Physical Activity and Nutritious Choices

When the federal government released its new MyPyramid food guidance system this year, it incorporated for the first time a recommendation to include some form of physical activity in your everyday life. While this may seem like a daunting task, becoming more physically active and making better food choices is not as difficult as you might imagine.

To help you understand how to work more physical activity and healthy food choices into your day-to-day life, the American Council for Fitness and Nutrition (ACFN) pulled together specialists from its advisory board of dietitians, physicians and physical fitness experts to give you tips. According to the advisory board members some simple solutions can make a big difference.

To live a balanced, healthy lifestyle, you must include some form of daily physical activity.

"If we could just get America up and moving for 30 minutes a day combined with good nutrition, we would be a healthier nation," offers Phil Haberstro, executive director of the National Association for Health and Fitness (NAHF). "Achieving a healthy balance between activity and nutrition is the most important step you can take. By simply walking instead of taking the elevator or escalator you are increasing your daily amount of physical activity and burning additional calories." For more tips, log on to www.physicalfitness.org.

"You don’t have to exercise for 30 to 60 consecutive minutes," says Dr. James Hill, author of The Step Diet and founder of America On the Move. "Try splitting up your physical activity in 10-minute intervals throughout the day. Take a break from your computer and walk around the block, add a 10-minute walk to your lunch break or go for a longer walk after dinner -- this is a great way to burn calories and unwind after a day at work."

Consider the small steps you can take to help your family make smart choices.

Involve your children in packing their own lunches to help them understand the importance of making better food choices. Eat a healthy breakfast with your family before sending them off to school and getting yourself off to work. You might also consider walking with your child to the bus stop or parking farther away from the office to get some extra steps in. Try putting on a pedometer to see how many steps you are actually getting in a day and then increase the number of steps over time.

Portion size and control are not as tricky as you think, but they are crucial to achieving a balanced diet.

"The important thing to remember about these guidelines is that you can sample all the foods you want within reason," says ACFN chair Susan Finn, a Ph.D. and registered dietitian who is a nutrition expert. "Portion size is critical to maintaining a healthy diet. A balanced lifestyle is not about deprivation but learning to enjoy the food you love in reasonable amounts."

Some simple tips to try include comparing food to household measures, eating smaller amounts at a sitting and becoming familiar with how everyday objects compare to correct portion size. "Most people are not aware that an apple should equal the size of a tennis ball or that a potato should be about the size of a computer mouse," says Lisa Katic, a registered dietitian who is an expert at simplifying complex nutritional information. "Make it simple for yourself and have fun with the whole family by having them guess the correct portion size of food based on everyday items. They will probably be surprised that a bagel should be the size of a hockey puck."

So take comfort in the advice from the experts: physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous; small steps are a big start; and portion control is very easy to do once you understand what a healthful portion looks like. By making these minor modifications to your daily routine, you could be on the road to better health.

To learn more about healthy tips and to seek additional advice and information, visit ACFN’s website at www.acfn.org.

Courtesy of ARA Content