Sodium Shocker

I started my food log yesterday and decided to keep track of the sodium I consume.  Since I work with cardiac patients, I discuss sodium consumption frequently.  The new guideline for sodium is less than 1500 mg a day for people with heart disease, diabetes, and ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF 50.  Ahem...that includes yours truly.

I have always thought I do pretty well when it comes to limiting my sodium intake.  I may add a little salt to my food at dinner, but that's it.  I've lectured my patients about cutting back, all the while thinking I set a good example of not eating a lot of salt...that is until yesterday.  Thanks to myfitnesspal.com, I about fell off my chair last night.  My total sodium consumption for yesterday was 3419mg.  And that doesn't include the little pinch I put on my egg whites at breakfast.  Praise God I don't have blood pressure or kidney problems.  I'd be six feet under if I did.

In looking over the foods I ate yesterday, the biggest culprits for sodium content were the deli turkey I had on my salad for lunch (600 mg) and the pork tenderloin marinade (with soy sauce) we had for dinner (550 mg).  Almost everything I ate yesterday had salt--even the romaine lettuce (4 mg).  Who woulda thunk?  I'm not sure where I'll make cuts yet, but I definitely need to do something. Right now, 1500 mg. seems like an impossible goal.  The best I can do is try.

For now, no more smug lectures for my patients.

Food Log - A Necessary Evil

To lose weight, a food log makes all the difference in the world if you want to be successful. But let's face it.  The tedious task of logging food is totally painful--especially when you're a grazer like me.  Three pretzels here, 5 almonds there...it's impossible to keep track of it all.  That's why in the past, I've kept a log for 1-2 weeks max and then given up.

Yesterday, one of our weight management patients told me about a food log website called myfitnesspal.com/.  I've used online food logs in the past but found them annoying.  They had standard foods you selected from for your diary and you couldn't alter the serving size.  For instance, the standard size oatmeal serving was 1/3 cup and I used 1/2 cup.  Since I couldn't be accurate with what I ate, I quit after one day.  (Maybe I should have taken it as a hint to decrease my portion size.)  With My Fitness Pal, this isn't a problem.

To get started with My Fitness Pal, follow the prompts for age, current weight, goal weight, etc.  Once that's done, it calculates the amount of calories, carbs, fat, and protein you should have in a day to reach your goal weight.  You type in what you consume and it keeps a running total of what you've had so far that day and how much you need for the rest of the day.  You also keep track of your exercise (for which you're rewarded with extra calories you can consume).  You can enter recipes and it will calculate the nutritional content per serving.

I've been doing this for 10 hours and already it has altered what I eat.  This morning, a patient brought in some dark chocolate covered pomegranates, and I resisted because I didn't want to have to record it.  I ignored the food sample people at Sam's Club, even though it was lunchtime and I was ravenous.  (I hope they didn't think I was rude.  I'd hate to hurt their feelings.)

Hopefully, I will keep this up until I lose 8 pounds and keep it off for at least 3 months.  I know if I stop recording, I'll gradually start eating more.  Like they say, it's the BLT's that kill you.  (The bites, licks, and tastes.)

Results in 10 Workouts or Less!

About 15 years ago, I bought my first exercise video from "The Firm".  Actually, I started with two videos--Standing Legs and Upper Body.  The covers said "Guaranteed: Visible Results in Ten Workouts or Less".  I was a little skeptical, but hey, why not give it a try.

  

Since I had done limited strength training in the past, I didn't have a lot of knowledge on the subject.  These videos had good cues to the degree that I thought they could actually see  me.  On the first day, I ignored the advice of the tapes ("do not use weights") and did both videos with light weights.  The next day, I was in agony if anyone touched me.  I quickly advanced though, and I literally lost two inches in both my hips and thighs within a few weeks.  I alternated the two videos daily and saw results in 5-6 workouts.  I added a few other Firm videos to my regimen and loved them.

A few years ago, my husband got a flat screen TV for the exercise room and it didn't have VHS, but only had a DVD player in it.  I started doing P90X and got away from The Firm.  A couple of weeks ago, I saw my original videos in DVD format on the Barnes and Noble website.  The two were together in one DVD and I got it for $2.50 plus shipping.  I started doing it and have lost an inch in my hips and waist already (but only 1/4 inch from my thighs).  I'm alternating it with other workouts, so I only do Standing Legs twice a week.  If you're looking for something different where you will actually see results, try this.  You just have to get past the leg warmers and occasional mullet.  The only equipment you'll need are ankle weights, a 10-14 inch step and a few dumbbells.  Let me know if you like it and see results.

To Eat or Not To Eat

Before a workout, that is.  A common belief is that you shouldn't eat before a workout so that you'll burn fat reserves instead of the food in your stomach.  This is not true.  A recent study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (that's a mouthful) found that people who ate before they exercised experienced a bigger boost in metabolism.  In other words, they burned more fat.  The study theorized that your body uses more oxygen when you eat before exercising, and that results in a metabolism spike and an improvement in fat burning.

All I can say is WOOHOO.  Another excuse to eat.

So, what is a good snack?  Preferably, you should eat something with a little protein, carbohydrate and fat about a half hour before you workout.  Experiment with different things to see what works best for you.  If I'm exercising indoors, I usually have yogurt with Kashi Go Lean.  If I'm going for a run outside, that combo seems to get my digestive track moving and it becomes a problem about four miles into my run (that's probably TMI).  A little peanut butter on toast seems to work better.  Also, if you are exercising for more than 90 minutes, you should eat (or drink) some carbohydrates during the actual workout.  Again, experiment with what works for you.  Nothing like a little food to motivate a good workout.

New Workout!

Due to my ACSM fitness specialist certification, I often receive professional catalogs for workout gear .  Last week, as I was perusing the most recent one, I noticed the Gliding Discs workout.  Since I'm feeling a little bottom heavy after the holidays, I decided order them.  In two short days, they were sitting on my doorstep.  For $15, I received a pair of discs suitable for use on hardwood (you can also get them for carpet) and an instructional DVD by Mindy Mylrea.

 

Yesterday morning, I was more than excited to give the workout a try.  I slipped the DVD into the player and I was ready to go.  The workout was tough.  It lasted about 45 minutes and worked the legs, core, and a bit of the upper body.  I was sweating bullets about 20 minutes into it.  I definitely had "the burn" going in my glutes, quads, and hamstrings.  It also really worked the leg adductors and abductors (the inner and outer thighs).  It was somewhat aerobic at times and had a few yoga moves, too.  When I finished the workout, I added some upper body strength training to get a total body workout.

I have to say, today I am sore in areas I haven't been sore in maybe ever. I will definitely incorporate this into my routine--maybe once a week.  I measured my waist, hips and thighs before beginning this and will give an update in a month or so.  Between this, P90X, and my normal cardio routines, I'm hoping to see some results.  I only hope the gliding disc workouts don't give me speed skaters' thighs.

Here's a video to give you an idea of some of the moves on the DVD.

Breakthrough...Or Not

Today's Workout:
Ran 6.3 miles
Time: 58 minutes, 39 seconds

New Year's Eve was sunny and 40 degrees out.  A great day for a run outside.  I decided to wear a stopwatch and check my speed.  Amazingly, I shaved over six minutes off my time for 6+ miles.  I was shocked.  For years, I've run a ten minute mile.  Since I've hit 50, I've gotten even slower (if you can imagine that).  So what's happened?

Back in November (the 19th), I blogged about a treadmill workout I had started doing.  I walk for 2 minutes and run for 4 minutes (at a faster than normal pace) and repeat it 10 times for a total of 60 minutes.  My pace when I do this is 7.3 mph or just over 8 minute miles.  I can maintain that pace because I know it's for only 4 minutes.  I do this workout about once a week.  I thought it might help me increase my speed, but I didn't think it would make that big of a difference.  Surprise!

I'm going to keep it up and see how I do this summer.  It's one thing to do it when it's cool outside.  Heat and humidity are another animal.

Of course, it could be an illusion.  My watch batteries could be low, making the stopwatch slow.  I should probably check that out.

Christmas Workout

Aaah!  The decorating is finally done.  The tree is decorated, the garland is up and the stockings are hung.

I have to say, men have it made this time of year.  Women do all the decorating, all the shopping, all the wrapping, all the cooking, and all of the cards.  Men just show up.  On the positive side, we burn off all those extra calories from the goodies we've consumed by doing all the work.  I wish I knew how many trips up and down the stairs I've made, retrieving all the decorations from the basement--hundreds, at least.  I've probably done the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest....well, maybe not, but close.  No wonder my glutes are feeling a little sore.  We women will be fitter than ever by the time January rolls around, while the men in our lives will be nothing but a gelatinous mass.  Kudos to being a woman!

The Skinny on Spray Butter

I'm always trying to cut a few calories where ever I can, so when "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" came out with their zero calorie spray version, I was ecstatic.  But I've always wondered how it can have zero calories, zero fat, zero carbohydrates, basically zero everything, and taste so good.

The truth of the matter is this:  There are over 700 calories in one bottle!  So when I take the top off and pour the "butter" on my vegetables, I'm getting much more than I bargained for.  How is this so when the bottle says zero calories?  Legally, they can list it as zero calories if there are less than five calories in a serving.  (A serving size is 5 sprays, as if anyone uses only 5 sprays.)

Sigh!  Ignorance was bliss. 

Tolerable Treadmill Workout

I loathe running on the treadmill.  Monotonous and so boring.  So today, I decided to do something different.  I did intervals, which totally made a difference with the boredom factor.  And bonus--interval training is great for improving aerobic capacity and speed.  I ran for four minutes at a faster than normal pace (a 17-18 on the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion scale) and walked for two minutes at a moderate pace (about 3.8-4.0 mph).  I repeated that nine times for a total of 60 minutes.

Of course, I still needed a diversion to make the time go faster.  So I did this workout while watching the Michigan Wolverines obliterate the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  The only real difficulty was singing the Michigan fight song while running, but I managed.  I even did the fist thrust during "Hail, Hail to Michigan...".  It turned out to be a great workout.

Workout Summary
Treadmill time: 62 minutes
Distance: 6.2 miles
Calories burned:  639
Maximum heart rate: 184 bpm
Weight training: 40 minutes

Holiday Weight Gain

Every year, the average American gains 5-10 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  As much as I hate to admit it, I'm average.  At work alone, it's a continuous lovefest with goodies that our patients bring in for us.  Normally, I would never eat all those yummy treats, but I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  And I often have seconds just to make sure they know how much I enjoyed their gift--hence, the weight gain.

This year, things will be different.  My employer is challenging the entire organization to stay within two pounds of their pre-holiday weight.  The initiative is called "Holding it Through the Holidays".  We have to weigh-in every week between now and January 1st.  It's voluntary, of course.  I decided to take the challenge and hopefully will stay motivated throughout the next seven weeks to tone it down by ingesting less unhealthy food and drink.

So, today, after lunch, we weighed in with my boss.  I wanted him to sign a confidentiality agreement, but he  (being a guy) didn't think that knowing how much I weigh was a big deal.  He is the only person, besides my doctor, who knows the total poundage.  Oh well, at least I'm not Kate Middleton.  On the news yesterday, the camera honed in on her abdomen, contemplating before the world if she has a "baby bump".  If my abdomen was the one being scrutinized, they'd see the "bump", but it most definitely is not a baby.

Real Hula Hoops

I did a blog post last spring about hula hooping.  I had purchased a child's hula hoop and it worked fine.  Since then, we had a weight management group move into our building at work and they brought some heavy duty adult hula hoops with them.  I tried them out and they are the real deal.  They are heavier and much larger in diameter.  Ideally, a hula hoop should come between your waist and chest when it's standing on end.  The child's hoop that I was using only came up to the middle of my thighs.

I asked my co-workers where they purchased their hula hoops and found out that a local woman makes them.  She charges $45.00.  I thought that was a bit extreme (my Dutch heritage coming out), so I decided to make one for myself.  I went to Home Depot Friday evening and bought the supplies.  Forty five minutes and ~$14.00 later, I had my own real adult hula hoop.

Supplies:  1-inch irrigation tubing (you'll need about 10 - 12 feet)
                Insert coupling
                Hot water pipe insulation
                Duct and/or electrical tape

I used plain old gray duct tape for my prototype.  Next time I'll use colored duct tape.

$45 Hula Hoop 

$14 Hula Hoop

My core will never know the difference.

For hula hoop exercises, see post from 5/19/11.

When Not to Brush Your Teeth

I recently had to teach a class on the complications of diabetes and in doing research for it, found out something that I had never heard before.  It's been life changing.

When we eat acidic foods, it softens the enamel on our teeth.  And if we brush our teeth right after we eat, we can damage the enamel.  It is recommended that we wait 40-60 minutes to brush after eating.

For years, I've thought it was best to brush as soon as possible after noshing.  Doesn't it prevent cavities?  After all this time, I'm shocked to find out my mother was wrong.

On the positive side, I no longer take a swig of chocolate soy milk or have a bite of something before getting ready for bed.  I'm eliminating who knows how many calories from my diet because I don't want to have to stay up for another hour to wait to brush.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Necessary Agility

Once a month, we do quick-look EKG's on all of our patients.  We obtain this by placing the defibrillator paddles on our patients' chests and printing a six inch strip of their EKG.  By doing this, we can ascertain whether they have any major EKG changes that need to be watched or treated.

This past month, as we were doing EKG's, we had a slight mishap.  One of our male patients stepped up, slipped his suspenders off his shoulders, lifted up his shirt and as he pulled his tummy in, his shorts dropped to the floor.  Unfortunately, my co-worker and I didn't act very professionally.  We laughed before we could stop ourselves.  Amazingly, he had his shorts pulled back up in a nanosecond.  His agility at 88 years old was unbelievable.

It makes me wonder what amazing feats I could accomplished in a time of need.

Biker Girl

Today was the last "shorts day" of the season and my friend, Jayne, and I had planned on doing a hike after I got off work at noon.  But since my hubby and I had just hiked on Sunday, I asked Jayne if she would want to ride bikes instead.  Our city has a bike path that runs along the shoreline and I've been curious about it.  Here was my chance.

Now, Jayne rides bikes a lot--sometimes 60-70 miles in a day.  I was a little nervous about riding with her, since I've only ridden ~15 miles in the past eight years.  She reassured me that she would stick with me through thick and thin.  I decided to give it a go.

I dug my biking shorts out of storage and hoped they still fit.  (I've only worn them once and had forgotten about how thick the essential padding is.  It brought me back to my toddler days with diapers.)  Once I had the shorts properly adjusted, I got my bike down.  (My husband has a pulley system rigged up in the garage to hang the bikes from the ceiling. It was a bit of a trick to get it down--I had to call him for instructions.)  I pumped up the tires, got my Camelback filled with water, strapped on a helmet (thanks for loaning it to me, Jayne) and was ready to go.

A side note:  The whole helmet thing is new to me.  I never considered wearing one in the past, due to the fact that I didn't think I needed one and also, but more importantly, I don't look good in hats.  However, four years ago, our son was riding his bike at night and ran into a pole.  He flipped over the handlebars, hit his head and after a $5000 trip to the ER, ended up with 15 staples and 25 stitches in his scalp.  Helmets are necessary.

The aftermath of Dave's helmetless bike ride.  

His head was pretty much healed at this point.

Jayne and I rode about 4 miles to get to the trail.  It runs along Muskegon Lake, past downtown, and up to North Muskegon, where we turned around.  It was beautiful.  When we got back to where we started, we continued out to Lake Michigan.  (This part was the same route that I ran last week.)

 Muskegon Lake

One of the many houses along the lake.

I had no idea these condos existed.  

They can't be seen from the road.

 

The Muskegon River where it empties into Muskegon Lake.

This was the turn around point.

Note the towering Muskegon skyline in the distance.

The river flats. 

 One of the many marinas along the bike path.

Moi, riding across one of the cute bridges.

The opposite end of Muskegon Lake from where we turned around.

The channel that connects Muskegon Lake with Lake Michigan.

The Coast Guard station is at the end of the sidewalk.

All in all, we road around 42 kilometers (it sounds like so much further than 26 miles).  I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow, especially the area on my body that was touching the bike seat.  (It's the same area that was sore after giving birth to my three children--although they were definitely worth it.)  Whatever happened to cushy seats?  Thankfully, cold, rainy weather is moving in tomorrow, and I won't be riding a bike until next year.  I'm going to need that long to recover.

Memory Lapse

We are in the middle of a gorgeous weather pattern.  After a week of off and on rain, the clouds have finally cleared out and we are experiencing clear blue skies with temps in the 60's.  So after hitting the Farmers' Market this morning, I decided to go for a run.  I'm tired of my usual route, so I opted to run out to Lake Michigan.  It's been a few years since I've run out there and I had forgotten exactly how far it is.  I was thinking it was 10 miles from the house.  That was more than I wanted to bite off, so I decided to drive and park a couple of miles from home to lessen the distance by four miles.

It was so nice outside and the route was bringing back lots of memories.  For starters, I ran past the elementary school my children went to.  It seems like eons since the kids were there.  (About a year ago, a study was done on the quality of air on playgrounds in the Muskegon area.  Lincoln Park Elementary had the worst due to the foundries that are a couple of blocks away.  I hope my kids don't end up with COPD some day.)

My favorite part of the route is along the lakes.  There is a bike path along Muskegon Lake.  It's wide and shady with a great view.

I stopped to take a picture of this Buster Keaton sign.  I've never stopped to read it before today.  It doesn't say a whole lot, so I had to "google" it.  As it turns out, Buster Keaton's parents had a home near the lake when he was growing up.  They spent their summers in Muskegon every year.  Who knew?  I've lived here most of my life and never knew that until now.

First glimpse of Lake Michigan

You know it's the end of summer when the fences go up on the beach.

They help keep the sand from blowing too much.

Lake Michigan is beautiful to run along, of course.  There are houses across the street from the beach.  The only negative about living there would be that, between the snow and the sand, you'd have to shovel year round.

Only a few boats were out this late in the season. 

This boardwalk was built about 10 years ago. 

 Heading Inland

Muskegon Country Club

I knew when I looked down at my watch at this point and had been running for 65 minutes, that I had remembered the distance to the lake incorrectly.  Oops.  Oh well, I was glad to get in a little longer workout.  I clocked my run with the car afterwards and it ended up 8.4 miles.  I ran it in just over 84 minutes, which I was pleased with.  Tomorrow, I will probably be a bit sore, but it feels good in that I know I stretched myself.

Motivation

Workout:  Ran 6.2 miles

We've had the longest stretch of cloudy, rainy weather here in West Michigan.
The forecast for today: Rain with SW wind at 20-30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.
Definitely an indoor workout day.
I was all set to do strength training and workout on the elliptical when the sun came out.  I checked the Weather Channel and the temperature was 64 degrees with winds at only 6 mph.  I decided to run.

There are days that I like to push myself and days that I don't.  Today was the latter so I didn't wear a watch. I wanted a more relaxing workout.  So, off I went.  I enjoyed about 15 minutes of sunshine and then the clouds moved in.  About one mile from home, it started to sprinkle.  Drats!  So much for a relaxing run.  Rain is definitely a motivator to pick up the pace.

That's Just Peachy

It's the height of peach season in Michigan.  I love the Red Haven and Canadian Harmony varieties, which are both freestones (they easily come away from the pit).  An average peach has only 35 juicy calories where a nectarine has 70.  Peaches are a good source of potassium and have 20% of the RDA for Vitamins A and C.  I love to put them in yogurt or on top of cereal.

One of the farmers at the market told me that the best way to keep them is in the refrigerator.  Take two or three out at a time and place them in a paper bag for one to two days to ripen.  It works great.  For years I had been doing just the opposite--ripen first and them put them in the fridge.  (It took a man to set me straight.)  Unfortunately, the season doesn't last long.  Better get some now!

ABC's of Exercise

A fun way to add a little something new to your workout is to practice the alphabet.  We can all use a little refresher on our ABC's.

For your upper body:
   
Grab a medicine ball and with arms straight and parallel to the floor, trace the alphabet.  Start small and make them bigger as you get stronger.  You can do cursive or printing; upper case or lower case.

For your abs:

Lie face up on the floor with legs straight up.  If you need back support, place your hands under your hips.  Trace the alphabet with your legs.

If you get really good, try it with Chinese.

Signs of Cardiovascular Fitness

One of the easiest ways to know if your cardiovascular health is improving is to check your resting heart rate.  It will get lower as your heart gets in better shape.

Your heart is a muscle thats gets stronger the more you work it.  As your heart gets stronger, it pumps more blood with each stroke.  This is called stroke volume (SV).   As your stroke volume increases, fewer heart beats (HR) are required to achieve the cardiac output (CO) needed to meet your body's demands.  The formula is as follows:  SV x HR = CO

For instance, if you are dehydrated, your blood volume is lower and therefore your stroke volume is lower.  Your heart rate needs to increase to keep your cardiac output stable.

All this is to say, check your resting heart rate when you have been sitting or resting for awhile.  Count your heart rate for a full minute.  This is your resting heart rate.  Check it periodically to see if it is going down.  If it is (and you're not on any medications that lower heart rate, i.e. beta blockers, calcium channel blockers and others), your cardiovascular health is improving.

I was checking mine last night and it was the lowest I've ever had--42 bpm.  It tends to vary and at times is over 50, depending on different factors (caffeine, stress, and who knows what).  I'm sure my husband thinks it goes up when he's around.  We'll let him hang on to that thought.

Post-Workout Recovery Drink

On my days off, I like to do a longer workout which usually consists of an hour of weight training and 30+ minutes of aerobic training.  I'm usually hungry by the time I finish and head for the kitchen.  My favorite thing to grab for a quick fix is chocolate soy milk.

I recently read an article that validated my choice. A study was done on recovery drinks by Physiologist Joel Stager at Indiana University (my husband's alma mater).  He says the perfect recovery drink after a long workout is chocolate milk.  It has double the carbohydrate and protein content than most sports drinks and is perfect for replenishing tired muscles.  Its high water content replaces fluids lost while sweating and it has calcium, sodium and sugar which helps an athlete retain water and regain energy.  While water is okay to replenish fluids, it has no nutritional value.  Chocolate milk is so much more.

Be sure to assess your workout level before you indulge.  Chocolate milk is most helpful for high endurance levels of exercise.  If you are only exercising for 60 minutes or less, you probably don't need it.  Also, choose the low-fat variety over whole milk.  It has the same nutritional content minus the fat.  And one more thing, cow's milk has more protein than soy milk and thus, is probably a better choice.  (I just like soy milk as it helps with menopause symptoms.)

 Need a little motivation to work out longer?  Now you've got it.