Tag Archives: Exercise

by | May 19, 2013 · 1:47 pm

How Good is the Costco Energy Blend Snack?

On a recent trip to Costco, I happened upon the Energy Blend snack. As I shop there regularly and have never seen this before, I have to believe it is new to Costco. Since I ride my bike as close to daily as is possible in a four season city like Chicago, i am always on the lookout for fresh and portable sources of energy to take with me on rides.
energyblend
The Energy Blend seems to fill the bill. It has a simple composition of edamame (soybeans) , cranberries, almonds and pumpkin seeds. In addition there are blueberry pomegranate juice and natural strawberry flavor. These are some very good sources of nutrition on their own so the combination looks promising.

At this point, I have only had a single serving of it which comes to 1/4 cup or 30 grams – about an ounce.

I enjoyed eating it. Very nice taste and texture.

The nutritional breakdown is as follows:
Calories 130
Total Fat 6 grams
Saturated fat 0.5 grams
No trans fat
No cholesterol
Sodium 65 mg
Total Carbohydrates 14 grams
Fiber 4 grams
Protein 7 grams

This seems a very good nutritional breakdown to me. There is fat for energy, not too many calories, enough sodium to restore salt sweated away, a good slug of fiber and protein. I think it is worth the try.

Let me know what you think.

If you aren’t a regular reader, here are some other recommendations on Costco items:

Roasted Seaweed

Coconut oil

Fruit and Nut treats

Organic Chocolate Love Crunch

Rotisserie chicken

Sunrise energy bars

Tony

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Filed under energy, energy bars, Exercise, portion control, portion size, salt, sodium, Weight

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by | May 10, 2013 · 6:41 am

Is Chocolate a Good Energy Booster?

There are lots of kinds of chocolate, but if you are thinking that milk chocolate, the most popular kind, is a good energy booster because it has caffeine in it, you are incorrect.

WebMD said, “Chocolate does have caffeine. But if you’re looking to get a caffeine boost, chocolate isn’t your best bet.

Chocolate

You’d need to eat 14 regular-sized (1.5 oz) bars of  milk chocolate to get the same caffeine as you’d find in a 8-ounce cup of coffee! That would have about  3,000 calories and more than 300 grams of sugar — compared to only about two calories in black coffee.

Dark chocolate does have more caffeine than milk chocolate. Even then, it would take four bars to give you the same buzz as one cup of regular Joe.”

This is part of a WebMD quiz on chocolate that you can take at the link above.

If you want to boost your energy, eat or drink a tablespoon or two of coconut oil. You can take it straight from the jar, or mix it into your smoothie or energy drink.

Dr. Bruce Fife, certified nutritionist and author of The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil says the reason coconut oil is such an energy booster is because of its medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). Continue reading →

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Filed under chocolate, coconut oil, endurance sports, energy, energy bars, Exercise, healthy eating, healthy living, Weight

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by | April 26, 2013 · 8:43 pm

What Are Some Differences Between Fat and Muscle Tissue?

So many people are hung up on their body weight, but fail to realize that the more important issue is their body composition.

All there is to us is fat, muscle and bone. Our body weight is equal to the sum of these parts.

I hope this illustration will help you to see the issues clearer.

It is clear from this picture that fat weighs less than muscle, so it takes up much more room than muscle.

It is clear from this picture that fat weighs less than muscle, so it takes up much more room than muscle.

Once you have an idea how much more space in your body that fat takes up, you can understand the importance of knowing your percentage of body fat. You can read about how to measure your body fat percentage in an earlier post.

Once you know this you will have a baseline from which to work. This is important because often when a person starts to do cardio and resistance exercises his weight doesn’t tell him there is much change going on. Yet, if he is burning fat and building muscle, his body will be changing in important ways. Shirts will fit differently, pants will become looser around the waist line.

Another important consideration in body composition is that one pound of fat burns about 5 calories each day while one pound of muscle burns 50 calories in a day. So, once you get yourself on the road to fitness and start building muscle and burning fat, you will be transforming yourself into a calorie and fat burning machine. You will have started a wonderful positive spiral.

It is important to understand your body fat composition because while you may presently think you are at a good weight, if you have too large a percentage of fat, you will not be healthy and may be headed for medical problems.

Similarly, if you are overweight, once you learn your percentage of body fat you will have a guideline against which to measure yourself by and you won’t be troubled by the fact that you ‘aren’t losing weight,’ when you begin an exercise program and start trying to eat in a more healthy manner. You may be burning off fat and muscle weighs more than fat.

Tony

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Filed under belly fat, body fat, calories, cardio exercise, Exercise, healthy eating, healthy living, nutrition, obesity, overweight, percent of body fat, Weight

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by | April 19, 2013 · 4:02 pm

What are the best and worst foods for belly fat?

WebMD is offering another of its very informative quizzes. This time on the subject of belly fat and what are the best and worst foods for promoting it.

You can take the quiz if you have the time and the inclination. There are 14 questions. I recommend that you do because it covers a broad spectrum of info on this important subject.

If you don’t have the time or the inclination to take it, however, (Spoiler alert!) here are the answers for what I consider three of the most important questions.

bellyfat

Calories from alcohol are worse for belly fat than other calories. True/False?

True “Excess calories — whether from alcohol, sweetened beverages, or oversized portions of food — can increase belly fat. Our bodies need calories, yet gram for gram, alcohol has almost as many calories as fat. Continue reading →

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Filed under belly fat, dementia, fast food, healthy eating, healthy living, heart, heart disease, heart problems, osteoporosis, Weight

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by | April 16, 2013 · 5:24 am

What is Good About Walking? Guest Post – Oleda Baker

Click to see full size

Click to see full size

As you can see from her photos, Senior Supermodel Oleda Baker is aging magnificently. I interviewed Oleda back in December.

She is a treasure trove of information on everything this blog stands for, namely weight control, healthy living and healthy aging, so I asked her if she would share some of her ideas with us. She has written 10 books on beauty and health. Her latest, written at the age of 75, Breaking the Age Barrier – Great Looks and Health at Every Age – was released in November 2010 and is available from Amazon or from her website www.oleda.com where she also sells her own line of health and beauty aids.

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Walking is a workout with no disadvantages. Anyone can do it, with zero chance of injury. You can walk practically anywhere, either alone or with a friend or family member. It’s free! It requires no special equipment.

Walking can also be a great aerobic workout for training the body’s cardiovascular system. It can help reduce body fat. Walking tones and firms the hips and thighs, and develops the calf and shin muscles better than running. While running can tend to make the leg muscles look bunched up and contracted, walking tones the entire length of the muscles and helps them stay long. Walking is good for the mind as well as the body.

As with all forms of exercise, correct form will enhance the effectiveness of the walking workout. Good posture allows you to move quickly. Stand erect when walking to protect the lower back and improve your abdominal strength. Hold your head up. The foot action is a heel strike followed by rolling onto the ball of the foot and pushing off the toes.

Swing the arm from the shoulder and shorten its angle to 90 degrees to move faster. The faster pace may feel hard to hold at first. Your shins may fatigue, too. Make a goal of walking 2 to 3 miles three times a week minimum. Treadmill counts.

If you are not used to walking don’t overdo the speed for the first week … build up to it. Toward the end slow down and stroll for the last 5 minutes so that you do not stop abruptly.

Gradually increase the distance each day and walk faster until you’re walking at a steady brisk pace.

Keep up the regimen. You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll begin to feel in a short time; and at the end of six months, you may not even recognize yourself … AND … you have kept your body intact from the hazards of body injuries that can be caused by jogging, running and jumping rope, injuries that are directly related to the impact of repetitive stress on ligaments, tendons, joints, and the lower back. Remember, the force of running puts between three and five times your body weight on your feet and ankles … walking puts much less stress on the entire body.

Oleda

Editor’s Note: As is usually the case, I agree with Oleda’s ideas. I have written about the benefits of walking numerous times. Herewith an incomplete list:

What about walking poles?

Can walking cut chocolate cravings?

What are the benefits of walking and bicycling?

Walking, not Sudoku for seniors

National Walking Day

What is Mall-Walking?

How healthy is walking?

How good are treadmills?

How to add some exercise to my day?

Seeing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo as exercise

How much should I exercise?

Tony

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Filed under biking, Exercise, Oleda Baker, walking, Weight, weight-bearing exercise

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by | · 4:22 am

150413 Get strong and stay strong with strength training

Reblogged from Explosivelyfit Strength Training:

Get strong and stay strong with strength training

It would appear, from a casual glance at the magazines in the stores that aerobics is a panacea for all the health problems existing in our country. Well it does sell magazines, but is it true?

Certainly participating in aerobic activity plays an important part in accomplishing and then maintaining a certain level of good health.

Read more… 249 more words

17775541-single-dumbbell-used-in-weight-lifting-and-fitness-workouts Exercising the muscles increases the stress placed on the bones, which in turn makes the bones stronger and less susceptible to fracturing. Resistance training also helps increase the fat burning capability of the body due to the more active muscle tissue in relation to fat. If you are a senior and concerned about lifting weights, check out Weight-training Techniques for Seniors.

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Filed under aging, chia seeds, Exercise, healthy living, Weight, weight-bearing exercise, weight-training

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by | April 8, 2013 · 7:17 pm

What are Healthy Sleep Habits?

I have written repeatedly about The Importance of a Good Night’s Sleep. That is one of my links highlighted at the top of this page. If you click on it you will be directed to at least seven blog posts on the importance of sleep.

This is my dog, Gabi, I wish I could sleep as soundly as she does.

This is my dog, Gabi, I wish I could sleep as soundly as she does.

This afternoon I went to one of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Healthy Transitions Program® that happened to be about healthy sleep habits. Associate Professor Ramadevi Gourineni in Neurology and Director of the Insomnia Program gave us the following list of Good Sleep/Wake Habits:

Daytime factors included:
*Avoiding excessive caffeine. She said not to consume more than two or three (10-12 ounce) beverages with caffeine and not to take anything with caffeine after 2:00 p.m.
*Avoid excessive napping. A 30 to 45 minute nap prior to 2:00 p.m. is all right.
*Exercise three to five days a week for 30 minutes or longer.
*Do Not Smoke.
*Stay active during the day and get sunlight exposure.

Evening Factors included:
*Avoid unintentionally falling asleep sitting and relaxing in the evening.
*Avoid alcohol before bedtime.
*Finish heavy meals at least three hours before bedtime, particularly if you have problems with regurgitation. *On the other hand, a light bedtime snack is all right. Continue reading →

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Filed under aging, caffeine, Exercise, health, healthy living, sleep, smoking

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by | April 6, 2013 · 7:19 am

What Is the Co$t of Obe$ity?

I have talked about overweight and obesity statistics here repeatedly. By now, is there anyone who doesn’t know that 60 percent of us at overweight and 30 percent of us outright obese.

You can read chapter and verse on How Does Obesity Affect You? personally.

why-has-kathmandu-turned-into-a-city-of-fat-p-L-ywljwh

We have let ourselves go to the point that employers are now paying for it.

The Saturday edition of the Wall Street Journal talks about the costs in detail. “A 2011 Gallup survey estimated obese or overweight full-time U.S. workers miss an additional 450 million days of work each year, compared with healthy workers, resulting in more than $153 billion in lost productivity.”

Typically 20 percent of a company’s employees drive 80 percent of the health-care costs. and about 70 percent of the costs are related to chronic conditions resulting from lifestyle choices like overeating or sedentary behavior.

Companies, trying to get control of their rocketing healthcare costs, are fighting back. Last month CVS shocked some employees by asking for personal health metrics, like body fat, blood sugar, etc. or pay a $600 penalty. Michelin is adding as much as $1000 to health care costs of employees with high blood pressure or large waistlines.

After talking and writing about this for over three years, I wonder what it will take to get folks to do something about their personal health.

If you are reading this blog, perhaps that can be a first step. Check out How to Lose Weight – And Keep it Off.

Tony

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Filed under arteries, blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, fat, health care costs, healthy eating, healthy living, heart, heart disease, heart problems, living longer, Weight

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by | March 30, 2013 · 5:53 am

What is the Most Balanced Exercise Program?

The more I read and write about exercise, the more the element of balance becomes important. Exercise if crucial to our well being, but it is easy to overdo it, or use bad technique and set ourselves back with an injury. Heaven knows I have had biking injuries galore.  So what is the most balanced exercise program, let me count the options.

Among the possibilities, are walking, running, weight lifting, bicycling, yoga, tennis, kick-boxing to name a few.

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WebMD says that walking, weight lifting and yoga constitute the most balanced plan because there are “three different types of exercise: aerobic/cardio (walking), strength training (weight lifting), and flexibility training (yoga).

“All three are important. Aerobic or “cardio” (walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, tennis, basketball) boosts the strength of your heart and lungs; strength or “resistance” training (weight lifting, resistance band exercises, etc.) help to keep your muscles and bones strong, and help with balance and coordination; and flexibility exercises (yoga, stretching, tai chi) can improve your range of motion and reduce your risk for injury.”

You can take the WebMD test on Fitness Do’s and Dont’s at the link.

I really like their breakdown because I consider walking to be the Cinderella sister of exercises. Everyone does it to some extent, but very few people appreciate the benefits.

Here are some of my posts on walking.

Benefits of Walking and Cycling

Walking, not Sudoku for Seniors

National Walking Day – American Heart Association

Mall-Walking

Tony

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Filed under aerobics, aging, Exercise, stretching, tai chi, target zone, walking, warming up, Weight, weight-bearing exercise, weight-training, yoga

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by | March 29, 2013 · 4:45 am

Some Exercise Motivation Slogans

I ran across these on the web, they are available as posters, water bottles, etc.

sweat_is_fat_crying_small_workout_poster

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the_only_person_small_gym_poster

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Tony

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Filed under aerobics, calories, cardio exercise, Exercise, fat, health, healthy living, motivation, Weight, weight-bearing exercise, weight-training

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