CUT THE SALT


Ninety percent of Americans consume too much salt. What does salt have to do with weight loss? More than 75 percent of the sodium we eat comes from packaged and restaurant foods. You need to avoid or reduce those foods when you’re trying to get healthier. Try these tips to cut back:


AT THE STORE:


• Pick fresh and frozen poultry that hasn’t been injected with a sodium solution. Check the fine print on the packaging for terms like “broth,” “saline” or “sodium solution.” Sodium levels in unseasoned fresh meats are around 100 milligrams (mg) or less per 4-ounce serving.


Josh Lewis, the son of Core Boot Camp of Mountain Home owner Angela Collins, works the heavy ropes during a training session.


• Choose canned vegetables labeled “no salt added” and frozen vegetables without salty sauces.


AT HOME:


“You have to look at how many women come in here and change their world, and their husband who is overweight didn’t go with them, and then what happens is you became a different person in the relationship. That is why it’s important that you grow your family together. It’s important that what we do, we do with our mate,” she said.


Support in the home was key to David Zimmer’s success when he joined Core Boot Camp with his wife, Karla, last January.


The 52-year-old Henderson resident had been diagnosed with diabetes about five years prior. He spent the first three years in denial, not testing his blood sugar and neglecting his health. His diabetes medications kept changing because of his insurance. Zimmer was frustrated and wanted to get healthy enough to get off his diabetes medication.


Zimmer weighed 236 pounds


when he started with Collins. He dropped to 204 pounds.


“It’s a struggle,” Zimmer said, but through weight loss he managed to get off his diabetes medication.


One reason for his success was his wife joined at the same time (she lost 20 pounds). They go on walks together, work out together and eat healthier meals.


“It wouldn’t work if she sat there and ate apples with caramel sauce,” he said.


Zimmer said he enjoyed the accountability of joining a program and once they got used to the exercise, they made friends and actually felt guilty when they missed a class.


Collins says one of her goals is to take the intimidation out of fitness.


“You don’t have to dress a certain way or look a certain a way, you just have to show up,” she said.


“Demographics range from beginner to advanced. Whether they have never worked out before or someone who is a runner and wants to improve their run time, I can help.”


McDonald recommends hiring a personal trainer early on.


“Especially for the beginner, developing good habits and thought patterns are key. I see so many people buy gym memberships or home fitness equipment only to waste their money by never showing up to the gym or using their infomercial fitness product. Working with a personal trainer saves you money in the long run by helping develop habits that are sustainable. Trainers also provide motivation and accountability especially during the initial phases of change when most people are vulnerable to quitting,” he said.


If you can’t block off a large chunk of time to exercise, exercise in


• Incorporate foods with potassium, like sweet potatoes, potatoes, greens, tomatoes and lower-sodium tomato sauce, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and canta- loupe. Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure.


• Use onions, garlic, herbs, spices, citrus juices and vine- gars in place of some or all of the salt to add flavor to foods.


• Drain and rinse canned beans and vegetables — this can cut the sodium by up to 40 percent.


• Combine lower-sodium versions of food with regular versions. If you don’t like the taste of lower-sodium foods right now, try combining them in equal parts with a regular version of the same food. You’ll get less salt and probably won’t notice much difference in taste.


Source: American Heart Association


Living Well i January/February 2017 11


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