DIET COLUMN

Here’s a fun exercise routine. If you’re an absolute beginner, or just getting back into a routine and you’re a little concerned about where to start, you don’t even have to leave your couch. Or, if you’re in the office all day, you can get started there. So, instead of playing solitaire or Tetris, exercise a little.

You can also use this free fitness journal at FitDay to keep track of your progress.

A friend recently forwarded an email to me with common misconceptions about dieting and losing weight. I laughed so hard that I assume a few calories were burned, and thought you could use a laugh too. What’s the point of working so hard at exercising, giving up foods and steadfastly sticking to a diet if you can’t enjoy a good laugh at ourselves once in a while?

Q:  I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it. Don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer?  Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken.  Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable.) And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?
A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way.   Beer is made out of grain.  Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.  If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain… Good!

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!  Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated with it.  How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A : Are you crazy?  HELLO!  Cocoa BEANS? Another vegetable!  It’s the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?
A: In shape? What kind of shape? “Round” IS a shape.

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

“We’re killing our kids with food.” Those are the powerful and shocking words from a former celebrity chef who is on a crusade to save our children. Read this inspiring story of one lady’s passion to change how kids eat in their schools. When you stop to think about the powerful corporations who have a vested interest in essentially poisoning our children’s health, it really is infuriating. Parents, it’s time to fight back.

Exercise can be a ball. But not for a Jacksonville man who claims that his fitness ball exploded while lifting about 150 pounds at his local YMCA. Bones were broken, and a lawsuit has been filed.

You may have heard about the latest news that came out this past week regarding the fat content of our favorite non-stick cooking sprays. These sprays are made of oil, often vegetable oil, so they most certainly contain fat. In fact, one can of your favoring spray can contain more than 800 calories! The longer you spray, the more fat and calories you’re adding to your scrambled eggs or stir-fry. If this item is a dietary kitchen essential of yours, spray once and get your finger off the trigger quickly.

New varieties, made of olive and canola oils, are more frequently available at the grocery store.

A new study that was just published in the recent issue of Cancer showed that smoking or alcohol use did not increase a woman’s chance of getting ovarian cancer. The study also showed that a woman’s risk might be decreased by the consumption of caffeine. But this is no free license for women to continue smoking because there is still significant evidence that shows that smoking increases the risk of a specific subtype of ovarian cancer known as the mucinous type.

Ovarian cancer is a very serious cancer resulting in approximately 23,000 new cases in the U.S. each year. Its cause still remains very unclear to the medical community.

Not that I needed a scientific study to confirm this, but music has quantifiable benefits to your exercise regimen. Not to be melodramatic, but it’s nearly impossible for me to work out without music. I get the doubting devil on my shoulder shouting, “You could be home having a beer right now.” Or, the simple “This is too hard! This is too hard! “This article in The New York Times is an interesting examination of the psychology of music as it relates to effective exercise. Interestingly, there’s a rating system on how motivating a song is.

It’s tough enough to get the time and energy to stay committed to an exercise regimen. And, when you hit those inevitable plateaus, it can be downright frustrating. Usually the best thing you can do is change things up. An article on Health.com has some handy tricks of the trade that will shake things up and have you burning more fat, more efficiently.

Sometimes health news can be frustrating. Eggs are bad for you. Eggs are good for you. Fat is bad. Fat is okay, carbs are bad. Well, now research is shedding new light on the health effects of sun exposure. It says that moderate sun exposure outweighs the risk of cancer. I doubt this is an invitation for bringing back the tanning oil.

Another big introduction this week- welcome Gretchen Wilcox to Diets In Review! We’re thrilled to have her on board with us sharing insights in the Diet Reviews, as well as keeping you updated in the Diet Column. Hailing from the Northwest, she brings generous experience in dieting and can even recommend the perfect glass of wine.

Naturally curious, you can often find Gretchen Wilcox reading an encyclopedia for fun. When not spending (the majority) of her time raising two young sons, she is also a 20+ year food/wine professional, and has been married to her husband Graham, a professional chef, for 16 years. As a former pageant contestant and sometimes model, Gretchen has spent a lifetime trying to figure out how to “have it all”; a lifestyle that includes gourmet food and wine, while still allowing her to fit into her wardrobe.

After the birth of her first son, now age 14, Gretchen embarked on a career with the weight loss giant, Jenny Craig International. While helping thousands of men, women and teens lose millions of pounds, she learned first hand that weight loss happens not just in the body, but more importantly, in the mind.

Now 40 years old, Gretchen is looking earnestly towards the second half of her life, and how to help people make the body/mind connection. Now studying psychology with a minor in criminal justice, she is looking forward to a career in working with juveniles at risk, and teaching them to focus their mind’s eye on a life that is productive, rich and rewarding.