The Healthy Goddess » exercise

The BP oil disaster can help your exercise program

Christi — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:24:03 +0000

The oil gushing out of the floor in the ocean in the Gulf of Mexico is so sad. The fall out from this disaster is yet to come, and I believe we will all be affected in some way. I have been struggling to figure out what I can do. It’s hard to find an upside, but I believe we can all do a lot to help change the situation. The bottom line is that we are are all (especially Americans) responsible for the amount of oil we use.

Let me start with some facts and figures. Check out the top 6 users of oil in the world. Even per capita, we use ENORMOUSLY more than any other country in the world. We are oil gluttons.

United States:- Daily oil consumption in USA is 19.8 million bbl(billion barrel) per day. It may be a surprise to know that according to the 2009 facts, US is the number one oil consuming country with fifty-five percent of the oil it produces from her own domestic reserves. Forty percent of the oil used in America is used to power personal vehicles, 70% if you include trucks.

China:- China is the world’s second largest oil consuming country with 7.8 million bbl/day. In 2007, it imported 145 million tons of crude oil, accounting for 47% of its total oil consumption. Three state-owned oil companies- Sinopec, CNPC and CNPPC, dominate its domestic market. The Chinese government has already set tougher emission standards on automobiles than most countries including the U.S.

Japan:- Japan ranked third word’s oil consuming country with oil consumption of 4.6 million bbl/day. Japan leads the pack in innovation and best use of energy. Having few natural resources the whole nation is obsessed with energy conservation. It is also the world’s fourth largest exporter and fifth largest importer of different manufactured and non-manufactured products.

Russia:- Russia is the Fourth world’s largest oil consuming country with 2.8 million bbl/day. Russia is the one of the top five states who produces more than its uses. Russia is also known as an energy superpower of the top five consumers of oil, the Unties State, China, Japan, Russia and Germany. Out of these five only Russia has enuogh domestic resources to meet its needs.

India:- India is the fifth largest oil consuming country with 2.67 million bbl/day. The combination of oil consumption and relatively flat production has left India increasingly dependent on imports to meet its petroleum demand. In terms of oil use, transportation is the largest sector with highest consumption.

Germany:- Germany is the world’s sixth largest oil consuming country with 2.569 million bbl/day consumption. In 2008, it consumed energy from the following sources: oil (34.8%) and natural Gas (22.1%). Germany is one of the largest exporter of goods in the world and it consumes a lot of oil in industrial sector.

Now, look at how we use the oil we consume:

So, what is a person to do? There are several small steps you can take that will #1 Improve your health, #2 Reduce your personal oil consumption, and #3 Help leave the planet a better place. Below are my suggestions for ways we can all make an individual contribution:

Driving: Since our cars and trucks use almost two-thirds of the oil we buy, the quickest way to cut oil use is to free transportation from its grip. Over time, we can conserve by reducing the miles we drive. But it will take decades to shift most freight from trucks to trains, design walkable communities, shorten our commutes, and build better mass transit and high-speed rail networks.

So what can you do today? WALK INSTEAD OF DRIVE. I don’t mean all-the-time-everywhere, I just mean making a small change. Just think of making a 1% change. The average American drives 15,000 miles per year. A 1% change means you drive 150 miles less per year, or 12.5 miles less per month or 3.125 miles per week. Not only will it help you reduce the amount of oil you use, but it will add to your health and fitness. A 150 pound person who walks 12.5 miles at an average pace (3 miles per hour) burns 1188 calories or 1/3 of a pound. Not only will this help you burn off some fat, but it will also help improve your heart health. The average trip to the grocery store is just 2 miles. For those trips where you need just a few items, walk instead of drive. Have a dog? Instead of driving him or her to the dog park, walk “spot” around the neighborhood. Take the bus or train on occasion. You might enjoy the time out of your car reading a book or the newspaper. Ride a bike. Biking is a great way to move you out of your car and into a healthier mode of transportation. Ride to work, the store, or the park. It’s also a great alternative for commuting to work. Most bus systems now have bike racks, so if you can’t go the full distance, use a bus/bike combination. Biking burns 270 calories per hour at a leisurely pace. Add a hill and whew! You become a calorie burning machine.

Food: In the U.S., up to 20 percent of the country’s fossil fuel consumption goes into the food chain which points out that fossil fuel use by the food system “often rivals that of automobiles”. To feed an average family of four in the developed world uses up the equivalent of 930 gallons of gasoline a year – just shy of the 1,070 gallons that family would use up each year to power their cars. Ouch! It’s amazing that food consumes this much energy! What can you do? Find ways to buy local. Go to the farmer’s market in your neighborhood (hopefully you can walk or bike there). Think about what you buy, the amount of packaging, and how far the item traveled to get to you. Consider planting a small garden in your backyard. Stop drinking bottled water, forever. All of these can help you cut back on your personal oil consumption.

Home Energy: Do you leave the lights on when you leave? How high is your heat? Do you unplug your chargers when they are not in use? Do you really need more “stuff”? Think about the small things, they add up.

Yard work: Get rid of your gas powered mover, weed eater, blower and all other gas powered appliances. Garden equipment engines emit high levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, producing up to 5% of the nation’s air pollution and a good deal more in many metropolitan areas like Los Angeles.

A conventional lawn mower pollutes as much in an hour as 40 late model cars (or as much as as much air pollution as driving a car for 100 miles).

Change your equipment to either electric or, when possible, human powered. If you use a push mower, you will burn calories while you get the yard cut. Check out this comparison!

Body Weight Cals Burned per hour Cals burned with Gas Mower
130 323 88
140 348 95
150 373 101
160 398 107
170 422 115
180 447 122
190 472 128

With fitness and weight loss the small things add up to make a big difference. This is also true with our energy consumption. We can all make a difference, we just have to decide its worth the effort.

Resources:
www.worldchanging.org
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/30/biofuels.food
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/5045
http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/autos/americans-want-fuel-economy/19483507/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_miles_driven_per_year_in_america
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/ene_oil_con-energy-oil-consumption

Improve Self Esteem and Mood in 5 Minutes

Alyson — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:50:41 +0000

I came across an interesting article in Psychology Today. This study finds that people are benefited by just 5 minutes a day of outdoor activity. The study also claims that the benefits decline when increasing the amount of time spent on and intensity level of the activity. Apparently the purpose of the study was not to measure physical health but to focus on mental health instead.

There are some good points to be taken away from this, however. If you are a person who feels like there’s little point in exercising if you can’t fit in a full hour, it may be time to reconsider your approach. Even 5 minutes will help you feel better about yourself. When I have been talking to people lately about body image, overeating, and exercise, I have been noticing how often the concept of needing to “fix” a “problem” is brought up. We tend to view our weight gain or food issues as a huge imposition on our lives and our happiness. It quickly becomes overwhelming and frustrating to think every day about all the “shoulds” and “should nots” or the “good” and “bad” choices we make.

If you are making changes in your life, start slowly and define small goals. I think we all have experienced how the “all or nothing” approach works in our lives: “I ate that donut this morning, so I might as well just have McDonald’s for lunch and start over tomorrow” or “I didn’t work out on Monday or Tuesday, so I’ll start fresh next week and work out 5 days in a row.” Instead, try to think about it as having a new chance every moment to make choices that epitomize what helps you feel good and support who you want to be. So exercise for those 5 minutes and eat that donut, and maybe you will exercise for another 5 minutes later today and have a salad for dinner. – www.lightenyourlifecounseling.com

Counting Calories is out. Change your Metabolism and everything else follows.

Christi — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:39:37 +0000

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Physical Activity Linked to Less Weight Gain in Women With Normal BMI

Christi — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 14:13:35 +0000

“These data suggest that the 2008 federal recommendation for 150 minutes per week, while clearly sufficient to lower the risks of chronic diseases, is insufficient for weight gain prevention absent caloric restriction,” the study authors conclude. “Physical activity was inversely related to weight gain only among normal-weight women; among heavier women, there was no relation, emphasizing the importance of controlling caloric intake for weight maintenance in this group.”

Read on for an interesting article released today.

bmi chart

Holiday Season Workout Ideas

Christi — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:32:39 +0000

The Holiday season is busy, hectic and sometimes the first thing to go is a workout schedule. The hectic level of activity is all the more reason to stick to at least a minimal workout plan. There is certainly plenty you can do at home or around home to keep the running around time to a minimum.

1. If you have cable TV like Comcast, you can do workouts in front of your TV. I did a 45 minute yoga class the other morning and it was just right for me to get back into yoga. There are more vigorous workouts, and 30 minutes is still a lot better than nothing.

2. I found my “Yoga for Sports” video and have been taking my laptop to my basement workout room to do a more vigorous session of yoga. I love the flexibility of not being on a schedule to do a yoga session.
4. Pack your swimming gear in the car so when you have a 45 mintues or an hour you can head to the pool. My greatest discovery of late is my waterproof MP3 player. I now plug-in and swim. It’s amazing how much more quickly the time goes by. Last week my workout was: 600 warm up, 3 x 200 IM with 100 kick of each stroke between the IM’s. My music list was: Sweet Jane – Lou Reed; Disneyland – Dada; Gloria – Jimmi Hendrix; Better Man – Pearl Jam; Everyday – Dave Matthews; Hot Rod Lincoln – George Thorogood; Love is a long road – Tom Petty; Clocks – Cold Play.

5. Get out with the dog. If you don’t have one, find an excuse to walk to the grocery store instead of driving – at least one time per week. My dog gets me out for a run every day – which I realize is a lot, but I am always grateful.

6. Do an activity with your family as part of your holiday tradition. Scott and I go skiing on xmas day. It always clears out around noon, which I guess is when most people go home to have their xmas dinner. Play a game of soccer, softball, or steal the flag. It will be great fun and you will all get a good workout.

The Secret to being Fit

Christi — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:44:00 +0000

The Healthy Goddess is now starting a new blog. It is about time the Goddesses have their own page separate from The Healthy Bride. The idea is to provide information that will assist Goddesses in their quest for lifestyle fitness.

We feel that lifestyle fitness is the amount of fitness (greater than zero) that truly fits into your busy, hectic schedule. That might sound corny, but in my opinion, the secret to being fit boils down to no more than being consistent with exercise. I realize that requires finding a level of exercise that truly does fit into your life and your schedule regardless of what else is going on in your world.

This might sound harsh, but the truth is that committing a few hours per week to exercise will help you sleep sounder, help you eat healthier, help you think more clearly, and be a better woman, mother, girlfriend or wife. It’s really not an option.

Where to begin? Start slow. Just add in 10 or 20 minutes of exercise (if you are starting at zero) per week to get things kick-started. Take a brisk walk around the block, or walk with your kids to the park, to school, or even the grocery store instead of driving. Don’t make it too hard or too complicated. Do this for two weeks, then add another 20 minute bout of exercise. It will be easy to go from one day to two, once you have been successful for a couple of weeks.

Come back often to see what new exercises, advice, workouts and nutrition information we have here for you.