For lunch yesterday, Marcy took leftover turkey, cut it into bite-size pieces, tossed it in with some arugula, walnuts and blue cheese crumbles. She added a dollop of cranberry sauce and topped it with dressing, which we pretended were croutons. Save perhaps for the dressing-as-croutons, it was a healthier use of leftovers than, say, putting a couple slabs of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy between two pieces of white bread and calling it a sandwich. It was also mighty tasty, and if you’re into point counting I’m guessing it had about a third the calories of a leftover sandwich.read more
I’m weak, I could stand to lose 22 pounds and I have the agility of an 80-year-old (I’m 53).
I paid $324 for this?
On Christmas Day, the Wii Fit entered our home, storming in with the attitude of a boot camp sergeant none-too-happy with its new recruits. It told the 11-year-old she was teetering on being overweight (she’s nowhere near: she eats better than any kid I know and is twice as active). It told the 15-year-old he was weak (he won the high school division of a local mountain bike race series this summer). And in addition to telling me I’m weak, a bit heavy and old, suggested I’m “unbalanced” as well.read more
If you have to deal with mall drivers one more time, if you’ve got a houseful of I’m-bored-already kids, if you hold your breath and cross your fingers every time you fork over your credit card, if — OK, enough with the “ifs.” I’m getting sweaty, my heart is racing, my chest is tight and I can’t help but feel that a sabertooth tiger is tracking me. Which is exactly why I — and possibly you — need to remember Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz’s “Five Tips for Surviving the Holidays.”read more
I miss the old Raleigh Rock Yard, a classic neighborhood climbing gym on the east side of town that closed a couple years back. I miss it in part because it was a great place to climb. But what I really miss is the staff. Courteous, helpful, exceedingly polite. And I’ll bet not one of them was over 16.read more
If you embark on a new exercise program on Jan. 1 don’t be discouraged if you find yourself hungrier than before. The upside: You’re likely to feel more satisfied after a meal — especially breakfast — which should help keep you from overeating at a meal and snacking. This according to a study at Australia’s Queensland University of Technology and published in the October American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.read more