Health Benefits of Sex

Partners in Health e-newsletter - May 2012 - general_health:


'via Blog this'


So I get up on Mother's Day and in my inbox, I see this email from Kaiser. In the subject line it says "How sex is good for your health." Now naturally, it peaked my curiosity, so I click and take a look.


According to the article, the benefits of sex include three things:

1. Stress relief
2. Burns calories
3. Strengthens your pelvic muscles

Now the first two I can see it benefiting both men and women, but the third, well, I'm not so sure the Kegel-like exercises will help, but then again I'm a guy...what do I know.


So ladies, go find your significant other, or for those that don't have one, pull out B.O.B. and have a go at it. Go reap those benefits.

New Year's Resoultions

Around this time every year, people all over begin to make a list for themselves. Often times it will include things that we take way or give up, eat less, lose weight, stop smoking, drinking, or some other substance. It also can be things that we want to do more; exercise more, save more, or laugh more. But often, these lists that we create for ourselves fall short in the end. "I'll start in the new year," is often the mantra that many aspire to. Why do we put so many things off until another day? If its something that we want to change why not start right now? I read somewhere once that "Procrastination is like masturbation.  At first it feels good, but in the end you're only screwing yourself." Not sure who wrote/said that, but how true that statement is.


So, what kind of resolutions do I have... There's a loaded question for myself. Well, this year I want to make changes for myself. I need to work on me, and focus on that. This is in every aspect. I have several things that need to be worked on.


For those that know me, you know that I'm working with some great people to try and open a charter school. This place is going to be crazy. Gone are the days where we only prepare our students for the "high stakes" tests that need to be administered to students. No, we're trying to bring education back to what it's really about...thinking. Yes, I know, so simple, yet its something that education had moved away from.


Wait, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Resolutions. So I've come up with a few things.


1) Save Money. Now this might sound easy, but honestly, I have issues with this...I like to spend. However, now that I'm on my own, I got to budget better, and get a grip on my finances.


2) Get Ripped! Now most of us have a goal like this at the beginning of the year. "I want to lose weight, I want to get in shape, blah blah blah." Come on people, stop wanting and let's do this. I'm trying to workout 6 days a week, but at least 5. Nothing much, nothing crazy...just making sure to get at least 60 minutes of physical activity in everyday. Now the getting ripped part...well, I'm not sure I'm going to get it...but I'm going to by trying every day! So if you want a workout buddy...hit me up.


3) Focus on me. After so many years of being in a relationship with the same person, doing what I though I was doing to keep things smooth...well forget it...I'm looking out for number one. What this means, either get on for the ride, or get off...don't drag me down. Now this doesn't mean I won't work on the relationship that I'm in. It only means I'm not going to take shit like I did before. Sorry for the language.


4) Get rid of crap. I have a lot of crap that I just can't seem to let go of. Why am I hanging on to it? Well, it could be useful...right? Well, that something that I have to work on.


So there it is...my resolutions. I have 352 days to get this all done...unless the end of the world actually happens on 12/21, in that case does it really matter?

Shopping!

Shopping, something that men and women do very differently, generally speaking. Men tend to be 'get-in, get-out' style. Women on the other hand like to walk from store to store, look at every item, and try on every other. Now I'm not saying that one way or another is correct, or even that one style is better than another, there just different. As I posted on an earlier post, I've been slimming down. In the at slim down process, much of my wardrobe that fit me before, I know swim in. Shirts, pants, you name it, I'm swimming in it.I use to wear 36 waist pants, at first because it was the style that I wore, now even a 32" is loose after I eat. I'm slightly up in my weight to 170, but the inches keep coming off. I know I've hit that point where I've lost much of my fat (still have some), and muscle is developing. But I digress.

So with this weight lost, I've been in dire need of new clothes. I finally went with my brother from another other to his suit place. This place is truly a man's store. We walked in, and I told the sale rep what I was looking for, and in a matter of minutes, he was able to put together a look that I just fell in love with. No I don't have pictures...yet, but I'll update this post when I take some. The sales rep was a funny guy, telling me that I could get married in it, and I responded that I was getting divorced. At the moment, what seemed like everyone in the store came over to shake my hand. It was a joke...getting divorced, buy a suit. The best part of all this, the suit out the door with all the accessories was less than $300. I remember when I bought my first suit...it was close to $500, and wasn't even close to the quality that I got. They have truly gotten a new life time customer in me.

Buy a suit of this quality also means that you need to get it tailored. We walked around the corner, and in a small hole-in-the-wall place I got that taken cared of for $6! and I waited less than 10 minutes! Yes I'll tell you where I went at the end of this post. In addition to my clothes, I've recently gotten into hats.

Now I'm not talking ball caps or the like. I'm talking about fedoras. I've never been a real big hat guy, but I'll be damned I look good in them. I bought my first one in H&M on sale, and I'll be honest, it looked nice...now, well it's starting to look its $5. I went to C-town and got better quality ones in more styles and colors...now, well you'll see when I get the pictures up.

So to wrap this post up, yes women and men shop differently. Us men tend to spend less time getting the things we need, whereas women tend to spend more time looking for things that they don't. Men, don't get mad at your woman...understand that they is they way they are. Let her know that you're not into the long hours of shopping, but be kind about it. Occasionally go on a shopping trip with her, let her know that you're willing to do something you don't enjoy, just don't expect it all the time. And ladies, understand that your man might not enjoy shopping as much as you do, so cut him some slack from time to time. Enjoy the times he does go, but don't make him feel like a jerk when he doesn't.

So here's the places I mentioned above:

Roger Stuart Closthes

729 S Los Angeles St

Downtown

Los Angeles, CA 90014

Richard's Tailor Shop

111 E 7th St

Downtown

Los Angeles, CA 90014

Do you exercise so you can eat or eat so you exercise?

Over the past decade, we as a society have been obsessed with dieting. We're always looking for the quick way to loss weight, look thin, be fit; an entire industry has developed earning billions of dollars a year. It seems like every month we're learning about a new diet, pill or piece of exercise equipment to help us in our efforts to gain the body we always wanted. Now experts; nutritionists, exercise physiologists, doctors, trainers have all been preaching the formula for years now, but no one seems to listen. Watch what you eat (portions here) and how much physical activity do you do.

A good friend of mine once told me, "I exercise so I can eat."

This, to me, sums it all up. Are you eating so therefore you exercise? or do you exercise so you can eat? That's the simple question. Do you stuff yourself throughout the day, so  you feel obligated to go to the gym and get some cardio in? Do you guilt yourself into getting off the couch and moving your body? That's what you need to ask yourself. Do you eat more than you need to sustain your activity level? Well do you?

Or are you in the other group? You exercise so you can eat. Michael Phelps, this was a guy who, if you looked at what he ate, didn't give you the image of the best diet. Pizza all the time. But hey, when you swim as much and as hard as he does, burning up all those calories, you can do that. So get up and exercise...burn those calories off. The more you burn, the more you can eat. Remember moderation, eat whatever you want, just remember these simple equations:

• Calories in > calories burned = weight gain
• Calories in = calories burned = weight maintained
• Calories in < calories burned = weight loss

The Divorce/Breakup Diet!

Over the years, in my very long relationship, I gained some weight. It happens in just about every long-term relationship I've seen. This isn't to say that it always happens, but I'll just say it happens more often than not. During my tenure with my ex I went from 160 to one 195 at my heaviest. Now I'm not blaming it on her, by far, I know it was me. Over the course of the years that we were together, we both over indulged ourselves with food and lack of physical activity. The pairing of the two did not go well together.

But, one great advantage of everything that has happened is that I've begun my transformation. I've gone from 195, my heaviest in December, back down to 169! I like to call it the Divorce/Break-up Diet! Its as if my body knows that its on the market again, and the 195 lbs, 25% body fat isn't attractive. Once I discovered the infidelity of my wife, and come to realize that there was no hope of saving the marriage, well my body went into the transitional stage that I'm in now. I began shedding the pounds, dropping my body fat percentage down to it's current 15%. I'm much more active now as well.

One of the great things that my ex introduced me to was The Bar Method. Now, just to be clear...I'm not getting any money to promote them or their studios. I just enjoy the classes, and I see results. It also doesn't hurt that the classes are primarily filled with women with great bodies! It helps to keep my motivated. OK, back to topic. Bar is a no-impact workout that focuses heavily on isometric contractions (exertion of force without a change in the length of the muscle or muscles exerting the force). Now I could go into details about all the benefits of the classes, but hey, if you want to know you can look it up.

Over the months, I've talked to a great many people about my situation, and I've heard from many back that they are also struggling with their relationships. Whether they're married, or just dating...it just seems that this isn't a good year for relationships. Well, at least for some people I know. Strange. However, one thing that I have noticed in common with these relationships, my own or others, everyone is in the divorce/breakup diet. My friends and I are trying to better ourselves, not for our partners or spouses. Not even for future partners, but for ourselves. I'm making changes for me. I'm making changes so I can live a healthier and more active lifestyle. One that I've been wanting to do, but have been held back.

So those out there going through a rough patch, get out there and get active. You don't have to go big, start small...maybe just walking for 20 minutes after dinner. Give yourself some me time, it's OK. Find things you always wanted to do and go do it. You don't have a partner to hold you back anymore...you're your own person living for yourself. See and feel your body change, and enjoy it for the better.