While reading The Boston Globe, I came across a great nutritional tool that I wanted to share with you. I have just ordered it myself and will let you know how it works- but until then,.. It is called “The Weigh of Life” and it is a computerized scale that tells you EXACTLY how many calories are in the food you are about to eat. Just place the food (one type- i.e. spaghetti with red sauce) on the scale and punch in the code for that food (there are over 1000 foods and liquids in the database) and it weighs it and calculates calories too!!!
While I do not advocate obsessive food weighing-this takes all the guess work out of portion sizes- and really helps give you a better handle on calories “in” if you are trying to lose excess fat. One of the biggest problems people have is estimating portions to keep calorie intake appropriate- and putting your spaghetti with red sauce on the scale is alot easier than measuring each item separately. Think of it as an experiment… it could be very eye opening! I ordered mine from target.com!
Aside from this great tool- what other things might an at-home exerciser want to purchase?
- A physio ball– I believe this is an absolute must for everyone. Do buy a high quality one that fits your height- up to 5’6 needs a 55cm ball- 5’6 to 6 ft needs a 65cm ball.
- Dumbbells ranging from 3-5 pounds up to 20 pounds or more-depending on your baseline fitness. Best to hire a trainer for even a session or two to get correct form and appropriate weights to prevent injury.
- Elastic tubing or bands– easy to transport- can be used to mimic cable type gym exercises in addition to dumbell work.
- Jump rope for a tough cardio workout. It would be ideal to have a nice treadmill or elliptical at home- but I often use my jumprope for an interval training workout that’s a killer. You really have to work up to this- jumping rope is difficult- but intervals of 1-2 minutes of jumrope interspersed between dumbbell or tubing exercises will challenge even the fittest individual.
New Year’s Resolutions are not yet forgotten! Start today!