Coach’s Daily Dose

Just a Spoonful of Sugar

Posted by Coach Stacy on February 1, 2012
Posted in: Coach's Daily Dose, Diet & Nutrition. 2 Comments

“Attention all units.  Crystalline substance suspected of causing obesity.  Suspect is considered fattening and dangerous and last seen hiding in thousands of food labels under a number of aliases.  Suspect is recognized as white or brown granules but often disguised as an amber liquid as well.  Approach suspect with caution.  Ingest at your own risk.”

It’s sad but true.  Sugar is the number one suspect in our nation’s obesity epidemic.  Sweet and addictive, sugar hides in massive quantities in a variety of unsuspecting foods like yogurts, condiments, soup, peanut butter, salad dressings, lunch meats, canned fruits and vegetables, sauces, and non-dairy creamers.  Sugar is considered “nutritive,” meaning it contains calories – but they’re empty calories offering no nutritional value whatsoever.  Once a rare delicacy enjoyed only by the affluent, sugar – in its many forms – has saturated the food market and is now the number one food additive.  Today, the average adult consumes over 150 pounds of sugar per year.  That’s nearly a half a pound, or around 50 teaspoons, of sugar each day.

Let’s break this down:  Sugar is a carbohydrate with a calorie count of 4 calories per gram.  Four grams of sugar is equivalent to one sugar packet or just under one teaspoon – which would be just about 16 calories.  Now consider this:  Those 50 teaspoons of sugar you’re putting down each day?  They account for 800 of your daily calories.  That 20-oz. bottle of soda you just drank?  66 grams of sugar or 264 calories.

It’s no shock, then, that according to the CDC, more than one third of American adults and 17% of children in the U.S. are obese.  In addition to adding inches to our waistlines, sugar consumption has also been linked to heart conditions, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, candida, hypertension and dramatic spikes and drops in blood sugar leading to adrenal failure.  And let’s not forget that high sugar consumption is a leading cause of tooth decay.  There’s even some evidence that high sugar consumption causes “body-wide biochemical stress and inflammation” which leads to a weakened immune system.

This begs the question, “How much is too much sugar?”  In 2009 the American Heart Association suggested that women limit themselves to 6 teaspoons of sugar per day, men 9 teaspoons, and children 3 teaspoons – a tall challenge in today’s sugar-laden processed food and beverage market.  Take, for example, the following culprits:

  • Fat free yogurt with fruit:  47 grams (nearly 12 teaspoons)
  • 1 can of Coke Classic: 39 grams (nearly 7 teaspoons)
  • 1 cup of Fruit Loops: 16 grams (4 teaspoons)
  • Grande Starbucks vanilla Frappuccino: 58 grams (over 14 teaspoons)
  • 1 cup of canned pineapples in syrup: 43 grams (almost 11 teaspoons)

 So what’s a sweet tooth to do?  Tune in next week for tips on finding hidden sugars in foods and strategies for cutting back on the amount of sugar you eat.  We’ll also give you the low-down on the many artificial sweeteners currently on the market.  And later this week we’ll post some recipes for low-sugar, healthy Super Bowl snacks and meals.  Meanwhile, keep in mind that a spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down, but it won’t help you pull up your skinny jeans!

Coach’s Daily Dose – Your Get Fit Game Plan

Posted by Coach Stacy on January 24, 2012
Posted in: Coach's Daily Dose. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

In my circle of friends and colleagues I’m considered a pretty tough cookie.  I gritted through twenty-one hours of labor to give birth to my daughter Presley.  As a party gag I squat press my husband Joe.  But the one thing that will reduce me once again to a quivering, tearful child is the prospet of being stuck with a hypodermic needle.  That fear has been present in my psyche since I was a child.  I don’t remember how it came about, but I do recall one fateful trip to the family doctor as an 8-year old.  When the nurse pulled out the booster-filled needle I high tailed it out to the parking lot and locked myself in the family car.  Not even the promise of Tootsie Pop could convince me to unlock the door.

 To this day, the very thought of my annual checkup gives me the willies. Of course, it’s not the physical itself that bothers me, but rather the blood panel afterwards.  But I know that if I want to be healthy, I need to have a game plan and that starts with knowing my numbers.  With today’s advances in the medical field we now have the ability to live 35% longer than ever before, with a greater quality of life – all the more reason to set and achieve some lifelong health goals.  So I have created a “Do List” to help you, too, get started with your own personal “Get Fit Game Plan.”

1. Get a Physical

  • Know your numbers
    • Blood pressure – under 140/90

American Heart Association Guidelines:

Blood Pressure
Category

Systolic
mm Hg (upper #)

 

Diastolic
mm Hg (lower #)

Normal
 

less than 120

and

less than 80

Prehypertension

120 – 139

or

80 – 89

High Blood Pressure
(Hypertension) Stage 1

140 – 159

or

90 – 99

High Blood Pressure
(Hypertension) Stage 2

160 or higher

or

100 or higher

Hypertensive Crisis
(Emergency care needed)

Higher than 180

or

Higher than 110
  • Heart rate.  The average resting heart rate is 60-80 beats per minute, but it’s usually lower for physically fit people.  It also rises with age.
  • Cholesterol – under 200; LDL under 130, HDL over 60 best protection against heart disease.
  • Blood glucose – under 100 mg/dL while fasting
  • BMI under 30; or waist measurement  <35 for women and <40 for men.  If you want to know your exact BMI, check out the “BMI Calculator” link on the Coach Stacy’s Healthy U home page.

From the Centers for Disease Control:

Height

Weight Range

BMI

 Weight Status

5′ 9″

124 lbs or less

Below 18.5

Underweight

125 lbs to 168 lbs

18.5 to 24.9

Normal

169 lbs to 202 lbs

25.0 to 29.9

Overweight

203 lbs or more

30 or higher

Obese
  • Body measurements and body fat testing are also useful for gauging your overall health. 

Women

Age Underfat Healthy Range Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 21% 21-33% 33-39% Over 39%
41-60 yrs Under 23% 23-35% 35-40% Over 40%
61-79 yrs Under 24% 24-36% 36-42% Over 42%

Men

Age Underfat Healthy Range Overweight Obese
20-40 yrs Under 8% 8-19% 19-25% Over 25%
41-60 yrs Under 11% 11-22% 22-27% Over 27%
61-79 yrs Under 13% 13-25% 25-30% Over 30%

2. Mental & emotional attitude check up

  • What is going well for you?
  • What is not working for you?
  • What pumps you up?
  • What exhausts you?
  • What is stopping you from moving forward?

3. Set small goals for each week

  • My goal this week is to _______________________
  • Write your own life “Mission Statement” ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Draft a support team of family and friends to help cheer you on with your goals

5. Fitness  level checkup

  • Where do you fit in compared to others your age
    • Excellent
    • Very good
    • Good
    • Fair – 30x more likely to die in the next 2 years!
    • Bad –  see above

6. Stress and Anger management

  • What is the source of your stress?
    • Where is your stress on a scale of 1-10
    • Break your stress into small loads – one step at a time
  • What is the source of your anger?
    • Can you avoid that source?
    • Can you change your reaction to that source?
  • Choose a peaceful outlet to relax and sooth you
    • Get a pet
    • Journal your feelings
    • Meditate/pray – breathe
    • Yoga/Pilates/Tai Chi
    • Learn to live in the moment
    • Spa services
    • Walk
    • Read
    • Listen to music
    • Call someone who is soothing
    • Call a professional therapist if the need arises
    • Unplug

7. Healthy habits you need to develop

  • Good sleep habits – 7 to 8 hours
  • Take ten deep breaths daily
  • Get some Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, 20 minutes daily
  • Open windows for fresh air weekly
  • Drink green tea
  • Drink water
  • Cut the junk food and add healthy food items
  • Limit sugars and high fructose corn syrup
  • Limit processed foods and saturated fats
  • Eat Yogurt with live active cultures
  • Use sunscreen
  • Develop a positive attitude and gratitude
  • Floss teeth
  • Nasal irrigation
  • Take your Omega 3s (fish, walnuts, supplements)
  • Take vitamins
  • Remove clutter
  • Aspirin therapy – half a regular or 2 baby doses decrease the risk of heart attack by 35%  for women over 40 and men over 35 (ask your doctor)
  • Social outlets for fun – make time for you!

8. Go Shopping!

  • Purchase any equipment or gym memberships you may need
  • Buy clothing items you may need

9. Get active and chose some activities

  • Cardio – you need to build up to 10,000 steps a day or 30 minutes per day
  • Walk indoors or out
  • Participate in a fitness event
  • Try some outdoor activities
  • Bike indoors or out
  • Strength training
    • Join a gym
    • Hire a personal trainer to learn the basics then purchase equipment that you can use at home

10 Fun and Laughs get some it’s good for your health!

  • For fun I like to ______________
  • What makes you laugh?

 Debby and I both went for our check ups after the first of the year.  I’m happy to report that my numbers were quite good, despite the fact that I’d spent the entire holiday season eating my mother’s yummy, southern, home-cooked meals.  Debby, who ate very little of mother’s good eats, is a bit put out because some of her numbers came back elevated.  What gives?  Actually, Debby has a family history of heart, blood pressure and cholesterol problems, which is all the more reason for her to be on top of her readings.

Fitness and health are achievable for everyone – no matter what your age or genetic code – but it takes a little know how, a little planning and a little work.  Bottom line is that nothing happens until you get up off the couch and spring into action. 

When you’re moving, you’re improving!

 

Coach’s Daily Dose – “Giddy Up” Your Workout

Posted by Coach Stacy on January 17, 2012
Posted in: Coach's Daily Dose, Physical Activity. 1 Comment

It’s time to “giddy up” over to the National Western Stock Show which is here in Denver through next Sunday.  When you’re there – or at any rodeo across the country – take a close look at the cowboys and cowgirls competing in the events.  What do you notice about each and every one of them?  They’re in shape – GREAT shape!  There’s a reason they look great in their wranglers!  What’s their secret?  Simple – ridin’ and ropin’!  Riding a horse will help you discover muscles you never knew you had.

 Growing up in Texas I wanted more than anything else to be a barrel racer.  Unfortunately, my busy school and athletics schedule didn’t allow me the time to devote to learning to ride.  That, and I didn’t have a horse.  Then when I asked my mom and dad for a horse, they got me a dog……

 Too bad, because horseback riding has many physical benefits, so saddle up!  It’s not as easy as it looks – mounting a six foot tall horse with chest-high stirrups is a challenge in and of itself.  Every leg muscle you own is needed to get your rear in the saddle.  Once you’re actually in the saddle the real workout begins:

  •  Calorie Burn – One hour on the back of a trotting horse will help you burn 380-600 calories.  Galloping will up the ante to 472-690 calories per hour.  Three days a week of this and you’ll be able to kiss your gym membership goodbye!
  • Strengthening the Core – The challenge of staying in the saddle is a great method of strengthening the core muscles of the abs and back.  Using a Swiss ball is a good way to mimic the movement patterns that come into play.  Complementing your riding routine with some strength training will make your rides safer and less injury prone.
  • Brain Fitness – Staying in the saddle requires an enormous amount of leg, hand, and eye coordination.  Horses can be very unpredictable.  They are intelligent animals, but they’re also moody and have their own thought processes.  Even the best trained steed will “do his own thang” from time to time – it takes major coordination to stay on.

 The benefits of riding horses are not just physical, though.   Riding also offers numerous social-emotional benefits such as teamwork and stress reduction.  Horses have a calming effect on many people and the process of building a rapport with a horse takes time, patience and understanding, which are the same qualities needed in daily life, working with families, jobs and colleagues.  We can surely learn a lot from horses.  But remember, folks, as with any workout, start slowly – trot before you gallop and limber up before and after your ride.

 Now, once you’ve got your “giddy up goin’,” try adding a little spice to your workout with some good old fashioned ropin’!  Roping has been around since the days of the Ancient Greeks, when soldiers would throw ropes around their enemies and, well, let’s just say “it weren’t a pretty sight.”  Fast forward to the days of the American cowboy, when cattle were turned out into miles and miles of fenceless grassland.  Cowboys used their ropes to round up the cattle.  The Spanish word for “roundup” is “rodeo,” and thus the rodeo was born.

 Now, take the physical benefits of horseback riding and add the perks of roping, which brings into play the muscles of the arms, shoulder, neck, back and legs, as well as develops eye-hand coordination.  And you don’t have to be a cowboy or cowgirl to enjoy roping – after all, the average person doesn’t have a horse to hop on or a calf to lasso.  The point is you can rope “pert near anythang” – a teddy bear, a chair back, a fence post.  Or you can just practice spinning your rope.  Roping is an inexpensive, travel-friendly, and entertaining workout.  WillRogerswas nearly as famous for his roping as he was for his humor.  Will used to say roping was great exercise, “So get a rope and start missing.  That’s about 80 percent of all there is to roping.”

 Now, cowboy up – this week Debby and I will weigh in with good rodeo eats – plus the fare to avoid – as well as advice and resources to help “giddy up your workouts.”

Coach’s Daily Dose – Bite Sized Resolutions

Posted by Coach Stacy on January 2, 2012
Posted in: Coach's Daily Dose, Motivation. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment

Now that we’ve rung in the New Year, it’s time to write out the Resolutions.   Instead of “Happy New Year,” let’s embark on a “Healthy New Year.”  But be wary of setting Biggie-sized resolutions.  Why?  To avoid setting yourself up for certain failure.  Research shows that six out of ten people quit their health clubs after the first 30 days of membership.  Here are some guidelines for establishing goals geared for success:

 

  • Start with “Bite-Sized” resolutions.  For example, “Get my body in shape” is very broad and ambiguous.  You need to break this goal down.  Perhaps your stomach is a problem area.  Start in January by working on your abs and getting your 10,000 steps in.

 

  • Next you need to equip yourself with the necessities for carrying out your goals.  Join a gym, if necessary, or purchase some basic exercise gear.

 

  • Establish a support group for yourself – find some workout buddies, or involve your family and friends in your exercise quest.

 

  • Map out an entire year’s worth of healthy habits that you can do alone or with the help of your support group.  Choose activities that are enjoyable and attainable – also, include both physical and nutritional elements, as well as spiritual and mental components. Maybe even do some events that are fitness related.  For example, my monthly resolutions look like this:

 

    • January – Cut the “junk” and move to the tune of at least 10,000 steps per day, five days per week at my local recreation center. Shovel snow!
    • February – Go snowshoeing on the weekends, recreation center weekdays and increase my water intake.
    • March – Focus on my abs and back and increase my fruit intake. Get a facial!
    • April – Spend time doing indoor circuit training in my gym and cut my sugar intake.
    • May – Get arms and legs in shape through gardening and eat more greens.
    • June – Explore outdoor trails on my bike and grill veggies on the barbecue.
    • July – Explore hiking trails near my home and increase my fiber intake.
    • August – Play tennis with my workout buddy and avoid processed foods.
    • September – Enjoy daily walks in my neighborhood and try assorted melons.
    • October – Explore hiking trails in the mountains while enjoying the fall foliage and eat pumpkin seeds and nuts.
    • November – Indoor circuit training in preparation for holiday overload! Look into recipes for healthy treats to serve for the holidays.
    • December – Get a massage, relax and savor the goodies – get my cardio in while shopping. Pace myself at the holiday buffet parties.

 

You’ll find that when goals are attainable and somewhat enjoyable, you’re much more likely to stick with your resolutions.  Just remember one thing:  When you’re moving, you’re improving.  That’s a guarantee.