Weekly Nutrition Challenge #1 - Hydration

If you are new to boot camp, I know what you’re thinking.  What in the world am I doing getting up to workout at 5:30am? 

Two and half years ago I was right where you are.   But I committed to a month, and then one month turned into two, and before I knew it, two years had passed and my fitness level was better than it had been in over 5 years!

Fitness is one side of the coin, and eating well is the other.  Both fitness and good nutrition are important to health and if you are missing one part, you may miss out on reaching your goals.

Starting this month, I’m introducing a weekly nutrition challenge.  Your challenges will break bad habits and introduce you to new foods.  I challenge you to try each change for one week, and if it works for you, consider a month, if you feel better, consider 12 weeks.  And at the end of 12 weeks, you may have a new habit. 

Small changes add up over time and before you know it, you will be well on your way to eating well for life, rather than just following another diet that’s guaranteed to fail.

This week’s challenge:   Hydration (This is actually a 2-part challenge)

Part 1) Take in enough liquids

How much fluid should you drink? 

A good rule of thumb is to take your current weight in pounds and divide by 2.  This is the number of ounces of fluids you should have per day.  For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should take in 75 ounces of fluids per day. 

Which fluids are best? 

Try to make most of your fluids water, or a calorie-free beverage.   Unsweetened tea, coffee and club soda are other options if you aren’t a big fan of plain water.  Personally, I do best with water with a squeeze of fresh lemon, fresh lime or even a splash of OJ.   Find what tastes good to you – you’ll be more likely to stick with it!

Part 2) Avoid alcohol

Why no alcohol?  

·         Alcohol is a diuretic - it affects hormones that impact water reabsorption.

·         Alcohol has calories and few nutrients.  If you are trying to lose weight, this isn’t going to help.

·         Alcohol affects sleep.  A 5 am wakeup is tough enough sober, let alone with a hangover.

·         Alcohol increases your risk of injury.   A sprained ankle isn’t going to help you reach your fitness goals!

Are you up for this challenge?  Start today - calculate your water /fluids needs, then keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times.  Hold off on the alcohol this week, or better yet, try it for a month. 

To learn more, visit Alcohol: Friend or Foe? and/or Boot Camp Hydration 101. 

Eating Healthy on a College-Style Budget

When I was in college living off campus, the famous small packs of noodles sold 10 for $1.00.  I loaded up my cart (50 for $5.00!), along with frozen flavored pasta & veggie mixes, bagels and other varieties of noodles and rice with flavor packets.

I look back sadly on my eating habits during those days, now knowing so much more about good nutrition.  I might as well have been eating dust.  White noodles...with a salty flavor packet...likely infused with some not-so-good artificial ingredients and preservatives.  Yep, they filled me up, but did I get many vitamins, minerals and fiber alongside the calories from those meals?  Not so much...

Budget eating can be a challenge whether you are a student, post-grad trying to pay off school loans, a working professional hit hard by tough economic times, or if you are just plain frugal. 

Is it really possible to eat healthy on a budget?
The simple answer is yes.  There are a few tricks of the trade.  Not all of them may work for you, but even applying two or three will probably lead to some savings in your pocket!

1.  Buy nutrient-dense foods.  What does this mean?  Choose foods where you get the most vitamins, minerals, calories, protein and carbs per serving.  Nuts, eggs, peanut butter, yogurt, milk, fruits and vegetables are all good choices.  Nuts can be pricey, so buy in bulk or when on sale. 

2.  Buy small amounts of foods that spoil quickly.  Peanut butter, nuts and dried beans have a long shelf life, so stock up when you find a sale, or buy a large container at a wholesale club.  Buy fresh fruits and vegetables in small amounts that you know you will eat in the next 3-5 days.  Throwing spoiled produce away is like putting dollar bills down your garbage disposal!

3.  Replace meat with beans.  One pound of Laura's Lean Beef costs about $5.00 and provides four, four ounce servings.  A one pound bag of lentils costs about one dollar and will provide you with many more than four servings!

4.  Drink water.  Only water.  From the tap.  If you don't like your local water, use a filter. Juices, alcohol, sweet tea and sodas are simply extra calories that our bodies don't need that take extra dollars that we do need from our bank accounts.

5.  Make a pot of soup.   Any bean based soup is inexpensive when made with canned beans, but will be even cheaper if you use dried.  Chili, tortilla, lentil, vegetable - the varieties are endless! This only requires the forethought to soak the beans overnight, then you are ready to go.  If you choose lentils, there's no soaking needed.  As an example, I made chili this week. Ingredients included: 

2 (15oz) cans beans (store brand organic) = $1.78
48 oz can V-8 juice (store brand) = $2.19
2 (15oz) cans tomatoes with jalapenos (store brand) = $1.98
1 lb ground beef, 92% lean (Laura's Lean Beef) = $5
1 onion = $0.79
1 red bell pepper = $1.79
1 zucchini = $0.82
Spices (already had on hand, but you could just add salt and pepper)
Jiffy cornbread mix = $0.50 (need to add 1 egg and small amount of milk)
Total Cost: ~ $15.00
Number of Cups:  10

At one cup per serving, you have 10 servings @ $1.50 each including cornbread.    Even if you ate two cups per serving, the cost is roughly $3.00 per person and will still feed five.  With the exception of fast food, I cannot think of one time I've ever eaten at a restaurant for $3.00!

To cut the cost further, choosing dried non-organic beans over canned organic would be cheaper and going with the store brand meat (which I don't necessarily recommmend) would all lower the cost more.  Make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat and you save another $5. And if you can't eat chili for an entire week?  Freeze it and save for later.

But what if I'm trying to lose weight while eating on a budget?  
Cut your usual portion of food by one-third to one-half of what your normally eat or share your meal with a friend, spouse or coworker.  The good news?  Not only will your waistline start to shrink, but your tab at the grocery AND when dining out will magically shrink too!

Tired, Sore, and Falling Asleep at 9pm? Welcome to Step It Up!

I started Boot Camp in August of 2009.  Up until then, my fitness routine for two years prior consisted of doubles tennis and power walks with my dog.  Although I thought I was in decent shape, boot camp was just about to smack me in the face with a wake up call telling me otherwise.

I committed to perfect attendance for one month.  I kept a daily food log, skipped the booze, and learned my midnight bedtime was no longer possible.  I was exhausted.  Wasn't exercise supposed to give me MORE energy?

My bedtime quickly changed.  I had trouble keeping my eyes open much past 10pm, sometimes nine.  My muscles ached, and I did the homework religiously on our off days, which helped the soreness.

Ryan repeatedly told us at boot camp that we could do anything for 10 seconds.  It wasn't easy at all, but he was right.  Mind over matter.

Sound familiar?  Are you feeling sore and tired at the end of week one? 

Keep going. You have already crossed the biggest hurdle - starting a lifestyle change. It WILL get better. It WILL get easier. 

By the end of month one, I could run one mile without stopping in 10 minutes, compared to 12 minutes on day one. I could do 15 real push ups, compared to zero on day one.   I could do more sit ups and tricep dips. I was getting stronger and despite losing zero pounds on the scale, friends were asking if I was losing weight.

I had such amazing results that I wanted to keep going. I set goals for myself each month for my fitness test and achieved them. Over time, I adjusted my bedtime back to 9:30-10pm most nights and slept like a baby on a nightly basis. Five a.m. soon became a part of my routine.

January 2012 is month 18.  I've survived a year and a half.  I do take a week off from time to time and miss classes due to my schedule and vacations, but for the most part, I can't quit. With a new perspective, I never want to go back to my out of shape self. 

The transition to better health and fitness takes time.  I can honestly say it took me three months of boot camp until I was less sleep deprived and actually had MORE energy.  This is a normal adjustment period.  But in the meantime, what can you do to make the change easier?

• Adjust your bedtime.  Aim for at least 7-8 hours.  This means snoozing by 9 or 10pm for a 5am wake-up.
• Stay hydrated.  You need to drink roughly half your body weight in ounces of all fluids daily.  Keep a bottle of water with you at all times.  Dehydration can affect muscle fatigue and soreness.
• Eat smaller more frequent meals throughout the day.  Instead of breakfast, lunch and dinner, have 3 smaller meals and work in 3 snacks between meals.  Smaller more frequent meals help fuel your energy levels throughout the day
• Eat protein with each meal and snack.  Your best sources of protein are lean meats, low-fat cheese and yogurt, skim or 1% milk, nuts, beans and legumes and soy products.  Protein helps stabilize blood sugar, will help you feel fuller longer, and is needed for muscle repair post workouts.
• Eat a small snack 30 minutes before camp.   If you are new to exercise, this can be tough, as your digestive system is readjusting to the change in your routine just like everything else.  If morning doesn't work for you, try a bedtime snack to have fuel on board for workouts. The best choices?  Different things work for different people, but generally speaking, one slice of toast or saltines with peanut butter, low-acid juices, sports drinks, yogurt or low-fiber cereals or cereal bars all may work.  Experiment to see what works best for you.
• Do the homework.  Homework exercises are at Step It Up Fitness under your log in information.  If you can't do these, at least go for a 20 minute walk and stretch on your off days to help with muscle soreness.
• Avoid alcohol for the first month or two.  Alcohol in excess can lead to dehydration and hinder your performance at camp, as well as interrupt sleep during the night.  And if you are trying to lose weight, cocktails provide extra calories without any protein or nutrients.  

Boot Camper Question: I'm thirsty all the time - is this normal?

Last month, I asked fellow campers to share their nutrition questions.  This one caught my attention.

A camper complained of being thirsty all the time, despite drinking large amounts of fluids every day. 

What could be the cause?  Excessive thirst can be caused by many things, including high blood sugar (diabetes), exercise and eating salty foods. 

But first of all, let's look at how much fluid we need for adequate hydration.

Generally speaking, if you take your body weight in pounds and divide that by two (2), that number is how many ounces of fluids you need daily.  For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, you should drink about 75 ounces per day. If you are exercising in a warm climate outdoors, you may need more.

Aside from measuring fluids you drink, how else can you tell if you are well-hydrated? 

Watch the color and concentration of your urine.  If the color is dark and the odor is strong, you are not taking in enough liquids.  This can also be a sign of a medical problem, but for most healthy people, it likely means you are dehydrated.

If you are getting adequate fluids and your urine is not dark and concentrated, consider the following questions:

• Do you add salt at meals or eat a lot of salty foods daily? If so, try cutting back on salty foods and skip the salt shaker to see if this improves your symptoms.
• Do you take daily prescription medication(s)?  Many prescription medications have minor side effects, including excess thirst.  Talk with your pharmacist and/or physician to see if this could be the cause.
• Are you training for an endurance event?  If so, you could be losing excess salt and water during training sessions.  Try adding sports drinks with sodium or eating a salty meal after runs to better replace losses.
• Have you recently had vomiting or diarrhea?  Both can cause a loss of sodium and water that may lead to dehydration.  Your body naturally will crave fluids and salt to replete the losses. 

If you continue to be thirsty and have exhausted these causes above, see your physician to rule out medical causes of excess thirst, such as diabetes or diabetes insipidus. 

Setting SMART Goals

If you are new to boot camp this week, your instructor likely asked you to set a few goals for yourself for the next month. 

Do you want to run a faster timed mile?  Lose 10lbs?  Be able to do 30 pushups? 

Almost everyone has goals, whether professional or personal.  A few years ago, I set a goal to do a half-marathon before I turned 30.  I finished it two months before my 30th birthday.  I love to travel, and try to go to two places I haven't been each year.  For me, goal-setting gives me something to look forward to, a purpose, and a focus when I need one.

Maybe you hope to run a marathon?  Maybe you want to travel to China? 

No matter what your long term goals are, right now keep your focus on short-term fitness goal(s) that you CAN achieve in the next month.

Where should you start?  What is a S.M.A.R.T goal?

S=Specific
Instead of just saying, "I want to do more pushups" or "I want to get in better shape" determine an exact goal.  If you haven't worked out in awhile, be more specific and say, "I'm going to attend boot camp four days per week every week for the first month." 

M =Measurable
Is the goal something you can measure?  If you did five (5) pushups on day one, pick a number to achieve at the end of the month ("I will do 10 pushups at the end of four weeks").  If you ran a timed one mile in 12 minutes, set a goal of reducing your time by one minute.  (i.e. "I will run one mile in 11 minutes or less").

A=Attainable
Be honest with yourself.  My first day of bootcamp it took me 12 1/2 minutes to finish one mile.  I will NEVER be able to run one mile in five minutes.  EVER.  Even after 14 months, it's just not attainable for me (and I'm okay with that!)  So ask yourself:  "Is my goal attainable?"

R=Realistic
Be real with yourself.  If you know that every Friday you have an early meeting at the office, perfect attendance is not a realistic goal.  As a dietitian, I can honestly say it's unlikely that anyone will lose more than 10lbs during the first month of boot camp (there are exceptions).  For women, it's realistic to say you may not lose one pound (as you are building muscle).  As muscle is more dense, you will feel and look smaller, your clothes may be looser, but the scale may not shift.  So... weight loss may not be a realistic goal for month one.  

T=Timely
Place a deadline on your goal.  If you only signed up for one month, four weeks is a good time frame to set goals.  If you signed on for three months, set a short term goal (one month) as well as long term (three month) goals. 

And remember, no matter what goals you set, post them somewhere where you see them daily (your PC at the office, your refrigerator, the bathroom mirror) to hold yourself accountable!

Needing Inspiration? Look To Our One Year Vet Diana!

In Diana's own words...

"I’ve been 20 pounds overweight for most of my life.  Never have I ever felt confident in my own skin.  One day while sitting at my computer I saw a Groupon for Step It Up.  Something came over me and I made a split second decision. I signed up without allowing myself the time to get out of it.

That [first] evening I found myself running, jumping, and crawling around on an open field. It was awful that first month. I had scratches and bruises and my muscles ached something terrible, but I couldn’t give up. I told myself that it was okay to stop, but only after I completed one month.

I’m glad I stuck it out, because I realized that I had reached an awesome goal by completing one month and so I set another goal to do another month and then another month... "

And before she knew it, a year had passed.  Now 20 pounds lighter, her life now revolves around health and fitness.

"I used to think it was impossible to find time to work-out and also find time for my family.  My perspective has completely changed. I have found ways to work-out while my husband and daughter sleep and I run during my lunch break at work.  I can only go a day or two now without exercising before I start to get restless. In addition to boot camp, I started running in March. I ran my first 5K and am now training for my first half marathon in November!"

 Diana with her daughter before boot camp



The New Diana at the Warrior Dash

Diana not only feels better about herself, but her friends, family and coworkers have taken notice too.  

"The greatest compliment I get is when people come to me asking about my routines and success. I get it all the time. My company is moving downtown and one of my bosses recently told me that he already expects to see me as a regular running around Centennial Park.  Who?  Me?!!!  Absolutely!"

Think you can't do it? 

"My first mile [on day one] was somewhere a little over 12 minutes and I couldn’t run the whole time. I now do a flat mile in about 8 minutes. I actually did a mile in 7:45 on the treadmill recently."

Her advice to new campers or vets who are struggling? 

"Being overweight and out of shape is much more uncomfortable than any workout. Life is too short to live in a body that you never really feel like is your own. Make small goals and follow through.  After so many times of doing that you will realize you have actually accomplished something HUGE!  Don’t give up."

Burning Belly Fat: What Works Best?

Of all the complaints I hear women and men make about their bodies, the most common complaint is "I just need to get rid of this belly fat..."  No one wants a "gut" and it seems fat on this part of the body is simply tough to melt away!  So what works best?

As Corey Dee Williams, a trainer friend of mine says, "Abs are made in the kitchen."  There is truth in this statement.  No matter how much exercise you do, or how many calories you burn, if you take in more calories than you burn, you are not going to see results.  You may have strong abs, but if they are under a layer of fat, no one will ever know!

In regards to exercise, a recent Duke University research study found that aerobic exercise is much more effective than weight training alone for burning off visceral fat - not "muffin top fat" - but the more dangerous fat that lives within the abdomen in and around organs. 

Researchers compared two groups - those who did the equivalent of 12 miles of jogging per week at 80 percent maximum heart rate with those who did three sets of eight to 12 repetitions of weight training three times per week.

The results?  Cardio exercise burned visceral fat and improved risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, such as insulin resistance, liver enzymes and triglyceride levels. Resistance training alone didn't deliver these perks; however, those who did both saw similar results to the aerobic group.

If you want to burn the belly fat, get your heart rate up and get moving!  Use these tips to reach your goals:

1. Calculate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.  Multiply by 0.8 to determine 80% of your maximum heart rate.
2. Purchase a heart rate monitor and aim to reach 80% of your maximum heart rate while jogging or running 12 miles per week.
3. You can add weight training two to three times per week for other benefits, but the cardio element is vital!
4. To speed up results, cut calories by 200-300 per day using these tips:
1. Get rid of liquid calories in sodas, juices, sports drinks, alcohol and sweet tea.
2. Reduce snacks to no more than 100 calories each.  Limit snacks to two per day.
3. At meal times, use a 9-inch plate and fill 1/2 of your plate with vegetables.
4. Eliminate fried foods.
5. If you snack at night, set a cut off time for eating three hours before bedtime. 

Do you have tips that have helped you lose belly fat?  Share them with me!