Tag Archives: Weight Loss

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 9/21/14

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Off the Drugs, Onto the Cupcakes– This article discusses how addicts when entering rehabilitation centers are comforted and eased off of their addiction through sweets and other highly palatable foods. Through this end up trading one addiction for another.  On the flip the article also touches on how when people want to lose weight  quickly they will start adding in stimulants like coffee in order to keep from over eating. With the new research coming out on how sugar affects the brain, some rehabilitation centers are looking at overhauling their nutrition program.  “But though sweets may have eased some people’s drug cravings, many ended up “transfer addicting” from their substance of choice to sugar.”

Walking, Biking to Work May Benefit Mental Health– This article is short and sweet. Essentially research is finding people have a much healthier state of mind when they either bike, walk, or use public transportation to get to work opposed to driving.

When You Can’t Afford Sleep– Personally I found this article very impactful. I think we can sometimes get so involoved with our own lives it is hard to stop and think about what some of America has to go through in order to just feed their family.  “Though Americans across the economic spectrum are sleeping less these days, people in the lowest income quintile, and people who never finished high school, are far more likely to get less than seven hours of shut-eye per night. About half of people in households making less than $30,000 sleep six or fewer hours per night, while only a third of those making $75,000 or more do.”

CrossFit Versus Yoga: Choose A Side– This video is just funny. It takes two workout’s that people have very strong affiliations with and talks about each of them. How does one choose which one to do? You are picking more then a workout, but an identity. Enjoy!

For Posterior’s Sake– Plain and simple this article focuses on the rear end, butt, or derriere along with the emerging popularity of enhancing it among women. Women are focusing in on their glutes like they never have before. “When I was growing up, everyone wanted to look like skinny, bony girls. Over time, butts have become a thing.”

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What is Healthy?

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What is healthy? I think the first thing that comes to most people’s minds with being healthy is wanting to lose weight. Maybe it is the last 10 lbs after just having a baby or getting back to your perceived ideal body weight before a big event. Being healthy can just be getting back on track with food and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. It can also be just wanting to get into better shape, increase muscle mass, or just get into a regular exercise routine. Then there is striving to hit a goal like running your first marathon or climbing to the top of that 14er mountain you always wanted to. However my question is what if you are doing all of the right things, eating well, working out daily, getting enough sleep, but is it possible you could still not be healthy?

This is the new question I have been asking myself recently. I would say I eat healthy 80% of the time. I work out daily, sometimes even twice a day if I am being honest with everyone. I try to go to bed early every night  in order to get enough sleep. So why would I be questioning if I am healthy? Well let me explain. Over the last 6-9 months I found my life started to get a little stressful. We all run into this as adults right. Where all of a sudden things you were not expecting just smack you in the face and all of a sudden you feel like you are paddling upstream and are just doing your best to maintain a balance. We all figure out ways to cope with the added life stress, for some that is with food, others it may be shopping, but for me it is exercise. I exercise to relieve stress and to put me in a good mental state. The more stressed I become the more I want to move my body. This is not a bad thing, except you have to make sure you are balancing out your energy expenditure with enough food in order to sustain the new added activity.

Through the years I have become a lot better at balancing eating what I know my body needs with what my body craves in order to not binge. I am not perfect and I know learning this balancing act will be ongoing for me, but at least as long as I continue to make progress that is really what is important. So again, where am I going with this.  I found over the last 9  months the one thing I was not doing was eating enough to support my additional movement and exercise. Without trying to I ended up losing a few pounds.

What is a few pounds right? Well for someone already at the bottom of their weight range a few pounds can make a big difference. Once I lost the few pounds unintentionally  it created a viscous cycle in my head. For someone who has trained themselves for years that weight loss is a good thing and weight gain is bad, seeing a lower number on the scale felt like a new accomplishment even though I had gotten to a weight that I knew was not healthy for my body or sustainable.  I had a few close people in my life come and tell me that I had gotten to that “scary skinny” place and wanted to make sure I was aware. Let me just say now how much I love having people in my life that will tell me those hard things to hear.

So what does this all mean? It means we spend a lot of time focusing on how losing weight, eating healthy, and exercising more are all healthy things. Yes they are. Being healthy can also be listening to your body and learning when to pull it back. Right now for the first time in almost 4 years I am actually learning how to accept gaining weight as a good thing and that for me this is healthy. It continues to be interesting to me how much our mental state dictates our relationships with ourselves. Now having put back on those pounds I did not mean to lose I am more satisfied with my appearance. It is important to remind ourselves a number is only a number. At the end of the day it all comes down to how we feel. I am still a work in progress, but wanted to share my story.

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 9/14/14

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For kids with both asthma and obesity, which came first?– “The article cites a study that showed that rapid growth in body mass index (BMI) during the first 2 years of life increased the risk of asthma up to 6 years of age. It has also been shown that the onset and duration of obesity and the composition of the excess fat — lean vs. fat — can affect lung function.”

Wine and Exercise: A Promising Combination– We have heard this study before, wine is good for the heart. However most of these studies have looked at people who already drank wine vs people who did not. What this new study did was started looking at people who had not drank wine  previously and introduced it into people’s lives and then tracked its effects on their bodies. What the article finds is “That moderate wine drinking was only protective in people who exercised. Red and white wine produced the same results.”

One Way to Cut Back on Expensive Ambulance Rides– To me this concept just makes sense. It will be interesting to watch and see if this program gains traction. “That person who called 911 because they were running a fever could end up being diagnosed and treated in their living room by South Metro’s station wagon for about $500.”

A wife’s happiness is more crucial than her husband’s in keeping marriage on track– After just spending the weekend seeing my best friend getting hitched, I thought this article was fitting for the week. I am sure everyone has heard the classic phrase, “A happy wife equals a happy life.” This article sums up “When it comes to a happy marriage, a new study finds that the more content the wife is with the long-term union, the happier the husband is with his life no matter how he feels about the nuptials.”

10 Ways to Keep Building Muscle – This is a good article on how to work through training plateaus and lists our 10 strategies to help you get back on track.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 9/7/14

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A Call for a Low-Carb Diet That Embraces Fat– “By the end of the yearlong trial, people in the low-carbohydrate group had lost about eight pounds more on average than those in the low-fat group. They had significantly greater reductions in body fat than the low-fat group, and improvements in lean muscle mass — even though neither group changed their levels of physical activity. While the low-fat group did lose weight, they appeared to lose more muscle than fat.”

Train Your Brain to Choose Fruit Salad Over French Fries– This is a short article that talks about new research which suggests how we can change how our brain responds to healthy foods as rewards. Researchers did MRI’s before and after on patients starting a new weight loss program and found their brains responded differently to healthy and unhealthy foods before and after. More research needs to be done, but it is a great starting point.

Five Ways to Build Mental Toughness– This article talks about how working out and fitness is just as much mental as it is physical. It is important to work and hone your mental skills for not only success inside the gym, but also outside of it as well. Here are the 5 mental tools listed out, Humility, Confidence, Focus, Integrity, and Passion. The article goes into depth on each of them.

The Age Of Aspartame May Be Coming To An End As More Health Risks Are Confirmed– “In a new study observing over 60,000 women, diet drinks containing aspartame consumed at 2 or more per day increased the risk of heart related illness by 50%. This is added to the list of studies that have shown aspartame causes fast paced kidney decline, brain and neurological damage, and is linked to increased rates of leukaemia and lymphoma and more.”

The NFL Dodges on Brain Injuries– With Football season just kicking off, I thought it only fitting to include an article I found in the Atlantic. I am sure many know about the class action lawsuit against the NFL league, however what this article focuses on is how the outcome will  not only affect the NFL, but it is also a matter of public health and could potentially have a significant public cost.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/24/14

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Is Breakfast Overrated?-To eat breakfast or not to, that is the question? It turns out according to research there is not a significant difference in terms of weight loss for those who skip the meal vs those that eat it. The biggest difference was those that eat breakfast tend to move more in the morning which leads to higher caloric expenditure, however this is also off set by the additional calories eaten. Moral of the story is eat breakfast if you like to, but not to worry if you dont.

Smart Fuel: Mushrooms– I for one hated mushrooms until about a few years ago. However once you learn to love them, they can be pretty amazing. This article does a great job of breaking out all of the different varieties out there. Also who knew they grow everywhere, including the dessert and Antarctica.

A Nice Tall Glass of Camel’s Milk-Another new interesting alternative to cow’s milk. “A syudy published in an alternative medicine journal that found that 25 autistic children who were given camel’s milk, as opposed to cow’s milk, had lower levels of oxidative stress and showed improvements in behavior.”

Fun with Food Trends-Food is trendy, it is true. I find it very fascinating. I mean who knew what Kale, farro, or being gluten free was just a decade ago. This article shows the spikes and trends of some popular foods over the last few decades.

Fixing Your Pushup with 2 Simple Corrections– This article is short and to the point. A basic push-up is a great workout for the upper body. Mastering it’s technique is the key to it’s success.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/17/14

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The Restaurant Menu That Nudges People Toward Healthy Food– This is just a short article on how menu food placement affects the way we order and how it could potentially be changed to get people to eat the healthier options. “Americans get more than a third of their calories from food prepared outside the home, and these meals tend to be more caloric, by a lot. The popularity of restaurants has risen in tandem with the obesity epidemic.”

How Exercise Helps Us Tolerate Pain– “The longer we continue to work out, the new findings suggest, the greater our tolerance for discomfort can grow. The brain begins to accept that we are tougher than it had thought, and it allows us to continue longer although the pain itself has not lessened.”

The ‘fattest’ chain restaurant meals win a dubious honor– Although I am one who believes people should have the choice to eat how they please, I also do not agree with the insanely un-healthy foods restaurants make now days. The winner this year comes from Red Robin where the meal clocks in at 3,540 calories. This is almost two days worth of  food for me. I would be curious what your thoughts are on this subject?

Will Losing Weight Really Make You Happier– “Resisting the ever-present temptations of unhealthy food in modern society takes a mental toll, as it requires considerable willpower and may involve missing out on some enjoyable activities. Anyone who has ever been on a diet would understand how this could affect well-being. However, mood may improve once target weight is reached, and the focus is on weight maintenance. Our data only covered a 4-year period so it would be interesting to see how mood changes once people settle into their lower weight.”

The Art of Avoiding Injuries– This article is long, but I think it really does a great job of capturing how to best take care of your self when it comes to fitness. It starts by categorizing injuries into three main groups, overuse injuries, sudden acute injuries, and accidents. It then goes on to explain ways to help prevent them. “Be sensible when you train. Make sure you spend time stabilizing your joints and core, as well as strengthening your tendons. Those who constantly stay away from injuries tend to see slower strength gains at first, but they can stay in the iron game longer so it eventually pays off.”

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Curry Shrimp Recipe

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Let me say, I love curry! Indian and Thai food are always some of my favorite take out dishes on a cold winter night. Something about the warm dish mixed with full bodied spices creates a very comforting feeling. Now although I have to say I crave curry more in the winter, it can also be a great summer dinner as well.

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Yesterday my mom and I went to see The Hundred Foot Journey with Helen Mirren. What does this have to do with curry? Well the movie is all about food, with an emphasis on Indian cuisine. The food dishes were visually impact-full and stunning. It made you leave with your mouth watering and a strong desire for some good Indian Food.

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This lead me to want to make my easy curry shrimp recipe and share it with all of you. This dish is a lot lighter then most curry fare you find out, but hits the spot all the same. It is easy, filling, and delicious. You can add in other vegetables then what I have mentioned below, this just happened to be what I had on hand.  Hope you enjoy!

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Curry Shrimp Recipe

1 lbs of Green Beans Trimmed

1 pound cooked shrimp

1 Can Water Chestnut’s

1/2 Onion Chopped

1 cup light coconut milk from a can

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Curry Powder

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt. Add the green beans and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to cool; transfer to a serving bowl.

2.  In a large skillet add olive oil and onion. Cook until slightly brown. Add in coconut milk and all of the spices. Next add the shrimp and green beans. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat

3. Ready to serve! I added mine on top of brown rice

 

Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/10/14

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CrossFit Flirting: Talk Burpee to Me– I have shared articles in the past on cross fit and although I have not done it myself I admire the comradery that is built from those who do participate in it. I love the idea of everyone stretching the limits of their own body with the goal of just helping and supporting one another. This article is more of a nice read then it is informative.  “Perhaps more than disciples of any other type of exercise, people who participate in CrossFit can’t help being drawn to people who do the same. This is partly because the exercise regimen inspires near-religious devotion.”

Men Say ‘Uh’ and Women Say ‘Um’– Interesting the differences between men and women and how it also correlated to age. “Back in 2005, he found that usage of “uh” increases with age, but at every age, men say it more than women do. Meanwhile, usage of “um” decreases with age, but female speakers said it more than male ones at each stage in life.”

Women Pace Marathons Better Then Men Do– Maybe it is because I am a female runner, but I found this article fascinating. “As it turned out, men slowed significantly more than women racers did. In aggregate, men covered the second half of the marathon almost 16 percent slower than they ran the first half. Women as a group were about 12 percent slower in the second half.”

How To Reset Your Metabolism With Diet Breaks- I think this article highlights something really important, taking a break. I wish I had done this more when I was in dieting mode. I would be so strict with myself and never let myself indulge or take a break. This lead to binge eating when I would finally allow myself something I craved. Letting yourself have what you want occasionally will make a big difference to your body and your mental well being. I in fact still have to learn to take breaks from my hardcore eating ways otherwise I find I will still binge.

10 Things All Beginning Lifters Should Know– If any of you know my boyfriend you will hear him emphasize the importance of strength training. This article is great at answering some common myths and giving good information.  “At any rate, in a caloric surplus, strength training will cause the weight that you gain to consist of a higher proportion of muscle and a lower proportion of fat. At a caloric maintenance, strength training will cause your body to recompose so that you gain more muscle, lose fat, and improve your bodyfat percentage. At a caloric deficit, strength training will cause the weight that you lose to consist of a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of muscle.”

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 8/03/14

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The Link Between Birth Control Pills and Breast Cancer– “A new study out today suggests that having recently taken birth control pills increases breast cancer risk by about 50 percent. Women who were on a formulation of the pill with an especially elevated level of estrogen nearly tripled their risk of getting breast cancer, and a pill with even a moderate amount of the hormone increased the risk by about 60 percent.”

Why High-Impact Exercise Is Good for Your Bones– Being a runner myself and having had a back injury I completely understand the importance of making sure I am keeping my bones healthy. I have always wondered how high impact exercises affect my body, so this article is interesting to see that there are a lot of benefits from doing high impact exercises.

What Makes a Superfood?– Superfood is a new buzz word out there. Are there foods that can give us everything we need? This article is short and sweet but try’s to add a simple perspective to the topic. “And while marketers are at liberty to label anything a superfood, Dr. Hagen doesn’t believe any one food can be super.”

What to Look For in a Fitness App– Although this article does not give you any specific apps to download it does give some good rules of thumb to look at when downloading a Health and Fitness App. I can say I would not have been able to do my weight loss without My Fitness Pal. This has been by far the best App I have personally used for tracking food. In terms of fitness I really like Map My Run for running. It has various versions for biking, walking, etc. They are all the same so all you need is one and you get the same use from it.  However I would love to hear thoughts on what has worked for others.

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Health & Fitness Articles of the Week – 7/27/14

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Finding Balance Between Your Life and Your Diet– This article is definitely an opinion piece, however I really like a lot of what he says. He has 3 basic ideas for living a balanced life where you are not tied to a diet. First is to try intermittent fasting, second is to make smart food choices, and lastly train and be very active. These are 3 things I personally practice.

What Happens to Your Brain When You Eat Junk Food (And Why We Crave It) – I for one have read a few books on this subject. It is interesting to know why our body craves certain foods and how companies work hard to make you want them.

How Our Arms Help Us Run– “The results showed, as the scientists had expected, that the volunteers used the least energy and were most efficient when they ran normally, their arms swinging at their sides. With each change in arm position, their efficiency dropped.”

Could a probiotic prevent obesity?– “Since it worked in mice eating a high-fat diet, it does suggest that it will be beneficial, even if people don’t change their diet to something including more vegetables and less junk food. But we expect that it would likely provide the most benefit to those who do change their diet and try to get sufficient exercise.There are lots of people who are doing their best to change their lifestyle and it still isn’t enough for them to get to and keep a healthy weight, we think this strategy will really help them.”

The HPV Vaccination Rate Is Still Too Low, CDC Says-“Though the CDC recommends the HPV vaccine for all 11-year-old and 12-year-old boys and girls, the 2013 study found that doctors had not recommended it to one third of girls and more than half of boys.”

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