Eat healthy for Cheap

Yes, I said eat healthy for cheap.  Many food manufactures charge a premium for their “Healthy” foods.  The same goes for a restaurant.  He is a really good alternative.  GO to your favorite sub shop and get the veggie sub.  If you think about it, it is like a salad with bread sticks.  Tonight I had a foot long sub with all the veggies (except pickles) and topped off with Buffalo sauce.  Spicy, healthy, and cheap.  I added a bottle of water to with it and it cost me $5.62.  Not bad for dinner for a road warrior.

One thing to watch out for is the dressing.  Stick to something that is not creamy.  The Mayo adds around 110 calories per 6 inches of sandwich.  Chipotle dressing, 100 calories per 6 inches of sandwich. Here are a few good choices: Sweet Onion (30 Cal.), Honey Mustard (30 Cal.)

Also, do not forget the salad bar at a grocery store.  Choose wisely and you can eat well, healthy, and for around $5.

As for all of you on a ship with a salad bar, hit it hard. Again, watch out for the creamy dressings and oils. 

Watch out for online nutritional information

I’m currently on a business trip and I’m doing the best that I can to keep my calorie intake to something reasonable.  I decided to go to McDonalds web site and check the nutritional information on their oatmeal.  I love oatmeal.  It is my saving grace for breakfast while I’m on the road.  Especially now that winter is setting in.

While looking at the nutritional information for their oatmeal, I took a look at the hotcakes.  No sausage or eggs, just the hot cakes.  This is what I saw.

350 calories is fine for me for breakfast.  Look at those golden fluffy pancakes.  The melting butter and the oh so sweet syrup. OK, something is just not right here.  I clicked on Learn More and Customize.  Here is what I got….

Notice that only the hotcakes is selected with the 350 calories.  I selected the other two items that are in the picture.

WOW! 220 calories of false advertisement. 

Shipmates, be aware of companies that hide information like this.  I have seen to many McDonalds on our bases and far to many Sailors who have consumed to many calories at McDonalds. 

Stay safe, eat smart, and don’t be fooled.  McDonalds, shame on you for trying to fool those who protect you.

Walk to Work!!!

Looking around the fleet, I’m seeing a lot pot bellies and thunder thighs.  Come on Shipmates!  Let’s not give the Marines more ammunition.  Understandable, on a destroyer, you have limited room to do cardio. On shore….No Excuses.  I’ve been on a few shore establishments and I have been shocked.  Be very glad that I am not your LPO. 
So, what to do about it.  For those of you who are in base housing, take a walk.  Seriously.  Leave your cars at the barracks and walk to 500 feet to work.  If walking is not an option, park away from the building.  Find some way to get some cardio in.  I’ve also notice that on shore establishments that are essentially offices, the work day is approximately 0800 – 1500.  If you were civilians, your work day would not end for another 2 hours.  If the uniform is getting a little tight, take this time and put in some extra cardio or weights beyond unit.

The Cost of Smoking

Smoking is costing all of us.  below is an article that I found released by Navy medical.  It is good reading for both smokers and non-smokers.  For smokers, this is what you are costing us.  For non-smokers, this is what our smoking Shipmates are doing to us.

You can view the online version here: http://www.nmcphc.med.navy.mil/downloads/tobacco/truecost.pdf

The Financial Cost$ of Tobacco

Not only does tobacco harm the health of tobacco users, but the use of tobacco also costs

every single tax-payer in America.  Whether from billboards, healthcare offices, or media

sources, every American has been advised of the health effects of tobacco use. Even

those who pay dollars a day for their tobacco habit, very few people actually know the

real costs of tobacco.  The following information is provided to help you realize just what

the true costs of tobacco really are.  We hope that the following information will help you

decide to quit your tobacco habit.

National Healthcare Cost$

· Nationally it costs $72.7 billion a year to treat smokers who suffer from smokingrelated diseases.

· Smoking-related Medicaid costs amount to $12.9 billion per year.

· Smokers are 29 percent more likely to have annual medical insurance claims over

$5,000 than nonsmokers.

· Smoking during pregnancy costs the country more than $3 billion a year

Work Cost$

· Premature retirements and deaths caused by smoking have cost the country at

least $60 billion in lost wages per year.

· Smokers with group life insurance push up premiums for nonsmokers in the same

pool by $4 billion a year.

· Every smoker costs his or her company at least $1,000 a year because of

decreased productivity and increased health care costs.

· Smokers are more likely to be hurt at work than nonsmokers.

Fire Cost$

· Cigarettes are the leading cause of fire fatalities in the United States.

· Twenty-eight percent of all residential fire deaths were caused by smoking

materials.· Smoking is the second-leading cause of injuries related to household fires,

ranking second only to injuries caused by cooking-equipment fires.  In 1992, the

loss in property from smoking-related fires totaled $318 million.

Family Cost$

· A new study shows that parental smoking each year kills at least 6,200 children

· Smoking causes 5.4 million children serious ailments such as ear infection and

asthma

· In at least the fifteen states where the issue has been raised, courts have held that

it is appropriate to consider whether a parent smokes around a child in

determining whether they should be awarded custody.  States which have rules

that parental smoking around a child may be considered in custody proceedings

include: California, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts,

Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South

Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

· People who smoke are more likely to be involved in car crashes for which they

are responsible.

Military Cost$

· The military spends $930 million per year on healthcare for smoking-related

illnesses and lost productivity

· A recent study of just active duty Air Force members below age 36 shows that

service spends $107 million a year to treat smokers and for lost time due to smoke

breaks. The study assumed "a conservative estimate" of three 10-minute smoke

breaks a day.  That's how much it would cost to employ 3,537 people for a year,

about the number on an average-sized Air Force base. Navy Cost$ at NTC

Let me close with some “true confessions” from recent successful quitters who have

attended the quit program here at Great Lakes. 

· One quitter related that two weeks after being quit, he was more productive at

work, getting about 2 hours more work done each day.  He also said he was more

efficient and felt better on the job.

· Returning Fleet sailors, (who have recently quit) stated that they would spend 2 to

3 hours per day just standing in line to smoke at the ship’s designated smoking

area. 

· Perhaps the most interesting “confession” came from an instructor at Service

School who stated that he used to give longer breaks to his students because of his

smoking habit.  Now that he has quit, he has cut his breaks and now has more

productive class time to teach needed technical skills.

It is imperative that we continue down the road to a tobacco free Navy and military as

well.  Help is available, free of charge, for all active duty members, their spouses, and

retirees in quitting their tobacco habits.  Make the Great American Smokeout,

Thursday 16 November, your day to commit to quit.  If you have any questions or

desire help in quitting your tobacco habit, contact the Wellness Center at 688-2617 or

the Fisher Dental Clinic at 688-3331 for help.  Again, the Great American Smokeout

is just around the corner and we are standing by to help with your commitment to quit

your smoked or smokeless habit. Remember:  Don’t wait for the health effects of

tobacco to make you quit, because tobacco cost$ you each day you use it.  

New PFA Reporting Standards on Your Evaluation

BUPERS 1610.10C is out.  Here are the changes that effect the we the PFA is going to be reported.  The information below is directly from the instruction.  In short, with one quick glimpse of an evaluation, your last 18 months of physical fitness will be known. 


PHYSICAL READINESS
Enter the one-letter code for the result of each official PFA conducted in the reporting period. Document all official PFAs in block 20 using the following format: PPP. This indicates the individual passed three official PFAs during the reporting period. Do not enter spaces or slashes between the characters. Enter specific PFA cycle identification information in block 29.

Do not use Physical Readiness Test (PRT) and Body Composition Assessment (BCA) that are not part of an official PFA. Performance trait grades and recommendations shall conform to the following:

a. No mandated or prohibited trait mark required in "Military Bearing"/”Professionalism” for promotability and/or retention for reporting period in which member's first or second PFA failure in a 4-year period occurs.

b. For reporting period in which a member has failed three or more PFAs in the most recent 4-year period,
(1) Enlisted members shall receive:

(a) A grade no greater than 1.0 in "Military Bearing" or Professionalism (CHIEFEVAL block 35 or EVAL block 36).

(b) Marks of "Significant Problems" and "Retention Not Recommended” (Eval block 45 and block 47), respectively.



(2) Officers shall receive:
(a) A grade no greater than 1.0 in "Military Bearing" (FITREP block 35).

(b) Mark for promotability shall be “Significant Problems”.



(3) For members with three PFA failures in most recent 4-year period that have an approved waiver, reporting seniors shall use their discretion when determining "Military Bearing" or "Professionalism" marks fora reporting period in which the member passes two consecutive PFAs. However, the member must still receive a not recommended for reenlistment or retention for that evaluation period. In those situations, insert a bullet in the evaluation stating why the member is not recommended due to having three or more PFA failures in the most recent 4-year period.


Overall score of "Outstanding" or "Excellent" are not required for assigning 5.0 in “Military Bearing” or “Professionalism”. Block 20 Physical Fitness Assessment Codes





P - Passed both Physical Readiness Test (PRT) and Body Composition Assessment (BCA)



B - Passed the BCA but was authorized non-participation in the PRT for other than medical waiver reasons (see code “N” for non-participation reasons). Use of this code requires a comment in the comments on performance block (block 43 – E1- E6 evaluations, block 41 – fitness reports, block 41 – E7-E9 Chief evaluations) with reason for non-participation in PRT.



F - Overall PFA failure (failed BCA or PRT).



M - Medically waived from entire PFA (BCA and PRT).



W - Passed BCA but medically waived from 1 or more PRT event(s).


N - No PFA conducted during reporting period. Non-participation in entire PFA (BCA and PRT) due to deployment/operational (Dep/Op), Individual Augmentee Manpower Management (IAMM), Global Support Assignment (GSA), Overseas Contingency Operation Support Assignment (OSA), pregnancy, temporary additional duty (TEMADD) or excused. (Note: BCAS shall be accomplished on all members even if onboard less than 10 weeks or unable to participate in PRT due to Dep/Op. Dep/Op for BCA must be approved by the immediate superior in command (ISIC). Use of this code does not require justification for PRT non-participation in the comments on performance block.


Note: Format for block 20 shall be from oldest to most recent PFA performed during the reporting period. For example, PBF in block 20 and PFA: 10-1/10-2/11-1 in block 29 indicates that the member passed 2010 Cycle 1, did not participate in the PRT portion of 2010 Cycle 2, and failed 2011 Cycle 1.

Culture of Fitness

Many members of the Navy Reserve struggle with the physical portion.  My goal was to show them how just 30 minutes a day can make a big improvement.  My secondary goal was to make them want to continue after the October PHA was completed.  Below is what I sent them.

With the Navy looking at every way under the sun to remove a Sailor from service, I do not want to see PFA failures as the reason. If you can get up 30 minutes earlier 3 days a week, you will not have any problems passing the physical portion of the PFA.  Below is a sample plan.  You can do either the run or the bike.  Do this routine 3 times a week.  By doing it in the morning, you will burn extra calories for the next few hours. 

Week	Sit-up	Pushup	Run	Bike
1	5	3	Run 1 minute, walk 5	Ride 5 minutes
2	10	5	Run 2 minutes, walk 5	Ride 6 minutes
3	15	10	Run 3 minutes, Walk 5	Ride7 minutes
4	20	15	Run 5 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 8 minutes
5	25	20	Run 6 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 9 minutes
6	35	30	Run 7 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 10 minutes
7	40	35	Run 8 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 11 minutes
8	50	40	Run 9 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 12 minutes
9	55	45	Run 10 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 13 minutes
10	60	50	Run 11 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 14 minutes
11	65	55	Run 12 minutes, Walk 5	Ride 15 minutes
12	35	30	Run 7 minutes, Walk 10	Ride 10 minutes

We are now a nation that is 1/3 fat.

In 2006, only the state of Mississippi had an adult obesity rate above 30 percent.  Now, 12 states are above 30 percent.  The rest, with exception of Colorado, is above 20 percent.  Here in Indiana, it is 29.1 percent.  That means it will be very difficult for you to look a 3 random people on the street and not see someone who is not overweight.  While this is good news for the local gyms and fad diet programs, it is bad news for the Navy.

Recently while working with a personal trainer, he corrected my views about genetics and body fat.  He told me there is a correlation between your body fat and your genetics.  5% of your natural body composition comes from your Mom and Dad.  The other 95% comes from your choice of lifestyle.  I thought the percentage was a little higher for genetics.  This just goes to show you that your health is in your own hands.  Sure, you can argue that Grandma and Grandpa struggled with their weight.  You can say Mom and Dad struggle also.  Well, let’s look at the lifestyle factor.  If Mom and Dad grew up in a house with overweight parents, they may have adopted their parent’s lifestyle.  Since we grew up in our parents’ home, we probably adopted our parent’s lifestyle.  If you fall into this category, you have the power to make a positive change in your life, as well as the lives of your family.

I encourage each and every one of you to evaluate the food you eat and your personal activity levels.  Don’t make a change for the Navy, make it for your families.

I’m back

Now that I’m A CFL once again, I’ll be posting up articles.  Currently I’m assigned to NR Chinhae HQ where I am serving as the Assistant LPO and CFL.  Get ready for some new posts.

Exercise: Russian Twist

Here is another good a workout. Sit on the floor with a 90 degree bend in your knees. lean back about 45 degrees and hold your arms out. Now, rotate your waste without moving your legs. Needs some extra effort, hold on to a weight.

Are You Ready for Spring?

I know, it is the dead of winter. Most people spend their none working time in two locations. The couch or the refrigerator. This is an excellent time to get ready for spring.

The Honesty check:
I know of a mother who claims her young son is "Solid." The kid is obese just like both his parents. They are in complete denial that there choice of nutrition and activities they have made for themselves is sentencing there son to a childhood of being teased and teenage years without a girlfriend. Honesty goes a long way in living a healthy life.

Stand in front of the mirror in your Birthday Suit. Look from the front, sides and back if you can. Be honest. Do you have a body others would wish they had or one that you declared "Top Secrete" and only may be seen by those with a "need to know?" Now all of us have a blemish of some sort that we cannot hid. I have a long surgical scare behind my left knee I cannot do anything about, but I can do something about my mid section.

Here in Indiana, we are only 60 days from our normal first 70 degree day. A lot can be done in 60 days.

What can you do?

New Years resolution were made to be broken. Do not wait until 2011 to try again. Do not wait until Monday or the first of next month. This is about as worthless as the smoker who says he will quit when he turns 30....then 40....then 50............Get the picture? A gym membership is an investment that has a huge ROI (Return On Investment) potential. For those of you who know me, I'm still suffering from a knee injury in August. I finally stopped being ticked off about it two weeks ago and went to the gym. I've been doing exercises to try and strengthen my knee. In the past two weeks I've gone from being able to do nothing to running on the elliptical at drill this last weekend. What a difference the gym has made in the quality of my life in just two weeks.

Need a little help?

A personal trainer can help you get started. If you have had no formal training on how to get fit or are not motivated, spending a little extra money can give you that motivation and faster results that you need. I hit a motivational problem once. Once I committed to the entery fee, air fare, hotel, and meal cost of running in the Marine Corps Marathon, I did not miss a day of training for lack of motivation. It was so much fun for this Sailor to finish a marathon and then to watch Marines finishing over an hour later. For my current injury, I will be working with a personal trainer next month to try and get back into my running shoes, and my active lifestyle.

Reasonable Goals:

Set reasonable goals for yourself. "The body I had at 18" is not reasonable. "Get off my high blood pressure medication" is a reasonable goal. Another one could be to not have my gut hanging over my belt. Or maybe, to feel 20 years younger.

Look for motivation:

Motivation can come from a variety of places. This can be a personal goal like running your first 5K. It can be to fit in your uniform. Think of your chief in a dress uniform with buttons that are about to pop off. Don't be that guy. You could get in better shape to live a more fulfilling life with your spouse. You could do it so you will be there to walk your daughter down the aisle. For me, this last drill weekend I watched my shipmates play field hockey on the drill deck. Instead of participating, I was on the side lines felling like an old man. That is a feeling that I intend never to have again.

Exercise: Knee Raise

Here is one for the abs. Knee raises can be done in different positions. I suggest trying them all. By working the muscles in different ways, you are going to stress them more and cause them to grow. Don’t forget that you can do both sides at once, or alternate. Here are a few examples:

Hanging with straps

To get into this position with less potential injury, place a chair or stepping apparatus behind under you.

Hanging from a bar


Incline Bench
For this one just go to the decline bench that you would normal do crunches on. Instead of wrapping your knees around the grips on the high end, lay on your back and hold the with your hands. You are now shoulder up. Raise your knees and tri to touch your chest.

Exercise: Crunch

Yep, this is similar to the sit-up of the PFA. The differnece is you will be less likely to injure your back ith crunches then with a sit up. Take a look at the sailors below.

They are doing situps. The difference with crunches are:

• You keep your hands behind your head, but do not use them to pull yourself up.
• Your lower back stays on the ground.
• You do not touch your knees or legs.

To do a crunch

• Pause breifly in the up position.
• Do not jerk yourself up. Keep control of your movement.
• Try it with your feet together, and apart.

Hunger

Hunger is the scourge of weight loss. Are you hungry, or facing and emotional or habitual need to eat.

If you ate within the last few hours, chances are your body is not asking for fuel. Are you depressed? Are you sad? Are you missing something in your life? These are all questions to ask. What about habitual eating? I used to be in the habit of getting a carbonated drink at 10:30 AM and 2:30 PM. This was halfway between breakfast and lunch, and half way between lunch and going home. I was not thirst, I just had a habit. I needed to break this habit.

Will power helps, but lets give you a few more tools to use.

Water: You are mostly made up of it anyhow. Drink it. This helps to keep your stomach full. It keeps you hydrated and everything flowing smoothly inside. Yes you do go to the restroom more. What happens when you pee? You are getting ride of the waste products that your body does not need. Hey, what a great idea!

Keep good food handy: I like to keep bags of fresh fruit or vegetables close at hand. This is easy to do if you are on shore duty. At sea, well this is not so easy. Do not use the vending machine as a substitute. This could be an opportunity to talk with your CoC about having fresh fruits and veggies available between galley hours.

Eat often: Eating every few hours prevents hunger. Need I say more? Just be sure to eat natural foods, not junk.

Exercise: I’ve found that going for a walk, a run, hitting the gym, or play a sport makes me forget that I was hungry. In other words, I really was not hungry.

Try to work these 4 extra tools into your fitness plan and see how it can help you lose weight.

Don’t wait for the New Year!

New Years resolutions. Every gym in the country is trying to get you to set one to start exercising on January 1st. Why wait? What is so significant about January 1st? Waiting until then is nothing more than an artificial mental barrier. This barrier was set up in our heads while we were children. It is a sales gimmick. We watched our parents make New Years resolutions. People ask “What is your New Years resolution?” Of course, where there is demand, Entrepreneurs will provide the supply. Undoubtedly, you have see offers of this supply on TV for fitness equipment, gym memberships, and diet pills.

You don’t have to wait to start exercising, start now.

Easy Snacks

One of the challenges many people have is staying away from snacks. Here is a healthy alternative, veggie bags. Go to the store and grab your favorite veggies. Clean and cut them. Now, get some sandwich bags and fill them up. Keep them cool and handy in he fridge. Now, you have something to much on that is quick to get to. For those of you who eat six times a day, consider grabbing two bags on your way to work. Have on before lunch and another before heading home. The fiber in the veggies will help you to fill full. Also, you will not get any nasty chemicals in your system or lab created food additives.

Exercise: Bench Press

Come on guys. You know you like this one. It is the ultimate status of your manhood. It is the question that is always asked. "How much can you bench?" Well, a bench press does no good if you do it wrong. As a matter of fact, this on can seriously injure you.

A few things to consider for the bench press:

• Use a spotter.
• Keep you head, torso, and hips on the bench and your feet on the ground.
• Keep in control. Jerks do nothing but tear muscles. Smooth flowing motion develops muscle.
• Lower the bar to just above your nipples.
• Raise it but do not lock your elbows.

Exercise: Dumbbell Deadlift

This is simply a squat using dumbbells. This exercise develops your middle traps, lower back, gluteals, and hamstrings. Say what??? I mean it gives you muscular legs, and strong back, and keeps you butt from sagging.

To do this:

• Place two dumbbells shoulder width apart on the floor.
• Squat down and grab the dumbbells.
• Stand up and slowly lower the weights.
• Do not lock you knees and pause while standing.
• Keep a smooth, non jerking motion.

Exercising with Injury

I’ve been off the exercise band wagon for a few months now. I over trained my knee getting ready for Command Fitness Leader school in August and as of mid November, I’m still on the side lines. Healing is taking much longer than I expected. So, how do I stay in shape?

Over the past few months I’ve been so ticked off and worried about this injury that I’ve back off way too much on staying fit. My fear has been that this may turn into a permanent injury if I aggravate it too much and end my active lifestyle. Well, after 4 months, it is time to do something.

My doctor has cleared my for swimming and any other cardio activity that does not aggravate my knee. Obviously the first step is to see your doctor and follow their advise. I took an inventory of what I am capable of doing for short periods of time and I’ve come up with this list:
· Swimming
· Cycling
· Elliptical
· Stair climber

OK, cardio is now solved. As for strength, I’m going to take that one one day at a time. Obviously most all upper body activities should be OK with exception to any that requires me to carry weight or flex my knees. As for lower body, I’ll try various exercises to see what causes discomfort and which ones do not.

Once the doctor says go for it, create a plan that will not impede the recovery process. I did not do this a few years back. Because of the permanent injury caused by my ignorance, my arms are not several inches smaller then what they once were. Staying down for the last few months was the best option for me. Now it is time to start slowly getting back in shape.

Triathlon...Do you dare???

What the (insert explicative here) are they thinking? 2.6 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and then a full marathon. I'm watching the Ironman Championships in Kona. Interesting, a major sponsor is Navy Special Forces. So, do you dare? Triathlon is a very fast growing sport for th recreational athlet. You can find triathlons of all distances. The Ironman is the extreme.

Photos by: Bakke-Svensson/Ironman.

Care to try it out? Running is the easiest to train for. You need shoes and a road. OK, Swimming. A gym membership usally helps but if you live on a lake, no problem. The most expensive is the cycling. You need a bike. Please do not go out and buy a carbon fibre Lance Armstrong special. At the smaller races, you will see people on mountain bikes. Use what you have, buy later if you continue.

Here is an opportunity to raise physical awareness at your commands. Hold a triathlon. OK, maybe its the dead of winter. Most bases have a pool at the fitness center. Usually there are bikes and treadmills. Use your imagination.

Here is a link about the 6 sailors who completed the 2008 Ironman.

Exercise: Dips

Dips are a really versatile exercise. You can use a dip machine. This machine will have weights to reduce how much or your body weight you must raise. You can pull two benches together. Put your hands behind you on one and your feet on the other. Dip your body low between the benches and raise back up. Even to folding chairs can be used.