Published: January 31, 2008 07:21 pm            

Keeping your New Year's resolutions?

FAIRMONT — A little over a month ago, if you were like most Americans, you probably sat down, pen in hand, and wrote yourself your “new” New Year’s resolutions for 2008.

If you’re like most Americans, getting into physical and financial shape probably topped the list. But, if you’re like most Americans, this list could be used for any year.

Make 2008 the year you keep your resolutions. It’s possible but it will br easier if you do it in baby steps.

The number-one resolution is to lose weight.

• Step one: Set a realistic goal.

“If it’s an overwhelming amount to lose, we advise you to adjust your goal weight,” said Annie Bronsak, registered and licensed dietitian.

“Think about it as losing 10 pounds at a time. You have to commit to change and develop a new lifestyle of changing your eating habits.”

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) says to plan to lose one to two pounds weekly by consuming approximately 300 to 500 fewer calories daily than usual.

• Step two: Evaluate your current diet.

According to the Federal Citizen Information Center, each pound of fat your body stores represents 3,500 calories of unused energy. To lose one pound, you need to take in 3,500 fewer calories over a period of time than you need or doing 3,500 calories worth of exercise.

• Step three: Count calories, because calories count.

Eating 250 more calories each day than your body needs will add one pound every two weeks. On the other hand, burning an extra 500 calories each day will help you lose a pound a week.

• Step four: Devise an eating plan based on moderation, variety and balance.

Create your diet around the USDA Food Pyramid for servings: milk, yogurt and cheese (two to three servings); meat, poultry and fish (two to three); vegetables (three to five); fruits (two to four); grains and pasta (six to 11); and water (eight servings). Use fats, oils and sweets sparingly.

Step five: Take control of your eating situations.

Cook at home rather than eat out. Bake, steam or broil meat instead of frying. Brown bag it for lunch. Drink water instead of soda. Eat a bagel instead of a cheese-and-bacon muffin.

According to the Federal Citizen Information Center:

• Cut down on your portion sizes and make healthy substitutes.

• Stick with low-fat, high-fiber entrees such as steamed vegetables, grilled or broiled lean meats, fish,

and turkey, and skinless chicken.

• Use the nutrition facts on

food labels to get necessary nutrients and cut calories.

• Avoid foods that will comprise more than 20 percent of your fat for the day.

• Pay attention to serving sizes.

People are overweight for the obvious reasons (eating too much of the wrong foods, not exercising

enough), Bronsak said.

“But some people overeat because of emotional problems ... boredom, depression, anxiety. If you

have any of these problems, you need to seek help.”

Losing weight is “more than just dieting. It’s diet plus exercise, “ she said.

• Step six: “You need to develop better lifelong habits. Once you lost a few pounds, you will get motivated, she said.”

She gave these tips:

• Envision how you will look when you are thinner.

• Take small steps. Exercise a little at first.

“Try to walk a little bit each day. As you start doing things different to improve your health in general, you will automatically eat less.”

• See a dietitian to get a personalized diet plan.

• Join a weight support or exercise group. Partner with a friend, co-worker or relative.

• Boost your nutrition knowledge. Read books. Visit the American Dietetic Association site eatright.org.

• Don’t skip meals, but ditch the alcohol and sugars.

“Most of all, be realistic about making small changes over time,” she said. “You can’t do it all at once. This is not a quick fix. If you quick fix it, you will gain it back when you veer off track. Be of the mindset that if you goof up, you won’t chuck it all and you will get back on track.”

Remember that day — maybe way back in the summer when you were trying on swimsuits, or even last week as you passed a shop window at the mall — when you caught a glimpse of yourself and didn’t like what you saw?

After screaming “Yikes!” you decided it was time to get into shape.

Wanting to get into shape is a common resolution, said Diana Gilleland, assistant professor in exercise physiology at West Virginia University.

“But it becomes overwhelming. So breaking it into steps makes it more realistic.

“The most important thing is to start slow. This is not a temporary situation. You will want to work on it each day.”

• Step one: See your doctor.

“Anyone who is not currently physical active should consult with your physician before starting any exercise program.”

• Step two: “Find an activity you like, start slowly and build up gradually,” she said.

“It depends on the person. Everyone starts at different levels. An exercise program needs to be individualized.”

Health experts advise to get fit, do FIT:

* Frequency: How often you exercise.

* Intensity: How hard you exercise ... the pace you walk or run, the amount of weight you lift, or your heart rate count.

* Time: How long or number of sets or repetitions you perform an activity.

A good exercise program will incorporate:

* Aerobics to increase the health and function of the heart, lungs and circulatory systems. For maximum effectiveness, they should be rhythmic, continuous and involve the large muscle groups (primarily located in the lower part of your body.) Walking, jogging, cycling, aerobic dance and stair climbing are examples of activities that use large muscle groups. Activities combining upper and lower body movements such as cross-country skiing, rowing, and swimming can lead to even higher levels of aerobic capacity.

* Strength training is exercising with progressively heavier resistance to build or retain muscle. Unless you perform regular strength exercise, you will lose up to one-half pound of muscle every year of life after age 25. Muscle is a very active tissue with high energy requirements, responsible for more than 25 percent of your calorie use. An increase in muscle tissue causes a corresponding increase in the number of calories your body will burn, even at rest.

* Flexibility increases physical performance, decreases risk of injury, increases blood supply and nutrients to the joints, increases neuromuscular coordination, reduces soreness, improves balance, decreases risk of low back pain and reduces stress in muscles.

• Step three: Moderation is the key.

“No pain, no gain”? “Not true,” Gilleland said.

“When you’re exercising, you should feel like you’re putting out some effort, but no discomfort or pain.

“You will feel the exercise in the muscles you’re using. You will feel those areas working. You could have some soreness even two days after. But you don’t want to give up.

“If it’s painful and you think you have an injury, see your physician. If it’s just soreness, lay off the weight training for a couple of days. If it’s cardio (exercise), walk, swim or bike. Just cut back on the intensity.”

• Step four: Combining exercise with a food management plan “is very important,” she said.

“You’ll see better results when you put the two together.”

The President’s Council

on Physical Fitness offers these tips:

• Find a fitness partner.

• Keep an exercise log or journal.

• Reward yourself.

• Upgrade your program as you go along.

• Entertain yourself with books on tape or music.

• Evaluate your progress when you start and re-evaluate yourself every couple of months.

• Think of exercise as something you do without question.

The telephone rings. You listen in silence (you know that if you don’t make a noise, that person will think you’re not home and will stop calling). But you know who it is.

A bill collector. But which one? You’re so far behind in payments of various kinds you’re almost on a first-name basis with the dunners.

Most experts recommend that debt payments (including car payments and credit cards) should amount to no more than 10-15 percent of your income.

You know you need to get your finances in shape but don’t know what your first step should be. (Hiding the bills in your sock drawer is definitely four giant steps backward.)

Sandy Miller of Consumer Credit Counseling, which assists financially over-extended clients in personal budgeting, financial responsibility and payment services, has some advice.

• Step one: Track your spending over a 30-day period.

“This way you’ll know what’s going out and what’s coming in. You might see you’re spending more than

you realize.” Once you’ve done that ...

• Step two: Put yourself on a budget.

“A lot of people have never had a budget. They may know what their fixed expenses are (rent or mortgage, for example) but have no idea of their variable expenses.

“Before you can really work out a budget, you need to get an idea of what’s going out. When you’re initially developing your budget, you may see you need to change some areas. A budget is not set in stone.”

• Step three: Set aside money for savings.

“Pay yourself every month, just like you pay a creditor. And include this in your budget. Start with a small amount to get in the habit. As you get other debts paid off, increase the amount you put in savings.”

Can’t find the cash to save? It’s there: Cut back on unnecessary expenses: Brown bag lunch. Eat in and entertain at home rather than go out. Use coupons and store brands. Hit the thrift and discount stores.

• Step four: Pay off your debts.

Of course you don’t like owing money. But if you’re like the average American, you have nine credit cards with a median balance of $2,200. At the end of June 2007, the American population owed $2.46 trillion in consumer debt.

Plan A: Retire the credit cards.

Plan B: “Double, triple, quadruple your minimum payments,” advises Bankrate.com.

“You need to pay more the minimum,” Miller said. “A lot may be going to interest so you’re not paying the balance down.”

According to Bankrate.com, making the minimum $50 monthly payment on a $3,000 credit card balance will take eight years to pay off while costing you $2,780 in interest. Paying an additional $50 a month will erase this debt in three years and spare you $1,800 in interest charges.

“You don’t want to still be paying for that sweater you bought” years ago, Miller said.

Plan C: If you’re having trouble making the minimum payments, “Don’t ignore it,” she said. “Contact your debtors to work out programs. Don’t run away. They’re more likely to work with you if you take the initiative.”

Just make sure it’s a reputable firm and not a high-interest debt consolidation loan or a for-profit, fly-by-night company.

Plan D: Pay off your highest-rate first, nondeducitible debt first and when paid off, roll that amount over to the next one in line.

But if you need a little confidence boost, do the following.

Plan E: Pay off the smallest bills first. And when they’re paid off, go back to Plan B.

• Step five: Be determined to get your finances in order.

“But this cannot be done overnight. You will have to take the initiative to start. It won’t be easy. You will have to make the decision that you owe this and you’re determined to pay it.

“This is the only way it will work. You cannot do it in two or three months. It may take three or four years.”

Couples must be equally determined to erase their debts, she added.

“If one of you is trying to get out of debt and the other is spending money you don’t have, you will never see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Money is a very personal thing. Even if a family has an adequate income but has problems paying all their monthly expenses, it could be because they’ve not set priorities or one is a spender.

“People say they’ve worked hard and deserve to have things. But very few people have everything they want when they want it.

“You have to prioritize. We want instant gratification and credit cards give us that.”

        

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