Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

While I was shopping at the health food store last week, I noticed that they had some salmon burgers for sale. They were spiced with herbs and veggies, so I thought I would try them. I usually don’t like salmon burgers, but if I’ve learned one thing about vegetarians, it’s this:

Vegetarians can make bean curd tasty. Just THINK what they could do with meat!

They have been the ABSOLUTE BEST salmon burgers I have ever tasted in my life. I put them on my George Foreman grill and they are a tasty protein treat!

Next time you go shopping, hit the health food store. You might find something that you would have never found at the normal grocery store that could be one of your new diet staples.

A couple of weeks ago, I was enjoying myself watching interviews with Alfred Hitchcock on YouTube and I was surprised by this video. At the 1:42 mark, he comes back from a commercial break for a laxative product:

Alfred Hitchcock comments:

May I say I am very confused by that last commercial. Well, it was a commercial for a laxative. And I wonder why all those people doing sports and all that sort of thing–where they would need a laxative after such vigorous movement all over the place.

When I first heard him say this, I thought it was funny, but didn’t think about it any further.

Fast forward to a few weeks later and the thought has stayed with me. I’ve noticed that after I exercise I DO need to go to the bathroom. Whether I’ve eaten or not, exercise helps me go to the bathroom. It has actually helped me a lot with my “stomach trouble.”

I had NO IDEA that exercise might help me with my stomach problems. NO IDEA. The doctor that I visited suggested exercise, but only as a means to lose weight because, you know, skinny people don’t have stomach trouble. Apparently, my doctor didn’t even know that my condition could be helped by exercise.

It’s a sad state when I get my best medical advice from a 350 pound dead man.

Diet Blog has a nice article asking whether your diet is a cult.

• Is Your Diet a Cult?

They have some suggestions on how to reprogram yourself if you have fallen into the cult mentality:

• This may seem common sense by now but the message bears repeating: There are no quick fixes or universally perfect solutions.
• Know that you and only you make the decisions regarding your health. Learn as much as you can about healthy eating and make decisions from there. You are in control!
• See food as the solution – not the problem to your health and weight.
• Reframe success: Look at markers other than scale weight to determine your goals. Set goals to eat more vegetables, eat out less or walk more.
• Join communities (in person or on-line) that are support-based, encourage critical thinking, individuality, and do not promote extreme measures.

These are good recommendations when choosing a diet plan as well. If it feels like your diet plan has been controlling you more than you controlling it, take a step back and re-evaluate your relationship with food and your eating plan.

I saw this LOL Cat this morning and it looked like the perfect breakfast:

Two servings of fruit and one serving of cute. Sounds like a perfect combination to me. Fruit for breakfast is a great way to start your day, but don’t forget about your soul. You need to feed your soul as much as your body when you are learning how to eat healthy.

Giving yourself some cute kitten time is the perfect recipe for your morning soul feeding.

Photo via: 2 servings of fruit . . . « Lolcats ‘n’ Funny Pictures of Cats – I Can Has Cheezburger?

If you have a Nike+ iPod, don’t forget the Starling Fitness Challenges on Nike+. It’s a chance to run with people on your own level. They add a fun bit of competition to your daily workout. We have these challenges EVERY week, so join up and start running with us.

If you DON’T own a Nike+ iPod (or even if you do), you can still compete on Runner+.

• Challenge: Starling Fitness Level 1 (09-29-08) – RUNNER+: Runs between 0-10 miles a week. If you run more than 10 miles a week, you will be disqualified.
• Challenge: Starling Fitness Level 2 (09-29-08) – RUNNER+: Runs between 10-20 miles a week. If you run more than 20 miles a week, you will be disqualified.
• Challenge: Starling Fitness Level 3 (09-29-08) – RUNNER+: Runs between 20-30 miles a week. If you run more than 30 miles a week, you will be disqualified.
• Challenge: Starling Fitness Level 4 (09-29-08) – RUNNER+: Runs between 30-40 miles a week. If you run more than 40 miles a week, you will be disqualified.
• Challenge: Starling Fitness Level 5 (09-29-08) – RUNNER+: Runs between 40-50 miles a week. If you run more than 50 miles a week, you will be disqualified.
• Challenge: Starling Fitness Level 6 (09-29-08) – RUNNER+: Runs between 50-60 miles a week. Right now, there is no maximum mileage limitation. Run to your heart’s content!

There are the same levels on the Nike+ runs, but I can’t link to them because Nike’s site is so phenomenally stupid. If you have been feeling stale with your walks or runs, join a Starling Fitness Challenge and add a bit of spice into your workouts.

I don’t care for peaches. Unlike apples, nectarines, pears and plums, I don’t like to eat that fuzzy skin on the outside. Having a slimy pit to deal with at the end is bad enough, but that fuzzy skin is just unappetizing.

Then again, I’m perfectly willing to eat apricots. I LOVE apricots and I miss the tree that my parents used to have in their backyard. I hated picking up the rotting and disgusting apricots that had fallen from the tree, but I DO miss the fresh fruit. The fuzzy skin on them doesn’t even phase me, so why don’t I like peaches?

Is it just the pit? With an apricot, I can pop it open and dispose of the pit easily, but with a peach, the fruit clings to the pit with a vengeance. I guess the combination of a slimy pit and fuzzy skin is just enough to push peaches off the list of favorite fresh fruits.

Canned, peaches, however… I LOVE those. I don’t like the kind that have heavy syrup, but packed in juice or water, they’re delightful. If someone else has gone to the trouble of removing that furry skin and gooey pit, I’m perfectly happy to eat a peach. Lucky thing, too, because adding peaches to my diet means that I won’t get sick of fruits and vegetables.

Are there any fruits or veggies that you don’t like to eat? If there are, try them prepared in a different way. It might make the difference between dieting boredom and dieting success.

Photo via: Found in Mom’s Basement: Vintage Georgia peach fruit crate labels

When I read the recipe for this chocolate cake, I was inspired:

• Chocolate Cake In 5 Minutes! | Dizzy Dee

After checking the WW Points for this recipe, however, I was a little less than happy. It clocked in at 19 Points! Since my biggest problem with a piece of chocolate cake isn’t the piece of cake, but the rest of it in my house, the idea of making one serving of chocolate cake sounded perfect. I wouldn’t have to worry about bingeing if I only made one piece of cake.

So I altered the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons self-rising flour
• 2 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa
• 1 Egg
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 3 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 Coffee Mug

Directions:

• Mix the dry ingredients together in the coffee mug
• Add the egg and stir.
• Add the milk and applesauce and stir until mixed well.
• Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes on high (1000 watt).
• Allow to cool before popping the cake out of the mug.

Servings: 2
WW Points: 4

Despite the appearance of the mug, it didn’t make a mess in my microwave. The bubbling cake mixture never made it all the way down the mug before firming up. The cake will be spongy, but moist. It’s not sickly sweet like some cakes are. If you want a little more sweetness, add a tablespoon of frosting for an additional Point.

The cake is so large, I cut it into two servings. Allow it to cool before eating and it will be less spongy.

When I was a kid, microwaves were the cool new thing and they made cake mixes for the microwave. I could make a personal cake whenever I wanted. Honestly, I’ve missed that a little bit and it’s nice to know that I can make myself ONE piece of cake and not have to worry about throwing the rest away.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: 5 Minute Microwave Chocolate Cake

It seems that tasks that task your mind also task your appetite. Jean-Phillipe Chaput just released a study in the latest issue of Psychosomatic Medicine stating that intellectual work creates a destabilization of the blood glucose levels in the body and causes appetite spikes.

• ABC News: Does Thinking Make Us Fatter?

The participants burned only about three calories more during each of the two “knowledge-based” experiments than during the 45 minutes when they rested in a comfortable chair. So the caloric expenditures were relatively quite low for mental tasks compared to the period spent relaxing.

But the intake was significantly higher. Participants consumed 203 more calories after the reading experiment, and 253 more calories after the computer tests, than the resting participants. That’s an increase of 23.6 percent and 29.4 percent, respectively.

Next time you feel yourself reaching for food when you’re working at the computer, remember that you haven’t really burned the calories you’re craving. Instead of a snack, take a brisk walk or a run up and down the stairs. That’s the pick-me-up that your body truly needs.

Via: Thinking Makes You Fat – Geekologie

Braidwood, from Authentic Threads, has decided to eat nine vegetables a day. She used to do it a few years ago and she really liked the results:

• My new eating goal: 9 servings of vegetables a day | Authentic Threads

My goal is to eat 9 servings of vegetables a day. I did this once years ago for three days and my skin GLOWED. It was an amazing and very noticeable difference. I looked SO healthy. I don’t know why I stopped doing it, but I’ve wanted to do it again ever since.

She provides a complete list of vegetables if you want to glow as well, so head on over to her blog and get yourself on the way to a healthier diet!

Sandy Says: September 24th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

I was googling something else and came across this blog entry. How does one go about finding the right work out tennis shoe? My foot (specifically the arch area) hurts sometimes when exercising (aerobic videos at home)…my feeling is that it’s the shoe, but I don’t know how to choose the right shoe.

Thanks! Sandy

Sandy,

The best thing to do is to go to a professional running store. Wear your exercise clothes and be prepared to run on a treadmill in front of the staff. The best places (like Nike, New Balance and specialized running stores) have treadmills in their stores so you can test out the shoes in action. I always say that I have to run a mile in a shoe to know if it will hurt me or not. In actuality, I usually only need to try it out for a minute, but it is SO helpful to have a treadmill at the store to try out the shoes.

If you happen to live in an area without a specialized running store, your next best bet is Foot Locker. Try to go during a time when they are slow so you can get some personalized attention. My first shoes I bought at Lady Foot Locker and the girl there was so good she was able to find a shoe that felt good from the very first day.

Other than trial and error (which is FAR too costly when shoes can run in the hundreds of dollars), there is no better way to get running shoes than to go to a professional running store for a fitting. What you pay in embarrassment by running or walking on a treadmill in front of strangers, you save in dollars in your pocket.

Best,
Laura Moncur