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4 Tips To Conquer an Ironman

Wide-Body — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:00:00 GMT

So you’ve decided to take your game to a new level. You’ve run some marathons, a sprint triathlon or two, and now you want a new challenge. You want to go for the Ironman. There are plenty of training materials out there to get you on track toward peak conditioning. Depending on your budget, there are plenty of “gee whiz” gadgets out there to enhance your performance. But where do you go if you want to get yourself in the right mental state? How do you get yourself mentally prepared for a race that is as strenuous as the Ironman?

The folks at Endurance Nation, www.endurancenation.us , have put together four tips on how to be successful at race day. Bottom line, “race day is about execution, not fitness.” In other words, you have spent months on the physical fitness, but if you are mentally ready to execute on race day, you won’t be successful.

Below are the highlights. Details can be found here:

1. Execution
There is a need to generally understand the importance in timing at each stage, how to execute between stages, and know where you can or con not make up time. Perform poorly on the bike. That may be a 15 minute set back that can be made up for in the 26.2 run. Perform poorly in the run and it could end up being a very long run.

2. The Line
Everyone will reach a Line on the last leg where continuing to run at the same pace, or just continuing to run at all, will become very, very difficult. Your focus on Execution above is critical to help create conditions for success at the Line. Success at this point it defined as not slowing down.

3. The Box
Your method of executing and creating conditions for success at the Line is to use your Box. The space inside this Box is defined by what you can control. What you eat, the amount of sleep you get, your equipment, are all items you control, and thus in the box. Other competitors and the weather are out of your control and thus outside the box.

4. The One Thing
As your race day continues, you will eventually hit the Line. It's at this point that your body begins to debate, very loudly, with the mind. Unless you have a very clearly defined goal or compelling reason why you must continue, your body wins and your day will start...to get...very...long. Keep this goal or motivation in mind and use it as a lifeline that will bring you to the finish.

Number 4……No truer words have been said. In my last marathon, I got into some pain early but I kept myself going because I did not want to be seen as someone who walked a marathon. It was a pride thing for me, but it was my motivation that kept me going.

Fight Fat With White Tea

Wide-Body — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:01:00 GMT

Are you drinking more green tea to increase your anti-oxidant intake? Ever heard of white tea? It’s a delicately light tasting tea, sometimes noted by a faint jasmine fragrance. But don’t let the light flavor fool into believing the tea has no substance. White tea packs a heavyweight punch in regards to anti-oxidants.

It turns out that those same super anti-oxidants may help you fight fat. Recent studies suggest that white tea could be a breakthrough for those folks wanting to lose weight. Here is why:

Because white tea is less processed than green or black tea, it has more of certain active compounds, like epigallocatechin-3-gallate (an antioxidant) and methylxanthines (theobromine and caffeine). And researchers suspect that these compounds influence fat-cell metabolism by acting on the expression of certain genes.

Fat cells increase or decrease in size, according to your weight. And in a lab study, human fat cells treated with white tea extract accumulated significantly less fat. In fact, the white tea extract reduced the incorporation of fat by as much as 70 percent! The tea also seemed to stimulate the breakdown of fat from mature cells.

That is pretty exciting. Once difficult to find and expensive to buy, white tea is becoming more common and some large tea drink makers are bottling the brew. Watch the calorie count because of excess sweeteners in these brews. No need to undo all the good of the anti-oxidants with too much sugar.

Details found here: http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/8911

Core Exercises for the Bicyclist

Wide-Body — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:01:00 GMT

When folks mention that they are doing a “core exercise”, typically they are talking about just working out their stomach muscles. But a core workout is so much more. When you are on a bike and your core muscles fail, you end up hunching your back, creating back strain and pinching off your ability to get a full breath. That is why Selene Yeager, aka the Fit Chick from Bicycling Magazine and my not so secret exercise chick crush, has put together this set of videos showing how to really exercise the core, from the stomach, back, hips, glutes, and thighs. This is a complete set of core exercises that will strengthen you into your next season.

The first video below is the kickoff video and found here: http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/home.html

The additional videos are found here:
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide2.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide3.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide4.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide5.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide6.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide7.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide8.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide9.html
http://www.bicycling.com/fitcore/slide10.html

Arugula and Prosciutto Pizza

Wide-Body — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Another recipe that is healthy, quick, and inexpensive. This one looks CRAZY good, and check out the price. Under a $1.50 per serving! YES!

I’m thinking this could also be a nifty little appetizer for your next cocktail party. Make the slices smaller, put them on a tray, and then eat them along with wine or other adult beverages.

If you have kids in the house, this could be another way have your kids help out in the kitchen. The kitchen prep looks easy, kids love pizza, and this looks healthier than the pizza you would pick up from the pizzeria.

Overall, the recipe looks like a winner. Thank you Eating Well magazine.

Arugula & Prosciutto Pizza

picture from eatingwell.com

NUTRITION PROFILE:
Low Calorie | Diabetes Appropriate | Healthy Weight

Makes 6 servings
ACTIVE TIME: 35 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 35 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy
Cost per serving: Under $1.50

1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup shredded fontina or part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 cups packed coarsely chopped arugula
1 cup chopped tomato
Please go here for preparation and cooking instructions: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/arugula_prosciutto_pizza.html

NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Per serving: 306 calories
11 g fat (4 g sat, 5 g mono)
28 mg cholesterol
33 g carbohydrate
13 g protein
2 g fiber
600 mg sodium
140 mg potassium

2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 high-fat meat, 1 fat

Get Past Your Exercise Resistance

Wide-Body — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 05:01:00 GMT

by REX

We all experience those periods where we just don’t feel like exercising. Admittedly, I have been fumbling through half efforts for the last couple of months. Nothing I do has felt right, left me feeling stale, uninspired, etc. I talked myself into buying a new pair of shoes since the others were worn out, ran four miles last night, and felt great!

Okay, so that works for me, but as I’ve noted in other postings about fitness personalities, that isn’t at all like how other folks approach fitness.

What if you are one of those folks who want to exercise, yet for some reason, just can’t get over the hurdle and make the consistent commitment? You’ve made commitments to other things. You are quite successful in life, yet you can’t seem to commit to exercise, and you wonder why. Well, if you are beating yourself up, telling yourself that you are “just lazy”, or “there must be something wrong with me”, then stop that destructive behavior. That negative attitude is just making it worse.

Really good, thought provoking article form Experience Life Magazine explores some of challenges people face when it comes to exercise. Highlights of the article are below. Please review the complete article here:

While a commitment to physical activity does require a certain amount of self-motivation, hardcore resistance to exercise is usually more than mere reluctance. Problematic belief systems, lifestyle patterns, depleting nutritional habits, low energy and a host of other unexpected causes can all contribute to an activity-averse profile.

Sound like you? Instead of beating yourself up, try acknowledging that you’re resistant to the idea of exercise (not lazy or incapable), then determine the source of the resistance so you can remove the real obstacles between you and your fitness goals. “The key is to meet yourself exactly where you are now,” says Bess Marcus, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I., and author of Motivating People to Be Physically Active (Human Kinetics, 2009).

Exercise challenges fall into two categories: excuses and barriers.

Barriers are generally environmental or physical limitations that can be minimized or overcome with some strategic environmental or methodological adjustments. For example, having a broken leg and lacking access to a safe, convenient space to exercise would both qualify as barriers: They throw up certain obstacles to exercise, but don’t prevent you from taking action to work around them.

An excuse, however, is more of an internal barrier: a self-legitimized reason why you feel unable to make it out on that 10-minute walk. Excuse-based exercise resistance is often trickier to resolve than barrier-based resistance because it stems from something deeper inside us.

“Struggling with regular exercise is typically not about scheduling time or having access to exercise equipment,” says Greene. “The real obstacle is usually your thoughts and feelings.”

Common Obstacles:
Low Self-Esteem: “The less deserving you feel, the harder it is to justify taking care of yourself through exercise,” says Greene. A related challenge involves body image — the notion that you’re somehow not fit-looking enough to do the things that fit people do.

The “Fixed Mindset”: If you’re used to succeeding wildly in other, more cerebral realms (being a lawyer, playing the piano, cooking gourmet meals), you might be hesitant to try an activity at which you may not excel. When we don’t perform up to our expectations (which we usually won’t do the first time we play racquetball, for instance), the fixed mindset internalizes it: We don’t think, I failed at this; we think, I am a failure

Perfectionism: Closely related to the fixed mindset is the demon of perfectionism, and exercise is easy prey. We’ve been led to believe that all exercise means a good sweat on a cardiovascular machine, followed by some strength training, followed by stretching — and anything other than that routine just doesn’t measure up.

Martyrdom: Chronic self-sacrifice, a trap into which many parents fall, is another common obstacle to healthy activity. When the priority seems to be on everything except you — kids, spouse, job, housework, volunteering — taking time to be active can often seem beyond reach.

“When you take on the martyr role and meet everybody else’s needs but your own, you eventually feel unworthy of taking time for yourself,” says Greene. This may be less a matter of low self-esteem than a loss of clarity about the essential role your own well-being

How to Overcome?

The Key: Write It Down
Greene recommends setting long-term goals as the key first step to overcoming exercise resistance. Write down your goals and identify what you want from exercise. Maybe you need more energy to take care of your aging parents, you want to thwart the cardiovascular disease that plagues your family, or you’d like more stamina to be able to play with your kids.

Set more-specific activity objectives you can hit easily from your current fitness level: whether it’s four 10-minute walks a week, three strength-training sessions or five 5-mile runs.

The next step is to log activity — any amount — in your journal. Marcus coauthored a study, published recently in Preventative Medicine, in which researchers asked 163 sedentary people to log their exercise stats on the Web. “The more times people came to the Web site, the better they did maintaining their exercise habits and meeting their goals,” she says.

Sometimes, overcoming exercise resistance simply requires that you expand, or even redefine, the very idea of exercise. For starters, exercise doesn’t always have to be running or playing basketball or going to aerobics. If you’re after basic health benefits (vs. optimal fitness), it’s about being active for 30 minutes a day, most days of the week.

There’s also no rule that says you have to bang out one 30-minute (or more) session every day. If you’re really stuck, start by dividing daily activity into 10-minute segments, or complete half your goal in the morning and half at night. And integrate as much activity as you can into your daily life: Use the stairs instead of the elevator, get off the bus two stops early and use a push mower to cut your grass. Every little bit counts.

Steak and Potato Kebabs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Wide-Body — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:38:00 GMT

How about eating healthy, good tasting food, that doesn’t take long to prepare, and is inexpensive? Yep, that sounds like the right combination for the busy wide-body family.

When I saw the name of this savory recipe, I knew I was going to make it. YUM!

Makes 4 servings
Costs Per Serving: $4.50

ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 40 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, minced
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
8 new or baby red potatoes
1 1/4 pounds strip steak, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 poblano peppers or 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
Please go here for the cooking instructions: http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/steak_potato_kebabs.html

NUTRITION INFORMATION:
Per serving: 271 calories
9 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono)
65 mg cholesterol
17 g carbohydrate
30 g protein
2 g fiber
368 mg sodium
786 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus:
Vitamin C & Zinc (35% daily value)
Potassium (22% dv)
Iron (15% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 4 lean meat

Skip Ups - Extend Your Stride With This Exercise

Wide-Body — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:01:00 GMT

The good folks at Runner's World have posted this helpful training tip on their site. If you are like me and your stride is painfully short, this could be the ticket to legnthen that stride and improve your times and conditioning.

Link for video here

Ode to the Prune

Wide-Body — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:01:00 GMT

"Ode to the Prune"...A Love Story (snicker!)

Okay, let's try this again....but let's be serious for once.

And now, I introduce to you, the humble prune.

So maligned, yet so misunderstood. Full of polyphenols that encourage bone growth, strength, and density. Rich in flavinoids that reduce inflammation and thus could keep your arteries clear. Loads of vitamins A, B complex, C, and E. Let's not forget, loads of fiber.

And yet, we kick the prune to the side, pushed off our plates for something more stylish. And why? Is it because we associate the dried plum with constipated seniors? Is it because the prune, being shrivelled and dry, is not attractive? Do we just not understand the fruit? Is it all the above? I don't know, but I think we should all take a closer look at the prune.

Hmmmmmm....tasty!

source: http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/8787

Feel Happy! Turn Off the Television`

Wide-Body — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Feeling a little down? Haven’t been as up beat as you normally would or should be? OR, do you want to feel better about… EVERYTHING? Here’s a tip….

STEP AWAY FROM THE TELEVISION…

Check this out from RealAge: http://www.realage.com/ct/tips/8755

In analyzing 30 years worth of data collected from a national social-survey database as well as other previous studies, researchers found that people who considered themselves unhappy tended to watch significantly more TV than those who said they were very happy. Higher-spirited folks, they found, spent more time on other types of hobbies, including mingling with friends and family members, reading newspapers, and attending religious services.

To me, on the surface, this appears as a “chicken or the egg” scenario. Do you watch more television because you are bored, don’t have enough hobbies, and have a general poor disposition on life, or did you watch television, get sucked in, forget your hobbies, and then form a poor disposition on life? I think it’s the former rather than the later, and yet (!) I believe this is a good reminder for all of us to take an accounting of our life’s activities, reflect on those activities that our propelling us forward on the path where we want to be, and discarding those activities that are holding us back. If you watch television in place of furthering your education, talking with your children, helping a neighbor, working in your community, etc, maybe this isn’t the best use of your idle time. If television is your short break to escape for a few minutes, maybe you are using your time wisely, but you need to make that call. If you are questioning whether “there is something more in…”, the answer is “YES”, and you should find out what is holding you back. IT may be as simple as turning off the tube and opening a book.

Interval Training Routine

Wide-Body — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

I really haven’t done much interval training since I played football, and then I thought it was just a practice drill meant to mimic the speed of the game. Lately, quite a bit about how interval training can;
1) Help improve your overall speeds in your distance runs
2) And can burn off a bunch of excess body fat.

The downside is……I still haven’t found the downside.

I found an easy to use interval routine in the Men’s Health 2009 Training Guide. They recommend doing this three times a week, either after your weight work out or on your off days. It’s a really good routine, but one you definitely don’t want to do before you lift weights. You will be tired!

Another cool thing about this is that it is all time based, so you can do this while you run, ride a stationary bike, or on a rowing machine.

1) Warm up for 3-5 minutes at a pace of 30%-40% of best time.
2) Then go 95% of your best effort for 30 seconds
3) “Active Rest” back to warm up speed for 90 seconds
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 for 5-7 times.
5) If you can complete 8 intervals, then reduce your rest periods by 5-10 seconds until the rest period is only 30 seconds long.

So, its about 24 minutes of intervals, 5 minutes of warm up, 29 minutes total. Fast and effective.

Ginger can ease the nausea of chemotherapy

Wide-Body — Tue, 19 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

St. George slewing the beast (dragon)
Raphael's St. George and the Dragon, 1504-06, oil on wood, The National Gallery of Art at Washington D.C.

This is not the happy go lucky topic of the day, and yet in some ways I’m ecstatic about this news. Some of you have seen my previous posts those heroes who fight the beast called cancer. Anything that can make the suffering of heroes more bearable is great news, and so this is great news.

A randomized clinical trial has confirmed what many people suspect — that ginger can decrease nausea caused by chemotherapy. The effect goes beyond that provided by standard anti-vomiting drugs.

The trial, financed by the National Cancer Institute, involved 644 patients, mostly women with breast cancer, who were undergoing chemotherapy at 23 oncology practices in the United States.

All patients took a standard anti-vomiting drug on each day of chemotherapy. They also took specially made capsules containing either extracts of ginger root or a placebo for six days, starting three days before each round of chemotherapy.

They then rated the severity of their nausea four times a day. Those taking the ginger had a reduction of about 45 percent in severity compared with a previous round of chemotherapy in which they did not take the ginger. Those on the placebo had almost no change, said Julie L. Ryan of the University of Rochester, the lead author of the study

Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results. Dr. Ryan said the new study might have succeeded because the ginger was given before chemotherapy.

The best results corresponded to a quarter to a half teaspoon of ground ginger, she said. She added that either the ginger that comes in spice bottles or the ginger capsules sold in health food stores would probably work.

Please see more about this study and other news about the treatment of cancer here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/health/15cancer.html

Folks, this is huge. The nausea prevents many patients from eating, or from being able to hold their food down. Chemotherapy is all about flooding your body with poisons in the hopes that the poison will kill the cancer before it kills you. If your primary way of putting nutrients into your body is taken away, that makes the body’s fight all that much more difficult. I have to believe this simple “cure” will lead to far greater rates of success. I have to believe and pray that it will.

God bless you if you are fighting the beast today. My prayers are for you and your family.

Asian Chicken Salad

Wide-Body — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Asian Chicken Salad
Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
• 5 cups Chinese cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
• ½ cup shredded carrot
• ½ cup minced scallion
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 TBS toasted sesame seeds
• Optional: 2 TBS dried hijiki or arame seaweed, soak in 1 cup warm water and chop*
• Dressing
• 2 TBS extra olive oil
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 3 TBS honey
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt & white pepper to taste
• *The safety factors regarding sea vegetables, such as hijiki

Printer friendly directions are here:

Nutritional Value Charts found here:

Basic Components
Asian Chicken Salad (Note: "--" indicates data is unavailable)
amount	1.00 serving
total weight	336.31 g
nutrient	amount	%DV
calories	376.38
calories from fat	153.41
calories from saturated fat	20.08
protein	33.58 g
carbohydrates	23.88 g
dietary fiber	6.40 g	25.60
soluble fiber	2.12 g
insoluble fiber	2.79 g
sugar - total	14.15 g
monosaccharides	11.89 g
disaccharides	2.02 g
other carbs	2.23 g
fat - total	17.05 g
saturated fat	2.23 g
mono fat	10.40 g
poly fat	3.52 g
trans fatty acids	0.00 g
cholesterol	68.44 mg
water	255.65 g
ash	6.13 g
Vitamins
nutrient	amount	%DV
vitamin A IU	5695.56 IU	113.91
vitamin A RE	574.26 RE
A - carotenoid	567.18 RE	7.56
A - retinol	7.08 RE
A - beta carotene	2962.12 mcg
thiamin - B1	0.22 mg	14.67
riboflavin - B2	0.32 mg	18.82
niacin - B3	15.00 mg	75.00
niacin equiv	21.48 mg
vitamin B6	1.02 mg	51.00
vitamin B12	0.45 mcg	7.50
biotin	4.05 mcg	1.35
vitamin C	38.87 mg	64.78
vitamin D IU	14.16 IU	3.54
vitamin D mcg	0.35 mcg
vitamin E alpha equiv	3.88 mg	19.40
vitamin E IU	5.78 IU
vitamin E mg	4.13 mg
folate	131.53 mcg	32.88
vitamin K	54.52 mcg	68.15
pantothenic acid	1.24 mg	12.40

No Guilt Pasta

Wide-Body — Thu, 14 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Yes, I love pasta. Yes, I don’t eat much of it because I know how the starchy pasta turns to sugar that turns to belly fat. Just thinking about a HUGE bowl of pasta, with marinara sauce, three thick meatballs, and a smidgen of fresh grated parmesan cheese, makes me so hungry that I’m willing to settle on the chance for a little belly fat.

What if you could get the pasta without the belly fat guilt? Well, there may be a solution from Japan called the shirataki noodle.

Because of the plant from which they are made, shirataki noodles are particularly high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. And new research suggests these Asian noodles may even help with weight, cholesterol, and blood sugar control

So, tell me more….

Results from 14 different studies revealed key benefits of a glucomannan-enhanced diet, like slower digestion, increased feelings of fullness, and less absorption of cholesterol- and glucose-spiking foods.

I’m thinking these noodles may not be a substitute for linguine, then again, they could inspire new creations within the Wide-Body kitchen as well as yours.

See more here: http://www.realage.com/ct/tips/8640

Another Reason Why You Need Some More Sleep

Wide-Body — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

picture courtest of www.AZFOTOS.COM

A recent study of industrialized showed that Americans do better in getting that was previously thought. Koreans, they need to get some more sleep.

So, why is good night's sleep something a country's Leaders should think about? Well, there are the obvious health concerns. Namely, you don’t want people falling asleep while they are driving to work. There are the productivity gains from well rested workers, and thus benefits for the country’s GDP.

Here is another idea and it comes on the heals of the recent swine flu scare.

In a 2-week study, getting a little less sleep -- under 7 hours instead of 8 or more -- made people three times more likely to get sick after exposure to a cold virus.

Two important weapons your immune system needs to fight disease: natural killer cells and interleukin-2. But poor sleep impairs them both.

So, if the World Health Organization is really concerned about stopping the next pandemic flu, maybe they should tell us all to GO GET SOME SLEEP!

See more details here: http://www.realage.com/ct/tips/8646

A Motivational Exercise Story

Wide-Body — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

I am rather libertarian in my attitude about how people treat their health. If someone asks me for my opinion, then surely I will likely recommend that they eat more vegetables and less meat, exercise at least 30 minutes a day, drink more water, stop smoking, get smarter about your health and you’ll live a more satisfying life. Would I mandate that through policy or regulation? Absolutely not. If you want to sit at home and move as little as possible except when you need to gorge yourself with saturated fats and tobacco, then I say “go for it”, just don’t make your health issues my concern. You are an adult, you can decide what is right for you, but if you decide wrong, don’t ask me to pay for your mistake. Some folks say that position is naïve, while I say it goes to the heart of being an adult with free will.

Where I do become frustrated is when people play the victim because of their health issues. I’m not talking about those folks who really are victims. Case in point, last week I heard about a person who succumbed to lung cancer and they never smoked. That is a victim. I’m talking about the folks who eat poorly, don’t exercise, and then complain about a list of ailments related to their poor diet and lack of exercise. If you are one of these people, the sympathy shoulder does not write for this blog.

Conversely, the folks I find motivating are the ones who look at themselves and say, “I know I can do better than this,” and they take it upon themselves to fix the issue that is holding them back.

I found this wonderful story on Runners World from Lisa Delaney, titled “Shedding the Past” and she talks about how she went from a self professed 185lbs. “fat girl” to 115lbs. runner, and the discoveries she made about herself. Read about Lisa here: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-243-297--13107-0,00.html

I love these sorts of stories as they show us that there is the power within every individual to make a positive change in their lives. The power is not given or taken from outside of you, but resides within you.

S T R E T C H for Stress Relief

Wide-Body — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

I had one of those days last week, where no matter what I did; everything seemed to go to hell. It was so bad, that I opened up an email at 8:30AM, and didn’t complete and send the email until 5:00PM. I was busy, but unfortunately, I don’t think I was productive.

Days like that can be stressful, to say the least. As individuals who are concerned about our health, we need to be aware when we are in these stressful events and do what we can to “de-stress” ourselves. Everyone is aware that stress can bring on higher levels of certain hormones which cause our bodies to hold weight. Stress can also raise the blood pressure and the heightened state of anxiety can cause a person to make poor decisions. So, the stress is wreaking your health and your business decisions; not an ideal path for your career.

Here are some stress relieving tips that involve some quick stretching techniques that you can do while you are in the office.

Take a look at the details here: http://www.active.com/women/Articles/Stress_Busters.htm

Highlights below:
Stretch No. 1
Sitting in a chair, inhale as you grab the left side of the chair with your left hand. On the exhale, lean your entire upper body to the right without lifting your left hip. Pause, then drop your head to the right side. Hold for a few breaths, and then repeat on the other side.

Stretch No. 2
Stand facing your desk. Place your right hand on the desk, turning your wrist so that your fingers point back toward you. Keep your palm flat on the desk while taking a few deep breaths. Repeat on the other side.

Stretch No. 3
Stand facing your desk. Take a step back with both feet, then lean forward, placing your elbows on the desk. Arch your back so that your torso is at a 90 degree angle from your legs, and feel the stretch in your hamstrings, hips and outer leg muscles. Keep your feet flat on the ground.

Stretch No. 4
For this energizing exercise, sit in a chair. Arch your spine and inhale as you raise your arms. Exhale as you release your arms down and straighten your spine.

Stretch No. 5
Sitting, place your feet flat on the floor. Slowly slide your heels back as far as you can toward the chair, without lifting your feet off the floor. Use this exercise to relieve tight calves and feet.

Grapefruit Arugula Salad

Wide-Body — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

I keep making the same salad over and over again. I sure sign that I’m in desperate need of something new.

I found this salad to be intriguing because it was easy to make and I could make changes if ingredients weren’t available.

Grapefruit Arugula Salad

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 pink grapefruit
• 1 large bunch arugula, (about 4 cups)
• 1 bunch watercress (about 2 cups)
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 2 tsp prepared Dijon mustard
• 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
• salt & cracked black pepper to taste (use plenty of cracked pepper)
• ½ TBS coarsely chopped walnuts

Printer version of the recipe can be found here:

Complete nutritional value can be found here:

Check that out! 63 calories per serving. Check out the daily nutritional values for some of the other big hitters: 225% of vitamin K, 92% vitamin C, and 72% vitamin A

Basic Components
Grapefruit Arugula Salad (Note: "--" indicates data is unavailable)
amount	1.00 serving
total weight	171.54 g
nutrient	amount	%DV
calories	63.22
calories from fat	18.94
calories from saturated fat	2.74
protein	2.66 g
carbohydrates	10.76 g
dietary fiber	1.59 g	6.36
soluble fiber	0.54 g
insoluble fiber	0.20 g
sugar - total	8.39 g
monosaccharides	4.42 g
disaccharides	2.26 g
other carbs	0.78 g
fat - total	2.10 g
saturated fat	0.30 g
mono fat	1.41 g
poly fat	0.27 g
trans fatty acids	0.00 g
cholesterol	0.00 mg
water	154.53 g
ash	1.49 g
Vitamins
nutrient	amount	%DV
vitamin A IU	3586.64 IU	71.73
vitamin A RE	358.66 RE
A - carotenoid	358.66 RE	4.78
A - retinol	0.00 RE
A - beta carotene	2148.34 mcg
thiamin - B1	0.09 mg	6.00
riboflavin - B2	0.11 mg	6.47
niacin - B3	0.39 mg	1.95
niacin equiv	0.70 mg
vitamin B6	0.13 mg	6.50
vitamin B12	0.00 mcg	0.00
biotin	0.89 mcg	0.30
vitamin C	55.24 mg	92.07
vitamin D IU	0.00 IU	0.00
vitamin D mcg	0.00 mcg
vitamin E alpha equiv	0.89 mg	4.45
vitamin E IU	1.33 IU
vitamin E mg	0.90 mg
folate	47.07 mcg	11.77
vitamin K	180.24 mcg	225.30
pantothenic acid	0.52 mg	5.20

Jogging is good for your eyes

Wide-Body — Wed, 06 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

Okay, these study results surprised me.

One study revealed that joggers who, on average, ran a little over a mile a day reduced their risk of developing age-related macular degeneration by a whopping 36 percent. Even better, people who jogged about 5 miles a day reduced their risk by 54 percent!

http://www.realage.com/ct/shape-up-slim-down/workouts/tip/8624

Study References 1 and 2

EAT MORE FRUIT!!!

Wide-Body — Tue, 05 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

An author should try to consider the impact of their words. So, with all awareness about yesterday’s posting about how fructose can stimulate an appetite, I would like to say this loud and clear….EAT MORE FRUIT.

Some folks will reason that they need to watch their weight, fructose stimulates an appetite, fructose comes from fruit, so they need to avoid eating fruit if they want to watch their weight.

The one problem with that argument is that fruit provides so much more to the body besides fructose. Namely, most fruits provide a host of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which are needed if you are to effectively lose weight. And in the case of fiber, the bulk of fiber can create a satiated feeling so that you think you are full.

Okay, so how much fructose is in fruit?

Total Fructose Per 100g of Common Fruits

Fruit	Fructose	Sucrose	Total Fructose	Total Sugars	% Fructose
Apple	7.6	3.3	9.3	13.3	70%
Grape	7.6	0.0	7.6	18.1	42%
Strawberry	2.5	1.0	3.0	5.8	51.8%
Mango	2.9	9.9	7.9	14.8	53.4%
Papaya	2.7	1.8	3.6	5.9	61%
Sucrose	0.0	97.0	48.5	97.0	50%
Honey	42.4	1.5	43.2	81.9	52.7%
HFCS-55	42.4	0.0	42.4	77.0	55.1%

Table information courtesy of LifeSpotlight

So, is there too much fructose in an apple? The short answer is “no”. If you plan to eat a half a dozen apples at one meal, that would be excessive. Then again, too much fructose is not likely to your only issue if you eat half a dozen apples at once. The point here is that it is difficult to go overboard with fructose if your only way of consuming fructose is through fruit. Fructose come packaged in a wide variety of processed foods and it is relatively easy to over consume fructose when it is hidden in these packaged foods.

Need some more reasons to eat apples? See these:
http://blog.wide-body.com/2008/10/13/dont-peel-that-apple.aspx
http://blog.wide-body.com/2008/10/17/eat-apples-lose-weight.aspx
http://blog.wide-body.com/2008/11/12/another-post-about-apple.aspx

So, have we learned? Eat your fruit, its good for you. Learn to read the labels on packaged foods. It may surprise you.

Fructose Can Stimulate the Appetite

Wide-Body — Mon, 04 May 2009 05:01:00 GMT

picture courtesy of Uwe Hermann

For those of you living in the US, have you noticed the television ads for high-fructose corn syrup? These are ads produced by corn growers and processors and they are stating that high-fructose corn syrup has the same nutritional value as other sugars.

How interesting then that this latest study was recently published in the Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications noting that the body does react differently to fructose. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19265677

Here is what RealAge has recently said on the subject:

The sugars may affect your appetite differently because of the unique ways in which they affect malonyl-CoA, an important appetite-suppressing molecule in the brain. Glucose causes malonyl-CoA to rise, resulting in less food intake. Fructose, on the other hand, lowers malonyl-CoA, resulting in more food intake.

http://www.realage.com/ct/eat-smart/food-and-nutrition/tip/8618

Recommendation…if you are struggling with your weight or can’t shake your cravings, try avoiding foods with high fructose corn syrup and see if you notice the difference. The lesson here is to read the packaging of any food and know what you are consuming. High fructose corn syrup comes in a wide variety of foods, and some you may not think of as being sweet. Besides high fructose corn syrup, look for other ways sugar is hidden in the ingredients. If you see the word “dextrose”, it’s a sign of additional hidden sugars.