Nutrition

6-Week Boot Camp

6-Week Boot Camp

Author: Canadian Living

Nutrition

6-Week Boot Camp

This story was originally titled "6-Week Boot Camp" in the January 2009 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!

Join our no-fail program, which takes its cues from army boot camp, and get such quick results you’ll see changes in just six weeks.

Tips to cut calories
It takes 30 days to change a habit. For success, make small changes every day – every small step adds up to one big change. Why not start now?

• Keep track of mindless eating habits, such as picking fries off your companion's plate or eating the remainders from your child's dinner. Eliminate your mindless munching and you could cut 200 to 300 calories a day!

• Begin each lunch and dinner with a tossed salad or soup broth with vegetables. These appetizers will fill you up with healthy, fibre-rich foods and curb your appetite so you'll eat a smaller entrée.

• Skip the rich, sugary coffee beverages in favour of plain coffee or skim-milk-based drinks (such as lattes or cappuccinos). If you have a sweet tooth, go for sugar, but limit yourself to one teaspoonful (just 16 calories) or try a sucralose-based sweetener.

Make nutritious choices: eat whole grain instead of white bread, use oil in place of butter, drink water instead of pop, and choose milk over cream.

• If you drink lots of juice, switch each half-cup serving for a whole piece of fresh fruit. You'll consume fewer calories, double your fibre intake and feel fuller.

• Reduce your portion sizes by reducing your plate size. Your brain will still register that you are eating a full plate of food and you can leave the table satisfied, even though you've consumed fewer calories. Once you’ve mastered smaller plates, start using smaller bowls and spoons.

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Enlist in Boot Camp and make 2009 your healthiest year yet!
Visit the Canadian Living newsletter page right now and sign up for the Boot Camp e-newsletter. Then, on Jan. 5, you'll get the first of six weeks of free daily updates, featuring an exclusive healthy-living tip. You'll also want to visit the website every day starting Jan. 5 to track your nutrition with our online food journal, ramp up your workouts with a new Boot Camp fitness video each week, learn how to set a healthy target weight and enjoy Boot-Camp-friendly menus.

Forums and support
• Join our online forums and twice a week our nutrition and fitness experts will be with you to answer your questions, provide advice, boost your morale and help you build strength and confidence.

• You'll also find support from your fellow Boot Campers; they may be online instead of next to you in line, but they’ll be a great source of motivation and inspiration.

Meet the Experts
Maureen Hagan will be your fitness leader/boot camp sergeant. As a physiotherapist, she knows what's safe and what isn't. As an award-winning instructor, she knows how to get you into shape – and how to do it so you stay motivated. Hagan is our fitness expert, who wrote our "Smart Moves" column. She's also a vice-president of GoodLife Fitness Clubs, overseeing group exercise programs.

Cara Rosenbloom is a registered dietitian and president of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications firm. She has advised thousands of Canadians on healthy eating through magazine articles and television appearances. As the director of clinical nutrition at MDDirect, a health-care clinic in Toronto, she also provides one-on-one counselling to clients.

Rosenbloom, who is a pro at transforming complex nutrition information into easy-to-follow advice, will help nourish your understanding of healthy eating and provide nutritional guidance throughout the six weeks of Boot Camp.

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Read more:
6 fitness personlities: Which one are you?
5 kitchen tools you need for healhy eating
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Nutrition

6-Week Boot Camp

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