Two Weeks to Terrific
Are you ridden with dread and anxiety caused by the recent glimpse of spring-like weather? It is not too late to lose a few unwanted pounds before the warm weather wardrobe is pulled out of storage.
If you still haven’t tried journaling to document your nutritional habits, now is the time. This strategy keeps you honest and accountable and with the latest technology is easier than ever.
Because most people have smart phones the accessibility of free fitness apps offer you a personal trainer at your fingertips.
One app called My Fitness Pal allows you to personalize your diet and enter your fitness goals for a daily snap shot of your progress. This program does the work for you and calculates calories and other nutrients at the push of a button.
To familiarize myself with the program I begin logging my daily consumption of calories. Without fudging at all, I looked up every last morsel and added it to my daily menu. Within minutes I became more aware of my daily intake and was able to compare it to the number of calories My Fitness Pal predicts I should eat based on my height and weight.
In addition, a nutrient analysis was provided which outlined the percentage of vitamins and minerals I consumed based on the daily recommended amount. I discovered I was basically eating a low calorie, low cholesterol diet, but was a little deficient in potassium, vitamin A and calcium. With this detailed information I can begin to fine tune my eating habits to fill in the gaps where needed.
Next, it takes your calorie consumption and allows you to enter your activity for the day. It automatically computes the amount of calories you burned based on the mode and duration of your workout.
Sometimes the first step in making a change is accepting you have a problem. Oftentimes denial can prevent you from living your best life. If you are frightened by truth, or lack commitment to your health—this tool probably won’t suit you.
My Fitness Pal won’t sense fear and tell you what you want to hear, but it may empower you to overcome the horror of facing another hot summer in culottes and a big shirt.
Get your family involved in this fun high tech mode of fitness. My daughter loves this app—she is even telling me the nutrient content of foods that have surprised both of us. Her biggest problem, she discovered, is her fruit consumption. Neither one of us realized that even though the sugar is in a natural state and seems harmless, fruit is high in calories and should be consumed sensibly.
With only two weeks to terrific, upload the app and spend about five minutes setting it up. You will need to enter your initial weight, so don’t guess; weigh yourself! Record a realistic amount of weight you want to lose. Each day take 10 minutes to add your meal items, snacks and beverages to your “menu”. Record EVERYTHING.
Let the program do the work. It will even weigh you each day based on your caloric intake. Don’t deny yourself this fitness friend so that you can move forward on your quest for a healthier life!
For comments or questions please email: suzannemcginnis@me.com.