Monday, December 21, 2009

How much walking does it take to burn off those festive goodies?

Considering having a second helping of Christmas pudding with brandy custard? This article gives you a short approximate guide to how much walking you have to do to equal the number of calories/kilojoules consumed at your festive gatherings.

The chart below shows the energy burned typically by someone at 73kg in weight. The calorie (kilojoules) expenditure will vary depending on the intensity level, body weight, exercise performed, duration and the individual.

Below are some popular festive goodies and the walking needed to burn it off
Serving size Yummy Christmas fare Approx. energy consumed Total fat (approx.) Approx. amount of activity
75g medium slice Christmas cake 270 calories or 1130kjs 11gfat 1 hr 15 min walk at 5.6 km p/h
100g medium slice Panettone 365 calories or 1520kjs 13gfat 1 hr 34 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
100g Roast turkey (meat and skin) 170 calories or 710kjs 6.5gfat 45 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
100g Roast turkey (lean meat, no skin) 150 calories or 630kjs 4gfat 40 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
50g thick slice Ham 70 calories or 290kjs 4gfat 15 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
100g Pork (meat and fat) 215 calories or 900kjs 14gfat 55 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
100g Pork (lean meat only) 195 calories or 810kjs 13gfat 50 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
1 cup (250g) Brandy Custard 265 calories or 1095kjs 6gfat 1 hr 10 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h
100g Xmas pudding 340 calories or 1420kjs 11gfat 1 hr 30 min medium paced walk at 5.6 km p/h

You can make a difference to your waistline AFTER Christmas by thinking twice about that second serving and opting for some healthier choices of fruit, salads, seafood and lean meats.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Merry Christmas This is my heartfelt wish to my friends and family for the holidays

May you have much happiness over the holidays. It has been an honour to know and learn from you in 2009.
May you give to yourself everyday.
May your “time off” be just that.
May you enjoy the challenge of being out of your comfort zone.
May you commit to a plan and the required action to achieve your dreams.
May you believe in yourself and fear less.
May you eat well and move everyday.
May you Laugh without loudly and regularly without hesitation.
May you love with passion.
May you be proud of the person in the mirror.
May you continue to dream bigger and brighter.
May you take the time to play.
May you work smarter and not harder.
May you feed your body well to add more time and quality to your life.
May you feel the fear and do it anyway.
May you take the time to travel and soak up the wealth and knowledge of other people and places.
May you smile, laugh, dance and sing.
May you persevere through the stretch and struggle to reach success.
May you turn all your obstacles into opportunities.
May you achieve your goals for 2010.
Merry Christmas from Chris.

7 Tips to surviving Christmas and still have fun

Do you think you may just blow your waistline over the holidays? Faced with lots of yummy food at this time of year? You can survive the silly season and enjoy your Christmas without looking like Santa by January 1.
1. Don’t eat unless you are hungry and stop eating when you are full. Does not get any clearer than that. In fact, if you take no other tips away with you, this will be the best piece of advice I can give you.
2. Don’t stop exercising because it is Christmas. If you are not already exercising regularly then don’t wait till the January 1 to start. January 1 turns into January 31 and the little doona cover around your middle gets larger so get started today. The best exercise you can do is the one that you enjoy doing. The holidays are a great time to get a game of backyard or beach cricket, volleyball or footy going. Stay cool with some beach activities or pool games. The list is endless of how much you can do that will keep you moving and is fun.
3. Drink more water. The amounts of food and alcohol we consume can be less if you drink 1 glass of water before eating and 1 glass of water between each alcoholic beverage.
4. Choose healthier and lower fat foods where possible. Choose barbequed and fresh foods over deep fried and processed foods.
5. Treat yourself to smaller amounts of party food.
6. Avoid picking at food for no good reason. Get into the Christmas spirit with activities that keep your busy. Keep moving by chatting, dancing, playing games with the kids, socializing and assisting to clean up.
7. Bring lots of healthy low fat meals and treats to the events you attend. Be mindful of the pasta and potato salads as these can be loaded with high fat dressings. By bringing along healthy food you will be helping your family and friends keep the scales down as well.

You can make a difference to the size of your bits after the silly season. Get into the habit of exercising and eating healthy now and you will survive Christmas with your body looking good and you feeling fantastic forever.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Fitness on a shoestring budget.

Are you using the current economic climate as the reason not to exercise? You may be doing it tough, but Australia is becoming soft around the middle as a result of deskbound work, increased reliance on our vehicles for transportation, fast food, and technology that makes things easier. It is a perfect recipe for the expanding girth of our population.
“Don’t use the justification that you have no money as the excuse not to be healthy” says Chris Bakens from Healthy Executives. “The truth is, you do not need lots of cash to get fit. You just need the desire to want to make a difference to your health and fitness and transform your sedentary lifestyle.”
Investing time on your health now will give you a healthy way of life, and put you in a better financial position by preventing costly health problems later.
There are 7 tips below to get started today for little or no money at all.
1. Exercise in the comfort of your own home. Exercise DVD’s or some of the Pay TV channels have regular programs that focus on getting you moving. If you don’t have any of these available to you, then join your local Library and borrow them, and what’s more...it’s FREE.
2. Your local community parks have pathways to walk and run as well as fixed equipment to exercise. Check out your local council website or service desk to find out where. All you will need to get started is to have some comfortable clothing you can move in, supportive footwear and slip, slop, slap.
3. FREE group exercise. Most of the major capital cities have regular group fitness activities that are run by their local councils. It is also worthwhile checking out some of the major privatized parklands in your city for FREE exercise programs (E.g. Southbank parklands).
4. Include your family. Get outside with your kids. Dust off the bikes in the shed, shoot some hoops, kick the footy or play some tag. Nothing exudes happiness more than some quality time with the people who mean the most to you in life. Take a trip to the beach this week-end to go for walks on the beach, beach cricket, body board some surf, or beach soccer.
5. Surf the Internet. Want some FREE advice on how to get started on an exercise program? There are many FREE programs available to you at a press of a button and awaiting you to take action.
6. Weights workout with no fancy equipment. You can work your legs at the gym using the leg press, but unless you are planning on pushing rocks up a hill, you can’t really apply it to every-day life. Use body weight to become mentally and physically stronger. Push ups, dips, chin ups, squats, and lunges will give you are more efficient and balanced body in regard to appearance and function.
7. Group fitness at work. Get a bunch of your work colleagues together for a regular run or walk at the park. Seek the guidance of a qualified Personal Trainer to come to your workplace or Local Park to monitor and guide you with your program and give you the accountability you require.
In summary: The military have a simple philosophy: improvise, adapt and overcome. It refers to every situation of everything you do. If it is too cold to exercise, then put an extra layer on, if it is too hot to exercise then drink more water or participate in some water activities. Whatever your circumstances, it is your goal to improvise, adapt and overcome and get your workouts done.

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