Blog Assignment(#5) Weight Management

   Weight management is a combination of nutrition and physical activity. 
   Nutriton: Eating the right foods is important to weight management.  You have to make sure that you are getting lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.  There are more important factors for nutrition, but these I find most important.  If you have not heard it is important to eat the colors of the rainbow.  Green for your green leafy vegetables(spinach, lettuce, asapargus), yellow(lemons, squash), blue(blueberries), purple(grapes), red(apples, red onions, beets, tomatoes, etc), orange(oranges, citrus fruits, etc).  Many people might describe these foods as bland, but these foods can be flavorful with spices or how they are cooked.  You can grill, bake, sautee, steam them.  It is very easy.  Also, look for foods with more whole grains.  These foods then to have more fiber and therefore are much more healthier than white grains.  Lean meats is another important factor.  Lean meats have very little fat content to them.  Leaner meats are better for you because they have less cholesterol and fat and less chance of having cardiac problems in the future.
   Physical Activity:  Prevent weight gain -- 150-250 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with prevention of weight gain. More than 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity is associated with modest weight loss.

Weight loss -- 150-250 minutes/week of moderate-intensity physical activity provides only modest weight loss. Greater amounts (ie. >250) provide clinically significant weight loss.

(taken from: http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/acsm-in-the-news/2011/08/01/acsm-position-stand-on-physical-activity-and-weight-loss-now-available)
Physical activity is very important not only for weight management but also for overall health.  A way to stay physically active is to set goals including a running race(5k, 8k, 10k etc).  It would be best to start with a 5k race because these races are seen most often and you can set a more realistic goal through those.  All goals should start out short-term and be realistic.  Setting a goal to run a 5k in 2 weeks and not run/walk it when you have never run before is not a realistic goal!

With proper nutrition and physical activity, weight management is possible!