HealthyLife Articles

Category: Healthylife® Weigh

  • Connect To Your Values

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 1

    Healthy lifestyle concept with food in heart and sports fitness accessories.

    Welcome to a fresh start. Yes, that’s now! Perhaps you have tried to lose weight before, to varying degrees of success. Perhaps this is the first time you have tried to manage your weight. Maybe you aren’t even sure if you want to change yet. During Part 1 of HealthyLife® Weigh, you will learn more about yourself and what you will be doing throughout the program. Activities in this section will help you:

    *  Identify healthy habits you already have.

    *  Assess your starting point for this journey.

    *  Learn why managing weight is important.

    *  Find out your healthy weight range.

    *  Identify values that guide your everyday life.

    *  Commit to actions that support your values.

    Part 1 will not include any specific changes to your diet or exercise habits. This first part will start you on the road to creating healthy habits.

    HealthyLife® Weigh

    QUICK LINKS: PART 1

    Track Your Daily Food Intake & Physical Activity

    Maintaining a Healthy Weight is Important

    Healthy Body Clues

    Causes of Weight Gain

    Survey Your Starting Point

    Stages of Change

    Identify Your Values

    What Values Do You Display?

    Connect Attitude to Your Values

    Practice Self-Compassion

    Weight Management is a Lifestyle

    Balance of Choice

    What is My Healthy Weight?

    Set a Weight Loss Goal

    Review and Prepare

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Plan A Balanced Day 2

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Menus & Recipes

    Person holding a shrimp bowl with seaweed, avocado, cucumber, radish, sesame seeds.

    1. Select a healthy eating plan from the chart below based on these guidelines:

    a. Plan A: Best suited for women who are currently less active and want to lose more than 10-15 pounds.

    b. Plan B: Best suited for women who are moderately active and for men who are less active and want to lose more than 10-15 pounds.

    c. Plan C: Best suited for men and for women who are very active and need to lose less than 10 pounds.

    2. Learn how much to eat from each food group and make healthier choices within each food group. Over time, you may decide to make some changes to your plan to best suit your needs and your own eating style.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Find Reasons To Care About Physical Activity

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 5

    Elderly couple jogging.

    Being physically active helps you manage your weight. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. However, all exercise boosts your metabolism. Exercise builds muscle, the biggest fat burner in the body. Even in a state of rest, muscle burns calories efficiently (you’ll still be experiencing the benefits of your morning workout in the afternoon). Losing weight can slow your metabolism, but exercise can balance this effect.

    There are many other reasons to be active that may motivate you. Being physically active may help you live out the values you identified in Part 1.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Stretching And Rehabilitation

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 5

    Smiling women stretching.

    These exercises make your body more flexible. This helps you prevent injury during exercise and everyday activities. Stretching can also help you relax and is a tool for stress management. Tips:

    *  Stretch all muscle groups. Induce mild tension (not pain or burn) for 10 to 30 seconds.

    *  Don’t bounce while stretching. Make movements slow and controlled.

    *  Breathe slowly. Inhale while stretch is released. Exhale when moving into the stretch.

    *  Stretch after each cardio or resistance training workout.

    *  Stretch as a stand-alone workout or as a way to wind down at the end of the day.

    Examples of Stretching Exercises:

    Shoulder Shrug: Shrug your shoulders up toward your head. Then lower them. Repeat 4 times. Slowly circle your shoulders forward 8 times and then backward 8 times.

    Hamstring Stretch: Sit on the floor with your right leg straight. Bend your left leg and touch your foot against your straight leg. Stretch forward to touch the toes of your right foot. Hold for 4 counts. Then do this on the other side.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • Variety Bingo

    Healthylife® Weigh

    Part 2

    Veggie pizza.

    This game is perfect for when you are making a salad, looking for pizza toppings, filling an omelet, or scoping out a buffet for healthy choices. Involve kids by having them identify different shapes, colors, textures, tastes, and experiences with their food.

    Game Rules

    1. Write down the options on pieces of paper and place them in a bowl.

    2. Have someone pull the pieces of paper out one at a time. Have them read out loud what’s on the paper.

    3. Have someone cross off the spaces that are read out loud.

    4. When someone gets an entire row, either across, down or diagonal, yell “Bingo!”

    5. Prepare a meal using the ingredients included in the Bingo! row.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine