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Jul
20
I’m finally back home after a week in New York City. It was a combination school and work trip, which was a lot of fun but also kept me really busy. I didn’t have much time for scheduled workouts but I managed to make up for it in other ways. I walked from School back to the hotel twice, about a 4 mile walk. Both times managing to share the walk with someone else from school. It was a really great way to get to know people, see the city and get a bit of exercise. I also got in some shorter workouts and just kept active in general. It all adds up, and along with controlling my overeating, it made me feel a lot better at the end of the week.
And with that, here are some articles from this week which I thought you might find useful:
My top pick for this week was from the Virtual Medical Center. It talked about the results of a study comparing weight watchers and working out at the gym. Weight watchers, which some people say is the most effective diet system, did help weight loss, but much of the weight loss was muscle tissue and not fat. Not unexpectedly, the study concluded that a mixture of the two is the best recourse. Seems obvious to me, control your eating and exercise. Those are the two keys to maintaining a healthy body.
@Virtual Medical Center
In sadder news, here’s an article from the Chicago Tribune citing the CDC’s announcement that 1 in 4 Americans is now obese. It’s a sad statistic folks but one that we can change rather easily. Take note of the end of the article and the story of Stephanie Salas. It’s not fad diets or pills that help, it’s healthy eating exercise and changes in lifestyle.
@The Chicago Tribune
And if you needed even more reasons to eat better and exercise, here’s an article from Bloomberg citing several studies showing that people from Alzheimer’s benefit from better fitness. Regular exercise led to less brain damage in people diagnosed with the disease.
@Bloomberg
And hey, being healthy isn’t all work as this USA Today article shows. Taking time off and relaxing for a bit can be very beneficial for your health. It lowers your stress levels and lets you focus on the things that really matter. You come back feeling energized and refreshed, easily making up for the brief break from productivity.
@USA Today
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Jul
13
Weekend Roundup - NYC Edition
Filed Under Weekend Roundup | 1 Comment
Actually, I’m not actually in NYC right now, I’m in Princeton, NJ. However, I will be in NYC on Tuesday and will stay there until next Sunday. This is all part of my graduate school program and I’m really looking forward to it. Speaking of which, I still have some stats homework to do! So I’ll keep this brief and move right to this week’s interesting articles:
Mississippi is the heaviest state in the US. More than 30% of residents are obese and less than 30% are a healthy weight. So I found this piece from the Mississippi Daily Journal interesting. It describes one woman’s quest to regain a healthy weight and some of the obstacles she faced. Note how most of the article is devoted to social factors like eating habits and cuisines. I am a firm believer that our society shapes us just as much as we shape it. If we want to be healthy, we really need to live in a healthy society.
@The Daily Journal
How many times have you seen a study that says something is healthy only to immediately here a different study saying the very same thing is unhealthy? It’s confusing sometimes and it can lead us to disbelieve everything we hear and go on with our unhealthy habits. Here’s an article from Reader’s Digest that talks about this issue. It looks at a study that came out recently which sought to examine the benefits of the low fat diet. It’s a great piece which shows just how flawed some studies can be. And remember, you don’t need a lot of fancy rules to eat healthy. Take a look at the following series for some simple guidelines on how to eat healthy.
@Reader’s Digest
From the Washington Post comes this article about the benefits of omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. This is a good primer for people interested in these nutrients and their effects.
@The Washington Post
And let’s wrap today’s post up with this excellent article from the NY Times about muscle health. It’s a wonderful introduction to muscles and all the great things they do for us. It’s also god some valuable information about how to care for your muscles so they can care for you.
@The New York Times
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Jul
6
A few months ago I talked about potential gifts that made sense from a healthy perspective. One of the options I mentioned was a dog. What I should have made clearer in the article (and thank you to those of you who made it very clear in the comments) is that a dog is not a responsibility to be undertaken lightly. They demand a huge amount of attention and resources. Please think very carefully about getting a dog before you go ahead and start looking for one. Make sure you’re ready for the time commitment and the frustration that a puppy brings. A puppy is not just about playing fetch and looking cute. That’s about 5% of the puppy experience. The rest is cleaning up messes, teaching them how to behave, taking them for walks and cleaning up behind them.
I say this because my wife and I recently got a puppy, who we love, but boy is she a lot of work. We’re both experienced dog owners but it’s been a while since we had a puppy and we’re learning all over again how much work it is. So before you get a dog, make sure you’re ready for one and please consider adopting an adult dog from your local shelter or rescue society. They’re less work and they need your love just as much.
And with that little public service announcement (which I think I have made once before), here are some articles from this week that I thought you might find useful:
From Consumer Reports, we get this article about the benefits of Vitamin D and how to balance the risk of being outdoors with your body’s need for sunshine. I’m fair skinned myself which means anything more than 30 minutes in direct sunlight with a sunscreen means a sunburn. So I try to take a few quick walks outside every day and spend the rest of my time indoors or slathered in sunscreen. As with many healthy things, sunlight is good for you, but only in strict moderation.
@Consumer Reports
Here’s an interesting health article from the Seattle Post Intelligencer. It reviews a study that was done on three groups of men. The study’s intent was to measure the effectiveness of various treatments for lowering blood pressure. Turns out that the men who got the most attention, support and information did the best. Not very surprising for most of us, and yet many people still choose to work on their health and fitness alone and with no support. I don’t understand this. If you’re lucky enough to have a network of family and friends eager to support and help you, don’t ignore them.
@Seattle Post Intelligencer
And keeping on topic of social help, here’s a neat article from the Detroit Free Press. It’s a bunch of tips from readers on how they stay healthy. These aren’t health or fitness professionals, they’re just ordinary people like you and me struggling to stay healthy in addition to leading their lives. Take a quick look, maybe you’ll find some useful tips.
The Free Press also put out another similar article which can be found here.
@Detroit Free Press
And now that you’ve heard some tips from ordinary folks, how about some tips from an expert? The UK’s Daily Mirror put out a very useful article that goes over 25 health tips from doctor, nutritionists and other professionals. Some of them are oldies but goodies and a few others are repetitions of things we’ve talked about here on 60 in 3, but there’s useful information here if you’re interested. I found the nutrition section especially enlightening.
@The Daily Mirror
And from the Diet Blog we have this article proving that not all gym exercises are healthy. If you doubt this, wait until the day when I relive my experience with a back exercise called Good Mornings. Trust me, just because it involves weights does not mean it’s a healthy workout. Poor form and poorly thought out exercise can cause injuries that will set you back far more than not exercising at all.
@The Diet Blog
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Jun
29
Weekend Roundup - Resting Edition
Filed Under Weekend Roundup | 3 Comments
I made it home late last night. My back is feeling better but it’s still a bit painful. So I spent the day resting and doing very light work. One high light of my day is the fig tree in our backyard. When we moved in it was looking a bit rundown but a little water later and it’s doing great. I had a few figs with my lunch and they were incredibly tasty. If you have the time and the resources, you may want to try growing some of your own food. It’s a good way to get some physical activity while also letting you save on food costs and obtain some great tasting food.
And with that, here are some articles I thought you might find useful:
This article isn’t exactly fitness related but I found it interesting for a few reasons. It’s about a visit by an American body builder to an Israeli research institute. First, take a look at the man’s picture. That’s about as toned as you can get without drugs. Second, I loved his comment that we are all body builders, some of us just spend more time on it. Finally, read how much time he devotes to this. For all of you, and especially some of the women out there, who are afraid that a few hours at the gym will turn you into a body builder, it takes a lot more effort, time and dedication to get to where this man is. So stop worrying about too much bulk and hit the gym.
@The Jerusalem Post
And while we’re talking about the gym, how about building one at home? A friend of mine sent me a link to the following site. It’s all about constructing workout equipment at home using pretty common materials. If you’re good with tools and looking to work out at home, a bit of PVC piping and some rope might be a better investment than that $600 bowflex machine that will end up collecting dust in your garage.
@No clue what the site name is but it’s cool!
Changing the subject over to nutrition, here’s an article from Nutrition Action that talks about the 10 best and worst foods. Take a look at that “worst” list. Some of these sound healthy but aren’t! A burrito with 1200 calories. YIKES!
@Nutrition Action
US News and World Report isn’t exactly a hotspot of fitness articles, but this one was really impressive. It’s all about ways to increase the efficiency of your workout. Some of the tips have already been reviewed here on 60 in 3 in previous articles, but it’s still good to see them all in one place like this. I highly recommend reading this article and then incorporating some of the tips into your regular gym routine.
@US News and World Report
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Jun
22
Weekend Roundup: Moving Edition
Filed Under Weekend Roundup | 3 Comments
My wife and I moved homes this weekend. The new place is even closer to the downtown and the train station which means less car use. It also has a yard where we can grow some vegetables. Plus the move itself was a heck of a workout. Forget the gym, just try moving an entire household in one weekend. Every muscle in my body is sore and we’re not even close to 50% done.
And on that note, here are some articles I thought you might find useful.
From the UK’s Telegraph newspaper comes this article showing that women who eat a large breakfast tend to lose (and keep off) more weight. That’s something I’ve been preaching for a while, but it’s nice to see some proof. A good breakfast, along with a good night’s sleep and some light activity, is a vital part of starting your day right.
@The Telegraph
Another interesting study comes to us from PsychCentral. This one discusses the benefit of a healthy social network for overall health. This reminds us of two things. First of all, stress is an important factor for poor health and second, your friends and family have a huge amount of influence on your life. Make sure you have a strong social network of people who will support you. The benefits are amazing.
@PsychCentral
One more from the Telegraph. This one talks about a vegan diet and yoga being factors in reducing the risk of cancer. Now I’m not advocating that everyone stop eating meat so maybe we can see this as just one more proof that a life filled with good eating and physical activity is a healthy one. Remember, even little improvements matter. So if you can’t go all vegan, perhaps you could just reduce the amount of unhealthy meat in your diet.
@The Telegraph
And let’s finish this up with an article form our friends at Mark’s Daily Apple. This one talks about how NOT to save money. It’s a pretty simple article but with an important message. Sometimes, what you think of as smart finances, really isn’t. It’s not smart to buy in bulk if you’re buying junk food. Buy something healthier and buy less of it or find a nice cheap source of healthy food. It’s not that hard to do, even in the middle of an urban area.
@Mark’s Daily Apple
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Jun
15
So the combination of work, school and new puppy is taking its toll. I’m barely sleeping and I can clearly see the impact. I’m irritable, prone to snacking and I’m having a hard time concentrating. I can’t stress enough how much sleep is important for a healthy life and I’m planning to get back to a normal sleep schedule this week.
And with that, here are some articles I thought you might find useful:
This article is not directly related to fitness but I thought it might be relevant due to last week’s post about biking. It’s from In York and talks about the connections between the repeal of the helmet law and a greater incidence of deadly motorcycle crashes. Please, if you’re riding a bicycle or a motorcycle, wear a helmet. No one thinks you’re being tough and impressive when you ride down the street without a helmet.
@In York
From Ivanhoe (love the name!) we have a short article about the benefits of eating a variety of local, fresh food. I think this is a great companion to the 5 rules of eating series we discussed here a few weeks ago. Pay close attention to this quote by the way “When you buy a head of iceberg lettuce at the local grocery store, it is typically six to nine weeks old”. Why eat old vegetables when you can eat fresh ones? Try your local farmer’s market or your local produce store. They’ll typically have fresher stuff grown locally.
@Ivanhoe
And here’s another great companion piece to the 5 rules of eating. This time it’s from the Modern Forager blog. It’s called “nutrition 101, The One Rule To Remember” and yes, it’s a very worth while rule. The author’s belief is that we should limit ourselves to eating “real food”. I wholeheartedly agree and I liked the post’s summary of what real food is. Go over there an enjoy the read.
@Modern Forager
Switching it up to a slightly bigger publication. Here’s an article from Time Magazine that talks about how size isn’t always an indicator of health. I’m of two minds on this. Yes, I agree that weight is not a good indicator of health. There are many other better fitness indicators. However, it’s true that too much weight (and too little by the way) is unhealthy. So while I do agree with the approach of fitness first, weight second, I also think this shouldn’t be used as an excuse to be extremely overweight.
@TIME
And from a different kind of Times, here’s an article from the New York Times talking about fitness in our nation’s capital. It’s nice to see how leaders setting a good example for a change. I wish more companies would take on this kind of challenge, maybe our healthcare costs wouldn’t be as bad.
@NY Times
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Jun
9
This weekend roundup is slightly delayed due to the fact that I spent most of my weekend at school. More about that later today. For now though, here are some articles I thought you might find useful:
From the New York Times, we have this piece about the benefit of vacations. One of the things I talk about on 60 in 3 is the need for breaks. I usually recommend multiple short breaks during the day, but the same idea applies to longer breaks from work. In the end, you’ll end up less stressed and more productive, not to mention healthier.
@The New York Times
From Mark’s Daily Apple comes this interesting piece about eating healthy in fast food nation. Yes, it’s possible to eat healthy while going to restaurants like Subway or Carl’s Jr., it’s just not easy. So read this article and find out how to do it.
@Mark’s Daily Apple
And while on the topic of fast food health, here’s something you should avoid. From the Diet Blog, it’s an article about the most sugary beverage they found. I won’t give it away but I will say that it has 266grams of sugar and around 2300 calories. That’s right, an entire day’s worth of calories in ONE drink.
@The Diet Blog
Let’s stay with the topic of food shopping for a bit. These days, everyone is trying to save money. So here’s a useful article from WebMD that talks about 10 different healthy food options under $1. Read and enjoy. If you’re interested in topics like this, I sometimes post my healthy meal ideas which are both healthy and cheap. You can find those posts here.
@WebMD
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