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Are you concerned about gaining weight and/or losing valuable work while being isolated at home. Don't panic! It's easy to make sure this doesn't happen. Below I outlined a couple key areas to focus on.
#1. Calories In vs. Calories Out:
If you are a client of mine, you know we always focus on 'calories in vs. calories out'. This is the key to maintaining, or losing weight- ALWAYS! This includes now. The goal is to balance what you eat, with what you burn each day. In order to make sure your have the right number you can do a couple things:
- If you have an activity tracker such as a Fitbit, or an Apple watch, you can keep track of your total calories burned each day.
- If you do not have an activity tracker you can use a BMR calculator. The following BMR tracker can estimate your total calorie burn each day based on your activity levels. BMR CALCULATOR
The key is to remember you may not be as active as you were! This may mean you need to eat less food than you were. If you are looking to maintain your weight you should eat about the same number of calories as you are burning. If you are looking to lose weight you should eat 100-500 less than you are burning.
#2. Balance Carbohydrate Intake:
Carbohydrates are used for energy! If you are currently more sedentary than normal- you do not need extra energy. Here is a simple guide to decide what amount of carbohydrates are right for you:
- If you are sedentary (work from home, relaxing day, light workout daily) eat about .5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight.
- If you are lightly active (up to 45 minutes of hard training per day with a lightly active work/ home environment) eat about .75 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight.
- If you are moderately active (up to 1.5 hours of workout per day with an active work/ home environment on your feet most of the day) eat 1- 1.5 grams of carbohydrates a day.
For example, a 150 pound women who is doing 1/2 hour training per day, and taking care of two small children, would need about 112- 150 grams of carbohydrates per day depending on how busy she is.
#3. Add Activity When Possible:
Just because we are avoiding people it doesn't mean we need to sit around. This is a perfect time to add more movement into your day.
- There are unlimited amounts of free workouts available online- even if you do not have equipment! This is a great time to try a new style of workout or even work on stretching.
- If you are not ready to try workouts make sure you are getting up and moving around. Doing chores, playing with the kids or taking a solo walk outside.
This allows you to increase your calorie burn and/ or allows you to eat more!
Finally, enjoy your time! If you are staying home use this time to catch up on life that gets left behind in the busyness of life.
