Archive for February, 2011

Publicly shamed into a slimmer figure?

Posted by Sean on February 10, 2011

Seems that Kevin Smith needed a different kind of motivation to improve his health. Do we all remember the Southwest Airlines incident?
I’m not sure I feel too bad for this guy, I mean in the end he benefited from the ‘embarrassment’, although I do not support any public humiliation or embarrassment due to someones weight.
Do you think he would have lost the weight without this motivation? And does his comedic line of work have anything to do with this pun?
Hmm..

Amplify’d from omg.yahoo.com

Kevin Smith Sheds 65 Pounds

Filmmaker Kevin Smith loses 65 pounds … with a little push from
Southwest Airlines!

Read more at omg.yahoo.com

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Too Young to have a Stroke?

Posted by Sean on February 10, 2011

Apparently that stigma is changing, since we as a society keep changing (for the worse).
Our wonderful lifestyle habits are getting the best of us people. It’s time to wake up.
Have you ever known someone who had a stroke, no matter how severe. It’s devastating, and life changing.
Please take more value in the quality of your life, and the life of your loved ones.
Please.

Amplify’d from health.yahoo.net

Strokes are rising fast among young, middle-aged

Strokes are rising dramatically among young and middle-aged Americans while dropping in older people, a sign that the obesity epidemic may be starting to shift the age burden of the disease.

The numbers, reported Wednesday at an American Stroke Association conference, come from the first large nationwide study of stroke hospitalizations by age. Government researchers compared hospitalizations in 1994 and 1995 with ones in 2006 and 2007.

The sharpest increase — 51 percent — was among men 15 through 34. Strokes rose among women in this age group, too, but not as fast — 17 percent.

For every 10,000 hospitalizations in 1994-95 compared with 2006-07, strokes rose:

_51 percent, from 9.8 to 14.8, among males 15 to 34 years old

_17 percent, from 3.6 to 4.2, in females 15 to 34

_47 percent, from 36 to 52.9, in males 35 to 44

_36 percent, from 21.9 to 30, in females 35 to 44

At the University of California at Los Angeles, doctors are seeing more strokes related to high blood pressure and clogged arteries in younger people, said Dr. Jeffrey Saver, director of the stroke center at UCLA.

“But at the same time we’re seeing this worrisome rise in mid-life,” Saver said.
Allison Hooker, a nurse who coordinates stroke care at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., said her hospital also is seeing more strokes in younger people with risk factors such as smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, alcohol overuse and diabetes.
“I’d say at least half of our population (of stroke patients) is in their 40s or early 50s,” she said

Lead researcher Hannah Gardener of the University of Miami had no explanation for the findings but said that for those trying to cut calories, “diet soft drinks may not be an optimal substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages.”
_The same study also found higher risks for people consuming more than 1,500 milligrams of salt a day — the limit the American Heart Association recommends. Researchers found that stroke risk rose 16 percent for every 500 milligrams of salt consumed each day.

Read more at health.yahoo.net

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The truth is, failing is not the end-all-to-be-all.

Posted by Sean on February 9, 2011

It’s just another lesson in how not to ‘do’ things.

Get back up and try again, not making the same mistake twice.

Posted in fitness, words of wisdom | Tagged: failure | Leave a Comment »

Caffeeeeeeeeine anyone?

Posted by Sean on February 7, 2011

Another post from Scrubs Magazine I wrote that I thought was worth sharing. How much is too much?

Amplify’d from scrubsmag.com

A glutton for caffeinated punishment

How thirsty are you? How much coffee does one need in one sitting? It seems the land of over-abundance has struck again.

Starbucks = caffeine.

Am I wrong? We all know that Starbucks is the vacation get-away for all things caffeinated. I only know ‘of’ it since I don’t frequent their stores. My coffee drinking repertoire is simple and bland, so a mocha-latte-choco-espresso-whipped-not-stirred-slightly-steamed-with-ice phenomena still escapes me.

It seems that we not only need as much variety as possible in our coffee-diet, but we need more of it. Lots and lots of it to be frank. It seems that the latest serving size offered by the coffee-bean connoisseur is also a wine lover of sorts?

The ‘Trenta’ serving size cup holds the equivalent fluid amount in a bottle of wine. Yes, you can drink an entire bottle of wine.. err coffee in one serving.

I guess my question to all my fellow caffeinated colleagues is why? In what scenario would we NEED to carry around that much coffee in one trip/station/sitting?

I’ll admit it. I’m addicted to coffee, or the caffeine, or the taste, or something. I really don’t know what, I just know I can down some serious coffee while I’m at work (or at home if we’re laying it all out on the table).

But I can’t see myself needing / wanting / utilizing this new serving size in any capacity of my day. First of all you have a full bottle of wine.. sorry coffee. You have OVER 750 ml of coffee in your hand. According to the graphics I’ve seen Trenta cups actually holds 916 ml!!

916 ml!

So you either drink a lot of coffee very fast, or you have a cold cup of coffee by the time you actually drink all of it.

The ramifications of this have a type of domino effect. Do you remember the suggestion I made about over eating? Psychology experts have suggested that when using a smaller plate / bowl you actually will subconsciously eat less. Eating less will curb the excess calories.

So what do you think this gargantuan sized serving of coffee is doing? It’s subconsciously convincing you that you not only need to finish the entire amount in the cup, but that you actually need that much coffee in one serving!

I’m not disputing the positive or negative health effects of coffee. That’s been discussed at great lengths lately, and there still is no definitive answer. What is definitive is the idea of ‘everything in moderation’. Moderation is the key to maintaining a healthier you.

How much ‘moderation’ is in this Trenta cup?

Things that make you go hmm.

Read more at scrubsmag.com

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Posted in random | Tagged: coffee, trenta | 1 Comment »

thanks for the encouragement about the super bowl. the party actually wasn’t that bad, not nearly as much snack food as i expected, and they served chili as the main dish which was better than what i thought we might be having. it was hard but i steered clear of the bad stuff. how did you fair out?

Posted by Sean on February 7, 2011

The wife made her home-made sloppy joe, so had a few of those sandwiches.

I splurged and had 2 cinnamon rolls for dessert: the really big juicy cream cheese covered ones. I had already allowed myself that treat.

I had nothing else, mostly because I was bloated from my sandwiches.. lol.

I always allot certain indulgences, that way I can not feel guilty, and not fall prey to something unplanned for. It’s a way of maybe ‘psyching’ myself up or out? But it works well for me. Over time the amount of indulgence dwindles to almost nothing.

Congrats on hangin’ tough. This just proves that you CAN do it, and the food is not the one in control.

Stay strong!