Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Have your workouts been feeling like work and drudgery lately? Here is a huge list of inspirational stories from people who have chosen running as their favorite form of exercise.

• A Passion for Running – we remember when…

I remember when I couldn’t run for more than a few feet. I would look ahead of me and say, “I’ll run to that garbage can.” Sometimes I didn’t even make it to the garbage can. Eventually, it got easier to run without resorting to walking, but running has never gotten easier. It is always a challenge, every morning, every run. That’s why it’s a sport that I can live with the rest of my life. That’s why I enjoy each run. There is something different to conquer each day.

Margaret Cho has a nice little entry talking about the new Dove Ads.

• Margaret Cho’s Blog – Real Beauty

The women in the ads are curvy, beautiful and in their underwear. Magazines have ignored curvy women for so long that these ads have rocked the industry. The entire nation is surprised to see normal women on the magazine covers. They aren’t obese. They aren’t fat. They are trim and fit, but they have some curves and a little junk in their trunk.

Remember, you don’t have to be skinny to be pretty.

Here is a great story about a school district that started serving healthy school lunches back in 1995. The administrators and lunch workers suffered through complaining and even a high school petition wanting the unhealthy food back. Now, they seem like they were ahead of the game.

• Alabama News – When it comes to healthy school lunches, Opelika ahead of game

This article mentions that the first year of the change was the hardest. Many of the children started brown bagging it, but the second year, the numbers grew to levels higher than before the change. Now, 90% of the students eat the school lunch.

Best Quote:

“Ms. Payne cautions that it takes time to convince kids to eat a new item — 10 exposures are usually necessary; and it helps if the cafeteria staff can be enlisted to help ‘sell’ the food with a smile.”

Via: CalorieLab Calorie Counter News – Pioneering healthy school lunches — 10 years ago

I contacted Nutrisoda and asked if they would send me some samples of their new beverages to review for Starling Fitness. They were very polite and sent me a sample pack of all the flavors. Mike and I spent the week tasting the new beverages and seeing if they did what they promised.

Sunday: Slender (pink grapefruit + guava) – I started my week out with the beverage that most attracted my attention. It’s the one that promises that it will make me thin. I didn’t know it at the time, but it’s the worst tasting one of the bunch. Mike didn’t like it and I hated it. I didn’t notice any effect on my appetite after consuming it. Shucks…

Monday: Flex (black cherry + apple) – This drink is supposed to lubricate, repair and restore active joints. It tastes like Shasta Cherry Soda. I can’t taste the apple at all. It’s ok and it doesn’t taste mediciney like some cherry-flavored drinks do.

Tuesday: Focus (mango + peach) – This drink is supposed to sharpen your thinking. It’s the best tasting of the bunch. Mike said it tasted like Squirt. I agree. It tastes more like citrus than peach or mango.

Wednesday: Immune (tangerine + lime) – Tastes like lemon-lime. It’s supposed to build your defenses and keep you healthy, but it just tastes like a very expensive 7-Up.

Thursday: Calm (wild berry + citron) – It tasted pretty good. It didn’t help me stay calm. If this drink did what it says it does, I would gladly pay a dollar a can and gulp it down no matter the taste. Unfortunately, I was still the hyperactive girl that everyone knows, except I had a fizzy drink in me.

Friday: Radiant (pomegranate + blackberry) – It tasted nothing like pomegranate juice, but it really didn’t taste like berries either. Just a fizzy fruity drink that was supposed to make my skin look good. I didn’t notice any glowing, however.

Saturday: Energize (mandarin + mint) – Mike is connoisseur of caffeine drinks. I tasted it and didn’t care for the flavor. Mike said as far as caffeine drinks goes, it’s ok. At least it’s not that medicine-like cherry flavor that Red Bull made so popular. As far as promises go, this is the only drink that delivers with 50 mg of caffeine. But remember: Caffeine doesn’t GIVE you energy, it BORROWS energy.

Each can was 8.4 ounces and cost $1 US apiece. They are infused with herbal ingredients that are supposed to provide the benefits listed on each flavor. Each can has this warning in tiny tiny print. I’ll make it bigger for you:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. As with all dietary supplements, if you are pregnant or nursing, or taking any medication consult your healthcare professional/physician before using airforce products.

My take on that warning: If I’m not supposed to drink it when I’m pregnant, then I don’t think I’ll drink it.

On the whole, they tasted like the flavored carbonated waters that every grocery store has a version of. Even Dasani and Perrier have jumped into the flavored water game. At a little over eight ounces, they are definitely not worth the price.

Via: Popgadget: Personal Tech for Women – Nutrisoda “intelligent” refreshment

A doctor is under scrutiny because he called a patient obese. Here are the details:

• MSNBC.com – Doctor in trouble for calling patient obese

• Big Fat Blog – Doctor Recommends Weight Loss; Woman Files Complaint

This article doesn’t mention what kind of practice Dr. Terry Bennett runs. If I were in to see him for my yearly checkup, then I could understand if he warned me that my weight might be an issue. If I were seeing him because of allergies or any number of other non-related health concerns, then I would be angry. If I go in to a doctor because I have a sinus infection, I don’t need a lecture on my weight, I need an antibiotic.

I have endured the condescending tone of a doctor before. I am still angry with that man to this day. My Irritable Bowel Syndrome wasn’t caused by my fat. Now that I’m thin, I know this. It wasn’t even my diet. Now that I eat a perfectly healthy diet, I still have stomach issues. Some doctors need a reality check and it sounds like Dr. Terry Bennett is finally getting his.

Via: Mary’s fitness blog – now I’ve seen it all

Calorie Restriction sounds like such a normal thing in the dieting world. Weight Watchers is a calorie restrictive diet that has its eye on other macro-nutrients like fat and fiber. So, when I read this Wired article about The Calorie Restriction Society, which promotes a restrictive calorie diet in order to extend your life, I thought they might be pretty interesting.

On the surface, this website seems to promote healthy eating. They suggest moving your diet to calorie-spare, nutrient-dense foods, like green, leafy vegetables and fruits. They recommend that you choose your proteins wisely. They avoid unhealthy fats in exchange for Omega-3 fats.

• Calorie Restriction Society – Fewer Calories, More Life

If you look at it any closer, however, the program falls apart. They promote restricting your caloric consumption to 75% of what your body needs. This is not just to lose weight, this is for the rest of your life, even after you’ve reached a low BMI. If there are any doubts about whether this diet is healthy, the list of Cautions and Hazards is enough to tell me that this diet isn’t something that is a feasible lifestyle change.

• Cautions and Hazards of Calorie Restriction

The lists of potential problems are as follows:

• Anemia
• Negative Appearance Changes
• Decreased Bone Mass
• Risk of Choking
• Cold Sensitivity
• Children should not follow this plan
• Loss of Cushioning
• Depression
• Reduced Energy Reserves
• Hunger, Cravings or Food Obsession
• Concerns about Infections
• Decreased Libido
• Menstrual Irregularity
• High Pregnancy Risk Factor
• Loss of Strength
• Decreased Testosterone
• Rapid Weight Loss
• Slower Wound Healing

They continue to say that this is not a comprehensive list of the side-effects of this diet regimen. Do yourself a favor and just pass this one by. There never has been a long-term human study of these theories, so it is an unproven premise. There is no proof that severe caloric restriction will extend your life. There is ample proof that it will make your life miserable, however.

Weight loss is about changing your lifestyle to a more healthy plan, not a less healthy one.

Via: Wired News: Dieters Eat Less to Live Longer

Caffeine is considered a performance enhancement drug. Did you know that? I didn’t until I looked up all the studies that were registered in the American Journal of Physiology over the last few years. It seems that a lot of money is being spent on finding out exactly how much caffeine an athlete can consume, perform well and still be under the tested caffeine limits.

The reason I started looking up all the research registered in the American Journal of Physiology is because it was mentioned in this article about caffeine and performance:

• The London Times – A coffee to go at the gym – Peta Bee

Caffeine can substatially affect the performance of an athlete. Here are some of the most important quotes that I found from the article.

“A response to caffeine is individual and depends on your body size, metabolism and how much you are used to taking.”

“It works in small doses and there are no gains in performance by taking larger doses.”

“Taken in excess, caffeine is known to have unhealthy side- effects. It is addictive and consuming the equivalent of six or more cups of coffee a day has been shown to trigger migraines, irritable bowel syndrome and other gastrointestinal problems.”

I’ve had a lengthy dance with caffeine. I stopped drinking it because my Weight Watcher leader recommended it and was shocked at how much it affected me. Now, I pretty much treat caffeine like a drug. If I have a headache, I take aspirin. If I’m incredibly tired and need to be alert, I drink a caffeinated beverage. It’s very rare. Considering that taking too much caffeine can get athletes kicked out of events, it sounds like something that should be avoided completely.

Via: SportsGeezer – The Caffeinated Workout Really Works

A study says that milk and dairy products help people lose weight and the dairy industry touts it like it’s the truth. Another study says that HCA helps people lose weight and the supplement industry fills shelves and food products with HCA. Another study says that partially hydrogenated oil causes stupidity and I throw away all the Oreos in the house.

What can we believe when there are so many studies out there that are sometimes contradictory? This article explains why over half of all research findings are false.

• PLoS Medicine: Why Most Published Research Findings Are False

If half of all research findings are false what can we believe? Right now, the best bet is to eat fresh foods and save processed foods for treats. It takes years of repeated studies for the scientists to come to a consensus. Until then, we’ll have to trust our instincts just like the cavemen did, except we have much tastier treats to tempt us.

Via: Boing Boing: Journal article: 50%+ of science journal articles have false conclusions

When I was a child, we ate a lot of ground beef. Hamburger Helper, spaghetti, curry stew, and lasagna all had their basis in ground beef. I remember learning how to make these dishes as a child and my parents taught me to carefully drain off the fat into a large tomato can that resided by the side of the stove. I asked what we saved the fat for. I remember my Dad telling me that some people used it to fry food and poor people even used it on their bread instead of butter, but we just throw it away when the can gets full because it’s not healthy. We used Crisco to fry and margarine on our bread.

Little did we know, trans-fat (or hydrogenated oils) were the primary ingredient of our “healthy” replacements. Pork lard is different from the beef lard, of course, but the idea for this New York Times article is the the same. Maybe animal-based fats aren’t nearly as bad for us as those trans-fatty ones we’ve been eating since childhood.

• New York Times – High on the Hog – by Corby Krummer

In my house, our ground beef can is a tiny mushroom can shoved into the back of the refrigerator. It usually molds before we add to it and is thrown away when I go on a cleaning binge. I don’t know what is right when choosing which fats to cook with. Hopefully, they’ll figure it out in our lifetimes.

Via: Male Pattern Fitness – The Lard Is His Savior

It’s nice to hear the inside story about a company whose business is to provide food. Yum! Brands is the company that owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC, Long John Silver and A&W. They were owned by PepsiCo until they were sold off in 1997. This is a detailed interview with the minds behind these restaurants that are probably within three miles of your home, waiting to feed you and your family.

• The Economist – Yum! Brands | Fast food’s yummy secret

Best Quotes:

“We are offering salads because that is what people want to see,” says Mr Novak, choosing his verbs carefully. But the salads are not what the industry calls “business builders”: they are there to win over the “veto vote”, offering something to the calorie-conscious eater who might otherwise dissuade a whole family or group from going to a KFC or a Taco Bell.

These companies won’t concentrate on offering healthy food until we are able to make the healthy choices “business builders” instead of “veto vote” preventers.

Nor does there seem much scope for traditional fast-food chains to grow in America by opening new outlets. According to UBS, three-quarters of Americans already live within three miles of a McDonald’s. Two-thirds live within three miles of a Pizza Hut and a Taco Bell and a KFC as well. To expand, then, the chains will have to win business from one another, using new pitches and products.

Be prepared for more advertising and new products on an increasing basis. The only way that these companies will be able to grow their market share is to keep grabbing our attention with flashy commercials. Remember, they usually don’t have nutrition facts for those new items, so make sure you stick with your “veto vote” food until they are able to tell you how many calories are in those shiny new burritos.

You will never go bust by under-estimating the public taste. But you have to do it cheaply, efficiently and on a very large scale.

The longer I eat healthy, the more refined my taste has become. Don’t be scared of becoming a picky eater. We end up eating the best tasting, healthiest food around.

Nutritional Information for Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver, A&W, and KFC

Via: CalorieLab Calorie Counter News – Yum! Brands in the Economist