Today after work I went for a run. To save time I left straight from work rather than driving someplace else to run. I decided to head along Pringle Creek to Willamette University  and then run through the campus one time before the students returned to campus. Too late, the students were already back. I stuck to the plan because I haven’t explored the campus much even though it is right next to work. I followed the creek into the heart of campus, where it is artfully incorporated into the landscape. I tried to continue along the river but hit a dead end. Here, I made an about face and ran back the other way. I doubt even the new freshmen made that mistake. As I ran I passed two lion statues guarding the entrance to the theater, the SAE house, and then came across the Martha Springer Botanical Garden.

Continuing, I ran across the artificial turf of the fields, where guys were practicing soccer and then across the pedestrian bridge over busy 12th street. On the other side of the bridge was a  building with fairly modern architecture, with the Japanese flag flying out front. “What the heck is this?,”  I wondered, just as the sign came into view: Japan International University of America. I had no idea there was such a place, let alone in downtown Salem. The path continued on past the Willamette Bearcat softball field and then it ended abruptly in the parking lot. I wouldn’t have minded continuing my run on the street, but the gates were shut and I wasn’t in a fence jumping mood. So , it was another U-turn, back across the bridge and past the tennis courts.

A side walk garden contained very overcrowded and puny irises, which made me think of JD’s wife Kris, who is especially diligent about dividing her irises, and just like that, I was back to my starting point. A 17 minute tour of Willamette University.

To lengthen the run I continued on the Pringle Creek path in the opposite direction, off to High street, passing what I consider to be the most impressive and splendid house in Salem. The local running group often avoids high street because of the hill, but I think the old houses make  it worth the effort. I finished with a loop on the bark path around Bush park including a little path by the stream – a bit of urban trail.

It would have been a very pleasant run indeed, except for one thing: I felt like crap! My legs were like lead and my breathing seemed more labored than usual, particularly given my slow pace for the day. Just a week ago I was elated by my fitness, telling Mac how great I felt, but today I didn’t feel fit at all.    I didn’t feel all that great on Monday either. I just haven’t seemed to have it together this week.

I am reminded that Fitness is a series of peaks and valleys. You can try to  be on your “A-game” all the time, but some days you just don’t have it. Even elite athletes have their ups and downs.  People strive for peak performances, but this may lead to a down slide which defines the peak.    The valleys aren’t exciting like the peaks, but they are part of the journey. We can only strive to make the next peak a little higher and work to keep the current valley from being as low as the last.

When we were growing up, we learned a lot about life through stories. Some of these stories, although full of good intentions, didn’t convey the best message. Cinderella and Snow White gave hope to the working-class girl. Jack found his fortune in a handful of magic beans. Rapunzel found redemption when all she loved was lost to the wicked enchantress. In the end, everyone gets what they had been dreaming for and lives happily ever after. (Bah!)

We all know better than that-or do we? Do you find yourself at the mega-mart store, perusing the supplement aisle for the latest and greatest pill that magically melts fat away? How often do you consider starting one of those expensive pre-package food programs?

Truth be told, when we put our hopes into these self-proclaimed miracle weight-loss programs, we’re just kissing frogs. We wish vehemently for a prince who will save us from shopping in the plus-size section and deliver us from cheesecake. We wander from diet to diet and try all the fat burners known to man, hoping that one of these frogs will become that prince, but to no avail. Cinderella wakes up to her iniquitous stepsisters and a shoe that doesn’t fit.

If you want to find guidance in any children’s story, consider the Tortoise and the Hare. The turtle knew that he wasn’t anywhere near as fast as the rabbit. Fortunately, he also knew that speed wasn’t the key to winning the race. The one essential quality he needed to foil the rabbit was perseverance, a quality the hare didn’t possess. All our little shelled friend had to do was put one slow foot in front of the other. He crossed the finish line first and also earned the respect of his friends. As a bonus, he got to enjoy seeing the rabbit throw a complete fit. (He never liked him much in the first place.)

Although there is very little chance that I’ll win unless all the elite runners in the race decide to pop off to the pub for a beer, I’ve still won in my own right. Sometimes you have to redefine winning. Winning isn’t about being first; it’s about coming in at your own speed but knowing you’re far better off than the people who never ran at all. Winning is about getting back onto the path when you’ve strayed from it. Winning is about determination in the face of all those rabbits that laugh at you for being slow.
As you go through your day, think of the turtle and how each small step got him closer to the finish line. Each turtle step is like making one good choice, such as replacing a soda with a glass of water. In and of itself, it won’t make you fit, but if you continue to take a small step every day-a salad with dinner, skipping the fries or just eating slower-it will keep you heading in the right direction.

As for living happily ever after, I know a lot of miserable skinny people. So that part is entirely up to you.

With the news that Japan will now begin measuring waist lines, in an attempt to force their citizens to lose weight, it has never been more important to compare the cost of being heavy or healthy. Part of Japan’s plan is to begin charging employers for their overweight employees and many of these same tactics are making their way into the Western world as well (example Clarian Health of Indianapolis). In an effort to recoup their costs, some businesses are even moving to dock money from an overweight worker’s paycheck. While most of these new cuts are not expected to take place until 2009, it is obvious that big changes are coming.

While you can debate the fairness of these tactics, or talk about discrimination, the fact remains, being overweight can be costly. A recent study from two Stanford health economists found that, “obese workers are paid less only when they have employer-sponsored health insurance.” Indicating that employers were recognizing the risk and compensating employees acordingly for the very real risk of increased health care costs.

We’ve long known that being overweight does end up costing more. The cost of food aside, clothes are more expensive and harder to find, automobiles may not get optimum gas mileage and the costs for insurance are incredibly high. Is this forcing the population to get healthy? As of now, the answer is no. American’s waistlines are still ballooning. However, if BMI and waist size suddenly has an effect on our weekly paychecks that may change.

While companies may see small changes in revenue if their workers lose weight, the industry that will continue to profit is the diet industry. Currently, more than $40 billion is spent annually on diets, diet programs and materials every year. If thousands of workers were suddenly forced to lose weight, that number could easily double or even triple.

Since many of us won’t change until the news really hits home, let’s look at just 2 of the ways that being overweight can affect you right now.

1. Job Advancement — First, the overweight are typically not as secure in their jobs as their slimmer counterparts. Promotions are passed over, and wages are lower. The risk of losing your job due to the fact you are overweight is very high, especially if your employer simply cannot afford the health insurance.
2. Productivity — Secondly, the overweight may not be as productive in many instances. No one is discounting the fact that you have to feel good in order to work well. The secondary health conditions that many overweight people face may also begin to affect not only their job performance, but also their time at work.

The bottom line is that being overweight costs more money. If you’re looking to free up extra cash each month, and gain more job security, losing weight may be very beneficial. It is a tough situation that is facing the millions of people whose waist sizes may not be optimum, but as many of us know, life isn’t fair. Right now, there has never been a better reason to shape up and get healthy. Your wallet will definitely thank you. Besides, personally I am tired of being overweight… Aren’t you?

This article was submitted by a Weight Ladder, author of Weight Loss Journal. Here are his weight loss pictures. Follow and encourage as he climbs down the weight ladder.

If you’re working on strength training, traveling can be a bit hard, particularly if you are not able to find a gym or your hotel does not offer any lifting facilities. The good news is, there are plenty of ways that you can continue your training, without having to lug your weights around with you. Here are five easy strength training exercises that you can do anywhere.

Get Some Weights
First, you’re going to need to make sure that you have some sort of weight for resistance. This can be a large phone book or even a large book. Most hotel rooms supply a local phone book and if you’re in a metropolitan area, you should be able to find one that is suitable. In a pinch, I’ve even used my laptop which is quite heavy.  

If you can’t find a book or don’t want to risk breaking your laptop, you can look at getting a set of aqua weights.  These are dumbbells designed to be filled with water when you get to destination. While books or aqua weights may not be as heavy as your regular weights, it is better than working with nothing at all.

Three Exercises for a Complete Workout
Once you have your weights it’s time to get started. I like to warm up with a little cardio to get my blood pumping and my muscles ready. Depending on the intensity of your current workouts, the reps you do for each of these exercises should range between one set of 12 each, to two to three sets of 16 reps each. You can fine-tune the reps to suit your particular skill level.

• Staggered Push-up — If you have the phone book, place it on the floor and get in the position for a push up. Place one hand on the book and one hand on the floor. This is a staggered push up. Complete the required repetitions as outlined above. This is a pretty easy exercise to do, especially if you can do 100 pushups. Slow it down to add intensity or add as many reps as you can handle.
• Rear Delt Fly — Place your feet in line with your hips and lean your upper body forward until you are looking down at the floor. Your back should be completely level. Avoid curling up in the middle or rounding your lower back. Pick up the book in one hand (or if you have two phone books you can take one in each hand) and raise your arm to shoulder level. Repeat for the required repetitions. Once again, you can slow it down for greater intensity.
• Tiptoe Squats — Place the book on the floor directly in front of you. Your feet should be placed a little further out from your hips. Squat down and place your hands on the book. Now, go up on your tip toes, while remaining in the squat position. Raise your hips as high as you can without removing your feet from the floor. Repeat as necessary.

These are just three easy little ways to stay in your strength training routine. Get creative with your travel weights and you keep your strength gains on your next trip.

Lazy Man blogs about general health topics.  If you enjoyed this post, you might also wish to read his articles about drinking water to lose weight, reasons to jump rope, and even get some Wii Tennis Tips. Image by e3000.

“Don’t be scared.” At least, that’s what I told myself. In truth, I was scared. I hate medical appointments. I have an overwhelming fear of needles. If you couple that with a fear of the unknown, a colonoscopy is a scary experience. That’s why many men don’t have them early, or often enough.

And so I say: don’t be scared.

My journey to colonoscopy started about a year-and-a-half ago. Yes, a whole year-and-a-half of delaying the inevitable test. Around January 2007 I started feeling discomfort in my abdomen. I blamed it on indigestion, stress, etc. That got rid of the cognitive dissonance for awhile. Then, after many months, I needed a muscle relaxant to cope with the cramps during the day. I realized that something was wrong, so I finally started to see my doctor, who referred me to a gastroenterologist.

I was first tested for food allergies. The tests were negative.

Then around November of 2007, I had a Barium swallow test. This test is worse than a colonoscopy, in hindsight. You drink “flavored” chalk and lie around for hours while a radiologist takes picture of you in compromising positions. It’s not fun.

And that was negative. After about ten tests, all that was left was a colonoscopy. Every other test had been negative. We were working under the assumption that I had what’s called irritable bowel syndrome, a catch-all term that essentially means “your intestinal nerves are out of whack and we don’t know why and we can’t really help you”.

When one of my co-workers was diagnosed with a severe case of stomach cancer, the little justification man in my head ceased to exist. I buckled down to get my colonoscopy. And here’s where it’s not so scary.

I entered the outpatient center at 730AM on a Friday morning, after a day of a liquid diet and drinking the most foul tasting “citrus ginger” laxative. (I suppose medical science will never invent chalk that actually tastes like a banana or a laxative that tastes like oranges and ginger slices.)

Dressing down, I was on my bed, waiting to go into the room. I was scared about the needle for the sedation. They do now sedate colonoscopy patients, and I would stress that if you aren’t offered that option, to go somewhere else. My doctor explained the procedure, and that I would be out of the facility by 9AM. The colonoscopy itself would take 20 minutes. Twenty years ago, it took several hours. I was less scared.

Wheeled into the small operation room, the anesthesiologist engaged in banter and tricked me about the needle. I barely felt the small prick in my wrist. The most painful part of the experience was the slight pain sensation of the painkiller entering my wrist.

Thirty minutes later I woke up. My doctor was soon by my bedside, informing me that I had an excellent colon, and that there were no more tests.

There was absolutely nothing to fear about the procedure. I felt silly that I had put it off for months. I was lucky there were no consequences, and I can say that there’s absolutely no reason not to have a colonoscopy done quickly if your doctor recommends. It’s not scary at all. And it’s the only time you can eat massive Chipotle burrito afterwards and not feel full.

A blog entry by Mark Cuban helped me to get over my fear of the operation. Don’t put off a test just because you’re afraid of needles, the unknown, or whatever reason. Having a colonoscopy taught me a lot of lessons.

J.D.’s note: My family has a history of cancer. My grandmother died of colon cancer when I was a boy, and a 46-year-old cousin died of colon cancer last summer. My father and his brother both died of other forms of the disease. Though I’m only 39, I feel like I should have a colonoscopy. My doctor isn’t convinced. “You don’t need one until you’re 50,” he tells me. But my father and cousin were dead by 50. I feel like I should have a colonoscopy.

When it comes to food, exercise, and our obsession with obesity, the French appear to break all of the rules of Western thought. By and large those who live a traditional French lifestyle eat for pleasure and satisfaction, they often smoke, and they drink regularly. Despite a diet proportionally high in things like saturated fats, the French have remarkably low rates of heart disease and obesity. Welcome to the French Paradox.

What the French eat
On a visit to Paris with my wife and 7-month old son (which I’ve written about on Almost Fit), I experienced this firsthand. When you walk the streets of Paris, you are tempted with the most sensual culinary delights imaginable: Delicately handmade pastries, beautiful chocolates, freshly baked bread from ovens that have been used for sometimes hundreds of years, full fat, unpasteurized cheeses, and crepes. And that’s just what you can see in the window displays. When you see overweight people in Paris, they are almost never Parisians; in fact, in my experience it was the easiest way to identify my fellow Americans!

Those who practice a traditional French lifestyle seem to break our most commonly accepted dietary notions. They typically:

• Consume 60% more saturated fats than we do in proportion to our overall intake, primarily through dairy. This includes rich cheeses, real butter, whole milk, and yogurt.
• Do not eat low-fat products or use chemically derived sugar substitutes.
• Eat fresh bread daily that is made from refined white flour.
• Regularly consume both lean and fatty meats including pork, duck, beef, chicken, and a few others (someone hide Mr. Ed), as well as fish.
• Drink alcohol with lunch and dinner, and the alcohol is often unregulated. Meaning, where we have a soda fountain, they may have a cask of wine available for refills.
• Smoke cigarettes. (In fact, in Paris, if you want to show that you are an American, ask for a non-smoking section in a restaurant, but be prepared for an uninterested response.)
• Eat late at night — much later than we do — often eating heavier foods for supper at around 9 or 10, followed by a dessert course.
• Do not go to the gym (The reasoning being why waste your life in such a way, when you could be enjoying it?) or exercise much more than we do.
• Do not obsess about the chemical composition of the foods they eat, and they do not rely on science to tell them what is good or bad. That is what Mother is for.

All things in moderation
With all of this dietary rule-breaking, the French simply should be dying off like flies from heart disease. I mean after all, high fat foods? Simple carbohydrates and sugar-filled deserts? Cigarettes and alcohol? No Stairmaster for three hours a day? According to our experience, our science, and our gigantic devotion to every product and approach we can turn our eyes to, their collective hearts should all be congealed, seized up like French-made Peugeot diesel motors full of hardened, varnished sludge.

The truth is that the French typically live three years longer than we do, with only an 8.3% rate of heart disease, and a low occurrence of obesity (though sadly this is increasing as Western ways infiltrate French daily life).

So how do they do it?

According to folks like Dr. Will Clower (The French Don’t Diet Plan), Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food), and Mirielle Guiliano (French Women Don’t Get Fat) — and place me squarely in this camp, by personal experience — it comes down to this: The French simply eat real food in moderation. They eat good food, just less of it. They generally don’t eat the overly-processed, low fat, low carb, hydrogenated chemically substituted well-preserved food-based products that we do. Dr. Clower’s catchphrase: “If it’s not food, don’t eat it.” Michael Pollan? “Eat food. Not Too Much. Mostly plants.”

A little bit of Paris in Portland
How can you implement the French approach? What do the French do that allows them to eat what they want, when they want, and still not gain weight?

Here is a list based primarily on the writings of the three authors cited above. Of course, their books provide much more detail on the scientific (and anecdotal) evidence that supports the effectiveness of these ideas, and provide specific techniques on how to implement them. Here’s a sample of the guidance they provide:

• Identify honestly what you eat, think about it, and make changes very slightly and gradually. Remember that you are changing these dietary habits for the span of a lifetime, so they have to be simple, livable adjustments. From Mireille Guiliano, “The answer to weight gain is never dieting.”
• Eat only real food, not processed food alternatives or “faux foods” or food-like products (particularly high fructose corn syrup).The good news is this means you get to eat butter, bread, and chocolate again.
• Eat for the pleasure of eating, rather than as a means of fuel. Treat your mouth more like a sensory tool and less like a Flux Capacitor.
• Eat at regular times. In France, they maintain a social stigma against between meal snacking. In fact, many of their cars do not have cupholders.
• Eat seasonally, locally, and shop several times a week. And as Michael Pollan says, don’t buy your fuel at the same place your car does.
• Don’t rely solely on “Nutritionism” to tell you what is good for you; use common sense, and eat real foods. If Great-Grandma wouldn’t recognize it, don’t eat it. This is a simplification here; read In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan for a much deeper explanation for the dangers of relying on science and industry alone to tell us what we should eat.
• Your dietary emphasis should be on green leafy vegetables, or animals who are fed those vegetables.
• Eat fat! But eat the right kinds, particularly dairy and naturally occurring fats in plants (think avocados not corn oil). In fact, the lack of fat intake may be one of the root causes of many of our health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

• Quantity does not equal quality. Buy the best you can afford, and be willing to spend a little more (although I’ve found that the cost levels out when you’re eating less).
• Train yourself to eat less by enjoying your food more, eating slower, putting less in your mouth per bite, and eating for sensory pleasure. Realize that portion size has grown 3 times what it was 50 years ago!
• Don’t eat mindlessly or be distracted when you’re eating by things like television or the computer.
• Incorporate wine into your diet — in moderation.
• Don’t stuff yourself. Learn the often forgotten feeling of fullness with practice and patience. For example, eat half of what you normally would, and wait for half an hour. If you’re starving, you know it wasn’t enough. If you feel physically good, that is the feeling of being full. Practice identifying that feeling, and it becomes second nature with time.
• Try to get all of your nutritional needs met through whole foods rather than supplements whenever possible. (There is an ongoing, raging controversy as to whether supplements actually have much benefit out of the context of the whole food from which they were derived.)
• Learn to cook, and make time to do it. We often say that we don’t have time to cook, but in reality in the last 15 years most of us have somehow made 2-3 hours time for other things like surfing the Internet. It is ultimately a matter of choosing our health as a priority.
• Make ethical choices in what you eat. Develop a relationship with what you put in your body, how it affects you, and your choices impact the environment. This is an interpolation of the French diet in a sense since it is not a conscious concern of theirs, generally, but in a world of genetically modified foods and questionable shortsighted farming practices, it helps you to identify “real food.”
• Don’t view your weight or your choices as a pass/fail situation. View it as a commitment to improving your life over the long haul.

All of these steps, for me, boil down to this: Eating real food in moderation simply works. It may very well be the solution to the French Paradox.

Jeremy Geiger (a.k.a. Metroknow) writes about his changes in lifestyle to reflect the French approach to eating on his site, AlmostFit.com. So far this year, he has lost 22 lbs by making only minor changes, eating real foods, and exercising only moderately (if at all, in the dark days of the Oregon wintertime). For more information, see his Web site, AlmostFit.com.