Bike ride, Never too late, Labels-what do they mean?

Now that I am back from a nice 23 mile bicycle ride topped off with two bowls of home made potato soup, saltine crackers and 2 light beers I am ready to tackle this mature fitness business. While I have no clue as to how many calories I burned off during the ride, I also don't have a clue on how many calories I put back in. But, I do know I stayed within my philosophical opinions on eating and drinking. I did not eat to taste but to satisfy my hunger after the exercise. When I got full I quit, not even drinking all of the second 12 oz. light beer. I did satisfy my sweet tooth hunger with 4 Oreo's, yes that Oreo that is milk's "favorite cookie." Now I will go into the Cowboy's game tonight with my hunger pains numbed and all of the energy I need to pull them through another victory.

In the current AARP newsletter I noticed some comments from Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon general. In it he states that no matter how old you are it is never too late to quit smoking. I once knew a brilliant businessman that was very addicted to cigarette smoking. When he developed emphysema, around the age of 55, he chose to continue smoking, even to the point of inhaling on a cigarette with one hand and placing the oxygen mask on his face with the other so he could continue to breath. I have sat through meetings with him when he actually did this. It was very hard to watch since he was such a good person and an exceptional business man. This man died at the age of 61 and I have always wondered how long he would have stayed with us if he had stopped smoking when he was diagnosed. While it is a known fact that smoking is more addictive than cocaine or heroin, it is just not a matter of will power. There are many aides out there now to help people quit. When I quit my 2 packs a day habit 44 years ago I remember it like it was yesterday, and I will never forget it. While some would say I quit with sheer will power, the truth is I quit by changing some of my daily habits and adjusting my mind to the fact that I wasn't going to smoke ever again. To this date that is the case; however, I must add that any day I think of smoking I feel that little twinge in the back of my lower teeth reminding me of the nicotine taste. Trust me, it is a terrible habit, not to say how costly it is. I challenge everyone who has this habit to reconsider your choices and do whatever it takes to lay those legal weeds down, forever.

Labels that appear on food items are everywhere now and sometimes they seem to be a little humorous. For example, when my sweet tooth is begging to be satisfied sometimes I will go by the 7/11 and get me one York dark chocolate peppermint pattie. It says that it has 140 calories with Calories from Fat @ 25. Then on the front it says, "as always" 70% less fat! Now I wonder, 70% less fat than what? It doesn't really explain what that means but it has it in bold white against a bright red background. So, that is really all you see. Regardless for me I still eat them since it takes care of my sweet tooth craving. My Oreo's carton is somewhat different than the rest, they don't claim any good healthy values, they just come right out and say, "Oreo's are milk's favorite cookie." No claims to low fat, less this or less that. They are my hero cookies!! Then there is the Smucker's "Natural" creamy peanut butter. While it looks life peanut butter, smells like peanut butter, it does not taste like it. It has a large fat content and just doesn't compare to Jif creamy peanut butter. So when I want to satisfy my peanut butter desires I go to Jif. Then I wonder, what does "Natural" really mean? In the mornings I like the Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats and I notice on their box they list the calories, total fat, sodium, sugars, fiber and magnesium. So, they get quite technical and I imagine no one really reads this. I don't since I just want to satisfy my early morning hunger and move on with life. One advantage to the Mini-Wheats box is that they have an Indiana Jones DVD offer. I really don't know what that has to do with nutrition or food value but it is there. On the Quaker Quick Grits box they just say, "smooth and creamy," enriched with hominy. Now this is catchy to me since I like hominy, but I really never noticed this until I started doing this post. The really healthy box of food stuff in our cabinet is the, "Heart Smart" Bisquick pancake and baking mix. It has the following with yellow checks on each one: low fat--check, Og trans fat--check, Naturally Cholesterol free--check, Excellent source of Calcium--check. Then it has a red heart and the top of it with a white check on it, from the American Heart Association. On the back cover it says, "heart healthy recipes for 2!" What a deal. To round my samples out I have chosen the Post Selects Banana Nut Crunch Naturally Flavored Banana Nut Whole Grain Cereal. Wow, what a description but it is there all over the front of the box. On the back it describes the life of a banana in the rain forests and then they bake the real bananas into their crunchy multi grain clusters, etc., etc. So, what is the bottom line here? Never have we been given so much information, much of which we really don't understand, just to fulfill our bodily needs for life saving food. My recommendation is to make a study, in laymen terms, of what all of this means. Listen to your body as to what works for you in regards to how you feel, how your body responds to weight gain or weight loss, and if necessary go to a real expert on nutrition and follow their advice. But, if what you are currently doing is working to the optimum for you then why change. Now, what happens is the chain smoker reads this and says, "I feel good, I look good, I am good, so following your advice why quite smoking? My reply would be, because we now know that it will ultimately ruin what good health you have now and this reason enough to quit. Plus, at $5.00 per pack or more you save that every time you don't smoke a pack.

Remember, "eat to live, not live to eat." Exercise 3-4 times per week, at 75%-80% of your maximum heart rate for at least 20 minutes.

Have a great week,

Mike Greer