Taking Inventory of Your Eating and Exercise Habits

I have been on a mission to increase my personal wellness.  In that vain I have been reading "Power Moves" by Marco Borges.  The book is organized around four major joints in the human body  - Shoulders, Hips, Knees and Elbow.  Borges is a personal trainer to celebrities in Miami.  The book is worth reading as for several reasons: his writing is simple and inspiring; he knows what he is talking about and most importantly there is a wealth of exercises, with easy to follow photographs and descriptions.  I wanted to share with you a list of questions from the book that you can use to take inventory of your own eating and exercise habits.  There are no right or wrong answers.  It provides a useful tool for you to look at your own practices.  I suggest cutting and pasting this list into a word processor and saving it to check in from time to time.  I would also suggest picking up the book.

Routines

1. Do you get hungry at night?
2. Are you a morning person?
3. Do you get the “munchies” at a certain time every day?
4. Do you work so hard that you sometimes forget to eat -- and then feel famished?
5. Do you watch TV when you eat?
6. Do you always eat with your family or with friends?
7. Do you like to dine alone?
8. Do you eat a lot of frozen entrees? Do you think, Who has time to cook?
9. Do you love to cook?
10. Do you plan ahead, making weekday meals on Sundays?
11. Do you often eat standing up?
12. Is the first thing you do when you come home open the fridge?
13. Is there nothing in your refrigerator except some moldy cheese and a half-drunk bottle of wine?

Likes and Dislikes

14. Are you a junk-food junkie?
15. Do you try to eat organic as much as possible?
16. Are you a steak-and-potatoes person?
17. Do you love salad - but need dressing to make it edible?
18. Do you eat a lot of fish?
19. Do you like sweet foods?
20. Do you like salty foods?
21. Could you eat a pound of pasta if no one was looking?
22. When you’re eating your favorite snack, do you go through an entire box or bag as if you’re on autopilot?
23. Are you a chocoholic?
24. Do you only like to eat vegetables if they have some kind of sauce?
25. Do you love peanut butter --  on just about everything?

Weight-Loss Behaviour

26. Can you never seem to take off those last five pounds?
27. Have you lost and gained the same twenty pounds all your life?
28. Do you hate measuring food when you’re on a diet?
29. Do you record everything you eat?
30. Do you want to look great for an upcoming event or occasion?
31. Is your idea of looking thin to disguise yourself: to wear a sarong on the beach, and big long T-shirts when you’re out and about? Or to never wear a shirt with a belt?
32. Are you more interested in building muscle than losing weight?
33. Do you want to lose at least thirty pounds?
34. Does your doctor say you have to lose weight for your health?
35. Do you just want to be able to maintain your current weight?

Activity Levels

36. Do you have a gym membership but don’t use it very often?
37. Do you love to walk?
38. Do you usually use the stairs at work instead of elevators?
39. Do you spend a lot of time on the couch in front of the TV?
40. Do you love taking naps?
41. Are you an indoor person?
42. Do you hate exercise even though you know it’s good for you?
43. Are you intimidated by gyms? Do you feel unfamiliar with the equipment?
44. Do you feel comfortable using the weights at your gym by yourself, or do you need someone standing over your shoulder?
45. Do you go to the gym religiously? Would you consider yourself a regular?
46. As soon as the sun comes up, are you out there doing something?

47. Do you love exercise classes -- the harder the better?