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Sep
30
I spent this morning at the Renaissance Faire here in Northern California. It’s a fun activity for a weekend, although I can’t really take it more than once a year. Still, got to see the vendors, enjoy the shows and and spend time with friends. For those wondering, no I did not have one of those giant turkey legs. I had a great falafel wrap instead. Not quite period authentic but hey, neither are the ATM’s or the Faire itself for that matter. Here’s the link to the Northern California Renaissance Faire and also a link to one of the funniest performers I have ever seen. His name is Moonie the Magnificent and you too can have him perform at your house or social function. He’s well worth every penny. And with that, here are this week’s interesting health articles:
From Cranky Fitness we have this article about yearly physicals. Actually, Crabby is summarizing someone else’s article but hey, she’s the one who pointed it out to me so I’m giving her the credit. It’s an interesting article, especially for someone like me who doesn’t go to the doctor very often. I suppose it makes sense, if you’re going to the doctor for other things on a relatively frequent basis, there’s no point in a general physical, but for me, a yearly visit is still a good idea. I just don’t see my doctor that often so it’s nice to know I’m doing ok.
@Cranky Fitness
From the Diet Blog we have this article about parents, children and proper eating habits. I think childhood is one of the most important times of our lives in terms of learning healthy habits. Even if we lose them later on, it’s still easier to come back to them then it is to discover the from scratch. Parents need to give their kids some freedom, but they can encourage them to be healthy by setting a good example. You’re not doing your kids a favor by letting them be unhealthy, just as you’re not doing yourself a favor by doing the same thing.
@The Diet Blog
From Mark’s Daily Apple we have the 10 rules of aging well. I think Mark mislabeled this post. These are not the 10 rules to aging well, they’re the 10 rules to living well. No matter how old or young you are, these are words to live by.
@Mark’s Daily Apple
And finally, from Chew On That, we have this post about the pleasure of eating grapes. It’s not exactly health related but it caught my eye because so many people use words like these to describe the experience of eating calorie heavy dishes like desserts. Yet here’s someone deriving joy and pleasure from a simple fruit like grapes. This is important folks, good food, the kind that you can eat purely for the pleasure of eating, doesn’t have to be unhealthy.
@Chew On That
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Sep
28
Oh My, I Found A TV Show I Like
Filed Under Exercise | Leave a Comment
Anyone who’s read 60 in 3 for any length of time knows that I don’t watch television. Heck, I don’t even have basic cable. My TV is nothing more than a screen for my DVD player and even this way it doesn’t get much use. I think TV is one of the biggest wastes of time, especially when there are a thousand better activities you could choose. So why would I be recommending a TV show?
Well, before I get into that, I would like to make a proper disclosure. This TV program was brought to my attention by its creators as a way of getting the show more publicity. I frequently get this kind of email from people who want to advertise their fitness products, books, websites and so on. I usually ignore them but this particular email caught my attention.
The Source
First of all, it’s from PBS. I’m a big supporter of public television and radio. I think they’re one of the few places where you can still find quality informational programs and news. Most other networks cater only to advertising dollars, but PBS and NPR (National Public Radio) seem to have a genuine interest in providing good information. It’s one of the reasons why I contribute to both organizations on a regular basis.
The Topic
Second, I found the topic intriguing. This program shows the training process of several individuals as they train for a marathon. Some of them are former athletes and some of them have never run a day in their life, but they’re all training towards the same goal. There’s no contest as far as I can tell, no competition or challenges and no silly elimination rounds. This isn’t about winning, this is simply a documentary about the training and the science behind it.
The Content
The science aspect really won me over. The show focuses not just on the personal issues of the participants but also on the science behind training. I’m a big proponent of knowing your body, learning about it and understanding why it works the way it does. This program has the same mind set. They’re not just showing us routines, they’re also showing us the how and why these training routines were picked. They’re showing us what various exercises do to our bodies and they teach us what works and why.
The Website
Finally, what made me want to write about this program on 60 in 3 was the website. I found it to be full of useful information without any bias or unnecessary advertising. Even if you don’t have any intention of watching the TV series, I would still recommend that you check out the website.
Summary
So without further ado, the program is called Marathon Challenge and it’s presented on PBS. I think it’s available on iTunes but I’m not sure about that. The website can be found here.
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Sep
27
Almost missed this one.
Thank you to the good folks over at Fitbuff who decided to feature my series on steps to getting healthy in their fitness carnival. I appreciate the mention. And any of you who feature 60 in 3 articles on your websites and don’t get mentioned here, please let me know. I get a very high volume of email traffic these days so it’s easy to miss something.
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Sep
27
Good Calories Bad Calories
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Nutrition, Review | 2 Comments
There’s a new book out by author Gary Taubes. In it, he suggests that everything we know about weight control may be wrong. According to Mr. Taubes, overeating and being inactive are not the causes of weight gain. Instead, he claims that the basic cause of fat accumulation is an insulin imbalance caused by overeating refined carbs.
The Good
I heartily agree with Taubes assessment of refined sugars. Things like candy bars, white bread and refined pastas are bad for you. We eat too many of these every day and they’re nothing but empty calories. It’s probably more important to cut these things out of your diet than it is to cut unhealthy fat sources like certain meats.
The Bad
I completely disagree with him on his assessment of exercise. The author seems to believe that exercise is not an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Perhaps he thinks weight control is the only important part of a healthy lifestyle, but even there, exercise is essential. Exercise and being active is what uses up calories. It strengthens our bodies and keeps our systems tuned up. I think Mr. Taubes is catering to the “easy solution” crowd with this book, telling them they don’t need to exercise in order to lose weight. In doing so, he’s doing them a disservice. Exercise will help you lose weight and it will provide you with many other health benefits.
The Ugly
As with the Atkins diet, I’m afraid that many people will misinterpret Good Calories, Bad Calories to mean all carbs are bad. Even Taubes himself does not claim this. In his book, he mentions that leafy greens are just fine and that the “bad” carbs he’s specifically targeting are from refined sources and starchy vegetables like potatoes. So please, even if you do choose to follow this diet, don’t eliminate fruit and vegetables from your diet.
Recommendation
This book felt like a variation on the Atkins idea. As such, I can’t recommend it. I believe Atkins and other diets like it got some things right (eliminating refined carbs from your diet is great) but they also pushed too many people into a mindset that encouraged eating all the meat you want, doing no exercise and eliminating fruit and healthy vegetables from their diets. Stick to what we know works. Eat healthy and be active, the rest will come naturally.
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Sep
26
Appetizers, good or bad?
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Habits | 4 Comments
We’ve all heard this question at a restaurant, “would you like to start out with any appetizers?” Alternatively, we’ve been to restaurants that just bring out something for you to eat while you stare at the menu. It might be bread or it might be chips, but it’s always something easy to munch on mindlessly. For the restaurants, this is part of their appeal. We love free food and we love feeling full. So they give us cheap stuff to fill up on. Appetizers are another crowd pleaser. You order them before your main meal, while you’re still hungry, because you don’t want to wait for the main course. So the restaurant makes more money on you when you really only needed the food that was in your main dish.
So should you eat appetizers? Should you indulge in the bread and chips served for free? The answer is, maybe. Didn’t see that one coming, did you? After all, why should you eat something in addition to the food you’re about to eat in your main course? That doesn’t sound healthy, especially when we’re talking about junk calories like chips. Well, the answer lies in how you’ll behave after eating the appetizer.
The Healthy Side of Appetizers
Appetizers can be a very healthy eating habit. Remember, your body takes a while to realize you’re full. For most people, it can take 20 to 30 minutes before you start feeling satiated. So an appetizer can give you an early start to that full feeling. It’s a message to your body that says “here you go, here’s some food. Now please let me know when I’ve eaten enough so I don’t overeat.” Rather than increasing your appetite, an appetizer can do a good job of making you feel full and stopping you from overeating just as the main course arrives. That’s a good thing. Since most restaurant servings are way too big, an early start on satiation can stop you before you binge.
The Unhealthy Side of Appetizers
The problem with that idea is that most people will eat their entire main course even if they feel full. In this situation, the appetizer provided no benefit. In fact, it was an unhealthy choice since it added calories you didn’t need.
So What’s The Answer?
The answer is based on you. Are you the kind of person who will stop eating when you feel full or do you feel compelled to clean your plate? If you can control your eating then by all means, order an appetizer. Eat it slowly and wait a few minutes between finishing your appetizer and starting your main course. Most restaurants will be happy to do this by the way, just ask. Then, eat your main course slowly and stop when you feel a little full. Take the rest of the food home with you.
Choosing A Healthy Appetizer
An appetizer is not an excuse to be unhealthy. You know that fried onion is bad for you, so why are you ordering it? Do you honestly think ordering a salad for your main course is going to make up for those deep fried cheese sticks you had for an appetizer? Choose something healthy and stay away from the bread and greasy chips.
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Sep
25
Do you hate fat people?
Filed Under Communication, Weight Loss | Leave a Comment
I like to read up on health and fitness. It keeps me informed and educated about a topic I’m interested in. Articles I find interesting are saved and usually linked to in one of my weekend roundup posts. However, I recently saw an article that went beyond interesting reading. It was an opinion piece in the Sunday Herald, a British publication, that discussed the author’s opinion towards people who are obese. The article was provoking in and of itself, but the reader comments that followed it were unbelievable. Here’s the link to the article, the comments are at the bottom.
First, let me clarify my own opinion. I do believe that the vast majority of people who are overweight have only themselves to blame for their condition. Obesity is a relatively simple issue. If calories in are higher than calories out, you’re going to gain weight. If you want to lose weight, reduce your calories in and increase your calories out. And yes, before anyone says it, I am aware of the rare few who have real medical conditions that cause them to be overweight. I’m not talking about them, I’m talking about the rest of obese people who, like me, got that way because of their own choices. However, the article goes a bit too far and the comments following it certainly do.
There’s nothing disgusting or hateful about being overweight. It’s a physical condition like any other. In fact, being overweight used to be a beauty standard back when food was scarce and fat was a sign of wealth and prosperity. There’s also nothing unnatural about fat, it’s actually one of your body’s most natural functions, designed to save you in times of famine and shortages.
Yes, being overweight is a matter of choice, but many people may not even be aware that they’re making a bad choice. It’s not like nutrition and exercise are something that’s taught in our schools. Actually, most of what we know about nutrition comes from advertisements and TV where we learn that sugary breakfast cereals are great and bigger hamburgers are even better!
We don’t have to accept obesity. We don’t have to tell someone who’s massively overweight that they’re just fine. The fact is that they’re not and they know it. However, to go as far as hatred and disgust, that’s a bit much. Even worse, hatred and disgust won’t solve the problem. They just drive overweight people away. If you have a friend or family member who’s overweight, telling them you find them disgusting is certainly not going to be helpful. Perhaps an offer to help would be better. Maybe sharing your own experiences and struggles would work. And yes, being overweight is not an excuse to be rude or inconsiderate towards other people. It is your choice and your responsibility. Don’t expect others to always accept sharing that burden. It’s their choice to help or not help.
Everyone makes bad decisions sooner or later. We can either hate them for it or be willing to help. It’s not too hard to see which one of those options is more productive.
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Sep
24
The Yoga Workout
Filed Under Alternative Workouts, Exercise, Fitness, Work Out | 1 Comment
My wife has been talking about working out for a while now. She’s had back issues that prevented her from doing weight and cardio workouts with me, but those have been getting better lately. She’s already physically active, walking a lot and riding horses, but she wanted a more structured workout that will exercise the whole body. She was looking into a variety of options with the following criteria:
- Convenient - Like me, she has a very busy schedule. The workout had to mesh with her life.
- Affordable - She didn’t want to pay hundreds of dollars a month for a personal trainer and gym.
- Low Strain - She wanted to minimize the risk of injury or of aggravating her old back injuries.
- Interesting - She didn’t want something dull and boring.
- Social - She wanted to work out with someone.
So putting all that together, she came up with a yoga course offered at her company’s gym.
Yoga As A Workout
I’ve never tried yoga myself, but after she described it to me, I got curious enough to research it. Yoga is an ancient tradition originating from India. Unlike most Asian influenced workouts, yoga did not start out as a martial art. Instead, it used to be a form of meditation in which the body was moved through postures and poses to gain a better understanding of the world inside and outside. I’m not going to go into the metaphysical details of yoga since I’m not particularly interested in them and since this is a fitness blog, but if anyone is interested, here’s the Wikipedia article that gives a bit more detail.
What I was interested in was the physical aspect of yoga. Is it really a good workout? Is it more of a cardio workout or a resistance one? Is it just stretching? Well, the answers are going to be slightly different depending on the style of yoga you choose to practice, but for the most part yoga can be an excellent workout with its combination of stretching and resistance training.
Stretching and Posing = Workout
A typical yoga session consists of moving through a variety of postures very slowly and in a controlled manner. The postures themselves can be challenging, although a beginner’s yoga course is not going to ask you to do the splits. Because you move through the poses very slowly, you can actually get a great workout, almost like a weights workout but with very low weight.
Yoga is also excellent for teaching you control of you body and proper posture and form. Rather than quickly moving through exercises, yoga teaches you to slowly move each muscle using controlled gestures rather than jerky movement. You’ll definitely gain a better understanding of your body and how it works after a few yoga sessions. You might even gain some insight into how to properly exercise and maintain good form. In fact, after seeing a few yoga videos, I think most gym goers could benefit from a class or two.
Non physical benefits of yoga
Yoga was originally intended for meditation, and many people still find it relaxing. It’s also a social activity usually done with a group, so if you hate working out alone, you may wish to consider it.
Warning, Expenses Ahead
The only negative to yoga is the slightly higher than usual cost associated with most yoga classes. They’re typically more expensive than the usual gym membership, unless you can find a good deal like my wife did. There’s usually no equipment needed, but the yoga classes themselves can range from $5 to $20 a session.
Summary
If you can afford it, yoga is an excellent workout in addition to or instead of your usual weight lifting. It does not replace cardio but it’s a good form of stretching and resistance training. It won’t build big muscles, but it can tone up existing muscles while teaching you a lot you didn’t know before about your body.
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