Designing Your Swimsuit Strategy: Part One

With springtime finally upon us, it's time to start thinking about vacations and swimsuits. The idea of putting on a bathing suit may seem a far-fetched thought, but starting early will give you time to develop a targeted plan, assess and modify what you're eating and design the perfect workout.

First, let's tackle the plan. As with anything, preparation is key.

It's easy to tell you what to eat and how often to exercise, but you alone can design a plan that best fits your life. Take into consideration your work schedule, how often you'll be traveling (both business and pleasure), your kids' schedules and other family commitments. Your availability to stick with a plan is a factor in how successful you'll be.

In the plan, identify the best times for you to work out, overall fitness goals (strengthen upper body, lower body or specific regions), and diet goals. Write all of this information on a card and keep somewhere that you'll see every day. The more you're reminded of your plan, the more likely you'll be to follow it.

Look for upcoming posts covering parts two and three - your diet and daily activity.

From Calcium to Zinc: Minerals You Need

We tackled the often confusing topic of vitamins, the role they play in a healthy diet and what foods they are found in here. Now let's discuss a few common and important minerals and their roles:

Calcium: Helps build strong bones and teeth. Calcium can be found in dairy products, canned salmon, canned sardines, leafy green vegetables and calcium-fortified foods.

Iron: Needed to transport oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and is important in the body's formation of hemoglobin. Meat, tuna, salmon, eggs, beans, baked potato with skin, dried fruits, leafy green vegetables and whole grains are all great sources of iron.

Magnesium: Essential for producing energy and forming proteins, while lowering blood pressure and reducing vascular spasms. Works in conjunction with calcium, vitamin D and potassium. Leafy green vegetables like kelp, swiss chard and parsley, as well as whole grains, nuts, bean curd, blackberries, corn, avocado, lima beans, okra and bananas are all sources of magnesium.

Potassium: Keeps muscles and nervous system working properly by regulating the amount of water in the body. Can be found in bananas, broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, dried fruits and legumes.

Zinc: Helps boost the immune system and aids in warding off illnesses and infections. Also it aids in cell growth and helps heal wounds. Foods rich in zinc include beef, pork, lamb and legumes.

Remember while they make a pill for every vitamin or mineral possible, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act has greatly restricted the Food and Drug Administration's ability to regulate claims and ingredients in these pills, making it hard to tell what you may or may not be ingesting.

The body will digest and absorb more of the beneficial minerals found in the foods listed above than from a pill. Try to include as many of these nutrient-dense foods into your daily life to reap the benefits.

DAC Hosts National Fundraising Event

DAC's 2010 Fundraising Ride Participants

DAC raised more than $1,200 for the Ride 2 Recovery program through its participation in Spinning Nation's national fundraising event, held at the DAC Fitness location in Collierville.

"We're thrilled to see the level of member participation in our second annual fundraising ride," said Robert Creech, president of DAC. "Once again, our members committed their time and energy to raise money for a great cause. With their help, we're able to more than double the donation we made last year."

Last year, 17 riders participated in the first Spinning Nation fundraising ride, which benefited the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Athletes for a Cure: Prostrate Care Foundation. The club raised more than $500 for the charities.

This year, a group of more than 20 riders, led by DAC Group Fitness Director Vivian Reesman, participated in an eight-week training course, which culminated in the three-hour, final fundraising ride. More than 100 teams and 700 individuals participated across the country in the second-annual event. Spinning Nation 2010 is sponsored by SPIN Fitness, the global leader of indoor cycling, and is the only Spinning endorsed national fundraising event.

Healthy Options for Kids

The lunch choices available in area school cafeterias are dramatically different than those offered a few decades ago. A range of fatty and high-sodium meals, and junk food void of nutritional value are presented as options to kids every day. Combine that with recent school funding shortages that have cut physical education programs and you can understand why childhood obesity rates are rapidly increasing.

Proper nutrition and regular exercise are very important components in helping ease the burden of weight-related diseases. You can start to improve your child's health by making a few simple changes to their after-school snacks.

Here are some healthy options to keep around the house:

Fresh Fruit: Keep fresh fruit on-hand and ready to eat. The more accessible the food, the more likely your child is to grab and eat it. Keep a bag of sliced apples or pears in the fridge, bananas on the counter or a fresh fruit salad already portioned into individual servings. Your child can easily grab these healthy items as that box of cookies.

Sliced Vegetables: Sliced carrots, radishes or peppers make a great snack when paired with a low-fat dip like hummus or low-fat dressing. Keep a variety of ready-to-eat vegetables in the fridge to ensure your child is getting essential vitamins and minerals. Broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, squash and cucumbers are easy to slice and provide a healthier crunch than that bag of chips.

Cheese and Crackers: Create a healthier version of this classic snack by opting for 100% whole-wheat crackers and low-fat cheese. Be sure to prepare the snack for your child to help control portion size.

Pita Chips and Dip: Use pita chips in place of regular tortilla chips to reduce calories and fat. You can buy pita chips at the store or make your own by warming a whole-wheat pita in the oven and cutting it into triangles. Serve it alongside flavored hummus or salsa.

Providing children with nutritional knowledge now can help curb their chances of diet and weight-related issues later in life.

Replacing Workout Shoes

In early January, we discussed the importance of finding the best pair of workout shoes here. After you've taken the time to identify the best shoe for you, it's important to track the wear and tear on the shoes. Much like replacing a vehicle's tires, one must consider a shoe's support and tread breakdown, as well as the mileage and hours worn, which all greatly impact the successfulness of a workout.

Continuing to use workout shoes past their prime can cause several painful conditions, including shin splints, stress fractures and heel spurs.

To prevent this from happening to you, follow a few general rules for shoe replacement:

Replacement Signs: Pay attention to the tread pattern on your shoes. If it's becoming worn down by use (which is natural), it's time to replace. Additional symptoms of a dead shoe include worn heels, wrinkling on the shoe's side or in the sole bottoms and broken down uppers surrounding the ankle.

Mileage: According to Runner's World Magazine, shoes should be replaced every 350 to 550 miles. Translation: If you workout in the same pair of shoes everyday, consider replacing them every six to eight months, depending on the exercise time and intensity.

Replacement Test: If you don't track your mileage or you use workout shoes for non-distance based exercises, you'll need to keep track of the replacement signs. There is a simple test - take one of the shoes and attempt to twist it in the middle. If it easily twists, the shoe's midsoles are worn and it's time to invest in a new pair.

If you're still confused about your specific pair of workout shoes, consider stopping by a shoe store to speak to a knowledgeable salesperson or try an online shoe wear calculator.

Nutritional Knowledge

March is National Nutrition Month, a month-long educational awareness program sponsored by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

In the last five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released MyPyramid, a customizable program which replaces the Food Guide Pyramid. MyPyramid represents the recommended proportion of foods from each food group and focuses on the importance of making smart food choices in every group, every day. For customized recommendations, visit here and enter your age, gender and level of activity.

Regardless of your personal recommendations, there are a few overall tips to help you get the most out of food groups:

Prepare more foods from fresh ingredients to lower sodium intake. Most sodium in the food supply comes from packaged or processed foods.

Plan some meals around a vegetable main dish, such as vegetable stir-fry or soup.

Broil, grill, roast, poach or boil meat, poultry, or fish instead of frying.

If you usually drink whole milk, switch gradually to fat-free milk, to lower saturated fat and calories. Try reduced fat (2%), then low-fat (1%), and finally fat-free (skim).

For a change, try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Try brown rice stuffing in baked green peppers or tomatoes and whole-wheat macaroni in mac-n-cheese.

Eating a balanced diet and staying physically active not only makes you feel better, but it helps control weight and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. Take a moment to think of all the ways you could improve your diet by making simple changes.