Small Steps to Health

slotMusic – Don’t Quit Fitness Bundle Review

asithi — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:03:33 +0000

I regularly listen to music or podcasts with my ipod when I do my aerobic workouts. This post will discuss the Don’t Quit Fitness Bundle – what I like and dislike about this product. Let’s just say that I am disappointed.

Emotions Associated with Weight and Denial

asithi — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:56:40 +0000

Photo by: Loic Le Meur.

The entire spectrum of human emotions can be associated with weight in our culture. You can be jealous, disappointed, frustrated, angry, happy, etc either about your own weight or someone else’s weight. A hundred years ago, the primary concern with weight is rather you are well fed and disease free. Now diet is a dirty four letter word. It changed from what you can eat that will not kill outright to what you cannot eat to keep your hips pubescent.

Is Soy Isoflavones Good for You? - Part 2

asithi — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:20:12 +0000

Photo by: mdid.

This is the second post of my soy series. This post will discuss how Chinese families eat soy, soy isoflavones, and who should limit soy in their diet. While soy is no stranger in our diet, it only amounts to 2 ounces daily (7-8 grams of soy protein). Remember how I mentioned in my last post that most Chinese families do not eat the FDA recommended daily 25 grams of soy protein in order to get its cholesterol lowering effect?

Is Soy Good for You? - Part 1

asithi — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:54:41 +0000

Photo by: Chrys Omori.

This is a two part series discussing the marketing of soy, the soy controversy (including the estrogen factor), how Chinese families generally eat soy, and who should probably not eat soy.

American Heart Association Endorsement Not to be Trusted!

asithi — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:38:36 +0000

Photo by: laffy4k.

Health endorsements from the American Heart Association are slapped on the packaging of many sugary food products hoping convince us into thinking their packaged sugary food products are good for our families. This post discuss how the American Heart Association endorsement on packaged food products is not to be trusted.

3 Steps to Eating Healthy at a Restaurant

asithi — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:39:50 +0000

Photo by: Tony Hisgett.

Eating at a restaurant is like eating blind. We can easily eat an entire day’s calories in one sitting without even realizing it. The portions are huge, the yummy bread is white, and the vegetables are dripping with butter and cream. Eating at a restaurant can be a minefield for anyone trying to stay healthy.

This post will discuss a 3 step plan for eating healthy at a restaurant.

Active Life Outdoor Challenge for the Wii

asithi — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:30:42 +0000

I was debating between this game and Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2009. They were both released around the same time in mid-September. I went with the Active Life Outdoor Challenge because of the mini-games. This post provides a list of the mini-games and a discussion on what I like and dislike about Active Life Outdoor Challenge for the Wii.

How Do Female Hormones Impact a Teen’s Weight?

asithi — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:28:10 +0000

Photo by: aussiegall.

This article will discuss how the changing female hormones during our teenage years impact our weight. I will not be discussing the emotional aspects of puberty, just the physical aspects. As females, our bodies change every 15 years or so - puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause - because of the changes in our hormone levels. Hopefully you have some close female relatives to help guide you through each stage. If you are interested in learning more about how your hormones and fat cells influence your weight, please click on my hormones or fat cell tags.

Painful Hiking Experiences

asithi — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:55:33 +0000

Photo by: Buck.

Reading Cranky Fitness’s post on Advice for the Out of Shape Hiker, reminds me of my painful hiking stories. Actually these are mostly my husband’s stories.

Hiking story #1

Our first backpacking trip was a 6 hour hike in with a 2000 ft change in elevation. When we initially signed up for the weekend trip, I thought it would be a nice camping trip. I did not know that I had to walk about 12 miles with 30 pounds strap to my back until two days before the trip. I could not even lifted the pack and strap it on myself. My husband had to do that for me..........

Dim Sum and Income

asithi — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:12:23 +0000

Photo by Fireflyxvi. I notice that as incomes increase with my friends, the frequency of eating at restaurants also increases. It almost seems to be an inevitable conclusion, along with an expanding waistline. According to the National Restaurant Association, “household income of $75,000 or more eat an average of 4.9 commercially prepared meals per week, compared with 3.2 meals for those with an income of less than $15,000.” ..............

3 Blogging Questions and Eye Rolling

asithi — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:52:39 +0000

Photo by Mike Licht

Reading this post on The Fight for Fitness the other day made me realize why I do not like to tell people that I write a health and fitness blog. To begin with, I always feel that I am a dorky engineer. :D Though my last job required a lot of public speaking, deep down inside I know I am an introvert. So dorkiness, introvert, and blogging – well, I feel like that is not enough qualifications to judge anyone’s eating or exercise habits. Nor do I give any advice, other than what I write on my blog. But inevitably I get ask these three questions............

Walking as Exercise and Possible Injuries

asithi — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:58:25 +0000

Photo by: Hamed Saber

Walking is one of the nearly one of the most pain-free ways to fit in exercise. Pretty much anyone of any age can do it. Besides the fact that it can improve your health and improve your mood, it is convenient, good on the joints, and requires only a good pair of shoes.

This post will discuss some strategies to help you get the most out of your walks and some common injuries associated with walking for exercise.

Yogurt a Health Food? Do You have Dental Insurance?

asithi — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:06:08 +0000

Yogurt is the cash cow of the dairy industry. Add some fruit, you have one product. Add some thickeners, you have another product. My problem with yogurt is the sugar, not the health claim Sugar is approximately 55% of the 80 calories in Go-GURT. With approximately 5 grams of sugar, my co-worker is slurping a little over 1 teaspoon of sugar in 1 minute!................

More about Weddings and 10,000 Steps

asithi — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:57:46 +0000

Photo by: Brendon.

I spent the last week visiting St. Louis for my brother-in-law’s wedding. Although I was not officially part of the wedding party, there was still plenty of work for me to do.

I had my Omron pedometer with me and was able to logged in my 10,000 steps most days. 10,000 steps is the recommended amount of steps for weight loss if your average baseline is 4,000 - 5,000 steps. Basically that translates to approximately 45 – 60 minutes..........

Wax on, Wax off - Wax on Fruits and Vegetables

asithi — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:00:19 +0000

Photo by: Elena Norbiato.

I often been suspicious of wax on fruits and vegetables. How safe is it and how much of this wax is going directly to my hips? This post is about the safety of wax on fruits and vegetables. Why is there wax on fruits and vegetables? Wax retains water in fruits and vegetables in the same way that moisturizers do to the skin. Wax on fruits and vegetables protects against bruising, mold growth, and extends the shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Apples, green peppers, cucumbers, and others have natural waxes already, but get washed off during processing. Supermarkets like waxes because the high shine.......