Does your strategy support your structure? Part 3

Physical Activity
We have mapped our nutritional needs, now we get to start the activity part of our journey. First, start off slow in your new physical activity. Start off slow...yes repeat this to yourself through out the coming weeks and month. I tell my patients not to expect to feel better overnight if they've been hurting for 10 years, but in a similar way, by taking small steps you WILL be successful changing your lifestyle. As we start this new journey, we are going to give ourselves 21 days to form this new healthy habit. Most experts agree that 21 days is the magic number to form a new habit. We are going to count down our 21 days by picking 3 days each week to exercise. Remember, we are starting slow. Once we pick those 3 days a week to go to the gym, play basketball, ride your bike or whatever the chosen activity is we will make this into our healthy habit. If you choose riding a bike or running, start with a small distance then build each time you go back out. Start running a 1/2 mile working your way up to a mile...relax, have fun and realize this is not a sprint to finish first, but a marathon where finishing is all that counts.

I encourage each person to start setting short and long term goals.I typically suggest the short term goals to be based on small accomplishments in the gym such as adding 5 minutes to your cardio time each week or adding 10lbs to your specific exercise. If you have chosen a sport such as basketball, start off with making 10 free throws and working up to making 20 free throws each time you play.The long term goals should be based on body composition, clothing size or some type of competition you have chosen to enter. If your long term goal is
based off body composition you will want to have your body fat checked before
beginning your new exercise regime. The most reliable body fat tester is the hand held bioelectrical impedance, as this has the highest intra-examinar reliability. There are several other ways to have your body fat checked, but the bioelectrical impedance is still the most reliable and easiest access at your local gym. Now we have a specific goal to lose "x" percentage of fat within 12 weeks.

The final, most important part of making any lifestyle transition is a support system. Share your goals with a friend, find an exercisebuddy, or comment on this blog to share your goals.

If you have questions, feel free to e-mail me at drsmithlssg@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jonathan Smith

Does your strategy support your structure?

• First let's address that nasty four letter word we all hate...DIET. This word conjures up negative feelings in the majority of people that hear it or use it on a regular basis. We all know Debbie Diet or Danny Diet, they are always dieting, following the new fad, yo-yoing with their weight up and down. It is a constant cycle of them losing 10lbs then gaining 15lbs right back. The reason is they have yet to embark on a Nutritional Lifestyle Change. That's right a lifestyle change, implementing healthier choices into the day-to-day food choices. They are unaware of their daily food balance, because they haven't done the first step in tackling this new lifestyle change...Keep a Journal.
• Keep a journal for 7 days of everything you eat or drink. DO NOT ALTER your food intake until you have done a 7-day Journal. Be honest, the point is not to judge or break your spirit, but to create that ever important blue print of your nutritional lifestyle. Without using the map of our nutritional lifestyle change how can we ever expect to get where we are going?
• Once we have tracked our nutritional intake over 7 days, we can now start creating the map to the new healthier you. To do this we need to figure out the following information.
• Daily caloric need. There are several websites that can help you figure out you daily needs. I like the following websites: Calorie Calculator or Mayo Calculator .
• Even the government is changing their thought on food. Here is the new food pyramid.
• The USDA even provides a free food plan guide can be found here.
• Here are some good links to sites that have free recipes books and abundant food options: Low Fat Lifestyle, Diabetes Food List and Menu Planner.

If you have further questions feel free to email me at drsmithlssg@gmail.com.

Stay tuned for the next step in planning your strategy.

Does your strategy support your structure?

We are officially one month into 2009. What have you accomplished over the past month? Did you take the steps to accomplish your 2009 resolutions? Are you creating the right structure to support your strategy, and not the right strategy to support your structure? If your goal is to stop watching TV and you have a TV in every room, how can you not watch TV? However if you take the TVs out of the rooms or change the room to limit the ease of watching TV you are creating the right structure to support your new strategy?

This simple principle is something you can apply to any goal or New Year's resolution. As a long time gym member I know the first 3-4 weeks of the New Year will always double or triple the members in the gym, however come February 1st 90% of those new gym members will be history. They strike while the iron is hot, yet their plan is short sighted as they have jumped into the gym head first working out 4-5 days a week, weighing themselves daily...waiting, watching to see how many pounds they have lost from the day before. They join the new "Biggest Loser" challenge at work, and start sprinting to the finish line, not realizing it is a marathon, it is a lifestyle change. The strategy is weight loss, the structure is sore muscles, little to no change in weight, and worst frustration that their efforts are not rewarded as those on TV. Over the next coming weeks I will discuss creating the structure to support your strategy.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jonathan Smith, DC