Got a coffee shop addiction? I do. I’m in one at least once a day. Fortunately, my addiction is straight up caffeine, my delivery system of choice: the Americano.
I say “fortunately” because, caffeine aside, you can get in a lot of trouble in your neighborhood coffee shop. Walking into my local Carribou a few minutes ago I picked up their “Beverage Nutrition Guide: On The Trail to Better Health,” which gave a hint of the caloric chaos a trip here can cause. I could have my 5-calorie Americano (12 ounce) or I could have a small hot cocoa for 230 calories. And that’s the range of their smart choices. A visit to Caribou’s online nutritional guide, which details all its drinks, shows the extent to which a coffee shop habit can derail an otherwise exemplary diet.read more
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 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
I was hiking Thursday afternoon on the Rim Trail at Fires Creek when I was struck by a twinge of melancholy. Odd, because I was in my element: hiking in the Southern Appalachians on a crisp winterlike day, the sun just active enough to cast faint shadows across the forest floor. Perfect hiking conditions, in my book. So what was wrong?read more