Into Healthy Living

Approximately 3,500 calories adds up to about 1 pound.  This rule applies whether you are intaking food calories (“calories in”) or burning calories through exercise (“calories out”).  According to The Department of Health & Human Services, climbing up 1 flight of stairs (the equivalent of 12 steps) 3 times per day burns 15 calories.

 
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I work on the 3rd-floor of a 15-story office building with 6 elevators that are consistently crowded.  When packed into the elevator like sardines, I often feel guilty pressing “level 3″ amongst my fellow patrons who must endure stopping at lower-levels floor before ascending to the “elevator worthy” upper levels.  Lately, I’ve been hoofing it up the stairwell despite the discomfort in my high-heeled shoes to take advantage of the “mini workout” and to shift my feelings of lazy guilt to accomplishment.  I also realized that it only takes me about 1-minute to take ascend the stairs, which pales in comparison to the several minutes I often waste just waiting for an empty elevator.

According to my calculations, if I ascend 3 flights of stairs 3-times-a-day, I burn 45 calories.  This results in 10,890 calories burned for a typical year of work (~242 days) or 3-pounds!  Not too shabby for 3-minutes of exercise/day! 

I challenge everyone to make this lifestyle change and incorporate taking the stairs for ascents less than or equal to 3-flights.  Stairs…a free, healthy, and fast workout!

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My job keeps me traveling quite a bit and I’ve subsequently adopted a variety of strategies to incorporate healthy living when on the road.  Below are my techniques– please add your favorite tip by commenting on this post.

(1) Visit a local grocery store. 

Before you depart, research the location of a high-quality grocery store within walking distance to your hotel (e.g. local organic grocery store, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, etc).  As soon as you arrive at your destination, stock-up on healthy snacks and portable items for your bag/purse.  I always pick-up granny-smith apples, bananas, and odwalla bars (strawberry pomegranate is my favorite odwalla bar).  Another useful tip is to either bring/buy sandwich-size ziplock bags and create your own healthy snack bags (great idea if you have kids).  Fill up the bags with a mixture of foods such as cereal, peanut-butter pretzels, dried fruit, and nuts.

(2) ALWAYS Bring your walking/running shoes.

This sounds so simple, but can be such a challenge from women who want to be fashionable with they travel!  FORGET the cute ballet flats/flip-flops/sandals and wear your walking/running shoes!  You will NOT be able to walk all-day in unsupportive shoes and  you can even injure your feet walking around in flats.  While your running shoes may not make your outfit look as cute—you will be setting yourself up for success for an active day that is ultimately so much more important than matching shoes.

(3) Choose a hotel near a large University or college.

A student environment is filled with alternatives to cars; students use bikes, skateboards, and their own two-feet as their primary mode of transportation.  You will fit into this environment the old fashioned way by exploring the terrain with your walking shoes or by renting a bike for the day.

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4) Say “no” to Vitamin Water.

Say “yes” to plain water and stay hydrated without consuming extra calories from beverages that add sugar.  My favorite example of this is Vitamin Water—it looks so appealing, but the bottle has between 100 and 125 calories, which all comes from sugar!    In addition, unless you are running in a race or sweating profusely, you do not need to buy Gatoride that also supplies plenty of sugar calories.  My advice is to stick with plain old fashioned water.  At a restaurant, ask for water with a fresh lemon or lime wedges.  Besides, wouldn’t you rather indulge in a treat during your vacation than consume excess calories in your water?

(5) Stay at a hotel with healthy options.

Pick a hotel that provides healthy options.  My favorite for travel is Starwood Hotels (e.g. The Westin, the W).  The Starwood brand is consistent in providing up-to-date gyms, healthy food options on their room service menus, and will even provide a map of outdoor jogging routes.

(6) Research on yelp.com

Research healthy restaurant options as part of your trip planning.  One of my favorite resources to find restaurants is through the web site yelp, an online forum that provides an easy way to find and recommend local businesses.  I find it very helpful to read the recent reviews and comments.  Some of the search terms I use are: ‘organic,’ ‘vegetarian,’ and ‘vegan.’

(7) Register for a local athletic event.
Sign-up for a 5K/10K race or another athletic event during your vacation.  To search for athletic events and races all over the United States, visit active.com.

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