How bad are group lunches for you?

What happens to your waistline when circumstances cause you to not be able to eat your usual healthy lunches?

I’ve been asking myself this question for the past couple weeks as I’ve gone through the orientation activities at my new college teaching job.

Don’t get me wrong – it’s been great. And it’s very nice of the university to provide lunches. (Throwing that in there just in case my new bosses read this) It could be worse – they could just tell you to get lunch on your own.

But when you usually eat a homemade salad with fat-free dressing, a piece of fruit, yogurt and unsweetened tea for lunch like I do, navigating your way through all the great food provided for a group can be difficult – especially when you’re new and trying to make an impression. You want to go along with the crowd.

However, I don’t want there to be too much of an impression on my waistline.

At least they have had unsweetened tea at most of the events I’ve attended. And they have had salad, although I doubt the dressing is fat-free.

But I’ve also eaten chicken breast covered in cheese and marinara sauce, slabs of some kind of vegetarian lasagna, rolls, barbecue sandwiches and Mexican food.

All of the food has been delicious, but heavy. On the day we had the barbecue sandwiches, I must not have had my healthy thinking cap on, because I took the bun, smothered it with delicious barbecue and chowed down. It wasn’t until I got halfway through the sandwich that I realized what I should have done to minimize the damage: leave the bun off and just eat the barbecue with a fork.

That’s testimony to the fact that my head was spinning with orientation information, and my healthy eating had taken a back seat.

Oh, well. I only have a couple more events to attend, then my lunches will be my own again. I’ll just minimize the damage as much as I can and not worry about the pound or two I may gain.

At least I’m on a college campus now where I can walk it off.

A girl’s gotta have a fitness goal

Here’s a girl with a goal.

Kristen Seymour, a writer for That’s Fit, recently announced that she’s taking on the One hundred Push-ups Challenge. She’s now into week three and up to 50 push-ups in a row.

You go, girl! That’s totally cool!

I’ve written a series of posts on here before about the benefits of push-ups to women. Read them here, here and here.

Sometimes I don’t think we women challenge ourselves enough when it comes to fitness. We baby ourselves, sticking with comfortable weights and not going much beyond that. I’ve caught myself doing it, and my husband has accused me of doing it.

You’re not going to improve, get stronger or break into new territory if you don’t push yourself.

My current major fitness goal is to do unassisted pull-ups by the end of the year. I’m slightly beyond two-thirds of my body weight. I’m struggling a bit with a plateau right now that I can't seem to get past. But I hit the pull-up machine every time I’m at the gym, and I keep trying. (Here’s a hint: If you can’t make a 10-pound jump, try finding a five-pound weight to sit on top of the weight stack. That way, you can increase in smaller increments, but still increase.)

Having fitness goals gives us something to strive for, a road map as we try to make ourselves better. If you stick only with what’s comfortable, you won’t improve.

There’s a saying that I like: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” That’s true in fitness, and in life.

Maybe I’ll take on the 100 push-ups challenge next.

Girls, what’s your fitness goal?

Why you’re more attractive than you think you are

We are our own harshest critics, and here’s proof.

According to this article, research shows that others see you as 20 percent more attractive than you think you are.

That's because when you look in the mirror, all you see are your looks, along with the circles under your eyes, that wrinkle that didn’t seem to be there yesterday, or the hair that just won’t do what it’s supposed to do.

All you see is your reflection, but none of the personality. You also see all of your flaws, which others tend to overlook -- if they notice them at all.

I used to be worse about criticizing myself. I wished my freckles wouldn’t come out in the sun, that my eyes were a more vibrant color than hazel, that my eyes were bigger or my cheekbones or jawline more defined.

Now, I see the small wrinkles, and I get mad at my hair when it won’t do what I want, which seems to be often.

But over time, I’ve learned to accept my looks the way they are, and to work with them. My eyes aren’t going to magically get bigger, and my freckles aren’t going to go away. So I put on my make-up in such a way as to maximize what I’ve got. I do the best I can with my hair, and I wear clothes that flatter my body.

I also watch what I eat and I exercise, which I think shows through. People comment on it frequently, so it makes some sort of impression. I generally meet life with confidence and a positive attitude, and most people I meet respond to that.

Have you ever had someone look at your picture and tell you it doesn’t do you justice? I have, and now I think I can see why.

Your mirror, or your photo, can’t quite capture the twinkle in your eye, the mischievous tone in your voice when you tell a joke or your melodious laugh. It doesn’t capture the way you tilt your head when you’re thinking about something, or the way you walk with your head held high with a look of purpose on your face.

Part of beauty is about your looks, your hair and make-up and your clothes. But it’s only a part. The rest of beauty is about your personality and confidence. It’s also about what you do with what you’ve got.

All your positive attributes go together to make you the beautiful person you are. So play them up -- all of them!

What do you think is your most positive attribute? What makes you feel beautiful?

Fitness doesn’t come in a pill

I saw an article the other day about a “fitness pill” being developed.

First reported in the online journal Cell, scientists are moving closer to developing a pill that could deliver some of the benefits of exercise -- even for those who don’t exercise. Researchers now have two possible pills that appear able to build muscle, increase stamina and even burn fat.

The very idea of this bothers me, and it should bother anyone who works for their body and their health.

The drug is controversial because of the possibility athletes could misuse it to enhance sports performance.

Yes, that’s bad enough, but that’s not what bothers me about it. I am bothered by what the lead researcher said in a BBC story about the drug.

“If you like exercise, you like the idea of getting 'more bang for your buck,’" Professor Ronald Evans said. "If you don't like exercise, you love the idea of getting the benefits from a pill.”

Getting the benefits from a pill. This is what worries me. I am afraid this will give the already lazy, obese couch potato license to say, “Well, I don’t have to exercise. I’ll just take a pill.” Such a thing would not urge them to make the healthy changes they need to make. They would rely on a pill instead.

If the work can be transferred to humans, Evans said it may have potential for treating people with certain muscle diseases, as well as helping hospital patients, veterans and people with obesity maintain a minimum fitness level.

“In our society there is an ever decreasing amount of time for either healthy food or exercise,” Evans said.

So his answer is to encourage obese people to continue to make their health and fitness a low priority by giving them a pill.

We all have the same 24 hours. It’s a matter of priority. If your health and fitness are important enough to you, you’ll find the time for it.

As of now, the drug has not been approved for use in humans, and it may never be. I hope it isn’t. Such an idea cheapens the hard work that I do, and other people who exercise do, to make our bodies stronger and healthier.

A pill will not give you the pride of achieving a new exercise goal. It can’t replace the ability to do push-ups, or put one more plate on the exercise machine, or pick up the next heaviest dumbbell.

What do you think of the ‘fitness pill’? Will such a thing be abused?

Bigger is NOT better, Part 3

I talked in my last post about knowing your Body Mass Index to help you get started on a healthier path and reverse the trend toward a fatter world.

But the BMI is not the only number you need to know to be fully aware of the state of your own health. You also need to know your total cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar.

Why are these numbers important?

First, let’s look at cholesterol. According to the American Heart Association, cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's used to form cell membranes, some hormones and is needed for other functions. But a high level of cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which leads to heart attack.

The total cholesterol number breaks down into three major components, HDL, LDL and triglycerides.

HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, is known as "good" cholesterol because a high HDL level seems to protect against heart attack. However, a low HDL level indicates a greater risk of heart attack and may also raise stroke risk.

LDL, Low-density lipoprotein, is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood. If too much LDL cholesterol circulates in the blood, it can slowly build up in the walls of the arteries feeding the heart and brain. Together with other substances, it can form plaque, a thick, hard deposit that can clog those arteries.

According to the Mayo Clinic, triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts calories it doesn't need right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals. If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, you may have high triglyceride levels.

Now, let’s look at blood pressure. The AHA defines blood pressure as
the pressure of the blood against the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is expressed as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure. The systolic number is always stated first. The higher systolic number represents the pressure while the heart contracts to pump blood to the body. The lower diastolic number represents the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems.

The last important number we’ll look at is blood sugar. Wikipedia defines blood sugar as glucose in the blood. Glucose, transported via the bloodstream from the intestines to body cells, is the primary source of energy for the body's cells.

A blood glucose test measures the amount of glucose in your blood. Glucose comes from carbohydrate foods. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body's cells use the glucose. Insulin is produced in the pancreas and released into the blood when the amount of glucose in the blood rises.

Normally, your blood glucose levels increase slightly after you eat. This increase causes your pancreas to release insulin so that your blood glucose levels do not get too high. Blood glucose levels that remain high over time can damage your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and blood vessels.

My former company conducted a health risk analysis in February of this year, and I got all of my numbers. Overall, they’re good. My analysis showed I have a low risk of heart disease and diabetes, but that there are still a few things I can do to improve my health. I was pleased with my results.

Do you know your numbers? What would a health risk analysis show for you?

BIgger is NOT better, Part 2

In my last post, I talked about the CDC's 2007 data for the fattest states in America. Mississippi weighed in as the fattest state, and Colorado was the leanest. But almost all 50 states have gotten fatter.

Kentucky, my home state, ranks as the seventh fattest state.

According to the World Health Organization, this is not just a problem in the U.S. The whole world is getting fatter. Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese.

Like I said in my last post, this is bad news. But if we are going to even begin to turn this trend around, we need to be armed with some information.

Starting with this: What is considered overweight and obese? How do you know when you have crossed the line?

The CDC defines overweight and obesity as ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

Overweight and obesity is most often measured with the BMI, or Body Mass Index. It uses weight and height to calculate a number that, for most people, correlates with their amount of body fat. An adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and an adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

Here is a BMI calculator. Try it. Are you too fat, underweight or just right?

Now, what are you going to do about it?

A good series of 10 topics on the Workout IQ blog highlights weight loss problems and how to deal with them. The series addresses such topics as challenges to working out, having unrealistic expectations and fear of failure. It's a good starting point for those of you wanting to lose weight.

If you have calculated your own BMI and faced the results, you've armed yourself with the information you need to get started on a healthy path. It may not be all you need, but it's a good start.

And if just one or two people can take this step toward a healthier future, maybe there's hope yet for Mississippi, Kentucky and the rest of the world.