I rarely stretch, but my IT Band issues are making me realize that I should incorporate a good stretching program into my daily life (at least after running!).
I found this video on Sparkpeople that shows some good stretches. The moves in this video are for the lower body – just where I need it. But, I think we all know how to stretch – it’s just a matter of actually doing it!
I usually only make time for a certain amount of running. I will wake up and give myself just enough time to get my run in and shower before I need to head out the door. I don’t plan time for stretching.
So, I think I’m going to have to re-work my exercise and make time for it. It’s definitely worth a few minutes every morning if it will help heal my IT band and keep me injury free.
The Religion of Thinness – I came across this article today and love this quote from it:
Indeed, a $60 billion a year diet industry would have us believe that aspartame is a “healthier” choice as a sweetener than a calorie-laden whole food like honey or maple syrup. In this eating disordered paradigm, a box of “non-fat” cereal, whose second ingredient is high-fructose corn syrup (that cheaply made sugar substitute, which is heavily processed after being produced by land-destroying industrial agricultural methods), is better for you than a bowl of plain oatmeal and raisins.
When weight loss is your only priority it’s easy to choose the lowest calorie choice without consideration of what it’s doing to your body. In that case you may pick the Special K bar over a piece of whole grain bread with PB as a snack. When all you care about is losing weight whole foods may be sacrificed for lower calories 🙁
But when you want to feel healthier above everything else you will probably choose more whole foods. Ideally, these whole foods will keep you fuller and give you more energy. When you feel healthier you are often more satisfied and can be more active. Everyone has specific health goals unique to them, talk to Sculptology Medical Spa for a personalized plan.
And I believe as you get healthier your weight will settle into a healthy range 🙂
Dinner:
I was really craving beans and rice for dinner – but not the usual beans and rice. I specifically wanted brown rice and garbanzo beans.
So, I made some rice, nuked some frozen veggies and threw it all in a bowl with ICBNB and salt. Simple and dee-lish. (I also had some cheese bread because I love it and was making it for Ben’s dinner.)
Questions, Comments, Complaints…
I haven’t done a video post in a long time, but have a bunch of ideas for them. Before I do the work, I want to make sure you are interested in it.
1. Would you like to see a video of the hip strengthening moves my PT gave me?
2. Would you like to see a make-up application video? Most of the time I look like a homeless, but when I wear make-up I get questions on how to do it.
3. Any other video ideas? Ben and I arm wrestling? Me singing to myself while cooking dinner (I also dance around with the spoon as a mic)? My rendition of Lady Macbeth’s “Spot” monologue?
“Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants” – Pollan
Here is an old article by Michael Pollan from a few years ago. It’s pretty long (read: I haven’t finished it yet) but looks interesting.
Supplements:
Do you take any supplements hoping for some health benefits? This graphic shows which supplements have scientific evidence and which ones you should pass up.
I love natural remedies and supplements so it’s interesting to see which ones may work versus old wives tales.
Question: Do you take supplements? If so, which ones??
Me: I take a regular multi-vitamin plus Vitamin C and Glucosamine when I remember (which is a few times a week?). I keep hearing good things about Vitamin D and omega 3 too, but haven’t gotten around to adding anything else yet. I also want to start taking bee pollen 🙂 I’ll let ya know if I do.
I used to be the Vitamin and supplement taking Queen! but lately I have been learning that just eating a variety of good foods is soo much better for you! and it’s easy to overdose on Vitamins and pills and can really mess with your body, a multi-vitamin is a good choice, and maybe some folic acid if you are taking a pill birth control, but be careful about the amount of excess you could consume, and maybe talk to a registered Dietitian for some help 🙂
Love the post. I am making my way through a few Michael Pollan books right now as well. Hope your knee feels better!!
Thanks for posting the stretching video, I’ve been wanting to make more time for stretching after running and this is perfect. As far as your own video I vote for the hip strengthening moves! I’ve had a tiny bit of knee pain and I think these would help me prevent injury. Thanks!!
Every morning, I take a multi-vitamin and a generic-brand Claritin. It’s totally unscientific, but I have some auto-immune stuff, and when I regularly take Claritin, I’m never bothered by it. Like it just tamps down my body’s overreaction to everyday irritants. Sort of silly, but probably only as silly as some of the other ‘useless’ supplements people take religiously.
Hip strengthening and make-up! (love your Vegas looks)
I’ve been doing yoga every day to stretch … I have a Runner’s Yoga podcast, among many, many others and I find they really help. That, and using my foam roller after runs.
As for supplements, I take a multi, vitamin D, vitamin B, omega 3, flax, calcium, and a cold FX tab. I also make sure that on the days when I don’t eat a lot of meat (which is most days) that I get some dried apricots in for iron.
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I take omega threes, a women’s multi-vitamin, st. john’s and spirulina. I thought about giving up the spirulina just because it is the one I think is the least important to me (and all of those pills at one time sometimes make me feel nauseous. From what this diagram shows, its effectiveness is also the most questionable.
One thing I just recently learned about omega threes is that they make your gums more likely to bleed, which I found out during a teeth cleaning from the dental hygienist.
i also take glucosamine for joint health. i figure it cant hurt. and b complex, calcium, multi and fiber. wow, pill popper over here.
I take a gummy multi-vitamin. They taste like gummy candy, but I compared them to the back of a regular multi-vitamin and all the same stuff. I find these are the only type that do not upset my stomach. Something about regular multi-vitamins would totally cramp up my stomach, and these gummies don’t!
I take Glucosamine and chondroitin. It works fantastic!! I eat pretty clean so I do not feel I need to take anything else.
Make-up application video would be great b/c I need some good tips. I take multi-vitamin every day from GNC with fish oil supplement.
great post and so true: we all know how to stretch it’s just a matter of doing it!
i take a multi-vitamin and that’s it. i doubt it’s really doing anything amazing but since i’m on a college campus i figure it can’t hurt.
Arm wrestling, for sure.
My husband takes a zillion different vitamins and supplements. I take Vitamin D and calcium. Sometimes I take a mulitivitamin, but the ones we have right now have a strange coating on them that really turns me off. Perhaps I should buy some different ones.
Make up video!!! I need make up knowledge and I want you to be my teacher.
Thanks for posting the “Religion of Thinness” article…I definitely want to share it with some of my friends who truly believe that “healthy” and “low calorie” are synonyms.
This has been a great post, i’ve just started maintenance & i’m starting to add more whole foods into my food plan. exciting!
Love the quote and your reflections on it. Now that I’m eating mostly whole foods I’m a bit heavier than when I was starving myself on processed diet junk, but I am infinitely happier 🙂
I take a daily multi-vitamin, plain and simple.
I’m torn between arm wrestling and make-up ….. : )
Dinner looks deelish!
😀
Have a great weekend, Monica!
Brazilian XOXO´s,
Gabriela
Oh, I totally vote for you and Ben arm wrestling!! 🙂
I would love to see a video about the hip strengthening moves and any stretches you might know of, because I really struggle with stretching my legs and they can be VERY tight as a result!!
I vote for makeup! Stretching videos already exist and I am pretty much makeup clueless. I think I skipped the step of “learn how to make yourself pretty” when I was a teenager…