Corporate Fitness and Active Aging

This blog was written by Anna Hiple. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

We’re right in the heart of blueberry season, so it’s a great opportunity to look at what makes this delicious summertime favorite so nutritious.

Blueberries are constantly receiving positive press, and deservedly so: their antioxidant power ranks them among the top “super foods” that provide vital health benefits. According to WebMD and the American Dietetic Association, blueberries boast the power to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and high cholesterol, and can benefit the immune system, cognitive function, eye health, and digestion. Their antioxidant content and high levels of fiber; vitamins A, E, and C; potassium; and manganese provide these benefits.

Are Blueberries a New Secret Weight Loss Weapon?

If the previously mentioned health benefits weren’t enough to send you hurrying to the produce section of the nearest supermarket, what about the fact that a recent study has shown promise for the blueberry in its ability to fight obesity on a molecular level? According to a recent study at Texas Woman’s University, polyphenols (a type of antioxidant) from blueberries hindered the development of adipose (fat) cells in mice. The effects were dependent on the size of the dose; the highest dose had the most impact on the cells.

Further studies are needed, as the jury is still out on the potential effects of polyphenol doses in humans. However, one can’t help but wonder: is the ability to bottle a blueberry’s nutritional power on the horizon?

In the meantime, the old-fashioned way of consuming your polyphenols through a diet rich in unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (and even wine, tea, coffee, and chocolate!) should certainly be adequate. In fact, Mother Nature may see to it that this remains the best means, as it appears that there are polyphenols that cannot be extracted that are an important part of these foods’ nutritional value.

Healthy and Delicious Ways to Enjoy Blueberries

Think about simple ways that you can add more blueberries to your diet. They make great toppings for yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, cold cereal, and oatmeal. Add them to smoothies and fruit salads, or simply enjoy a handful for dessert or a snack. They’re most nutritious in their raw state, but adding them to pancakes, waffles, muffins, breads, and more will still add a sweet, nutritious burst of flavor.

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Your new year’s resolution fell to the wayside. You set out to lose 20 pounds, start working out regularly, get more sleep, or any number of things. But after a few months (or maybe even a few weeks), you’re back to square one with nothing to show for it. You start out with the best of intentions, but your motivation to change has slowly faded away.

Sound familiar? If you’re like most Americans today, chances are you’ve set up honorable goals related to your health and well-being in the past, but had a hard time staying motivated and gave up shortly after starting. You had the right idea, but not the right strategy for achieving your goals.

Four Keys for Maintaining Fitness Motivation

When it comes to maintaining motivation, then, what is the key to helping you do so? There are four important things I’ve found in my own life that have helped me maintain motivation that I’d like to share with you.

• Have a plan. You won’t just magically arrive at your goal of losing 20 pounds or eating better. Make a plan and narrow down exactly how you will get there and what it will look like. Nothing worthwhile happens without a strategy and a plan.
• Minimize distractions. No matter what your goal might be, there are plenty of less important things that will try to get in the way. Make sure to periodically “clean out the closet” of your lifestyle. See what needs to stay and what needs to go. Anything that helps move you closer to your goal needs to stay, while anything that distracts you from it needs to go.
• Form a support network. Having a friend who has the same goal as you—whether it’s weight loss, eating less fast food, or getting to the gym three days a week—can help keep you on the right track. Now you know that if you give up, you let not only yourself down, but your companion in the journey as well. Letting others know your plan can help keep you accountable.
• Eliminate all-or-nothing thinking. Despite your best intentions, it’s inevitable that you will make some mistakes along the way. Don’t minimize your shortcomings and see them as unimportant, but don’t totally give up on your efforts after a mistake or two, either. See it as part of the process and don’t fall prey to wanting to give up the whole thing after one setback. There will be ups and downs along the way.

Don't Skip Any of These Fitness Motivation Tools

No matter how good your intentions are, chances are you won’t ever reach your goals and maintain them without following the four principles outlined above. You must have a plan in place, focus only on things that line up with your goals, have a network around you to support you, and allow for mistakes along the journey. If you skip any or all of these helpful tools, chances are you will still have trouble maintaining motivation along the way and will minimize your chances for success.

It may seem like a lot of work, but the old proverb, “All hard work leads to a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty,” couldn’t ring more true here, especially to those who have tried it all before.

This blog was written by Lisa Larkin. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Red peppers can play a role in weight loss! Peppers are low in calories, which helps with weight loss. Grab fresh red peppers instead of potato chips as a healthy snack. You still get that same crunch with a lot fewer calories.

Red peppers are mature green peppers. They are mild in taste, which makes them a great snack raw or cooked. Red peppers do not contain any fat, are low in carbohydrates, and are rich in fiber and vitamins C and A. Fiber helps with the digestive system and vitamins C and A help to protect your eyes and skin.

Peppers also contain a chemical called capsaicin, which may help to increase the rate at which the body burns fat. With all these positive things, why wouldn’t you pick up some red peppers next time you’re at the store?

Adding red peppers to your meal will not only add color, but also good flavoring. I like to buy a variety of colored peppers and cut them up in my salads. I’ve also cut up fresh red peppers and made a low-fat veggie dip as a healthy snack when company is over.

Just last night I made kabobs with red peppers and shrimp to put on the grill. Add a little seasoning and you have a low-calorie, low-fat, and fun meal. You can also go online and search for a low-fat recipe to make stuffed peppers. Red peppers are something different to incorporate into your fresh summer meals!

Add red peppers to your salads, omelets, chicken tacos, whole-wheat pasta with ground turkey, or just add peppers on top of your grilled chicken sandwich. Have fun and get creative with red peppers this summer!

Corporate health and wellness programs are making strides in encouraging healthy eating, so look in your onsite cafeteria for these and other healthier options.

This blog was written by Samantha Whiteside. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

In corporate fitness centers across the country, members are always on the lookout for health and wellness strategies to help with weight control. Help may be as close as their bedroom pillow.

It has long been said that “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”; but now there is evidence from Northwestern University to back up this claim. The University’s School of Medicine followed 52 individuals who were split into two distinct groups: late sleepers, defined as going to bed around 3:45am and waking at 10:45am, and “normal sleepers,” who were in bed by 12:30am and awake by 8am. The researchers followed mealtimes, amount and type of food, and calories consumed.

Normal sleepers consumed 248 fewer calories than the late sleepers and the extra calories consumed by the late sleepers occurred mostly after 8pm. The quality of the food consumed by the late sleepers was of lower nutritional value and sodas were also more frequently consumed. Additionally, fast food was gobbled twice as much and half as many fruits and vegetables were ingested by the late sleepers.

With this evidence from Northwestern University in mind, what time will you hit the hay tonight?

This blog was written by Dan Walker. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

(part 2 of 2)

Last time we took a look at the proposed health benefits of fasting, such as lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, detoxification of harmful substances, and a lower risk of developing various diseases. This time we’ll look at fasting for weight loss to see just how effective it can really be for managing weight.

Many people feel that they are exercising consistently and are eating right, but have either hit a plateau in their weight loss or haven’t been very successful at initiating weight loss over the years. Because of this, many have turned to fasting for weight loss. The logic is that although it will cause a little pain and discomfort initially, it will indeed result in weight loss as the body is forced to burn stored fat for fuel.

But is that what really happens? And if so, will it produce lasting weight loss?

Problems with Fasting

Although I have never tried fasting for weight loss personally or talked with anyone who has, I along with many others feel the proposal is flawed in a few key ways:

• Our bodies are designed to maintain homeostasis and resist change. If you dramatically cut your caloric intake and don’t provide your body with what it needs to function properly, it will fight back by slowing down your metabolism to prevent starvation.
• Any fast you go on (along with any diet) can’t last forever, so you eventually will have to come off of it. Even if you did lose a little weight, what happens now that you are off the fast but have no plan in place for maintaining your weight loss?
• Fasting doesn’t address the real problem underlying your weight gain: too little physical activity and/or too many calories consumed each day. Fasting for weight loss is only treating the symptom of a much larger problem. It might help a little, but there is a bigger underlying issue that should be addressed if you are looking to maintain a healthy weight for a lifetime.

Instead of Fasting, Make Appropriate Diet and Exercise Changes

Fasting has its place in the lives of those who, after talking about the decision with their doctor, would like to try it periodically to see if it can improve their health. It can even help you learn to control your desire for food as you learn to go without it for a period of time. But your best bet for permanent, healthy weight loss is to carefully examine your life and make the appropriate changes.

Start by writing down what and how much you eat each day and see if any patterns arise. A Personal Nutrition Coaching session with a NIFS dietitian can help you analyze your diet and give you a plan for weight loss.

If you feel that you can’t find enough time in the day to exercise, analyze how much time you spend watching television, surfing the Internet, and other fun but unnecessary pursuits. Even some worthwhile activities and hobbies may need to be scaled back a bit if you’re just too busy to work out. Exercise might from time to time take you away from other things you’d much rather be doing, but it won’t matter if you’re not around anymore to enjoy those things.

This blog was written by Veronica Hofmann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

After I had my daughter six years ago, I was faced with 30 extra pounds and no idea how to get rid of it. I began working out regularly and in turn felt entitled to eat more: Hey, I just ran a mile and a half and I deserved it…right? WRONG. I realized very quickly that working out alone was not going to get rid of the weight―especially if I was eating more.

Joining Weight Watchers and Losing Weight

Enter Weight Watchers. I joined the online community and studied point values and began tracking everything I ate each day. This completely changed my view on many foods that I was eating on a regular basis. I also weighed food to ensure proper portions. I found myself eating many prepackaged snacks to control portions. The program worked and the weight came off….hooray.

I then began wondering if the foods I was eating were the healthiest choices. Many snack foods were the same point values as fruits and other foods that were much healthier choices. I then decided to stop counting points and start incorporating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into my diet. Weight Watchers is a great program because you can eat anything in moderation. For the average person this is a great fit, but I felt it was not teaching me to eat better.  

Weight Watchers Revamps Points System to Favor Healthier Choices

I was excited to hear that they were making changes in their points system to correct the very issue I noticed. Now most fruits and vegetables are zero-points foods. This should encourage people to pick up that apple or banana instead of a 100-calorie processed snack.

I would often recommend Weight Watchers to corporate wellness clients and friends interested in losing weight, always warning about making an effort to eat healthier. The new program is teaching folks to eat smarter and that is very important. Now I will feel much more confident in recommending the program.

Consider Weight Watchers At Work

Weight Watchers At Work is a great way to encourage a worksite health promotion program! Consider holding a meeting at your worksite. It is much easier to follow a program when you have support from others.

This blog was written by Veronica HofMann. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

Before you reach for that next drink, make sure you know what you are getting yourself into! Many of us know that some beverages pack in tons of calories, sugar, and fat. But there may be some on Eat This, Not That's Worst Drinks in America list that may surprise you! The sugar content in many of the drinks would rival a late-night snack binge on all of your favorite sugary foods. Here are some examples:

• Worst Water: Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz). This has the sugar equivalent of two Good Humor chocolate éclair bars.
• Worst Bottled Tea: SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz). This has the same amount of sugar as four slices of Sara Lee cherry pie!
• Worst Energy Drink: Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz). You could just eat six Krispy Kreme doughnuts…that will boost your energy, right?
• Worst Beer: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz). If you want to splurge on beer in terms of carbs, you could have an entire 12-pack of Michelob Ultra for one of these!
• Worst Lemonade: Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz). Dangerous levels of sugar in this one―same as 11 (yes 11!) bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal.
• Worst Frozen Coffee: Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz). Moo in the name should be your first clue, but here is the shocker: 12 Dunkin’ Donuts Bavarian Kreme donuts have the same amount of sugar. WOW!
• Worst Drive-Through Shake: McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz). You could swap the shake for 13 baked apple pies and get the same sugar!
• Worst Smoothie: Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz). So smoothies are healthy, right? Not this one; 20 Reese's cups has the same amount of sugar! Not to mention, who really needs 40 ounces of anything?

And the award for worst drink in America goes to:

Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz). At over 2,000 calories in just 24 oz, this is the one to avoid at all costs. That’s more than a day's worth of calories in one drink! You could have 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy cookies for the same sugar!

Usually we are guilty of grabbing drinks like these on the go or while at work. If you or your coworkers have packed on pounds due to sugary drinks, this could be a reason to speak to your employer about a worksite fitness program (if you don't already have one).

At the very least, this would be a great lunchtime conversation with coworkers. This information is shocking to most. If more people knew just how bad these drinks were, it might help them make better decisions. 

This blog was written by Kara Gootee. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

With spring around the corner, everyone is itching to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. After being cooped up all winter long and stuck on the treadmill, it’s time to change your workout and take it outdoors.

When considering your workout, why not take into account the activities you enjoyed as a kid? Here are five activities that will not only have you acting like a kid, but will also burn those calories!

• Biking is not only easy on the joints, but is also a good way for the less active to get back into exercise. An hour-long leisurely bike ride can burn up to 290 calories while working the legs and glute muscles.
• Softball leagues are getting ready to start, so grab your co-eds or create a corporate team and join a league! A one-hour game of softball will have you working your shoulders, back, arms, legs, and core while burning up to 360 calories.
• Tennis works your back muscles, shoulders, arms, legs, and core while increasing your cardiovascular endurance. A one-hour doubles match can burn 300 calories, whereas playing singles can help you burn nearly 450 calories while covering the court!
• Basketball is another great cardiovascular activity that will provide you with a full-body workout as your run up and down the court shooting your best jump shot. Grab your buddies for a pickup game to burn 420 calories during an hour-long game.
• Volleyball is a great family and friends game that can burn up to 250 calories for an hour of recreational play. Volleyball is another great league activity. Grab your coworkers and join a league for some fun outside of work!

Look for events in your area in which you and your coworkers can take your skills to a friendly competition. The Indiana Sports Corporation puts on the Corporate Challenge in Indianapolis every year, encouraging 4,000 + employees of approximately 100 local companies to train for different events. Much like field days we had as kids in school, there are a variety of events that promote corporate wellness and encourage employees to obtain healthy lifestyles.

*All calories are estimated based on a 160-pound individual.

This blog was written by Lori H. Meet our blogging fitness specialists at the NIFS website.

It's been 10 weeks since I embarked on my quest to shed 25 pounds with the help of NIFS Wellness Coordinator and registered dietitian Angie Scheetz. So, how's it going? Remarkably well!

The first few days and weeks were a little difficult because I was giving up so much comfort food without seeing any results yet. At our nutrition coaching session, Angie armed me with important tools, such as great suggestions for healthy foods that made me feel full and a place (My Daily Plate) to hold myself accountable for my choices. I did not stray from my calorie goals once, and before long I started to see results.

At first, the weight seemed to be just melting away. Within the first six weeks, I lost 10 pounds. I thought that if things kept going that way, this was going to be a cinch. Well, of course, they didn't.

I hit a weight-loss plateau about a month ago. Even though I was keeping to my calorie goals and trying to be more active, I was stuck. This was the point at which I was most tempted to give up. But because healthy eating has become a habit, I didn't. And this weekend I see signs that I might be moving past the plateau.

The best news of all is that I think I have made a real, permanent lifestyle change. I know how to eat better now and I rarely feel tempted to eat something I shouldn't. Here are some of the keys for me:

• Not allowing myself to feel hungry: Eating high-protein snacks at regular intervals keeps me from wanting to binge on something really fatty.
• Thinking ahead: When I go to the grocery, I load up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Then I go home and cut them up into healthy portions and have them ready to go throughout the week. I always have plenty of Greek yogurt in the fridge, plus low-cal cheeses and meats.
• Finding "treats" that aren't too bad for me: I get my chocolate fix from 1 teaspoon of Hershey's syrup in a mug of skim milk in the morning, and a low-cal fudge bar after dinner. I don't feel deprived at all.
• Balancing out the calorie-laden foods with better choices: I have learned that I can still have a Jimmy John's sub if I hold the mayo, eat just half a sandwich, and bring along an apple to eat instead of chips. Plus, I substitute water for the Sprite. Not only am I saving calories this way, but I'm also saving money.

Now that spring is here, I hope to be able to be much more active. Coupled with my continued smart eating, I should be at my goal before the pools open!

Disclosure: NIFS discloses that it does remit monies to Lori H. for other nonrelated services. However, this venture with the nutritionist is being conducted at the will and request of Lori H., and Lori H. is not being compensated for the authorship of this blog.