Green Monster

Lately I've been really attached to a blog called Oh She Glows. I'd describe the blog as a healthy lifestyle blog, written by a girl named Angela who has overcome an eating disorder. Angela started the Green Monster Movement, which basically is having a healthy smoothie every morning. A virgin Green Monster consists of 2 cups spinach, 1 cup of any kind of milk, flax, and a banana. I decided to give it a whirl.

This morning I blended up 2 cups spinach, 1 cup light vanilla soy milk, 1 banana, 1/4 cup blueberries, and some ice. It's not the tastiest thing in the world, but it's definitely drinkable. I also noticed that I had a ton of energy this morning when I went to work at 8:30 AM (ugh).

Angela writes about her experience with the benefits of the green monster: "I have noticed a HUGE increase in my energy, along with a decrease in cravings for sweets. My skin has also become more clear and my hair and nails started growing like weeds!"

I definitely forsee myself experimenting with different green monster recipes. I'm not the hugest breakfast fan so a green monster is something light, healthy, and portable that I think I can handle. It's a great way to sneak in some veggies in the morning, since I think this is kind of hard to do.

Fat Talk

This is for the ladies:

Government Intervention in Escalating Obesity Rates

I had posted previously on labeling laws, or calorie posting laws here and here, but there are other forms of government intervention in escalating obesity rates taking place at this time. If you're willing to make the jump, I blogged on the Pitt News about the topic, and that can be found here. It's one of my more opinionated pieces, just to warn you. The post includes PA Congressman Jason Altmire's response to my question on government action against our state's current ranking in prevelence to obesity (we rank 36th).

Eating Healthy over the Holidays

If you're willing to make the jump, I posted on my blog at the Pitt News about eating healthy over the holidays.

Have a healthy Thanksgiving everyone!

Popcorn Talk

First of all, I'm watching E's "15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks" and I must say Im finding it really motivating.

Second of all, this blog is now on the Pitt News. The posts aren't exactly the same but the idea and title are. The blogs are found here, sorted by most recent posts.

Finally, the Today Show ran a story last week about the food sin of movie theatre popcorn. I've ran into this article several times throughout the past week, including in a fellow classmates blog. It's pretty much haunting me, so I figured I'd talk about it. According to the article,

New laboratory tests conducted by the non-profit Center for Science in the
Public Interest reveal that a $12 medium-popcorn-and-soda combo sold at Regal,
the country’s largest movie-theater chain, contains 1,610 calories and 60 grams
of saturated fat — the equivalent of three McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with 12 pats of butter.

Why? Air-popped popcorn is normally considered a healthy snack, largely because of the amount of fiber it contains. But the article says "when popped in coconut oil and covered in buttery oil topping, movie popcorn can contain days' worth of saturated fat."

Until movie theatre's start searching purses like they do at football games and concerts, the solution is easy: throw a snack in your bag before the movies. Not only are you going to save money, but you won't be mindlessly eating pretty much an entire days worth of calories while enjoying your movie.

I actually don't even go to the movies that much, because I'm cheap, but I actually went to the movies a few weeks ago to see "The Men Who Stare at Goats." I packed some baby carrots and fun size Kit Kat bars. I also took a banana, but was only planning on pulling it out of my bag and eating it to make my sister laugh, because let's face it, that's a little silly.

Fitness Gaming

I definitely think one of the best ways to ensure I follow a consistent workout schedule is by making sure that my workouts are on the enjoyable side. And since I love videogames so much, the idea of fitness gaming seems to me too good to be true.

I have posted previously on the topic of fitness gaming about Dance Dance Revolution or DDR. I definitely see DDR as a good cardio workout, if you play on at least a standard level.

But Wii Fit is a completely different story.

I admit that I hadn't done much research on Wii Fit before I bought it. I was just kind of on a fitness kick, and I owned a Wii, so I decided it was a good purchase. More than likely it probably wasn't, but a lot more fitness-type Wii games have been coming out lately that are compatible with the Wii Fit balance board, so I don't beat myself up too much over it.

So if I would categorize DDR as a cardio workout, I would categorize Wii Fit as more of a strength or flexibility workout. Wii Fit offers an "aerobic activity" section, but this only features running (which is just running in place with the Wii remote in your hand so I avoid it), a sort of step workout (which I also avoid because the balance board isn't really much of a step), boxing, and hula hoop. I really only ever use the hula hoop option, and I'd consider it more of an ab workout than an aerobic activity.

The strength workout options are decent, but you can only unlock about maybe 15 strength exercises total, and I don't think the balance board ever really properly measures how well you are doing them, even though it is supposed to.

I like the yoga feature on Wii Fit. You don't need to use the balance board for a lot of the yoga positions though, so I probably could have benefitted just from looking at some yoga positions online and saved myself the $80 I spent on the game.

And finally there are the balance games. While these games are fun, I don't really think they even come close to being considered a workout. I guess maybe the idea is that children are at least a little more active playing these types of games than playing other types of videogames.

Other things I like about the game are the scale capabilities of the balance board. It weighs you, asks you to put in your height, and calculates your BMI. Of course, I could do this on a regular scale and a BMI conversion table, and again save myself $80. One final thing I like about the game is that it makes you set goals for yourself, how many pounds you want to lose and how much time you have to lose them. I usually set small goals like 2 pounds in 2 weeks rather than a larger number over a larger period of time. I find this keeps me on track.

Ultimately, I find it nice to have the game, but I think it should coincide with a more intense cardio and weight lifting program.

Tweet What You Eat

Food diaries have been the topic of my previous post, and now it seems easier than ever to keep one, simply by sending a text message or getting on Twitter.

Yesterday I stumbled upon Tweet What You Eat. You use it by sending a direct message of what you ate and the number of calories to TWYE through your Twitter account.

I have been keeping a paper food diary, but I often wait until the end of the day to fill it out. This means I may not remember exactly what I've eaten throughout the day. With TWYE, I can simply text in what I ate right after I put it in my mouth, making my food consumption account more accurate, and also more simple.

I definitely think this is a more useful way to use Twitter. When I first signed up for a Twitter account, I found it pretty pointless. In fact, I still mostly use it to post song lyrics I like. But I think new services like TWYE and Tweet What You Spend make the whole Twittering idea more worthwhile in my mind.

Biggest Loser Tuesday

Tuesdays mean a couple things for me. For one thing, I only have one class from 9:30-10:45, although, it's followed by an 8 hour work shift. More importantly, Tuesdays mean the Biggest Loser (NBC @ 8:00).

In celebration of Biggest Loser Tuesday, enjoy this article I found: "Eleven Easy Food Swaps from the Biggest Loser." The article reccommends swapping mayo for avacodo, among other things.

Facebook Fitness

Don't let the title of this post deceive you, this post is about a fitness conversation I (right) had with my sister from from another mister, Abby (left) on facebook that I decided to post because I find it funny yet still informative.

Lexie: I need an estimate of how much protein you eat a day. Make sure to
include sperm in that count.

Danielle (Abby's real sister): wow thats alot of protein if your including
sperm !

Lexie: LOL danielle you're SO raunchy

Abby: youre freaking crazy.. lol.i dont know how much protein i eat.but
heres what ive eaten so far. 100 calorie pack of fudge stripes. spesh k bar. a
peice of pizza and some grapes. and water

Lexie: Definitely not enough protein so far. Protein is going to control
your appetite because it takes longer to digest so you will feel fuller for
longer. I would suggest eating eggs or egg whites in the morning, or at least
whole grain bread with peanut butter. You can also buy bread that has double
protein in it. Other good sources of protein are cottage cheese and greek yogurt, in addition of course to meat and
cheese. I'd aim for at least 50 grams of protein a day. A serving of chicken or
fish will have about 20-30.

Lexie: You can stop eating foods like special k bars and 100 calorie packs.
These don't really have much substance. I'd rather have you getting your
calories from foods that are going to provide your body with the vitamins and
energy it needs. For instance, you've eaten no vegetables yet today unless there
were veggies on your pizza.

Sammy (my other real sister): I'm sorry... did I miss when you get an
education in nutrition?

Lexie: I have nothing better to do at work than read up on healthy
eating.

Sammy: lol at least it's beneficial

Abby and I texted a little before this convo as well. She basically was constantly hungry and therefore having a hard time losing weight. I suggested eating an apple before each meal. She said she usually eats 2 a day already. I suggested chewing gum. She already did that too. I suggested brushing her teeth after she ate so she wouldn't be tempted to eat more. She agreed. And then I got down to thinking about how filling protein was, and how she probably wasn't getting enough of it, so there, that conversation was born.

This post was really dumb but too bad. I like it.

Fitness Gear

I decided that I would be a little more excited about my workouts if I invested in a new pair of workout shoes. Afterall, I haven't gotten a new pair in about a year and a half, and I know you're supposed to replace them every 6 months or so.

However, I am a poor college.

Enter Shop it to Me.

Shop it to Me is an e-mail newsletter that alerts you whenever the online stores you've selected have put something on sale. Shop it to Me features over 600 brands, and also has a separate strand of the site specifically for running apparel called Shop it to Me Running.

One of the brands I selected was Puma. In today's Shop it to Me newsletter I receieved, I noticed that several of Puma's running shoes were reduced from $80 to $56 when you entered the given code from the newsletter. I MAY have ordered two pairs, thus defeating the purpose of the sale... Ooops.

Workout Video Review

My younger sister Maddie (left) and I (right) go absolutely crazy for workout videos. We pretty much grew up on Taebo and Mauri Winsor Pilates. We were in heaven when we discovered the Sport and Fitness section of Comcast Digital cable because it was like a plethora of free and varied workout videos that was updated constantly.

Mads and I are also big fans of the Kardashians. Even though Khloe is the youngest, we agree that I'm more like Khloe and she's more like Kourtney, which would leave my older sister Sammy being Kim. All of this is irrelevent. I'm just saying we like the Kardashians. So Maddie decided to buy Kim Kardashian's "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday" workout video. We did it on Thursday and I have a few comments

First of all, Kim Kardashian doesn't even lead the workout. She follows the lead of a trainer. Next, Kim's outfit is ridiculous. She wears leather-looking leggings that are so tight they give her a muffin top, and a black shirt with a cut out section in the chest, revealing her pink bra. And no, it's not a sports bra. How can you do a serious workout without a sports bra? My guess is the video was less about her working out and more about people buying the video just to check her out. My final complaint about the video was that a large portion of it was done using a workout step, which we didn't have. But don't worry, we modified as best we could. And when I say me I mean Maddie, because I didn't do the whole video.

Depsite my gripes, I wasn't able to walk properly until Monday--nearly four days after I did the video. So all in all I'd say it was a decent workout. Good job Kim, aka whoever the actual trainer was that lead the workout.

Eating Out Options

If you're like me, you probably don't go out to eat that much because you are a poor, poor college student. However, when you do go out, you don't have to go crazy. While some places do list nutritional information on their menus and others at least mark which options are "healthier," a lot of them don't. I know I suggested in a previous post to look up the restaurant you are going to on a website like Calorie King, so that you can know exactly what you are going to be consuming before you even get to the restaurant. An article titled "The 30 Worst Fast-Food Restaurant Choices" also suggests the following "rules" for eating out:

*Avoid anything with the word "sampler" or "platter," unless you plan to share
it with three or more people and make it your main course.
*Skip anything
that comes in an edible bowl or includes the words stacked, stuffed, double,
triple, slammed, or dunked.
*Nachos are something best shared with a group,
and subs are something best measured in calories, fat, and sodium -- not inches.
*When you see the words crispy or glazed, realize that's what will happen to
your arteries and your eyes, respectively, if you consume too many of these
items.
*Dressing and sauces are among the major calorie culprits of many
restaurant choices, sometimes doubling the fat and sodium content of an entree.
Ask for all sauces on the side, and try replacing cream-based dressings with
mustard (straight mustard, not sugar-loaded honey mustard), suggests New York
City-based nutritionist Sharon Richter, MS, RD. Other good alternatives: lemon
and grated cheese (25 calories per tablespoon).
*Just because an item falls
under the word "appetizers" does not mean it should be followed by more food.
Not even in the same day. Some of the country's most ubiquitous food
establishments serve appetizers that would stuff a Sumo wrestler.

The same article also uncovers the worst menu choices from several restaurants including Quizno's, TGI Friday's, California Pizza Kitchen, Denny's, Applebee's, On the Border, Outback Steakhouse, Baja Fresh, PF Chang's, and Olive Garden and suggests healthier alternatives from each place.

Read the article and I challenge you to order healthier the next time you go out to eat.