Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Supplements, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
I was looking for nutrition data on a particular food, so I googled it and found NutritionData.com. I have a lot of nutrition info memorized, so I don’t go looking for it very often. But, this is a great site that has everything from graphs showing “fullness factor” to protein quality. If you need to know anything about foods, this is a good place to start. I’ll also put a link in the sidebar so it is easy to find. Now you have no excuses for not knowing exactly how many calories you are eating and how nutritious it is.
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
I’m sure you’ve heard it- “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. But, a lot of people still skip it almost every day and then eat junk food mid-morning and massive fat inducing lunches a couple hours later. Bad, bad, bad. If you are a breakfast skipper, try this- it only takes 90 seconds to cook. Get some instant oatmeal in any flavor you want and microwave it with skim milk. My microwave takes 73 seconds for a package. Add 1/2 a banana or a handful of grapes and coffee or whatever you like to drink in the morning. Your 90 second breakfast is done and it is way less calories than one of those Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts muffins. No excuses. Try it for a week and I promise you will feel better and probably start to lose weight since the junk food won’t be calling quite as loud at mid-morning. Yep, breakfast is important, so don’t skip it! Check out the basic 6 meal/day diet here.
100 Calorie Packs May Hurt Instead of Help
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Sports, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
Here’s one for the psychologists- those 100 calories packs of everything from M&M’s to potato chips may actually increase junk food consumption instead of controlling it. Apparently, we have an almost infinite capacity and ability for deceiving ourselves. The key of course is to know what you are eating and keep track of it. Even Michael Phelps has to keep track of his 12,000 calorie/day diet because it will vary depending on how much he is training. Apart from that, most people will eat as much as they want and that is always too much!
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Manufacturers are releasing more and more products in smaller packages. And in recent years, several brand-name products, from chips to cookies to candy, have been released in smaller packages promoted as having just 100 calories. In terms of sales, the tactic has proven successful, past research shows.
…In the other new study, Maura L. Scott at the University of Kentucky and colleagues at Arizona State University assessed people’s perceptions and eating habits of M&Ms in regular and miniature packages.
The participants were sorted into two groups: restrained and unrestrained eaters. Oddly, the restrained eaters — chronic dieters, basically — tended to consume more calories from mini-packs than unrestrained participants.
“While restrained eaters may be attracted to smaller foods in smaller packages initially, presumably because these products are thought to help consumers with their diets, our research shows that restrained eaters actually tend to consume more of these foods than they would of regular foods,” the researchers write in same journal.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
It is estimated that US health care costs will approach 1 trillion dollars per year within the next 20 years and that the current generation may well be the first since records have been kept to actually have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Those 2 estimates pretty well show the depth of the problems we are facing. Since these things always translate into money in some form or fashion, it shouldn’t surprise you that the health insurance companies are trying to figure out a way to curb costs. While it is no doubt going to be seen as politically incorrect, the answer is probably going to be higher insurance premiums for people who are overweight- just as people who smoke pay higher rates. For years the hazards of being overweight have been overlooked, but as the percentage of adults who are overweight or obese approaches 70%, it is not a problem that can be overlooked any longer. It is just too costly on so many levels. So here is a glimmer of hope- Alabama will start charging obese state employees 25.00 extra per month as an incentive to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. I honestly don’t think it will make much difference, but it is a start.
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama, pushed to second in national obesity rankings by deep-fried Southern favorites, is cracking down on state workers who are too fat.
The state has given its 37,527 employees a year to start getting fit — or they’ll pay $25 a month for insurance that otherwise is free.
Alabama will be the first state to charge overweight state workers who don’t work on slimming down, while a handful of other states reward employees who adopt healthy behaviors.
This is only fair to the people who do live a healthier lifestyle but pay for those who don’t with their taxes and/or premiums. I genuinely wish my health insurance company would do the same. In fact, since the cost of obesity is probably already factored into the premiums, it might be easier to discount the policies of people with healthy weight and lifestyles. But in terms of incentive, it is probably better to raise rates for those who don’t – similar to what auto insurance companies do for those with bad driving records.
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The State Employees’ Insurance Board this week approved a plan to charge state workers starting in January 2010 if they don’t have free health screenings.
If the screenings turn up serious problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose or obesity, employees will have a year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll in a wellness program, or take steps on their own to improve their health. If they show progress in a follow-up screening, they won’t be charged. But if they don’t, they must pay starting in January 2011.
“We are trying to get individuals to become more aware of their health,” said state worker Robert Wagstaff, who serves on the insurance board.
Not all state employees see it that way.
“It’s terrible,” said health department employee Chequla Motley. “Some people come into this world big.”
Computer technician Tim Colley already pays $24 a month for being a smoker and doesn’t like the idea of another charge.
“It’s too Big Brotherish,” he said.
The board will apply the obesity charge to anyone with a body mass index of 35 or higher who is not making progress. A person 5 feet 6 inches tall weighing 220 pounds, for example, would have a BMI of 35.5. A BMI of 30 is considered the threshold for obesity.
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I don’t think most people see the perfect storm brewing in the health insurance world- nor do they understand that much of the cost is due to the extremely unhealthy lifestyle that most Americans live. It is estimated that in the next 10 years, people could end up spending an average of 25% of their income on health care and insurance. Something has to give and we can only hope that our government and the insurance companies will attack the problem where it really lies and not simply slap a band-aid on it. What Alabama is doing is a necessary first step since the only thing that most Americans respond to is making or losing money. Sad but true.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Sports, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
I’m not talking about the athletes, I’m talking about “us”, the viewers. Since I was up until almost 4am watching the US men’s volleyball team defeat Russia in 5 sets, I’m dragging a bit today. So here is a little advice for those of you in the same boat- take a nap. Research has shown that we can actually function on as little as 4 hours sleep if we take several 15-20 minutes naps throughout the day. The key is to not sleep longer than that or you will not wake up sharp enough to function. Fortunately for me, I am self employed so the nap thing is easy to do. But if you have to go to work, consider heading to your car during lunch or on a break for a quick 15 min nap. Remember to set the alarm on your watch or cell phone so you don’t umm, oversleep!
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
There is a lot of evidence that Omega 3 fatty acids (mostly found in fish oils) are beneficial for problems as varied as depression and heart disease. Well, you can add another one- they appear to help guard against macular degeneration in adults (AMD). In fact, my sister recently went to the eye doctor and he told her to start taking an Omega 3 supplement. The best source is of course oily fish like tuna, salmon and makerel. But if you do use a gel cap supplement, make sure it contains mostly fish oil and not just flax seed oil.
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Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is the major cause of blindness and poor vision in adults in western countries and the third cause of global blindness, according to a study published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
…The findings show that people who habitually consume oily fish at least once a week compared with less than once a week are 50% less likely to have wet AMD. There was no benefit from consumption of non oily white fish. There was a strong inverse association between levels of DHA and EPA and wet AMD. People in the top 25% of DHA and EPA levels (300 mg per day and above) were 70% less likely to have wet AMD.
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So taking an Omega 3 supplement might just make you happier, healthier and give you good eyesight in your old age!
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
People are already taking sides on this and the debate will probably never end. But lets just say that he has done something that will probably never be equaled. Of course, they said that about Mark Spitz as well. So where do you go and what do you do when you have achieved what Phelps has? In the short term the answer is anywhere and anything you want to. With 30 million in endorsements coming in the next year, he can do almost anything he wants. Longer term, he has shown a great level of maturity by wanting to increase swimming’s exposure and acceptance as a more mainstream sport. Let’s face it though, swimming will never be football simply because it doesn’t lend itself very well to a weekly schedule- and thus weekly media attention. But I think he will make it “cooler” to be a swimmer at the high school and college level. Right now, everyone want to be Michael Phelps and that is a pretty amazing accomplishment.
So how does this fit into your daily fitness routine? Simple- if you have a pool available, use it. It is one of the best forms of exercise you can do. Far, far better than walking on a treadmill and a lot more fun. If you don’t have a pool available, just learn from his desire and determination to be the best. We can all decide that this year and and next year we are going to work harder and stay more focused on our health and fitness. For most people, the battle is not so much physical, as mental. We are lazy physically because we are lazy mentally. So write down some fitness and diet goals like the secret sheet of paper that Phelps had and put them somewhere you will see every day. Just the daily reminder will make a huge difference.
The Phelps Diet- 12,000 calories/day
Posted by: Curt | Under: General Fitness | Add Comment
Everything about the guy is crazy, so this shouldn’t surprise you. But it is insane. I have no idea how you can even eat that much food in a day. He must have a huge stomach to match his feet. I suppose when you burn 4000 calories per workout you need the fuel. Add to that the fact that he is pretty much pure muscle with an extremely high metabolism and I guess it all adds up. I just can’t imagine eating a pond of pasta and a whole pizza at one time. I like the comment at the end by the dietitian- “it seems to be working for him”.
Let me add this though- Professional athlete, don’t try this at home. Most people need more like, umm, 2000 calories.
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, General Fitness, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Sports, Youth/fit | Add Comment
The amazing Michael Phelps story continues. Last night (morning in China) he won the 100 meter butterfly by .01 seconds. It was so close that it really looked like he lost since he had been trailing Cavic the whole race. In fact, he was in 7th place at the turn. No doubt you have seen the video but if you haven’t, go here and watch it. Just incredible. Look at the expression on his face when he finds out how close it was-
Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Quick Tips, Seniors/fit, Spiritual/Emotional, Sports, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | Add Comment
That might even be an understatement by the Chairman of the IOC… I’m uploading the 4×100 relay to YouTube as I write this so we can all watch it over and over again. I think I will watch it every morning for inspiration.
Edit- YouTube took it down… I will see about uploading it directly to /fit.
