Heart troubles coming on...

First off, I just got home from the gym with my Todd. for the first time he had to find me because I was still exercising and he was ready to leave!

I am not going to guess how much the New Yorker article on
Wes Anderson influenced my getting there.

Nice.

Second, I have had more interaction with cardiologists, endocrinologists, and other metabolic experts in the last year than I care to count. I am grateful for all of them, I just wish I never had to meet them!

It is a love/hate relationship.

Unfortunatly, a loved one was treated for their 2nd heart attack/disturbance/major artery blockage today. I am grateful for those caring for them, for their choice to seek help, and for their health insurance. I am very grateful that they are recovering nicely and can continue this wonderful life.

I bring this up because as I waited for news and absorbed this reality today, I kept thinking about the elements of our health that we can control.

There are so many factors involved in our health: genetics, fate, environment, circumstance, HOWEVER, despite the efforts of public health professionals, public policy makers, and health care researchers, millions of us do not take control of the elements of our health that we can impact.

Remember: I am not a health professional or a graphic designer.
I urge you to seek professional advice for your health and promotional materials.

For me, I struggle with diet and exercise. I trust that what "they say" about a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and being physically active is true, but I struggle to live it.

Par exemple: This open faced Croque -monsieur was fantastic and had 3 dipping sauces! 3!
It was delicious with nearly zero nutritional value. Le sigh.

People spend a lot of energy worrying and discussing all the terrible health problems that occur in this life to ourselves and others, news media outlets make a killing feeding a culture of health care fears. People spend a lot of money trying to find the fitness secret that will save them, some find it but not without a lot of sacrifice and commitment to lifestyle change (the hard part).

Many sacrifice Oreos, for example.

I am still searching for my best game plan for a new normal of healthy foods and consistent exercise. I have been exploring cookbooks, changing how I shop, taking nutrition classes, trying nutritional supplements (ground flax seed and fish oil), and of course facing the gym. This blog is one of my personal attempts to stay on task- I think to myself: "tell the world, and then live it!". I also like to track what I have tried and to hear feedback from others.

There are so many ways to improve your diet and exercise and invaluable health related reasons why it is important to try, to explore, to think twice and to ask for help. Some are peer based, some are spiritual, some are fun, some are strict, some are social, some are free, some are expensive, some are sweaty, some are heavy, some require a surgeon, and some can be dangerous.

You are invaluable! Take care of yourself!

It is very overwhelming, but thankfully there are many others in the same boat and they can help you to get motivated and see results. Success stories can be found all over, like in books, online (some are linked in the right had nav), on tv, and at your local gym. I thank you and Google for this blog, it is not much to look at, but it does help me keep tabs on myself. Let me know if you would like to join me, or pipe in with your own ideas!

I wish you clarity and patience as you seek the best ways to stay healthy. Of course I wish you health!

Nobody's fault but my own.

Today on FML:
Today, it’s decided, I’m going a diet. For real. But I said that yesterday. And the day before. FML

I can relate, but cannot agree.No, this is not a "FML" worthy scenario. This is my fault, my lack of self control, my lack of commitment.

I believe in eating whole foods and I know that I need to overcome my sweet tooth, my habit of eating out, my resistance to exercise, and my sporadic cooking schedule.

I believe these are reasonable and feasible.

I can change, I can try again. I am doing the best I can, and I know I am not alone.

Todd and I are in a little competition to see who can lose 10 pounds first. I will post our method of tracking, etc once we get officially started. I am not so much motivated by the competition, but by my desire for him to be healthy and follow doctors orders, and he reminds me that he wants the same for me.

This weekend we tried to go to the gym together, but it was closed early. We went home and played SingStar together in duet mode.

Shake it!

We danced and sang, we broke a nice sweat.

We plugged in our neglected Wii controllers for future at home workouts together.

Dear you!

I just had to share this post from Passive-Aggressive (and Just Plain Agressive) Notes, it cracked me up and also was a nice reminder.

In which I shame NPR for luring me with a doughnut to talk about belly bugs!

(I have no clue why the fonts are all messed up, sorry!)

NPR had a little piece today on some early mice based research on fatty food and an increase in MICROBES LIVING IN OUR DIGESTIVE TRACKS!

BAH!

They lured me into the piece online with a delicious picture of a doughnut in coffee. The nerve!

Not the photo. In fact, this is the least alluring doughnut and coffee picture EVER!
I will be working on burning this image into my brain.

I suppose if they put a picture of microbes I would have run away screaming and never read/listened.

Giant Stomach Microbe Plush Toy! Sorta cuter than the doughnut picture. Sorta?

The Gut Response To What We Eat

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

"A high-fat, high-sugar diet can quickly and dramatically change the population of microbes living in the digestive tract, according to a new study of human gut bugs transplanted into mice."

Thank you, brave Mice, for helping humankind!

PS: I am sure Nell Greenfieldboyce is a lovely person, but her promo picture makes her looked possessed! Or as if she is trying to seduce us. Look:

"You will make a donation during the pledge drive this month.
And the pledge drive next month too."

I was dragged to the gym!

My partner is starting to phase out of his highly monitored fitness classes, hooray for Todd!

Last night he made me go to the gym with him.

Well, he was assigned by his instructors to go on his own and earlier in the evening I was totally stoked to join him! I really was, ask him.

Wahoo, let's go to the gym!

But I had started working at home and fallen asleep (deep cat nap) by the time he was ready to go. I tried so hard in my half-awake state to get out of going to the gym. I think I put up a pretty great, really whiny fight.

Todd is the dragn. Missy is the kitteh.

He won. I reluctantly went to the gym.

Todd gloating because he got me to the gym OR me celebrating because I went to the gym?

Macro Awesome!

Ok, so we have practically no food in our house. Honestly. Where does all the time go?

I'll tell you what, eating healthy takes time and budget management, so I am floundering right now. I hope to get my kitchen act together.

I have been trying to bring my own lunch, which is wonderful on so many levels, but I had to buy my lunch today and I bought Macro Vegetarian Thai Dumplings at the little store by the post office in Coffman Memorial Union.

Macro Vegetarian Thai Dumplings are not pictured here, but this is what their friends look like.

What a happy plate! Yum! Flavorful, hearty and smells delicious too!

Happy plate decoupage from this etsy shop.

Plus the dish is macro-biotic and vegan with pretty great nutritional value.

Healthy! And I have been weighing myself everyday for the study, it is odd to do.

The drag is that the meal cost $5.99. Not something to get everyday, but perhaps inspiration for meals to prepare at home. I guess that is less than the awesome salad bar at Coffman costs.

One other bonus is that if I took the stairs up and down to the East River Road to get to Coffman I burn some calories and build some muscle. How much money is that worth?

Soon these steps will be closed for the winter and I will watch people try to walk or slide cautiously down them from my office.