By Rick Banas of BMA Management, Ltd.
Andrea Lillie, the Director of Marketing for the Heritage Woods affordable assisted living community that we manage in South Elgin, Illinois, talked earlier this month about her experience as a participant in the American Heart Association’s 2011 Go Red for Women® BetterU Challenge.
She was one of only nine women from Kane and DuPage Counties who selected to participate in the challenge, which was conducted in conjunction with Provena Mercy Medical Center in Aurora and Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin.
Each of the participants had different goals. “My personal goal,” Andrea noted, “was to establish some new health habits so that I move into my retirement years, I am in good health and physically in good shape.”
Here is what she said she learned:
- You do not need to eat chicken, fish or meat every day. In fact, studies indicate that a diet of fruits and vegetables every day with fish or chicken only a couple of times a week is best. I have been trying to take note of that even as I eat lunch at work and may order double vegetables without the meat.
- It is important to exercise every day. Even if it is a 10 minute walk, it is important. Walking or doing some physical activity will lead to other good decisions throughout the day. Instead of waiting to carve out 40 minutes, it is just as productive to take four 10 minute walks. Now, I don’t spend time driving around to find the closest parking space when I go to the store. I realize that parking a little further away and getting a little walk is good.
- It is possible to lose weight… but our culture is against us! The focus is on super-sized muffins, huge orders of fries that come with our meals, and inactivity as with sit with a remote and use a riding lawn mower. As much as I don’t like to when I go out to eat, I try to leave some food on my plate and not feel that I must eat everything as the portions can be huge. I love bread. If I feel that I can’t resist, I will ask the waitress to not bring the bread basket or at least not the second basket.
- Look at successes to stay motivated. Don’t dwell on what you’ve done wrong that day, or that week. Focus instead on the successes and build on those. The single most powerful tool is to track what you are doing. Record keeping is a powerful motivator. There is a much higher level of compliance with those that track their behaviors such as food intake and exercise. You can even use a simple method of just recording the fruits and vegetables you consume because the more fruits and vegetables you eat the less likely you are to eat high calorie foods.
- Don’t get discouraged if you are on a plateau. A football team that has one win and three losses will review the films, check the data and prepare for the next game. It is a good practice to re-evaluate what you are doing and go back to basics. I try to have an apple or popcorn at night instead of high calorie choices. I mentally prepare myself that if I go to a movie and get popcorn that I make a commitment not to put butter on it. Or if I am going to a party, I mentally plan to fill up on the good foods first such as the veggies and the fruit.
We appreciate Andrea sharing these five tips for a BetterU.
All affordable assisted living communities managed by BMA Management, Ltd. are certified and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. All assisted living communities are licensed and surveyed by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“BMA Management, Ltd. is the leading provider of assisted living in Illinois
and one of the 20 largest providers of assisted living in the United States.”
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know.
