Notable News


The Return of the Ski Bum – NYTimes.com.

Ahh, corporate layoffs help some people learn to just enjoy life. Skiing all day, every day – working jobs that they can indeed leave behind when their shift ends. Remember those days? As this article says: It’s the return of the American ski bum. Recent college graduates, laid-off young professionals and resort residents who have also lost jobs have jumped at the opportunity to bus tables, park cars and sell lift tickets here and in other Rocky Mountain resorts.  But it’s not all its cracked up to be I am sure. Not making enough to actually go out and buy a hamburger, pizza. Not being able to buy shoes.  And many of these folks aren’t necessarily doing this by choice.

As Jeff Garlin Loses the Fat, Will He Still Be Funny? – NYTimes.com.

This is so interesting to me. Here is a guy who has made his living on being the fat, funny sitcom guy. What happens when that guy is no longer fat? Can he make it? Is he still funny?

5 “bad” foods you should be eating | Eating Well.

I thought this entry was dead on. I often think oh man I can’t eat peanut butter because its so fattening. But if you think about it, if you have just a tablespoon it’s 90 calories. It boils down to – can you stop at 1 tablespoon? That’s the trick!  And as mentioned here, so many people  fear healthful foods when they shouldn’t. Other foods mentioned are eggs, beef, chocolate and potatoes. What are your thoughts on foods that you are fearful of eating? Why?

Nosh: Rockin’ Chipotle | fitbottomedgirls.com.

I love Chipotle. But after finding out how many calories were in one of their chicken burritos, I decided to make some hard choices. I now get a burrito chicken bowl with veggies, black beans, light on the rice, no cheese or sour cream, mild salsa and extra lettuce. Now while not as “fun” as havin all that other stuff, it satisfies my Chipotle urge and isn’t too bad calorie wise!

Once a diet no-no, nuts are in again – CNN.com.

(Health.com) — High in fat and calories, nuts were a dieting no-no during the low-fat era. Now these nutrient-packed powerhouses are making a comeback as a top heart-healthy snack.And what’s not to love? They taste delicious, are naturally low in sodium, contain no trans fats or cholesterol, and are a good source of fiber and protein — the perfect combo for a hunger-quenching nibble. A low-sugar content also makes them a healthy choice for diabetics, who are at greater risk for developing heart disease.

The thing about nuts is if you are trying to lose weight, I would steer clear of nuts. Not because they aren’t good for you but because too many times people eat too many and it ends up hurting your efforts. Just my opinion…

Personal Best – Why Being Slimmer Doesn’t Always Make You Fitter – NYTimes.com.

This should tell everyone that you can not compare one person to another. Common sense, we all know that there everyone has a different body shape and these studies are really showing that unless you are doing a customized, personalized training program evaluated and created by a professional just for you, it’s hard to know what your ideal weight and body fat should be. You can’t just compare it to a chart and say with utmost certainty that that’s your ideal weight. Don’t get me wrong – you should probably be within that range. We all know when our bodies are out of whack, but trying to be super precise on a chart to figure out your ideal weight isn’t necessarily the best way to go it would seem.

Exercise physiologists agree that if your sport is particularly affected by the tug of gravity — running, cross-country skiing, cycling up hills — you are penalized for excess weight. But that leaves some questions: What is the ideal weight for your sport? And how much difference will it make if you actually achieve it?

The problem is that everyone has a point at which further weight loss actually makes their performance worse, said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a muscle metabolism researcher and physiologist at McMaster University in Ontario. Dr. Tarnopolsky, who is a nationally ranked athlete in winter triathlons, adventure racing and ski orienteering, said that people vary so much that there is no formula to figure out the perfect weight.

The likely reason, he said, was that he had reached a point where his body began burning its own muscle protein for fuel. He was weaker, and his performance was worse, even though he weighed less.

More than half of Americans use Internet for health | Reuters.

This is no surprise to anyone is it?  From my personal experience while dealing with our cancer journey, it can be a double edged sword. You have to make sure you are researching your health issue with a very critical eye. There is so much out of date info, mixed information and just plain wrong info in addition to actual helpful information out there. We were very fortunate in that I was able to email our oncologist with any information I read and he got back to me super fast on it.  But many people don’t have that and go to the Internet like it is the bible. It reminds me of my Grandma Hallie,  who died many years ago.  She  used to read the National Enquirer and believed anything she read in that thing and to hear her talk about it – you couldn’t believe she couldn’t tell that it was all crap. So all I am saying is make sure you read health related things with a critical eye and make sure you are getting it from reliable sources.