I’ve fallen entirely too many times into the pressure of losing weight quickly to better my image. I’ve been the taunted fat kid; I’ve seen others taunted far more than myself for being overweight. Here’s the thing…even as an overweight kid, I was still active in sports and activities. I wasn’t some unmoving blob who couldn’t take care of myself. No, quite the contrary, I went outside and played, swam, and rode my bike with the best of skinny kids. BUT, I was never happy with my image in society. I was supposed to be thin like the other kids. This was almost always accentuated at dance recitals where me and the other two fat chicks looked like sausages in those skin-tight sequined nightmares. So I had chubby cheeks and a belly. Life could have been far worse. I could have had serious health problems, family problems, trouble in school, what have you. I was normal, a good student, and well, sometimes I got in trouble. I was a typical kid and I need to stop focusing on the fact I was the infamous “fat kid.”

As an adult who could probably stand to lose fifteen pounds, I’m still very active. I can run three miles. I have outstanding blood pressure. I have good cholesterol stats. But there’s still that nagging pressure to lose weight. There’s still that nagging pressure from the “experts” who claim that being even slightly overweight ruins our health in life. I went along with their mantras that our world was getting so fat and miserable and we were all a bunch of slobs – unhealthy, stupid, and unable to save ourselves. I ate vegetarian in the name of “good health,” I ran too much, I worked out obsessively, and I was NOT better off, but I STILL BELIEVED THEM. “Oh yeah…we should all be this ideal weight and we’ll all live in a health utopia with affordable care and Jamba Juice, whole grain bread, and lean turkey burgers. And I’ll work out like a slave everyday to lose weight and I’ll count my portions and log every calorie and and and…blahblbhalbhalblah”

Oh, but wait, I’m not losing much weight doing this. Just WHAT is the problem? I’m not happier. I’m not healthier. Shoot, I’m sore as hell from this workout and I just put on three pounds in one week. I don’t like waking up at the asscrack of dawn to lift for 70 minutes and quite frankly my legs are so big they don’t fit in my jeans very well. Ho my, this is frustrating and I’ve been slaving at this since my adolescence. I attack myself with guilt for every treat I eat. For every smidge of grease. My weight levels, goes up, levels, goes down, goes up, levels. It’s the neverending weight roller-coaster ride and I’m not screaming in delight.

And I’m not alone in this. I know others are riding along on the same roller coaster wondering when their weight will begin to go downhill. They see those thin people and think “but if only!” Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen easily and simply being thin doesn’t guarantee a magically clean bill of health and well-being.

I’d really worked hard in the spring to work out everyday, to eat as I thought was healthy, to do what all the so-called experts recommended. Low fat, healthy grains, lean meats! I ate a handful of small meals each day to “balance” my metabolism. I cut the fat, ate substitutes and wanted it all lean, lean LEAN! It wasn’t until quite recently that I realized I just didn’t care that much. I wasn’t enjoying myself with all the slaving and I sure as hell wasn’t seeing the results I’d expected. I was really beating myself up and probably beating up others with “advice” as well. I got so involved in being “healthy” I ventured into a product MLM thinking I’d be able to help others better, but did I? No. I was more stressed out trying to promote some bunch of products that was really beginning to grate on my nerves.  Suggestions of singling out overweight people to “help” them and showing off my washboard abs is not my scene, man.  It’s just more fuel to the unhealthy image fire I’ve worked so hard to avoid.  I started reading some unconventional wisdom about the weight roller coaster and our typical American “healthy” diet and the better solution started to seem a little more obvious: that thin appearance that you’re struggling with isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and our “healthy” diet isn’t all that great in the long run.

I started to eat a more no-nonsense diet designed to keep me on a more steady course of weight without killing myself with exercise. All on my own accord. I took a lot of time to think about it, to gradually change my habits. It’s a reason why I haven’t posted here for some time. I knew what had helped me in the past…it was eating a low carb diet. I just had to get over the “low carb” stigma that society seems to have placed. No starches, no/limited grains, no sugar, eat whole foods, include good dietary fats and cholesterol, eat to satisfy hunger, a square three meals daily. It’s old school. It controls blood sugars, it regulates appetite, and hey, it keeps the hunger pangs away. It’s okay to eat filling foods like poached eggs and a grilled steak. It’s okay to eat that fat and protein. It’s okay to have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. I find that a reasonable serving is more than filling. I work out a few times a week, but I don’t go nuts if I skip a workout. I cut my workouts to 20-30 minutes and find them far more effective than the old 70 minute slave-away. I move at random during the day. Activity doesn’t have to be concentrated – it can be spontaneous! I stopped believing all the hooey that the so-called diet and nutrition experts were spreading around and got back to basics. As I adjust more and more to this lifestyle, the better and better I feel. And funny enough, I weighed myself yesterday and saw 136. I haven’t seen that number for a while even with all the slaving and “healthy” dieting.

What’s even better is the feeling I have right now. It’s nice to see that number on the scale, but I feel good where I am. If I continue to do what I’ve been doing, I know my weight will drop a bit more and level out in the mid 120s. It’ll take some time, but I’m patient. That’s my supposed healthy weight. I’m cool with that. I’m cool if it’s a little higher. There’s a good feeling about hitting that goal weight, for sure, but there’s a better feeling now with me that I feel good, I’m happy with how I look, and I’m healthy. I can have a spontaneous, short workout and feel good about it. No more guilt, no more daily slaving. I’ll go out for a walk in the sun today and feel pretty damn good about it.  I won’t wear a heart monitor, either.

It’s a journey to get to this point (a roller coaster journey, really) and I hope others can share in this post and know what I’m talking about. I hope you, too, can find a solution that works for the long term. I also genuinely hope we can stop this obsession at all costs to be thin and focus on being HEALTHY.

I also thank Tom Naughton of the Fat Head documentary for his blog post today about hatin’ on fat people – it inspired me to write the above post here in this blog.

I think I’ve said it before around these parts, but I used to be a vegetarian. I gave it a grand experiment because of the supposed health benefits. There are certainly health benefits involved with becoming more aware of what you eat (i.e. eating more vegetables) and the nature of our food supply, and many times simply “I’m becoming a veg*n for health” is a horrendously poor reason for “bettering” one’s health or losing weight. I am reminded of this when I recently saw a billboard on my way to the airport:

My initial thought, even as a sympathizer to those that want to do better for their health was this: That’s fucking stupid (excuse my poor language, but my inner voice has a potty mouth). Yes, it’s really fucking stupid, and here’s why: just because you’re a vegetarian does not mean you’re healthy. Wow, big shocker there. Many vegetarian guides and cookbooks place heavy emphasis on carbohydrate-laden food. A standard vegetarian diet could have as high as 70% of calories from carbs (or, heck, even higher). Many guides also lure the dieter into thinking “natural” sugars are healthier and can be used in moderation. That’s pretty stupid, too, to be frank. I believed that bunk for a while but decided to do my research. Raw sugar is the same composition as refined white sugar (sucrose). It produces the same blood glucose spike. It’s the same old bullshit but it’s simply processed in a different manner. Honey has an even higher fructose content than sugar and also raises your BG (possibly faster) than sugar (sucrose). Small amounts of the stuff can cause big problems for a number of us and we have to work to avoid it completely to achieve weight loss (count me in this crowd, big time). But it’s vegetarian! So are grains! So are those processed patties of soy that I used to buy in the name of “health.” With all the negative research regarding soy and phytoestrogens, I don’t think I’d associate it with being a picture of “health.” It’s nothing more than highly processed beans who happen to have a moderate source of protein. And this diet is supposed to magically make you thin? No, it won’t.  You still have to put effort into it, my friend. If you eat like a carb-atarian version of the magical vegetarian diet, you’re still gonna be a big ole whale, sorry.

Is there anything good about this diet? If you eat a balanced diet of eggs, raw dairy, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, you may not be doing so poorly. But you may have a difficult time supplying your body enough quality protein unless you add some fish or lean meat here and there.  That is, unless you eat soy.

I’m sick of this PETA-funded advocacy for a lifestyle relying on big agriculture in the name of “health.” I’m sick of the brainwashing that’s been given to many (including myself) discouraging the consumption of meat because it will magically cause heart disease. I’m skeptical of those who advocate low fat, high grain, “diets” as they have caused me more strife than good. The brainwashing still surrounds me and it STILL makes me skeptical of my own diet which is now much higher in protein and dietary fat. HOWEVER, I lose the skepticism when I’m reminded how I suffer from fewer migraines, no arthritic-like joint inflammation, and less crashing than I did on a “healthy” vegetarian diet. Oh yeah, and I’m also reminded of the massive amount of gas and intestinal strife a high-soy diet caused me (and probably those downwind).

So…Save the whales? Bitch, please.

The AHA has released a statement saying Americans consume too much sugar.  You wouldn’t have to pay me a cent and I could tell you that.  Their advice is to cut back on all products with added sugar.  Wow, again, no shit sherlock.

So this is all good, right?  Telling Americans to cut back on sugar?  Hooray AHA right?

Wrong.  Look at what the AHA places their stamp of “approval” on.  Thinking of anything?  A lot of “whole grain” products with supposed health benefits like “lowering cholesterol.”  Oh, the folly!  Know how much sugar is in your flavored, AHA approved Cheerios?  12 grams per serving (which, by the way, most Americans eat two servings, so that’s 24 grams for your breakfast).  So explain that one AHA.  You advocate sugary processed foods but release studies asking the public to reduce sugar consumption.

Hmm, yeah, okay.  That makes OH SO MUCH sense.

Their study excludes sugars naturally occurring from fruit and dairy.  I think a better statement would be that these sugars are okay IN MODERATION.  But wait, it’s the AHA, so you better make that LOW FAT dairy only because the AHA has certainly given fat quite a bit of flack, regardless of other studies which prove it to be an effective way to curb heart disease, especially Omega 3 fats.  And you best not eat any eggs for breakfast should you die of an instant heart attack from all THAT EVIL CHOLESTEROL.  OH MY GOD THE HORROR!  Better go buy some over processed egg whites in a jar with the AHA stamp of approval, comrades!

So what am I going to do about all this?  Sit here and enjoy my plain, high fat content organic yogurt over a portion of berries and make a mental note NOT to donate money to organizations like the AHA again.  Excuse my skepticism, but my dollars can be better spent…most likely on organic eggs and a big juicy steak.

AKA being fitted for a straitjacket!

Here are my results for the Insanity Fit Test:

Switch Kicks= 89
Power Jacks= 49
Power Knees= 93
Power Jumps= 32
Globe Jumps= 10
Suicide Jumps= 17
Push Up Jacks= 18
Low Plank Oblique= 34

Sweaty?  Check.

Excited?  Check.

I had a bit of time yesterday while dinner was in the oven (primal stuffed peppers, courtesy of the SoG blog, by the way) to check out Insanity. My Insanity package had just arrived yesterday, all nicely and compactly packaged. I’ll post a photo later – I took a few on the iPhone. For one, the packaging alone was impressive, so I was excited to check out the DVDs. I started with the Dig Deeper / Fit Test DVD as prescribed. I was antsy and didn’t watch the Dig Deeper portion and jumped right into the fit test. Holy mother. That in itself was one helluva workout. Notice my numbers above. The people on the DVD achieved about 40% better, so all-in-all I didn’t do too bad for a first shot. The fit test is repeated a few times over during the 60 days to check on your progress. I have a feeling I’m just going to go Insane, jump in and do a full 60 day round. It looks fun. From there on, I wouldn’t mind using this as 1-2x per week cardio. It’s good stuff and I highly recommend it. More reviews to follow!

Just an update on this as I’ve been getting a fair amount of hits for the carnival…

As a volunteer firefighter, the thought occurred to me last night while I was sitting in Firefighter 1 training that we’re continually taught to identify problems and hazards, then mitigate, reduce, or avoid said problems and hazards. For example, when dealing with a potentially hazardous substance in a tanker, a step in hazard prevention is to check the hazard label on the tanker, identify the substance and its level of danger (a reference guide is also used for this outside of the label identifier), and proceed with caution.

Now, apply this to the food you stuff in your face everyday. We usually think of food as a nourishing, safe substance. Some may think identifying food pitfalls is being silly and neurotic. But what if some food isn’t safe? What if it’s not the “healthy” substance as it’s labeled? How do we know? We take the simple precaution of reading the ingredients, origin, and nutrition facts. We may also find other identifiers such as organic, free range, “all-natural”, certified, USDA inspected, low fat, what have you. Unfortunately, some labels are just poor marketing tactics and mean jack crap. We know a lot of “bad guy” nutrients like trans fats and sugars, but, what if they’re wearing masks?

So, here’s how to get smart and have the one-up on devious marketing…

1. Avoid sugars – If you notice such items as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners (sucralose, aspartame, saccharine), corn syrup, cane sugar, and the like near the top of the list, be wary of health claims. Sugar is sugar is sugar. This should also prompt you to read the nutrition facts and read the “Carbohydrate / Sugar” components. Because a diet low in sugar (especially refined sugar) is best, keep the daily intake (in grams) as low as possible. Obtain sweetness from naturally sweet fruits and vegetables. Stevia is also suitable. Honey is okay, but in fairly strict moderation. By the way, Americans LOVE to shove sugar in many processed foods. One shocker? Heinz ketchup contains a shameful amount of HFCS! Come on Heinz! What the hell?

2. Dirty PUFAs and TFAs – That sounds dirty, eh? For the record, PUFAs are polyunsaturated fatty acids and TFAs are trans fatty acids. We hear a lot of bad news about these guys in health research and should try to stay clear of them. Unfortunately, they are snuck into a LOT of food. Foods making health claims that contain either of these are BULLSHIT, people. Plain and simple. Anything listed as “hydrogenated oil” is your bad guy in disguise. Products can be listed as 0% trans fat if they have less than .5g per serving. Yeah, that’s devious. Avoid it and stick with hearty natural fats – olive oil, real butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, palm oil (NOT the hydrogenated crap), almond oil, etc. Use oils such as sunflower, vegetable, safflower, corn, and canola sparingly. These contain a higher concentration of Omega 6, which can provide an inflammatory response in excess.

3. Preservatives – Understandably, food needs to have a mechanism in which it’s preserved for a longer life. Methods such as canning and freezing work well for many vegetables, meats, and fruits. However, in terms of grains and other perishable items, a number of preservatives may be added for greater shelf stability. Some nasty stuff may also be added to supermarket meat for greater stability. Problem is, some of these preservatives aren’t so nice to our bodies. They’re a known trigger for migraines, allergic reactions, and other health problems. If you can, avoid such preservatives as sodium benzoate, sulfites (these DO naturally occur in wine), and nitrates (typically in meat).

4. Flavoring and enhancers – Our taste buds have gotten a little bit screwed up with the massive amount of artificial flavoring and flavor enhancers (MSG) slipped into the standard American diet. A trigger for the adding of enhancers relates back to the quality of the starting ingredients. When we produce bland, tasteless GMO crops, we have to add flavor and coloring to make food more appealing. When McDonald’s stopped frying with beef tallow, beef tallow flavoring had to be added to the fries to maintain the taste. Grocery store meats may have added water or dye for aesthetic effects. A lot of us have a VERY warped idea about how real food actually tastes. Ever eaten heirloom vegetables and compared them to their superstore counterparts. No competition. Heirloom for the win. So, avoid artificial flavoring, dyes, and enhancers such as MSG or tenderizer when possible, ESPECIALLY if you’re prone to migraines. You’ll thank me for that.

5. “Enriched” anything – Here’s a novel concept – let’s take an ingredient, strip it of its nutrients for aesthetics of final product, and then just throw in some synthetic vitamins for “enrichment.” Ugh. Who had this brainchild? Too bad they didn’t abort it. Enriched foods are not found in nature. They’re not better for you. They’re not a healthy dose of vitamins. Unfortunately, they’re what many kids grow to love because they’re fed white bread and pasta and don’t know that the real deal is actually a healthy shade of brown. Enriched junk is thrown in with a lot of processed foods as an emulsifier and thickener (i.e. starches). Seriously, if you eat grains, avoid this shit. It’s just stupid. Teach your tastebuds to enjoy the real deal.

6.  Know the origins! – Choose “wild” over farm-raised when possible.  Choose locally raised foods when possible. This applies ESPECIALLY to eggs and meat. Not only is this more sustainable, but you’re supporting your local small farmer and economy AND you’re getting a more quality product. Look for grass (NOT GRAIN) fed or pastured meats and eggs.  If you buy organic, check for multiple certifications. Big name brands that advertise organic have been known to fib a bit.  Buy foods in bulk with minimal packaging. Many bulk foods obtained at co-ops or markets are more minimally processed than their “Big Agra” counterparts.  Raise food yourself (for those of you with the luck of actually having land for a garden).

So follow those rules, read the labels, and know where your food comes from. This may cause some stress initially as you realize the majority of foods in the grocery store contain a pitfall or two. The best bet is to shop the outside of the store and avoid the middle.  I also really like frequenting farmers markets now.  Growing up eating local meats, I know there’s no comparison and I’d rather splurge a bit on the grocery budget versus purchase bulk packs from Sam’s Club of unknown-origin mystery meat.  It may seem a little elitist, but seriously, it tastes so much better.  The more local, grass-fed meat I find (or obtain from my parents’ freezer) the more I’m drawn in.

After a while, you’ll learn the ropes and be a cynical, discerning consumer just like myself. And hey, everyone is guilty of buying some bad foods here and there, but honestly, the more you aim to eat REAL food, the more you’ll keep coming back to it. It’s almost like a [positive] reprogramming of the taste buds and body.

In conclusion…just read!  It’s easy!

Completely in my own words and no sales pitches, I like P90X+ Interval X. Actually, I think it’s the best workout in the P90X+ series come to think of it. It’s even more fun than Plyometrics! Uh, well, a lot of things are more fun than Plyometrics, really…

Interval X commences with a short warm-up, around 5 minutes. You are taken through a 15 (or so) minute set of interval workouts including jacks, squat jumps, Charleston kicks, plyo lunges, and prison-cell style pushups. Each set is in “phases” – for example if it’s a minute worth of squat jumps, the first 20 seconds is low intensity, the next 20 is medium intensity, and the last 20 is high intensity. This is visually displayed at the bottom of the workout by a bar showing your time until completion – color coded! Yellow = low, Orange = medium, Red = High. This is good for me as it helps me to maintain interest as I progress through the workout. I also like having an on and off hi-lo intensity throughout as I don’t feel utterly pooped after five minutes of intervals. May I also add the time bar and description on the bottom of the screen is VERY helpful for those of us that like to mute the DVD and listen to music!

The other thing I enjoy about the workout is that it allows you to maintain a decent heart rate, maybe 75% of max without consistently exceeding max or going too far below. It’s not as demanding on the joints as Plyometrics and can easily be modified to lower intensity (i.e. when the red bar comes up, just keep going with low to moderate intensity).

The structure of the workout is simple – warm-up, Set 1 of intervals, Water break (1 minute), Set 2 of intervals (this is simply Set 1 in reverse order), Cool-down. That’s it! Simple. If you’re looking for a simple, short interval routine on DVD, this is a good choice!

There’s some things that shape your perception about our nutrition, fitness, and quality of life. As a child growing up in the hype of the 1980s aerobics boom (remember the movie “Perfect”?) who tried Richard Simmons tapes (COME ON LADIES, Let’s SWEAT!) and low fat diets combined with hideous artificial sweeteners and who knows what other freakish laboratory-created foods. I ASSUMED our medical prescriptions, fitness do-dads, aerobics, and gooey margarine were SO much healthier and we’d live “like way longer than those people in the 1930s” with their lard, livestock auction steaks, and home-cooked meals. Then, as a vegetarian later in life, I assumed again “like oh my God guys I’m doing so much justice to my body feeding it lots of soy.”

Sometimes I just need to take a good, hard look at my roots.

Let’s think critically here. Take a glance at a photo of a rural classroom from the late 1930s.  Now take a look at any classroom in the US. What’s the difference? Quite a few pounds. I’m not being crass. I’m not being an asshole. Today’s kids are often pudgier. I was a pudgy. Yeah, I was the fat kid, I know it sucks, yada yada yada, if you’re fat, well then, you’re fat.  Whatever.  Since the 30s, something has gone wrong…but wait…I thought we were “like so medically advanced and like so healthy?”  And uh, just what are we doing wrong?

So, okay, what exactly was the diet and lifestyle of those post-depression kids (including most of your depression-era grandparents)? Gee, let’s see…a lot of food they raised themselves. Yeah, no kidding. Most of those kids grew up on small farms. Most did not have a lot of money. Unlike today, the rural demographic did not feed on cheap products and fast food as many do today (again, not picking bones, but research supports me). They worked outside, they raised cattle, they milked cattle, they butchered chickens, and picked berries and wildflowers. Many went hunting and fishing, too (girls included!) Basically, they ate REAL food and obtained a lot of activity from both (REAL) work and (REAL) play. You know, the kind of play that today’s yuppie parents frown upon because little Dakota (or whatever the eff sort of crazy names kids have these days) might fall down and get his J. Crews dirty. Christ on a biscuit.

One thing that REALLY hit me a few months ago is this – REAL food doesn’t equate to today’s standards of “healthy.” We are told to only drink skim (blargh) milk and eat fake “butter” to support heart health, when the reality is the opposite. Chemically altered vegetable oils and milks emulsified with powders and oxidized cholesterol ARE NOT the bastions of heart health that they claim to be. The real winners are the things we’ve been told to avoid by today’s “experts” – no doubt paid off by powerful government money and product endorsement (would you like your food smothered in HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP?  Because “Big Corn” would like that a lot).

We’re told to limit meat intake because OH NOES it’s horrible and causes all sorts of maladies. Factory meat, maybe. Locally raised and pastured, I disagree. I don’t know what ever got me started on the vegetarian kick, but a good local steak is way better than some GMO soy patty anyday.

So it completely baffles me as to how we’ve gone from more natural roots to this notion that a chemically altered lab food is suddenly WAY better for our health. We’re marketed alluring messages of “low fat” and “tastes great.” Our brain is expected to respond to stimuli produced by Big Agra and Big Food of small, fake pastries, and chips laced with artificial flavoring. Growing up, catchy commercials taught us about the wonders of Chester Cheeto, Lunchables, Kid Cuisine, and Toaster Streudel. Ever taken a good read as to what bullshit is actually IN this food? It’s nasty! WHY DID I EVER EAT THIS? BUT…it’s conveniently made with chemical flavors and stimuli that keep us coming back. Conspiracy? Not really. Why provide quality ingredients when Big Food can simply dream up a flavor in a lab, throw that in and make us all happy and gooey then take the profit? Yep…

The sad thing is it’s hard to escape. If we see these things in stores, our brains think Oh, tastes good. Makes mouth happy. Gives a rank stomach and zero energy AFTER eating, but the brain likes to gloss over that sometimes. We’re tied to memories of nasty little foods such as Twinkies and McDonald’s happy meals (okay, maybe not in my case because as a kid McD’s was equal to diahrrea, which is not exactly a happy end to ANY meal). Some people crave fake corn syrup “maple syrup” over the real (read: good) stuff from the Great White North! What!?

Then…we get the “health traps.” Buy this low fat product because it’s WAY better for you. Our forefathers are like, LOL, so stupid for growing up and eating the real thing. This delicious chemical concoction rich in trans fat is like, oh so better than that real heavy cream from the cow! Buy this margarine! It protects your heart! I’ve fallen into the “health” trap quite a few times with processed foods. Namely with soy, a powerful phytoestrogen. Oh yeah, I’ll buy this lowfat yogurt, milk, butter, etc. because milk fat is evil and should be avoided or I will promptly keel over of heart failure. BECAUSE THE American Heart Association TOLD ME SO! I mean, come on, their stamp of approval is right on this big ole tub of Promise spread!

Uh…no. Real, omega-3 rich oils and fats, real milk fat, and fat garnered from a farm fresh piece of chicken are not your enemy. They’re really your friend. Fats and cholesterols are not evil in entirety, nor should you make it your life mission to avoid them.

So, going back to our roots, what happened to the generation that grew up strong in the 30s then suddenly went haywire in the 60s? The rise of “health” foods, the downfall of red meat, and the inevitable rise in heart failure. Ever consider that our grandparents health concerns aren’t always magically fixed with a big dose of Lipitor and a smathering of Promise spread? Ever wonder why everyone is so fast to blame their childhood and their parents serving up something cooked in a little tallow or lard? Because everyone makes the fast connection (again, I repeat) that fat is bad and should be avoided. They don’t seem to make any other connection that fat is vital nutrition, vital for the brain, and cholesterol is a major component of our bodily structure? Uh, guess not.

Now look at today’s children. How many parents feed their kids a small glass of milk straight from the cow? How many kids eat a side of greens with their pork chop? How many kids had to be scolded for being outside too long playing in the grass? On the flip side, how many send their kids off packing with a Lunchable and a grouchy goodbye? How many kids can’t peel themselves away from the boob tube or their personal computer? What’s the rate of childhood obesity again? How many are fed cookies, cakes, and candy as diet staples instead of occasional treats? How many youngsters are automatically slapped on a label of “ADHD” the moment they misbehave or become complacent? And we’re magically better than the days of yore? I don’t see the connection.

I think I grew up with the same delusion that everything in modern times was naturally better for me. Although, I admit, I was lucky to grow up before the advent of the standard home computer and had my share of skinned knees and bruises from being outside on my bike or digging for old bottles near the neighborhood creek. I thank my parents for not being overly concerned nitwits who kept me inside away from danger. Though I’ve got to question their sanity in cases of consistently purchasing low fat stuff, sugary drink boxes, and Lunchables, but I FORGIVE THEM now.  They also fed me a lot of farm-raised beef, venison, garden veggies, and local eggs, so hey, it wasn’t all bad food.  Just bad food when big marketing (cough!  Nickolodeon!  cough!) got a hold of my impressionable little ten year old brain…

Medical advances are a mixed bag of treats and tricks. On one hand, you have awesome technology in surgery, physical therapy, recovery, and detection. On the other hand, you have big pharma-power, confusing advice, and less focus on the root of problems (i.e. lifestyle). So effectively these days you don’t perish from the standard cold, or get through a surgery with a shot and a stick in your mouth, but you can keel over from an overdose of Vioxx. Which was supposedly “helpful” for you. Yippee.

So call me a massive cynic, but I think we really fucked up in a number of ways by going away from our roots in the name of “health.” I think health, in fact, starts with some more simplicity. Must I say this again – eat real foods (including FAT!), get your ass outside here and there, learn a hobby, get active in your community, learn to laugh and connect with others, read a book, and keep learning.  Get some sleep and rest too! Fitness programs DO fill a gap in performing real labor in today’s sedentary office job. If you do have a real job with real work, then I’m sure you’re not in need of a fitness program! The computer is fun, but shouldn’t fill the gap of going outside or taking part in the community. Like anything, I’m still working at these, but I’m REALLY getting the benefit of real food, learning (reading books and reading online) and keeping active. I can’t speak enough for these.  I’m also learning the ropes of local farmers markets and REAL local food.  And hey, I’m just as guilty as many of you for falling into these pits.  It’s not to late to climb out, brush yourself off, and do things the right way!  Who’s with me!?

Just a note to all that Beachbody has finally released Shaun T’s Insanity!

If you’re interested in ordering and you’re not yet a member of Team Beachbody, you’ll need to sign up first!  There’s no goofy catches to this or anything, by the way.  A membership allows you access to the team store, message boards, workout buddies, AND the Million Dollar Body contest, a daily chance to win prizes just for logging in your workouts.  This is all available for FREE.  Plus, you can shop with ease as a member and save your shipping preferences and get new product updates.  All good stuff!  Sign up as a free member here .

If I do say so, ordering online as a free team member is easier than going direct to beachbody.com or going over the phone after watching the infomercial.  I’m a big proponent of using a secure online ordering portal for my internet shopping and Beachbody offers this to its team members (for free).  I’ve seen some complaints evolve out of phone ordering, so if you’d like to be more cautious, sign up as a team member.  If you’ve got any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Use my contact form tab at the top.   I’m all ears

ALSO, if you’re not feeling insane, Beachbody is also offering a sale on Tony Horton’s One on One series, volume 2 (new for 2009).  If you sign up for the monthly subscription, your first month (July 2009) is $0.01!  Yep!  One penny.  I’ve tried five of TH’s One on One workouts and really like them.  They’re awesome for those (like me) that want a shorter workout than P90X, as most One on Ones clock in around 40 minutes including warm-up.  They’re also a great way to add variety to your workouts without getting burnt out, as you’re not always sure what you’ll be sent each month…though, I promise you’ll enjoy it.  Click here to go to the BB store to order!

No, I’m not talking about traditional recess in schools.  Let’s all take a break from our busy days at work to screw off!  Yes!  You read it right!  I think too many office workers are prone to chronic “Ass in Chair Syndrome” as nicely described by Grant over at newlycorporate.com.  Now, I differ from you Grant in that I prescribe something other than socializing with drinks to cure AICS.  I vote for taking short breaks during the day to get up and walk around.  I also prescribe going outside on your lunch break and moving around.  Moving around can include a lot, so let me detail what I did today…

I have a half hour lunch break.  Normally I go for a walk in a suburban housing development that sits strategically beside the corporate park in which I work.  Today I went on my usual walk, but noticed something I’d previously glossed over.  There’s a sports park and playground at the end of a dead end street in the development.  My inner five year old rejoiced!  Huzzah!  It then dared me to go swing on the swings, and well, I took the dare.

Not only did I swing on the swings, I also did a lunge-walk down the paved path around the park and a short sprint.  It was fun.  It got my heartrate up and got me energized.  I also got some much-needed sun.  If you’re in Southeastern PA, you’ll have noticed today is a gorgeous sunny day.  If you haven’t noticed…step outside!

So, after my recess at lunch I’ve been feeling more productive this afternoon than usual.  I think, readers, I’m gonna have to reinstate recess everyday.  This makes me happy