This message is for the guys so princesses don't look. I've been on the planet long enough to learn a few things about women. They are as unpredictable as we are predictable. But there are times when they can be very predictable. Today is one of those days. It doesn't matter what you spend, a fuzzy bear to hug is every bit as good as a diamond something. But you had better give her something to let her know you care about and love her.
Gifts don't even have to be traditional, a dinner at somewhere with atmosphere and a moonlight walk, strolling hand in hand, will make you a hero. But a new toaster or steam iron will not get you any points. If you need a new toaster, buy it on any other day except today or her Birthday. That is another day women put a lot of stock in. So a new vacuum cleaner isn't a good Birthday choice either.
Laughter is a wonderful gift also, take her to a good comedy movie or if you can stand it a Chick Flick together is a good choice. There are worse things than her pretty head on your shoulder and your arm around her as you laugh together or cry together depending on the movie. Just any movie won't do it has to make you feel good to watch. Predator Vs Alien wouldn't be a good choice unless your squeeze is a big SiFi buff.
An afternoon trip to a little coffee house is an awesome idea, must have atmosphere and you have to order her something decadent, today is not the day to order the decaf and the fat free creamer. If your princess has a little extra fluff, today is not the day to remind her of that. It's a day to say "Your just breath taking the way you are".
Everyone enjoy today and guys makes some points with your lady, you just might need them the next time you screw up.
Thanks for reading.
Happy panda
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Daily Focus
I just finished reading an article in the Runner's World magazine about, of all things someone running. He was one of those who got right out of bed and pulled on running stuff and headed right out the door. The runner described how yucky it felt at first but how by the time he was done how good he was feeling.
I have a different method completely to my morning exercise. I get up and take the dogs out. I wonder a circuit of the back yard with them waking up and getting the nights kinks out of my muscles and tendons. Then when I get back to the house I have a breakfast of cereal with a banana and skim milk, and heat up a cup of coffee. I have a large glass of water with a multi vitamin. I spend the next hour catching up with my email and the forums I follow and contribute to, while I have my coffee. This is the same routine I follow most mornings, even on race days.
By keeping a regular routine in the mornings, by the time I've had my coffee and both relaxed and woke up, I'm ready to get out and get my workout done. I prepare each day for my exercise. I don't look at it as just a necessary evil but as an important part of my day. Yes of course there are days I want to skip it and just stay on the couch and relax till it's time for work, but by making exercise an important part of the day and preparing for it, those days are not often.
One of the problems with jumping right out of bed and going for me is that it's not a pleasant experience. To me that's like ripping a band aid off so all the hurt is over quickly, or jumping right in the cold water so you get used to it quicker. I would rather make the exercise a fun and positive experience. Sometimes I plan exactly what I'm going to do, but often I just get started and go form there. If I'm feeling really strong I'll push it and get in a hard workout, but if I'm feeling tired I'll just keep it comfortable like an LSD walk instead.
The important thing for me though is that I look forward to my workout time. I prepare for the exercise each day so it's all positive and I feel energized from the first step, not a half hour into it. I know this method doesn't work for everyone they feel they have to jump right in the cold water and get it over with and get on with their life. I feel like the hour or to of sweat and effort are an important part of my life and something to be savored, not something to get through as quickly as possible.
Thanks for reading.
Training Panda
I have a different method completely to my morning exercise. I get up and take the dogs out. I wonder a circuit of the back yard with them waking up and getting the nights kinks out of my muscles and tendons. Then when I get back to the house I have a breakfast of cereal with a banana and skim milk, and heat up a cup of coffee. I have a large glass of water with a multi vitamin. I spend the next hour catching up with my email and the forums I follow and contribute to, while I have my coffee. This is the same routine I follow most mornings, even on race days.
By keeping a regular routine in the mornings, by the time I've had my coffee and both relaxed and woke up, I'm ready to get out and get my workout done. I prepare each day for my exercise. I don't look at it as just a necessary evil but as an important part of my day. Yes of course there are days I want to skip it and just stay on the couch and relax till it's time for work, but by making exercise an important part of the day and preparing for it, those days are not often.
One of the problems with jumping right out of bed and going for me is that it's not a pleasant experience. To me that's like ripping a band aid off so all the hurt is over quickly, or jumping right in the cold water so you get used to it quicker. I would rather make the exercise a fun and positive experience. Sometimes I plan exactly what I'm going to do, but often I just get started and go form there. If I'm feeling really strong I'll push it and get in a hard workout, but if I'm feeling tired I'll just keep it comfortable like an LSD walk instead.
The important thing for me though is that I look forward to my workout time. I prepare for the exercise each day so it's all positive and I feel energized from the first step, not a half hour into it. I know this method doesn't work for everyone they feel they have to jump right in the cold water and get it over with and get on with their life. I feel like the hour or to of sweat and effort are an important part of my life and something to be savored, not something to get through as quickly as possible.
Thanks for reading.
Training Panda
Monday, February 9, 2009
Practice is the best Teacher
As a wellness coach for several friends I take the approach of being a positive example. I will not sit on the couch and say, "Do as I say, not as I do". I'm out there 4 to 6 days a week training and learning just like they are. We don't know everything there is to know about how exercise and eating properly affect the body. What we know is very positive but each of us is learning more every single workout.
There is no "average person" so following a program for the average person is never the best for you. There are all different body types and all of us are made up of a mix of those body types. There are people who are natural athletes and have the right mix of muscle tissue, of the proper type and the right body type. You know the type, they never have to workout and they look amazing and can play sports like a pro without practice. There is the old saying here worth remembering, "Hard work will beat Talent if Talent doesn't work hard".
You can not accomplish everything you aspire to but you can still shoot for that goal and enjoy the journey. Some goals are just not possible, but improvement is always possible. I want to be a world class athlete in my age group, I won't be crushed if I never achieve that but I'll surely keep after it and continue to learn as I go along. One of the nice things about following the Senior Olympics is that as you get older the goal gets easier to. So if you shoot at it long enough and keep working hard at it, you just never know what you can do.
I like, especially when just starting out, for athletes to keep a log. You can look back at your logged pages and find out a lot of things that are custom made for you. For example if you go back over your log from the last year and looked at every day you had a PR, looking at the days leading up to that PR can show you what you did to achieve it. You can also look at your worse performances and see what led to them also.
You learn everyday, you learn what works best to deal with soreness, you can see what eating plan worked the best for you. Never stop learning. The learning about your own body and how outside influences affect it are often as important that the training it's self.
Thanks for reading.
Learning Panda
There is no "average person" so following a program for the average person is never the best for you. There are all different body types and all of us are made up of a mix of those body types. There are people who are natural athletes and have the right mix of muscle tissue, of the proper type and the right body type. You know the type, they never have to workout and they look amazing and can play sports like a pro without practice. There is the old saying here worth remembering, "Hard work will beat Talent if Talent doesn't work hard".
You can not accomplish everything you aspire to but you can still shoot for that goal and enjoy the journey. Some goals are just not possible, but improvement is always possible. I want to be a world class athlete in my age group, I won't be crushed if I never achieve that but I'll surely keep after it and continue to learn as I go along. One of the nice things about following the Senior Olympics is that as you get older the goal gets easier to. So if you shoot at it long enough and keep working hard at it, you just never know what you can do.
I like, especially when just starting out, for athletes to keep a log. You can look back at your logged pages and find out a lot of things that are custom made for you. For example if you go back over your log from the last year and looked at every day you had a PR, looking at the days leading up to that PR can show you what you did to achieve it. You can also look at your worse performances and see what led to them also.
You learn everyday, you learn what works best to deal with soreness, you can see what eating plan worked the best for you. Never stop learning. The learning about your own body and how outside influences affect it are often as important that the training it's self.
Thanks for reading.
Learning Panda
Friday, February 6, 2009
Emotional Eating
On one of the forum boards that I follow, someone mentioned that they were having a lot of problems with emotional eating. Especially chips.
There are no dragons or toothy beasts that we must battle in our normally comfortable lives, but we face challenges form our own personal demons. We have control of these demons if we choose to take control and beat them back.
One of the reasons people have such a hard time with quitting smoking is that few minutes of escape we get when we smoke our cigarette. It's like a few minutes of 'time out' where we can catch our breath and take a break. That few minutes of pleasure helps us make it through the day. Even though we know the cigarettes can kill us, they are not going to kill us today.
It's the same with eating the junk, 'comfort', food. We know it's not good for us and we know it is keeping us from our health goals, but right now we need the comfort break. That few minutes of pleasure helps us make it through the day.
That is a pretty hard demon to beat. It can be every bit our dragon to slay. So just how does one win those battles? To start with you have to recognize the demons for what they are. We can slay those demons if we choose to but it can be a tough battle because those demons are strong from having their way with your mind and body for so long.
To start with we need the 'comfort' breaks, but we can take the break with a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, the break is important but the cigarette or the junk food can be replaced with a better option. For example when you get a break at work, don't go sit with others in a break area where everyone is munching chips and such. Get your bottle of water or your coffee and take a walk to somewhere more serene, like somewhere with a view.
At home when you get your desire to munch, make some flavorful tea or brew some coffee, or get a cold bottle of water or a glass of juice and go outside in the sunshine and relax, take your break but don't compromise your health values. Your guilt of having given in to junk or smoke will just stress you more. The victory of having beaten the demon will make you feel wonderful.
Making the right choices has to become a habit just as making poor choices became a habit. You have to work at it and it isn't easy. It's one of those battles where you have to cheer for yourself when you win. Someone who doesn't face those personal demons can't imagine how much courage it takes to beat them back. Every time you win it gets easier to win the next time and the next even easier. Knowing that doesn't make those first battles any easier but knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel can help.
Tell somebody when you win those battles, every single one. If you don't know anyone else to tell, tell me because I've faced those demons and I know how tough they are. I've had to beat the smoking demons, I had the habit for 35 years, I've beaten the fat demon, I've also beaten the I'm not worth the effort demon.
Everyone is important and worth the effort. You mean the world to someone, if you don't do it for yourself, do it for them.
Thanks for reading.
Healthy Panda
There are no dragons or toothy beasts that we must battle in our normally comfortable lives, but we face challenges form our own personal demons. We have control of these demons if we choose to take control and beat them back.
One of the reasons people have such a hard time with quitting smoking is that few minutes of escape we get when we smoke our cigarette. It's like a few minutes of 'time out' where we can catch our breath and take a break. That few minutes of pleasure helps us make it through the day. Even though we know the cigarettes can kill us, they are not going to kill us today.
It's the same with eating the junk, 'comfort', food. We know it's not good for us and we know it is keeping us from our health goals, but right now we need the comfort break. That few minutes of pleasure helps us make it through the day.
That is a pretty hard demon to beat. It can be every bit our dragon to slay. So just how does one win those battles? To start with you have to recognize the demons for what they are. We can slay those demons if we choose to but it can be a tough battle because those demons are strong from having their way with your mind and body for so long.
To start with we need the 'comfort' breaks, but we can take the break with a cup of coffee or a bottle of water, the break is important but the cigarette or the junk food can be replaced with a better option. For example when you get a break at work, don't go sit with others in a break area where everyone is munching chips and such. Get your bottle of water or your coffee and take a walk to somewhere more serene, like somewhere with a view.
At home when you get your desire to munch, make some flavorful tea or brew some coffee, or get a cold bottle of water or a glass of juice and go outside in the sunshine and relax, take your break but don't compromise your health values. Your guilt of having given in to junk or smoke will just stress you more. The victory of having beaten the demon will make you feel wonderful.
Making the right choices has to become a habit just as making poor choices became a habit. You have to work at it and it isn't easy. It's one of those battles where you have to cheer for yourself when you win. Someone who doesn't face those personal demons can't imagine how much courage it takes to beat them back. Every time you win it gets easier to win the next time and the next even easier. Knowing that doesn't make those first battles any easier but knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel can help.
Tell somebody when you win those battles, every single one. If you don't know anyone else to tell, tell me because I've faced those demons and I know how tough they are. I've had to beat the smoking demons, I had the habit for 35 years, I've beaten the fat demon, I've also beaten the I'm not worth the effort demon.
Everyone is important and worth the effort. You mean the world to someone, if you don't do it for yourself, do it for them.
Thanks for reading.
Healthy Panda
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Real Food Eating Plan
One of the simplest ways to start eating better is to eat only real food. That sounds like silly, but a lot of stuff people consume is made up of chemicals to give it a texture and taste but has no food value what so ever except for the sugar that's in it. Soft drinks are a classic example, even diet soda. Diet Soda doesn't have the sugar for calories, it has nothing in it but chemicals and water.
Along with eating real food is preparing it properly without adding fat and sugar. Avoid anything deep fried, I don't eat fried anything except during vacation when I will allow myself to enjoy the comfort foods, fries, fried fish ect... Well I went to Disney and enjoyed the comfort food to the tune of putting on 10 lbs. Yep your body will add that comfort food to the fat cells that you worked so hard to empty.
When you order off the menu make sure you get your food without those cream sauces and glazes, ask for a marinara sauce instead of the cream or Alfredo sauce. Crispy or Southern Style means fried. If you are especially hungry at lunch, I work out in the mornings so I'm starved by lunch, ask for extra veggies instead of getting the dinner size of the meat. All you can eat soup and salad is a good choice also if you avoid the high calorie soups like New England Clam Chowder or the Cheese soups. Salad dressing should be a fat free and on the side so you can add it yourself.
When you snack, choose food over chemicals. Nuts, veggies and fruits are good choices, avoid the products that are a mix of sugar and chemicals. Cereals are another good place to make sure you are getting real grains. Read the ingredients in the product you are considering, see if it meets the real food criteria, When the first, which is what the product contains the most of, isn't a food, It's not food.
Lots of things might sound like they are good for you, Fruit Roll ups, "Contains a full serving of real fruit", advertising is geared these days to make the non foods sound like real healthy stuff.
Just being cautious about what you put in your mouth can be the best plan, beats counting calories.
Thanks for reading.
Hungry Panda
Along with eating real food is preparing it properly without adding fat and sugar. Avoid anything deep fried, I don't eat fried anything except during vacation when I will allow myself to enjoy the comfort foods, fries, fried fish ect... Well I went to Disney and enjoyed the comfort food to the tune of putting on 10 lbs. Yep your body will add that comfort food to the fat cells that you worked so hard to empty.
When you order off the menu make sure you get your food without those cream sauces and glazes, ask for a marinara sauce instead of the cream or Alfredo sauce. Crispy or Southern Style means fried. If you are especially hungry at lunch, I work out in the mornings so I'm starved by lunch, ask for extra veggies instead of getting the dinner size of the meat. All you can eat soup and salad is a good choice also if you avoid the high calorie soups like New England Clam Chowder or the Cheese soups. Salad dressing should be a fat free and on the side so you can add it yourself.
When you snack, choose food over chemicals. Nuts, veggies and fruits are good choices, avoid the products that are a mix of sugar and chemicals. Cereals are another good place to make sure you are getting real grains. Read the ingredients in the product you are considering, see if it meets the real food criteria, When the first, which is what the product contains the most of, isn't a food, It's not food.
Lots of things might sound like they are good for you, Fruit Roll ups, "Contains a full serving of real fruit", advertising is geared these days to make the non foods sound like real healthy stuff.
Just being cautious about what you put in your mouth can be the best plan, beats counting calories.
Thanks for reading.
Hungry Panda
Monday, February 2, 2009
Back in White and Black
I began my training again today. I've been basically resting with easy workouts, waiting for all the soreness from the marathon to go completely away before starting back. The rest has been a cleansing for that residual lactic acid that was built up in my muscles. Lactic acid is the waste the body makes from the muscles work. Think of yourself as a car for a moment. You take in fuel, (Food), and your body breaks it down into a fuel, (Sugar), your muscle can burn to do work. When your muscle takes what it needs from the fuel and makes your body go it has waste that is produced, (Lactic acid), and must be expelled, like the cars exhaust. But When your body does something like a marathon that it doesn't normally do, it can't "exhaust" all the waste, it is simply not trained to handle that much waste. So it takes a while for the body to cleanse the waste. That is one of the reasons that you need a long recovery. That and the muscles themselves healing the damage they sustained.
When elite marathoners train they do a lot of long distance, their body learns to handle, expel, the exhaust waste. That is how they can train with such high mileage each week. But most of us don't have the time to train 75 or more miles a week to train our body to handle the stress of long distance. So when we do our half and full marathons we have to rest for a few weeks after.
I upped my intensity just a little, added a quarter mile of walking at 10 mpm pace and a mile of 12 mpm, with 4 miles total. Then started back with the weights for legs and chest. The plan is that each week I'll add to the intensity and the weight and by spring be ready to race again.
The amount of recovery time required after a race depends on a couple of factors. One of course is your current physical condition and body weight. The more extra fluff you are carrying the longer the recovery since the more weight you had to move. The other factor is your age, 50 plus athletes need a bit more recovery time that the under 40s.
Another problem with carrying that extra fluff is that you have to share your blood, oxygen and fuel with the fat cells. So just getting leaner will make you more efficient. When you get leaner and you increase your strength and endurance with the weights and walk/running you start improving by leaps and bounds.
Now if I can just get shed of the 10 lbs I gained in January and get my intensity back to normal I'll be well on my way to racing shape by spring.
Thanks for reading.
Training Panda
When elite marathoners train they do a lot of long distance, their body learns to handle, expel, the exhaust waste. That is how they can train with such high mileage each week. But most of us don't have the time to train 75 or more miles a week to train our body to handle the stress of long distance. So when we do our half and full marathons we have to rest for a few weeks after.
I upped my intensity just a little, added a quarter mile of walking at 10 mpm pace and a mile of 12 mpm, with 4 miles total. Then started back with the weights for legs and chest. The plan is that each week I'll add to the intensity and the weight and by spring be ready to race again.
The amount of recovery time required after a race depends on a couple of factors. One of course is your current physical condition and body weight. The more extra fluff you are carrying the longer the recovery since the more weight you had to move. The other factor is your age, 50 plus athletes need a bit more recovery time that the under 40s.
Another problem with carrying that extra fluff is that you have to share your blood, oxygen and fuel with the fat cells. So just getting leaner will make you more efficient. When you get leaner and you increase your strength and endurance with the weights and walk/running you start improving by leaps and bounds.
Now if I can just get shed of the 10 lbs I gained in January and get my intensity back to normal I'll be well on my way to racing shape by spring.
Thanks for reading.
Training Panda
Sunday, February 1, 2009
STRESS ME NOT, More Stress Discussion
A big part of following a healthy lifestyle is keeping your stress level manageable. That sounds very simplistic but it's not. There are some things you can control and somethings you can't. The things you can control can be just as frustrating as the things you can't.
Has this every happened to you? You start thinking negative thoughts and before long you are snarky to everyone around you, especially the ones you care about the most. We can get our selves in a grouchy mood with little effort. The challenge is to recognize what we are doing and stop it. Sometimes you just need to lie down and relax and get away from everyone else till you are fit to be around. Even as adults we can in a sense throw a tantrum when we don't get our way about something.
Next time you get in a bad mood, do a little self analysis and figure out what is wrong that got you that way. Being in an evil mood all day because you didn't get your way about something with your spouse, will not make them more agreeable to satisfying your wants. If anything you will just end up ticking them off and get the fight you tried to pick all day. Then you are having a fight you caused because you didn't get what you wanted and now both of you are in a bad mood. That sure makes the situation better don't it.
A little self analysis and some mature communication is a whole lot better solution. Maybe you can make a compromise to what was bothering you and both of you can get on with your day. We for some reason don't just do this, we start being evil and want our significant other to guess what is bothering us. Real mature but we all do it.
The stressors that we can't directly control are often better if we apply the communication method to them also. Going directly to the source isn't always possible but getting a trusted persons opinion and thoughts can often help you get your head straight about how to handle the situation. Sometimes the feeling of just being so alone with it makes it worse. The, "It's me against the world", attitude doesn't hack it. Get it out in the air and it might not be as bad as you thought.
What does this have to do with being healthy anyway. Because we can literally make ourselves sick with stress and worry. Not to mention negative thinking makes everything we do twice as hard.
Thanks for reading.
Mellow Panda
Has this every happened to you? You start thinking negative thoughts and before long you are snarky to everyone around you, especially the ones you care about the most. We can get our selves in a grouchy mood with little effort. The challenge is to recognize what we are doing and stop it. Sometimes you just need to lie down and relax and get away from everyone else till you are fit to be around. Even as adults we can in a sense throw a tantrum when we don't get our way about something.
Next time you get in a bad mood, do a little self analysis and figure out what is wrong that got you that way. Being in an evil mood all day because you didn't get your way about something with your spouse, will not make them more agreeable to satisfying your wants. If anything you will just end up ticking them off and get the fight you tried to pick all day. Then you are having a fight you caused because you didn't get what you wanted and now both of you are in a bad mood. That sure makes the situation better don't it.
A little self analysis and some mature communication is a whole lot better solution. Maybe you can make a compromise to what was bothering you and both of you can get on with your day. We for some reason don't just do this, we start being evil and want our significant other to guess what is bothering us. Real mature but we all do it.
The stressors that we can't directly control are often better if we apply the communication method to them also. Going directly to the source isn't always possible but getting a trusted persons opinion and thoughts can often help you get your head straight about how to handle the situation. Sometimes the feeling of just being so alone with it makes it worse. The, "It's me against the world", attitude doesn't hack it. Get it out in the air and it might not be as bad as you thought.
What does this have to do with being healthy anyway. Because we can literally make ourselves sick with stress and worry. Not to mention negative thinking makes everything we do twice as hard.
Thanks for reading.
Mellow Panda
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
