Don’t forget to join us Sundays for a run.  There are always 3-4 distances to chose from and we have lots of fun.  For more information visit www.fundamentalfitness.biz

See.....don't they look like they're having fun

Willy is definitely having a good time. Plus he didn't get lost this time!

From MSNBC.com–

Writing down every morsel doubles weight loss
Dieters who kept daily food diaries were more successful, new study says

People who kept daily food diaries lost twice as much weight or more as those who didn?t keep a tally of their meals, finds a new study.

By Steve Mitchell
MSNBC contributor

updated 8:23 a.m. ET, Tues., July. 8, 2008

In the struggle to lose weight, picking up a pen might be just as useful as putting down the fork.

That?s according to a new study that found that people who kept daily food diaries lost twice as much weight or more as those who didn?t keep a tally of their meals.

Nearly 1,700 Kaiser Permanente study participants agreed to exercise and adopt a healthy diet, but those who took the extra step of keeping track of what they consumed got something of a booster charge in their weight loss.

?There?s a myth in this country now that weight loss is almost impossible and very few can lose weight,? said Victor Stevens, a researcher at Kaiser?s Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., and co-author of the study, which appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

?But we showed that with a simple, straightforward approach, nearly 70 percent of participants were able to lose enough weight to make significant improvements in their health.?

Overall, two-thirds of the study subjects lost nine pounds or more during the six-month study. But those who kept a food diary every day of the week dropped up to 20 pounds, more than twice as much as those who didn’t record their every bite.

That held true for Julie Satterwhite, 46, a yo-yo dieter in Portland, Ore., who previously struggled to lose weight. She credits the food diary with helping her shed 30 pounds during the study and in turn being able to reduce the dosage of her high-cholesterol medication by half.

After the study ended, she continued to lose weight over an additional eight months by using the food diary on her own. All told, she lost 55 pounds, dropping from 205 pounds to her target goal of 150.

The weight loss also was good for her joints. Satterwhite has an arthritic knee, so the reduced weight on it felt like ?a huge improvement,? she said.

Dieters don’t want to write it down
?It had a very big impact,? Satterwhite said of the diary. ?If I was walking through the kitchen and wanted to grab a cookie or a brownie, I would think twice because I knew I had to write it down.?

That was a common experience among those who kept diaries, noted Stevens. ?Study participants said, ?I thought about eating a second helping of chocolate cake but I didn?t because I didn?t want to see it in my food diary,? he said.

The food diaries helped people see where extra calories were coming from, and also to recognize the hidden calories in familiar foods.

?For example, a bagel,? Satterwhite said. ?They?re much higher in calories than you think they are.?

Karen Donato, the coordinator for overweight and obesity applications at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in Bethesda, Md., thinks one of the big effects of the diary is that it can help people realize when they?re just eating out of boredom or stress.

?A lot of times people do mindless eating, under stress, at their desks, bored, just eat things without thinking about it,? she said. ?This strategy can help people avoid that.?

Free food diary, menu planner
The NHLBI website offers free a food diary and a menu planner that automatically calculates calories in common food items.

Participants were asked to keep food diaries by writing down anything they ate or drank that had calories. For those unaccustomed to calorie-counting, Stevens recommended using a calorie guide available online or in bookstores for at least the first month to help figure how much they?re consuming.

Most people only eat about 30 to 40 different things, so with a little practice, they usually quickly learn how many calories are in the food they?re eating, so they don?t have to keep looking it up every time, Stevens added.

The Kaiser study included 1,685 overweight or obese adults with an average age of 55, who were taking medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol. They attended weekly group sessions that encouraged cutting back on calories and moderate exercise of 30 minutes per day. The participants also were encouraged to consume a low-fat, healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and to keep a daily food diary of what they ate.

Of the 70 percent that lost nine pounds or more, their weight was still dropping when the study ended, so it?s likely they would have continued losing even more had the program continued, the researchers said.

Satterwhite said it was easier to maintain the weight loss using the food diary than her past efforts using Slim-Fast, the Atkins high-protein regime or other fad diets.

?The difference was that it was a slower stable lifestyle change than doing some crash diet that you see on TV or read about in a magazine,? she said.

Some struggle with food diaries
But keeping track of food can pose a challenge for some, said Lora Burke, a professor of nursing and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. She noted that she recently completed an unpublished study involving food diaries where some participants said it was too burdensome to record what they ate. These same participants also were the least successful in losing weight.

Based on these findings, Burke is now conducting a trial to test different approaches for keeping food diaries, such as Internet programs, personal digital recording devices and simple paper and pencil, to see which ones people find the easiest to use.

?Given the variation in how individuals adopt this strategy, we may need to promote an array of approaches for diverse groups to be successful,? she said.
———–

Americans’ struggle with weight has been a popular topic for years now, and it’s no surprise considering that the National Center for Health and Statistics estimates 66 percent of American adults are either overweight or obese.

While you look at your daily habits, like eating junk food, driving instead of walking and watching TV rather than going for a jog, you might not realize how important your job is to your waistline.

Forty-five percent of workers have gained weight since starting their current jobs, a recent CareerBuilder.com survey finds. Twelve percent have experienced a weight gain of more than 20 pounds, while 26 percent have gained more than 10 pounds.

Who’s gaining the most weight?

Although no demographic seems to be immune from workplace weight gain, 50 percent of women claim they have put on weight during the course of their current job, while 42 percent of men say the same.

In an industry comparison, financial services and government employees experienced the most weight gain, with 53 percent and 52 percent respectively. The lowest weight gain was reported by retail and leisure and hospitality employees, with 36 percent and 41 percent respectively.

Why?

Not surprisingly, even at work your diet plays an important role in weight gain. Thirty-eight percent of employees eat out at least twice each week, which means more temptation to pick up greasy fast food than if you had packed your own lunch.

Perhaps worse for your health is buying lunch from a vending machine, which 12 percent of workers do at least once a week. Sixty-six percent of employees have at least one snack every day, while nearly 25 percent have two or more.

Of course, one of the best ways to keep extra pounds at bay is to hit the gym. Unfortunately only 9 percent of employees make the trip during the workday. Employers are attempting to make it easier for their workers to get to a gym, however, as 28 percent of companies offer gym passes, on-site workout facilities or wellness benefits.

Even if you can’t get to the gym on your lunch hour or do push-ups in your office, there are some ways to avoid workday weight gain.

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Eating a hearty but healthful breakfast will keep you energized until lunchtime, and you won’t feel the need to hit the vending machine for a mid-morning snack of chips and cookies. Include plenty of protein and fiber in your breakfast instead of sugar.

Behold the power of water. You might not realize that thirst and hunger are interrelated. If you feel snackish, you might actually be dehydrated. Drink plenty of water during the day so that you don’t mistakenly quench your thirst with food.

Keep a journal. Having a handful of chips or a cookie here and there isn’t so bad, but it can be if you do it repeatedly. It’s easy to discount the number of calories in unhealthy snacks because we often eat them while doing other things, like talking with a co-worker. If you write down every snack and meal, you’ll be able to see any overindulgence you might partake in.

Take a few extra steps. One of the easiest ways to stay fit is to opt for walking over technology or convenience. Instead of circling the parking lot until you find a spot near the building’s front door, park farther away. Also, choose to walk to a co-worker’s desk and have a chat instead of sending an e-mail or making a phone call.

Stress less. If you can keep your stress level down, you might find yourself leading a healthier lifestyle. People tend to eat more when they’re anxious or overwhelmed, even if they’re not hungry. Incorporate as much exercise as possible to relieve stress and burn more calories.

So I figured out the best cure for jet lag…..going for a run.  When I finally got to my hotel in the U.K. and was still waiting the arrival of my friends I decided to go out for a run.  I always like going out for a run when I’m traveling, it’s a great way to get the lay of the land and as I found out a fabulous way to help yout jet lag.

I found the Macclesfield Canal and went for a run only turning around when some cows wouldn’t get out of my way.  It’s a beautiful day here and the pastures were bright green, the skies blues.  I now feel ready to go to dinner and have a few drinks…..in moderation of course.

Cheers

Fundamental Fitness Newsletter

 Welcome new Fundamental Fitness clients!

Megan Pickette& John Tuenis

MOVE OF THE MONTH

BGDGU (BOSU Get Down Get Up)

Benefits:Muscular endurance and strength in the lower body Core stabilization Pre-

Requisites:Be able to lower down from a standing to a seated position on top of the dome without experiencing any pain in the knees.

Movement:Flex the hips and knees, performing a squat movement. Lower the glutes all the way down to seated on top of the dome. Contract the abdominals and slightly lean the upper body back while extending the knees and legs straight out. Keep the heels on the floor for more support or lift the feet in the air for greater challenge. Pause and hold the position. Bring the feet back in toward the platform and come back into neutral seated position. Press into the feet, lift back to standing. Perform eight to 20 repetitions to fatigue.

FF NEWS

Back to school. Eva’s been accepted into the MS program in Exercise Science at McDaniel College.

New Trainer.  Welcome new trainer Kate Frick. Kate’s NASM certified and recently moved to Frederick. She specializes in clients who’ve been injured and seniors.

Staying Fit on Vacation

It’s that time of the year, vacation time! So how do you stay fit and on track when you’re away from home? Here are just a few hints that may help.

• Stay in a hotel with a gym or find a local gym. I’ve already googled gyms in the area of England I’m visiting soon and found one less than a mile from my hotel.

• Indulge in moderation. Have an extra glass of wine or a cookie just don’t make it 4 or 5. Vacation is about fun and relaxation…..but everything in moderation

• Don’t forget the H2O.

• Stay in a hotel with a kitchen. Having a kitchen makes life a lot easier on vacation. You can plan your meals, make healthier choices and know exactly what you’re eating.

• Go the the grocery store. Even if you don’t have a kitchen a trip to the grocery store is always a good idea. You can stock up on water and healthy snacks.

• Take a dip. Even leisure swimming burns a significant amount of calories.

• Be adventurous. Do something new. Go horseback riding or windsailing. Try something you wouldn’t normally do, it’s your vacation.

• Exercise.

Here are a few exercises you can do just about anywhere.

o Body Weight Squat

o Pushups

o Elastic Band Side & Front Raises

o Body Weight Lunge

o Elastic Band Biceps Curl & Triceps Extension

o Crunches.

• HAVE FUN!

More Ways to Keep on Track

There are more ways than ever to keep on track with your fitness goals and Fundamental Fitness has added a few to our tool box. First off check out our Fundamental Fitness Blog. You can read or post articles that are of interest to you and even ask questions of our trainers.

I know I sound like a broken record but the The Daily Plate is the best way I’ve seen in a long time to keep track of your caloric intake. If you sign up be sure to search for erosvold or the Eva’s Posse group.

Finally Fundamental Fitness also has My Space and Facebook pages so you can contact us through those avenues as well. Our Facebook page has a Fundamental Fitness group you join as well. We’re hoping to build a community of people who are on the path to fitness and wellness and these tools will help us all get there.

SUNDAY TRAINING RUNS

Come and join Team Fundamental Fitness for group training runs Sundays at 7am. ALL PACES AND ABILITIES WELCOME!!!

Runs will begin at the Fundamental Fitness studio unless otherwise noted. There is no fee, just a suggested donation of $2.

If you’re interested in participating or helping by pacing other runners email me at info@fundamentalfitness.biz.

Who: YOU What: 3, 5 or 10 miles (including run/walk paces)

When: Sundays 7am beginning June 8

Where: Fundamental Fitness 1205 N. East St. Frederick,

Quotables

“Health is not simply the absence of sickness.” — Hannah Green

“A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.” — Pooh’s Little Instruction Book

another run June 29 at 7am.  lots of options for beginners and experienced runners.  join us!

Another Sunday Run……
this weekend 7am at Fundamental Fitness 1205 N. East St.
5 & 10 mile options.  Also introducing a 3 mile run/walk option.
Be there or be square!

We had a nice turnout this morning for our Sunday run.  8 people showed up including newcomers Margaret and Matt.  Suzanne plotted out a nice course the went through the older neighborhoods of Wilson Street, Schley Ave. and  Homestead Ave.  Most people ran around 9-9:30 pace with a couple of others at a 12-12:30 pace.  Thanks to everyone who came out and be sure to come out next week.

E

Check out my friend Larry’s blog…….click here.