Today I ran a little over 2 1/4 miles on the treadmill. I was thinking that maybe after my long workout on the bike yesterday I would be too sore today, but if you stretch really well and I find if you sometimes take a warm bath or do something relaxing for your body later in the day, it certainly helps. By the time I needed to workout today, my body was ready. Maybe a few sore spots here and there, but not so sore that it feels overworked. So today I ran and I burned another 400 calories.
I also want to mention that I took time to do some measurements today and I am proud to say that I am 15 inches down! So excited. In total that means I am 22.5 inches down since I started keeping track. I only lost about a lb and a half, but the inches sure say enough for me. My clothes fit better and I feel healthier.
The last two weeks I have had enough energy to accomplish a lot of chores that needed doing around my house. Stuff that I would keep putting off until vacations saying that I will wait until then to do them. Of course, when those holidays came, I never wanted to do any work. This weekend, as a treat, I am just maintaining rather than starting big projects. I am enjoying time with family and relaxing rather than thinking about all the things that I should be doing. I feel as if my stress levels are lower right now. That is a rare thing to accomplish. I feel as if doing things like spending time with God, eating healthier, exercising, etc are having a domino effect on the rest of my life. As if everything else is falling into place nicely.
Today I am going to pass on SPoH because there are a couple of different topics I recently heard about that I wanted to share. One, did you know that there are several different kinds of body fat? And two, did you know that drinking fruit juice puts you at higher risk for type 2 diabetes than soda?
The different types of body fat are brown, white, subcutaneous, and visceral. Brown fat is the one that is found even in the smallest person. It's the fat that everyone has. We've probably all heard that our bodies need a little fat. This is the fat that we want most of. It helps our bodies to metabolize and to stay warm. White fat is another type that everyone has, but it varies more on how much. White fat helps with storing energy and producing hormones. Subcutaneous fat is found under the skin and is what is used to measure body fat percentages usually. While it is not as harmful as visceral, if it is in the belly area, it can be harmful. Visceral fat is the big culprit. It's the fat that makes us more susceptible to diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and dementia. Does it make sense why a lot of men tend to suffer from these issues as opposed to women? Women are known for having more issues in other areas of their bodies. However, they say once menopause hits for women, beware of the belly. With the changes in your body, women tend to gain a belly. Out of all the fats, the one that is easiest to lose is subcutaneous. Burning visceral fat can be hard, but it can be done. Check out http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-fat?page=2, http://www.livestrong.com/article/173780-how-to-burn-visceral-fat/, and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-visceral-fat.htm for more information.
As for juice, I heard from a podcast that there are more juice drinkers that are obese than soda drinkers. We think it is better, but if you read the nutrition labels, there are often the same or more calories in fruit juice then there are in soda. But it comes from fruit which is good for you! The problem is that it is not fresh in the bottle and all of the really good stuff is stripped from the fruit once you juice it like the skin, rinds, flesh, or pulp. All that have very good nutrients that you lose in the juice. Not to mention that when you drink a glass of juice, you are not taking just enough from one fruit but rather of like 5, 6, or even more just in one glass. And out of all those pieces of fruit you are missing out on the good nutrients? It is better to eat your fruit then drink it. :) You can treat yourself every once in awhile, but beware of Jamba Juice. You might as well have a hamburger at McDonalds instead! Ok maybe not, but you know what I am saying. Don't drink your calories as the like to say in some dieting circles. Eat them instead. Here are a few other sites to check out:
http://www.balancedexistence.com/juice-diabetes/
http://www.wellsphere.com/weight-loss-article/study-drinking-fruit-juice-worse-than-sugary-soda-for-type-2-diabetes-risk/48674
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/fruit_juice.htm
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