Weight Management

Stop the Madness!

You’re growing everyday and your body needs fuel to look good and feel good. Eating right helps you stay on your game at school and in your personal life. Have you ever heard “you are what you eat?” Eating healthy makes you look healthy and vice versa. Garbage in, garbage out. So how do you do it when it’s so hard to eat healthy? There are so many temptations all around: TV commercials, fast food restaurants on every corner, snack and candy vending machines everywhere. How do you eat healthy on the run when you’re juggling school, studying, family and friends? It’s not easy, but with planning and will power, you can do it.

Seven easy steps to make sure you’re eating right :

1) Eat three meals everyday.

2) Replace the white bread, oils and sugars in your diet with veggies, whole wheat and fruit.

3) Get some dairy into your diet. Grab a glass of milk or eat a piece of cheese.

4) Load up your backpack with cereal/healthy snack bars instead of candy or chips.

5) Even though you are eating on the run, slow down and it’ll help you to not overeat.

6) If your tank is full you don’t add more fuel, so if your stomach is full, don’t eat anymore.

7) Limit the sugar, caffeine, soda and fried foods. They won’t give you the hang time you need.

Remember the Food Pyramid? It was made for a reason . . .

Eating with friends and family members who eat healthy will help you stay on track. You wanna splurge? Are you kidding? Everyone needs to treat themselves to less healthy choices every once in a while. Make it something that’s a treat every couple of days instead of everyday. Stay active. Burning calories is the key to controlling your weight.

The “Skinny” on Dieting

Ugh. That word D-I-E-T. No one loves to diet, and the worst is when you feel out of shape or don’t feel like you look as good as your friends. Feeling good comes from the inside out, so when you eat right, you feel better on the outside. Everyone grows at a different speed, and your friends may look different than you, but there is no PERFECT body type. What’s important is THE WAY YOU FEEL.

Don’t Do The Diet – – Do The Discipline Daily!

For teenagers, dieting is NOT a good idea! Want to diet? SEE A DOCTOR! What a doctor will tell you:

1. Change your bad eating habits for more healthy ones.

2. DON’T focus on your weight.

3. Get moving with some exercise and focus on the way you feel.

The Real Downside of Dieting

(You Don’t Wanna Go There ! )

Dieting can make you feel weak. Stay strong, don’t do it.

• Dieting can stunt your growth in your teenage years…okay, shorty?
• Dieting can make you grouchy and lose focus at school…say what?
• Dieting can sometimes make your bones weak, make you lose your hair and make your skin rough…whassup, crocodile?

 DIET PILLS can make you ILL and can KILL !

Your doctor is the one who knows best…talk to him or her first and get the lowdown on what’s best for you!

Eating Disorders…Going Too Far?

Sometimes teenagers want to lose weight, even if they don’t need to. Part of it may be the way they feel about themselves, and sometimes it may be the way they feel when with friends because of the way they look. Looking good is not a competition. Be healthy by being who you are. STOP and talk to your doctor if you are:

• Skipping meals.
• Binge eating.
• Eating in secret.
• Forcing yourself to vomit after eating.
• Using diet pills or laxatives.
• Exercising all the time.

Diets are a serious business. Don’t play games with your health. Ask a doctor for the best plan and do it the right way.

Exercise

Working it

Ever notice that you feel better when you’re active and worse when you just slug around watching TV? It’s not by chance. Keeping your machine lean and in motion has benefits beyond the obvious.

Exercise is a great way to lose weight and get into shape, but did you know that exercise can also help you control stress, fight disease and improve your mental health? Bet the bank on it. Exercise strengthens muscles, and it burns the calories you add to your body by eating fatty foods. Exercise doesn’t have to be tough or a chore, so stop rolling your eyes and sighing heavily.

Walk this Way

High power workouts such as walking or running are a good stress reliever because your body releases endorphins (“feel-good hormones”) that help boost your energy. They even improve your mood. Try going for a walk when you’re angry or upset, and see if you don’t return a little less jumpy. Walking is a great cardio activity, meaning it benefits your heart. Just 15 minutes of vigorous walking each day can improve your health, your mood, your body image and your outlook on life. Benefits of Walking:

• Lowers your bad cholesterol.
• Raises your good cholesterol.
• Lowers your blood pressure.
• Reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Helps you manage your weight.
• Improves your mood.
• Helps you stay strong and fit.

Exercise comes in all forms, from jogging and push-ups to playing softball, basketball, street hockey or volleyball. Lifting weights is a good way to shape up your muscles and fight stress. Kickboxing can be a great way to relieve anger and feelings in a healthy way. It also helps build your staying power and it burns lots of calories. Hiking, rock climbing, karate, skating, handball and jumping rope are some exercise options that are great for your body and mind.

Let’s cruise inside you for a closer look at what’s going down when you exercise. First of all, your breathing rate increases and your lungs receive more oxygen. Your heart rate quickens, pumping more blood to your muscles and tissues, getting your body more oxygen and nutrients to give you energy. When you use your muscles, they expand and contract, strengthening them and creating energy.

 Your organs work together to keep your brain fed, and exercise feeds that need faster and better than inactivity. Physical activity can help your mood and improve your mental health. Exercise releases serotonin and dopamine. These are “feel good” chemicals that help make us feel calm and happy, reducing signs of depression and fear.

 In summary, exercise is an excellent way to improve our bodies from the insideout. It helps fight off disease and feel better about ourselves. By staying healthy and controlling our stress, we can succeed more and lead better lives. Exercise is also a cool way to stay healthy and even fight off diseases before they begin. If you don’t like the idea of developing osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer, along with a big belly and butt, get plenty of exercise.