My husband and I have belonged to Orchards Athletic Club almost since it opened. We even belonged to the health club that existed there before that. A year or so ago the ownership of the club changed. As with all such changes, it created a little bit of upheaval.
Everyone has their strengths. Dennis McGrath (?) was exceptionally good with maintenance. If an exercise bike or anything else got broken, someone was on it right away. I can’t say how often I saw Dennis helping out with the maintenance tasks in the building.
The new owners, twin brothers Hugh and Ainsley, have a strong fitness background. It’s the rare occasion when I finish a workout and am not in some way congratulated by one of them for my effort.
I always think of thanking the brother who says this by name only, quite honestly, I haven’t yet figured out how to tell them apart.
Health is a bit of an obsession in this country. Of course, there’s valid reason for this. There’s been a growth in recent years in health problems associated with obesity. It’s hard to pick up a newspaper or a magazine these days that doesn’t have an article related to some study showing what kinds of foods one should be eating more or less of, or what’s the most effective type of exercise.
My mother has always struggled with her weight. I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t on a diet. Only when I was a kid, they didn’t obsess about what types of foods you ate, but how much. I remember my mom eating things like hot dog pizzas that would be considered way to high in fat today.
Some people have suggested this emphasis on small portion sizes is one reason the French have a lower rate of obesity than Americans, in spite of their high fat diet. In his book “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy,” Harvard Medical School nutritionist Walter Willett, a contributer to the revised Food Pyramid, described a cross-cultural study in Europe that showed the amount of fat in the diet made no difference in obesity rates for men. In women, the effect was the reverse of what one might expect: women were more likely to become obese on a low-fat diet than a high-fat diet.
Remember the nursery rhyme? “Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean.” Though Willett doesn’t advise women to eat steak and butter, one of the revisions in the Food Pyramid was an increase in healthy fats from sources such as nuts and oils.
In her book, “Fight Fat Over 40,” National Institute of Health researcher Pamela Peake mentions testimonies from middle-aged women who ate entire packages of low-fat cookies. Peake advises women that if they want a dessert, they choose the richest most decadent one they can find, but limit their portion size.
As a Christian, I’ve often wondered if the emphasis on what we eat is overdone. Jesus said it wasn’t what enters our body that defiles us, but what comes out of our heart.
I’ve noticed when I’m walking on the treadmill or riding the exercise bike that if I start thinking about someone I’m angry with, my heart rate will spike as much as fifty points almost instantly. If I force myself to think about something more pleasant, my heart rate goes back down. While I don’t know the correlation between heart rate and blood pressure, to me such a rapid spike suggests something not-too-healthy is going on.
By contrast, following a lighthearted conversation with the women in the locker room before my workout one morning, I had to push myself hard just to get my heart rate over 100.
With that in mind, I’ve been using my workouts not only for exercise, but as a form of biofeedback, trying to find the healthiest ways to think through interpersonal conflicts in my life.
A recent study found the rate of heart attacks in America has spiked since 9/11. While some of this is likely due to increased anxiety, a psychiatrist once told me that in men anxiety often presents as anger. Because many women consider anger unladylike, they may be more inclined to bury their anger, which can lead to depression. It’s fine to be “ladylike” in your anger, as long as somewhere--in your journal or with your best friend--you acknowledge and work through it.
Indeed, the level of anger has increased in recent years. Someone who commented on the study said that Homeland Security may be killing more Americans than the terrorists are.
Everyone has their strengths. Dennis McGrath (?) was exceptionally good with maintenance. If an exercise bike or anything else got broken, someone was on it right away. I can’t say how often I saw Dennis helping out with the maintenance tasks in the building.
The new owners, twin brothers Hugh and Ainsley, have a strong fitness background. It’s the rare occasion when I finish a workout and am not in some way congratulated by one of them for my effort.
I always think of thanking the brother who says this by name only, quite honestly, I haven’t yet figured out how to tell them apart.
Health is a bit of an obsession in this country. Of course, there’s valid reason for this. There’s been a growth in recent years in health problems associated with obesity. It’s hard to pick up a newspaper or a magazine these days that doesn’t have an article related to some study showing what kinds of foods one should be eating more or less of, or what’s the most effective type of exercise.
My mother has always struggled with her weight. I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t on a diet. Only when I was a kid, they didn’t obsess about what types of foods you ate, but how much. I remember my mom eating things like hot dog pizzas that would be considered way to high in fat today.
Some people have suggested this emphasis on small portion sizes is one reason the French have a lower rate of obesity than Americans, in spite of their high fat diet. In his book “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy,” Harvard Medical School nutritionist Walter Willett, a contributer to the revised Food Pyramid, described a cross-cultural study in Europe that showed the amount of fat in the diet made no difference in obesity rates for men. In women, the effect was the reverse of what one might expect: women were more likely to become obese on a low-fat diet than a high-fat diet.
Remember the nursery rhyme? “Jack Sprat could eat no fat. His wife could eat no lean.” Though Willett doesn’t advise women to eat steak and butter, one of the revisions in the Food Pyramid was an increase in healthy fats from sources such as nuts and oils.
In her book, “Fight Fat Over 40,” National Institute of Health researcher Pamela Peake mentions testimonies from middle-aged women who ate entire packages of low-fat cookies. Peake advises women that if they want a dessert, they choose the richest most decadent one they can find, but limit their portion size.
As a Christian, I’ve often wondered if the emphasis on what we eat is overdone. Jesus said it wasn’t what enters our body that defiles us, but what comes out of our heart.
I’ve noticed when I’m walking on the treadmill or riding the exercise bike that if I start thinking about someone I’m angry with, my heart rate will spike as much as fifty points almost instantly. If I force myself to think about something more pleasant, my heart rate goes back down. While I don’t know the correlation between heart rate and blood pressure, to me such a rapid spike suggests something not-too-healthy is going on.
By contrast, following a lighthearted conversation with the women in the locker room before my workout one morning, I had to push myself hard just to get my heart rate over 100.
With that in mind, I’ve been using my workouts not only for exercise, but as a form of biofeedback, trying to find the healthiest ways to think through interpersonal conflicts in my life.
A recent study found the rate of heart attacks in America has spiked since 9/11. While some of this is likely due to increased anxiety, a psychiatrist once told me that in men anxiety often presents as anger. Because many women consider anger unladylike, they may be more inclined to bury their anger, which can lead to depression. It’s fine to be “ladylike” in your anger, as long as somewhere--in your journal or with your best friend--you acknowledge and work through it.
Indeed, the level of anger has increased in recent years. Someone who commented on the study said that Homeland Security may be killing more Americans than the terrorists are.
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