Running update

Lots of fun new things in this department.  My brother (barefoot running aficionado) gave me a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods for Christmas.  Although Dick's doesn't stock Vibrams, they did have the Adidas version, called Adipure.  I went and tried a few pairs on to determine the correct fit, and decided to get them.

A New Way to Run

While browsing my blog feed yesterday, I came across this article from Root Simple, which linked me to this NY Times article about barefoot running.  (I just typed "barefood" by accident.  That should tell you something about me.)

I should explain that I have always been overweight, and have always hated running.  In gym class, I could never complete the required number of laps at a run.  At best, I could run half of each lap.  I couldn't understand how my classmates were possibly running so fast, and for so long.  I figured it must be that I was fat, and not built for running.  That has been my line every time the subject comes up: "I don't run.  I'm not built for running."

Chiropractic care

On the recommendation of a friend, I have started going to a chiropractor in town here.  I had a headache from last Monday through yesterday; went to see Dr. C on Friday and again today.  No headaches today!  But Dr. C "adjusted" me again, so now my lower back is kinda sore.  Hooray for ice packs!  More adjustments three times a week for a month.  Hoping to get my spine sorted out.

Anyone else have experience with going to a chiropractor?

Political Musings

A friend on Facebook linked an article on Eagle Forum about NEA campaign spending.  Although I have been a member of NEA, as it is required for student teachers in order to have liability insurance, I understand and agree that the organization's influence is extending too far beyond matters of education.  The NEA is often a bully and a monopoly; it seems to be more interested in supporting the status quo than making any progress.

However, after reading about Eagle Forum's mission, I became angry and sad.  Certainly, there are issues on which I agree with the Forum.  But there are other points in which I see intolerance, hatred, and most of all, irrational fear behind the Forum's goals.

I am usually not a very political person.  I don't pay much attention to politicians, and I don't identify strongly with one party over another.  But this website made me so upset, I had to say something.

Calorie Counting Conundrum

About a week ago, I started using Everyday Health to keep track of what I eat, how much I exercise, and my weight.  It's much more convenient (at least for me) to keep a food journal online than by pen and paper, but I've run into some difficulties.  I cook most of my food at home, myself, and I try not to buy packaged, mass-produced, chemically-engineered food except when I have to.  This makes finding the foods I've eaten on EH's list difficult.  They have all kinds of name-brand varieties of pre-made dinners-- you know, the ones that advertise "Just heat and eat!"-- but more natural ingredients are harder to find, and less specific about their serving sizes.

It's even more difficult when I make my own food.  I recently made pulled pork, including my own barbeque sauce.  When listing this food, I had to settle for "Cripple Creek Pulled Pork" (whatever that is) with generic barbeque sauce, since I had no way of knowing the caloric content of my homemade stuff.

I also have no way of knowing if their calorie values for unbranded food (most of what I buy) are accurate for the specimens I am eating.  For example, the calories in cherry tomatoes are "per item".  My cherry tomatoes may be larger or smaller than those EH bases its calorie values on.  I buy pastured eggs, which have been found to have 1⁄3 less cholesterol, 1⁄4 less saturated fat, 2⁄3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E, 7 times more beta carotene, and 4 to 6 times more vitamin D than regular eggs.  So when I'm watching my cholesterol, do I go by the 211mg in a single egg, as EH suggests, or should I go with a third less than that, 141mg?  That's a pretty big difference.

I know, I know.  To resolve these issues, I could consult other online calorie and nutrient counter sites, compare their values, and either choose which one I think is most accurate or take the average.  But the whole point of a site like EH is its convenience in not having to do that.  For now, I'm just estimating based on the EH guidelines, and trying to make sure that my estimates are likely higher than the actual values, so I may be pleasantly surprised someday.

What do you think?  How does one count calories (or any other nutritional content) on food items that don't come in a package?