Gym60 12-Week Family Walking Plan

Posted on May 8, 2011

The key to becoming more healthy lies in making small, gradual lifestyle changes.  By setting modest goals, you can ensure that new exercise and diet practices become habits, rather than arduous chores that you give up on after a few days.

The Gym60 Family Walking Plan is designed to slowly increase your family’s level of physical activity, while also changing just a few of your family’s eating patterns.  (Please note that if you are not interested in weight loss, you should skip the calorie cutting section of the plan.)

Ultimately, you are in charge of your own health, and your health goals should be tailored to your own preferences and fitness levels.  Consult your family physician before embarking upon any drastic changes to your exercise routine or diet.

Before beginning the Gym60 12-Week Family Walking Plan, we recommend that you and your family spend a week tracking your daily steps on Gym60′s web application, as well as tracking your daily caloric intake.  You can download a printable daily food log here. The purpose of this logging is to find out what your family’s baseline levels of activity and food intake are so that you set realistic goals.  For instance, if your daily step average is around 2,000, you should begin by trying to increase it to 3,000, rather than 10,000.  Similarly, if you are trying to lose weight, you should start by cutting 200 calories from your daily intake, rather than 700 calories.  (To determine what your family’s daily caloric needs are, try this free calorie calculator.)

Use a variety of methods to get your daily steps on.  Don’t just walk the same route every time–try visiting local parks, or exploring new neighborhoods.  Day trips and hikes are another excellent way to make walking more fun.  With a little imagination, you’ll find the right ways to make walking fun for you and yours.

Gym60′s 12-Week Family Walking Plan

Week 1: Increase your baseline daily step average by 1,000.  Cut your daily caloric intake by 100.

Week 2: Increase your baseline daily step average by 1,500.  Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 150.

Week 3: Increase your baseline daily step average by 2,000.  Cut your daily caloric intake by 200.

Week 4: Increase your baseline daily step average by 2,500. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 200.  Incorporate one new “Healthy Habit” into your family’s weekly routine.

You’ve made it through the month!  Celebrate this milestone with a family barbecue.

Week 5: Increase your baseline daily step average by 3,000. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 250.

Week 6: Increase your baseline daily step average by 3,500. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 250. Incorporate a second “Healthy Habit” into your family’s weekly routine.

Week 7: Increase your baseline daily step average by 4,000. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 300.

Week 8: Increase your baseline daily step average by 4,500. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 300. Incorporate a third “Healthy Habit” into your family’s weekly routine.

You’ve gone two months on the plan!  Take your family out to the movies.

Week 9: Increase your baseline daily step average by 5,000. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 350.

Week 10: Increase your baseline daily step average by 5,500. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 400. Incorporate a fourth “Healthy Habit” into your family’s weekly routine.

Week 11: Increase your baseline daily step average by 6,000.  Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 450.

Week 12: Increase your baseline daily step average by 6,500. Cut your baseline daily caloric intake by 500*. Incorporate a fifth “Healthy Habit” into your family’s weekly routine.

You’ve made it all the way through the plan, and you should be proud.  Throw yourselves a party!  You’ve earned it.

*Cutting your daily caloric intake by 500 will result in, on average, the loss of 1 pound per week.
Photo credit: Lee J. Haywood, “A Family Walking,” April 26, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Top 10 Tips for Baking Healthier Treats

Posted on May 6, 2011

We all love baked goods, but they don’t love us!  Even small treats can pack a heavy dose of sugar and fat, making it all too easy for us to exceed our recommended daily caloric intakes with just a few tasty bites.  However, you needn’t give up on baked goods completely.  Below are some tips for making your family’s favorite desserts a bit healthier.

10.  Use a high fiber flour to partially replace white flour in recipes, such as whole-wheat flour.  Whole-wheat flour, while heavier than white flour, also contains more nutrients.  Don’t substitute whole-wheat flour for all the white flour in your recipe, however, or your baked goods will be more leaden than hockey pucks.

9.  Cut sodium.  Many dessert recipes call for more salt than is actually needed.  Try using a mere 1/4 tsp of salt in most recipes instead of the amount that is called for.  You can always add more salt if the flavor is not to your liking.

8.  Use oil in place of butter.  Most pastry and cake recipes call for large amounts of butter.  Replace some of the butter in your recipe with an unsaturated fat, such as canola oil.

7.  Use applesauce in place of fat.  You can also replace some of the fat called for in your desserts with applesauce, which contributes a pleasant texture while also pumping up your dessert’s fiber content.  Not to mention, it’s fat-free!

6.  Skip the frosting, pass the sugar.  Frosting is a virtual smorgasbord of unwanted calories.  Try dusting your desserts with powdered sugar instead.

5.  Cut nuts.  Fat-filled nuts can significantly boost the calorie count of your cookies and cakes.  Try making your dessert without nuts, or toasting a smaller amount of nuts before adding them to your batter.  Toasting will enhance the flavor of the nuts, ensuring that you don’t need to use as much to achieve the taste you desire.

4.  Use only 75% of the amount of sugar that is called for. In most cases, this will not drastically alter the flavor of your desserts–but it will cut down on their calorie count.

3.  Say hello to yogurt.  Yogurt has a number of applications in baking–you can substitute it for milk, butter or buttermilk, and you can also use in place of sour cream.  Its light, tangy flavor can add zest to breads, coffee cakes, pastries and more.

2.  Replace eggs with egg substitute.  Eliminating eggs completely from your recipe will likely throw off the texture of your dessert, but you should be able to use egg substitute to replace at least half the amount of eggs called for–which means that you can cut down the amount of fat in your recipe considerably.

1.  Use cocoa instead of chocolate.  By substituting dry cocoa for chocolate, you can reduce your recipe’s saturated fat and sugar content.  Simply mix the cocoa in with your dry ingredients, add a tablespoon of water to your wet ingredients, and blend.

Photo credit: scubadive67, “Cookie, Anyone?,” April 9, 2006 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Using Your Pup to Drop the Pounds

Posted on May 6, 2011

Walking can be a powerful weight loss tool.  Just ask Abby Austin, who used walking to shed 41 pounds.

Austin, who shared her story on That’s Fit.com’s success story page, was inspired to walk by the present of a dog that her husband gave her for Christmas.

“I became active just by taking Emma for walks and practicing obedience. But I wasn’t deliberately incorporating fitness into my lifestyle until my coworker and close friend pointed out my weight loss. I had “accidentally” lost 11 pounds,” Austin wrote.

This “accidental” weight loss spurred Austin to kick up her walking.

“By the time spring rolled around, I had lost 22 pounds by walking five to six times a week and practicing Pilates four to five,” Austin wrote.

Austin also made changes to her diet.  With time, the pounds rolled away.  Now she is preparing to hike the Wonderland Trail, a hundred-mile trail that circles Washington’s Mt. Rainier.

Why not emulate Austin and take your pooch for a spin today?  You may “accidentally” lose some weight of your own.

Photo credit: o5com, “Walking for Weight Loss,” October 18, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Using Walking to Improve Your Relationships

Posted on May 6, 2011

The stress of daily life can often take a toll on our relationships.  Lack of sleep promotes irritability, while life’s little nuisances can leave us feeling drained, tense and depressed.

However, there are steps we can take to combat these feelings.  According to the Mayo Clinic article “7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity,” moderate daily exercise can help you to:

  • Feel and look more confident;
  • Prevent or reduce the symptoms of chronic diseases;
  • Keep your body looking fit and attractive;
  • Feel more energetic;
  • Sleep more soundly;
  • Increase your interest in physical intimacy;
  • Have more fun.

When you’re feeling happy, confident, healthy, attractive, energized and well-rested, it’s far more likely that you’ll take an increased interest in those around you–your spouse, children, parents, friends and co-workers.  You’ll have the energy to give these relationships the attention that they need.

In return, your loved ones will be delighted to spend time with the new you.  You’ll not only reap the tangible rewards of exercise; you’ll also gain new and sustaining intimacy in your personal relationships.

You can read more about exercise and relationships here:

Photo credit: Mike Baird, “Couple Take Self-Photo,” October 3, 2007 via Flickr, Creatve Commons Attribution.

Walking and Type II Diabetes

Posted on May 6, 2011

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, exercise is key to helping Type II diabetics manage their condition.  Exercise lowers blood sugar naturally, improves blood pressure and circulation, increases the likelihood of weight loss, lessens insulin resistance and lowers stress.

Walking is one of the best exercises for Type II diabetics to do, as it is free, low-impact and easy for almost anybody to do.

A quick search around the Internet reveals that many Type II diabetics have used exercise to improve their health.

Melodie Cotton and Cathy Burke

In a recent interview posted on St. Anthony’s Medical Center of St. Louis’ web site, Melodie Cotton and Cathy Burke shared how walking helped them to lose weight and feel better.  They started by walking together daily at lunch for 20 minutes, and soon were able to increase their exercise levels and shed pounds.

USA Weekend ran a story last year on Type II diabetes success stories.  They profiled the Kemps, a couple who have used diet and exercise improvements to collectively lose 339 pounds.  They also profiled Stuart Berlin, a diabetic who used his love of biking to completely eliminate his need for diabetes medication.

For a more personal take on diabetes and exercise, you can check out Jack Ridings’ blog about his experiences, “How I Beat Type II Diabetes.”

Pat Bowen used physical exercise and yoga to manage his diabetes.  You can watch his story below:

If you’re feeling discouraged with your exercise program, take a moment to review these wonderful stories.  You really can change how you feel with exercise–mentally, physically and emotionally.  Why not start today?

Photo credit: Bryan Gosline, “Walking the Straight Line,” October 6, 2006 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

20 Easy Ways to Add Healthy Habits to Your Family’s Routine

Posted on May 6, 2011

Little changes to your family’s routine can have a huge impact on their health.  Try incorporating a few of these suggestions into your daily life–you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what a big difference they will make to your family’s well-being.

20.  Eat oatmeal.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, eating a diet that is rich in fiber can help lower your cholesterol levels.  In addition, eating fiber-heavy foods like oatmeal for breakfast will help you to feel full all morning, reducing your desire for sugary snacks.  Dress up oatmeal with delicious, antioxidant-packed dried fruits or Vitamin E-rich raw nuts.

19. Do your own gardening and lawncare. To sculpt strong, shapely arms, mow your lawn with a push mower, and do your own weeding.

18.  Trade out your current dishes for smaller ones. Smaller plates will trick you into serving your family smaller portions–a key move if you are interested in weight loss.

17.  Get off the bus a few blocks before you need to. Even a few extra minutes of walking every day will help to relax you, as well as improve your cardiovascular health.

16.  Switch to skim or non-fat milk and yogurt. You can keep all the protein and calcium benefits of dairy products while losing the extra calories.

15.  Eat more chili. Beans are inexpensive, filling, and packed with fiber and protein, making them an excellent alternative to more expensive, fattening proteins, such as red meat.

14.  Walk, don’t ride. If your destination is within walking distance, why not stroll there with your family, instead of taking the car?  You won’t save time, but you will save gas money.

13.  Do crunches or squats during the commercials while you watch TV. Short bursts of exercise while you relax with your favorite programs will help to build muscle tone and strength.

12.  Leave the skins on fruits and vegetables.  Fruit and vegetable skins often contain high amounts of nutrients and fiber.  Save yourself kitchen labor while boosting your family’s antioxidant levels by leaving fruits and vegetables unpeeled.

11.  Do chores as a family. Doing household chores will provide your family with aerobic exercise that also makes your home look and feel more pleasant.

10.  Hide the good stuff. Store sugary or fatty snacks out of sight on high shelves.  Place healthy snacks like fresh fruit or vegetables in plain sight.  Your snacking habits will improve in no time.

9.  Take a walk together after dinner. A walk around the block after dinner will burn calories and give your family time to digest and bond.

8.  Stand up when you talk on the phone. Take the time while chatting to stretch your muscles or do simple exercises, such as leg lifts.

7.  Drink a glass of water before and after you eat. Water will help you to hydrate as well as feel more full, which prevents over-eating.

6.  Install a pull-up bar in one of your home’s doorways. You’ll find yourself doing pull-ups as you pass through it.  Pull-ups are invaluable for toning the arms and stomach.

5.  Take the stairs, not the elevator. Encourage your family to go the extra mile.  Their legs will thank you!

4.  Replace soda with water or pure fruit juice. Soda is full of empty calories, while pure fruit juices provide your family with the vitamins they need to flourish.

3.  Use elbow grease, not technology. To burn extra calories, use a rake instead of a leaf blower.  Shovel snow by hand, instead of using a snow blower.

2.  Stand up straight and proud.  Maintaining good posture will help you and your family to strengthen your core muscles, as well as prevent back problems later in life.  You’ll also look thinner and more confident.

1.  Don’t worry if you have a hard time keeping up your new healthy habit.  It’s natural to struggle with lifestyle changes, especially if you have a busy schedule.  If you slip up and make an unhealthy decision, don’t chastise yourself–just make a better decision next time.

Photo credit: Steve Polyak, “Family,” July 2, 2006 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Make it Fun: Milage Contests & Scavenger Hunts

Posted on May 6, 2011

A milage club is a great way to motivate yourself to keep exercising.  Use your pedometer to track your daily steps, and convert these into miles.  Give yourself a reward for every five miles walked.  Celebrate milestones, such as walking 15, 20 or 50 miles.  Possible rewards include:

  • A trip to somewhere you enjoy, such as the bowling alley, zoo or park;
  • A milestone pizza or pool party;
  • A new pair of sneakers, socks or shoelaces.

You could also rack up the miles by staging your own scavenger hunt.  Make up a checklist of small items, and hide them in multiple outdoor locations in your local park or along your favorite trail.  Distribute the checklists to your scavenger hunt participants, and set a time limit.  Try using small, inexpensive items like toothpicks, stickers or figurines.

If you don’t have time to assemble and hide a number of scavenger hunt items, you could search for items already found in nature.   This checklist from Diva Girls Parties & Stuff.com has some good suggestions.  Leaves, flowers, rocks, clovers and feathers all make for natural, easily locatable clues.

Conclude the scavenger hunt with a party for all participants–perhaps a picnic or barbecue.  Award prizes to the winning team, and congratulate all the players on their new pedometer totals.

Ongoing Events in the Campbell County School District

Posted on May 6, 2011

Campbell County School District Master Calendar: Your one-stop guide to finding fun elementary and secondary school events, from track meets to raffles!

Downtown Walking Tour: Guided tours of downtown Gillette designed to teach residents and visitors about the history of Gillette by “walking where the pioneers walked.”  Open to all.

Gillette Community Races listings: Check here to find out about the Razor City Splash & Dash Triathlon, the Nurses’ 5K Run, and more.

Lakeview Activities Club: An after-school walking club that meets at Lakeview Elementary.  Open to all grades and to community members.

Prairie Wind After-School Physical Activities: A program that is open to students from grades K-6.  Activities include basketball, volleyball, soccer, agility ball, walking club, step boxes and geomats.

Photo credit: Mike Baird, “Two Kids Playing,” December 2, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Wyoming Department of Transportation Pledges Almost $1 Million To Safe Routes to School

Posted on May 6, 2011

 

This April, the Wyoming Department of Transportation granted $975, 728 towards creating safe walking routes for schoolchildren in nine communities: Cheyenne, Chugwater, Evanston, Big Horn, Shoshoni, Pinedale, Burlington, Cowley and Lovell.

According to the Casper Star-Tribune, these funds will be channeled through the Safe Routes to School program, which gives money to communities that need to repair or install sidewalks so that children can safely travel on foot or by bike to school.  The purpose of this program is to encourage children to be more active, so as to fight against the rising epidemic of childhood obesity.

The program also works to educate children and parents about pedestrian safety.  In addition, communities can use these funds to purchase and distribute bikes and bike helmets, or to hold special events promoting exercise.

Some communities, such as Cheyenne and Big Horn, will use their funds primarily to improve sidewalk infrastructure.  Other towns, such as Cowley and Lovell, will focus on educational projects and recreational events.

Photo credit: Kei Noguchi, “I’ve Got a New Bike,” October 11, 2009 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

How Far Will You Go?

Posted on May 4, 2011

Your pedometer can be a gateway to better health, elevated moods, weight loss, increased concentration and more.  By tracking your steps, you can set realistic exercise goals, as well as celebrate milestones in your journey towards a more active lifestyle.

According to the Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health: Adolescents and Young Adults, children benefit from regular, moderate exercise in the following ways:

  • Their bones, joints, and muscles are strengthened;
  • They are more likely to maintain a healthy weight;
  • Their muscle tone is improved;
  • They can avoid contracting conditions such as high blood pressure or hypertension, which may cause more serious health problems later in life.

Walking is one of the easiest low-impact exercises for children to incorporate into their lives.  Of course, adults benefit from walking as well.  According to the Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, adults who exercise regularly can reap the following rewards:

  • Lower risk of premature mortality;
  • Lower risk for illnesses such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, colon cancer and hypertension;
  • Reduced anxiety and depression;
  • Enhanced performance on daily tasks.

The same study also states that short bursts of exercise are just as helpful for improving health as longer sessions.  In other words, three ten-minute walks will do your heart just as much good as a half-hour stroll.  Try adding a few short trips to your daily routine–a walk around the block after dinner, or a brisk five-minute saunter on your lunch break.  Your pedometer will keep track of all these little trips, and you’ll be amazed at how much exercise you can sneak into your day!

Photo credit: Elizabeth/Table4Five, “Walking to School,” September 4, 2007, Creative Commons Attribution.