I've blogged before about how I think we're doing our kids a disservice by giving them too many gadgets to distract them in the car but it was recently pointed out to me that maybe adults aren't much better in that regard.

 

When I was a kid we knew what our neighborhood looked like.  We had no choice but to look out the window when we were driving around.  We had to talk with our family on road trips.  Today's kids get in the car, bury their eyes in the DVD player or portable video game and don't look up until they get to the destination.  Parents are all too often happy to let Nemo or PlayStation keep their kids quiet in the backseat but as a result I think a lot of kids today have no idea what their neighborhood looks like.  And I think we spend a lot less time talking with our kids than our parents did or their parents did.

 

Same is true of the parents, I think, to a lesser extent.  So intent are we on our cell phones and the back of the Buick in front of us how often do we actually lift our eyes and appreciate the mountains, desert, ocean or whatever natural beauty surrounds your neighborhood.  Even if it's just a beautiful tree or an elegant piece of architecture.

 

Next time you're at a stop light try looking around.  Don't just stare at the dashboard or fiddle with your iPod.  And for pete's sake say something to your kids other than "Do you want to watch Toy Story again?"

 

-B-

Today, despite battling a tough injury, Rachel went out and ran the San Francisco Marathon!  I'm so proud of her!

 

Now...she just has to rest up and get healthy so she can finish the expected 45 minutes ahead of me when we run the Disneyland Half Marathon together next month.

 

Way to go Rachel!

 

-B-

Over the years I've tried a number of ways to keep track of my workouts at the gym.  I've had notebooks, I've put them in my PDA, I even used a voice recorder and dictated my workout into the voice recorder as I went. (Note to self: That only works if you eventually listen to and transcribe the recorded notes).

 

When I started my latest weight-lifting phase however I had a minor realization:  I don't really care what I was doing on the Incline bench 8 months ago.  I only really care what I did last workout and maybe the workout before that.  That's what I base THIS workout on. 

 

So I went to the simplest system I could think of - I just carry a sheet of notebook paper with me, folded down into a square.  I write down the date of the workout and I indicate which gym I'm at that day.  I work out at two separate gyms and the equipment is slightly different at each so it's helpful for me to know which gym I was at when.

 

On each day I write each exercise I do followed by the sets, how many reps I did and weights in a format like this:

If I hit muscle failure on a set, indicating that I can't do more reps at that weight currently, I draw a little horizontal line above that set.  If the weight was too light then I draw a little up-arrow next to the weight indicating that next workout I need to move that up.  Next workout I can see exactly what I did last time and decide where I want to move the weights up.

 

When I fill up the page (both sides) I just start a new one and discard the old one.  Simple.

 

-B-

So today I'm driving back from a morning meeting and I'm feeling a little stressed.  My head and heart is spinning a little from things in my personal life, BIG projects in my professional life, good things happening physically, still trying to sell the house, approaching events and deadlines and I find myself suddenly craving comfort food.  I had planned to have an antipasta salad with fat-free Italian dressing (a fairly common lunch for me) today but now I'm thinking about a Jack-in-the-Box Ultimate Cheeseburger (with no sauce) and Bacon-Cheddar Potato Wedges.

 

Now the burger, fries, soda and wedges would have been a guilty pleasure.  Greasy, tasty, really bad for me, somehow satisfying, artery-clogging.  High in fat, high in sodium, high in sugar, high in calories.  Also high in protein but that's about the only redeeming nutritional factor in what is otherwise a train wreck for me nutritionally.  That said one of the cornerstone's of my diet success, and rarely does the DAY go by without somebody commenting on how fit I look these days and how much weight I've lost, is that on those rare occasions when I crave food that isn't necessarily good for me, I'm allowed to have it.  That way when I do, occasionally, succumb and have a cheeseburger or some pizza I haven't ruined my diet and thus I might as well just binge. 

 

I'm allowed the occasional ice cream or steak because most of the time I'm going to choose the healthier options  - salads, pastas, chicken....

 

And that's part of how I've lost almost 30 pounds and dropped my body fat percentage almost 10 points.

 

So I'm driving along weighing burger vs. salad and finally I conclude that while I would enjoy the burger, I would also enjoy the salad.  The salad would satisfy me.  AND, I know full well that I will feel better both mentally and physically if I have the salad.  My waistline will appreciate it, my energy level will appreciated it and even my bloodpressure will appreciate it.  If I decide later in the day that I really DO need the burger I can have one for dinner.  If not, then I won't.  I can't un-eat the burger once I've had it though. (with apologies to any bulemics reading this).

 

So I went with the salad.  Maybe I'll have the burger for dinner...but probably not.  The key, though, was asking myself if I really NEEDED the burger and if I would be satisified with the salad.  Once I acknowledged that I'd be happy with the salad too, it was a much easier decision.

 

-B-

Eating at Subway because you think it's healthier?  Well, generally you're right however...if you're like me and you get a rare craving for a Subway Tuna Sandwich (my friends are gasping at the notion of me eating fish!) you may want to think twice.  A 6" Subway Tuna sandwich has more calories and more fat in it than a Quarter Pounder with Cheese.  It does have less saturated fat, I'll give you that, but not much.  And that's only if you stick to the 6".  If you're a big eater like me you probably order the foot-long and that means TWICE as much fat.

 

Moral of the story: Don't assume that just because it's at a healthy restaurant that everything on the menu is healthy.

 

That said, the Subway Turkey sandwich is a very healthy choice, especially if you leave off the cheese and mayo and load up on the vegetables.  There are even 18g of protein in the 6" Turkey.

 

-B-

Want to burn a few extra calories but can't get to the gym right now?   

 

1. Do you carry a briefcase or briefcase bag to work? Get rid of the shoulder strap.  The briefcase/bag is a nice piece of resistance equipment which you have to carry with you.  Let your muscles do the work by carrying the bag with your hand instead of your shoulder.  Carry your grocery bags from the store to the car rather than using a cart.  Not getting a LOT of groceries?  Use the basket instead of the cart.

 

2. Work it!  On an escalator, in line or in an elevator?  You don't need to do curls (that could be a little embarassing) but you certainly can discreetly hold your bag or case in your hand with your arm bent at a 90 degree angle.  Hold it very still for the whole ride.  When you go back down later, switch hands.  If you don't feel any burn after holding it for 15 or more seconds then your bag is probably too light.  Consider adding a book to it for a little extra weight.  In the grocery store using the basket, keep your arm slightly bent.  Don't be shy about switching hands as you need to.

 

3. Take the stairs.  While you're carrying your bag in your hand instead of over the shoulder take the stairs instead of the elevator wehnever you can.

 

4. Alone in the elevator?  Use your bag to work your triceps a little.  Hold it directly over your head with one hand, straight up, palm forward.  Keeping your elbow high, lower the bag behind your head (be careful not to bonk yourself on the noggin!) as far as you can and then straight back up with a steady, controlled motion.  Do a few reps with each hand.

 

5. Standing in line or in the elevator? Keep your knees very slightly bent.  Forces your leg muscles to support your weight instead of locking the knees and letting your bones/joints hold you up.  Nobody will notice but over the course of a day you'll burn a few extra calories and tone your leg muscles a bit.

 

6. Walk around at least once an hour.  Been sitting an hour?  Get up from your desk and take a lap around the office.  Or go to your car and come back - just for the exercise of it.  Take the stairs if you can, look for an excuse to walk a bit more than usual.  Park further from the door so you have to walk a little further.

 

Does this stuff replace the gym?  No.  But it's an easy and productive use of time to help you burn a few extra calories and work some muscles.

 

-B-

Follow-up to my previous post about the chili...

 

I bought some bagels at the store yesterday and was looking at the labels.  Each bag had 6 bagels in it but there was some noticeable differences in the size - the Sara Lee bagels were fairly small, the local brand were larger.

 

I picked up a third brand, they were the larger kind of bagels, and was stunned to find that this brand had just 1 calorie of fat per bagel!  The others had 5 or 10 per bagel!  And these had a higher protein content too.  Slam dunk for me.  Low fat and high protein is exactly what my diet is about these days.

 

Lesson here is read the labels.  Don't assume that a bagel is a bagel or a cracker is a cracker or chicken soup is chicken soup.  With just a bit of checking you can find the one that best fits your diet.

 

-B-

Did you know that Dennison's Turkey Chili with Beans has 32 grams of protein (and only 3 grams saturated fat) in every can?  420 calories, it's tasty and filling.

 

Next time we'll talk about Hebrew National Reduced Fat Beef Hot Dogs. 

 

-B-