Weight Loss

I want to feel healthy and have tried different exercises and diet plans for years but find it hard to stick to something. Why is that?

Changing your attitude about your commitments is the first step. You need to think about your new endeavor as a lifestyle change and make only changes you know you can live with for a lifetime. Don’t try to change too much at one time.

Pick one behavior you want to change and work on it until it becomes a habit. Always remember how long it took you to get where you are today. You can’t change that in a few weeks!

Easy behaviors to start with that will pave the way

• Drink 8 cups of water each day
• Don’t eat after 7:30 pm
• Get no less than 7 hrs of sleep each night
• Reduce (but don’t completely eliminate) intake of:
  
  • Cookies
  • Candy
  • Pop
  • Chips
• Eat LOTS of fruits and veggies
• Walk for 20 minutes 5 times per week

Your body will begin to reap the rewards of your healthy attitude and everything else will fall into place.

Body fat is important for determining fitness. The human body is composed of a variety of different types of tissues including lean tissue (muscles, bones and organs) that are metabolically active and fat (adipose) tissue that is not.  Body weight does not distinguish between pounds that come from fat and pounds that come from lean tissue (muscle) and therefore is not a clear indicator of health.

What is the best method for testing?

Having your body fat tested allows you to determine how much of your composition is made up of fat and this is a better indicator of your overall health. There are several methods to choose from and each has its advantages and disadvantages. The best bet is to pick one method and stick with it, use the same technician for each test performed, watch trends rather than specific numbers and your results will be accurate for you. At Fit for Life we choose skinfold caliper testing because it works for all populations of people.

Our Exercise Physiologists and Personal Trainers have over 30 years of combined experience in body fat testing, we are confident in our analyses and we can design a program specifically for you!

I am looking to purchase either a treadmill or a stairclimber.  Which would you choose? What features should I look for in a treadmill?

Both are cardiovascular machines meant to increase heart rate and burn calories and fat.  It’s a personal choice.  Stairclimbing is a more advanced exercise and requires more endurance than walking, but if you are planning to run and walk using a treadmill, then either would provide appropriate training for your cardiovascular system.  I would recommend getting either piece on a 30 day trial to be sure you like what you’re getting and that you’ll make a commitment to actually using it.  We have good intentions, but more often than not, home equipment gets used as a clothes rack more than it gets used for exercise.

At Fit for Life, we have both treadmills and stairclimbers in addition to recumbent bikes, Arc Trainers and Elliptical Runners for cardiovascular exercise.  Remember, the more choices you have, the more benefit you receive and the less likely you are to get bored with your routine.  Plus, you have the option of taking group classes, you have camaraderie and professional staff available to answer all your questions.  Choose a piece of equipment for 30 days on trial and come to Fit for Life for 1 week FREE and then make your final decision.

Are there certain foods that will help increase metabolism?

The answer is YES!

The types of foods that boost metabolism are known as negative calorie foods. This means that you burn more calories from digesting the food than the food is actually worth.

For example, if you eat a food containing 100 calories and you find out that the food will burn 120 calories, you have burned a net of 20 calories just by eating that food. AWESOME!

Negative Calorie Foods

Foods that are capable of producing negative calorie results include:

Fruits

• apples
• blueberries
• raspberries
• strawberries
• grapefruit
• lemons
• mangos
• pineapple
• oranges
• tangerines

Vegetables

• carrots
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• lettuce
• cabbage
• asparagus
• beets
• spinach
• onions
• celery
• zucchini

Warning: Avoid “empty calories” (junk food) or calories from foods with poor vitamin and nutrient content. These types of foods have a reverse effect on our metabolism; they add more to our body fat because they require fewer calories to digest than the amount of calories they contain. End result - slower metabolism.

The best way to jumpstart your Metabolism is Exercise!

Sheila Rolling, Personal Fitness Trainer and Owner of Fit for Life - Fitness Club in Faribault, MN.

Picked up a few pounds over the holidays? A new Lifesteps 16-week Weight Management Program is forming in January at Fit for Life.

ACT NOW! The next class begins with individual interviews the week of Jan. 12^th.

Participants have the choice of Wed. noon class or Thurs. 5:15 p.m. class.  Step 1 begins on either Wed. the 21st or Thurs. the 22nd of Jan. depending on which day of the week you choose.  We meet for 1 hour each week thereafter for a total of 16 weeks in a group setting (about 8-12 people per class).

Group classes are small to allow you to feel comfortable sharing information and ideas. If you are committed to losing weight and keeping it off.

Most weight loss programs restrict you from eating certain foods, encourage harmful practices to promote quick weight loss or offer over-the-counter weight loss drugs. You must recognize that these types of programs are “temporary fixes” to a lifelong problem and unless you increase your awareness of what you eat, how much you eat, how you eat and why you eat, there’s a high risk of gaining your weight back.

Lifesteps recognizes that weight loss is hard work. It contains strategies for making lifestyle changes in both eating and exercise habits. Our leaders work in partnership with you to help you develop an individual plan that meets your needs. There is no special diet - you eat the foods you enjoy, the same foods your family eats and there are no marathon exercises - you choose activities that fit your schedule and your fitness level. Information is presented sequentially and each step builds on the previous one.

You will develop healthy eating and exercise habits that will help you lose weight and keep it off for the rest of your life!

Please see our Lifesteps page for more information about this program or contact Sheila Rolling at our fitness center, by phone at (507) 333-5430 or use our online contact form 24 ours a day.