Monday, December 13th, 2010
My husband is a physical therapist who does home health visits. As such, he encounters people who are homebound due to injury, surgery, obesity, advanced age, stroke, or any combination of those and other icky conditions. As one might imagine, many of those people have diabetes. He recently attended a continuing education workshop about diabetes, and he was surprised that the information wasn’t the usual lame fare dished out at those things. He gave me a handout given to him at this presentation, for which I really want to credit the nurse who lead the session. Anyone who is married, to a male, will understand why I cannot seem to obtain that information. {sigh} So, to the nurse who presented this information in Atlanta in Fall of 2010, I greatly appreciate the research update! To the rest of you: read, apply, pass along.
9 Surprising Diabetes Risks
Watching 2 or more hours of TV daily.
Raises your risk: 14%
How: More TV = less activity.
The fix: Limit TV time to 10 hours/week; exercise.
Drinking one soda per day.
Raises your risk: 83%
How: Soda adds extra and empty calories which can easily lead to weight gain.
The fix: Switch to water, diet soda, or even better, unsweetened tea, which might protect against disease.
Skipping breakfast.
Raises your risk: up to 50%
How: not having that morning meal increases the appetite stimulating hormone ghrelin, making you hungrier and more likely to eat more.
The fix: eat high fiber cereal with low fat milk and 1/2C furit in the morning. One study of people with pre-diabetes found that eating high-fiber cereals made their cells respond better to insulin. Consuming dairy products may also cut the risk for insult resistance by 72%.
A bout of major depression.
Raises your risk: 23%
How: Depression may alter body chemistry in a way that makes us more prone to developing diabetes.
The fix: Take a walk. Just 30 minutes, 3 times a week, has been shown to improve symptoms of depression.
A large waist—even if you are at a normal weight.
Raises your risk: 330%
How: Fat in the abdomen (visceral fat) produces compounds that make cells insulin resistant. Women should keep their waist size below 35 inches and men 40 inches.
The fix: 30-60 minutes of cardio, 3-5 times/week.
Waking up in the middle of the night.
Raises your risk: 89%
How: Not being able to sleep means you’re not getting enough sleep, making you more prone to developing insulin resistance and leading to diabetes.
The fix: No caffeine in the late afternoon or evening; and no TV or alcohol right before bed. Try yoga too.
Eating fast food more than twice per week.
Raises your risk 100 %
How: People who ate burgers, fries, and soda more than twice per week put on 10 extra pounds and were twice as likely to become resistant to insulin.
The fix: Satisfy cravings with smaller portions.
High stress.
Raises your risk: 184%
How: Stress can interfere with your ability to make insulin and process glucose
The fix: Allow 10-15 minutes per day to relax
Consuming lots of processed meat.
Raises your risk: 43%
How: These meats (such as hot dogs and bacon) are loaded with preservatives that may destroy insulin producing cells in your pancreas.
The fix: Cut back. A Harvard study found that women who had these meats less often than once per week had the lowest risk. Try a preservative-free type too.
Okay, it’s me (Heather) speaking now. I directly quoted the information my husband’s instructor handed out. I’m not sure I agree with all of it. For example, I’m not sure I’d recommend the breakfast of grain + dairy + fruit to a diabetic, whether or not it’s high in fiber. But I certainly found some of the percentage increases in risk surprising. I’m assuming that most of MP4’s blog readers are on to the dangers of sodas and such. But reading over this really made me think about how choppy my sleep has been lately, and how I really need to regroup sooner-than-later from some recent stress that’s been a tad prolonged. While diabetes doesn’t run in my family, per se, the recent exponential rise in the condition demonstrates that it doesn’t necessarily need to. I hope, if there were some surprises for you in there, or if you have a loved one who might benefit from up-to-date findings, this might prove helpful.
To your continued good health! 
Monday, December 6th, 2010
It’s confession time. It always is with me, really, as anyone who has read enough of my transparent and TMI-laden posts can agree. But I’m going to use this post to make some things “okay” with myself that really aren’t at the moment. You see, in the very-near future I’ll be in Mexico on vacation with friends old and new. Part of the point of this trip—a large part—is to celebrate my turning 40. Now, I had big old plans to be a lean size 6 by the trip, oh yes I did. Those plans evolved into being happy to just look really good, like a “small 8” without lumps or bumps (what my husband refers to as “hail damage”). Well, when I saw the writing on the wall as my workload and work hours really ramped up, I decided I’d settle for fitting into my existing summer wardrobe. I mean, where the heck am I going to find shorts in December? And who has time to shop, or get them shipped in time? Oy. So I tried on all of my mostly-8 shorts a week or two ago and decided that, as long as I didn’t drink any alcohol, rotated my starches, and didn’t miss any training, I was cool.
What has actually happened is some occasional (okay, maybe more than occasional) booze and dietary boo-boos as I catch up with friends and enjoy holiday merriment, miss meals only to eat the majority of my cals later in the day, and find myself too exhausted from a work time overage and the dag-nabbed early darkness to exert myself ala a “workout”. I’d love to post that “All ya gotta do, folks, is just {insert unrealistic tips here} during the holidays and you’ll be fine”. Apparently that is not my reality this year. It has been my reality in previous years, and I’m bummed that it won’t be for 40, but there you have it. (I don’t know why it’s a bigger deal than 39 or 41, it just is.) But I can say that I’ve found some ways to look and feel better if I can stick to them, however minimal they sound. Here they are:
Here was the workout:
-Dbl KB swings x 20
-Monkey Rows x 20 (per side)
-Tactical Lunges x 20 (total)
-Floor Press x 20 (per side, piston style)
-Lateral knee up lunges (20 total, alternating)
X5 (which took me under 20 minutes, maybe even under 15—we haven’t put the clocks back up at work yet, so I was blissfully ignorant)
Monkey Rows: Squat deeply—butt way down, chest up, curve in low back, KBs should touch the floor. Piston-style—one arm right after the other—rapidly row alternating right and left, and letting the KBs touch the floor. You’ll look like an ape knocking its knuckles on the ground. Where you’ll really feel this is in your butt, more so than your back or shoulders, I find.
Tactical Lunges: Holding one KB in your left hand, reverse lunge with your left leg, once in lunge, pass the KB from left to right under your right thigh, retrieving it with your right hand. Immediately perform the same motion on the opposite side. Briskly but with control, perform this for reps, working on fluidity of transitions.
Floor Press: Lie on your back on the floor, legs straight out and “glued” together, holding a KB in each hand with arms locked out in up-position of chest press. Lower one down to down-position of chest press, then piston-style—one arm right after the other—alternate your presses side to side for reps.
Lateral knee up lunges: Holding either one KB by the horns and at chest, or two KBs in rack position, draw one knee up to your chest, then “fall” to the same side as bent knee into a side lunge. Keeping the trailing leg straight the whole time, push off with the lead leg right back into the same knee up position you started with. Gently place that leg down, and perform on the other side (or not, you don’t have to alternate). Don’t rush this, milk it for balance, stability, and to work the lead leg well.
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
If you follow along, you know that my work area is being renovated. Among other things, this includes my actual office and treatment room. And I’ve found through this process that paint color is as controversial as politics and religion–the comparison lasting right up to the point where I thought I had control over it, then I didn’t, then I ended up kinda-sorta getting my way. Up until this morning, my office walls looked like this for over a week…
…and this…
I’m telling you, every time someone came by my door, I felt the urge to say “You pick cullah?” the way they do when I go to get a pedicure. Just sayin’. Ah well… The “Big Boss” (not me) blessed the final selection and the semi-stalled renovation progress was able to move forward again today. In great anticipation of having the walls done, thus allowing me to FINALLY get my life back in order after 2+ weeks, I got up at 4:00am (again) after going to bed after 11:00pm due to yet-another go-go-go weekend. This caused me to IM Jodi saying “I can’t post–this time I mean it”. You see, I’ve done this before–a few times–and I’ve always managed to post somehow. On time, no less! “On time” meaning the post usually goes up bright-and-ugly (aka. real stinkin’ early) Monday morning. Well, at least I can say that it went up by the end of Monday, yes? And the perfect track record stays intact. Well, intact-ish.
So I’ve got 2 more busy-life meals requiring little thought, but containing a lot of nutrients! And thank goodness because there isn’t much thought going on at that hour, and with that little sleep. I’m surprised the dogs got their breakfast and I got mine, not vice versa. Truth be told, none of us would have been the wiser. Good thing Abby (my Jack Russell Terrier) and I are both on thyroid meds, so a mix up there wouldn’t have been too tragic. Here’s what I whipped up in a hurry…
Mess-a-Eggs (said with Southern accent):
6 egg whites
a pile of broccoli slaw
a few shakes of Herbamare seasoning
Yes I ate it all, and yes I have TMJ. But my colon is rollin' on a regular basis! Totally worth it. 
While the “mess” was cooking, the Vita-Mix (my BFF) was working on this…
Pumpkin Berry Smoothie
1C unsweetened almond milk
1C mixed berries, frozen (cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries)
1-1/2 scoops Sun Warrior vanilla protein powder
1/2C pumpkin puree
Handsome devil. Makes me want to sing: "Nobody does it better, makes me feel sad for the rest..."
The egg-slaw mixture was slopped into a glass container, and the smoothie into a trusty Blender Bottle, and off I went to meet the painters. I hope I get points for having the presence of mind to take pics of my meals as I scrambled to get out the door. Why did I? Because, somewhere deep inside, I knew I wasn’t going to let a Monday go by without a post from me. Like leaving for work without prepped meals, it would have seemed just wrong. Speaking of presence of mind… How about the fact that, at the end of today–once all of the taping, edging, 2-coating, drying, and replacing of the furniture in my workspaces was done, and the painters were packing up to leave–it was discovered that 3 of the 4 walls in both rooms had been painted the wrong color?! Yep. I get to be displaced again tomorrow to do it all over again. Better go set out the Vita-Mix and skillet…
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Boy was that dramatic. And far be it from me to be dramatic!
BUT! I feel when we, as fitness professionals, make things short, sweet and to the point, we see better adherence. I also feel that when we put a certain ‘fear of death’ or in the case of this blog ‘fear of weight gain or per4mance loss’ y’alls hear us and heed our advice more than if we write a long, emotional blog about it. A shame, yes, but necessary none-the-less.
The holiday season starts this Sunday. You can say it starts next Thursday but that’s not true, it starts Sunday. This is because on Monday when you go to work, you know and I know that your mind is not thinking about work and neither is anyone else. This means you will be off of your schedule; your normal everyday routine. Once you interrupt routine, you inject uncertainty into life, and once you inject uncertainty into life…all hell breaks loose. So let’s get a handle on the next 6 weeks from a practical standpoint, shall we?
This is not going to be a long post today for a reason: I want you to do it.
THREE THINGS THAT BRING ON HOLIDAY ARMAGEDDON:
Lack of planning: I don’t mean on a micro level. I mean on a macro level. You should know what you want to look like, perform like and so on by the end of the year. If you decide right now that you want to maintain, then make sure that that happens. If you want to get better, get on it right now. If you know you want to go to hell in a handbasket, then don’t do anything because you are on your way now. But do not decide on maintenance as a goal and then decide 3 weeks in that you want to “lose a few pounds” because you feel fat one day. Stick to your overall plan the whole way through or you will drive yourself crazy!
Unrealistic goal: This ties in with Yield from last week. Honestly, if you know you will be traveling for the next 6 weeks, you have 2 weddings, 3 holiday parties, a term paper due and a big proposal at work, do not set a weight loss goal for #1. Use your brain. Not only are you maintenance, you are crazy! I would be Caron Crankypants by the time January rolled around and the only thing I would want to set is my behind on a piece of cardio for some stress relief. Hang tight if this is you…we’ll be thinking of you.
Self fulfillment: Really what I mean here is you are full of yourself. That’s it. Nothing else. Every time you think yourself and your program over the next 6 weeks, instead of getting stressed over it or upset about your progress (or lack thereof), donate that time to an organization or cause that needs a helping hand. This is the best way to curb self indulgence. Here’s what happens: we go into this season in denial mode. We deny every cookie, candy, delicacy and so on. By doing this we obsess over it. We hunt down healthy recipes and tips on how to drink and not get fat and so on and so on. This takes a ginormous amount of time; time that could be used elsewhere. If you find yourself migrating to yourself, yet again, clock that time and keep track of it. Some of you will owe an organization like Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly a whopping 20 hours by the time the holiday season is over and think of how much better they and you will be when your self indulgence is over.;)
Ok…that’s it for today. I am off to work on our new home coming in January–oooo, did I say that
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Last week, in “Breakfast for the Time-Starved”, I provided an easy, tasty, prep-ahead oatmeal recipe that was adaptable to your tastes and macro needs. Sometimes, however, there are those of us who need a low or no starch option to get the day rolling. Given my suboptimal eating during an extremely busy couple of weeks, I found it extra necessary to rotate in some low-to-no starch meals, including breakfast which can be tough. In honor of my upcoming trip to Mexico, here’s a simple and tasty one that I was able to prep, along with my other take-along meals, while also emptying the dishwasher, changing over laundry loads, feeding the dogs, and getting coffee going.
Ole’ Eggs
The Go-Go Gal’s prep instructions: Pre-heat skillet on med-low flame/burner, lightly oiled (unless your non-stick pan is truly non-stick, that is). Fill pan with a layer of veggies (1/3-1/2 bag). They’re frozen and will take a few, so feel free to go plug in your flat-iron, check email, or whatever. Once veggies are soft, fill pan and surround veggies with the egg whites and sprinkle in taco seasoning and sea salt to taste. Go make sure your purse or work bag has your phone, wallet, glasses, and locate your car keys. With the eggs nearly cooked, fold the now-conjoined mix in half. Go start car to warm up. Flip the half over when you come back in and shut off the flame/burner, leaving it for a minute or so to finish cooking. Cut the omelet in half, put one half in your take-away container, spoon 1-2 TB salsa over it, layer the other half on top of that, and spoon another 1-2 TB salsa on top, pack it all up and run.
The Harried Heather modification: Throw everything in a hotter pan and scramble it. Either eat out of the pan in bites between prepping for your day, or do the container thing, spilling some onto the stove so that later when you get home you feel immediate embarrassment that the dog walker probably saw the mess.
Hasta la próxima semana! (I hope that’s not totally wrong, I used an internet translation tool.)
