Nice Buns!

Not to make this blog about nothing other than food porn, but have you seen the new burger from Friendly's??


Fib or Fact?

Another reason to limit your consumption of packaged (processed) foods:




I have to admit that I'm not terribly surprised, though.  Nothing is perfect, and I'm sure that the amounts differ from box to box, even within the same food item.   Even if it's not accurate, at least people are LOOKING at what they buy and eat.  And any time you make a conscious decision, you've made a winning choice.

I make it a point to take everything I read with a grain of salt - look at calorie counts and your daily allotment like a coloring book.  The lines are there for guidance, and it's your job to color within them.

What Color are your Glasses?

Recently, I came across the following quote:
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for." - John Lubbock
This quote was offered within the context of reading and comprehending a textbook, but I found it profoundly appropriate to life in general.  If you expect the worst of a situation, you will invariably find it.  In contrast, if you seek out positivity you can find it in abundance.  We can all choose to dwell in negativity or revel in happiness.  It's all about your point of view.

Glass full or glass half empty?

Personally, I've made the conscious decision to find the happy in everything, even the cruddiest of days.  And not surprisingly, it's worked.  Granted, there are days when it takes a bit longer to pull aside the curtains of  "meh", but the sun always finds a way to shine through.

So, if this can affect my view of the day's events, what else can point of view and expectations color?

How about sport and fitness?

You can take that same mind set and inquisitive outlook to your training.  Awful training days can serve as the most informative learning opportunities.  So rather than lament a crappy long run or a lackluster lifting session, sit down and reflect on what specifically it was that made the experience less than stellar.  Establish what didn't work and why.  Examine the factors leading up to the end result instead of that end result alone.


The process is the truly important part of training.  It teaches and informs us so that we can continue to grow within our chosen sport.  Without an introspective examination of the journey, the path will surely dead end. 

100 Reasons I Run, #84

#84

  • Because it's way easier than cycling!  Seriously, have you ever tried to cycle up a hill?  And what's the deal with all those gears????

What's Yours is Mine

I love being outdoors.  If it weren't for the siren song of the big red couch, I'd spend more time outside than in.  (It's quite a song, by the way.  Incredibly difficult to tune out, and once you've heard it you're pretty much done for).

Right now, much of my training takes place inside the gym.  And while I could modify it in order to bring it outdoors, I lack sufficient space to do so safely and without infringing on other people's outdoor right.  Which leaves me jonesing for some good 'ole Vitamin D!  So far, the only way for me to get a fix is to either sit at the pool (incredibly inactive) or take the dog for a walk (only active if I'm trying to keep up with DH - I take 2-3 steps for each of his).  

Which brings me to my question for you:  Do you count incidental exercise/movement towards your training?  For instance, ideally I would be taking the dog out for a brisk walk/run about an hour a day (generally he looks at me with doggie eyes after 30 mins and I bring him home.  He's lazy).  In terms of my training, I would never consider that my "run" or my "cardiovascular exercise".  It's just...exercising the dog.  But if I were to include it as "training", I'd really be tacking on about 5-7 hours of light jogging or brisk walking to an already finely tuned (that's sarcasm, people) training program.

Interested in how you kids handle this sort of thing in your own programming.  Particularly those of you who train other people, or lead group exercise classes/training runs.  

If it's not "your" workout, does it count?

Carrot or Stick?

Lately, there here have been reports in the news of employers offering cash incentives for their employees to lose weight.  


Obesity is an American epidemic  - in recent studies, it was found that 66% of Americans (over the age of 20) are overweight, with approximately 34% of adults (roughly 72 million people) are estimated to be obese.  Of the younger population, 9 million are classified as overweight or obese.  It has been forecast that by the year 2015 nearly 1 out of every 4 children will be overweight.  

The statistics regarding obesity related illnesses and consequently deaths are equally staggering.  Putting aside the fact that almost 80% of deaths attributed to cardiovascular disease and cancer could have been prevented by living a healthy lifestyle, the monetary cost of physical inactivity and poor eating habits is astounding: in 2005 the costs attributed to cardiovascular disease reached $393 billion dollars in the United States alone.

So with this in mind, I wonder if earning a few extra bucks is actually incentive enough to get people to make a change when the clear and evident health risks of being unfit are apparently not stimulus enough?  

Will the carrot be more of a catalyst for change than the stick?  Would people be more apt to adopt a healthier lifestyle for a cash reward, or would they be more likely to give it a whirl if they knew that they'd have to pay a fee instead?

I know that personally, I'm more likely to respond to the stick.  What about you?

National Running Day 2010

Lace'em up, kids!  Or go barefoot!

Whatever your pleasure, today is National Running Day - so get out there and put that body to work :)

get Up, stand Up

If you're reading this, I want you to stand up.

That's right.  Push back your chair, and stand up.  In fact, I'm standing up as I write this :)  Seriously.  Aside from a few extra typos, it's actually fairly easy to type on foot.  

So, why should you do something so bizarre?  Well, I'm glad you asked!

According to one online source, standing burns approximately 50% more calories than sitting. While I personally feel that figure is a bit optimistic, the fact remains that the simple act of standing rather than sitting will increase your caloric expenditure for the day.  

Sounds simple, doesn't it?

That's because it is.  

Which brings me to my next point: pocket change.

We all accumulate ridiculous amounts of small change during the course of the year.  It sits at the bottom of our pocketbooks, litters the cup holder in the car, or sits on top of your dresser.   If we took the time to collect it, roll it and bring it to the bank we might find ourselves with some real money.  

Just like those coins that we're so quick to forget about, there are so many small changes we can make in our daily routines that, in the long run, can turn into large investments in our general wellness, fitness and nutritional health.  

Things as simple as pushing back our chair and standing up every once in a while.

This summer, join me as I collect my pocket change and turn it into cold, hard, wellness cash.

Just be sure that when you do push back that chair, you move it out of the way so as not to trip up your co-workers ;)