Archive for September, 2011

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When the Nutrition Facts Don’t Add Up

Published September 27, 2011 Nutrition Diva 1 Comment
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The Nutrition Diva
by Nutrition Diva

Q.  I thought that if you added up the grams of proteins, carbohydrates and fats on a label you would get the total number of grams in a serving. But that never seems to be the case. Where are the missing grams?

A.  No need to call in Math Dude for a consult! What’s missing from your equation is the portion of a food that’s neither protein, fat, nor carbohydrate.  In most cases, the mystery grams are water.

Here’s the Nutrition Facts label for a 1 cup serving of 2% milk.  As you can see, this serving weighs 244 grams.  Of that, 5 grams are fat, 12 grams are carbohydrate, and 8 grams are protein.  So far, that only accounts for 25 grams.  (See the Math Dude’s tips on  ”How to Add in Your Head“)

Continue reading ‘When the Nutrition Facts Don’t Add Up’

The Oxford English Dictionary Adds “Kewl”

Published September 27, 2011 Grammar Girl 17 Comments
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by Grammar Girl

Grammar Girl Now in an Oxford English Dictionary near you: “kewl.”

“Kewl” is a funky spelling of “cool,” and in my experience is pronounced slightly differently. (The OED lists two U.S. pronunciations: /kjul/ and /kul/.) 

“Kewl” may seem new to you, but the OED places its first use all the way back in 1990 in a Usenet group post about the band Jane’s Addiction. Its adoption into the  mainstream seems swift: by 1995 it appeared in the serious science magazine New Scientist (albeit in quotation marks). The OED‘s first example of “kewl” used without quotation marks is in 2007.

The OED still marks “kewl” as slang, which means you shouldn’t use it in your annual reports or school papers. Use it anywhere a smiley face would seem appropriate. (The Collins English Dictionary, available through Dictionary.com also includes “kewl.” Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary does not.)

What do you think? Have you ever used “kewl”? Will it fade away like “phat,” “square,” and “boogie” or gain a lasting place in the English language like “cool”?

Related Article: How Do Words Get in the Dictionary?

Mignon Fogarty is the author of Grammar Girl’s 101 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know. 

“My trainer said my dog should be on Prozac!”

Published September 26, 2011 Dog Trainer 3 Comments
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By The Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerThat trainer is subject to criminal penalties. In some states, he might even be a felon. No joke! Because when someone who doesn’t hold a license to practice veterinary medicine starts prescribing specific medications, that person is … wait for it … practicing veterinary medicine without a license.

Dog training as a field is just beginning to professionalize — to develop standard requirements for education and practical experience. The best dog trainers these days are well read in the science of animal learning in general and canid behavior in particular. We do make a point of learning what behaviors and changes in behavior mean a veterinary workup is in order. We also keep up in a general way with what behavioral meds exist and what they’re used for. But here are some things I for one don’t know, or don’t know in detail:

  • all the potential side effects of behavioral medications
  • how behavioral meds may interact with other medications the dog is taking
  • how behavioral meds may be used in combination
  • canine neurology and neuroanatomy

Unless your trainer happens to also be a vet, look at her cross-eyed if she starts prescribing. And even if she is a vet, you might want to do some grilling. What to look for?

Continue reading ‘“My trainer said my dog should be on Prozac!”’

How to Start Running

Published September 26, 2011 Get-Fit Guy 3 Comments
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Get-Fit Guyby Get-Fit Guy

Want to transition from sofa to sprinting safely and effectively so you stay injury free?  Read on.

How to Start Running

You can start running by doing walk-run intervals to gradually ease your body into the new form of movement. Depending on your fitness, start with a total distance of 1-3 miles, and use a 3:1 walk:run ratio. That’s 3 minutes walk, 1 minute run, then back to 3 minutes walk until you’ve traveled two miles. Perform this workout 3-4 times per week with a full 24-48 hours in between sessions.

via coretherapy.com.au

How to Build Running Endurance

After 1-2 weeks, progress to a 2:1 walk:run ratio, with walk efforts of 2-4 minutes, and run efforts of 1-2 minutes. 1-2 weeks after that, move on to a 1:1 walk:run ratio, but maintaining a maximum of 4 minutes at a time.

You can then begin to reverse the ratios:  run 2 minutes and walk 1 minute for 1-2 weeks, then progressing to a 3:1 run:walk ratio for 1-2 weeks. Finally, after that stage is complete, you can eliminate the walking altogether, and run the entire distance. You can also begin to increase total running distance by about 10% distance each week.

Quick and Dirty Tip: Walk fast during the walk intervals. Keep your feet moving as quickly as possible. If you do that, you’ll find the transition back to running to be far easier.

Which Running Shoes Are Best? Continue reading ‘How to Start Running’

Use a Single Notebook for Notes

Published September 25, 2011 Get-It-Done Guy Leave a Comment

One Notebook to Rule Them All

Get-It-Done Guyby Get-It-Done Guy

One of the most wonderful things about having pencils, pens, and paper, is that we can jot down notes. Lots of notes! If you own sticky pads, you can jot down notes and put them everywhere. While this is great way to remember things, it can quickly create a lot of clutter. Also, since notes are spread out, we never consider them relative to the other notes we have. “Remember to buy Q-tips” becomes the most important thing because we’re staring at the sticky note, not because we’ve considered it in the context of everything else we need to finish.

Quick and Dirty Tip: Grab yourself a single notebook to use for all your note taking. Whenever you have something you want to jot down, do it in your notebook. Write the date by each entry. The notebook will become your ongoing repository for the random-things-you-need-to-capture-but-you-don’t-know-where. This is your catch-all notebook, not a to-do list or personal productivity tool. At the end of the day, review the day’s entries and transfer anything that warrants being turned into a to-do item or calendar item to your task management or calendar system.

I’m Stever Robbins, host of the Get-it-Done Guy podcast. I help executives reclaim their time by providing focus and accountability around their most important goals. If you want to have one of your most productive days ever, try one of my Do-It Days™:
http://www.DoitDays.com
.

Overcoming Your Dog’s Begging

Published September 25, 2011 Dog Trainer 1 Comment
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By Dog Trainer

The Dog TrainerToday’s project is to teach your dog to beg for table scraps. “Wait, what?!” you’re thinking, “my dog totally knows how to do that already!” Yes, of course. Some dogs–okay, most dogs–seem to be born knowing how to put their nose in your lap while you eat. And how to paw your knee, and how to nudge your elbow at the exact moment you lift the soup spoon. There is a better way:

  1. When you sit down to eat, set aside 5 or 10 tiny pieces of whatever you’ve got that your dog likes. And then be patient and ignore her.
  2. Ignore her if she looks at you pleadingly. Ignore her if she barks. Ignore her if she rests her big sweet head on your thigh and whimpers because she’s about to drop dead, she’s so famished. Whatever you do, don’t hold out for 29 minutes and then cave on the 30th. You will have built a dog who has learned to pester for 30 minutes, and you will want to knock yourself upside the head.

    image via chefjancris/Flickr

  3. Sooner or later, if you resolutely ignore your dog’s begging, she will give up and go away.  The instant she lies down, toss her a piece of the food you’ve set aside. Lying down quietly is now the one and only behavior that will buy her table scraps.
  4. Odds are close to 100 percent that as soon as she’s eaten the treat you tossed her, she will get up and start begging again. Your mission: keep ignoring her. Eventually, she’ll give up and go lie down again. Then toss her a scrap and repeat, repeat, repeat.
  5. As your dog gets proficient, you can stretch the interval between treat tosses. With enough practice, your dog can learn to wait patiently through the whole meal for a single bite.

But I don’t bother to push that far. Our despairing dog settling onto the floor with a deep sigh makes us laugh, and I can’t resist tossing him a treat every few minutes in exchange. Remember, the house manners that keep you and your dog happy and comfortable are the house manners that are right for you.

How Do They Make Diet Bread?

Published September 24, 2011 Nutrition Diva 3 Comments
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Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

by Nutrition Diva

The Nutrition Diva

Q. How do they make low-calorie bread? Is there anything bad for you in it?

 A. Often, low-calorie bread is just regular bread, sliced thinner.  (Ta-daa!)  But it may also be made with added fiber or resistant starches—ingredients that add bulk but don’t add calories because they are non-digestible. Neither one is bad for you.  Take a look at the ingredient list; you want one that reads more like a recipe and less like the inventory of a chemistry lab.   (For more on decoding ingredient lists and package claims, see chapter 3 of my book.)

See also:

What are Resistant Starches?

What’s the Difference Between Soluble and Insoluble Fiber?

4 Common Skin Problems

Published September 24, 2011 Girlfriend MD 4 Comments
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By Girlfriend MD

Girlfriend MDThe skin is often described as the largest organ in the body and, like any body part, it is subject to some unpleasant problems. Here are the 4 most common benign skin conditions and how you can deal with them on your own:

The doctor is in! (clevercupcakes/Flickr)

1. Acne

The jury is still out on whether poor diet can cause acne, so the first step is to keep the skin clean, but if the acne won’t go away, here are some medicines that can treat it:

  • Over-the-counter benzoyl peroxide washes or creams used twice daily kill the bacteria that forms in the oil glands beneath the skin’s surface.
  • Topical antibiotic creams or gels are a tougher prescription alternative.
  • Scrubs with a “tretinoin” derivative, such as Retin-A or Differin gel. (These options tend to be a tad harsher on the skin, causing redness, dryness, or flakyness, but they generally do the job.) Continue reading ’4 Common Skin Problems’

What is “The Burner”?

Published September 23, 2011 Get-Fit Guy 1 Comment
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by Get-Fit Guy

Get-Fit GuyWe all have those hectic periods in life when time is so valuable that spending an hour in the gym is simply not doable.

via RBerteig/Flickr

The good news: By choosing the correct exercises, it’s completely possible to maintain and even improve your fitness with just one 15-minute workout. This short workout is what I call “The Burner.” Here’s how to do it: Continue reading ‘What is “The Burner”?’

You Can Refuse an Unreasonable Search

Published September 23, 2011 Legal Lad 3 Comments
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by Legal Lad

First, a disclaimer: While I am an attorney, the legal information in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for seeking personalized legal advice from an attorney licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.

You ran a red light — oops! A police officer flags you down and after requesting your license, etc., asks “Hey, mind if I take a look in the trunk?” or “Anything in the car I should know about?”

via the holy hand grenade/Flickr

Just because the officer has asked to search your car, does not mean that you have to let him. You may simply say, “No. You may not search my car.” You generally have a right to remain free from unreasonable searches. But, if you tell an officer that he can search your car, you just waived that right. After that, anything that is found in your car can be used against you in court. What cannot be used against you is the fact that you exercised your constitutional right to remain free from unreasonable searches by refusing to consent to the officer’s request. But… Continue reading ‘You Can Refuse an Unreasonable Search’

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