“standing desk” $20

On May 30, 2012 By Rick McIn health & fitness, product endorsements1 Comment

Mark Lukach posted the ultimate research summary on stand-up desks on Wirecutter:

… The standing desk fad that you keep hearing about is based on a pretty substantial amount of research. Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic has a scary statistic to share: here in the US, we spend more than half of our waking hours sitting down, split between watching TV, driving a car, and working at a desk. This is not good. …

… Ernest Hemingway stood while he worked. So did Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo DaVinci, Benjamin Franklin and Valdimir Nabokov.

On the contrary, Winston Churchill once said, “Why stand when you can sit, and why sit when you can lay down?” However, it turns out that Churchill was not being completely honest when he said this–Churchill stood when he worked, too. And he lived until 90. …

Best Standing Desks

I’ve had no luck at all trying to sit on an exercise ball. Standing, for a time, works for me.

(via Kottke)

Chagas disease – 10+ million victims

On May 30, 2012 By Rick McIn health & fitness, things getting worse, travel, travel MexicoLeave a comment

Have you heard of Chagas?

Chagas Disease: “The New HIV/AIDS of the Americas”

I hadn’t.

That editorial, published in a journal dedicated to neglected tropical diseases, was picked up by the NY Times, the Daily Mail, and more.

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Chagas disease … is commonly transmitted to humans and other mammals by an insect vector, the blood-sucking “kissing bugs” …

The disease may also be spread through blood transfusion and organ transplantation, ingestion of food contaminated with parasites, and from a mother to her fetus. …

… It is estimated that as many as 8 to 11 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease, most of whom do not know they are infected. …

Coffee drinkers live longer

On May 17, 2012May 16, 2012 By Rick McIn food, health & fitness, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Huge study. Over 400,000 subjects. Even a single cup a day seems to help …

MARILYNN MARCHIONE – AP – Coffee drinkers live longer, big study finds; regular and decaf are equally good

Kyle Shewfelt at 30

On May 10, 2012May 9, 2012 By Rick McIn friends, health & fitness, philosophy1 Comment

I recall the day I met Kyle. He was age-6 or 7.

… seems just a few years ago.

Kyle:

On May 6th, I turned 30. In celebration, I ran 33km’s. It was my longest run yet and it felt pretty awesome. …

While running, I had some time to think and ponder what entering my 30’s means to me. …

In my 30’s, I will:

Be FEARLESS

Be decisive

Let go of my perfectionism

Manage my time and energy more wisely

Make health and activity my #1 priorities

Take on new scary audacious challenges

Stop trying to please everyone

Have more productive screen time

Simplify email: I’m checking it twice a day and that’s it.

Take BIG risks

Create opportunities rather than wait for them to happen

Do things rather than think about doing them

Publish books

Finish what I’ve started

Re-organize and down-size

Take more pictures

Have more dinner parties

Have less stress

Be more appreciative

Enjoy my life

KyleShewfelt.com – Thirties Manifesto

Wise beyond his years.

running the Memorial Drive stairs

On April 9, 2012April 8, 2012 By Rick McIn friends, health & fitnessLeave a comment

Better Kyle Shewfelt, than me.

Kyle:

… I both hated and loved the next 45 minutes of my existence. I hated the fact that it was cold, slippery and lonely and that my eye balls were being pummelled by snowflakes. But I loved the fact that I was out there pounding through my sets and feeling the burn. With each journey up the stairs/hill, the layer of snow got thicker on the ground, but my mission got more empowered. …

read more – Hardcore Hills!

100yr-old Marathon runner

On March 22, 2012 By Rick McIn health & fitnessLeave a comment

He’s the world’s oldest marathon runner – and at the grand old age of 100, Fauja Singh is certainly showing no signs of slowing down.

The quick-footed centenarian, who has completed seven marathons since turning 89, has become the first person to sign up to the 2012 Edinburgh race. And he has revealed the key to conquering his daily 10-mile training regime is eating plenty of ginger curry and drinking copious amounts of tea. …

read more on I ❤ to run on Facebook.

running Wascana Lake

On March 18, 2012 By Rick McIn health & fitnessLeave a comment

I finally got out on a long run in Regina.

The weather has been so good, a lot of tourists like myself are getting out.

fat kids

On March 13, 2012March 13, 2012 By Rick McIn food, health & fitnessLeave a comment

We have school groups in our Gymnastics Club every day. For recreational gymnastics. The number of overweight and obese children is shocking.

Kottke linked to an important Daily Beast article:

Ten years after his seminal book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser reflects on how little has changed in the production, safety, and consumption in America—but why he’s still hopeful.

Every day about 65 million people eat at a McDonald’s restaurant somewhere in the world, more than ever before. The annual revenues of America’s fast-food industry, adjusted for inflation, have risen by about 20 percent since 2001. …

About two thirds of the adults in the United States are obese or overweight. The obesity rate among preschoolers has doubled in the past 30 years. The rate among children aged 6 to 11 has tripled. And by some odd coincidence, the annual cost of the nation’s obesity epidemic — about $168 billion, as calculated by researchers at Emory University — is the same as the amount of money Americans spent on fast food in 2011. …

Still a Fast-Food Nation: Eric Schlosser Reflects on 10 Years Later

If you’ve never read Fast Food Nation, the Kindle edition is only $3.99.

It’s not easy being an obese child, as 3yr-old Leslie Downes found out in 1935.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Kottke)

Certainly kids need to exercise more. Eat less. But how’s that going to happen?

😦

What Really Causes Heart Disease

On March 10, 2012March 9, 2012 By Rick McIn food, health & fitness1 Comment

Even as a gymnastics coach I rarely pontificate about diet. Weight yes. Diet no.

I’ve always assumed that most of the conventional wisdom is wrong.

This article — for me — rings true — what we are doing now is NOT WORKING.

Dr. Dwight Lundell:

… I freely admit to being wrong. As a heart surgeon with 25 years experience, having performed over 5,000 open-heart surgeries, today is my day to right the wrong with medical and scientific fact. …

Statistics from the American Heart Association show that 75 million Americans currently suffer from heart disease, 20 million have diabetes and 57 million have pre-diabetes. These disorders are affecting younger and younger people in greater numbers every year. …

What are the biggest culprits …

highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods …

There is but one answer to quieting inflammation, and that is returning to foods closer to their natural state. To build muscle, eat more protein. Choose carbohydrates that are very complex such as colorful fruits and vegetables. Cut down on or eliminate inflammation- causing omega-6 fats like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them. …

What you can do is choose whole foods your grandmother served …

Heart Surgeon Speaks Out On What Really Causes Heart Disease