Now that it’s summer, it’s almost impossible to avoid the ever-popular summer BBQ. Some of our favorite meals are cooked over charcoal, but we still need to be aware that many of the traditional ’summer’ foods are packed with fat and calories!

Isn’t it ironic that some of the ‘fattest’ foods make their debut in the summer when we’re all trying to fit into that bathing suit?

So which traditional summer foods will break the belt?

HOT DOGS. Although they’re small, the typical hot dog contains about 30% of your daily saturated fat intake! At about 180 calories each, hot dogs may seem quite harmless until we realize that 140 of those calories are from FAT. Don’t forget that the average hot dog bun has 110 calories, which boosts the total to 250 calories per hot dog.

HAMBURGERS. Ground beef comes in all sorts of varieties, from ‘full-fat’ to ‘low-fat’. You’ll pay more for the low-fat version, but it’s worth it. The average hamburger has about 275 calories and 12 grams of fat (includes the bun). That’s slightly less fat than the hot dog, but more calories. “The secret to keeping the burger lean is to avoid the high fat toppings such as mayonnaise, bacon, cheese or sauces and instead, garnish simply with ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, onions and relishes” (Source: Ontario Cattlemen’s Association). Pile on the high-calories toppings and you’ll boost the calorie count to 800 or even higher!!

POTATO CHIPS. A summer BBQ just wouldn’t be a BBQ without the chips! But while we’re enjoying the crunch, we’re putting on the pounds. Many brands of potato chips contain about 150 calories per serving. Doesn’t sound like much? Consider that what they call a ’serving’ is really one ounce…..11 chips. Here’s another way to look at it: each SINGLE potato chip provides a bit more than 1% of your daily recommended fat intake!

So what’s a summer-BBQ-lovin’ person to do? Relax! There’s no need to avoid the fun this summer! By just making a few creative adjustments to the menu, we can enjoy the family picnic while keeping our diet under control.

Try fruits, veggies and baked beans instead of chips. We all know the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables, so focus on those instead of full-fat potato chips. High in fiber and low in calories, these choices will help us feel full without putting on the pounds.

Try a ground turkey patty instead of a hamburger. It will save you more than 100 calories, and it’s really not bad tasting! Be sure to look for SKINLESS ground turkey, which has far fewer calores than just ‘ground turkey’.

Consider putting some boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the BBQ instead of beef. Lower in calories and fat, chicken breasts are a good choice for any event.

Don’t forget about fish! The choices are almost endless, and the health benefits are overwhelming. Put some salmon on the BBQ and enjoy! “We recommend eating fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week. Fish is a good source of protein and doesn’t have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do” (Source: www.americanheart.org).

Finally, watch the drinks. High-calorie beverages like lemonade and Kool-Aid boast between 60 and 100 calories per glass, and sometimes even more. A single can of soda usually contains about 160 calories. Choose low-calorie drinks like iced tea (unsweetened) or just plain old water.

With just a little effort, the summer BBQ doesn’t have to add inches or pounds! Choose healthy, low-fat and low-calorie foods instead of the traditional fare and keep those pounds off!

Have a GREAT summer!

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

Tags: diet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weightdiet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weight

Share This

Okay, so we already know that exercise is good for us. We try to work out on a regular basis, reminding ourselves that the payoff is well worth the effort.

Still, we all have times when we ‘fall off the wagon’ and somehow miss those exercise sessions. We get sick, there’s a big deadline at work, relatives come for a visit, or the kids are out of school…..there’s no end to the reasons why we take a break from exercising.

But did you know that CONSISTENCY is the key to success in health and fitness? It takes only about two weeks to start losing your level of cardiovascular fitness when you stop exercising. After about three to four weeks without exercise, you’ll start losing muscle (fitness experts will tell you that losing muscle is the WORST thing we can do when trying to lose fat!). Source: Shape magazine; June 2005.

We agree, it just doesn’t seem fair that fat ‘goes on’ faster than it comes off and now we learn that we can get ‘out of shape’ in just a few short weeks! Hey, we don’t write these rules, we just report them!

So what’s the take-home advice? Stay consistent in your workouts. Get into the gym at least three times each week. Can’t make it three times? Two is better than none! For that matter, one exercise session is better than none! We only really backtrack in our fitness levels when we quit exercising completely.

Consistency is the key, so let’s all take whatever steps we need to take to make sure we’re getting to the gym regularly. Maybe we need to set an appointment to work out with a friend. Maybe we need to go to the gym early, before the day gets crazy. Maybe we need to go to the gym late, after dinner is done and the day is winding down. Whatever we need to do, let’s do it today. Let’s be consistent with our exercise.

We’ll see you at the gym…..consistently!

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

Tags: diet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weightdiet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weight

Share This

+ First Of All, Forget About Regret!

Katherine Mansfield once said “Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it; it’s only for wallowing in.” When talking about health and fitness, this quote is especially true.

We may not be happy with the way we look, and many of us may not even be sure how we got this way! Where did this extra 40 lbs. come from? At what point did I start to sag? Didn’t I have muscle there once? Who shrunk all my clothes?!?!

Each of us has a choice. We can choose to live in regret, never taking action because we feel too sorry for ourselves. On the other hand, we also have the choice to FORGET about our health and fitness past (or lack of it) and focus on the future.

Regret is a tremendous waste of energy. I have yet to meet anyone who can go back in time and change the past, so what’s the point of churning it over in our mind again and again? Worrying and regretting the past only takes our focus off the one thing we can change: the future!

+ Inspiration Or Desperation?
Once we’re over our regret and ready to focus on the NOW and the FUTURE, the question becomes “Are we willing to finally make a change?”

After all, if we don’t make a change in our health and fitness lifestyle we’re just going to get the same old results. In other words, “If you do what you did you’ll get what you got.”

So, are you ready to change?

Dr. Alan Zimmerman (www.drzimmerman.com), in a recent publication, said that there are two primary reasons why people will change a behavior:
=> 1) They HURT So Much That They’re Forced To Change (Desperation).
=> 2) People change when they realize they CAN change (Inspiration).

Perhaps you hurt so much that you’re willing to make some changes and adopt a healthier lifestyle. Maybe it was a rude comment from someone on the street, or perhaps your favorite clothes don’t fit anymore. Maybe your doctor said some things to you about your health and scared you. When we’re out of shape and unhappy with the way we look and feel, there can be a lot of hurt!

But listen to this, and listen carefully…..THE HURT IS OKAY IF WE USE IT TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES! The hurt is even GOOD if it prompts us to make the changes we need to make! Remember, we’re not going to wallow in regret anymore! We’re going to accept that hurt and USE IT TO OUR ADVANTAGE by making a positive change!

The other reason people change is inspiration. Now doesn’t that automatically sound like more fun? When we fully realize and understand that WE DO HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE OURSELVES, it’s a very motivating feeling! We fill up with power and energy, and success is suddenly within our reach!

Susan Crandell, former editor of ‘More’ magazine, perhaps said it best: “We all should do something scary at least once a year, because when you pop out the other side, intact and invigorated, the afterglow can carry you through the other parts of your life.” (Source: www.drzimmerman.com)

So how do you capture the inspiration to change? Tell yourself ‘I CAN’ whenever the old doubt and regret starts to surface. Look at yourself in the mirror - right in the eyes! - and say out loud I CAN!

Do you know why you should do that? Because it’s TRUE! You CAN make the change and start living a healthier lifestyle! You CAN start exercising regularly! You CAN start cutting back on the fatty and high-calorie foods! You CAN change the way you look and feel!

Sure, you’ll have some setbacks along the way…..but no regrets, remember? Forget about the past and focus on the future! I CAN!

Obviously, inspiration is much better change trigger than desperation. But EITHER REASON TO CHANGE IS BETTER THAN NO CHANGE AT ALL.

Forget about the past.
Focus on the future.
I CAN.

* Copyright 2005 Pick Up The Pace. Permission is not required for the distribution of Pick Up The Pace articles as long as they are used in their entirety, are properly credited to Pick Up The Pace, and are accompanied by our website link: www.letspickupthepace.com.

* The information in this article and on this site is for general reference purposes only and not intended to address specific medical conditions. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice or a medical exam. Prior to participating in any exercise program or activity, you should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health professional. No information in this article or on www.letspickupthepace.com should be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition.

Tracie Johanson is the founder of Pick Up The Pace, a 30-minute exercise studio for women, focusing on fitness, health and nutrition for maximum weight loss. Please visit http://www.letspickupthepace.com for more information.

Tags: diet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weightdiet, exercise, express, fat, fit, fitness, health, lady, nutrition, pace, shapes, slender, slim, weigh, weight

Share This