Lessons On The Run

Hope everyone is off to a great week! I thought I would spend just a few minutes on a topic that is hot in the news right now and yet seems to be dismissed by most of us.

That topic is obesity. Recent reports put South Carolina in the number 8 position of the most obese states in the country. Nearly all of the southeast is in the top fifteen. If you add the overweight and obese categories together, most states have at least one out of every two people covered. It is killing us and yet I see very few people who seem to care enough to take action. As I have stated in an earlier entry, in the south we call overweight “healthy” and lean and fit “sickly”.

I take my health and fitness serious. I think since the Word tells us that our bodies are the temple of God, we should take care of the temple. There are some things I cannot control. I can’t control my genes, the fact that accidents happen, and I cannot control every aspect of my health. But I can control my weight and you can too! It is simply an act of the will. It requires discipline, sweat, and a priority system to life. Let me give you a look at my week to hopefully spur you on to excellence in your fitness and to hopefully get many of you to start your journey toward a leaner and healthier you.

To control your weight you have to make sure that calories burned are equal to calories taken in. To lose weight, you must burn more than you ingest. It is very simple math. The problem is that most of us have no clue how much we are eating and therefore have no idea how much we have to burn off.

Weight tip #1 – Monitor your caloric intake.

There are some very good tools out there today to help you. If you eat out (try and limit this) make sure you are paying attention to the nutrition info at the restaurant. There are apps for your phone, websites, and brochures at the restaurants to help you with this. If you are ignorant in today’s culture about nutritional facts on the food you eat, it is because you are choosing to be that way. Here is what my daily intake looks like.

Breakfast -

Protein shake (190 calories)

Coffee – black with artificial sweetener (o calories)

12-15 almonds – healthy fat with more protein (100 calories)

Breakfast Total – roughly 300 calories

Lunch  – I try and keep lunch under 750 calories. If I have a lunch appt. I simply try and make smart decisions when I order. If I am on my own for lunch, I generally eat a protein bar, some fruit, or a low fat/low calorie sandwich (grilled chicken, subway under 7 fat gram, etc). I try to avoid fried food and avoid high calorie items.

Dinner – I worry about dinner the least. My wonderful wife is great about cooking healthy. We eat a lot of veggies and a lot of lean meats, chicken, and fish. But don’t misunderstand because I also have the occasional steak, burger, fries, pizza, etc. I do not get deprived. I also usually have a small dessert each evening. I am a sucker for ice cream and love love love my wife’s cakes, pies, and fruit cobblers. I splurge a LITTLE at night because I have worked hard during the day to manage my caloric intake, but I still do not go crazy!

Snacks – I try to avoid them, but I do keep a few things in my office and in my small office fridge to allow me the healthy alternative in snack foods.

Water – I drink between a half gallon and a gallon of water a day. It keeps me feeling full most of the time, and I have learned to really like water. I simply refill my Nalgene several times a day while I work.

What I avoid like the plague ? – Sweetened Drinks. They are a waste of calories.

There is a look at a daily eating routine. If you are overweight or obese (using the BMI calculator, not southern speak), see if you can start altering your eating patterns to find a manageable eating plan for yourself. My plan will not work for you, but you can find a system that you can get comfortable with if there is a desire and some discipline. It will not be easy and there will be a lot of overweight and obese people trying to derail you, but push ahead and you will be surprised how fast you can make the adjustment.

Tomorrow I will look at the fitness side of the equation.