Fitness Fact Challenge
How many of us spend a countless number of hours sitting at the computer searching Facebook, Myspace, playing games, etc.? I know I am VERY guilty of this. Especially before the biggest loser. I would sit and complain because I was over weight and I didn’t have “time” to exercise. There were many days I didn’t have “time” to pack a healthy lunch for work. I would then make the bad choice of eating an unhealthy fast food option due to my lack of planning. Oh but I sure had enough time to playing games on the Internet.
I have learned that education is KEY to weight loss success. I now realize that even though I was a 29 year old adult there was so much basic information about nutrition and exercise that I did not know. I knew that whole wheat was better than white bread but I really did not know why. I have learned that whole whole wheat bread is far more nutritious. It is higher in vitamins B6 and E, fiber, magnesium, chromium, folic acid and zinc. Fiber helps the digestive system. It can also create a “full” sensation because it will take your body longer to digest. I have started to look at food differently. I now see food as a fuel for my body. Eating whole wheat vs. white bread is like choosing super plus vs regular unleaded.
That being said I would like to have a fitness fact challenge! Next time you have a free moment on the Internet try learning something new! Find one fact, something you never knew, and post it here. I think we can all learn a lot. This can be as basic or complex as you want it to be. Have fun!
40 comments
Permalink1
This is somthing I found and thought I would share. It is not really fitness related but food related. RECIPE!!! Love finding new ones and I tried this one tonight and it is AMAZING!!!
Pumpkin Pie Pudding Recipe
A light, delicious pudding that tastes just like pumpkin pie.
5 min | 5 min prep
SERVES 4
1 3/4 cups cold skim milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 (1 ounce) package sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1.Stir milk and instant pudding together until smooth.
2.Stir in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
3.Serve, or chill and then serve.
1 point per serving (for WW people)
Permalink2
Your body can not digest beef in less then 24 hours. So you should never eat beef 2 days in a row. It takes your body a long time and alot of work to break down the beef. So go ahead and eat beef because it is good for you and it burns calories but never 2 days in a row and trim off the fat.
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Low fat hellmans mayonase is 35 cal a tablespoon. Reg Hellmans is 90! That is alot especially when you are putting it in dressing etc. where you may use more then 1 tablespoon. It is good! But NEVER get no fat it is yucky! Diet pepsi no calories pepsi lots! It’s the little changes that make a huge difference!
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When you’re working out in a pool, the impact on your body is reduced to 10% of your body weight. Example: if you weigh 300 pounds, in the pool you only “weigh” 30 pounds, so that’s all the pressure you’re putting on your joints/feet.
Permalink5
I took a nutrition class a few years ago and it opened my eyes to all the icky stuff in foods. ANYTHING ‘fractionated’ or ‘hydrogentated’ is BAD for your body! The closer to the natural state for a food, the better it is for you. And SOY is in almost EVERY commercially baked good out there - SOY in excess in its processed state is NOT good for you.
There are 100 names for sugar - A lot of those nutrition bars are nothing more than different kinds of sugar (fructose, sucralose, dextrose (any -ose), and those are just empty carbs and cals.
FIBER is one of the best things you can give your body. Check fiber grams and eat whole foods, not processed. Low carb and whole wheat tortillas are a good alternative to bread or buns!
A lot of low fat or fat free foods are actually worse for you! They have more sugar and flour than the normal version. And you might think you can eat more because it says ‘fat free’. A LOT of times, the CALORIES are close or the same as the full fat versions!
I would recommend a nutrition class for everyone. It helps you make more nutritious choices.
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Ok, I want to kind of add to Kristin’s post. It is actually something that Sione said that has truthfully just slapped me in the face. He said he didn’t have time to work out but he had time to sit and watch TV for 3 hours a night. Now I get my butt outside and do cardio!! Also what I try to do is to eat until I’m NOT HUNGRY anymore instead of eat until I’m full. This helps a lot!!! Love the blog.
Permalink7
I’m a goof..
but did you know that cantaloupe has 100% of your daily need for vit A?! Cool, eh?
I’m really looking forward to everyone’s replies
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This may something everyone knows, but I learned that spot reducing doesn’t work. If you want to burn fat you must do cardio. Trying to eliminate saddlebags or a big belly by leg lifts or ab crunches ain’t gonna do it. You must do cardio and of course watch your food intake. Calories in and calories used is what it’s all about. Great idea Kristin. Can’t wait to see other replies.
Permalink9
this is something I actually started doing on my own a few weeks ago - avoiding carbs after mid day - we should never eliminate them altogether as they are our bodies main source of enerygy, however, they are harder to break down as our bodies go into their sleeping modes in the evenings. well, after making the decision to avoid carbs in the evening (with no supporting evidence), I got Jillian’s tip of the day on Friday which confirmed my new approach. It was about not eating carbs in the evening OR eating after 9pm. Also, we need at least 7 hours of sleep per night for our bodies to function properly, and that includes our metabolism. Speaking of, it’s midnight and I still need to drive home from my folks house. Yikes! night guys, have a great ON PLAN week.
Permalink10
I also took a nutrition class with the VA MOVE Program, veterans if your overweight the VA is helping all veterans with this problem. Call them and ask about the MOVE Program.
One of the many things I learned in this class was portion sizes. The dietitian took out plastic samples of sizes we should all be eating at meal times and they were vastly different than what I was used to eating. We all laughed in the class when we saw them. Your protein portion say at lunch or dinner should be no more than 3oz or roughly the size of a deck of playing cards. Your starch or carb portion should be no more than a half a cup. The greens portion on your plate should be your largest portion on your plate which helps fill you up and is low on calories. I’ve tried this limiting my calorie intake to 1800 or 2000 per day as a guy and 1300 to 1500 for the ladies and I’ve lost 25lbs in 4 weeks. I don’t get to much exercise as a disabled veteran but I do watch the calories that go into my body now more than ever. Also as you increase the fiber in your diet it is so much more important to drink a lot of water. The water and fiber together is what actually makes you feel full as it expands the fiber in your belly making you feel full faster and longer.
Thank you Kristin for doing this, I know I learned a lot already from the posters already and I hope to learn more as people post.
Permalink11
What a wonderful idea. I hear a lot from people that they don’t have “time,” but they all have time to watch tons of TV and surf the ‘Net, for sure.
The way I see it, if you want it, you make the time. People just have to decide what’s important to them.
An easy, quick healthy lunch: Skippy Natural chunky peanut butter on a slice of whole grain bread and some tomato soup with light feta cheese. Campbell’s Select Harvest tomato soup is pretty low in sodium for a canned soup. Just open and pour and then heat in the microwave at work.
Permalink12
“well, after making the decision to avoid carbs in the evening (with no supporting evidence), I got Jillian’s tip of the day on Friday which confirmed my new approach. It was about not eating carbs in the evening OR eating after 9pm.”
There is NO scientific evidence of this. I’ve lost quite a bit of weight and I eat carbs all day and if I’m hungry in the evening, I eat.
It’s calories in vs. calories out. If you have an issue with nighttime snacking that causes you to OVEReat if you eat too late, then you shouldn’t. Or if you’re uncomfortable sleeping with food in your stomach. But overall, when you eat has no bearing on whether you will burn the calories or not.
If you eat 1,500 calories at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m., your body will burn them the same.
Permalink13
I don’t know about you, but grocery shopping when you’re new to living a healthier lifestyle can be a challenge. We are constantly bombarded with “low-fat”, “fat-free”, “healthy”, “reduced”, “enriched” labels on just about everything out there. I found the following information to be very helpful, and in fact, I have it printed out and kept in my purse for a quick on-the-spot refresher when I’m in the market.
http://www.secretsofaformerfatgirl.com/2009/07/mental-monday.html
Permalink14
This is a great idea - just be careful with what advice you take. Everyone is different and what works for some may not work for others.
An interesting health fact about soda/pop/carbonated drinks: Your body has difficulty getting rid of carbonation. The only way it can rid the carbonation “molecules” is by attaching to calcium in your body. If there’s no reserve, it takes calcium from your bones.
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Turning to “diet” soda in order to lose weight and live a healthy life style is totally the wrong thing to do. According to Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com) and Dr. Oz from Oprah using artificial sweetners will in fact make you gain weight because the sweet taste satisfies the taste buds but the brain knows that it isn’t getting calories and makes you eat more later on. It stimulates your appetite, increases your carbohydrate cravings, and stimulates fat storage and weight gain. Aspartame and splenda and all of the other artificial sweetners cause more health issues and still don’t help you lose weight or cut calories. Why would you use it?
Permalink16
I have started trying to do all of my grocery shopping around the aisles. Occasionally, I’ll need something specific and need to go down an aisle, but for the most part now, I am trying to stick to things that are perishible and “fresh”. This automatically helps you get more whole foods and less processed junk : )
Also…another grocery store trick: when I am having a “bad weight loss week” and I am frustrated, I like to go over to the hamburger meat and pick up a pound of meat, or sometimes if they have one of those 10 lb. containers of it. It makes me feel better to see/feel how much 1 or 2 or 10 pounds looks like ; )
Permalink17
I have a question, i’m using a calorie tracker page and on there it tells me how many calories to eat in on e day, when i add my exercise for the day, it adds more calories available to me. why, do i get more calories if i exercise and should i stick to my base calorie intake or go ahead and eat those extra calories for exercise. i’m so confused
help please.
Permalink18
I didn’t know but a lot of the microwave ready soups are 2 servings so make sure to read your lables!!!! On everything!
Permalink19
Mary - regarding calories in vs. calories out - I start my day with a budget of 1300 calories. I eat those calories, then I exercise and burn 900 more. I am then left with a net of 400 calories in for the day. I need to eat 1300 calories JUST TO SURVIVE. So, I will generally eat at least 500 calories extra to offset some of my exercising. I don’t know if that’s ‘the proper way’ but I have been losing weight since I started doing it that way. When I WASN’T eating some of my exercise calories, I would actually GAIN weight. You can’t starve your body or it will retaliate and hang on to everything you give it. You have to eat enough to nourish your body and use the fuel for exercise and life in general.
So, my gross calories per day is around 1800-2000 depending. The calories I need just to be alive are 1300 and the calories I add because of exercise are 500-700. If I don’t exercise, I don’t eat the extra. But I need at LEAST 1300 calories just to support my basic life functions. (I am REALLY fat, so when I exercise I burn more).
Like I said, I don’t know if that’s right, I have tried to ask nutritionists and the internet the same thing. The best answer I have gotten is what I just typed. Eat your exercise cals. (I think even WW gives you extra food ‘points’ on their one program if you exercise - you get to eat extra the more you work out.)
Hope that sheds a little light.
Permalink20
As far as exercising goes, I have a tendency to do mine at night…while I watch tv. Instead of sitting on a couch, I sit on my exercise bike for an hour and pedal away. Watching tv makes the time pass quickly and if I make sure to watch intense shows (like Biggest Loser) I know I will get a REALLY good workout! There were times last season when I rode LONGER than an hour AND averaged over 14 mph! Whoo hoo!
Bottom line, fit it in wherever, whenever, however. Just do SOMETHING sweaty every day!
Permalink21
Ok I have two, the first one I just discovered a few min. ago. Ipod Nanos have a stopwatch feature in the EXTRA menu, it even times laps and records each set so for those of us who run intervals or laps, you can jam on your tunes and time yourself all at the same time!
Secondly Being overweight reduces your body’s ability to process and use certain vitamins like D. Most obese people are Vitamin D deficient because instead of using it, it gets stored in our fat cells. Taking a multi vitamin with D is not sufficient for those who test with low numbers. A D deficiency can cause serious problems like chest, muscle and joint pain, increased risk of breast and colon cancer,tiredness, early onset of osteoporosis and aggravate a slew of auto-immune disorders like Lupus (like me!). Get checked out next time u go for a physical if your overweight!
Permalink22
Okay, you guys might laugh at me, BUT…the last thing I learned that I thought was AWESOME…well…let’s start at the beginning!
I am a CHOCOLATE HOUND! I love my some warm gooey fudge. Mmmm. Anyway, not so GOOD for a lifestyle change. WITH that said, I was researching alternatives to chocolate and found that having sex with your husband (or wife) releases the SAME endorphins chocolate does- WITHOUT THE CALORIES! IN FACT- you BURN calories in the process! HOW AMAZING IS THAT! If that doesn’t jumpstart your sex life, I DON’T KNOW WHAT WILL!
Sorry if that is a little TMI…lol…
HAPPY WEIGHT LOSS, AND I LOVE ALL THESE FACTS!
Permalink23
Oh WOW Alexis!! I had NO CLUE! That is so interesting!
Permalink24
Wow Kristin, you are so very right, I think we do spend a lot of time saying we don’t have time to work out, but we do sit in front of the computer for hours on end. I never really thought about it that way. here is my lil thing I found out about…
The Wii is a great thing! I love doing Wii sports and I have lost weight doing them with my husband, it even has a daily program to see how you are doing and if you are improving. Next i plan to get a Wii fit, its something I can do at home on those days when I can’t go to the gym.
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Ali, that just totally made my day! I’m half tempted to get a workout shirt that says “SEX - the calorie free chocolate!”
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I wear a pedometer from the moment I get out of bed in the morning until the moment I get in bed at night. I don’t go to bed until I have at least 10K steps. Sometimes I “jog” in front of the tv on a trampoline in order to get in the remainder of the steps. I’ve been doing this all of 2009 and that has helped me lose weight and keep it off. I made up my mind that it is not optional.
Permalink27
Exercise Boosts Brainpower
Not only does exercise improve your body, it helps your mental function, says certified trainer David Atkinson.
“Exercise increases energy levels and increases serotonin in the brain, which leads to improved mental clarity,” says Atkinson, director of program development for Cooper Ventures, a division of the Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas.
All that makes for a more productive day.
“It is clear that those who are active and who exercise are much more productive at work,” says Todd A. Astorino, assistant professor of kinesiology at California State University-San Marcos.
Improved productivity not only makes you a better worker, it makes things better for everyone in the workplace. Companies with less wasted work hours and less sick time end up with lower health care costs — and an improved bottom line, Astorino says.
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Diannebee, thanks so much for answering this.
well i’m quite heavy too and that’s my base calories 1500 and then i’ve been exercising quite a bit and lost 22 pounds in 7 weeks and i’m really not that hungry to eat the exercise calories. someone told me to eat those calories or else your body goes into starvation mode like you mention so he told me to eat protien bar to add those calories, he said it makes a difference not just the number of calories but the food that your eating. you can’t eat 2000 calories a day or 1500 in mcdonalds and be healthy even if you lose weight. lol i think he’s right. have a nice day and thank you again. if anybody else has more info on this please let me know 
Permalink29
maybe kristin has some knowledge on this topic and can at some time write in the blog about it. love ya kristin!
Permalink30
Ijust read this in Health magazine (July/August 2009 pg. 28). The article says the following:
“The time you exercise is as important as the moves you do–and mornings get top marks. Researchers at Bangor University in the UK found that people exercise longer and harder in the A.M., possibly because that’s when they feel more alert and energetic. That’s good to know because highter-intensity workouts make it easier to burn calories and tone your body. Don’t do mornings? Fit in some exercise right after work.”
I am not a morning person, so it is best for me to exercise in the evening after work, but thought this was an interesting bit of information to share. Good luck to everyone!
Permalink31
Plateau Breaking: I have been tracking my calories and exercise for over 3 years. I have slowly and steadily lost 45 lbs. The trick? Overcoming weight-loss plateaus by continually changing my exercise routine EVERY 6 WEEKS! Add something new (Pilates, Hip Hop Dance, Yoga), increase my weights, do intervals, etc.
Permalink32
Kristin, I listened to your conference call this evening and am so struck by your positivity. I have nearly 200 lbs to lose. I know that the keys to doing so are eating right and moving alot more. I know that I can do this at home, if I’d just DO IT! The one asset I see for being a participant on TBL is that there is someone there pushing me beyond what I believe my limits are, to show me how much more I can do. I am not in a situation that I can afford a personal trainer, and I have no idea what I am doing exercise wise (obviously, or I wouldn’t need to lose so much).
What are your thoughts on Bob pushing you beyond what you thought you could do, and how that empowered you to believe in yourself and really give all that you could?
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QUESTION 4 EVERYONE?
If you were to make a workout CD what would be the songs that you would put on it?
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Mary!
Great job on the 22 pound loss! YAY!
I know I am less hungry when I am good about exercising. But I have hunger issues: my hypothyroidism makes me less hungry for some reason. A lot of the time it’s hard for me to know when I should eat, because I am just not hungry. So eating enough fuel for my workouts is hard for me too.
Again, wonderful on your weight loss! Keep up the great work!
Permalink35
Renee, I tried finding you on facebook from your blog, however, it doesn’t link to your name and i couldn’t find your last name.
I’ve actually been told by Nutritionalists, my personal trainer and doctors that you should NOT eat late because your metabolism does slow over night as it goes into fasting mode and therefore doesn’t burn as efficiently. Now your body does burn calories as you sleep, don’t get me wrong, however, some foods are harder to process than others. I try (doesn’t always happen), but I try to stick to a lean protein (fish, turkey, chicken) for dinner with a veggie (preferrably green because that’s what i like).
I don’t do that because I have a problem with late night eating (yes, I used to eat late at night, but it wasn’t like I was binging, it was just bad foods) - but whether it be in my caloric range or not, it slowed the process.
I’m seeing much more success now that I’m avoiding eating late in the evenings (after 7-8pmish). If I am hungry for something I grab some strawberries (which are considered a negative calorie food) or I’ll grab some lunch meat (which I just love by itself as a snack) I am also fond of sliced cucumbers and such.
Permalink36
OH-
and Alexis, that is interesting info that i didn’t know. I actually received lab results showing a deficient Vitamin D about 1 year ago, and the doctor never related it to my obesity, however, that does make sense. I hate that they don’t tell you these things unless you ask or hear it somewhere else and then inquire. I was just told to take supplements and be in the sun more. I did find that the deficiency actually has a lot of the same side effects as my Hypothyroidism, which is fatigue, achiness, iritability, muscle and joint pains, etc.
Thanks for the fact find.
Permalink37
“If you eat 1,500 calories at 10 a.m. or 10 p.m., your body will burn them the same”
Also not a true statement. Your body needs fuel throughout the day which keeps your metabolism running full steam - whenever, you bulk all you calories in at one time the rest of the day your body is thinking it’s being deprived. Yes your body will work to break down what you’ve eaten as it has to process your foods, BUT, not as efficiently. Most people aren’t nearly as active in the evenings as they are throughout the day which also helps to burn away calories. you’ll see a LOT better results if you eat throughout the day to keep yourself energized and having something to “feed on” so to speak. Especially if you are working out, your body needs that periodic energy to give you the strength to get through your workouts.
Permalink38
I was thinking the very same thing, Mesha!
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Diannebee, thanks! I also have tyroid problems, and it’s true what you say. Also blood pressure and i take medicine for it. My doctor after much battling with him reduced my medicine to 1 a day, cause i would take one in the morning and one at night. I asked him if i would be able once i lost all the weight to get off all my medicines and he said, we will see but it’s better you stay on them for life , in case you gain the weight back. lol i thought what a LOSER! I guess i’ll be looking for a new doctor! to everyone have a great day!
Permalink40
thank you! I really liked this post!