This is a special post for me... It's my 100Th.
It still is amazing to me that I had that much to say over these past few months - considering I generally pride myself in keeping my mouth shut!
So in honor of the occasion, and opening day, I thought I would post something very important (at least to me... sorry for the indulgence).
It is true that I am a die-hard Cub fan. (I know, there is no accounting for taste), however it has been 100 years since the Cubs won the World Series - lets not talk about the 7 times the came in second since then - and I wanted to share what has happened since that fateful day in 1908
So I invite you to stroll down memory lane to see how far we have come....
Radio was invented; Cubs fans could hear their teams lose.
TV was invented; Cubs fans could see their teams lose.
Baseball added 14 teams, Cubs fans get to see and hear their teams lose to more clubs.
George Burns celebrated his 10th, 20th, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th, 90th, and 100th birthdays.
Haley's comet passed Earth twice.
Harry Caray was born and died.
The NBA, NHL, and NFL were formed, and Chicago teams won championships in each sport
Man landed on the moon.
16 U.S. presidents were elected.
There were 11 amendments added to the constitution
Prohibition was created and repealed. Just in time for Cubs fans, they lost the Fall Classic three times in the 30's. '32 to the Yankees, '35 to the Tigers and again to the Yankees in '38.
The Titanic was built, set sail, sank, was discovered, and became the subject of major motion pictures, the latest giving Cubs Fans hope that something on bottom can come out on top.
Wrigley Field was built and becomes the oldest park in the National League.
Flag poles were erected on Wrigley's roof to hold all the team's future World Series Pennants. These poles have since been rusted and been taken down.
A combination of 40 summer and winter Olympics have been held.
Thirteen baseball players have won the Triple Crown in baseball.
Bell bottoms came in style, went out of style, and came back in.
The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and the Florida Marlins have all won world series.
The Cubs have played more than 14,000 regular season games.
Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were added to the Union.
Today marks opening day and it is now time for me to cozy up in front of the flat screen with a hot dog and beer and root on my Cubbies. Hum of course we are expecting 2 inches of rain today. Well, there is always next year!
Til next time...
Monday, March 31, 2008
Misinformation about food? No....
There is a lot of hype and misinformation surrounding nutrition.
The goal of todays post is to uncover just some of the hype that surrounds certain foods. Here is a list of the 7 most overrated foods (and drinks). Hype, marketing, and slick advertising work wonders to line the pockets of these companies. But we're not letting them get away with it anymore! RIGHT?!
Breakfast cereal: Surprised? Of course breakfast is important - please don't mistake me for saying it's not. But most breakfast cereals are nothing more than well marketed, fortified junk carbohydrates (Fruity Pebbles,anyone?). Oatmeal, oat bran, Shredded Wheat 'n Bran, and a few others are all great - and notice on their labels, there are less than 3 ingredients in each. They also don't have cartoons on their packaging (a tell tale sign that it's junk). Or try an egg omelette with loads of mixed veggies and some fresh fruit for another option.
Xango Juice (from the Mangosteen fruit): Mangosteen is a tropical fruit. Mangosteen juice is becoming a popular healthful and "medicinal" drink. Here are just a few claims from the website -- sustains a healthy cardiovascular system, supports cartilage and joint function, supports the immune system, promotes a healthy seasonal respiratory system, maintains intestinal health, and neutralizes free radicals--to name a few.
Wow, surprising they didn't throw cancer, AIDS, and polio in there too. None of these claims have any supportive research behind them (research is not the same as a testimonial from a person).
Like all fruits, this fruit surely has some healthy properties. But at $37.50/bottle, which would last around 5-26 days depending on the dosing structure recommended for your ailment, spending that much money on whole fruits and vegetables would surely do a lot more to boost your health! Leave this multi level marketing product with the salesman!
Mona Vie (from the Acai fruit): I know I'm picking on fruit juices, let's throw this one in the mix. You can pretty much cut and copy from above; expensive, overhyped fruit juice. Eat whole fruits and vegetables -- lots of them, and you'll improve your health. Don't hope for a magic bullet by drinking juice.
Sugar in the Raw: Has any sugar or sweetener ever been healthy? Well, some believe when it says "organic, raw, natural, etc" than it is. Case in point-Sugar In The Raw.
Listen to this fantastic description from the website: "natural cane turbinado sugar is grown and cut exclusively on a 37,000 acre plantation in central Maui, Hawaii. There, nature's own sweetener is gently converted into the natural crystals that make Sugar In The Raw. The secret lies in the fact that Sugar In The Raw is never bleached or over processed..." Fortunately there aren't nutrition claims on their site, but I have heard and talked to many who believe this is a much more nutritious product than any other form of sugar. Nope, sorry -- and either are the 10 other names for sugar (there's likely more, but I'm aware of at least 10).
Rice cakes: I like food with nutrients, not taste free, air puffs that people mistake for a quality "diet food," but really do nothing to fill you up! :-)
Here's a better snack -- an apple with 1 oz of cheddar cheese, natural peanut butter on a banana, raw mixed nuts, veggies and humus, etc.
Vitamin Water: Eat your vitamins, don't drink them. And when I say eat your vitamins, that means through whole foods sources (high quality grains, fruits, veggies, healthy fat, and lean proteins).
Vitamin water is very well marketed. Try regular water and squeeze some citrus into it if you're looking for a little added flavor.
Naked Juice: (get your head out of the gutter!) Can you tell that I am not a fan of juices in general. The packaging is great here, but with some of their products packing a whopping 500+ calories per bottle (there are at least 2 servings per bottle, I don't know anyone who actually breaks them up into 2 or more servings), you're getting a heck of a lot of sugar, some sprinkling of fruit juices, and nothing in the way of fiber.
Although they list about 8 fruits on the sides of these bottles, that's a lot different than actually eating 8 whole fruits! Again, ideally eat your nutrients instead of drinking them!
There you have it. The moral of the story is stick to the basics. In the comming weeks I'll provide some actual tips and strategies to make the absolute best decisions when deciding what to eat.
Til next time...
The goal of todays post is to uncover just some of the hype that surrounds certain foods. Here is a list of the 7 most overrated foods (and drinks). Hype, marketing, and slick advertising work wonders to line the pockets of these companies. But we're not letting them get away with it anymore! RIGHT?!
Breakfast cereal: Surprised? Of course breakfast is important - please don't mistake me for saying it's not. But most breakfast cereals are nothing more than well marketed, fortified junk carbohydrates (Fruity Pebbles,anyone?). Oatmeal, oat bran, Shredded Wheat 'n Bran, and a few others are all great - and notice on their labels, there are less than 3 ingredients in each. They also don't have cartoons on their packaging (a tell tale sign that it's junk). Or try an egg omelette with loads of mixed veggies and some fresh fruit for another option.
Xango Juice (from the Mangosteen fruit): Mangosteen is a tropical fruit. Mangosteen juice is becoming a popular healthful and "medicinal" drink. Here are just a few claims from the website -- sustains a healthy cardiovascular system, supports cartilage and joint function, supports the immune system, promotes a healthy seasonal respiratory system, maintains intestinal health, and neutralizes free radicals--to name a few.
Wow, surprising they didn't throw cancer, AIDS, and polio in there too. None of these claims have any supportive research behind them (research is not the same as a testimonial from a person).
Like all fruits, this fruit surely has some healthy properties. But at $37.50/bottle, which would last around 5-26 days depending on the dosing structure recommended for your ailment, spending that much money on whole fruits and vegetables would surely do a lot more to boost your health! Leave this multi level marketing product with the salesman!
Mona Vie (from the Acai fruit): I know I'm picking on fruit juices, let's throw this one in the mix. You can pretty much cut and copy from above; expensive, overhyped fruit juice. Eat whole fruits and vegetables -- lots of them, and you'll improve your health. Don't hope for a magic bullet by drinking juice.
Sugar in the Raw: Has any sugar or sweetener ever been healthy? Well, some believe when it says "organic, raw, natural, etc" than it is. Case in point-Sugar In The Raw.
Listen to this fantastic description from the website: "natural cane turbinado sugar is grown and cut exclusively on a 37,000 acre plantation in central Maui, Hawaii. There, nature's own sweetener is gently converted into the natural crystals that make Sugar In The Raw. The secret lies in the fact that Sugar In The Raw is never bleached or over processed..." Fortunately there aren't nutrition claims on their site, but I have heard and talked to many who believe this is a much more nutritious product than any other form of sugar. Nope, sorry -- and either are the 10 other names for sugar (there's likely more, but I'm aware of at least 10).
Rice cakes: I like food with nutrients, not taste free, air puffs that people mistake for a quality "diet food," but really do nothing to fill you up! :-)
Here's a better snack -- an apple with 1 oz of cheddar cheese, natural peanut butter on a banana, raw mixed nuts, veggies and humus, etc.
Vitamin Water: Eat your vitamins, don't drink them. And when I say eat your vitamins, that means through whole foods sources (high quality grains, fruits, veggies, healthy fat, and lean proteins).
Vitamin water is very well marketed. Try regular water and squeeze some citrus into it if you're looking for a little added flavor.
Naked Juice: (get your head out of the gutter!) Can you tell that I am not a fan of juices in general. The packaging is great here, but with some of their products packing a whopping 500+ calories per bottle (there are at least 2 servings per bottle, I don't know anyone who actually breaks them up into 2 or more servings), you're getting a heck of a lot of sugar, some sprinkling of fruit juices, and nothing in the way of fiber.
Although they list about 8 fruits on the sides of these bottles, that's a lot different than actually eating 8 whole fruits! Again, ideally eat your nutrients instead of drinking them!
There you have it. The moral of the story is stick to the basics. In the comming weeks I'll provide some actual tips and strategies to make the absolute best decisions when deciding what to eat.
Til next time...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The start of the perfect day.... gratitude
OK, so I got up early today and started working out and sure enough had a thought... well not really I had several thoughts.. This really has been the start of a perfect day. (See two posts earlier).
As I opened up my sliding class door to invite the brisk outside air into my living room, I took in the fresh air and did some form of Americanized Ti Chi ... I wanted to share some thoughts that entered my mind as I concentrated on just being while I did my exercises. Andrea will understand that last sentence.
Hope they make sense. Take care...
Larry
Walking in gratitude is not a hard thing to do yet it is the basis of a happy life and your own personal power. Native Americans give thanks to Mother Earth for everything they have. Christians give thanks before they eat. Shamans give thanks to the universe for all that they are.
When we walk in gratitude we find again that sense of wonder in everything around us. We realize the bounty that we have in life. We appreciate the beauty we see. We hear the beautiful winds in the trees. Birds chirping in the distance. We smell the flowers. We know how much is given to us that we didn't even have to work for. We walk with a sense of smallness against this gift, this experience of life.
Being grateful is as much a part of being mature as having wisdom or discernment. Gratitude teaches us to admire those around us, to lend a helping hand to those who need one. And who are we not to be grateful? Do we not see the blessings of the air we breathe? Do we not realize how fortunate we are to be walking upright on this land? Just look around at all the places you could be.
Did you have a good idea today? Be grateful for that!
Did you eat today? Be grateful!
Is there a dollar in your wallet? Can you be grateful for that?
When was the last time you looked into the heavens and said, "Thank you!"
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest thinkers in history. He was always aware of what could have been and expressed his thanks each day. Gandhi had nothing and yet was one of the most grateful men who ever lived.
It isn't about who you are or what you have, what station in life you have been blessed with. It is simply to be. To be is worthy of thanks. Some people feel they have nothing to be thankful for. But do they have air to breathe? Did they get up this morning and find the sun shining? Did they find another human being to talk to?
Companionship, caring, compassion, beauty, life, seasons, the earth, these are all worthy of our thanks.
The doctor cannot heal without gratitude. The Rabbi cannot guide without gratitude. It is not the Shaman who creates any healing, nor the minister who finds the lost souls, or the priest who comforts the dying with hope in new life. These things are greater than any man, Priest or Shaman. It is our interconnectedness with each other through the universe that gives us what we need, what we want and even more than we can imagine.
Start each day with a prayer of thanks giving. Tell the universe how happy you are to find the sun shining in your window, to hear the birds singing and see the green grass glowing with dew.
Thank your Creator for the gifts you will receive this day. Humble yourself at the magnificent creation of life and give gratitude for being an observer of this most holy miracle - today. By giving thanks you are opening yourself to all the possibilities of goodness.
You are joining into the universal awareness as a participant in life. You are forming a council and taking your seat in the creation of the day. You come with open hands to receive and ready to give your blessings to those around you.
You realize your fortune and you wish that same fortune for all. Being grateful sets the place for goodness and open communication with teachers and guides. It shows your willingness to learn and your respect for what is.
Gratitude manifests more things to be grateful for. If you make a list each day of those things you feel grateful for you will find that your list will grow over time. It will change from things seen to those things that are unseen and far more important than material possessions or fame.
You will touch the very fabric of your soul and feel the blessings you have that are so worthy of your gratitude. In humbleness, you receive more than you could ever receive with pride.
Gratitude begets humility in this awesome life experience. A spiritual person knows this humility and often falls to his knees to return the heartfelt love that he recognizes and honors.
The power of the spirit comes not from within but from without because a man standing on his own is just a man but a man standing on the grace of gratitude walks with Spirit and is given everything - even the ability to heal.
Approach each day, each hour, each minute with gratitude in your heart and find love filling your spirit with its own power and truth.
Til next time....
As I opened up my sliding class door to invite the brisk outside air into my living room, I took in the fresh air and did some form of Americanized Ti Chi ... I wanted to share some thoughts that entered my mind as I concentrated on just being while I did my exercises. Andrea will understand that last sentence.
Hope they make sense. Take care...
Larry
Walking in gratitude is not a hard thing to do yet it is the basis of a happy life and your own personal power. Native Americans give thanks to Mother Earth for everything they have. Christians give thanks before they eat. Shamans give thanks to the universe for all that they are.
When we walk in gratitude we find again that sense of wonder in everything around us. We realize the bounty that we have in life. We appreciate the beauty we see. We hear the beautiful winds in the trees. Birds chirping in the distance. We smell the flowers. We know how much is given to us that we didn't even have to work for. We walk with a sense of smallness against this gift, this experience of life.
Being grateful is as much a part of being mature as having wisdom or discernment. Gratitude teaches us to admire those around us, to lend a helping hand to those who need one. And who are we not to be grateful? Do we not see the blessings of the air we breathe? Do we not realize how fortunate we are to be walking upright on this land? Just look around at all the places you could be.
Did you have a good idea today? Be grateful for that!
Did you eat today? Be grateful!
Is there a dollar in your wallet? Can you be grateful for that?
When was the last time you looked into the heavens and said, "Thank you!"
Albert Einstein was one of the greatest thinkers in history. He was always aware of what could have been and expressed his thanks each day. Gandhi had nothing and yet was one of the most grateful men who ever lived.
It isn't about who you are or what you have, what station in life you have been blessed with. It is simply to be. To be is worthy of thanks. Some people feel they have nothing to be thankful for. But do they have air to breathe? Did they get up this morning and find the sun shining? Did they find another human being to talk to?
Companionship, caring, compassion, beauty, life, seasons, the earth, these are all worthy of our thanks.
The doctor cannot heal without gratitude. The Rabbi cannot guide without gratitude. It is not the Shaman who creates any healing, nor the minister who finds the lost souls, or the priest who comforts the dying with hope in new life. These things are greater than any man, Priest or Shaman. It is our interconnectedness with each other through the universe that gives us what we need, what we want and even more than we can imagine.
Start each day with a prayer of thanks giving. Tell the universe how happy you are to find the sun shining in your window, to hear the birds singing and see the green grass glowing with dew.
Thank your Creator for the gifts you will receive this day. Humble yourself at the magnificent creation of life and give gratitude for being an observer of this most holy miracle - today. By giving thanks you are opening yourself to all the possibilities of goodness.
You are joining into the universal awareness as a participant in life. You are forming a council and taking your seat in the creation of the day. You come with open hands to receive and ready to give your blessings to those around you.
You realize your fortune and you wish that same fortune for all. Being grateful sets the place for goodness and open communication with teachers and guides. It shows your willingness to learn and your respect for what is.
Gratitude manifests more things to be grateful for. If you make a list each day of those things you feel grateful for you will find that your list will grow over time. It will change from things seen to those things that are unseen and far more important than material possessions or fame.
You will touch the very fabric of your soul and feel the blessings you have that are so worthy of your gratitude. In humbleness, you receive more than you could ever receive with pride.
Gratitude begets humility in this awesome life experience. A spiritual person knows this humility and often falls to his knees to return the heartfelt love that he recognizes and honors.
The power of the spirit comes not from within but from without because a man standing on his own is just a man but a man standing on the grace of gratitude walks with Spirit and is given everything - even the ability to heal.
Approach each day, each hour, each minute with gratitude in your heart and find love filling your spirit with its own power and truth.
Til next time....
Friday, March 28, 2008
No more thinking....
Okay, so I’ve been studying up a storm, in order to become an Internet/fitness/coaching entrepreneur. You’d be amazed just how much stuff there is out there to learn. And how very much of it is free. I have a whole folder of free or almost free ebooks that I’ve downloaded and I’m not even close to being all the way through them.
But…something landed in my inbox that scared the bageebers out of me. There is this blogger guru dude, whose email list I got onto and he’s sent me some really cool things. So cool in fact, I might actually be able to build my own website after all. And i was really grooving on getting his emails because he always sends cool links to free stuff and tips and on and on. But….what he sent yesterday sent me into the depths of despair. It really depressed me.
Apparently he has developed a program (for lack of a better term) that has a bot writing web copy. Cool, huh? Now you don’t have to pay those nasty ol’ expensive writers anymore all those bagillions of dollars because this nifty little bot will build you an article, blog post, or heck whatever you want, fully equipped with all the right and perfect searchable key words in three seconds. Yup. Three seconds. There is even a vid where you can watch someone doing it.
Up in flames went my little dream of starting my own little writing biz. I mean, who’s going to need me after this gets around? Soon he’ll have a sales letter writing bot and Bob Bly will be out of business too.
After I got over the shock and dismay it got me thinking though. Is the human really no longer necessary - except to create things so the human mind won’t be necessary? Have things really gotten to a point where ibots can replace writers? Thinkers. Do we just want to stop thinking? Is using our minds to solve problems just now blase’ - a thing of the past?
It would seem that things may be going in that direction. I mean, why the heck am I surprised? Generally speaking, it seems that we, as a society want to be taken care of from cradle to grave. The government are in charge of our property, our incomes, our children, our health care - and the more we whine about needing to be taken care of more, the more the government seems to like it. Among others.
Maybe there is no need to write any more. Maybe I should stop straining my brain and just ask the ibot if he can give me a job filing or something. I mean, how long will it be before he comes up with a blockbuster generator? A sitcome generator? A Pulitzer generator?
On the other hand - it’s stuff like this that makes me wonder if the Internet as well as other places - doesn’t need me and other writers even more because of this. I’ve been to a lot of blogs and websites and that boring, prefab, keyword saturated crap that you see on so many of them makes my eyeballs bleed. I don’t feel the least bit inclined to stay at those sites, much less buy something from them.
Maybe this is really just a big phat cry for help. It’s something to think about.
What do you think? Til next time....
But…something landed in my inbox that scared the bageebers out of me. There is this blogger guru dude, whose email list I got onto and he’s sent me some really cool things. So cool in fact, I might actually be able to build my own website after all. And i was really grooving on getting his emails because he always sends cool links to free stuff and tips and on and on. But….what he sent yesterday sent me into the depths of despair. It really depressed me.
Apparently he has developed a program (for lack of a better term) that has a bot writing web copy. Cool, huh? Now you don’t have to pay those nasty ol’ expensive writers anymore all those bagillions of dollars because this nifty little bot will build you an article, blog post, or heck whatever you want, fully equipped with all the right and perfect searchable key words in three seconds. Yup. Three seconds. There is even a vid where you can watch someone doing it.
Up in flames went my little dream of starting my own little writing biz. I mean, who’s going to need me after this gets around? Soon he’ll have a sales letter writing bot and Bob Bly will be out of business too.
After I got over the shock and dismay it got me thinking though. Is the human really no longer necessary - except to create things so the human mind won’t be necessary? Have things really gotten to a point where ibots can replace writers? Thinkers. Do we just want to stop thinking? Is using our minds to solve problems just now blase’ - a thing of the past?
It would seem that things may be going in that direction. I mean, why the heck am I surprised? Generally speaking, it seems that we, as a society want to be taken care of from cradle to grave. The government are in charge of our property, our incomes, our children, our health care - and the more we whine about needing to be taken care of more, the more the government seems to like it. Among others.
Maybe there is no need to write any more. Maybe I should stop straining my brain and just ask the ibot if he can give me a job filing or something. I mean, how long will it be before he comes up with a blockbuster generator? A sitcome generator? A Pulitzer generator?
On the other hand - it’s stuff like this that makes me wonder if the Internet as well as other places - doesn’t need me and other writers even more because of this. I’ve been to a lot of blogs and websites and that boring, prefab, keyword saturated crap that you see on so many of them makes my eyeballs bleed. I don’t feel the least bit inclined to stay at those sites, much less buy something from them.
Maybe this is really just a big phat cry for help. It’s something to think about.
What do you think? Til next time....
The perfect day....
After a few conversations this past week with friends, it is apparent that I need some serious help. Most of you knew that already! But really, I have gotten into the habit of just living for work - not doing too much for me.
See it is ALOT easier to get into my work mode than deal with straightening up my life. Funny how we tend to flock with similar creatures. Most of the folks I hang out with have the same concern. So, I’ll get right to the point on this post - I want to share a challenge that I have set for myself, and your are more than welcomed to join in.
If I play my cards right this will be an opportunity to learn and grow. I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t want to learn and grow, I want to ( fill in the blank)!” Trust me, this one activity could mean the difference between enjoying your dreams or not.
Everyone that I have met has a dream lifestyle. I was once asked by a friend, what my perfect “average” day would be like. I told him that it would start early in the morning so I could watch the sunrise while exercising, and in my mind, I still know what kind of day I would like to have everyday if I could choose.
In thinking about it today, it would include time spent reading literature (perhaps poetry), learning how to improve my business, helping other people somewhere and somehow, spending quality time with my family, getting adequate exercise, spending time in prayer, enjoying the outdoors, making the most of my hours spent working (high efficiency and productivity), and time spent relaxing. It sounds like a lot to fit into one day, but I think I can do it with the right mindset and a little planning.
So, tomorrow, I am going strive towards having a perfect day – a day that is optimized for not only my athletic and fitness goals, but for all of my lifestyle goals. Granted, this is probably impossible since there are so many unexpected things that CAN happen to put a wrench in my progress.
Regardless, my goal will be to do everything in my power to push towards achieving my goal, if only for one day – even if something comes up to put a stop to my progress.
Here is my idea of a perfect day and what I want to accomplish tomorrow, Saturday, March 29, 2008:
Be up by 7:00 am
Perform a full body joint mobility routine outside in the fresh air.
Eat three large, nutrient dense meals, and have at least two snacks
Begin work early, and try to finish main projects by noon.
Take 5-10 minutes to brainstorm ways to improve my business
Read some fictitious literature
Study something that will help me improve my business.
Study something regarding improving health, burning fat, or increasing athleticism
Spend unhurried time with either friends, family or both
Spend time in focused exercises that will help me reach my goals
Go for a brisk walk or spend time moving around outdoors (outside being the key)
Take time to “play”
Turn off computer by 6:00 pm – all work must be done by this time
Brush and floss my teeth twice
Contact an old friend that I haven’t spoken with in awhile
Help someone without having anything to gain from it
Write something, anything – educational article, reflective journal, a letter to someone (e-mail doesn’t count)
Those are just some of my ideas of a perfect day – I’m sure you may have a completely different list. But think about it, how cool would life be if we all picked a day this week and came up with a list of goals to accomplish that day. It can be as long as you want it to be, longer or shorter than mine.
The key is to plan out in advance everything that you will have to do to make this day perfect. For instance, I want to cook three nutrient-dense meals tomorrow, I will be going to the grocery store today and deciding on my meals for tomorrow. This way, I'll be as prepared as I can for the big day.
I realize this can take the spontonatity out of an "off" day, but the truth is that dreams will not come without persistence and sacrifice. Here are some strategies that I am going to use to make this experiment a little easier:
* I am going to have to cut out some things from my day to fit in activities. For instance, in my case, cutting out couch time in front of the TV could free up plenty of time to go for a walk or spend time with a family member or friend.
** I'm not married but if I were, I'd make sure that I would tell my spouse about what I'm doing in advance so that they wouldn't give me that puzzled look when all of a sudden I'm in “super-mode.”
*** Finally, I'm going to write out my goals/list on paper, even if I know I can remember everything. This will be my checklist for the day of. Then, tomorrow, the day of my experiement, I'm going to write down everything I do - EVERYTHING, with time slots. Every hour of the day will be accounted for in writing so that I can get a very good perspective as to how much time I spent on specific activities and more importantly how much time I waste.
Now, I think I have it covered, and I feel like I'm equipped for the challenge. But honestly, this type of activity is only valuable if you are actively choosing to seek improvement in your life - For sure it’s not a secret formula or a quick-fix solution, it’s just an honest way to seek success. Care to join me? It will give us something to talk about next time we meet. Now go get ‘em!
Til Next Time....
See it is ALOT easier to get into my work mode than deal with straightening up my life. Funny how we tend to flock with similar creatures. Most of the folks I hang out with have the same concern. So, I’ll get right to the point on this post - I want to share a challenge that I have set for myself, and your are more than welcomed to join in.
If I play my cards right this will be an opportunity to learn and grow. I know what you’re thinking, “I don’t want to learn and grow, I want to ( fill in the blank)!” Trust me, this one activity could mean the difference between enjoying your dreams or not.
Everyone that I have met has a dream lifestyle. I was once asked by a friend, what my perfect “average” day would be like. I told him that it would start early in the morning so I could watch the sunrise while exercising, and in my mind, I still know what kind of day I would like to have everyday if I could choose.
In thinking about it today, it would include time spent reading literature (perhaps poetry), learning how to improve my business, helping other people somewhere and somehow, spending quality time with my family, getting adequate exercise, spending time in prayer, enjoying the outdoors, making the most of my hours spent working (high efficiency and productivity), and time spent relaxing. It sounds like a lot to fit into one day, but I think I can do it with the right mindset and a little planning.
So, tomorrow, I am going strive towards having a perfect day – a day that is optimized for not only my athletic and fitness goals, but for all of my lifestyle goals. Granted, this is probably impossible since there are so many unexpected things that CAN happen to put a wrench in my progress.
Regardless, my goal will be to do everything in my power to push towards achieving my goal, if only for one day – even if something comes up to put a stop to my progress.
Here is my idea of a perfect day and what I want to accomplish tomorrow, Saturday, March 29, 2008:
Be up by 7:00 am
Perform a full body joint mobility routine outside in the fresh air.
Eat three large, nutrient dense meals, and have at least two snacks
Begin work early, and try to finish main projects by noon.
Take 5-10 minutes to brainstorm ways to improve my business
Read some fictitious literature
Study something that will help me improve my business.
Study something regarding improving health, burning fat, or increasing athleticism
Spend unhurried time with either friends, family or both
Spend time in focused exercises that will help me reach my goals
Go for a brisk walk or spend time moving around outdoors (outside being the key)
Take time to “play”
Turn off computer by 6:00 pm – all work must be done by this time
Brush and floss my teeth twice
Contact an old friend that I haven’t spoken with in awhile
Help someone without having anything to gain from it
Write something, anything – educational article, reflective journal, a letter to someone (e-mail doesn’t count)
Those are just some of my ideas of a perfect day – I’m sure you may have a completely different list. But think about it, how cool would life be if we all picked a day this week and came up with a list of goals to accomplish that day. It can be as long as you want it to be, longer or shorter than mine.
The key is to plan out in advance everything that you will have to do to make this day perfect. For instance, I want to cook three nutrient-dense meals tomorrow, I will be going to the grocery store today and deciding on my meals for tomorrow. This way, I'll be as prepared as I can for the big day.
I realize this can take the spontonatity out of an "off" day, but the truth is that dreams will not come without persistence and sacrifice. Here are some strategies that I am going to use to make this experiment a little easier:
* I am going to have to cut out some things from my day to fit in activities. For instance, in my case, cutting out couch time in front of the TV could free up plenty of time to go for a walk or spend time with a family member or friend.
** I'm not married but if I were, I'd make sure that I would tell my spouse about what I'm doing in advance so that they wouldn't give me that puzzled look when all of a sudden I'm in “super-mode.”
*** Finally, I'm going to write out my goals/list on paper, even if I know I can remember everything. This will be my checklist for the day of. Then, tomorrow, the day of my experiement, I'm going to write down everything I do - EVERYTHING, with time slots. Every hour of the day will be accounted for in writing so that I can get a very good perspective as to how much time I spent on specific activities and more importantly how much time I waste.
Now, I think I have it covered, and I feel like I'm equipped for the challenge. But honestly, this type of activity is only valuable if you are actively choosing to seek improvement in your life - For sure it’s not a secret formula or a quick-fix solution, it’s just an honest way to seek success. Care to join me? It will give us something to talk about next time we meet. Now go get ‘em!
Til Next Time....
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Something that I observed the other day....
Lately, I've been traveling alot. In fact, airports can be a great time to catch up on reading or work, since there are few distractions -- but sometimes while trying to focus, you hear some conversations that make your ears perk up.
The other day, while in the airport, a couple was talking and the man said "I've honestly tried to lose weight, but you can't lose weight if you live in Chicago." While eating a chili cheese dog with a Coke and side of fries, the man continued "You think I'm kidding, but I've tried. I don't know what to do--I live near Michigan Ave and there are so many great restaurants. Is it worthwhile to move?"
Like any big city, Chicago surely has its fair share of fantastic restaurants--and, he was right, Michigan Avenue does offer great options. But that doesn't mean you have to eat at them every single night. It comes down to discipline and making decisions. First, when a person suggests "they've tried" and they're in the process of eating about 1500 calories of processed junk, "trying" has a whole new meaning.
Spring is finally here, the weather is starting to turn (at least in some parts of the country), and that means summer (and shorts season) is just that much closer.
How hard do you want to try to achieve your goals?
Let's review the importance of goal setting and how to set them properly. Remember, a goal is a dream with a deadline.
1. Pick a goal (for example, weight loss).
2. Write down the goal(s) you want to achieve IN THE PRESENT TENSE and make it measurable. For example, "I weigh xx pounds on June 1, 2008, at 7 AM." Now you have a definitive time for achieving this goal -- it's a deadline, not just a wish!
3. Write this same exact goal down every single day. This will remind you what you are working towards -- and when the temptations are there to eat out at restaurants every night, skip your workouts, or simply not focus on quality foods, you'll quickly be reminded of your goals when they're continuously written down.
4. Take the necessary steps to achieve this goal on a daily basis.
Remember, one meal or one missed workout, won't make or break your health or your ability to reach your goals. What will is when that one meal becomes a daily habit and so does skipping workouts. Consistency is the key. The important part is to get right back on track; missing a workout on a Monday doesn't mean you have to wait until the following Monday to start over again. It means Tuesday is right back where you left off. Or overeating at one meal doesn't mean the rest of the day is shot; get right back to your normal clean eating the next meal.
You have about 12 weeks until summer and you can literally be in a new body by the time your ready to show some more skin at the family BBQ!
And now that spring is here and it's getting a tad warmer in some parts of the country, (we have a winter storm warning today!) try some new activities outdoors -- maybe just going out for a walk after dinner, in addition to your normal routine, might be the boost you need.
Consistency is the key to permanent success!
Til next time....
Lately, I've been traveling alot. In fact, airports can be a great time to catch up on reading or work, since there are few distractions -- but sometimes while trying to focus, you hear some conversations that make your ears perk up.
The other day, while in the airport, a couple was talking and the man said "I've honestly tried to lose weight, but you can't lose weight if you live in Chicago." While eating a chili cheese dog with a Coke and side of fries, the man continued "You think I'm kidding, but I've tried. I don't know what to do--I live near Michigan Ave and there are so many great restaurants. Is it worthwhile to move?"
Like any big city, Chicago surely has its fair share of fantastic restaurants--and, he was right, Michigan Avenue does offer great options. But that doesn't mean you have to eat at them every single night. It comes down to discipline and making decisions. First, when a person suggests "they've tried" and they're in the process of eating about 1500 calories of processed junk, "trying" has a whole new meaning.
Spring is finally here, the weather is starting to turn (at least in some parts of the country), and that means summer (and shorts season) is just that much closer.
How hard do you want to try to achieve your goals?
Let's review the importance of goal setting and how to set them properly. Remember, a goal is a dream with a deadline.
1. Pick a goal (for example, weight loss).
2. Write down the goal(s) you want to achieve IN THE PRESENT TENSE and make it measurable. For example, "I weigh xx pounds on June 1, 2008, at 7 AM." Now you have a definitive time for achieving this goal -- it's a deadline, not just a wish!
3. Write this same exact goal down every single day. This will remind you what you are working towards -- and when the temptations are there to eat out at restaurants every night, skip your workouts, or simply not focus on quality foods, you'll quickly be reminded of your goals when they're continuously written down.
4. Take the necessary steps to achieve this goal on a daily basis.
Remember, one meal or one missed workout, won't make or break your health or your ability to reach your goals. What will is when that one meal becomes a daily habit and so does skipping workouts. Consistency is the key. The important part is to get right back on track; missing a workout on a Monday doesn't mean you have to wait until the following Monday to start over again. It means Tuesday is right back where you left off. Or overeating at one meal doesn't mean the rest of the day is shot; get right back to your normal clean eating the next meal.
You have about 12 weeks until summer and you can literally be in a new body by the time your ready to show some more skin at the family BBQ!
And now that spring is here and it's getting a tad warmer in some parts of the country, (we have a winter storm warning today!) try some new activities outdoors -- maybe just going out for a walk after dinner, in addition to your normal routine, might be the boost you need.
Consistency is the key to permanent success!
Til next time....
Thursday, March 20, 2008
20 Worst Foods
If you really know me, you know that I will go to the "dark side" every once in a while when it comes to eating out with friends. Well, maybe more than just once in a while... but I digress.
Well, just got some depressing news confirmed today. The following is an excerpt from an article that is in Men's Health Magazine. If you want to read the full article click on this link. http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/20worst.html... But the more important thing is that we consume A LOT more than we think. Look at the summary below.
The Top 20 Worst Foods in America
20: Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal - Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's(5 pieces)with cream ranch sauce. 830 Calories, 55 grams fat (4.5 trans fat), 48 carbs. Add a large fries and regular soda and this seemingly innocuous chicken meal tops out at 1,710 calories.
19: Worst drink - Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz). 900 calories, 10 g fat, 183 carbs, 166 g sugar Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie, MSNBC calls it a milk shake. The beverage contains as much sugar as 8 pints of Ben & Jerry's butter pecan ice cream.
18: Worst supermarket meal - Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie). 1,020 calories, 64 g fat, 86 g carbs. Label may say this pie serves two, but, who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.
17: Worst 'healthy' burger - Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger. 1,145 calories, 71 g fat, 56 g carbs.
16: Worst Mexican entree - Chipotle Mexican Grill Chicken Burrito. 1,179 calories, 47 g fat, 125 g carbs, 2,656 mg sodium.
15: Worst kids' meal - Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese. 1,210 calories, 62 g fat, 3,450 mg sodium. It's like feeding your kid 1 1/2 boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese.
14: Worst sandwich - Quiznos Classic Italian (large). 1,528 calories, 92g fat, 4,604 mg sodium, 110 g carbs. A large homemade sandwich would more likely provided about 500 calories.
13: Worst salad - On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef. 1,450 calories, 102 g fat, 78 g carbs, 2,410 mg sodium. This isn't an anomaly: Five different On the Border salads on the menu contain more than 1,100 calories each.
12: Worst burger - Carl's Jr. (Hardee's on East Coast) Double Six Dollar Burger. 1,520 calories!, 111g fat. Carl's Jr. brags it's home to this enormous sandwich, but the restaurant chain also provides convenient nutrition info on its Web site -- so ignorance is no excuse for eating it.
11: Worst steak - Lonestar 20 oz T-bone. 1,540 calories, 124g fat. Add a baked potato and Lonestar's Signature Lettuce Wedge, and this is a 2,700 calorie blowout.
10: Worst breakfast - Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed hotcakes. 1,540 calories, 77 g fat (9 g trans fat), 198 g carbs, 109 g sugar. Five Egg McMuffins yield the same caloric cost as this stack of sugar-stuffed flapjacks, which is truly a heavy breakfast, weighing in at a hefty pound and a half.
9: Worst dessert - Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. 1,600 calories, 78 g fat, 215 g carbs.
Would you eat a Big Mac for dessert? How about three? That's the calorie equivalent of this decadent dish. Clearly, Chili's customers get their money's worth.
8: Worst Chinese entree - P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein. 1,820 calories, 127g fat, 95 g carbs. The fat content in this dish alone provides more than 1,100 calories. And you'd have to eat almost five servings of pasta to match the number of carbs it contains. Now, do you really need five servings of pasta?
7: Worst chicken entree - Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce. 2,040 calories, 99 g fat, 240 g carbs.
'Crispers' refers to an extra thick layer of break crumbs that soak up oil and adds unnecessary calories and carbs to these glorified chicken strips.
6: Worst fish entree - On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans. 2,100 calories, 130 g fat, 169 g carbs, 4,700 mg sodium. Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer
calories.
5: Worst pizza - Uno Chicago Grill, Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza. 2,310 calories, 162 g fat, 123 g carbs, 4,470 mg sodium.
Downing this 'personal' pizza is equivalent to eating 18 slices of Domino's Crunchy Thin Crust cheese pizza.
4: Worst pasta - Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce. 2,430 calories, 128 g fat, 207 g carbs, 5,290 mg sodium. This meal satisfied your calorie requirements for an entire day.
3: Worst nachos - On the Border Stacked Border Nachos. 2,740 calories, 166 g fat, 191 g carbs, 5,280 sodium.
2: Worst starter - Chili's Awesome Blossom. 2,710 calories, 203 g fat, 194 g carbs, 6,360 mg sodium.
1: The worst food in America - Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing. 2,900 calories, 182 g fat, 240g carbs.
Even if you split these 'starters' with three friends, you'll have downed a dinner's worth of calories before you entree arrives. Guess, I better start eating something else or.... I could split it with more friends! :-)
Til next time....
Well, just got some depressing news confirmed today. The following is an excerpt from an article that is in Men's Health Magazine. If you want to read the full article click on this link. http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/20worst.html... But the more important thing is that we consume A LOT more than we think. Look at the summary below.
The Top 20 Worst Foods in America
20: Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal - Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's(5 pieces)with cream ranch sauce. 830 Calories, 55 grams fat (4.5 trans fat), 48 carbs. Add a large fries and regular soda and this seemingly innocuous chicken meal tops out at 1,710 calories.
19: Worst drink - Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz). 900 calories, 10 g fat, 183 carbs, 166 g sugar Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie, MSNBC calls it a milk shake. The beverage contains as much sugar as 8 pints of Ben & Jerry's butter pecan ice cream.
18: Worst supermarket meal - Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie). 1,020 calories, 64 g fat, 86 g carbs. Label may say this pie serves two, but, who ever divided a small pot pie in half? Once you crack the crust, there will be no stopping.
17: Worst 'healthy' burger - Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger. 1,145 calories, 71 g fat, 56 g carbs.
16: Worst Mexican entree - Chipotle Mexican Grill Chicken Burrito. 1,179 calories, 47 g fat, 125 g carbs, 2,656 mg sodium.
15: Worst kids' meal - Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese. 1,210 calories, 62 g fat, 3,450 mg sodium. It's like feeding your kid 1 1/2 boxes of Kraft mac 'n' cheese.
14: Worst sandwich - Quiznos Classic Italian (large). 1,528 calories, 92g fat, 4,604 mg sodium, 110 g carbs. A large homemade sandwich would more likely provided about 500 calories.
13: Worst salad - On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef. 1,450 calories, 102 g fat, 78 g carbs, 2,410 mg sodium. This isn't an anomaly: Five different On the Border salads on the menu contain more than 1,100 calories each.
12: Worst burger - Carl's Jr. (Hardee's on East Coast) Double Six Dollar Burger. 1,520 calories!, 111g fat. Carl's Jr. brags it's home to this enormous sandwich, but the restaurant chain also provides convenient nutrition info on its Web site -- so ignorance is no excuse for eating it.
11: Worst steak - Lonestar 20 oz T-bone. 1,540 calories, 124g fat. Add a baked potato and Lonestar's Signature Lettuce Wedge, and this is a 2,700 calorie blowout.
10: Worst breakfast - Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed hotcakes. 1,540 calories, 77 g fat (9 g trans fat), 198 g carbs, 109 g sugar. Five Egg McMuffins yield the same caloric cost as this stack of sugar-stuffed flapjacks, which is truly a heavy breakfast, weighing in at a hefty pound and a half.
9: Worst dessert - Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream. 1,600 calories, 78 g fat, 215 g carbs.
Would you eat a Big Mac for dessert? How about three? That's the calorie equivalent of this decadent dish. Clearly, Chili's customers get their money's worth.
8: Worst Chinese entree - P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein. 1,820 calories, 127g fat, 95 g carbs. The fat content in this dish alone provides more than 1,100 calories. And you'd have to eat almost five servings of pasta to match the number of carbs it contains. Now, do you really need five servings of pasta?
7: Worst chicken entree - Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce. 2,040 calories, 99 g fat, 240 g carbs.
'Crispers' refers to an extra thick layer of break crumbs that soak up oil and adds unnecessary calories and carbs to these glorified chicken strips.
6: Worst fish entree - On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans. 2,100 calories, 130 g fat, 169 g carbs, 4,700 mg sodium. Perhaps the most misleadingly named dish in America: A dozen crunchy tacos from Taco Bell will saddle you with fewer
calories.
5: Worst pizza - Uno Chicago Grill, Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza. 2,310 calories, 162 g fat, 123 g carbs, 4,470 mg sodium.
Downing this 'personal' pizza is equivalent to eating 18 slices of Domino's Crunchy Thin Crust cheese pizza.
4: Worst pasta - Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce. 2,430 calories, 128 g fat, 207 g carbs, 5,290 mg sodium. This meal satisfied your calorie requirements for an entire day.
3: Worst nachos - On the Border Stacked Border Nachos. 2,740 calories, 166 g fat, 191 g carbs, 5,280 sodium.
2: Worst starter - Chili's Awesome Blossom. 2,710 calories, 203 g fat, 194 g carbs, 6,360 mg sodium.
1: The worst food in America - Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing. 2,900 calories, 182 g fat, 240g carbs.
Even if you split these 'starters' with three friends, you'll have downed a dinner's worth of calories before you entree arrives. Guess, I better start eating something else or.... I could split it with more friends! :-)
Til next time....
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Lazy Lifter
A member of our community center approached me the other day to complain about the layout of the gym and the position of the weight stacks.
After having a discussion with him, his real problem was that the weight tree housing the 45-pound weights was a little too far from his favorite machine - the leg press. He was unhappy that he would now have to exert himself by carrying the 45-pound weights further to put them away. (the weight tree is about 6 feet away)
Isn't that the point? Exertion....
If this is his approach when he's in the gym, I can only imagine what he's doing (or not doing) outside of the gym.
So what's your viewpoint and approach towards your own goals? Trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or otherwise improve yourself by using the path of least resistance won't work terribly well for terribly long, and pushing yourself in the gym but not following that approach throughout the rest of your day will basically get you...terrible results.
Your goals won't be achieved just because you showed up: they take hard work and effort in every aspect of your day...And that really is the point.
Til next time....
After having a discussion with him, his real problem was that the weight tree housing the 45-pound weights was a little too far from his favorite machine - the leg press. He was unhappy that he would now have to exert himself by carrying the 45-pound weights further to put them away. (the weight tree is about 6 feet away)
Isn't that the point? Exertion....
If this is his approach when he's in the gym, I can only imagine what he's doing (or not doing) outside of the gym.
So what's your viewpoint and approach towards your own goals? Trying to lose weight, gain muscle, or otherwise improve yourself by using the path of least resistance won't work terribly well for terribly long, and pushing yourself in the gym but not following that approach throughout the rest of your day will basically get you...terrible results.
Your goals won't be achieved just because you showed up: they take hard work and effort in every aspect of your day...And that really is the point.
Til next time....
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Another myth dispelled...
Sometimes you have to say enough is enough. And this is one of those times.
Since I started this blog I have received a tremendous amount of feedback on how confusing the nutrition marketing machine can be when we are trying to understand food labels and fat loss choices. The folks that I speak to don't want to be fooled by fitness and nutrition misinformation anymore.
So this weeks post is about dispelling a common myth about exercise and the type of energy used by the body to do that particular exercise.
Here is the myth: exercising at a lower intensity burns more fat than exercising at a higher intensity because when you exercise at a higher intensity, you instead burn more sugar.
Alright, here is the most simple way I know how to explain this.
When you exercise, your body burns a combination of fuels (carbohydrates and fat).
The lower the intensity, the more fuel that comes from fat. This is because fat requires oxygen to "burn". When you start exercising too intensely, it becomes anaerobic (which means, without oxygen--hence your huffing and puffing for air). As your intensity increases, your body starts to shift more towards using carbohydrates for fuel (think walking to running). But, when you increase your intensity (walking to running to sprinting), you burn more calories per total time spent exercising..
You need to burn more calories to lose body fat.
Therefore, exercising at a higher intensity is the winner if weight loss is your goal. It does not matter if those calories come from fat or carbohydrates; it matters that you are using calories by moving more!
Here is where the confusion lies.
I said that more fuel comes from fat when you exercise at a lower intensity. That does not mean you are burning more body fat -- you are not literally breaking down body fat and using it like gas in a race car.
Fat as fuel and body fat are different. In fact, research continues to mound that higher intensity exercise is more effective than lower intensity exercisefor fat loss. Most people like to hear that low intensity exercise is better -- because it is easier! But it is not as effective.
As Emeril says in his show, you have to "kick it up a notch." In fact, saying lower intensity movement is better for weight loss is like telling someone sitting is more effective than exercising if they want to lose fat. Sounds goofy to recommend sitting for weight loss, doesn't it? But if the thought is that low intensity exercise burns more fat, let's take it to extremes and burn the most fat possible by sitting or sleeping.
What a joke! Of course weight loss requires smart nutrition to truly be effective exercise in and of itself has little effect on fat loss -- when coupled with nutrition, the pieces to the puzzle start tocome together.
Hope this helps,
Til next time...
Since I started this blog I have received a tremendous amount of feedback on how confusing the nutrition marketing machine can be when we are trying to understand food labels and fat loss choices. The folks that I speak to don't want to be fooled by fitness and nutrition misinformation anymore.
So this weeks post is about dispelling a common myth about exercise and the type of energy used by the body to do that particular exercise.
Here is the myth: exercising at a lower intensity burns more fat than exercising at a higher intensity because when you exercise at a higher intensity, you instead burn more sugar.
Alright, here is the most simple way I know how to explain this.
When you exercise, your body burns a combination of fuels (carbohydrates and fat).
The lower the intensity, the more fuel that comes from fat. This is because fat requires oxygen to "burn". When you start exercising too intensely, it becomes anaerobic (which means, without oxygen--hence your huffing and puffing for air). As your intensity increases, your body starts to shift more towards using carbohydrates for fuel (think walking to running). But, when you increase your intensity (walking to running to sprinting), you burn more calories per total time spent exercising..
You need to burn more calories to lose body fat.
Therefore, exercising at a higher intensity is the winner if weight loss is your goal. It does not matter if those calories come from fat or carbohydrates; it matters that you are using calories by moving more!
Here is where the confusion lies.
I said that more fuel comes from fat when you exercise at a lower intensity. That does not mean you are burning more body fat -- you are not literally breaking down body fat and using it like gas in a race car.
Fat as fuel and body fat are different. In fact, research continues to mound that higher intensity exercise is more effective than lower intensity exercisefor fat loss. Most people like to hear that low intensity exercise is better -- because it is easier! But it is not as effective.
As Emeril says in his show, you have to "kick it up a notch." In fact, saying lower intensity movement is better for weight loss is like telling someone sitting is more effective than exercising if they want to lose fat. Sounds goofy to recommend sitting for weight loss, doesn't it? But if the thought is that low intensity exercise burns more fat, let's take it to extremes and burn the most fat possible by sitting or sleeping.
What a joke! Of course weight loss requires smart nutrition to truly be effective exercise in and of itself has little effect on fat loss -- when coupled with nutrition, the pieces to the puzzle start tocome together.
Hope this helps,
Til next time...
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The Glycemic Load...
Most people are advocating following a diet with a low glycemic index (it is not a bad model to follow) but there is something that I have found to be better.
The Glycemic Load
A Ph.D. by the name of Jonny Bowden, from Australia has done some pretty good research on the subject. Instead of worrying so much about the amount of fat you're eating, start keeping track of your diet's glycemic load. Doing so will not only keep you trim, it may help prevent diabetes.
A multitude of studies have found that high-glycemic-load diets are strongly associated with an increased risk for diabetes. This comes on the heels of previous research showing that high-glycemic-load diets increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
The glycemic load is simply a measure of the impact food has on your blood sugar.
It's a better measure than the better-known glycemic index, which doesn't take portion size into account. For example, carrots have a high glycemic index. But because the amount of carbs in a carrot is so small - typically three to four grams - the effect on blood sugar is negligible.
Pasta, on the other hand, has a moderate glycemic index. But the amount of carbs in a typical portion - at least 50 to 100 grams - means its glycemic load is off the charts... and so is its effect on your blood sugar.
Most of these studies show the dangers of a high-glycemic-load diet. High-carbohydrate diets typically have high glycemic loads, which may be why the study found that lower-carb diets reduced the risk for diabetes.
So stop worrying about the total amount of fat in your diet. Instead, keep an eye on the amount of sugar, (carbs per serving - they convert quickly into sugar in your system) that you're eating.
An easy way to lower glycemic load in your diet is simply to cut out all the white stuff or added high fructose corn syrup. That includes cereals (except the really high-fiber kind), pasta, rice, potatoes, pop, sports drinks and anything obviously loaded with sugar.
You can find a complete listing of glycemic loads at http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm --
Don't worry about the fat content of foods. While this doesn't mean you have the green light today to go to MICKYD'S and go to town with a large value meal and Oreo McFlurry. You should not drive yourself nuts scouring the supermarket isles looking for extreamly low fat foods. Make life simple, just stay away from white processed foods.
So what are you waiting for? Get out and make it a great week!
Til next time...
The Glycemic Load
A Ph.D. by the name of Jonny Bowden, from Australia has done some pretty good research on the subject. Instead of worrying so much about the amount of fat you're eating, start keeping track of your diet's glycemic load. Doing so will not only keep you trim, it may help prevent diabetes.
A multitude of studies have found that high-glycemic-load diets are strongly associated with an increased risk for diabetes. This comes on the heels of previous research showing that high-glycemic-load diets increase the risk for cardiovascular disease.
The glycemic load is simply a measure of the impact food has on your blood sugar.
It's a better measure than the better-known glycemic index, which doesn't take portion size into account. For example, carrots have a high glycemic index. But because the amount of carbs in a carrot is so small - typically three to four grams - the effect on blood sugar is negligible.
Pasta, on the other hand, has a moderate glycemic index. But the amount of carbs in a typical portion - at least 50 to 100 grams - means its glycemic load is off the charts... and so is its effect on your blood sugar.
Most of these studies show the dangers of a high-glycemic-load diet. High-carbohydrate diets typically have high glycemic loads, which may be why the study found that lower-carb diets reduced the risk for diabetes.
So stop worrying about the total amount of fat in your diet. Instead, keep an eye on the amount of sugar, (carbs per serving - they convert quickly into sugar in your system) that you're eating.
An easy way to lower glycemic load in your diet is simply to cut out all the white stuff or added high fructose corn syrup. That includes cereals (except the really high-fiber kind), pasta, rice, potatoes, pop, sports drinks and anything obviously loaded with sugar.
You can find a complete listing of glycemic loads at http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm --
Don't worry about the fat content of foods. While this doesn't mean you have the green light today to go to MICKYD'S and go to town with a large value meal and Oreo McFlurry. You should not drive yourself nuts scouring the supermarket isles looking for extreamly low fat foods. Make life simple, just stay away from white processed foods.
So what are you waiting for? Get out and make it a great week!
Til next time...
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Sometimes we forget....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284
I was sent this Youtube video today. Give it a watch..... sometimes we forget -
I was sent this Youtube video today. Give it a watch..... sometimes we forget -
Self-actualization through a piece of bread
All of us “deal” with tying family situations….
A few weeks ago, we all were informed of an illness with a favorite family member. I was talking to a friend of mine who had gone through a similar experience. He and his wife were so bitter from living through their situation and questioned everything about and around the universe. The “unfairness” that their family had to go though spawned a philosophical and very tying conversation. That afternoon I came home with a headache, wondering if I was crazy looking at the bright side of the situation, while so many people I spoke with over the week were so negative.
During these times I was taught to seek means of “invisible” support. Maybe you pray, meditate, talk to your higher self, seek out spiritual support from a clergy member etc…when I mentioned those things, he scoffed.
He didn’t believe in stuff like that, stuff that he could not see. His world did not expand beyond what he could touch or feel or have some influence of change. What spawned the headache was my notion that this person I cared about was holding on to a belief system that would hold him captive in a universe that has no hope.
‘If there is a God’ he demanded, ‘show him to me.’
Of course I could no sooner show him the definitive God than I could show him the quantum galaxies that lay at the very foundation of the world around us. I could neither articulate God nor explain God in a way that he would understand, other than to say that I believe he was all around us, beneath every turned stone and inside every split log.
I didn’t expect how much his belief bothered me and that they could not see (and, to be honest, that I could not articulate) that there is a lot more out there than meets the eye. Just because you cannot immediately see it does not mean it has no existence. And it also bothered me because I felt his pain and wanted to do something to help him and his bride. But what he required at that moment in time was beyond my scope, (mostly because he did not really want help, or even - felt – he needed help).
Maybe it was his arrogance that also bothered me.
I have learned a lot in my forty eight years on this spinning blue planet, enough to know that there is a higher power, and also enough to know that the ability to articulate the divinity is galaxies beyond my understanding, let alone my vocabulary. All I do know is that it is there, it is benevolent and I can access it when ever I want to. Overly optimistic maybe, but it is one of several ways I have learned to cope.
I wondered why he could not understand. I wondered why he could not see. And my wondering was becoming a noxious fog that became one more thing that bothered me. So I took a walk - as I am one to do - in the forest and meditated on my wonderings and I looked for a sign that might bring clarity to my thoughts.
When I got home and walked through the garage to my apartment it came to me, I was given a clue; there were two ants on my path devouring a grain of bread. (Humm...We probably should call the Orkin man.) They were completely unaware of my presence, or the fact that they were a size thirteen shoe away from total oblivion. I was way too big for them to see me. They would also, of course, have been completely unaware of the fact that they were - in our terms – only feet away from my flat (which if glimpsed for even a second would have seemed to these tiny creatures like God Himself). My car, the road I live on, the land where my condo was built, the city, the district, the country, and the world (in fact) would have been way beyond their perspective. As far as these two ants were concerned their (the) entire cosmos probably consisted of that piece of bread and the ‘vast and infinite’ garage below my apartment.
Then I imagined these two ants talking to each other (as ants, I am sure, are prone to do). Rather like I had just been talking to my friend. One of the ants is saying to the other, ‘no I’m serious, I reckon there is a lot more out there than you and I can see, other creatures, other worlds, I bet there is a whole universe out there that we don’t even know about, things that you could not even begin to imagine (I was an articulate ant of course!).’ And the other ant, scoffing back arrogantly, mouth full of bread, ‘Oh yea! So show me! You and your fancy ideas; if there was more out there I am sure I’d know about it, now be quiet and eat your dinner.’
The imagined vignette made me smile.
Just because the second ant cannot see the house does not mean that the house (the street, the city, the world) does not exist, and just because the first ant cannot articulate exactly what the house is, does not meant that his belief in the house is foolishness.
Then I remembered my friend and our conversation, my evangelical zest, his pedestrian denial, while all the time both of us, undoubtedly, were being watched over by similarly large beings, equally astounded and amused by our arrogance and by our very small perspective.
I understood.
In an instant I could see exactly why people do not, will not or cannot see. Many are small minded, more still are arrogant, and most are simply too scared to imagine that they/we might be little more than ants in some random cosmic garden. I also understood that I should not allow their lack of vision and their lack of belief (and their understandable fear) give me a headache.
I know the house is there, even if my understanding of it is not yet exact, even though my articulation of it is not yet fully formed.
The house is there and it is accessible and that is all I need to know.
Til next time…
A few weeks ago, we all were informed of an illness with a favorite family member. I was talking to a friend of mine who had gone through a similar experience. He and his wife were so bitter from living through their situation and questioned everything about and around the universe. The “unfairness” that their family had to go though spawned a philosophical and very tying conversation. That afternoon I came home with a headache, wondering if I was crazy looking at the bright side of the situation, while so many people I spoke with over the week were so negative.
During these times I was taught to seek means of “invisible” support. Maybe you pray, meditate, talk to your higher self, seek out spiritual support from a clergy member etc…when I mentioned those things, he scoffed.
He didn’t believe in stuff like that, stuff that he could not see. His world did not expand beyond what he could touch or feel or have some influence of change. What spawned the headache was my notion that this person I cared about was holding on to a belief system that would hold him captive in a universe that has no hope.
‘If there is a God’ he demanded, ‘show him to me.’
Of course I could no sooner show him the definitive God than I could show him the quantum galaxies that lay at the very foundation of the world around us. I could neither articulate God nor explain God in a way that he would understand, other than to say that I believe he was all around us, beneath every turned stone and inside every split log.
I didn’t expect how much his belief bothered me and that they could not see (and, to be honest, that I could not articulate) that there is a lot more out there than meets the eye. Just because you cannot immediately see it does not mean it has no existence. And it also bothered me because I felt his pain and wanted to do something to help him and his bride. But what he required at that moment in time was beyond my scope, (mostly because he did not really want help, or even - felt – he needed help).
Maybe it was his arrogance that also bothered me.
I have learned a lot in my forty eight years on this spinning blue planet, enough to know that there is a higher power, and also enough to know that the ability to articulate the divinity is galaxies beyond my understanding, let alone my vocabulary. All I do know is that it is there, it is benevolent and I can access it when ever I want to. Overly optimistic maybe, but it is one of several ways I have learned to cope.
I wondered why he could not understand. I wondered why he could not see. And my wondering was becoming a noxious fog that became one more thing that bothered me. So I took a walk - as I am one to do - in the forest and meditated on my wonderings and I looked for a sign that might bring clarity to my thoughts.
When I got home and walked through the garage to my apartment it came to me, I was given a clue; there were two ants on my path devouring a grain of bread. (Humm...We probably should call the Orkin man.) They were completely unaware of my presence, or the fact that they were a size thirteen shoe away from total oblivion. I was way too big for them to see me. They would also, of course, have been completely unaware of the fact that they were - in our terms – only feet away from my flat (which if glimpsed for even a second would have seemed to these tiny creatures like God Himself). My car, the road I live on, the land where my condo was built, the city, the district, the country, and the world (in fact) would have been way beyond their perspective. As far as these two ants were concerned their (the) entire cosmos probably consisted of that piece of bread and the ‘vast and infinite’ garage below my apartment.
Then I imagined these two ants talking to each other (as ants, I am sure, are prone to do). Rather like I had just been talking to my friend. One of the ants is saying to the other, ‘no I’m serious, I reckon there is a lot more out there than you and I can see, other creatures, other worlds, I bet there is a whole universe out there that we don’t even know about, things that you could not even begin to imagine (I was an articulate ant of course!).’ And the other ant, scoffing back arrogantly, mouth full of bread, ‘Oh yea! So show me! You and your fancy ideas; if there was more out there I am sure I’d know about it, now be quiet and eat your dinner.’
The imagined vignette made me smile.
Just because the second ant cannot see the house does not mean that the house (the street, the city, the world) does not exist, and just because the first ant cannot articulate exactly what the house is, does not meant that his belief in the house is foolishness.
Then I remembered my friend and our conversation, my evangelical zest, his pedestrian denial, while all the time both of us, undoubtedly, were being watched over by similarly large beings, equally astounded and amused by our arrogance and by our very small perspective.
I understood.
In an instant I could see exactly why people do not, will not or cannot see. Many are small minded, more still are arrogant, and most are simply too scared to imagine that they/we might be little more than ants in some random cosmic garden. I also understood that I should not allow their lack of vision and their lack of belief (and their understandable fear) give me a headache.
I know the house is there, even if my understanding of it is not yet exact, even though my articulation of it is not yet fully formed.
The house is there and it is accessible and that is all I need to know.
Til next time…
Friday, March 7, 2008
The "right" numbers count...
Funny how a few well placed words from someone you respect can get right up on your gonads and really squeeze! A friend and mentor of mine had the good fortune of finding an out of the way watering hole (with adult beverages) and caught up on life.
We spoke about the kids, family, the meaning of life – I think that was after our second, but then business got brought up as a topic.
Tom starting talking about key words to remember,” weigh, count and measure”.
We are in the same business, so I immediately put on my fitness hat and thought that he was talking about this new diet just launched where everything and I mean everything is measured… But no, he was actually being much deeper than that….
Now why weigh, count and measure? To see what your results are from your activity, your attitude and your philosophy. If you find that you results are not to your liking there are only THREE places to look. Your philosophy might need to be fine-tuned; your attitude could be adjusted or strengthened or your discipline(s) might need extra skill. But it really is that simple. Activity, attitude and philosophy create results.
Now on results, Both Tom and I come from the perspective that life/the universe/god/your spouse or boss (or however else you would like to fill in the blank) expects you to make measurable progress in reasonable time. But, you must be reasonable with time. For example, you can't say to someone every five minutes, how are you doing now? Or are you there yet? That's too soon to ask for a count or expect a major change. That person is going to say, "Hey, I haven't left the building yet, give me a break!" Nor can you wait for five years (seems to be my favorite) Too many things can go awry waiting so long to make a change. (That would be marriage number two.)
So in our easy going state we came up with some time frames to measure change.
Number one: At the end of the day.
You can't let more than a day go by without looking at something during the course of your day and make some measurable amount of progress. The “good book” says - if you are angry, try to solve it before the sun goes down. Don't carry anger for another day. It may be too heavy to carry. If you try to carry it for a week, it may drop you to your knees… So some things must get done all in a day.
Number two: A week.
In our society we ask for an accounting of your progress each pay period. Whatever you've got coming is what you get. Now in business there are two things to check in the course of the week. Your activity count and your productivity count. Because activity leads to productivity we need to count both to see how we're doing.
Early on Tom taught me that success is a numbers game and very early into my mentorship he started asking me my numbers. He asked, "How many books have you read in the last ninety days?" I said, "Zero"; he said, "Not a good number." He said, "How many classes have you attended in the last six months to improve your skills?" And I said, "Zero." He said, "Not a good number." Then he said, "In the last six years that you've been working, how much money have you saved and invested?" I said, "Zero" and he said, "Not a good number." That’s when things started to squeeze. Then he said, "Mr. Espinoodle, if these numbers don't change, your life won't change”. “But" he said, "If you'll start improving these numbers then perhaps you'll start to see everything change for you."
Success and results are a numbers game. Pretend that you joined this little sales company. When you are hired it is explained that you are supposed to make 10 calls the first week just to get acquainted with the territory.
So on Friday you boss calls you into his office and says "How many calls?"
You reply with a hesitant "Well."
The boss says, "A 'well' won't fit in the little box here. I need a number."
Now you back peddle and try to vamp with some sort of a story and your new boss tersely stops you and says “The reason I made this little box so small is so a story won't fit. All I need is a number because if you give us the number we're so brilliant around here we could guess the story." Numbers do count in helping you make measurable progress in reasonable time.
But here is the best accounting. The accounting you make of yourself. Don't wait for the government to do it. Don't wait for the company to do it. You Do It! Add up some of your own numbers and ask, "Am I making the progress I want and will it take me where I want to go now and in the future?" You be the judge! If not, start tweaking --- increase your activity, change your attitude (even if you have to pretend at the start), or deepen you pockets by adding to your skill set.
Results will be right around the corner.
Til next time….
We spoke about the kids, family, the meaning of life – I think that was after our second, but then business got brought up as a topic.
Tom starting talking about key words to remember,” weigh, count and measure”.
We are in the same business, so I immediately put on my fitness hat and thought that he was talking about this new diet just launched where everything and I mean everything is measured… But no, he was actually being much deeper than that….
Now why weigh, count and measure? To see what your results are from your activity, your attitude and your philosophy. If you find that you results are not to your liking there are only THREE places to look. Your philosophy might need to be fine-tuned; your attitude could be adjusted or strengthened or your discipline(s) might need extra skill. But it really is that simple. Activity, attitude and philosophy create results.
Now on results, Both Tom and I come from the perspective that life/the universe/god/your spouse or boss (or however else you would like to fill in the blank) expects you to make measurable progress in reasonable time. But, you must be reasonable with time. For example, you can't say to someone every five minutes, how are you doing now? Or are you there yet? That's too soon to ask for a count or expect a major change. That person is going to say, "Hey, I haven't left the building yet, give me a break!" Nor can you wait for five years (seems to be my favorite) Too many things can go awry waiting so long to make a change. (That would be marriage number two.)
So in our easy going state we came up with some time frames to measure change.
Number one: At the end of the day.
You can't let more than a day go by without looking at something during the course of your day and make some measurable amount of progress. The “good book” says - if you are angry, try to solve it before the sun goes down. Don't carry anger for another day. It may be too heavy to carry. If you try to carry it for a week, it may drop you to your knees… So some things must get done all in a day.
Number two: A week.
In our society we ask for an accounting of your progress each pay period. Whatever you've got coming is what you get. Now in business there are two things to check in the course of the week. Your activity count and your productivity count. Because activity leads to productivity we need to count both to see how we're doing.
Early on Tom taught me that success is a numbers game and very early into my mentorship he started asking me my numbers. He asked, "How many books have you read in the last ninety days?" I said, "Zero"; he said, "Not a good number." He said, "How many classes have you attended in the last six months to improve your skills?" And I said, "Zero." He said, "Not a good number." Then he said, "In the last six years that you've been working, how much money have you saved and invested?" I said, "Zero" and he said, "Not a good number." That’s when things started to squeeze. Then he said, "Mr. Espinoodle, if these numbers don't change, your life won't change”. “But" he said, "If you'll start improving these numbers then perhaps you'll start to see everything change for you."
Success and results are a numbers game. Pretend that you joined this little sales company. When you are hired it is explained that you are supposed to make 10 calls the first week just to get acquainted with the territory.
So on Friday you boss calls you into his office and says "How many calls?"
You reply with a hesitant "Well."
The boss says, "A 'well' won't fit in the little box here. I need a number."
Now you back peddle and try to vamp with some sort of a story and your new boss tersely stops you and says “The reason I made this little box so small is so a story won't fit. All I need is a number because if you give us the number we're so brilliant around here we could guess the story." Numbers do count in helping you make measurable progress in reasonable time.
But here is the best accounting. The accounting you make of yourself. Don't wait for the government to do it. Don't wait for the company to do it. You Do It! Add up some of your own numbers and ask, "Am I making the progress I want and will it take me where I want to go now and in the future?" You be the judge! If not, start tweaking --- increase your activity, change your attitude (even if you have to pretend at the start), or deepen you pockets by adding to your skill set.
Results will be right around the corner.
Til next time….
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Mom's beware.....
Today, I wanted to focus on Mom....
I’m a firm believer, "as goes the health of Mom, so goes the health of the family."
As a guy, I tend to be more in-tune with men's health issues. However, since 60% or so of my clients are women, I closely follow research on women's health. In fact, one of the major topics we reviewed (in depth) during my Graduate work was the role of female hormones throughout the average lifespan.
There's been a lot of recent research on women's health issues and some of the scientific school of thought as changed over the last decade.
Women have found increasing professional opportunities over the last four decades. At the same time, recent research has found that today's woman continues to feel pressure to fulfill more traditional female roles in the home and raising children.
All of this has led to women struggling to retain their health as they work more and rest less. Unfortunately, the typical professional woman today with children is so busy that they struggle to make their health and fitness a priority.
In fact, in an alarming trend, researchers have found that strokes have increased by 300% in middle-aged women in the last 10 years alone!
That is a sobering statistic.... Why has this happened?
The answer seems to be the increasing obesity epidemic. Here's a link to a news story discussing these recent findings:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080220/ap_on_he_me/obesity_strokes
And on a slightly different tangent of women's health, there is continuous concern over the use of Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT).
A second landmark study has been conducted on the effects of female hormone replacement. You can read about it here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_on_he_me/hormone_risks_6
How about hysterectomies? Some experts believe that 2/3 of hysterectomies aren't needed? If the research continues to bear these latest statistics out, that means there have been a lot of unnecessary risks and good deal of pain that women have had to endure. Read the story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/03/healthmag.hysterectomy/index.html?section=cnn_latest
There's plenty more engaging, and sometimes troubling research regarding the current health of women in the United States today but that discussion is better left for another day.
Physicians continue to tell me, "people need to take the ultimate responsibility for their health".
Of course that’s pretty good advice no matter where your ovaries are located.
Til next time….
I’m a firm believer, "as goes the health of Mom, so goes the health of the family."
As a guy, I tend to be more in-tune with men's health issues. However, since 60% or so of my clients are women, I closely follow research on women's health. In fact, one of the major topics we reviewed (in depth) during my Graduate work was the role of female hormones throughout the average lifespan.
There's been a lot of recent research on women's health issues and some of the scientific school of thought as changed over the last decade.
Women have found increasing professional opportunities over the last four decades. At the same time, recent research has found that today's woman continues to feel pressure to fulfill more traditional female roles in the home and raising children.
All of this has led to women struggling to retain their health as they work more and rest less. Unfortunately, the typical professional woman today with children is so busy that they struggle to make their health and fitness a priority.
In fact, in an alarming trend, researchers have found that strokes have increased by 300% in middle-aged women in the last 10 years alone!
That is a sobering statistic.... Why has this happened?
The answer seems to be the increasing obesity epidemic. Here's a link to a news story discussing these recent findings:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080220/ap_on_he_me/obesity_strokes
And on a slightly different tangent of women's health, there is continuous concern over the use of Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT).
A second landmark study has been conducted on the effects of female hormone replacement. You can read about it here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_on_he_me/hormone_risks_6
How about hysterectomies? Some experts believe that 2/3 of hysterectomies aren't needed? If the research continues to bear these latest statistics out, that means there have been a lot of unnecessary risks and good deal of pain that women have had to endure. Read the story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/03/03/healthmag.hysterectomy/index.html?section=cnn_latest
There's plenty more engaging, and sometimes troubling research regarding the current health of women in the United States today but that discussion is better left for another day.
Physicians continue to tell me, "people need to take the ultimate responsibility for their health".
Of course that’s pretty good advice no matter where your ovaries are located.
Til next time….
Monday, March 3, 2008
The Now
The NOW… There is real power in it.
On Mondays I start working with clients way before the sun shines... During one of my Monday morning confessionals the topic of how our lives change when we are exposed to new educational or life experiences.
One client is struggling because they have learned through practicing a specialized form of yoga to be in the "now". They have learned to quiet their mind and become blissful just by using some simple strategies. Now on the surface you might say cool... but wherein lies the challenge is that their significant other and other close friends have noticed a dramatic change in their attitude about life and new found patience for problem solving. With these new changes family and friends are sometimes taken aback and don't really know how or what to make of it. The changes have been dramatic, so they feel a little threaten or uneasy by my client's new found calmness in what would normally be a crisis situation.
I am sure you all are acquainted with someone who mind is constantly working…. They just can’t seem to keep from always churning and grinding. They are always thinking about the past, what could have or should have happened or perhaps they are planning some contingency plan or minute detail for a future event. I’m sure if we could harness some of that mind power we just might be able to retire the national debt by saving on energy costs….
We all know people like that. They just never experience “the NOW”. See you can try to live in the future - or in the past, yet it's impossible. All you have is NOW.
It is very true that you can use your present moments to recall the past - as well as to try to visualize the future. You can also use your NOW to be aware of your thinking, breathing and doing - as they are taking place in this very moment.
Whichever you choose, it's still NOW. And there's great power in knowing this. But really understanding about the NOW is very important.
Why?
Because once you understand the past and future can only be experienced in the NOW – you realize that everything that you think or believe – has already happened or will happen – is nothing but a mental movie.
If the past and future are nothing but mental movies, you can write the script, direct the action, call the shots, and decide on which frames to keep and which to throw out. You can even be the in the audience watching it all play out.
In fact, you ARE the audience.
Whenever you remember the past or visualize the future, it's not just YOU in the picture - it's YOU and your other self - the one who is either praising or condemning your actions.
Which are you doing to yourself today? If you're looking at your past and finding the good moments, you're giving yourself the praise you need to perform at your best in the NOW.
If, however, you're condemning what you see in the past, you're making it even harder for yourself to do well in this moment.
Whether you realize it or not, you have acted as the director, editor and cinematographer to the movies in your mind that make up your past. You have even played them a certain way.
The good – no, GREAT news is that you can do a re-make of the old movies. You can “re-shoot” them and package them to your liking. You can take a sad story and turn it into a happy one.
If you were to look at my face, even from a distance you would see a whole host of wrinkles and A LOT of grey hair. If you were to look at my knees, elbows or fingers you would see there are a lot of permanent scratches, scars and bumps. There are a host of infomercials that would sell me a ton of product to try to get rid of those imperfections
If the average person were to see some of those scars, he or she would think of it as awful.
Not me - and not most athletes who have them. We think they're great. We consider them a badge of honor. We wear them with pride. They are our battle scars. Football players and wrestlers, ball players and track stars who have them had to be tough. At least that's the story we tell ourselves to justify the periodic Motrin we take to get through some tough days.
But seriously think of it like this. If I can look at my scars, my wrinkles and my grey hair and put it into a positive light, then I can take anything from my past and figure out a way to make it a good thing.
Granted, some of our memories are not easy to recall. When we watch them we may feel a sense of horror, anger, or guilt. But if we will take a step back; maybe even several steps back; and consider that the past and the future are mere movies in our minds, we CAN make a change in how we feel in the present. Take a moment and consider that we all have the ability to turn our horror flicks - our less then positive moments into something better - if we do, then you really understand the REAL POWER in the NOW.
Til next time...
On Mondays I start working with clients way before the sun shines... During one of my Monday morning confessionals the topic of how our lives change when we are exposed to new educational or life experiences.
One client is struggling because they have learned through practicing a specialized form of yoga to be in the "now". They have learned to quiet their mind and become blissful just by using some simple strategies. Now on the surface you might say cool... but wherein lies the challenge is that their significant other and other close friends have noticed a dramatic change in their attitude about life and new found patience for problem solving. With these new changes family and friends are sometimes taken aback and don't really know how or what to make of it. The changes have been dramatic, so they feel a little threaten or uneasy by my client's new found calmness in what would normally be a crisis situation.
I am sure you all are acquainted with someone who mind is constantly working…. They just can’t seem to keep from always churning and grinding. They are always thinking about the past, what could have or should have happened or perhaps they are planning some contingency plan or minute detail for a future event. I’m sure if we could harness some of that mind power we just might be able to retire the national debt by saving on energy costs….
We all know people like that. They just never experience “the NOW”. See you can try to live in the future - or in the past, yet it's impossible. All you have is NOW.
It is very true that you can use your present moments to recall the past - as well as to try to visualize the future. You can also use your NOW to be aware of your thinking, breathing and doing - as they are taking place in this very moment.
Whichever you choose, it's still NOW. And there's great power in knowing this. But really understanding about the NOW is very important.
Why?
Because once you understand the past and future can only be experienced in the NOW – you realize that everything that you think or believe – has already happened or will happen – is nothing but a mental movie.
If the past and future are nothing but mental movies, you can write the script, direct the action, call the shots, and decide on which frames to keep and which to throw out. You can even be the in the audience watching it all play out.
In fact, you ARE the audience.
Whenever you remember the past or visualize the future, it's not just YOU in the picture - it's YOU and your other self - the one who is either praising or condemning your actions.
Which are you doing to yourself today? If you're looking at your past and finding the good moments, you're giving yourself the praise you need to perform at your best in the NOW.
If, however, you're condemning what you see in the past, you're making it even harder for yourself to do well in this moment.
Whether you realize it or not, you have acted as the director, editor and cinematographer to the movies in your mind that make up your past. You have even played them a certain way.
The good – no, GREAT news is that you can do a re-make of the old movies. You can “re-shoot” them and package them to your liking. You can take a sad story and turn it into a happy one.
If you were to look at my face, even from a distance you would see a whole host of wrinkles and A LOT of grey hair. If you were to look at my knees, elbows or fingers you would see there are a lot of permanent scratches, scars and bumps. There are a host of infomercials that would sell me a ton of product to try to get rid of those imperfections
If the average person were to see some of those scars, he or she would think of it as awful.
Not me - and not most athletes who have them. We think they're great. We consider them a badge of honor. We wear them with pride. They are our battle scars. Football players and wrestlers, ball players and track stars who have them had to be tough. At least that's the story we tell ourselves to justify the periodic Motrin we take to get through some tough days.
But seriously think of it like this. If I can look at my scars, my wrinkles and my grey hair and put it into a positive light, then I can take anything from my past and figure out a way to make it a good thing.
Granted, some of our memories are not easy to recall. When we watch them we may feel a sense of horror, anger, or guilt. But if we will take a step back; maybe even several steps back; and consider that the past and the future are mere movies in our minds, we CAN make a change in how we feel in the present. Take a moment and consider that we all have the ability to turn our horror flicks - our less then positive moments into something better - if we do, then you really understand the REAL POWER in the NOW.
Til next time...
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Lastest Study on Fat Burning
This post goes under the heading, the more I stay in this business, the more I learn...
You see Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In theory, it should work so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn't add up.
After all, some men and women do cardio 6 even up to 9 hours or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others.
I was catching up on my reading that other day. A group of British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren't previously exercising.(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).
Each subject exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks. I know, that is a LOT of exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great - I was positively surprised by the results. I would have never guessed that such a regime would have such great results.... So it is true that cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least! (figures!)
Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was HUGE! Check this out... The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds.
The researchers think they know where things went sour. They classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the "Compensators" and the "Non-compensators".
The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, (unfortunately, I fall into that group) all but wiping out their cardio efforts. Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge "compensatory" increase in appetite experienced by this group.
Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio? If it does, research seems to show us that it will dampen if not ruin your cardio efforts.
So those results tell us that if your cardio program is not working for you, check your appetite and calorie intake to see if you are "compensating" for your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program of high-intensity resistance and interval training for your weight loss efforts.
As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research, interval training (low intensity mixed with high intensity) increases hormones called catecholamines. Increases in catecholamines can help to reduce appetite, among other fat-burning benefits.
In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.
So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity exercise a go for your next workout program.
Til next time....
You see Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In theory, it should work so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn't add up.
After all, some men and women do cardio 6 even up to 9 hours or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others.
I was catching up on my reading that other day. A group of British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren't previously exercising.(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).
Each subject exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks. I know, that is a LOT of exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great - I was positively surprised by the results. I would have never guessed that such a regime would have such great results.... So it is true that cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least! (figures!)
Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was HUGE! Check this out... The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds.
The researchers think they know where things went sour. They classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the "Compensators" and the "Non-compensators".
The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, (unfortunately, I fall into that group) all but wiping out their cardio efforts. Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge "compensatory" increase in appetite experienced by this group.
Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio? If it does, research seems to show us that it will dampen if not ruin your cardio efforts.
So those results tell us that if your cardio program is not working for you, check your appetite and calorie intake to see if you are "compensating" for your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program of high-intensity resistance and interval training for your weight loss efforts.
As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research, interval training (low intensity mixed with high intensity) increases hormones called catecholamines. Increases in catecholamines can help to reduce appetite, among other fat-burning benefits.
In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.
So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity exercise a go for your next workout program.
Til next time....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
