Tips for Healthy Living

You're changing your shape and your lifestyle - now reorganize some regular routines to support your new life.

Shape Up Your Kitchen - Your kitchen pantry can support or sabotage your weight-loss plan. If a high-fat snack is the first thing you see when you open a cabinet, it can undermine your best intentions.

The ShapeWorks® Kitchen Rule: "If you don’t have it, you can’t eat it." - Go through your cabinets and refrigerator and get rid of the foods that don’t match your healthy new lifestyle. That will make room for delicious and nutritious alternatives.

Some Ideas to Get You Started. . .

Keep a Protein Bar handy for a quick snack. It will fill you up without filling you out.
Dump those fattening chips and replace them with crunchy Roasted Soy Nuts.
Get rid of the ice cream and replace it with fresh or frozen sweet berries. Eat fresh fruit for snacks or on the side with your shakes.
Rework your cooking staples. Herbs, spices, nuts, seeds and small amounts of olive oil will enhance your meals with contrasting flavors. Salsa and chili peppers add a nutritious snap to any dish, and citrus fruits add a sweet and tangy twist.

Stock Up for a Healthy Life

Once you have your kitchen in shape, keep it filled with healthy foods by using these simple tips:

Always Shop With a List
When you have a list, you can simply walk on by your trigger foods!
Never Shop Hungry
Do your shopping right after you’ve had a meal, a Formula 1 shake or a protein snack.
Know What You’re Buying
Use the food charts on pages 8 and 9 to help you identify the right low-calorie foods.

Prioritize Your Shopping - Start with the produce section and choose plenty of low-calorie fruits and vegetables. Always buy whole fruit rather than higher-calorie fruit juices. Next, pick up the low-calorie proteins on your list. Save the grains for last and buy fewer of them.

Spice It Up - Stock up on spices and other low-calorie flavor enhancers that can liven up a meal without fattening it up.

Balsamic, rice, tarragon vinegars
Chicken or vegetable broth
Dijon mustard
Salsas and relishes
Dried herbs and spices
Garlic
Red-pepper flakes

Shape Up

Shaping up can be fun! Find the exercise that works best for your lifestyle, whether in a gym, on a hiking path or on the go. And make sure to check with your doctor before substantially increasing your level of exercise. Then go for it! Consider a personal fitness routine that includes both aerobic and anaerobic exercise, as described below.

Aerobic Exercise - Aerobic exercise involves large muscle movements over a sustained period of time. Running, fast walking and exercise classes are good examples. You breathe harder, your heart beats faster and your muscles get a workout.

Your metabolic rate increases and you burn more calories.
You build muscle as you lose fat.
Your heart and cardiovascular system become much healthier.
Your mood improves, as exercise relieves feelings of stress and tension.

Anaerobic Exercise - Anaerobic exercise includes activities such as lifting weights and resistance training. This kind of workout builds new muscle and has some great benefits.

More muscle mass burns more calories.
Building muscle tones and reshapes your body.
Muscle mass helps protect bone mass, which is especially important for women.

Only 20 minutes of anaerobic exercise per day can make a dramatic change in your body’s shape and condition. Combine it with a daily aerobic workout and your ShapeWorks® meal plan, and you’ll have longer lasting results as your metabolism increases due to building lean muscle.

Don’t forget that everyday activities offer the opportunity to burn calories.

Using stairs not elevators
Gardening
Dancing
Walking your dog