StrongWomen Newsletter
Issue 119, August 2008
I hope you find this newsletter helpful, and that you share it with your friends. Feel free to forward, post or reprint it – but please credit strongwomen.com for the information and don’t change the content.
By Miriam E. Nelson, PhD
Author of
Strong Women Stay Young
Strong Women Stay Slim
Strong Women, Strong Bones
Strong Women Eat Well
Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis
The Strong Women’s Journal
Strong Women, Strong Hearts
Strong Women, Strong Backs
Founder of www.StrongWomen.com
IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
- Keeping track of your food can help you lose weight
- Upcoming Strong Women Workshops
- Reader Questions and Answers
- Where can someone with arthritis find a safe exercise program?
- Is your new DVD right for me?
- Success Stories
- Recipe - Caprese Salad
KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR FOOD CAN HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT
Early research has suggested that keeping a food diary is one of the best tools you can use to help you lose weight successfully. A recent study confirms this. The new research found that people who kept track of what they ate were much more successful at losing weight than those who did not.
The study was designed to investigate methods for long-term weight management; it was published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The 1,685 participants in the study attended a group weight management class led by nutrition and behavioral counselors approximately once a week for six months. All of the participants were at least 25 years old and were overweight or obese. At the beginning of each session the participants weighed-in, reported the number of minutes of physical activity they had done for the week, and reported the number of days they had kept a diet record for the week. The researchers compiled the data collected over the six-month intervention and looked for behaviors associated with successful weight loss.
What the data showed was really interesting: The strongest predictor of weight loss over the six month time period was the number of days per week people kept a diet record. People who wrote down what they ate six or more days per week lost twice as much weight as people who kept track on one day or fewer per week.
If you struggle with weight loss or weight maintenance, strongly consider trying to keep a food diary. You don't need anything fancy -- just make sure you choose a tracking method that is convenient. Use a notebook and a pen or create a document on your computer and write down everything that you eat and drink each day - including the occasional candy from the candy jar and the condiments on your sandwich! But keep it simple. This study suggests that developing the habit of keeping a food diary can help you to achieve your weight loss/maintenance goals.
Lifting women to better health,
Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D.
(Hollis JF et al. Weight loss during the intensive intervention phase of the weight-loss maintenance trial. Am J Prev Med 2008;35(2).)
UPCOMING STRONGWOMEN WORKSHOPS
Several upcoming StrongWomen Program workshops are scheduled for the next few months. In order to be eligible for StrongWomen training, you must be actively strength training right now, and you must have a firm commitment to starting a program in your community. This training teaches you how to "lead" a StrongWomen Program, and should not be attended simply for informational/personal purposes.
Date: August 30, 2008
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
Contact: Jean Clarkson Frisbie, StrongWomen Ambassador
Phone: 620-672-6121
Email jcfrisbi@ksu.edu
Registration Deadline August 10, 2008
Fee: $80
Date: September 10, 2008
Location: Jamestown, New York
Contact: Nancy Wiker, Pennsylvania StrongWomen Ambassador
Phone: 717-394-6851
Email: nwiker@psu.edu
Registration Deadline: August 19, 2008
Date: September 27, 2008
Location: Alamosa, Colorado
Contact: Shirley Perryman, Colorado StrongWomen Ambassador
Phone: 970-491-2404
Email: shirley.perryman@colostate.edu
Registration Deadline: September 11, 2008
Date: October 21, 2008
Location: Billings, Montana
Contact: Lynn Paul
Phone: 406-994-5702
Email: lpaul@montana.edu
Fee: $150
Registration Deadline: September 29, 2008
Presented by Montana State University Food and Nutrition Office
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: What are the strength training recommendations for a newly diagnosed patient with rheumatoid arthritis?
A: People with rheumatoid arthritis will find exercise really helps to alleviate the pain associated with the condition and will improve function; however, the key is to make sure you start out very slowly. Use very light weights (or no weight) and start with just one set of 6 to 8 repetitions of each exercise. Work up slowly from there. Take your time and learn how your body responds to each exercise before you increase the weight and/or repetitions. Remember, strength training should be challenging, but it should not be painful. If something really hurts, don't do it. The program described in my book Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis is a safe and effective program for people with arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation also offers exercise programs for them. You can find information about these programs at: http://www.arthritis.org/programs.php
Q: Your new DVD is titled Preventing Osteoporosis. Does the title suggest that people already diagnosed with osteoporosis should not use the DVD?
A: My new Preventing Osteoporosis DVD is safe for almost anyone. If you have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you can still follow this exercise program. Talk to your doctor first and be mindful of your limitations. Start slowly and do only what you feel you can.
FROM THE MAILBOX: SUCCESS STORIES FROM INSPIRING WOMEN
Many thanks for the newsletters; my husband and I both enjoy them, as well as look forward to the next one. Our daughter gave me your "strong" book as a gift. I have done the exercises three times (2nd week) and already notice my arms are stronger. Reading in bed requires lifting my body back into sitting position; until now I was only able to "scootch" back gradually with my bum. I spent just an hour on the first eight lessons, Saturday and Tuesday. I'm looking forward to the progress with additional lessons.
- Faye
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
| Caprese Salad |
Click Here for a Printable Version of the Recipe
The Caprese salad is my family's summer favorite! This delicious dish is often served as the antipasto for an Italian dinner. It is simple to make, and now is the perfect time - gardens are teeming with fresh tomatoes through late August and early September. Plus, the fresh mozzarella makes this dish an excellent source of calcium! (Serves 4)
For other deliciously nutritious recipes, be sure to go to http://strongwomen.com/recipes/
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