Let's get the guilt or no guilt thing done. NO Guilt - Athena drug me 6.7 miles in 1:22 for 12:14 miles today.
We have a real need to find a sustainable way to feed the world. When I say sustainable I mean in a way that doesn't result in massive damage to the earth including but not limited to soil degradation, pollution, deforestation, desertification and with as little as possible green house gas emissions.
That being said, even the most organic free grazing system to raise beef fails the test. But we take it way past unsustainable - we have made beef production absolutely stupid.
An average feed lot cow will weigh 1050 pounds and will have eaten 2700 pounds of grain. That means we are using 157 million metric tons of cereal and vegetable protein to produce only 28 million metric tons of animal protein. That is a net loss of 129 million metric tons of protein!
70 - 80% of US grain production goes to feed livestock and 50% of the water consumed in the US goes to grow grain for cattle feed - HALF of the fresh water!
Each pound of beef requires 1 gallon of gasoline to produce.
So how much does it really cost for a pound of ground beef? It is almost impossible to do the math. Since the grain (corn) grown to feed the cattle is subsidized by our government we don't know what it actually costs to feed them. We also can't quantify the cost of the fresh water as that is also subsidized by the government. Estimates from people who tried to calculate the cost without subsidies ranged from $65 to $200 per pound.
Here is what we do know. Meat production is the single largest producer of greenhouse gasses producing 18% of the world's total. Transportation is who most of us want to blame for emissions but they are only responsible for 13% of the total.
We also know that it takes 25 gallons of fresh water to produce one pound of wheat but 2500 to produce one pound of beef. Since we are nearing a world fresh water shortage - in as little as 50 years - doesn't it make more sense to grow wheat than to grow beef?
Here is what mass production of meat causes:
1. Animal cruelty
2. Antibiotic resistant germs
3. Massive pollution of the soil, water, and air.
4. Soil degradation
5. Rain forest losses and the resulting desertification.
All so McDonald's (the largest buyer of meat in the world) and others can keep selling "food" with almost no nutritional value to the poorest in the world as cheaply as possible. It makes you wonder if McDonald's and others have their investments in Pharmaceuticals.
Be well and more soon....
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Getting Above The Cloud Cover
I'm amazed how often it works out that when it is gray at home it is sunny up at a little altitude. Such was the case yesterday as Pam, Athena and I headed up to Norse Peak by Crystal Mountain ski area.
We have done this hike at least 3 times in the past and had never really had a full clear view of any mountains from the top. We did much better yesterday.
The Norse Peak Wilderness is a really pretty place. As you reach the ridge you get a wide open view of the valley below and - on a clear day- you can see up into the North Cascades. From the peak you get fantastic Rainier and Adams views.
We elected to take a different route down which added a mile and gave Athena a couple of miles of off-lead time which is critical dog time. They get so much out of freedom and the sense of trust they get from the experience.
It is hard to really communicate the effects on the mind and body from being out in such fantastic places where few humans are. For me it is renewing in every way. I end up tired - especially when Athena is along - but also completely refreshed.
That's what I have for now.
Be well and more soon...
We have done this hike at least 3 times in the past and had never really had a full clear view of any mountains from the top. We did much better yesterday.
The Norse Peak Wilderness is a really pretty place. As you reach the ridge you get a wide open view of the valley below and - on a clear day- you can see up into the North Cascades. From the peak you get fantastic Rainier and Adams views.
We elected to take a different route down which added a mile and gave Athena a couple of miles of off-lead time which is critical dog time. They get so much out of freedom and the sense of trust they get from the experience.
It is hard to really communicate the effects on the mind and body from being out in such fantastic places where few humans are. For me it is renewing in every way. I end up tired - especially when Athena is along - but also completely refreshed.
That's what I have for now.
Be well and more soon...
Friday, July 27, 2012
How You Doin'?
I go on and on about the effect of bad diet and no exercise in terms of chronic illnesses. I want to be clear that avoiding chronic illness as much as possible - while important - is not the only or even the main thing I am attempting to communicate to you.
The immediate effects of healthy eating and exercise are every bit as important and maybe more important because we all want that instant gratification. The thing I have failed to point out enough is the effect of diet and exercise on MOOD.
Wouldn't it be nice to have your mood more even? We all have those things that make us mad, but we also have things that we instantly regret once they happen - snapping at your kids or spouse for something that wasn't really worth the trouble.
Properly feeding your brain and providing it enough blood flow can be a huge help to evening your mood out. In order for your brain to communicate with your body, it needs chemicals called neurotransmitters to conduct electrical impulses, or brain waves. Some of these neurotransmitters are dopamine, endorphins, glutamine and serotonin. Your body has to manufacture these chemicals and it uses the enzymes, amino acids, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, proteins and carbohydrates in the foods that you eat to do that. If you're not eating enough - or enough of the right foods - for your body to manufacture sufficient amounts of these chemicals, depression or anxiety can be the result.
So if you are eating bad or not drinking enough water or not exercising then you can't manage what your brain needs to properly do it's job. I have mentioned here before that a kale salad gets me all jacked up and the same with other foods that have great nutrition. No wonder! They give the brain the right stuff to release the happy feelings that make us good humans.
I'm leaving out the clearing of your skin, the strength and flexibility of your nails and a bunch of other stuff that happens within weeks of making these changes. We can force ourselves to think good thoughts or pretend to be happy or we can actually feel that way! I think feeling that way is the right way.
I don't plan to get any exercise today after my walk and weeding yesterday and with a 10+ mile hike tomorrow so I will register as Guilty today.
Get back to what you were doing.
Be well and more soon....
The immediate effects of healthy eating and exercise are every bit as important and maybe more important because we all want that instant gratification. The thing I have failed to point out enough is the effect of diet and exercise on MOOD.
Wouldn't it be nice to have your mood more even? We all have those things that make us mad, but we also have things that we instantly regret once they happen - snapping at your kids or spouse for something that wasn't really worth the trouble.
Properly feeding your brain and providing it enough blood flow can be a huge help to evening your mood out. In order for your brain to communicate with your body, it needs chemicals called neurotransmitters to conduct electrical impulses, or brain waves. Some of these neurotransmitters are dopamine, endorphins, glutamine and serotonin. Your body has to manufacture these chemicals and it uses the enzymes, amino acids, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids, proteins and carbohydrates in the foods that you eat to do that. If you're not eating enough - or enough of the right foods - for your body to manufacture sufficient amounts of these chemicals, depression or anxiety can be the result.
So if you are eating bad or not drinking enough water or not exercising then you can't manage what your brain needs to properly do it's job. I have mentioned here before that a kale salad gets me all jacked up and the same with other foods that have great nutrition. No wonder! They give the brain the right stuff to release the happy feelings that make us good humans.
I'm leaving out the clearing of your skin, the strength and flexibility of your nails and a bunch of other stuff that happens within weeks of making these changes. We can force ourselves to think good thoughts or pretend to be happy or we can actually feel that way! I think feeling that way is the right way.
I don't plan to get any exercise today after my walk and weeding yesterday and with a 10+ mile hike tomorrow so I will register as Guilty today.
Get back to what you were doing.
Be well and more soon....
Thursday, July 26, 2012
And I Don't Even Like U2
Yes I know all the good that Bono does with his money, but I just don't like them. So this morning just before taking off with Athena for a walk I heard "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on the news.
Like all songs I don't like I couldn't get it out of my head which is a problem when I'm trying to go fast because the tempo is way too slow. Even at double time I am nowhere near where I am shooting for.
Then it hit me - triplets. So I walked triplets over the tune which was making Athena happy so I figured it was appropriately fast. As it turns out it is just under 5 MPH as we averaged 12:05 miles for our 6.7 miles walk.
That gives me one more reason to not like the song - it doesn't work out so that we can go uber fast. Take that Bono!
So I get home and am very sweaty, but we have this nice fog so I headed out to the front yard to deal with 2 plants that needed cutting back. They are these pretty, but crazy spreading vinous plants. I had them most of the way done when I turned and saw my nemesis - ivy.
I quickly finished the initial two plants and then spent the next 1 1/2 hours eradicating ivy. This stuff was here when we moved in 22 years ago and I've cut it back from time to time to stem it's spreading, but never went for the kill. This time I got all Neanderthal on the stuff.
It was wound all around our rhododendron which complicated it's removal, but I stayed in the game and got it all. Now, I'm not dense enough to think I have won the Ivy War, but right now the score is Paully 1 - Ivy 0. We will need to keep our eyesight and health so we can continue to battle the stuff the rest of our natural lives, but for now I get a tiny TADA for my efforts.
Now you know everything I know so get back to what you were doing.
Be well and more soon....
Like all songs I don't like I couldn't get it out of my head which is a problem when I'm trying to go fast because the tempo is way too slow. Even at double time I am nowhere near where I am shooting for.
Then it hit me - triplets. So I walked triplets over the tune which was making Athena happy so I figured it was appropriately fast. As it turns out it is just under 5 MPH as we averaged 12:05 miles for our 6.7 miles walk.
That gives me one more reason to not like the song - it doesn't work out so that we can go uber fast. Take that Bono!
So I get home and am very sweaty, but we have this nice fog so I headed out to the front yard to deal with 2 plants that needed cutting back. They are these pretty, but crazy spreading vinous plants. I had them most of the way done when I turned and saw my nemesis - ivy.
I quickly finished the initial two plants and then spent the next 1 1/2 hours eradicating ivy. This stuff was here when we moved in 22 years ago and I've cut it back from time to time to stem it's spreading, but never went for the kill. This time I got all Neanderthal on the stuff.
It was wound all around our rhododendron which complicated it's removal, but I stayed in the game and got it all. Now, I'm not dense enough to think I have won the Ivy War, but right now the score is Paully 1 - Ivy 0. We will need to keep our eyesight and health so we can continue to battle the stuff the rest of our natural lives, but for now I get a tiny TADA for my efforts.
Now you know everything I know so get back to what you were doing.
Be well and more soon....
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
What The Smart People Are Saying
First, let me catch up on the Guilt or no guilt thing. I sucked on Monday, but walked fast with Athena on Tuesday. Today I have been working on some stuff around the house so I only half suck today.
When I sit down to research stuff to write about I end up doing a lot of Internet searches. When I want to know about low carb diets I avoid sites like lowcarblife.com and others with obvious agendas. I try to look for more reputable sources.
Today I looked for what more respectable sites are calling the worst foods for human consumption. This is what they are saying.
WebMD.com
1. Mayo
2. Soda and sweet drinks
3. Alcohol
4. Processed lunch meat
5. Hot dogs and sausage
6. Whole Milk products
7. Gourmet Ice Cream
8. Creamy salad dressings
9. Stick butter or margarine
10. French fries
Reader's Digest
1. Processed Meat
2. Frozen Meals
3. Doughnuts
4. Potato Chips
5. Low Fat Processed Foods
6. Margarine
7. Soda
Mercola.com
1. Doughnuts
2. Soda
3. French Fries and other Fried Foods
4. Chips
5. Fried - Non Fish - Seafood (Shrimp, clams, oysters, etc)
Livestrong.com
1. Doughnuts
2. Fast Food Burgers
3. Processed Pork Products
4. Soft Drinks
5. Ghee - Clarified butter
6. French Fries and Chips
7. Ice Cream
8. Buffalo Wings
9. Snack Crackers
10. Whole Eggs
Most of this stuff we know why we shouldn't eat, but some are not as easy to figure out. Lite or diet processed foods are usually high in sodium or MSG. Pork is normally cured with sodium nitrites and nitrates. Stick butter and margarine hold their shape because they are high in saturated fat. Non fish seafood is high in mercury and frying it exacerbates the issue. Processed lunch meats normally are high in sodium and often have nitrates and nitrites.
So you don't want to give them all up? Let's get rid of the really dumb ones first. Doughnuts, chips, soda, mayo and french fries is a great start. You'll notice I left you the booze. Also eat grilled stuff instead of fried and you'll find you don't miss the fat at all.
Be well and more soon....
When I sit down to research stuff to write about I end up doing a lot of Internet searches. When I want to know about low carb diets I avoid sites like lowcarblife.com and others with obvious agendas. I try to look for more reputable sources.
Today I looked for what more respectable sites are calling the worst foods for human consumption. This is what they are saying.
WebMD.com
1. Mayo
2. Soda and sweet drinks
3. Alcohol
4. Processed lunch meat
5. Hot dogs and sausage
6. Whole Milk products
7. Gourmet Ice Cream
8. Creamy salad dressings
9. Stick butter or margarine
10. French fries
Reader's Digest
1. Processed Meat
2. Frozen Meals
3. Doughnuts
4. Potato Chips
5. Low Fat Processed Foods
6. Margarine
7. Soda
Mercola.com
1. Doughnuts
2. Soda
3. French Fries and other Fried Foods
4. Chips
5. Fried - Non Fish - Seafood (Shrimp, clams, oysters, etc)
Livestrong.com
1. Doughnuts
2. Fast Food Burgers
3. Processed Pork Products
4. Soft Drinks
5. Ghee - Clarified butter
6. French Fries and Chips
7. Ice Cream
8. Buffalo Wings
9. Snack Crackers
10. Whole Eggs
Most of this stuff we know why we shouldn't eat, but some are not as easy to figure out. Lite or diet processed foods are usually high in sodium or MSG. Pork is normally cured with sodium nitrites and nitrates. Stick butter and margarine hold their shape because they are high in saturated fat. Non fish seafood is high in mercury and frying it exacerbates the issue. Processed lunch meats normally are high in sodium and often have nitrates and nitrites.
So you don't want to give them all up? Let's get rid of the really dumb ones first. Doughnuts, chips, soda, mayo and french fries is a great start. You'll notice I left you the booze. Also eat grilled stuff instead of fried and you'll find you don't miss the fat at all.
Be well and more soon....
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Crossing The Centerline Is Best Left In The Movies
Crossing the center line seems like a cool thing when it's some guy in a movie, and even then we look at them and say "Man that dude is nuts!" Most of our lives are spent avoiding what is avoidable instead of facing off with death at every turn. Call it boring if you want, but it is SANE.
That's why I am offended by the advertisements for stuff like the Baconator that has more fat than you should get in 2 days along with enough sodium for 2 days as well. And it's not just the fast food guys that keep making this stuff worse and worse for you. Applebee's is advertising a Lemon Shrimp Fettuccine which has more than 2000 milligrams of sodium and a bunch of fat.
This kind of eating is crossing the center line without a doubt. Everyone knows the stuff is poison including the food scientists that concoct this crap, but the menu items get more and more unhealthy every day. Somewhere there must be someone watching everyone eat this stuff saying "Man those purple are nuts!"
Eating food is a survival action. You eat to nourish your body so that it can continue to be of use to you. You need a certain amount of nutrients or your body doesn't work right. Yesterday I wrote about the effects of eating the wrong way. Your body actually treats the stuff like it was an infection. Does anyone think the body is just confused? No. It's doing what it is supposed to do when it encounters a toxin - it attacks it.
So, the answer is easy. You eat FIRST for nutrition and second for pleasure. It doesn't work any other way - at least not long term. What you do wrong now you WILL pay for at a later date and what you do right has IMMEDIATE benefits. And the food tastes great as well.
There is this overwhelming attitude that you sacrifice something when you start eating right. I am here to tell you that you give NOTHING up. You get to feel as you were meant to - that's it.
Just something for you to consider anyway.
Be well and more soon....
That's why I am offended by the advertisements for stuff like the Baconator that has more fat than you should get in 2 days along with enough sodium for 2 days as well. And it's not just the fast food guys that keep making this stuff worse and worse for you. Applebee's is advertising a Lemon Shrimp Fettuccine which has more than 2000 milligrams of sodium and a bunch of fat.
This kind of eating is crossing the center line without a doubt. Everyone knows the stuff is poison including the food scientists that concoct this crap, but the menu items get more and more unhealthy every day. Somewhere there must be someone watching everyone eat this stuff saying "Man those purple are nuts!"
Eating food is a survival action. You eat to nourish your body so that it can continue to be of use to you. You need a certain amount of nutrients or your body doesn't work right. Yesterday I wrote about the effects of eating the wrong way. Your body actually treats the stuff like it was an infection. Does anyone think the body is just confused? No. It's doing what it is supposed to do when it encounters a toxin - it attacks it.
So, the answer is easy. You eat FIRST for nutrition and second for pleasure. It doesn't work any other way - at least not long term. What you do wrong now you WILL pay for at a later date and what you do right has IMMEDIATE benefits. And the food tastes great as well.
There is this overwhelming attitude that you sacrifice something when you start eating right. I am here to tell you that you give NOTHING up. You get to feel as you were meant to - that's it.
Just something for you to consider anyway.
Be well and more soon....
Monday, July 23, 2012
What IS The Difference Anyway, Paully?
Why eat more organic whole foods anyway? What is the benefit to me? To answer that you need to know the difference in how your body reacts to raw whole foods as opposed to how it reacts to cooked or processed foods.
If you eat 51% of your food or more as whole uncooked food your body sets to work on digesting it normally. There is no adverse reactions at all. If you eat mostly cooked or processed foods your body has a white cell reaction to the food which causes an inflammatory reaction in the body which takes places before digestion can take place.
What that means is that your body sets it's attention to killing what it feels is a toxin in your system instead of immediately breaking the food you ate into nutrition and feeding the body. That is why you can eat all of the processed food you can and never get the nutrition you need. Your body is too busy fighting off the inflammatory aspects of the stuff to take what it can in nutrition from the stuff.
There is a ton of talk out there on anti-inflammatory diets and their benefit on stopping and curing chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and auto-immune disorders. To simplify the whole thing look at it this way. You need to eat more than half of your food without cooking it. Fresh organic vegetables and fruits don't need our help anyway. They taste great!
Hit your local Farmer's Market or plant your own garden and get used to eating stuff as if grows - without cooking it. The extra micro-nutrients and phytochemicals you ingest are invaluable in properly feeding your body.
Now for some ugly examples of NON-FOOD items from our fast food friends:
From Burger King: Calories Fat Sat Fat Sodium
Chicken Carolina BBQ 630 28 9 2230
Chicken Texas BBQ 430 10 3.5 1690
Carolina BBQ Burger 760 42 16 1620
Texas BBQ Burger 520 21 9 1010
Memphis Pulled Pork 470 16 4.5 1420
Double Whopper 900 57 19 1050
DW hold the Mayo 740 39 16 910
From McDonald's:
Angus Bacon Cheese 790 39 2070
Angus Deluxe 750 39 1700
Big Mac 550 29 1000
Premium Grilled Chicken 350 9 820
Crispy Chicken Club 620 29 1200
Grilled Chicken Club 460 16 1030
And From Wendy's:
Hot & Juicy Single 580 33 14 1240
Hot & Juicy Double 800 48 21 1530
Baconator 970 63 27 2020
Son Of Baconator 700 43 18 1760
Asiago Chicken Club 740 38 12 1780
Ultimate Chicken Grill 390 10 3.5 880
McDonald's doesn't publish their saturated fat amounts on their web site.
You could almost make a case for dome of the grilled chicken choices except for the 800+ milligram sodium counts which is more than half of what you should eat in a day. That also doesn't mention the fact that the chicken is factory farmed which means the animals are fed tons of antibiotics, and in many cases arsenic and live and die in great stress. The sodium is no doubt due to the fact that the chicken is raised so quickly that it has no real flavor of it's own so they salt the crap out of it.
I hope you all spotted that if you hold the mayo on your Double Whopper you also hold 160 calories, 18 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 140 milligrams of sodium. WOW!
Eat at home. You use calories preparing a meal. It can be a great family time. You can teach your kids stuff they can use the rest of their lives. And you get to control the quality of the end product.
Be well and more soon.....
If you eat 51% of your food or more as whole uncooked food your body sets to work on digesting it normally. There is no adverse reactions at all. If you eat mostly cooked or processed foods your body has a white cell reaction to the food which causes an inflammatory reaction in the body which takes places before digestion can take place.
What that means is that your body sets it's attention to killing what it feels is a toxin in your system instead of immediately breaking the food you ate into nutrition and feeding the body. That is why you can eat all of the processed food you can and never get the nutrition you need. Your body is too busy fighting off the inflammatory aspects of the stuff to take what it can in nutrition from the stuff.
There is a ton of talk out there on anti-inflammatory diets and their benefit on stopping and curing chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and auto-immune disorders. To simplify the whole thing look at it this way. You need to eat more than half of your food without cooking it. Fresh organic vegetables and fruits don't need our help anyway. They taste great!
Hit your local Farmer's Market or plant your own garden and get used to eating stuff as if grows - without cooking it. The extra micro-nutrients and phytochemicals you ingest are invaluable in properly feeding your body.
Now for some ugly examples of NON-FOOD items from our fast food friends:
From Burger King: Calories Fat Sat Fat Sodium
Chicken Carolina BBQ 630 28 9 2230
Chicken Texas BBQ 430 10 3.5 1690
Carolina BBQ Burger 760 42 16 1620
Texas BBQ Burger 520 21 9 1010
Memphis Pulled Pork 470 16 4.5 1420
Double Whopper 900 57 19 1050
DW hold the Mayo 740 39 16 910
From McDonald's:
Angus Bacon Cheese 790 39 2070
Angus Deluxe 750 39 1700
Big Mac 550 29 1000
Premium Grilled Chicken 350 9 820
Crispy Chicken Club 620 29 1200
Grilled Chicken Club 460 16 1030
And From Wendy's:
Hot & Juicy Single 580 33 14 1240
Hot & Juicy Double 800 48 21 1530
Baconator 970 63 27 2020
Son Of Baconator 700 43 18 1760
Asiago Chicken Club 740 38 12 1780
Ultimate Chicken Grill 390 10 3.5 880
McDonald's doesn't publish their saturated fat amounts on their web site.
You could almost make a case for dome of the grilled chicken choices except for the 800+ milligram sodium counts which is more than half of what you should eat in a day. That also doesn't mention the fact that the chicken is factory farmed which means the animals are fed tons of antibiotics, and in many cases arsenic and live and die in great stress. The sodium is no doubt due to the fact that the chicken is raised so quickly that it has no real flavor of it's own so they salt the crap out of it.
I hope you all spotted that if you hold the mayo on your Double Whopper you also hold 160 calories, 18 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 140 milligrams of sodium. WOW!
Eat at home. You use calories preparing a meal. It can be a great family time. You can teach your kids stuff they can use the rest of their lives. And you get to control the quality of the end product.
Be well and more soon.....
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Not The Chocolate Milk Paully!
While watching the Tour De France I have been seeing ads with athletes saying they use chocolate milk to recover from exercise. They should be ashamed of themselves for taking money from the dairy industry and attempting to legitimize milk as a "quality source of protein."
The fact is that the main protein in cow's milk is casein and is the most linked animal protein to cancer development in humans. In fact in a "the China Study" the researchers were able to turn cancer on and off by either adding or eliminating casein in the diet.
Sadly, our FDA and USDA are rife with ex dairy, meat and chemical company employees whose goal is not to provide us with the information we need to make proper decisions about our diets. Instead their goal is to have an industry to work for when they leave their agency positions.
OK mister Smarty Paully, what is a good source of protein for recovery after exercise? I recommend a smoothy with 1 cup of organic Rice Milk, 1 Tbsp chia seeds and 1 cup of frozen berries. This will provide you with 5 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber, 25% of your Vitamin B12, D, 15% Phosphate, and 30% of your calcium, 20% of folic acid, 10% of Vitamin A along with 2.5 Grams of Omega 3's. Oh - it tastes great too.
The Chocolate milk - per cup is 210 calories with 8 grams of protein and 2 of fiber, but has 5 grams of saturated fat. So the smoothy gives you 250 calories in twice as much drink as the chocolate milk with more of every vitamin except for calcium which is the same. The chia seeds will also help you stay full longer which helps a lot of us.
Guilt or no guilt. GUILT. With the crap weather I have been a bum. I will do better tomorrow.
Be well and more soon...
The fact is that the main protein in cow's milk is casein and is the most linked animal protein to cancer development in humans. In fact in a "the China Study" the researchers were able to turn cancer on and off by either adding or eliminating casein in the diet.
Sadly, our FDA and USDA are rife with ex dairy, meat and chemical company employees whose goal is not to provide us with the information we need to make proper decisions about our diets. Instead their goal is to have an industry to work for when they leave their agency positions.
OK mister Smarty Paully, what is a good source of protein for recovery after exercise? I recommend a smoothy with 1 cup of organic Rice Milk, 1 Tbsp chia seeds and 1 cup of frozen berries. This will provide you with 5 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber, 25% of your Vitamin B12, D, 15% Phosphate, and 30% of your calcium, 20% of folic acid, 10% of Vitamin A along with 2.5 Grams of Omega 3's. Oh - it tastes great too.
The Chocolate milk - per cup is 210 calories with 8 grams of protein and 2 of fiber, but has 5 grams of saturated fat. So the smoothy gives you 250 calories in twice as much drink as the chocolate milk with more of every vitamin except for calcium which is the same. The chia seeds will also help you stay full longer which helps a lot of us.
Guilt or no guilt. GUILT. With the crap weather I have been a bum. I will do better tomorrow.
Be well and more soon...
Friday, July 20, 2012
New Laptop
So my laptop died suddenly the other night. I closed it for a bit and when I opened it again it was not having it. I even recruited Pam's brother Jim to use his IT background and it looks like the best we will get is the data from the hard drive and then we'll have a proper burial for the rest. Oh well.
The new one is faster and has more everything so I should be held to a higher standard from now on. I will continue to fail reaching that standard as I have in the past.
So, where are we? When last we spoke I had walked on Monday with Athena. We also went out Tuesday and were a little slower on the same route. She started Wednesday a little gimpy since she leaves it all out on the walks. So here is the update.
Guilt or No Guilt:
Tuesday - No Guilt - 6.7 miles in 1:28
Wednesday Guilt No walk or other measurable exercise
Thursday No Guilt - 3 hours of yard work and a couple in the house.
Friday - Waiting for the weather to ease up - more later.
I know there are no burgeoning mass murderers reading this blog, but why can't these idiots just kill themselves instead of taking out a bunch of innocents at a movie theatre? Man, I just don't get it. I know we do a shit job with our mentally ill and guns are way too easy to get, but there has to be something we can do to stop this stuff from happening. I'm just feeling ill over that right now.
I'll find something positive for a next post.
Be well and more soon....
The new one is faster and has more everything so I should be held to a higher standard from now on. I will continue to fail reaching that standard as I have in the past.
So, where are we? When last we spoke I had walked on Monday with Athena. We also went out Tuesday and were a little slower on the same route. She started Wednesday a little gimpy since she leaves it all out on the walks. So here is the update.
Guilt or No Guilt:
Tuesday - No Guilt - 6.7 miles in 1:28
Wednesday Guilt No walk or other measurable exercise
Thursday No Guilt - 3 hours of yard work and a couple in the house.
Friday - Waiting for the weather to ease up - more later.
I know there are no burgeoning mass murderers reading this blog, but why can't these idiots just kill themselves instead of taking out a bunch of innocents at a movie theatre? Man, I just don't get it. I know we do a shit job with our mentally ill and guns are way too easy to get, but there has to be something we can do to stop this stuff from happening. I'm just feeling ill over that right now.
I'll find something positive for a next post.
Be well and more soon....
Monday, July 16, 2012
The New Way
Let's get started with the new way I'm going to post so I can keep myself honest. From now on I am adding Guilt or No Guilt to track my exercise. You'll likely get tired of seeing that Athena and I walked 6.7 miles, but if it gets me out 2 more times a week it's good for about 2000 calories burnt per week and I need to make the final push.
GUILT OR NO GUILT? No guilt. Athena and I walked 6.7 miles in 1:25 averaging 4.75 MPH.
Product deal alert: The Grocery Outlet Bargain Market has Muir Glen's Tomato Basil soup for $.99 a can. This stuff is really good. It is not the creamy style tomato soup so it is just waiting for you to add some veggies or a little pasta to jack it up and stretch it out. The stuff is usually twice that price. While you are there they have artichoke hearts for $1.99 a can as well.
I'd love to read some comments with adaptations from some of you. I know there are some great cooks out there, so buy some - jack it up - and give us the recipe.
The Sierra Club is pushing Obama to make the San Juan Islands a National Monument which would give them permanent protection. If you like that idea email the president and tell him to get it done.
Be well and more soon....
GUILT OR NO GUILT? No guilt. Athena and I walked 6.7 miles in 1:25 averaging 4.75 MPH.
Product deal alert: The Grocery Outlet Bargain Market has Muir Glen's Tomato Basil soup for $.99 a can. This stuff is really good. It is not the creamy style tomato soup so it is just waiting for you to add some veggies or a little pasta to jack it up and stretch it out. The stuff is usually twice that price. While you are there they have artichoke hearts for $1.99 a can as well.
I'd love to read some comments with adaptations from some of you. I know there are some great cooks out there, so buy some - jack it up - and give us the recipe.
The Sierra Club is pushing Obama to make the San Juan Islands a National Monument which would give them permanent protection. If you like that idea email the president and tell him to get it done.
Be well and more soon....
Sunday, July 15, 2012
You Can't Judge A Trail By It's Description
I agreed to the Grand Park by the Back Door Trail for Sunday because I hadn't done it before and what the hell. It sounded a little too easy, but Pam does her homework so I figured there must be something to it.
I think everyone should look up the directions and get their asses up that trail! If you go in the next 1 to 4 weeks you will see so many wild flowers to go with the Mt. Rainier views that you WILL be back. Other than that you will hike less than a mile to Lake Elinore which is really great looking and peaceful as well on your way to Grand Park.
Don't go solo. We saw tracks from a cat that was at least 100 pounds and a solo hiker that came up after us saw a black bear and cubs in a meadow just past the lake. We were talking and making noise so I'm sure she walked the cubs into the woods as we came through.
These were taken from the meadow in question.
I think everyone should look up the directions and get their asses up that trail! If you go in the next 1 to 4 weeks you will see so many wild flowers to go with the Mt. Rainier views that you WILL be back. Other than that you will hike less than a mile to Lake Elinore which is really great looking and peaceful as well on your way to Grand Park.
Don't go solo. We saw tracks from a cat that was at least 100 pounds and a solo hiker that came up after us saw a black bear and cubs in a meadow just past the lake. We were talking and making noise so I'm sure she walked the cubs into the woods as we came through.
These were taken from the meadow in question.
There is only 1500 feet of elevation gain in the 4.5 miles we hiked into the Grand Park area so virtually anyone could do this hike. The Mini made it to the trailhead but it did get dirty.
Once you get to the Grand Park area the trail heads straight for Mt Rainier and the Crystal Mountain area. The open meadows today were mostly yellow, but there were areas with blues and purples and reds coming up as well.
We had our second breakfast after a brisk 4.5 miles with a fantastic view in front of us and were finished in under 4 hours including breaks. This is now on our list of must hikes.
Starting with the next post I am adding a guilt or no guilt section that will report on my exercise activity or the lack of activity. I hope it keeps me honest and gets me skinny. We'll see I guess.
Be well and more soon.....
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Who Wrote This Crap Anyway
I just had a thought that is worth passing on. That means it's not like most of what I pass on anyway because I haven't thought of anything worthwhile to say. So here it is.
Live your life like it was YOU writing the script. It's too vague Mr. Paully! Explain!
Often, we walk through life acting out the parts that we have accepted as who we are. We are the husbands and wives and the lawyers and accountants and school teachers and chefs and writer and whatever. We act out the script.
We tell ourselves we don't have the time to change anything because it is all we can do to keep up. and we keep acting parts that were written for us to play.
We go on dreadful family outings and dinner with people we don't like because that is what the script says we do. We hate every minute of it, but we follow the script as written.
I'm not suggesting we chuck everything and ad lib life, but we need balance between what we TRULY need to do to stay alive and what we TRULY need to do to stay sane and happy. We need to have at least some editorial control over this script that we are acting out every day.
How do we get there, Paully? At some point we all have to decide which parts of our life are not worth keeping in the script and pull out a red pencil and delete them. If every time you go to Uncle Bob's house for Thanksgiving you want to cry for three days then RED PENCIL Uncle Bob out of the script. But he's family, Paully! So what! If going to Fred Jones' house for dinner made you feel bad you would quit going without question. Why is Uncle Bob any different? Write your own script.
If every time you go on a cruise you gain 15 pounds and hate yourself for 4 months RED PENCIL the cruise or the way you eat on the cruise. Write a new script where you use the gym facility every day on the ship and do the margarita night once instead of every night and dance with your spouse instead of dumping money in the casino. Write a better ending for the cruise chapter.
If your job turns you into a stress monster who nobody wants to be around who couldn't find their way to health with a road map and GPS then write a story that includes dusting off your resume and looking for a new job that allows you to be a healthy and sane person who likes them self. Write a better script. (You'll notice I didn't suggest you red pencil the job until you found another one)
My last thought is this. Write a script where you make decisions ONCE and stick with them. RED PENCIL the one where you keep having to make the same decision over and over. If you need to do it - do it. Write a script with a more decisive you. A little mix between James Bond and Gandhi.
Be well and more soon....
Live your life like it was YOU writing the script. It's too vague Mr. Paully! Explain!
Often, we walk through life acting out the parts that we have accepted as who we are. We are the husbands and wives and the lawyers and accountants and school teachers and chefs and writer and whatever. We act out the script.
We tell ourselves we don't have the time to change anything because it is all we can do to keep up. and we keep acting parts that were written for us to play.
We go on dreadful family outings and dinner with people we don't like because that is what the script says we do. We hate every minute of it, but we follow the script as written.
I'm not suggesting we chuck everything and ad lib life, but we need balance between what we TRULY need to do to stay alive and what we TRULY need to do to stay sane and happy. We need to have at least some editorial control over this script that we are acting out every day.
How do we get there, Paully? At some point we all have to decide which parts of our life are not worth keeping in the script and pull out a red pencil and delete them. If every time you go to Uncle Bob's house for Thanksgiving you want to cry for three days then RED PENCIL Uncle Bob out of the script. But he's family, Paully! So what! If going to Fred Jones' house for dinner made you feel bad you would quit going without question. Why is Uncle Bob any different? Write your own script.
If every time you go on a cruise you gain 15 pounds and hate yourself for 4 months RED PENCIL the cruise or the way you eat on the cruise. Write a new script where you use the gym facility every day on the ship and do the margarita night once instead of every night and dance with your spouse instead of dumping money in the casino. Write a better ending for the cruise chapter.
If your job turns you into a stress monster who nobody wants to be around who couldn't find their way to health with a road map and GPS then write a story that includes dusting off your resume and looking for a new job that allows you to be a healthy and sane person who likes them self. Write a better script. (You'll notice I didn't suggest you red pencil the job until you found another one)
My last thought is this. Write a script where you make decisions ONCE and stick with them. RED PENCIL the one where you keep having to make the same decision over and over. If you need to do it - do it. Write a script with a more decisive you. A little mix between James Bond and Gandhi.
Be well and more soon....
Monday, July 9, 2012
Off By A Couple Of Zeros
I'm human and I make mistakes. I was off by 3 zeros in my last post so here it is. We each pay $14.65 to have them poison our corn every year. Here are the numbers overall.
| Corn | 4610464817.00 |
| Soy | 2073454838.00 |
| Wheat | 2023951310.00 |
| Cotton | 1297599264.00 |
| Rice | 383393018.00 |
| Sorghum | 288238887.00 |
| Tobacco | 191218926.00 |
| Barley | 104051071.00 |
| Peanut | 86548038.00 |
| Sunflower | 76220109.00 |
| Canola | 43213770.00 |
| Livestock | 41421317.00 |
| Tree | 8146404.00 |
| Oat | 5961479.00 |
| Flax | 3095700.00 |
| Wool | 1720621.00 |
| Safflower | 1637081.00 |
| Diary | 992062.00 |
| Total | 11,241,328,712.00 |
| US Population | 313,911,682 |
| Crop Subsidies per person | $ 35.81 |
So a family of 4 spends over $140 per year so factory farms can cash in on farm subsidies and congressmen can be reelected.
Be well and more soon....
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Corny Mr Paully -Corny
Did you get your $14,650 worth of corn last year? That's what we each paid to subsidize corn production - NO KIDDING. In 2011the subsidies for just corn were $4.6 Billion dollars. The US population is under 314 million which equates to $14,650 per US citizen to subsidize corn production.
Feeling full yet?
Not one penny of that money went towards growing organic corn. Every penny that actually went into growing corn went to "conventionally" grown corn which means that it went towards growing GMO corn. $14,650 for every person in the US went to overgrow corn that isn't fit for human consumption. Too strong a statement?
Recent studies that I have reported on in this blog have demonstrated that the genetic modification in corn remains stable and ready to alter bacteria cells to create pesticides. Since the main component to the human digestive system is bacteria the problem is obvious. I for one do NOT wish my digestive bacteria multi-tasking. I want them just to break down food to feed my body.
Ready to blame one political party or the other for this nonsense? Me too. The only problem is that this is a bipartisan issue. The 15 senators who push the hardest to keep the subsidies alive have only 2 things in common - proximity and contributions from Monsanto, Archer Daniels, National Corn Growers Assoc., Poet LLC, Growth Energy, and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. The senators are from the Midwest.
They have received campaign contributions from these companies in amounts from $10 to $15,000 all the way to $36000. They are as follows:
Grassley Rep Iowa $36,000
Bond Rep Mo, Harkin D. Iowa, Nelson D. Neb at least $20,000 each
Thune R SD and Conrad D ND between $10 and $15,000 each.
Our silence on this issue contributed $14,650 each to this stupidity. $14,650 each!
They stand behind ethanol to justify this. How many of us could eat and fuel our cars on $14,650? We may not be able to get both done, but I'd like to try. How about you?
Be well and more soon....
Feeling full yet?
Not one penny of that money went towards growing organic corn. Every penny that actually went into growing corn went to "conventionally" grown corn which means that it went towards growing GMO corn. $14,650 for every person in the US went to overgrow corn that isn't fit for human consumption. Too strong a statement?
Recent studies that I have reported on in this blog have demonstrated that the genetic modification in corn remains stable and ready to alter bacteria cells to create pesticides. Since the main component to the human digestive system is bacteria the problem is obvious. I for one do NOT wish my digestive bacteria multi-tasking. I want them just to break down food to feed my body.
Ready to blame one political party or the other for this nonsense? Me too. The only problem is that this is a bipartisan issue. The 15 senators who push the hardest to keep the subsidies alive have only 2 things in common - proximity and contributions from Monsanto, Archer Daniels, National Corn Growers Assoc., Poet LLC, Growth Energy, and Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. The senators are from the Midwest.
They have received campaign contributions from these companies in amounts from $10 to $15,000 all the way to $36000. They are as follows:
Grassley Rep Iowa $36,000
Bond Rep Mo, Harkin D. Iowa, Nelson D. Neb at least $20,000 each
Thune R SD and Conrad D ND between $10 and $15,000 each.
Our silence on this issue contributed $14,650 each to this stupidity. $14,650 each!
They stand behind ethanol to justify this. How many of us could eat and fuel our cars on $14,650? We may not be able to get both done, but I'd like to try. How about you?
Be well and more soon....
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Just When I Was Struggling For An Idea
Along comes a new Burger King Ad about their Texas Barbecue Whopper and Sweet Potato Fries. Intrigued, I looked up the nutritional information on the pair and found the following:
The burger has 820 calories with 51 grams of fat (78% of your daily limit based on 2000 calories a day) and 18 grams of the fat are saturated fat (90%). It also has a whopper size 1840 milligrams of sodium which is more than a days supply. I keep coming back to this, but this isn't nourishment. It IS punishment.
Add the fries and you add 290 calories and 16 grams of fat with 3 grams of saturated fat as well as 530 milligrams of sodium. That takes your fat total to 67 grams which is more than you should get all day if you are a healthy weight active male and 21 grams of saturated which is also over the amount. The sodium amount of 2370 milligrams is obscene. Most doctors and nutritionists/dietitians are recommending 1500 as a max - making this "meal" a day and a half wroth of sodium.
So what to do? If you make yourself a chicken burger with 1 tbsp of BBQ sauce it works out to 180 calories with 5 grams of fat and 1.5 saturated fat and a total of 250 milligrams of sodium. Bake your own sweet potato fries at 400 for 20 minutes and add 150 calories with 6 grams of fat 0 saturated and 245 milligrams of sodium.
You will have taken 1110 calories down to 330 and 67 grams of fat to 11. The saturated fat goes from 21 grams to 1.5 and the sodium from a heart stopping 2370 milligrams to 495. If you don't use the BBQ sauce you save half of the sodium as well.
This version will provide some nourishment instead of pure punishment and allow you to have breakfast and lunch too.
Be well, have a safe 4th and more soon.....
The burger has 820 calories with 51 grams of fat (78% of your daily limit based on 2000 calories a day) and 18 grams of the fat are saturated fat (90%). It also has a whopper size 1840 milligrams of sodium which is more than a days supply. I keep coming back to this, but this isn't nourishment. It IS punishment.
Add the fries and you add 290 calories and 16 grams of fat with 3 grams of saturated fat as well as 530 milligrams of sodium. That takes your fat total to 67 grams which is more than you should get all day if you are a healthy weight active male and 21 grams of saturated which is also over the amount. The sodium amount of 2370 milligrams is obscene. Most doctors and nutritionists/dietitians are recommending 1500 as a max - making this "meal" a day and a half wroth of sodium.
So what to do? If you make yourself a chicken burger with 1 tbsp of BBQ sauce it works out to 180 calories with 5 grams of fat and 1.5 saturated fat and a total of 250 milligrams of sodium. Bake your own sweet potato fries at 400 for 20 minutes and add 150 calories with 6 grams of fat 0 saturated and 245 milligrams of sodium.
You will have taken 1110 calories down to 330 and 67 grams of fat to 11. The saturated fat goes from 21 grams to 1.5 and the sodium from a heart stopping 2370 milligrams to 495. If you don't use the BBQ sauce you save half of the sodium as well.
This version will provide some nourishment instead of pure punishment and allow you to have breakfast and lunch too.
Be well, have a safe 4th and more soon.....
Monday, July 2, 2012
No Better Time
Every day - no every second - is another chance to take your life back. We sit around waiting for an epiphany to tell us what we already know. If we quit listening for voices from outer space and act on what we already know we will be closer to where we need to be sooner.
That being said, I'm really tired of seeing the exact same number every morning when I get on the scale. I know how to lose the last 20 pounds because it's the same way I lost the first 50 or 60 pounds. I need to get back to walking my ass off. I was walking 35- 40 miles a week and getting lighter and lighter.
I am going to do what Athena wants and get back to daily walks. The good news is that the more you exercise the more you want to. It sounds crazy when you are just getting started, but it is true. The other good news is that I now know how to maintain my weight. I've been doing it for a solid year now.
Here is your epiphany moment for today. If you start right away - you'll finish sooner.
Be well and more soon.....
That being said, I'm really tired of seeing the exact same number every morning when I get on the scale. I know how to lose the last 20 pounds because it's the same way I lost the first 50 or 60 pounds. I need to get back to walking my ass off. I was walking 35- 40 miles a week and getting lighter and lighter.
I am going to do what Athena wants and get back to daily walks. The good news is that the more you exercise the more you want to. It sounds crazy when you are just getting started, but it is true. The other good news is that I now know how to maintain my weight. I've been doing it for a solid year now.
Here is your epiphany moment for today. If you start right away - you'll finish sooner.
Be well and more soon.....
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