Daily Archives: 6 September 2008

6 September 2008

Basic Weight Loss

By Nicki

There are a number of blogs I check on a regular basis.  At this time of year in this particular type of year, these blogs are mostly political.  Today, I was cruising the health blogs at Yahoo while I watched college football and got ready for my run.  Last week it was Lucy Dazinger’s blog about losing weight.  This week it is Gabby Reece’s blog about weight loss mistakes.

The intro to the basic weight loss mistakes made me think of a phone conversation I had with a girlfriend of mine back in July.  She was annoyed she was seeing no visible signs of weight loss after having started a walking program.  She was also annoyed that she was seemingly winded when keeping up with a 22 year old.  She and I are both over 40 so the winded part did not surprise me.  I can’t keep up with my 21 year old daughter when we run together. 

But back to Reece’s blog and what caught my attention.  The very first weight loss mistake mentioned was getting enough sleep.  This sort of threw me as I couldn’t figure out why it was essential to weight loss until I read further. 

After a very short period of time (about 6 nights), studies show that your glucose levels can rise if you get only 4 to 7 hours of sleep each night. New parents are excluded, but everyone else should try to hit the 8 hour mark as often as you can and get to bed BEFORE midnight. Every hour of rest before 12 a.m. is twice as valuable as the hours after midnight: Our cortisol levels are lowest before midnight therefore our recovery is the highest.

These few facts are probably a big issue in why a lot of women cannot figure out why they are not losing weight.  Few women – I have noticed but truly have no scientific evidence to back this up – get eight hours of sleep.  This could be because we are trying to work our own fitness into a schedule already laden with work and family responsibitlities.  There is no way to add hours to a day so how do we get enough sleep.  Usually, it means “depriving” ourselves of something. 

As with working fitness itself into our lives, sleep has to be a priority.  If you need to schedule when you sleep, do so.  If you find yourself only getting four to six hours of sleep a night, think of your health – and sleep will do more than help with weight loss – first.  Without a healthy you, a lot of other parts of life suffer.

Some of the other basic mistakes are more common sense - eating fewer refined and processed foods, avoiding sugary drinks, reaching for more water.  A few of the items further down the list include getting to know your kitchen.  You cannot eat fewer refined foods if you do not know your kitchen.  Not only can you control what you and your family are eating if you know your kitchen, you can also turn the kitchen into a communication center.  This is way it was in my grandmothers’ homes.  When family came, we always – whether I am talking about my mom’s mom or my dad’s mom – ended up in the kitchen talking while someone was cooking.  Communication does not always have to be across the family dinner table but can be in the kitchen itself.   

Can you think of other basic errors we can all be making in our weight loss journeys?

1 comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Family, Fitness, Food and Recipes, Just my Thoughts

6 September 2008

Social Security and McCain

By Nicki

John McCain spoke to AARP’s national “convention” via satellite feed at 12:30 pm ET today.  The format was similar to that of McCain’s opponent Barack Obama in that there were opening comments and a statement by McCain prior to a question and answer session from pre-submitted questions of AARP members.

McCain, in my mind, was at an advantage in his prepared remarks. Why, you may ask?  He probably heard Obama’s remarks.  He knew that Obama had spoken so did not have to reference Obama’s stand on anything.  He needed to clarify his position and give some specifics which I think Obama did to probably the greatest extent he has yet that I have heard.

McCain was at a disadvantage as his audio – at least on the streaming audio online – was poor through the first two minutes or so of his remarks.  This problem was noticed by someone other than me and was corrected.  McCain, as did Obama, supports Divided We Fail which is a conglomerate of organizations led by AARP working on the health care crisis in the US.

Before I get into the specifics on Social Security McCain mentioned in his remarks and answers to questions, I will say that many of his sound bites were old.  It is going to be a long eight weeks until November 4th if we continue to hear his line on Washington changing the Republican party and other catchy phrases.

McCain spoke to Social Security in both his prepared remarks and in his answers to AARP member questions.  He admits that Social Security is broken.  A truly out of touch politician – and there are a few out there – will not admit that the system is broken.  He says that the key to protecting and perserving Social Security is to work together – democrats and republicans.  He is committed to having a government that solves problems for its people.  He also reiterated taht he has a record of working in a bi-partisan manner as he named dropped Feingold, Lieberman, Kennedy.

Specifics were not as prevalent in McCain’s presentation.  He offered few if any in his prepared remarks.  In his question and answer session, he did provide a few.  McCain emphatically denied wanting mandatory privatization of Social Security.  He stated that the first step is to get all sides to admit that there is a problem, that there are unfunded liabilities.  He recommended work from David Walker, who is no longer a government employee but with the Concord Institute.  McCain says that he wants to give younger workers the option to invest some of their Social Security in a private manner.  This does not affect retirees and is not mandatory.

McCain then went into how Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill managed to save Social Security in 1983.  McCain was in congress at the time and says upfront that he did not agree with all parts of it but it did what was needed - put off insolvency for 25-30 or 35 years.  Every day we delay on fixing this broken system, the more radical the fix becomes.  McCain feels he can turn a groundswell of the American people to get their representation in Washington to work for the people’s actual good and get this done.

I truly believe that John McCain had less specifics on Social Security in his remarks to AARP today than Barack Obama.  McCain did, though, get in more topics/issues than Obama did overall.  I encourage you to listen to McCain’s remarks yourself at http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/TopicAreas/Events/life-at-50/webstream/mccain.html

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Just my Thoughts, Politics

6 September 2008

A Question for the Women out there

By Nicki

Here’s a post for you women out there.  I guess it is also for you men out there who like women or who have a woman in your life – mother, sister, wife.  So really it is just a question.

I was purusing my normal political blogs today when a headline caught my eye.  The headline is “Women turn out to see Palin in Wisconsin, Michigan.”  My question is is this news.

Fifty-four percent of registered voters in the United States are women.  Fifty-two percent of the population of the United States is female.  Why, then, is it news when the majority comes out to hear stump speeches in an election that has been routinely touted as the most important one in a lifetime?

I am offended by blog entries and “news” articles that indicate a woman will vote for the McCain ticket because there is a female on it.  I find it rather annoying that reporters and bloggers - male and female – continue to fixate on the female on the two major party tickets.  Palin is a politician just like the other four.  Palin is a public servant just like the other four.  The only difference may be we know what her legs look like – never having seen McCain, Obama or Biden in shorts.

I don’t recall huge numbers of articles or blog entries that were discussing the African-American community coming out for Obama speeches.  I do realize, though, that the Obama campaign has counted on “vote for one of your own” as being to its benefit.  I do not see the same emphasis – meaning we have a woman on the ticket so should ge the female vote – from the McCain campaign.

So, now that I have gotten all that off my mind and onto “paper,” let me share the story that started the thought process.  Please realize that the headling was not Politico’s but Yahoo’s and well, that may say it all.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Just my Thoughts, Politics

6 September 2008

College Football Week 2

By Nicki

No, I am not going to write about every week of college football.  I am, though, going to watch every week of college football.  The first weekend of college football snuck up on me.  I knew it was coming but it was also Labor Day weekend.  I was scheduled – from a commitment made back in May – to be at the Broome County Sportsmen’s Association - and yes, that red head with the gun is my now 20, then 17 year old daughter - for a tournament on both Saturday and Sunday of the weekend.  I was also going to my big holiday weekend party that I always go to at a friend’s. 

All this activity left little time Saturday for college football.  I had to placate myself with text messages from my oldest son who lives in Syracuse with score updates.  This is okay as it wasn’t a big game but not ideal by any means.

Well, today is different.  I am firmly ensconced in front of the television for the day.  My two boys left at home are the high school practicing and then playing in the pep band for the home high school game.  I have to tell you high school football never moved me much, even when I had a son on the state championship team in 2004.  I can, as my 17 year old has his license, send the boys off to the high school and not have to endure the game.  I have all the important things for football – beer, pizza, and wings.  I won’t necessarily eat or drink any of those but they are in the house.

My game doesn’t start until 4:30 ET.  I have double checked to be sure that Hanna is not going to impact the Mountaineers trip to East Carolina as far as the field play is concerned.  Looks like Hanna will be out of the area by game time.  The Alumni Association did have to move their tailgate from the parking lot at the stadium to the local convention center but that is not a big deal.  It is just admitting the weather does indeed impact the out of doors activities.

I will undoubtedly turn to the Miami of Ohio versus Michigan game at noon.  Thankfully, after two weeks of political conventions, I bought new remote batteries.  I can flip between that and UConn at Temple.  I do not anticipate that either game will be much of a game.  I do, though, relish my chances to root against Rich Rodriguez at every chance I get.  I also like to keep an eye on the Big East.

After the high school game is over and while WVU is on – and that will be, as it always seems to be, a well fought game – I will attempt to see if I can get the University at Buffalo versus Pitt game.  UB has busses going to Pitt for the 6 pm ET game.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Collegiate Sports, Just my Thoughts, Sports

6 September 2008

Social Security and Obama

By Nicki

I am not finding either major party presidential candidate very forthcoming on issue details in their every day stump speeches.  McCain is repeating lines that are now old about his new running mate and Obama is, well, a great orator but short on detail none the less.  Except when addressin a specific constituency – labor unions, AARP, etc. – where a detailed description of the candidate’s stance on issues relevant to that constituency, the candidates seem to think vague statements are okay for the general public.

Today, Saturday, September 6, both Obama and McCain will address the annual “convention” of AARP.  I am not sure what world AARP lives in as their membership begins at 50, and I don’t know a whole lot of people who retire at 50, but these speeches are going to be big on distinguishing one candidate from the other on a “third rail” issue – Social Security.  Now, I realize I am not 50, though this coming Thursday will put my one year closer to the big 5-0.  I do, though, due to parents who are in their mid-60′s and early 70′s, find Social Security to be one of the big issues for me and probably for a majority of my generation.

While definitely a special interest group, AARP had Barack Obama speak to 20,000 of their members early this morning.  I took over four pages of notes on the brief session.  Obama did make remarks after introductory remarks by AARP’s president.  After his remarks, he answered 3 questions – of the 20,000 plus submitted by AARP members – before needing to go.  I encourage you to listen to Obama’s remarks yourself at http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/TopicAreas/Events/life-at-50/webstream/obama.html as I found that I have tons of notes.

The highlights of Obama’s remarks are that privitization of Social Security is a bad idea.  Obama will not raise the retirement age or cut COLA (cost of living adjustments) for Social Security.  The majority of Obama’s idea for saving Social Security revolve around raising the cap on Social Security taxes.  Currently, Americans pay Social Security tax on the first $102,000 dollars of income regardless of actual total income.  Obama proposes, though without ever indicating what will happen to the income betwen $102,000 and $250,000, to raise the payroll tax on incomes over $250,000.  Yes, that is a specific number but not a specific plan.  There is no discussion of what will go in the “gap” area as I stated above.  There is also no discussion of whether the tax on income over $250,000 will be the same as the tax on the first $102,000.  Further in the event, during the answer to a specific question, Obama admits that this ALONE will not fill the gap there is in Social Security with the known problem of fewer workers per retiree.

There was a considerable amount of time spent on health care and changing the culture of Washington business as usual during Obama’s talk also.

For those of you reading this prior to 12:30 pm ET on September 6, John McCain’s remarks will be streamed at http://assets.aarp.org/www.aarp.org_/TopicAreas/Events/life-at-50/webstream/mccain.html or look for a blog entry on them after the fact.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , | posted in Just my Thoughts, Politics

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