Fitness for All

Easier said than done in the dead heat of summer, I know! But little steps can add up. Keep the shades down during the day to better block the heat of the sun, set up fans in windows to help draw in cooler air, temporarily move to the basement, wear minimal clothing to bed...any other ideas?

Every human body is unique - and so is each and every metabolism. This may not be an effective means of weight loss for everyone, but it has proven effective for many. If changing your meal schedule is too much, too fast, try to introduce healthy snacks throughout the day. Keep in mind total calories matter, so if you consume more via snacks, you'll want to be mindful of how much you consume during meals to maintain a balance.
For more details and further resources, check out this link: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00716.x

Weight management is as complex and multi-faceted as each individual is unique. But one common culprit is caloric intake - how many calories a person consumes. One proven method to reducing caloric intake is far simpler than you might expect - simply focus on your meal. Things like eating on the run, eating while working, eating while ___________ - you name it - can mean we are too distracted to recognize our own body's subtle cues that we've eaten enough. Clearing our agenda while eating can give us the focus and patience to recognize our body's feedback and lead to consuming far fewer calories than we would otherwise. Share the knowledge!
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/distracted-eating-may-add-to-weight-gain-201303296037

The more you know.......
Ever bought a bunch of fruit that looked great but seemed to ripen too quickly? The way you store them might be the problem!!! All fruit naturally produce and release a gas called ethylene that slowly brings fruit to the point of ripeness. Some fruit produce a lot more ethylene than others and so can actually impact the rate of ripening in other fruits that might be stored along side them. These "High Producers" should be stored away from others on the same list, and from those that are on the "Highly Sensitive" list. Those fruits listed on the "Not Affected" list are about as neutral as you're going to find - Switzerland in fruit form.
https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/harvest-and-storage-of-tree-fruits/the-role-of-ethylene-in-fruit-ripening/

Missing out on sleep doesn't just leave you tired - little or poor sleep on a regular basis can leave you at a higher risk for a plethora of health related problems. In fact, there is so much linking poor sleep to poor health that the American Heart Association added Sleep Duration to it's list of "critical components for optimizing heart and brain health".

https://www.heart.org/en/news/2023/03/16/what-happens-when-we-sleep-and-why-we-need-just-the-right-amount-each-night?fbclid=IwAR1nVVm4EVBQr3J1PZrKTes5eGUdBjeRYrt02CI21bqXxTCDygWNfA3ev3M

Manufacturers use what is referred to as the 4-4-9 calculation for calories - which are simply averages for figuring macronutrient content. In reality, a gram of fat from food item X may yield 8.7 calories, while a gram of fat from food item Y may produce more like 9.4 calories. Share the knowledge!!

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Born this day in 1928, Maya Angelou served on two presidential committees - for Gerald Ford in 1975 and Jimmy Carter in 1977. She was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Clinton in 2000 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 by Obama - the HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR in the US. Author, poet, activist, mother....thank you for your inspiration.

Many of us battle our weight - and there is no easy answer. Well, no safe and sound easy answer, anyway. And with many of us working from a desk it can be especially hard to get our exercise in. One solid habit to work on is to move often - it's advised we get up and move around for 10-15 minutes every two hours or so. When it comes to additional caloric burn, the more you move, the better! Small chores, taking the long way around - even just getting up and stretching - it all adds up. Share the knowledge!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6058072/

'Nuther nutrition nugget: according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center, about 17% of premenopausal women and 10% of children are considered to be iron deficient under current thresholds. The iron needs of little ones change as they grow, but the RDA for women of child-bearing age is about 18mg a day - female athletes needs are generally higher. Are you getting enough iron??

https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/are-we-underestimating-prevalence-iron-deficiency

One small step at a time adds up - patience with yourself and the process is key!