Learn the lessons from the mini health makeover

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Families who applied for the Extreme Family Makeover but weren't selected as the winner got a mini makeover of their own to help them jumpstart a healthier life.

"It was very useful, good information," Leeanne Koeneman said. "It's stuff I never thought of before that I can try to implement into my family's routine."

Koeneman and her family were one of several who came for the mini makeover. Each coach for the Extreme Family Makeover challenge gave a short presentation with tips and strategies to create a healthier life.

Adding physical activity to your lifestyle

"The big thing is for families to develop the time factor," YMCA Wellness Director and Physical Activity Coach Brian West said.

West gave several reasons people often give for not exercising:

* lack of time
* lack of energy
* lack of support
* fear of injury
* lack of skill
* lack of resources
* travel

But then he gave several strategies to overcome those barriers:

* schedule time just like an appointment and write exercise time on a calendar
* schedule exercise with family/friends/co-workers
* the more you exercise, the more energy you will have
* don't overdo exercise sessions, "Train, but don't strain"
* start slow and build up speed, time, etc
* gym memberships aren't the only way be active, parks and neighborhood trails are free
* book hotels with fitness centers or connections with outside health clubs

"You have at least five hours a week to exercise with," West said.

Here's the breakdown West showed to prove his point.

There are 168 hours in a week. If someone sleeps eight hours a night, that's 56 hours of sleep, leaving 112 hours. 

Then account for working 50 hours a week, that leaves 62 hours.

Subtract ten hours of travel time, and that leaves 52 hours.

Assume the person eats three meals a day, taking an hour for each meal. That's another 21 hours leaving 31 hours in the week.

Then account for two hours of family time every day, that's 14 hours, leaving 17 hours.

Take out another hour a day for alone time and that leaves ten hours in the week.

Allowing another five hours for miscellaneous activities, that still leaves five hours a week that could go to physical activity.

"Exercise is important, especially for people who have issues to deal with, medical problems, who want to lose weight. Make time to do it," West said.

West recommends exercising for 30 minutes three to five days a week. The 30 minutes can be a combination of activities and don't have to happen all at once.

"You can walk the dog in the morning, then take a walk at lunch and then maybe go walking with your family after dinner," he said.

He also mentioned that activity doesn't have to happen only on treadmills and bicycles.

Non-traditional activities that can help people get active include raking, mowing grass, weeding, vacuuming carpet, cleaning windows, ballroom dancing, fishing, table tennis, Frisbee, walking at work, golf (no cart) and tai chi.

Alternate vigorous activities include shoveling snow or dirt, moving furniture, pop dancing, backpacking, using heavy tools, loading/unloading trucks, jumping rope, basketball, soccer, racquetball, climbing stairs and mountain hiking.

In addition to the cardiovascular exercise, West recommends strength training two to three times a week.

"You should do upper and lower body exercises and do one to two sets of eight to 12 repetitions of each exercise," he said.

Strength training can be done on machines or with free weights or even soup cans.

"Just start slow and don't expect to see changes overnight. You just need to take the time to do it and as long as you are committed and do it, you'll see changes," West said.

Over time, people can increase their activity level through intensity, frequency, time and resistance.  

Minutes of activity to burn off 242 calories in a glazed doughnut:

* Watching TV = 186 minutes
* Walking 20 min/mi. pace = 58 minutes
* Scrubbing floors = 54 minutes
* Dancing = 42 minutes
* Cycling 12-14 mi/hr = 24 minutes
* Running 9 min/mi. pace = 17 minutes

Minutes of activity to burn off 400 calories in a large french fries:

* Watching TV = 308 minutes
* Walking 20 min/mi. pace = 95 minutes
* Scrubbing floors = 89 minutes
* Dancing = 70 minutes
* Cycling 12-14 mi/hr = 39 minutes
* Running 9 min/mi. pace = 28 minutes

Making goals to create a healthier family

Actively making goals with the whole family can be a good way to focus on actually creating change. With such a fast-paced society, changing habits can be difficult if people don't actively concentrate on it.

"It's really hard. That's why we have the crisis of weight in this country," Parkview Dietitian and Nutrition Coach Kathy Wehrle said. "Families don't want to slow down."

Wehrle noted food choices and portion sizes are contributing to the obesity epidemic, and genetics can't be blamed for being overweight.

"We inherit body shape, but we don't have to inherit the extra fat and roundness around that body shape. It really is the environment that tips the scale one direction or another about how overweight a person becomes," Wehrle said.

Some goals Wehrle encouraged families to make together were:

* Eat together as a family at the table for meals and snacks. While eating, don't talk about food or weight issues. Use the time as a family to talk about fun things and share stories of the day's events.

* Parents provide the foods at the table, but take into account people's likes and dislikes. Parents also shouldn't force children to eat certain foods or finish their whole plate of food.

* No foods are forbidden. "You don't to create diet food. Meals can be healthy and not depriving. You can still eat American food, but not a frequently as far as fast food and sweets. It's about balancing it out, slowing down and being mindful," Wehrle said.

* Eat until satisfied and comfortable and not overfull.

* Cut down all screen time, which includes the television, computer and video games. The average amount of screen time for an American child is six hours a day. The Parkview Shapedown program recommends one hour or less a day. "It's a good to start by cutting it in half," Wehrle said.

"[Parents should] make sure you yourself are good role models for your family and that you wouldn't expect your kids to something you wouldn't do," Wehrle said.

Most important to change Wehrle said is realizing change is possible and staying positive.

Why people eat when they do

It's obvious people eat when they are hungry, but emotions often play a big role in eating habits.

" It's important to pay attention to food choices, but it's equally important to have an understanding of why we're even eating," Counselor and Behavior Coach Ann Reidenbach said.

Reidenbach spoke to the families about being aware of their hunger levels.

"We need to understand and honor the natural body sensation of hunger and fullness," she said. "We lose that as we enter later into childhood and for some adults, it's been obliterated, so it's important to relearn that basic skill."

The group brainstormed signs of physical hunger.

* Growling stomach
* Cranky mood
* Headache
* Shakiness
* Tiredness -- Reidenbach added that fatigue is a big trigger of non-hunger eating
* Loss of concentration
* Nausea

Being aware of physical hunger and the impulses to eat is the first step to creating new eating habits.

"If you are not aware of how emotions effect eating, you won't be able to do anything about it," Reidenbach said.

Mindful eating is a good way to be aware of actions in relation to emotions, but should be approached in a curious, observant manner and not in a critical, judgmental way. 

" Mindful eating is the ability to be diligent and aware of what is going on in the present moment as we're making the decision to eat or not to eat," she said. "What's going on in the head, the physical sensations, the emotional sensations that play a role in the decision."

The technique makes eating have more of a purpose and help people overcome problem eating behaviors by recognizing positive and negative uses of food.

"It's a skill to utilize to become more aware of automatic eating. Often we eat in an automatic way, a mindless way, and don't pay attention to putting food in our mouth," Reidenbach said.

Reidenbach gave the families a list of steps to follow when they notice the urge to eat:

1: STOP.

2: Ask yourself if you are physically hungry or emotionally hungry. Be aware of all the ways your body tells you that you are physically hungry.

3: If physically hungry, what are you hungry for? Consider temperature of the food you desire; is it something sweet, salty, sour, spicy? At this point, get the food that will satisfy your hunger and eat with permission, enjoyment and awareness. Eat slowly; this allows you to stay in the moment.

4: If not physically hungry, give yourself five minutes to reconnect emotionally. Slow down and thing. Remember that food won't fix whatever is triggering the desire to eat. What are you feeling? Sad, angry, tense, tired? It is important to take time to figure out what you need at this stage. Consider whether you can take care of yourself in another way. At times you may chose to eat anyway. This is OK, but do be aware of it. Keep a journal about the thoughts and emotions that played a role in the urge to eat. Journaling can help reveal what is truly fueling eating problems.

Coupled with mindful eating is mindful tasting. The group had a demonstration of mindfully tasting a raisin, cheese cube and chocolate square.

" Mindful tasting is truly a technique to slow down the process of eating, noting the texture, temperature, taste and whether we're even enjoying it. It helps us slow down and realize when we've had enough," Reidenbach said.

Reidenbach suggested practicing mindful eating and tasting once a day to start creating the habit of new eating behaviors.

Starting with the small steps

America On the Move, a national initiative to help people live healthier lives, gave all the families pedometers to start tracking their steps in a normal day.

America On the Move determined people can stop weight gain by taking 2,000 more steps a day and eating 100 fewer calories each day.

Each family got guidelines on getting started with counting steps:  

1: Test the step counter. Read the instructions for your pedometer and calebrate it to your stride.

2: Learn your baseline. Wear the pedometer for three days in a row, with at least one day a Saturday or Sunday. Clip in on your clothing waistband in the morning, and record your total steps at the end of each day. Do your normal routine and do not increase your step activity until you determine your baseline starting point. Divide your total steps of the three days by three to find your baseline. Your basline can be used as a comparison to measure as you set improvement goals and monitor your progress. You can also track and get step credit for daily activities by minutes.

3: Set personal step goals. Your initial goal is to increase your number of daily steps by 2,000 over your baseline. Once you can comfortably achieve this goal, set a new goal by increasing your steps until you reach a level that is comfortable, yet motivating for you. As your total daily steps increase, so do the health benefits. However, consult your physician about any health or ability concerns before beginning.

Click on the links at the top of the page for pdf pages of ways to add 2,000 steps each day and activity-to-steps conversion charts.