<p>I didn’t do anything for Friday’s storm. About 90% melted on its own and there was next to no accumulation. Perhaps you had more snow than we did though NH was supposed to get a lot more than MA.</p>
<p>There was only half a foot (“only”) today so I cleared the car, moved it, cleared the driveway, used the snow rake to get the edge off the roof, went upstairs, cleared the roof, did the snow rake again and all done. It’s a lot better than doing it every other day as it was in January. I expect the snow to be gone later this week given upcoming temps.</p>
<p>On the fish oil front: I started taking it close to 10 years ago at a point when my rheumatologist said, “Well, it can’t hurt.” Now they strongly recommend it to all their patients because of its anti-inflamatory effects. It also has very beneficial effects on triglyceride reduction, so my internist recommends it, and my eye doctor recommends it to everyone with dry eyes. I take 5-6 capsules a day (Costco) – I’m not sure one a day would do a whole lot; the university research I’ve read has used levels similar to this. I don’t take it on the days I have tuna or salmon or another “oily” fish. </p>
<p>I used to take high doses of Rx anti-inflamatories every single day – a number of which subsequently were taken off-market. But within six months of starting the fish oil I found that I needed them only episodically, and at this point I don’t even keep a bottle of Rx anti-inflammatories around. OTC stuff is enough, not that I need it often.</p>
<p>On the fish oil: it does seem to be the case that it might help, probably can’t hurt, so I am giving it a try. </p>
<p>On the fiber supplements: I wouldn’t mind getting more fiber too, so I took a look at the fiber supplements in the pharmacy section of Costco. I think I must be having an off day because my reading of the label is that 6 tablets provide 3 grams of fiber! And no insoluble fiber. Am I understanding this correctly? If so, I think I will stick to adding flax seed to my soup.</p>
<p>Amesie, look up psyllium husk which is sold at TJ’s and health supplements sections of supermarkets. It is plant-derived, all natural insoluble fiber that is supposed to be diluted with orange juice or water for consumption. I think flax seeds should add plenty of fiber to your diet, and if you eat enough veggies, you should be in a good shape fiber-wise. The soluble fiber supplements have added artificial sweeteners and color, and I simply can’t see why adding these components can be beneficial for anyone’s diet.</p>
<p>That’s sounds about right. I use the psyllium husk fiber capsules – generic drugstore brand, but Metamucil also sells them. They are .52 grams of fiber each. I take 6 in the morning and 6 at night for a total of about 6 grams of supplementary fiber.</p>
<p>If I’ve got that right, that’s about the same dietary fiber as two tablespoons of flax seed, ground into meal. I’ll have to try grinding some flaxseed and see which I prefer.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, the average man in the US has a waist of 39.7", and the average woman in the US has a waist of 37.1".</p>
<p>Given that the average man in the US has a height of 69", the average waist is 57.5% of that. And given that the average woman in the US has a height of 64", the average waist is 58% of that. Both are significantly above 50% of height (which would be 34.5" for the average height man and 32" for the average height woman).</p>
<p>Note, however, that trouser waist is not necessarily true waist for this purpose, due to “overhang”. Also, trouser labels are not necessarily honest (a well known phenomenon called “vanity sizing” in women’s clothing, but has also been found on common brands of size 36 men’s trousers which had actual measurements of 37" to 41").</p>
<p>I just wish there were even consistency in a brand. I have two pair of Haggar black khaki pants that I bought at TJs last week – one “look sharp khaki” and one “everywhere khaki”. Both the same size waist (34). Both labelled “classic fit”, so there’s no “relaxed” or “slim fit” distincition. The “look sharp khaki” are a large 34, the “everywhere khaki” is the smallest 34 I’ve tried on. There is about a 1.5 inch difference in the actual waist size. This difference has held true for all sizes. The casual Haggars are consistently the smallest waist sizes, with their fancier, dressier versions being among the largest.</p>
<p>I like what they do on sporting goods clothing. They put the international sizes down there so you have a relative idea as to what the sizing is in the US market. It’s interesting to see the variations between country standards.</p>
<p>LOL, me too! A couple of summers ago I ordered a pair of black shoes from zappos. I liked them so much that I immediately ordered them in brown. The brown ones were smaller, not just to the foot, but to the eye!</p>
<p>My latest pet peeve is picking your shirt size (usually tech shirts now) when you sign up for a race. Sometimes they don’t tell you if it is a women’s fit shirt or a men’s. If I pick a small, the men’s fit shirt will usually be too big. It I pick a small and it is women’s fit, sometimes it looks like doll clothes.</p>
<p>Actually, I take it back. The absolute smallest pants relative to the marked size are Polo Chaps suit separate pants. I’m wearing a 34 in most brands now, and the 36 in those now fit perfectly. I think those are actually sized to true waist measurement.</p>
<p>Dockers seem to be consistent, not only from size to size, but also from style to style. They are run a bit towards the optmiistic “vanity” end of things. The “look sharp” Haggar khakis fit exactly the same as Docker’s khakis.</p>
<p>It’s all so confusing. I just buy 'em, bring 'em home, try them on a couple of times, and take back the ones that don’t fit.</p>
<p>And this is men’s pants. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. I can’t imagine the nightmare of trying to sort out the womens clothing sizes.</p>
<p>Perhaps the casual ones are marketed to younger people, while the dressier ones are marketed to older people (who may have a hard time admitting that their waistline is getting bigger)?</p>
<p>Well, this one was a real long slog. In fact, I really wasn’t sure there was another 5 pounds to be had. Two months of watching the scale bounce up and down and back up, with a week where I actually gained 2 pounds. I just had to be really patient.</p>
<p>Ran 2.5 miles today - didn’t get a chance to do weights as my schedule didn’t permit it. Son just finished 100 dumbbell chest press repetitions at 40 lbs. He’s going running tonight. He’s putting those 1 1/4 pound weights to good use.</p>
<p>He’s got me beat! I did four sets of 8 per arm for a total of 64 I guess. I was using a 35 pounder and a 30 pounder. Holding one up while pressing the other and then switching. Pressing the 35 pounder is a lot harder than the 30 pounder. Go figure!</p>
<p>I only bumped the weights up on one of the four exercises today. I bumbed the 64 split squats up to a 30 pounder and a 25 pounder from the two 25 pounders I had been using. That really gets the legs burning and the heart pumping. This unbalance loading adds an interersting wrinkle.</p>
<hr>
<p>Hardest exercises of the day were the ValSlide pushups – pushup position, extending one arm forward and back then the other. I can only do six on each side, then I need a break for six more. These roll-out type core exercises are brutal.</p>
<p>Then came mountain climbers with two hands on the stabilty ball. That feels like the abs are on fire in just a few reps. Really tough exercise that looks so tame.</p>
<p>He’s using 2x20, not 2x40. He just asked for more weight so I bumped them up to 22.5 pounds. Those 2 1/2 plates I got at Sears a few weeks ago came in handy. When my son is home, he goes down and uses the weights randomly throughout the day. I’m for incremental increases in weights so I’m not bumping up the weight quickly. I don’t have anymore anyways. I think that the next one that I’ll get is a 10 pounder and two 5 pounders. This will give him flexibility on the dumbbells for the future.</p>
<p>Packed running stuff for after work. Planned to run outside. Did NOT plan on 25 degree temperature drop and horrible wind. Stuck with the dreadmill. 5 miles done watching boring news.</p>
<p>I think about the only clothing that are sized like they always were are 501 jeans. It’s ridiculous that I fit into a pair of pants in a size I haven’t worn since I was 20 pounds lighter than I am now.</p>
<p>I went for a brisk walk today and got hot! :eek: I even dragged dh for a very short walk in Central Park after we’d been museuming. Since we then went and ate Austrian kuchen with espresso laced with whipped cream, I’m afraid the walk was completely inadequate. It was yummy though!</p>
The soluble fiber supplements have added artificial sweeteners and color, and I simply can’t see why adding these components can be beneficial for anyone’s diet.</p>