Exercise and Weight Loss

Extremely interesting and eye-opening article on Time about exercise and weight loss. It's eye-opening because when you think about it, it really makes sense.

People believe exercise helps you lose weight. While exercise is good for toning, muscle-building, and general health; it will not blast away the excess pounds you hope to lose. Diet remains the number 1 factor in weight loss. People will almost kill themselves in the gym to burn a couple of few hundred calories, which is promptly negated by the salty and sugary snacks and beverages that people eat and drink afterward. Amazing. I have been overlooking this in order to focus on my new workout plan when I had forgotten that when I watch what I eat, my pixie stomach pooch disappears. Crabby (my husband) just told me about his friend who has a friend who just lost 15 pounds in a month simply by cutting out all fast foods and soda (drinking only water) and not going to the gym once. I know people who were almost obese when pregnant, and got super slim without working out.

This is not a gym-bashing post at all; I just think people need to be realistic about their expectations when they go a-gymming (doesn't that sound delightful? A-gymming?). Get toned, get swoll, get beefcakey, build endurance and strength, YAAASSSS. Get rid of the excess poundage? Not so much. I don't advocate crash dieting or stuff that cuts out whole sections of food, like carbs. Just watch what you eat. Watch what you drink. Read labels. Pay attention to serving sizes. Look at the size of our dinner plates. They're huge! I read a study once that showed people will fill up their plate no matter what size, no matter how hungry they actually are. So huge plates=huge portions. Read your juice. I diligently hunt out 100% juices that have no corn syrup or added sugar. You'd be surprised how much of your juice says 3% juice or has high fructose corn syrup in the 1st 3 ingredients. Vitamin Water? Glorified sugar water. Fast food? Welp, you see where I'm going with this. Here are some excerpts from the article:

According to calculations published in the journal Obesity Research by a Columbia University team in 2001, a pound of muscle burns approximately six calories a day in a resting body, compared with the two calories that a pound of fat burns. Which means that after you work out hard enough to convert, say, 10 lb. of fat to muscle — a major achievement — you would be able to eat only an extra 40 calories per day, about the amount in a teaspoon of butter, before beginning to gain weight. Good luck with that.

If evolution didn't program us to lose weight through exercise, what did it program us to do? Doesn't exercise do anything? Sure. It does plenty. In addition to enhancing heart health and helping prevent disease, exercise improves your mental health and cognitive ability.

But there's some confusion about whether it is exercise — sweaty, exhausting, hunger-producing bursts of activity done exclusively to benefit our health — that leads to all these benefits or something far simpler: regularly moving during our waking hours.

The problem ultimately is about not exercise itself but the way we've come to define it. Many obesity researchers now believe that very frequent, low-level physical activity — the kind humans did for tens of thousands of years before the leaf blower was invented — may actually work better for us than the occasional bouts of exercise you get as a gym rat. "You cannot sit still all day long and then have 30 minutes of exercise without producing stress on the muscles," says Hans-Rudolf Berthoud, a neurobiologist at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center who has studied nutrition for 20 years. "The muscles will ache, and you may not want to move after. But to burn calories, the muscle movements don't have to be extreme. It would be better to distribute the movements throughout the day."

You regularly hear about the benefits of exercise in news stories, but if you read the academic papers on which these stories are based, you frequently see that the research subjects who were studied didn't clobber themselves on the elliptical machine. A routine example: in June the Association for Psychological Science issued a news release saying that "physical exercise ... may indeed preserve or enhance various aspects of cognitive functioning." But in fact, those who had better cognitive function merely walked more and climbed more stairs. They didn't even walk faster; walking speed wasn't correlated with cognitive ability.

In short, it's what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain.

Finding My Voice and Stuff

I had one of those self-realization/epiphany moments the other day that came to light simply from my husband telling me he liked my natural speaking voice.

My natural speaking voice is pretty deep. Sort of like Alicia Keys deep, but not quite that homeboyish (anyone remember how she used to talk around her 1st album? I doooooooo!). But hearing that made me realize that I rarely use my natural speaking voice unless I'm at work, or bitching someone out. I realized that most of the time I speak in a higher, lighter voice. Why? Why have I been doing that for so long?

I have always been extremely shy (in the past) to somewhat reserved (now) unless I know you pretty well. I suffered from low self-esteem for various reasons, like many other girls and young women. Most of my friends (and even some of my bloggies--blogging homies) view me as a hippie unicorn sunshine creature--which I am, most of the time. I wonder if over the years I unconsciously changed my voice tone to "fit" that image of me. Or to seem non-threatening in general, maybe? My voice sounds pretty authoritative when I get to talkin' bout thangs. In one of those party games where people have to write stuff about you, last week, a friend wrote that I was a Southern Belle. When I think back to the voice I have been using, my southern accent also sounds a LOT stronger in the voice I "use" than when I use my natural speaking voice. KB said I sound like Sandy the Squirrel from Spongebob Squarepants. I have not heard the voice of this character, so KB's ass-beating status is currently pending. (As long as I don't sound like Beyonce, LAWD)

Anyhoo, so now I've been trying to consciously use my natural speaking voice and in the process have become aware of the different situations I use the "pixie-friendly" voice in. It's not COMPLETELY unnatural, as when I'm tired or other random times my voice is softer but there is a definite switch. But I have fallen in love with my natural speaking voice after all these years. It's unique, awesome, zexy, powerful, direct. Pixies can have deep voices! No more trying to fit an image. It's amazing how we can be so UNAWARE of the things we do to hone our presentation of selves. And all it took was this one comment (shout out to my boo, HEEEYYY!). I am seriously stunned over here.

Have any of you had something similar happen to you? Where you tried to hide or play down a physical or personality trait of yours (consciously or unconsciously) that you felt somehow wouldn't "fit"? Share!

In other news, my jaw has been hurting like whoa. I know my teeth are out of alignment but I'm in denial over braces. Invisilign, maybe. Anyone been told you need braces in adulthood? I also want, NEED Lasik. Soon, my pretties, soon. Anyone had Lasik??

Arab, Middle-Eastern...White?

I have always been fascinated by multicultural studies and racial/ethnic classification. One under-studied facet of race has been the racial/ethnic identity of Middle-Easterners and Arabs. The United States officially classifies people from these regions as white. However, I have never thought of them as what we consider white (although some do "look" white), and I am willing to bet many of you haven't either.

Discussions on race/ethnicity are of course always based on the foundation that race is a social construction. We know this, accept this, and move on. But operating within and under this social construction, there are still many valid points and feelings because self-identity is a crucial component of individual and societal development.

I recently read an article about Middle-Eastern and Arab students applying to UCLA and not having an option to check the racial/ethnic classification they were looking for. Most did not identify with being "white" so some checked other options. Here are some quotes from the article, in italics:

For years the federal government has classified Arab Americans and Middle Easterners as white. But confusion and disagreement have led some students to check "Asian" or "African," depending on what part of the Middle East they came from. Some, like Salame, simply marked "Other."

This is interesting to me because if you think of countries and regions usually associated with the Middle East (including but not limited to Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen), you rarely hear them in the context of the continent they are situated in; they are usually mentioned as a totally separate entity from Africa or Asia.

The UCLA students said having their own ethnic designation goes beyond self-identity and has real implications for the larger Arab and Middle Eastern communities.

The "white" label can hurt them with universities and companies that use the information to promote diversity, they say, and can result in the gathering of little or no statistical data on important issues, such as health trends in the community.

The Arab American Institute estimates that including Middle Easterners in the white category on the census has led to a population undercount of more than a million, said Helen Samhan, who works at the institute. There are more than 3 million Arabs in the United States, the institute says.

I also feel it's important to make a distinction between Middle Eastern and Arab people because not every Middle-Easterner is Arab and not every Arab is a Middle-Easterner (North Africans, etc.). Also, people further assume Middle Eastern and/or Arab equals Muslim and that is not always the case either.

I feel that we, especially in the United States, have a lot to learn about the nuances and distinctions between people of Middle Eastern or Arab descent and issues of racial and/or ethnic classification and self-identification. What comes to your mind when you think of Middle Eastern people or Arab people? Do you agree with their classification in the United States as white people? Why or why not? I also welcome any discussion/enlightenment from people more knowledgeable than me on this subject.

Pygmy Jerboa

As cute as this little Pokemon-looking creature is, if I saw homie hobbling through my hallway my first instinct will still be to reach for the nearest flamethrower (yes, I have several flamethrowers, don't you?). When my husband and I saw this, we were expecting it to attack the camera and then you would just see blood everywhere for no reason. But it didn't. What a cutie!

Pygmy Jerboas are apparently the smallest rodents in the world and are found throughout Central Asia.

Originally peeped here via my husband.

Pink Dolphin

This story is hella old, but my unicorn ancestry would not allow me to ignore this. For all new followers, I am part unicorn. This will become apparent to you throughout random blog posts that I do. ANYhoo...this is an albino dolphin that popped up in Louisiana. At least, that's the scientific description of it. Those of us of unicorn-ary heritage know that magical creatures such as these are plentiful on this good planet of ours; you just have to believe. (That was read in a whispering voice.) No, I am not high.

Peeped at DListed.

Check out my purple squirrel post here.

Male Readers Turn Away For A Second...

...Unless you are interested in dealing with the female blessing or curse (depending on how you look at it).

Ladies, the female monthly reminder is something that is so private, yet shared by all of us. We are often shamed into treating it as a dirty occurrence, and to hide every piece of evidence that it exists at all costs. Commercials show blue liquid cascading soothingly into whatever pad or tampon they happen to be advertising, as if we don't all have blood, RED BLOOD coursing around inside of us. We deny the natural in our society. Anyhoo, a year or two ago I discovered something that has made my cycle easier to manage. The menstrual cup.

Menstrual cups such as the DivaCup or the MoonCup make cycles easier in the following ways:
1. They are re-usable and last for a year or longer (DivaCup recommends replacing once a year). You can boil it between uses which cleans/disinfects it.
2. Because of the re-usable nature and long-lastingness (is that a word?), it saves you a lot of money (cost of a cup is about $30) compared to buying pads and tampons throughout the year.
3. Eco-friendly. Again because of the re-usable nature, you won't be contributing all the plastic and other materials to dumpsters and landfills via multiple pads and tampons.
4. Convenience/mess factor. The DivaCup can hold a lot. Most people can get away with only changing it once a day, depending on how heavy your cycle is. The easiest/non-messiest way to do it is to change it in the shower. This also eliminates odor as opposed to pads and tampons.
5. The DivaCup is made of natural rubber/silicone that does not irritate you or harm you inside while it is inserted. This is a welcome change from tampons which can scratch you, dry you out, and make you more susceptible to infections like Toxic Shock Syndrome.
6. You don't have to worry so much about leaks (especially if you know when approximately your cycle will arrive; you can insert the cup ahead of time). It even says you can go swimming, but I reeeeallly don't think I would do that.

Anyhoo, that is my female-friendly PSA for the day. Here is the DivaCup website. If you want/need more details, ask me in the comments or email me at bohemianbahamian@gmail.com. If you have used/are using a menstrual cup, share your experience in the comments as well.

Don't Waste Your Money

Recession or not (and I'm sick of people blaming the recession or the economy for everything. Bitch, you were broke before the recession! But I digress.), it's always good to have money-saving tips handy. I read this article on Yahoo about ways we waste money. I have highlighted excerpts that stood out as follows (words from the article are italicized, my thoughts are in bold):

1) Bottled Water
Getting your recommended eight glasses of water a day by bottle instead of tap is a huge waste of cash. That buck-a-bottle water you down on a regular basis can really add up. Potential Savings: Spend $37 to buy a 40-ounce Brita pitcher and filter ($13 at Bed, Bath and Beyond), plus a four-pack of replacement filters ($24), and you'll be able to filter 200 gallons of water. Buy that much water in 24-packs of 16.9-ounce Aquafina bottles at Shop Rite instead, and you’d spend $283.50. Your total savings: $246.50.
*I can attest to this. I bought a Pur water filter that attaches to the faucet from Target for about $30 and bought a glass water bottle. I fill up the water bottle every day with the filtered water. I have never been one to drink much water, but after seeing the tangible difference in my body from drinking soda and juice all the time (not to mention the soda stomach pooch you get), to increasing my water intake, I wanted to drink water every day if possible. I felt guilty about buying water bottles because, hello, it's water! So many countries are not able to drink their own water. In America you can. But I also couldn't ignore the stories about dirty tap water, etc. So now that I have the filter and a re-usable bottle, me and my hydration can't be stopped! I also love the money I'm saving from not buying 800-packs of Ozarka, and contributing more plastic to landfills.

2) Extended Warranties
Think twice before you shell out $10 a month for a two-year protection plan on your pricey new BlackBerry. New products tend to malfunction within the manufacturer’s initial warranty period, or well after any extended warranty has expired, says Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis for Interpret LLC, a market researcher. (Most extended warranties exclude accidental damage, too, so you’d still be out of luck if you drop that Blackberry and crack the screen.) To protect yourself, pay with the right credit card. Many credit cards -- including most American Express and MasterCard cards -- double the manufacturer’s warranty on purchases, adding up to another year of free protection.
Potential Savings: Someone buying a 40-inch Samsung flat panel high-def television at Best Buy for $800 has the option to add a four-year protection plan for another $150. Skip it, and pocket the cash instead. (The set already has a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.)
*I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had a Wild West style stare-down with a cashier trying to get me to buy an extended warranty for whatever-the-fuck. Like, do I really need an extended warranty on a dog bed? Seriously though, they try to get you with the, "Oh it's just $136 more." Eff you and your mama. Like the article says, most stuff breaks inside the regular warranty or way down the line after whatever extended warranty you bought expires.

3) Gym Memberships
The cost of a gym membership can really rack up over the course of a year (an average of $775, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association). So make sure you're tapping into all of the discounts available to you. Check with your employer, health insurer and other membership groups like your union or alma mater to see if they offer discounts on gym and fitness club memberships, says Bob Nelson, president of Nelson Motivation, a benefits consulting firm.
Potential Savings: On your own, you’d pay $54.99 per month, plus a $49 enrollment fee, for a national access plan at Bally’s Total Fitness. Through discounter GlobalFit.com, which offers special rates for members of partner companies, you’d pay $37.80 per month plus a $29 enrollment fee for the same Bally’s membership. Over a yearlong membership, that’s $226.28 saved.
*Currently, my apartments have a little mini-gym, and I can use the #1 Stunna-style gym/recreation center at my university for no extra cost (unless you look at your student fee bill. Bitches.). But I would definitely recommend shopping around; you'd be surprised at the discounts you can find outside of the main gym chains.

Full article link above in my first paragraph. What money-wasting/saving tips do you have? I can think of at least one more, but it applies specifically to women. I will have a blog post on that tomorrow, probably.

Dog Tells Owner She Has Breast Cancer

Look at the expression on the dog's face. He's like, Yeah that's right bitches. I smell cancer. Tell all yo' homies bout me.

From the article:

When her normally boisterous dog Max began moping around the house, Maureen Burns wondered if he was coming down with something.
But it turned out she was the one who was sick - and she believes the nine-year-old collie cross was deliberately acting out of character to alert her.
After Max began sniffing Mrs Burns's breath and then gently nudging her right breast, the 64-year-old examined herself and discovered a small lump in the same breast.

Mrs Burns said: 'When the nurse told me I had breast cancer my first response was, 'I know, my dog told me!'. I expected her to laugh but instead she told me she had heard of similar cases.
'Max is usually such an excitable, loving animal but he became very sad and had stopped doing all the things he used to - such as sharing our bed or jumping on my lap for cuddles. Instead he would touch my breast and back off unhappily.'

She said she finally realised there was something wrong last May when Max watched as she examined herself in the mirror.

'As I felt it I just happened to look over at Max, who was lying on my bed. Our eyes met and I just remember he looked so sad.
'I knew in that instant that something was badly wrong.'

She had an operation to remove the cancer, and is now in remission. When she got home after the operation, her dog was happy and jumping around like a puppy. Crazy, huh? Scientists believe dogs might be able to be trained to sniff out cancer; with their highly sensitive sense of smell.

Full article here. Originally peeped at Jezebel.

Goats!

In case you didn't know, I looooooove the Morocco aesthetic. I fantasize of turning my home into some sort of Moroccan lounge. In the book I have below, I saw the following picture:

Yes. There are goats in the tree. They are straight up having a goat festival in the tree. Apparently, this happens throughout Morocco. The goats say eff the grass and climb the trees to eat the leaves and stuff.

Fainting Goats

These goats have a genetic condition that causes their muscles to freeze up when they're startled. As they get older, they learn how to control it a bit.

Mis-heard Song Lyrics

Go to the 20 second mark and just wait. The background lyric I hear is: "Got a New Jack SWING comin' up!" My husband hears: "So you can New Jack SWING on my nuts!"

Please somebody help me. I...I just cannot accept his version of the lyrics. I quit life at least twice already because of this. What do you hear?

*****EDITED*****So apparently my husband is right. The line is from an Ice Cube song...link in the comments if you want to check it out. Thanks to Cheron and everyone else who corrected me. I will never live this down at home, ya'll have ruined my life!! The More You Knooooooow! *NBC rainbow music*

Other mis-heard song lyrics: TLC-Waterfalls. The chorus goes "Don't go chasin' waterfalls..." WHY did my mom think they sang: "Go, go, Jason's waterfalls..." Her: "Who is Jason?" Me: "...What?" Her: "JASON....GO, GO, JASON'S WATERFALLS?!" Me: *flatline*

Crucial Conflict-Hay. Chorus: "Smokin' on hay...HAAAAAAAY..." and so on. My friend's dad: "Circle of pain...PAAAAAAAAIN..."

What song lyrics have you mis-heard or has someone else mis-heard? Holla in the comments!

123 Book Meme

I saw this over on Wicked Anomie: Sociology Run Amok.

The game: open the nearest book to page 123 and reproduce the 6-8th sentence.

"Her casket must be both comfortable and eternally durable. And-oh yes, do be sure her burial footwear is really practical? Perhaps it does not often happen just like that."

This excerpt is from The American Way of Death (Revisited) by Jessica Mitford.

This book is a fascinating glimpse into the world of the funeral industry. It is a business, remember, and they sucker people into parting with money when they are at their most vulnerable. Most people don't realize this because we will (hopefully) seldom have to plan many funerals in our lifetimes. One interesting point the book makes is that America is one of the only countries to practice embalming. Most Americans are under the impression that embalming is necessary for sanitary reasons, preserves the body for a long time, and is required by law. None of those are true. The main reason behind embalming is to temporarily preserve the body for open-casket viewing. Open-casket viewing leads to the heart of the sales, the casket. America is also one of the only countries who view bodies in an open casket.

The author was sarcastic, witty, and funny in this book. The excerpt I quoted is dealing with a (fake) supposed internal monologue that a person would have when considering what to buy for the deceased. Yes, there is a market for burial footwear, specially designed to fit the foot after the body goes into rigor mortis.

I could go on forever about the information I learned but I'll save that for another post. In the meantime, I am tagging ChocolateOrchid, InstantVintage, Chanel, Desiree, Marlo, Karrie B, Mrs.MaryMack, Lex, LittleMissKnobody, Muze, Vesper, TheJadedNYer, Zombietronics, and anyone else reading this. I want to see your excerpts!

Fast Food Nation*

*You should totally read the book, Fast Food Nation.

Anyhoo, please watch this. With your speakers on when you can. Give up fast food (or try to phase it out if you are not in a position to cook all the time). There are cheap, healthy, easy recipes out there. Try them. If you need help, ask me. This is amazing. What the hell are we putting in our bodies, in our children's bodies? Happy Meals my ass.

Sand!

One of my greatest goals is to see the world, like many people. I have many wonders that I want to see. I have a fascination with the different colored beaches that exist, and want to set foot upon one in each color. We all know about the white and tan sandy beaches, but I want to share with you the magic of the lesser-known colored beaches. Join me, won't you?

Black sand beaches

These are found throughout Hawaii's Big Island. When I visit Hawaii, this is the island I want to experience first. It is not as touristy as some of the other islands, and many hotels do not have TV, phone, or internet. It's just you, your hammock, and nature. The black sand was created by the volcanic activity on the island; when the lava meets/met with the ocean. Black sand beaches are also found in Santorini, Greece.

Pink sand beaches

These are found in the Bahamas, specifically Harbour Island. I hope the next reuinion I go to in 2012 I can visit more of the outer islands, and Harbour Island is on that list. The pink sand is a result of the color of the shells of a microscopic creature. Check out these lovely pink sand beaches in Barbuda that Farsighted Fly Girl posted about. Pink sand beaches are also found in Bermuda.

Red sand beaches

This is found in Hawaii; Maui specifically. It's secluded and not really meant for swimming. Word on the street is nude sunbathers often visit here. Look at the gorgeous contrast with the ocean; I love it! There is also a gorgeous red-sand beach surrounded by breathtaking cliffs in Santorini, Greece.

Green sand beach

Another Hawaii beach--I am so wanting to do an island-hopping spree--this one is also on the Big Island. The sand gets its coloring from olivine crystals. This beach is supposedly difficult to access; a lot of hiking involved etc. If you have an adventurous spirit, this will be worth it. There are only two green sand beaches in the world--here and in Guam.

Purple Squirrel

I'm on a bit of an animal blogging kick today, in case you haven't noticed. Anyhoo, overseas in Hampshire, people have been spotting this awesome, magical purple squirrel.

Nobody knows how the squirrel became purple. People from the school that the purple squirrel visits say that he was more blue at first. Experts think the squirrel has probably been ingesting dye from old printer or toner cartridges in a building storing old computers.

Peeped at Daily Mail via Dlisted.

Sidebar: I remember one year when I was visiting family in Detroit during the winter, this black cat-rat-that ain't no damn puppy-hybrid ran across the road and I freaked the hell out. That day I learned that black squirrels exist also. Blew my mind, I tell you. The ones I saw were way bigger than an average squirrel and they had these long curly tails...something ain't right up there.

A Murder....

Did you know that a group of crows is called a Murder of crows? True story.

Oh, and this fact just makes the movie, The Birds even more awesome.

The Meaning of Safari

Did you know that Safari actually means journey in Swahili? True story!