The shape of things

So America (and the world) are facing two huge problems at once - an obesity epidemic and global warming. No matter what you're political views are on the situation - I'm pretty sure we can all agree that our time here on this planet has caused some negative effects to nature. Scientists have decided that one way to tackle both of these problems simultaneously is to link them together - meaning, if you go green you can also get lean.

Sadly, Americans are notorious for being narcissistic and selfish. Therefore, if we don't see something benefiting ourselves, we probably won't do it. So if this whole going green business has no effect on our lives (monetarily or physically) there's a good chance we'll let is slide by. To combat that selfishness, environmentalist tried to tout the monetary benefits of going green - change your light bulbs save on the energy bill, bring your own grocery bags and get a store discount, use water sparingly save on your water bill, etc.

And now, in addition to monetary benefits, envirnmentalists are telling us that if we go green we can lose weight and get in shape. How you may ask?

"They advise that people get out of their cars and walk or bike half an hour a day instead of driving.

The payoffs are huge...One numbers-crunching scientist calculates that if all Americans between 10 and 74 walked just half an hour a day instead of driving, they would cut the annual U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, by 64 million tons."

But what about the payoffs for your health? Well if the average person was to walk instead of drive 30 minutes a day, they could lose up to 13 pounds a year. Read the full article here.

Personally I love that we're finally putting the environment and exercise in the same category. I believe that anyone who leads an active lifestyle recognizes that if we keep polluting this planet, the beautiful outdoors we love and enjoy will crumble apart. There may be too much smog to run outside, the trail you love to hike on may become a parking lot, and the bike paths may become so littered and trashed that there's nowhere safe to ride.

Unfortunately, the community I live in makes it almost impossible to choose to walk or bike instead of drive. There are absolutely no sidewalks on any route that I take to work. There are also very few bike paths, and the ones we do have all are recreational and don't lead to common work places. Our city (Baton Rouge) is so spread out and not planned that it would be very difficult to switch from driving.

So perhaps it's time we stop sitting back and letting others define the way we live. We should demand sidewalks and bike paths that are accessible and lead to work places. We need to support communities who are green friendly and encourage commuters to find alternative modes of getting to work. We need to stop this nasty urban sprawl by telling our city councils that we need more ways to get to work than a highway.

I read this column today in the New York Times about one woman's healthy-eating philosophy. Sure we see a lot of these exposes of how people "stay so thin" etc. but something about this column really stuck out to me...

ICE CREAM! This woman keeps a ton of ice cream in her freezer - yet is still able to remain thin. She shares with readers how she does it - no deprivation. She talks about how when she tried for a year to lose weight by depriving herself of her favorite sweet treat, she was miserable and also found herself overindulging guiltfully.

So her approach now is to have her cake and eat it too (well her ice cream, that is).

She buys ice cream that is less than 150 calories per serving but never buys fat free or sugar free. She also bought bowls that can only fit 1/2 cup (which is a serving of ice cream) and she only eats that much a day. She tells herself that if she ever eats more than the 1/2 cup serving she'll throw away all of her ice cream - so she never does it.

I think we too often hear of diets and eating habits that encourage deprivation and labeling bad foods. This woman's philosophy is so much better - and so much more in line with my philosophy. (You know my affinity for ice cream is in line with Reese Witherspoon's)

We aren't just trying to lose ten pounds. We are trying to adopt a lifestyle that will keep us healthy for the rest of our lives. By doing these silly diets and obsessing over calorie counts and carbs, we set ourselves up for failure because we won't be able to do that for the rest of our lives - well we won't WANT TO do that for the rest of our lives.

Read her column and take some of her tips. She's a smart cookie and you can be one too!

How many of you have either heard this statement or said this statement in reference to a thin and fit woman: "but she was born thin."

I read through some comments on Fit Sugar's blog about Sarah Jessica Parker's "weight loss tactics" and the majority of the commenters reiterated the fact that SJP "was born thin."

This has to be one of my biggest pet peeves.

Don't get me wrong. I know that people are born with a certain bone structure and overall body type. And I also know that the enviornment you grow up in plays a huge role in your eating and exercising habits you develop later in life.

With that being said, I want to make something clear - just because you're born with it, doesn't mean you won't ever have to work for it.

There are a very small group of people in the world who actually have the problem of losing too much weight and have to eat tons of calories and protein to gain weight so that their bodies can function normally. Personally I've only known one person like this - and let's just say I've known quite a few people in my life so far.

Everyone elses bodies work this way - the calories (energy) going in a body has to be less than or equal to the calories (energy) going out or you will gain pounds. It's simple.

Case and point: I am one of those "lucky" people to be born in a "small" family. My dad is short and thin and so is my mother. I also grew up in a household that encouraged playing sports and being active outside rather than watching tv all day.

All through high school I weighed under 100 pounds (I'm about 5'1 or 5'2). I never watched what I ate - but I wasn't stuffing myself with junk all the time either - I played sports about 4 times a week so I had about 6-8 hours of exercise a week (intense exercise). Being thin back then was never something I worked on, but it was a product of my genetics, a youthful metabolism, my exercise, and the foods available to me.

When I started college I stopped playing sports and my only exercise was walking around campus and the occasional (once a week maybe) pick up soccer game. I turned to cafeteria and fast food since I lived in a dorm and when I moved out of the dorm I continued relying on fast food and takeout. So - despite my genetics - I gained weight. In fact, the beginning of my junior year I was around 130. (30 pounds in less than 3 years).

I brushed off the quick weight gain as a normal by product of "growing up" and the "natural" slowing of my metabolism. I went up in pant sizes without really thinking about the fact that I was gaining weight - I thought I was just getting older.

It wasn't until I started watching what I ate and started exercising regularly again that I shed those pounds that I had so quickly gained. See - calories in has to be less than or equal to calories out.

Moral of the story? Pretty much every person who is thin (and over 18) has to work to stay thin - whether it's watching what they eat, staying active, or just living a generally healthy lifestyle.

If you get discouraged that you weren't "born with it" just know that those who were, still have to work for it too. It isn't easy for anyone - BUT, once it becomes a lifestle it is easy for most. Make sure the things you are doing to stay healthy (maybe eating more fruits and veggies, getting into a dependable and enjoyable exercise routine, etc.) are things you can continue doing for the rest of your life without being miserable.

So the next time you find yourself making yet another excuse why you can't get to your target weight or you can't get toned in a certain area - remember that it's something we all work at. You're not alone.

I recently received a question about one of the workouts posted in this blog. It was from a young woman who had been doing the workout for a couple of days and wanted to know when she would start seeing results and how she could lose some weight.

Often I take for granted that I've done a lot of food/diet/nutrition/fitness research and forget to give the basics here in the blog. I don't want that to happen. I want this blog to help you be the healthiest you've ever been and be in the best shape of your life - no matter where you are in your health and fitness goal.

Therefore I put together a list of articles, sites and other resources that are great for newbies and beginners, but also good for those of us who sometimes forget the basics.

These range from the basics in strength training, to what is a calorie. Please visit the sites and if you have any other great resources leave them in the comments section. I wish you all the best.

 

Helpful links:

Food, Diet and Nutrition: These have answers to your questions about calories, a simple plan that helped me lose weight, online food journal tracking device, etc.

http://www.shape.com/eatright/7847 - Answers to your top ten questions about calories (GREAT, basic and easy to understand!)

http://www.self.com/challenge/welcome the self challenge – how I lost 28 pounds (a simple way to exercise correctly and eat right)

http://mypyramid.gov/ - the best way to find out what foods your body needs

http://www.fitday.com – How to track your calories easily and effortlessly with this online food journal.

http://www.calorieking.com – Online database of calorie counts, including fast food chains, restaurants, and other common foods

http://www.dietfacts.com – Great resource for calorie counts in restaurant items. Features an A-Z listing of all restaurants in their database.

 

Fitness, Exercise and Workouts:

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/fitness-beginners-guide - Fitness 101 great advice and definitions - a great place to start if you're new to exercising or always feel like you don't know the names and definitions thrown around

http://www.self.com/fitness/calculators Once you start working out, find out how many calories you are burning with different activities (sometimes it's a lot less than you think or maybe even more). It's good to know so you don't overeat or undereat.

http://www.shape.com/tools/calc/burned/ Another place where you can calculate the amount of calories burned (based on weight, activity and length of time)

http://inshapewoman.blog.com/1832539/ - You'll soon find out that walking doesn't burn nearly as many calories as running. Get over your fears of jogging and read my post called "Beginner Runners"

http://fitsugar.com/218213 - why strength training is important for weight loss - You don't just need to do cardio, you also need to pick up the weights - and this article tells you why!

http://rodale.typepad.com/coachjenny/2007/06/losing_fat_gain.html - You might find out at first you're losing fat and gaining muscle - but don't fret if the scale actually goes up when you start this new lifestyle, it's most likely only temporary and this article explains why that is.

My all-time favorite columnist, Chris Rose, wrote a wonderful piece a few days ago about the lack of quality playgrounds for children in New Orleans. He tried taking his children to several playgrounds that had only one piece of equipment and over-grown grass and were quickly deemed "boring" by his kids. He heard about a company named Kaboom! that donated money and resources to build dynamic playgrounds for children in the hurricane-devastated communities. When Mr. Rose tried to bring his kids to one of the new "Kaboom!" playgrounds, they found them locked and chained (on a Saturday during the summer!!). This prompted him to write a very interesting and witty (like always) piece on how the children of New Orleans have nowhere open to play. That's a very sad thing.

The column brought back great memories of going to the park when I was a kid and sliding down that impossibly tall slide that made you go so fast you thought you were flying. It reminded me of all the summers we spent outdoors playing pirates, orphaned children and boxcar kids (yeah, like the children's book series). It reminded me of riding our bikes around the neighborhood pretending to be on horses (or unicorns). Ah, it was so fun. And the best part was that we were outside, using our imagination, sweating up a storm, and getting tons of physical activity.

I don't have kids - but I've worked at several day camps and it seems to me that a lot of today's children aren't playing outside as much. They have so much to occupy them indoors - video games, tv, internet, myspace (eek), etc. - that the art of playing outdoors and coming up with elaborate ways to keep yourself entertained all summer is completely lost on that generation.

And then I read this article about children (as young as 6!!) getting personal fitness trainers to help them lose weight, get fit, and "gain balance" WHAT?!? Yes, our kids are overweight, and yes, we need them to be active and fit... but outsourcing our children to gym trainers seems outrageously ridiculous and so "American."

Why can't these parents encourage their kids to go outside, ride bikes, go swimming, take up a recreational sport, throw a ball with them outside? I know they might be busy, but are you so busy that you can watch your child eat themselves into obesity??

It all coincides. Because then you have fathers like Mr. Rose, who really wants his kids to play outside, use their imagination and go wild, but unfortunately due to the idiocy that is New Orleans politics, his kids are limited to lame under-kept parks.

And so goes the cycle. We need to end it. We need to make sure every child has access to incredible and safe parks. We need to give them some outlet where they can be fit without going to a personal trainer! We need to encourage our kids to use their imaginations and have fun outdoors even if they don't have a Kaboom! park. We need to make sure our kids know that being active isn't a chore (like going to the gym to be with your trainer) but that it's a part of life. And it's a fun part of life. We need to go outside with the kids, and teach them "balance" on our own.

They're not going to be children forever, and the values you instill in them now will last a lifetime. So come home early from work, don't go to the gym, stop going to happy hour drinks, don't sign up for another professional association and GET HOME and PLAY WITH YOUR KIDS.

I've found some more interesting health news that works best in the "brief" format.

1. The first one I'll feature is definitely my favorite: Wine may curb cavities! This study was done by Italian researchers, go figure... us Italians like our wine, right? Well now there may be yet another reason to keep drinking that one glass a night. Read the article for more info.
   
   
2. If you're one of the millions of Americans who suffer from chronic constipation, going to the drug store to get laxatives isn't the best way to treat your problem. Getting enough fluid in your body is way more important. This article outlines how much fluid is needed and why water could be the answer to your ailment.
   
   
3. Want to stop smoking? Need to lower your blood pressure? Want to start exercising more? New research shows that by tackling all these problems at once, you might have a better chance at successfully changing your behavior. Read about it here.
   
   
4. Pregnant? Eat your Omega-3s (found in fish like salmon, sardine, and tuna and fish oil) and it may hike your baby's IQ. It's funny though, because I though pregnant women should limit fish intake because of mercury levels?

And now this is just adorable. I saw it on FitSugar. Look at the picture below and guess who is happy with themselves for putting in a great workout... (Click on the picture to find out who it is!)

Find out who it is here. 

I found this feature on ivillage that helps you pick foods that meet whatever your "diet" might be - whether it's low-calorie, anti-aging, athletic-endurance, low-sugar, etc. The premise of the feature (the one that I really like) is that we need to be eating real food - and as the author said "food that our grandmothers would have recognized as food"

I love this. Our nation is obsessed with processed food. Whether it's the fast food we pick up for lunch or the potato chips we munch on for a snack we're eating food with ingredients that we cannot even pronounce - let alone understand the nutritional nightmare they might inflict on our bodies.

I perused through the low-calorie diet and although a few of the tidbits were interesting, it's not going to be your end-all grocery list for the diet you're following. I liked reading about the facts they listed about each food mentioned. For example, strawberries are very low-calorie (50 calories per cup) but "research shows that extracts from these berries (as well as blueberries) significantly decreased the growth of cervical and breast cancer cells. Compounds in strawberries may also protect your brain and memory."

Take-away from this post - try to add more natural foods into your diet (whether you're on a "diet" or not) and try to eliminate as much processed foods as possible (p.s. by doing this you will really help your check balance, believe me).

 

Ok, so the title to this post may be a little misleading. Like most women, breast cancer has affected my family very personally. Therefore, all the women in my family over 40 get regular mammograms and the young ones try to live healthy lifestyles to ward off the chance of getting this nasty disease.

When I saw this article about a new study about lifestyle and breast cancer survival, I knew I was going to post about it here.

Previous research by Harvard found that women who exercised 3-5 hours a week (that's equivalent to 3 - 1 hours sessions at the gym, not difficult) reduces the risk of dying with breast cancer by 50%!!

This new study looked at both exercise and diet. They studied about 1,500 women with early stages of breast cancer none of which were told how to eat or how to exercise. They found that regardless of weight, the women who ate five or more servings of vegtables and fruit a day and exercised regularly reduced the risk of dying by half.

Moral of the story: eat right and exercise.