27
both – cutting Calories and exercising. It is the only
proven long-term weight management program that is
successful. You should ensure that you are consuming
at least 1,200 Calories per day total. A total weight
loss of no more than 2 lbs. per week is recommended
for long-term weight management.
Eat a variety of foods.
Regardless of your eating plan,
you should be sure to include a variety of foods in your
diet, maximizing your intake of fruits and vegetables
whenever possible. Colorful meals and snacks that
are divided amongst the 4 food groups will ensure
that you obtain the nutrients needed for your body to
function at optimal levels. Any diet that focuses on
just one food 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:
When you are fi rst starting out, you should exclusively
work in the Zone 1 and Zone 2 intensities. After a few
weeks, you can occasionally incorporate Zone 3 and
Zone 4 intensities for short periods of time. Remember,
when you begin to incorporate Zone 3 and Zone 4
intensities, you will fi nd that you will likely have to
drop down to Zone 1 intensities shortly thereafter as
brief recovery periods.
For variety, you can spend a little bit of time in each
of the four Zones during one workout, and then spend
your time in just one Zone during the next workout.
Prenatal woman should always remain at Zone 1
and Zone 2 intensities, and anyone unaware of their
current medical condition should also avoid Zone 3
EXERCISE & FITNESS GUIDELINES
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
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