Oct
19
I was helping my mom clean our her storage shed yesterday and, while I’m usually careful in how I lift things, I managed to really twist my back out of shape. Note to self, never try to lift a five drawer file cabinet in a confined space using only my back. It just doesn’t work. Anyway, a bit of rest should do me good.
And with that, here are some articles for this week’s roundup:
From the personal finance blog Wise Bread, we have this article about which produce is best bought organic. Personally, I try to buy everything organic but I can see why this would be useful since sometimes you have limited resources and need to make a choice.
@Wise Bread
Speaking of organic, here’s an article from the IF Life about meat, and why your doctor’s warnings can sometimes be wrong. I heartily agree with this. Meat, in and of itself, is not the problem. It’s the overly processed, too many chemicals meat we normally eat that’s the problem. Yes, we do eat a bit too much meat in general, but if we switched this meat to a healthier variety, a lot of the harmful health risks associated with meat would go away.
@The IF Life
And if we’re talking about good vs. bad food. Here’s a meal suggestion from the Nutrition Research Center. I have to say, Pumpkin Hummus sounds a bit odd but hey, I’m willing to try it. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 
@Nutrition Research Center
From Trying Fitness, we have this great article about ergonomic exercises to try when you need to relieve the strees of work. I’m a big supporter of this and I think we all should take a 5 minute stretch break every hour or two.
@Trying Fitness
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Oct
17
Should I Get A Yearly Physical?
Filed Under Healthy Habits, Illness and Injury | 1 Comment
As many of you who read 60 in 3 know, I am not the biggest fan of the modern medical system. I think we have a tendency to overmedicate when we should be solving the problem in more natural ways. Got a cholesterol problem? Take some medication (but you really should be eating healthier). Got a weight problem? Take some medication (but you really should be exercising more). It seems like medication is the answer to problems that are better addressed through healthier living. So with this said, I think I surprised one of my friends when I told him I was going to schedule my yearly physical soon. He assumed that I avoid doctors altogether.
First Things First
I don’t avoid doctors. If I have an issue that needs medical attention, I have it taken care of by a doctor. If I broke my leg, I certainly wouldn’t expect it to heal through healthier living and I would definitely go to a doctor. Actually, I would immediately go to the ER but that’s pretty much the same as seeing a doctor soo…
Second Things Second
I don’t avoid all medication. A few months ago I happened to hike right into a patch of poison oak, a plant that leaves amazingly itchy welts. After a miserable night of little to no sleep thanks to constant itching, I went to the doctor and got some Prednizone (I think that’s how it’s spelled) which made things a lot better.
So What Do I Do?
I trust doctors to have my best interest in mind. However, I am also aware of the fact that they are under a lot of pressure (usually by their patients) to solve everything through medication. Patients don’t want to hear “you’re overweight because you eat too much and exercise too little, you need to eat less and exercise more for the rest of your life.” They want to hear “you have a medical condition and here’s a little pill you can take twice a day to make it better.”
Ironically, many doctors are quite relieved to hear “so doc, what can I do to make this condition better?” They know that overmedicating is a problem but they can’t do much about it. The patients demand it and the pharmaceutical industry is only too happy to oblige. I’m lucky enough to have a doctor who’s honest and not afraid to tell me some things are better solved through lifestyle changes and not medicine.
When I first started losing weight is also when I started going to yearly physicals. I told my doctor I wanted to change my life and she told me how. She suggested what to eat, what not to eat and how to exercise. She even gave me a few tips on jogging thanks to her own experience running marathons. I’ve stayed with that doctor and I’ve also kept the habit of yearly physicals.
But Why The Physical If I’m Healthy Now?
Remember, leading a healthy life doesn’t make me immune to disease. It makes diseases like cancer less likely, but not impossible. So yes, my physicals usually consist of my doctor telling me I’m fine and then she and I chat about long distance running but that’s still not a waste of time. They’re a way for me to know that everything really is fine and that, if something is wrong, we catch it early enough to make a difference.
Also, the yearly physical is a way for me to get a professional opinion about my health from someone who knows far more than me. Should I lose more weight? Am I stressing my joints too much by running? (My doctor is the one who told me I shouldn’t run five days a week and I thank her for that great advice) Am I eating enough or too much? What do I need to do in order to eat healthy while being a vegetarian? All of these are things your doctor can help you with.
So yes, the answer to this post’s question is “absolutely!” Everyone should get a yearly physical regardless of what shape they’re in. Actually, I think there is some age below which it’s ok for a man to get a physical every two years. I’m not sure about that though, so maybe you should ask your doctor while getting that physical
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Muscles don’t deflect bullets, and they don’t make you immune to cancer either.
EDIT - Unless you’re my friend Greg, who pointed out to me after reading this post that he can indeed deflect bullets with his muscles!
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Oct
15
Dealing With Stress
Filed Under Healthy Habits, Stress | 3 Comments
What does stress have to do with fitness? A lot! Stress is one of the leading causes of bad health. It can affect you in many ways, from higher blood pressure and cholesterol to irregular heart beats and loss of muscle tone. It can also have indirect affects such as causing obesity through stress eating. In fact, stress is another one of those items, like motivation, that has a tremendous impact on on our health, even though most of us don’t notice it.
Stressful Times
The reason I’m writing this is because the past few months have been stressful times for all of us. We have a crucial election coming up, our government seems to be inept and/or mired in corruption, our financial markets can’t decide if they’re collapsing or not and our retirement plans are taking a roller coaster ride right along with the markets.
There’s no doubt that these are stressful times. People are worried about their finances, their homes and their future, and I can already see some of the stress induced activity this is causing. Over the past few months I’ve seen or heard:
- A coworker telling me he hasn’t been going to the gym because he’s just too worried about his retirement plan.
- Coworkers stress eating junk food like donuts
- A family member complain about irregular heart beats any time she thinks about her retirement plan
- A friend tell me he hasn’t been sleeping well because of worries about his mortgage
Lack of sleep, heart problems, stress eating, not exercising. These are all going to negatively impact your health, and that’s going to add one more thing for you to stress out about.
Deal With It
I’m not a psychologist, a therapist or even a financial adviser. I don’t have the solution to all your problems. However, I can tell you that you need to deal with your stress or let it go. If you don’t, you’re going to ruin your health and is that really what you need right now? Do you need to deal with the guilt of binge eating or trips to the doctor right now? Isn’t there enough on your plate already? Find a way to deal with your stress now, before it consumes you.
A Few Recommendations That Work For Me
- Ask yourself, can I do anything about this? If there’s something you can do then do it. If there’s nothing you can do then admit to yourself that you can’t do anything about it and move on. For example, there’s nothing I can do about the credit markets. So I’m not going to stress about them. There is a lot I can do about improving my own finances, so I’ll go ahead and do it.
- On a related note. If you’re stressed about something you can’t do anything about, distract yourself with something you can accomplish. I am a campaign volunteer for one of the presidential candidates. I also donated a bit of money to his campaign. That is all I can do at the moment considering my limited time and budget. However, I occasionally find myself concerned about the election or annoyed at some of the articles I see out there. Rather than stressing myself out, I go and do something productive. It can be something as simple as washing the dishes or working on the yard, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment. It allows me to feel like I’ve done something which makes me feel less stressed about things I can do nothing about.
- Take a walk. Walking can be very relaxing, especially if you toss in some other distraction like music or a dog. You’ll come back home or to work refreshed and ready to face your problems, at which point it might be a good idea to ask yourself that question above.
- Talk. Talking to a loved one or a friend is great. They might have a new perspective on the problem or they might have good suggestions on how to deal with the issues causing you stress. Plus, the very act of talking and sharing will often make me feel better.
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These are just a few suggestions of things that work for me. Maybe there are others that work for you. Have you considered yoga? Meditation? Dance? Taking a class? Reading a book? Whatever it is, deal with your stress before it deals with you. Because you definitely don’t need something else to worry about right now.
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Oct
13
Try This Evening Workout
Filed Under Work Out | Leave a Comment
I’ve always had issues with evening workouts. At the end of the workout I’m too sweaty and too awake to go to bed, which means I don’t get enough sleep. And since I’m not a morning person, I usually work out in the afternoon. However, I recently found a little evening workout that sounds really promising.
The Key Is Pace
Rather than being an all out workout, this one is more of a stretching routine. It doesn’t involve high weights or high reps, just a low number of reps with body weight exercises done at a very slow pace. In fact, it’s a VERY slow pace. Each rep should take you about 10 seconds, which is slow enough to be relaxing.
The Exercises
Toe Touches - Stand up straight. Now slowly start bending down, keeping your legs straight, until your finger touch your toes. Do this very slowly (take at least 5 seconds to get all the way down) and go back up at the same slow pace. Do this five times and take a five second break between each rep.
Calf and Arm Raises - Stand up straight with your arms at your side. Now slowly go up on your tip toes. As you do this, raise your arms as far up above your head. Again, keep a slow pace. Going all the way up should take you at least 5 seconds and the way back down should be as slow. Try to inhale on the way up and exhale on the way down. Again, 5 reps and take a five second break between each rep.
Leg Lifts - Lie down flat on your back. Now slowly raise your feet until your legs form a 30 degree angle with the ground. Keep your legs straight and your feet together while you do this. 3 seconds to move the feet up, followed by 4 to 5 seconds of keeping them in place (you may want to try moving your feet around in little circles while you do this) and then take 3 seconds to bring your feet back down. Take a five second break between each rep.
Arm Lifts and Curls - Stand up straight with your arms at your side. Slowly raise your arms up while keeping them straight until your arms are pointing straight out ahead of you. At this point, make sure your palms are facing up. Now slowly curl your arms in by bending the elbow, keeping your upper arms steady. Once you’ve completely curled your arms in, pause for a second, uncurl your arms to the straight out position and then lower your arms back down to your side. Again, 5 reps with a 5 second break in between each.
That’s it, that’s the workout.
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By the way, this workout can also be used as a good stretching routine for times when you’ve been sitting down for too long, like on an airplane (although you may want to take out the leg lifts at that point).
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Oct
12
Weekend Roundup - Dogpark Edition
Filed Under Weekend Roundup | Leave a Comment
We just came back from the dog park where our little puppy, Daisy, spent a couple of hours running around like mad chasing everything in sight and playing with any dog that looked willing. She came home covered in mud and exhausted but also very happy. We’re tired just trying to keep up with her.
And now, on to some interesting health articles.
Earlier in the week I talked about ways to spot a fad diet. Well, the Diet Blog has a similar post which asks “Is your diet a cult?”
@The Diet Blog
Over at Almost Fit, they’re talking about 10 ways to build momentum with your weightloss plan. I liked this article even though it focuses a bit too much on weightloss, which I think is only one component of fitness. Motivation is key and the tricks mentioned in this article are a great way to keep yourself motivated.
@Almost Fit
The following article is not for people who are easily offended. It features a man by the name of Jack Lalanne who, for those who don’t know him, is one of the legends in the fitness community. Jack is extremely outspoken and can sometimes get a bit graphic, but I think he’s spot on in most cases. I just hope I’m in as good a shape as him when I hit my 90’s. So take a look at this article from the IF Life which introduces Jack to a whole new generation.
@The IF Life
And if you want more information about Lalanne, here’s an article from Outside Magazine which features more of the man and his philosophy.
@Outside Magazine
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Oct
10
A Healthy Snack Alternative!
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Healthy Meal Ideas, Snacks | 3 Comments
As a nation, the French tend to be on the wrong end of many jokes. However, as a nation, the French are also in far better shape than many other countries, even though they don’t exercise a lot. Most experts attribute this to two things:
- A more active lifestyle that involves a lot of activities like walking and dancing.
- A better diet that doesn’t involve as much processed junk.
So today, I thought we would look at a great snack idea that’s been a French tradition for centuries.
Yep, you got it, it’s a simple dish of apples and cheese.
Surprised?
You shouldn’t be. This is one of the simplest and yet healthiest snacks out there. No empty carbs, plenty of fiber to fill you up and enough fat and protein to keep you from feeling hungry later on.
A Few Tips
- Don’t overdo the cheese, it is high in calories, and try to choose healthier options. Avoid the dreaded “cheese slices” in their individual little plastic wrapping. I don’t know what those are but I think they’re the cheese equivalent of twinkies.
- Don’t peel the apple. The skin of an apple has much of the nutrients and quite a bit of fiber. If you peel it off, you’re left with something too high in sugars.
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That’s it, a perfect snack for any day of the week.
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Oct
8
Actually, maybe I should add “If you’re a guy” to the end of this post’s title. That’s because the two exercises I’m talking about are Lying Leg Adductions and Thigh Abduction. For some reason, whenever you mention thigh exercises to men they automatically think those are not for them. It’s as if only women should have strong thighs while guys should focus on strong biceps. Well, I happen to think that’s ridiculous. Strong thighs are part of a strong core which is going to keep you fit and in shape, and that’s good for both men and women. So without further ado, here are two exercises you may want to incorporate into your routine.
Benefits
Abductions and Adductions both reach a muscle that many of us neglect. Unless you’re a competition horse rider then you might not have very strong thighs. That could lead to injuries and less than peak performance in any activity that involves your legs. That’s because your thighs are the support for your legs. They keep you stable and prevent you from collapsing to either side.
Body Weight Only
First of all, both of these are usually body weight exercises. There are variations with added resistance in the form of exercise bands but that’s a nice to have, not a must have. So assuming you’re doing these as a body weight exercise, that means you don’t need any weights or machines to do them. If you’re trying to decrease or increase difficulty, you’re going to need to do that through slowing or speeding up and changing the number of reps. That said, these exercises are also a great way to stretch and I frequently do a set or two before I run.
Thigh Abduction
This one is pretty easy. just lie down on your side, hold your legs straight and lift up your outside leg. That means that if you’re lying on your right hand side you should be lifting your left leg. Keep lifting until you reach a 45 degree angle but don’t push that too much if you feel any pain in your inner thigh. Now lower your leg and you’re done. You’ve just done a single rep of Thigh Abductions for one of your legs.
If you want to see a video showing this, this link will take you to Cooper’s Guns:
Lying Leg Adduction
If thigh abductions workout your outer thigh, then adductions workout your inner thigh. The idea is the same. Lie on your side and lift your leg. However, instead of lifting your outer leg, you’re going to lift your inner leg. So if you’re lying on your right side, you’re going to lift your right leg. This is a little trickier than abductions because you’re lifting the leg you’re lying on, but with a little practice, it will get easy. Again, don’t push up too high, you don’t want to strain your ligaments. A little 30 degree rise is enough with these if it’s done in a slow and controlled fashion.
Again, if you want to see a video, click on the following link:
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Too many men focus just on their upper body just like too many women focus solely on their legs and butts. Remember, being fit means keeping your whole body in shape, not just a single muscle group.
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