Mothers Day Special
Calling All Mothers and Daughters
Between the ages of 8 and 80
Work out together !
2 for 1

WALK ACROSS TEXAS
 Through May 17
Your 3-round circuit = 2 miles
So, 3 times each week = 6 miles
And 5 workouts each week = 10 miles
Support your Team !

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!!!Coming Soon!!!
The Sesquicentennial Fitness Challenge
June 3 – July 29
Lose Weight, Get Fit, & Make History
$99

Limited to 15 participants
$25 deposit guarantees your space.
Sign Up Today!

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Curves Monthly T-Shirts
June T-Shirt  -  $12.95
March, April & May T-Shirts - $12.95
(While Supplies Last)
 

Special Monthly Prize
If you’ve read this far,
You qualify to win!
Simply call 625-4968 to enter your name
If No Answer, please leave your name and phone #
No Obligation
Random Drawing to be held on May 2

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FOCUS ON FITNESS
By Linda Hyde

Be a Princess of Portions!

I recently found interest in a TV program called “I Can Make You Thin” hosted by author Paul McKenna. His practical approach to weight loss is fascinating in that it is based on, of all things: common sense. However, in our current environment of fast-pace-and-immediate-satisfaction, we tend to overlook the common-sense factor. In his presentation, he focuses on a number of food issues, but the one I want to discuss here is “Portions”.

In addition to the issue of what we eat, a major factor of discourse in the weight-watching world is how much we eat. Did you know that we, individually, make approximately 250 food decisions each day? Should I have coffee? Should I use a cup or a mug? Should I add milk? Should I use whole or skim? Sugar or Splenda?….and on and on, just to give an example. When you sit down to watch TV with a bag of chips in hand, you reach in and eat, reach in and eat, reach in and eat….never knowing exactly how much you’ve consumed until you realize the bag is empty! We also tend to eat our regular meals in front of the TV or with a book or newspaper. These distractions make it easy to ignore our body’s natural signal that tells us we are full. In Mr. McKenna’s production, he coaches his listeners to take their time eating by taking a bite, putting down the utensils, chew thoroughly and swallow before continuing with another bite. This process takes time, but it allows the stomach to signal the brain that the body is nourished and it is time to stop eating. But again, in our fast-paced world, we allow ourselves to be distracted by multi-tasking through the meal, and we end up scarfing down the food in a matter of minutes not even realizing what we ate or how much. Also, we are programmed by our Mothers to clean our plate. Did you know that when you load a 13-inch dinner plate, you’ll eat 92% of what’s on it, whether you are actually hungry or not? With that in mind, choose a smaller plate.

A significant cue to our eating pattern is the size of the container. In a food lab experiment conducted by Cornell University, moviegoers who had a meal within the previous hour were given a FREE bucket of popcorn, either giant-size or medium. Although everyone had just eaten, and half the attendees were given two-week-old popcorn, they all dug in. Those with the larger buckets consumed significantly more, even if they had received the stale batch. These ‘cues’ can short-circuit the brain leading us to eat even if we’re not hungry and even if the food isn’t particularly tasty. Refer to McDonald’s ploy to “supersize”.



Our society is guilty of ‘mindless eating’. However, if you make mindful choices, you can lose weight without depriving yourself of the foods you love. A serving of meat should be no larger than a deck of cards; a bread (or grain) serving should be the size of a medium bar of soap; and an acceptable size of fruit is equivalent to the size of a baseball. If you practice eating 30% less in portions, you’ll notice a weight loss. There are 3500 calories in a pound, so by adding or subtracting 250 calories a day, you can gain, or lose, a half a pound a wee: that equates to 26 lbs a year. One less candy bar is equal to a 30 lb loss in one year; and one less soda is 14 lbs.

Exercise included with your “mindful eating” is even more beneficial. If you walk one extra mile a day, you can burn 100 more calories a day and lose 10 lbs in one year. This is a great lead-in for Walk Across Texas, but back to our subject of portion control. As a fitness & nutritional instructor, I know that cutting out our favorite foods is a bad idea, because we won’t stick with it; but cutting down on how much we eat is definitely do-able. Instead of sitting down with the entire bag of chips, put some in a bowl, and put the bag away….out of sight. Forget the ‘supersize’ option. If you eat at a ‘mindful’ pace, your body will be quite satisfied without the extra calories. Limit french fries, or ice cream, or whatever your individual weakness might be, to the weekends only, and treat that item as a “special” treat. Even the smallest change can make a big difference, and remember it only takes 28 days to make, or break, a habit. You can change from the Queen of Quantity to the Princess of Portions with each choice every day.

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Curves is partnered with Sterling Insurance. If you are currently signed up with
Sterling Insurance, ask us about a Program designed just for you.

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It’s more fun to workout with someone you know, so bring your best friend,
your sister, your mother, your mother-in-law, your cousin, your neighbor
to share in your experience. We extend an invitation for one free workout
to anyone who wants to try out equipment.


Our Hours:
Monday – Friday
5:30am – 12:30pm
3:30pm – 7:00pm
 

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Curves
211 W. Pecan
Call 325-625-4968 for your free, no-obligation,
figure analysis and tour of our facility.
 

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