Exercise makes you smarter

Recent studies prove what I think we all suspected all along: exercise improves your brain power.

From World Life Expectancy:

Science now believes exercise is not just good for your heart it can also make you smarter and that means it can make you better at what you do. It works fast too...stimulating your nervous system is one of the best ways to perform at a higher level within a short period of time. Doctor John Tatey, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School says, "I like to say that exercise is like taking a little Prozac or Ritalin at just the right moment...it affects mood, vitality, alertness and feelings of well-being."

Read more: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/exercise-makes-you-smarter

Shaping Up

One of the tasks I have given myself during my convalescence is planning my comeback. Physically speaking, that is. Part of that comeback will necessarily be made possible with the help of lower back exercises designed to alleviate lower back pain. That's just part of it; I also will have to be much more active.

But I have obstacles to being more active. Wearing crappy shoes a few years back for too long resulted in permanent nerve damage in the 2nd and 3rd toes on my right foot (Morton's Neuralgia) and the formation of painful scar tissue between two of my right foot's metatarsals (Morton's Neuroma). This means I have to wear shoes that fit not one, but two separate special criteria. They can't crowd my toes, either on the ends or the sides, or terrific pain is the result. Also, they must have adequate arch support, with, ideally, and extra support that sits right under the metatarsals, spreading them apart and lessening the pain caused by the scar tissue. There are shoes that fit this criteria, believe it or not; softbed Birkenstock sandals such as the Arizona and Milano fit the bill perfectly, until the unique shaping abilities of the cork footbed result in a perfect reflection of the sole of your foot. You would think this would be prime time for a Birk, and for most people it is. However, by the time the footbed completely conforms to the shape of my foot, there is no longer support for the metatarsals, so I have to add an extra pad for them. Which now is itself worn down. Sigh. I was seeing a podiatrist, but a year ago I stopped working in the same city as the podiatrist; I've only recently obtained a good reference for a local podiatrist. I'll be seeing him next week to get replacement inserts for the worn ones. What a pain in the, er, foot!

Needless to say, Birk sandals are not ideal for exercise, and exercise I will have to do, if I want to lose weight, which I think for the sake of my back and heart has to happen, and soon. So before I can begin an exercise program, I need to find a shoe that meets this criteria. If and when I come up with a good solution, I'll post it.

Of course, some exercise does not require putting full weight on the feet; swimming and biking come to mind. Unfortunately, I do not swim, and I'm not sure flailing in the water would have the same benefit as swimming. Although I understand water aerobics is great for people with foot and back problems and arthritis, so that is a possibilty. So, water aerobics and bicycling, so far. I love playing both tennis and racquetball, but until I see a new podiatrist, that's out.

I'm trying to drum up five ways of becoming more active. Why five? Well, I liked the looks of Jonny Bowden's Shape Up! I like the idea that most plans make all the decisions for you, and we subjects tend to rebel against having to constantly do what we're told to do. Bowden's program supposedly puts the decision making in your hands, so I'm curious to see if I respond to this one any better than the several plans I have tried but couldn't adhere to if my life depended on it. And it does.

The first exercise is to pick five ways I can be more active. So far I have riding bikes with the family, playing tennis and racquetball with the boys, and checking into a water aerobics class. I suppose one of the five ought to be weight lifting, but I hate weight lifting and dread having to go to the local Y's weight room to do it. There are too many protein-powder-packin' wanna-be pro wrestler types that frequent that place. So that one I still have to figure out.

Of course, a pretty big problem for me is what I eat to begin with. I love many different foods and pretty much freely partake, healthy or not. Odd that a man would make it to 44 with little sense of how to curb a voracious appetite, but there it is.
Anyway, I am going to give a healthier way of life a try, and post my triumphs and tribulations here.

New Health Challenge: Prostate health

So, I was diagnosed with BPH- benign prostatic hyperplasia. Just for a convenient guideline, 50% of 50-year-old men have it, and 80% of 80-year-old-men have it. It doesn't necessarily lead to cancer; in fact, there are some lifestyle changes that can slow down or even prevent its development. Apparently there isn't hard evidence that the symptoms of BPH can be reversed, so basically once you develop it, it's more or less a matter of managing the symptoms.

What causes it? Once again, Science is inconclusive, but evidence suggests the Standard American Diet, lack of exercise and being overweight- the western office worker trifecta- is the main culprit. In a nutshell, the SAD diet produces inflammation, and acidifies the urine. Both situations irritate the prostate and cause the cells to grow. Eventually the urethra, which is right next to it, is  crowded to the point that it becomes harder to completely evacuate when you pee. This can result in nasty, painful infections. It can also eventually lead to impotence. Yay.

There are official treatments for the symptoms. The pills involve relaxing muscles and spawning a dieuretic effect. Both can have adverse reactions which can lead, paradoxically, to the same symptoms caused by BPH. So I am going to try to manage this with diet and exercise. Foodwise, the basic strategy is eating in the Mediterranean and Asian foodways. Stay tuned!

the trifold path

This post is a little disjointed- so many new ideas I want to get down. It's something that will take some time to make more sense.

Wow. I think in one of our conversations today Abbey and I really hit on something deep- and important. It began in such a mundane way. I had gone to Walmart to get storage bins (I'm mad at Target at the moment and decided to give some cash to their mortal enemy today, even though I dislike Walmart even more) and saw a shirt I liked. 100% cotton, a red checked pattern (very atypically for me, I have been getting way into fire colors lately, which I find very interesting), camp style. So I took it into the fitting room to make absolutely sure it fit.

If you have tried on clothing at Walmart, you know what a revealing experience it can be. It's not every day (at least for those of us with no room of mirrors at home) you get to contemplate your body from every conceivable angle. The shirt had its own good qualities: the fabric was comfortable, the stitching solid, the buttons well chosen. But one quality was inescapable: no matter how nice the shirt was, I looked lousy. Of course, it had nothing at all to do with the shirt.

I went home, shirtless, full of inner resolve. I suddenly had the feeling this was my last chance to make lasting change. Whether that was just fear, or just bulldada, remains to be seen; but how it felt was exactly was undeniable, and it completely enveloped me.

Abbey, to her eternal credit, changed gears as soon as she heard me relate my Walmart experience and we sat about drawing some new lines in the sand. Change diet, yes, be more religious about the workout schedule, sure. We'd already had this conversation. But she really surprised me. The first words out of her mouth were about how I have a switch in me regarding my relation to food, and that switch needed to be turned off.

Perfect analogy; and, so true.

I'm not just looking to relieve hunger when I eat. I am also looking for entertainment and comfort. The ritual provides me with identity and stability. I'm beginning to realize all my creative energy goes into food preparation. And it's self-perpetuating because I do it every day, I'm pretty good at it, and it's an essential behavior, so it's easy to sink all of my creative momentum into it. But it's a black hole; in the end, there's nothing to show for it except for a spare tire and atherosclerosis. Well, we all get fed, sure, and I have the skills to cut basil in a chiffonade. But it's beginning to depress me thinking of all the more interesting things I could have been doing with that momentum.

What's been missing from my previous attempts to lose weight and get into shape is my mind has not been into it. This is so obvious now you it's as if the fact has been slapping me in the face for decades and I've become an expert at ignoring it.  You hear this platitude about sports and business all the time: is your head in the game? That phrase never struck me as being all that important in my life- until now.

The tools a person can get the mind in sync with the body are wide ranging; the two that appeal to me the most are meditation and guided imagery.  The goal is to reprogram the mind- to turn that switch off, or, more usefully, rewire the switch to perform a new function. Of the elements necessary for my personal transformation, I see this as the most important of all. It's the been the main instrument of my self-sabotage for a long time, and it didn't have a name before today.

I'm struck by the similarity of this triad- food, exercise, meditation- to the three parts of Freud's famous tripartite mind: Ego, Superego, and Id. Surely we know what the Id's domain is: food. The urge to eat is universal in nature; the desire to eat comes from the most primitive part of the brain. Of the three ships with which we are concerned, this one is the hardest to steer. Changing its relationship with food is like trying to change yellow's relationship with lemons. It doesn't seem right to even try, sometimes.

The Superego is exercise: the action we take upon our environment to survive. Although the urge to fight or flee is primitive as well, the forms action can take require strategy and sometimes a measure of skill. Logic is an integral part of action, whether the action be ill-advised or not. The more we act, the greater our need for calories. And the Ego provides the balance between the two. It's the navigator. In many people this guidance is either only needed minimally, or happens naturally, even automatically. For some of us, the connection is not so straightforward. It's up to each of us to find a way to straighten this parts of the self out as needed. I see this as my goal right now.

It remains to be seen if this is just the latest trick I have concocted to convince myself I am really doing something to improve my situation, only to abandon it, give in to my lower impulses, and wait for the next great idea to fool myself all over again.

You can find inspiration in the darnedest places

Upon seeing the Barbie Diaries movie for, I dunno, maybe the fifth time, I ended up actually listening to some of the dialogue, and one of Barbie's messages resonated hopefully with me: "all you have to do is write something down, and like magic, it comes true."

I've been wanting something to come true for many years now. Maybe I need to write it down to make it come true.

I've experimented sporadically with healthier cooking, but in the meantime I've maintained all my bad old habits. Impulse eating. Caving to cravings. Over-eating my favorite foods. My conscious mind knows continually eating the wrong things is not the key to happiness and longevity. Yet, i will think of a food i want to eat and my mouth will being to water, and I feel an irresistable urge to seek it out. I think recent studies regarding the chemistry of salt, fat and sugar cravings provide the perfect explanation: what I experience feels just how I would expect to feel in light of the findings. I've often felt it might be some kind of unfulfilled, infantile craving that has nothing to do with food, but, you know, I like the idea of dopamine production dependence on food cravings better, because it's something I feel equipped to combat.

Stocking the wrong sorts of foods: this is a special challenge if you're a parent. I've admired the blogs of people whose kids have a miraculous love of healthy foods. If you are a consistent, conscientious person who has complete control over what your kids eat and only feed them good food to begin with, then this is easier to achieve; Kids will eat whatever is available, eventually. Sadly, if you don't have total control (daycares; grandparents), you have to do battle with these influences. I've become determined to only stock foods that are worth eating. I expect this to perhaps be the hardest part of my transformation.

We had already resolved to make as many meals at home as possible. Better and better for you. This we have more or less accomplished. We do cave occasionally to a few favorite dishes at restaurants (Paddy Malone's Mushroom Fries and Arris' Greek family style pizza are just about it though). Mostly we cook for ourselves.

This made responding to a recent change in circumstances a bit easier. My wife had a gall bladder attack and subsequent surgery. We had to start eating fat-free, immediately. As my wife so rightly said, I've been researching this topic for years, but have never been able to translate it into a lifestyle. We like a wide variety of foods and have flirted with the idea of vegetarianism and pescetarianism. In the end we decided it might be too early in the process to deny ourselves who categories of foods (though I grapple with the moral and environmental qualms of meat eating all the time). So these dishes are really more of a flexitarian nature than anything- primarily good old fruits, vegetables and whole grains with occasional forays into lean meats and not-so-whole grains.



So, it's been almost a month now, and this short time, we have accumulated many good ways to cook fatfree. Some have suggested by others (in particular Dean Ornish); others we developed by trial and error. I must say we have both been very pleased with the results. Dishes deprived of their fats taste much better than expected; in many cases, better than the original. I found so many ways I used fat in cooking that have turned out to be totally unnecessary. Others I found a spray of Pam works just as well as a couple of tablespoons or more that I customarily used in many dishes.

Some I have not been able to perfect. One miserable failure in my mind is fried rice. I'm sure it is possible, though; I think I overcooked the rice, and so many dishes brown perfectly in a good non-stick pan, better than I thought they would, so I do think there is hope.

Did I say stocking the wrong sorts of foods would be the hardest part? I forgot about exercise. That is going to be the hardest thing for me. I've been a devoted couch spud for many years now. I used to love biking and tennis; as I aged and circumstances changed, I've gained weight, lost muscle, and developed Morton's Neuroma in my feet, which has slowed me down even more. I'm hoping to stage a revival of these former hobbies, along with more foot-friendly forms of activity.

Turkey "falafel" with Tzatziki sauce

This is the dish that made me realize our little experiment is finally producing very pleasant results, results that might actually help other guys who have a similar desire to live a healthier life. It has to be reinforced by positive experiences, and of all our efforts to date, this has been the most successful.

Turkey falafel




I used Saad Fayed's excellent Falafel recipe on About.com.

All I did is substitute 16 oz. of ground turkey for the chick peas. I shaped them into small patties and my wife lovingly sauteed them in our handy-dandy large non-stick skillet with just a spritz of Pam (cover maybe 2/3 of the pan) on medium heat. Lay them in gently and leave them alone for five minutes. check one of them; they should be browning nicely. Flip and repeat.

Tzatziki Sauce



half a cucumber, peeled, sliced and seeded
2 cloves garlic
heaping tablespoon of dried dill weed
couple pinches salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
juice of 1/2 lemon

put it all in a food processor and puree until smooth. The key to a successful tzatziki (okay, maybe second to correct proportions and good seasoning) is to make sure the cucumbers are seeded. just take the whole center part out, use only the solid parts. It won't be watery and icky if you do that.

The Vegan Experiment

Recent trips to medical facilities have rattled me somewhat- I feel like the pace of medical intervention in my life is increasing at a rate with which I am rather uncomfortable. My GP wants me to come back for a blood pressure re-check, because it's now officially elevated. My journey into the heart of darkness hammered home the reality that I have too much body fat; it's actually blocking the free movement of air to my lungs. This is not trivial; it affects everything from my sense of hunger to the health of my heart to my ability to think.

How I'm dealing with it is two-fold- one is exercise, which affects something major that happened to me this year that I haven't been ready to write about until recently (Labyrinthitis, I'm writing some posts about it right now). The other, the subject of this post, is my diet.

I have some issues with food. On one hand, I am an obsessed foodie who is always looking to stimulate my palate. On the other, I am an emotional eater. This has been pretty well documented (here for example). And they tend to work together to sabotage my attempts to eat better. Sure, I eat Bologna and American cheese sandwiches because I have abandonment issues; but it's German Bologna and thick cut sharp American on real sourdough, if you catch my drift.

Getting in there and sparring with those two formidable enemies are my waistline and reason, trying to plan a diet that works but doesn't drive me crazy. It can get ugly. Very ugly. What I am trying now is appealing to something that feels like an old arch-nemesis- boundaries. If I had a contest for supremacy among my competing personal weaknesses, lack of discipline would be a serious contender for #1. Boundaries are always ready to debate; they could answer the questions my lack of discipline constantly asks. I've decided to let them try. If my lack of discipline whispers "wouldn't we like a juicy burger" in my ear, my new boundary replies, "is it vegan? no? then shove it." Although I admit there is a chance my boundaries will say yes to fries. That's a delicious consequence I'll just have to occasionally endure.

Avoiding bad stuff and choosing good stuff is not easy when the goal is vaguely defined. Confining my intake to veganism makes some choices, not all, but most, quite definite. No longer do I have to ask "is this cheese lowfat?" or "is this a lean cut of beef?" Instead I just ask, "is it made of animal products?" The answer is usually clear, though the miracles of modern food technology constantly threaten to make it more gray (is test tube meat grown in a lab really meat?). But I can keep it pretty much black and white by sticking to things I know I can eat: vegetables, fruits and grains. Interestingly, I violated this rule just this morning- There's no vegetable field where I can pick the contents of my breakfast sandwich of Morningstar sausage and Daiya vegan cheese. Which, by the way, was very tasty. So, it isn't going to be 100% crystal clear, and I can't stop reading labels; that's ok, I'm a foodie, I like reading labels.

There are multiple benefits of veganism. One is the drop in saturated fat, which is the main cause of atherosclerosis. Another benefit is the decrease of caloric density- I'll feel about as full, but consume fewer calories. Now, I could easily turn this into a carbfest and never lose any body fat. But that is one other boundary I'll be setting up for myself- whole grains only, unless it's sourdough bread, which studies indicate does not spike insulin levels. I won't gorge myself on it, but I won't feel guilty eating it, either.

It's a challenge. I need challenges right now. This is a part of my life that has been allowed to do what it pleases for the most part. This is my line in the sand. It remains to be seen if I come back in a few months healthier, or just to kick the damn line to pieces and find another line to draw.

Finding a routine... and sticking to it

After trying a variety of plans and facilities, it seems I've found a way to integrate exercise into my daily life. I've been doing it more or less every day for a couple of months now, which is an incredible achievement, considering my history of giving up after just a day or two of a new routine. There have been two keys to my success, and I can easily generalize and say these things are key to me adopting any new behavior:

1. The new behavior must be rewarding.

2. The new behavior must be easy to accomplish.

Here's what seems to work for me. The first thought that I let myself have in the mornings is it's time to go for a walk. I have a bin at the bedside that has tennis shoes, socks, shorts and a t-shirt, and nearby I keep my iPod and a house key- the bare essentials that I need for a walk. That way, I can grope around in the pre-dawn murk and get ready easily. I put clothes on, grab my iPod and key, and immediately leave the house. It's not easy some mornings, and in fact I flat out don't have time on Mondays, but it's gotten to the point that the default is to go. I manage to do it on average, five mornings a week, at least 30 minutes.

I also have the good fortune to have the flexibility to take a morning and afternoon break at work- and, to work in the same building as my workout partner, Abbey. During the morning break, we walk outside around the neighborhood. That makes for a really pleasant diversion from the mind-numbing sameness of a whole day of office work. During the afternoon break, we lift weights in the building's makeshift weight room. It's primitive, but does the job very nicely.

The other part of the equation is watching what I eat. I've been pretty religious about logging what I eat in MyFitnessPal. There is a portable app and a website, and I tend to use both to enter my totals. Regardless of the effect of calorie counting itself (which is apparently a matter of debate), the benefit to me, mainly, is seeing my eating patterns and identifying pitfalls. For instance, I now realize that I consumed an incredible number of calories just in the snacks I took to work. Comparing different foods in their rather large database has given me the ability to easily plan what I'm going to eat for the day without over-doing it.

The last component of my plan is something that's still a work in progress, and that is some extra activity on the weekend for everyone in the family. Recently we walked/biked on the local fitness trail; then there was the recent trip to a zoo which involved a lot of walking. I'll post more about this in the future when it's had time to mature a bit.

I am already reaping rewards from this new plan. I have lost 20 lbs since starting two months ago, and my stamina, energy and strength are all on the increase. One surprise consequence is my blood pressure, which was considered elevated, is now back to normal. I'm already planning a trip to the doc's to have triglyceride and cholesterol levels checked as well, and I'm expecting at least some improvement. And I believe I am down a waist size or two. I still have a belly, but it actually looks smaller. So, progress is being made.

I do think sticking to a plan is very important. It doesn't have to be perfect, it really just has to be something. What I do is not very extreme at all, though in a way I had to go to extremes to get myself to   go for it. Whatever route you decide to take, don't be discouraged if you can't seem to stick to it. All that means is you need to keep tweaking it until you come up with the plan that is easy for you to stay with it. I think there is probably something for everyone.

Kid-free Day *Sigh*

So, what do we do with one of the maybe 2 or 3 kid-free days we get during the year?  Due to some president having been born, Feb. 12th was our day to lounge around and pretend we are independently wealthy, without the constant chorus of whining, fussing, and urgent needs.

We dropped the girl at school in the morning.  Childless for nearly 8 hours, Michael and I first hit the gym for a low impact bit of exercise.  Freshly showered, we headed for one of the nicer restaurants in town, Arris' Cafe.  Michael had been reading some health magazine that recommended an after workout treat of hot chocolate.  Only too eager to take that advice, I ordered one first thing.  Yes, I know, hot chocolate isn't even vaguely South Beach, but I'm sort of flagging in the dieting department.  I've had some unexpected mental health issues lately that have sort of made me re-think the constant sense of denial a diet generates for me.  Doing what's healthy is one thing, but doing what makes you feel happy sometimes a whole other thing.  I am perhaps a little neglectful of myself in the mental well-being department, sometimes forgetting how closely aligned my sensual side is with everyday bliss.  So there I am, sipping my hot chocolate, amazed at how overly sweet it is and thinking I could do something just a shade sweeter than bitter at home and enjoy it twice as much.

We used the time to plan a few changes we'd like to make in our lives, career-wise and health-wise.  I think it was one of the nicest days we've had in such a long time.  Arris' was extremely quiet all morning.  The lunch crowd started filtering in at about 11 am and we ordered a gorgeous plate of roasted red pepper hummus with whole grain pita.  With a side of terosalata (a feta cheese "salad" with olive oil and spices), this turned out to be enough for lunch.  The only thing that would have rounded it out better would have been a side salad.  We stayed through lunch, plotting and scheduling a few more things.  As we were sitting in the upholstered seating area, we truly enjoyed our surroundings.

I almost didn't want to leave, but the antique mall was beckoning, ;-)

The Vegan Experiment, part 2: temptations

One inevitable outcome of eliminating whole categories of foods from your diet is it gives you a very precise idea of what your worst food temptations are. Within 24 hours of going vegan, what i wanted more than anything was a big hunk of ripe swiss cheese. In the subsequent couple of days, I was tempted by cheese pizza, rotel dip, deep fried mozzarella, cream cheese on a bagel, and slices of sharp cheddar (which i wanted to eat right out of the fridge). Interestingly, few of my fantasies revolved around meat. there was the one day that I regretted passing up some beef chili, but by and large, I wanted cheese more than anything, and I came very close to chucking it all.

In truth, I did cave in once, for a mexican con queso dip. I knew that if I gave in just a little, I would cave completely; that's how I operate. That's why I have given up a hundred exercise regimens. One day off the wagon and I figure there's no point in going back, so I abandon it entirely. That is a surprisingly difficult thing to understand for being such a simple concept: once off the wagon does not sabotage a routine. Just get right back on it the next day.

I'm now getting that veganism can be a way for me to learn moderation, and to not let a little deviation mess with the overall plan. It's a bit easier for me to judge the course when there is a simple guideline to follow. I think my success will be much greater than using my usual technique, winging it.

For GERD, eat more like Japanese people

After eating a fairly traditional Japanese lunch and not experiencing the usual post-meal reflux, I went searching for evidence that a Japanese diet could help with GERD. What I discovered was it's not just what you eat, but how.

I found a very interesting site- the Digestive Health Institute. There was a post on their forums by a user named Pompadur. In it I thought were some really helpful tips:

We talk about a lot of things to improve health at this forum. And here is another one suggestion.
A Japan study “Lifestyle factors affecting gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms: a cross-sectional study of healthy 19864 adults using FSSG scores”finds two important things:

1. Sleep quality is essential for GERD treating (unfortunately i can’t find exact how long one should sleep in the case of GERD)
   It is well-known that nighttime GERD symptoms are the crucial cause of sleep disorders [32,33], but recent studies also suggested that a link between sleep problems and GERD might be bidirectional, for example, due to the influence of sleep stages on esophago-upper esophageal sphincter contractile reflex [34] or due to reinforcing perception of intra-esophageal acid [35]. Therefore, improving quality of sleep might be essential for relieving GERD symptoms.
2. Eating habits – not what you eat, but how you eat!
   Accordingly, such dietary habits as the following should be avoided:
   • having dinner a few hours before going to bed
   • the habit of eating a midnight snack
   • frequently going without breakfast
   • the habit of quick eating.
   It should be noteworthy that these four diet-related factors present more significant effects than alcohol or smoking on GERD symptoms. 

Rather inteeresting, isnt’t it? Maybe it can be helpful…

I think these are very helpful tips.

But what about eating Japanese? The struggle many of us have with GERD and LPR are related to weight.  Turns out Japanese culture does in fact have something to teach us.

In her book Japanese Women Don't Get Fat or Old, Naomi Moriyama observes that her usual way of eating in Japan kept her slim, and when she moved to the US, her western diet made her gain weight almost instantly.  In Japan, the norm was to not eat out much. But when we think of Japanese cuisine, probably some very complex sushi or sashimi comes to mind. But in fact, Japanese home cooking is often uncomplicated, consisting of fish and rice and fruit, served with miso soup and green tea- all wonderful for both GERD and general health. The Japanese also eat smaller portions- the "80% full" rule comes from Japan- and exercise in the form of biking, walking and gardening are important parts of daily life in Japan.

So if you are looking for guides for better living to help with GERD, traditional Japanese culture might be a great model.

New Year, New Life: "The 7 Things I Did To Lose 220 Pounds Without Dieting"

The 7 Things I Did To Lose 220 Pounds Without Dieting: "Taking a mind body approach that nourishes the body and reduces the physical, mental and emotional stresses that cause weight gain is the most sensible and sustainable way to lose weight. I’ve now worked with tens of thousands of people in 60 countries teaching this approach and we’re getting amazing results."

'via Blog this'

I like the way this sounds. I have tried a number of diets- one of them by force when I spent a couple years dealing with LPR reflux damage- None have lasting results because they are hard to follow. The link above does lead to a product the guy wants you to buy; but the concept is clear. We experience cravings because our bodies are malnourished. Nourish the body,  and it will learn to crave nutrient-dense foods.

I lost about 90 pounds recently, and in the last six months, my health improved so much that my eating became thoughtless and sloppy again, and I gained 30 lbs back. As corny as New Year's resolutions are, I see no reason for the turning of a new year to not be the excuse I need to get back on course with exercise and mindful eating. Please join me for a revitalized year here on Mike's Health!

The Yoga Smoothie

People who want to get into shape and are pressed for time frequently try to fit a workout into their workday--the lunch hour turns into the exercise hour.  I myself take a couple lunch hours per week to bend and stretch with yoga.  I've got it down to a good solid routine so that not much can mess with my commitment to take care of my body (except the occasional emergency meeting).  I limit the workout itself to 30-40 mins, suit up in the bathroom, and use a facility on site at my office for the actual workout.  You may not be so lucky, but everyone has to find their own way to squeeze in that "me" time.

So, once you've huffed and puffed through your lunch hour, what to do about that grumbly tummy?  Enter the Yoga Smoothie.  I make it up in the morning.  I pour it into a thermos and store it in the break room fridge until I'm ready to "eat".  It's the least disruptive way to satisfy your post workout hunger and it can be carried to a meeting, or sipped on the way back from your gym location.

The photo is a bit blurry, but you get the idea.  With a lid on top of this puppy, no one need know that you're eating healthy while you tap out that TPS report at your desk.

Yoga Smoothie
3 bananas, chopped and frozen
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp hemp powder
handful of walnuts
almond or soy milk

Add all ingredients to your blender, pour the milk over until it rises to within an inch or two of the level of the solid bits, then blend the heck out of it.  I usually use the ice crush setting on mine at first, then frappe until completely blended and smooth.

Man-Beast Diet-Rage War 2

I'm back! This time, with renewed vigor and enthusiasm- this time, with the whole family on board. 2011 is going to be the year the Salmons family gets into shape, and you're going to get to read all about right here.

If I haven't driven you away yet... thanks for sticking with me. Community is important. I've read the lists of things you have to do get in shape and lose the bulge, and community is always listed. My reaction is, usually, "oh well, I can work on everything else and be strong and powerful in my infinite male solitude." No. It really doesn't work that way. You get fired up about it, but the fire can be sustained only by the continual feedback loop of community support. Being a solitary, ruminative sort by nature, I was very wrong in assuming (a) I really don't have a community as such and (b) I can do this all by myself. So who is in my healthy lifestyle community?

-Abbey, my wife. She seems just as resolved as me to get the family back on course. You just don't know how encouraging it can feel to hear fiery words of determination from your spouse. Thanks, honey. It really means a lot. We will both be the envy of our coworkers by next Winter, just you wait and see.

-My loving mother, who is also a member of my gym. Our New Year's resolution: to work out one day a week together. I know that will start any day now- as soon as neither one of us have a bad head cold...

-My kids. All three are athletic and spontaneous. How they play has been a real inspiration for me. It seems to me now that the real secret to embracing exercise is to start nurturing your natural desire to play again. I feel like it might have died at one point, but we've been having a good inner dialogue as of late. Life can be circuit training if you just let yourself have more fun- something we adults need more than we realize.

-Jenny, my lifestyle coach, provided by my health insurance. I don't know who you are or where you live, but that's ok. Your friendly voice really does help me keep goals on track. Even though our conversations are not very spontaneous, please, Jenny and all other health insurance-appointed preventative maintenance counselors out there,  know that your efforts really do mean something to us.

So, I'm bringing the fire this time. And the broccoli rabe. Talk to you soon.

Eager to make good on those resolutions to get fit? Take it slowly.

This morning Abbey was at the gym, which was predictably filled with folks eager to get started on their New Year's resolution to get back in shape. As she approached, she was greeted with flashing lights and EMTs. A fellow that none of the regulars recognized- in other words, a new customer- had collapsed while working out. We don't know many details beyond that, other than Abbey's observation that on the way out of the building, he was surrounded by EMTs and one of them was beating on his chest. I don't think you'd do that unless the patient's heart is not doing anything.

So, let that be a cautionary tale for all of us. If you are new to the world of exercise, don't expect to crank out your new body like churning milk into butter or mining Bitcoin. Start gently. Work your way up to your goal activity level. Listen to your body. If you feel aches and pains, ease off a few days and give yourself time to heal. Feeling winded is normal- but if you feel short of breath, stop what you're doing and see a doctor. Feeling short of breath accompanied by shooting pain in the left arm and sometimes the back is an indicator you might have flashing lights in your own future. If you feel discomfort when working out, it's usually worth checking it out.

Be safe and have a healthy 2014!

New Year, New Life: Squats: The Absolutely Incredible Secret to Staying in Shape - The Daily Beast

Squats: The Absolutely Incredible Secret to Staying in Shape - The Daily Beast:

'via Blog this'

Seems like a nice way to ease yourself into a renewed commitment to exercise in 2014.

I was sleep-studied

I packed a bag, said goodbye to my family and drove away a few hours before bedtime last night. Why? In response to a query about daytime fatigue and mildly high blood pressure, my doctor suggested I submit myself to a sleep study. Nobody liked the idea of me going off in the evening and sleeping in a weird place, most of all me. But, if I have sleep apnea, it's not something to be taken lightly, so off I went.

The sleep center was in a nondescript building in the midst of an industrial park, next door to the state Bar Association and across the street from a credit union. After checking in and receiving some paperwork, I was escorted to a room that looked for all the world like a quite nice little hotel room- except for the small detail of having no windows whatsoever. Some hotels, I have to admit, I would have preferred not having the view they did. But in this context it just made it seem all the more odd.

After getting into pajamas and filling out paperwork, I was told to wait until someone would come to get me "hooked up." this was the understatement of the month; in the end I felt like a dolphin trapped in a tuna fishing net. Well, except for the absence of tuna. I was escorted to a room with a chair in the middle of the room, next to a wall full of wires and electronic gizmos and featuring a sink permanently labeled "not clean." Two women in medical garb strapped a harness to my trunk, and glued several electrodes all over my head, as well as in some compromising places. They threaded several wires through my pajamas to hook to the electrodes. I was given a sort of patch bay to carry with me. I managed to not trip over something on the way back to my sleep chamber. The pièce de résistance of this ridiculous outfit would be the sensors, added at the last moment, designed to be attached to my nostrils. there were actually two sets of them: one for measuring oxygen, the other for CO2. All four were then shoved up my nose. After getting it all hooked up to a gadget at bedside, it was nighty night time.

The room was pitch black, except for the status light on the camera that was constantly keeping its eye on me. As I lay there trying to relax and accept my uncomfortable fate, a voice came to me out of nowhere, making me jump out of my skin. A two-way PA system would be open all night long, so I could take with the faceless techs behind the camera. In order to quantify how much I twitch and writhe at night, they then asked me to do things like look to the left, right, and up, point my toes. Also, I don't remember how exactly they asked me to do this, but the gist was I was asked to undulate my midsection. I dutifully did all the silly things, then they left me to drift peacefully off. Alas, despite my attempts to ignore the things uncomfortably jammed into my nose, they kept me awake on and off for hours.

At one point, in the gloom, I realized I had to pee- but in order to do so, I had to be disconnected from the device at bedside. It felt funny to do so, but I just stated out loud to no one: "Hello, I have to go to the bathroom." Silence. No answer. I asked again. Nothing. Okay, this was not funny. The thing in my nose was really bugging me, and by now I really, really had to go. After several "hello! hello?"s, a voice came over the intercom: "I'll be right there." I was unplugged so I could relieve myself, but had to return moments later to the same uncomfortable state.

Finally I fell asleep. But, in what seemed like an instant, an attendant came in and said they had enough oxygen and C02 data, they wanted to give me something called CPAP, which stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. it actually creates a little pressure where air comes in your head in order to keep the passages clear. An added bonus: if you try to talk, air will rush into your mouth and prevent speech from happening. It's like sticking your head out the window of a moving car- except inside out. It's a very weird feeling. In order to maintain this pressure, they had to strap a mask to my face that only covers the nose. Ideally, there is a bit of a seal to maintain pressure. Apparently there was insufficient flow, because I fell asleep and had a dream that I was drowning. When I awoke, I tried to get the thing off of my face, but the three- point velcro harness cleverly kept it snugly in place. I guess the sight of me sitting straight up and struggling to take the mask off of my nose got their attention. They traded it for a mask that had a less tight seal. Ironically, this did not suit their purpose as well, but if it weren't for that leak, I'm pretty sure I was not going back to sleep, and wasnt that the whole point of this exercise?

I managed to get about two and a half good hours of sleep after that. In the morning (or so they said- in my windowless cell, it could have been noon, three days later), I was led back into the chair room and stripped of my adornments. I was given a sucker and sent on my way. Oh, okay, there was no sucker- just a promise that after what they saw, my doc will most likely want me to come back and spend all night with a nose mask on. I can't wait.

So, I guess I do have sleep apnea. I am, however, adamantly opposed to the idea of sleeping with a mask on my nose all night for the rest of my life, so I'm resolving to make some changes: eat less cheese, drink less caffeine, become a side sleeper, and lose some weight. With all four changes, there's a chance I won't need the mask- or the more drastic next step, some kind of surgical modification. Could it be I've finally received the kick in the pants I needed to hit the gym and get serious about my weight? ...maybe.

recuperation: a rough guide

When A was recuperating from gall bladder removal, she told me she thought recuperation would be a great topic for this blog. I thought it would be too, but I wasn't totally convinced I could do it justice. I didn't feel like I necessarily knew the right things to do. It was really a matter of just getting through every day. It's taken recuperating from my own injury to make me realize I did an okay job when A was the one on the couch, and to sharpen my focus on the things I definitely should be doing when it's my turn.

Now, I am recuperating from a back injury, and I have the unique opportunity to address it from the perspective of both the patient and the caretaker.

This isn't the first time I've recovered from something. I've had a handful of surgeries over the years, a broken limb and even a bout with cancer. This time it's a back injury. If you follow my more general blog Upon Reflection, you know I went on a recent trip to Denver under less than ideal circumstances. I spent the latter half of the first day walking and waiting around on hard concrete with improper shoes and a heavy messenger bag full of too much stuff, including an overly weighty laptop. A few days later, a nagging pain developed on the left half of my lower back, opposite the side from which the bag hung nearly nonstop on that first day. The pain was not too bad, and went away after a couple of days. Several days later, first thing in the morning, I was bending over to pick something up, and a terrible pain seized the very spot that had hurt after that trip. But this time it was much worse; it was painful to bend my back at all, and to stand was agonizing. Fortunately, I was not so disabled that I couldn't make my way to a doctor's office and get an exam. Also fortunately, I can find different positions, all reclining, that are relatively comfortable. But getting up and down causes horrible pain, as does, sadly, sitting down in the restroom. I've been taking an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxant for a few days now. My doctor thinks the bag I carried could have been a contributing factor, but she things being overweight is probably playing a bigger role.

I spent last night on the couch. I can make it into the bedroom to sleep, but it's not easy getting to sleep and I don't want to keep A from getting her well-deserved sleep. Plus, I just didn't feel like exacerbating things by moving around. But I do not intend to make a habit of this, and plan to get back in the bedroom as soon as I can.

Poor A has had to run the whole show the last couple of days. Fortunately, my two boys from a previous marriage, who were with us all last week to attend a local day camp, are in Utah with their mother this week. That leaves our darling five-year-old daughter, A, me, and our feisty Jack Russell Terrier, Milo. Day one went pretty smoothly; day two, things weren't quite as smooth. It didn't help that in day two I was already feeling depressed, by the pain, boredom, and being unsure when I would feel any better. It seemed like the meds weren't helping, and if anything I was feeling more stiff on day two than day one. I couldn't help with dinner (I cook most of the meals and when I don't, I at least help); I also couldn't walk the dog or help our daughter with bedtime.

We decided to backslide on meals. Most meals in our household are made at home. This was one way we could cut down on the demands put on poor A. So we've been eating frozen dinners the past couple of days. Interestingly, my appetite is not its usual active self; a Lean Cuisine normally feels like an appetizer to me. Last night it was more than enough. I guess this could be explained by my lack of activity. Also I've been feeling a bit of depression that has diminished my usual interests, and to say I am a foodie is a bit of an understatement. We had some delicious homemade chocolate pie left over from Father's Day, and I have to admit, that perked me up a lot. Plus, we watched Young Frankenstein for the hundredth time. It's one movie that I never get tired of,and I find it's silly humor and earnest homage to old horror movies very comforting. These simple things did lift my spirits.

One feeling that has been worse than the pain has been the guilt of not bring able to help out around the house. What's made me feel a little better was doing some things that don't require heavy lifting- working on the grocery list, for instance, and paying some bills. It made me feel less disconnected from everyone else, and, strangely enough considering it was just bill paying, alleviated some of the boredom.

If I were unable to do even these simple sit-down things, I could see feeling pretty sorry for myself. However, I think I would have to remind myself that inactivity now will help my body heal and perhaps be even better when recovered. Occupying your mind is one thing you can do, sure. But I also find it helpful to try to find reasons to appreciate the moment. If you were in terrible pain and on some mind-altering drugs like morphine, of course this would be impossible; but as I am not and my pain only occurs when in motion, I try to appreciate the very small things, like the softness of the cushion, the sound of our loyal dog snoring nearby, the beauty of the songbirds that whizz by the dining room windows occasionally. It's like a mini-meditation. Although I have to have movies and my laptop and books to distract me the rest of the time, trying to find beauty in the mundane is a valuable exercise- something that will doubt serve me other periods of convalescence to come.

So, generally speaking, for the recovering:

Don't let your relationships slide. Stay in touch with your SO so they can vent frustrations if needed, and you can stay current.

-find something to indulge in, if it works with your illness. a delicious dessert and a funny movie can really help.

-find ways to lessen the burden on your SO, if you have one. don't disengage completely; find a way to be helpful, if at all possible.

If you can't help at all, acknowledge this is a time to heal and the less activity, probably the better, until your body starts healing. Find a source of entertainment- and, from time to time, acknowledge there is still beauty in life even if you feel like crap.

For the helper/spouse/whomever of the recovering:

-let them rest. They can make the extra burden on you now up to you later.

-Take care of the essentials (like laundry and feeding the kids) first- that will help your sick help mate feel better, unless they are self-absorbed dipwads.

-ask what they need occasionally. I guess that's obvious. or is it?

-help line up the meds- especially if pain meds are involved, the patient can lose track of it, especially if there is more than one med on a different schedule than the other. Like I have now. Aargh.

If it's feasible, suggest something they can do to help. No matter how insignificant it may seem to you, having a little something useful to do can really help them deal with the down time.