Hey there!  I would like to give you two simple guidelines to follow as you start down this road to a healthier lifestyle.  First, it is EXTREMELY important for you to always eat breakfast.  In the past you may have heard “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”.  Well, I think it’s absolutely true.  By eating breakfast you are jump starting your metabolic rate (rate at which you burn calories) so the earlier you eat the earlier you start burning calories.  By skipping breakfast your body does not process your next meal as quickly and tries to hold on to those nutrients for as long as possible.  This unfortunately can cause you to gain weight even though you may be eating less calories.  I will start posting healthy breakfast recipes on the “Cooking Smart” page which you can start looking for next week!

Second, I would like everyone to strive to do 60min of physical activity 3 days a week.  You can walk, jog, take a class, play tennis or basketball, ride a bike or chase your kids around the house 🙂  There are many ways to get active and I would encourage you to make a commitment to start with 3 days a week and find a friend who would like to join you.  I’m not going to say it’s easier but it’s a lot more fun to work out with a friend!  Also, you may be more likely to follow through with your commitment if you have someone to keep you accountable.

Check this website out to see how many calories you burn doing different activities!

http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/calculat.htm

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith