Are you ready to take action and start making some changes in your daily habits to improve your health? If so, you’re ready for the “Summer Fitness” challenge — an eight-week nutrition and fitness program that will help you get started down the road to better health. Throughout eight weeks we will help you improve your nutritional choices, and show you how to condition your body. This program is designed to help you lose weight, inches, and body fat.

WEEK ONE FOOD: WHAT IS A GOOD DIET?

This plan is not about going on a diet, it's about making changes in your lifestyle. It's important that you strive for balance, not perfection. Below is a list of foods and how you should incorporate them in your diet on a daily basis. The idea to make the usually foods what you eat the most.

Other tips:

1. There is no such thing as a "never" food.
2. Don't make it all or nothing.
3. Strive for the ideal.
4. Keep a journal. There are studies that have shown that just by keeping a record of when you eat, what you eat and why helps people lose weight.
5. Become conscious of when, how and why you are eating.

USUALLY

These foods should be the backbone of your daily diet. Aim to get most of your daily servings from this group.

Vegetables:
Any vegetables: fresh, frozen or canned (except those that are fried or in cream sauces) Vegetable juice

Fruits:
Fruit: fresh, frozen (unsweetened) or canned in natural juice (not sweetened syrup) 100% Fruit juice

Whole grains and starchy vegetables:
Whole wheat bread, whole grain rolls, whole wheat bagels Whole grain, low-sugar cold breakfast cereals such as shredded wheat, bran flakes, Cheerios Whole grain, low sugar hot breakfast cereals (ie: oatmeal, Wheatena, brown rice cereal) Whole grain, low-fat crackers (ie: Wasa Crispbread) Whole wheat pasta, brown rice, cous-cous, bulgar, quinoa Whole wheat or corn tortillas, baked tortilla chips Whole wheat pretzels, Air-popped popcorn Potatoes, sweet potatoes, Corn

Lean meat, fish, poultry and eggs:
Fish, all Shellfish, all Tuna canned in water Skinless chicken breast Skinless turkey breast, ground turkey (no skin) Top round or eye round select cuts of beef, 95% fat free ground beef Pork tenderloin, 95% fat free, or extra lean ham Game meats: venison, ostrich, buffalo, Egg whites

Beans, soy, nuts and seeds:
Any beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, split peas, chickpeas Soy beans; soy products, including soy milk, tofu, tempeh Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts Peanuts Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds Peanut butter; other nut butters

Low-fat dairy:
Skim and 1% fat milk Non-fat or low-fat yogurt, Non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese. Low-fat buttermilk

Healthy fats and oils:
Olive oil, flaxseed oil, canola oil

SOMETIMES

These foods are more processed, contain more added sugar, and/or more fat than those on the usually list. But they are fine to include moderately in your diet. Aim to have no more than three servings from this list per day.

Vegetables:
Cole slaw and other vegetables salads with creamy dressings. Vegetables with cream sauces (creamed spinach)

Fruits:
Fruit canned in syrup Fruit "drinks" or "cocktails"

Grains and starchy vegetables:
Refined flour (white) breads, rolls, and bagels. Heavily sweetened cold cereals. Cold cereals that are not whole grain Crackers that are not whole grain Biscuits, pancakes, waffles, low-fat and fat-free muffins. Packaged rice mixes, white rice, regular pasta Low-fat granola bars, regular granola bars, sports bars, cereal bars

Fish, poultry and meat:
Chicken breast with skin Skinless chicken thigh, Turkey and ground turkey with skin. Beef tenderloin, sirloin, round tip, bottom round, and pot roast (all trimmed of fat),Lamb sirloin, lean leg of lamb Canadian bacon, pork loin (center loin cut, lean) Low-fat sausage, Whole eggs

Dairy:
Whole milk, Full-fat cottage cheese, Full fat yogurt Part-skim mozzarella and ricotta cheese, Low-fat cheeses Feta cheese, Parmesan cheese Low fat sour cream, low-fat cream cheese

Fats:
"Vegetable" oil, safflower oil, corn oil, Mayonnaise

Sweets:
Sugars: honey, maple syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, molasses Hard candies Good quality dark chocolate Fat-free cakes, cookies, angel food cake, fig bars, gingersnaps Frozen yogurt, ice milk, sorbet

RARELY

These foods are highly processed and/or have a lot of fat and added sugar. Choose only three servings from this list per week, or less. Try to eliminate most of these foods from your diet.

Vegetables:
Fried or battered and fried vegetables

Fruits:
Coconut

Grains and starchy vegetables:
Packaged baked goods and crackers made with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, Chips French fries, fried potatoes, Regular muffins

Fish, poultry and meat:
Chicken thigh, drumstick or wing, with skin. Any untrimmed beef, lamb or pork Regular or ìleanî ground beef, corned beef, short ribs, prime rib, chuck blade roast Hot dogs, turkey dogs, bologna, salami, regular sausage Regular ham, bacon, pork ribs, pork loin (blade cut, chops and roasts) Calves liver Chicken liver; duck liver

Dairy:
Full fat cheeses: Swiss, cheddar, jack, brie, etc. Heavy cream, whipped cream Sour cream CrËme fraiche Cream cheese

Fats: Butter Margarine, Lard and vegetable shortening (like Crisco)

Sweets: Candy: most commercial candy bars Pies, Cakes, Cookies, Donuts, Pastries, Ice cream

WEEK ONE FITNESS:

The exercise plan is always based on aerobic, strength and stretching, and each week more will be added including yoga and other relaxation techniques.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET MOVING:
The goal of this plan is to include aerobics, strength-training and stretches into a daily routine. The first thing you have to do is make a commitment to make exercise a "must do" part of your day. We are going to take you on an 8-week plan, incrementally adding on more repetitions or distance. The important thing is to do something every day. There is nothing doctors can prescribe medically with that will provide the overall total benefits of at least one half hour of daily exercise.

THE EXERCISE PLAN

STEP 1: MEASURE ONE MILE AND WALK IT: Time yourself, four times each week-Measuring intensity - the talk test: You should be able to carry on a conversation.Ý-Remember to wear shoes that are comfortable and supportive.

STEP 2: TAKE SIX FLIGHTS OF STAIRS Four times each week

STEP 3: BE SURE TO STRETCH AFTER AEROBIC ACTIVITY

STEP 4: 8 PUSH-UPS, 8 SQUATS, 8 CRUNCHES Four times each week Make working out a priority, no matter what.

NO EXCUSES

Don't make any. Getting fit should be a priority in your day. Whether you do it right when you get up in the morning, before you go to bed, at lunch, or if you split it up throughout the day, the point is: Just do it. Put it in your calendar like an appointment and stick to it.

YOUR HOMEWORK

We kick off this program by asking you to walk one mile four times a week and time yourself. Keep your times in your journal because we will be asking about them each week. You should be wearing comfortable sweats and a good pair of workout shoes. A cross trainer shoe is great. And just walk. Don't worry about how, just get out and do it. After your walk, you should stretch when your body is warm. We didn't get to show the stretches so follow along here.

There are three:

1. Calf stretch: Put your hands against a wall and take one foot back with leg extended, knee slightly bent. Push your heel back so you feel the stretch down the back of your calf and into your Achilles heel. Hold for as long as you can and then switch to the other leg.

2. Hamstring stretch: Turn sideways to the wall so you can have it there for balance. Bend forward at the hips. One knee is bent the other leg is extended out in front of you with your heel pressed in the floor and the toes pulled up. Hold and then switch legs.

3. Quad stretch: Still holding onto the wall standing up tall, bring one foot up towards your buttocks and grab onto your ankle. Feel the stretch down the front of your thigh. Hold and then switch sides.ÝYou should also take six flights of stairs four times this week. Break them up however you want to. For the strength exercises, go at your own pace. If you can't do eight pushups, squats and crunches, then just do as many as you can. If you can do more go for it.

Good Luck and we will see you next week!

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