July 2006

Studies show that eating fish just once a week can lower your risks of getting one of the nastiest, vilest, cruelest diseases around.  Read the article after the jump.

The Fast Food generation is slowly, steadily, and securely sealing their own fates.  Said another way, we’re killing ourselves.  Too much inactivity and too many fried foods are taking their toll.

It makes you wonder - at what point will we catch on and make the changes we KNOW full well need to be made.  I’m not saying that we should never eat fast food, and I have no intention of never wrapping my face around a Big Mac again.  I’m just saying that it should be the exception rather than the rule.

Remember when you were younger and eating out or going through a drive-thru was a big deal?  Not that big a deal anymore, is it?  It’s just a typical, everyday part of life now.  A typical, everyday part that’s eating away at that life as we eat away at it.

We know that it’s healthier to eat at home.  We know that it’s cheaper to eat at home. We know that it’s better for our figures/shapes to eat at home.  My God, are we total morons or what?!?!  Oh, yeah - there’s a we there….because “we” did the McD’s thing just yesterday.  Lunch was a big fat, unforgiving Big Mac.  I spent 45 minutes walking last night to try and “cover,” but I called myself a “moron” with every step.

Below are a few articles I’ve rounded up that might get through to some heads out there that are as thick as mine!

Overweight at 18, Maybe Dead in Middle Age?

Death Rate Rises in Women as Obesity Worsens

Calcium May Help Ward off Middle Age Spread

Take care of yourself!

Joi

“Remember, you only have to succeed the last time.”  ~Brian Tracy

If you’re trying to get your kids to exercise to take some weight off of them, you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you tell them that you’re trying to get them to exercise to take some weight off of them.  Those darling, sweet-faced little dears will fight against it with every ounce of their little cheeseburger-loving bodies.

Experts say that, instead, we should focus on the fun - only the fun.  What kid wouldn’t have a blast swimming, playing baseball, soccer or tennis?  Even walking can be a lot of fun if the company is.  As the mother of three girls, I absolutely love going for long walks with them.  There are no other distractions, so you get to chat up young people that are often too busy to chat.  (If they’re kind enough to turn off their cell, that is!)

Fun is 10 times out of 10 a much stronger motivator for kids than calories, fat cells, threats of diabetes, cholesterol, etc.  All of those are “clicks and whistles” to a young person.  But laughter and fun, they totally get.

After awhile, your child will begin to slim down and he/she will feel better and have more energy.  And when the compliments begin rolling in, they’ll fall totally in love with the feeling.  They’ll realize that feeling good, having more energy, and liking yourself are better than anything they serve at McDonald’s.

Joi

“The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.”  ~Thomas Watson

Yeah, I’m pretty much all over the place with this post.  Someone’s web surfing hit some cool waves this morning.  It seems like every link I clicked on had something interesting, or at least odd enough to mention.

This one falls into that last category.  A lady, down on her love luck, found a guy to create a Man Map for her.  He scouted out the rich guys and marked their houses with $.  She actually found one - but it didn’t work out.  Apparently the map doesn’t take everything into account. Just because a man has money doesn’t mean he can’t be/won’t be a jackass.

I just can’t help wondering, once a gal’s armed with said map….what does she do, go to the door with map in hand?  Kind of like the celebrity tours in Hollywood?  I guess each person has their own criteria, but when I was single I’d have been searching in the shallower end of the pool - the “treasure” on my man map’s would have been eyes, arms and backs.  Body parts would mark the houses…..there’s a great pair of eyes that live here…this guy’s got a killer back…  Oh, yessss I love backs - football player-quality backs.  Backs and arms that look like they’ve done some work in their time. 

Money’s fine and good - it finances my mall trips and Starbuck’s habit, after all.  But, given a choice, I’m taking great eyes and a manly torso over a wallet.

Moving into a more serious neighborhood, why IS college so freakin’ expensive?  If  our country wants its young people to get an education so badly, why doesn’t someone figure out how they can afford to do so?  When one class - ONE - costs hundreds of dollars, it’s just ridiculous.  I came across an article today with a couple of clever tips for cutting college costs. 

Another interesting read I came across this morning had to do with exercise and cholesterol - how the first affects the latter.  If you aren’t sure what your cholesterol is, you really should get it checked.  Anyone can have high cholesterol - young, old, fat, thin, rich, poor.  Doesn’t matter.  You need to know so you can start eating a cholesterol-friendly diet and exercising more.  Btw, if you do have high cholesterol, you should fall in love with oatmeal - from what I’ve read, it’s absolutely amazing for lowering cholesterol.  Stir some fruit in and a little sugar if the taste leaves you cold.

Finally, I’ve always preached the profits of yoga - because it makes you feel so good.  But now they’re showing the effects between yoga and staying young.  If someone can tell us how to slow aging, I think all of our ears will perk up and our eyes will widen.  It’s a good article - and guys, don’t write this off as a girly type of exercise.  Athletes perform yoga moves to keep themselves flexilbe and strong.  You’ll never get a better stretch!

Have a great Sunday,
Joi