Sassy Sexy Shapely

Turns out, reading a fitness magazine while exercising can demotivate, rather than inspire, according to a new study authored by Ann Wertz Garvin, a health and physical education professor at the University of Wisconsin in Whitewater. 

“The results suggest that negative effects of reading ultra-fit magazines may cancel out the mood-boosting effects of exercise, says Garvin. Exactly why is unclear, though she speculates that women may become depressed because they feel they’ll never look as good as the magazine models or that the women already look fit but have low self-esteem and seeing the images doesn’t help.”

I can relate to these results although I don’t read while I’m exercising.  (The workouts I do now don’t allow for reading, but even when I went to the gym, I listened to music or watched TV instead of reading.)  I suscribe to several fitness magazines, including Oxygen, which was used in the study, and I can confirm that thumbing through them is sometimes depressing.

The mags periodically bum me out because they set standards that seem impossible to achieve, at least for me.  I occasionally come away from reading them with the feeling that I’m not working hard enough.  Unfortunately, that feeling doesn’t inspire me to work harder; it just makes it harder for me to keep working out.

Thankfully, this isn’t a huge issue for me.  I’ve been extremely consistent with my exercise since I started my lifestyle change nearly six years ago, and I suspect I always will be.  The mags are more disheartening from a body image standpoint than anything else.  Of course, that’s an issue I have struggled with for a long time, so I certainly don’t fault the publications for it.  I have learned, though, to stop reading them during times when I’m feeling particularly negative about my appearance.  No need to add fuel to the fire during a difficult spell.  The mags will always be there when I am feeling more optimistic and can really benefit from the great ideas and advice they offer.

A couple of weeks ago, I went up north for business and enjoyed my off hours exploring the town.  I found a quirky coffee shop on the south side of Main Street that was home to its own fabulous feline and a delectable drink called the MaryJean Praline.

My explorations didn’t end with coffee.  In fact, the coffee was the appetizer.  As I walked along, snapping pics of flowers, iron fenceposts and old-fashioned looking signs, I discovered that there were four Asian restaurants on one corner.  How entirely unexpected!  There were two sushi joints, a Thai restaurant and an Asian cafe.  Imagine that?!

As I was taking pictures, wondering what would prompt these folks to open up the similar eateries on the same block, a man, sitting outside one of the sushi places, asked me who I was.  Come to find out, he wanted to know what I was doing.  I explained that I was there on business and was checking out his charming burg.  It happened that he was the owner of the sushi restaurant whose sign I’d just captured on megapixel.  He invited me to stop back for dinner when I’d finished my photologue… so I did.

It was good to sit down after strolling through town in heels, and once I’d cooled down with a few sips of iced tea, I asked Michael, the owner, to suggest the two best sushi options on the menu.  He recommended the Lilly Specialty Roll and the Nevada Specialty Roll.  His recommendations were right on.

The rolls were fantastic!  They were both quite flavorful, very different but equally delicious.  The Lilly was made with tempura shrimp and green onion, topped with avocado, spicy crab, sake and chives.  The Nevada was made with crystal shrimp, white onion and jalapeno, topped with fresh halibut, avocado, cilantro, lemon slices and a special blend of sauces.  I’m sure the Nevada was the healthier of the two.  While I enjoyed the raw halibut and the tang of the lemon slices, I have to admit that the Lilly was my favorite.  Man, it tasted good!  I relished it every bit as thoroughly as the super sweet MaryJean Praline.

In keeping with my live-in-the-moment-at-least-for-tonight philosophy of savoring rather than restricting, I ordered dessert, too.  The Strawberry Fields Dessert Roll was made with strawberries, banana and cream cheese, rolled on soy nori with sushi rice, topped with fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and sprinkles (or, as we like to call ‘em back home, “Jimmies” J).  Oh my word!  It was scrumptious!! 

As with the coffee, I didn’t eat everything.  I finished the Lilly, left some of the Nevada and shared a few bites of the Strawberry Fields with a lady sitting a couple chairs down for me.  In return, she gave me a sip of her chilled sake.  It was strong with an icy bite.  I was glad to have had a taste but wouldn’t have ordered one of my own.  It was fun to talk with her, though.  There’s something wonderful about sharing food, especially with strangers.  I learned that my sort-of dining companion was gluten-intolerant, and I was able to suggest that she pick up a copy of Living Without, a great cooking magazine devoted to people with allergies and other food sensitivities.  Neat!

It was a terrific evening, particularly the freedom I allowed myself to just enjoy… and not worry about calories or the scale.  Lo and behold, indulging myself like that did not lead to out-of-control bingeing!  In fact, I lost a pound after my trip.  Is there a lesson there, perhaps?

It was also cool because I made a point of doing something just for myself, taking advantage of the time away from my BF rather than being sad over it.  My BF doesn’t like sushi.  He’s basically a meat-and-potatoes kinda guy who doesn’t like anything that’s even remotely exotic.  As a consequence, we don’t go to sushi restaurants together.  I figured I’d make the most of being apart by treating myself.  It worked out *so* well.  It was a boost on so many levels.  I plan to follow the same course whenever the opportunity presents itself.

 I was so excited back in March when I discovered Mexican Shrimp Cocktail.  It was such a thrill to stumble across a clean-eating, low-calorie fast food that I really enjoyed.  Well, it got even better this weekend when I tried my first Mexican Mixed Seafood Cocktail.

My BF and I were on our way back to town after a fun day of off-roading when we grabbed lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place en route.  Imagine my delight when I saw this exotic seafood blend on the menu!

The ‘Campechana’, described in English as “cocktail mixed”, was made with shrimp, octopus, abalone and oysters with chopped red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, cucumbers, avocado and cocktail juice.  It was delicious!  It was a refreshing and filling meal, perfect after a hot day on the dusty trail, and it was totally in keeping with my diet plan, providing lots of quality protein and other nutrients while still satisfying my tastebuds.  Exciting!

 Ross is one of my favorite stores.  They carry clothing, shoes, handbags, small furniture and other household items.  They also carry food, but I don’t usually buy foodstuffs when I’m there.  Tonight, though, while looking for a gift for a colleague, I stumbled on a Lemon Poppy Scone & Muffin Mix with no preservatives or artificial flavors.  The ingredients looked good; the calories were reasonable; each serving offered a decent amount of fiber and was low sodium.  The package called for one up of water, but I decided to go with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  I enjoyed my warm muffin with a spritz or two of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray.  Delish!  Sometimes simple - and pre-packaged - is really quite good.

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 package Country Gourmet Lemon Poppy Scone & Muffin Mix
• 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and mist a muffin pan with non-stick spray.
• Place mix in bowl, add almond milk and stir until just blended.
• Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin.
• Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden.

Makes 8 servings.

Per muffin: 155 calories, 1.5g fat, 4g fiber, 3g protein

 Even if you’re just opening a can, make it fun with sassy serving dishes.  No matter the meal, it’ll taste better when it’s attractively presented, especially when the serving dishes make you smile.  Here, a simple can of pasta rings with meatballs with a side of shredded cheese is elevated to a level of kitschy fun when it’s presented in brightly colored melamine bowls with a vibrant paper napkin and a curvy handled tray.

I’ve known for a long time that I eat when I’m sad.  Of course, I eat when I’m anxious, when I’m happy, when I’m bored… pretty much whenever.  For me, the urge to eat is a constant, but it gets stronger depending on my mood.  And, I’m not alone.

According to a study reported on Yahoo!’s Shine website, moviegoers who were sad while watching a dramatic movie ate more popcorn than those who didn’t respond as negatively to the film.  

“Moods have a powerful influence on our eating habits; they can cause us to seek out specific foods, and unconsciously eat more, and we’re more likely to eat comfort foods when happy than sad or depressed. It’s important to be aware your eating IS affected by your mood, so if you’re trying to lose that last 5 lbs, go to a happy movie — you’ll eat less popcorn!”

So if you want to drop a few pounds, try to stay in that “happy place” as much as possible.  J

Yesterday, I gave a website presentation at a trade association luncheon.  As the luncheon wrapped up, one of the attendees approached me and asked, “Are you an athlete?”  I was stunned.  I looked at him curiously and said, “No.”  He commented that my arms were very muscular and that I must work out a lot.  The president of the association hugged me and said, “I’ve been hitting on her all afternoon.”  The attendee, who was apparently a friend of the president, said, “But you’re married, and I’m not.”

I grinned all the way back to the office.  How fabulous that someone noticed my arms and complimented my muscularity!  I have to admit that it’s not the first time; friends down at my BF’s and my favorite bar have said something to me before.  But, this was a complete stranger, and the comment came entirely out of the blue.  It really boosted my mood because I often worry about my arms.  They are, indeed, muscular, but I suffer from the batwing problem that many formerly fat people have to deal with.  It’s not horrendous, but it’s obvious to me… to the point that I am sometimes self-conscious when I wear sleeveless tops.  This made me feel great, extra proud of all my efforts to stay in shape.

And, to think someone thought that *I* was an athlete??  Wow!  I have been the total opposite of an athlete for most of my life, so it’s practically inconceivable to me that someone would view me as such.  Sweet!!

Food critics have to work extra hard to do their jobs without packing on the pounds. Gee, that’s too bad.  Free gourmet meals are tough to take.  What a rough job, right?!  Well, actually it is

Granted, “…it’s one thing to get your calories from lobster tails poached in butter or a delicate chocolate soufflé and quite another to get them from sodas and fast-food burgers.”  But calories are still calories, and a critic can consume upwards of 4,000 of ‘em in one sitting if they eat everything they’re served.  Do that on a regular basis, and these critics are going to have trouble fitting through the doors of the next restaurant.

What do these intrepid gastronomic investigators do to keep themselves at a reasonable size and in shape?  For one thing, they eat very lightly when they’re not working.  They also exercise as much as possible.  Even more important, they don’t eat everything they’re given.  

One critic notes, “My saving grace in this profession is that you have to try everything, but you don’t have to finish it. Doggie bags are my lifesaver.”

Actually, that’s not a bad strategy for the rest of us.  Take a few bites and bring the rest home.  Thankfully, we don’t need to do the job to learn the tricks of the trade.

 Isn’t this a super darn hoot of an idea?!?!  Kudos to Sycamore Stirrings for this bit of maternal brilliance: filling a muffin tin with small amounts of your kids’ favorite foods.  This one has Goldfish, blueberry bagel chunks, cucumber sticks, strawberry yogurt, Gorilla Munch cereal, blueberries, pretzels, string cheese, dried apricots, red pepper, cheddar cheese cubes, peaches. 

It’s geared for kids.  Perhaps because I’m more of a kid at heart than most, but I love the idea for me.  It would make eating a lot more fun for me… much more entertaining.  And, the built-in portion control rocks!  I would fill mine with almonds, apple slices, fat-free ricotta cheese, Kashi GO LEAN Original cereal, Hormel turkey pepperoni slices, light string cheese cut into discs, grape tomatoes, Smart Balance Omega Natural peanut butter, cranberries, sugar-free preserves, Zbar chunks, and edamame.

I often find that stuff designed for kids, at least as far as food is concerned, is actually just right for adults.  For instance, ZBars are a staple in my pantry.  They are organic energy bars made for kids; yet they’re perfect for me in terms of calories (120-150 per bar) and even price ($0.59-$0.69 each).

Consider the McDonald’s Happy Meal.  It’s a “right sized” fast food combo that now comes with healthier options like, and it’s ideal for adult women who want to treat themselves to the taste and convenience of the drive-thru without blowing their diets.

So, when you see something nifty for kids, think about how you can use it for yourself.  You might be surprised.  J

“If we grew thinner, exercised regularly, avoided diets rich in red meat (substituting poultry, fish or vegetable sources of protein) and ate diets rich in fruits and vegetables, and stopped using tobacco, we would prevent 70 percent of all cancers.”

Wow!  That’s one bold statement in the first paragraph of Newsweek’s Your Lifestyle, Your Genes and Cancer.  It’s the kind of statement that requires one to pause and absorb.  Seventy percent… think about that: preventing seventy percent of all cancers is a BIG deal.

Research just keeps confirming that the American lifestyle is harmful to our collective health - especially when you consider that healthy populations moving here and adopting our habits see their rates of illness increase to match ours.

The bottomline is that our dietary choices and lack of activity are killing us.  We’ve finally accepted that when it comes to tobacco, but we’re only just now recognizing it in relation to weight and exercise.

I’ve never quite understood how this works but apparently:

“Lifestyle influences a person’s risk for cancer by generating growth-promoting signals that affect cells primed to become cancerous, or that already are cancerous. What primes those cells to become cancerous in the first place are changes in their genes.”

“…most of us are born with good genes that succeed in flawlessly organizing our growth and development. After all, our genes have been optimized by more than 600 million years of evolution; they ought to work well. During the course of our lifetimes, though, genes are damaged in various cells throughout the body. It is these mutated genes that drive most cancers.”

The article explores the science of this thoroughly, beyond what I can comprehend, but much of it seems to come down to minimizing inflammation through a healthy diet and mitigating the by-products of inflammation by exercising.

I exercise regularly already (although I could always do more), so I feel pretty solid on that score.  But, my diet continues to need significant refinement.  I’ve been reasonably focused on clean eating, but I think it’s time to revist my Ultra Prevention and Ultrametabolism books.  These books focus intensively on inflammation and ways to avoid it.  The authors have also published a cookbook to help with recipe prep.  I was impressed when I first read Ultra Prevention, but I was also overwhelmed.  I’ve done much more cooking now and gone more in-depth into clean eating, so I think I might be better able to tackle it this time around.