The Life Ledger

Fitness is a way of life.

FDA Investigation Leads to Several Indictments for Importing Contaminated Ingredients Used in Pet Food
The article says it all:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and chief executive officer, were indicted by a federal grand jury today in separate but related cases. The indictments are for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine. These products were used to make pet food.

… On March 15, 2007, a pet food manufacturer alerted FDA to the deaths of 14 cats and dogs, several reported by consumers and several that died during routine taste trials conducted by the company. The animals were reported to have developed kidney failure after eating pet food that had been manufactured with the purported wheat gluten.

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Lower-income Neighborhoods Associated With Higher Obesity Rates

Obesity prevalence has increased significantly among adults and children in the U.S. over the last two decades. A new study appearing in the journal Nutrition Reviews reveals that characteristics of neighborhoods, including the area’s income level, the built environment, and access to healthy food, contribute to the continuing obesity epidemic.

… [The researchers] also found that residents in low-income urban areas are more likely to report greater neighborhood barriers to physical activity, such as limited opportunities for daily walking or physical activity and reduced access to stores that sell healthy foods, especially large supermarkets.

I’ve read in several places over the years about the cheaper calories (snack foods, fast food, etc) being the unhealthiest available. I wonder what the prevalence of fast food and potato chips is among the neighborhoods studied - too bad the report didn’t include this information.

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Childhood Obesity And Sleep Duration Linked

Less sleep can increase a child’s risk of being overweight or obese, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their analysis of epidemiological studies found that with each additional hour of sleep, the risk of a child being overweight or obese dropped by 9 percent. The results are published in the February 2008 edition Obesity, the journal of The Obesity Society.

… The recommended amount of daily sleep varied between studies analyzed and with children’s age. Some research suggests that children under age 5 should sleep for 11 hours or more per day, children age 5 to 10 should sleep for 10 hours or more per day, and children over age 10 should sleep at least 9 hours per day. The Hopkins researchers used these suggestions for their analysis.

I’ve read several similar research summaries over the years and often wondered what the connection is between sleep and weight gain. My personal experience is when I’m tired, not only do I tend to eat more (sometimes unconsciously), but my craving trends towards higher-calorie foods like breads - it’s almost as if, in order to stay awake, my body consumes more fuel than it needs.

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No real change, in neither weight, nor eating habits nor exercise. I’ve gone biking a couple of times, but nothing real consistent. Dave has gotten me interested in running again - it’s been my dream for a while to run in a Disney marathon. Maybe I’ll make that happen in 2008.

It’s interesting, it appears my appetite is linked to the amount of sleep I get - the less I get, the more ravenous I am the next day. Dave figures it’s my body trying to overcompensate for my low energy by seeking energy elsewhere, and that makes sense. It’s tough on those days to remind myself I’m not actually hungry. I actually go against the grain a little - where most people swear by not eating anything after a certain time (usually between 6 and 8), I usually eat my last snackish meal between 8 and 10. People forget that we burn calories even while we sleep - eating something small that late at night helps me not be hungry first thing in the morning. Works for me, won’t work for everyone.

A little site news - the Traineo review is almost complete; I’m hoping to post it tomorrow. I didn’t realize how much effort goes into writing reviews. It’s fun, but it takes a lot more time than I thought. I’ll have more reviews sometime soon-ish, continue the getting started series, and we’ve been working on some actual tools and resources unique to Life Ledger that will start going live hopefully in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Still maintaining, still no consistent exercise. I took my mountain bike by the shop for tune-up (if anyone else lives in the Asheville, NC area, Carolina Fatz is an awesome bike shop). I have a Haro v4, which I bought early last year. I did a lot of research on mountain bikes, read some reviews, talked shop to several store owners, and rode a few bikes in the same price range - I don’t think anything compares to the Haro:

• Solid, light frame
• Nice Shimano shifters - Moving from the grip-shifters my last bike (a Trek) had, these lever shifters are a dream. No more “dialing in” the gears - one click and it shifts.
• Shimano Deore derailleur - Deore isn’t the best in the Shimano line, but it’s nice and smooth. I tested bikes with Shimano components both higher (XT, LX) and lower (Alivio) in quality, and the Deore seemed to have the best quality at the best price. I could definitely tell a difference between the Alivio and Deore - less clunking, much smoother.
• Disc brakes - Moving from rim brakes to disc brakes was like upgrading from a 486 to a Core Duo: worlds apart. I tested both mechanical and hydraulic, and while I could tell a difference, I didn’t feel the cost was worth it for me.
• I love the shocks (it’s got a RockShox fork), but it wasn’t noticeably different than the others I rode, probably due mostly to the fact I tested them in parking lots. I purposely went for a hardtail - I don’t like the spongy ride a softtail gives, and they’re more money than I wanted to spend.

When I bought the bike, I immediately had them install some Shimano clipless pedals. It took about 15 minutes to get used to them, and a few rides to get comfortable with them, but well worth the price and initial discomfort. Just a tip - ride on dirt your first couple of times. And don’t skimp on the pedals - being able to clip out quickly is pretty important, as is being able to rely on the clip’s retention. I didn’t get anywhere near the most costly, but I didn’t skimp either.

This weekend, I’ll bolt on some fork clamps to the toolbox on my truck and an eyelet for running a bike chain, and I’ll be ready to hit the trails! Between mountain biking, volleyball (which should start up soon) and racquetball, there should be plenty of opportunity this summer for outdoor exercise. The first time in years I’ve actually been excited about getting outdoors - it’s a wonder what losing 70lbs will do.