The Herron Chronicles #3

Components of Physical Fitness

It is well known that the most effective weight loss programs combine nutrition and exercise. There are no shortcuts or "quick fixes." It is also well known that effective exercise should include activities that address all the components physical fitness. The best exercise program combines elements of cardio-respiratory development, strength training, and flexibility. 

These are the health-related components of physical fitness and are related to how well the systems of the body work:

1. Flexibility - the range of motion around a joint. 

2. Muscular Endurance - the ability of a muscle group to continue a specific movement over a period of time without fatigue.

3. Muscular strength - the ability of a muscle group to exert force during an activity.

4. Cardio-respiratory Endurance - the efficiency of the body's circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to working muscles during sustained physical activity. 

5. Body Composition - the relative percentage of body fat compared to lean body mass. 

In the future, I'll tell you about my own training routines in each of these areas.

Investigative Eating

My husband and I enjoy going out for breakfast on the weekends. We rarely go out for lunch or dinner, but always for breakfast on the weekend. To be more frugal with money and calories, we have gotten into the habit of ordering a Turkey and Spinach Omelet plate at Bob Evans and splitting it. This works out well. We each get half of the omelet and a biscuit, and he gets the home fries. Since The Biggest Winner began, I've opted out of the biscuit and just have the 1/2 omelet. 

Since I didn't have school today, we decided to go for a late morning Turkey and Spinach Omelet. Since I've been keeping a food log of everything I eat (and yes, I'm keeping up with it every day), I decided to look at the Bob Evans website when I got home for the nutritional information. I thought we were making a fairly healthy choice. Hoo boy -- are we ever going to talk when he gets home tonight. We need a new game plan. 

The omelet alone is 733 calories. True, we split that -- but that's not all. It has 53 grams of fat, 861 grams of cholesterol, and -- get ready -- 2184 grams of sodium. And that's not even counting the biscuits and home fries my husband is eating. I started scanning through the other breakfast items, and there are a few choices we can work with. But not many. 

My husband has come to depend on me to tell him what the "smart" choices are on the menu when we go out to eat. I have a feeling I'm going to be cooking more weekend breakfasts at home -- which is fine. I like cooking, and he likes what I make. We will still go out to eat, but maybe not as often. And definitely with our eyes (but not necessarily our mouths) wide open. 

This is my challenge to you -- take a look at the nutritional information for the places you tend to eat when you go out. I'm not telling you what to eat -- just to be aware of exactly what you are eating. 

Supersize Me... NOT!

Have you heard of a movie called Supersize Me? We rented the DVD, and I was just watching it. I think I'm going to buy it, as a matter of fact. If you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend that you rent it. I would say the whole family should watch it, but there is some language and at least one adult reference that, in my opinion, makes it inappropriate for children. The information will prove invaluable to you, as a parent -- as one of the people who provides food for your children now and, directly or indirectly, teaches them eating habits that they will likely carry with them throughout their lives. 

Let me say that I recommend the portion of the movie that I've seen. I'm going to have to wait to see the end, because the DVD we rented seems to be defective. The information that I did see, however, is definitely eye-opening. Not a whole lot of new info for me, but presented in a way that makes it hard to ignore the consequences of what we put in our bodies.