Archive for the ‘Health & Fitness’ Category
Dan on February 10th, 2006
I finally have time to update the site. I’m now working out at school 3 days a week. I haven’t devised my entire workout plan yet but the general idea is 10-20 min of cardio with 10-20 min of targeted weight training. I’d like to make that 5 days a week but that’s just not possible with class 8-5 on the other 2 days. I have to leave at 7:30 right now to get to class on time. I’d have to make that 6:30 if I wanted to have enough time to workout and shower. I’m not even sure if the fitness room is open then, plus I’m giving a ride to a friend and I don’t think he’d like having to wake up an hour earlier.
My sleep patterns have been a mess this week. I started with polyphasic and that was going okay until I overslept on Wednesday and ended up going back to monophasic. I’m going back to polyphasic this weekend with the same 5 period schedule I posted before. The problem is that adjusting while I’m in class is hard. So long as I’m doing something interesting I have no problem staying awake. Once it gets boring though, like Accounting is at the moment, I start nodding off and having microsleeps. I really hope I can adjust enough this weekend to maintain it through the week. I really need the extra time in order to accomplish work on my investing research and my new website.
Speaking of the site, I’m not working at all this weekend so I’m going to spend some time working on it. I still have to run the idea past an attorney but I think I can make it work. More details to follow.
Dan on February 8th, 2006
December 23, 2005 was the first day I wore contact lenses. All I can say now is WOW. I don’t understand how I wore glasses for so long. If you currently wear glasses I highly recommend that you try contacts. You may be thinking “I don’t think I’d like something in my eyes!” Well, I thought that too. That was until I had them in my eyes for 30 seconds. That’s right, 30 seconds. That’s how long it took for my eyes to stop tearing and the feeling of something being in my eyes was nearly gone. It was like I had “normal” eyes again. No more parallax issues that occure with glasses. No worries about scratches. If something goes wrong with them toss them and put on a new pair. Now I can wear real sunglasses again too!
Let me dispell some of the myths surrounding contacts:
Myth #1: I don’t think I could stand to have something in my eyes - As I said above, the discomfort is gone after the first 30 seconds. At that point you can feel them but they aren’t irritating. It’s like wearing gloves or glasses. You can feel that they are there but they don’t bother you.
Myth #2: I don’t think I could stand to put them in and out of my eyes - Well, this does take some getting used to but it’s just like any other aquired skill. Practice makes perfect. Taking them in and out was a 10 minute job at the beginning. Now, 1.5 months later, it’s usually a 10 second job.
Myth #3: Members of the opposite sex will no longer find you attactive without those sexy glasses - Uh, what?
There are only a few real downsides that I can see. First, they are expensive. I have ones that are supposed to be replaced daily. They cost $40 for a 30 day supply. Instead I try to wear them for around 12 hours and then take them off, saving them to wear for one more day. That cuts my yearly cost in half. Also, if I am not going anywhere I may wear my glasses that day instead of putting the contacts in. Weekly and monthly lenses are a much cheaper alternative if the cost is prohibitive. Second, if you wear them for extended periods of time, you run the risk of conjunctivitis, infection, or other eye malady. The simple solution is to take them off daily or use extended wear lenses. The third, and my biggest complaint, is that the daily contacts can get irritating after 12-13 hours of continuous wear. At that point I often have a problem with clouding and general discomfort. The solution is to use eye drops or take them out.
Next time you see your optometrist get a free sample set and try them. You may be pleasently surprised.
Dan on January 11th, 2006
Being the creative guy I am I occationally come up with recipes that are quite tasty. I’ve decided to share some with the world. Most will be quite healthy since they are geared to fit into my diet. I will also include nutrition information when possible.
This first recipe is a modification of one taken from Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle. I created it from scratch but used the idea out of the book. The oatmeal and apples hide most of the egg taste. The sweetness of the apples actually makes them taste more like pancakes! I eat these daily.
Oatmeal Omelets with Apples
Yeilds one serving of two omelets with enough apple pieces to have a few with every bite
1/2 cup of Oatmeal
1/2 cup of Skim Milk
1 1/2 Tbsp Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate
4 Large Egg Whites
1 Large Granny Smith Apple
Pinch of Nutmeg
Pinch of Allspice
Dusting of Cinnamon
1. Mix oatmeal and protein powder in a sealable container.
2. Mix in milk and egg whites.
3. Let sit in fridge for 15+ minutes so that the oatmeal absorbs liquid.
4. While omelet mix is sitting dice apple into 1/4 inch size pieces.
5. Put enough water in a small pan to just cover the bottom. Too much will make the omelets soggy, too little and the apples will stick to the pan and take longer to cook.
6. Combine apples, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon in pan.
7. Spray large frying pan with non-fat cooking spray. Heat pan so that water doesn’t sizzle but evaporates quickly (right on the verge of sizzling). On my electric oven this is about 3/4 heat but on a gas range I tried it was low heat.
8. Using half batter for each cook both omelets to your liking. You want them to be light and fluffy with little to no liquid inside. If the outside is browning before the inside solidifies you have the heat too high.
9. While the first omelet is cooking put apples on stove uncovered at 3/4 heat. You want the water to boil violently. Cook until skins turn a dark green color and apples are no longer crisp, about 5 min. If they turn to mush from stirring they have been overcooked.
10. Top omelets with apples and eat! Optional: Sprinkle more cinnamon over the top of omelets and apples.
Nutrition Information
Note: Nutrition information will vary based on brands used, especially whey protein brand.
Calories: 425
Carbs: 67 g
Protein: 31 g
Fat: 3.5 g (good unsaturated fat from oatmeal)
The next recipe will be for healthy Oatmeal cinnamon raisin muffins. The first batch came out a bit dry so I need to revise the recipe before posting it. These muffins have an excellent balance of carbs, protein, and healthy fats.
Dan on January 6th, 2006
On Tuesday I went gym shopping. There are 4 within a few miles of my apt. Two are YMCAs, one is a World Gym, and the other is Midtown Athletic Club. I decided to look into all of them and pick which one was best for me at this time.
The YMCA downtown is quite large so the smaller one was out. I’ve heard pretty good things about this Y location so I checked the prices. Promo signup fee of $37.50 and $54.50 a month. Not too bad. I didn’t take a tour of the Y.
Next I went to World Gym. I took a tour and got a 1 week trial membership. I was told fees were $150 signup, $60 per month. It was physically smaller than the Y but included 4 free personal trainer sessions and some other perks. No swimming pool or indoor track but I don’t need those anyway. I did like the fact that World is open 24h a day from Monday morning to Friday night. That flexability works well with polyphasic sleep.
I then moved to Midtown, widely know in Rochester to be the most swank athletic club. I’ve been there once before for a meeting and let me tell you, the place is really really nice. You don’t get much more upscale than it. Every piece of cardio equipment has an LCD tv, the locker rooms look like they’re from a private country club, there are a bunch of indoor tennis and squash courts. The other nice thing about Midtown is that everyone with money goes there so it’s a great place to network. That’s a stronger drawing point for me than the equipment. The problem: $150 signup and a whopping $104 per month. Almost double the cost of the Y!
I decided to try my week pass to World before deciding on anything. I had my first personal trainer session on Wednesday and I was instantly impressed. My trainer noticed my poor back posture and started working on it with me right away. I never thought it was something I could improve but now I believe it’s going to change. We did a baseline skinfold measurement: 11.9% body fat. Much lower than I expected! Looks like hitting my targets won’t be hard at all. We decided that bulking up first and losing the extra fat later would work best, so my body fat percentage goals may change.
Prior to leaving my first session I scheduled my second for today. After a warmup jog we did some more work with my back and then some chest work. On the way out I happend to ask if they had a student discount. $60 signup, $49 a month! I was instantly sold.
So now that I found my gym I can work on my physique. I’m going to start working out 3-5 times a week. As I get more into it I’ll be going 6 days a week. I have plenty of time for it thanks to polyphasic sleep.
Speaking of polyphasic sleep, how has the exercise effected it? I haven’t noticed a change whatsoever. I’m hoping that it may actually help since I think I’m going to exercise in the 2-6am time period which is usually the hardest time to stay awake. Working out should solve that problem.
Dan on December 17th, 2005
Goal #6: I’ve decided to roll all of my fitness goals into one large goal.
My body fat percentage is 10% or less on the first day of spring (March 20th). By the first day of summer (June 21st) my body fat percentage is less than 8%. My weight is at 140 lbs or higher due to muscle gain.
First I’d like to take a look into my past. I grew up with two wonderful parents. Both have been overweight nearly my entire life. My father is an excellent example of how being overweight can affect you physically.
As far back as I can remember my father had back problems. Various things would set off extreme lower back pain. He tried aspirin, he tried a chiropractor, and various other solutions. Most provided temporary relief but eventually the pain would return. I don’t remember exactly when, but sometime when I was in high school he decided to lose some weight by adding exercise and cutting out some unhealthy snacks. He bought a tredmill and started running almost daily. He started working out in the gym at work during his lunch break. If my memory serves me correctly he lost around 30lbs, bringing his weight down from ~180 lbs to ~150 lbs. Just like that the back pain disappeared. He got his motorcycle out of the shed that had been stored for over 20 years and started riding again. He could do more physical things without the worry of pain.
My point here is that your weight is more than just something that forces you to buy larger clothes or makes you short of breath. It brings your entire body down. By being overweight you say “I don’t care about myself.” What kind of image does this present to other people?
What about my body and weight? Well, I’ve always been a bit over ideal for body fat composition. My average weight for 7 or 8 years now has been 145 lbs (I’m 5′ 5″ tall). Up until 2 years ago the only noteworthy exercise I had done in 10 years was a year of track in high school, a quarter of Kung Fu in college (more on this later), and a few hiking trips or brief runs. My diet was never horrible but it wasn’t great. For example, freshman year at college (2000-2001) I ate my meals on campus. The main cafeteria is a buffet style all you can eat smorgishboard of fried foods, pizza, ice cream, and other unhealthy items. Many of my friends gained a few pounds that year. I have enough self control to not go overboard and managed to maintain my weight. However, I chugged Mountain Dew like it was being discontinued. My roommate and I went through 6 pack after 12 pack of the stuff.
Towards the end of that year I slowed my consumption of the sugar water down. It was getting expensive and I knew it wasn’t good for me. Over the summer and the following school year I changed to 100% fruit juice. I was still living on campus but started eating a bit better, with more subs and less fried food. When I finally moved off campus in 2002 I began cooking my own meals, which is a story unto itself 
George Forman and chicken became my new best friends. I was still eating quite a bit of pizza and unhealthy snacks but my regular meals were becoming quite healthy. Luckily I’ve never liked many beef products. That helped eliminate the majority of red meat from my diet, other than the occationial bowl of chili or taco.
In 2002, when I took Kung Fu, I decided that I needed to do something to improve my muscle mass. One of the things I never liked about my body was a severe lack of abs. During my high school years I would have trouble getting to 20 sit-ups. Our twice a week Kung Fu sessions consisted of a 30-45 min workout followed by a lesson and practice. The workout was excellent. It consisted of many core exercises and stretches. By the end of the quarter I had visible abs and my overall muscle mass had increased. I continued to do push-ups, sit-ups, and crunches daily. It seems that everytime I move I stop these basic exercises for a few months. Then I remember now easy they are, how little time they take, and the benefits and I start doing them again.
Since I moved in September I’ve lacking exercise. Prior to moving I weighed about 145 (I’m 5′ 5″) with a waistline of 30″. I had a bit of extra fat but nothing to really worry about. I did daily curls with dumbells, pushups, and crunches. In the hectic move I stopped everything. At the start of the dietary changes I weighed 133.8 with the same waistline and my pants were getting tighter. That means I lost almost 10 lbs of muscle! That’s obviously not good. I’m guessing that most of the lost muscle was in my legs since I hadn’t been moving around enough.
As I changed my diet I started some basic exercises. When I wake up in the morning I do push-ups, crunches, and chin-ups. I put the chin-up bar in a doorway that I walk through at least 20 times a day. I try to do 5 chin-ups whenever I walk through and am not carrying anything.
The way I do my morning exercises is to slowly increase the reps over time. Right now I do 40 push-ups (soon to increase again), 60 crunches, 12 normal chin-ups and 7 underhand chin-ups. I’ve visibly noticed a small increase in upper body mass since I started. These simple exercises are a great place to start, but they won’t help my reach my goal of 10% body fat. For that I need aerobic exercise.
Here in Rochester, NY the winters are long and cold. Running in snow isn’t my idea of fun so I decided I needed to join a fitness center. That will allow me to not only run indoors but will give me access to the strength building equipment I lack. Plus it will provide my favorite workout, the rowing machine. If you’ve never used a rowing machine you don’t know what you’re missing. Rowing provides a total body workout with very low joint impact.(1) Rowing is also recommended in Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.
The problem is I haven’t joined a fitness center yet. Why? The New Year. Everyone has discounts and specials for people who choose to lose weight. I can go another month without extensive aerobic exercise to save a significant amount of money.
So why are you still reading this? Purchase your copy of Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle or a similar lifelong fitness and nutrition plan and start today! How can you possibly regret a better body?
1. http://www.concept2.com/05/rower/musclesused.asp
