March to LA Fitness

March to LA Fitness

by | Mar 1, 2018 | All, Fitness, Home

Welcome to month 3 of 2018! Congratulations to those of you who have stuck with your New Year’s resolution to make fitness a priority in the new year. However, we know that some of you may not be as focused as you once were.

For those of you struggling to keep the momentum going, or even those of you who feel like you’ve already fallen off the fitness wagon – fear not! Many of you may think that a new healthy habit should begin upon the start of a year new, new month, or new week. We’re here to tell you that you can start at any time – it doesn’t matter as long as you start.

This is why LA Fitness has deemed this March as #MarchtoLAFitness. If you want to see changes, you’ve got to put in the time! Tired? Everyone is. Busy? Most people are. However, being tired or busy and not setting aside the time you need to make yourself healthy is a lose-lose situation. If you’re feeling lousy about excess weight, poor nutrition or a tired mind, starting a healthy habit is what your body needs.

The American Psychological Association (APA) suggests changing one behavior at a time. Swap out that quick fast food meal for a home-cooked one instead. Get an extra hour of sleep or add an extra day spent at the gym to your weekly schedule. Unhealthy behaviors or habits typically develop over the course of time, which means you can’t expect healthy habits to develop overnight. It’s going to take discipline and practice. Worried that you don’t have the willpower or determination to make these changes? Try this:

Set Realistic Goals

Let’s say you want to lose a certain of weight. A reasonable goal is to allow yourself enough time to make this goal come to fruition. Try setting short and long-term goals. For instance, a goal to lose 1 pound a week is a lot more realistic than wanting to lose 10 pounds. Be realistic with yourself and know what fits your lifestyle. Hitting a short-term goal (i.e., losing one pound in a week), will leave you feeling accomplished and will help develop the healthy habits you need to continue working toward your long-term goals.

Involve a Friend

Did you know that having someone to help you along the way can help you stay motivated? Whether that person is a family member, significant other, friend or coworker, you may want to invite someone who shares a similar goal to join you on your way to success! Looking to sweeten the deal? LA Fitness offers a program called VIP Rewards where you can invite a friend or family member to join you at our club while earning points that can be redeemed for LA Fitness gear. (Check out rewards here!)

Habit vs. Lifestyle

Developing healthy habits can lead to a healthy lifestyle, but how long does it take exactly to start a new healthy habit? This number has been debated a lot, with some thinking it takes 21 days to develop a habit while others believe it can take up to 90 days. How true are these numbers and what does that mean when setting a goal to sticking to consistent, healthy habits? An article published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) references an article1 focused on the psychology of ‘habit-formation’ and general practice. Below is an excerpt taken from the study:

Unrealistic expectations of the duration of the habit formation process can lead the patient to give up during the learning phase. Some patients may have heard that habits take 21 days to form. This myth appears to have originated from anecdotal evidence of patients who had received plastic surgery treatment and typically adjusted psychologically to their new appearance within 21 days.22 More relevant research found that automaticity plateaued on average around 66 days after the first daily performance,9 although there was considerable variation across participants and behaviours. Therefore, it may be helpful to tell patients to expect habit formation (based on daily repetition) to take around 10 weeks. Our experience is that people are reassured to learn that doing the behaviour gets progressively easier; so they only have to maintain their motivation until the habit forms. Working effortfully on a new behaviour for 2–3 months may be an attractive offer if it has a chance of making the behaviour become ‘second nature’.

Uh oh… I Slipped Again

Don’t let a day (or two or three) skipping the gym deter you from getting right back on track! Did you eat unhealthy over the weekend? Perhaps you maybe indulged a little too much on last night’s dinner. Well, this means all your hard work and progress is gone, right? Wrong! A little misstep is no reason to feel like you’ve failed at working toward your goal. Don’t wait until next week, next month, or next year to get back on track – do it today because the time spent waiting to fix what you want to change can be time spent actively working towards your life’s goals.

You’ve got this. We believe in you. #MarchtoLAFitness

Sources:

  1. Gardner, Benjamin, et al. “Making Health Habitual: the Psychology of ‘Habit-Formation’ and General Practice.” The British Journal of General Practice, Royal College of General Practitioners, Dec. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3505409/.

Referenced:

  1. “Making Lifestyle Changes That Last.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/helpcenter/lifestyle-changes.aspx.

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Am I Drinking Too Much Water? | Q+A

Am I Drinking Too Much Water? | Q+A

by | Feb 27, 2018 | All, Home, Nutrition

Question:

I drink approximately 10 glasses of water a day.  Do I need to supplement my water with electrolytes and if I don’t add anything to my water am I washing out nutrients drinking so much water?

– Carmela M.

Answer:

Your reported water intake may be excessive if you are also drinking a lot of other beverages. If it’s your only fluid intake, then 10 glasses of plain water are fine, assuming you are an active, healthy adult with no medical conditions. True water overload that dilutes blood electrolytes (a serious situation called hyper-hydration or water intoxication) is rare and comes from downing gallons of water in a short period of time.

Thirst is a weak indicator of your hydration status. Better yet, check your urine color. Optimal is a pale yellow like the area circled in the image below:

LA Fitness, LAF, nutrition, QA, Ask Our Dietitian, ask our nutritionist, am I drinking too much water, daily water intake, LA Fitness ask a dietitian, daily water intake

You shouldn’t need to add electrolytes to your water or worry about flushing out micro-nutrients if you’re generally in this range. A clear or barely perceptible yellow reflects dilute urine, while an amber color is a sign of dehydration.

– Debbie J., MS, RD

This article should not replace any exercise program or restrictions, any dietary supplements or restrictions, or any other medical recommendations from your primary care physician. Before starting any exercise program or diet, make sure it is approved by your doctor.

Some questions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

Ask our Dietitian

Have a nutrition question? Our registered dietitian is ready to help!

Email nutrition@lafitness.com or submit your question below and it may be featured in an upcoming article!

14 + 10 =

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Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?

Is Breakfast Really the Most Important Meal of the Day?

by | Feb 16, 2018 | All, Home, Nutrition

Close your eyes and picture this: the lustrous crackling of bacon in a cast iron pan, the sizzle of pancakes on a hot buttered grill, the alluring aroma of freshly brewed coffee… ahhh.

There is something about a full, balanced breakfast that just starts the day off on the right foot – but is breakfast really necessary? Some of us opt out of an early morning meal in exchange for a heavier lunch or dinner; however, this could have negative effects on the body.

Studies have shown that eating breakfast can help promote1:

  • Good health
  • Better memory and concentration
  • Lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol
  • Lower chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, and being overweight

With so many health benefits, making sure to eat breakfast seems like a no-brainer, right? Yet, many of us are in a rush with the morning hustle and bustle to make the time to properly fuel our bodies. Skipping your morning munchies could leave your body feeling sluggish and lacking the energy it needs to keep you feeling focused throughout the day. Not only that, but skipping the first meal of the day may cause you to overeat later and that’s where the extra calories start sneaking up on you!

Here’s the catch though… having too big of a breakfast can actually do more harm than good. A study referenced on WebMD suggested that “people who had large breakfasts ate more during the day.”2 This may leave you thinking to yourself, should I eat breakfast then or skip it? Well, think of it this way. Food is fuel for our bodies. Think of the stomach as a tank for providing the ‘fuel’ our bodies need to properly function. The type of fuel you put into your tank is going to drastically affect the power you get out of it.

!! Tip: Stick with complex carbs, protein, fruit and/or vegetables, ideally paired with a calcium source.

Grabbing a donut on the way into work or opting for a quick packaged pastry with your morning coffee, may taste good in the moment. However, those empty calories are going to burn off quickly and leave your body dragging. Our registered dietitian, Debbie J., offers some healthy, well-balanced breakfast suggestions to swap in as a replacement for that morning treat.

  • Vegetarian: whole grain toast topped with 1/4 avocado, fried egg and roma tomato slices
  • Vegan: steel cut oatmeal with nuts, berries, cinnamon, dairy-free milk
  • Omnivore: Canadian bacon, whole wheat waffle and diced peaches or strawberries
  • Gluten-free: potatoes O’Brien, black bean & tomato salsa, 1/2 grapefruit

The Results

In yet another study published in the journal Obesity, researchers recruited 93 overweight women and put them on a 12-week long prescribed diet.3 All of the women participating in the study consumed a total of 1,400 healthy calories a day. The only difference was that half the group ate their largest meal at breakfast, while the other half ate their largest meal at lunch or dinner.

The results were significantly different! The group who ate their biggest meal at breakfast lost two and a half times the amount of weight as their counter group.4 The same group noticed improvements in belly fat, hunger levels, and fasting blood sugar levels! These noticeable differences seem to trend across multiple studies conducted on the benefits of breakfast.

A Message From the AHA

The American Heart Association even issued a statement noting that “planning and timing meals and snacks, such as not skipping breakfast and allocating more calories earlier in the day, might help reduce cardiovascular disease risk.”5 People who choose to forego breakfast, about 20 to 30% of U.S. adults6, are “more likely to are more likely to be obese, have inadequate nutrition, show evidence of impaired glucose metabolism or be diagnosed with diabetes.”7

Our Thoughts

So, is breakfast really the most important meal of the day? Yes and no. More important than simply eating breakfast before starting your day is paying attention to what type of calories you’re consuming and focusing on balanced and controlled portioning. If you consume most of your calories during the morning, make sure to have a smaller meal for lunch and dinner. Having a larger meal in the morning may also help burn off more calories due to the fact that you have more time to be active before heading to bed.

Our advice? Go ahead and make time for breakfast, because a body lacking fuel is going to be less productive than a body energized with the nutrients necessary for a healthy day.

Sources:

  1. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/most-important-meal#1
  2. https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/most-important-meal#2
  3. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evidence-based-living/201708/is-breakfast-the-most-important-meal
  4. Ibid
  5. http://newsroom.heart.org/news/meal-planning-timing-may-impact-heart-health
  6. Ibid
  7. Ibid

This article should not replace any exercise program or restrictions, any dietary supplements or restrictions, or any other medical recommendations from your primary care physician. Before starting any exercise program or diet, make sure it is approved by your doctor.

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New Year, New You: How to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions

New Year, New You: How to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions

by | Jan 3, 2018 | All, Fitness, Home, Nutrition

“Resolution” doesn’t mean change. It means a firm decision to do or not to do something. Hearing it makes me think of related words like: Resolute. Resolve. Stand your ground. Stanchion. Rock. Unwavering. Solid. Committed. Willpower. Sense of purpose. Driven.

Imagine yourself standing in front of a challenge with your fists on your hips. In charge, in command. Ready to take on the world! No temptations getting in your way. Feeling like you’re invincible.

Resolving to do something is action-based. You are the subject, the cause of action, the spark, the fire; not the receiver waiting for something to happen to you. Having this mindset means greater success in acting on your intentions instead of staying static.

 

Here’s how to succeed this year:

Creating your resolutions

First, start off right. Before you make a concrete goal, get to the heart of your true objective, tease out the “why,” your motivation behind it. Reflect on the past year and decide what you can make happen differently.

Limit your resolutions so you aren’t spread too thin. Having several goals is great, but not when they compete for priority. A short list is easier to tackle, and when one goal is accomplished you can move forward to the next.

 

Sticking to your resolutions

Make choices that are consistent with your identity. “Whether you realize it or not, you make decisions based on staying true to your self-stories… You want to make decisions that match your idea of who you are,” explains Susan Weinschenk, PhD, a psychologist and author.

Set weekly or monthly reminders. Doing this is as easy as signing up for a recurring email prompt, or making a note on your wall or smartphone calendar.

Have visual cues. You may opt for obvious sticky notes or subtle well-placed postcard-sized images of things that relate to your resolution.

Share your resolutions. Verbalizing (or social media broadcasting) your resolutions to others increases your accountability. You are more likely to stay on course when others know your goals and might ask about your progress.

Ask for support when needed. Seeking and accepting help from those close to you may enable you to overcome challenges and deal with stress.

Display or showcase your successes. By highlighting the positives, you focus on what you can accomplish, which is motivating!

 

Dealing with setbacks

If you fall off course or realize it’s March before you’ve taken a step toward your goals, don’t worry. Treat setbacks like hiccups – expect them to occur, accept them, and then move on. Being resilient by bouncing back from difficulty allows you to get back on course. It’s never too late to change habits for the better.

Resources:

Psychology Today “The Science of Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work” https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-wise/201612/the-science-why-new-years-resolutions-dont-work

American Psychological Association “Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick” http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/resolution.aspx

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Holly, Jolly & Healthy

Holly, Jolly & Healthy

by | Dec 20, 2017 | All, Home, Nutrition

A round belly that shakes like jelly may be desirable for Old Saint Nick, but not the rest of us. Did you know that holiday weight gain may be slow and subtle, but it can take up to 5 months in the new year to lose those pounds? Any gain retained can contribute to “creeping obesity” that gradually accumulates over the years. Start making changes now to your normal festive food routines to avoid an extra “gift” in your midsection after the holidays. Here are our top tips to stay slim and trim this month:

Gifts to groups

  • Be a role model – Don’t bring edible goodies to share, unless it’s fresh fruit or individually-wrapped mints.

Candy bowls

  • Limit yourself to 1 piece for each hour since your last meal.
  • Keep a pile of your wrappers in plain view as a visual reminder of how much you’ve eaten. You’ll be less likely to indulge again with the evidence in front of you.

Bakery trays

  • See a donut or brownie you want? Leave the room for at least an hour and tell yourself you can have half of that particular one the next time you pass by. Chances are it may not still be there!

Drinks

  • Dilute sugary fruit beverages with sparkling water.
  • Split deluxe coffee drinks in half and fill with plain coffee.
  • Alternate an alcoholic beverage with water or a virgin drink.

Celebration meals

  • Use an Air Fryer for those traditionally decadent fried foods like latkes.
  • Limit yourself to 2 starches of any kind. (Ex: a roll + scoop mashed potatoes; or a corn cob + scoop noodles)
  • Do most of the cooking from scratch. You have more control over the ingredients, plus you burn calories working in the kitchen!

Buffets

  • Make just one trip through a buffet, taking only a single entrée, side and vegetable.
  • Keep portion sizes small and choose items that have been baked, steamed or grilled.

Other    

  • Focus on conversation and the festivities by playing games, dancing or taking a walk instead of eating mindlessly.

Good intentions only go so far. Write out your action plan to stay on track and keep your waistline trim. What are your ways for preventing holiday weight gain? Share them in the comment section below!

Reference:

Weight Gain over the Holidays in Three Countries. Helander EE, Wansink B, Chieh A.  The New England Journal of Medicine 2016 Sep 22; 375(12): 1200-1202.

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