Beat the Heat

Good tips on running/walking in the heat courtesy of my friends at the Revolutionary Running Club. Check it out by clicking here.

Importance of Carbohydrates

Thanks to the Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, and any other carbohydrate restricting diet out there, there seems to be this thinking that carbohydrates are bad for you and lead to weight gain. That is pure Nonsense! Carbohydrates are what give us energy. They are our body's initial energy source during exercise and it is important that include carbohydrates in your diet especially if you are doing doing strenuous activity. There are many forms of carbohydrates and this article breaks down the pros and cons on what is the best way to replenish carbohydrates during strenuous exercise. Check back soon for a post on what carbs are best for before exercise and also to include in your diet on a daily basis.

Reidro Recommends

You have heard it over and over: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Many of us are constantly on the go in the morning that we consider a cup of coffee to be breakfast. Besides setting yourself up for overeating the rest of the day, unintentionally starving your body can lower your metabolism and lead to weight gain. Your body needs (the right amount of) food every 4 hours. When you skip meals your body will start to store food as fat because it does not know when the next meal will be. Eating meals frequently and consistently throughout the day will keep your body working like a well oiled machine. So, if you are bored with your usual breakfast or just skip it altogether and want a quick and easy on the go breakfast, consider what I eat. I start my day with 1/2 cup of Kashi Heart to Heart cereal. Heart to Heart is a fiber packed cheerios-esque cereal. I mix it with a handful of dry roasted unsalted almonds. The fiber in the cereal and the protein in the almonds make it a very filling start to the day and you don't need a lot to feel full and satisfied. Mix in a small handful of raisins or other dried fruit and you have a great snack for any time of the day. For a mid-morning snack I have a 6oz. low fat yogurt and a banana. Eat your breakfast and get your day started right!

Hey You, Get Moving!

A good way to stay active and keep up with your training is to put an event on the calendar that will keep you motivated. There are numerous 5k, 8k, and 10k events happening every weekend right in your backyard, especially in the summer and fall. If you are looking to get into more of a routine with your exercise a 5k is great way to get started. A 5k is 3.1 miles for those not up on the metric system. Sounds far but really is not when you break it down into segments and spend 6-8 weeks training. I started running road races after grad school and it helped me a lot to keep up with my running and try to improve my time. 5k, 8k, and 10k's are also great training races for half-marathons and marathons. These events are a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment and they are also usually centered around some sort of event to benefit charities. There is usually a crowd along the route pushing you to the finish and an after race recovery party. Active.com is a great site to find an event. Click here and enter your location to find a race in your area. Put it on the calendar and get moving!

10 Mile Saturday

Great morning for a run along the Charles River. As I prepare for the San Francisco Half-Marathon, I plan my long runs for the weekends. This morning I ran a 10 mile loop down towards Boston University and then over the bridge into Cambridge. Check out this link, http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3836723, to view my route from this morning. Hope you all in the northeast got out and enjoyed the beautiful day!

Did You Know...

... An ounce of chocolate contains about 20 mg of caffeine. Compare that to a 12 ounce can of coke which contains 45 mg or a 5 ounce cup of coffee which has 110 mg.

...Of the more than $50 billion worth of diet products sold every year, almost $20 billion are spent on imitation fats and sugar substitutes.

...Watermelons are 97% water, lettuce 97%, tomatoes 95%, carrots 90%, and bread 30%.

...Each pound of muscle (1 pound = 0.45 kilograms) burns 75-100 calories every day simply by being

...Eggs contain the highest quality food protein known. All parts of an egg are edible, including the shell which has a high calcium content.^c

...Your muscles do not grow during exercise. Exercise is only the stimulus. The body strengthens the muscles while you are resting.

...1 pound = 3,500 calories.

...There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

...Subway 9 grain bread contains less then 2% of the 8 grains other then wheat. It also contains ammonium sulfate. This compound is loaded with nitrogen, which is why it's most common use is as fertilizer. You might have used it to nourish your plants at home. And Subway does the same thing; the ammonium sulfate nourishes the yeast and helps the bread turn brown.

...The agent that gives Twinkies their smooth feel, cellulose gum, is also used in rocket fuel to give it a slightly gelatinous feel.

Loaded Liquids

When considering how many calories you consume in a day, do you take into account what you drink? Sodas, juices, and coffeehouse drinks can pack a lot of calories. Those that prefer diet soda should understand that it may not have the sugar or calories of regular soda, but it’s chock-full of other health-draining chemicals, like caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sodium and phosphoric acid. When it comes to juices, having the recommend serving size of 6 ounces can be tough and calories and sugars can add up. While juices do offer essential vitamins and minerals, there is usually an overabundant amount of vitamins and minerals in a glass or two of juice. If you don't stick to the serving size, calories can add up as well. When you look at the label on the juice, you will see percentages that are well over 100% for daily intake. The body just flushes away the excess because it can't accommodate the excess amount of vitamins and minerals. That's why I am a big proponent of eating the fruit when you can. Also be aware of juice imposters. Be sure to check the labels of juices and make sure you are only drinking real fruit juice and not any added sugar, artificial sweetners. and/or any other chemicals. Coffeehouse drinks are notorious for turning a perfectly good cup of coffee into a sugar filled cup of empty calories. Check out this link of the 20 worst drinks in America, http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/20-worst-drinks-america-2010. While viewing the link, click on the "next" tab above each picture to view each drink. While I hope most of you don't consume these beverages, it will definitely make you think about your next drink choice. The article also recommends alternatives if you are wondering what better options there are.

Putting the Nut in Nutrition

Nuts are a great snack as a 1 ounce portion, depending on the nut, provides you with anywhere from 2-6 grams of protein, 1-3 grams of fiber, and for the most part, the fat content in nuts is poly and monounsaturated fats. These are the heart healthy fats that decrease the risk of heart disease by lowering your total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol. One type of polyunsaturated fat, Omega 3 fatty acids, are found in walnuts. Omega 3s appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, protect against irregular heartbeats and lower blood pressure. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, pay attention to portion size and understand that a 1 ounce serving (or a small handful) of dry roasted unsalted nuts contains anywhere from 160-200 calories. Click on this link, http://www.nuthealth.org/nutrition/1oz.htm, to view a chart containing all nutrition information about various nuts. Happy snacking!

Where to Start?

When making the choice to live healthier, most of us start with our diet. It usually begins with our inner monologue saying, "Starting tomorrow (insert healthy thought here)." We all know we are lucky if this thought lasts through tomorrow. Instead of swearing off certain "bad" foods or depriving yourself from the foods you love, set realistic achievable goals that can easily be implemented into your lifestyle. The ultimate goal is to live a healthy lifestyle that can be maintained through a balanced diet and frequent exercise. During my weight loss, I was able to eat the foods I wanted but paid close attention to my portion size. Portions at restaurants have become ginormous and this has transferred to home cooked meals. When you factor in appetizer, main course, and dessert, you can leave a restaurant consuming more calories then you should eat in a day. But we expect big portions because we are paying for this food and we want to get our money's worth. Think about fast food eateries. Ask yourself why you ever eat this food. Where does taste rank? Most likely taste ranks third behind convenience and affordability. This is why a good goal to start with is recognizing portion sizes and know how to determine how many calories are in a proper portion. When it comes down to gaining, losing, and maintaining weight, it is all about calories consumed vs. calories burned. Calorie counting can be annoying but it is extremely helpful when you are first starting out. Weight Watchers uses the points system and it is helpful to some people, but, if you know the actual number of calories (not points) you are consuming then when you are out to eat or cooking at home, you will be able to determine how many calories are on your plate. A good (and free) website that helps you determine how many calories per day you are averaging is www.fitday.com. This site will also break down your diet to show you what percentage of carbohydrate, protein, and fat you consume as well as vitamin and mineral breakdown. You can even use it to log your exercise and it will give you a time line to reach your goal based on calories/day and goal weight. Once you have a few days of your journal complete, use the breakdown to determine where/why you are doing well or not. To determine the right amount of calories depends on the person, their goal, and the amount (time and intensity) of exercise. Try www.fitday.com to see where you are at and let me know if you have any questions/comments.