Competition encourages fitness for a cause

Weight-loss update – 2.6 pounds since last posting; total: – 9.4 pounds

There are lots of reasons why people want to lose weight, from improving their health to changing their appearance, but employees of one Ozarks business are doing so in order to help others.

Trim the Fat: Stick with the goal or move on?

Year-end update: –6.8 pounds

A year ago, I started this blog series with the idea of focusing my entries on health and wellness news while updating readers about my personal goal to lose weight. It’s been an interesting year, with this blog covering everything from news from the American Heart Association to the advent of Kentucky Fried Chicken’s not-altogether-healthy-but-less-fatty grilled fare.

As we prepare to welcome a new year, I find myself thinking about resolutions and what I’d like to change in the next 12 months and beyond. As you may note from the number posted above, I obviously did not hit the pound-shedding goal I set for myself.

SBJ accepts chamber’s ‘Steptember’ challenge: It’s on!

Weekly update: +4 pounds; overall, +6 pounds

Several of us at Springfield Business Journal have been accessorizing this week with YMCA pedometers, as we prepare to out-step the folks at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

Kristen Westerman, the chamber’s manager of work force development, approached Editor Eric Olson earlier this month about a chamber/SBJ challenge as part of Appetite for Life, a program developed to motivate people in the Ozarks to take small steps toward healthier lifestyles.

As part of the program, the week of Sept. 21–25, participants are encouraged to be more active and take more steps in “Steptember.”
Last year, some 42,245,362 extra steps were taken by area residents during the Appetite for Life Steptember promotion, organizers say.

Trim the Fat: Tips for avoiding “Freshman 15” work for the rest of us

Weekly update: -0.6 pound; overall, +2 pounds
As local colleges gear up for the fall semester, a whole new class of students will be faced with the “freshman 15” – which, of course, refers to the 15 pounds of extra weight students pack on during their first year of college.

A recent news release from the University Extension Office gives some pointers for fighting the freshman 15, but those tips can be useful to anyone who’s trying to take off weight or keep from adding it on.

Eating sweets in moderation leaves room for a good cause

Weight change since last posting: +2.6 pounds; total: +2.6 pounds
I freely admit that I’m still struggling with cutting sugar out of my diet. Some days are easier than others. Today, I made a conscious decision to ingest some sweet ice-cream goodness – but for a good reason.

School’s out, but America gets an F

Weight change for the week: +2.2 pounds; back to starting weight

No high marks for the U.S. – or Missouri, for that matter – in the fight against obesity.Despite ongoing discussions about obesity and continuing research into the health issue, adult obesity rates got worse in 23 states and didn’t decrease in any state in the past year.

Trim the Fat: New eateries change landscape of downtown dining

Weight change for the week: -2.2 pounds; total – 2.2 pounds

While bringing lunch to work instead of dining out makes it easier to watch what I eat and to balance the family budget, I freely admit that I enjoy leaving the office at lunchtime.

As a longtime downtown employee, I’ve often walked to lunch, hitting everywhere from Sub Shop to the now-closed Marco’s Pizzeria, and today, stopping in at the latest downtown addition, Ziggie’s.

I reason that even if I’m going to go out to eat, I can work in a quick bit of fresh air and a brisk walk in the process – even if it’s sometimes for a short distance.

Trim the Fat: Tidbits from the food and fitness scene

Maria’s weight change: +2 pounds last week; 0 pounds total

Since launching this Trim the Fat blog in January, I’ve become the SBJ blogger on all things food- or fitness-related. No secret that I love food or that I’d like to be more fit, although I’m far from expert in either.
Some tidbits I receive make it into the blog, and others are simply read and digested.

Here are a few recent contenders I’d like to share.

Bike, Bus, Walk Week off to a good start

Maria’s weight change: +1.2 pounds last week; -2 pounds total

Anybody who’s trying to shed weight knows (or should, anyway) that exercise is a key component. But sometimes, knowing the right thing is much easier than actually doing it, whether the issue at hand is weight loss or helping the environment.

This week is a good opportunity to combine efforts on both fronts. Today’s the first day of the 12th annual Bike, Bus Walk to Work Week, which runs through May 15. Ozarks Greenways is challenging local professionals to use alternative modes of transportation – walking, bicycling, public transit or carpooling – to get to work at least one day during the week.

Given that working in more exercise is an ongoing challenge for me, I decided that I’d make the most of this week.

Healthy fried chicken? And why it’s time for this blogger to pay the piper

Maria’s weight change: +7.4 pounds last week; total: -3.2 pounds

Some months ago, I blogged about a Health magazine article about the healthiest U.S. fast food chains.
Now, it seems that the colonel – Col. Sanders, that is – is angling for a slice of the healthy-eating pie.