May 2003

IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

• Expanding Portion Sizes in the Diet
• The Annual Strong Women Essay Contest
• Reader Questions and Answers
  • What about Pilates on the days in between strength training?
  • Will aerobics on a concrete floor hurt my knees?
• From the Mailbox - Success Stories
• Recipe - Grilled Asparagus

EXPANDING PORTIONS SIZES EXPANING WAISTLINES

If you’ve noticed that bagels and burgers seem to be heftier than they used to, you’re not imagining things. With a growing epidemic of obesity among both adults and children in the United States, scientists have been investigating the issues contributing to the epidemic as well as many potential solutions. As consumers, we’re constantly bombarded with advertisements and articles about the types of foods -- such as fruit, vegetables, yogurt, and fish -- that we should be eating. Rarely, if ever, do we receive encouragement to eat less, yet that may be the most important message to help people reach and maintain a healthy body weight.

Since weight maintenance is an issue of taking in only as many calories as the body needs, the best solution is to balance that equation. One way to do it is through physical activity; the other is by not eating too many calories. However, researchers at New York University may have discovered why the latter of these two is so challenging for many Americans. They investigated current portion sizes of ready-to-eat prepared foods in comparison to standard serving sizes. Overwhelmingly, the ready-to-eat foods are double, triple, and even eight times as large as the recommended serving size. For instance, the average bagel is triple the recommended serving size, while pasta and soda are between six and eight times what is recommended. Similar growth of servings is true for the portion sizes of foods like muffins, French fries, burgers, and beer -- and year-by-year, they continue to grow -- and not surprisingly, so do Americans.

This presents an enormous challenge for consumers, especially for those of us who were scolded to “clean our plate” and never waste food. Until there are broad industry and public health changes to address the problem directly by reducing these portion sizes, I recommend the following:

• Prepare your own snacks and foods.
• Order half portions at restaurants.
• Cut large bagels and other bakery items in half.
• Choose the smallest meal sizes at fast food restaurants.
• Consider yogurt or low-fat flavored milk for snacking.
• Ask for twice as many vegetables and skip the potato serving.

Also, just so you’re more educated and aware of what a true portion size looks like, measure and weight a few commonly eaten food items such as pasta, rice, and bagels so that you can better judge what is a 1/2 cup of cooked pasta or a 2-ounce bagel.

More power to you,
Miriam E. Nelson
Author of
Strong Women Stay Young
Strong Women Stay Slim
Strong Women, Strong Bones
Strong Women Eat Well
Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis
Founder of http://www.strongwomen.com

(Reference: LR Young, M Nestle. Expanding portion sizes in the US marketplace: implications for nutrition counseling. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2003;103:231-234)

STRONGWOMEN CONTEST!

As announced in the April newsletter, I have teamed up with Stonyfield Farm to host the Strong Women Summit this coming November featuring Erin Brockovich, myself and others inspiring, strong women. You can win a free trip to the event by submitting an essay into the Strong Women Contest. In 100 words or less tell us about a woman in your life who has inspired you, and why. We are looking for stories about women who have strength of mind, body, and spirit!

For complete details go to: http://www.stonyfield.com/strongwomen/enter.cfm

Q: I believe I really need to stretch to build my flexibility. Are Pilates exercises considered to be stretching exercises? If so, can I do them on the days that I'm not strength training? I have 2 Pilates videos and those exercises make me feel wonderful when I'm done. I just don't want to overdo it. Also, what about yoga? Is it considered stretching, too, or is it strength training?

A: Just like weight lifting, the category of exercise that Yoga and Pilates fall into varies quite a bit depending on the intensity. If the Pilates exercises are vigorous and intense, it is possible that you could be asking too much from your body. However, if they are of more moderate intensity and the focus is on stretching and some toning, there should be no problem doing them on the days in between strength training, and the same would be true for Yoga. The best solution is to just listen to your body. From what you describe, it sounds as though the Pilates exercises are a perfect complement to your strength training routine.

Q: We have a concrete floor in our house. I just bought an exercise mat to do the strength training and stretching. Do you know if it would hold up to doing aerobic exercise on it as well? Would doing aerobic exercises on a concrete floor make my knees worse? And speaking of aerobic exercises, should I avoid any exercises that involve jumping in order to lessen the knee pain or would that make them stronger?

A: Depending on the mat’s thickness, it should be alright to do your aerobic exercise on it as well, although you may have to replace it sooner simply because of it getting more use. Doing any type of aerobic exercise on a concrete floor will likely aggravate your knee pain, so I would strongly recommend that you use an exercise mat with a moderate cushion or a rug; just make sure it’s not too thick because if your foot sinks in too far, it could cause you to twist your ankle. Finally, while I am an advocate for jumping exercises, I do not recommend jumping exercises for individuals who have any type of joint problems, and instead recommend strength training as the best method to build muscle strength and help reduce knee pain.

"I am pleased to say I bought your book "Strong Women Stay Slim" and began an dedicated exercise program over a month ago and have lost almost 10 lbs! I have always been active, and play tennis once a week and walk 4 miles on Saturdays and Sundays but I needed extra "strength training" information and a focus to increase my aerobic exercise. Now I exercise everyday -- either aerobics, walking, biking or running, and /or strength training…So thanks to your book and my commitment I have kept it up! I am sharing my learnings with my colleagues - all of whom have full time jobs outside the home and are working mothers. Thanks again for being my focus and motivator, good luck with all your endeavors."

-- Carol

"Three years ago, when I was sixty, I was given a copy of your book. As a farm woman with three horses to care for, I had always dismissed the idea of working with weights, saying that hauling water for and shoveling after the animals gave my muscles enough work, thank you! But your presentation sold me, and over time I worked up to ten pound dumbbells and twelve pound leg weights, adding eight to ten classic pushups. The fit of my clothes never changed, but I found that I could eat pretty much as I wanted to without gaining weight. The other noticeable benefit was suddenly realizing that I could mount a horse from the ground again without needing to find a stump or a stone to climb on!

My reason for writing: On February 7, I was leading a horse to turnout when I fell on a hidden patch of ice, and the horse also fell, on top of me. I suffered several fractures to the pelvis and spent eighteen days in the hospital. (The horse, if you are wondering, was unhurt.) My weight work paid off, big time! My caregivers were amazed at my abilities. I was able to adjust my position using my upper body strength, rise easily to use the walker then crutches, lower myself to seated without fear of crashing. When I came home, my physical therapist noted immediately that I would require a minimum of therapy sessions.

So here I am, only two more weeks to go with the crutches, prudently using reduced weights where appropriate towards regaining the muscle that I lost. I doubt we could inspire women to take up weight training lest a horse squash their pelvis someday, but I can certainly attest that the advantages of good muscle strength would serve them well should disability strike!"

-- Ellen