I also heard “there are starving children in Africa so clean your plate.” Yes, the clean plate club. To this day, I still feel guilty leaving food behind. But although I cleaned my plate growing up, it was home-cooked food and reasonable sized portions.

Today, America is majorly afflicted with PORTION DISTORTION. Serving sizes are now over 50% larger then it used to be! Remember when an 8 oz latte was a small and 20 oz didn’t even exist? Well now a 12 oz is a small. So guess what, if serving sizes are too big and you tend to eat all of what’s put in front of you, guess what, your pants are going to be tight if they’re not already.

I hear people all the time saying they eat healthy yet they don’t know why they can’t lose weight. Well even too much healthy food can pack on the pounds. I found this great portion size tool that I want to share with you all. You can click through each food group and see what the proper portion size is. If you hate counting calories or points and your most recent juice cleanse lead to a binge (shocking!) maybe simply downsizing can help you start to lose weight.

Check it out by clicking here: http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

- By Sarah Currie, MS RD

Training Peaks, defined as “the ultimate training and nutrition software,” is said to help motivated individuals and professionals achieve health, fitness and peak athletic performance.

The software makes it seamless for individuals and training groups to plan & log workouts, track results and monitor data such as heart rate zones, mileage, pace, elevation. It has downloadable GPS and power meter compatibility with most popular brands and devices. It also allows athletes to more easily communicate with their trainers and teammates.

While the software is available to anyone, Sara believes that it is of the most benefit to triathletes, cyclists and long-distance runners. For more information or to sign up for the program, visit the company’s website at http://home.trainingpeaks.com.

In summary, 50 obese people were put on strict diets of 500 calories per day for 10 weeks.  The primary focus of the study was to track the hormones involved in appetite regulation. By the conclusion of the 70 days, only 34 of the participants remained (I too would drop out if someone only let me eat 500 calories a day!); all of which had lost significant weight.

Then about a year after the study concluded, hormone levels in many of the participants indicated that their bodies were trying to become fat again despite maximal efforts to keep the weight off.  Why?  Think about it this way – If someone has weighed 300 pounds for many years, it is impossible for it (weight) to come off and remain off after only 10 weeks of an extremely low cal, starvation diet! The body wants the weight back as its been operating like that for a long time.

I fear such studies as this one provide our increasingly obese population just another excuse not to change their diet & exercise habits. As many of you probably know, it is really stinking hard to lose weight and it’s even harder to keep it off permanently. That is why the goal with my weight loss clients is manageable weight loss and then work to maintain. Let the body adapt. Let the person’s behavior change.

Tara Parker-Pope, author of the NY Times article highlighting this study, does a great job of looking at obesity from various angles. She suggests we should give overweight people a break, that biological and genetic factors can dictate one’s habits and weight.

While I agree with her arguments to some degree, I currently view the biggest problem as deriving from our societal environment. Some people simply do not want to work very hard to lose weight and keep it off. They have succumbed to the quick-fix mentality of the diet and fitness industry promising overnight results without realizing that hey first need to figure out how and why they got so overweight in the first place.

For example, if you were raised in a household that ate ice cream every night after dinner, is that behavior likely to change by quitting cold turkey?  No!

Many barriers to weight loss exist – work, family, life, injury – I see it every day in my practice. But many or all of these barriers can be overcome if the root of the problem is understood and people are provided with the correct tools to help them succeed.

The cold, dark days; the social obligations; the tempting cookies and chocolates in our faces no matter where we turn are quite extraordinary. And with so many things working against us, how do we avoid winter weight gain?

The theme with my patients and clients during the winter/holiday season is maintenance.

There is no doubt that it is extremely hard to try to lose any weight between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. BUT maintenance is possible with a little effort.The first step is to figure out why weight gain happens. From my standpoint it’s quite simple. Most comfortable, weather friendly activities such as running, triathlons, tennis, golf, walking to work, etc. get harder to do outside in winter months – especially here in NYC. Without races, court or tee times holding one accountable; people’s activity levels tend to severely diminish or even stop.

The change in weather is further complicated by the proximity to additional calories that begins around Halloween.  Many food options become available during October, November and December that simply are not available during other times of the year.

So why weight gain happens in the winter /holiday season is simple – people are moving less and eating more. But that does not mean you cannot enjoy the season and maintain your current weight and fitness levels.

Below are a few tips to maintain your weight this holiday season:

1. Replace your Summer and Spring Activities – Especially triathletes and runners – hit the weights! Nothing keeps the fat off like strength training. If you insist on remaining cardio queens throughout the winter, however, gear up and purchase long cycling pants, get booties, get an ear band.

2. If you know social obligations will prevent you from your traditional evening workout, get up early and hit the gym. There’s a reason 6am spin classes exist.

3. Avoid excessive liquid calories – You do NOT need that peppermint mocha just because Starbucks says you do. The excessive booze certainly won’t keep your pants from getting tighter. Drink less by alternating with water and consumer your liquid calories and carbs wisely.

4. At parties,  go for the veggie platter first. If you shove a handful of bell peppers, carrots and celery down your throat before anything else, believe me, not much more will fit in your stomach.

- By Sarah Currie MS RD

A press release issued by the USCA stated that:

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Physical Equilibrium owner Sara Dimmick was honored to receive the recognition for the business she began over 10 years ago.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the work that my trainers and I have accomplished in 2011,” stated Dimmick. “This award is a testament to the dedication to providing a variety of services that enable our clients to obtain tangible and satisfying results.”

The full announcement is available by clicking here.

Sunday (11/6) was a beautiful day in New York City with great weather and an even better atmosphere of people showing support and cheering on the runners. I know that all of team enjoyed themselves as much as I and the rest of the Physical Equilibrium staff enjoyed watching them compete. Please visit our Facebook page to view pictures by clicking here.

Looking forward to training the team again next race season!

For those who enjoy tennis, golf, cycling and running, adding another clothing layer should suffice. Early morning joggers and cyclists, however, should also consider purchasing long fingered gloves and toe booties to layer on top of your cycling shoes.

Now is also the perfect time of year to head out to the farmer’s market and stock up on seasonal fruits and vegetables. Squash and root vegetables are abundant during the fall months and are a unique and healthy option to add to your diet.

A low calorie option to pasta is spaghetti squash. It is easily prepared in the microwave or it can be baked in the oven.  It is very tasty and provides enough fuel for you to continue the outdoor activities that you love so much.

For a green market near you check out the list by visiting:  http://www.grownyc.org/ourmarkets.

Happy fall!

CORE MATTERS Description: A mat class focusing on core strength and stretching. Held within Athalon Physical Therapy’s office at 115 East 57th Street (6th floor). This class is great for a beginner exerciser, in addition to being an excellent compliment to a runner or triathlete’s weekly training schedule. The class incorporates Pilates, yoga, and general strength and conditioning exercises. Trainer Erika Moore will serve as the coach. Participants should bring their own mats to lay on.

The class will run for 12 weeks beginning on Wednesday September 28th and ending on Wednesday December 14th. The Free Classes will be offered on Wednesday September 28th  7:00am – 8:00am and on Wednesday October 5th  7:00am – 8:00am. Email Sara a sara@physeq.com to register.

Registration:

• 12 classes for $200
• 3 classes for $75
• 1 class for $30

Classes will be capped at 8 people to allow for individual attention and instruction. To sign up, please visit our online schedule by clicking here.

Below Kurt recaps his experience competing in his second triathlon:

It was an interesting morning.  It poured rain for the entire event. They didn’t have chips – when I asked they said “it’s a little more laid back here” – I was pissed about that. You couldn’t even see the marker buoy for the swim.  I do know that I did the swim in 16 minutes in pretty heavy currents and felt that my transition (getting out of my wetsuit) went faster than I thought – I guess using a half a stick of body glide works wonders.  To the bike – this is where I was focused on making up time.  I really pushed myself as hard as I could, realizing that I would be able to survive the run.  Did I mention it was raining?

About 10 miles in, when riding through a residential neighborhood, I “missed” a hard left downhill turn, hit a curb and went flying over my handlebars.  Fortunately, it was onto a nicely manicured lawn – it is Greenwich after all – and my bike wasn’t damaged at all.  I’m a bit bruised and sore, but at the time, the adrenaline boost got me back on the bike and by the end, I passed the guy I had just passed before the wreck.

The run went fine probably about the same time as my last tri.  Overall, this was 11 minutes quicker than my first.  I wish they were better organized and there was better weather, but it was a blast to accomplish!

Congratulations to Kurt on this great achievement!

Physical Equilibrium charity partner Gilda’s Club NYC has a few spots remaining for its 2011 NYC Marathon Team. Those who sign up to participate will receive guaranteed entry into this year’s sold out race!

The mission of Gilda’s Club NYC is to create welcoming communities of free support for everyone living with cancer – men, women, teens and children – along with their families and friends.  The organization maintains over 5,000 members within the New York metropolitan area.

Those interested in joining the team will be required to raise money to benefit the organization. Last year the team raised over $100,o00 and it has set a goal to surpass that number this year. All Gilda’s Club Marathon Team members received personalized training from Physical Equilibrium coaches, fundraising assistance and pre and post race day preparation and guidance.

Only a limited number of spots are available and the marathon date is quickly approaching. If you are interested in joining, please click here to download the application.

What are you waiting for – sign up and run for a great cause!