chips with humus or tacos
served with black beans and brown rice topped with fresh salsa or guacamole.  These snack and meal ideas can be made healthy by avoiding fast-food versions and prioritizing the use of grains in the meal and vegetables in toppings. Find
foods you enjoy that have the necessary nutrients because you’re more likely to eat what you like.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/523343-good-meals-to-eat-for-energy-before-running/#ixzz1Z4awa1GO