THE WELLNESS & FITNESS CENTER'S BLOG

Focus on Healthy Eating

February 16, 2016, 1:01 pm - Categories: Education

Focusing on healthy eating and lifestyle changes can be a struggle for many of us. As a personal trainer and fitness coach for years and now Fitness Manager at Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center, I have encouraged clients to follow some tips I hope you’ll also find helpful.

1. Food is fuel! If we can change our mindset and fuel our body with the appropriate nutrients it needs, we will feel better, look better, sleep better and have more energy! We don’t even think twice about putting the right gas in our cars but settle for quick, easy, or non-nutritious fuel for our bodies.
2. Planning is key to eating healthy. This starts at the grocery store, shopping the outside sections instead of the inner processed food aisles. For some of us, it could also mean making our lunches to take to work at night when we prepare dinner. Each plate should be colorful, and include carbs, fats and proteins.
3. Sugar is evil!!!!! Avoid sugary drinks and reducing the amount of sugar in your diet a little at a time will give your taste buds time to adjust and wean you off it.
4. Processed foods are so tempting but limiting them and replacing them with food from the earth (vegetables, fish, lean proteins) will provide you much better fuel.
5. Drink water! It is vital for digestion and metabolism. Shoot for 64 oz per day!
6. Portion size is important. For example, your serving of meat, fish or lean protein should be the size of a deck of cards.
7. Be careful when eating out! Try ordering appetizers or sharing your meal. Restaurants prepare foods with lots of hidden calories and sodium. Ask to substitute or if a food is a temptation for you, ask for it to be left off of your plate.
8. Learn how to read labels. There are often lots of hidden sugars, fats or higher levels of sodium in processed foods so if it has a label, read it thoroughly for portion size, calories as well as the above.
9. Try to eat clean as much as possible! You will feel fuller and feel so much better.
10. Use the resources available to you! There are so many web sites to choose from. They often have recipes, exercise suggestions and great up-to-date research and health information. Check out a few like MyFitnessPal.com, Livestrong.com, GetHealthyU.com and HelpGuide.org.

By: Becky Polite, B.S., CPT, CGFI, Fitness Manager at Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center