The couch is for guests

I don't buy snacks or watch TV.  This amazes people.  But I've spent a lifetime watching people struggle with weight issues, and yet every day sit on the couch watching TV while munching on chips.  Double duh.  I have made it virtually impossible in my home to replicate this behaviour.  I don't subscribe to any television services, nor do I purchase snacks.  Why?  Because I know my limitations and would happily sit on the couch and empty a bag of Lays Classics every day!  I do not do anything in 'moderation' so why even set the stage for such waistline-increasing behavior?  Know who you are, and just own it.  I understand myself, and that everything to me is a 'single serving'.  Yes, I can plow through a bag of chips like no one's business, while sitting zombie-like in a little happy-monkey trance in front of the boob tube.  I know this.  When I visit friends with TVs they have to pry me away, because I focus like an awestruck minion praying to the golden idol.  So no such altar in my home!  My methods are extreme, but so is my personality.  Managing my vices is difficult, but this one I've mastered.  I highly suggest you do the same. You might be surprised at how much time you spend in front of the TV once you stop doing it.  What will you do with those extra hours?  Whatever it is, don't snack!!  Your body will thank you.

Evertyhing in Moderation

Its summertime, and that means its time to soak up some rays.  I've been very tuned in to the dangers of sun-damage to the skin ever since I took a class in cancer when in University.  We had a guest doctor come in, who was as white as a sheet.  He said he avoided going outside, especially from eleven to two each day, when the sun's rays are the strongest.  His logic was, as a physician specializing in skin cancer, he cut off a nose or ear every week, and was hoping to avoid the same fate for himself.  Well as you can imagine, that lesson hit home with me.  Because sun damage is cumulative, irreversible, and permanent.  You basically cook your skin's DNA, which is what causes cancer.  However, I always felt that anything in extreme, including hiding from the sun, was way more unhealthy than anything in 'moderation'.  I still stick to this belief, and a recent article on the benefits of sun tanning reinforced it.  Since you can find research for both sides - that is some studies link sunscreen use to cancers while others blame the sun for all kinds of evil, I found myself always trying to find the middle ground.  It always struck me as kind of dumb to inhibit your natural tanning ability with sunscreen, so generally I let myself get some rays sans-protection, but only for short periods of time.  I have to believe that my tanning cells busy injection of melalin in my pasty-white Euro skin is the better defense than some random cream that my or may not in itself cause cancer.  But, at the same time, sun exposure no doubt has a down side.  I try and get a nice bronze color going, and then its mostly moot- even if I forget sunscreen I rarely burn.  But be smart - temper your exposure but don't be a sun-phobe - that glowing orb is the reason life exists here on earth and after ten million years I think your body can take it, in fact, it loves it!  I hope so, anyway.  I don't see me moving to Seattle or anywhere less sunny for a long time!!

There are no "Short-cuts"

You know what kind of people succeed in life? The ones who 'try'. I have never met anyone with a huge paycheck that didn't also have a huge headache. There are no free lunches, and anything that seems too good to be true, generally is. I say all this as I was on a road trip recently, flipping around the radio dial as is my summer tradition, and came across what I thought was a talk show about health. It was, as it turns out, a clever infomercial posing as a call-in talk show. They were selling some miracle anti-aging pill. They blathered on and on about the convenience factor of this amazing pill, which captured all of those magnificent anti-aging properties found in carrots and spinach. Why not just eat the vegetables fresh? Exactly. <insert sound of munching carrot here>

The Power of Advertising

So my mom bought me bunch of 'Sports Drinks' last time she came to visit. Which I thought was nice, even tho I generally don't drink anything but water. Upon investigation I find these drinks are filled with stuff I generally avoid. First of all, they are all brilliant colors not found in nature. These colors have been no doubt chosen by focus groups filled with your standard IQ knobs who somehow equate 'sports drinks' with 'glowing shades of Chernoble'. OK fine, but the number one ingredient is High Fructose corn syrup. You know, that 'freaky sugar-like substance that isn't actually sugar so your body doesn't know what do with it' crap I've avoided like the plague since I started this blog. Thanks mom but big FAIL. Can't blame her tho. I blame the giant cola company behind said 'sports drink' for their brilliant packaging and marketing. You can't always believe what you read in print - like this "Hot teenage chicks love cock" photo proves.

Don't be a dumb chick

Dumb ass Timmy from Ride 365 on Vimeo.
While we are on the topic of 'eat like a bird', thought I'd post my favorite 'dumb chick' video. You should really view in HD as the chicks are tiny and hard to see...

Go vote for me!! Details on http://buyshanegas.tumblr.com/