Table 1 Activities in the Shape up for Life program
Dietary topic | Activity description |
|---|---|
Healthy eating & Energy Balance | Introduction to healthy eating – variety, quality; Balancing energy intake with expenditure; Energy and Nutrient density of food; Barriers to eating healthily (food triggers), problem solve common issues |
Glycemic index (GI) | Background; Using GI for choosing better quality CHO; Reducing refined CHO |
Food labels | Judging food quality; Identifying low fat/low sugar options based upon 1) nutrition info panel 2) ingredients list 3) nutrition claims |
Fats | Recommended saturated fat intake; Types of fat; Choosing better quality fats, Benefits of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and plant sterols |
Carbohydrate & Fibre | Benefits of fibre; Disadvantages of low CHO/low fibre intake; Increasing fibre |
Salt | Disadvantages of salt; Recommended sodium intake; Food sources; Brainstorm alternatives for flavouring food without salt |
Shopping tips | Healthy eating on a budget |
Refresher: GI, Fat & Salt | Recap and feedback on GI/CHO-Fat-Salt; What barriers participants have found, problem-solve common issues |
Food variety | Importance of variety; Food variety checklist (Nutrition Australia fact sheet) |
Takeaway food | Disadvantages of excess takeaway; Brainstorm alternatives |
Alcohol & Caffeine | Disadvantages of excess alcohol & caffeine; Brainstorm alternatives |
Supermarket 'secrets' | Judging quality, price and processing of food |
Physical activity topic | Activity description |
Exercise & Energy Balance | Introduction to exercise – Endurance, Resistance, Flexibility; Using pedometer and physical activity diary |
Endurance exercise1 | Moderate intensity exercise; FIT formula (Frequency, Intensity, Time); monitoring exercise intensity (Talk-test, RPE, HR) |
Resistance training1 | Benefits of strength training; Common questions; Using resistance bands |
Flexibility exercise | Importance of stretching; How to stretch safely and effectively |
Endurance exercise2 | Recap and Feedback on exercise; Increasing variety by adding to FITT formula (Frequency, Intensity, Time, and Type) |
Resistance training2 | Benefits of building lean tissue; How to lift safely and effectively |