Common Sense Approach Pays Off!!

NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- Spring and summer are always an inspiring time in terms of starting new plans or making good changes.

It's particularly a good time to make some "healthy" changes.

One woman did just that two years ago and got healthier by losing 137 pounds.

Karen MacNamara of Edison, New Jersey weighed over 300 pounds two years ago, and then she made a commitment to her health.

She joined a weight loss program, "Weight Watchers," and she started walking.

Walking for heavy people who cannot bear the thought of going to the gym, is the perfect thing to get started doing right about now when we are starting to have some good weather.
"I was a size 3x, which is like about a 26 in women's clothes," explained Karen MacNamera.

Now, this 53-year-old wife and working mother is a trim size 12.

Walking for exercise is now a way of life for Karen.

She began walking after joining a "Weight Watchers" group and really wanting to take off her weight.

She's lost 137 pounds in the last two years.

She began to eat differently, and she began to walk.

"No one wanted to walk with me, because I was a very slow walker, in the beginning two years ago," said Karen.

But slowly, sometimes trailing behind her husband, she kept walking.

"And then, Weight Watchers had a thing called the 'walk it challenge', and some of the members, and me, we got together a little group, about five of us, and we started walking on the weekends," explained Karen.

While participating in the walking challenge, Karen continued to watch what she ate.

"You wouldn't have seen healthy snacks before. We didn't have much fruit in the house before or vegetables," said Karen.

Eventually she added a morning exercise program, right in her TV, doing it everyday before work.

She's now even completed a 5K run with her husband.

But still, she continues walking, and credits a lot to having the goal of the "Walk it Challenge".
"Absolutely! Weight just melts off when you walk. I'm telling you, you have to eat healthy, but you have to move, and the walking has really changed my life," said Karen.

All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and patience.

As for weight loss, it goes with eating healthy and using portion control.

If you need a goal, a "Walk it challenge" is coming up.

Oprah also has a walk coming up.

Both are very good goals for anyone who wants to start walking to get healthier.

Karen began her weight loss efforts when her very dear friend confessed she saw Karen living so unhealthy and was afraid to lose her.
www.weightwatchers.com/walkit

The Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge starts April 4, 2010.

The Challenge will be held on June 6, 2010.

Members will train to walk a 5K in just 6 weeks with a step-by-step training plan which will also include info on how to form walking groups, and help finding an official Weight Watchers 5K or other 5Ks in local communities.

Copyright ©2010 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

Sedentary behavior adds up!!

I ran across this little snippet from Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed. She was in the process of answering how someone can walk 90 minutes a day and not lose weight!  This is the first time I ever ran across the idea that we may be compensating for exercise by sitting the rest of the day!!

Sedentary behavior adds up

A new area of focus in obesity research is trying to quantify not only how much people eat and how active they are, but how sedentary they are. It turns out that the more sitting you do the greater your risks of weight gain and chronic diseases, even if you do exercise, according to research reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. 

Another phenomenon that has been found is that some people get more sedentary once they start exercising. Whether it’s biologically driven or it’s a psychological compensation (“I exercised today, I don’t need to go up the stairs, I’ll take the elevator.”) is unclear. But make sure you’re not slowing down. Wear a pedometer during all your waking hours and get a sense for how many steps you take throughout the day, and make sure you’re racking up 10,000 to 15,000, including your walks.

Many, many women have successfully lost weight through walking. And the National Weight Control Registry finds that the majority of those in its national weight-loss database report walking on a near-daily basis for an hour or more to help maintain their weight loss. You may need to control your diet intake. But even if you don’t lose weight, you are helping your health in myriad ways and definitely preventing weight gain. Keep it up!

Simple is Good Common Sense!!

Every good weight loss program has to address both sides of the energy equation: calories consumed (diet) and calories burned (physical activity).





The great thing about aerobic physical activity like brisk walking is that a person can get fit while losing weight at the same time.


Fitness cannot be attained just by diet; in fact if much weight is lost by dieting alone, significant amounts of muscle will be lost as well as fat. That is a bad outcome for a person's metabolism.

Establishing the habit of walking every day and gradually working up to 60 to 90 minutes of daily brisk walking should produce both weight loss and a high level of fitness for adults. (Getting advance medical clearance for this activity is important for older adults and for anyone with a chronic medical condition.)


Sources:
nhlbi.nih.gov "Health Risks of Overweight and Obesity" (accessed February 12, 2010) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.
health.gov/PAGuidelines "2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans" Chapter Two, (accessed February 12, 2010) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Mayo Clinic Diet, The Mayo Clinic, published 201

Read more at Suite101: Walk Every Day to Lose Weight: A Permanent Weight Loss Program for Adults http://weight-loss-methods.suite101.com/article.cfm/walk-every-day-to-lose-weight#ixzz0iaec3fWG

Walking Motivation Moment!!!

Does 10,000 steps sound overwhelming?

A little perspective: It translates into 4.5 to 5 miles, or one hour of rapid walking. Still sound like a lot? Try breaking it into shorter bits: three 20-minute errands on foot, one breezy 30-minute walk before breakfast and another after dinner. Or simply commit to getting up once an hour, every hour throughout your day and moving for five minutes.

However you break down the steps, there's only one fabulous result: a slimmer, more energetic you. In 60 minutes of walking, you'll burn 300 to 500 additional calories.

Keep that up for 10 days and you'll lose a pound. Keep it up for a year and you'll be 35 pounds lighter — without a minute of dieting.

By Julia A. Savacool in Good Housekeeping

How Much Walking to Lose Weight?

I've done tons of reading on this subject, so I will give you my opinion on how much walking needs to be done!!








30 Minutes - Basic Health Gains. Lower Blood Pressure, etc

60 Minutes - Damage Control for the Days Eating. Break Even on 
                       the Days Food Consumption. Even while Bad. 

90 Minutes - What is necessary to actually lose Weight!!

Hope that's not to depressing but it's the bottom line from all of the articles I've digested.

Keep in mind it doesn't all have to be done at once!!!

Captain's Log - 3/10/10

Decided to give my blog some focus dedicating mainly on good solid health advice minus most of the BS you see and hear out there!!

The "Captain's Log" segments are mainly a way of giving my blog a personal touch.

I am finding out as I navigate through middle age that the best exercise has to be something I like that I can do consistently!

Yes..I have a gym membership and am involved in Treadmills, Ellipticals and Strength Training but I have found the most consistent thing I do is Walk an Hike!

I can Walk or Hike just about every day and I can do an awful lot of it if I break it up during the day. Today I knocked out 5 miles in 3 different sessions and it didn't even inconvenience me!

I even had time to eat dinner, watch playoff Hoops, and even do the Laundry!! 

We are getting unseasonably warm temps in the 50's here in Northwestern Ohio and it feels great to finally get outside after spending the winter at the Gym!!  I've been averaging at least 4 miles a day now for about a week and, mind you, I refuse to get out of Bed early for anything!!

The big test will come next week when the temps fall back in the 40's!!

Walking Motivation 101

One of the best kinds of exercise is also the simplest!!!

Walking is the one thing anyone can do just about anytime!!

Based on research studies, walking on a regular basis has the following health benefits:

• It reduces your risk of dying from heart disease or stroke
• It lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes
• It lowers high blood pressure (hypertension)
• It protects against falling and bone fractures in older adults
• It may help protect against certain types of cancer, such as breast cancer
• It increases the number of calories your body uses, which helps to control your weight
• It helps control joint swelling and pain from arthritis.
• Helps keep your bones, muscles, and joints healthy
• Reduces anxiety and depression, boosting your mood
• Helps you handle stress
• Helps you feel more energetic
• Helps you sleep better
• Improves your self-esteem

Walking - Simple and Effective!

It seems as though we concentrate on weight loss so much that we lose the big picture of making ourselves more healthy. Walking is one of the simplest and healthiest things we can do....although the weight loss merits are heavily debated.

Here is an interesting paragraph from a Wendy Baumgartner article of About.com!

"A moderate level of physical activity, such as walking 30 minutes a day, lengthened life by 1.3 years and added 1.1 more years without cardiovascular disease, compared with those with low activity levels. Those who chose a high physical activity level gained 3.7 years of life and added 3.3 more years without cardiovascular disease."

I can personally testify that walking works like magic regarding my blood pressure, cholesterol, etc........and it also seems to help me maintain a weight loss!