Archive for April, 2010

30 Apr

Why are you exercising?

Posted by Heather in exercise, mindset.

There is so much advice out there about exercise.  It can be difficult to sort through it and makes sense of what you need to do to meet your goals.

First, you need to have goals.

Do you want to be healthy?  What does “healthy” mean to you?  Do you want to lose weight?  How much?  Why?

Once you know the direction you want to go, then it’s easier to figure out what to do.

Upon reading a short piece about what “counts” as exercise, a friend quipped once that she didn’t see how she was going to lose weight by gardening.  (Gardening is frequently listed as an activity that you can do to get your daily 30 minutes of exercise.)

Well, no.  Gardening probably isn’t going to melt your pounds off.

There is exercise for health and there is exercise for fitness. 

Going for a walk, gardening, and cleaning the house are all examples of things you can do to exercise for health.  These are things that stop us from being sedentary and help with general health and well-being.

If your goal is to run a marathon (or a 5K), or to be a body builder, vacuuming isn’t the way to get it done.  These are fitness goals and require more specific training.

So, you see, you need to know what you want before you can know how to go after it.  (This, of course, is applicable in all aspects of life.)

29 Apr

eating out

Posted by Heather in food, weight loss.

So you’re going out to dinner with friends and you don’t want to gain two pounds doing it.  How?

The best way:

Decide ahead of time where you’re going.  If you have influence over this, choose a restaurant that has nutrition information on its website.

Go to the website before you leave.  Look at the menu, check out the nutrition info for some of the dishes you might like to have.  Combine appeal and calories, decide what you’re going to have, and when you get there, follow through.

Not all restaurants have this information available, but many do.

Why is this the best way?  Because you know what you’re getting and don’t have to guess.  We’re generally bad guessers.

Can’t plan it out ahead of time?  Here are some pointers.

  1. Skip the bread, chips, or whatever else is on the table when you sit down.  Can’t resist it if it’s on the table?  Ask the server to take it away.
  2. Don’t order an appetizer.  Taking a peek at Applebee’s menu (for example), there are 30 appetizers.  Only 12 of them have fewer than 1,000 calories, 3 have fewer than 700, and none are under 600.  (Those numbers do not include dipping sauces.)  That’s what you’re eating before dinner?
  3. Drink water.
  4. Be wary of sauces.  A super-healthy meal can quickly turn not-so-healthy with the addition of some sauce.
  5. Ask for a to-go box and box half of it upon arrival.  This prevents you from either eating the whole thing (which is too much for one meal) and also stops you from picking at it once you’re done.
  6. Split a meal with one of your dining companions.  Don’t order extra because you’re splitting it, unless you want an extra side of steamed veggies :)
  7. Don’t get dessert.

What tips or tricks do you use to make sure your meals out don’t pack on extra weight?

28 Apr

“I exercised; I earned that [insert indulgence here].”

Posted by Heather in exercise, mindset.

I have often heard people proclaim that since they exercised today, they have earned a treat.  Frequently the treat is in the form of a dessert.  The treat is always in the form of food or drink, at least from what I’ve heard.

There are two problems with this mindset:

  1. You will probably ingest more calories than you just burned off.
  2. Even if you don’t over-indulge, if you are exercising to lose weight, you’re essentially cancelling out the exercise you just did with the indulgence.

Exercise doesn’t typically burn as many calories as we think it does.  Lists of how many calories you burn per hour of exercise are here and here.  They’re not exact, and there are more variables than weight that determine how much you burn, but they’re good to give you a general idea.

Notice that the heavier you are, the more calories you burn, so if you are losing weight, as you get lighter, you will need either to exercise more or eat less to maintain your weight loss or to lose more weight.

The best summary of exercise and weight loss that I’ve heard: eat to lose weight; exercise to get fit.

None of this is to say that you can never have an edible treat.  Just do it mindfully, in small quantity, and infrequently (unless the quantity is very small).

What can you reward yourself with that isn’t food or drink?

27 Apr

Are you smarter than the food companies?

Posted by Heather in drinks, food, mindset, weight loss.

Today’s post is just a challenge for you.  A game, if you will.

Every time you eat or drink something for which the nutrition information is available (whether on the package, on a menu, on a website), guess how many calories you’re consuming, then check the package to see if you’re correct.  Remember to check for servings per package - not all packages that appear to be single-serving actually have only one serving in them.

We’re generally terrible at guessing these types of things, but the more you do it, the better you get at it.  Try it.

What  was your biggest surprise?

26 Apr

now on Twitter!

Posted by Heather in updates.

Second Chance FitCenter is now on Twitter at 2CFitCenter.  Most current tweets are just blog posts, but more will be forthcoming!

26 Apr

getting stuff done

Posted by Heather in mindset.

Well, this has nothing to do with eating or exercising, but it just might be useful anyway…

Generally, stuff gets done when there is tension.  Especially when it’s stuff that you don’t really want to do.  This is why so many people work well on deadlines.  Deadlines rearrange the priority list.

Have you ever had some chores around the house — say, dusting — and it just doesn’t get done and doesn’t get done and then your parents decide they’re coming into town and magically the dusting gets done?  Tension.  Now it needs to get done.

So if you have stuff around the house that needs to get done, see if you can figure out what will light the fire under your butt and make it happen.  For me, it’s typically having company.

Now that I have training clients to the house on a weekly basis, dirt, clutter and the like don’t get too out of hand.  But there is still a pile of stuff that needs to be sold/trashed/donated.  A neat pile, but a pile none-the-less.  Well, we’re hosting an end-of-the-season party for the community band we play in this weekend.  The pile needs to go.  There’s the tension.  (That’s not why we’re hosting the party — just a side effect thereof.)  There are a few other small things around the house that I’ll get done before people are here this weekend.

The following weekend, an old friend will be here from out of town.  Guest bath needs to be cleaned.

You see how this works?

What odds and ends have you had undone for a long time?  What can you do to create a deadline so that you’ll make it happen?

25 Apr

Sunday update & links

Posted by Heather in links, updates.

Well, this whole “keeping the kitchen counter clean” plan is not working.  I will need to do some scrutinizing as to why we are having such trouble with this task.  I will give some credit and say that even in these weeks that it hasn’t worked out, it’s been much cleaner than it has in the past.  So there is progress.

I have two training appointments today, along with some chores around the house.  :(  Getting everything done on Saturday is sometimes easier said than done!  Despite that, I anticipate some quality time on the porch swing with a book.  I also would like to hang new blinds in two rooms.  We’ll see…

Here are some articles and blog posts that you might enjoy or find interesting:

9 ingredients to avoid in processed food

The Darker Side of Fat Free Pringles from Live Fit Blog

Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity — not an easy read, but very interesting

Cutting the Cord to Materialism from Zen Habits

Six Reasons to Focus on Liking Yourself, and How to Do It from The Positivity Blog

Organic Food Health Facts — interesting (long) article on some of the ins and outs of organic produce

24 Apr

Meatless Meals (I Wish) My Mother Made

Posted by Heather in recipes.

Here is another recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman.  Have I mentioned how much I love this book?  We do cook our own beans (do you want me to post bean-cooking recipes?) and use miso instead of egg (see vegan modifications at the end) — the miso adds a nice flavor.  With miso, they also don’t need salt.  I have not tried any of the other vegan options yet.

Simplest Bean Burgers

Makes 4-6 servings
Time: 20 minutes with cooked beans

This the way to go when you want a burger and have neither the time nor the inclination to fuss.  When made with chickpeas, they’re golden brown and lovely; with black beans, much darker; with red, somewhere in between.  Lentils give you a slightly grainy texture.

There are, of course, an infinite number of ways to jazz these up, but this has good flavor and texture and is excellent served on a bun with the usual fixings.

If you start with beans you’ve cooked yourself—especially well-seasoned ones—the results will be even better, and you can put the bean-cooking liquid to good use (I usually don’t use the liquid from canned beans, which often has a tinnier taste than the beans themselves).  Like almost all veggie burger mixtures, these will hold together a little better if you refrigerate them first (ideally, you’d refrigerate both before and after shaping, but that’s only if you have the time).

ingredients

  • 2 cups well-cooked white, black, or red beans or chickpeas or lentils, or one 14-ounce can, drained
  • 1 medium onion, quartered
  • 1 half cup rolled oats (preferably not instant)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder or spice mix of your choice
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • bean-cooking liquid, stock, or other liquid (wine, cream, milk, water, ketchup, etc.) if necessary
  • extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil, like grape seed or corn, as needed
  1. Combine the beans, onion, oats, chili powder, salt, pepper, and egg in a food processor and pulse until chunky but not pureed, adding a little liquid if necessary (this is unlikely but not impossible) to produce a moist but not wet mixture.  Let the mixture rest for a few minutes if time allows.
  2. With wet hands, shape into whatever size patties you want and again let rest for a few minutes if time allows.  (You can make the burger mixture or even shape the burgers up to a day or so in advance.  Just cover tightly and refrigerate, then bring everything back to room temperature before cooking.)  Film the bottom of a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron skillet with oil and turn the heat to medium.  A minute later, add the patties.  Cook until nicely browned on one side, about 5 minutes; turn carefully and cook on the other side until firm and browned.  Serve on plates, or on buns, with the usual burger fixings or cool and refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Simplest vegan bean burger.  Many options: omit the egg, obviously.  Add 1/2 cup mashed potatoes; or 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal or short grain rice (white or brown); or 1/4 cup miso or 1/2 cup tofu.

23 Apr

another quick thought on plastic bottles

Posted by Heather in health.

I stopped using plastic bottles for water a couple of years ago.  I have several Klean Kanteens that I take water in with me everywhere.

At this point, on the extremely rare occasion that I have water from a bottle (like a water cooler, for example), I can taste plastic when I have water from a bottle.

Kick plastic for a while, then see if you notice a difference.  Let me know…

22 Apr

BPA

Posted by Heather in health.

One thing I’ve become pretty animated about is BPA.

Surely you’ve heard of BPA.  It’s a chemical that’s used in hard, clear plastics (water bottles and baby bottles are the two most prevalent ones that come to mind).  When heated, scrubbed, or exposed to detergents, these plastics leach out the BPA, and we consume it in whatever the container is holding.

So what?

Well … BPA is nasty stuff.  It is a known hormone disruptor.  Often, when we hear “hormones” we think of estrogen and testosterone.  While those are hormones, there are hormones that regulate body functions beyond reproduction, including hunger, growth, and immune system activity.  Just about every organ system in the body has associated hormones.

According to wikipedia:

Hormones have the following effects on the body:

A hormone may also regulate the production and release of other hormones. Hormone signals control the internal environment of the body through homeostasis.

So if you’re 3 months old and growing like mad and you are ingesting this hormone disruptor on a regular basis (through formula in a baby bottle), you run risk of your body not developing properly (growth), your immune system not developing properly, your reproductive system not developing properly.

If you’re an adult, there are still quite a few things on that list that you probably don’t want to stop working correctly.

There are connections between early puberty and BPA.  There are connections between ADHD and BPA.  There are connections between reproductive cancers and BPA.  (Did you know that pre-pubescent breast cancer is on the rise?)  BPA can inhibit chemotherapy in some breast cancer treatments.

If you’re a non-smoker, do you not smoke because of cancer risk?  If you have a small child, would you allow them to be in smoke-filled places on a regular basis?  If the answer is no, you might want to consider eliminating exposure to BPA.

Sure, glass bottles are less convenient and you have to be more careful with them, but isn’t it worth it?

We have been using Pyrex and mason jars instead of Tupperware and other plastics for all food storage for several years.  If I had been frugal when we started, I would have kept sauce jars and just used those (we have a few now), but I wasn’t that thoughtful.

What else is BPA in?  Cans.  Soda cans and food cans are lined with plastic that contains BPA.  Soups and tomato-based products are the worst offenders, as their acidity eats at the lining.  Liquid baby formula contains quite a bit of it; dry formula has less (but not none).

For us, we’ve taken to cooking a big pot of dry beans and freezing them in jars for when we need them.  Tomato sauce we buy in jars.  Other veggies we buy fresh or frozen.  When we’re in a pinch, Eden Foods does not use BPA in its can liners.  The cans cost more, of course, but I’ve wasted an extra dollar on worse.  I don’t remember the last time we bought soup (which we had stopped buying long ago because it’s so salty).

Thoughts?

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