Finally

Sunday I got out for a walk around the bridges circuit (pictures wouldn’t transfer from phone, still working on it) which is around 10km … in 34C heat. The FBH joined me for 3-odd km before she turned back (I thought we were halfway and wondered what the point of turning back was) until I realised we started at a different point and I’d only done 3km of 10. :(

Anyway, I kept going doing a little jog here and there but the heat was a tad too much so I just walked most of the way. Though I did run the inclines. And that really was an effort.

In the end the 10km took around 85 minutes. I was shocked. Though I wasn’t busting to get round, just get round.

We headed home and watched a really great movie called Angel-A by Luc Besson. A bit out there, in French and black & white but an enjoyable movie.

Then last night I got home and the FBH said “Are you going to walk before or after dinner?”

If I ate dinner I wouldn’t walk, so we changed and headed out. 6-odd km with the tempo of run a song, walk a song. And that took around 50 minutes.

So it seems I’m slowing down with the heat. I’m also trying to run slowly.

I seem to have this thing that as soon as I start a run I want to finish and it keeps my pace up, but often the pace isn’t sustainable, hence the walking. I really do need to learn to run slowly.

My Garmin 305 has an exercise where I have to run (I think it’s 2km) without my heart rate getting out of zone 1. I’m not sure I could do that and run at the same time. Walk yes. Run, not sure.

So, happy that I’ve done a couple of runs and feel a lot better for it. I also feel like the desire to run regularly might be back so I’ll look forward to that.

Watching the weight but not keeping to a healthy diet. So that is the next task. Need to plan my food intake rather than wonder what’s in the fridge/pantry.

Five Fake Health Foods from Underground Wellness

These are the foods that are NOT health foods:

• Vitamin Water: If you look on the ingredients listing, it has 13 grams of sugar per serving and there are 2.5 servings! There are 32.5 grams of sugar in this bottle. Drop the Vitamin Water and pick up some REAL water.
• Ensure: Sugar 23 grams. That means there are six teaspoons of sugar in Ensure. Soy is not a health food. Canola oil is not a health food either. Natural and artificial flavors.
• Yoplait Yogurt: It has 27 grams of sugar, which is eight teaspoons of sugar. What kills a good bacteria in your stomach? SUGAR! If you want to have yogurt, go out and buy plain yogurt and add fruit.
• Zone Bars: They use soy protein and he says that soy is not a health food.
• Slim Fast Bars: The number one ingredients is corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils.

Painkillers, Prostate Cancer and the PSA test

Many men remain undecided about whether to have the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer, as part of a routine health check. On the one hand, screening can detect cancers at an early stage; on the other, it may lead to needless investigations, and treatments that have risks of serious side effects. That's because many prostate cancers are very slow-growing and could safely be left undiagnosed and untreated.

Now a new study threatens to muddy the waters further. It suggests that men who regularly take aspirin, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) could have lower blood levels of PSA, the protein that is a marker for prostate cancer.

In the study, researchers looked at the PSA levels of more than 1,300 men over age 40. They found that men who used NSAIDs regularly had PSA levels that were around 10 percent lower than those of men who did not take these drugs.

The problem is, researchers don't know what this signifies. Do men who take these drugs run the risk of cancer not being detected because NSAIDs affect levels of PSA in their blood? Or do men who take NSAIDs have less of this protein because they are less likely to have prostate cancer?

Still Eating Red Meat, You May Want to Reconsider

Several years ago, Professor Ajit Varki of the University of California, San Diego discovered a molecule called Neu5Gc that appears in the tissues of every mammal except humans (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, September 29, 2003). Now he has put together the pieces of a puzzle that may explain why humans evolved with large brains and why, if we want to live into old age, we should probably avoid eating meat from any other mammals (Science, October 31, 2008).

His theory depends on evolution. Living creatures on earth started as one-celled organisms, progressed to 2 cells, and eventually to fish and birds. A mutation occurred in progressing to mammals, who developed the gene to make Neu5Gc. Mammals progressed to apes and Neanderthals, and as humans evolved, Neu5Gc added a single oxygen atom to become a different molecule called Neu5Ac. So Neu5Gc is found in all mammals and their milks except humans. It is not in fish or birds. Interestingly, the Neu5Ac molecule explains why humans are the only mammal to suffer from malaria. The malaria parasite cannot enter a cell until it grabs onto the Neu5Ac on the surface of human cells.

Many epidemiological studies show that people who eat red meat are at increased risk for heart attacks, strokes, at least 17 different cancers, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, arthritis and asthma. Scientists have blamed saturated fats or burnt fats, but this does not explain why red meat is linked to all of these diseases while poultry, fish or saturated fats from plants are not.

Dr. Varki proposes another theory. When humans ingest the flesh or milk of any mammal, they absorb Neu5Gc and treat it the same way as an invading germ, so they make antibodies against it. This turns on their immunity and keeps it active so it eventually attacks the host itself, the human body. This is called chronic inflammation, which can lead to heart attacks, strokes, cancers and so forth.

Since humans cannot make Neu5Gc, any amount found in human cells come from the mammals that they have eaten. Neu5Gc is found in high levels in tumors, with the highest levels in metastasizing tumors. In our food supply, Dr. Varki found very high levels of Neu5Gc in beef, pork, lamb and goat, and moderately high amounts in milk and cheese. Low levels are found in turkey, duck, chicken and eggs; and negligible amounts occur in plants and seafood.

I stopped eating meat many years ago, and this report makes me even more convinced that it should be avoided. I eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts, as well as fish and shellfish. Eggs, long thought to be a harmful high- cholesterol food, now appear to be a healthful dietary staple. While poultry appears to be a healthful food according to Dr. Varki's theory, I still do not eat it. I do not drink milk and now plan to limit cheese as well.

Recipe for a Flat Stomach

For a long time, I wanted to lose weight. I know now that that’s a mistake. Weight is only one factor — lean muscle mass, body fat percentage, hip to waist ratio, etc. are all just as important.

After that, I wanted to get six-pack abs. That’s also a dumb goal. First of all, most people are not genetically programmed to have those kinds of abs. Second, even the supermodels and male models that have six-packs don’t have them all the time. Usually they have a little fat, and then burn it off in the weeks before a photo shoot.

So my goal now is to have a flat stomach. It really should be to get down to an acceptable body fat percentage, but I dont’ have an easy way of measuring that. A flat stomach can be measured in the mirror or by my wife. I don’t need to have defined abs, but just lose some of my stomach fat and get it to be flatter. To me, that will look good, feel good, and be healthier.

I’ve done my research, and by learning what’s working so far for me, here’s the three steps to a flat stomach:

1. Cardio, cardio, cardio. Doing all the abs exercises in the world will do nothing if you have a layer of fat covering it. Doing strength training, or lifting weights, would help, but not as much as aerobic exercise. So my plan is to continue my running, and add in swimming and biking. I plan to do at least 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week. On some days I’ll do more — 45 minutes, an hour, two hours, even more on long days. I’ll start out short for the bike and swim, like I did with running, until I build up my endurance. A quick note: interval training is also great, and I will add that in after my endurance is better. If you want to add some ab exercises in after the cardio, that’s great, but be sure to work your whole torso, not just the upper abs — that includes the lower abs, lower back and the muscles that wrap around your sides.

2. Less Fat and Sugar. It’s that simple. The American diet is typically filled with fat and sugar, and you’ll never get a flat stomach on that recipe. Cut out meat, if you can, and even better, cut out dairy and eggs. But if you can’t, at least eat lean meats (low-fat turkey, skinless chicken breast, lean beef, fish), and stay away from fried food and too many sugary desserts. That doesn’t mean you have to starve yourself — if you’re eating healthy, you can actually eat a lot — or deprive yourself too much, but only eat the bad stuff in moderation. Vegan diet is the best, especially if it’s balanced, rich in vegetable protein and calcium and minerals, full of fresh fruits and veggies, and high in fiber.

3. Give it Time. If you want to have a flat stomach in 3 weeks, or two months, forget it. Losing fat takes time, and it’s unhealthy to lose too much weight too fast. Aim for 1-2 lbs. a week. Gradual weight loss is healthier, and more likely to be sustained over time. Go for a lifestyle change, something you can live with for the rest of your life, or you will just yo-yo. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.