Healthy Holiday Recipes for the New Year

Politically Incorrect Weight Loss

W A R N I N G !

If you are easily offended or are looking for someone to blow sunshine up your you-know-what, do not read this article.

The following was an email I recently received from a friend:

The following is the winning entry in an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term: This year’s term was Political Correctness.

The winner wrote, “Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”

I figured, what’s the point, so hence the title of this article.

Okay, so I need to call it like I see it. Americans are getting fatter by the day, even though more money (we’re talking billions!) is constantly being spent on weight loss. We are so delusional about weight loss that in spite of the economic disaster, people continue to throw their money away on things that simply don’t work. Even our views of proper weight are screwed up. A 2008 study by CalorieLab, Inc., which ranked the states from “fattest to fittest,” determined that Mississippi is the fattest state in America, with 32.6% of the adult population obese; Michigan ranks 10th, with 28.2% obese (Detroit ranks as the 13th fattest city according to the 2008 Men’s Fitness poll).

Here’s the kicker: Colorado is the “leanest” state, even though 19.3% of adults are obese! Congratulations that almost 1 out of every 5 adults walking around your state is obese (obese, not just overweight or a little chunky) – you’re the best!

Everyone seems to be willing to pay a lot for someone to take away all accountability, make it completely brainless, and allow you to put absolutely no effort into it at all. Of all the billions being spent on weight loss, looking for that “magic pill” that will solve all problems, most people just need to get their heads out of their butts, start moving, and stop eating like crap.

Now I know some people are thinking about all the people they know who never work out and do eat junk constantly and stay thin – if you aren’t one of those people, deal with it, you’re not going to get away with it like they

do (here’s a little eye opener, most of those other people will only get away with it for so long anyways).

Don’t get me wrong, there are people who are lucky, they are usually genetically gifted with higher metabolisms. However, just because people look thin, does not mean that they are in shape. Also, don’t believe the hype from some of these fitness professionals, actors, models, or others who make bold statements about how they used to be huge, and now, due to all the hard work they put forth, have “rediscovered a thinner, happier, more successful version of themselves”!

I personally know of local people who make a lot of money in the fitness and/or weight loss industry who made the above claims, but the real hard work they put in was a visit to the local “Dr. 90210.”

Others never were as large as they claimed, but make it seem like the 10 pounds they lost had an extra zero on the end. Again, don’t get me wrong, a lot of people have worked hard to lose a lot of weight and are an inspiration to many, but just because someone says it, doesn’t make it true. I can tell you that there was a time in my life when I suddenly gained some weight. It was called the “Freshman 15,” and came during my first year at Michigan State. Was the weight loss I achieved between my freshman and sophomore years the result of hard work? No, it was the fact that I stopped making beer, pizza, and dorm food my regular diet, and stopped acting like a sloth. Did I have some epiphany that made me do it? No again, my mother walked in and told me to get off the girl I was dating because I was going to crush her!

So let’s cover the two big areas regarding weight loss: nutrition and exercise. Realize these are vast subjects, and I will not cover everything, but this should give everyone some ideas.

NUTRITION

You don’t need a Master’s degree in Nutrition to know that 6 packs of beer, pizza, burgers, and Kentucky Fried Chicken should not be a staple of your diet. Supplementing three “gorge yourself” meals with a constant supply of cookies, potato chips, and other junk that gets shoveled mindlessly into your mouth by the handful throughout the day is also generally bad. Let’s go over some things to know:

1. Different people will respond differently to different diets. Just because one diet works well for one person does not mean it will work well for you. Most of the well-known diet plans do work for many people if done correctly. A lot of people claim to follow diets correctly, but they like to make their own modifications – generally the diets were created by people with more nutrition knowledge and experience than the people following the plans, so stop trying to act like you know better. And, if one diet doesn’t work for you (after you’ve given it a legitimate chance), try another one.

2. “Fake food” is bad. This includes anything processed, “preserved,” chemically laden, artificially colored/flavored/sweetened/etc., or anything else you haven’t heard of or don’t know what it is.

3. Small (meaning don’t stuff yourself), regularly spaced (5-6 per day) meals (not snacking all day long) per day increases metabolism. Metabolism is defined as “how many calories your body burns during rest and activity.”

4. You need a relative balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat to live and to maintain proper body weight/composition. Everyone’s needs are slightly different, but most have too much sugar/carbohydrates, as well as the wrong kind of protein and/or fat (see #2 above).

The other skewed belief is what people consider to be balanced. Having a bowl of cereal and considering the milk to be your protein is not balanced – it’s excess carbs.

Half of a chicken breast mixed in with a bowl of pasta and a salad is also not balanced. Next time you’re at the grocery store, check out the nutrition labels on various foods and see how many grams of protein vs. carbohydrates are in things – it’s a lot easier to get carbs than the protein.

EXERCISE

Just like diet, everyone responds differently to different exercise regimes. Effective exercise ranges from just getting out of bed for some people, to needing extremely intense regular bouts. As with people’s false claims about their own weight loss, don’t always believe what you hear about exercise either.

I had an experience with a well-known person in the weight loss industry who adamantly told me that “walking is the only exercise people need, and that everyone will lose weight by walking.” She then proceeded to tell me about all the weight she lost just by walking. I found it interesting that later in the conversation she told me about all the machines and circuits her personal trainer had her doing, and I wanted to ask her what happened to just walking? Let’s address some exercise principles that people need to know:

1. Intensity. Regarding the walking example above – I don’t have a problem with people walking for exercise. In fact, many people do lose weight this way. On the other hand, many people don’t. The problem with walking, as well as any activity performed regularly, is that your body becomes more efficient at it (as it should). The problem is that efficiency is often the enemy of effectiveness when it comes to weight loss. When your body moves more efficiently, it uses less muscles and less energy to perform the task. Using less muscles and energy translates into fewer calories burned. People think that calorie-burning exercise must last a long time, often at a low to moderate heart rate range. If this works for you, great! If not, this may be why: more total calories are burned at a high intensity range, and metabolism is increased with high intensity exercise greater than low or medium intensity.

2. Strength training. Muscle mass dictates metabolism, therefore strength training is beneficial for weight loss. As with other forms of exercise, strength training should also be high intensity to maximally promote increased muscle growth.

3. Flexibility. Besides the more obvious benefits of stretching, proper flexibility allows the correct muscles to work during exercise. For example, tightness in the hip flexors (in front of the hips) is one of the most common flexibility issues due to peoples’ tendency to sit most of the time. Tightness in the hip flexors may not allow the gluteals (butt muscles) to work during any lower body activity/exercise. Since the gluteals are relatively larger muscles, if they are not working right, fewer muscles are activated and fewer calories burned. Not to mention the increased potential for injury.

4. Frequency. One work out per week won’t cut it. Aim for at least four days per week, with strength, cardiovascular, and flexibility training all included.

5. Poor movement mechanics. It’s easy to go through the motions of exercise, but doing them correctly are a different story. An example that I have seen all too often is the walking lunge exercise. This is a popular exercise among trainers at various gyms because in theory, it is a good exercise. However, when you watch people do walking lunges, you see legs and knees going all over the place, torsos falling over, and arms flailing. Executing a good exercise poorly is not going to give anyone the results they are looking for.

6. Lack of proper recovery. Recovery does not just mean taking days off of working out – everyone does that (too often). Proper recovery means getting the right amount of sleep at night as well (see March 2008 Health and Leisure).

All of this can be done without spending excessive amounts of money, it just takes using your head, making some effort, and planning – a difficult task for some, but give it a try.

Nutrition: October 2008

Have you ever wondered why many “health conscious” individuals think of foods such as diet soda, artificial sweeteners, and TV dinners – with names like “Health” or “Lean” as a part of their brand name – to be “healthy foods” despite their ingredient panel containing a long list of unnatural or artificial ingredients?

Since the 1950’s, America has seen a tremendous growth in its food supply. In the mid 1980’s, this country saw an enormous increase in the number of available diet and artificial foods, intended to promote weight loss and “health”. However, since then, our country’s population has been getting heavier and increasingly wrought with chronic disease. We are consuming food that truly is not food, and our bodies do not know how to process these many foreign substances!

Slow Food is a breath of fresh air. Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat: where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.

Slow Food members around the world work to build relationships with producers, campaign to protect traditional foods, organize tasting and seminars, encourage chefs to source locally, nominate producers to participate in international events and work to bring taste education into schools. Most importantly, they cultivate the appreciation of pleasure and quality in daily life.

Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. Slow Food members believe that the food you eat should taste good; that it should be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or your health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

Carlo Petrini, an Italian journalist dismayed by the opening of a McDonald’s in Rome, stated, “Pleasure is a way of being at one with yourself and others.” Slow Food recognizes that the best place to preserve biological and cultural diversity is not in museums or zoos but on our plates.

Slow Food is a great adjunct to Mindful Eating, which you may have heard about recently as a way to slow down and appreciate what you are eating. Mindfulness is being aware of what is present for you physically, emotionally and spiritually in each moment. Mindful Eating is:

• Allowing yourself to become aware of the positive and nurturing opportunities that are available through food preparation and consumption by respecting your own inner wisdom.

• Choosing to eat food that is both pleasing to you and nourishing to your body by using all your senses to explore, savor and taste.

• Learning to be aware of physical hunger and satiety cues to guide your decision to begin eating and to stop eating.

If weight management is primarily your interest, bringing awareness and attention to how and what you are eating can help you eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full. If everyone in this country practiced this rule, weight loss diets would be obsolete! Here are some other ways to practice mindful eating:

• Bring the palms of your hands over your food, and notice if you feel anything from it. With your palms here, give thanks for the food and the experience.

• Journal what is coming up for you at this moment

• Begin to eat. Again, appreciate the food with all five senses. Chew slowly and completely, keep your eyes closed. Can you chew each mouthful 30 or 50 or even 100 times? Explore the full flavor and the variety of tastes that make up this food.

• Explore the food with all of your senses:

Sound – Does the food have a vibration or sound?

Smell – Odors, familiar smells that bring up memories, feelings

Visual – Color, presentation

Taste – Describe taste

Texture – Describe all sensations

How can you support the Slow Food movement?

• Reduce your intake of processed foods

• Eat lower on the food chain

• Eat locally grown and organic produce as much as possible

• Cook more meals from scratch vs. dining out

• If cooking is not your forte’, try the “meals to go” in whole and organic food stores

A “slow” approach to dietary changes will pave the way to long-term changes. The “slow” approach to making life long dietary changes involves a comprehensive nutrition assessment. This assessment is an important first step in order to peel back the layers and pave the way for a successful nutrition counseling experience.

Many individuals expect to transform themselves in one meeting with a registered dietitian. They want to learn and internalize everything in less than an hour of time. Just like any other credible healthcare profession, you are not healed in one visit to your healthcare provider, whether it be your physician, psychotherapist, physical therapist, occupational or speech therapist.

Learning how to make healthy and wholesome food choices, over time, will give you much more clarity vs. loading up on sugar and junk food. This is how you create balance and move away from the “all” or “nothing” approach.

Healthy Recipes: August 2008

Betsey’s Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

6 tablespoons pureed prunes or plums

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

3 cups rolled oats, uncooked

1 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray. Combine prunes/plumbs, brown sugar, sugar, egg and vanilla; beat until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add to sugar mixture; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets; cool on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Fruit Smoothie

1 10 ounce package lite, silken tofu

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 banana

2 cups pineapple-orange juice

Blend until smooth. Serves 2.

Your Child’s Nutritional Health

From kindergarten to post-puberty, children and teens are growing rapidly. There is a delicate balance between eating enough calories and nutrients for growth and development, while getting enough physical activity to prevent weight gain and chronic disease.

KEY NUTRIENTS IN YOUR CHILD’S DIET

Calcium is found in dairy products, such as milk, cheese and other dairy products. However, calcium is more readily absorbed from plant sources such as calcium fortified soy or rice milks and orange juice, legumes, almonds along with dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale. Non-dairy sources of calcium are also lower in fat and calories. Magnesium, found in whole grains, nuts and seeds, help to incorporated calcium into bone.

Iron deficiency anemia is still widespread in children. Good sources of iron include whole grains, iron-fortified cereals, legumes, green leafy vegetables and dried fruits. Consuming foods rich in vitamin C (citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries) at the same meal as high iron foods, enhance iron absorption.

FOOD ALLERGIES

Common allergens include milk, eggs, wheat, corn, citrus, nuts and seafood. In addition, celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Recent findings estimate 1 in 133 people in the United States have celiac disease. Individuals with celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley. Today, a wide variety of food exists for individuals with food allergies, along with gluten free foods to manage celiac disease.

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVE DISORDER

Sugar in conjunction with artificial colors, dyes and additives may exacerbate attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD). Parents can usually tell when their child has been exposed to too much sugar – especially when they come home from birthday parties filled with cake, ice cream and other goodies and tend to be wound up for the rest of the day. In addition, a 12-ounce can of caffeinated soft drink consumed by a child is equivalent to the effect of four cups of coffee consumed by an adult. Limit your child’s intake of sugar. Notice if your child’s behavior improves from a more wholesome diet.

CHILDHOOD OBESITY, HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND DIABETES

Children with high fat intakes are significantly heavier than children with low fat intakes. Childhood obesity is a precursor to heart disease and diabetes. Limiting fat, especially saturated fat, in your child’s diet is the best prevention and/or management of weight, cholesterol and diabetes, which uncontrolled, can lead to health complications later in life.

WHAT IF YOUR CHILD OR TEENAGER IS ATHLETIC?

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Since athletic individuals are consuming more oxygen through aerobic exercise, an increased amount of “free radicals” are formed from the byproduct of oxygen formation as well as breathing in air pollutants can damage growing cells. Supplementation of vitamins C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene are recommended and the dose will vary depending on age and other circumstances.

IRON

A small amount of extra iron may be needed to aid in oxygen transport through the body. Sports anemia is common, which is the breakdown of red blood cells from impact of feet on the ground during running.

ELECTROLYTES

Sodium and potassium, which are referred to as “electrolytes”, are needed for water balance and proper muscle function, which can be achieved through normal fluid intake and eating fruits and vegetables daily.

ZINC AND CALCIUM

Other important nutrients include zinc for energy metabolism, as it tends to be lost in sweat and urine. Calcium is needed for strong bones and magnesium is helpful to prevent muscle cramps.

SPORTS DRINKS

Although water is the best way to hydrate the body, sport drinks with up to 10% sugar concentration are acceptable. Too much sugar lingering in the stomach will hamper performance. Some sugar intake will help preserve the body’s carbohydrate stores, maintain blood sugar and delay fatigue. Diluted juices work just as well as sport drinks. As far as how much fluid to drink before competition, 16 to 20 ounces are recommended two hours before and eight ounces 15 to 30 minutes before. While exercising, four to six ounces every 15 to 20 minutes is recommended, especially during long-term competition. You can be down up to two quarts of body fluid without actually feeling thirsty.

PROTEIN AND FAT

Athletes do not need any more protein or fat. Too much protein may be dehydrating. In addition, a low fat diet of no more than 20% is recommended.

COULD YOUR CHILD OR TEEN HAVE AN EATING DISORDER?

Today, young girls rarely feel good about their bodies. The current emphasis on beauty and the extraordinary pressure on females to be thin in order to achieve desirability are exceptional. According to statistics, 80% of adolescent girls feel bad about their bodies, 75% feel “fat,” and up to 70% are on diets at any given time. This behavior is extending to younger and younger children every day. Studies suggest almost half of 3rd to 6th grade girls say that they want to be thinner, and that 33% have already tried to lose weight. In addition, eating disorders are increasing prevalent in males.

WHAT IS AN EATING DISORDER?

Eating disorders are extreme expressions of psychological issues experienced by both boys and girls. They include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating and compulsive overeating. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an irrational fear of body fat and weight gain, which contributes to drastic weight loss and refusal to maintain a height and age appropriate weight. With bulimia nervosa, cycles of binge eating and purging take place. Binge eating disorder or compulsive eating involves impulsive overeating with isolated fasts and recurrent diets.

WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS OF ANOREXIA AND RELATED EATING DISORDERS?

Aside from extreme weight changes, behavioral signs that something is wrong are:

• Isolation

• Range of emotions from angry outbursts to no affect

• Procrastination

• Trouble in school

• Perfectionism

• Compulsive habits

• Omitting significant food groups at meals

• Change in sleep habits

• Loss of interest in formerly fun activities.

An eating disorder is a medical illness like any other disease, and will not go away without attention. If you suspect that your child has an eating disorder, it is important that you work with a team of professionals including your physician, psychotherapist, registered dietitian, and if necessary, a psychiatrist. This team of professionals’ can help you understand the impact of stress on your child and the rest of the family, teach healthy communication skills, and help you to assist your children to grow and individuate.

It is not so much what you say to your child, to convince them to eat healthier and have healthy food behaviors, but your own behavior that you model for your child rules. If you emulate healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices, your children will follow.

Fitness: It’s the (Not So) Little Things That Count

So here we are, a couple months into 2008. You made that New Years Resolution to get in shape. You’re hitting the gym like a madman and following all the workout advise that you read about in some magazine by some insane personal trainer/physical therapist who thinks he knows what he is talking about; you even bought this crazy kettlebell thing he kept saying is so great. So why isn’t the weight pouring off? Why don’t you still have enough strength to lift yourself off the couch or the energy to even care. What is going on here?

Now, let me preface what I am about to say by stating clearly that I am not a nutritionist or registered dietician; nor do I have any special training in analyzing sleep patterns. But, I am aware of many of the problems out there that people have and I am going to attempt to make you more aware, too.

Fitness is like a love triangle with constant battles between the exercise component, the rest/sleep element, and the nutrition/diet factor. If one is out of balance, none of it will fit together right. I always talk about exercise, so now we are going to focus on the other two.

Sleep/Rest

The National Sleep Foundation reports that while exact sleep requirements differ among people, the general rule of thumb is:

Adults = 8 hours

Teens = 9 hours

Younger = more

You need to realize that working out hard is great, but muscles don’t grow or get stronger when you work out, it is the recovery process where muscles repair themselves from the workout and can become bigger and/or stronger. The National Sleep Foundation further notes other areas that are affected by improper sleep:

• Memory and learning – Sleep seems to organize memories, as well as help you to recover memories. After you learn something new, sleep may solidify the learning in your brain.

• Mood enhancement and social behaviors – The parts of the brain that control emotions, decision-making, and social interactions slow down dramatically during sleep, allowing optimal performance when awake. REM sleep seems especially important for a good mood during the day. Tired people are often cranky and easily frustrated.

• Nervous system – Some sleep experts suggest that neurons used during the day repair themselves during sleep. When we experience sleep deprivation, neurons are unable to perform effectively and the nervous system is impaired.

• Immune system – Without adequate sleep the immune system becomes weak and the body becomes more vulnerable to infection and disease.

• Growth and development – Growth hormones are released during sleep and sleep is vital to proper physical and mental development.

There is more to sleeping properly than just getting in the required number of hours. Proper sleep actually involves 4 stages ranging from light sleep to deep and dreaming stages. A person cycles through these stages throughout their sleep time. To insure that all stages are achieved, and achieved enough, consistency is needed. It is important to generally go to sleep and wake up at roughly the same time each day (straying every now and then won’t kill you). If there are any factors that are limiting your ability to fall asleep at a consistent time, you need to address them. Things like eating too soon before bed, watching TV while falling asleep, and participating in physically or mentally stressful activities too close to bedtime are common disrupters of sleep (although not for everyone). My advice is to keep a sleep log for one month. A sleep log is fairly simple and should include information such as: bedtime, time you actually fell asleep, time you woke up, number of times you awoke during the night, how well you slept, how you felt when you woke up, and how you felt the rest of that day. Try it and see how you feel.

Nutrition/Diet

So, is anyone confused about what the heck they are supposed to eat? With all the diets out there it’s enough to drive a person absolutely crazy. It would be nice to think that all of the diets were created in an attempt to truly improve a person’s life in terms of weight loss, energy, control of diseases like diabetes, etc; but while some of that may be true, a lot of the diets are only improving the bank accounts of the diet “creators.” For most people, it is not hard to know how to eat right; it is doing it that’s the problem. Let’s face facts, many people cannot lose weight via diet because either they just eat too much or what they eat is garbage. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that eating pizza, cheeseburgers and drinking beer daily is not a staple for proper nutrition. Many of the diet programs out there do work and the reason people do not have success is because they do not do them correctly.

All that being said, there are many others who do not overeat, and eat what they think is healthy and still have problems. Before I let you know some details, let me first say again, that if you are using weight loss as the benchmark of proper diet, you must consider whether the other areas are balanced (exercise and rest). Assuming they are, here are some things to consider:

1) Calories: 3500 calories = 1 lb. (an excess 3500 calories = gaining 1 lb., a deficit of 3500 calories = losing 1 lb); 1 gram of protein and/or carbohydrates = 4 calories, 1 gram of fat = 9 calories, 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories

Sounds simple right? Wrong. It is not just about total calories you eat or do not eat, but how you utilize those calories.

2) Metabolism: The number of calories used by your body during various activities, including rest.

Example: 2000 calorie per day diet – 500 calories burned during exercise = 1500 calories left to use for the rest of daily activities. If 2000 calories are required for daily activities, then there is a deficit of 500 calories. Therefore, in 7 days one pound of body weight will be lost (500 x 7 = 3500); however, if only 1000 calories are required for daily activities, then there is an excess 500 calories. Therefore you would gain 1 lb. in 7 days. This is metabolism – the higher the metabolism, the more calories burned. Factors that affect metabolism include: body size/weight (heavier = more calories used, although this mostly refers to calories used during activity vs. rest), body composition (greater lean body mass/muscle = higher metabolism), age (metabolism decreases with age), sex (sorry ladies, men burn more calories), drugs (don’t do drugs!), heredity, hormones, stress/anxiety, and temperature (good news for Michiganders – more calories are used in colder temperatures). To calculate your metabolic rate, use these formulas:

Women = 655 + (4.36 x W) + (4.32 x H) – (4.7 x A)

Men = 66 + (6.22 x W) + (12.7 x H) – (6.8 x A)

* W = weight (lbs.) H = height (inches) A = age (years)

3) Food quality: These days everything is about being quick and convenient – welcome to fast food. Not only do we have to deal with fast food, but in an attempt for certain industries to make money, things like preservatives, chemicals, and basic “fake food” are rampant. It is very difficult to look at an ingredient label and see less than a dozen ingredients, half of which you need a degree in biochemistry or nutrition to even know what it is. Last, just because the calorie count may be low (such as with carbohydrates), your body only uses so much before it gets stored as excess, generally as fat.

So with all this information, now which diet should you choose? Realize that weight loss will not happen overnight, and even with proper diet, the loss may not always be consistent.You may even experience some weight gain at certain points, especially if you are exercising.

The best thing I can tell people is to start keeping a food log. Record everything you put in your mouth, how much of it, and what time you did it. Be as specific as possible. For example: turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (2 slices), 5 slices of lean turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard at 11:15 a.m.; 16 ounces of water at 1:33 p.m.; 3 jellybeans at 10:42 p.m.

Doing this may make some things more obvious. I had a client who thought she was eating healthy, and then via her food log, discovered she was eating Oreos every hour! It was only one or two at a time, but it adds up. Eventually what you want to see is about six small meals per day, spaced fairly equally. No eating right before bed. Try to balance carbs and protein – most people are excessive with their carbs (most of your snacks/munchies – the things you throw a handful of in your mouth without thinking are either carbs or fat) and the body only uses so much at a time. Eat a lot of vegetables and a decent amount of fruit. Try to have real food.

These are very basic rules for a difficult task. Unlike exercise, which only takes about an hour, you have to think about what you eat the whole time you are awake (which should only be 16 hours – see above). Two excellent resources for nutritional information are: The Metabolism Advantage by John Berardi, and The Anti-Estrogenic Diet by Ori Hofmekler (for both men and women).

Rest and nutrition are two areas that are all too often neglected, and just as important (if not more so) than anything else. Put some time into focusing on these areas if you truly are looking for improved fitness and life quality.

For more information regarding rest/sleep, and nutrition/diet; as well as to download sleep and food logs – contact Bob at bob@functional-strength-training.com, or visit his website at www.functional-strength-training.com.

Emery King: A Man Dedicated to Healthy Living

For nineteen years on Channel 4 WDIV, we all watched him as he gave us the evening news with a sense of honesty, integrity and humor. Now, Emery King, 59, is the Communications Director for the Detroit Medical Centers, a post that he assumed two and a half years ago. The electric energy of working for a medical facility as comprehensive as the DMC is on par to working in the lightening bolt pace of a newsroom. For Emery, he has found his element once again.

As part of this month’s celebration of men’s health, we thought we would sit down with this famed former newscaster and learn about what makes Emery, who turns sixty later this month, move and think like he was thirty years younger.

Being mindful of his health has always been in the forefront of Emery’s mind and actions. Getting in shape has never been a problem for him. It is maintaining the weight that he worked so hard to achieve that challenges him.

“I’m not one of those people who is blessed with a fast metabolism. I’m a naturally big guy and as I’ve become older, it becomes much harder to take off those extra pounds that are so easy to put on,” says Emery.

When he was younger, he was an avid runner but a few sprained ankles and the wear and tear of pounding the pavement day after day took its toll on him.

“I loved the solitude of running but I never liked the process of it,” says Emery who now takes full advantage of The Brasza Center, the state-of-the-art fitness center the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan maintains for its patients and DMC employees.

In order to combat the tendency for the pounds to creep on, Emery works out a minimum of three times a week and sometimes with the extra guidance and motivation of his personal trainer, Pam Haretski. Variety is key for this media man who mixes it up by doing a variety of cardiovascular exercises with strength training.

“On the weekends, I get in a lot of walking even in the colder temperatures. During the summer, I’ll add swimming and even yard work to my weekend routine in order to keep things interesting,” says Emery.

His health challenges and goals are just the same for men his age. In order to make sense of all the wellness information we receive, The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has put together a list of the six most important things men of all age can do to be healthy. Here’s a look at what they are:

• Get the recommended screening tests. Consult your doctor to find out what tests apply to you and how often you should be screened.

• Be tobacco free. If you do smoke, talk to your doctor about quitting.

• Be physically active. Try to get in 30 minutes or more of moderate physical activity most days of the week.

• Eat a healthy diet. Think color and fresh by emphasizing vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean protein.

• Stay at a healthy weight. Make sure that your intake balances out with your energy expenditure.

• Take preventive medicines if you need them.

Emery can put a check mark next to virtually every one of these recommendations. But he does admit to one Achilles heal when it comes to his diet:

“My one bad habit is ice cream. Even in the cold weather in the winter doesn’t stop me from eating it,” he says.

When he is in his zone, he prefers to not have any of the creamy stuff around. Even though Emery’s personal trainer has been lecturing him on the value of moderation and how a healthy diet should not eliminate any one kind of food, he still prefers having ice cream chilling in the grocery store frozen section rather than in his icebox.

He also tries to keep red meat and refined carbohydrates down to a minimum and instead up’s his intake of fish and vegetables. Being on the go during the day, he avoids the temptation to get the quick fast-food meal on the run and instead opts for Caesar or Greek salads and takes advantage of the DMC cafeteria for healthy selections when he is in the office. With breakfast as his favorite meal, he skips the pastry section of Starbucks and instead skillets up his own egg white omelets.

For all the men out there who aspire to have the energy and discipline that Emery does, he has his own thoughts of advice for all Detroit men who are looking to stay on top of their health goals.

He recommends finding work that is meaningful, getting enough sleep and taking some time away to free your mind. Turning off the computer, cell phone and blackberry and having time to yourself to meditate or simply sit quietly is a vital component of any healthy lifestyle, he says.

Additionally, he suggests casting fear aside and schedule a physical examination. “Arming yourself with knowledge and action can put truth to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s adage of ‘the only thing to fear is fear itself,’” says Emery.

Working for one of Michigan’s largest medical facilities has also rubbed off on him in some very important ways.

“With the technology and medical advancements that I see all around me, I become more and more fascinated by the human body, its capacity to heal itself and what we can do to prevent illness,” says Emery.

He takes this intrigue and applies to his own life by keeping up with his regular physical examinations including seeing a urologist twice a year since prostate cancer has such a high incidence among Black men. As he has gotten older, he has become more concerned about his health and takes the necessary preventive steps to ensure that he is doing all he can to live a long and healthy life. And, if his personal trainer has any say in his lifestyle choices, a dish of ice cream every now and then is an okay part of this healthy living plan.

Ask the Doctor: February 2008

Question: I am 36 and have been trying to get pregnant for about 6 months, and we have not yet been successful. I haven’t decided if I want to go through fertility treatments yet. Do you have any suggestions? -L.D., Troy

Answer: There are a few things you can do on your own before consulting with your gynecologist. You can start by determining when you ovulate. First of all you need to know your cycle length. This is the number of days between the first day of one period and the first day of the next. If your periods are not regular and you can never predict them, there is a good chance that you are not ovulating and you should talk to your gynecologist about the reasons why you might not be ovulating.

Most women have cycles ranging from 26-31 days. It doesn’t matter if your cycle is long or short, if you are regular; you are most likely ovulating on schedule. Most women average about 28 days, so I will use that as my example. If the first day of your period is day 1, you are most likely to ovulate on day 14.

There are commercially available ovulation monitors that can help you predict when you are going to ovulate, but there is also a technique you can do yourself called basal body temperature. Your normal body temperature will go up around the time of ovulation and back down after ovulation. If you plot your temperature every day you should be able to tell when you will ovulate.

For an accurate basal body temperature, you must take your temperature at the same time every day – first thing in the morning. You should use a digital thermometer to be accurate to the decimal point, because the rise in temperature that you are looking for is very subtle. You should keep the thermometer right next to your bed and take your temperature as soon as you wake up, BEFORE you get out of bed or have any water or coffee.

Like I said, the difference in temperatures is small and different for everybody, but if you are ovulating you will begin to notice a pattern, and then can try to get pregnant around your time of ovulation. The last patient I explained this too got pregnant within a few months!

Question: My New Years Resolution is to lose weight, as it is every year. THIS year however I don’t want to give up! I already think I eat healthy but I am not losing weight! Can you help? – R.A., Utica

Answer: It’s great that you are already eating healthy, but unfortunately, healthy is not always enough to lose weight. It is really about calories. Healthy food will give you all the vitamins and minerals that you need but can have the same amount of calories as junk food if you are not careful. To lose weight successfully you really need to understand the math of calories.

There are 3500 calories in a pound. This means to gain a pound you have to eat an extra 3500 calories and to lose a pound you must burn off that same amount. I have 2 examples for you. One banana is about 100 calories and two Oreo cookies are 100 calories. The banana is much healthier and provides the nutrients that we need. But, if you give up your snack of two Oreos in the afternoon for a banana and think that will help you lose weight, it will not since the calories are the same.

My other example is those “Big Grab” bags of potato chips you can find in the convenience stores. You think that they are one serving size and that they are a good value since they are usually 99 cents. If you read the nutrition information on the back you find out there about 3 servings in one bag, for about 450 calories. So, if you are in the habit of picking up a bag of chips for a snack, and if you have eaten one bag a day, you can almost gain a pound a week!

There are a lot of other foods that are packaged in a way that makes you think they have fewer calories. The muffins at Starbucks are another example. I try to think of them as cupcakes and not muffins because the term muffin implies that they are healthy, when they really have about 500 calories each.

So, if you want to lose a pound a week, which is realistic, you need to get rid of about 500 calories per day in either exercise, cutting back on food or a combination of the two (the better choice). I know this sounds a little overwhelming but there is a lot of information out there about calorie counts and I would start by figuring out how much you are eating now and then seeing where you can cut back. You would be surprised to find out how much you might be eating and how easy it is to get rid of some of the unnecessary foods you put in your mouth every day. Good Luck!

Dr. Karen Lockwood is a graduate of University of Oklahoma College of Medicine.  She completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and is currently in private practice in Troy, MI.

If you would like to submit a medical question to Dr. Lockwood, Please email your question to askthedoc@healthandleisureonline.com.

*Advice found within this article is for informational purposes only and should not replace the advice or recommendations of your physician.