Health and Fitness July, 2012

[Nancy]

I walked last night with a neighbor.
And this morning I was up and out the door before sunrise to beat the heat.

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

With all the singing I should be losing weight. We'll see. In the meantime, the extra 12 hours of being out of the house and the extra 5 hours of practice at home are wearing me down. We have heat again and I wasn't ready for it so the house is warm this morning (we had to keep the windows overnight shut due to smoke.)

Tonight, even assuming the smoke clears, will not get cool enough to bother opening the windows.

We are really lucky, the smoke is barely noticeable here so my breathing isn't affected. Ds has to keep his windows open 24/7 (he's too cheap to put in his a/c) and last night he was in the path of the worst of the smoke. I'm waiting to find out how he slept with his asthma. He needed a good rest since he's onto overnights again starting today. I suppose he could always go into the hospital and find an office couch to crash on.

I'm on the treadmill since I can't count on an outside walk today. Ate better yesterday. I'm worried about my jaw so made myself a huge 'chop' salad (taking the vegetables and chopping them with my slap chopper.) I was amazed at how much 1/2 pepper, 1/2 cuke, a couple sprigs of broccoli and 1 carrot combined into when chopped up (or grated in the case of the carrot.) That made at least 5 servings according to our food guide (1/2 cup of grate/chopped vegetable is one serving.) No wonder dd measures her celery (she hates it so measures it to make sure she isn't eating any more than she has to.)

I bought 100 calorie snack packs of mini oreos and use those when I feeling hungry, having them with a milk. So I had an extra milk yesterday. It is still over 200 calories for the two items but the sweet satisfies me mentally and the milk takes care of physical satisfaction with extra protein.

Another advantage to the singing is I'm getting lots of water even if I don't drink enough during the day. Each practice is good for 3-4 glasses.

[Nancy]

I walked with a friend about 3.4ths of a mile at a slow pace.
Must have been the right amount b/c my bs was perfect today #106

I walked a mile this morning to beat the heat and I mowed the back yard and raked it too that
was a great work out.

[Harmony]

So much walking with the DGkids here; no time for snacking. I'm down 1.5 lbs in 6 days!

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

My weight is done 2 lbs so far (haven't weighed yet today.) So the singing is having an effect. I'm thinking of wearing the heart rate monitor to see what's going on with my heart during practice. Maybe it is more than just increased oxygen that helps me lose weight when I sing a lot.

I still haven't properly restarted WW but I have been meaning to so start each day carefully and have avoided all the pit falls. Yesterday I got a watermelon and other fruit into the house so that can be my sweet or cold treat (instead of ice cream) for a while. I've got apples, bananas and grapefruit too, and tomato (I keep that in the fruit drawer so you know which side I fall on in that controversy!)

On the treadmill this morning even though we have to leave here by 8:45. It was a short night last night because I was wired after my headache left.

[Nancy]

Walked last night again.
Today bs is up to #305 to hot to walk much so will be doing the ex. bike I guess
got up at seven and it was warming up already.

[Harriet]

Found this interesting acid reflux information on yogurt. Here is the reason one yogurt bothered my acid reflux less than others! (Fage 2 percent) Of course, I have given up yogurts now for a few months anyway, and reading this, I think I may be one of the people who shouldn't have yogurt. I have read the Amazon pages offered online from this doctor's Sept. 2010 book, "Dropping Acid: The Reflux Diet" and am fascinated by the concept that an initiative in the 70s to make sure prepared foods being sold were acid enough to prevent deterioration has actually contributed to the huge increase in acid reflux we see now. The author's concept is that while concentrating on acid "below" in the stomach is important, also important is identifying the PH level of acid foods "from above" - in the foods headed for the stomach.

[Harmony]

I guess this book addresses the ____ (concept, idea? fact?) that saliva changes the ph of foods? I've read that lemon actually reaches the stomach with much less acid than when it enters the mouth. I so need to get this under control. Dee's DH's test results on his esophagus was very concerning to me.

Ok, I went back and looked at both the links, read the part about yogurt. Did you read the replies to the blog at the end? There were quite a few of them but I was struck dumb when I read one by soultravelers3 up near the top where she states what she took and cured her ulcer, reflux, periodontal disease and resulting bone loss (documented by dentist xrays).

Of course, anything with charts and rows and rows of numbers makes my eyes glaze over, I just am challenged that way to understand numbers...so I did not get much out of the yogurt numbers (I don't understand the significance to a few decimal points being so different) and I don't yet get the numbers up or down being more or less ph and I don't even know how the ph relates to acid...

Which is probably why I've never made much progress with this thing I have...and I haven't been diagnosed so don't know what type of reflux I have... I ordered one of the used books to read.

Big questions here, Harriet, this should interest you too...if one keeps their ph level more neutral, does that predispose one for more bladder infections? My Ph was tested a few times by chiropractor because of my frequent infections and she had me take vit c every day to get it in the proper level so I wouldn't keep getting this and it worked. I've been afraid to mess with my ph/acid level on account of that. ???

[Harriet]

Harmony, I hadn't seen it but went back and read that woman's experience with the particular Lactobacillus Rhamnosus Lysate. I Googled it, and it seems to be alternately referred to as just Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, and some sources say it is shortened to Lactobacillus GG for some reason. It is one of the "8" in my probiotic capsule, "PB 8", and they refer to it as Lactobacillus Rhamnosus. I, of course, have no idea which of the 8 parts of this capsule work well for me... ... if I were to say my PB 8 capsules are as miraculous as this woman says, - well, no, that isn't so for me. But it is a big enough help that I've not been without it all this time and can't stand to run out. Maybe it is that particular one that is the very most help - I wouldn't know.

Culturelle name brand is saying that their product is pretty much all "Lactobacillus GG", which, way down in their info, they say is Lactobacillus Rhamnosus. So, assuming mine is divided exactly 8 ways, their product would have more of this particular probiotic. On Culturelle's "in the news" page, they link to Dr. William Sears, who is a pediatrician, being quoted by a couple magazines as saying children/teens would benefit from Lactobacillus GG, and that Culturelle is a convenient one to find. His "how to take it" surprises me, because he says although probiotics can be taken on an empty stomach he thinks they are better taken with food, (not hot food). I'm wondering if this is because he is talking about children, who may not want the pills... ...

Well, I am home with the book. You were probably wise to wait for a used one to arrive. It was not cheap, but HRH said it was worth it to him to have it in his hand when we found out they only had ONE left, which they held for him, and I did have some errands past the B and N store. First impressions for me are, wow, this woman has a brain in her head, and she sure does speak her mind. If she addresses the changes made by saliva or UTI concerns I haven't found it yet. She is right on track about apples, though - yep, I can eat exactly the ones she says I can (Gala) and I can't eat the ones she says I can't (Granny Smith). Half of the first section was free on Amazon. The last section is FULL of science/medicine/finding and why your meal yesterday may still be able to cause you harm today. Also some real indictments of colas, fast food places, alcoholic beverages - it will take a while to read. The middle is the recipes by the French Master Chef. Some look appetizing and practical, but others are fancier than I will need. I am amused at some of the names for the dishes: "Quench the Fire Quiche", "No-Alarm Salsa". LOL.

[Harmony]

Thanks for looking that up, Harriet. That poster said the only things she changed were to take Gum-plus and intelac which I have no idea what she's talking about so will definitely check. I don't think I have ulcers, at least in my stomache, but definitely have all the other problems she said she cured. I'm glad you think there's a lot of information in this book and it's worth having... and it's interesting that next day woes could happen from diet the day before. Sometimes I wonder why something doesn't bother me, but I hadn't thought about a delay in symptoms.

Sometimes I'm unable to swallow. It seems like a drop of saliva will go the wrong direction and "catch" and I will choke and cough. So now I'm wondering about that other kind of reflux. Still, I also know the head-down position causes stuff to come up into my throat.

One thing that is uncomfortable to me is being in the ocean very long. There is pressure all over from the water, and I can feel that in my mid-section and that will stir things up. I think that pretty much goes away when I get out.

Harriet, what happens to you when your probiotic runs out? Do you get worse reflux symptoms?