Thanks to Frank for the graphic and Yoni for point me to it!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
What does being sedentary do for you?
There are always consequences to our actions (or in this case inaction).
Move less and you'll be able to move less. Move more and you'll be able to move more. This isn't about running a marathon -- it's about being able to live the kind of life you want to live.
Thanks to Frank for the graphic and Yoni for point me to it!
Thanks to Frank for the graphic and Yoni for point me to it!
Friday, April 19, 2013
Yoni's Making Sense Again....
Comfort. Health. Being the appropriate weight. How does it all fit together? Hmmmm.....
The past 60 years of dieting, both for health and for weight management, have certainly seen a great many different approaches and options. But the one shared commonality is that, for the vast majority of dieters, diets are short-lived, white-knuckled affairs that, regardless of their actual dietary edicts, can be fairly described as planned suffering. And therein lies the rub.
We're not particularly good as a species at perpetual and unnecessary suffering. And just as we have been celebrating and comforting with food since time immemorial, so too have we tended to avoid unnecessary suffering. Ultimately, when life inevitably throws a blindly restrictive dieter a curve ball, dietary suffering tends to fall by the wayside; and when life lets up, the tendency for most is not to pick it up again.
I sometimes think of blindly restrictive dieting like an icy cold lake on an unseasonably hot day. You work up the nerve to dive in and, after the initial shock wears off and numbness sets in, you splash around happily for a while. But once you climb out, the memory of that initial frigidity is enough to keep you warmly on dry land— diving back in is almost never an option.
So instead of adopting a blindly restrictive, icy-cold lake diet, my advice is for you to practice thoughtful reduction. It's not about whether or not a food or an indulgence is allowed; it's whether or not you feel it's worth it to you, where worth isn't determined solely by calories or content, but also by circumstance, desire and the human condition.
This is an excerpt from Yoni Freedhoff's article at Eat+Run (don't you just love that title for a health blog??). Interested in reading the rest? Click here!
The past 60 years of dieting, both for health and for weight management, have certainly seen a great many different approaches and options. But the one shared commonality is that, for the vast majority of dieters, diets are short-lived, white-knuckled affairs that, regardless of their actual dietary edicts, can be fairly described as planned suffering. And therein lies the rub.
We're not particularly good as a species at perpetual and unnecessary suffering. And just as we have been celebrating and comforting with food since time immemorial, so too have we tended to avoid unnecessary suffering. Ultimately, when life inevitably throws a blindly restrictive dieter a curve ball, dietary suffering tends to fall by the wayside; and when life lets up, the tendency for most is not to pick it up again.
I sometimes think of blindly restrictive dieting like an icy cold lake on an unseasonably hot day. You work up the nerve to dive in and, after the initial shock wears off and numbness sets in, you splash around happily for a while. But once you climb out, the memory of that initial frigidity is enough to keep you warmly on dry land— diving back in is almost never an option.
So instead of adopting a blindly restrictive, icy-cold lake diet, my advice is for you to practice thoughtful reduction. It's not about whether or not a food or an indulgence is allowed; it's whether or not you feel it's worth it to you, where worth isn't determined solely by calories or content, but also by circumstance, desire and the human condition.
This is an excerpt from Yoni Freedhoff's article at Eat+Run (don't you just love that title for a health blog??). Interested in reading the rest? Click here!
Monday, April 8, 2013
The Number 1 Skill for Weight Management
Today's post is from Yoni Freedhoff's column at Eat+Run. Enjoy!!
What do you think it is?
I'll start by telling you what it's not. It's not willpower, determination or motivation. It's not avoiding carbs or sugar or fats. And it's not cooking, hitting the gym or sticking to your plan.
No, the most important skill in weight management is learning how to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on with it. Whether it's the predictable—holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or vacations—or the unpredictable—illness, death, marital discord or injury—life has a bad habit of getting in the way of our best intentions. And mark my words, you're going to fall down.
So how do you maximize your chances of picking yourself back up? Unfortunately there's no app for that. Instead you're going to have to rely on these two simple strategies:
• First, you need to respect reality. The fact is, life happens. If you don't respect the fact that as a species we have comforted and celebrated with food since time immemorial, then the inevitable guilt, shame and frustration you're going to feel when you exercise your right as a human being to use food for purposes other than fuel may well lead you to throw in the towel.
Instead of being frustrated that your weight management or healthy living strategies are affected by reality, try to remember that your best efforts vary. The best you can do over the week of Passover or Easter is undoubtedly less healthful than the best you can do the week after. If your goal is your best, you'll never fall into the trap of repeatedly letting yourself down.
• Second, you need to like the life you're living while you're losing. This truism is perhaps the one most regularly forgotten by newly minted dieters. Ultimately, if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, even if you lose a great deal, you're eventually going to head back toward the life you led before you lost weight.
Putting this in the perspective of reality, when life does up and offer you a reason to stray from your plan, it's going to be that much harder to get back into it if your plan was one you didn't enjoy in the first place. The more weight you'd like to permanently lose, the more of your life you'll need to permanently change. And because "permanent" is an awfully long time, truly the easiest way to evaluate the approach you've chosen for weight management or healthy living is to ask yourself: "Can I happily keep living this way?" If the answer's no, you need to find a new approach.
Put another way, the most important skill in weight management isn't a synonym of suffering, it's one of embracing imperfection, of rolling with life's pleasant and unpleasant punches; it smacks of reality, not reality TV.
The healthiest life that you can happily enjoy sometimes isn't going to be that healthy. Accepting that is weight management's most important skill.
The #1 Skill for Weight Management
What do you think it is?
I'll start by telling you what it's not. It's not willpower, determination or motivation. It's not avoiding carbs or sugar or fats. And it's not cooking, hitting the gym or sticking to your plan.
No, the most important skill in weight management is learning how to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back on with it. Whether it's the predictable—holidays, birthdays, anniversaries or vacations—or the unpredictable—illness, death, marital discord or injury—life has a bad habit of getting in the way of our best intentions. And mark my words, you're going to fall down.
So how do you maximize your chances of picking yourself back up? Unfortunately there's no app for that. Instead you're going to have to rely on these two simple strategies:
• First, you need to respect reality. The fact is, life happens. If you don't respect the fact that as a species we have comforted and celebrated with food since time immemorial, then the inevitable guilt, shame and frustration you're going to feel when you exercise your right as a human being to use food for purposes other than fuel may well lead you to throw in the towel.
Instead of being frustrated that your weight management or healthy living strategies are affected by reality, try to remember that your best efforts vary. The best you can do over the week of Passover or Easter is undoubtedly less healthful than the best you can do the week after. If your goal is your best, you'll never fall into the trap of repeatedly letting yourself down.
• Second, you need to like the life you're living while you're losing. This truism is perhaps the one most regularly forgotten by newly minted dieters. Ultimately, if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, even if you lose a great deal, you're eventually going to head back toward the life you led before you lost weight.
Putting this in the perspective of reality, when life does up and offer you a reason to stray from your plan, it's going to be that much harder to get back into it if your plan was one you didn't enjoy in the first place. The more weight you'd like to permanently lose, the more of your life you'll need to permanently change. And because "permanent" is an awfully long time, truly the easiest way to evaluate the approach you've chosen for weight management or healthy living is to ask yourself: "Can I happily keep living this way?" If the answer's no, you need to find a new approach.
Put another way, the most important skill in weight management isn't a synonym of suffering, it's one of embracing imperfection, of rolling with life's pleasant and unpleasant punches; it smacks of reality, not reality TV.
The healthiest life that you can happily enjoy sometimes isn't going to be that healthy. Accepting that is weight management's most important skill.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Love this Thought!
The next time you feel lonely, disconnected or unappreciated, consider that unlike many other maladies, this one hits everyone. And unlike other challenges, this one is easily overcome by realizing that you can cure the problem by connecting, appreciating and leading.
The minute we realize that the person sitting next to us needs us (and our tribe, our forward motion and the value we create), we're able to extinguish their aloneness as well as ours.
When you shine a light, both of you can see better.
--Seth Godin
The minute we realize that the person sitting next to us needs us (and our tribe, our forward motion and the value we create), we're able to extinguish their aloneness as well as ours.
When you shine a light, both of you can see better.
--Seth Godin
Monday, March 25, 2013
Can one small difference on a package make a difference in how you perceive the healthfulness of a food??
Think we're rational decision makers? Check out this post from Fooducate:
Take a look at the candy bars above. They are identical except for one small detail in their packaging. The front of pack calorie label is red on one wrapper, green on the other. Obviously there is no difference.
But in a study conducted on close to 100 students at Cornell University, in which they were shown just one of the wrappers, students tended to think that the green labeled candy bar was healthier than the red labeled one. Just another little marketing trick that will no doubt increase sales by a few millions of dollars…
By the way, the current packaging for Twix candy bar is below. Did you notice the color of the calorie information on the bottom left?
Take a look at the candy bars above. They are identical except for one small detail in their packaging. The front of pack calorie label is red on one wrapper, green on the other. Obviously there is no difference.
But in a study conducted on close to 100 students at Cornell University, in which they were shown just one of the wrappers, students tended to think that the green labeled candy bar was healthier than the red labeled one. Just another little marketing trick that will no doubt increase sales by a few millions of dollars…
By the way, the current packaging for Twix candy bar is below. Did you notice the color of the calorie information on the bottom left?
Friday, March 22, 2013
I'm mad and you should be too!
Earlier this week, a friend emailed me this report from WWMT:
"New report breaks down health rankings county by county"
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation just published a county by county health ranking. The report looked at things like rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity, and percentages of children living in single parent households.
All that being said, Kalamazoo County ended up coming in #46 out of 82 in Michigan! Really?! This is the best we can do?!
We have a GREAT county! Kalamazoo has 29 parks and linear trails (and perhaps more because this list may not be completely up to date), 6 county parks, numerous city parks, hundreds of miles of sidewalks and bike trails. Two fabulous hospitals (although you know I am more partial to one than the other ;) Dozens of professionals to help you create a healthy lifestyle. Educational opportunities...grocery stores...farmers markets...cooking lessons...an economy that is on the mend (household income is highly related to health outcomes).
But look at what RWJF was measuring:
To a great extent, we are in charge of our health. Sure, there are always those situations that crop up that we can't control -- but these WE CAN.
The fact that Kalamazoo (with its great small towns, festivals, fun city center, great music and arts scene, and I could go on....) is only 46th feels like a personal and professional failure to me! Kalamazoo county should be at the TOP of that list! There is no reason it can't be....
Except that you and I are going to need to get to work. We need to exercise, spend more time in our own kitchens, make use of the great opportunities for education, professional growth, and healthcare. We need to start taking care of ourselves if we want to improve the health outcomes for our next generation -- they are picking up our habits (both the good ones and the bad ones). We need to pull our friends and neighbors into our healthy causes -- get outside and play for goodness sake!
I don't like being 46th out of 82. That's C range -- and for any of you who know me, you know I am an overachiever A student and I love gold stars! There are no gold stars for any of us here :(
But we can get there -- both individually and as a community. We have a GREAT start and a lot of infrastructure in place to help us on the road to better health. We just need to make use of it.
So tell me: Are you with me? Are you ready to make health a greater priority in your life? Are you ready to "Love where you live" because it supports greater health? I am. Let's get started!!!
"New report breaks down health rankings county by county"
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation just published a county by county health ranking. The report looked at things like rates of childhood poverty, rates of smoking, obesity levels, teen birth rates, access to physicians and dentists, rates of high school graduation and college attendance, access to healthy foods, levels of physical inactivity, and percentages of children living in single parent households.
All that being said, Kalamazoo County ended up coming in #46 out of 82 in Michigan! Really?! This is the best we can do?!
We have a GREAT county! Kalamazoo has 29 parks and linear trails (and perhaps more because this list may not be completely up to date), 6 county parks, numerous city parks, hundreds of miles of sidewalks and bike trails. Two fabulous hospitals (although you know I am more partial to one than the other ;) Dozens of professionals to help you create a healthy lifestyle. Educational opportunities...grocery stores...farmers markets...cooking lessons...an economy that is on the mend (household income is highly related to health outcomes).
But look at what RWJF was measuring:
- Childhood Poverty
- Rates of smoking**
- Obesity levels**
- Teen birth rates**
- Access to healthcare professionals
- Education rates
- Access to healthy food
- Levels of inactivity**
- Single parent households
To a great extent, we are in charge of our health. Sure, there are always those situations that crop up that we can't control -- but these WE CAN.
The fact that Kalamazoo (with its great small towns, festivals, fun city center, great music and arts scene, and I could go on....) is only 46th feels like a personal and professional failure to me! Kalamazoo county should be at the TOP of that list! There is no reason it can't be....
Except that you and I are going to need to get to work. We need to exercise, spend more time in our own kitchens, make use of the great opportunities for education, professional growth, and healthcare. We need to start taking care of ourselves if we want to improve the health outcomes for our next generation -- they are picking up our habits (both the good ones and the bad ones). We need to pull our friends and neighbors into our healthy causes -- get outside and play for goodness sake!
I don't like being 46th out of 82. That's C range -- and for any of you who know me, you know I am an overachiever A student and I love gold stars! There are no gold stars for any of us here :(
But we can get there -- both individually and as a community. We have a GREAT start and a lot of infrastructure in place to help us on the road to better health. We just need to make use of it.
So tell me: Are you with me? Are you ready to make health a greater priority in your life? Are you ready to "Love where you live" because it supports greater health? I am. Let's get started!!!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Food for Thought...
With restaurants portioning out 3-4 times the amount we should be eating (honestly, when's the last time you ate 1/4 of whatever showed up on your plate??), here's a thought about eating out....
Once upon a time, not so long ago, people ate out for a reason. Maybe it was in celebration of an anniversary, a birthday or a promotion. Maybe it was out of necessity to seal the deal with an important prospective client. Or maybe it was the understandable consequence of travel. But one thing's for sure—we didn't used to eat out simply because we could. Eating out was special. --Yoni Freedhoff
Overeating (eating any time you are not actually PHYSICALLY hungry) once in a while is no big deal. Your body will work hard to stay the same weight -- which, in this scenario means it will ramp up your metabolism to burn off the extra calories you took in. However, because we overeat all the time (think about the afternoon soda you're drinking because your bored with the project you're working on), the body can't burn off all of the extra calories -- your body has no other choice but to store them.
There is another solution -- eat at home...as the rule, not the exception. Don't have time? I don't believe that. We have exactly as much time as we've ever had -- we just have different priorities. What are your priorities?
Once upon a time, not so long ago, people ate out for a reason. Maybe it was in celebration of an anniversary, a birthday or a promotion. Maybe it was out of necessity to seal the deal with an important prospective client. Or maybe it was the understandable consequence of travel. But one thing's for sure—we didn't used to eat out simply because we could. Eating out was special. --Yoni Freedhoff
Overeating (eating any time you are not actually PHYSICALLY hungry) once in a while is no big deal. Your body will work hard to stay the same weight -- which, in this scenario means it will ramp up your metabolism to burn off the extra calories you took in. However, because we overeat all the time (think about the afternoon soda you're drinking because your bored with the project you're working on), the body can't burn off all of the extra calories -- your body has no other choice but to store them.
There is another solution -- eat at home...as the rule, not the exception. Don't have time? I don't believe that. We have exactly as much time as we've ever had -- we just have different priorities. What are your priorities?
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