Tuesday, March 22, 2011

How To Lose Weight Without Being Hungry

I've been feeling hungry lately and it's got me thinking a lot about how to lose weight without being hungry. I've successfully lost a fair amount of weight myself, and based on my experiences I think I've come up with the answer to the question of "how do I lose weight without being hungry?" Are you ready for the answer?  Well, the answer I've come up with is....  "You can't!"  
    Disappointing, I know. But I have never successfully lost weight without feeling hungry all the time. It just goes with the territory. Losing weight requires you to be in a calorie deficit. When your body is in a calorie deficit, you feel hungry. You just can't get around that fact. You can take unhealthy drugs which are likely to cause you long-term harm. But the goal of this blog is to be healthy so I do not condone the use of potentially harmful weight loss drugs. Assuming you are a normal healthy adult, you can’t have weight loss without experiencing some hunger.
The good news, is that there are ways to make the hunger more manageable. One thing I’ve discovered is that when I exercise, I feel less hungry. So sometimes when I’m hungry I just play some game on the Kinect and the more I play it, the less hungry I feel. And as a bonus, I’m burning calories instead of consuming them. You have to be careful that you don’t overdo it though, or your body will start burning muscle. It’s good to have a few carbs before exercising and a little bit of protein and carbs after exercising. 
Another way to deal with hunger is by drinking lots of water. Water can make you feel full even though it has zero calories. Also, sometimes when we think we feel hungry we are actually experiencing moderate dehydration. So drinking water can give us what we need to feel better. I don’t recommend zero calorie soda because I don’t trust all the chemicals they contain. Occasionally I drink green tea when I’m hungry, but green tea on an empty stomach sometimes makes me nauseous.
Something else to keep in mind is that you will occasionally fail and succumb to your hunger. Everyone has limits to their willpower. You may see a box of doughnuts at work and you just can’t resist having one. Or you may be at a restaurant and you get a whiff of some really fattening unhealthy meal and you order it for yourself. It’s important to remember that one failure does not mean you blew your whole weight loss plan. When you have a moment of weakness, don’t just give up!  And there’s no need to beat yourself up about it. It’s more like a small step backwards than a big disaster. As long as it’s not a frequent occurrence, small failures will not prevent you from reaching your weight loss goals. In fact, occasional “cheat meals” can sometimes give your metabolism a boost that can help you overcome weight loss plateaus.
Hunger is an inevitable part of weight loss. There are times I wonder why I’m putting myself through the unpleasant experience of being hungry. At times like these, it’s helpful to be reminded of your goals. If you used to be overweight like I was, you should keep a picture of what you used to look like. When I see a picture of myself from five years ago, it gives me motivation to be strong and resist my desire to eat.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Kinect Games Available Now

Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures!

People seem to like the blogs I've written about my Kinect. I've already written about Dance Central and Kinect Sports plus lots of other Kinect games that I own. There's no question that Kinect games are better than regular video games in terms of exercise. Just getting up off the couch is better than sitting down. So in this blog, I though I'd make a list of all of the Kinect games whether I own them or not. Each item on the list is a link to a review of the game. Some of them are really good, but some of them get bad reviews. For instance, I was looking forward to getting Fighters Uncaged until I read the review. Be sure you do your homework before spending your money on a game. 


Complete List of Kinect Games as of March, 2011:


All reviews are from Metacritic.  This is a good resource because they average reviews from lots of different sources, so I think they're pretty reliable. I'd say any game that gets over a 50 on Metacritic is worth considering. 

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Useful Bodybuilding Resources

Bodybuilding 101 : Everything You Need to Know to Get the Body You WantThe Internet is full of information about bodybuilding and fitness. But a lot of it is not particularly useful to average everyday people. There's a bunch of stuff that's written by professional bodybuilders and is not practical for normal people. On the other hand, a lot of what's out there is untried and unproven and might not have any basis other than some guy's theory. With all that's out there, it's tough to find stuff that's actually useful to me. When I do find something useful, I am sure to bookmark it so that I can easily find it again when I need to. In this blog, I'm going to be sharing some of the useful links I've come across.
   Bodybuilding.com has been extremely useful to me over the past few years. It's free to make an account and post on the forums. Some professional bodybuilders use the forums, but it's mostly used by normal people like me. You can really learn a lot from reading these forums. 
   Workout Generator by Men's Health is something I discovered fairly recently, but it's been useful to me for getting some new ideas to mix up my workouts. They say that to keep making progress, you need to keep adding variety to your workouts. It's a pain to always think up with new workout ideas on my own. So this generator is a handy tool for me. 
   Amazon.com is a great place to buy protein and other fitness supplies. I've tried other places, but it seems to be less expensive at Amazon. My favorite kind is the Gold Standard Whey and Gold Standard Casein. Amazon is a great place to buy just about anything. On one hand, it bothers me that corporations like Amazon and Wal-Mart have such a monopoly on the market. But on the other hand, they do have the cheapest prices. 
   Calorie Calculator is a useful tool if used properly. You enter your age, gender, weight, height, and exercise level, and it tells you how many calories you should be eating if you want to maintain your weight or lose weight. So if I'm bulking, I add around 500 to the number this shows and if I'm cutting I subtract about 500. You can't totally rely on it though because there may be other factors at work in your body that it doesn't take into consideration. But it does give you a good place to start when you want to track your calories. 
    ExRx.net has a very comprehensive list of exercises categorized by body parts. I've gotten many workout ideas from this website over the years. There's lots of other things on this site as well, but I mostly use it for it's exercise instructions. Each exercise has good instructions as well as animations that demonstrate the proper form. There are also plenty of exercises that can be done at home for people who do not have access to a gym. 
    These are the main resources I've used over the years. I may add to this list over time if I discover new websites. Or I may just write a new blog. There's so much to learn about bodybuilding. People who think bodybuilders are dumb have no idea how much knowledge it takes to get a bodybuilder physique. But the resources I've listed here are a good place to get started if you're a newbie who is interested in becoming a bodybuilder. 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Kinect Sports as Exercise

Kinect Sports  Kinect Sports is a fun game that is good exercise. It has six different games that can be used as a fun way to get exercise.  In this blog, I will talk about the six games in Kinect Sports and compare them in terms of fun and exercise. Another great thing about Kinect Sports is that you can play it together with other people. My family enjoys playing Kinect Sports together.
    Soccer (Exercise 2/5 - Fun 3/5):  Soccer for Kinect Sports is a fun game. You're not actually playing Soccer though. You have to step in in front of the ball when someone else is kicking it to intercept it. And then you have to kick it to either pass or score a goal. It doesn't require a whole lot of physical exertion because a lot of the time you are standing still waiting for someone to kick the ball to you. 
    Boxing (Exercise 4/5 - Fun 5/5):  Kinect Boxing is probably my favorite game for Kinect Sports. It's a lot better than boxing for the Wii. Unlike Wii Boxing, Boxing for Kinect Sports involves some strategy. It's not just mindless flailing. You have to time your punches. You can throw different kinds of punches. You put your hands up to block which builds up combo points. These can be used for powerful punches which stun your opponent. To do these, you lean back before you punch causing your punch to be a lot more powerful.  "Falcon Pawnch!" ;)
   Volleyball (Exercise 3/5 - Fun 4/5):  Kinect Volleyball is a fun game that is decent exercise. I'd say it's more exercise than Soccer, because it involves jumping and spiking and I seem to get more tired when I play it. It's a lot like actually playing Volleyball. The only bad thing about Volleyball is that we have a low ceiling where our Kinect is hooked up. So when I try to jump and spike the ball, I end up hitting the ceiling. Volleyball seems to be the only Kinect game that gives me trouble with hitting the ceiling. 
   Track and Field: (Exercise 5/5 - Fun 2/5):  Kinect Track and Field is probably the best exercise of any of the Kinect Sports games. Unfortunately it is also probably the least fun. Track and Field is actually five separate games. There's Long Jump, 100 Meter Dash, Hurdles, Discus, and Javelin. All of these except Discus involve running, so they're pretty good for getting exercise. For some reason I can't get the hang of Discus. My 4-year-old consistently beats me at it. I don't know what I'm doing wrong!
   Bowling (Exercise 1/5 - Fun 5/5):  Bowling is definitely the worst of the games in Kinect Sports for getting exercise. But it is still a lot of fun. My parents are not video game players, but even they enjoy playing Bowling on our Kinect. It's just like real bowling. You have to line up your shots. You have to plan how to pick up spares. You can even put spin on the ball. The only difference between Kinect Bowling and Real Bowling is that you're not actually holding a ball. Oh, and you don't have to pay money to go to a Bowling Alley whenever you want to play it. 
    Ping Pong: (Exercise 3/5 - Fun 4/5)  Kinect Ping Pong (or Kinect Table Tennis) is another fun way to get exercise. You're moving around a lot, but like with Volleyball, there is a little downtime while you're waiting for the next serve. You can put spin on the ball depending on the direction you hit it. It's a lot easier than real ping pong because you don't have to worry about the angle of your hand. You just have to make sure your hand is in the right spot at the right time, and the computer makes sure you get it on the table. Regardless, it's still a lot of fun. I love it when the opponent pops one up and I get to slam it!
   Extra Stuff: Kinect Sports also has some extra features in addition to the five games I mentioned. There are various challenges you can try. For example, you have an unlimited number of bowling balls and you can throw them as fast as you can to knock down as many pins as possible during a set amount of time. My son enjoys these challenges a lot. But I prefer the six main sports. There's also a party mode where you can choose a mascot and pick teams and play with large groups of people. We had a bunch of relatives doing that one time and we all had fun playing it. 
   Overall, Kinect Sports is a pretty good game in my opinion. If you want a game with a deep story, then this isn't the game for you. But if you want a fun game that gets you off the couch, then I'd say this game is worth buying

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Ohio Teachers and Senate Bill 5

The bill to abolish collective bargaining just passed the Ohio Senate. Ohio teachers could be facing serious cuts in the near future. Now I know what you’re thinking; “I thought this was a Health and Fitness Blog”. Well as an Ohio teacher, this bill could have significant repercussions on my family’s healthcare. Who knows what will happen to teachers in the coming years. Whatever it is, it won’t be good. They may lower our salary. They may reduce our benefits. Maybe they’ll do both. But one way or another, Ohio teachers are going to lose money. In this blog, I will be discussing a way for teachers to potentially supplement their income. This blog may be a bit off-topic from my usual blog entries, but paying for healthcare is an aspect of being healthy, so I felt it was worth mentioning.
    We recently started a business venture called Discovery Toys. Discovery Toys is a company that sells educational toys that are not sold in stores. They are a legitimate business that has been around for many years. This is an ideal type of business for us because we have two small children. Our children love the toys and we love the fact that they are educational. But the best part is that Discovery Toys provides us with an opportunity to supplement my teacher income.
    As with any other business, becoming successful takes time. What you get out of a Discovery Toys business depends on what you put into it. Up until now, we have been somewhat casual about our Discovery Toys business. We have only been doing it part-time and therefore we have not made a lot of money (although we have gained a lot of toys for our kids). However we know a former teacher who is doing Discovery Toys full-time and started making her teacher income back after only two years. With Ohio teachers facing possible salary cuts and benefit reductions in the near future, we will probably start taking our Discovery Toys business more seriously from now on.
    If you are an Ohio teacher who is concerned about your future after Senate Bill 5, you may want to consider joining this business as well. If you would be interested in supplementing your teaching income like we are doing, please consider visiting our Discovery Toys webpage. You can find our contact information on that page. We can guide you as you work to get started in the business. The future of our healthcare is uncertain. Now is the time to start looking into additional or alternative sources of income.


Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Kinect Games as a Cardio Workout

Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures!While I was playing Kinect Adventures yesterday I realized I was getting a really good workout. I've played the Wii before, and there's no comparison. Kinect for the Xbox 360 is much better suited for exercise games. The reason is that Kinect games use the entire body. You can be lying on the couch waving a Wii controller around. But there's no lying down in Kinect games. You're constantly running, jumping, and moving. My legs are actually a little sore today, and I'm in pretty good shape.  I'm surprised there aren't more people who use the Kinect for their cardio workouts. There seems to be a mentality that exercise and fun can't go together. Kinect Adventures is the game that comes with the Kinect. It's a fun game. The obstacle course level is the one that really got me tired. You're constantly jumping, ducking, and dodging. 
Your Shape Fitness Evolved     I also own Your Shape for the Kinect. To call it a game isn't really accurate. It's more of an exercise program. If you don't think of it as a game, it's a good way to exercise. But it isn't as fun as other Kinect games. Still, it has some good things about it. With it you can learn a bunch of different cardio workout routines. It teaches Yoga. It has a few mini-games, but they get old fast. Your Shape will definitely give you a workout. And it does track calories and it gives you achievements for calories burned. It just isn't as much fun as other Kinect games. But then again, the goal is to get in shape. And it will accomplish that goal if you use it. 
Kinect Sports     I also have Kinect Sports. That game is probably my second favorite Kinect game. There are six games within this game. It has soccer, bowling, volleyball, boxing, track and field, and ping pong. Plus there are a bunch of mini-games. Boxing is probably my favorite. It involves more strategy than the mindless flailing of the Wii Boxing game. If you just flail your arms, you will lose to an experienced player. You have to block and time your punches. There's another Kinect fighting game called Fighters Uncaged. I've never played it, but I've heard it's poorly made. Track and Field is probably the best workout. But they're all decent exercise, except maybe bowling. But bowling is fun nonetheless. Another neat thing about Kinect Sports is that if you have a Gold membership, you can play online against other people. 
Dance Central     As I mentioned in a previous blog, our favorite Kinect game is Dance Central. I can just play and play that game burning tons of calories. I don't normally like dancing, but I like playing Dance Central. It has a built-in calorie counter, so you can use it as a workout. And it will give you a good workout. Especially fast-paced songs like Body Movin' by Beastie Boys. That's my favorite song to dance to. But almost all the songs are fun. You can download additional songs for Dance Central for around 3 dollars each. And more new songs are released every few months. 
     So my point in writing this blog is this: if you have a Kinect, use it for Cardio!  When exercise is fun, you're more likely to keep doing it. If exercise is boring, you're not going to stick to it. Of course there are plenty of other fun ways to get exercise. Kinect is just one of many options. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Healthiest Food: Blueberries

75 Highbush Blueberry Seeds BlueberriesI've spent a fair amount of time researching healthy foods, and I've become convinced that blueberries are just about the healthiest food in the world. In this blog, I will be sharing some of the benefits of blueberries that I've discovered in my research. 
     For starters, blueberries are one of the best antioxidants, which means that they can help prevent cancer. Antioxidants remove free radicals from our cells before they can develop into cancer.  Not only that, but there have been studies that show blueberries have properties that can inhibit the spread of existing cancer cells. 
     Blueberries are also known to have anti-aging properties. There have been animal studies in which blueberries have actually reversed brain aging. There is also evidence that blueberries can lower the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, blueberries are believed to improve learning skills and memory. It's no wonder that blueberries are called the "brain berry". Perhaps test scores would go up if school lunches included blueberries with every meal. 
     One of my favorite things about blueberries is their ability to reduce belly fat. Studies have shown that adding blueberries to the food of laboratory rats resulted in a decrease in the rats' abdominal fat. Even when the rats were on otherwise unhealthy high-fat diets, they still showed positive results when given blueberries. Just think how much better our results would be if we ate blueberries in addition to a healthy diet!
     I've already mentioned some of the things I like about blueberries, however there are many other benefits to this amazing fruit. Blueberries are also shown to lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, relieve arthritis, improve the immune system, reduce wrinkles, prevent urinary tract infections, improve eyesight, prevent eyesight degeneration, improve coordination, prevent diabetes, increase metabolism, and they are high in fiber. 
          With all the health benefits of blueberries, you'd think they would have to taste terrible. But they don't! They're really good. The benefits of blueberries are so numerous that I almost feel like a snake-oil salesman when I list them all. Except everything I've written here has been researched extensively. Look it up if you don't believe me. In my opinion, blueberries are evidence of intelligent design. There's just no way that something so delicious and remarkably useful to our bodies could have evolved by accident.