Awesome Daily Needs Nutritional Calculator and Health Tools

I recently met with Beth, a personal trainer and wellness coach at my new gym to set goals for 2009. My original motivation was to simply get my trial membership host the free month he was promised for referring a new member.

I mentioned to Beth that there are days I have to cut my routine short because I’ve run out of energy. She recommended two sites I could use to make sure I get the nutrition I need to keep me going strong each day.

www.NutritionData.com
NutritionData.com has a great Daily Needs Calculator. You enter your height, weight, age, and lifestyle. AND you can list exactly what activities you plan to do and how long you plan to do them.

The Daily Needs calculator returns your BMI, calories burned, recommended daily nutrient (carbs, protein, vitamins, minerals) quantities.

I really like being able to customize minutes per day of exercise. My workout and level of activity each day is very different for me and I think this will help me get through my varying workouts more easily.

www.PreventDisease.com
While preventing disease is not something I keep in mind while I work out at this time, PreventDisease.com features a long list of Health Tools including several Body Composition calculators, a link to the USDA Calorie & Nutrient Information Database, and even Sleep Tools.

How Many Calories are in a Cup of Coffee?

Have you ever noticed there is no nutritional information on coffee packaging? How many calories are in a cup of coffee? Here’s a list of the nutritional information of the brands of coffee I keep at home:

Dunkin Donuts (20 oz.)
10 Calories
0 Fat Calories
15mg Sodium
0g Fat
2g Carbohydrates
1g Protein
0g Dietary Fiber

Caribou Coffee (Large)
5 Calories
0 Fat Calories
10mg Sodium
0g Fat
0g Carbohydrates
1g Protein
0g Dietary Fiber

Foldgers
I could not find nutritional info for Foldgers coffee, but according to the Foldgers website:

Our coffees are 100% pure coffee. Since coffee has no nutritional value, there’s no significant amount of calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, sodium, or potassium. In fact, one serving of brewed coffee contains less than 5 calories.

I take coffee black so the information above does not include milk or sugar. Roast (light, medium, dark) and preparation method does not seem to affect nutrition. What does affect coffee nutritional information is what you add to your coffee – like milk, cream, sugar, sweeteners, syrups, whip cream, etc.

If you are looking for a way to cut calories and fat, quit adding unnecessary calories and fat to your coffee!

Easy as pie… Right? Not for me. My FAVORITE coffee drink is Caribou Coffee’s Mint Condition.

Caribou Coffee Mint Condition (Medium w/2% Milk & Whip Cream)
460 Calories
160 Fat Calories
145mg Sodium
17g Fat
68g Carbohydrates
13g Protein
0g Dietary Fiber

Wow. That is an eye opener compared to regular black coffee, which I also enjoy. It will be hard, but I will save money, calories, and fat if I drink black coffee more often and drink a Mint Condition less often as a treat or reward. *sigh*

How to Become a Group Fitness Instructor I – Get CPR/AED Certified

Step I: Get CPR/AED Certified

The first thing to do if you want to become a group fitness instructor is get CPR/AED certified. CPR stands for CardioPulmonary Resuscitation. AED stands for Automatic External Defibrillator.

I found a CPR/AED certification class by visiting the American Red Cross webpage for my area, the Twin Cities. The class cost $65. It was held in a private home by a Red Cross-approved private training company for 5 hours on a Saturday.

The first 4 hours were CPR training. We watched video segments and the instructor embellished on the content. We practiced CPR on the Resusci Anne mannequins and took a short, multiple-choice written exam to be Red Cross CPR certified.

The last hour was AED training. Again, we watched video segments and we practiced using simulation AED equipment on the Resusci Anne teaching mannequins. There was another short, multiple-choice written exam to be Red Cross AED certified.

Zumba: Great Workout, Silly Name

I recently canceled my Snap Fitness 24-7 gym membership to join an independent gym called Fitness Crossroads. For $10/month more, the independent gym provides showers, lockers, towel service, and best of all – group fitness classes!

Being a dancer, I have always loved group fitness classes. I’ve often thought I was born too late and missed my true calling of being a aerobics instructor in the 1980’s. In fact, when asked my dream job, I often respond “aerobics instructor slash dog walker.” (Watch Eric Prydz’s Call On Me Video here. If you haven’t seen it before, it’s racy and nsfw.)

I had been away from the group fitness scene for a few years while I lived in Europe and while I held mini-gym memberships here in the States. After I joined my new gym in March, I soon saw an announcement that they were adding two “Zumba” classes to the group fitness schedule. Zumba? It sounded silly, but I decided to Google it.

The Zumba workout is based on latin rhythms and dance moves. It is like going out to a nightclub dancing, but with the freedom of not caring how you look and getting sweaty in the comfort of your own gym!

I loved Zumba from the very first minute. I was a member of the pom pon squad in high school and the dance team in college. Each song in Zumba is a mini dance routine, much like danceline. The instructor breaks down the moves first and then brings the moves up to speed. The moves are intuitive and easy-to-follow. The main goal is to keep moving.

One thing I especially love about Zumba is that each class participant can increase or decrease intensity according to their comfort level, which makes it suitable for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, many of the participants in my daytime class are 65 and over! I love to see the older men and women smiling, laughing, and dancing up a storm! Zumba Gold was designed specifically for older adults. I hope I am still dancing at age 70!

I highly recommend looking for Zumba classes at your local gym or community center, regardless of the silly name. It is so much fun, it’s like working out without working out! I love Zumba so much, and Zumba is so much fun to me, I am becoming a certified group fitness instructor through ACE (American Council on Exercise) in order to become a certified Zumba instructor.

Ditch the workout, join the party!

I Like Diet Coke, But I Like Losing Weight More

I wouldn’t describe myself as religious, but I gave up pop for Lent. It was more or less for something to do, or something not to do. With 9 days of Lent to go, according to the Offical Lent Countdown site, I ask myself, will I be giving up soda for good? The truth is, I haven’t decided yet.

I am one of the many unemployed people in the United States. I currently collect unemployment while looking for work and studying for the GRE. I spend most of my free time at the gym (Zumba(!), yoga, etc.) and/or running.

I lost about 20 pounds pretty easily after I was laid off due to less money for dining out and more time for exercise, but by mid-February, I had hit a wall where regardless of how much I ate, drank, or exercised, I wasn’t losing any weight. I was stuck at 126 pounds.

Then came Lent. I had never given up anything for Lent before and I decided it would be a nice challenge to give up something for a few weeks.

I don’t eat very much and I don’t eat a wide variety of foods so there were no food stuffs I could realistically give up for Lent. It came down to Mint Conditions from Caribou Coffee or Diet Coke. I love Mint Conditions, and I mean love. Mint Conditions, while expensive and unhealthy, are a treat and pick me up when I’m feeling blue. Giving up Mint Conditions for Lent was not an option. Giving up Diet Coke was my only option so I decided to give up all pop/soda.

Life went on as usual (minus soda) and about two weeks ago, I noticed that I started losing weight again. I am currently down to 121 and the only change I’ve made in my diet and routine has been cutting out pop for Lent.

On the downside, giving up soda has increase my alcohol intake. I am often the driver on nights out and Diet Coke with a slice of lemon was a nice alternative to alcohol. Diet Coke is not as boring and easier to drink than plain ice water, plus based on appearance, it could be a mixed drink and helps me feel like I fit into the bar scene when I’m not drinking. Since I gave up pop, I tend to order a Miller Lite even when I don’t really want or need one.

Will I give up Diet Coke for good, or will I take it back up on Easter Sunday? Only time will tell.

Sauna vs. Steam Room and How to Sauna

My gym has both a sauna and a steam room. Which is better?

Both saunas and steam rooms are used to eliminate toxins and cleanse the pores and skin through sweat, ease joint pain, improve circulation, and promote relaxation and well being.

The difference is that the sauna uses dry heat while the steam room uses humidity. Sauna temperatures are much higher than steam rooms – sauna temps are around 175°F to 210°F (80°C to 100°C), highly humid temperatures in a steam bath are usually around 105°F (40°C).

Which is better is simply a matter of preference. The hot, dry air in a sauna can be hard for some people to breathe. People with respiratory problems or illnesses my prefer the humid air of steam rooms to the hotter, dryer air of the sauna.

How to Sauna
I personally love to relax in the sauna. Someday, my dream home will have a sauna. For now, I’ll have to use the one at the gym.

Start off with a warm shower to gradually raise your body temperature. Enter the sauna – laying vertical in the nude is ideal, but probably only if it’s a private sauna in your home (especially in America). Nude with a sauna mat or towel to sit on will allow you to sweat freely, but in most societies, you’ll want to wrap a towel around yourself and wear it as you sit upright in the sauna.

Let your body temperature rise for 8-10 minutes. The higher the seat, the hotter the air. When you begin to sweat, put 2 or 3 scoops of water on the sauna rocks. Maintain the humidity in the sauna so that your skin is moist with sweat. If the air in the sauna is not humid enough, your sweat will dry when it reaches the surface of your skin.

Sit in the sauna until the heat becomes uncomfortable – it is not a competition. When it is no longer tolerable, leave the sauna and sit in a cool place, drink cool water, or take a cool water bath or shower to lower your body temperature. Cool down for up to 5 minutes then return to the sauna. Repeat the cycle 2 or 3 times.

Sauna Tips
Remove contact lenses before entering the sauna. The hot, dry air dries contacts, and if you wear contacts you know this is uncomfortable and it will shorten the time you want to spend in the sauna.

Remove all metal and jewelry before entering the sauna. The high temps in the sauna will also heat your jewelry, hair clips, locker key, etc. and might burn your skin. Ouch!

Sauna Sources

• Virtual Finland. “Sauna – A Finnish National Institution.” http://finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=26075. Accessed March 17, 2009.
• The Guardian, Expert Traveller. “How to… Take a Sauna.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2006/dec/17/escape1. Accessed March 17, 2009.
• Wikipedia. “Sauna.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauna. Accessed March 17, 2009.
• World Fitness. “Which is better Sauna Steam Room?” http://www.worldfitness.org/steam_bath_sauna.html. Accessed March 17, 2009.

How to Get Rid of Warts

Disgusting and embarrassing topic, I know. Unfortunately, I’ve had plenty of experience with wart removal and if sharing my story helps just one person, I’d be very happy. So here it goes:

I got Plantar’s warts on the bottom of my feet from walking barefoot in the girls’ locker room. Then I started to develop warts around my fingernails on both hands – periungual warts. I was a very embarrassed teenager. When over-the-counter treatments didn’t work, I begged my parents to take me in for treatment.

First, I started going to my local family doctor to get the plantar’s warts CUT out of my feet. The doctor used a local anesthetic to numb the bottom of my foot and a scalpel to literally cut out the wart and pull its roots out of the bottom of my feet. I played all kinds of sports as a youth and my only alternative to not participating was to bandage my feet and take medications to manage the pain.

Next, I started going to a dermatologist an hour away to have the warts on my hands FROZEN with liquid nitrogen or cryosurgery every two weeks. The idea was that the treated skin would blister, crust, and fall off. It wasn’t painful at time of freezing, but by the time my parents and I got home, my hands would be throbbing with the terrible “waking up” feeling you get when blood returns to your hands or feet when they get extremely cold in the winter. The frozen skin around my fingernails would first turn black and then white – I had to hide my hands at school every day.

(As a side note, I think the description of these treatments would be a great way to encourage people to practice safe sex. Genital warts caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) are treated the same way – using cutting and freezing to remove affected cells. It was amazingly painful to endure these procedures on my hands and feet. I CANNOT imagine having the same done to my private parts.)

After a year, the cutting and freezing treatments were too painful, costly, and ineffective. I decided to live with warts. To manage them, I soaked them in apple cider vinegar, filed them down with an emery board, and applied clear fingernail polish or super glue to the warts. This did manage to control the size and spreading for about four years – some of the smaller warts even disappeared.

Due to an unrelated illness, my family doctor recommended I get my tonsils removed my junior year of high school. I had throat problems my whole life and my parents agreed I should have a tonsillectomy.

About two weeks after the tonsillectomy, I noticed something wonderful: My warts were gone! It happened so quickly and painlessly it was like a miracle! I just looked down at my hands one day and they were gone. I check the bottom of my feet and the warts were gone there too!

My theory is that my body was so busy dealing with my tonsils and other health problems, it didn’t have the power to fight the warts. When my tonsils were removed, my body focused on attacking the virus that causes warts and I was cured! I still have scars on my cuticles and the soles of my feet, but I haven’t had a Plantar’s or periungual wart since 1995.

Is It Acne?

In my last post, I wrote about what my veterinarian recommended to help my cat, Tiger get rid of his feline acne. How do you know if it’s acne? What does feline acne look like?

I mentioned in my post that Tiger developed a large bump under his chin and that is what initially concerned me. There were likely lots of warning signs I missed.

The most obvious sign of feline acne is blackheads. Most cats have short, thin hair under their chins so while you are cuddling with your pet, scratch him or her under the chin and look at the skin. If your cat’s chin looks dirty or has black spots, it could be acne.

Cats can also get pimples – just like people. And just like people pimples, it is uncomfortable for cats. If you notice your cat is scratching under his or her chin more than usual, it could be acne. Look for pimples, blackheads, dirt under your cats chin.

To cure my cat of acne, I washed his face with gentle face soap and warm water. If your cat is afraid of water, you can use a rag or paper towel. Also be sure to wash your cat food and water dishes regularly. You may also want to switch to stainless steel food and water dishes to prevent and acne breakout.

Of course if you try washing your cat’s face and the acne symptoms don’t improve, take your cat to the vet. It may need treatment similar to humans with severe acne.

Cure Feline Acne

My cat, Tiger had a BIG bump under his chin. He pulled away when I tried to touch it, so I knew it was bothering him. It was right below his bottom teeth so I was afraid it was an abscess or worse, a tumor.

I made an appointment with the nice people at Shady Oak Vet Clinic in Hopkins, Minnesota. Barb the Vet took one look and told me not to worry, Tiger had feline acne.

The vet showed me other blackheads under Tiger’s chin and recommended that I:
1. Wash his face with warm water and gentle soap to help clear up his skin.
2. Switch from plastic cat food and water dishes to stainless steel dishes and to wash them occasionally. Oil from cat food can “soak in” to the plastic and promote oily, dirty skin and feline acne.

I did what she said. I washed Tiger’s face every other day with Cetaphil (the same facial bar soap I use) and warm water. I also picked up stainless steel cat food and water dishes from Wal-mart. It took about a month for the monster zit to go away completely, but Tiger’s skin did eventually clear up.