Category Archives: Just for fun

My son, the Michigan State Police, and healthy choices at McDonald’s

Posted on July 10, 2013 | Leave a comment

Earlier this evening my family went for a bike ride. That’s when my son got pulled over by the Michigan State Police and was given a ticket!

He was pulled over for being safe by wearing a helmet and the “ticket” was a card for a free ice cream cone at McDonald’s.

It is part of a program that rewards kids for being safe and wearing a helmet when they ride a bike. Since we were all wearing helmets, my oldest son (and his two younger brothers) got “tickets” from the police officer.

It was when we got home and I looked at the card more closely that I noticed something nice—the card is good for either a free ice cream cone OR apple slices.

icecream_or_apples Bike_helmet

I’m sure almost all kids will pick the cone (I know my kids will!), but it’s nice to have a healthy option.

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Deceptive food labeling, old school style.

Posted on June 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

This isn’t a deceptive label on a food package, but it is an example of misleading nutrition information. It is a recipe from a cookbook called Charleston Receipts, which includes recipes that represent hundreds of years of low country cooking. I don’t know the history of this particular recipe, but I do know that it makes a  claim that, upon closer examination,  isn’t exactly true.

The recipe is for Sugarless Yellow Cake, which sounds healthy, especially for people who are trying to lose weight or control their blood glucose. But reading the ingredients reveals that this cake is definitely NOT sugarless.

Sugarless yellow cake

Okay, technically, it doesn’t contain sugar as an ingredient. But it does contain corn syrup, which really is sugar (as so clearly explained here).

Like many foods, especially packaged foods, the name tells one story while the ingredients tell another. Since this recipe comes from a book that was originally published in 1950, this form of misleading labeling isn’t anything new.

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Why you should get up out of your office chair right now.

Posted on June 14, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s Friday afternoon. Between your time spent at home and at work, you have probably been sitting for much of the week. It’s time to get up out of your chair right now!

Sitting is Killing You

Sitting Is Killing You | Medical Billing & Coding [via Lifehacker]

Since it is Friday afternoon, why not head down to your local pedal-powered pub for happy hour!

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Replacing sedentary time with physical activity–at the bar!

I’m a big fan of finding ways to turn sedentary time into opportunities to be active. At home, this includes spending less time sitting watching television and more time up and moving. Even getting off the couch during commercials can make a difference. At work, using a standing desk, holding walking meetings, and taking frequent activity breaks are good ways to limit sitting time.

But what about when you meet your friends at the bar for a drink. Even though alcohol consumption (in moderation, of course) can have health benefits, the fact that you are sitting doesn’t do you any favors.

Problem solved! I was in Indianapolis last week for the American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting when I happened to see this:

handlebar

It’s called the HandleBar Pedal Pub and it is a mobile bar. Like most bars, there is a bartender who serves drinks. But unlike most bars, the patrons pedal while they drink. There is also a driver, presumably a designated driver, who makes sure they don’t hit anything.  You can learn more at http://www.handlebarindy.com/

Now you can combine happy hour with exercise time!

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Posted on June 7, 2013 in Just for fun

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What is one portion?

Posted on May 21, 2013 | Leave a comment

I think everyone knows that we have become accustomed to large portion sizes. And large portion sizes can add up to too many calories which can add up to weight gain.

Unless you have read a food label and carefully measured out one serving you may not realize how big your “normal” portions really are. This video will show you:

When you are done with that one, check out this video that shows what 2000 calories, the “typical” recommended daily intake, looks like coming from some of your favorite foods:

 

 

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Exercise as a treatment for depression, according to my students.

We just wrapped up our spring semester and graduation was last night.

I was fortunate to have five outstanding seniors in a research topics course in which we read and discussed research in the area of exercise and neuroscience. I think they got a bit tired of writing papers, so they proposed making a video for the exercise and depression unit.

This is their take on exercise as a “drug” to treat depression:

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Posted on May 10, 2013 in Just for fun

Thug Kitchen: Nutrition advice you can use, gangsta version.

Posted on March 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

One of the problems with making nutrition recommendations is that the information is often either too complicated for people to understand or it isn’t delivered in simple, compelling message. Problem solved!

A friend sent me this link this morning. I thought it was funny, creative, and (mostly) correct. Fair warning, it is R-rated for language, so look over your shoulder to make sure your kids or your boss aren’t looking before you click:

Thug Kitchen

 

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This has nothing to do with exercise or fitness or nutrition, but it is interesting!

Posted on March 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

So, I’m a bit of an NPR geek and Talk of the Nation Science Friday is often the most interesting part of my week. Unfortunately, I usually miss the live radio shows so I end up listen to the podcasts.

Aside: This adds to my geek cred when a student asks what I am listening to when I am on the treadmill in the gym!

I fell a few  weeks behind, so I was getting caught up when I heard this segment called “Ask a Dentist.” It has nothing to do with nutrition or exercise or fitness, but it was SO INTERESTING! It answered several questions I had about my teeth and a few more questions I didn’t know I had. Do yourself, and your teeth, a favor and check it out here.

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Health advice so simple it can be explained in a Dilbert cartoon.

Posted on February 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

Sit less, stand more. I guess it is pretty simple.

Sit less Dilbert

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Work out, or no TV for you!

Posted on February 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

I have thought for a long time that a good way to get people to be more active is to prevent them from watching TV or even getting in their house at the end of the day if they haven’t exercised. Maybe the door wouldn’t unlock if their pedometer didn’t show at least 10,000 steps. Totally unreasonable, I know.

Or is it…

Lifehacker featured an article yesterday about how to rig up a system that cuts the power to your TV (or anything else you want) if you haven’t met your activity goals. It utilizes the FitBit activity tracker and the Belkin WeMo internet-controlled power outlet and requires some effort to set up, but it seems like it would be effective.

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Posted in Just for fun