Dull dull dull

Kay and I have the least exciting exercise routine in the family.  The gym is invariably pleasant,stress on invariably, and whacking the tennis ball is fun, and it adds up to 30 minutes some days and 90 minutes other days and nothing to talk about.  We will enter times again if something changes.

So...it sounds like your new diet ideas, Roberta, are approaching George's old (and current, as far as I know) diet: meat and dairy and green stuff, no fast carbs, and damn few slow carbs,including fruit.  Easy for me except for root veggies and fruit.  I do not doubt that I am maintaining my weight on fruit, but is there any other reason not to eat it?

Old thought for today:  health habits are all about process!  If results are obvious today, that's good, but it is not possible to DO results, and we can get pretty frustrated trying to.  Sticking to a process or not is a success/failure thing and is never just frustrating.  (I also have this new invention called the wheel, but I'm waiting for somebody to develop the axle before I bring it out.)

Keep warm

Feeling Better Today

Overall, I feel much better today.  My neck is at about 95% and my left calf is just slightly tender.  I opted for long walks Saturday and Sunday instead of my scheduled training to stretch out my calf, get a little exercise, be outdoors, and spend time with Jack rather than punishing my calf when it was still pretty painful.  This morning I did my scheduled swim workout.  All in all, I feel pretty good.

Jack and I leave for Germany tomorrow and will be gone for almost two weeks.  I am sure we will have a gym at the hotel, so we will get some workouts in, though I know we will end up missing a few days, particularly on travel days.  We will be in Nuremberg until Monday, attending the Toy Fair, then we will go to Belgium for a couple of days.  On Wednesday morning of next week we will drop Jonathan off at the Frankfurt airport, then Jack and I will have a couple of days just to vacation.  We plan on going on a little road trip and just letting the highway take us where it wants to take us.  We are both looking forward to it.

I haven't blogged about Grain Brain lately, but I am still re-reading it.  I become more convinced every day that the most important thing we can do with our diets is manage our blood sugar levels; which is effectively done by eating no wheat, very few sweet things, and plenty of healthy fats.  I've been doing some research about cholesterol and its impact on heart disease and it seems that there are more and more studies supporting Perlmutter's claim that elevated LDLs are not the cause of hardening of the arteries.  Hardening of the arteries occurs in high blood sugar environments, which causes LDLs and other proteins to become glycated, which is what causes the problems.  It certainly makes one think about food a little differently.

I have to run.  Work calls.  Have a great day.

Muscle Problems

First my neck, now my left calf.  On Tuesday, after a good workout on my indoor bicycle trainer, I was standing at the kitchen sink and my neck seized up.  I went from perfectly fine to having an immobilized neck in a flash.  The pain was incredible.  I could barely move my head.  Jack massaged my neck for the next few nights and I applied a hot pad the second and third night, and it seemed fine.  After two days off from exercise I hit it hard again at my Big Spin class.  After about 70 minutes of spinning we headed to the pool.  I was fine until the very end when we had a 4 person relay.  When it was my turn to swim and I pushed off the wall, my left calf seized up in a massive cramp.  I swam the lap with my leg dragging behind me.  It relaxed slightly before my next leg of the relay so that I could swim, but the calf is still painful.  I am guessing that I must have some sort of electrolyte imbalance or something.  I had a physical a couple of weeks ago and all of my blood work looked fine.  I may not be drinking enough water.  I am going to focus on drinking water, eating a variety of veggies, stretching, and trying to get this cramp worked out.  Any suggestions?

Good Birthday week

I had a great birthday week fitness wise -- getting the gym 4 out of 5 weekdays, and having a nice walk around the lake on the weekend with the whole family. Lafayette is stunningly beautiful, it's great to take advantage of it.

This week I've run a full hour at 5.4 mph or so, that's the fastest I can go and keep my heart rate under 145-or-so, about 85% of the "maximum" for a 54 (now) year old. At the end of the hour, I feel really good; not wobbly or anything, just strong and ready to attack the rest of the day!

Thad

Winter in palm springs

Another perfect day. It really never gets old.  I am about convinced that when it is practical the two residence life is best.  I am not too sure of Sequim in the long run but Palm Springs winter is a no brainer.  We had a great visit with Millie Bee and extended family last week.  Pete and Ruth and Patrick and I played bridge and drank smoothies and generally enjoyed a day.
Kay and I are actually improving in tennis. (No scoring, just bang the ball around). Play is nearly continuous, so we are counting it as exercise. We still get to the gym most every day as well.  We had a letter today from a 98 year old friend who said he thinks the gym machines are what is keeping him going. Somewhat inspiring.
Keep warm!

Off to Australia / Running in the Heat / Detox

Well, I'm off to Melbourne today!  Going to see the tennis tournament and tour the area.  Wonderful!

Also, it's been HOT there.  Like 107 hot.  It's supposed to cool down which will be good for my exercise plan (running) when I'm there.  We've been having a mini-heat wave here in Berkeley (77 yesterday), and the gym was even hotter upstairs where the StairMaster machines are.  I noticed that my heart rate was about 15 bpm higher when it's warm.  Normally I hit about 140 as my max.  Yesterday I hit 162.  Had to take it easy after that for sure!

I'll have limited internet access and no phone, but I'll check my emails from to time.  Back on the 28th!

I'm on day 11 of the detox...not sure about keeping it up on vacation, but I'll try to make good choices.

Bowling; Not so Serious Business, but Still Fun!!

Wednesday night is our league bowling night.  I'm not very good, my average is a 129, but I am getting better.  Shortly before Christmas I got a new bowl and had it drilled as a fingertip ball that is designed to hook.  It's so much more fun to throw this ball instead of a "straight ball."  Slowly but surely I am getting comfortable with the new grip and getting consistent with throwing a hook.  Last night I even picked up the 10 pin 3 out of 4 times.  The hook completely changes how I pick up spares, but I am getting it figured out.  It's all geometry, which has always been fun for me.  My goal is to consistently bowl in the 150s.  I think I'll get there by the end of the season!!  We have a lot of fun on Wednesday nights!

Training for Triathlons; Serious Business

Last year at this time I was finishing up Stage 1 of my Get Fit For Life Initiative.  After 11 months of dieting and exercising about 6 times a week I reached my goal weight of 150 pounds, after starting at 224 pounds.  It was a momentous occassion.

I was nervous, though.  I was I going to make this stick, this time around.  Somewhere deep inside I knew that I was in a different place that I had ever been in before, I knew that this was a fitness for life goal, but still, I needed something a little more tangible than that.  That is when Ruth suggested we do a triathlon together. So I added swimming and biking to my fitness routine, threw in a few bricks on weekends, and off we went to the races.  As all of you know, I was able to complete that first tri, but I won't say I was very graceful about it.  I achieved my goal, but it was rough.

Before we even finished that race, Ruth and I were talking about what my next goal should be.  We got a little ambitious before the race and started talking about half ironmans.  3 hours and 42 minutes later I was cured of that notion.  I knew there were no half ironmans anywhere in my near future.  What I did decide to do was significantly improve my tri time.  I decided that in 2014 I wanted to finish the same even in 3 hours and 15 minutes.  That wouldn't get me winning my age group, but it would be me squarely in the middle of the 50+ women; and it would be a 27 minute improvement on my time.

During the fall, I continued to swim, bike and run on my own, but I knew I needed more.  I still felt like I was in Stage 2.  I started looking for a solution and found the KCTri Club.  At first, when I joined the club, I got nothing out of it other than a jersey (it's pretty cool, but it is too small - I hope it fits by summer) and a 10% discount on running shoes.  Just like anything else, you get out of it what you put into it.  So I started poking around the website and found a group that offers 12 weeks of coaching to newbie tri athletes for free.  I also found the Big Spin classes.

I have been working with my coach since December 28th and my first Big Spin class was on January 2nd.  My training has kicked up at least 4 notches and I can tell you that Stage 3 has officially begun!  My swim, bike and run sessions are much more focused and I am working much harder than I was when I was working on my own.  It is also much less likely that I will miss a workout.  I am not strength training as much as I was last year, in fact, I don't think I am strength training enough.  I need to work more weight lifting into my week.  But I am starting to feel a difference in my body, due to the increased level of exercise.  I am beginning to think I may just be able to achieve my goal of 3:15 next August.  It's hard work, but it's kind of fun.  In a weird sort of way.

Admin Status for All!!

I have given everyone that accepted the invitation to be an author on the blog admin status.  This will make it much easier to edit your previous posts, track comments on posts, etc...

I found it quite frustrating when I could not do those things.  So feel free to explore the different information available to you now that you have admin status.

If you have not yet accepted an invitation to post to the blog and you need a new invitation, let me know.  The more posters we have, the better the blog will be.

See you later!

Roberta

Brain Grain - 1st half of Chapter 3: "Attention, Carboholics and Fat Phobic; Surprising Truths About Your Brain's Real Enemies and Lovers."

Chapter 3 is pretty dense so I only made it half way through the Chapter yesterday, taking notes.  In this Chapter Dr. Perlmutter talks more about how carbs affect the whole body, not just the brain. The following post contains my take-aways from the first half of Chapter 3.

Dr Perlmutter starts the chapter by mentioning the fact that he has had many patients make a single shift in their lifestyle; a change in their diet which encompassed eliminating gluten, reducing carbs, and adding fats; which relieved many ailments and symptoms such as:

• Lifting depression
• Relieving chronic fatigue
• Reversing type 2 diabetes
• Curing brain fog
• Relieving bi-polar disorder

By making this change, he claims that one can shift his biochemistry to burn fat, tame inflammation, and prevent illness.  Perlmutter basically claims that our bodies crave and need a high-fat/low-carb diet.  He sites evidence that ever since we "scientized" our diets the state of our health in the United States has declined.  As he puts it, eons of habits and culture have been replaced with short sighted nutritional theories that benefit, among other things, commercial interests.  Perlmutter ask us, "Do you think that makers of breakfast cereal really have our interests in mind?"  The following quote is in an inset box at the beginning of the chapter:

 "One of the most profitable businesses for food manufacturers is cereal.  It's one of the only industries that can turn an inexpensive ingredient (i.e. processed grain) into a pricey commodity.  The R&D department for General Mills, called the Institute of Cereal Technology and located in Minneapolis, is home to hundreds of scientists whose sole purpose is to design new and tasty cereals that can command a high price and last for a long time on the shelves."

As a side bar:  I will admit to being bent against Big-Food before I ever read Grain Brain or Wheat Belly, but the more I think about the fact that scientists (rather than cooks) are the ones that design how packaged foods taste, feel, and smell, the more anti-Big-Food I become.

One of Perlmutter's biggest concerns about Big-Food, Big-Pharma, and government involvement in telling us what is healthy to eat is that in the 21st century fat has been demonized and replaced by the concept of "healthy carbs."  In this chapter, Perlmutter explains why this is an incredibly unhealthy trend.  He explains how the body uses fats, both saturated and unsaturated, and why they are so important to our bodily functions.  He points out that there is a big difference between naturally occurring fats and commercially modified fats and oils and, in general, claims that there is health risk to most commercially modified fats.  He calls trans fats toxic.  Good fats, on the other hand, are what our bodies thrive on and cholesterol is a good fat.

Dr. Perlmutter tells us that human dietary requirement for carbs is close to zero.  He points out that way-back-when, our only real exposure to plentiful carbs would have been late summer and early fall, when fruits were getting ripe, and that exposure to plentiful carbs would have signaled our bodies to start producing fat to get through the winter.  Now, our constant exposure to plentiful carbs does the same thing, and our bodies are busy storing fat year round.

Perlmutter claims that obesity has almost nothing to do with eating fats and that it is most closely linked to eating carbs.  He states:

"Eating high-cholesterol foods has no impact on our cholesterol levels, and the alleged correlation between higher cholesterol and higher cardiac risk is an absolute fallacy."

 "Fat - not carbohydrate - is the preferred fuel of human metabolism and has been for all of human evolution."

In this chapter he begins to discuss the difference between healthy fats and unhealthy fats.  Healthy fats are the ones that are high in Omega 3s such as fish, olive oil, flax seed oil and walnut oil.  He sites a study published in 2007 in the journal Neurology that looked at more than 8,000 participants who were 65 years old or older.  The study followed them for up to 4 years.  During the study, 280 participants developed some sort of dementia (most often, Alzheimer's).  Researchers were looking for patterns in dietary habits that correlated with development of dementia.  What they found was that those people that regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils were 60% less likely to develop dementia than those that did not consume such fats.  They also found that those that regularly ate omega-6 rich oils - typical in the American diet - and not Omega-3 rich oils, were twice as likely to develop dementia as people that did not eat omega-6-rich oils.  It was noted that the consumption of omega-3 oils counterbalanced the detrimental effect of omega-6 oils, and cautioned against eating omega-6 oils in the absence of omega-3s.

Vegetable oils tend to be high in Omega-6 and low in Omega-3.  Vegetable oil represents the number one source of fat in the American diet.  It is estimated that hunter-gatherers had a diet that had approximately a 1:1 ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 oils.  Today that ratio is 10-25: 1.  The following is a list of common fats and their Omega-6 and Omega-3 content:

Canola Oil:         20% Omega-6;         9% Omega-3
Corn Oil:            54% Omega-6;          0% Omega-3
Cottonseed Oil:  60% Omega-6;          0% Omega-3
Fish Oil:               0% Omega-6;      100% Omega-3
Flax seed Oil:     14% Omega-6;        57% Omega-3
Peanut Oil:         32% Omega-6;          0% Omega-3
Safflower Oil:    75% Omega-6;          0% Omega-3
Sesame Oil:       72% Omega-6;           0% Omega-3
Soybean Oil:      51% Omega-6;          7% Omega-3
Sunflower Oil:   65% Omega-6;          0% Omega-3
Walnut Oil:        52% Omega-6;        10% Omega-3

Other studies have supported the above findings.  Diets low in fats result in a higher incidence of Alzheimer's and diets high in fats result in a lower incidence of Alzheimer's.  But it is important to focus on Omega-3 rich fats.  Omega-6 fats are pro-inflammatory.  Wild and grass fed meats are higher in Omega-3s than grain feed meat.

Other interesting fat facts:  Higher cholesterol levels correlate to better memory function.  Parkinson's is related to lower cholesterol levels.  People with the lowest LDL levels have a 350% increase in their incidence of Parkinson's disease.   This is because LDLs are a carrier protein that transports essential cholesterol to the brain.  Perlmutter stresses over and over again that LDLs are not bad, what is bad is damaged (oxidized) LDLs.

Free radicals damage LDLs:

• Making them less functional for carrying cholesterol.
• Allowing sugar to bind to them, accelerating oxidation - so that they can no longer enter the astrocyte, the cell charged with nourishing neurons.
• Oxidized LDLs are a key factor in atherosclurosis.
• LDLs become oxidized in a high sugar environment.

Therefore; LDLs are not the enemy, high carb diets which yield oxidized LDLs are the enemy.

Perlmutter states that reviews of multiple studies fail to find a correlation between heart disease and high cholesterol.  He quotes Dr. George Mann, a researcher involved in the Framingham Heart Study:

"The diet heart hypothesis that suggests that a high intake of fat or cholesteraol causes heart disease had been repeatedly shown to be wrong, and yet, for complicated reasons of pride, profit, and prejudice, the hypothesis continues to be exploited by scientists, fund-raising enterprise, food companies, and event governmental agencies.  The public is being deceived by the greatest health scam of the century."

In fact, studies suggest that those with the highest total cholesterol have a lower mortality rate with lower incidences of cancer and infection than those with low cholesterol levels.  In 2008 a study was published in the journal, Neurology, that showed that high levels of cholesterol were a protective factor against Lou Gehrig's disease.

In 2010, a publication in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discussed a study that examined 21 previous medical reports that covered over 340,000 subjects.  It sited the observation that those with the highest consumption of saturated fats had a 19% decrease in the risk of heat disease.  The article pointed out that there has been a publication bias regarding fat in our diets, towards publishing reports that tend to support the idea that fat is bad.

A subsequent report in the same journal quotes a panel of leading researchers in the field of nutrition from around the world:

"At present there is no clear relation of saturated fatty acid intake to these outcomes [of obesity, cardiovascular disease, incidence of cancer and osteoporosis]."

 The researchers went on to say that research should be directed at,

" biological interactions between insulin resistance, reflected by obesity and physical inactivity, and carbohydrate quality and quantity."

And that is as far as I got with my notes.  I will try to compile notes on the second half of chapter three this weekend.  It's fair to say, in summary, that Dr. Perlmutter is trying to undo the years of exposure that we have had to the idea that "Good carbs," are good for us and fat is bad for us.  The more I read, the more I am convinced that he is speaking the truth.  Today I am getting a physical (the first in many years).  It will be interesting to see what the doctor has to say.

Have a great day, everyone!!!!!!!!

I second that! Happy Birthday, Thad!

Wow.... 54!  The great thing is you look younger and are a heck of a lot healthier than last year.  Congratulations -- you are on a road that you will not be turning back from.  Wonderful!

Happy Birthday Thad!!!

I hope you have an awesome day!!!

Love,

Roberta

Monday Morning: Working on a Brain Grain Post - and I Forgot my Goggles This Morning

Good morning everyone!!  I am working on my 3rd Grain Brain post, but I don't have time to get it done before work, so I hope to get it posted this evening.

This morning I had a swim workout scheduled so I got up early to head to the pool, but when I got there I realized I did not have my goggles.  Since I was wearing contact lenses and had no way to store them, I couldn't swim without goggles.  I ended up turning around and going home.  I'll have to head back to the gym this evening to get my swim workout in.

Early yesterday morning I did a 1750 meter swim workout (scheduled for Saturday, but we got busy at home taking down the tree and I just didn't make it to the gym), and I did a spin workout last night.  I am very excited about the fact that we bought some rubber floor tiles and a weight rack for our home "gym" yesterday and we got everything set up last night.  I love it!!  I need a couple of hooks for my bands.  Once those are up the gym will be complete. I'll post a photo once it's all done.

Have a great week!!

Roberta

Pat and MeeMaw 5k

Pat started his workouts with a 5k with MeeMaw and Daisy.  SoCal is hilly.

Saturday...Finally!!

Wow, what a crazy and wild ride I've been on for the last month.  Ever since Thanksgiving, Jack and I have been in high gear.  First preparing for a Christmas week with 8 house guests; then Christmas week itself, with its 8 house guests;  then last weekend I went to Denver to spend the weekend with Carla.  Somewhere in there my new coach said, "I'm ready to work with you now," and I started training seriously again on December 30th.  My Big Spin classes started up on January 2nd.  It's been go, go, go!!!  My room is a mess, there are clothes everywhere, and I haven't cooked in two weeks.  I am glad to finally have a weekend with nothing to do but get organized and regroup (and exercise, of course).  Ah...deep breath.  It's all going to be OK.

I had an 85 minute workout on the treadmill last night, alternating between an easy pace and a fast pace.  My easy pace was 5mph and my fast pace was 6mph.  I started with 20 minutes slow to warm up, then 5 minutes fast, 5 minutes slow, 5 minutes fast, 4 minutes slow, 5 minutes fast, 3 minutes slow, 5 minutes fast, 2 minutes slow, 5 minutes fast, 1 minutes slow, 5 minutes fast, 20 minutes slow.  By the last 20 minutes I was very tired and I alternated a slow jog (4.5 mph) with a walk. I may have been a little ambitious on the fast pace.  I was supposed to do it at my 10k race pace and I doubt that I could keep up 6mph for 6.2 miles.  Perhaps I should have used 5.8mph or so.  It was a tough workout!

Today I swim and tomorrow I spin.  I can't help but get faster with all this training.  I need to start working in some more strength training, too.  We take the Christmas tree down today and I will have my area in the family room back for my weights.  That will help.

I have my budgeting to do, so I better run, and I want to prepare another Grain Brain post.  I'll be busy this weekend in spite of "not having anything to do."  I guess that's the way it always works out.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Roberta

Baby jogger

3 ez miles with baby Bee!

Welcome New Bloggers!!!

Yeah!! Several of you accepted my invitation to become authors on the blog.  I am looking forward to your posts.  I've been enjoying the blog ever since Elizabeth put it up, but it will be even more fun as more and more of the family contribute to it.

I was glad Dad was able to get his first post up!!  "Woo Hoo!" as Jackie Deane would say.

I am enjoying my Big Spin classes, if you can call working incredibly hard and getting leg cramps in the pool, "fun."  The spin workouts are really tough and it feels good that each week is a brick of some sort.  I like working out with other people and meeting fellow triathletes of every ability level each week.  Everyone is super friendly.  I think the classes are going to be very good for me.  I also like working with my new coach.  It motivates me to not miss a workout and to work a little (or perhaps a lot) harder than I would on my own.

Sugar...Sugar...Sugar... 

Ah, sugar. 

I talked to Dad for a while last night.  I agree with him that wheat was relatively easy to give up and I don't crave it at all.  I believe there are huge health benefits to not eating wheat.  Sugar is much harder to eliminate completely.  I need to work harder at it.

Life's good.  Work is hard right now, though.  What's new???

New blogger perhaps

Typing with one finger should enforce brevity.  We have some news about wheat.  Since we quit wheat last March, the neuropathy in Kay's feet,persistent for about 30 years, has pretty well disappeared.  My backhand problems, persistent for fifty some years, persist still.  O well!
Way to go Thad.  You seem to be gaining momentum.  1000 some odd calories in one treadmill session sounds almost like a license to eat.  At our house Kay loses weight accidentally while I go up and down trying to diet--perhaps because my workout tops out at about 250 calories.
George, do you eat All of those foods on your detox program?
We love the blog, and look forward to the news every day.  Thanks Elizabeth and Berta.
John seems to be having the same problem that I had logging on.

A Sugar-Free Life?

I 100% agree about the need to postpone or prevent cognitive decline.  Mostly because I want to enjoy my life and don't want to pay people to put food in my mouth or change my diaper.  Maybe that's inevitable, maybe not.  It's one of the reasons I keep programming -- I think it keeps my brain sharp.

Sugars and carbs that break down into sugars definitely put me on a roller coaster mood-wise, weight-wise, fitness-wise.  I'm on day 4 of  a 21 day detox right now (after egg nog season!) and have the headaches, lethargy, slight depression that comes from leaving a sugar-filled life.  I'm thinking of making it a yearly ritual.  I've posted the food list if anyone wants to give it a go with me.

It's also been a reminder that it's actually difficult to eat food at restaurants this way.  Ask for no-sugar options and they look at you like you have two heads.

Last year I took off 30 lbs going sugar free, got a little lazy, gained 3 lbs back.  I'm 188 now, back on the program, and am going to get down to 175.  That's where I feel great.  Hopefully, in a few days, I'll lose the sugar cravings.  That's what happened last year and I'm confident it'll happen again this year.

I'm grateful we're doing this together. It's fun!  I still marvel over what Thad is doing and Roberta has done.

Big Spin Tonight, Too Much Store Made Popcorn Last Night!

I have my 2nd Big Spin class tonight.  It will be 60 minutes of spin on my bike followed by 30 minutes of swimming.  Last week's class was tough and I know tonight's will be tough as well.  Heck, it takes 15 minutes just to round up all my gear and get it in the car.  This is commitment.  When did I become so committed to this sport, or any sport, for that matter?  Crazy stuff is happening in my old age.

We bowl on Wednesday nights and I always pop some popcorn as a snack.  I don't eat much of it, because it is just popcorn.  I started doing this because one of the members of our team loves popcorn and she is a wonderful person that is always doing kind things for other people, so this is my little way of giving something back to her.  Apparently, having popcorn on the table last week led to a discussion of flavored popcorn sold by Topsy's and Velvet Cream, so she brought a few bags to bowling last night.  I should not have taken the first bite because it was addictive.  I ate way too much of it.

As I was thinking about how I feel about over eating on this artificially flavored product they call popcorn (really, its taste and texture does not resemble popcorn in any way), I thought a lot more about the effect this product had on my brain than on my weight.  After reading Grain Brain, more and more often I think about the impact that my food choices have on my brain and I find myself deciding that I need to be more careful about my food choices so that I will have a healthy brain into my old age.  My thought process is shifting to understanding that taking care of my body means taking care of what is in my bloodstream which means taking care of what chemicals, nutrients, and fuels get to my brain.  It's almost like the rest of me is an incubator protecting my most vital and sensitive organ.  It's not my heart or liver or kidneys or lungs that I need to protect most, it's my brain.  Of course, everything I do to protect my brain will also benefit those other organs, but a weakening brain is what will end me up in a long-term-care situation a lot sooner than any of those others.  I've sworn off wheat and other gluten containing grains for life.  I have no doubt about that.  But it's the other crap that I need to tackle now.  Sweets tempt me, but sweets elevate blood sugars which can lead to a host of other problems down the road.  The sweets have got to go, as do all of the artificial ingredients put into processed food to make it pleasing to eat. 

That's what I was thinking about on the way to work today.  How about you?

6 in 60

Some days you just have to see how hard you can push things. Thomas goes to school relatively late on Wednesdays, so I had some extra time this morning -- so I decided this would be the day.

I ran 6 miles in 60 minutes for the first time. It was actually quite hard, if I hadn't made it a specific goal I probably would have stopped after 40 minutes, but I really wanted to see if I could do it. I had wondered what my next goal should be before this -- now it's just to do it again in another month or so, and see if it's any easier :)

Down to 255 lbs. This is what I weighed in 1999, and hopefully I'll be moving back in time further as this year goes on!

That's 1,268 calories, btw.

The nabobs of negativity says that the blood cells in the lining of your lungs can freeze if you try to run in -5 degree F.  Hah.  No seriously, I think they are right.   I ran 40 minutes on treadmill, 30 at 10 min per mile, 10 progressively faster.

Double Duty

Carla and I had an awesome weekend in Denver.  There is no place to shop in Vail if you are not a rich tourist wanting ski gear, so for her Christmas present we met in Denver and went on a two day shopping spree.  She really needed new clothes for work.  We had a blast but it was exhausting. 

We made it down to the hotel gym on Saturday, so I got my run workout in on Saturday morning, but my flight was delayed a couple of hours out of Denver and I did not get home until late Sunday evening.  Therefore, I missed my Sunday spin workout.  Then, because of my late night Sunday, getting up at 5:00am on Monday to workout did not happen and last night it was so frigid I could not even imagine going back out to go to the gym for my swim workout.  It sounds like a lot of excuses, doesn't it?

I made up for it though, I got up at 4:00am this morning and did a double workout, so I am caught up on my workouts for the week (I ended last week one workout short).  This morning I did my swim workout and my run workout.  Wednesday is my rest day this week and Thursday I have my Big Spin class, which will be a 60 minute spin workout out, followed by a 30 minute swim workout.  Starting next week I am going to move my rest day to Friday, since the Big Spin classes keep me up late.

All is going well.  Jack and I had a busy "holiday season" and were very happy to spend so much time with family, but we are glad to be getting back into the routine for a few weeks (until we head to Germany for the world's biggest toy fair!).

Until tomorrow!!

Roberta

running on a treadmill...

Posting about running on a treadmill is almost as boring as running on the treadmill :)

Seriously, though, my goal is to get up to running 6 miles in an hour. I plan to make the first try at that Wednesday. Today I went four miles in 40 minutes, so it seems like it should be possibe! I had to bump up the incline and speed toward the end, as it was getting too easy.

I do have a problem with meeting goals, though -- they motivate me until I achieve them, then the blah's set in. I'll think of what the next one should be before Wednesday.

12 inches

The school, university, offices, and city were closed today for snow and cold.  I shoveled the foot that fell last night for 2+ hours so that I could get out of my driveway, although we aren't allowed on city streets anyway.  I usually work out even if I do shovel, but not this winter.  I was counting on global warming, but I might break down and buy a snow blower next year.

I'm doing a 21 day Detox. Here are the fools I'm eating...

21 Day Detox
MEAT & FISH			NUTS/SEEDS & BUTTERS
Beef	Lobster		Almond butter	Pecans
Buffalo	Mahi Mahi		Coconut butter	Pistachios
Chicken	Mussels		100% Cacao/Cocoa	Walnuts
Clams	Pork		Brazil, Macadamias	Pumpkin, Sunflower
Duck	Red Snapper		Filberts/Hazelnuts	& Sesame Seeds
Eggs	Scallops		Flax, Chia & Hemp	Tahini
Game meats	Shrimp
Salmon	Swordfish		FATS & OILS
Goat	Turkey		Animal Fats, Butter,	Coconut oil/milk
Halibut	Tuna / Ahi tuna		Ghee	Flax oil
Lamb	Veal		Avocado	Olive oil
				Sesame oil
VEGETABLES
Artichokes/Sunchokes	Lettuce/Salad mixes		DAIRY
Asparagus	Mushrooms		Milk (whole- raw if possible)	Cottage cheese
Broccoli	Onions		Heavy cream	Yogurt/Kefir: plain
Brussels sprouts	Parsnips		Cheese
Cabbage	Peppers
Carrots	Radicchio		BEVERAGES
Cauliflower	Radishes		Water, mineral water	Coconut milk (fullfat),
Celery/Celery root	Rutabaga		Seltzer/Club Soda	Almond milk
Chard, Collards	Snow/Snap Peas		Coffee, espresso	(unsweetened)
Cucumber	Spaghetti Squash		Unsweetened teas:
Eggplant	Spinach		green, black, herbal
Garlic, Ginger	Tomato
Green beans	Turnips		FRUIT
Kale	Yellow Squash		Lemon, Lime
Leeks	Zucchini

I joined a gym!

After getting some exercise this weekend, but not enough - and failing to get up early to run in the very cold temperatures outside - I went ahead and joined a gym! It's 24 hour fitness which is less glamorous than the YMCA, but less expensive. In fact, I talked the trainer down to 29.99/month by saying "that's too expensive" and batting my eyes in the face of his higher offers.

The gym is literally a block away from my work. The BART station goes under this block so I can go from work, through the BART station, and surface at the gym, or vice versa. So I could go in the morning or after work, there's no excuse not to go every day. SO STOKED.

Eating is getting better. I'm getting back into the swing of things. Breakup was really really hard. Moving forward in 2014!

suck ass xmas

What a holiday -- We lost power and heat on the 22nd, had to skip our xmas trip to keep our pipes from freezing, and did not get power for nine days. Then, I got really sick. I am just starting to feel better today. I will get back into it tomorrow. Good work everyone.

Big Spin, Swim, and Off to See Carla Marie!!

I had my first of 11 Big Spin classes last night.  The Big Spin classes are sponsored by TriKC, a local triathlon group that I joined last year as part of my effort to find an exercise community to which I can belong.  The class was good, hard but good.  Or perhaps good because it was hard.  We spent the first hour on our own bikes on our own trainers, which we had to haul from home, carry through the loading doc of the JCC, down the stairs, up the hall and then set up.  That was a workout in and of itself!!  It was good to spend an hour on my trainer with a group leader because I learned more about how to use the my bike on the trainer to get a really good workout.  We maintained a "race cadence" of approximately 80 rpms for most of the hour, moving between easy and difficult-to-maintain gear ratios.  The last 15 minutes or so of the cycling was spent in harder gears maintaining a cadence of 50 - 60 rpms.

We then spent 20 minutes running on an indoor track with a few drills thrown in on the straightaways, finishing up with 10 minutes of light yoga stretching.

This morning I spent about 40 minutes in the pool doing a variety of easy and fast laps, with some kicking laps thrown in for good measure.

All in all, I feel like I am starting to really train again, and that feels good.  Like I knew that it would!!

How about the rest of you?  Are you getting out there?  What are you training for?  Talk to me, people!!  Thad sounds like he is doing great!  Dad and Kay logged their exercise.  But from the rest of you what do we have?  Radio Silence!!  To quote George, "Hello??  Are you out there?"

This weekend I am off to see Carla.  For Christmas this year I am taking her on a shopping spree for clothes in Denver.  There is no place to shop in Vail, unless you are a rich ski bum, of course.  I can't wait to see her!!

Love, Hugs, and Kisses from someone who loves you!!!!

Back on the wagon, er, treadmill this morning. I would have thought the gym would be more crowded after the first of the year! Ran 40 minutes at 5.4 mph at 2% incline. Surprisingly easy, this is the first time I tried running uphill on a treadmill (I've walked uphill a lot.) My pulse tops out (I increase the speed and incline every 10 minutes, it just seems to get easier the longer I am going) at about 150 or so; about 89% of my theoretical peak of 167 (220 - 53). I'm not going to let that bother me, unless somebody feels that's too high. My pulse drops about 25 bpm in the first minute after the run, which I've read is a good indication that you're doing OK. Thad

Happy New Year!!

I see Dad and Kay got a good start to the year with 30 minutes exercise, each!!  Way to celebrate the new year!! 

I have my first 90 minute Big Spin class tonight.  We will be doing a bike/run brick.  The class is the first of an 11 session series designed specifically for off-season triathlon training.  Each class will either be a bike/swim brick or a bike/run brick with the last class being a swim/bike/run brick.  Fun, fun, fun, don't you think?  I have also started working with a triathlon coach.  We just started on Monday and he got me in the pool.  That is the first time I have been in the pool for about a month.  It's funny how things are easier when you have a plan.  Tomorrow will be another pool session, Friday's workout is on the treadmill, and Saturday's workout is scheduled for the bike.

Jack and I spent yesterday morning doing what I like to do on the 1st of each year, which is spend a little time reflecting on the previous year and make some plans for the year to come.  This time, when thinking about 2014, we (I guess that really means, "I") decided we would approach the discussion using Stan's (my old shrink's) 9 box approach to a balanced life.  So we picked 9 important elements to our lives and we decided how we would work on or improve each of them in 2014.  I think they nine boxes were:  Our relationship as a couple, our relationships with our siblings & parents, our relationships with our children and grandchildren, our health, events/activities (this include sporting events), our social life, our spiritual life, friendships, and our financial goals.  It was a great way to start the year with a well-rounded discussion about what is important to us and the direction we want to head in as a couple.  I am truly grateful that Jack is part of my life and is as enthusiastic about continually improving on what we have as I am.  It may have taken me a while and I had a few false starts along the way, but it sure is nice to know that I am finally with the right life partner!! 

I'd love hear how everyone else welcomed in the New Year!!!

Love to all of my family!!!!

Grain Brain - Chapter 2 (second post about the book)

On Sunday, December 8^th, I wrote my first blog post about Grain Brain, by David Perlmutter, MD.  It covered the introduction and 1^st chapter of the book.  This post covers chapter two of the book titled:  The Sticky Protein – Gluten’s role in Brain Inflammation.

As a reminder, I have decided to blog about this book for two reasons:  1) to make the information stick in my own brain; 2) to hear your comments.  Please leave comments and let me know your thoughts.  I welcome a lively discussion on the thoughts presented in my blog posts.  If you decide to read the book, I’d be very interested to know what you think of it.

Chapter 2 of Grain Brain is focused on the discussion of gluten and the role it plays in celiac disease and a variety of brain disorders.  The chapter starts with stories about three of Parlmutter’s patients; one suffered from persistent migraines, one suffered from bipolar disorder, and one suffered from involuntary movement and learning disorders.  After listening to all three of these patients’ complaints, Perlmutter tested each of them for gluten sensitivity, all with positive results.  All three of the patients went on gluten free diets and all three improved dramatically as a result.  Perlmutter states that these cases reflect a pattern that he has witnessed in many of his patients.  Patients come into his office complaining of vastly different symptoms and ailments that are often alleviated by removing gluten from the diet.  He states, “It is my belief that gluten is a modern poison, and that the research is compelling doctors like me to notice and re-examine the bigger picture when it comes to brain disorders and disease.”

Perlmutter describes gluten as a protein composite that acts as the ‘glue’ that holds flour together to make bread products.  Gluten can be found in many grains such as wheat (most common source in the USA), rye, barley, spelt, kamut, and bulger.  In addition, gluten can be found in many other common household items; from cheese spreads to mascara to hair conditioners.

While many people are aware of celiac disease they may not know that there is a big difference between gluten sensitivity and celiac disease; the latter is an extreme manifestation of the former.  Celiac disease is basically a severe allergic reaction to gluten that causes damage specifically to the small intestine.  While celiac disease is the most recognized and most severe form of gluten sensitivity, gluten sensitivity can impact any organ in the body.  Perlmutter explains that food sensitivities (not just gluten sensitivity) are usually a response from the immune system.  They also occur when the body doesn’t have the right enzymes to break down a certain food.  He states that, “In the case of gluten, its ‘sticky’ attribute interferes with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients.  Poorly digested food leads to a pasty residue in your gut, which alerts the immune system to leap into action, eventually resulting in an assault on the lining of the small intestine.”  But Perlmutter stresses, over and over again, that even if you don’t experience typical digestive issues related to gluten sensitivity, gluten sensitivity could lead to attacks elsewhere in your body, such as the nervous system.  When we negatively react to food, our body “attempts to control the damage by sending out inflammatory chemicals, killer cells among them, to wipe out the enemies.”

Occasionally, the books technical language caused me to have a little trouble absorbing the message.  When I read the next several paragraphs I got hung up because I did not know the exact definition of some words, so I looked them up and am providing you with the definitions here:

antigen
noun
1.  Immunology.  Any substance that can stimulate the production of antibodies and combine specifically with them.
2.  Pharmacology.  Any commercial substance that, when injected of absorbed into animal tissues, stimulates the production of antibodies.

cytokine Any of several regulatory proteins, such as the interleukins and lymphokines, that are released by cells of the immune system and act as intercellular mediators in the generation of an immune response. Also called  chemokine .  gliadin noun Biochemistry . 1. a prolamin derived from the gluten of grain, as wheat or rye, used chiefly as a nutrient in high-protein diets. 2. any prolamin. prolamin noun Biochemistry . any of the class of simple proteins, as gliadin, hordein, or zein, found in grains, soluble in dilute acids, alkalis, and alcohols, and insoluble in water, neutral salt solutions, and absolute alcohol.

Perlmutter wants the reader to understand how a sensitivity to gluten can impact the brain, so he explains the following:

Prolamins are a class of simple proteins which are soluble in dilute acids, alkalis, and alcohols but are not soluble in water and neutral salt solutions.  Gliadin is a prolamin specific to gluten.  Gluten sensitivity is caused by an elevated immune system response to gliadin.  Inflammation, which is the cornerstone of many brain disorders, can be initiated by this immune system response.  As the inflammation cycle evolves, cytokine chemicals, which are antagonistic towards the brain, are released and collected and can attack the brain.  This process can damage brain tissue and leave the brain vulnerable to dysfunction and disease, particularly if the damaging conditions persist over a period of time.  Elevated cytokines are seen in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and autism.  99% of the people whose immune systems react negatively to gluten don’t know it.

Perlmutter likes a conclusion that Professor Marios Hadjivassiliou (one of the most well-respected researchers in the area of gluten sensitivity and the brain at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield) draws in a 1996 article published in Lancet, “Our data suggest that gluten sensitivity is common in patients with neurological disease of unknown cause and may have etiological significance.”  (Definition:  Etiological:  Of or pertaining to causes or origins).

Perlmutter writes the following: “Dr. Hadjivassiliou goes on to state that ‘gluten sensitivity can be primarily, and at times, exclusively, a neurological disease.’  In other words, people with gluten sensitivity can have issues with brain function without having any gastrointestinal problems whatsoever.”  For this reason, Perlmutter tests all of his patients who have unexplained neurological disorders for gluten sensitivity.  Perlmutter states, “I love how Dr. Hadjivassiliou and his colleagues stated the facts in a 2002 editorial in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry titled ‘Gluten Sensitivity as a Neurological Illness’:

‘It has taken nearly 2,000 years to appreciate that a common dietary protein introduced to the human diet relatively late in evolutionary terms (some 10,000 years ago), can produce human disease not only of the gut but also the skin and the nervous system.  The protean neurological manifestations of gluten sensitivity can occur without gut involvement and neurologists must therefore become familiar with the common neurological presentations and means of diagnosis of this disease.’”  (Definition:  Protean:  readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable.)  

The editorial went on to state, ‘Gluten sensitivity is best defined as a state of heightened immunological responsiveness in genetically susceptible people.  This definition does not imply bowel involvement.  That gluten sensitivity is regarded as principally a disease of the small bowel is a historical misconception.’

After Perlmutter concludes this rather scientific discussion of gluten sensitivity, he summarizes the history of the discussion of celiac disease and when gluten was finally linked to celiac and finally, to brain dysfunction.  The term celiac was first introduced in the 1^st century AD by Aretaeus of Cappadocia, a distinguished ancient Greek doctor.  There is evidence of the discussion of celiac disease throughout medical literature since then, with Dutch pediatrician Dr. Willem Karel Dicke finally linking celiac to gluten as a result of the Dutch famine of 1944.  During the famine bread and flour were scarce.  Dr. Dicke noticed that celiac disease all but disappeared in children, when it had been a fairly common problem before the famine.  Dr. Dicke reports that after the famine, celiac rates rose again, with mortality rates returning to original rates.  About a century ago, the first anecdotal reports began to emerge, in which doctors documented neurological disease in patients with celiac.  At that time, they attributed the neurological problems to a nutrient deficiency caused by the inability to digest food properly, not the brain’s reaction to a gluten sensitivity.  The turn-around, connecting gluten sensitivity directly to neurological disease, is very recent.  In 2006, the Mayo Clinic came out with a report in the Archives of Neurology with a conclusion that was a “game-changer” according to Perlmutter.  It reads, “A possible association exists between progressive cognitive impairment and celiac disease, given the temporal relationship and the relatively high frequency of ataxia and peripheral neuropathy, more commonly associated with celiac disease.”  (Ataxia:  the inability to control voluntary muscle movements and maintain balance, most frequently resulting from disorders of the brain.  Peripheral neuropathy:  nerve damage that encompasses a wide range of disorders in which the damaged nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord cause numbness, weakness and pain.)

The study that led to the above stated conclusion included 13 patients who showed progressive cognitive decline within two years of the onset of celiac disease (anyone whose cognitive decline could be pinned on a possible alternate cause was excluded from the study).  Two things of significance were noted among these patients, cognitive decline could not be attributed to nutritional deficiencies and the patients were relatively young to have dementia (median age 64; age range was 45 – 79).

Dr. Joseph Murray, a gastroenterologist and the study investigator wrote; “There has been a fair amount written before about celiac disease and neurological issues like peripheral neuropathy…or balance problems, but this degree of brain problem – the cognitive decline we’ve found here – has not been recognized before.  I was not expecting there would be so many celiac disease patients with cognitive decline.”  He reflected that it was unlikely that these patients’ conditions reflected a “chance connection.”  One of the findings of the study was that patients who were put on a gluten-free diet experienced “significant improvement” in their cognitive decline.  In this report, Dr. Murray mentioned the possible link between brain impairment and inflammatory cytokines.

When participants in the study stopped consumption of gluten, their brain scans revealed noticeable changes in the white matter on the brain that could easily be confused with multiple sclerosis or small strokes.   

Dr. Perlmutter notes, “This is the reason I always check for gluten sensitivity in patients referred to me with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; on many occasions I’ve found patients whose brain changes were in fact not related to multiple sclerosis at all and were likely due to gluten sensitivity.  And lucky for them, a gluten-free diet reversed their condition.”

Towards the end of Chapter 2, Perlmutter sites yet another article, this one written by Dr. Rodney Ford of the Children’s Gastroenterology and Allergy Clinic in New Zealand, published in 2009 titled, “The Gluten Syndrome:  A Neurological Disease:” The article states: “The fundamental problem with gluten is its’ interference with the body’s neural networks…gluten is linked to neurological harm in patients, both with and without evidence of celiac disease.”  Ford added, “Evidence points to the nervous system as the primary site of gluten damage,”  he concluded that, “the implication of gluten causing neurological network damage is immense.  With estimates that at least one in ten people are affected by gluten, the health impact is enormous.  Understanding the gluten syndrome is important for the health of the global community.”

Perlmutter starts summarizing the chapter by telling us that he has inundated us with all of this data because even though we may not be as sensitive to gluten as an individual with celiac, the data shows we may all be sensitive to gluten from a neurological stand-point.  In this chapter, Perlmutter wants us to get a scope of the problem, as he sees it, and wants us to have a firm understanding that gluten can be the root cause behind inflammation in our system that can have a damaging impact on more than just our gut.  He is absolutely convinced that this inflammation damages our brain, too, and he does his best in chapter 2 to introduce us to enough data that we begin to consider the possibility that he may be right.