The Basic Zone Rules
You'll find plenty of detailed information about the Zone diet
elsewhere on this site, but here are the basic rules. You may
even want to print this page to keep in your wallet for reference
when you're eating on the road.
1. Make sure every meal and snack gets you into the Zone by
eating the right combination of low-fat protein, the appropriate
type of carbohydrate (preferably fruits and vegetables), and a
dash of "good" fat (such as a sprinkling of nuts or
olive oil). You can best approximate this by dividing your plate
into thirds. One-third should be a serving of low-fat protein
about the size and thickness of your palm. The remaining two-thirds
should be fruits and vegetables and a dash of fat.
2. Always eat a Zone meal within one hour after waking.
3. Try to eat five times per day: three Zone meals and two Zone
snacks. Zone meals should be about 400 calories for men and 300
calories for women. Zone snacks should be about 100 calories for
everybody.
4. Never let more than five hours go by without eating a Zone
meal or snack, whether or not you are hungry. In fact, the best
time to eat is when you aren't hungry, because that means you
have stabilized your insulin levels. Afternoon and late evening
snacks, which are really mini-Zone meals, are important to keep
you in the Zone throughout the day.
5. Choose fruits and vegetables as carbohydrates, and ease off
the bread, pasta, grains, and other starches. Treat these "unfavorable"
carbs as condiments.
6. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. That's
about half a gallon.
7. If you make a mistake at a meal, don't worry about it. There's
no guilt in the Zone. Just make your next meal a Zone meal to
get you back where you and your hormones belong.
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Exercise in the Zone!
When it comes to a Zone exercise program, the goal is to create
and maintain a cross-training regimen that affects as many hormonal
systems as possible. Striking the right balance is key—intense
levels of exercise put stress on the body. You want to aim for
moderate but consistent workouts. Here's an overview of a basic
plan:
• Do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day to reduce
and stabilize insulin levels. Brisk walking is a great choice,
but you can also play basketball or volleyball, run, swim, or
take a step class.
• Just starting out? Try several types of exercise to find
one you really enjoy, which will greatly increase your odds of
sticking with it.
• Spend at least five to 10 minutes a day on strength training,
which is the only form of exercise that builds and maintains the
muscle mass necessary to protect your bones and joints in the
future. Push-ups are very effective at building upper-body strength,
while squats (deep-knee bends) are great for the lower body. Start
slowly, depending on your initial fitness level, then increase
the number of reps as the exercises get easier.
• Want to do more? Create a routine on the machines in your
gym, or invest in a set of adjustable dumbbells, which offer great
flexibility in terms of strength-training exercises. But keep
in mind that after 45 minutes of strength training, levels of
the stress hormone cortisol begin to rise—over time, prolonged
elevated levels can weaken your immune system and accelerate the
aging process.
• Any cross-training program should include flexibility
exercises, as well. Be sure to stretch for five minutes before
and after your regular workouts. In addition, do at least 20 minutes
of continuous stretching on the days you don't weight train. Yoga,
Pilates, and gentle movement classes are all great options.
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