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A while back I wrote about how studies have been done showing that the populations in poorer economic areas have a higher rate of obesity than the residents of more affluent zip codes. This is because crappy food is cheaper. An article in this week's Beach Body newsletter talks about this issue and how to eat healthily for less. The article cites a study done by the University of Washington which found that "getting your average day's worth of 2,000 calories from the junk side cost $3.52 while getting your 2,000-calories worth from nutrient-dense cuisine would cost $36.32. Since the average American spends about $7.00 a day on food, you can see where the rise in obesity might come from."
I find that very, very sad. There are so many people out there struggling to make ends meet and with junk being cheaper the choice is almost made for them. We have a couple of budget supermarkets around here...Aldis and Save-a-Lot. They are the bag-your-own, stripped down markets that carry very few name brands. If you walk the aisles you will find that boxes of sodium-laden macaroni and cheese are 25C, that you can get boxes of faux Twinkies and cupcakes for under $2.00. If it's over-processed, it's under priced. People feel like they are getting a "deal" when they walk out with their carts overflowing with products. Too bad there is very little nutrition headed into their cupboards.
Aldis does try to be different. They have a line of products called "Fit and Active," featuring baked blue corn tortilla chips, frozen fruits, granolas, ground chicken patties, etc, etc. A lot of it is your typical processed "diet" foods, so the sodium count is still up there...but there is an attempt to carry good-for-you items like the frozen and dried fruits, non-fat plain yogurt, etc.
Watching the Biggest Loser last night I was thrilled that a woman finally won. Alli lost 112 lbs, going from 234 lbs to 122 lbs. One thing that she said in the little recap of her journey was that she got to that weight "five pounds at a time." It crept up on her. Poor choices - and I'm betting the affordability of junky food was a factor. There is something so addicting about sugary processed carbs, almost narcotic. If you watched this show at all, there were emotional issues involved -- and there you have it, cheap, easy access temporary comfort. Well, it seems cheap until you pay the piper by way of obesity and health problems.
On another note entirely, I was thrilled that Bernie was the winner of the $100,000 for the contestant voted off who had lost the most. I thought it was VERY appropriate that he beat Mark by just one pound. Bernie was always a nice guy on the show. I kind of got sick of the macho "pride on three, pride on three" junk from those other guys. (Although I did like Dan, the stooges seemed to convert him into One of Them).
~o~ My poor Rhianna. She was supposed to take a figure skating freestyle test before judges. She has worked and worked on her program to perfect it. The test was to be tomorrow... and she has strep throat. The doctor said, "No way" and wrote her a note excusing her. She also was set to compete on Sunday in three events...and he said "No" to that as well. (I think that actually relieved her because if she didn't get to practice for the rest of the week and had to show up on Sunday to perform, she wouldn't be confident at all). Anyhow - her two big events for the month are shot. She's slated to test her first ice dances in May, so we'll have to tack that freestyle test on at that time -- and probably her next Moves in the Field test.
Her throat is killing her, but she was going stir crazy by the end of the day...until she felt the fever spike back up. No trouble getting her to bed nice and early tonight.
~o~ Today's workout: P90X Legs & Back, 60 minutes. It's still tortuous but I've noticed that the two minutes of wall squats isn't quite as painful and the one-legged squats which last for over a minute are also easier. Now, one minute, two minutes might seem "short"...until you do them. Try them. Expect pain. I also did half of the Ab Ripper X (8 minutes worth) and 30 minutes on the elliptical.
~o~ My younger girls really love Miley Cyrus...and I like this song of hers, too.
On last night's The Biggest Loser, Neill and Amanda were voted off. The main reason? Because Neill was a slacker. I can't imagine having the opportunity of a life time to train with Jillian and Bob, to lose major amounts of weight in a ridiculously short time...and blow it by not giving it your all. What annoyed me most was that Neill said they would return with T-shirts that said, "We're not lazy." This was stupid because NO ONE accused his wife of laziness, only him. I would've voted him off, too, if his laziness was adding 5 more minutes of exhausting sprints each time he put his hands on the treadmill. When they showed how they were doing after the show, she looked fantastic -- and while he had lost a little bit more weight, he still looked almost as out of shape as he was when he left the ranch.
I watched the end of American Gladiator last week and the beginning of it this week. I hate big muscly people who growl and stuff. Be big and muscly and still act like a human being. The contestants are "normal" fit people. Well, sort of normal. This woman who rode bulls for a living totally grated on my nerves making cheesy declarations of her confidence. She cheated one competition and got disqualified. The humbler woman who just was honored to be there kept whooping her butt point-wise. The whole thing bored me too much to continue watching it
Okay, and now my thought on taste. There is just no accounting for it. At the gym today, VH1 Classic was on one of the TVs and after a commercial which featured Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons (KISS) there was an old Aerosmith video, "Love in an Elevator." All I could think of was EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW! Gross!! These guys are skanky to the extreme! I cannot understand for the life of me how these guys had young girls oooing and ahhing over them. I still know grown women who think Steven Tyler is drop-dead sexy. To me, he looks like a lemur and he just looks like he is infested with STDs.
Of course, I also never understood why Bill Clinton was considered attractive and women used to talk about having hot dreams about him. Ick, ick, ick.
Then again, who am I to judge? Me, whose taste runs pretty eclectic - from Harvey Keitel, to Patrick Stewart, that guy from Maroon 5 and Liam Neeson. I remember when I was a kid, I had the worst crush on Bruce Boxleitner.
~o~
Troubles come in armies and they're staging camp against my daughter & her husband. First, they got hit by that bus. Then he got a $125 ticket for leaving a bright parking lot with his parking lights on when he could have gotten a warning. Today he slid off the road on the way to work and hit a fence. He got a $114 ticket for "failure to control his vehicle" even though it was clearly black ice that he hit...AND...his car just got looked at and the insurance said it is totalled.
I made this INCREDIBLE soup for dinner tonight. Healthy and delicious. Served it with some whole grain Tuscany bread.
Turkey, Barley, and Greens Soup
1 Tbsp canola oil 1 c onion, chopped 1 c carrot, chopped 8 oz ground turkey breast 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning* 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 3/4 c quick-cooking barley 4 c fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth 2 c water 2 c (4 oz) mustard greens, coarsely chopped
1. Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot. Cover and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Increase heat to high and add turkey, poultry seasoning, salt to taste, and pepper. Sauté, breaking turkey into small chunks, until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
3. Add barley. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add broth and water. Bring to boil.
4. Reduce heat to simmer and add greens. Simmer until barley is cooked, about 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 267 calories, 5 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 520 mg sodium, 38 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 20 g protein
*Tip Poultry - I used a kind without any bizarre unnatural ingredients and coarse sea salt. Mine is in a grinder bottle and you grind the herbs straight into the soup.
~o~ Time for my Biggest Loser rant. I was absolutely and positively disgusted by Kim Lyons. Hearing her train these people with her filthy mouth and then say that anyone OWES her respect is ridiculous. If she were to be yelling at me to do what she "f***ing said to do, I wouldn't feel I owed her an ounce of respect. If she cannot show respect toward those she is training, she doesn't deserve it. It served her right that she was only left with two individuals to work with.
My other rant: Neil. This isn't Survivor - it's actually a show about becoming as healthy as you can be. As far as I am concerned, good character is another aspect of good health. This is the second time he has been overtly deceitful in order to sway a weigh-in. It really angers me that the honest, integrity-filled Jez was voted off due to Neil's underhandedness (drinking gallons of water and loading with sodium causing a 17+ weight gain in one week. Insanity). The players from his old team who stood by him are equally foul and repulsive in my eyes and I hope that NONE of them wins. As for Jez, he went home to continued success (I'm sure in part BECAUSE of his moral fiber), and lost 103 lbs so far. I hope that he kicks *ss in the finale.
~o~
In other events of my night, I had purchased a rotisserie chicken at Acme and forgot that I left it on the counter. Drove my daughter to her friend's house and came home to find just the carcass. Moogie had taken it off the counter, gotten it out of its container and nothing but the carcass was left. He also decided to knock over the kitchen trash and add some side dishes. I had been planning on using that chicken for wrap sandwiches tomorrow. $7 down his throat. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
There is a Latin phrase that I love:Bis vincit qui se vincit in victoria- He conquers twice who in the hour of conquest conquers himself. (Syrus)
I donâÂÂt watch much reality TV â in fact, most of it I hate.After Bo Bice came in 2nd on American Idol, followed by Marty CaseyâÂÂs no win on Rockstar INXSâ¦and when Ryan Starr got voted off Rockstar Supernova too early â the little bit of reality TV viewing I did was ruined for me. Everyone I want to win loses! However, there is one reality show that I do like: The Biggest Loser. J Why?Because to me, itâÂÂs all about the human spirit.ItâÂÂs about conquering self (which often means conquering stupidity, laziness, and ignorance). AND - very importantly - everyone who puts out the effort to conquer themselves is a winner. The only losers are the ones who won't put out the effort to succeed. The big $ at the end isn't the real prize, each new life of health and fitness is.
Kim Lyons has been in the fitness magazines I read for years â Oxygen and Muscle & Fitness Hers have featured her for ages. I was so excited when she joined the show, thatâÂÂs when I began to watch it (instead of just turn it on for the last 15 minutes or the finale).SheâÂÂs definitely good â but I also think Jillian Michaels is incredible as a trainer. And as for Bob Harper, besides being a great coach - heâÂÂs just so darned nice!These people have my dream job.I would LOVE to do this for a living.In fact, IâÂÂm seriously thinking about taking the NETA test for personal training certification within the next few months. Some friends of mine are beginning construction on a new fitness facility close to my home - and I could find some very gainful employment. :)
Last night, the oldest contestant was eliminatedâ¦Jerry.I think the choice was made because he was tough competition.The man had determination!When they showed his transformation, it was incredible.He was down 88 lbs and was RIPPED.He made the choice to change, to be the best âÂÂJerryâ that he could possibly be.Not being âÂÂsafeâ on the fitness campus didnâÂÂt harm his resolve.At first I was ticked off when the votes were coming in, but then I realized that if anyone was going to make the commitment to be successful, it would be him â no matter where he was.I hope that on the season finale, when castaways return, that he gets the big monetary prize.He sooooo deserves it.
I was kind of shocked that the whining woman, Amy, lost 9 lbs this week.Considering how whiny and uncooperative she and the other woman, Lezlye, on the Red Team had been, her weekâÂÂs success was pretty miraculous.Maybe she learned a lesson about making excuses when she came close to being booted off the show.
The contestants should not have been shocked by their diminished losses.They are not just losing fat, they are building muscle.They could actually have lost more fat percentage wise, but gained muscle tissue.You could lose 5 lbs of fat, but only show a scale loss of 2 lbs â if you have increased your muscle tissue by 3 lbs.The scale can lie â you can be leaner.Skwigg has a good article on her site about this.
Another thing â consider Patty & Neil, the two contestants who chowed down at the temptation.ItâÂÂs no wonder that they didnâÂÂt lose much weight in spite of working like maniacs to make up for the indiscretion.ItâÂÂs not all about calories in and calories out, regardless of what common weight loss mythology tells.ItâÂÂs not as simple as the math (3,500 burned off equals one pound lossâ¦baloney).There are complex responses within the body to the TYPE of food that is eaten.If anyone watched, you would have noticed that the crap they ate was all high on the glycemic index.This causes an insulin surge in the body, sending out signals which lead to the storage of fat.I could go on and on here with a lengthy scientific explanation, but suffice it to say that this isnâÂÂt grade school mathematics.A calorie does not equal a calories does not equal a calorie.Remember that when you want to choose 100 calories of cake over a 100 calorie serving of beans. Basically, when they slammed their bodies with all that crap they caused a chain reaction with far deeper damage than just excess calories which needed to be burned off.Inflammation, water retention, insulin surges, seratonin imbalances, etc, etc.
A little rag:Walk away the pounds. Pfffffttttt.I was SO GLAD to get a newsie from GrrlAthlete that showed how positively lame this idea is.Sure, itâÂÂs good to walk as a starting point â but in order to walk away the pounds, youâÂÂd have to spend hours upon hours upon hours walking.
In the newsie, Brad says, âÂÂConsider this, if you are of average weight, you would have to walk 5 miles to burn an extra 500 calories a day. Even at a fairly fast pace, it would take you about an hour to walk 5 miles. [Note from me:I donâÂÂt know any women that take up walking for fitness who actually walk 12 minute miles.Ha!They think that walking 15 minute miles is speedy and âÂÂbriskâ and have a hard time with it]. That's a lot of work just to burn 500 calories. If you kept your calorie intake exactly the same over the course of the week, and managed to walk for an extra hour aday at a fairly fast pace, you may be able to burn of an extra pound of fat per week.This is assuming that the amount of calories you eat over the course of a week is EXACTLY equal to the amount you need to stay at your current weight. If you were overeating even slightly during this week, then the extra walking would have even less of an effect.
7 hours of exercise for a maximum of 1 pound of fat loss is not a very effecient use of anyone's time! And, while walking 7 days a week may be possible now, think about what it might feel like during the winter months!"
So back to The Biggest Loser, if you watch the show, you will notice that the contestants are required to put out REAL EFFORT.Effort is what itâÂÂs all about, effort bring success.A namby-pamby walk every day isnâÂÂt going to cut it.You need to sweat.You need to feel it.You will reap what you sow⦠sow hard work, reap a hard body.
~o~
Today is a cardio & yoga day.I did an hour of cardio at the gym and the yoga will come later on today.Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but IâÂÂm not sure.I might do a full body burnout blast and then use Friday as my rest day.IâÂÂm also tempted to go to an evening yoga class tomorrow.I just donâÂÂt know â I do know that I have to take my rest day, itâÂÂs very important. (The whole 3-legged stool illustration).
Yesterday I saw one of the high school boys who came in the morning during the summer. He was there when I was working out in the afternoon (while the STNG reruns were on). He saw me and yelled, "Heeeyyyyy, Girrrrrlllll!" which just emphasized to me, yep, we're all still just girls. :)
