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Wednesday, November 27, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Happy Thanksgiving!

HealthHealth and fitnessWellnessholidaysNutrition
By Kris Cameron
Happy Thanksgiving!  If you've listened to or read any holiday news, you know the average American can easily eat over 4,000 calories during a Thanksgiving meal.  If you're concerned about the holiday completely derailing your wellness plans, here are a few simple tips to put your mind at ease!
 
Eat a healthy breakfast.  Skipping breakfast to "save room" for dinner at 1:00 will result in uncontrollable hunger and overeating.
 
Control your portions and take a small amount.  Just a spoonful can satisfy your hunger, taste buds, and your host!  
 
Slow down your eating and enjoy the company.  Take time to savor the taste of your food by chewing slowly and setting your fork down between bites.
 
Eat foods that you don't get to eat most of the year.  Why load up on corn and mashed potatoes that you can eat anytime when you can have a small amount of Grandma's sweet potatoes?  If green bean casserole isn't one of your favorites, skip it and the calories.  
 
Don't drink your calories.  A study conducted at the Laval University in Quebec, showed that combining high-fat foods such as glazed ham, stuffing, and pecan pie with alcoholic drinks causes people to put away many more calories than eating fatty foods with non-alcoholic drinks, or eating low-fat foods without alcohol. Alcohol is also empty calories.  A 12-ounce serving of Rum and Coke=361 calories, a frozen Margarita=246 calories, a glass of red or white wine=120-125 calories, and most non-light beers average 140-180 calories. 
 
Take a hike!  Bundling up and going outside for a walk before or after will not only burn calories, it will help you deal with holiday stress.  Ask a family member or a friend to walk with you and catch up on conversation.  If you need to get away, take the dog for a walk.  He or she may need to get away as well!
 
Have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving!
 
Thursday, November 21, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Common Diet & Fitness Myths

FitnessHealthHealth and fitnessWellnessNutrition ExerciseDiet
By Kris Cameron
"Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!", "Eat as much as you want and still lose weight!", "Lose 10 pounds without exercise!"
Have you heard these claims?  It's almost certain you have.  Maybe you've even tried these products only to find out they don't work or the results do not last.  Here are some common myths and the facts from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and one or two of my own:
 
MYTH:  Fad diets will help me to lose weight and keep it off.
FACT:  Research suggests that safe weight loss involves combining a reduced-calorie diet with physical activity to lose 1/2 TO 2 POUNDS PER WEEK (after the first few weeks of weight loss).  Make healthy food choices.  Eat small portions.  Build exercise into your daily life. Combined, these habits are a healthy way to lose weight and keep it off.  These habits may also lower your chances of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes.
 
MYTH:  Carbs are fattening.  I should limit them when trying to lose weight.
FACT:   Carbohydrates are the body's main source of fuel for energy.  You don't have to limit all carbs to lose weight.  There are two main types of carbs:  simple carbs (sugars) and complex carbs (starches and fiber). Foods that are high in complex carbs, such as fruit, veggies, & whole grains provide a healthy supply of fiber, minerals and vitamins.  However, simple carbs from cake, candy, cookies, and sugar-sweetened desserts and drinks (including alcohol) have many calories and few nutrients.  Government dietary guidelines advise eating plenty of unrefined grains such as brown rice, whole grain bread, whole grain cereal and whole grain pasta.  They also suggest that fruit and veggies should make up half of what is on your plate.  To lose weight, reduce the number of calories you take in and increase the amount of physical activity that you do each day.  Create a healthy eating plan that mixes complex carbs, healthy fats, and low-fat protein.  Limit added sugars, cholesterol, salt, and saturated fats.
 
MYTH:  Low-fat or Fat-Free means no calories and I can eat more!
FACT:  A serving of low-fat or fat-free food may be lower in calories than the full-fat product.  However, many processed low-fat or fat-free foods have just as many calories as the full-fat versions or even more!  These foods may contain added flour, salt, starch, or sugar or even high fructose corn syrup to improve flavor and texture after the fat is removed.  These items add calories.
 
 
MYTH:  If I skip meals, I'll lose weight.
FACT:  Skipping meals may make you feel hungrier and lead you to eat more than you normally would at your next meal.  Studies show a link between skipping breakfast and obesity.  Choose meals and snacks that include a variety of healthy foods.  For a quick breakfast, make oatmeal with low-fat milk and berries or eat a slice of whole-wheat toast with natural peanut or almond butter.  Pack a healthy lunch each night so you don't skip lunch or get fast food or snacks from the vending machine for lunch.  Pack low-fat yogurt, a few whole-wheat crackers with peanut butter, or veggies with hummus.  Failing to plan is a sure plan to fail!
 
MYTH:  Lifting weights will make me "bulk up"
FACT:  Not unless that's your goal!  Only intense strength training combined with certain genetics will result in large, "bulky" muscles.  Lifting weights for functional strength will provide you with lean muscle which increases your metabolism, provides you the strength you need for daily activities, improves brain function, and prevent or even reduce osteoporosis.  
 
MYTH:  Physical activity only counts if I do it for long periods of time and I don't have time!
FACT:  Even exercising for 10 minutes has been proven to reduce blood pressure and manage weight.  You can even spread out 30 minutes a day by doing 10 or 15 minute increments.  30 minutes of physical activity 5 times per week combined with a healthy eating plan will provide results!  Be physically active by walking at lunch, taking the stairs, get off the bus one stop early, or listening to music as you dance through your house.  If you don't have time for exercise, you will have to find time for poor health.
 
MYTH:  As long as I exercise, I can eat whatever I want.
FACT:  Unless you are doing very intense exercise for an extended period of time, you probably aren't burning off those high fat foods!  To burn off just one slice of cheese pizza, you would need to bike for 22 minutes at 12-14 mph.  To burn off that 560 calorie Big Mac, you would have to run for 50 minutes at a 10 minute mile.  A can of Coke Classic would take 12 minutes of running to burn off.  Get busy running now to burn off a package of Cheez-It Crackers.  It would take 2 hours and 8 minutes to burn off those 1400 calories!  Finally, one of those blueberry muffins from the local bakery or the vending machine will take at least 41 minutes of running that 10 minute mile. 
 
Weight loss requires patience, discipline, sacrifice, and commitment.  You're not always going to be perfect.  However, believing any of these myths may not lead you down the path you want to take to reach your goals.  Besides the physical benefits, exercise improves brain function, reduces stress, and promotes well-being.  You do have time for that!
 
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Don't Confuse Thin With Fit

HealthFitnessWellnessWeight
By Kris Cameron

If you look at any magazine in your local grocery checkout line, you're bombarded with messages of instant weight loss, celebrity weight loss, and images of thin models and celebrities. I don't have to tell you that our culture is very weight obsessed. Add in the health crisis related to the obesity epidemic and the results are a society where weight discrimination is the only acceptable form discrimination.

Recently, Time magazine ran a cover story about New Jersey governor Chris Christie with a picture of his profile and the headline, "The Elephant In the Room". I'm sure the headline refers to his political party. However, isn't it ironic that an obese politician is compared to an elephant?  Time magazine would never run a cover story hinting insults at someone's race, gender, or sexuality. Weight is an area that isn't off limits to late night comedians or jabs by the media.

We all have heard the saying, "You can never be too rich or too thin".  I completely disagree with that. This type of thinking is why the diet industry is a billion dollar industry and the number of women and men with eating disorders continues to rise.  None of this is new in 2013.  It's been ingrained in all of us for years that thin is better. That message is heard more than messages about lowering blood pressure, cholesterol, or controlling blood sugar.  It's not about health.  It's about appearance.

Here's some news....thin doesn't equal healthy and fit.  Studies have shown that overweight individuals with high aerobic fitness levels are much healthier than thin individuals with low levels of aerobic fitness.  In fact, thin individuals with low levels of fitness have twice the risk of death than their fit but overweight counterparts. Should a person who is considered by appearance to be overweight, but has healthy joints, normal blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels be encouraged by their doctor to lose weight?  I have relatives who were thin, but were heavy smokers and died at a young age.  They never exercised a day in their life.  So thin doesn't mean a person is healthy!  

What is healthy?  Eating a well balanced diet, getting physical activity every day by moving more, reducing stress, being positive, not smoking, controlling blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars.  Will that result in weight loss?  Possibly.  Not all of us are supposed to be thin but we should and can be healthy.  Don't compare yourself to the magazine cover or even the person next to you at the gym.  Be proud of your strong thighs and broad shoulders.  Be healthy!

Friday, November 01, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Start Now!

Health and fitnessWellnessGoalsResolutionExercise
By Kris Cameron

Today is not only the first day of November.  It is also the beginning of the season when we make every excuse to "start after the holidays".  

Procrastination is part of most of our lives, but especially our health.  We'll start exercising or eating right tomorrow.  We always have a reason that we can't start now.  This time of year the reason is Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or New Year's Eve.  We give ourselves that "New Year" goal.  However, isn't every day an opportunity to start again?  Every day that we are allowed to wake up is a new beginning.  Yesterday is in the past.  We can't go back and change what we did or the mistakes we made.  We can change what we will do today!

The holidays shouldn't be an excuse to procrastinate.  After all, there will always be some special occasion coming up.  After New Year's Eve, we'll blame the Super Bowl party, or Valentine's Day, or Easter, or Great Aunt Tildy's birthday!  No one is perfect all of the time.  We can do our best to enjoy special occasions and still maintain control when it comes to eating.  We can move our bodies every day.

Stand out from the crowd.  Be different.  Don't wait until January.  Start now!

Monday, September 23, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Final Week of Pilates Challenge

PilatesWorkoutFitness
By Kris Cameron

As I look back at the previous two weeks of the Pilates challenge, there are two things I have discovered.  One is how Pilates changes your body in so many ways, not just core strength.  I've always been very aware of my posture.  My grandmother had severe Kyphosis, also known as "hunchback" and I never wanted to end up like that.  However, as my day goes on and I begin to feel fatigued, my posture can suffer.  Pilates is very much about posture.  During some of the workouts, I would be reminded of ballet classes when I was a child.  Ballerinas are known for long, graceful bodies.  Many of the exercises stress lengthening the spine, lengthening the body.  I feel an inch taller when I leave class and it makes me more aware of my posture throughout the day.  That's a great benefit!

I've also discovered that I get a much better Pilates workout in a class setting.  It was difficult for me to get to classes due to my own schedule.  Sunday afternoon Mat Classes allowed me to workout for an hour at Rivercity Pilates.  Two other days of the week, I do my own Pilates workout at home by repeating some of the exercises, or working out with a DVD.  After the Sunday classes with Heather, I really felt the workouts.  When I did my own workouts at home, it was ok but not the same.  At Rivercity, the hour flew by.  At home, I would catch myself looking at the clock thinking of other things I needed to do.  I've always been a "Lone Ranger" when it comes to working out.  When I lift weights or run, I like to put my headphones on, tune everything else out, and focus.  I've never really liked working out with someone else or taking classes myself.  However, the Pilates classes at Rivercity have been a great experience, very motivating, and something that I will continue to do. 

 

Thursday, September 12, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Day 5 Pilates Challenge

PilatesWorkoutWorkout Routine
By Kris Cameron
Five days into the 21 Day Challenge! I have scheduled workouts at Rivercity on Sundays, but have found it a bit of a challenge to get in a second class day with my schedule. No worries, I got in a 20 minute Pilates workout at home yesterday. I think this is a great addition to my cardio and strength training. I have to say my abs were a bit sore after Sunday's workout. I love it and I'm looking forward to class this Sunday!
Sunday, September 08, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Pilates for Every Body!

PilatesWorkoutExercise
By Kris Cameron

I'm very excited to be joining the Rivercity Pilates 21 Day Empower Your Body Challenge!  For the next 21 days, I will be incorporating Pilates into my workouts to see how it changes my body.

You may think this is strange for a Personal Trainer.  I work with clients or teach classes 7 days a week, so I'm constantly working out right?  Working out with a client isn't like focusing on your own workout.  Just like everyone else, I struggle to get my own exercise time in.  I also tend to get stuck in a rut with the same workouts.  I've always loved Pilates for core strengthening and overall conditioning and use very basic Pilates exercises with some of my clients.  I've never incorporated it into my own workouts consistently, so this should be an exciting challenge!

I will be blogging and posting updates on my Facebook and Twitter pages as to my progress, challenges (I know there will be some!), and how I feel about the workouts.  Follow me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/ReNu-Your-Life-Personal-Training-Wellness/107403452645966, Twitter at https://twitter.com/ReNuYourLifePT, or here on my blog at http://blog.ideafit.com/blogs/renuyourlife

If you want to start your own Pilates workouts, check out Rivercity Pilates in North Liberty at http://rivercitypilates.com/

Friday, July 12, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

If We're Exercising, Why Aren't We Losing Weight?

HealthFitnessWeight LossWeightNutrition DietObesity
By Kris Cameron

The headline says it all, "US Waistlines Expands Despite More Exercise". So if we're exercising, why are we still obese? Isn't exercise the "cure"? As a personal trainer and fitness professional, I'd like to say yes.  However, Americans can't lose weight until we become honest about how we eat.

Here's an example. Google "Dunkin Donuts Donut Breakfast Sandwich", and you'll find the web abuzz with rave reviews and many touting "Only 360 calories!" You're thinking, 360 calories isn't bad for breakfast. I can eat that! Hold on a minute. Let's see what you're getting from the ingredient list:

Glazed Donut: Donut [Enriched Unbleached Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Iron as Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Enzyme, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Palm Oil, Water, Dextrose, Soybean Oil, Whey (a milk derivative), Skim Milk, Yeast, Contains less than 2% of the following: Salt, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda), Defatted Soy Flour, Wheat Starch, Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Cellulose Gum, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Artificial Flavor, Sodium Caseinate (a milk derivative), Enzyme, Colored with (Turmeric and Annatto Extracts and Beta Carotene), Eggs], Glaze [Sugar, Water, Maltodextrin, Contains 2% or less of: Mono and Diglycerides, Agar, Cellulose Gum, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Artificial Flavor];  Fried Egg: Egg Whites, Water, Egg Yolks, Modified Corn Starch, Natural Sauteed Flavor (Soybean Oil, Medium Chain Triglycerides, Natural Flavor), Salt, Artificial Butter Flavor (Propylene Glycol, Artificial Flavor), Xanthan Gum, Citric Acid, Coarse Ground Black Pepper;  Bacon: Pork, cured with: Water, Sugar, Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Smoke Flavoring, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

While you're Googling, look up any of the above bold type ingredients. Reads like a Materials Safety Data Sheet, doesn't it? Now let's check the nutrition. Of those 360 calories, 180 come from FAT. Math wasn't my strong subject in school, but that's HALF of the calories coming from fat. 20 grams of fat, 720 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of sugar. Now, let's break that down into visuals:

l  20 grams of fat = picture or measure out 5 teaspoons of Crisco

l  720 mg sodium = appx a 1/3 teaspoon of salt

l  13 grams of sugar = measure out 3.25 teaspoons of sugar

I'm not trying to pick on Dunkin Donuts, or planning a march on Dunkin Donuts and demand they close their doors, or saying that you can never eat anything like that in your life. However, if your goal is to lose weight or be healthy, why would you? 

We seem to think that a little exercise can undo the fat, sugar, and salt that we put into our bodies. Honestly, it can't! There are very few individuals out there who burn enough calories in their workouts to right the wrongs. 30 minutes of lugging away on an elliptical or treadmill will not burn off the triple cheese pizza, beer, and hot wings that you ate the night before! 

There is a saying in the fitness world that "bodies are made in the kitchen, not in the gym", which means 70% of your weight loss efforts are from eating right and 30% are from exercise. Let's be honest. How much of your weight loss efforts are truly, consistently put into eating right? In a world that tempts us thousands of times a day with quick food that is loaded with sugar, salt, and fat, it isn't easy. The obesity rate and rates of chronic disease such as heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, not to mention skyrocketing healthcare costs, proves that we're in a battle for our health. We live in a high stress society that too often turns to food and drink for relief and comfort. While exercise IS a very important part of our health and well-being for many reasons, we can't expect to lose weight and improve our health if we don't take a good look at what we eat, why we eat it, and work to change the way we eat.

Friday, May 31, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Embrace Your Age

HealthFitnessWellnessOlder Adults
By Kris Cameron

As I settle in to my 40's, I've developed a different perspective on aging.  Perhaps this is due to working with older adults for almost all of my career in fitness, even back to the time when I worked in healthcare. 

I think all of us have feared getting older at some point in our lives.  I admit to not being honest about my age.  Society and especially popular culture treats aging like a disease.  Some try to dress and act like we've never left our twenties, much less our thirties.  There's that longing for being young again.  Just look around at the increase in plastic surgery!

But why do we think aging equals deteriorating health?  Of course there are ailments that come with aging.  Our bodies do wear down after time.  How many of us drive the same car that we drove 30 years ago?  If you do, there's a lot of work to be done to keep it running.  The same goes for our body, we have to care for it!  In the last year or two, I've gone from perfect 20/20 vision to needing my glasses to read anything.  If I forget my glasses when I go shopping, I might as well go back home.  I can't read a price tag or ingredient list without straining my eyes.  My joints are a little slow to move first thing in the morning and my shoulders creak and crack with most arm movements.  My neck and shoulders are full of arthritis.  

You may experience the same ailments or worse, but we don't let it stop us.  If I don't exercise, I feel much worse...more stiff, sore, and achey.  Back to the car analogy.  If you park your car and don't drive it for months, it most likely won't run so well.  The fuel lines may get clogged, the tires may go flat, and the body may rust.  Why wouldn't our body do the same if we don't move it?  Even if it doesn't run so well, we still drive it because it's what gets us around!

Here's my perspective.  I teach classes and do personal training at the Iowa City Senior Center.  Now this isn't a typical "Senior Center".  The Center offers classes for everything from fitness to philosophy to computer skills to technology.  On any day, you will hear one of the many bands playing or performance groups singing.  These groups are all made up of individuals over the age of 50.  They haul in their instruments and fill the building with music.  The aerobics room pours out rhythms from a Zumba class.  You may see some leaving a yoga class with their mat.  The members of The Center talk and laugh and enjoy life to the fullest.  Some are physically fit, some get around with walkers or wheelchairs.  One woman smiles and says good morning to me as she enters the workout room full of equipment in her motorized wheelchair.  She parks next to the recumbent bike and carefully slides herself out of the wheelchair, onto the bike, positions her feet on the pedals, and begins to ride.  After she finishes her cardiovascular exercise, she motors into the room filled with strength training machines and carefully transfers herself onto several pieces of equipment to complete her workout.  What excuses have I made lately?

I always leave The Center smiling.  There's nothing to fear about aging.  It's in our attitudes.  We're all going to get older, why not embrace it and enjoy the journey?  Perhaps I would have a different attitude about it if I worked in a gym full of young people in spandex.  I may feel more self conscious about my body that seems to hold onto bodyfat, or the lines on my face, or the inability to workout like I did even 10 years ago.  But I've decided to enjoy the journey.  I don't care so much about what other people think of me.  I take care of myself...exercise, eat right, try to get the right amount of sleep, and de-stress (I haven't perfected the de-stressing part).  

I work with people who smile, laugh, and enjoy life.  They aren't worried about the latest fashion or celebrity story.  They have lived through wars and the depression.  They've marched for equal rights and raised a family.  They may have Parkinson's or survived cancer.  They sing, dance, exercise, and learn.  I look forward to being the age to join the Center.  I'm signing up for a Humanities class!

I've always loved this photo.  She's an inspiration just like so many I know.  Growing old isn't for sissies....it's for the strong!

 

 

Thursday, May 09, 2013 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52404

Healthy Fast Food....Really?

Nutrition Weight LossHealthBreakfast
By Kris Cameron

How much healthier is "healthy fast food"? My interest was sparked again this week with a new McDonald's commercial for the Egg White McMuffin.  Egg whites have become the trend recently as a healthier food.  The truth is, eggs are not unhealthy unless you eat a dozen a day, or you're trying to control cholesterol.  

So how does the new "healthier" option stack up against the original?  McDonald's Egg White McMuffin is made with grilled egg whites (grilled on the same grill as their burgers?), Canadian bacon, and pasturized processed white cheddar (makes me think Velveeta...yuck).  It has 250 calories, 18g protein, 7g fat, 32g carbs, and 800mg sodium.

A regular Egg McMuffin is made with egg, Canadian bacon, and American cheddar. It contains 300 calories, 18g protein, 12g fat, 32g carbs, and 780mg sodium. Not much difference and A LOT of sodium!

Here's a healthier option.  Wake up a few minutes earlier and have breakfast at home, or make your own breakfast sandwich the night before to take with you.  Eating out will always result in more calories due to cooking methods.  Preparing your own means YOU control what goes into your meal.

I'm not saying you should never eat out, but we've become a society of drive-thru's, quick fixes, and lack of time due lifestyles that ARE under our control.  If you do choose fast food on occasion, check out http://www.wfubmc.edu/Drive-Thru-Diet.htm.  This website from Wake Forest University lists a number of popular restaurants.  Select the restaurant and the food to get a listing of calories, fat, etc.  It will also recommend healthier options to choose.  

Don't be fooled by advertisements.  A smart consumer is a healthy consumer!

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Kris Cameron

I have been a personal trainer and wellness educator for 20 years. I have also worked in the medical field in physical therapy, so you can be assured of quality, sound training methods. Skype sessions available! I have presented my knowledge and experience of fitness and wellness through many avenues including: * Cedar Rapids Gazette "Fit Tips" writer * WMT-AM 600 "Health & Fitness Hour" contributor * Member of Healthy Linn Care Network committee * Member of Johnson County Obesity Task Force * Wellness presentations to companies in Johnson and Linn counties * Community presentations to groups and organizations
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