Tools for Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Healthy Weight
Adding healthy eating and physical activity into your daily routine can be challenging at first. Step Ahead offers many tools that will help you get started.
TOOLS TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS
Weekly food log. This log will help you keep track of the foods and beverages you have during the day. This will help you figure out areas where you can make healthy changes. Remember: This is for your own benefit, so be honest with yourself.
Weight change chart. You may not even notice small changes in your weight. That’s why it’s important to pay attention. This weight change log will help you keep track of your weight over time.
Keep track of your physical activity. It can be challenging to get enough physical activity to stay healthy and to keep your weight where you’d like it to be. Keep track of how active you are each day; it is a great start. Here are activity logs that you can use to track your daily activity and track your daily steps.
BMI calculator. Body mass index, or BMI, estimates how much body fat you have. It provides an understanding of where your weight fits in comparison with medical recommendations. Enter your height and weight (be honest!) into the calculator to see your current BMI.
Find patterns and new ideas. This grid gives you another way to use the Step Ahead food record on pages HE-10 and 11 of your Employee Resource Book.
Keep track of your successes! Brian Wansink, the author of Mindless Eating, has conducted very interesting research into the factors that influence how much we eat. Give this type of journal a try as a possible alternative to a detailed food journal.
Your lucky numbers! What you eat and drink, how active you are and how much sleep you get are among the factors that affect your weight. Use this once-a-day tool to keep track of everything during the week. Aim for the red numbers!
TOOLS TO HELP YOU MAKE CHANGES
Healthy recipes. Healthy eating is much easier when you know the foods you are preparing are healthy. Step Ahead has put together a Healthy Eating Library that includes lots of delicious recipes. So whether you’re looking for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, check the library out to give you some great ideas!
Guide to healthy snacking. Everyone likes to snack during the day. The key is to snack healthy. This guide suggests healthy snacks, many which may be available in the cafeteria and vending machines at your school.
Guide to healthy dining out. Ordering healthy foods at a restaurant, a fast-food restaurant, sandwich shop or other kind of eatery can be tough. This guide will help you choose more healthy items.
Understanding food labels. It is important to know how to read food labels. Here is an overview that will help you understand what to look for.
Seven ways to size up your portions.. Understanding what a portion or serving size is can be tough. Here is a guide that will help you out.
Walking maps. It can be challenging to be physically active at work when you’re really busy. It’s important to add in activity when you can. Taking short walks is a great way to be active! Indoor and outdoor walking maps are available for all schools participating in Step Ahead. Check in your Step Ahead resource book for your walking routes.
Quick and easy workout on your break. This 10-minute routine using resistance bands gives a total body strength training workout.
How fit are you? See how you measure up and get an overall picture of your fitness.
Setting goals for yourself is a powerful tool and an excellent way to make changes in your lifestyle or habits. Research over several decades shows that using goals is effective. Goals help you direct and focus your attention and efforts, energize you, help you persist in your efforts, and help you put your skills and knowledge to use. Here are suggestions for setting goals and making the most of them.
Plan to succeed! Here is one process you can use to help you reach your goals.
Move outdoors! Tie those walking shoes, buckle your bike helmet, grab your golf clubs or racquet, your camera or your suit and a towel! Try some of these suggestions to enjoy the great outdoors this summer.
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Keeping healthy at work can be more fun and easier if you do it as part of a group. Having trouble getting started? Step Ahead offers group activity programs that make it simple.
Developing a walking group. Step Ahead has developed a Walking Group Toolkit to help you organize your own walking group at work.
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