Fitness Mantra : A Health and Fitness Blog

Fitness Mantra del.icio.us page Welcome to “FitnessMantra Weekend”, your once-a-week health news update. As always you can also stay updated with the latest in fitness news by subscribing separately to the Fitness Mantra del.icio.us feed.

question mark Now, if I asked you (or any other fitness-conscious person) how many calories you needed to consume everyday to maintain your weight, I am pretty sure you could rattle off the answer right away and you would probably be pretty close to the right answer.

But did you know that on average only11% of Americans would get this right? This and other diet disconnections are discussed in “Diet IQs disconnected from reality“, an MSNBC article that comes to this conclusion based on the results of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation’s second annual Food & Health Survey of 1000 adults.

Among the most striking “disconnects,” was knowledge about good and bad fats. While current guidelines recommend people consume more polyunsaturated fats, found in fish and some whole grain foods, and monounsaturated fats, found in nuts, avocados and vegetable oils, 42 percent of those surveyed said they were trying to eat fewer polyunsaturated fats and 38 percent reported trying to cut down on monounsaturated fats!

However, 70 percent of people said they were trying to cut down on saturated fat, more than last year’s 57 percent. Saturated fats are found in meats, dairy foods, and coconut and palm oils, among other sources, and have been tied to an increased risk off heart disease and stroke.

Also, while a high majority of those surveyed said they were physically active at least once a week for health benefits, only 44 percent said they “balanced diet and physical activity” for weight management, which is the direct concept of “calories in, calories out” - another big disconnect.

You can learn all about understanding calories and using that knowledge to your advantage from “5 links to calorie-conscious fitness“. While each of those links open in separate windows, check out some other interesting stories from this past week:

Half of EU Adults Overweight, Obese: More than half of adults in European Union nations are obese or overweight and the young are increasingly making Europe a fat continent, the EU’s top public health official said Wednesday.
Ice cream craving? Treats to feel good about: With temperatures on the rise and the days growing longer, it gets harder to resist buying an ice cream cone or throwing a pint of Ben & Jerry’s into the grocery cart.
Fitness boot camps taking it to the parks: Fitness boot camps have grown in popularity as people look for a way to enjoy the outdoors while avoiding the hassle of the gym and the cost of a personal trainer.
Making Meals a Family Affair: Most parents look for ways to give their children an edge, but many miss an easy and often inexpensive recipe for success: eating together.
Regular exercise increases “good” cholesterol: Regular exercise appears to modestly increase levels of high-density lipoprotein, or “good,” cholesterol.
Doubts over obesity pill claims: Some of the health benefits claimed for a new weight loss drug may not be justified, say experts.
Soy Nuts Lower Blood Pressure in Postmenopausal Women: Soy nuts may help lower blood pressure in postmenopausal women, a new U.S. study finds.
Junk food ads increasing on kids’ shows: A new Federal Trade Commission study found that half of the ads for junk food, sugary cereals and soft drinks are on children’s programs, double the number 30 years ago.
Lazy ‘can be encouraged to move’: However, advice had to be tailored to individual needs - adopting a “one size fits all” policy would not be as effective …
Diet IQs disconnected from reality: Ninety percent of Americans say breakfast is an important part of a healthy diet, but just 49 percent manage to eat breakfast every day, a new survey shows.
Air hostesses told to shed weight: An Indian court has ruled against a group of female flight attendants who were grounded from the national airline for being overweight.
Shake your way to fitness - or brain damage?: What if you could burn fat while shaking a martini? Actually, it’s your body that shakes like a martini on a new type of fitness machine that’s generating lots of buzz and celebrity use.
New Jersey starting agency to battle obesity: New Jersey’s health department is escalating the battle against the bulge by starting a new Office of Nutrition and Fitness to better coordinate programs to prevent obesity.

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Have a great weekend!

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Losing weight is simple though not easy. So what’s the difference between simple and easy? It’s simple because the rules are finite and simple to understand: Eat less than you expend and add some physical movements in the form of exercise.

But that does not mean it is easy. Sticking to a strict regimen of wholesome, nutritious food and making fitness a way of life by exercising everyday - these things are “simple” to understand but in no way easy to implement. Popping diet pills - now that would be easy (although it hasn’t been shown to work).

measuring tape around vegetables So what is the solution? While there is no silver bullet, the good folks over at WebMD have compiled a list of their 15 Best Diet Tips - definitely worth a good look-see.

Regular readers of FM will see our favorite tactics described in there, including pre-empting food-binges with water, eating several small meals and getting some protein during every meal.

You will also discover new gems including one which we follow religiously at the FM household: “Enjoy your treats away from home” which simply means ice-cream and pizza are best enjoyed fresh at the store and never thawed from the freezer!

Head on over and read the rest of the 15 Best Diet Tips. What’s your favorite? Also do comment on what tips of your own you would add to the list.

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