Analysis of Proper Nutrition and Exercise - Essay Example

? Personalized Nutrition and Exercise Plan A health problem that I am at risk of experiencing is cardiovascular disease. This is based on my positive family history of obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus type II in my parents and close relatives (father’s and mother’s siblings). These three co-morbids are strong risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, that usually manifests after age 40 in the form of angina, heart attacks, strokes and renal failure. In order to reduce my risk of cardiovascular disease and minimize my chances of developing obesity and diabetes, and to minimize the chances of atherosclerosis, the following four goals need to be implemented and carried through the rest of my life: 1. Exercise regularly, using health guidelines 2. Eat healthy: Include all the necessary vitamins and other nutrients in my diet. Restrict the amount of carbohydrates and fats in my diet, using the limits set by RDA. 3. Maintain adequate body weight. Address being overweight by using weight loss strategies. 4. Have regular health checkups and take the medications, if any, prescribed by the doctor regularly. The following gives more details regarding the four components of my plan: - what actions to take to implement these goals, the anticipated setbacks, outcomes to measure success, and evidence of effectiveness: 1. Exercise regularly: I need to make sure that I spend 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity on most days. According to My Pyramid Tracker my current physical assessment was “good,” which means I am getting the recommended amount of daily moderate physical activity. I expend around 1300 calories a day according to My Pyramid Tracker. I am not over weight but I could use a little more exercise in my daily routine to help increase muscle tone. I believe adding 30 minutes of light jogging on the treadmill would help me burn a couple hundred more calories a day. Some sit ups would also help tone my stomach. Both of these activities could be done year round. However, if I started running outdoors I would need to fine a gym in the winter time. I have never been good at exercising for long periods of time so short bursts a couple of times a week would most likely work best for me. Moderate intensity physical activity refers to about as much energy as a brisk walk. This equals to about 1? to 2 miles in 30 minutes, a pace at which breathing will quicken and the heart beats faster. To meet this goal, I will aim to take a daily 30-minute jog in the evenings, before dinner. I will go to the nearby fitness centre for this jogging on the treadmill, as the socializing will be an incentive to go for the exercise, and it will be easier to do the exercise with other people in a similar situation as me. On days when physical activity is very low, such as when studying all day, I will extend this to 45 minutes. I anticipate that I will fail to carry out this much activity on very busy days, such as when close to exams, however, I will try to compensate for loss of activity on such days by a little more exercise on other days. Moreover, I will make sure to keep in touch with other people at the gym, as they will give me encouragement whenever my own mood is not inclined to exercise. 2. Eat healthy: In order to gain a balanced diet, my meals must consist of half my plate being food and vegetables, the rest being protein and whole grains. My RDA based on age and weight are the following: Protein 68 g / day Iron 6 mg per day Vit A 750 mcg /day Vit D 2.5 mcg / day Calcium 800 mg / day Nutritious food, that would include the nutrients such as Vitamin B,folate, iron, iodine, etc that I must include in my diet include: -fruits: oranges, peaches, -vegetables: carrots, spinach, chickpeas, broccoli -wheats: oatmeal, enriched wheat flour, fortified cereals, sunflower seeds, legumes, nuts -dairy foods: egg yolk, milk -meats: salmon, chicken, turkey, beef liver. Foods recommended for my breakfast include muffins, cold cereal, 2 slices French toast, pancakes. Lunch items recommended include taco salad, beef or tuna sandwiches, roasted chicken, spaghetti, occasional steak with potatoes. The recommendations for dessert only include things like coffee, apricot or chocolate milk. No other desserts with higher fat content are advised, and I will eliminate these from my diet, they will be taken only on special occasions. MyPyramid suggests that my daily dietary goals include 6 oz grains, 2.5 cups vegetables, 1.5 cups fruits, 3 cups milk, and 5 oz meat and beans. I will take 2 cups of milk and the fruit with breakfast, and the rest will be divided between lunch and dinner. I will be taking some fruit and vegetables, about 1 cup with every meal, such as tomatoes, broccoli. My daily calorie limit is 1800. I will also ensure to take small portions of foods and never oversize. I will vary the type of vegetables I eat on different days – this ensures adequate nutrition with all the minerals needed for health. For example, I would choose to have potato wedges on one day, and spinach the next, and cabbage and carrot salad the next day. I will have to avoid sugar drinks such as soft drinks and juices, and try to drink water or unsweetened beverages, such as diet Coke, instead. I will choose the ‘low sodium’ foods in department grocery stores, as high salt intake is a leading cause and contributing factor for hypertension. I will substitute regular milk with fat-free milk. The Food Guide Pyramid pointed out some changes I should make in my diet. One of my deficiencies is in the dairy portion of the food pyramid. Personally, I hate milk. I typically eat cheese and cottage cheese but I do not consume milk or yogurt. I need to consume approximately 3 cups which is almost 15 times the amount I consume presently. Another area I need to improve on is in the fruits section of the food pyramid. I need to increase my consumption from 0 to 2.5 cups per day. Also, I am going to start meal planning. This should help the “fly-by” snacks I am used to with my hectic schedule. In my meal plan I am going to try to make sure that my grains are whole grains and that I vary my vegetables. Fruits are where I was lacking on my foot pyramid so I am going to make sure I label at least two portions of fruit a day on my menu for the week. In my line of work I am out and about during lunch time and usually end up eating fast food. So another decision I have made is to cut out the fried food and include more grilled items or salad instead. I am also going to try to make meals a head of time on a day when I have some free time. Challenges to this eating plan also include staying away from desserts and snacks such as chocolate chip cookies, chips, cheesecake. To avoid these, I will let all my friends and co-workers know of my new eating plan and request them to not encourage me to take these foods. 3. Maintain adequate body weight: My ideal body weight is 54 kg. Currently, my weight at 57 kg is a little above the limits of normal, I will lose weight through extra exercise – swimming on the weekends in addition to the daily walks – and use maintenance of this body weight as an indicator that my exercise and diet plan are working. 4. Regular checkups: I will aim to have a health checkup at least once per year, and have blood tests to ensure I do not have diabetes or high blood cholesterol levels. I will let my doctor know of how my adherence to my diet and exercise plan are going, and will seek help if my weight keeps rising or if I am having difficulty keeping up with my plan, as dieticians associated with doctors would be able to recommend for me what best to do, in such a scenario. The plan that I have outlined above for nutrition and exercise will have its efficiency checked through the latter two goals – ensuring that my weight remains stable, and normal lab test results of blood sugar level, and cholesterol levels on check-ups with my doctor. The health risks that could potentially develop if I do not adhere to my plan include gaining weight and becoming obese, developing high lipid and cholesterol levels,that would eventually deposit in my arteries and, over the years, give rise to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis results in reduced diameters of arteries and subsequently decreased blood flow, so that not enough blood can flow through the arteries and the organs become deprived of blood. The narrow arteries are also at risk of developing a clot (thrombus) and becoming blocked. When this happens in a heart artery, it leads to angina and can eventually give a heart attack. If it happens in a brain artery, it can result in stroke. If it happens in arteries to the eye, it can lead to reduced vision and blindness. When this happens in arteries to the kidneys, it leads to kidney failure, needing dialysis. These are all possible outcomes that develop in patients by the age of 50-80 years, who do not control their hypertension and diabetes. I do not want to develop these diseases in the first place, and although I am at risk for them due to my family history, I can prevent them or at least delay their onset through my diet and exercise plan. This plan will also be effective in controlling my hypertension and diabetes if I eventually do develop it, thus preventing the complications on various body organs. References U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, (2011). MyPlate. Retrieved Nov 28, 2011, from MyPlate: http://www.choosemyplate.gov Read More