Tuesday, November 23, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: Turkey Day Tips
My Life's Biggest Project: Turkey Day Tips: "We all know that the holiday season is one of the worse times to gain weight. We like bears put on extra weight (but we don't hibernate). We..."
Turkey Day Tips
We all know that the holiday season is one of the worse times to gain weight. We like bears put on extra weight (but we don't hibernate). We have a million things going on during this particular time of year so things like working out and cooking healthy home cooked meals certainly get pushed to the side. The thing to remember is that there is an end goal to be reached.
I found some cooking tips for the Thanksgiving meal that may be beneficial to those of you preparing your Turkey Day menu. These little tips can help you to not take on as many calories without having to feel like you're missing out on the meal. Here are the 6 Guilt-free Choices for Thanksgiving written by Joe Wilkes (received in the p90x e-mail).
1. Turkey- The main dish and symbol of Thanksgiving. Lean turkey breast is the way to go it contains 8 grams of protein and only 44 calories and 1 gram of fat per ounce. Turkey may be one of the healthiest things that one can eat. If you prefer dark meat to white meat you only need to add one extra gram of fat and 9 more calories per ounce. Of course as most of you know you want to avoid the skin of the bird to cut back on extra calories and fat. Another big tip is to go easy of the gravy. Wilkes suggests doing what he has coined the "salad-dressing technique- dip the tines of your fork in the gravy before you spear the meat to get more flavor with less fat." Another thing suggested if you happen to be the cook, you should use broth as a baste as opposed to butter.
2. Cranberries- Use the real thing here and don't cheat with the cans. These tiny little berries are full of nutrition, including high levels of vitamin C and several polyphenol antioxidants. I had no idea how good cranberries were for you until I read this, but they really do lots of cool little things. They're good for stopping the growth of harmful bacteria in the bladder and urethra. They also contain a chemical that helps stop tooth decay (however since most are prepared with sugar that would make this one fact obsolete). A neat way to prepare cranberries would be in orange juice, or a teensy bit of port wine. These will bring out their flavor and not over sweeten them.
3. Yams- Yes I mean yams and not sweet potatoes. These are great sources of vitamin B6, which has the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. They also contain potassium, which can help regulate blood pressure. They also contain complex carbohydrates and fiber that won't spike your blood sugar. So many people want to candy the yams, but that really takes away all of the blood sugar benefits. Try spicing them up with a little bit of cinnamon instead. You can also try a little bit of maple syrup on the side that way the extra sugar is optional.
4. Sweet potatoes- They have a lot of the same benefits of yams because they are relative to them, but the sweet potato also has bunches of nutrients that regular potatoes do not, including beta-carotene and vitamin C. These high levels of carotenoids in sweet potatoes helps regulate ones blood sugar and that helps for people to avoid the tryptophan turkey coma. Melting marshmallows on top can take away the nutritional benefits, but you can always scrape those off!
5. Salad- of course this is something that you should load up on. And by salad obviously what is meant by this is lettuce and veggies, not the cream-based salads like Waldorf salad or mayonnaise packed potato or macaroni salad. Put the dressing on the side and use it sparingly of course. You can use the salad dressing technique discussed earlier.
6. Pumpkin Pie- Yum yum pumpkin pie, the dessert most associated with Thanksgiving. Keep in mind that one slice of pumpkin pie has as much beta-carotene as an entire carrot. It is also very high in vitamin C. Like everything else mentioned above we end up killing it with add ons like fats and sugar. So if you are making the pie, you can sub skim milk for cream or sweetened condensed milk. You can also add silken tofu to thicken up the pie filling and that also provides the extra health benefits of the soy!
Obviously there will be lots of yummy choices around, but I will remind myself how proud I am of myself as soon as I step on a scale and see that the number has gone down. Another thing to remember that me like everyone else I know tend to forget during this particular holiday is portion control. When I'm full I'll stop eating. Another thing is that it is bad to sit in front of a television when eating and what happens on most people's turkey day get together? That's right, plopping down on a couch in front of a television watching some football. When you're distracted you don't realize how much food you are shoving in your face and it also takes you longer to realize that you're full.
I'll try to keep all of these things in mind and I hope that this information has been beneficial to you too. Only two more days to go :)
I found some cooking tips for the Thanksgiving meal that may be beneficial to those of you preparing your Turkey Day menu. These little tips can help you to not take on as many calories without having to feel like you're missing out on the meal. Here are the 6 Guilt-free Choices for Thanksgiving written by Joe Wilkes (received in the p90x e-mail).
2. Cranberries- Use the real thing here and don't cheat with the cans. These tiny little berries are full of nutrition, including high levels of vitamin C and several polyphenol antioxidants. I had no idea how good cranberries were for you until I read this, but they really do lots of cool little things. They're good for stopping the growth of harmful bacteria in the bladder and urethra. They also contain a chemical that helps stop tooth decay (however since most are prepared with sugar that would make this one fact obsolete). A neat way to prepare cranberries would be in orange juice, or a teensy bit of port wine. These will bring out their flavor and not over sweeten them.
3. Yams- Yes I mean yams and not sweet potatoes. These are great sources of vitamin B6, which has the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease. They also contain potassium, which can help regulate blood pressure. They also contain complex carbohydrates and fiber that won't spike your blood sugar. So many people want to candy the yams, but that really takes away all of the blood sugar benefits. Try spicing them up with a little bit of cinnamon instead. You can also try a little bit of maple syrup on the side that way the extra sugar is optional.
4. Sweet potatoes- They have a lot of the same benefits of yams because they are relative to them, but the sweet potato also has bunches of nutrients that regular potatoes do not, including beta-carotene and vitamin C. These high levels of carotenoids in sweet potatoes helps regulate ones blood sugar and that helps for people to avoid the tryptophan turkey coma. Melting marshmallows on top can take away the nutritional benefits, but you can always scrape those off!
5. Salad- of course this is something that you should load up on. And by salad obviously what is meant by this is lettuce and veggies, not the cream-based salads like Waldorf salad or mayonnaise packed potato or macaroni salad. Put the dressing on the side and use it sparingly of course. You can use the salad dressing technique discussed earlier.
6. Pumpkin Pie- Yum yum pumpkin pie, the dessert most associated with Thanksgiving. Keep in mind that one slice of pumpkin pie has as much beta-carotene as an entire carrot. It is also very high in vitamin C. Like everything else mentioned above we end up killing it with add ons like fats and sugar. So if you are making the pie, you can sub skim milk for cream or sweetened condensed milk. You can also add silken tofu to thicken up the pie filling and that also provides the extra health benefits of the soy!
Obviously there will be lots of yummy choices around, but I will remind myself how proud I am of myself as soon as I step on a scale and see that the number has gone down. Another thing to remember that me like everyone else I know tend to forget during this particular holiday is portion control. When I'm full I'll stop eating. Another thing is that it is bad to sit in front of a television when eating and what happens on most people's turkey day get together? That's right, plopping down on a couch in front of a television watching some football. When you're distracted you don't realize how much food you are shoving in your face and it also takes you longer to realize that you're full.
I'll try to keep all of these things in mind and I hope that this information has been beneficial to you too. Only two more days to go :)
Monday, November 22, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: P90X Fit Test
My Life's Biggest Project: P90X Fit Test: "Several of my friends have asked me a lot of questions about the P90X program since I started this blog and ask if it's worth purchasing. We..."
P90X Fit Test
Several of my friends have asked me a lot of questions about the P90X program since I started this blog and ask if it's worth purchasing. Well like I said because of my surgery that I'm having a week from today the doctor insisted that I not do it, but what I can tell you about the program is that even though I only did it for a short while that short time really kicked my butt. It is a reasonably priced program, somewhere in the ballpark of $200, but a lot of people are scared to purchase a fitness program and I get that too. So what I have decided to do for you all is post the fit test.
This fit test is listed at the beginning of the P90X program and they say of course after consulting with a doctor you need to pass this fit test. Once this fit test has been passed you can start the program. I assumed that most of you contemplating whether or not to buy this would want to know this beforehand. What they don't tell you is that really this program is created for seasoned athletics not people who haven't worked out in 5...10 or how many years. So I figured I'd hook you all up!
For the first part you'll need a way to do pull-ups. Try to do as many as possible. Women only need to be able to do 1 and men should be able to do 3 to pass this portion. (I have no upper body strength and couldn't do one...lol).
2. Vertical leap. It says to stand sideways with shoulder against wall and raise arm straight overhead. Record your lenght here. Then jump with step: Then lower arm, take just one step back and proceed to jump straight up, trying to touch highest point on wall (don't gather up a head of steam prior to your jump) record that height. Subtract theh first measuremnet from the second and that is your vertical leap. Men should have a minimum of 5 inches and women should have 3.
3. Push-ups- Men should be able to do at least 15 and women should be able to do 3 unless you are doing push-ups off your knees and in that case women should be able to do 15.
4. Toe touch- sit on the floor with legs extended directly in front of you. Bend forward at the waist and extend arms over legs towards toes. If not able to reach, measure the distance from fingertips to toes (you'll need a tape measurer). If able to extend fingers beyond toes, measure teh distance from fingers reach beyond toes. Do not strain or force this. Reach should be no less than 6 inches from your toes.
5. Wall squat. You should be able to hold for at least 1 minute.
6. Bicep curls- use a minimum of 20 lbs if man and 8 lbs if woman. No breaks longer than 1 sec between reps. Men should be able to do at least 10 curls w/20 lbs and women should be able to do at least 10 with 8 lbs.
7. In and outs- seated with hands on the floor at your sides, knees bent with feet on the floor. Raise feet off the ground and bring knees in towards your chest. Straighten legs back out and repeat movement without touching floor. You should be able to do at least 25.
8. Do jumping jacks for 2 minutes straight. You should be able to do this without stopping.
If you pass all of thise then you are ready to P90X. If not then you should work out, eat better and get in a little better shape until you can. Once you can pass this fit test you are ready for the program.
This fit test is listed at the beginning of the P90X program and they say of course after consulting with a doctor you need to pass this fit test. Once this fit test has been passed you can start the program. I assumed that most of you contemplating whether or not to buy this would want to know this beforehand. What they don't tell you is that really this program is created for seasoned athletics not people who haven't worked out in 5...10 or how many years. So I figured I'd hook you all up!
2. Vertical leap. It says to stand sideways with shoulder against wall and raise arm straight overhead. Record your lenght here. Then jump with step: Then lower arm, take just one step back and proceed to jump straight up, trying to touch highest point on wall (don't gather up a head of steam prior to your jump) record that height. Subtract theh first measuremnet from the second and that is your vertical leap. Men should have a minimum of 5 inches and women should have 3.
3. Push-ups- Men should be able to do at least 15 and women should be able to do 3 unless you are doing push-ups off your knees and in that case women should be able to do 15.
4. Toe touch- sit on the floor with legs extended directly in front of you. Bend forward at the waist and extend arms over legs towards toes. If not able to reach, measure the distance from fingertips to toes (you'll need a tape measurer). If able to extend fingers beyond toes, measure teh distance from fingers reach beyond toes. Do not strain or force this. Reach should be no less than 6 inches from your toes.
5. Wall squat. You should be able to hold for at least 1 minute.
6. Bicep curls- use a minimum of 20 lbs if man and 8 lbs if woman. No breaks longer than 1 sec between reps. Men should be able to do at least 10 curls w/20 lbs and women should be able to do at least 10 with 8 lbs.
7. In and outs- seated with hands on the floor at your sides, knees bent with feet on the floor. Raise feet off the ground and bring knees in towards your chest. Straighten legs back out and repeat movement without touching floor. You should be able to do at least 25.
8. Do jumping jacks for 2 minutes straight. You should be able to do this without stopping.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: The "skinny fat" epidemic
My Life's Biggest Project: The "skinny fat" epidemic: "For many of you out there you probably think that it is impossible to be conisdered 'skinny fat'. It simply sounds like an oxymoron, at leas..."
The "skinny fat" epidemic
For many of you out there you probably think that it is impossible to be conisdered "skinny fat". It simply sounds like an oxymoron, at least that's what I thought, but then I came across research that clearly states that it is possible to be skinny and fat at the same time. Crazy huh? Let me tell you about it...
There is a new conditioned call normal weight obesity also known as NWO or "skinny fat". Research done at the Mayo Clinic found that more than half of adults in America with normal body weight in accordance to their BMI (body mass index), suffer from high body-fat percentages which comes to approximently more than 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women. They also found that these individuals have the same risk for developing coronary disease and diabetes as people who weigh a lot more than them. That's because those who are "fat skinny" have been found to have both heart and metabolic disturbances.
Want to know how the study was done? Well I'll tell you how the Mayo Clinic came to these results. This particular study included 2,127 adults, half of which were men and half of which were women (equally divided) who all had a normal BMI. For adults that would be between 18.5 and 24.9. After factoring in variables such as age, sex and race the researchers found that those who participated with a normal weight obesity had much higher rates "of some alterations in their blood chemistry that can adversely affect hearth health". That included the following:
I would like to apologize for how late today's posting is. Today was a rather busy day. I got up this morning and tried a new church for the first time since I've been in Norman and afterwards met up with my friends family for a late lunch (they were in town because they had been at the OU vs. Baylor game yesterday). After lunch because it was such a beautiful day today my friend and I went jogging/speed walking to and around campus.
Not to get all religious on those of you reading, but today just felt like an amazing day. I think that by having a clear mind and by being surrounded by positivity it helped me to be more positive. I was in a cranky or at least emotionally uptight mood all weekend and today really helped me end my weekend on a much better note. I'll be honest I'm stressed out about this upcoming surgery and all that it entails so it has been a little rough lately, but I just keep reminding myself how worth it this is going to be and that at the end of the day I will prevail. I will because I'm stubborn and thickheaded sometimes. But really I just tell myself, you got this ;)
There is a new conditioned call normal weight obesity also known as NWO or "skinny fat". Research done at the Mayo Clinic found that more than half of adults in America with normal body weight in accordance to their BMI (body mass index), suffer from high body-fat percentages which comes to approximently more than 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women. They also found that these individuals have the same risk for developing coronary disease and diabetes as people who weigh a lot more than them. That's because those who are "fat skinny" have been found to have both heart and metabolic disturbances.
Want to know how the study was done? Well I'll tell you how the Mayo Clinic came to these results. This particular study included 2,127 adults, half of which were men and half of which were women (equally divided) who all had a normal BMI. For adults that would be between 18.5 and 24.9. After factoring in variables such as age, sex and race the researchers found that those who participated with a normal weight obesity had much higher rates "of some alterations in their blood chemistry that can adversely affect hearth health". That included the following:
- Altered blood lipid profile, such as cholesterol
- High levels of leptin, a hormone found in fat and other tissues
- Higher rates of metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions, such as high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels and excess body fat around the waist, that increase risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes).
I would like to apologize for how late today's posting is. Today was a rather busy day. I got up this morning and tried a new church for the first time since I've been in Norman and afterwards met up with my friends family for a late lunch (they were in town because they had been at the OU vs. Baylor game yesterday). After lunch because it was such a beautiful day today my friend and I went jogging/speed walking to and around campus.
Not to get all religious on those of you reading, but today just felt like an amazing day. I think that by having a clear mind and by being surrounded by positivity it helped me to be more positive. I was in a cranky or at least emotionally uptight mood all weekend and today really helped me end my weekend on a much better note. I'll be honest I'm stressed out about this upcoming surgery and all that it entails so it has been a little rough lately, but I just keep reminding myself how worth it this is going to be and that at the end of the day I will prevail. I will because I'm stubborn and thickheaded sometimes. But really I just tell myself, you got this ;)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
My Life's Biggest Project: 3 Day Diet
My Life's Biggest Project: 3 Day Diet: "There are all different kinds of fad diets out there that promise to give you the results that you want, but in reality they ar ruinging our..."
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