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C HA NG I N G T H E G A M E I N H EA LT H A N D F I T N E S S
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group source or processed foods can be unhealthy in the long run, and should be
avoided. Don’t focus too much on any particular meal or snack, but rather on your
overall intake of a variety of different foods during any given day.
Drink water.
Our bodies are made up of over 70% water, and most of us don’t drink
enough. Carry water with you everywhere you go, and drink as often as you can.
This helps the body function at optimum levels, and can signifi cantly help with
weight management.
Eat more often and be mindful of your portions.
Research has shown that it can
be helpful to eat smaller meals more often versus 3 larger meals a day if you are
looking to promote healthy weight maintenance or weight loss. And we have
discovered that many portions we eat are much larger than necessary, and can
be laden with Calories. So, try snacking more and not eating so many large meals,
and share your snacks or food with others (or break your portions in half) to help
manage your Caloric intake.
Monitoring Your Intensity
When you are doing cardiovascular workouts, it is important that you work at the
appropriate intensities when you are fi rst starting out. It is also important that you
workout at a variety of intensities after you have built a fi tness base.
Research in recent years has indicated that one of the best ways to monitor your
cardiovascular intensity is to pay close attention to how you are feeling when
you workout. Most individuals can do a very good job of choosing the correct
intensities if they simply categorize how they feel into one of four intensity “zones.”
These zones could be described the following ways:
Zone 1
• Easy
• Warm-up
• Cool-down
Zone 2
• Challenging, but comfortable
• Steady endurance pace
Zone 3
• Challenging, and slightly uncomfortable
• Race pace
• Borderline out of breath
Zone 4
• Breathless
• Not maximum, but winded
• Can’t keep the pace for very long
EXERCISE & FITNESS GUIDELINES
