Monday, August 01, 2011

Yanks in the Windy City Department!!



 PINSTRIPERS TAKE 1ST GAME
  OF THE CHICAGO SERIES!!



SOME THOUGHTS ON TONIGHT'S SWEET WIN!!


1.  This was a game the Yanks won in typical fashion lately! Good starting pitching, timely hitting and making the opposing team pay big for mistakes!

2. CC Sabathia gets my player of the game for winning his 16th game! He actually seemed to get stronger as the game went on!!  6 K's on 104 pitches!!  

3. Honorable Mention to Granderson who did the timely hitting with a big double and a big run scored later on!!  The man is still on a roll!!

4. I watched the game on MLB.com TV which meant I had to deal with Hawk "He Gone!!" Harrelson. If I don't get YES next year I will upgrade to get Yankee announcers on MLB.Com!

5.  Chicago killed two of their own rallys by not standing fast on line drives. We got to big line out double plays because Pale Hose runners were off at the crack of the bat!!

6.  Red Sox took it on the chin to Cleveland. Yanks only 1 game out now!!

Hughes gets the start tomorrow. Everyone says he has stuff but he keeps getting hit somehow! We really need him to have a great game!! Danks on the mound for White Sox with an 0.61 ERA in the last 3 games. 

White Knuckle Time!!!



Sunday, July 31, 2011

Asleep at the Wheel Department

 


POWER NAPPING 101









Power napping is a 50/50 proposition for me!  I have had good results and bad results!!

Sometimes I will be totally refreshed and other times I will be groggy as hell!!

I decided to dig around cyberspace for some advice and tidbits on how to do the perfect power nap!!


1. Do a hit of Caffeine before you you nod off!  Apparently the caffeine will hit you nervous system right about the time you wake up if your nap is a short one!! You will have the combined effect of the speed buzz hitting at the same time your brain is rebooting from the nap!!

2. Set you mobile timer for the right amount of time - How much time the perfect nap tapes is a matter of experimentation. Go to long and you will get into too deep a sleep.  My best results are somewhere between 10-15 minutes. Perfect for a lunch break!!

3. Sleeping more than 30 minutes could cause "Sleep Inertia" which means you won't thaw out for quite some time! I recommend staying under 20 minutes from my personal research!!

4. Once your nap is over do something active. Quick walk. Throw some clothes in the washer. Quick push ups on a chest of drawers, etc. Signal you body that the party is over and it's time to Rock and Roll!!

5. If you are at your desk and no one is around. Just hang your head and close your eyes for a couple minutes! Then grab a cup of Joe. I am surprised how much that even helped!!

6. Pretend the lottery commission just called and told you where to pick up you check! A quick fantasy is a great way to come out of slumber land!!

I only take power naps when I absolutely have to. Only when I feel like I just took a Mike Tyson right cross and have to nod out!!

The power nap is a bit of risk but can be very useful if your willing to take the time to perfect the process!!

Yanks win again Department!!




YANKS WIN OVER O's 4-2!!








QUICK THOUGHTS:

- Great to see the Yankees lock it down after the 6th inning. Noesi, Robertson and Rivera! If we can do this consistently we will be in great shape!! DRob was a monster on the mound!!  Not sure why Joe took out Noesi all of a sudden but the result can't be argued with!!

- Teixeira looks totally back in the groove now going 2-3! We need him to produce with ARod out.

- My players of the game were Gardy for delivering a huge hit to put us in the lead and Garcia for only giving up 2 runs and getting 6K's. Honorable mention to DRob!!

- Jeter got plunked and had to be taken out of the game because he couldn't really throw. Looks like its a day to day thing. Most like miss about 2 games according to Roto.

- Love when Yes has Paul O'Neill and Ken Singleton together with Kay.  Singleton has a great voice and O'Neill is a major smile!!

- I usually watch the game MLB.com TV on my laptop since the stream breaks up to much on regular PC. For some reason, I got a big treat when I was able to watch on my regular PC with the big screen and speakers. Hope that keeps happening!!!

Common Sense Weight Loss in the Hot Summer Department



IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!




Sweet common sense article that was on Trusted MD!!  

Makes a great review of all the stuff we have learned but have not put into play thanks to all the fun in the summertime!!

Common Sense Tips for Effective Weight Loss

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Weight loss doesn't have to be the complicated ordeal that most fad diets and weight loss programs make it out to be.

With all the various weight loss products and programs that exist today, you’d think that weight loss is a very complex and difficult thing to accomplish. Fortunately, with the right perspective, it’s not complicated at all.

For most people, not understanding the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle is what makes weight loss seem so elusive.
The following are 5 common sense tips to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

1. Avoid Sugar and Refined Carbohydrates
The typical modern diet consists almost entirely of processed foods. Many of these foods are high in sugar and refined carbohydrates which are two very common causes of weight gain. This often causes blood sugar levels to increase rapidly, and in turn, promote the storage of body fat. For many people, eliminating or severely restricting processed foods from their diet is all that’s necessary for effective weight loss. I unintentionally lost 30 pounds, which I didn’t even realize I needed to lose, after eliminating processed foods from my diet for health reasons.

2. Eat Real Food
By real food I mean the natural whole foods that we evolved on. This includes meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables. It does not include modern foods such as bread, cereal, and pasta. Even if you choose whole grain varieties of these foods, they still contain a considerable amount of carbohydrates despite not having as much sugar. As such, they can still easily promote weight gain. Focusing mainly on meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables will simplify your diet by automatically ruling out nearly all foods that commonly cause weight gain.
The high nutritional content of whole foods will also help to satisfy your appetite and will reduce the chances of you overeating. If you don’t believe this, try to remember the last time you felt stuffed from eating too much processed food versus feeling stuffed from eating too much fruit and vegetables.
Most importantly, eating natural whole foods will also promote optimal health.

3. Minimize Stress
In addition to the popularity of processed foods, most people are leading very busy lives and are exposed to significant amounts of stress on a daily basis. This can be a significant obstacle for weight loss. Frequent stress causes a chronic elevation of the hormone cortisol, which in turn, can promote increased insulin production.

One of insulin’s primary responsibilities is to store body fat, and as such, stress is something that people looking to loose weight should be especially aware of.

A few simple ways to relieve stress include eliminating as many sources of unnecessary stress as possible, reframing your negative thoughts into positive ones, using deep breathing exercises, enjoying nature, and enjoying slow and relaxing music. Mild forms of exercise such as tai chi, qigong, and stretching can be very relaxing as well.

4. Do Interval Training
Even though diet is by far the most important aspect of weight loss, most people attempt to overcompensate for poor eating habits by exercising excessively. This is made evident by the people who do long bouts of intensive cardio nearly every day and fail to lose weight. This is a tremendous burden to the body, and like mental stress, can interfere with weight loss. This type of repetitive physical burden can also cause adrenal fatigue and promote poor health.
A much better way to exercise for weight loss is high intensity interval training which consists of a number of short but intense repetitions of activity such as sprinting or cycling. One of the best aspects of high intensity interval training is that it can cause your body to continue burning calories at an elevated rate for up to 48 hours after your workout.

5. Make it a Lifestyle
A common mistake that people make with their approach to weight loss is believing that they can make temporary changes to lose weight and then return to their normal habits. It doesn’t work this way. A healthy lifestyle will help you lose weight, but you’ll only keep the weight off for as long as you’re continuing to follow the lifestyle. This is why many fad diets don’t work long term. In many cases, they’re simply to impractical to follow for the rest of your life.
As you make changes to your lifestyle to promote weight loss, consider if these are changes that you’re willing to stick with for the rest of your life. If they’re not, it’s likely that you’ll regain any weight that you lose as a result of implementing them.

Health Comes First
The tips outlined above aren’t meant to be a quick fix specifically intended for weight loss. They’re merely common sense principles of good health. Weight loss is a pointless endeavor if it ends up detracting from your health and compromising your quality of life which is exactly what can happen if you approach it the wrong way. As such, the best way to lose weight is the healthy way which is by following the lifelong principles of a healthy lifestyle.
Visit Our Health Blogging Network Trusted.MD

Sunday, May 08, 2011

Piecemeal Exercise Department

 PIECEMEAL EXERCISE SAVES THE DAY!!

There is no rule that says we have to do our exercise all at once!!




Its amazing how much exercise you can do during commercial breaks while watching sports all night on TV!!


I gave this a try while watching baseball playoff games a couple years back and was able to do over 100 push ups and 100 bicep curls!!
When I tried to find out more information about piecemeal exercise I found an article in About.com by that said the following about how everyday people fared working out in at different times of the day!

  • They were able to stick to their workouts more consistently
  • They exercised more days a week than the long-bout group
  • They accumulated more exercise time each week than the long-bout group
  • They lost more weight, an average of 19 lbs versus 14 lbs for the long-bout group 
Today, I really wanted to watch the Yankee Game, get my laundry done and run some errands.


I was able to accomplish all that and still get in a 5 mile walk and also do over 100 Push ups and Bicep Curls!


I did my 5 Mile walk in 3 increments and did the strength training during the commercials!


Turned out to be more than I would have ever done during one my hour workouts at the gym!!

Yankee Thoughts (Texas Post Game 5/8)

WHAT A GAME!!

BRONX  BATS WERE BOOMING!!








QUICK POSTGAME NOTES:

- Great to see Jeter come out of his funk!! 2 Dingers and 3 RBI's. Huge day for Mon Capitan!!

- Cervelli (The Cisco Kid) comes through with Grand Salami to let us know that he's back in the fold!!

- ARod still in his funk both offensively and defensively. Wish we could have had Chavez in there.

- Sabathia was a total professional and gutted through a tough day to keep the Yanks in the Game.

- Granderson is on Fire!! I think it was the visit to New Zealand since I am a huge Rugby Fan!!

- Joba, Soriano and Pendleton gave up no runs! Really starting to like Pendleton......

- I loved Teixiera's crank!! Ruthian suborbital shot into the stands. Very "Babe" like!!

- I think the warmer weather in Texas agrees with Pink Yankee Bats!!

Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Consistency Matters Department!!!

  I got this little tidbit of info from Shape Magazine. It was an article written by Alla Byrne called "Exercise advice from Jessica Simpson's Trainer"  






 
“You can have the greatest trainers in the world get together and devise a workout plan for you, but if you only do it once a week, you’re not going to get the same results as someone who works with a mediocre trainer, but exercises four days a week. Also, the more consistent you are with your workouts, the less intense your sessions have to be. And again, diet is very important. I think people start to work out and they see it as an excuse to eat whatever they want. Sadly, that’s not the case.”

Monday, February 07, 2011

The One Less Excuse Department!!

This popped up on a "Health Habits" Tweet!  It's nice to know people with little time to spend on working out have options. I prefer the  longer workout with interval training thrown in on the Elliptical!!

This also eliminates the "I don't have enough time" excuse!!


  

IMPROVE YOUR HEART WITH SHORT WORKOUTS!!

A recent study has concluded that short bouts of high intensity exercise is as effective at improving the structure and function of your heart’s arteries as the traditional long duration cardio-vascular training.

Participants in the study were divided into two groups:

* The “sprint” group performed only 3 workouts per week. Each workout consisted of 4 to 6 sets of 30 second sprints on an exercise bike. The participants pedaled slowly for 4 1/2 minutes between sets of sprints.
* The “cardio” group worked out 5 times per week. Each workout consisted of 40-60 min of cycling at 65% of their VO2peak.

After 6 weeks, both groups showed similar improvement of arterial structure and function.
Why Is This Important?

Traditionally, as we age, our arteries become stiff and lose their ability to dilate. This leads to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

And if you don’t know why that is important, please click the above links and spend some time at the Mayo Clinic site. You might be visiting sooner than you think.
Let’s Review

Sprint of High Intensity Interval Training is as effective as Endurance or Cardio training at preventing age related arterial stiffening.

That’s Good.

Sprint training requires a commitment of 20-30 minutes, 3 times per week (60-90 min per week) to effect that improvement.

That’s Good.

Endurance training requires 40-60 minutes, 5 times per week (200-300 min per week) to effect the desired improvement.

If you are like the rest of us time starved North Americans, that is Not so Good.

It’s your choice.

Health Habits Site

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Pump or Puke Department!!

This seems like a pretty good explanation of when to work out or just be sick!! Personally, If I feel fatigued, then my body is telling me to take it easy and try again another day!!

Is it OK to exercise if I have a cold but no fever?

Answer

from Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.
Mild to moderate physical activity is usually OK if you have a cold but no fever. Exercise may even help you feel better by temporarily relieving nasal congestion.
As a rule of thumb for exercise and illness:
  • Proceed with your workout if your signs and symptoms are "above the neck" — such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing or sore throat. Be prepared to reduce the intensity of your workout if needed, however.
  • Postpone your workout if your signs and symptoms are "below the neck" — such as chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach. Likewise, don't exercise if you have a fever, fatigue or widespread muscle aches.
If you choose to exercise when you're sick, listen to your body. If your signs and symptoms get worse with physical activity, stop and rest. Resume your workout routine gradually as you begin to feel better.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The "Could It Really be This Simple" Department

"Keep it Simple, Stupid" thinking I like to look for......!

 The No-S Diet: Keeping Dieting Simple

No S Diet 
book cover

The No-S Diet is the simplest diet I've ever come across. It has just three rules:

  • No snacks
  • No seconds
  • No sweets
Except (sometimes) on days that start with an S.
The author, Reinhard Engels, does explain those rules on his No S Diet site (and he's also recently writtena book on the No S Diet). So what exactly do the rules mean? And can it really work?

No snacks:
This is about "when" not "what" and means not eating between meals. You can eat whatever you want at mealtimes (including snack foods, such as chips, candy, and so on). Of course, since you're only allowed one plateful, you might want to go for something a bit more filling than empty junk food...
No seconds:
This means not going back for more: fill your plate once, and that's your lot! Particularly good for buffets, or if you tend to "graze" on leftovers.
No sweets:
This doesn't just refer to what we in the UK call "sweets" (candies) but covers anything which is mostly sugar. You need to use your common sense here: fruit is fine, of course, but ice-cream, full-sugar soda, etc is definitely out.

Except (sometimes) on days that start with an S:
All the rules are relaxed on Saturdays, Sundays and pre-designated Special days. But that doesn't mean you should start gorging as though you'll never see a bar of chocolate again - enjoy your treats, without feeling guilty at all, but don't go completely overboard.

Testimonials from those who've tried it insist that it does work. Enthusiasts highlight increased enjoyment of their food, an end to the "bloated" feeling after a meal, and greater appreciation of treats at the weekend.
For example, one successful No-S-Dieter wrote that:

No S avoids the pitfall of having to do things perfectly. I can choose the foods I like to eat, and am never very far from an s-day. "I can have chocolate at the weekend" is far more liveable with than, "When I reach my perfect weight, I can have some chocolate".
And I can certainly attest that being "good" during the week and relaxing at the weekend is a great way to lose weight or maintain your weight loss. For the past eighteen months, I've been following this sort of eating pattern, and recommend it on The Office Diet, as it tends to suit Monday-Friday, 9-5 workers well.

It allows planning ahead for some truly satisfying treats: I'd rather have a gorgeously gooey slab of chocolate cake at the weekend than have chocolate ice-cream for pudding every day...

So if you're feeling overwhelmed with complicated diet advice, or if you hate the thought of having to give up all your treats for an indeterminable period of time, why not give the No S Diet a try ... and let us know how you get on!