27 July 2009
Reader Seth recently emailed me with an amazing tip for all of you out there who prefer to count calories. Seth says:
You might have heard of WolframAlpha, but it’s basically a search engine that can do calculations. If you type 2+2 into Google, you’ll get an answer - Wolfram does the same thing, but way, way more calculations are possible.
I just figured out that Wolfram is great with nutritional based data, it can very easily give you nutritional statistics on food that you prepare.
Here are a few of the ingredients from my recipes that I have plugged into Wolfram, click the links (or copy and paste them) and you’ll see what I mean by how helpful this site can be if you’re concerned about calorie intake or breakdown:
Such a great find, Seth! I’m excited to try it out.
Recently, I whined to Emily about my problem with blisters. I seem to get them on all my long runs! Emily, who’s training for a marathon, gave me some great advice I wanted to share:
- Use Body Glide on your feet. I used to only put it on my arms and thighs, but I now slather my toes, my arches and the insides of my step with Body Glide. It really does help.
- Thick socks might help…but there is a chance the socks are actually part of the problem. I SWEAR by Balega socks. They are great for long distances because they fit snugly (meaning they don’t move around much) while still having enough padding that it provides your feet some cushion from the road.
- Runner’s world ran a pretty good review of the best types of socks…you might want to check that out too: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-320—12456-2-1-2,00.html.
- Finally, treat yourself to a pack of ”Band-Aid” Brand Blister Band-Aids. I don’t run in them, but they work miracles on my feet the rest of the time. They actually dissolve into the blister and help heal it much quicker. At first these things freaked me out, but my dad (who is in the medical industry) basically forced me to use them and they have cut my blister recovery time in half!
Thanks, Emily! I know I’m going to stock up on those blister band-aids and some Body Glide asap!
13 July 2009
Reader Beth sent in this recipe for an Italian-style quinoa and veggie stew. She says:
So, I’m definitely not the creative cook type but I found myself craving Italian-ish dishes alot and not wanting to eat pasta everyday I improvised and came up with this dish that is a “one pot” dish and follows the 25/25/50 rule. It is also very versatile and can be made with lots of different proteins! I’ve used chicken sausage, tofu, and shrimp to make this so far. I prepare quina as instructed on the box. I usually half the the amounts though. When the quina is finished I turn the stove back up and add marinara sauce and chopped zuccini and eggplant. I let those cook a little then add a ton of spinach and sometimes some garlic. And that’s it! So easy! Here’s a not very good picture of it made with shrimp.
Thanks, Beth! Looks delish.
For those of you who’ve emailed in the past week or so with questions, I haven’t forgotten about you! I’ll get to them as soon as I can.
3 July 2009
Reader Shanna writes:
I’m a cardio JUNKIE (seriously… i LOVE road runs, the tread mill, the elliptical, whatever, doing cardio gets me happy and makes me feel great) so I pretty much do cardio hard 6 days a week for about 45 minutes a time. I introduced a weight lifting element to my workouts after reading your advice to others, but I know I’m not getting 120 minutes of weights like you recommend. Should I give up one or two of my days of cardio to focus solely on weights?
Shanna, I used to be the exact same way! I’d skimp on strength training in order to focus on cardio, which I liked doing a lot more (partially because I actually felt like I was burning calories). But about six months ago, I focused on adding more strength training to my workouts and immediately saw positive changes in my body. I tightened up, got more muscle tone, and felt so much stronger and more confident.
If you’re not ready to give up your cardio completely, work up to it gradually. To start, on two to three days per week, do 15-20 minutes of cardio instead of 45 and spend the rest of the time weight training. Gradually increase the time you spend weight training so you eventually end up with two to three strength-focused days. 120 minutes per week is what I recommend because it’s what I had to do to get the results I wanted, but it’s just a ballpark. Do what you feel comfortable with. Just keep in mind the many benefits of strength training! I promise that the more you do it, the more you’ll like it.
2 July 2009
Angela says:
I have a little different situation where I’m actually trying to ‘gain’ some weight. However, I don’t want to have to stuff my face with just fudge and ice cream all the time. Do you have any suggestions of what major food groups would help acheive a steady, but balanced weight gain?
P.S. I feel like I’d still need some exercise in my life, just not major calorie burning ones. Any ideas?
For people who tend to be naturally underweight, gaining weight can be just as hard as losing weight is for others. And Angela is absolutely correct that consuming high amounts of unhealthy fat and calories is the wrong way to go about gaining. So what are some safe ways to gain weight without compromising health?
1) Eat more calories! Increase your intake gradually by incorporating plenty of healthy calorie-dense foods into every meal and snack. The most calorie-dense foods are fats, but make sure to choose the healthy ones, such as avocado, nuts/nut butters, and plant oils. Calorie-dense fruits and veggies include bananas, potatoes/sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables, and any dried fruit (you can eat more dried fruit since you won’t fill up from the water that’s in fresh fruit). Other calorie-dense foods to seek out: beans, high-calorie cereals like muesli or granola (stay away from any cereal with a lot of added sugar), and low-fat cheese.
A good example of a high-calorie meal upgrade: to a salad, add an olive oil-based dressing, plenty of beans, a sprinkling of nuts, and half an avocado. You can easily add 600-800 calories to a salad with these foods alone!
2) Drink caloric beverages instead of no-cal ones, but keep them low-fat and watch out for added sugar. Some options are low-fat milk or milk substitutes, 100% juice or pure fruit smoothies, or coconut water.
3) If you fill up fast, try eating smaller meals frequently. Shoot for six small meals per day.
4) In terms of exercise, don’t cut out cardio completely, but focus on strength training. This will ensure that as you put on weight, you add muscle instead of fat.
