Off to Buy Another Exercise Video

The weather this summer has been BRUTAL, and again next week we're going to break heat records.

For the first time in about a decade I've been using my rescue asthma inhaler because my peak flow readings have been dropping, I get the feeling of not being able to take a deep breath, I get short of breath just sitting there, and I have so much mucus that those little creatures in the Mucinex commercial are vacationing there.

Because of all this, I'm having a difficult time getting my daily cardio workouts in. I've gone back to gentler workouts, like Richard Simmons' BlastOff and Silver Foxes,

Leslie's Gentle Mile and older adult workouts, even Linda Izzolino's More to Love Fitness (which just whipped my fat ass this morning because I moved up to 5 pound weights instead of my usual 3). I still do my qigong, usually Robert Bates' Fun With Qigong

or even Thich Nhat Hanh's Mindful Movements.

But I want more. I get bored easily and need variety in my workouts. Which is why I'm finally going to order Jeanette DePati's The Fat Chick Works Out DVD and possibly her exercise/bio book, too. She has 2 very short clips (less than a minute each) on her web site that show the workout itself (I really wish it was at least a minute each), but I also found this interview clip of her on YouTube that shows her giving an outdoor class:





If this weather - and asthma symptoms - continue I'll probably be making a visit to the doc to have him change my meds around again. I hate doing that - this combination has served me well for over 10 years now - but I guess I need a steroid boost to make it through these air quality alert, high heat & humidity days. Yecch!

Why Dieting Makes You Fat - a.k.a. Setpoint Theory

The article in this link on the Big Fat Blog is one lady's opinion, one that I, and thousands of others like me, subscribe to. Dieting Makes You Fat! Period!

More "Childhood Obesity Epidemic" Stupidity

It was bad enough when they wanted to put fetuses on diets by giving overweight mothers a diabetes drug to reduce the amount of nutrients the growing baby gets. Now they want infants and toddlers to exercise excessively! Yes, INFANTS!

To fight obesity, even babies should exercise
Jul 11, 1:54 PM (ET)By MARIA CHENG

 

LONDON (AP) - Preschoolers, even babies, need daily exercise, the British government says in its first-ever exercise advice for its youngest citizens.

In a new campaign against obesity, Britain issued guidelines on Monday saying that children under the age of 5 - including babies who can't even walk yet - should exercise every day.
The new guidance from the British health department said kids under 5 who can walk should be physically active for at least three hours a day. Officials also said parents should reduce the amount of time such kids spend being sedentary while watching television or being strapped in a stroller.

Pudgy toddlers are also a big concern in the U.S., where the Institute of Medicine last month issued diet and activity recommendations for youngsters. It said preschool-aged kids should get at least 15 minutes of exercise for every hour they spend in child care and suggested the US government create dietary guidelines for babies from the time they're born until they are 2 years old. About a third of American adults are obese.

Like the British, American experts say parents should limit the amount of time babies spend in swings, bouncy seats or other equipment while they're awake.

In the U.K., officials said the recommended three hours of activity for kids under 5 should be spread throughout the day. Officials said the children's daily dose of exercise is likely to be met simply through playing but could also include activities such as walking to school.

For babies who can't walk yet, the government said physical activity should be encouraged from birth, including infants playing on their stomachs or having swimming sessions with their parents. It said floor-based play encourages infants to use their muscles and helps bone development. The government said children's individual physical and mental abilities should be considered when interpreting the advice.

"It's vital that parents introduce children to fun and physically active pastimes to help prevent them becoming obese children, who are likely to become obese adults at risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers," Maura Gillespie, head of policy and advocacy at the British Heart Foundation, said in a statement.
Nearly a quarter of British adults are obese, and experts estimate that by 2050 about 90 percent of adults will be heavy.
According to a 2008 health survey that used devices to measure how much people actually exercised, officials found only about five percent of Britons meet the government's minimum physical activity advice - about 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every week, including some every day.

For children aged 5 to 18, Britain recommends at least one hour of exercise, but that should include intensive activities to strengthen muscles and bones.

In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises children and teenagers to get about one hour or more of physical activity every day.

Who Can Survive on THIS??

I found this while browsing on-line. I wanted to make something other than potatoes for a change and bought some Gardein fake chicken breasts and thought this recipe looked pretty good. I would use the vegan chicken and nooch instead of parm. What I saw at the end of the recipe shocked me, though. Here's the basic recipe:

(The exact recipe has been altered to protect the (not so) innocent. The original listed name brands for every item, including the chicken.)

Chicken Parmesan Noodle Bake

1/4 c chopped onion
1 3/4 (one 14 1/2 oz. can) stewed tomatoes coarsely chopped and undrained
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. sugar substitute
1/2 c. (one 2.5 oz. jar) drained sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. (3/4 oz) grated fat free Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. (8 oz) diced cooked chicken breast
2 c. hot cooked noodles rinsed and drained

~~~~~
If you're like me, aside from the amount of cheese, this would make a nice lunch or dinner for one person, right? Everything would neatly fit on one dinner plate. I was going to double it when making dinner for my husband and myself tonight.

The details say this recipe serves 4!! FOUR? 4 what - cockroaches? Certainly not 4 adult humans! It also said it was 250 calories per serving. Since when is 250 calories a decent dinner? Even when I was a kid and on a 1000 calorie a day diet I was told to eat 500 calories for my main meal for the day.

Am I totally off base here? Has "eating to satisfaction" of McDougall-approved meals done something to my perception of what a healthy amount of food is? I don't think so. I read the daily menus of other McDougallers and they eat way more than I do on any given day.

Conan Has A Theme Song

Warehouse 13 Marathon Today

Getting ready for the new SyFy summer season starting next week, the channel is running marathons of its shows this weekend. Today, during the day, is Warehouse 13 from 8am until 11pm. After that, Eureka takes over. Makes me sorry now that I pre-ordered the DVD set, which stupidly on SyFy Channel's part, isn't being released until July 5th and the new season starts before they will even be delivered.

Back to Warehouse 13. Already I'm annoyed at the new season. This clip on the SyFy channel site tells me the new season is going to bombard us even harder with product placement than previous seasons. ARGH!

Person of Interest Preview

Who doesn't love Michael Emerson and Jim Caviezel? Ben and Jesus Christ! And together they're this weird underground crime-fighting team, come September 2011on CBS in a show called Person of Interest.

I can't wait!