Fall Back: Stop Jocking Kate Moss

I’m sitting around on a Sunday afternoon, and I can’t stop laughing. Not even giggling. I am guffawing. Kate Moss is getting so much shit for what she said the other day, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” People are running around saying she’s supporting anorexia. Personally, when I read the quote, I didn’t interpret it this way AT ALL. Use your brain, and think about it.

When we think of crazy delicious food, for the most part, it’s usually not good for you. Like, my favorite food is crab rangoon, which is deep fried cream cheese and crab meat in a wonton wrapper. Sounds disgusting, but it’s EFFING DELICIOUS. However, I can’t even remember the last time I ate this delicious treat. Why? Because it absolutely wreaks havoc on your insides! Other yummy foods — movie popcorn, burgers, pizza, alfredo sauce, french fries, fried chicken, general tso’s chicken, ribs — all will help you pack on the pounds, quickly. So, do they taste good enough to be obese?? To me, not at all. If someone came up to me and was like, “Okay, so here’s the deal. We found this ingredient in pizza that is the number one cause of obesity in the country. If you NEVER eat pizza again, you will never get fat. But, if you eat pizza AT ALL, you’ll gain 10 lbs.” Am I going to eat pizza? Hells naw.

I interpreted Kate’s lovely quote as saying, “Yea so, vegetables aren’t as delicious as some foods, but it’s not clogging your arteries and causing you to gain significant amounts of weight.” However…er…I am going to give her the side eye for saying that because well, does Kate Moss even eat? Or does she just live on a diet of cocaine and cigs? Perhaps there wouldn’t be as much backlash if a healthy person had said that, rather than a coked out, under weight model. Still though…Kate, you’re on the right track. Right quote, wrong person. If more people thought like that, maybe the obesity rate in America would be less.

So to all of you enraged at Kate Moss? Fall back, put down the wings, eat a grilled chicken salad, and take a damn walk. It’ll do you good.

[Via http://bitchierthanclinton.wordpress.com]

Fitness Social Network

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Giving stove-top oats a chance

I opened up my Google Reader this morning and spotted Whit’s post featuring this adorable song at the top of my unread list.

I couldn’t resist… I listened to this song for the first time a few weeks ago. I let the song play while the husband and I were getting dressed for work this morning. We were giggling at the song like a bunch of five year olds and I heard J humming it to himself a little later.

It was a fun way to get Thanksgiving Day started, that’s for sure!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American readers and friends!

I’m so jealous that you’re all sitting down to hot, delicious meals with your families today. J and I had an excellent first Thanksgiving together in Japan, though, so I really can’t complain.

Click here if you missed the post on my first Thanksgiving as a married lady in Japan.

I haven’t posted an entire day’s eats in a while. So here we go:

I opted for a really quick breakfast this morning, but it ended up taking me forever to eat it. And I realized halfway through breakfast that I’d actually left my coffee sitting on the counter. Doh!

Really, really good snack this morning. A half serving of raw almonds with one cheese wedge. It didn’t quite fill me up as much as I would have hoped, but that was okay.

Because I ate this about two hours later.

I’m calling these Happy Thanksgiving Oats because they tasted just like ‘fall’ to me. Unlike my usual method of just dumping everything in the rice cooker and letting it go for about half an hour, this afternoon I used a pot and my stove to cook up my oatmeal. Tina’s video inspired me to give it a shot on the stovetop and see how long it actually took for my oats to cook.

I used:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup Quaker rolled oatmeal
• 1 tbsp Hodgson Mill Wheat Bran with Cinnamon and Flax
• A LOT of ground cinnamon
• about 1 tsp nutmeg
• a few glugs of vanilla extract
• 1 small banana
• about half a cup of granola/kashi go lean crunch

It was so much quicker than using my rice cooker. I bet including the time my water took to reach a rolling boil, my oatmeal only required about ten minutes. Wahoo! I’ve not been eating my usual bowl of oats in the morning because I thought it would take too much time to make.

I am so happy to be wrong on this one, but I will probably still use the rice cooker when I’m not in a rush. It’s a good way to get things done while breakfast cooks away.

Quick afternoon snack of green bell peppers and peanut butter. I cut up the peppers while I worked on the homemade salsa for tonight’s tacos.

Be on the lookout tomorrow for salsa and whole wheat tortilla recipes.

I made a batch of tortillas yesterday and my wonderful husband cooked up some taco meat while I rode the train home from my evening job.

Add a little cheese and salsa and I’m in Mexican food heaven.

I love tacos and we were eating them very often for a few weeks there, but we’ve cut down on our taco eating. I like that, actually. It makes it feel really special when we do eat tacos.

Work it, Girl!

I’m still a little behind in the workout department, but I was feeling super motivated today. I set off on my scheduled 2-miler as soon as I got home from the morning job.

That first mile was so rough today. I had to keep pushing myself to run because at times I wanted to walk. Where did all the endurance I built up disappear to? I will get back there in time.

The second half of the run went much smoother and I even felt like I could have kept running when I hit the 2-mile mark, but I didn’t. If there’s one thing I have learned it’s this: Just because you feel like you can do something, does not mean you should. My body and foot needs time to build back up and that’s not something I should rush.

I walked an extra mile to cool down (because it is GORGEOUS outside today) before arriving home for a 20 minute self-guided yoga practice. I should do more self-guided practices. I think I enjoy them a lot more than listening to the instructor’s voices.

Great workout today. I’m determined to keep this ball going! J actually introduced the idea of waking up early next week to start working out. I’ll admit, I felt a little proud when he said he was interested in getting back to working out (he used to have a doozy of a 6-pack!) because he currently does no extra activities outside of the usual dailies.

Wow. This turned into a long post. Sorry, guys!

[Via http://chasingthenow.wordpress.com]

Cookbook: Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin

As mentioned in my video on The Weight Loss Diaries channel on YouTube, here is the info about the cookbook I raved about today

You can learn more about the book and the authors here: http://www.skinnybitch.net/kitch.html

The recipe I mentioned in the video is DELISH! I can’t find the nutritional info online, but I will check the book and post it for you.

Peanut Butter Potato Chip Cookies

• 2-1⁄2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1-1⁄2 cups evaporated cane sugar
• 1 cup refined coconut oil
• 1 cup all-natural peanut butter, chunky or smooth (whichever you prefer)
• 1⁄4 cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups coarsely crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the sugar, coconut oil, and peanut butter, mixing on medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the water, molasses, and vanilla, mixing until well combined. With the mixer on lowspeed, add the flour mixture in 3 to 4 additions, mixing each addition until almost fully incorporated. Add the potato chips, mixing until just combined.

Arrange 2-tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Press to about 3⁄4-inch thick, then use the back of a fork to mark each cookie with a crosshatch pattern, if desired. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned and the centers are set. Thoroughly cool on a cooling rack. Then eat enough to make yourself sick.

Makes about 40

[Via http://fat2fitmama.wordpress.com]

Taking on another job

Enjoyable. That would be my word choice to describe my day.

Which is surprising because I started my second job today, along with taking on teaching another class for the first job.

Stressful. That’s the word I expected to be using to sum up my day. Glad I didn’t have to choose that word.

Rested. I woke up before my alarm this morning. Despite going to bed later than I should have, apparently my body was ready for the day.

Toasty and easy. I made breakfast last night (hello, breakfast cookie… one of the best inventions ever) and just had to get my coffee going to round out the meal.

I also discovered that a bite of breakfast cookie (made with chocolate protein powder)+hot coffee=mouth love. The cold cookie and hot coffee melt together to create an awesome flavor.

Productive. My biggest worries with taking on another class and another job has been “How will I get everything done" and “Will I still have time for me?” Today proved I can work both jobs, do the necessaries around the apartment (cleaning, laundry, you know… the usual), workout, and still have some time for myself. But those are only possible if I practice good time management skills.

Must work on that.

I had a bowl of raisin bran with cow’s milk as a morning snack. I was really wanting yogurt, but when I pulled it out of the refrigerator I discovered it was frozen solid. Total disappointment there.

We can’t figure out our Japanese refrigerator. We turned it onto the “winter” setting and all the liquids froze. We turned down the temperature and everything is still frozen. I’m thinking maybe it’s just too cold downstairs?

Tough! I only ran 2 miles this morning, but the last half a mile really required me to reach deep and give it my all. I felt a bit ridiculous. I mean, is this the same girl who set an 8 mile personal distance record only a month and a half ago?

The endurance I had built up has definitely crumbled while I’ve taken time off for my foot to heal. But it was worth it. I’m happy to report the foot is continuing to feel good. The only thing that has changed is the insole of my shoes, so I have to assume it was a problem with my shoe.

Fun. My husband has the day off work, so we sat down and had lunch together—a rarity. It was nice to goof off and make our sandwiches together. We always have such a good time.

I created a toasted ham sandwich with tomato, green peppers, onion and mustard. A small banana, half an apple, and a mikan were tossed together on the side as a fruit salad.

I also did a little pre-Christmas shopping for myself today. I love shopping for myself. Our parents decided to give us cash this year, rather than attempt the shopping and then having to ship it, too—which is pricey. Forever21 and EyesLipsFace will be showing up on my credit card soon!

Blah, blah, blah. A good portion of the afternoon went to train riding and second-job training. I’ll get back to you on my feelings about this other job when I make a decision. Unfortunately it’s going to cut down on my husband time by quite a bit.

Surprise! The husband, my wonderful husband, had supper ready when I got home. Which was good since I was hangry. He baked some Italian dressing-marinated chicken and made mashed potatoes, too. I added some corn and a piece of cornbread to make a full meal.

J went above and beyond the dinner cooking, though, and had candles lit and our Christmas tree plugged in when I got home. What a great guy, right?

A-okay. That’s how I feel about my first day of getting back to eating and living more health-consciously. Three meals. Two snacks. A run. And brushing my teeth after dinner equals success if you ask me.

[Via http://chasingthenow.wordpress.com]

Movie + Popcorn + Cola = Calorie Bomb

If you think having a medium popcorn and soft drink while watching a movie won’t add much to your weight, then it’s time to get a reality check, suggests a new study.

The study by the Center for Science and Public Interest (CSPI) found that consuming popcorn and a drink means taking in three days worth of an adult’s recommended allowance of fat.

The researchers said that a medium popcorn and drink had 1,160 calories.

Even sharing a small portion of cinema popcorn between two would mean each person consumes a day’s worth of saturated fat.

“It’s hard enough for Americans to maintain a healthy weight even when limiting their eating to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Who realises that they might be taking in a meal’s worth of calories during a movie? The healthiest snack to buy at the movies is no snack at all,” the Telegraph quoted Jayne Hurley, a CSPI senior nutritionist, as saying.

The study also found that a bag of Reese’s Pieces sold at US cinemas contained 1,160 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat, the equivalent of eating a 16-ounce T-bone steak and a buttered baked potato.

The study has been published in Nutrition Action Healthletter.

[Via http://q8life.wordpress.com]

How do I fail so often?

I am an absolute failure when it comes to following a fitness regime.

Well, my first attempt at following an exercise regime was when I was doing my PG.  I started going for morning walks….. it lasted a sum total of 2 days… From the third day on, I could be found on my bed, fast asleep….

When I started working, I was fascinated by the aerobics class. I joined the class, bought the required outfit and shoes, and then went to the class for 2 weeks……

Here is my third attempt at fitness….. Yoga classes. My teacher takes individual classes, hence I cannot cheat. She stands over me and makes me bend and jump and stretch. Only time I can cheat is during meditation….. but apparently, I need a lot of meditation to relieve all the stress in my life now.

So far the yoga classes have lasted for a week….. hhmm…. there’s hope for me still.

[Via http://za1nu.wordpress.com]

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Nautilus 2ST Circuit 14 Pieces

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Do you want to make cycling up hills easier? continued

Are you the type of cyclist that dreads the site of a hill loaming in the distance? I was, sometimes I still find myself dreading the upcoming hill, but as I read and learn about the art and skill of climbing hills this dread has become less and less.

I now become curious about what they might hold, how long will they be? How steep will they get? How long can I stay in the saddle?

Asking these types of questions for me builds an excitement, they challenge me to push myself a little further, to experiment with my riding style and find out if what I have been reading or watching will work for me.

Here are a few more ideas about how climb hills, some might work some might not, but anyway here they are. These ideas are from a book I have been reading a book Elite Performance Cycling, Successful Sportives by Garry Palmer and Richard Allen.

They start by mentioning that getting out of the saddle and powering up can deplete your energy and cause you to suffer from fatigue much earlier in the ride. They continue to say however, that if powering up means staying with a fast group of riders this could benefit you in the long run because riding in a group can result in major energy savings in the long run.

Longer climbs they say can be best dealt with by spinning at a cadence of 85-95 rpm in a gear that feels relatively easy, sustain this cadence and adjust your gears according to the gradient.

Becoming a skilful climber isn’t about fitness it’s more about teaching yourself how to pace your climbs, find a gear and pace you can maintain, don’t go at someone else’s pace as you may stick with them for the first few kilometres but if you blow up you can slip down the field very fast.

Finally do your homework on the climbs you will be up against, this will give you an idea of how to prepare in training and how to ride the event as a whole.

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Two Months In

Today marks exactly two months since I began this weight-loss venture. Two months of sticking to a plan and gradually increasing my exercise to 5 days per week. Two months = 18 lbs lost. I’m so close to my next milestone I can almost taste it.

In terms of my plan, I don’t see myself making any big adjustments until perhaps after the holidays, unless my weight plateaus. At the same time, I am reading and information-gathering about weight lifting and about eating in such a way that would optimize muscle growth, because long-term, I do believe my eating habits will need some changes for me to be a successful loser and maintainer. As I lose weight, I do not want to eventually be required to live on 1200 calories per day forever, or even 1400 calories. Nor do I want be constantly required to up my cardio time to burn the same amount of calories as my body becomes more efficient with those movements. And if I play this game strictly by the lady-mag cut-calories rule, I could see things coming down to that. I could also see myself being a thin person who is still kind of flabby, despite being at a “healthy weight.”

I’m reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women, and although I don’t know if I will have the confidence to do its strength workouts by myself off the bat, I do see myself heading in that general direction in 2010. Perhaps I’ll shell out the bucks for a personal trainer to get me started; in this case it would probably be worth it.

In terms of eating more healthfully with an eye toward muscle-building, I think I will need to eat more protein than I have been. SparkPeople breaks down my macronutrient ratios (fat/carbs/protein) for me in its reports, and I consistently come in on the very low end of the advised protein range—whereas my carbs are often a little higher than the high end of the recommended range. So yes, my eating is somewhat out of balance.

I have been making small changes to begin remedying this issue. For one thing, I am having omelets for breakfast several days per week now. This is something that came about what I got a bit bored with my food about a month into my program and my boyfriend and I figured out that, actually, making omelets isn’t too hard! I notice that on the days I have omelets for breakfast, I tend to be less hungry/have less cravings mid-morning. And obviously, my macronutrient ratio is a little more balanced, because I’m getting extra protein from the eggs.

I think I will use the next month and a half or so as time to experiment gently with adding more protein and some veggies into my regular meal plans. I don’t want to shock my system (psychologically if not physically), but I do want to keep improving what I’m doing at a rate I can handle.

Back to Sportcentrum De Meern

Well, I’ve healed It took ~1 week to get rid of the flu, but much longer for the cold. And even tho after 1 week the flu was gone, I had so little energy I couldn’t even lift a feather with two hands! Fortunately I’m 100% now again and doing kung-fu and fitness as much as I can (love it!).

Saturday last week, I went with my dad to Sportcentrum De Meern for a free fitness try-out. Years ago, I practiced jiu-jitsu at SDM together with my brother. My father drove us there by car every friday, and he did fitness exercises there while we did jiu-jitsu. It was great, but at some point our teacher had somekind of (financial?) problem with the owner and stopped his lessons so I left SDM. But now, I practise fitness as well so I’ve decided to go back to SDM and practise fitness there with my father!

The Joys of Boxing

I began one of the most rewarding experiences of my life a few weeks ago. I started learning how to box. I have only had a few lessons, but it has already had an enormous impact upon me. My dad was a boxer when he was younger and I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but he refused to let me start the sport. During his boxing days, he once saw a fighter violently killed in the ring and it turned him away from the sport forever. He hung up his gloves that day and never stepped into the ring again. Of course his response, although understandable, does not make a whole lot of sense. When someone is killed in a sport, any sport, it is definitely a tragedy, but it does not validate a blanket condemnation of the whole sport itself. People have died in all kinds of sports, not just boxing. I tried to show him the folly of his decision, but he never backed down. So I was never able to start boxing for my self. Until now that is.

I have a neighbor who boxed in the Air Force for a number of years. He still has the physique of a heavy weight fighter. His shoulders are wide, his arms are muscled and his stocky stature outweighs mine by about sixty pounds. I knew he used to be a boxer (his son and I are good friends), but for some reason it never clicked for me ask him to train me. Silly of me I know. It’s amazing how we often overlook opportunities that are right in front of us. Well the other day I was at his house talking with him and the subject turned to boxing. I wanted his opinion on who would win in a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. The two fighters are the crème de la crème of boxing right now and a fight between them is heavily anticipated. He thought Mayweather would win the fight easily and I agreed. The reasoning being that Mayweather is simply too fast and too well trained to be beaten by Pacquiao.

From there, the discussion turned to my own personal regret at never learning how to box. I told him my dad’s feelings about the sport and how it had prevented me from ever learning it. “Well,” he said, “Do you still want to learn?” “Of course,” I replied, “But I don’t have the money to sign up at a gym right now.” “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll train you.” “You can pay me five dollars a week after you’ve had a few lessons.” Looking carefully at me he added, “We’ll start tomorrow morning at nine.”

I was ecstatic. I’m too old for my dad to ban me from learning and just to reassure him anyways, I told him that it would simply be a form of exercise and I had no intention of entering the ring for a fight. I showed up at my friend’s dad’s house at eight forty-five to begin my first lesson. It was brief but intense. I never knew how much work and training goes into boxing. It seems like there’s a million things you have to do at once: maintain your stance, breathe properly, move your feet, keep your hands up, counter a punch, protect your body, bob and weave…. It’s insane. Boxing is like an exercise in multitasking. You have to do several things at once and you have to do them well. And if you don’t or you’re not in the right shape, then your technique falters and you get knocked out. One thing that has surprised me about the sport though is how much of the fight depends on what’s going on in your head rather than what’s going on with your fists.

For most people (myself included) physical altercations are messy affairs. The majority of individual fights are quick scuffles that either end in possible injury or simply a loss of pride. There’s an initial flurry of blows by both parties, usually without aim or reason, and eventually one person might land a lucky punch that ends the fight or both parties withdraw with their health intact but too tired and winded to continue. Boxing is nothing like that. It’s like a chess game with yours and your opponents bodies encompassing all the pieces. Every punch is a strategic decision. Plus you don’t go into the fight expecting it to end quickly unless you far outclass your opponent. And even then it’d be foolish not to train adequately regardless. Expounding further on the chess analogy, how efficiently you use your pieces (your fists, your torso, your shoulders, etc.) is less important than how efficiently you use your mind. Learning this lesson, at times at the cost of a well placed punch to the chin during a sparring session, has radically changed my view of the sport.

But that’s not all that’s changed. When I first started training, I would get easily flustered when my trainer would slap at me casually after I threw a jab. Or I would panic as I saw his punches heading towards me. But over time I’ve learned to stay calm and resolute. To stay in the pocket as the blows come and counter them without losing my head or my technique. Not to be afraid of taking a punch and to move my feet and my body to protect myself while staying aggressive. I’ve slowly learned how to master my natural inclination to flinch and recoil from a punch instead of remaining unruffled even under the most severe of flurries. There’s so much more that I’ve learned, but I lack the space to write it all. Boxing is a tremendous sport. It teaches discipline, concentration, and alertness. Not to mention increased self-confidence. I wish I had started when I was younger. It’s ok though. The man training me started at 22 so I’m not too far off. I don’t know whether I’ll ever step into the ring to face an opponent, but I do know that boxing can teach me lessons I can take with me for the rest of my life. For that reason alone I plan to continue it for the foreseeable future. Besides, it feels too good and teaches me too much for me to do otherwise.

Sheri's Rants # 29: Fun With Water

“Sheri, I had such a great week.  The best ever.  I am feeling so good and finally feel like I can be successful and have what I want with my body!  I’m so excited.”

I’ll bite.   “What happened?”

“Well,” she gushed, “every day I am really good about drinking 3 quarts of water.  I’m great with that.  This last week, I decided to push it and I drank FOUR quarts a day!  It was incredible!  My skin got softer, my moods settled down, my bowels got better, I slept a little better AND I finally dropped weight!  It’s so amazing!”

I was speechless.  “Really?”  I said.  This gal was really proud of herself.  She was in the presence of a True Miracle of her body and she was H-A-P-P-Y.

“You do know” I could not HELP but add, “I’ve been telling you to drink four quarts since you started, right?”

“OH I KNOW” she went on “but I couldn’t possibly.  So when I did push it, it’s incredible the difference!  You guys should really be talking about this.  I had no idea!”

In Genesis Transformation your coach gives you very clear and simple directions.  If you follow them, things will happen and you are going to feel GOOD quickly and your body will move right along.  Here’s the thing:  do you really think we will tell you to drink 4 quarts of water because 3 quarts is good enough?  Really?  Do you think we say ‘avoid alcohol’ because we’re cruel?  ‘Put down the cupcakes’ because we like to see you writhe?

We get into these little weird sabotage patterns because no matter what we SAY we want, our behavior will get slippy when our body is changing.  That’s the way we humans are.  We’ll work out 4 days a week and that is working, and when our weight is moving then we decide 3 should be ‘good enough’ and then a couple weeks later the weight stalls and we act all surprised.  Hello. We’ll be cruising along eating to plan and suddenly we decide we don’t need to pay attention to amounts so much anymore, we get random, and that works for about 10 days and then things stall and we’re surprised.  Hello.

We’re good at fat loss, really good.  Really.  We already slimmed the system down to the simple of ‘what works’ to get your body to burn fat.  We didn’t leave any padding or ‘fudge room’. As a heads up.

Here’s another good one:

Diana had been struggling with her weight for most of the last year.  Her weight made very strange fluctuations that didn’t make sense, and had settled into a high range that did not make sense for her.  Other odd symptoms: swollen fingers, general inflammation, her blood pressure was up.    She sent me this email (reprinted with permission):

I had the refrigerator man come this week to fix a problem with my dispenser, and I learned something interesting.  You wonder what this has to do with anything, don’t you?  Well, turns out that my water softener was hooked into the water coming through my dispenser, so I was drinking “salt” water.  How’s that for an interesting twist.  I have it temporarily fixed and need to call a plumber for a permanent fix, but I thought that was good to know…

Indeed!

Not sleeping well? The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep

The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep

Do you have trouble sleeping? You’re not alone. An estimated 3.3 million Canadians aged 15 and older, or about one in every seven people, have problems getting to sleep or staying asleep – contributing to insomnia.   Part of the problem is 80 percent of North Americans say they believe it’s not possible to sleep enough and be successful at their jobs. As a result, 75 percent experience daytime sleepiness and 34 percent say sleepiness interferes with their daytime activities – that’s certainly no way to live.

 

Sleep is important for a multitude of reasons but mainly to rebuild, repair and recharge your body. When you’re asleep, your immune system is most active and repairs what it needs to while your brain re-organizes your cerebral ‘files’. Without sleep, you get sick in both mind and body.  

Symptoms of Sleep Deficit

• Daytime fatigue

• Poor memory, mental performance

• Irritability

• Depression, apathy

• Heart Disease

• Morning headache, wake-up feeling un-refreshed 

• Heartburn

• Need to urinate in the middle of the night

• Loud snoring

• Diminished sex drive

• Decreased exercise tolerance

• More than five pounds of weight gain in the past year

• Need for stimulants

 

Why Does Your Body Need Sleep?

 

Sleep Regulates Hormones and Prevents Cancer

Lack of sleep affects hormone levels. A disrupted circadian rhythm (sleep/wake cycle) may create shifts in hormones like melatonin. Melatonin is made in the brain by converting tryptophan into serotonin and then into melatonin, which is released at night by the pineal gland in the brain to induce and maintain sleep. Melatonin is also an antioxidant that helps suppress harmful free radicals in the body and slows the production of estrogens, which may activate cancer.

 A link between cancer and the disrupted circadian rhythm lies with a hormone called cortisol, which normally reaches peak levels at dawn then declines throughout the day. When you don’t sleep enough, your cortisol levels don’t peak as they should. Cortisol is one of many hormones that help regulate immune system activity, including natural-killer cells that help the body battle cancer.

 Heart Attack and Stroke

Lack of sleep has been associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both potential risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Your heart will be healthier if you get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night.

 Stress

When your body is sleep-deficient, it goes into a state of stress – creating an increase in blood pressure and production of stress hormones. The stress hormones unfortunately make it even harder for you to sleep. Since reducing stress will allow your body to get a more restful sleep, learn relaxation techniques that will help counter the effects of stress.

 Energy level

A good night’s sleep makes you energized and alert the next day. Being engaged and active not only feels great, it increases your chances for another good night’s sleep. When you wake up feeling refreshed, and you use that energy to get out into the daylight, be active and engaged in your world, you sleep better that night.

 Memory

Researchers don’t fully understand why we sleep and dream but a process called ‘memory consolidation’ occurs while we sleep. While your body may be resting, your brain is busy processing your day and making connections between events, sensory input, feelings and memories. Getting a good night’s sleep will help you remember and process things better.

 Weight

Researchers have found that people who sleep less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese. It’s believed that the lack of sleep impacts the balance of hormones in the body that affect appetite. The hormones ghrelin and leptin, important for the regulation of appetite, have been found to be disrupted by lack of sleep.

 

 Ways to Maximize Your Sleep

• Listen to white noise or relaxing music
• Avoid before-bed snacks
• Avoid grains and sugar.
• Keep a schedule
• Create a bedtime routine
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Exercise daily
• Make your bedroom dark
• Get some sunshine
• Avoid caffeine after noon

 For more tips on maximizing your sleep, and other tips and tricks for living at your best, check out Nathalie’s book Wellness On The Go at www.drnathaliebeauchamp.ca.

 

 

WSOP, Joe Cada, Tuesday Mumblings

Stayed up pretty late last night listening to the audio broadcast of the heads up portion of the World Series of Poker. I was rooting my ass off for Joe Cada, but found myself strangely pulling for Darvin Moon near the end.

There’s an argument about who would be better for poker; Darvin Moon or Joe Cada? Poker’s sorely missed a good ambassador for the game; Joe Hachem was the last real good one. The last few champs haven’t really done much. Perhaps Joe Cada will turn it around? He seemed pretty enthusiastic about the opportunity to represent poker for 2009 as the youngest main event champ.

But what if Darvin Moon won? He’s the “every man” we’ve been rooting for since Chris Moneymaker set off the boom in 2002. He mentioned, though, that he would head straight back home, had no interest in a sponsorship deal, and didn’t want to be poker’s ambassador. Everyone I know said Darvin was a super likable guy, but he’d be awful for poker. Is that true,? It seems like everyone outside of the poker world has been rooting for Darvin to win. Who would set off more shock waves with a win, Moon or Cada? Everyone expects the smart, young online guy to take down the good ol’ boy, but isn’t an upset every now and again a good thing? Wouldn’t Darvin winning send off another round of – “Hey, this guy can do it, why can’t I?” Does Joe Cada winning make poker a little bit more elitist, like – “Man, I have to study a ton to get as good as that guy, it’s not worth it, I’ll just lose money!” Or is it more like a, “Oh man, if I work hard enough, I can be like Joe Cada.”

Who knows!

Woke up today at 2PM, started the day off with a tiny little blueberry yogurt and an oat and honey granola bar. Hitting the gym in about 2 hours or so, grabbing a shake, then hunkering down to start the work day at a very lol time of 6PM or so. I’ll be up until around 5AM at this point. Whoops

Nov. 9 Mile 9: Be Smart

“A person can make a decision in three ways: positively, negatively, or a decision not to make a decision. In all cases, a person is responsible for, and reaps the benefits or problems associated with that decision.” ~Thomas D. Willhite~

So, mile 9 was hard because I’m nursing a fat knee.  Swollen, I still wanted to run (walking takes longer to finish).  But, I decided to act wisely and speed walk.  I brought the kids with me, it was a great time together & I had to lower the intensity for my 6 yr. old.  I had a moment where I did get down on myself for not performing at the level I wanted (I had hoped for 2 miles).  Usually, along with disappointment (anxiety also), I have an urge to comfort eat.   Be careful if this happens to you.  It’s much harder to make clear wise decisions when emotionally charged. 

But being smart, I decided it’s wiser to walk & heal.  If you are having joint pains, ice 20 mins on and 20 off.  Stretch as often as you can, drink tons of water, get a massage, and get adjusted by a chiropractor to put your skeletal system back to alignment.

There’s no condemnation…. just awareness that today is only a small piece to the big puzzle.  Slow forward movement is still movement.  So make each choice count. 

9 miles done, 21 to go…. Woooohooo!

Word.

So  last night was PARTY –> PARTY –> PARTY.

Mere and I party hopped for a little while which = late bedtime.

Needless to say I slept in until 10 this morning which meant I missed breakfast + my regular church service.

We decided to go visit Elevation Church since they have services all morning.

It was glorious + I got a free t-shirt for being a first time visitor! This might be the first time I have ever gotten two free t-shirts in one weekend.

After church we went to the grandmothers for a lovely meal + family time.

Jambalaya, apples, macaroni, sweet potatoes, bread, salad.

CAKE!

 

Puzzle time!

And then I met my Stacey for a lovely 5 mile run.

Word from ya motha: Do not eat cake before you run 5 miles. You will regret it.

Gotta go, Mere and I are meeting Izzle + J. Bizzle for some fun times, since we overslept this morning, so therefore missed out on hang time.

Intern Journal: My Introduction to Nablus

I have been teaching at TYO for two weeks now and I’ve been in Nablus for three. It already feels a bit like home.  Prior to classes, I had a weeklong orientation, which gave me a chance to meet local and international staff members and several translators and volunteers. I also tried to orient myself a bit to Nablus and to learn a few words in Arabic.  Not bad for one week!  This fall, I am teaching a fitness class for mothers and an art class for kids.  Ultimately, I am trying to create an environment where all my students can have fun, feel good, and express themselves.

Sports have always been a huge part of my life, and I am excited to share what I’ve learned with the moms of Nablus.

Originally, Bieta, my fellow intern, and I were scheduled to teach two different fitness classes at the same time.  Compelled by a number of factors, we decided to combine our classes. Now, the mothers have 45 minutes of cardio/aerobics with me followed by 45 minutes of dance with Bieta.  This not only allows all the mothers to benefit from both of our classes, but also lets us take each other’s classes as well.  It is really rewarding to teach the women a new move, and then watch them execute it successfully.  They are also slowly teaching me some Arabic, which is great for me and probably quite entertaining for them.

At times, my art class feels like a fitness class—these kids have a lot of energy!  With the help of my wonderful volunteers and translators, we have already done some excellent projects.  I find myself trying to channel every great teacher I can remember from my own school days.  With every project, my goal is to strike the perfect balance between structure and freedom. I want the kids to express themselves but not feel overwhelmed by the blank page in front of them.  Originally I had hoped to make Halloween masks in my Sunday class, but I wasn’t able to locate the supplies I needed in time.  At the last minute, I saw TripleX Coordinator Kelsey decorating her classroom door with paper flowers painted by her kids.  She suggested I try it with my kids as well.  I cut out a large circle and petals for each flower. During class, I let the kids paint the pieces one at a time.  Given their high energy, I figured they’d make a few flowers and be ready to do something else.  To my surprise, they loved the project so much that I had to ask the volunteers to cut out more flowers and other shapes so they could continue for the rest of class!  I was really happy with this project’s balance.  The kids were given a template, but they were able to paint any design they wanted on the petals.

When the kids return on Thursday, they will see how all their hard work came together. I hung their beautiful flowers and birds on the classroom’s walls.  Then, they will make the promised Halloween masks, and they might even get some Halloween candy.

-Nachel

balance balance balance balance

O.M.G.

I am so so very excited about all the new WW stuff happening. Yesterday I was offered YET ANOTHER meeting!! (so next week I will be leading THREE) I have so much to do!! I have to take the online training course for At-Work meetings, run to Office Depot and get some things in which to Haul Stuff Around, and answer a ton of emails and make a bunch of phone calls and PREPARE for yet another meeting topic (yeah, this happens every week!) and make flip charts and and and!!

PLUS I have to find time to eat, work out, be with my family, teach THREE online writing classes which are still ongoing (my other life), including teaching for THIS incredible project, edit and publish my section of a literary magazine, host a fundraiser this afternoon for a mayoral campaign in my city, get some writing of my own done (other than this blog) and tomorrow I am participating in the World’s Longest California Roll Sushi Challenge. Wheewwwwwwww!!!!!!!

I did go to a Nia class this morning. Which helped my sanity quite a bit. But as I was leaving the class I got a text from my spouse who reported he was in the E.R. after falling off his bike and injuring his shoulder and HIS HEAD. (I tried very hard not to flash on Natasha Richardson at this moment). LUCKILY he had a negative brain scan but he is now in a sling with a torn shoulder ligament and some dislocation. Owie.

It’s all good. It’s all wayyyyy good. But when it rains (even goodness) it pours, you know?? Zipping off now……….

 

Three Goals, Simple Steps to Attain Them

“In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity.”

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

1. Financial Fitness :  Maintain a monthly written budget,  Work towards   becoming debt free than start paying yourself.
2. Physical Fitness :  Eat real food,  Not too much,  Mostly Plants & Work out everyday.
3. Spiritual Path :   Study the Dharma,  Maintain a daily sitting practice, Strive to live an ethical life grounded in the five precepts.

Cycling Performance Tip #2: Follow the 10% Rule

Greetings, I have a very quick tip for you today.  It is short, sweet and simple, and can go a long way toward helping you improve your cycling performance while avoiding overtraining.  It’s called the 10% rule and it simply states that you should never increase training volume (either distance or time) by more than 10% on a weekly, monthly or annual basis.  For example, if you are currently riding 70 miles a week and want to work your way up to 100, you should ride 77 miles the first week, 85 the second week, 93 the third week and 102 miles the fourth week.  Keep in mind that these are maximum amounts.  It would behoove many cyclists to reduce those amounts slightly and take five or six weeks to work up to 100 miles.  Likewise, if you ride 3,000 miles in 2009 and want to increase your volume in 2010, you should ride a maximum of 3,300 miles.  By following the 10% rule, you can ensure you improve your performance while decreasing the risk of excessive fatigue or injury due to overtraining.

NEXT POST – November 9, 2009

Cycle Log: Endurance Phase - Week 4

Commuting

Transportation facts regarding my job:

1) my company does not provide on-site parking

2) available street parking is at least three blocks away from my building

Since I started over a year ago, transportation has been a struggle.  I do not live far from work, although we’ve moved within the year.  Even the new house is close enough.  According to the U.S. Census, the average daily commuter spends 24.3 minutes getting to work.  If I drive, park on the street, and walk to my building I can get there in 15 minutes.

I used to walk to work.  It took 20-25 minutes on average.  But I was sweaty, had to come home and let the dogs out, my bag was sometimes uncomfortable, etc… Strangely, there are equally annoying, different reasons not to drive to work.  I have to walk three blocks anyway, one-way streets are annoying, parking is never guaranteed, paying for mileage and gas, etc…

Unless I have an errand to run during work, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to drive.  One might argue with the cold, midwest winter it would be dangerous to walk (darkness, going through unsavory areas, etc).  My mother-in-law walks to work and church from her house throughout the week.  Both of these places are near my house.  She’s been walking the same route for at least a decade, and she’s got some great walking tips.  My favorites are to walk in well-lit, heavily trafficked areas (“it might not be scenic, but at least there are witnesses”) and a good umbrella can be a weapon if necessary.  I think I can handle that.

So let’s do some math:

Walking mileage: ~1.5 miles (there’s a railroad bridge you can walk over like my MIL does, but GMaps doesn’t recognize it, which means there’s extra mileage built into its estimate)

Driving mileage: 2 miles (includes the overshot past the building to park

Walking energy expense: $0 financially,about 135 calories burned

Driving energy expense: 27MPG/2.79Gallon=$.09 cents per mile, so $.19 per trip plus wear and tear, 0 calories burned

Let’s assume I walk to work three days a week.  Roundtrip, I spend no money and burn 810 extra calories.  That’s not a bad deal.  Sure it’s inconvenient because I’d have to leave early, but it’s so worth it.  I canceled my gym membership, so I’m saving money there, plus it takes way more than the 10 minutes I’d use leaving early just to get to the gym.  Extra bonus: I can use the walking time to catch up on my podcasts, which I haven’t listened to since I stopped walking to work last spring.

I have to get to work, so it’s not like I can get lazy and hit snooze.  I can choose to drive knowing I have to walk from my parking spot anyway.  Or I can choose differently, suck it up, and just walk.

Do not squander your life . . .

“Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken.  Take heed. Do not squander your life.”

—-

I have already spent twenty nine years of this life,  mostly time squandered.

The brutal truth is that life is short.       Time is a finite resource.

I am interested in using this space to explore how my own fullest potential can be fulfilled both in practical matters such as nutrition, fitness, and personal finance and in terms of my spiritual walk.     As a Buddhist that walk would be according the Noble Eightfold Path, the pursuit of awakening.

Admittedly,  claiming awakening as a goal does sound pretentious.   However, in reality it’s a simple goal.    It’s about living an examined life, one lived with eyes open to reality as opposed to a life driven by delusion.

No Staples Week begins, will we survive?

Throwing yourself on top of your futon mattress and passing out at 1 a.m. only for your body to yell “wake up” at 7:30 the next morning does not make a happy Maria. No indeed.

I think I have finally got myself used to waking up regularly at a decent hour. I don’t even want to sleep in on the weekends anymore. What’s wrong with me?

After losing the fight to go back to sleep, I padded barefoot downstairs to our tiny kitchen and whipped up a batch of pancakes using Blendy. (Just a note: making pancake batter in a blender is so much easier than using bowls.)

Breakfast:

Looks like someone was trying to flirt with my husband. I made him some special chocolate chocolate-chip “I love you” pancakes, after seeing Sheila do this for her husband. J loved the idea and was surprised.

Banana-cinnamon pancakes were created for myself. My pancakes never end up looking as good as J’s because I make mine first and they become the “testers” to see if my pan is warm enough and well-greased enough.

I topped the cakes with some extra bananas, cinnamon, honey, and plain yogurt. I would have never thought to use plain yogurt as a pancake topper, but I’m glad some of you fantastic bloggers have shown me the light. Dee-lish.  

The two, smaller whole wheat pancakes didn’t quite fill my tummy up. I had a small bowl of chocolate cereal and granola on the side.

Run, Run, Run

A few hours later, after hanging around the apartment way too long, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and lace up my running shoes for a 3-miler.

I had to plan a new route through town for today. I usually run from my apartment to the city park (it’s exactly one mile), then run however many other miles I want around the park before walking the mile back home as a good cool down. The road to the park has been closed all week due to road work, though, and I’m tired of running around  and trying to find my way there using roads with mountainous hills.

Using Mapmyrun.com, I planned out this 1.5 mile run that took me through the streets of our small town. There and back was exactly 3 miles.

I was astounded when I got to our local train station (the 1 mile marker) and hit the lap button on my iPhone. A 7:29 mile? There was no way.

My splits ended up looking like this:

• 7:29.9
• 8:47.5 (Whew! It was a lot of hills.)
• 7:38.6

It’s hard to believe it, but if this had been a 5k, I would have ended up with a sub-24:30 time. A year sure does change a lot. When I ran my 5K just last October my time was 32:03. I’m happy to see I’m improving.

Post-run, and super-duper sweaty, I realized this is why I’m hot:

No reason to be jealous ladies and gents. But, you can be jealous of me earning my first 3 miles for Pile On The Miles.

Snacked on a small plate of grapes while I waited on the husband to finish cleaning up the apartment so we could head out for lunch.

Lunch:

If you’ve been reading Chasing The Now for more than a week or two, it won’t come as any surprise to you where J chose to have lunch. He made it a point today to let me know that he loves Mos Burger and “really, Maria, we haven’t ate there in a while.” Okay, okay, you win with the sad face… you can stop that now.

So Mos Burger it was. I like this fast-food chain well enough, but at the end of the day it’s just a burger chain (nothing amazing) and not healthy enough that I feel happy and comfortable eating it on a weekly basis—its one of those foods that is okay in moderation. J, however, would probably eat it 2-3 times a week if the choice was completely in his hands.

 

 
I usually order a hamburger and fries, but in celebration of No Staples Week, decided to switch the usual out for some chicken nuggets.

What’s in the bags?

I was actually surprised by how good this chicken tasted. It was breaded, and probably deep-fried, unfortunately, but the meat was juicy and tender and the nugget itself wasn’t greasy at all. Who needs a hamburger when you’ve got such glorious nuggets and honey mustard?

 

J had his typical double cheeseburger x 2. Mos Burgers, and burgers in Japan in general, are just so tiny. I don’t feel totally satisfied.

A trip to the grocery store was necessary after lunch, and we lucked out and made it back home in time right before the rain started this evening. I was super glad for that. Biking in the rain with a ton of groceries=no fun at all.

I had two of my peanut butter cookies as a snack when all the groceries had been put away.

Dinner:

As per my November goals post this morning, today kicks off the beginning of No Staples Week, an entire week devoted to trying new dishes for dinner. The only rule for this special week is this: anything made for dinner must be a recipe we have either never tried or do not eat on a regular basis (tacos, spaghetti, quesadillas, vegetable soup, regular pizza… they’re all off limits this week).

J looked at me like I had four heads when I brought this idea up. He’s a big fan of the things he likes and not the most adventurous person I know in the food department. He agreed to give the week his best shot, though, so we’ll see how it goes.

This could be really bad guys, or it could be great and we I could learn to cook some new dishes. Please, please let it be the later.

So, first up to the plate (har-de-har-har) was a recipe I found on Whole Foods’ Web site for Pizza Wheels. While we do eat our fair share of pizza, as it stands, this is a new take on the classic that J was actually excited to give a shot. Anytime J is excited to give a new recipe a try, well… we’re gonna try it!

 
As you can see, they didn’t turn out nearly as well as I had hoped… and mine fared WAY better than the husband’s this time. I know where I went wrong with the recipe, though, and I’m hoping to give them another shot. Maybe next week?

If you try making this recipe make sure you don’t go too heavy on the sauce and cheese. It makes rolling the dough next to impossible.

Oh hey! Look who got a haircut today.

J’s hair has been getting a tad on the long side lately, so I sent him off to the barber. He said he was thinking of going “shorter” and came home with this do:

Here’s what his old hairstyle looked like before today’s chop-chop:

I’m a fan of the new style. I think it makes him look younger and more handsome. He’s undecided. Any opinions?

—

I’m so happy to be able to say that I finally made an order on The Flying Pig. It’s a CostCo run Web site that delivers to Japanese addresses. Unfortunately there’s not a CostCo within two hours of our apartment and dragging home a bunch of bulk purchased items on the train and our bikes would be beyond inconvenient. I’d much rather order online and I’ll happily pay the 998 Yen to have my items delivered, thank you very much.

Our food goodies should be here Friday and I can’t wait. There was definitely some items purchased that I’ve been missing out on.