Successful Weight Loss Archives - Jalpa Sheth Nutrition & Wellness LLC

What is Considered Exercise?

Exercise is defined as any physical activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness, overall health, and well-being. There are many different forms of exercise, the main ones being aerobic exercise and strength training. Other forms include flexibility, functional training, and high intensity interval training. Aerobic exercise increases heart rate and improves the physical fitness of our heart. Aerobic exercises can be any activity that increases your heart rate, including running, swimming, cycling, and dancing. Strength training focuses on building muscle strength and endurance. It’s important because it builds and maintains muscle mass, enhances bone density, and improves functional fitness, which makes everyday movements easier. Aerobic exercise recommendations are 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week. It’s recommended to incorporate 2 days of strength training per week. Physical activity recommendations vary among individuals depending on overall health and wellbeing. If you have any underlying health conditions and are not used to exercising, consult your doctor to find a workout schedule that works best for you.

The Physical Benefits of Exercise

Consistent exercise has a variety of benefits on our overall physical health. Exercise is a key component in maintaining a healthy weight. It also improves cardiovascular health by strengthening the heart and improving circulation, which can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and improve symptoms of heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Other benefits to staying active include decreased risk of osteoporosis, improved sleep quality, boosted immune function, and increased energy levels throughout the day.

The Mental Benefits of Exercise

The benefits to exercise don’t stop at physical wellbeing, it is also beneficial to our overall mental health. When we exercise, our body releases endorphins, which naturally boost our mood, helping to relieve stress and reduce anxiety. Physical activity can also have a positive effect on overall cognitive function, improving memory and focus. When we are consistent with exercise goals it can also increase self-esteem and emotional well-being. Exercising in a group setting can be a great way to socialize and connect with other like-minded people!

Nutrition and Exercise

Incorporating balanced nutrition habits, along with your exercise routine, can enhance both the physical and mental benefits. Nutrition is also important for fueling our bodies for exercise and the recovery process. Staying hydrated during workouts and throughout the day prevents dehydration. This also helps to promote optimal performance and enhance recovery. Having balanced meals and snacks that incorporate carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats before and after workouts can also aid in performance and recovery. Avoid high fat foods before workouts as they can cause heartburn and indigestion. Try to choose protein rich foods after workouts to support muscle recovery. For more information on nutrition and exercise, schedule a consultation with us!

Overcoming Barriers

The benefits of exercise are maximized when it’s performed consistently. To do so, it’s important to find ways to stay active that are enjoyable to you and fit into your schedule. People may face other barriers when incorporating exercise into their routine, such as finding motivation, accessing facilities, physical limitations, and weather conditions. These barriers can be overcome with planning and determination! Exercise can be anything that you enjoy, this includes walking, running, dancing, or playing sports. To overcome time barriers, try scheduling workout times at the beginning of the week to fit them into your schedule. If your ability to access facilities is limited, try going for a walk or run or pulling up a workout video on YouTube to try in your living room! If physical limitations prevent you from exercising, you can perform seated exercises. For more guidance or help overcoming barriers to incorporating exercise into your routine, schedule a consultation!

Find What Works for You

Exercise has many benefits, both physically and mentally. To fully reap these benefits, it’s important to have an exercise routine that works best for you. This means having a routine that you enjoy and that fits your lifestyle. Remember to start small and increase your workouts as you go to avoid injury and promote consistency. Celebrate workout victories and congratulate yourself for progress that you make. If or when you have setbacks, learn from those experiences and make adjustments. Everyone’s exercise journey is different, so be kind to yourself and be proud of your individual successes!

For guidance on nutrition and exercise, contact us to set up a consultation!

Jalpa Sheth Nutrition & Wellness, LLC is a nutrition based private practice serving NY, NJ and coming soon FL. Our board certified registered dietitians can be instrumental in helping you attain optimized nutrition to help achieve your goals around health, fitness, sports, and/or mere weight management.

Weight loss

If you’ve dieted before, you’re more than likely familiar with the yo-yo dieting cycle of losing 10 pounds, gaining 15, losing 10 then gaining another 10. It can be a vicious cycle and it’s hard to know how to lose the weight and keep it off. Weight loss journeys are not easy and no two are alike. However, the methods to successfully lose weight are all very similar. These five strategies for successful weight loss are the most important tips you can implement to get you to your goal.

Tip 1: Plan Ahead

If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. A very popular saying that is so true. If you leave your food choices up to the moment when you’re very hungry or even emotional, you’re not always going to make the best choices. It is hard to choose the right foods when you’re extremely hungry or tired. You’ll just grab something quick, even if it doesn’t fit into your weight loss plan.

Instead, plan out your food so you’re making sound decisions while you’re not hungry. If you’re going out to dinner with friends, look at the menu ahead of time so you’re prepared to order something that fits within your plan. Another great tip is to order first! That way, there’s no peer pressure to order the delicious fried entree everyone else is getting. Who knows, by ordering first, you may influence others to make a healthy choice as well.

Tip 2: Eat Filling Foods

Like I talked about in my blog about aggressive fat loss, the type of food you choose matters. If you are constantly trying to fit in high-sugar, processed foods, you’re going to be left feeling hungry and lethargic. Both of which can cause cravings and binges. To prevent a restrict-binge cycle, work on choosing foods that are going to keep you satisfied for hours.

Foods for Weight Loss

A nutritionally balanced diet will do just that. Focusing on putting a right amount of protein source at your main meals along side high-fiber carbs as well as fruits & vegetables will help with satiety.

Tip 3: Get More Sleep

When you’re tired, willpower is way down. Sleep is the closest thing we have to a “magic weight loss pill”. Sleep is when the body recovers. If your body recovers well, it will easily burn more calories throughout the day and you’ll be able to think more clearly.

Quality sleep regulates our hunger hormones. The hormone Leptin reduces the feelings of hunger and the hormone Ghrelin increases appetite and fat production. Both hormones are important for the body to have, but they don’t work well when the body doesn’t get its needed sleep. You’ll find yourself extra hungry if you don’t get sleep, making it harder to stay in a calorie deficit to lose weight. Lack of sleep will also make you chronically tired and less active. And we all know activity is important for weight loss. It all starts with a good night’s sleep!

Tip 4: Increase Your NEAT

As stated above, activity is crucial for weight loss. We have to burn calories right?! NEAT is non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Fancy words just meaning any activity you do in your daily life that is outside of the gym or a workout. This includes things like walking, hiking, or even heading up the stairs. NEAT is important because a workout is maybe 60 minutes of your day, 2-3 times a week. Calories burned during that workout are such a small portion compared to the calories burned daily from walking or just moving around.

Weight loss

By increasing your NEAT, you can easily burn more calories throughout the day, which helps keep you in a calorie deficit for your weight loss journey. You can increase NEAT by taking a walk after dinner every day or by getting a treadmill with a desk so you can walk while you work. Things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking in the very back of the parking lot to walk into the store are small changes that can add up quickly. Other ideas for increasing NEAT are pacing the sidelines at a kid’s game, pacing while talking on the phone, or walking to a co-worker’s desk instead of emailing them. Whatever you choose, increasing NEAT is an easy way (that doesn’t take up extra time) to burn more calories and increase your fat loss.

Tip 5: Be Flexible With Food

If you focus on just one tip, make it this one. Flexibility within your diet is crucial for long-term success with weight loss. If all you do is restrict all foods, it won’t last. There has to be a balance of healthy foods and fun foods that you enjoy. There are a few different ways to make sure you’re following the 80/20 rule.

For 5–6 days out of the week, make sure you’re eating well-rounded, healthy meals for your daily eats. Then, that 7th day can be the fun, intuitive eating day. Go out with friends and have fun but remember the healthy habits you’ve been instilling throughout the week. Choose an appetizer, drink, OR dessert at a restaurant. Having all three plus an entree quickly adds up in calories. But choosing to have one of the three will allow you to enjoy fun food without completely dismissing your weight loss goals.

Another way to enjoy the 80/20 rule is to have the 20% of fun food be lightened-up versions of your favorite dishes. There are a plethora of low-calorie dessert options that taste great if you search Pinterest. Having a nightly dessert can help you stay on track mentally. And making that nightly dessert a little bit healthier for you keeps you on track physically.

Start with one of these tips, and work on instilling it into your daily habits. Then add a tip every 1-2 weeks, until all 5 are easy and part of your healthy lifestyle.

For more guidance on successful weight loss, email Jalpa to set up a consultation!

Jalpa is a registered dietitian and nutritionist with a Master’s degree in Health & Nutrition from Brooklyn College, CUNY in New York. She also holds a Certificate of Training in Adult Weight Management through the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, CDR.

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