Rising Gas Prices Can Help Your Weight Loss28 lbs LOSTso farMay 21, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 17 comments
With the ever increasing gas prices (doesn’t seem like it’s going down any time soon) I figured I had better take advantage of it some how. One way that I thought of was to not use my car as much. That’s right. I have not only saved money, but gotten healthier in the process. I don’t drive to every single destination unless absolutely necessary.
“But that’s impossible Israel,” you say. WRONG! I know people that live 3 or 4 miles from a place they need to get and get there without the use of a car. I live in Florida and it’s pretty much important that you have a car here. It’s bad actually. Originating from New York City, I am used to walking and biking everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE. This one time I had purchased a mountain bike and rode it all the way down to where I work. The actual distance usually took an hour on the MTA subway. Checking Google Maps reveals that the distance I rode was 12 miles each way! Not bad at all. I recall being extremely sweaty and my butt hurting from the long ride. That same approach can be used in places like Tampa or The Boondocks, Alabama (this is a fictitious location).
The point I’m trying to make is that you don’t necessarily have to be a slave to the rising gas prices. A bike at Wal-Mart, Target, or K-Mart can go for as low as $199. That’s about what some people spend on gas per month, depending on where they live. The price per gallon in my part of Tampa is at $3.74 at the time of this writing. If you can’t ride all the way to work maybe you can ride to the parking station, park the bike and ride the train or bus to work for the remainder of the distance. That’s one example. Or how about jogging to work and showering there? If you put you mind to it you can come up with some way to make a positive (health, fitness) out of a negative (high gas prices). Another example of something I did in New York was workout during my lunch break. Luckily for me there was a gym two blocks away. I know that’ not an example of taking advantage of the gas prices, but I wanted to illustrate the ability to think outside the box.
What about when you need to go to Blockbuster Video, the bank, or run some errand? Have you ever considered just walking there? For dinner the other night we walked to the restaurant. It was a 15 minute walk that not only allowed for a quick, healthy workout but brought us closer together (we spoke the whole way there). My 3 year old daughter was also along for the walk and loved it. It reminded me of all the walks I used to take in NY. Back in NY there are tons of hidden landmarks scattered throughout the five boroughs that people aren’t aware of. Over the years walking had helped me discover them. Walking to dinner that night opened my eyes up the beauty of my community and it’s surroundings. So walking not only was healthy for my body, it was healthy for my mind.
Did you know that walking, combined with healthy eating, can boost your metabolism which would help you lose weight? All it would take is 30 minutes a day 5 or 6 times a week. That can equal to quite a few pounds in the span of a year.
What are some ways you can think of making high gas prices benefit your health and weight loss?
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Are You Overweight?28 lbs LOSTso farMay 2, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 20 comments
That’s an easy question to answer, but the answer is often difficult to accept. The answer lies in your Body Mass Index (B.M.I.). BMI is a ratio of your weight to your height. It is calculated by multiplying your weight (in pounds) by 703, then dividing by your height (in inches) squared.
- If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, your weight is considered healthy.
- If it falls between 25.0 and 29.9 you are overweight but not obese. Not yet.
- Greater than 30 places you in the obese range. You may want to sit down first.
Accepting the Truth
Most of you reading this post are either overweight or obese. You must accept this fact in order to move on. Remember, you do not have to look or feel overweight to be overweight. If your BMI is greater than 25, you are at an unhealthy weight and at an increased risk of obtaining several deadly medical conditions.
Waist Circumference
Waist circumference is another useful method to determine if you are at a healthy weight. Large amounts of fat around your midsection increase the risks associated with being overweight. To determine your waist circumference, measure around your bare abdomen right above the two highest points of your hip. A man’s measurement should be less than 40 inches and a woman’s less than 35 inches. If your waist circumference is not what it should be, your first goal will be to get it there.
Body Fat Percentage
The Body Mass Index and waist measurement are reliable ways to determine healthy weight. However, some of you still doubt your overweight or obese status. You skeptics should then get your body fat percentage checked. Body Fat Percentage (B.F.P.) is the percent of your body that is composed of fat.
- A healthy BFP for women is 15% to 25%, and for men is 10% to 20%.
- Overweight is described as a BFP of 25.1% to 30% for women and 20.1& to 25% for men; and
- Obesity is considered greater than 30% and greater than 25% respectively.
Body fat percentages can be checked at home using special bathroom scales. More accurate, expensive or difficult to obtain tests are also available: Dexa Scanning (uses x-rays), Underwater Testing (uses water) or Bod Pods (uses air).
Use these various methods to figure out whether or not you are at a healthy weight. If you are not, make a commitment to start losing weight today.
Dr. Kalvin Chinyere is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Twitter’s Effect on Your Health28 lbs LOSTso farApril 27, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 17 comments
I consider myself a savvy internet user, but there are some internet tools that I refuse to use. Twitter was one of those such tools. I’m all about being as healthy as possible so when I see an addicting new internet tool I try to avoid it. Why? Simply because I know that I will want to be on it as much as possible. Twitter was no different. I stayed away as long as possible, but eventually gave in. You can follow me here: Israel Lagares’ Twitter
I gave in because I wanted to see what the big deal was that everyone was making. Now I know! Twitter is like a mini version of blogging, letting you use 140 characters per entry. It’s like an instant messenger and a blog molded together. It’s pretty addictive actually. I can see how someone would just stay online all day, tweeting away their health. But this isn’t about “killing” yourself by being online too much. It’s about the potentially positive aspects that Twitter can have on your health.
Side thought: I wouldn’t be surprised if some one starts some form of twitter-only blog or writing, totally removing any semblance of a blog hosted with its own domain. If you do, I’m expecting credit for giving you the idea ;). That would be a cool project actually. Anyway, back to what I was trying to get at with health.
After a few days of tweeting I started thinking of how I can use Twitter to help achieve my health goals and spread health information (instead of just letting it consume me). Twitter is a socially focused tool. It’s easy to build a large and dedicated community. That got me thinking: why not use this awesomely-awesome tool to communicate with people about health. It’s instant gratification. If you need a health question answered or a new workout idea just tweet it and bammmmm, you got it (if your followers have that info).
At the very least it can be a great supplement to the vast amount of web tools available. It’s pretty cool to see what some big name bloggers are doing and reading. There are some major brands that are starting to see the benefits of social media in general, which is an extension of their customer service. It’s also another way to network with like minded individuals, I’ve already made a few connections that may lead to good things.
So would you guys like to start a health focused Twitter group? Would you take advantage of this type of community? I would like to hear your thoughts.
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Finding Health and Balance as a Blogger28 lbs LOSTso farApril 21, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 9 comments
I was going through my daily RSS health reading when I came across an article in the NY Times. By now, you should know what it’s about: blogging being “bad” for your health. Being the curious soul that I am, I went over and read the article and it got me thinking about my blogging health.
Well, the article basically says that blogging can kill ya! And it has, allegedly, killed some. Of course that’s a bit overboard but it does bring up some good points about blogging, and life in general. Now, as an ever thinking being I always try to extract positive, worthwhile information from my experiences. Always.
Continue reading my guest post over at Zen Habits.
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Heart Rate Monitors Don’t Work?28 lbs LOSTso farApril 20, 2008 by Dr. Kal | 3 comments
I read this article in the New York Times about the appropriateness of heart rate monitors. The article discusses the pros and cons of using heart rate monitors. Mainly focusing on the reasons why you do not need and should not use them.
This got me thinking because I advise my clients, who can afford one, to use a heart rate monitor. I also use one myself when I’m doing my high-intense uphill treadmill walking. Can you feel the burn?
My initial fear was that I had misled my clients and myself. But I quickly reassured myself of the benefits of using a heart rate monitor.
If you are trying to lose weight, a heart rate monitor is the best portable way to gauge how many calories you are burning. Knowing this is important when trying to figure out how much cardio you should be doing.
Most people overestimate how many calories they are burning with exercise, and a heart rate monitor brings you back to reality. Overestimating your calorie expenditure leads to overeating because you feel you “deserve” the food for all of your “hard” work.
If you are trying to lose weight, and you can afford it, I would recommend you get and use a heart rate monitor. It may or may not be accurate in gauging your cardiovascular fitness, but it is definitely the best portable device for gauging calories burned.
Dr. Kal is a weight-loss expert and ex-fat man. He is also the creator of the Don’t Go Broke Weight Loss Plan and the main contributor at Dr. Kal’s Blog.
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Fat People Cause Global Warming: Fat Isn’t Very Green28 lbs LOSTso farApril 18, 2008 by Israel Lagares | 10 comments
Lately, we have noticed an increasing push for “going green.” We have seen changes in everything from transportation to food preparation to the internet. This got me thinking about how I could make my life greener. My immediate realization was that I was a walking global warming vessel. I’m fat. Being fat can’t be very green. Can it? We need to reduce our emissions of heat-trapping gases and learn how to use energy more efficiently.
Think about it. I’m overweight and require an above average usage of certain environmentally non-friendly things. Like what, you ask? Well, how about showering…? Being fat makes me take longer in the shower, using up more water than I should be using. So I waste water even though I make a conscious effort to “speed up” my showers. Another waste is toilet usage. I take, um, pretty big dumps and need more than one flush. I also use a lot of wipes to clean up. Don’t even get me started on my frequent urination due to all the water and green tea I consume. That equals quite a large amount of flushing per day.
Another way that being fat, or unhealthy, isn’t green is all the crap that gets consumed. I try to be as healthy as possible, but I do have my weaknesses. There are folks that eat out day after day after day. What do you think this does to the environment? That extra bag that was used to pack those 3 double cheeseburgers doesn’t just evaporate into thin air ya know. And the process of creating those burger wrappers doesn’t help either, factories and plants are needed for the creation of all of this.
How else can being fat not be very green? Clothes! Have you seen the amount of fabric needed to create some of the clothes that overweight people wear? I know you have. It’s all over television with the “I lost X amount of pounds” commercials. Think of what it takes to make that 5XL t-shirt. Think. What about all the washing that is needed for those large clothes? The water, the detergent, the softener, the dryer time…talk about endless loads of clothes.
If you’re fat you’re probably a notorious waster of electricity and gas too. It can be either watching too much television, having the air conditioning on a lot, or driving to that nearest fast food joint to pick up a “snack.” The heavier you are the more gas your car needs to carry you around. Fat = heavy = more gas needed. It’s simple math.
I’m not saying that being fat is causing global warming (need some research and scientific proof for this), but I can assure you that being fat isn’t very environmentally friendly.
Update: Looks like someone else feels the same way about global warming and fat people.
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