Currently browsing all entries in the What say you? category

Workout Tunes

Readers on msnbc.com shared their workout playlist:

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• Anything by Frank Sinatra
• “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
• “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue
• “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails
• “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce
• “Earthshine” by Rush
• “Escape” by Gwen Stefani
• “Fergalicious” by Fergie
• “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera
• “Going Back to Cali” by Notorious B.I.G.
• “Hold On” by Santana
• “Hung Up” by Madonna
• “Lose Control” by Missy Elliott
• “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
• “New Workout Plan” by Kanye West
• “Personal Jesus” by Depeche Mode
• “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado
• “Rent” soundtrack
• “Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd
• “Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne
• “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake
• “Starve” by Rollins Band
• “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
• “You Could Be Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses

The ones in bold are the ones I sweat too as well. Do you have any of these in your current rotation? What songs do you listen to? Do you prefer slow like Frank Sinatra or do you need high energy like Gwen Stefani?

Scale Jinxes

A few years back, when I'd do my morning weigh ins, I got it in my head I had to do them within 10 minutes of waking up and using the bathroom else the results would be skewed. Don't ask why. I don't know where that came from.

Perhaps I thought sleeping made the fat cells shrink up and after a period of time of being awake, the fluffed themselves up again. It seems silly now, but I was dead serious. I ended up stopping after a stint of moving and traveling forced me to stop doing early morning weigh ins and only remembered the jinx today as I woke up an hour earlier than usual and just stayed in bed tossing and turning.

What Scale Jinxes have you given in to?

No Excuses!

We all have reasons to stay inactive. But with a little thought and planning, you can overcome most obstacles to physical activity. For example: “I don’t have time to exercise.”

While physical activity does take time, you can reduce your heart disease risk by getting only 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. Plus, you can save time by doubling up on some activities.

For example, you can ride an exercise bike or use hand weights while watching TV. Or, you can transform some of your everyday chores—like washing your car or walking the dog—into heart healthy activities by doing them more briskly than usual.

Below are some common excuses and solutions to combat them:

“I don’t like to exercise.” You may have bad memories of doing situps or running in high school, sweating, puffing, and panting. Now we know that you can get plenty of gain without pain. Activities you already do, such as gardening or walking, can improve your health. So just do more of the activities you like.

“I don’t have the energy to be more active.” Get active first—and watch your energy soar. Once you begin regular physical activity, you will almost certainly feel stronger and more vigorous. As you progress, daily tasks will seem easier.

“I keep forgetting to exercise.” Leave your sneakers near the door to remind yourself to walk, or bring a change of clothes to work and head straight for the gym, yoga class, or walking trail on the way home. Put a note on your calendar to remind yourself to exercise. While you’re at it, get in the habit of adding more activity to your daily routine.

What are some excuses you've been using? Maybe someone else can come up with a solution to help you combat them or share your own solutions.

Participants Needed

I was contacted to participate in a research study on women, weblogs and weight loss. I volunteered to post the same info on this site, in case any other woman fit the criteria and would also like to participate. Details and contact information to follow:

I am conducting a research study on women, weblogs and weight loss and to ask you if you would be willing to assist me by participating in my research study.

The purpose of my project is to learn more about why feminist and womanist women author weight loss weblogs, including the advantages and disadvantages they feel this type of authorship brings. I am contacting you because you have identified as a female weight loss blog author. If you also identify as feminist or womanist, I am wondering if you are willing to participate in this project by completing a 1-3 hour structured interview. The interview consists of questions about your personal history with weight loss, technology and weblogs. Again, if you identify as feminist or womanist, female and keep a weight loss blog, you are eligible for this study.

Your participation is completely voluntary and would consist of an interview via telephone. If you agree to participate, I will ask you to sign a Subject Consent Form, which we will review together, prior to the interview taking place. There is no compensation for this study.

Women of color are especially encouraged to participate.

If you have questions or would like to be considered, please contact alisonr AT email.arizona.edu.

7 Eating Styles That Make You Fat

Researchers, Larry Scherwitz and Deborah Kesten, from the California Pacific Medical Center, have identified seven specific eating patterns that may make us overeat and are linked to being overweight or obese. These patterns of eating will negatively affect your relationship with food. Let's see how many styles I personally recognize.

1. Fresh Food, Fast Food: If you find yourself eating at McDonald's for lunch and heating up packaged frozen dinners at night, you're eating too much processed, high-calorie food and not enough fresh foods.

[At the height of my food & health ignorance, this was totally me. I considered the lettuce on a Big Mac enough veggies for the day :eyeroll:]

2. Food Fretting: Are you so concerned about what you eat that you experience negative and guilty feelings when you think about food?

[Nah.]

3. Task Snacking: You're too busy to sit down and eat right. So you just grab things to eat at your desk or in the car. If you're distracted when you eat and you're dining at the dashboard, chances are you'll eat more and gain weight.

[Very much me. Since I recently moved, I'm trying to make eating it's own thing. No eating in front the computer or TV. I make and effort to sit down at the kitchen table.]

4. Eating Atmosphere: Where you eat is as important as what you eat. When you dine in a calm setting, you're less likely to struggle with how much you eat.

[I'm working on this and agree eating at a frenzied pace makes me pick poor foods and/or inhale my food so I end up eating more.]

5. Social Fare: People who eat alone tend to overeat. When we enjoy meals with others, we're far more likely to slow down and eat less.

[Yea, guilty of this one too.]

6. Emotional Eating: Are you using food to manage your feelings?

[Have they been reading my diary. Do this too.]

7. Sensory/Spiritual Nourishment: People who eat this way are infusing their food with special meaning.

[Finally the yes streak is broken, I don't do this. But, I get the whole "Well it's a holiday so I *should* engorge myself on yada yada yada..." The last few years I've been weaning myself off that mentality by saying, i can have turkey and stuffing any day of the year, it doesn't just grow on Thanksgiving Day so there's no need for me to eat as if I'll never see it again.]

Ok, you heard my sordid confessions, how about you? Do you recognize yourself?

Trash or Inspiration?

Love them or hate them, we are looking to hear everyone's view of makeover shows. A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania is studying what audiences think about some of the most popular television makeover shows. If you have watched any episodes of The Biggest Loser, What Not To Wear, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy or Starting Over and would like to share your opinion - good or bad! - with us, we'd like to hear your thoughts. This project is only for academic purposes (not market research) and all responses are confidential. This survey will take you about 20 minutes to complete (you must be 18 or older to participate). [take the survey]

O Canada

Canadians are healthier than Americans. They are less likely to have diabetes, high-blood pressure and other conditions. Why?

Canada's national health insurance program is part of the reason. Having universal coverage makes it easier for them to get disease-preventing health services. Harvard Med School researchers have found Americans are 42 percent more likely than Canadians to have diabetes, 32 percent more likely to have high blood pressure, and 12 percent more likely to have arthritis.

More disturbing stats below:

- 6.7 percent of Americans and 4.7 percent of Canadians reported having diabetes,
- 18.3 percent of Americans and 13.9 percent of Canadians reported having high blood pressure,
- Americans also reported more heart disease and major depression,
- 21 percent of Americans said they were obese, compared with 15 percent of Canadians,
- 13.5 percent of the Americans admitted to a sedentary lifestyle, versus 6.5 percent of Canadians,
- nearly twice as many Americans said there were medicines they needed but couldn't afford (9.9 percent versus 5.1 percent). [read the entire article]

Something tells me Americans are more likely to have Bariatric Surgery. What on earth is going on? How do Americans feel about this? People outside of America, why do you think you, as a whole, your country is healthier?

Lose, Gain, Maintain?

I thought of this topic when I looked at the calendar and realized there are 6 weeks left in the year.

Do you plan to keep actively losing? Will you be happy to maintain or have a modest gain? Or is everything off the table till the first of the year and you'll start fresh in 2006?

As the holidays approach, what are your weight related plans?