• The more I read and learn about nutrition, the more interested I'm becoming in the Mediterranian diet. It features fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken, whole grain bread, and plenty of unsaturated fats from nuts and olive oil. There isn't a whole lot of red meat or dairy products, which I currently eat a lot of, but the research seems to show it's the healthiest diet around.
The Journal of the American Medical Association just issued a report claiming it's great for the elderly as well, helping to lengthen their life span. In one study (of more than just elderly) there were a group of people who followed this diet for two years. They all lowered their choloesterol, their weight, their blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. There was also improvement in their blood vessel function, and reduced inflammation in their body. All good signs for preventing heart disease.
I also read today that mild exercise may help prevent memory loss or even Alzheimer's disease. It could be just me, but I get a kick out of reports that claim this may do that. Especially when it pertains to exercise. Did you know that thirty minutes of mildly paced walking a day may help you get better grades? Did you know it may also help you get some place else? They're even looking into the idea that it may even get you back to where you started! I just think it hurts their credibility.
• Jimmy and I were watching Frida tonight, and it came to us that Diego Rivera's infidelity was nothing more than a manifestation of his communist ideals. It's all about sharing afterall, right? Was Smith and Young communist?
• I heard on the news radio this morning that some people are pushing for the governement to give exercisers tax breaks. Where do I sign up?
In the same news brief they reported about a Cop who is pressing charges on a fast food chain and a particular teenaged employee because the employee spit in his drink. Apparently the employee recognized the Cop as the same officer who recently interupted his back seat procreation activities. My understanding is that the Cop didn't taste the drink, but sensed something was amiss and had the beverage tested.
Naturally I question the validity of the story, but I thought it was amusing.
• Me: Man, I didn't know the Spectrum was so popular. Jeannette: Yeah! There's such a wide range of genders here too. Me: Seriously, I see like, all two of 'em.
• A research team from the Netherlands published an article in a medical journal claiming they're ready to perform the first face transplant ever, which is apparently an ethical controversy. I can see the issue if the patient is healthy and just wants a new identity, but not when they're severly disfigured such as the patients these doctors want to perform the procedure on.
The "new" face is from a deceased donor.
In other news, an obese Nebraska man was admitted into the hospital because of a heart disease caused by his obesity. He weighed 1,072 lbs. Since he began recieveing special care in June he has lost 370 lbs.
My whole body doesn't even weigh 200.
A Virginian Judge sentenced a lady to 10 days in prison this past month for smoking around her kids. They handcuffed her and everything. She posted bond and is appealing the sentence because she thinks it violates her rights. Apparently her ex-husband forced the stipulation while they were battling for custody rights of their 8 and 10 year old kids.
Violating her rights or not, she signed the papers.
• Question: have you ever been so challenged by something that you felt like you were never ever gonna find a solution? But then, almost accidentally you stumble upon one not even knowing it until all of a sudden what didn't work before worked? Well, I have been, and I have, and it felt grrrreat.
I'm relearning my non-linear editing system since I upgraded just recently and it's nothing like the old version. Now, of course I do have some mad skillz that the girls like, like long bow skills, nunchucks skills, and breaking my computer skills...but unfortunately I'm not very good at fixing what I broke.
So I went stumbling around trying to see if I could break it some more when to my surprize I came across an option in my project settings that wasn't covered in my manual. I clicked on it, just hoping it didn't self destruct, and suddenly my audio was returned to normal.
• Personal new discoveries with selected titles and appropriate links:
Artist Song Album/year
1)Nick Drake, 'Cello Song, Five Leaves Left, 1969. 2)Belle and Sebastian , Get me away from here, I'm dying, If You're Feeling Sinister, year N/A 3)Wilco , Jesus etc., Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, 2002 4)Pavement , Range Life, Crooked Rain, 1994 5)Doug Martsch (solo), Dream, Now You Know, 2004
• Of course I have nothing to do...again...on a holiday afternoon. But instead of doing absolutely nothing, I figured it'd be a good time to scour for more interesting news on the health and fitness front.
A study was just released the other day confirming what us trainers have been saying all along: yoga is not an alternative to cardio or resistence training. As a person who is enthusiastic about exercise and nutrition, it's always interesting to see people get excited about activities that promote good health. I'll always encourage yoga and pilates because they are excellent compliments to a good exercise program. These are great ways to help keep ones body flexible and increase range of motion as preventative measures to accute or chronic injuries. Even further yet, yoga is a great way to increase blood flow, allowing the proper nutrients to travel faster and easier to their final destinations by keeping certain pathways open. All of this contributes to reaching your optimal performance level.
However, it's important to understand that yoga offers less than half of the benefits of a light to moderate walk. So while these classes can help your range of motion, they're certainly not going to be sufficient enough to produce weight loss results or tremendous cardiovascular increases. So keep this in mind as you develop your program, and be sure to make yoga your supplemental program and not your primary form of exercise. You'll see and feel better results if you do.
Many people know that when I worked in Hollywood I was infatuated with Claire Forlani (meet joe black), and I had devised this wickedly clever plan to befriend Henry Winkler who could do his Fonz thing and intoduce me. Sparks would fly, love would happen, and she'd be the mother of my children. I spent 8 months trying to make this plan work in vain. I even bought him donuts. Alas, I never got to be buddies with the Fonz and so my mission proved unsuccessful. However, I learned after I had quit that John Cusack, who I saw almost a handful of times per week for a month, had dated Claire Forlani and could have easily hooked me up. Oh well, it wasn't meant to be.
Once again I have learned that I was closer to marrying rich than I knew. Val, our beloved friend who just passed away, was an avid tennis fan. Over the years she attended so many Martina Hingis matches that eventually Martina recognized her in the stands and befriended her. OH MY GARSH!!! Martina Hingis is like only my favorite tennis player in the world and is totally HOT. I've always wanted to hook it up with her and she was nearly in my grasps, only I didn't even know it! And now my only connection to her has moved on. Dang it!
• From an actual flyer being passed out at the convention:
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION MUST BAN BREASTFEEDING NOW: Over 200,000 American citizens have signed a petition urging Congress to declare breastfeeding unlawful. This primitive ritual has and continues to be a violation of babies' civil rights. It's an incestuous relationship with mothers leading to moral decay. Women enjoy an erotic experience that imposes oral gratification on innocent infants after birth. Their reprehensible behavior teaches children illicit sex, subsequently manifesting addiction to promiscuity. Repbulicans: choose a candidate who supports our cause!
• A current poll, still under way, asks what keeps people from going to the gym. The options and current results are:
a. I don't know what I'm doing (20%) b. I'm afraid to ask questions (3%) c. I'll be the only one who isn't buff (17%) d. Too many people, too crowded (49%) e. Rude gym etiquette (11%)
Personally, I think the first two could be bundled together as the same question. They didn't even approach the idea that girls might avoid the gym cuz of perverts, or any person might not go because they're middle class.
• Keeping in the vein of happy thoughts so as to win more hugs from Kat:
Results from a study out of Yale was just released showing that older runners (athletes in their 40's, 50's, and 60's) have improved their performances over the past couple of decades. While the men haven't improved quite as substantially as the women, over all it's still a great sign. The health world has been putting forth great efforts to encourage aging folks to remain active in order to ease the process. Exercise won't bring back ones youth entirely, but it can make getting older less painful and help keep you an active contributor in the community.
