By Ginny Grupp
Special to the Turnagain Times
We are all familiar with “the holiday 15.” It’s the 10-15 pounds that mysteriously appears on the scale between now and January. Starting with Halloween and continuing the binge until we make our New Year’s Resolution to “lose weight and be healthy.” This year can be different. All you have to do is decide that it will be so. Call it the power of positive thinking, call it “the Secret.” I like to call it a holiday gift to yourself. What better gift can you give yourself this holiday season than the gift of good health? We accept holiday weight gain because we read that “everybody does it.”
What really happens when we gain 15 pounds? After all, it doesn’t sound like much. If you weigh 150 pounds, you are talking about adding on 10 percent of your body weight. If your body mass index (BMI) is normal today, 15 pounds can put you into the obese category. 15 pounds is also the median weight for a five-month old baby. This weight gain also increases the risk for diabetes and high blood pressure. In fact, it can be the difference between taking medication to control high blood pressure and not. I have a client who recently was taken off of her blood pressure meds by simply incorporating exercise into her life and losing 15 pounds.
We all know that an “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” So how do we prevent what so many of us see as inevitable holiday weight gain?
• Sign a contract with yourself or someone you love. Make a pact to get yourself through the holidays. Just write it up and sign it: we agree to balance one holiday sweet with 15 minutes of exercise. We agree to indulging at only one party per week. We agree to exercise 3-4 times per week every week of the holiday season.
• Set a reward for completing your contract. If you make it through the season and do what you agree to in the contract, buy yourself an extra holiday gift, spend extra time with your contract partner, you decide.
• Set tough penalties for violating the contract. I find cold, hard, cash is great for these types of contracts. Miss a workout, overindulge, agree to a fine. We generally spend to a fault during the holidays, so set a steep enough fine to keep you on track.
• Step away from the food. When standing and chatting at a holiday party, avoid standing near the food area. It’s much more difficult to walk away from a conversation to go get another cookie than it is to simply reach for one while standing next to the buffet table.
• Drink water. Always have a glass in hand and make sure it isn’t always filled with “holiday cheer.” This accomplishes two things—at least one hand is too busy to grab a pastry and water fills you up, making the cookies, etc. that much less appealing.
Avoiding “the holiday 15” will make the holidays much more enjoyable. You will have more energy, not have to deal with sugar withdrawal and you will feel good about yourself at the end of the year.
Whatever you decide to do, have fun, enjoy being with friends and family and remember that you are the most important person in your life, so be good to you!
Ginny Grupp holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion and is a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance.
By Angus Macleod
Special to the Turnagain Times
The snow’s here. Ski season is so close you can taste it. Here are a few ideas to get your body ready for the fun.
Understand that smooth is in! All your pre-ski-season training should focus on smooth movements. Imagine you’re skiing every time you work out. Keep your upper body quiet, it’s just along for the ride. The head doesn’t move; it enjoys the view. Remember that for skiing … stop looking at your skis! Enjoy the 2,000 plus vertical view! Envision the best track stars. When they run, their heads don’t move; it’s all from the hips down. Same on your skis.
One of the best training exercises for skiing is jumping with a leather jump rope. It all starts from the foot and moves up. Stand in front of a mirror, start jumping. Work on timing movements and eye-hand-foot coordination. Start slow. Increase your speed as your ability improves. Start with two feet together, and then move to alternating feet. As you get better, you can include double jumping (two complete revolutions of the rope in one jump). Move onto more intense movements. Jump higher, tuck your knees up when you jump (this will also help with double jumps).
Another exercise for the lower body is stair running. Start easy. Single stairs running up (keep your head up, look where you’re going, not where you are. Apply this to all movements in life). As you get stronger, move onto double and triple stairs at a time. When coming down, imagine you’re on an escalator; touch every stair with your feet. Imagine your feet are wheels, keep your upper body quiet, think smooth. Feel like you’re on an escalator. You will also feel tremendous fatigue in your thighs, knees, calves and ankles. This means you’re doing it right. Remember the more you feel now, the less you’ll feel later. And that’s what we all want. To ski longer and harder without feeling it. Don’t think of it as getting into shape, think of it as getting into life.
Ski ya!
Angus MacLeod is AlaskaFit’s ski enhancement specialist. He has been a professional in the ski industry for over 22 years and in three countries. He has double-artificial hips thanks to Anchorage Fracture and Orthopedic and is currently skiing over 100 days per year.
By Breana Hardin
Special to the Turnagain Times
Question 1: “Here is a problem I have with Buster. He is aggressive on his leash but the nicest dog off leash at the dog park in Anchorage. How do I get him to not bark and snarl at other dogs on the trails?” –Katie Paaki.
Robyn Langlie, an instructor at Alyeska Canine Trainers in Anchorage, advised that Buster’s problem can be described as “leash aggression” or “leash frustration.” The problem with leashes is that they don’t allow dogs to greet each other as they would normally. One way to help is to train Buster not to react. First, teach him a watch command by having him sit in front of you. Show Buster a treat. Say “watch” and then bring it up to your nose so he is looking into your eyes. Give the treat quickly the first few times, but ONLY when Buster is looking at you. Increase the time with no distractions. Head outside and practice off the trail while people and dogs walk by. You may have to start 20 feet away if he is still distracted and straining at the leash, but eventually with patience and persistence you’ll get closer to your goal. So when you see a dog coming your way, you can step off the trail and have some fun with Buster. Practice and watch while walking as well, and reward your dog when he’s looking at you rather than at the other dogs. Keep your voice upbeat and happy, and always have treats available to reward Buster! Keep in mind that every dog is different, and this may not work for everyone’s dog or situation. If you are concerned that your dog might hurt another dog or person, please seek professional help from a local trainer.
Question 2: “My friend’s older dog is having severe skin irritations and ear infections. Although her ears have been infected in the past, the skin irritation is fairly new. Is this an allergy? What is the best course of action to help relieve her misery?” –Marian Snively.
Paula Schmidt, DVM, of Northern Lights Veterinary and Laser Center, shares her insight. The short answer is yes, it could be an allergy. But, it could be lots of other things as well. There is always a population of bacteria and yeast that live on animals’ skin. Normal skin defenses are able to keep these populations under control. When these defenses are weakened in some way, the bacteria or yeast (or both) are able to grow out of control, subvert defenses, and cause irritation or actual infections. There are many reasons for how defenses can be weakened, but here’s a list of the most common causes:
• Skin injury (e.g. burns).
• Parasites (e.g. mites or lice).
• Allergies—food, environmental, or sometimes both.
• Metabolic disease, such as hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease (hyperadrenocorticism). In an older dog, this is a definite area of concern. Metabolic diseases weaken the immune system.
• Conformation—this refers to an animal’s build. For example, if a dog has narrow ear canals, he may be more prone to ear infections. If he is over weight, skin may chafe and cause irritation.
• Unusual or resistant bacterial or fungal disease.
As far as what can be done to relieve this dog’s symptoms, it’s hard to say without knowing the cause. Oatmeal shampoos (formulated for pets) can help relieve some irritation and wash away some environmental irritants. Ultimately, a visit to the veterinarian is warranted. Performing some simple skin tests and completing bloodwork may aid in determining the cause.
If you have questions for PAWSpeak email them to Brean Hardin at: info@alyeskapaws.com.
Breana Hardin is owner of Alyeska PAWS, Inc., a pet sitting company based in Girdwood that serves homes and pets in Girdwood, Bird Creek, Indian, Anchorage and Palmer. She can be reached at 754-PAWS.
Chicken Fricassee
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The Juchoir or chicken roost was as much an integral part of an Acadian farm as the pigeonnier (dove cote) was to the grand antebellum mansions. The houses were both clever looking and practical. The hens climbed up their tiny ladders at night and when mama hen had biddies, they could be kept safe here from foxes and possums. Fried chicken in this swampy country was hot with pepper and “dirty rice” was the traditional accompaniment. Even today at locally owned fast food chicken restaurants the peppery chicken is served with dirty rice. People of Acadian descent expect it to be served that way.
Hope you enjoy your meal. Remember you can e-mail CAJUN QUEEN by having a glass of wine, sitting at you computer and typing in Cajun Queen Ak@aol.com
Until next time, bon appetite.