Pencil Thin

For the last two months I have been working out religiously EVERY single day of the week. My neighbor and I meet each morning at 6:15 am and walk 2 miles at a fairly fast clip. She is a good 4 inches taller than me so I am not sure she would agree on the “clip” part but I am definitely walking fast. In addition to this I get a second workout in each evening and rack up another 2 miles of walking on my treadmill at a pretty decent incline. Thus far I am not seeing at dramatic of change as I would expect. I think the time has come to add some other components to my fitness/health regime. I used to drink a fair amount of green tea and got out of the habit. This is something I need to do again because I have been reading wonderful reports about Japanese green tea for weight loss. The other thing I need to do is add a weight lifting or strengthening component to my workouts.

Given that my clothes are definitely looser I have to believe that despite the lack of serious movement of the scale that I am building muscle. Everything I have read suggests that I am doing the right things and will eventually see the scale move in the direction I want it too. Either way I feel better, have more energy, and enjoy my workouts. At this rate though I am starting to wonder just how much muscle you can “create” ?

Last night I was rifling through my desk and stumbled across a gift certificate that I completely forgot I had been given. Some dear friends gave me a very nice gift certificate to a local salon when our littlest man was born some 10 months ago! This is going to sound crazy but I think the last time my hair was professionally done was 3 years ago. Now don’t get some crazy vision in your head about what I look like because I actually get compliments on my hair frequently and requests for the name of my stylist LOL. I started cutting my own hair when I was a tween and have just continued on since then. Once in a blue moon I will break down and go in for a trim. It has gotten to the point that I actually feel anxious about letting someone else touch my hair. Between that and how much I hate making small talk with stylists it sets the stage for awkwardness on my part once I arrive. This is not to say I am not excited to be able to go and thankful for the gracious gift my friends so thoughtfully gave, I just wish I weren’t such a salon phobic. My husband was shocked to hear I had scheduled an appointment for this evening! I feel like I am going on a blind date instead of getting my hair done

Despite our weekend being very overcast I noticed this morning that my son had a bit of sunburn on the tops of his ears. This means the time is now here to be vigilant about sunscreen and sun protection. I always opt for the highest rating when I buy sunscreen but wondered if there are any guidelines out there for choosing sunscreen. My family is very fair and burn easily so it is the highest rating always for us. These are a few tips I gleaned in my research:

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. The higher the SPF number, the better protection against the sun’s harmful UVB rays. The SPF number lets you know how much longer you can stay out of the sun without burning. For example, if it takes 15 minutes for a person to burn, an SPF 15 will allow them to stay out in the sun 15 times longer without burning.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends wearing an SPF of 15 or higher for maximum protection. SPF is available in factors from 2-60. Does highest mean the best protection? Not necessarily. An SPF of 50 only provides 1-2% more protection than an SPF30.

Everywhere I turn lately there is something expounding on the benefits of drinking water. Certainly we should all drink more water. An ideal amount is eight 8oz glasses per day. It however possible to drink too much water. While most of us are not fool hearty enough to do this you can incur something called “water intoxication” from drinking excessive amounts of water.

At its most basic, water intoxication occurs when a person drinks so much water that the other nutrients in the body become diluted to the point that they can no longer do their jobs. You’ve probably heard the term electrolyte before, whether in reference to sports drinks (which provide electrolytes in addition to fluids) or to certain conditions, such as bulimia or diarrhea, that cause dangerous “electrolyte imbalances” in the body. Electrolytes are simply salt ions (atoms with an overall positive or negative charge) that cells use to move fluids and nerve messages into and out of cells and throughout the body. Without electrolytes, the body can’t function (see What are electrolytes? for a more detailed description). Water intoxication causes an electrolyte imbalance that affects concentrations of the ion sodium, and it leads to a condition called hyponatremia.

Mild intoxication may remain asymptomatic and require only fluid restriction. In more severe cases, treatment consists of:

* Diuretics to increase urination, which are most effective for excess blood volume
* Saline given intravenously to restore sodium electrolyte levels
* Vasopressin receptor antagonists

It always amazes when I step on the scale and in one day my weight fluctuates up or down by several pounds. Lately I have been tracking this and it seems to be directly related to my salt intake. If I eat a diet heavy in prepared foods and sodium I can most definitely expect my weight to be higher the next day. Commercially prepared foods are often ladened with sodium making the transition to whole foods and home cooked foods such a better option.

So how do you identify foods high in sodium? The best way to determine sodium content is to read food labels. The Nutrition Facts label tells you how much sodium is in each serving. It also lists whether salt or sodium-containing compounds are ingredients. Examples of these compounds include:

* Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
* Baking soda
* Baking powder
* Disodium phosphate
* Sodium alginate
* Sodium nitrate or nitrite

How fat is too fat? I have been wondering what is an ideal BMI so that I can set some realistic goals for myself. One thing I find increasingly frustrating is to be working out consistently and not seeing dramatic movement on the scales. I have to remind myself often that I am building muscle mass and that this will often counterbalance fat lost. Given my clothes are looser and my frame is starting to show better definition I have to believe my workouts are working. Check out this BMI info:
Your ideal weight and fat-lean ratio varies considerably for men and women and by age, but the minimum percent bodyfat considered safe for good health is 5% for males and 12% for females. The average adult body fat is closer to 15%-18% for men and 22%-25% for women.

Athletes tend to be at low end of this scale due to the increased lean weight (muscle mass) of top athletes. While low levels of bodyfat seem to be related to improved performance, body composition alone is not a great predictor of sports success. A linebacker needs to have enough body mass (lean and fat weight) to generate high forces and avoid injury. Bodyfat amoung elite athletes vary largely by sport. There is little evidence benefit when men drop under 8% and women drop under 14% bodyfat.

I keep getting these stiff necks and am at a loss as to why they are occurring. Presently, I am trying yet another new pillow to see if this gives me any relief. Did you know that stiff necks can also be treated with yoga? I am about ready to try anything at this point. Here are a couple moves that are supposed to relieve a stiff neck:

1. Bent-Over Back Soother Stand up facing your desk. Grip the edge with your hands shoulder-width apart and your thumbs hanging down. Take several steps back until your spine is parallel to the floor. Breathe softly. Push into the desk with your hands, and drop your head between your arms. Hold this stretch for three breaths, release, and stand up as you inhale. This maneuver pleasantly stretches your shoulders and upper back muscles.

2. . Neck-Loosening Nod Again, start with good seated posture. Drop your chin forward a few inches, about halfway to your chest. Turn your chin toward your right shoulder until you start to feel a stretch. Do not lift your chin, but keep it pointed down toward your chest. Reach up over your head with your right arm, placing your right palm on the left back crown of your head. Still keeping your chin lowered, push until you feel a stretch in the left side of your neck and your upper left shoulder. Hold for three to five breaths. Return to the starting position. Repeat on the left side.

We are having a few people at our house this weekend leaving me looking for low carb breakfast ideas. This one sounds good because other people likely will not realize they are eating low carb

Quiche with Flaked Ham and Swiss Cheese

4 large eggs
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups half and half cream (use heavy cream instead)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
4 oz. grated Swiss cheese
13 oz. canned flaked ham (2 cans)
1 medium sweet red pepper, sliced in about 1/4″ strips

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium size mixing bowl, add eggs, cream cheese, half and half, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste at this point. Layer grated Swiss cheese, flaked ham and half of the sliced red pepper strips in bottom of pie dish. Pour the egg mixture on top. Top the remaining sliced red pepper strips around the pie, placing strips from the centre to outside like spokes in a wheel). Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Test for doneness by sticking a wood tester or toothpick into centre, if done, should come out dry. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serves 6

This just happens to be one of my favorite breakfasts right now so I thought I would go ahead and share it. I like to mix it up and add some sugar free Da Vinci syrup for a little added oomph.

Breakfast on the Go

1 cup of coffee
2 Necta sweet tabs (saccharine equalling 2 tsp. sugar)
“correct” amount of half & half for the coffee
1 scoop designer protein chocolate flavor
5 or 6 ice cubes.

Blend away…. Thick, but you can drink it through a straw.

One of the things I like about these recipes is that you don’t have to buy unusual items to make these meals…no guar gum, no flax seed, no whey protein powder, no things-you’ve-never-heard-of-and-don’t-know-where-to-buy sort of ingredients.

Broiled Salmon with Maple Mustard Glaze
To insure even cooking, buy salmon cuts from the middle of the fillet, not the narrow tail end. When portions are the same thickness, they cook evenly.

1/3 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, pushed through a press
1/4 tsp salt
4 8-oz salmon fillets 1″ thick

In a small heavy saucepan combine syrup, water, mustard, garlic, and salt and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup. Cool.

Heat broiler. Arrange salmon, skin side down, on oiled rack of broiler pan and season with salt. Broil salmon 4″ from heat source, 6 minutes. Brush with sauce and broil until just cooked through, about 4 minutes more.

Cajun Chicken with Cauliflower

Straight from the low carb chefs in the bayous of Louisiana, this recipe comes to you.

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1″ pieces
1/8 tsp garlic powder
5 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 to 2 tsp pepper
1 teaspoon dried whole basil
1 teaspoon dried whole marjoram
1 teaspoon dried whole oregano

Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder; set aside. Combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients except cauliflower in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chicken, and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30, minutes or until tender. Serve over steamed cauliflower.

Enjoy this low carb recipe.

When it comes to taking care of ourselves preventive care is one of the best gifts we can give our bodies. Sadly preventive care is something that most people simply overlook. Often the first time people see a doctor is only when they are symptomatic. For some of us the sight of white lab coat just invokes a feeling of anxiousness we can’t explain. Other people seem unable to make the time or feel odd going to the doctor’s when they are feeling well.

As a health care provider I can attest to just how helpful it can be to see patient’s when they are at their best. This is a great time to obtain baseline measures and establish a point of reference for future comparison. Preventive care is a set of measures taken in advance of symptoms to prevent illness or injury. In many instances health care provider’s can curb disease or arrest illness very early on in patient’s who are seen routinely. The emphasis is on preventing illnesses before they occur. This can be a simple as getting regular annual physicals and wellness checks. Your doctor can advise you as to any specialized testing or screening that is recommended based on your individual needs.

My mail man probably hates me because of the sheer volume of mail he has to bring to my house each week. To appreciate why I would say this you really need to understand his plight. You see I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to magazines. Every member of my house receives a variety of subscriptions. Among our weekly distribution are a number of free trial subscriptions, professional journals, hobby, health, children’s, and general interest magazines.

The issues I most look forward to are the health magazines like Shape. Simply leaving this magazine lay out on my kitchen counter is often just the nudge I need to make healthy choices. It really is hard to shove a brownie in your mouth when Kelly Ripa’s skinny little body is staring back at you. I have been tempted to put an issue in the fridge but that might be going just a bit too far. Maybe the mail man will one day thank me for giving him that little extra bit of a cardio vascular workout lugging my magazines around each week?

When I started this blog it was going to have a focus on my journey towards a healthier lifestyle. For a period of time I was very diligent about posting different facts about my diet, exercise, and fitness goals. Then as often happens life got in the way and I drifted off towards general health issues. Healthy living is still a priority in my life and one that I have recently rededicated myself to. For the last several weeks I have been waking up on purpose at 6 am to go walking with my neighbor. This really is insane on my part considering my 9 month old wakes up at 5 am for a “snack”. Needless to say I have been sticking with it and am feeling surprisingly good. You really can’t wiggle out of walking when you make a date for this early. I certainly wouldn’t call my friend at 6 am to cancel. We walk for 40 minutes and cover 2.1 miles each day. I have then been sneaking in a second workout in the evening on my treadmill for 30-40 minutes and another 2 miles. Don’t tell my friend but I felt I needed this to build up my endurance to keep up with her on our walks. She has much longer legs that I do…

My second walk also helps to counter balance the fact that in a moment of desperation I am still known to make a meal out of Pop Tarts and Diet Coke ( I did upgrade to that new nasty Diet Coke with vitamins and minerals). This second walk is also to make up for my envy that she gained twice as much weight as I did during our shared time of pregnancy recently and has lost all of it and more with no effort…

Maybe I should reconsider the Pop Tarts and the second work out my have more of an impact LOL.

We all have a few vices and I am going to come clean on one of mine. The simple truth is I love gum. In fact I love it too much and have been known to consume large packs in minutes. The real kicker here aside from the calories and damage to my teeth is that I swallow it. No one ever taught me to spit it out. In fact spitting it out goes against everything in my being. My gum chewing had gotten so bad that I had to stop buying it completely. This week however I have fallen back into my bad habit because two 10 packs of Juicy Fruit made their way into my shopping cart because “I had a coupon”. Now one 10 pack is gone and I just cracked the other open. I need help. No really I need to just throw the other 9 packs away and stick to my original plan of banning gum from my being.

And to put an old wive’s tale to rest here is the scoop per the Mayo Clinic on swallowing gum:

Although chewing gum is designed to be chewed and not swallowed, it isn’t harmful if swallowed. An old wives’ tale suggests that swallowed gum sits in your stomach for seven years before it can be digested. But this isn’t true. If you swallow gum, it’s true that your body can’t digest it. But the gum doesn’t sit in your stomach. It progresses relatively intact through your digestive system and is excreted in your stool.

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