Weight Loss Plateau – Steps to Break Through
An individual recently submitted the following question at the Vital Health Zone:
I am 47 years old, I weigh 75 kg. I take Breakfast-oatmeal Lunch- 3 chappathis, Dinner-2 chappathi or cornflakes. Small meal 1 apple, 1 piece papaya, and some biscuits. I go for 1 hr morning brisk walk, and do half an hour exercises. But i have not reduced. For my age and ht I should be 55kg. What should I do?
Here’s the answer I provided:
Heart Health – How hard do you need to workout?
To achieve health benefits, it is recommended that we include 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity 5 days each week. Well, what exactly is considered moderate intensity?
San Diego State University recently studied the effect of different exercise intensity levels to determine how fast someone needs to walk to be exercising at a moderate intensity level. Researchers monitored cardiac exertion of walking at different rates in 97 healthy adults on a treadmill. It was determined that a moderate intensity level is equal to 3 METs, which is a measurement of the bodies oxygen needs. This converted to 92-102 steps per minute for men and 91-115 steps per minute for women.
By grabbing a pedometer and watch on your next walk, you can check to see if you are hitting the goal of ~100 steps per minute to reap the health benefits. And if not, you’ll know you need to increase your speed!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
Physical Activity Benefits – Why should you be active?
Okay, in the previous two posts, we’ve covered how much physical activity is needed and I mentioned different intensities requiring different time commitments.
A simple measure of your workout intensity is the talk test. If you can carry on a conversation while taking a breath every 3-4 words, you’re probably at a moderate intensity level. If you are working out hard enough that you can only say a few words and in order to say more you have to stop to catch your breath, you’ve most likely hit a vigorous activity level.
What physical activity benefits can you expect to see by being more active this year? Here are a few:
- Improved fitness and bone health.
- Decreased coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and colon and breast cancer.
- Less depression.
- Fewer falls and better cognitive ability for older adults.
- Better pain management, function, and quality of life if you suffer from arthritis.
All right, now don’t just read this without taking action. Look at the upcoming week. Where can you add a walk or extra trip to the gym to boost your activity level closer to the desired 2 ½ hours per week?
There are 1440 minutes each day. Only 30 of them need to be active!
February is American Heart Month. In recognition of American Heart Month you can access Heart Health Made Easy at a 25% savings. Learn more about this take action guide to lower cholesterol and blood pressure at http://www.hearthealthmadeeasy.com.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Use the "talk test" to monitor fitness.
Have you been working out regularly, but not seeing the results you want? Are you working hard enough?
A quick and simple way to check your workout intensity is the “talk test”.
If you can talk with no trouble, pick up the pace.
If you can talk, but need to take a breath every 4-5 words, you’re right on track.
If you’re gasping for breath after every word, slow down!
Check yourself the next time you workout. . .you may need to find a higher gear!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD, LN
P.S. Don’t forget to get your subscription to The Heart of Health!
