Filed under: Health and Fitness | Tags: calories, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, keep it off, lose weight, maintain, maintenance, weight, weight loss
Say what?
Yes, you read that right. I want to be below average. And I imagine you do to.
But only in certain areas.
Today, being Thanksgiving, I’m thinking I want to be below average in terms of food eaten.
The typical American, on Thanksgiving day, consumes 4500 calories. I’ll say it again, I want to be below average in the calories I consume today.
In case you don’t know, the recommended daily requirements are 1600 calories for women and 2200 calories for men.
That means, the average man, on Thanksgiving, consumes more than TWICE the required calories, and the average woman consumes almost THREE TIMES her required calories.
Is it any wonder we feel bloated and lethargic at the end of the day?
I’d prefer to feel good. To continue to maintain, if not lose weight. And set an example for others to follow.
I want to be below average! Don’t you?
Filed under: Health and Fitness | Tags: drink, drinks, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe
A few days ago I talked about unhealthy drinks. Today I’m thinking about Holiday Drinking.
So, what do people typically drink during the holiday season? And are those drinks helping or hurting health?
First, let’s look at what for many is the quintessential holiday drink: Eggnog.
For most, Eggnog is something one only drinks during the holiday season. Some prefer to have it in conjunction with Thanksgiving. Most reserve it for Holiday Parties. Many others save it for Christmas. Only a few drink Eggnog year-round.
What’s in Eggnog? That depends on the recipe, of course. But here’s what’s in a fairly typical serving:
1 1/2 eggs
3/4 cups milk
1/4 cup heavy/ thickened cream
1/4 cup bourbon
9 teaspoons sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons brandy
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
OK, so now you’ve got the ingredients. Whoopie! What does that mean nutritionally? Check out this site for typical nutritional value of eggnog.
Here are some of the key numbers I noticed:
- Calories: 343
- Calories from Fat: 167 (almost half of all the calories!)
- Total Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Sugars 21g
On the good side, it is low in Sodium (only 137mg per serving.)
But it’s very high in fat, especially Saturated Fat (more than half the daily value recommended… in just one serving!) And it’s also got half the Daily Value for Cholesterol in a single serving too.
It’s not nearly as bad for you as some of the unhealthy drinks mentioned in my previous post. Still, one should be careful to not go overboard with eggnog. Better to let it go to waste, than let it go to your waist!
Another common drink of choice for Holiday Revelers is alcohol. There are too many different kinds of alcohol to go into detail about the nutritional value of them all. But there are some obvious generalities that can be noted.
- Alcohol is burned by your body sooner than any other energy source, including: Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins. And therefore, it’s used by your body first as an energy source. Which leads to…
- Alcohol decreases your body’s ability to metabolize fat.
- Alcohol is a true Appetizer. It increases your appetite. (So, combined with #2, when you have alcohol, you should be particularly careful of what kinds of foods are readily available to you. If they are high-calorie and/or high-fat foods, you’re far more likely to gain weight as a result of your drinks. It’s not the drinks themselves – which very well may be low-calorie. It’s the combination of decreasing your fat-metabolism while increasing your unhealthy food intake.)
- Wines, generally, have a bit more positive nutritional value than, say, beers or hard liquors, in that they contain some healthy phytochemicals that can reduce the risk of heart disease. But if you’re drinking wine for it’s heart-health benefit, remember to do so in moderation, as the problems of #2 & #3 can quickly outweigh the benefits of #4.
For more detailed descriptions of some of the challenges with drinking alcohol see this site and this site.
So, if eggnog and alcohol aren’t really good choices, what CAN you drink during the holidays that’s not going to make you gain weight if you’re not careful?
Always, the first choice is… WATER! It’s the lowest calorie drink. And it’s the best for quenching thirst. It’s also very good for flushing out toxins from your body. (As opposed to alcohol, which introduces toxins.)
But, what if you want something that has flavor and/or color?
You might try fruit juice. A couple of options that are often readily available are: Apple Juice and/or Cranberry Juice (if you can drink the unsweetened juice, it’s better for you). The biggest problem with fruit juice is that most (if not all) of the calories come from sugar.
Other alternatives would include sugar-free sports drink (or here’s another flavor) or any of these sugar-free energy drinks.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: birthday, Christmas, gift, gift giving, gifts, thanksgiving, valentine, valentines
I just saw this video, it’s pretty funny. But it makes a very serious point, while trying to advertise for jewelry.
Guys, you don’t need to buy jewelry to be appreciated. But you should be sensitive to your wife (or girlfriend) as you buy presents. What is it that they really want? Only they can tell you that. And they might not want to actually say it, preferring to give you hints.
You need to be thinking of them. What do they consider fun? What would they think is romantic? What would they value?
If it’s something you love, be very very careful. It most likely is not something she’ll particularly appreciate. Even if she seems to like what you like, it’s entirely possible that she might have adopted your interests in order to pursue her greater interest: you. In other words, she may be putting up with your interests in order to spend quality time with you, but if given a chance, she’d rather be doing something else, but knows you’d never be selfless enough to do that with her.
She might even be really, really interested in what it is you’re thinking about giving, but to give it would send the wrong message. Take, for example, the idea in the video of giving exercise equipment or a gym membership. She very well may love the idea of losing weight. That might be something she talks and dreams about all the time. But if you give something like that, you’re most likely going to communicate, “I think you’re FAT! And I don’t like you like that. And I want you to change. Or I want to change you, you tub of lard.” So, even though she really does want to lose a pound or two (or maybe more, maybe a LOT more), that’s not a good “gift” for most.
A few years back, my family was doing a gift-swap for Christmas. My brother got my wife’s name. So he asked me what she wanted. I, in turn, asked her for some ideas. One of the ideas she gave was for a bottle-brush for cleaning bottles. My brother decided that would be part of the gift. But he realized that if he gave her that as her gift, certainly as the whole gift, it could easily be taken as an indication that she wasn’t very good at keeping the dishes clean, that she was a slacker, that she needed more work, etc., etc. So, knowing that that might be what it would communicate he decided not to give that… at least, not to her. Instead, he gave it to me, for me to do the work, and he added a note that I was to allow her to use it if she wanted to. We all had a good laugh over that.
But it made a point:
Don’t give gifts that are likely to be perceived as work.
Of course, if she really wants some particular piece of jewelry, and you can afford it, you can hardly go wrong.
Filed under: Business, Personal Development | Tags: character, growth, Leadership, qualities, self-development, self-improvement
I just started reading the new book by Roger Fritz, “Stand And Deliver… or Step Aside” and was positively impacted by a list that started on the first page of Chapter 1.
It was headed “The Qualities of Effective Leaders (Do You Have Them?)”
I don’t think the question, “Do you have them?” is the right question. I think the right question is, “How well have you developed each of them?” Nevertheless, the point is to challenge ourselves to improve our skills and qualifications as leaders.
Here’s the list. How well are you doing in developing each of these qualities?
Accountability - They seek responsibility and accept risks.
Presentation - Face-to-face, they are able to express themselves clearly and persuasively.
Written Communication – They convey essential information accurately.
Innovation - They are a source of new ideas and creative solutions.
Versatility - Their interests, talents, and experiences are varied.
Conflict Tolerance - They are a stable influence in times of stress.
Organization - They are orderly in thought and action.
Listening - They distill needed information.
Empathy - They are sensitive to others’ needs.
Initiative - They try new ways without needing orders or direction.
Adaptability - They modify their actions to achieve goals.
Persistence - They persevere through difficulty.
Objectivity - They set measurable goals and prefer facts vs. opinions.
Performance Standards - They continuously raise accomplishment levels.
Respect - They’ve earned it through their integrity, honesty, and moral soundness.
I don’t think these are ALL or NONE kinds of things. They’re not light-switches which are either ON or OFF. They’re more like light-dimmers that can be moved in two directions – increasing or decreasing. And anywhere in between is a valid setting. Although some of the in-between settings may be more effective than others for accomplishing what’s important.
It’s not about Balance, but rather Integration, Improvement, and Effectiveness. Much like the core idea presented in The Myth Of Excellence, the Best Leaders don’t dominate in all categories. No, the Best Leaders dominate in one or two areas, are better-than-average in several others, and will strive to assure that they’re not below-average in any of the remaining areas.
What are your thoughts?
Filed under: Health and Fitness | Tags: Atkins, fitness, health, Health & Fitness, Health and Fitness, health point, healthpoint, HealthPointe, healthy, lose weight, South Beach, South Beach Diet, SouthBeach, SouthBeach Diet, Take Shape For Life, TSFL, weight loss, Weight Watchers
I recently was forwarded excerpts of an article from Men’s Health magazine titled, “Eat This, Not That: America’s Unhealthiest Drinks Exposed.“
It’s about some of the worst drinks that we consume here in America. The four that were highlighted for me were:
Glaceau Vitamin Water
Arizona Kiwi Strawberry
Pina Colada
Baskin Robbin’s Large Heath Bar Shake
Have you ever had any of those? If so, do you have any idea what’s in them from a nutritional perspective? How about just the basics… Calories, Sugar, and Fat?
For comparison, the typical can of soda has about 150 Calories and 40g of Sugar and no Fat.
To put that Sugar into perspective, that’s 10 teaspoons full of sugar in a can! Next time you make up some sweet tea, try adding 10 teaspoons of sugar. Just seeing that much sugar dropped in is often enough to make someone swear off soda for at least a few days!
With that brief introduction, here’s what they had to say about these four drinks:
Worst “Healthy” Drink Glaceau VitaminWater (any flavor; 20 oz bottle)
130 calories , 33 grams sugar
Vitamins and water might sound like the ultimate nutritional tag team, but what the label doesn’t say is that a bottle of this stuff carries nearly as much sugar and calories as a can of Coke. Makes sense, though, since this so-called functional beverage is produced by our often-sugar-crazy friends at The Coca-Cola Company.
Worst Juice Imposter Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (23.5 oz can)
360 calories , 84 g of sugar
These hulking calorie cannons (5 percent juice, 95 percent sugar water) are sold at gas stations and convenience stores across America for the low, low price of 99 cents, making this quite possibly the cheapest source of empty calories in the country.
Worst Smoothie Jamba Juice Peanut Butter Moo’d Power Smoothie (30 oz)
1,170 calories , 169 g sugars , 30 g fat
Jamba Juice calls it a smoothie; we call it a milkshake, with more sugar than an entire bag of chocolate chips. (Note: We’re pretty sure this is the drink Hollywood actors rely on when looking to put on 20 pounds for the role as a heavy!)
Worst Summer Cocktail Pina Colada
625 calories , 75 g sugars
Made from a blend of sickly-sweet pineapple juice and fat-riddled coconut milk, pina coladas may be this summer’s biggest beach-body saboteurs. In fact, the only redeeming part of this drink is the garnish — that lonely chunk of pineapple hanging from the rim. Try a lime daiquiri or a mojito instead and save up to 400 calories a drink.
The Unhealthiest Drink in America Baskin Robbin’s Large Heath Bar Shake (32 oz)
2,310 calories, 266 g sugar , 108 g fat (64 g saturated)
Let’s look at America’s Worst Drink in numbers:
73: Number of ingredients that go into this milkshake.
66: Number of teaspoons of sugar this drink contains.
11: Number of Heath Bars you would have to eat to equal the number of calories found in one Baskin Robbins Large Heath Bar Shake.
8-12: Average number of minutes it takes to consume this drink.
240: Number of minutes you’d need to spend on a treadmill burning it off, running at a moderate pace.
Do I need to detail why these have no business being in your diet if you’re concerned about gaining weight? They don’t fit into Weight Watchers, Take Shape for Life, Atkins, South Beach, and certainly not HealthPointe!
Makes me want to drink a bottle of filtered water and go for a walk just reading those figures!
Filed under: Challenges, positive | Tags: intention, life-lifters, life-lifting, melancholy, nature, nurture, Optimism, positive
I’ve been fighting a slight cold for several days now. And frankly, I’m sick of it. I want to be over this, and feeling better.
But, rather than moan and groan about how miserable I feel, and how much I HATE coughing, hacking, and feeling the pressure in my head and the aching muscles, I’ve chosen to focus on how good my situation is in comparison to others’. Examples of others in more difficult situations include: a nephew-in-law who’s only 30 years old has just had his second (!) stroke, and several professors (who I feel fortunate to consider good acquaintances, if not friends) who just lost their homes.
So I’ve been saying things like, “I’m looking forward to feeling better!” And when asked how I’m doing, I respond, “Better than I deserve!” to both focus on the positive and also remind myself of how grateful I can honestly be, with the right perspective.
Now, to be clear, I’m not “naturally” positive. (Just ask my wife!)
My inclination, as a melancholy, is to nitpick details, moan and groan about how imperfect everything is, and mope around as I frequently feel like an abject failure. Sure, I’m soft-hearted, but I’m also much too thin-skinned. (To learn more about the four personality types, read Personality Plus.)
A few days ago, as we were sitting down to a meal, someone asked me how I was feeling. I thought about it for just a moment. Recognized how miserable I really felt. Then thought, “I don’t want to go there. How can I redirect my attitude?” So I responded, “I’m really looking forward to feeling better!”
To that, my niece commented, “That’s what I like about you. You’re such an optimist.”
It surprised me. Especially since I realized just how intentional I had just been in my response.
And it got me thinking… I do seem to be getting a bit more optimistic… especially when I’ve been focusing on intentionally being optimistic and filling my mind (through reading positive books/materials, and listening to positive/constructive recordings, and hanging around positive people.
I wasn’t born optimistic. But I seem to be becoming optimistic.
I can imagine others may be born optimistic. But how many really are?
Of the Optimists I know, how many of them were born that way? And how many of them developed their optimism?
For those who developed optimism, how did they go about developing it? Was it simply a matter of growing up in a home with optimistic parents and/or siblings? Were they raised in an optimistic environment, completely surrounded by optimistic people? Or did they develop their optimism more intentionally? Perhaps even later in life? (Like me!)
I have no proof, but I suspect, maybe because of my own experience, that most people develop whatever optimism they have. Some are very fortunate to have it instilled in them from a very young age. But even if you didn’t grow up in such a nurturing environment, there’s still hope!
If I can become more optimistic, even with my background, then I see no reason why you couldn’t too. But it does take a decision to change. And that decision has to be followed up with consistent, persistent, intentional action. And quite likely, you’ll face some (or a LOT of) resistance, perhaps entirely internal, that will require dedicated perseverance to overcome. When you’ve persevered, you’ll eventually see the results: you’ll have a more positive outlook, and that will lead to a more hopeful attitude, and that in turn, will lead to your willingness to step out and achieve more of the things that are important and life-lifting for you.
Filed under: About me | Tags: Mission, Off-Purpose, On-Purpose, Peace, purpose, Realizing Harmony, Satisfaction, Significance, Values, Vision
My Purpose is: To the glory of God, I exist to serve by Realizing Harmony.
Yet all too often, I find myself having thoughts about things and writing things that do anything but “Realize Harmony.” The result of those thoughts and writings seems more often to be causing discouragement and explosive “discussions” (arguments is probably closer to the mark.)
So, how can it be, that my Purpose is one thing, and yet my thoughts and words seem to betray something entirely different?
Kevin McCarthy, the author of The On-Purpose Person and The On-Purpose Business, and the one through whom I first really understood the differences between Purpose, Vision, Mission, and Values, talks about our Purpose often being something we were designed for, yet something we have struggled deeply with in the past, and perhaps something that we’re still struggling with – kind of a “holy discontent.” He often says our Purpose is an area of our lives that we struggle with the most, yet it’s still what defines us.
My Purpose is Who I Am. It explains why I exist. It’s my “spiritual DNA.” And it’s unique to me.
I have the most peace, sense of significance, and personal satisfaction when I am serving by Realizing Harmony. And although I often am Off-Purpose, that doesn’t mean my Purpose has changed, only that when I’m not Realizing Harmony, I’m living Off-Purpose.
Each new day (and embarrassingly, sometimes more often than that) I need to re-commit to living my life On-Purpose. It helps to remind myself of my Purpose. And it helps even more to review my Visions, Missions, and Values. When I take the time to review each of those first thing in the morning, I find it far easier to live On-Purpose, or at least I tend to get and stay On-Purpose more.
Just saw this joke this morning. Thought it was hilarious and had to share it.
**************************************
A Cop pulled a car over for speeding.
When the Cop asked the driver why he was traveling 95mph, the driver answered that he was a juggler on his way to do a show for a birthday party and didn’t want to be late.
The Cop told the driver he was fascinated by juggling, and if the driver would do a little juggling for him that he wouldn’t give him a ticket.
The driver told the Cop that he had sent all of his equipment on ahead and didn’t have anything to juggle.
The Cop told him that he had some flares in the trunk of his patrol car, and asked if he could juggle them.
The juggler stated that he could, so the Cop got three flares, lit them and handed them to the juggler.
While the man was doing his juggling act, a car pulled in behind the patrol car. A drunk got out, watched the performance briefly, went over to the patrol car, opened the rear door and got in.
The Cop observed him doing this, and went over to the patrol car, opened the door and asked the drunk what he thought he was doing.
The drunk replied, “You might as well haul my butt to jail, ’cause there’s NO way I’ll pass that test.”
Filed under: Challenges, God at work, positive | Tags: Fireflight, music, Music Video, Unbreakable
I LOVE this song! It’s by one of my favorite bands.
Part of the reason they’re one of my favorites is because they were such a joy to work with at LastWave when they were first getting started touring. They all warned me that Phee was very particular about his drum monitor mix. I was expecting him to be unreasonable, but it turned out he was just very particular… he knew exactly what he wanted to hear, and it was no trouble to deliver that to him. (I guess most other Monitor Engineers couldn’t figure out how to work their equipment.) By merely giving them all exactly what they wanted, they were extremely appreciative, which made me feel good.
This new song was born out of a very difficult relationship situation that they all witnessed first-hand with one of their band members. It expresses the pain, triumph, and faith in God that came from being taken through what seemed like a valley of death. On the “other side,” those who turn to God for their triumph can declare their confidence that with God they are Unbreakable.
Check it out! (You will have to wait through a commercial before you see/hear the music video. Sorry.)
By William J. H. Boetcker
(wrongfully attributed to Abraham Lincoln)
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
William J. H. Boetcker (1873 – 1962) was an American religious leader and influential public speaker. An outspoken political conservative, Rev. Boetcker is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots. Originally published in 1916, it is often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln.
