May 2009 Blog Posts

Not all rice is created equal. Well, maybe it's created equal but it's not all equal by the time it ends up on your plate. As Lisa Lambert, a registered dietician with Capital Care Medical Group, explained at the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women luncheon this week, when rice is cooked it actually loses a lot of the nutrients that were in it to begin with. "If rice is well cooked and sticky," she said. "It's going to have a higher glycemic index." For those of you who don't know, the glycemic index (http://www.glycemicindex.com/) is used to measure carbohydrates and how they...

I'm setting a new goal, and think, despite the failures of all my previous goals, this one could work. Why will it work? Because it's a year away. Let's talk about the goal itself first: I want to run in NEXT YEAR'S Freihoffer's Run for Women( http://www.freihofersrun.com/). The race is an all-women race that is held every year in Albany, NY to support women in sports. Moreso than the support of women in sports, I like the idea of a girls-only run, and the idea that maybe, possibly, in one year, I could be in good enough shape to run a marathon! They say...

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy and healthy Memorial Day. In a time when bbqs are a plenty and cupcakes a cookies with little American flags scream your name, it might be hard to resist temptation. But it is a holiday, so don't resist too hard. Treat yourself this holiday with a moderate treat-one cupcake, not two. One cookie, not three. And don't look back or regret eating it. Everyone needs to enjoy a holiday sometimes!

The Ithaca Journal has reported that today, May 20, is National Employee Health and Fitness Day. The event started in 1989 and basically, it encourages us to step away from our cubicles and complete a health or fitness related activity with our co-workers. Maybe lead your co-workers in a group stretch? Take a walk around your building (depending on where you live, it's pretty beautiful outside anyway). Maybe bring in some fruit for your co-workers to snack in? You could encourage your co-workers to join WLB! And once they do that, you can sign up for a challenge with them today! Or,...

I apologize for frequently blogging about New York. I realize that with over 60,000 members, many of you do not live in New York. But I live in New York, and many of the issues that affect New Yorkers probably affect you too. Also, my job entails me reading New York news at almost every minute of the day, so naturally, I come across some interesting things I'd want to share with you. Today, this article was printed in the local newspaper: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=801359 In case you don't feel like reading, New York Gov. David Paterson wants to require all supermarkets and restaurants to tell...

Alright, so nobody wanted to talk about the Biggest Loser finale. Let's talk about something else, shall we? Here is a story I wrote for work (I'm a reporter at a weekly newspaper) about one county's back-and-forth about a ban they decided to impose on trans fats from all restaurants and bakeries beginning July 1. http://www.spotlightnews.com/247/article.php?article_id=tZ1242057111t4a0849978588f The argument on the side of the county is that they can ban trans fat and it will help people be healthier, as trans fat has high levels of "bad cholesterol" and is said to be a contributing factor to "obese America." This ban came in...

Alright people, who watched the Biggest Loser last night? I probably shouldn't give away who won in case some of you had missed it...but let's just say the person who did win was not who I thought was going to win. I will tell you it was a female-because there were two females in the final three. I'm not going to lie, I really wanted Ron to win. He may not have lost as much as the others, but man, oh man, last week's episode in which he walked the marathon and made it to the end after dark made me cry...

Whether you walk, jog OR run, boy oh boy do I have a treat for you! It's simply called WalkJogRun.net, and if you use an iPhone, it just got a whole lot sweeter for you. Essentially, it's a Web site that uses a Google Earth type device to help you plan out your walking (or jogging, or running) paths, tells you the distance, and lets you save the routes so that you can do them again. Before, this was only available on your computer, but now there is an iPhone version, allowing you to take your route planning on the go. I am...

So, today marks the last day of my 7-day restricted diet. I've sucessfully eaten nothing but gluten free bread, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, no fake sugar. And ya know what? I feel great. So, my question is, now what? Does anyone have any solutions for when you're no longer restricted, how to restrict yourself from all the bad stuff you used to eat?

Have no fear if you’re un-fit. A new study reveals that the less physically fit you are, the better the chances of you hearing danger when it is coming straight at you.   The study was done by a team of researchers at the College of Wooster and sampled 50 people-25 male and 25 female. According to John Neuhoff, associate professor at the college, all of the people were given headphones in which they listened to noises the researchers played.   “We presented listeners with sounds over the headphones-virtual sounds and three-dimensional sounds, so it was as if you were standing on the street...

I have a good feeling about this one. I spent nearly two hours at the grocery store, reading ingredients and choosing, what I hope is, the healthiest food one could eat over a week. But, looking around the aisles, I wondered what other foods will tempt me this week. Tuesday is Cinco de Mayo-and boy do I love margaritas and nachos. I know I will have to avoid both those things to achieve a healthy week. Sunday is Mother's Day, and I plan to travel home. Now, I don't know how many of you are in the same situation as me, or at...