Fitness Friday

Okay, truth: I don't care about Fitness Friday today. But I am committed to you, my lone faithful reader, who is perched on the edge of her chair, waiting for some fascinating installment to better your living. Never fear! I am ON it!

So, I'm going back to knowing your numbers. Do you have ANY idea how many calories you should be eating in any given day? Do you have ANY idea how many calories you DO eat in a given day? If not, you may be gaining weight or not losing and not know why. "But I don't eat that much." You really may not. How many calories do you consume, though, while you are: rummaging through the pantry deciding what to eat? or making dinner? or standing at the kitchen counter reading the mail? or cleaning off the table after dinner? I know all of these examples because I am guilty of all of them. I don't eat "that much" either, but I know that mindless eating can add up to hundreds, if not thousands, of extra calories in a day. Which adds up to extra insulation in the rear.

So, where should you go to find this information? Well, it is ALL over the web, and I PROMISE you can find a range of about 1,000 calories that you should be eating. I would stick to the low end that you come across, since most of us are really less active than we like to think.

I have decided this is one of my favorite websites for such things: nutritiondata.com

It has many other features I'll talk about later, but play around there for a while now if you have time.

Also, I use this site on occasion: thedailyplate.com.

This will also tell you how many calories you should consume to lose 1, 1.5, or 2 pounds a week, or if you want to maintain OR gain weight (you can always do what I do to gain weight -- I seem to have a knack!) Very valuable information.

There are MANY others out there -- these are two of my favorites. I have registered at both places, but it was FREE. There is way too much information for free on the internet for me to pay for any! Thedailyplate.com will frequently 'prompt' you to upgrade -- just ignore it.

So, just for the next week, do a little research. How many calories should you be consuming? For the record, even though I work out 6-9 hours a week, I count myself as 'mostly sedentary' when it asks. That exercise is basically the only activity I do in a day, so I'm really not considered an active person. Just an exerciser. I think that makes a difference.

Don't worry yet about how many you are actually eating, unless you're just in the mood for some math. But start noticing packages and nutritional information. There are VERY few restaurants that do not publish nutritional information. Use all of that information to your benefit as you take control of your own health.

Do some research, stay healthy, and be fit.