Healthy Eating and Exercise Plan, Essay Example

The nutrition results that were obtained will help me develop a suitable eating plan to make it healthier than it is currently.  While my budget constrains my ability to eat healthy, there are some easy ways that I think I can do to eat healthier.  Additionally, I plan on implementing an exercise program in addition to nutritional aspects of my plan.  The results provided some valuable insights into what I can do to improve in these areas.

Current Eating Habits and Health

My current eating habits revealed what I was doing well in and how I need to improve.  According to the results from MyPyramidTracker (United States Department of Agriculture 2010), I need to improve in regards to vegetables, milk, and meat and beans.  It also notes a higher intake of sodium than what is listed.

Exercise is also important.  In conjunction with my healthy eating plan I hope to run three to four times a week and lift weights two to three times a week.  This will help me lose weight as well as keep my muscular build.

Recommendations for Eating Habits

The results demonstrated areas in which I need to improve.  First the areas that are acceptable should be noted. Grains, fruits, total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are among these areas of nutrition.  In these areas I come reasonably close or above the recommended amount, or goal.

The first of the four main areas of improvement is found in vegetables.  Of the 3.5 cups recommended, I only have 1.5 accounted for, which is of course less than half of the recommended amount.  This is one area that is notably constrained by my budget, though some ways to get around this must be considered if I wish to eat healthy.

The next area of improvement is that of milk.  Of the recommended three cups, I only drink one-third of this amount, with one cup.  This is another area that is related to my budget, as milk is certainly not inexpensive.  However, once again, milk must be taken into consideration for nutritional purposes.

Meats and beans represent the next area of improvement.  This is perhaps the most crucial area of improvement, at least in terms of how much more I need to intake to reach the recommended goal.  Less than 30% of this amount is reached, as I scored with 1.8 oz of the 6.5 oz recommended.

The final area of improvement is that of sodium.  I scored roughly 600 mg over the 2300 mg recommended over three days.  Other sources advocate a higher daily limit, such as the Canadian Government’s 1500 mg per day recommendation, which is argued to be necessary to “promote good health” (Canadian Government).  Perhaps this is not as big of a deal as the other recommendations.

Overall these four areas represent those that I need to improve in in terms of my diet.  Vegetables, milk, sodium, and meat and beans should be areas that I focus in when I outline changes to my diet, which will helpfully help me lose weight and maintain my target weight.  These proposed changes will be identified in the subsequent section for my eating plan.

Implementation of Changes

My healthy eating plan must be accommodated to add these changes.  Nutritionally there are some ways that I believe I can allow myself to eat better.  I think identifying ways to add these items to my diet and implement them into my eating habits is a start.  Also, budget concerns are of course relevant for me as well, which I must also keep in mind while identifying such changes.

Addressing each area individually, vegetables as the first category will certainly not be easy.  There are many practical disadvantages with vegetables.  Shelf life and budget concerns are certainly seen.  Also, they must become a part of one’s diet to eat the right amount.

One way to eat more vegetables is to take into account budgetary concerns, at least in my situation.  Paying more attention to what is in season will allow me to purchase quality vegetables for a reasonable price.  Also, paying attention to those vegetables that are normally pretty reasonable will be valuable to me, such as carrots, onions, and cucumbers, at least generally speaking.

Practical considerations also apply, especially in eating the right amount of vegetables for me.  As I eat less than half of what is recommended in that of vegetables, incorporating them into snacks is one way to go.  Carrots make for a great snack.  Homemade salsa is also a great way to compound vegetables for a great-tasting snack, though of course I would need to be careful with sodium if I am eating chips.  Adding a meal on a consistent basis that has a good amount of vegetables, such as vegetable soup, will allow me to eat more vegetables on a consistent basis, I believe.

Milk is also another area in which I need to improve.  Price isn’t exactly negotiable here, such as different prices in vegetables.  However, if I can save money in other areas, perhaps I could buy milk more often.

Adding milk to my eating plan may not be that difficult.  As a snack and for breakfast, cereal would be a healthy choice to consume more milk.  There are also healthy shakes that I could try to enhance my milk intake.  Of course, just simply being more cognizant of drinking milk may be the best way to drink more milk.

Meat and beans represents the main final area in which I need to accommodate in my eating plan, at least in regards to actual foods.  In terms of budgetary concerns, I may just have to be more careful in terms of eating meat, by cutting out unnecessary purchases.  Beans can be reasonably priced, which I could include more into my meals.  In terms of implementing it into my diet, there are not as many options as in the case of vegetables, in my opinion; I will have to get used to having meals centered on these two important areas.

Sodium must also be taken into consideration in my diet.  Although sources vary, I should be careful to eliminate those foods that are high in sodium in my diet.  Perhaps I could exchange these meals and snacks for low-sodium alternatives, such as those that incorporate missing food groups, like vegetables, meat, and beans.

Along with these changes is my exercise plan.  It would be ideal if I could run for twenty minutes a few times a week.  On off days, I would be able to lift weights as well.  This is a high priority along with eating well.  With these two forms of exercise, I feel that they will greatly amplify my ability to reach and maintain my target weight.

Running a few times a week will help me in burning off body fat.  This I believe will go a long way to becoming more fit, by gaining cardiovascular ability.  Running is something that I want to make a more permanent part of my lifestyle, in order to develop healthy exercise habits.  Running is something that will be crucial to my ability to reach and keep my target weight that I have set for myself.

Weightlifting will help keep me toned.  It will also be important in my ability to develop my build, allowing me to keep my muscular build.  Weightlifting will allow my body to become stronger and to stay toned.  I feel that weightlifting will be a great addition on the days that I am not using some sort of cardiovascular exercise; it will also be a distinct part of keeping myself in shape.

These additions to my healthy eating plan are easy to implement.  They are perfectly able to be done regardless of the season, and I can switch them with other ideas as well, such as using other cardiovascular equipment, or boxing equipment to replace weights, for example.  Running and weightlifting are important to my goals, in conjunction with my ideas for a healthy eating plan.

Other general changes can help me accommodate a better eating plan.  For instance, limiting the amount I eat out would be great.  The money saved there alone could allow me to buy foods that I wouldn’t previously.  Though it is a more general consideration, I think keeping an eye out for prices would help me considerably.  Even something as simple as buying frozen vegetables would be good, which are almost as good as fresh vegetables.  These types of general considerations could help me take into account all of these factors, and not put too many constraints on my budget.

Implementing these changes could go a long way to transforming my current diet for the better.  Even simple changes, such as eating carrots as a snack can help me each much healthier.  It is interesting to note how many of these considerations has a lot to do with discipline, such as found in budgeting, eating out, and planning healthier meals.

Conclusion

The results obtained offered some unique insights into my current eating habits.  Vegetables, milk, sodium, and meat and beans are the areas in which I need to concentrate for my diet.  After examining some easy ways to implement them into my eating plan, I should be able to eat healthier.

With this plan losing 15 pounds to reach my target weight should be attainable.  Running and weightlifting will be important in order to help burn fat and maintain my muscular build.  These exercises are able to accommodate changes in my lifestyle, seasons, and fitness level as I become better in shape.

Moving past these barriers is something that I will have to concentrate on to succeed.  It can be expensive to eat healthy, but there are some ways to work around the high price of such eating habits.  However, by budgeting everything and choosing foods that I enjoy for better prices, I feel that I can accommodate these initial drawbacks.

I will also have to use my time wisely in regards to my exercise program.  This has previously been another drawback to staying consistent with an exercise program for myself.  However, by getting a schedule to adhere to will help me make time for exercise.  At any rate, I feel confident in these changes nonetheless.

These changes should allow me to reach my goal.  Eating healthy and exercising should allow me to reach my target weight and maintain this level.  It will not only help me in the short run, but it will help me with healthy eating and exercise habits that will carry me to later stages in life.

References

Canadian Government. 2008. ” It’s Your Health – Sodium.” Retrieved from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium-eng.php.

United States Department of Agriculture. 2010. “MyPyramidTracker.” Retrieved from http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov.