Physical Activity and Nutrition Care
- Karen Onderdonk
- Dec 10, 2025
- 1 min read
Why does my dietitian ask me about exercise? The answer is because physical fitness goes hand in hand with nutrition – and in order to have optimal health span you need both. Any body composition goals that involve gaining muscle or strength requires both balanced nutrition and exercise.
Think of the formula as nutrition (macros) + exercise = results.
Women, in particular, require strength training – for life - in order to maintain proper bone and muscle mass. Some of the advantages of exercise is that it increases your metabolism, improves joint/flexibility, lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol and decreases inflammation. Starting a structured exercise program can be as easy as walking. Progressively walking further, faster and uphill can improve both cardiovascular fitness and muscle mass.
For all of these reasons, we will be doing a Step Challenge in January! It’s easy, just download the monthly calendar and keep track of your steps each day. Your iPhone or smart watch will keep track automatically, or you can buy a very inexpensive pedometer to wear (great holiday gift idea)! Print out our challenge calendar using this link
At the end of each day, write down your steps. Starting February 1st, email a picture of your results back to karen@rmfpleadville.com. The person with the highest number of total steps will win a Penzey’s Spices advent calendar (worth $50) and second prize is a mini waffle maker (worth $10) to help you stay on track with your nutrition goals. The contest is open to any adult 18 or over.
Karen Casey MS, RDN
719-427-4729
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