Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Barriers to Exercise

An exercise barrier is something that prevents you from exercising. The 10 most common reasons adults cite for not adopting more physically active lifestyles are:

  1. Do not have enough time to exercise (consistently the number one reason people give)
  2. Find it inconvenient to exercise
  3. Lack self-motivation
  4. Do not find exercise enjoyable
  5. Find exercise boring
  6. Lack confidence in their ability to be physically active
  7. Fear being injured or have been injured recently
  8. Lack self-management skills, such as the ability to set personal goals, monitor progress, or reward program toward such goals
  9. Lack encouragement, support, or companionship from family and friends
  10. Do not have parks, sidewalks, bicycle trails, or safe and pleasant walking paths convenient to their homes or offices

What barrier do you most relate too? Now brainstorm some ideas on how to break down that barrier!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Colorful Eating

The USDA recommends 4-5 cups of fruits and vegetables daily. In addition to quantity, it is important to eat a variety of fruits and veggies. To do this, some experts recommend focusing on color.

The fruit/vegetable color groups are:

  • Blue/purple
  • Green
  • White
  • Yellow/Orange
  • Red

Each color group provides different nutrients that your body needs. By eating a several different colors of fruits and veggies throughout the week, you will be getting the variety of nutrients each group offers.