Avenue78

Get your Best Body by Summer

It only takes four to six weeks to see changes in your body if you follow the following steps:

1. Tell Your DNA to Make You Feel Full Faster. When you absolutely must have sweets, eat sugar, not high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS, a sweetener used in soft drinks, apple juice, candy, fruit flavored yogurt, and other foods, makes you hungrier than regular sugar. When you eat real sugar, appetite-controlling hormones kick in, eventually telling your body that you've had enough.

2. Crank Up Your Metabolism. Fill up on watermelon, snap peas, strawberries, tender baby greens, and other succulent summer produce. Foods in their natural state - nonprocessed foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains - contain chemicals including powerful plant nutrients and fiber that you need for your metabolism to run effectively. Switch the Peanut M and Ms for SunFlower seeds and raisins  and the cheese and crackers for olive tapenade on whole-grain bread.

3. Burn Fat. Go transfat-free. Transfats attach to a certain part of your cells that tells your DNA to slow your fat-bruning, slow your metabolism, and make your body more resistant to insulin. But when healthy fats such as omega-3s lock into that spot, they send a whole differnt set of messages that trigger fat-burning and improve sensitivity to insulin.

Quash Your Cravings

Here it is, your weekly dose of snacks at one hundred calories or less to curb your cravings:

Chocolatey: Chocolate covered raisins (14) - 65 calories

Creamy: Cinnamon-melt toast (1 thin slice low-calorie bread spread with 1 tsp part skim ricotta cheese, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and popped under the broiler) - 72 calories

Crunchy: Biscotti (plain, 1) - 90 calories

Refreshing: Frozen non-fat yogurt (1/2 cup) - 100 calories

Salty: Fat-free potato chips (1/2 cup) - 100 calories

Sweet: Butterscotch candy (3/4 ounce) - 84 calories

How to be a Big Loser

Get 60 to 90 minutes of activity per day.

Don't worry, we're not talking hard core traditional gym work outs. Rather, try to think of every little step counting as activity: take the stairs rather than the elevator, park further away, take the dog for an extra long walk.

Eat your breakfast every day.

Yes, even if you're not hungry - eat your breakfast. It is important to keep your blood sugar consistent rather than have it going up and down and not eating your breakfast is an example of letting blood sugar go too low. It will only make you crave something sweet and fattening later on.

Weigh yourself often.

If you're trying to lose weight, you need to check out the scale to see where you stand. Weigh yourself once a week at the same time of day.

Follow a low-fat, high-carb diet.

As long as they are the right carbs - fruits, veggies, whole grains - carbs are good for you and important in your diet.  Only 24% of your diet should be fat.

Quash Your Cravings 2

Here's this week's Craving Quashers:

Chocolatey: Chocolate covered graham cracker (2) - 68 calories

Creamy: Cheese melt (1/2 toasted English muffin broiled with 1/2 ounce non fat Cheddar) - 90 calories

Crunchy: Biscotti (plain, 1) - 90 calories

Refreshing: Frozen fruit juice bar - 63 calories

Salty: Dill pickle (1 large) - 12 calories

Starchy: Cooked beans, any variety (1/4 cup) - 95 calories

Sweet: Half a bagel, spread with 2 tsps nonfat cream cheese and 1 tsp all-fruit preserves - 100 calories

Quash Your Cravings

Have a craving? Each week Avenue 78 will feature some craving quashers that are 100 calories or less!

Chocolatey Craving: Chocolate-covered Banana (1/2 medium dippped in 1 teaspoon fat free chocolate syrup and frozen) 61 calories.

Creamy: Artificially sweetened nonfat French vanilla yogurt 100 calories.

Crunchy: Asparagus (raw 6 medium size stalks) 20 calories.

Refreshing: Fat free ice cream (1/2 cup) 100 calories.

Salty: Chicken broth (1 cup) 20 calories.

Starchy: Baked potatoe (medium) topped with a dollop of fat free sour cream 99 calories.

Sweet: Apple sauce (unsweetened 1 cup) sprinkled with cinamon 100 calories.

Setting Your Goals

John Stanton of the Running Room believes that the only way you will follow through with a fitness regime is if you set goals, write them down and revisit them regularly. Read on to see what he says.

"Every person is unique - no special formula exists as to where you should start. Don't look at the people around you whether male or female, simply look at where you are."

GOAL SETTING:

A. Determine Goals:

Try to establish weekly goals for improvement. The more realistic the goals are, the more likely that you will not be discouraged part way through your training. Use a running diary to help evaluate your progress. Always be ready to readjust and re-evaluate your goals. For example, bad runs on two consecutive days may indicate a need to back off and progress more slowly.

Short term goals:

eg. to complete a 10 km run in the spring

eg. to lose 10 lbs.

Long term goals:

eg. to lose 25 lbs and have fitness as a part of daily routine

eg. to complete the Canadian Ironman

"REMEMBER! Your goals can be qualitative (e.g. to get in shape). or quantitative (e.g. want to run a 40 minute 10K)."

B. Record Your Goal

Commit to your goals by writing them down and reviewing your progress towards these goals on an active basis.

C. Monitor Your Progress by Means of a Log Book

Log Books reinforce your daily step by step progress towards achievement of goals.

D. Modify Your Goals

As you progress in your training, your short term and even long term goals may change. Modify your goals according to changes in circumstance and document this change.

Set 5 Kinds of Goals:

1. Dream Goal: long term goal

2. Dream Goal: for this season

3. Realistic performance goal for this season

4. Self acceptance

5. Daily goals

Road Rules for Bikers

Another Triathlon Update! I was chatting with my friend Mel on the weekend and we were discussing which bike club we were going to join this spring so we can do group rides. Not only are group rides more fun, they are safer and more competitive than going solo.

Here are some road rules for novice cyclists...

You've been spinning all winter and now you're ready to spin on the real road! To keep your group ride safe, always wear a helmet and heed these tips from John Deans at the Running Room Triathlon Clinic in Toronto:

• Pass fellow cyclists only on the left and say "On your left."
• Call out or point to obstacles like pot holes, gravel or dogs. When there's a car in front or benhind you, holler ''car up" or "car back."
• Leave plenty of stopping distance (this depends on your skill level - and nerves) between you and the bike in front of you.
• If you're struggling up a hill, move to the right so others can pass.
• Use hand signals when stopping or turning.
• When crossing streets, let other cyclists know traffic situations; if it's OK to go, yell "clear."
• Cycle two abreast only on open country roads or when you're not blocking traffic

Triathletes are Made not Born!

Last year I completed a Sprint Triathlon. It was a great feeling coming across the finish line and I encourage all of you to give it a try if you can. I will be chronicling my training this year so check back for weekly updates in the Avenue Health category.

You can do it!

If you regularly get cardiovascular exercise, you have the potential to be a triathlete according to Lisa Bentley, winner of 9 Ironman championships. All you need are drive, dedication and training.

Some of Bentley's tips to prepare for the perfect novice event, the sprint triathlon: 750m swim, 20km bike, 5k run:

What it takes: 3 months of cardiovascular training (alternating biking, swimming, running), 3-4 times a week, 1 to 2 hour sessions. As the event nears, practice mini traithlons in all 3 events consecutively.

Training tips: Pinpoint your weakest event and find a pro in that area (from a local cycling or running club or Masters swim team) to provide technique and stamina-building tips. And don't forget strength training: if your biking isn't strong, Bentley says, it will be difficult for your legs to carry you through the run. To build strength, weight train with squats/leg presses, ride in intervals and add resistance by alternating intensity/gears while riding.

Check back next week for more specific tips and see how I'm progressing with my training. As always comments or questions are welcome. Your questions will be answered by a resident expert!