Lucky 13

If you habitually eat breakfast, practice good dental hygiene and pace the floor sometimes when you talk on the telephone, you have already checked off 3 items of 13 in this WebMd healthy habits explainer.
Believe it or not, pacing while talking on the phone burns calories. Maybe not many, but it gets the blood flowing. Eating breakfast is good fuel for the brain. (Though I always grimaced when my father woke me up for school, he started a good habit of making us breakfast every morning.) And, good dental hygiene isn't only healthy for the teeth (brushing at least twice a day, flossing and having regular checkups), but good for the entire body. (I also have to make a plug for dentists here because at least five people on my dad's side of the family poke around people's mouths for a living. My dad, one of three brothers who is not a dentist, and whose father was a dentist, often refers to himself as the "black tooth of the family.")
After reading the article, take our nifty poll to see how you measure up:

How many of the 13 habits do you keep?
	All 13
	About half
	A few
	About zero
pollcode.com free polls

Calling all vets

Spring has sprung in our little hamlet by the river. Today's temps? About 70 degrees. Low humidity. Clear skies. (We'll remember this day in July, when it's 100 degrees and 90-percent humidity.)
To celebrate this early spring, many a person and many a pet were out jogging and walking today in local parks. Which then prompted a thought: How much should animals exercise? Our friends over at this site can tell you all about it. Apparently it depends partly on your canine's make and model; some are OK in a confined space. Others need more room to flex their paws and keep their heart healthy.
Any vets out there want to weigh in? Pet owners? Fifi?
Meanwhile, in feline news, we still need an exorcist for Bisquick. This morning, he attacked my lower legs, as he usually does--with his mouth. Ouch.

The "Do-Si-Do" Compulsion

More on Girl Scout cookies (of which that is one type). On the way home from the grocery store, I heard this guy on NPR give a hilarious commentary on the annual sales tradition. He referred to one kind as the crack cocaine of Girl Scout cookies. You can check it out here. Other points of interest: The cookies seem extra special, he said, because a) they're only sold once a year and b) "you have to know somebody" in order to buy them. Not that it's so difficult with booths set up here and there; but still, an appealing thing is that one child--or maybe more--will approach you just after the first of each year with her little form and say, "Do you want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?"

Escar-No?!

To my knowledge, escargots have never graced my palette. So imagine my surprise when this was my winnings this evening at Brad Barnes' and Jennifer Collins' (mostly) annual Chili Cookoff. Brad is a colleague and Jennifer's his wife. Ordinarily the Big Event revolves around the Super Bowl, but this year it's for Oscar Night. There was some stiff competition: Some hot chili, some on the sweet side, some exotic and some normal. (Mine was normal, straight out of the Betty Crocker.) Brad even tried to stack the deck by printing ballots with his name already filled in. Grrrr.
To be fair, my chili tied for first with Jennifer's and Sonya Sorich's. But nonetheless, I can hardly contain my excitement--not that I'm competitive, haha--because for years this fella from work beat everybody like a boxer. He was probably born making chili. Then he moved.
This was my year.
Not sure what to do with the can of loot. Any takers?

Want Samoas?

From oatmeal to Girl Scout cookies. Today we'll be on the lookout for our No. 1 Girl Scout, as we bought two boxes from her this year. (Thin Mints and Samoas.) Which comes to mind because of this well-timed story from the AP, touting the "no trans-fat" thing in this, the 90th year of the cookie program. (Gee, that's a long time in the kitchen.)
For everything you wanted to know about Girl Scouts, including the cookies, click here.
You may remember some years ago that the Girl Scouts made their famous edibles with "reduced fat." Then the thinking was, "Great. We'll just be tempted to eat twice as many." Michael also reminded me of the reduced- nicotine cigarette craze many years ago. Ingenious on the part of the manufacturers; get people to smoke/buy twice as much--or more--for the same effect.
Back to the Scouts, Boy and Girl. Great organizations. (An admission: Many years ago, yours truly went through a Scouting program but was disillusioned to discover all the "classes" were on food preparation. Like in a kitchen. We got badges and stuff for bringing in donuts and singing songs. Silly me, thinking we'd learn how to build fires and go camping.)
Great cookies, though. Pass the milk.

Today in food history

Did you know?
It's National Tortilla Chip Day
And: Today in 1938, DuPont begins production of nylon toothbrush bristles. No more brushing your teeth with hog hair.
Today in 1955, Steven Jobs was born. He is the co-founder of Apple computer company. According to the company, he "grew up in the apricot orchards which later became known as Silicon Valley."
Today in 1989, a fossil egg was found in Utah that was 150 million years old.
--www.foodreference.com

Speaking of food, oatmeal was on the menu for breakfast. Wikipedia. com says: "There's been increasing interest in oatmeal in recent years due to its beneficial health effects. Studies have shown that daily consumption of a bowl of oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol. After reports found that oats can help lower cholesterol, an 'oat bran craze' swept the U.S. in the late 1980s, peaking in 1989. The food fad was short-lived and faded by the early 1990s. The popularity of oatmeal and other oat products again increased after the January 1997 decision by the Food and Drug Administration that food with a lot of oat bran or rolled oats can carry a label claiming it may reduce the risk of heart disease, when combined with a low-fat diet. This is because of the beta-glucan in the oats. Rolled oats have also long been a staple of many athletes' diets, especially weight trainers', given oatmeal's high content of complex carbohydrates and fiber which encourage slow digestion and stable blood-glucose levels."
Here's a recipe for oatmeal.
Enjoy your Saturday.

A Top-10 list

A doctor I know in Atlanta doesn't use the elevator at the hospitals where she makes rounds. She takes the stairs. Quickly. She's not particularly young but guaranteed, she's in great shape.
Along that vein, here are 10 fitness tips to get your blood moving and your weekend off on the right foot. So to speak. What works for you? What doesn't?
Enjoy your Friday!

Beyond the blues

"I just felt terrible and I didn't know why it was, I didn't want to face anyone, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't really want to do anything for myself because I felt so, I felt like I was such an awful person that there was no real reason for me to do anything for myself."
--Rodolfo Palma-Lulión, from the National Institute of Mental Health Web site

If you have seen the curernt issue of Newsweek, you know the cover story is about men and depression. Columbus resident Stephen Akinduro, a regular contributor to our letters section in the paper, is featured in it as a survivor of suicide, and as one who has struggled with depression. Here is a link to the story. And here is a link to a depression quiz.
Though not an uplifting topic, it's important. Not just to men, of course; but as the article points out, men seem to have the added societal burden of being "successful" in their field, which can translate to a) making a lot of money and b) gaining power and notoriety. (It's the American Dream, right?) If the trajectory of either A or B gets thwarted, depression--serious depression--can set in. And especially so if, like Akinduro, you have a family history. Genetics definitely play a role.
Six million American men will be diagnosed with depression this year.

Thankfully, the stigmas that attach themselves to mental illness seem to be lessening. With more and more people speaking out about this debilitating illness, naturally more of us will become educated, and hopefully more compassionate. Among those who have spoken and/or written about depression in their own lives: William Styron, Mike Wallace, Art Buchwald (pictured left), Rosalynn Carter. (Styron, Wallace and Buchwald referred to themselves the Blues Brothers. Wallace is the only one of the bunch still living.) The artist Van Gogh suffered (photo at top). A list would go on and on, and may even include the person sitting next to you at work.
Styron's "Darkness Visible" is one of the best resources out there. The Washington Post recently had this great column about Buchwald. Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison is a psychiatrist who had a serious bout, and has written and spoken about depression extensively. This Baptist minister in Texas blogged Wednesday about his own experience and struggle.
Humor helps. Talking helps. Prayer. Throwing things. (Preferably soft things.) A supportive community. Use every tool at your disposal. It is a curable and manageable illness. If you need help in the Columbus, Ga., area call 211. Outside: Call 1-800-273-TALK or see www.nami.org.

Coffee talk

So here I am with my Fat Tuesday pancake hangover, sipping a cup of coffee; and over at WebMd, there's a video about how coffee can be good for you--it helps prevent certain diseases such as cancer, and osteoporosis, and even can reduce tooth decay (which is hilarious in itself since I had two cavities filled Tuesday, my first in 25 years. But I digress.)
Then this official-looking woman in a white suit--probably a doctor--comes on the video and basically says, "Not so fast." You wouldn't want even two servings a day of mocha latte with whipped cream, since that's a whopping 1,500 calories, she says. And we don't know yet about all this prevention of disease. And, she says, coffee preparation itself can be bad for you. There are countries where it's customary to BOIL the coffee beans. Bad, bad, bad.
A link close to the coffee video reports on water consumption. Apparently the rule of eight, 8 oz. of glasses a day is so 20th century. Women need 91 oz. a day, and men need 125 oz. (which is a lot, but they're including foods and anything with water in it). The report also says drink when you're thirsty, and don't get dehydrated if you work out a lot. Pretty common-sense stuff. Meanwhile I am drinking my cup-o-joe to balance out (don't read this next thing, Mom) the three pancakes and 3 pieces of bacon and sausage I ate last night.

Eat, drink and be merry

Why? Because today is Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, which can only mean one thing: Forget this health and fitness stuff. At least for a day. Tonight some local establishments--among them, bars and churches--are hosting Mardi Gras parties. The scene in New Orleans, meanwhile, will look decidedly different. (see photo.)
Some Mardi Gras facts, thanks to our friends over at cool.com: "Gras" is French for fat and "Mardi" is French for Tuesday.
The annual festivities start on Jan. 6, the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany, when the three kings visited the Christ Child; and they build to a climax on Mardi Gras, which is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Parties and parades continue until Lent begins at the stroke of midnight tonight/tomorrow. Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in New Orleans.
As luck would have it, Tuesday is my normal off day from the gym; and tonight is pancake night at my church. So, everyone get outta my way. (Then we will all sit around, bloated, and moan about how much we ate.) The food tradition is, you fatten up before the long six weeks of Lent, when you are supposed to give up stuff you really like, like pancakes. But otherwise, you can eat.

Here is a great pancake recipe:
1 c. all purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
1 c. milk 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the egg, milk and oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir until just moistened.
For standard-sized cakes, pour about 1/4 c. batter onto greased griddle or heavy skillet. For buttermilk pancakes, prepare the same way except reduce baking powder to 1 tsp. and add 1/4 tsp. baking soda to dry mixture. Sub buttermilk or sour milk for the regular milk.
--from Better Homes and Gardens

P.S. Methinks Jim Harrison, from Sunday's post, would love Mardi Gras. Lent? Not so much.

Brushing aside

Happy Monday.
Have you ever wondered about the age of the spices in your cabinet? Unlike milk, there's no expiration date. Dried herbs and spices lose their flavor over time, Tina Ujlaki, executive food editor for Food & Wine magazine, says in a report posted today on AOL. Whole spices, such as star anise or coriander, may last slightly longer -- less of the spice is exposed to the air. To tell if your spices are past their prime, open the bag or jar and take a whiff. "If there's no scent, there won't be any flavor," she says.
In this link, there are more tips about other household items, such as the shelf life (so to speak) of your toothbrush. Some of the expiration dates may surprise you.


The Poet Laureate of Appetite

"Eat well, of course, avoiding the ninny diets and mincing cuisines that demonize appetite and make unthinkable a tasty snack of hog jowls. We’re all going to die. Might as well enjoy a little fat along the way. (In a 1971 “false memoir” called “Wolf,” written while (Jim) Harrison was convalescing from a fall off a cliff, he suggested curing heartbreak by broiling a two- to three-pound porterhouse, eating it with your hands, followed by a hot bath in which you consume the best bourbon you can buy until the bottle is empty. Then sleep for a day. Ladies and gentlemen, this works.)"
This comes from "Food for the Soul" by Will Blythe, a Feb. 11 New York Times book review of "Returning to Earth" by Jim Harrison.
Harrison, who's been called the Poet Laureate of Appetite (what a great phrase), has said he hungers for a life of "mental heat, experience, (and) jubilance."
For more on Harrison, click here.
Interesting. On the one hand you have this guy whom Thoreau would describe as "sucking the marrow out of life" (which to Thoreau was a good thing); then there's the other extreme of a person who is too cautious, too reticient, too conservative.
Short of falling into some sort of addiction, I'd say Harrison is on to something. Shouldn't life be full of, well, life? Or do we play it safe, not to offend or ruffle feathers? Do we worry too much about what others might think about a life fully lived?

Sweet dreams

Oversized dancing penguins. A chocolate cake with legs.
Freud believed dreams were the "royal road" to the subconscience, that we dream to work out issues from the day, or further back; some say they help us map the future, or give us confidence. And that we need them in order to face the outside world. This comes to my somewhat conscious mind this Saturday morning as I had a dream last night about Bisquick the cat. He was in a cross-country foot race. He appeared for awhile to be winning, but then got tired. We ran to him, gave him a pep talk, patched him up and told him he could win if he just put in a little extra fight. Then he won; and we celebrated and the dream was over. Weird.
For more on dreams: Go here.
To submit one of your dreams for interpretation: Go here.
Sweet dreams!

It's a sign

Just back from Dinglewood Pharmacy (a popular drug store and lunch counter) where this sign is posted behind the cash register: Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free puppy.

Best foot forward

Because it's Friday, and because Weekend Warriors everywhere are preparing to jog, walk, bike, ski and mountain climb their way to all-time fitness heights, it's time to talk about feet. ... Usually not a person's favorite part of the body, but certainly necessary if you're going to function in any sort of normal way. Even amputee athletes have a foot-like device to help them in their sport.
Think of how beaten up our feet must get. They take all the weight, all the gravity, and for what? Blisters and ingroan toenails and bunions, etc. If the feet of an active person could talk, they might say, "Enough already!"
This article (click on "best foot forward") gives practical advice from a Harvard doc, who writes about caring for one's feet and how to fit into the right shoes. Any thoughts? Advice? Suggestions?

Hot stuff

OK, what's the deal with a 30-degree (or more) drop in temps from Tuesday to Wednesday? And today? Not that I'm complaining; at least we never have to shovel snow around here.
If you need a warm-up, here's some interesting news. Consumer Reports just rated McDonald's coffee No. 1 in a taste test, beating out the likes of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. The full article can be found here.
Some advice: Just don't drop the cup between your legs as an 81-year-old New Mexico woman did in 1994. Then she sued the Golden Arches because the coffee was too hot and scalded her. She won $2.9 million. (The amount was later reduced greatly.) Hence, the current warning labels at fast-food restaurants about coffee being hot.
"It made me come home and tell my wife and daughters don't drink coffee in the car, at least not hot," juror Jack Elliott told the Wall Street Journal.
All of which reminds me of the old FarSide cartoon in which cold coffee is served in hell; and someone says, "Gee, they thought of everything."

Take the coffee poll:

Who's got the best java, of these national chains?
	Starbucks
	McDonald's
	Dunkin Donuts
	Other
pollcode.com free polls

Of love and grief

"I've got 20 friends in this pack of cigarettes," the man said. "They're always there for me. You want to take away my 20 friends? What are you going to give me instead?"
This guy is quoted in a 2005 Newsweek
piece on the connection between the emotions and the body, which aren't as separate as we think. Chronically lonely people--and we are all lonely at one time or another--are apt to turn to cigarettes or booze, or television, or whatever numbs the pain.
Then along comes Valentine's Day, and the loneliness can feel compounded if you are not attached in the way(s) the culture says you should be. Those fortunate to love and be loved--and not just in the romantic sense but deep friendships and family relationships--will, paradoxically, hurt.
An inevitable result of deep love is deep grief. Doggone it. The late Catholic theologian Henri Nouwen writes about this in "The Inner Voice of Love" (Doubleday 1998).
"The pain that comes from deep love makes your love ever more fruitful," he says. A year ago today I held the hand of my 95-year-old grandmother as she drifted off to sleep, in death. Today, a friend grieves because the love of her life dropped dead of a heart attack last spring. She has dreaded like the Plague this Hallmark of all Hallmark days. Another friend has lost contact with her daughter because she's in a religious cult. "When those you love deeply reject you, leave you or die," Nouwen said, "your heart will be broken. But that should not hold you back from loving deeply."
Happy Valentine's Day.

Reach for the dark

Less than 24 hours from Valentine's Day, here's a heart-friendly hint: reach for dark chocolate. Reports in recent years, including this one, indicate it's better for you than lighter varieties. (Unless, of course, you consume copious amounts of it with corn liquor.)
Enjoy!

Nutty news

Monday blues? Have a nut!
Apparently there's a connection between eating nuts and preventing heart disease. The Mayo Clinic --no slouches there--reports that nuts, if part of a healthy diet, help ward of clotting, which can lead to a heart attack. (If the Mayo Clinic doesn't sway you, my mother has preached this gospel to me for years--as recently as Saturday--and as we all know, Moms know everything!)
What's your experience? Have nuts helped you?

"Feelings. .... wo-o-o feelings"

Michael and I have a good friend who hosts an annual beach trip--guys only--at his family's house in "L.A.," e.g., Lower Alabama. One day this friend's wife said, "What do y'all DO all day?" and our friend said, "We sit around and talk about our feelings." To which his wife said, "Ewww, what a revolting thought."
On that note, this article struck my fancy.
Plus it's almost Valentine's Day, so folks like Hallmark make it easy to express our sentiments for us, if we are sentiment-challenged.
And now for the lyrics to that really sappy, maudlin hit from 1975 by Morris Albert, which--be warned--may get stuck in your head like it is in mine:

Feelings, nothing more than feelings, 
trying to forget my feelings of love. 
Teardrops rolling down on my face, 
trying to forget my feelings of love.
Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it. 
I wish I've never met you, girl; you'll never come again.
Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, 
wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms.
Feelings, feelings like I've never lost you 
and feelings like I've never have you again in my heart.
Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it. 
I wish I've never met you, girl; you'll never come again.
Feelings, feelings like I've never lost you 
and feelings like I've never have you again in my life.
Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, 
wo-o-o, feelings again in my arms. 
Feelings...(repeat & fade)

Poochies that pooch

From the "what will they think of next?" file: The AP reports that the drug manufacturer Pfizer has come out with a medicine to help your dog with his or her unwanted pounds.
A downside already predicted: Drug commercials for pets, which may go something like this:
"Does Fifi eat everything out of her bowl and Charlie's too? Does she saunter instead of run? ... Side effects may include incontinence, laziness, pregnancy, lack of interest in the tennis ball and heart failure."
Our cat, meanwhile, needs some help in this area. Bisquick weighs 14 pounds, last time we checked. (not exactly easy gettting him on the scale, either.) Time to see the vet.
In other news, my gym just got new bikes for spinning. Debuted for the first time this morning. It was a SWEET ride.
Take this poll about your dog:

Is your dog lean or a hunk-o-lard?
	Lean
	Lard-like
	Not sure
Free polls from Pollhost.com

"If you take the wrong turn ...

"and end up in Albuquerque," as Bugs Bunny used to say, it might not be such a bad thing.
This unscientific survey ranks the western city as the healthiest. Pedestrian-friendly areas seem to rank highest.
How would you rank where you live? And why so?

Sedentary jobs

Sitting at a desk typing on a computer, I came across this article about people who have to be very intentional about exercise, because their jobs/lifestyles are mostly sedentary. Some employers, including one major company here in Columbus, provide gyms for their workers. I'd be interested to know about your own jobs and workout habits; and if you don't have access to a gym, what are some ways you can work out at work? Leg lifts under the desk? Toting heavy books? Taking the stairs?
And, take our poll:

If you had a gym at work, would you use it?
	Yes
	No
pollcode.com free polls

Teen gastric bypass surgery

CNN has this story today, by correspondent and physician Dr. Sanjay Gupta, about the trend of teens getting gastric bypass surgery.
Click here

What do you think?
(And remember, you can now post comments without setting up an account.)

Hear ye, hear ye

OK, I changed the comment "thing" (the technical name) to allow anyone to post comments without signing up for a Google account. ... Some have said they don't want to do that. So I think you can post anonymously and/or without an account.
But, to be sure, I will ask one of the gurus around here.
Stay tuned.

P.S. Yes, you can post anonymously, (or use your real name or a nickname) which I just did. This is maybe the greatest thing since sliced bread.

If the shoe doesn't fit, wear it

So I was at the gym after work today and made the unfortunate discovery in the locker room that I didn't have my bike shoes for spin class. I changed clothes anyway. I had my tennis shoes, and could have ridden on a different kind of bike. But once you get used to those cycling shoes, let me tell you, you can't go back. Debated whether to drive home (about 10 minutes if you obey all the speed laws and traffic lights) but didn't really have time.
Then my New Best Friend Ron came to the rescue. He offered to let me wear his shoes (he was going to another class), BUT he wears a size 10.5. I wear an 8. So I tried them on, and walked around like one of those clowns in the circus with the huge feet. Yet I am here to testify that they worked. You're clipped in anyway so you're not going anywhere. I just felt like my foot was about halfway back in the shoe.
Miracle of miracles. Had they been a size or two smaller, this might not have turned out so well.
Next time you're in the same predicament, borrow the shoes.

Cramming the calories

Amazing. Of all this guy's feats (on his feets, haha), the thing that's most amazing is how he devours whole pizzas during runs. We should all be so lucky.
Dean Karnazes reminds me of Lance Armstrong in his seemingly super-human abilities.
And thanks to Brad Barnes for showing me the Wired article.
click here

Super Bowl pizza recipe

Linda Larsen from busycooks.com posts the following recipe for children to eat duing the Big Game:

Top these easy small pizzas with your kid's favorite pizza toppings. You could use 2 English muffins, split and toasted, instead of the two Boboli crusts if you'd like.
INGREDIENTS:
2 (6") Boboli pizza crusts OR 2 English muffins, split
1/2 cup pizza sauce
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread pizza sauce over crusts (if using English muffins, split and toast first). Top with remaining ingredients. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until cheese melts and crust is golden brown on bottom. Serves two.
(Note: the photo isn't from this recipe--just an enticing picture of a pizza I found online.)

Direct hits II

More on football-related injuries: There's a story, reported by ESPN and others, about Ted Johnson, formerly of the Patriots. He says his depression and other problems stem from game-induced concussions. He has an addiction, and doctors say he's showing early signs of Alzheimer's. He is just 34.
What do you think? Should the league be held responsible for this sort of thing? Of course there's personal responsibility, too (take yourself out of the game if you're not well, as one official says in the story); but the cursory view I have of the game is that players play through pain — you're not "manly" if you sit on the sidelines.
The full story: espn.com

Direct hits

Of interest two days before the Super Bowl, this story from MSNBC discusses long-term physical harm to pro football players. Here is the beginning:
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - Before the echocardiogram or the prostate exam, before blood was drawn or body fat measured, the patients had a simple task: Sign the football.
The biceps drifting into this South Beach medical office this week are bigger, the attire perhaps a bit sportier and the fingers far more likely to be wearing a Super Bowl ring. The doctor is collecting autographs on more than just insurance forms; all of the patients played in the NFL.
While Peyton Manning, Brian Urlacher and the big names of today will match up this week, the stars of the past are feeling the effects of tackle-filled, turbocharged careers — and players’ advocates and the medical community are trying to help.
“It’s a given that by the time you leave the game you have a very thick medical file,” said Dick Anderson, a 60-year-old NFL retiree who played in three Super Bowls with the Miami Dolphins. “You can’t play the game and not come away with problems.”
Anderson was among about 60 former players expected at medical screenings here sponsored by the Living Heart Foundation, a Little Silver, N.J.-based organization that is studying health risks facing professional football players. The foundation has screened about 1,000 players — mostly retired — and is compiling the most in-depth study of NFL athletes’ health.