You decided to make 2019 the year that you change your lifestyle from someone that knows every bump and depression in their favorite television watching couch, to someone who is going to embrace being active, eating right and enjoying the things that are going on around them. Wonderful!
After looking into your options, you’ve decided to really tackle a regular walking routine. One that at first has you starting off slow and then increases your pace and distance to the point where your walking at least those 10,000 steps a day, sometimes 12,000, how righteous is that? Just during your walking regimen, not counting any other walking you’re doing throughout the day. During your walking period!
And so far, so good. Your one month into the New Year and you’ve made a routine of walking at least 5 days a week, not counting Saturdays and Sundays, which you’ve deemed optional. But your not now surprised that your finding yourself putting some steps behind you on these days as well. Good for you!
But, are you doing yourself justice by eating right to make sure you’re getting a one-two punch out of your new exercise program? Do you even know what and how much you're supposed to be eating so that your extra walking activity is not depleting muscle mass?
Some people, I, myself included, start getting more active to lose weight and transform their overweight body into something that you can be proud of. And believe me, in a few months, well maybe more than just a few, you’re going to be hearing people say to you that you look really good. That you’ve done a remarkable job of losing that weight. I know, I feel good when I hear it, and I never get tired of hearing it. After all, I myself have lost over 170Lbs. Yes, 170Lbs but its taken me over 3 years to accomplish this. And if that’s not dedication and commitment to achieving a goal, I don’t know what is. And you, anyone, can do the same thing if you're committed to getting yourself in shape.
Now, back to eating right, the key is to eat the proper combination of proteins, good fats, and carbs so that your body re-trains itself on turning that food, from here on we’re going to call it fuel.
Now, eating right, and in the right amounts can be a topic of another post, in fact, it could be a topic for several posts. But for now, I just want to let you in on one of my little secrets. Eating a little meal that contains 6 grams of protein, and some other key nutrients that helped me to put up to 8 miles a day under the soles of my feet, on top of walking during my daily work routines and yard work.
This little package of fuel is simply, an egg.
Yep, an egg, I eat one every day, on Monday, Wednesday, and on Sunday’s I eat two. Below are some insights on why I eat them, and why I continue to eat them but remember, when you read the facts below, you need to understand that both the benefits and some possible downsides to eating eggs are based on the concept that your going to be exercising on a regular basis, so that you turn this little package of goodness into the fuel you need to keep hitting the pavements and mountain trails, where ever your walking takes you. Read below to see why you should consider, eating an egg.
At just 78 calories each, eggs are an efficient, rich source of protein and vitamins. A large egg contains about 6 grams of protein. Eggs also are a good source of other nutrients, including vitamin D (which aids bone health and the immune system) and choline (which helps metabolism and liver function, as well as fetal brain development).
Egg yolks also can be good for the eyes; they are significant sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, which have been found to reduce the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people 55 and older.
But egg yolks are also known for their cholesterol. A typical large egg contains 186 mg of cholesterol, more than half the amount previously recommended for daily consumption before federal dietary guidelines dropped the numerical goal in 2015. Now studies have shown that eating an egg does NOT increase the cholesterol levels of people that engage in moderate, routine exercise, in fact, the benefits gained by consuming eggs, significantly improve a body’s overall health.
The sunny side of eating eggs?
There's no doubt that we are more conscious of adding eggs to our daily intake of foods within a heart-healthy dietary pattern than we were 20 years ago, but it’s still a source of dietary cholesterol,” said Jo Ann Carson, professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Eating an egg, a day as a part of a healthy diet for healthy individuals is a reasonable thing to do.”
A study published in May in the Journal found that an egg a day just may keep the doctor away. Researchers studied nearly half a million adults over nine years and found up to one egg per day led to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.
Another study from May, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that eating at least 12 eggs a week for three months did not increase cardiovascular risk factors for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. That result went hand-in-hand with a healthy diet designed to help study participants lose weight.
Eggs must be refrigerated and should be cooked fully because there’s an increased risk of salmonella with raw eggs. Common ways of cooking eggs include boiling, poaching, scrambling or frying.
The American Heart Association states that egg whites provide plenty of protein without the cholesterol of the yolk. Carson recalled making lower-cholesterol scrambled eggs for her children by combining two eggs with two egg whites.
“There are other good things in the yolk that you’re going to miss out on if you don’t have the yolk,” she said.
For people who like fried eggs, Carson recommends using a non-tropical vegetable oil such as corn, canola or olive oil, which are heart healthy.
So, those are a few facts of why eating eggs are a good source of protein for you. One other item that you may want to consider is that the price of a dozen eggs is modest. Eating two, prepared in a healthy way, say pouching them, is a lot cheaper than forking out some bucks for a canister of protein powder or a power bar.
I, myself, like to have a poached egg on a piece of whole grain wheat bread about 30 minutes before I head out on my morning walk, how about you?