Indiana Action for Healthy Kids

Newsletter Articles

Portion Sizes and Fitness Tips

As the awareness of obesity problems becomes more and more apparent, we are inundated with what we should eat and how we should exercise more for good health.  We think we know what we should do, but still we fall short.  Why?  Most of us have what we consider to be legitimate reasons why we do what we do.  What are your barriers to improving your health and your family’s health?  What will it cost to make changes in lifestyle?  What is the cost to you and your family if you do not?

A three-pronged approach is necessary for increasing wellness and achieving fitness goals.  Exercise, appropriate nutrition, and addressing our own barriers:  physical, psychological, and educational, are the critical components for improving our overall health.

The increase in generally accepted and expected portion sizes has preceded our ever increasing waist sizes.  We expect more.  We are influenced by the promise of a “value meal” or being “super-sized.”  Many restaurants present servings that are two to three times recommended amounts. The clean plate society is alive, but not so well.  What can we do?  At home, use smaller plates, let your veggies take center stage with meal planning, work toward the goal of five fruit or vegetable servings each day, or incorporate low fat protein, such as fish, chicken, turkey, yogurt or cottage cheese.  Consider a vegetarian night once per week.  Avoid snack food, and learn to “just say no.”  Keep an eye on excess carbohydrates, especially the hidden sugars in snack foods and soft drinks.  Go to http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/ for a body mass index (BMI) calculator, calorie calculator and other important resources.  Take time to read food labels.  Keep a food diary for two weeks.  You will be surprised.  Remember, excess weight goes on way too easily and off way too hard. 

Prong two – Exercise

If you are currently sedentary, get a check-up.  Many may avoid this because they have been advised about their weight from their doctor in the past.  Do not be discouraged.  It is never too late to get started on your way to better health.  Your healthcare professional can also be a great source of information and resources that can help you achieve your goals.  Exercise more.  A short walk after dinner is great for the whole family.  Start with a 15 minute walk, and then add five minutes a week.  Play outside.  Teach your children how to jump rope, hop scotch, badminton, croquet, kick around the soccer ball, or draw a balance beam on the sidewalk.  Stock the video shelf with a variety of fitness videos.  Limit TV and computer time.

If you currently exercise, but find that you have reached a plateau, consider kicking your routine up a bit.  If you are walking or jogging, increase you stride.  Don’t forget to use your arms.  Try to improve your time or distance.  Cross-training is the most effective route to overall fitness.  Walk, then run, jump rope, swimming, bicycling, roller blading, exercise videos, yoga, dance, hiking are all ways to vary your exercise routine.  Paying for exercise classes may also help in being accountable to an exercise program.

Portion control and movement are not enough.  We must each examine our personal barriers to achieving our fitness goals.  No one has enough time.  Working and caring for our families consumes our hours.  In the short-term, it is easier and more convenient to grab fast food, turn on the TV or computer and think about getting healthier tomorrow.  We may think that it is just too hard.  Our goal of perfection is too far away.  It’s not.  Each step in exercising portion control and in exercising our muscles is an important building block to our increased wellness and overall physical and mental health.

The Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, along with The National Lung and Blood Institute have a great website containing a Portion Distortion Interactive Quiz comparing portion sizes today to those of 20 years ago.  Also listed is the amount of exercise required to burn the extra calories from those increased portion sizes.  A Body Mass Index Calculator, Menu Planner and other resources are also available.  Go to http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/portion/  to access this valuable resource.