Pray It Off May 13, 2010 Guest Speaker, Personal Trainer Jay Cohen on Weight Control With Video

On Thursday May 13th, the Syracuse, NY Pray It Off Group welcomed Guest Speaker, Jay Cohen Personal Trainer AFAA. If you are interested in talking to Jay about his services - please email me at prayitoff@aol.com and I will give him your contact information)


• Customized Exercise Program to Meet Your Fitness Goals
• General Conditioning Weight Gain / Weight Loss Overall Health and Fitness
• Provide Weight Training and Cardiovascular Training Instruction
• Provide You With Accountability and Motivation In Your Workouts
• Sports Specific Conditioning Programs for Golf, Tennis, Skiing...
• Functional Training
• Flexibility Training
• Fitness Assessment: Body Fat Composition

One-On-One Personal Training and Group Personal Training

Over 16 years of combined experience personal training, promoting health and fitness, and teaching and managing a variety of health and physical education programs to all age groups.


At our Syracuse, NY Meeting Jay first discussed Weight Control.

Weight Control*

There are lots of ways to lose weight, but the main question is how do you lose the weight and keep it off. Many diet advocates argue that their strategies work, an example is Atkins, but is it worth all the work if you eventually get back into your old eating habits because these diets we try restrict our food choices? Most people that try these diets do lose weight but then regain what they lost, and then some.

What does work?

The bottom line with weight loss is that you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Regardless whether the calories come from protein, carbohydrates or fat, calories are the main culprit. Losing weight is individualized, so something that works for someone else may not work the same for you. Regardless of the way you choose to lose weight, there are some fundamentals to weight loss success.

Strategies for success

• Make small changes in your life that work for you. Drinking 1% or 2% milk instead of whole is a good start if you like milk. When you are accustomed to that, switch to skim. Try lighter or low-fat versions of items you like to eat.
• Eat with a sense of purpose. Savor flavors and engage your senses so your body truly acknowledges you are eating, and forget those mindless munching habits that happen when you cook, drive, or watch television.
• Control your portions. Successful weight loss individuals don’t super-size their meals.
• Eat a diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low-fat protein sources, and limit the total amount of fat, alcohol and sweets.
• Start every day with a healthy breakfast that includes protein, in the form of low-fat milk, yogurt, lean meats, or an egg.
• Find physical activities you enjoy or sneak exercise in your daily routine by walking to work, taking stairs, parking further away in parking lots. Whichever you choose to do, do it daily for the cardiovascular, stress reduction and calorie-burning benefits.
• Don’t try to manage your stress with food. Food does not help us cope with stress; it simply adds calories to your daily total. Find healthier things to do like get a bath, exercise, call a friend but steer clear of the kitchen!
• Keep track of what you eat each day with a food journal or diary.
• Read labels to determine the healthiest food options. Pay close attention to serving size, calories, fat, sodium and sugars.
• Stay motivated because it is easy to fall off the wagon! Get support from family and friends.

How do successful losers do it?

A group at the University of Colorado tracks successful losers – those that have lost 30 lbs or more and have kept it off for a minimum of a year.
• They limit their calorie intake.
• They restrict fat to approximately 24% of calories.
• They start the day with breakfast.
• They eat a wide variety of foods and never follow a fad diet.
• They get regular exercise, with walking being the most popular of choice.
• They use food journals and exercise journals to help them stay on course.
• They weigh themselves regularly but not daily.

Activity

Regular physical activity can help you lose weight and keep it off. It can also improve energy level, mood, and lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Getting some activity is better than none. A majority of the activity should be moderate to vigorous in intensity; however, you should aim to include muscle-strengthening activities as well.

You can aim to be physical active every day for one extended period of time, or you can break it up into shorter intervals of 20, 15 or even 10 minutes. Some suggestions are:

• Walking (15 minutes per mile or 4 miles per hour)
• Biking
• Tennis
• Aerobic exercise classes (step aerobics, kick boxing, dancing)
• Energetic house or yard work (gardening, racking, mopping, vacuuming)


A wealth of benefits

In addition to feeling better, looking better, and having some added zip in your step, losing weight brings enormous health benefits. Losing 5% to 10% of body weight can reduce the risk of developing Type II Diabetes, lower blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Adopt sensible behaviors. You can still have the foods you love, just eat them in small portions, balance them with other foods, and eat a variety of nutritious foods daily.

Even if you do not need to lose weight or you are not overweight, you should still follow healthy eating habits and maintain good physical activity habits to help prevent weight gain and keep you healthy for years to come.

Resources:
*www.webmd.com
http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/for_life.htm