Jan
6
Weekend Roundup - Storm Edition
Filed Under Weekend Roundup | Leave a Comment
It’s Sunday here in California. There’s a storm outside and I have a cold. For the first time in three years I spent an entire weekend doing absolutely nothing. I feel lazy, even though I know I should be resting and trying to recover from this cold. Maybe I should start a blog about recovering health fanatics who need to learn how to relax 
And what that, here are a few articles I thought you might find useful:
From BMJ.com we have an article about some common myths about our bodies and the truth behind them. I thoroughly believe that the most useful thing you can do to improve your health is to learn about your body. Don’t just take advice blindly. Learn why certain things are good and others bad. Figure out how your body uses fat, protein and carbs. Research what the effects of exercise are. There’s so much information out there, it’s a shame not to educate yourself about your health.
@BMJ
From the Post Bulletin we have this article about a man who changed his life and turned his health around. I usually don’t post these types of stories but every once in a while it’s nice to know there are others who are struggling with the same problems we are, and succeeding. Note some details from this article. Tom didn’t go on a diet “he just changed what he ate.” That’s an important lesson. Diets rarely work because they are temporary changes to our lives. For real results you need to change your lifestyle permanently.
@Post Bulletin
From Portfolio.com we have this rather scathing review of the book “eat this, not that.” I chose to link to this review because I firmly believe in some of the points it makes. First of all, there’s no such thing as a diet that targets belly fat. If you want to lose belly fat you will need to lose fat all over. Second, I find diet books to be rather useless. They all repeat the same things over and over. Basic lesson, eat healthy and don’t overdo the fats or the processed carbs. Do we really need a dozen books telling us this over and over?
@Portfolio.com
And let’s finish this up with some useful bit of information from the American Chronicle. Namely, this is an article about the benefit of fish oil to health. Namely, the article discusses the properties of Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. Please note that these acids can also be obtained from vegetable sources, so us vegetarians aren’t out of luck.
@The American Chronicle
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Jan
4
Should You Work Out While You’re Sick?
Filed Under Exercise, Health, Work Out | 3 Comments
First, a disclaimer. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, simply my own experience.
Today’s post is inspired by the cold I woke up with this morning. I have a sore throat and a mild fever. In the past, I would have pushed myself to workout even in this condition. To do otherwise would seem like cheating to me. I felt guilty over not working out and the sickness seemed like just an excuse. However, I’ve seen realized how silly this is.
Working Out Might Make Things Worse
Workouts, especially strenuous ones like cardio, take a lot out of your body. You’re sweating, you’re tired and your body is straining to keep up. Now you’re trying to do this while also fighting off some illness. It’s just too much. The few times I’ve worked out while sick I’ve actually made things worse rather than better. I would get a slight endorphin rush while working out but, once that wore off, I felt sicker than I did before. Let your body rest and give it time to fight off the illness.
Danger to Yourself
While sick, your coordination suffers. You’re paying less attention and you’re tired. That’s a recipe for disaster while working out. You won’t pay attention to where you’re running on the treadmill or you’ll drop a weight on your foot because you coughed while lifting it. A gym can in fact be a dangerous place and it’s no place to be while sick.
Danger to Others
Also, by working out while sick you’re being irresponsible with your fellow gym goers. You’re quite literally spreading germs over every weight and machine you touch. That’s unfair to those around you who are trying to get healthier, not sicker.
A Mild Workout Might Be Fine
What I found works for me is a very mild and slow workout which is essentially just stretching. I spend about 5 to 10 minutes stretching or doing slow exercises with no weight. Nothing too strenuous, no lunges or crunches. Just enough to get my body warmed up. That actually seems to make me feel better and healthier.
Summary
Remember, your body is busy fighting off a sickness. It might not have enough resources to do that and workout at the same time.
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Jan
2
The Middle Eastern Lifestyle
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Habits, Motivation | 9 Comments
My wife and I just came back from two weeks in Israel. The trip was mostly for visiting family but we also got some quality tourist time at places like Eilat, Jerusalem and Masada. I’ll save the details for my personal blog, but there were a few things that I thought were very appropriate for 60 in 3. First and foremost were my observations on the Middle Eastern lifestyle.
A Notable Lack of Obesity
The first thing I noticed was the lower rate of obesity. This is not to say that everyone was slender and in shape, there were some overweight individuals. However, the rate of obesity was much lower than I was used to from the US. To make this even more puzzling, most people I met were not gym goers. There were very few Israelis who worked out on a regular basis and the streets were markedly lacking in the joggers that we’ve become used to here in the US. Curious about how Israelis maintain their health, I did a bit of unofficial research. I talked to the people I met about what they ate and how I lived their lives. These are the differences I observed in the life of the average Israeli compared to that of the average American.
The Differences
Less snacking - Very few Israelis seemed to snack. When they did snack, I saw more fruit than candy bars.
Less liquid calories - I saw virtually no one drink sodas with the exception of a few drinking diet coke. I also saw no one carrying around those large latte cups. Starbucks by the way, tried to enter Israel but had to close its stores because they were so unprofitable.
Light dinner - People ate a very light dinner. It typically consisted of a bit of bread and some cheese with some fruit and vegetables thrown in. Lunch was the main meal of the day it was eaten at around 1pm.
Consistent breakfast - Everyone I met ate breakfast. This wasn’t the heavy eggs and bacon breakfast we’re used to from the US. Instead, it was usually some cheese, perhaps a pastry and some fruits and vegetables.
Activity level - While they didn’t frequently go to the gym, Israelis did keep very active. This ranged from my father who went dancing every other day and walked every morning, to my uncle who walked a few miles every evening. There’s also a lot of weekend activity such as hiking or biking.
Lack of car culture - This is related to activity level but I wanted to separate it a bit since I thought it was important. Israelis use public transportation a lot more than Americans. They walk to the bus or to the train and they walk to work. At night, when they go out, they walk around with friends. They go to school using their legs instead of their car. It was a noticeable difference and I think it has a huge impact.
Less meat - I didn’t meet a single vegetarian Israeli, but all of them ate less meat than most Americans. Not only that, but they usually ate healthier meats. I saw no pork and very little beef. Instead, I saw a lot of lamb and chicken.
Lower fast food consumption - In the entire ten days, I never once heard someone say “we just came back from McDonald’s.” They do exist but they seem less popular than in the US. The standard Israeli fast food is falafel, which is healthier than a typical Big Mac.
What Does It All Mean?
It means that Israelis do naturally what we try to force ourselves into. Rather than spend a lot of time at the gym, they simply live a healthy lifestyle. I think it’s something we can all learn from.
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