Learning how to grocery shop is a crucial step in learning to eat a well balanced diet. How can you eat well if you do not have any healthy foods in stock? The first and foremost important step at the grocery store is to shop the perimeter. Most of the more nutritious items are located in this area.
The outside of the store consists of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables; deli meat and cheeses; raw meats, fish and poultry; as well as dairy products including milk and yogurt. When shopping, follow the “80:20 Rule”. That is to say, 80 percent of your grocery cart items should be foods found on the perimeter of the grocery store; 20 percent of the items should come from the aisles. This will ensure you are buying whole foods instead of processed “food-like” foods.
Getting in the Game
Your physical activity program doesn’t have to be elaborate or incredibly time consuming. Look at the areas in your current routine where you are already active and add to it:
Follow these tips to get started:
– Choose activities that fit into your current schedule-the more convenient, the more likely you’ll stick with it!!
– Identify the types of exercise you most enjoy so that exercise feels less like a chore and more like a break from the daily grind.
– Find a time of the day where you are most likely to avoid conflicts and schedule an appointment to exercise. Make yourself do it in the beginning and it WILL get easier! If you can’t get 30 minutes in, try doing three 10 minutes sessions.
– Set specific goals—walking 30 minutes 3 days a week—so you know what you’re aiming for!
After an hour of physical activity, here’s what your body needs:
- Fluid: Replace what’s lost through sweat. Use foods that are full of fluids [fruits, salads, soups] or fluids alone
- Carbs: Refuel muscles with 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate within the first 30 minutes after a workout
- Protein: Believe it or not, the amount of exercise you perform during an hour does not increase protein requirements.