Since I heard about the 3 different body types, I’ve wondered what they really mean and if we can all be divided up so easily. I went off to do some internet research. My first stop was wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype. I was surprised to learn that the body type descriptions were developed in the 40’s by an American psychologist name William Sheldon. He was actually using the body types to match personalities with types of bodies. It also turns out that William Sheldon was a thief, according to Wikipedia. It seems Sheldon’s theories have been discredited by modern scientists (again according to Wikipedia).
Given that Sheldon was discredited, I was surprised to see that the body type descriptions are still widely used by fitness advice sites. These sites give fitness information, usually body building, according to body type.
http://www.epigee.org/fitness/body_shape.html
http://bodybuildingpro.com/bodytypeinformation.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek60.htm
http://www.gold1043.com.au/competition_xtras/gold/CraigsBodyTypes.pdf
Above is just a few of those sites.
Personally, I think Sheldon did bring up something very important about body type, dieting and exercise. Note, I don’t buy in to the connection between body type and personality. I really believe that fitness regimes have to be designed on an individual basis. I also believe that some people are naturally thinner, fatter or more muscular.
Because I’ve had to fight the insurance charts all my life, I know that not everyone fits within the normal range. I look at least 20 lbs lighter than most people who are my same height and weight. I build muscle very quickly. At the top of my weight range according to the standard charts, my muscles are well-defined and my hip bones protrude. Although just about every program stresses weight lifting, I do minimal amounts of weight lifting. I’m just not fond of great big muscles. Although I can’t control the definition of my muscles, I can make sure that I look like an lean and muscular athlete rather than a candidate for Ms. Universe.
Even though I’m not a body builder, I really appreciate that the body building websites take into account body type when designing a fitness routines. I wish more of the lifestyle change and dieting sites did the same thing. I resent the one size fits all fitness and dieting strategies.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
YAY! I went for a walk today.
I know not everyone gets as excited about a walk. When you live in Oregon, unless you want to get soaked, you have to time your walks just right this time of year. Between the weather and appointments, I've had a hard time squeezing in exercise. We have had lots of rain and wind this week. The rain has been coming down in buckets.
Thank heavens I still feel very motivated to keep on exercising. After 3 days of nasty weather, I finally decided to do the eliptical. After 2 days on the eliptical, I was ready for a break.
This afternoon the rain let up for a brief moment. I threw on my walking shoes and headed out the door. I was a little worried when I passed the llamas. They were heading for cover. I persevered and continued on.
I think I set a personal best walking time. Between the threat of rain and the excitement of finally getting a chance to go outside, I was highly motivated to get my walking in. It felt great. I love the crisp air on my face.
The rain started when I was about 3/4 of the way done. Even the rain felt great. Luckily it didn't really pour until after I was inside.
I love walking outside!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Caffeine Makes Me Hungry
I had to stop drinking my green tea in the afternoon because about an hour later I would be starving. When I don’t drink the tea, I don’t get hungry. I’m back to just one cup of coffee in the morning. I’ve asked other people if caffeine makes them hungry. I’ve yet to find someone else who has noticed a connection between caffeine and hunger. I want to know why this is happening to me, so I decided to do a bit of research.
I know caffeine is a diuretic; therefore, drinking a lot will make you thirsty. I’ve heard that sometimes when a person thinks they’re hungry, they’re actually thirsty. This might be the case, but even if I drink water, I still think I’m hungry.
I found an interesting article on caffeine, http://www.stanford.edu/~johnbrks/theCafe/substance/caffeine.html. The article is somewhat contradictory because it states that caffeine is used as an appetite suppressant and then it goes on. Here’s the thing about caffeine and hunger “Ironically, caffeine can make it more difficult to lose weight because it stimulates insulin secretion, which reduces serum glucose, which in turn can increase hunger”. Aha! I thought I was getting hungry! The article is definitely worth reading because it talks about the amount of caffeine in a few beverages. It also says that more than 10 grams of coffee per day is lethal…hah…death by coffee! That would make an interesting mystery novel.
More articles that confirm the caffeine and hunger link are below.
http://walking.about.com/od/walkoflife/a/blday24x.htm
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11068
This one has some caffeine links.
http://www.peakperformance.on.ca/health/caffeine_connection.htm
This article is very interesting. It says that coffee causes irritation of body tissues, which is mistaken for hunger. Could I be confusing my body trying to eliminate an irritant with hunger?
http://ccmhi.org/coffeedrinkingandweightgain.html
Here’s a Wikipedia article that shows the spider web of a spider on caffeine. I remember that picture from my biology class in the late 70’s.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
This article, http://blogs.webmd.com/busy-family-healthy-family/2006_02_01_archive.html, backs up the insulin/caffeine connection.
I hear conflicting health information all the time. It can be confusing. For me, it comes down to which resources I trust. I tend to trust the medical and scientific resources over the newspaper or TV reports. I always give the sources of my information on my blog, so if someone reads my blog they can form their own opinions.
I’ll continue to drink my cup of coffee per day and only occasionally have afternoon tea. I believe the medical and scientific resources that tell me a cup of coffee or tea a day is beneficial to one's health.
I know caffeine is a diuretic; therefore, drinking a lot will make you thirsty. I’ve heard that sometimes when a person thinks they’re hungry, they’re actually thirsty. This might be the case, but even if I drink water, I still think I’m hungry.
I found an interesting article on caffeine, http://www.stanford.edu/~johnbrks/theCafe/substance/caffeine.html. The article is somewhat contradictory because it states that caffeine is used as an appetite suppressant and then it goes on. Here’s the thing about caffeine and hunger “Ironically, caffeine can make it more difficult to lose weight because it stimulates insulin secretion, which reduces serum glucose, which in turn can increase hunger”. Aha! I thought I was getting hungry! The article is definitely worth reading because it talks about the amount of caffeine in a few beverages. It also says that more than 10 grams of coffee per day is lethal…hah…death by coffee! That would make an interesting mystery novel.
More articles that confirm the caffeine and hunger link are below.
http://walking.about.com/od/walkoflife/a/blday24x.htm
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=11068
This one has some caffeine links.
http://www.peakperformance.on.ca/health/caffeine_connection.htm
This article is very interesting. It says that coffee causes irritation of body tissues, which is mistaken for hunger. Could I be confusing my body trying to eliminate an irritant with hunger?
http://ccmhi.org/coffeedrinkingandweightgain.html
Here’s a Wikipedia article that shows the spider web of a spider on caffeine. I remember that picture from my biology class in the late 70’s.
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine
This article, http://blogs.webmd.com/busy-family-healthy-family/2006_02_01_archive.html, backs up the insulin/caffeine connection.
I hear conflicting health information all the time. It can be confusing. For me, it comes down to which resources I trust. I tend to trust the medical and scientific resources over the newspaper or TV reports. I always give the sources of my information on my blog, so if someone reads my blog they can form their own opinions.
I’ll continue to drink my cup of coffee per day and only occasionally have afternoon tea. I believe the medical and scientific resources that tell me a cup of coffee or tea a day is beneficial to one's health.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Changing Habits Acquired in Childhood
I had to go to the dentist today. Since childhood the dentist has been a problem for me. Now the dentist is almost an hour away from my home and going to the dentist is still a problem.
You may think that the real problem I have with the dentist now is the distance. Although the distance is an issue, that is only a minor nuisance. I have two related issues with the dentist that occurred early in my childhood. The first time I went to the dentist I was horribly ill from an abscessed tooth. The second time I went to the dentist I had to have 3 teeth extracted followed by 3 more a couple weeks later. I started out early only going to the dentist when I had a problem. The second issue I have with the dentist is that I always received a treat after I finished my dentist appointment.
When I was a kid, not only did the doctor hand out suckers at the end of a visit, so did the dentist. Not only did I get a sucker, but also because my first appointments were so bad, I always received a treat from my mom when I was done. My treat was usually a milkshake. Maybe my mom felt guilty about waiting so long to take me to the dentist. I don’t know. Anyway every time I went to the dentist I received a treat.
The results from that cycle of dentist than treat are that I hate going to the dentist and after every trip to the dentist I feel like I need a treat. Twice a year for the last three years, I’ve been going to the same dentist. After every dentist appointment, I would stop at Starbucks and get a Chai, Mocha or Latte and a scone.
This time around I spent the long drive to the dentist thinking about my twice-yearly habit. I made a conscience decision to make a change. When I was finished with the dentist, I stopped at the drug store and bought myself a few new barrettes for my hair. I’m thinking buying things for my hair is better than unnecessary food for my tummy. We’ll see. Maybe I’ve just begun another ritual I’ll have to eventually break.
You may think that the real problem I have with the dentist now is the distance. Although the distance is an issue, that is only a minor nuisance. I have two related issues with the dentist that occurred early in my childhood. The first time I went to the dentist I was horribly ill from an abscessed tooth. The second time I went to the dentist I had to have 3 teeth extracted followed by 3 more a couple weeks later. I started out early only going to the dentist when I had a problem. The second issue I have with the dentist is that I always received a treat after I finished my dentist appointment.
When I was a kid, not only did the doctor hand out suckers at the end of a visit, so did the dentist. Not only did I get a sucker, but also because my first appointments were so bad, I always received a treat from my mom when I was done. My treat was usually a milkshake. Maybe my mom felt guilty about waiting so long to take me to the dentist. I don’t know. Anyway every time I went to the dentist I received a treat.
The results from that cycle of dentist than treat are that I hate going to the dentist and after every trip to the dentist I feel like I need a treat. Twice a year for the last three years, I’ve been going to the same dentist. After every dentist appointment, I would stop at Starbucks and get a Chai, Mocha or Latte and a scone.
This time around I spent the long drive to the dentist thinking about my twice-yearly habit. I made a conscience decision to make a change. When I was finished with the dentist, I stopped at the drug store and bought myself a few new barrettes for my hair. I’m thinking buying things for my hair is better than unnecessary food for my tummy. We’ll see. Maybe I’ve just begun another ritual I’ll have to eventually break.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Taking a Break for a Day
I've been consistently keeping a journal of everything I eat for the past 6 weeks. I make sure I'm not eating too much fat or cholesterol. I've been eating only whole grains and no trans fats. I've been diligently reading labels and buying only the things that fit within my guidelines.
Today I decided to give myself a break. That didn't mean I gobbled up deep fried foods, processed foods, white starches and trans fats. I made what I figured were good food choices. I just didn't write down anything I ate. The great thing about taking a break was that I realized I could enjoy what I was eating even when the food was "healthy".
I didn't look up all the foods I ate to see how much carbs, proteins, fats, fiber or cholesterol they had. I didn't worry if I had to have a white flour tortilla rather than whole wheat or corn because the restaurant only had white flour. I was just careful not to eat too much of the stuff on my "no" list.
I really didn't have a lot of choice. We went on a little trip today. We ate out for lunch and dinner. I didn't want to be overly picky about where we ate. I wanted someone else to get to eat where they wanted. Given what I've learned over the years about nutrition, I made the best food choices I could.
I just made a decision not to be anal about tracking it. I don't want to minutely track what I eat every day for the rest of my life. Once I reach my goals, I plan on using my own judgement to find the best foods at the right quantity.
Recording the nutritional information for every morsel that ends up in my mouth has been great for learning about quantities. I will continue to look up nutritional information and keep a food journal. Until I reach my goal, every once in a while, I'm going to have to take a day off to truly enjoy what I'm eating.
Today I decided to give myself a break. That didn't mean I gobbled up deep fried foods, processed foods, white starches and trans fats. I made what I figured were good food choices. I just didn't write down anything I ate. The great thing about taking a break was that I realized I could enjoy what I was eating even when the food was "healthy".
I didn't look up all the foods I ate to see how much carbs, proteins, fats, fiber or cholesterol they had. I didn't worry if I had to have a white flour tortilla rather than whole wheat or corn because the restaurant only had white flour. I was just careful not to eat too much of the stuff on my "no" list.
I really didn't have a lot of choice. We went on a little trip today. We ate out for lunch and dinner. I didn't want to be overly picky about where we ate. I wanted someone else to get to eat where they wanted. Given what I've learned over the years about nutrition, I made the best food choices I could.
I just made a decision not to be anal about tracking it. I don't want to minutely track what I eat every day for the rest of my life. Once I reach my goals, I plan on using my own judgement to find the best foods at the right quantity.
Recording the nutritional information for every morsel that ends up in my mouth has been great for learning about quantities. I will continue to look up nutritional information and keep a food journal. Until I reach my goal, every once in a while, I'm going to have to take a day off to truly enjoy what I'm eating.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Power of Home Cooking
I loved the smell of coffee long before I ever drank it. When I was very young, I remember the smell of coffee brewing in the percolator, the smell of bacon frying and the murmur of adult voices. At Grandma’s and Thanksgiving morning at home, I would wake up to those smells and sounds. To this day, the smell of coffee and bacon in the morning comforts me.
Although my mother wasn’t a great cook, we almost always ate at home. She made a few things that I now consider comfort foods, beef stew, creamed tuna on toast, and oven fried chicken. My grandmother taught me to make the same fried chicken that my mother used to make. When my grandmother came for a visit, she brought gumdrop cake and potatoes. Because my grandmother and grandfather came at Thanksgiving, it was our big holiday of the year. Maybe that is why home cooking is so important to me.
I no longer eat any of those foods, but I think about them on occasions when I’m in the kitchen cooking a meal from “scratch”. Some of my kid’s favorites are pesto, sausage, tomato and basil spaghetti sauce, pumpkin pie, blackberry pie and apple pie. I love that they have favorites. Maybe someday after they have moved away the smell of an apple pie cooling on the counter will bring them back to me, if only in their memories.
Although my mother wasn’t a great cook, we almost always ate at home. She made a few things that I now consider comfort foods, beef stew, creamed tuna on toast, and oven fried chicken. My grandmother taught me to make the same fried chicken that my mother used to make. When my grandmother came for a visit, she brought gumdrop cake and potatoes. Because my grandmother and grandfather came at Thanksgiving, it was our big holiday of the year. Maybe that is why home cooking is so important to me.
I no longer eat any of those foods, but I think about them on occasions when I’m in the kitchen cooking a meal from “scratch”. Some of my kid’s favorites are pesto, sausage, tomato and basil spaghetti sauce, pumpkin pie, blackberry pie and apple pie. I love that they have favorites. Maybe someday after they have moved away the smell of an apple pie cooling on the counter will bring them back to me, if only in their memories.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Nightmare Lap Swimming With a Child
I decided to take my youngest with me to lap swimming the other day. It was a fiasco. It may be some time before I do that again.
I can't really blame it on my daughter. Although she is extremely active and strong-willed, she is just a kid. She's just a kid who insists on having her hands into everything.
When we went down to the locker room to undress, she told me that she didn't bring a lock. The locker room has very small lockers. I had to rearrange our things several times to get them into the locker. She kept trying to put the lock on before I could get the locker locked. Finally I managed to squish everything in the small space and she insisted on putting the lock on. When she came away, the keys weren't in the lock. "Where are the keys?" I asked. Luckily they were in her hand. I insisted that she give them to me.
We walked to the showers. As we were stepping in, I asked her where she put her cap and googles. Of course, its in the locked locker. She wanted to unlock the lock, but I had the keys. I insisted that I needed to unlock the lock. She grabbed her googles and cap. I did the rearranging part a few times again. She kept trying to grab the lock out of my hand because she wanted to lock the locker. I persisted and locked everything up.
We showered and went out to do the lap swim. Instead of 3 lanes open for lap swiming, they only had 2 lanes. We hopped in the pool and started our first lap. Now she is on a swim team and can swim pretty well. This was however a different pool than the one she normally uses. She swam to about halfway across and flipped out. She realized that we had reached the deep end. She swam to the edge and held on.
After much coaxing and prying of her fingers off the edge of the pool, I finally convinced her that it was no deeper than her normal practice pool. When we finished our first lap, she had the nerve to ask me if she could swim down and touch the bottom. NO! How can a child who was one minute frightened of the bottom want to touch the bottom want to go explore it! Sheez!
Of course she insisted that I stay with her the whole time during lap swim. After much arguing, she agreed that I didn't need to do the same stroke as her every time. I did, however, have to stay behind her. I relented.
Everything was going along smoothly until we ended up with 3 other swimmers in our lane. I tried to explain to her how to do a round-robin in the pool. She just didn't get it. She drifted over to the other side as she was swimming and insisted on passing people in the return lane as another swimmer was heading her direction.
She insisted on trying out every single piece of equipment the pool provided. She wanted me to get out of the pool and help her find a new piece. I put my flipper down and told her "No!". She finally settled down and did a few laps.
At one point she was going so slow, I insisted she put on her fins. She whined the whole time about them not fitting right, how they were going to give her blisters and so on. When she finished her second lap, she stopped about 3/4s of the way across and screamed bloody murder. She had a cramp in her leg.
I massaged her leg a bit. I set her up on the edge of the pool. I told her I was going to do two laps by myself. I hastily did my two laps. We got out and headed into the locker room. We again fought over the lock. She took her bag out of the locker and I locked the lock. As I was pulling my hand away, I realized that the keys were missing. Yep! You guessed it! I locked my keys inside the locker.
We had to convince someone to go upstairs and get someone to unlock my locker. As we were heading out the door, I tossed my broken lock in the trash. I put my arm around my daughter and steered her out to the car. Well at least I didn't start screaming or blaming my daughter for my mistake.
I just have such a difficult time trying to hold it all together with so many distractions. My husband says it's a mommy protection thing. I don't know. I'm definitely not super mom. I've never been very successful at juggling kids and other things at the same time.
It will be a long time before I go lap swimming with my daughter again. I think we'll just take turns watching each other swim in our different pools.
I can't really blame it on my daughter. Although she is extremely active and strong-willed, she is just a kid. She's just a kid who insists on having her hands into everything.
When we went down to the locker room to undress, she told me that she didn't bring a lock. The locker room has very small lockers. I had to rearrange our things several times to get them into the locker. She kept trying to put the lock on before I could get the locker locked. Finally I managed to squish everything in the small space and she insisted on putting the lock on. When she came away, the keys weren't in the lock. "Where are the keys?" I asked. Luckily they were in her hand. I insisted that she give them to me.
We walked to the showers. As we were stepping in, I asked her where she put her cap and googles. Of course, its in the locked locker. She wanted to unlock the lock, but I had the keys. I insisted that I needed to unlock the lock. She grabbed her googles and cap. I did the rearranging part a few times again. She kept trying to grab the lock out of my hand because she wanted to lock the locker. I persisted and locked everything up.
We showered and went out to do the lap swim. Instead of 3 lanes open for lap swiming, they only had 2 lanes. We hopped in the pool and started our first lap. Now she is on a swim team and can swim pretty well. This was however a different pool than the one she normally uses. She swam to about halfway across and flipped out. She realized that we had reached the deep end. She swam to the edge and held on.
After much coaxing and prying of her fingers off the edge of the pool, I finally convinced her that it was no deeper than her normal practice pool. When we finished our first lap, she had the nerve to ask me if she could swim down and touch the bottom. NO! How can a child who was one minute frightened of the bottom want to touch the bottom want to go explore it! Sheez!
Of course she insisted that I stay with her the whole time during lap swim. After much arguing, she agreed that I didn't need to do the same stroke as her every time. I did, however, have to stay behind her. I relented.
Everything was going along smoothly until we ended up with 3 other swimmers in our lane. I tried to explain to her how to do a round-robin in the pool. She just didn't get it. She drifted over to the other side as she was swimming and insisted on passing people in the return lane as another swimmer was heading her direction.
She insisted on trying out every single piece of equipment the pool provided. She wanted me to get out of the pool and help her find a new piece. I put my flipper down and told her "No!". She finally settled down and did a few laps.
At one point she was going so slow, I insisted she put on her fins. She whined the whole time about them not fitting right, how they were going to give her blisters and so on. When she finished her second lap, she stopped about 3/4s of the way across and screamed bloody murder. She had a cramp in her leg.
I massaged her leg a bit. I set her up on the edge of the pool. I told her I was going to do two laps by myself. I hastily did my two laps. We got out and headed into the locker room. We again fought over the lock. She took her bag out of the locker and I locked the lock. As I was pulling my hand away, I realized that the keys were missing. Yep! You guessed it! I locked my keys inside the locker.
We had to convince someone to go upstairs and get someone to unlock my locker. As we were heading out the door, I tossed my broken lock in the trash. I put my arm around my daughter and steered her out to the car. Well at least I didn't start screaming or blaming my daughter for my mistake.
I just have such a difficult time trying to hold it all together with so many distractions. My husband says it's a mommy protection thing. I don't know. I'm definitely not super mom. I've never been very successful at juggling kids and other things at the same time.
It will be a long time before I go lap swimming with my daughter again. I think we'll just take turns watching each other swim in our different pools.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Cholesterol Results Are Good
I received the results of my blood test. All of my numbers are now within the normal range. My total cholesterol went down by 22. My good cholesterol went up by 15. I don't remember any of the other numbers from my test last year, but I know they were on the high end of the range. I'll find out how much the other numbers improved when I see the doctor in a week and half.
Although problems with the heart are not common in my family, my grandmother and mother have had increasing problems with dementia as they became older. Many who have symptoms of Alzheimer's also have high cholesterol. I'm hoping if I can keep my cholesterol in check, I can decrease my chances of getting Alzheimer's as I age.
Although problems with the heart are not common in my family, my grandmother and mother have had increasing problems with dementia as they became older. Many who have symptoms of Alzheimer's also have high cholesterol. I'm hoping if I can keep my cholesterol in check, I can decrease my chances of getting Alzheimer's as I age.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Exercise for Stress Relief
I have the nutrition part of my life under control. I know what I’m supposed to eat and I’m pretty good at getting the proper combination of foods into my body. My proportion size is correct and I’m eating just under the amount I need to maintain my weight. It’s exercise that is causing me the most problems.
I love to exercise. It makes me feel great. Sometimes I have to somehow manage to squeeze in the time between many of the errands I have to do in one day.
When I started this week I had planned to swim early this morning, delivery a package for a school auction tomorrow and get a haircut. By midweek, my husband had an appointment to get his car fixed, so I had to pick him up from the auto shop before 8:30am. Yesterday, I realized that the school pictures were today and I needed to do hair in the morning. Today, my daughter called from school to say she needed lunch money.
I dropped off school lunch money first thing in the morning. I had to go to the cafeteria to pay because everyone in the school was busy with the setup for the pictures and the coming auction. I had to write a note to my daughter and hand it to the assistant at the front desk at the school because my daughter is prone to panics. She would be calling home and nobody would be home. Of course I had to wait to hand it to someone because the office was full of people trying to get auction stuff together and trying to get the gym set up for pictures.
I continued on to town to pick up my husband. The traffic was bad and it took my ½ hour to get there from the school. When I got there he was still waiting for the shop owner to show up. Five minutes later the guy shows up. He gets in the car and we head home.
I get the auction and swimming stuff together and head out again. Did I mention that they are doing construction on the bridge near the school? I head out again back through the construction zone with the single lane of traffic and flag people. I drop off the auction package at the farm where it’s being auctioned and head toward swimming.
Swimming. I get in the pool and start my first set of laps. That first set is fast. I crush the water with my palms and kick furiously. I’m working out all that morning stress. By the time I finish that first set, I’m getting tired. I’m not pacing myself well. I get out of the water and take a drink of water. I start my second set at a slower pace. I start to look around me and follow the tiled bottom more carefully. I carefully put my hand into the water fingertips first, stretch my arm out and draw it through the water to the side of my thigh. I get into the rhythm of swimming. By the third set, I’m listening to my body. I’m making sure every stroke is perfect. I look around at the people in the other lanes and the children learning to swim. When I’m done, I’m relaxed and ready to continue on.
I will have no more time for myself today expect what I’m taking to write this. I’m off and running when this is finished….again.
I love to exercise. It makes me feel great. Sometimes I have to somehow manage to squeeze in the time between many of the errands I have to do in one day.
When I started this week I had planned to swim early this morning, delivery a package for a school auction tomorrow and get a haircut. By midweek, my husband had an appointment to get his car fixed, so I had to pick him up from the auto shop before 8:30am. Yesterday, I realized that the school pictures were today and I needed to do hair in the morning. Today, my daughter called from school to say she needed lunch money.
I dropped off school lunch money first thing in the morning. I had to go to the cafeteria to pay because everyone in the school was busy with the setup for the pictures and the coming auction. I had to write a note to my daughter and hand it to the assistant at the front desk at the school because my daughter is prone to panics. She would be calling home and nobody would be home. Of course I had to wait to hand it to someone because the office was full of people trying to get auction stuff together and trying to get the gym set up for pictures.
I continued on to town to pick up my husband. The traffic was bad and it took my ½ hour to get there from the school. When I got there he was still waiting for the shop owner to show up. Five minutes later the guy shows up. He gets in the car and we head home.
I get the auction and swimming stuff together and head out again. Did I mention that they are doing construction on the bridge near the school? I head out again back through the construction zone with the single lane of traffic and flag people. I drop off the auction package at the farm where it’s being auctioned and head toward swimming.
Swimming. I get in the pool and start my first set of laps. That first set is fast. I crush the water with my palms and kick furiously. I’m working out all that morning stress. By the time I finish that first set, I’m getting tired. I’m not pacing myself well. I get out of the water and take a drink of water. I start my second set at a slower pace. I start to look around me and follow the tiled bottom more carefully. I carefully put my hand into the water fingertips first, stretch my arm out and draw it through the water to the side of my thigh. I get into the rhythm of swimming. By the third set, I’m listening to my body. I’m making sure every stroke is perfect. I look around at the people in the other lanes and the children learning to swim. When I’m done, I’m relaxed and ready to continue on.
I will have no more time for myself today expect what I’m taking to write this. I’m off and running when this is finished….again.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Exercise Is it Competition or Recreation?
For anyone who has ever tried to slim down, I'm sure, like me, you've had weeks where you get very discouraged by your lack of progress. I had to give myself a pep-talk today.
I haven't lost any weight at all in over a week. We didn't get our hike in last weekend because my daughter and I had to get blood tests done on Saturday. The weather has turned fairly cold. It's been rainy and windy. I'm trying to adjust to the new fall schedule, getting kids to school, appointments and swim practices. For some reason, our yearly exams, six-month dentist checkups and eye doctor all are scheduled from mid-September to mid-October. I'm tired and stressed out (and as a side note, I'm so looking forward to the clocks rolling back an hour).
I had a friend tell me the other day that she is now swimming 1 1/2 miles 3 days a week. I just started swimming again today after 6 weeks off. I'm at a new pool. The water felt heavy. My elbow ached. I did my mile plus some, but I had a hard time getting a good rhythm going. I know I'm doing good by keeping it up, but I keep thinking back to that 1 1/2 miles. I wonder why she told me that she's now swimming 1 1/2 miles.
I don't often compare myself to others. When my friend told me about her swimming, I started to wonder if I was competitive. My conclusion was that I used to be very competitive, but not so much anymore. As my schedule fills up, efficiently using my time has become very important. I do what's necessary and no more. When I walk, I walk for 45 minutes and no more. When I swim, I do a warm-up, 1 mile and a cool down. If I feel like I have a few extra minutes, I might paddle a bit on my back just for the fun of it. I enjoy myself while I'm exercising. I work out my problems and plan my days.
After much thought while swimming (what else can you do while swimming alone) and driving home, I decided that I have come a long way. Not only have I really started to integrate good habits into my life, but I've also started to have a better attitude towards exercise. It's no longer a competitive sport, it really is recreation for me. Now that's progress!
I haven't lost any weight at all in over a week. We didn't get our hike in last weekend because my daughter and I had to get blood tests done on Saturday. The weather has turned fairly cold. It's been rainy and windy. I'm trying to adjust to the new fall schedule, getting kids to school, appointments and swim practices. For some reason, our yearly exams, six-month dentist checkups and eye doctor all are scheduled from mid-September to mid-October. I'm tired and stressed out (and as a side note, I'm so looking forward to the clocks rolling back an hour).
I had a friend tell me the other day that she is now swimming 1 1/2 miles 3 days a week. I just started swimming again today after 6 weeks off. I'm at a new pool. The water felt heavy. My elbow ached. I did my mile plus some, but I had a hard time getting a good rhythm going. I know I'm doing good by keeping it up, but I keep thinking back to that 1 1/2 miles. I wonder why she told me that she's now swimming 1 1/2 miles.
I don't often compare myself to others. When my friend told me about her swimming, I started to wonder if I was competitive. My conclusion was that I used to be very competitive, but not so much anymore. As my schedule fills up, efficiently using my time has become very important. I do what's necessary and no more. When I walk, I walk for 45 minutes and no more. When I swim, I do a warm-up, 1 mile and a cool down. If I feel like I have a few extra minutes, I might paddle a bit on my back just for the fun of it. I enjoy myself while I'm exercising. I work out my problems and plan my days.
After much thought while swimming (what else can you do while swimming alone) and driving home, I decided that I have come a long way. Not only have I really started to integrate good habits into my life, but I've also started to have a better attitude towards exercise. It's no longer a competitive sport, it really is recreation for me. Now that's progress!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Online Calorie Counters
I occasionally want to know the nutritional facts about a meal I ate out at a restaurant. Generally, I go to google, put in the particular item I'm interested in with the words "nutritional facts" or "nutritional information". Sometimes if the restaurant is a chain, I look up what I ate by using the restaurant name followed by "nutritional information". For instance if I had a Mocha at Starbucks, I might just search using "Starbucks Nutritional Information".
I usually want to know more than just the calories. I want the number for carbs, protein, calcium, cholesterol and fat. I'm not just trying to lose weight; I'm trying to get a good balance of foods in my body.
Every time I do a search, I end up with a lot of hits. It's amazing how many websites provide calorie and nutritional facts. I decided to take 10 minutes and write down all the ones I found. Here's my list.
Nutritional Data dot com
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
Calorie King
http://www.calorieking.com/
Calorie Information
http://www.calorie-counter.net/
The Calorie Counter dot com
http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/
Weight Loss Institute
http://www.weight-loss-institute.com/calorie_counter.htm
The Calorie Lab
http://calorielab.com/index.html
The Daily Plate
http://www.thedailyplate.com/
Calorie Count dot com
http://www.calorie-count.com/
dietfacts.com
http://www.dietfacts.com/
A lot of people must be looking for this information. Many of these sites are using the nutritional information as bait to get people to click on other ads or buy products. It must work. I suspect the majority of the people are more concerned about losing weight than finding a proper balance in their diet.
I usually want to know more than just the calories. I want the number for carbs, protein, calcium, cholesterol and fat. I'm not just trying to lose weight; I'm trying to get a good balance of foods in my body.
Every time I do a search, I end up with a lot of hits. It's amazing how many websites provide calorie and nutritional facts. I decided to take 10 minutes and write down all the ones I found. Here's my list.
Nutritional Data dot com
http://www.nutritiondata.com/
Calorie King
http://www.calorieking.com/
Calorie Information
http://www.calorie-counter.net/
The Calorie Counter dot com
http://www.thecaloriecounter.com/
Weight Loss Institute
http://www.weight-loss-institute.com/calorie_counter.htm
The Calorie Lab
http://calorielab.com/index.html
The Daily Plate
http://www.thedailyplate.com/
Calorie Count dot com
http://www.calorie-count.com/
dietfacts.com
http://www.dietfacts.com/
A lot of people must be looking for this information. Many of these sites are using the nutritional information as bait to get people to click on other ads or buy products. It must work. I suspect the majority of the people are more concerned about losing weight than finding a proper balance in their diet.
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