New Year’s Resolutions for Health & Fitness
Happy New Year Friends! This time of year, we tend to evaluate what was good and not so good about the past year; we often look forward to the New Year with hope and determination to make this coming year better. Many people set their minds towards “New Year’s Resolutions”. Have you made a New Year’s Resolution for 2019? A survey in 2018 found the top New Year’s Resolution was to save more money; 53% of people surveyed made saving money their goal. The number two resolution right behind saving more money was to “lose weight or get in shape” at 45%. [1] Is this your resolution for 2019?
There are two components of weight loss and “getting in shape”: diet and exercise. I am not an expert on diet and there is an abundance of information on the health benefits of a variety of diets. I highly recommend if you have underlying medical conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes or kidney disease, or if you take medications daily, that you speak with your doctor. There are some diets that may interfere with your medical status. But if you are relatively healthy, do what works for you! A few suggestions for diet:
1) Avoid processed foods- when you go the grocery store, shop along the outside of the store, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, chicken, fish. Stay away from prepared food (yes, you will need to cook).
2) Make sure you are getting sufficient protein, especially if you are exercising; protein does not mean red meat, opt for chicken, salmon, tuna or other lean protein.
3) Get 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables per day! That is at least one fruit or vegetable per meal!!
The second component is exercise. Now this is an area I am an expert in! The most important part of exercise is starting a routine. A balanced program incorporates cardiovascular exercise, strength training and stretching. If you are trying to lose weight, strengthening is important for increasing muscle mass, thereby causing your body to burn more calories, even while it is resting. Here are the exercise parameters established by the US Department of Health & Human Services:
The US Department of Health & Human Services recommends [2] the following:
· For Adults (18-64):
o 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes/week of vigorous- intensity aerobic activity;
o Muscle-strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups 2 times/week
· For OLDER Adults (65 and older)
o 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity;
o strengthening and balance should be part of a regular routine;
· For Children and Adolescents:
o 60 or more minutes a day should be either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, and should include vigorous-intensity physical activity at least 3 days a week.
o As part of their 60 or more minutes of daily physical activity, children and adolescents should include muscle-strengthening physical activity on at least 3 days of the week.
If you are starting this year hoping to improve your strength, cardiovascular status or have a set goal in the future and don’t know where to start, I can help. I have been helping clients with exercise routines for the past 5 years. As a PT, I am the expert in movement and offer professional guidance on how to exercise after recovery from any medical condition or surgery. Consider giving me a call to get started on a personalized fitness program.
Want more information on the benefits of exercise, follow these links:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389
https://nicoleskinnerpt.com/blog/2018/10/26/are-you-one-of-the-229
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/378105/new-years-resolution/
[2] https://health.gov/paguidelines/guidelines/summary.aspx