Starting well and getting on the right track

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: STEPHANIE LAI
Using apps like Fooducate can help maintain and track healthy eating habits.

If you’ve recently made a commitment to improve your health in some way, then step one is complete. Now you can move on to step two: getting started. Choosing one of the following tips is a great stepping stone to get you on the right track – even if you are not really sure where it leads.

Get assessed

You can go to your doctor and have a complete physical; go to a fitness centre such as Fitness 101, where you can have body composition, heart rate, blood pressure, cardio testing and muscular fitness testing as well as lifestyle coaching to help determine where to start; you can even use some online assessment tools such as the one at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology ntnu.edu/cerg/vo- 2max.

Keep track of your eating habits

You can keep a diary, but keep it organized according to your goal. If your goal is to eat more vegetables, then write out each of your meals and snacks under the Canada’s Food Guide food groups – plus a few extras: fruits and vegetables, grains (whole and processed whole grains), meat and alternatives, milk and alternatives. Be sure to include water, supplements, and other goods and bads. You can also use online sources such as eatracker.ca from Dietitians of Canada or find a suitable app for your smart phone or tablet such as Fooducate.

Keep track of your fitness milestones

You can use the same basic methods as the tip above, like keeping an organized journal. If you want to be able to do more pushups then track how many you do each workout along with other assisting upper body exercises and core work. There are great online sources and apps available as well for your goals: my personal favourites are Map My Run, where you can create your own routes in your neighbourhood and save them, and My Fitness Pal, which tracks fitness and nutrition.

Get educated the right way

Seek out resources that are not trying to sell you something such as the local health unit, organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation and information from educational sources like Harvard Medical School (health.harvard.edu/).

Ask for help

If you belong to a fitness centre, chances are there are some free services available to you to get started with your routine and also narrow down the right goal for you. You can also ask your doctor or get a referral. Free services are great, but keep in mind that in the long run, the small amount you may pay for something toward your health now is likely to lead to huge savings in the future.

Karen Nixon-Carroll is the Program Manager at Fitness 101, Fanshawe College Professor, YMCA fitness course trainer and examiner, Fanshawe FHP grad and holds many fitness certifications for personal training, group fitness and wellness. Email her at karen.carroll@fanshawec.ca