Cardio: Meh

I really don't like to run.  If someone is chasing me with a hatchet I think I could run with a little more enthusiasm but typically I need motivation.  For me, that comes in the form of music.

I was raised primarily in the 70's (my musical formative years) with old-school rock (Bob Seger).  Of course as I entered my teens I listened to anything that appeared rebellious (hello hair metal) and other heavier music.  Now, my tastes are not quite refined but most definitely eclectic.  Here were the 10 songs that helped me endure today's run to heart health:

1. The Wizard - Black Sabbath
2. Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Private Idaho - B52's
4. Over My Head - King's X
5. What a Shame - Shinedown
6. Awake and Alive - Skillet
7. Yahweh - Hillsong
8. John Perkins Blues - Switchfoot 
9. I'm Not Afraid - Fleming and John
10. Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash 

Tuesday Top 5: Calcium

Calcium is vital for strong bones and teeth, right?  Ever wonder how a Clydesdale horse or elephant developed such strong bones?  Surely it was from all of the milk, yogurt, and cheese consumption.  Or was it (he says as he scratches his chin and wonder)?  Adults should get about 1,000 mg of calcium per day.

Here are 5 non-dairy ways to increase calcium without supplementation:

1. Okra - with a whopping 172 mg per cup this one is a calcium powerhouse!  Don't fry it - please.  Okra is a staple for gumbo.  Yum!
2. Collard Greens - this one is huge at 266 mg per cup.  Collard don't require ham hocks or neck bones either.  Yes, cook them and eat them with black eyed peas or use collards in a smoothie. 
3. Celery - Less than okra and collards but still fairly strong with 40 mg per cup.  Celery is key to any type of Louisiana cooking as well as stir fry. 
4. Broccoli - 62 mg per cup of broccoli.  Hold the cheese but add it to stir fry or eat it raw in salads.  
5. Almonds - one ounce contains about 75 mg of calcium. Snack on them.  Add them to oatmeal.  

February: Heart Healthy Month

Don't you like the way "someone" determines the theme of our months and days?  It's kind of obvious why February is "heart healthy" month based on the red hearts we see everywhere - kind of easy for word and picture association, right?

Unfortunately, our efforts and lifestyle simply do not have us on the right track for a heart-healthy February.  Approximately 60 million pounds of chocolate (it's not as heart healthy as the headlines indicate) is purchased and most likely consumed on 2/14.  The scary thing is that Easter and of course Halloween crushes Valentine's Day candy consumption.

I love when (okay I'm lying I don't love) people say "A little chocolate won't hurt - it's a holiday!"  I get where they are headed but there is typically always a reason to eat things that are unhealthy:

1. New Years Day
2. Super Bowl Sunday
3. Valentine's Day
4. Big Mama's 50th wedding anniversary
5. Clint and Karen's Wedding
6. Fat Tuesday
7. St. Patrick's Day
8. Grandma Bertha's Birthday
9. Baby Shower
10. Wedding Shower
11. Easter
12. Passover
13. Baptisms
14. Memorial Day
15. Get it???? 

Enjoy Valentine's Day just don't let the folks at Hershey, Mars, and Kilwin's knock you off track. 

Fast, Faster, and Fastest Food

Fast food gets a bad rap and rightfully so.  It's believed by many that fast food is responsible for poor health, obesity, and heart disease.  I have to vehemently disagree and will give three examples why:

Fast: Leftovers are fast food.  When making a pot of chili, quinoa, brown rice, or salad (for example) make enough that you can always go back to the fridge and get more a few days later.

Faster: Have bags of frozen veggies on the ready.  These can be steamed or chowed (wok) in a few minutes. Also sweet potatoes are easily nuked and enjoyed.

Fastest: Fresh fruit and vegetables are the ultimate fast food.  Even most gas stations will have bananas or apples available at the checkout counter.  Peel and eat or wipe off an eat.

Get out of the drive-thru window and begin to flip the notion of fast food on its head.

PS - now that I have a Vitamix fast food has a whole new identity.  More on that at a later date.

Any other suggestions on fast food?

Get Up Offa That Thing

Everyone knows that exercise is good for our hearts, minds, and waist line but not everyone knows where to start!  Should they get a membership to the YMCA, Planet Fitness, join Cross Fit, or what? I have a great suggestion that will cost you $0 and have tremendous benefits: Walk.

Yes, walk even if it's cold outside.  I currently walk 1 mile each way to a train station pretty much every day.  Full disclosure when the windchill was -35 I wimped out but other than that...

Read the linked story.  Jodi is real person and used walking and she's still doing it today.

Be encouraged!

Top 3 Brutal Beachbody Workouts

I like the Beachbody suite of workout videos.  P90X was a significant step in the right direction for me.  I know many people (Cross Fit* folks I'm looking at you) snicker about P90X and other home video stuff.  I always found that kind of odd.  One would think they'd be happy people are actually exercising.  To each him own, I guess:

1. Plyo X (P90X) - the first time I did this routine - yea I hurled.  Then I walked gingerly for about 3-4 days.  Navigating stairs was nearly impossible.  Tough - tough - tough workout that is scaleable (like all of these)
2. Pure Cardio (Insanity) - When Shaun T said, "I'm nervous about what's next." I started to sweat a different kind of sweat and took a deep gulp.  In this routine I am required to take breaks as my heart rate races to dangerous levels!  Great routine - fast and too the point. 
3. Yoga X (P90X) - I was new to yoga when I began this routine.  Honestly, I only did the entire routine 1 time as 92 minutes is just too long for people that don't work out for a living.  However, the DVD has natural cutoff times and it's easy (well not really easy) to stop at 45 and 60 minutes.  This routine is challenging on so many different levels. 

Anyone want to chime in? 

* I see guys in my gym do Cross Fit type exercises and those guys and gals are in mad, fantastic shape!  

Post Super Bowl Reset

Statistics (those darn things!) indicate the majority of Americans ate and drink more than they typically do - maybe even more than on Thanksgiving yesterday.

So what's one to do?  Put your behind in the past and move forward. Don't stop reaching for your goal.  Don't stop pressing for the prize.  Don't give up!(Is that enough cliche talk?)

Improved blood lipids are in your future.  Improved blood pressure, sugar, and resting heart rate are within your grasp!  If you went gastronomically overboard yesterday let's do a reset starting today!

Today is a new day with new possibilities.

I'm with you.