A Refreshingly Fun Reading List

Sometimes it just takes a little reading to inspire one back to writing; in my case, that was reading Slate's fantastic "Fitness Issue" of articles, which goes beyond the "6 moves to a better bun" and into the business and culture of working out, with a good dose of quirk and humor.

The quirky and fun set of stories include the quest for the perfect workout video for the active, if slightly chubby, at-home exerciser, the evolution of TV programs from the Jack LaLanne days (and the current trend of "extreme" regimens such as P90X,) the life and schedule of a fitness model, what people outside US do to stay active (gym plays a lot less of a role around the globe, no surprise to me) and even the weird world of facercises and its promises of a youthful countenance.

On a similar chord, Slate also started a "Clean Plate" blog detailing one person's candid quest to sensibly improve her diet throughout the year.

It's a refreshing change of pace from the resolution-obsessed fitness articles that have popped up so far this month -- so give it a read!

As for me, now that my life, at home and at work, have lightened up, I look forward to blogging more thoughts of my own on eating well and staying fit. And who knows, maybe I can get back into fitness modeling shape myself, which was indeed both a highpoint (WOW! being paid to show off my bod?!? really?) and a low one (all those retakes in uncomfortable poses meant plenty of soreness the day after!)

Happy Meals Banned in San Francisco . . .

"McGuilty" by J Salvador

. . . and while most healthy eating advocates are rejoicing at this news (which actually won't go into effect until December 2011 -- barring any litigation or appeal,) I personally am feeling a bit more mixed. And not out of nostalgia of Happy Meals in my younger days (though I know better than to eat a McNugget now.)

I'm all for eating more healthy and less processed foods with a half-year shelf life, but I just don't think enacting citywide bans are the best way to change eating habits, and prefer the carrot rather than the stick approach (no pun intended) as far as public health policy goes.

Instead of banning certain foods, why not further incentivize healthy eating? Engage the kids in farmers markets and kitchens, have them meet the people who are raising, growing and preparing healthy foods, educate them about the ills of junk food.

Besides, I can see all sorts of loopholes and ways this ordinance can backfire . . . toys may be sold separately (further lining fast food companies' coffers) or parents may be buying adult-sized portions for their children since the kids meals are off the menu.

Lesson & Thoughts As I Gradually Re-embrace Meat . . .

So, seven months after I embarked on an animal-free April (which transpired into meatless May, jumping off flesh June and so on...), I finally gently slid off the vegetarian wagon and went back to eating meat, starting with sushi @ SugarFISH Downtown. Was it an epic struggle? A profound epiphany? Not really (and I say the same thing about starting and maintaining my months-long vegetariaism,) I simply craved sushi and decided now was just as good a time as any... it's half a year longer than my planned monthlong experiment, anyways.

No surprise to anyone, during the veg-stint most people asked me "WHY?" And as I've replied numerous times before, the short answer is really "no reason in particular" or "to see if I can do it and for how long." The slightly longer answer involves animal-eating's impact on health, the environment and humane treatment of animals. Now, I'm not PETA vigilant about any of those aspects (but I do give them kudos for their very helpful online resource on transitioning into & maintaining an animal-free diet,) but those factors combined did make me want to rethink my relationship with meat (and the quantities I, and everyone else in the U.S., get served of it nowadays.)

According to MyPyramid, someone of my height (5' 5.5"), weight (145) & age (28) should be eating around six ounces of protein a day (in meat portions, that's about two decks of playing cards worth, before cooking.) And note that I said protein, since that category (and my recommended 6 ounces a day) includes meat (land, sea or airborne), beans, eggs, nuts and seeds.

Speaking of nutrition and health, for most part my body didn't change -- I didn't drop any weight (thanks my love of dairy and desserts) and I didn't take on a sickly pallor or lose muscle mass, though my blood-iron has been on the low side (always just a bit under the requirement to donate blood) despite my regular consumption of iron-rich plant-based foods. So, in returning to meat-eating (and its easier-to-absorb heme-iron,) I look forward to making my regular pint donations again.

Having read and watched a good deal of books, essays and documentaries about the food industry, which usually pays special attention to how animals are raised, farmed, caught and slaughtered, I definitely want to be more conscientious about the meat that I do consume, and going vegetarian for this length of time helped recalibrate my food mentality; namely, that I don't need a dead animal on my plate to consider it a real meal. Heck, moving forward I may even be a "weekday vegetarian" (though unlikely to label myself as such.)

Of course, re-embracing meat in a humane, healthful and planet-friendly way is gonna be a learning process (for example, at the SUGARFISH dinner I found out towards the end of the meal that the featured seafood came from all over the world; not exactly eco-friendly in terms of carbon footprint; and as divinely delicious as the meal was, this is surely something I'll take into consideration for future sushi outings, which is simple as asking "which seafood on the menu is locally and sustainably caught/farmed?" or keeping a Seafood Watch pocket guide or smartphone app handy. Or just enjoy in moderation.)

But I definitely look forward to sharing those lessons with you here as I gradually and conscientiously step back into an animal-including diet. But in the meantime, I'll follow Michael Pollan's simple, sagely advice to "Eat [real] Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants."

And in closing this post, my favorite vegetarian meal during this animal-free period -- the chef's tasting @ Melisse (with the omnivorous Mr. Grumpy)

Motivation Monday: Don't 'Phone In' Your Workouts!

While I'm pretty vigilant about working out 5-7 days out of the week, there are certainly days when I haven't given it my all. I'm sure everyone has these moments, just slogging through the motions without paying attention to precise positions, proper postures, or a complete follow-through of the movements.

So, I was rather inspired to hear personal trainer Angela Parker (of Body Inspired Fitness) to tell me and others to NOT PHONE IN YOUR WORKOUTS.

When I did a weekend bootcamp workout with her last week (more on that in a near-future post,) Angela made it loud and clear that she expects 100% participation and focus out of her attendees. And I definitely agree that the more mentally-engaged I am with my exercise, the more effective it felt and the more satisfied I am after since I *knew* that I did give it my all, pushing through limits I didn't think I could do (this time, it was doing 100 bicycle crunches in one session! Yowza for my obliques!)

I do yoga regularly so I'm aware of the mind-body connection (it takes a lot of willpower to maintain those postures!) but I was floored by how that can be channeled into a helluva active interval cardio & strength routine.

And it's not just all in the head too, if you're not focused on the workout, you're not truly engaging your body in the exercise... which means less effective fat burn & muscle-building and even a greater risk of injury (esp. if you mindlessly let momentum carry you through the motions.)

So next time you workout, instead of challenging yourself by upping your reps or sets or how many pounds you can lift... see if you can stay mentally focused on your exercises throughout the whole session. And once you notice how making that 100% effort feels, you may never wanna go back!

Smart Snacking & PopChips Giveaway!

As one of the 90% of Americans who snack at least once a day, I'm all about picking options that are healthy *and* tasty. Sometimes it can be a sweet, juicy piece of perfectly-ripened fruit, or a crunchy handful of lightly-seasoned nuts, or a decadent piece of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.

... and, when I'm craving something crispy and potato-y, I reach for popchips, which strikes a wonderful balance between regular fried chips (which, obviously, isn't healthy at all) and the baked potato chips (which is super bland with an unappealing rice-cake like crunch.) They are incredibly light, crispy and flavorful (the sweet-tangy-spicy barbecue is my favorite, with the zingy salt & pepper being a close runner-up!)

Another plus is that they are sensibly portioned, the individual sized bags are .8 to 1 ounce so you are only sensibly snacking 100-120 calories (compared that to the 2 oz. "snack sized" bags of regular potato chips that amounts to approximately 300 calories - yikes!)

So, I was ecstatic when the popchips folks approached me, and having found out I've been a fan of theirs for years, and collaborated on a giveaway for more folks discover its healthy AND tasty snacks.

Without further adieu, here are the three simple steps to enter:

1) Comment on this blogpost with your favorite healthy snacks, twitter username and email address (or if you feel sensitive about your e-mail addy, send it to me via e-mail -- it's just so I have a way of directly contacting you.)
2) "Like" popchips on their facebook page. (and while you're FBing, might as well check out the newly made Foodie Fitness page too!)
3) Tweet " I'd like to win the @foodie_fitness healthy snacks giveaway w @popchips! http://bit.ly/9kgfmH " ~ following is optional but appreciated!

I'll pull winners on Friday, Oct. 15, around 10 a.m. and e-mail/DM for mailing information. Five First Prize Winners will get Popchips' coupon booklets with some serious discounts (incl. free bags and 2-for-1) and Two Lucky Grand Prize Winners will get 10-bag sampler showcasing all their current flavors!

So what are you waiting for? Enter away and good luck!