Forks Over Knives -- The Movie

If you are concerned about heart disease, you need to see this movie:

"If the truth be known, coronary artery disease is a toothless paper tiger that need never, ever exist and if it does exist it need never, ever progress." -Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D.

My Big Fat Vegan Passover Seder

"What do you mean, you don't eat no meat?.... That's ok, I make lamb!"

Quote from My Big Fat Greek Wedding

For my first seder that I prepared on my own, I thought I'd have my family and a couple of friends, and it would be a small festival.  But, as I put the word out, many people were looking for a seder, some had never attended one and wanted to know more about Passover, and others were just curious what a vegan seder would be like.  Next thing I knew, I had twenty guests in my home!!!

Seder Table -- Seder plate, matzah, and small glass of wine for Elijah the Prophet

My 5 1/2 year-old niece painted the seder plate.  She painted all the spots on the plate except for the spot for the shankbone, "Because we don't eat meat."  Cute.  In place of the bone, I placed a few beets on the plate, and a vegetarian friend brought his very own "tofu shankbone."  Traditionally there is an egg on the plate to represent the spring; instead we had a flower.

Passover has become a holiday of excessive processed foods, cottonseed oil, fat, and too many eggs.  Clearly, this is not the case in my home.  This is a Vegetable and Matzah Casserole from The Vegetarian Pesach Cookbook by Roberta Kalechofsky:

Matzah farfel, layered with sauteed eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers, covered with more whole wheat matzah farfel and tomato sauce.

Russian Potato and Mushroom Croquettes from Debra Wasserman's The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook:

I also served matzah ball soup based on the Post Punk Kitchen recipe, using tofu instead of egg to hold the balls together (I observe a sephardic Pesach, so I do eat soy and other kitniyot).  Mrs. Feinberg's Kugel, one of my favorites, made from sweet potato, apple, and carrots also made an appearance and was polished off quickly!

And you cannot ever ever ever forget dessert!!!!  One friend brought one of the infamous box mixes of brownies, but she used flax seed instead of eggs.  It came out quite good!  This is the No Bake Chocolate Matzoh Roll from The Vegetarian Pesach Cookbook.

And, what kind of holiday is it if the pets don't get to participate?  Here, my dog Curves eagerly finds the afikoman, or hidden matzah! :)

It should be the youngest child who finds the afikoman, not the youngest dog, right?  My mischevious dog Curves.

Have a joyous Pesach, and please, go easy on the eggs!

Training for Wildflower Long Course

It's been a bit too long since I've posted.... so I will update you on my training.  Coming soon, you'll get to read about my first Passover seder that I've hosted.  I will be having about 18 people at my home and the seder will all be vegan (and cardiologist-approved!)

51 mile bike ride yesterday -- climbed both Latigo and Mulholland!

I am again doing Wildflower Long Course -- a half Ironman-distance race (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) which is one of the toughest in North America.  The bike course is hilly, as is the run which more than half of it is on trails.

This year, I've switched coaches to Gerardo from Fortius Coaching.  He's definitely having me train harder than I ever have for a half-ironman distance race.  Rather than the 12-hours per week that I've become accustomed to when getting ready for one of these races, I'm doing 16-17 hours per week of training.  He also has me doing far more hill work on the bike and running.  I can't remember the last training run that was completely flat!

Two years ago, I finished in 7 hours 11 minutes.  Last year was a disaster due to a busy few days at work beforehand, and my inability to get any sleep at the campground before the race.  This time around, I'm not camping -- after all, I hate camping.  A group of us is renting a house.  So, I plan on being well-rested with the chance of finishing in under 7 hours.

Time to Start Exercising!!!

What's your excuse?

I've heard them all.  But, it's time to see the excuse for what it is, realize that exercise is crucial to good health, and start or get back to making it a habit.

A good goal for everyone is to get at least thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise most days of the week -- this is exercise that is sustained and keeps the heart rate elevated.  This means a heart rate of 60-85% of your predicted maximal heart rate, though an easier gauge of exertion is that you should be able to carry on a conversation, but talking should be just a little challenging.

Here are some of the excuses I hear every day:

"I'm too tired"
Exercise gives you energy.  The more you move, the more energy you have.  If you don't move, you have less energy.

"I have no time"
Your body and your arteries could care less how much "time" you have.  Make the time, it's important.  Do you have ten minutes during your lunch break to get outside and walk?  Do you have a couple minutes before dinner, or after dinner?  I'm sure you do.  I fit it in by getting up early in the morning, often 5:00 am, to get my workout in before I see patients.

"I have arthritis -- my knees/hips/back hurts"
Again, your arteries don't care about your aches and pains.  And, in fact, for some of those pains will benefit from exercise and range of motion.  If walking hurts, then get on a bicycle, or swim or walk in a pool.

"I have an active job"
Occasional lifting of heavy items or intermittent walking are not the sustained cardiovascular exercise that your heart benefits from.  Unless you are a valet who is literally running for hours to fetch cars, a bike courier, or you're doing some sort of continuous exercise for thirty or so minutes of a time, your job doesn't count as exercise.

"I stretch"  "I lift weights"
Great, I'm sure you're very limber or strong.  But that's not the sustained cardiovascular exercise that will keep your heart healthy.

"I'm lazy"
Really?  Don't be.

That's me, at about 25 1/2 miles into the LA Marathon, setting a good example for my patients and exercising :)

LA Marathon 2011 -- Cold and Rainy

Today was far from an ideal day.  In a race where hundreds dropped out due to hypothermia, I'm grateful to have finished as well as I did.

My Marathon Bib -- Keeping it Unique!!!

My morning started at 3:20 am.  By 4:20, I parked my car at my friend's condo in Santa Monica and walked to the shuttle buses.  I arrived at Dodger Stadium by 5:15 am, with over two hours to kill until the race.  In avoiding the morning chill, I intermittently sat, laid down and napped, ate bananas and soy yogurt, and used the port-o-potties about five times (yes, really).

Around 7 am, I checked my gear bag and fought through the crowd to get to my seeded corral, for runners who had previously completed sub-5-hour marathons.  The crowd of us was told that the corral closed at 7 am, which of course we had never been told, and created chaos and anxiety, and finally we were permitted to enter the seeded corral area.

Unlike last year, in which we waited forty-five minutes for shuttle buses to get off the jammed up freeway and drop off the rest of the runners, we started on time.  It was kind of funny because I think the gun went off earlier than it was supposed to -- the announcer gave a "Runners......" like he was going to say "get set" or something like that, but then *BOOM*!  And, the "We Love LA" song that plays at the beginning of every marathon started late and was skipping all over the place.  It was definitely an awkward start.

With the help of my coach Gerardo of Fortius Racing, I had decided that my strategy for a goal race time of 4:05 would be to run 9:20 per mile splits.  The first three miles were downhill, and I probably did each one in 9:10.  People were passing me all over the place.  But, as a seasoned marathoner, I know to let them go.  To paraphrase my first triathlon and running coach Mary Eggers, "There are two kinds of people who will pass you at the beginning of a marathon -- people who are faster than you, and people who will be walking at mile 22."

Less than a mile into the race, it began to rain.  This would be the theme of the day -- rain and cold.  At mile one, I ditched my waterproof jacket and was running in a tank top singlet and shorts.  I kept my gloves on, but by mile five, I tucked those into my shorts and ultimately disposed of them mid-race.  While it may have been fifty degrees and pouring rain, I didn't feel cold.

Mile four presents the biggest hill of the course -- a short, steep hill up to Disney Concert Hall.  I practice hills regularly, so this was no big deal to me.  With another uphill at mile five, and a port-o-potty stop, the next few splits were a bit slower.  Around the seventh mile, I ran into an LA Tri Club member who I know who was out on the course doing a training run.  He paced me for the next four miles into Hollywood and gave me someone to talk to, which made the run a bit easier. 

The rain poured harder, and at times felt absolutely torrential.  While I felt okay, I found out after the race that hundreds of runners dropped out, and several runners were taken to local hospitals with hypothermia.

I love running through Hollywood.  We ran along the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard, and then down the Sunset Strip.  This was about midway through the race.  Though my socks and shoes were soaked and the rain was pouring, I felt good and strong.  My time was a bit off at 2:04:00 at the half marathon point, so I thought that since I felt well I might still be able to hit my goal if I got back on my 9:20 pace.

And, I continued to feel pretty good.  The bottoms of my feet were sore, I had a mild ache in my right hip, but compared to other marathons I've done, I felt great.  But my splits were off -- they were more like 9:45 than the 9:20 that I was aiming for.

I continued to feel good running down Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, and then down Burton and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.  Once I reached mile 18 in Century City, I had a brief pep talk to myself:  Look, you feel good, now is the time to pick up the pace and try to hit your goal.  If nothing else, let's at least try to get a PR (personal record -- my best prior marathon was Long Beach 2009 which I ran in 4:12:55). 

About now, I started passing people.  A seasoned marathoner, and as this was my tenth marathon I think I can call myself "seasoned", knows how to pace herself.  Though I was passing more than I was being passed, and I still felt good, I just couldn't get much faster.

The toughest part of the race is about mile 20, through the VA Hospital grounds.  There's a significant uphill, and the scenery is blah at best.  The rain was absolutely pouring, I had given up on trying to run around puddles and landed right in them without caring as my feet were already drenched, and my legs were starting to ache.

Next is the turn onto San Vicente Boulevard.  The Hirshberg Foundation had an enthusiastic group with loud upbeat music and I would consider them the highlight of the entertainment on the course -- it's impossible to pass them and not feel energized.  They're also an organization that I support since the father of one of my closest friends died of pancreatic cancer.  So, from here, most of the course was downhill on San Vicente Boulevard.  In spite of my legs feeling heavy and tired, I was moving along at a good pace.  I passed far more runners than passed me.  There were lots of spectators and a number of people that I knew, and their encouragement pushed me toward the finish line.

Turning the corner from San Vicente onto Ocean Blvd, the end was in sight with about a mile left to go.  Fortius Coaching had an enthusiastic group cheering us on, and from there on out, I just pushed to the finish line.

My finish time:  4:12:59.  Just four seconds slower than my best marathon, Long Beach 2009, which was run in much sunnier conditions.

It felt so good to be done!!!  I must not have looked so good because one of the medical staff approached me, and I smiled, said I'm a doctor, and I'm okay, and he let me be.  However, hundreds who crossed the finish line, mostly those who finished after me and likely weren't running the whole thing and thus didn't keep their core temperature up, were treated for hypothermia shortly after finishing.

I walked the long three-quarters of a mile or so to the marathon finisher's festival area.  It was pretty empty since not many people wanted to make the trek in the cold and rain.  I was shivering.  The music was horrible, the gear check was horribly disorganized so I decided not to wait for my bag for fear of becoming hypothermic.  However, since there were so few people at the finisher's festival, I received about ten bags of potato chips and a dozen Clif bars because so few people came to take them.

All in all, it was a tough day with pouring rain and cold temperatures.  I didn't hit my goal, but I think I did well given the extremes in the weather.  I feel like if this was a warmer day without rain that I could have done better.  But, as I know others fared worse than I did with respect to their goals and the weather, I am grateful.

Salad Du Jour

Today's salad: tofu, lentils, korean veggies - lotus and burdock, mango, bell peppers, flax seeds, and avocado

One Week Until the LA Marathon

I don't typically get nervous about races.  But I am getting antsy about the LA marathon on March 20, just one week away.

I've been training hard.  I've put in at least eight runs of 15 miles or longer.  I've done them on about a ten minute per mile pace, and I've managed to run the last few miles of those runs on about a 9:00-9:15/mile pace.

I had a personal best half marathon time in January at the Los Angeles 13.1 -- 1:57:00.

Yesterday, my "taper" workout was a three mile warm-up, six miles at "marathon pace", and a one mile cooldown.  I decided that for the sake of this run that 9:15 per mile is my marathon pace, and I managed to do that while keeping my heart rate in a respectable range of 155-165 per minute.

So what kind of time will that get me in a marathon?  My personal best is 4:12 at Long Beach in 2009.  I can beat that.  One online pace calculator says that based on my half marathon that I can hit 4:08.  My coach thinks I can hit 4 hours.  I think 4:05 is a reasonable goal.  I'm not sure.

I care so much about this because I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  It's a far away dream, but I think that with the right training that I can do it.  The qualification standards just got tougher, but that just means that I have to get tougher.

This week is a taper week.  A few short runs, and some yoga and stretching.  And hopefully plenty of sleep so that I am well rested and ready on Sunday.

Sunday Brunch

Mom and I whipped up this brunch in about 30 minutes:

On the left is a tofu scramble with spinach and sweet potato.  I sauteed this in a wok, with no oil added, just some pepper, turmeric, and garlic.  On the right are pancakes made from the Aunt Jemima box mix -- instead of adding eggs, we used Ener-G Egg Replacer, a tapioca and potato starch egg substitue.

A big salad with lettuce, carrots, red peppers, cucumber, pear, ground flax seeds, and dried cranberries.

My plate -- loaded up with (clockwise from the top) salad with low-calorie mango vinaigrette dressing, Yves vegan sausage, tofu scramble, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and pancakes topped with baked apple and Soyatoo whipped topping.

My Coke (Zero) Habit

Growing up, and through college, med school, and internship, I drank plenty of regular pop/soda -- and I say pop because as a product of the Midwest, that's what it is -- pop, not soda.  As an intern on call, I carried a 20-ounce bottle of Coke in my pocket.

Sometime around the end of internship, as I thought about all the empty calories that I was getting from soda, I decided to give it up.  Since then, it's been a rare treat at a social event, limited to about four ounces, which is enough to fulfill my craving.

Then I started training for the Ironman.  Life became work, sleep, train, eat, work, sleep... you get the idea.  I was tired.  A cup of green tea was my pre-workout fuel, but then the Coke Zero can became a fixture on my desk at work during morning clinic.  I loved it -- the taste, the fizz, the caffeine, everything about it.  Next thing I knew, I was drinking nearly a liter a day of Coke Zero.

Now, I've read Skinny Bitch, and I know there's concern about aspartame.  And I know that putting processed crap into the body just isn't a good idea.  But I love this stuff.  I've cut back to one can, maybe two, per day.

A can a day can't be bad, right?  Not according to the most recent data on the subject. 

A recent abstract presented at the International Stroke Conference this week suggests that heavy consumption of both diet and regular soda in patients over age 65 is associated with a 61% increased risk of vascular events, including stroke and heart attack.  The risk remained even after adjusting for other risk factors.

The study is not perfect -- it was a small observational study of 2500 patients at one site and looked only at older patients.  While diet soda consumption has been linked to diabetes and the metabolic syndrome, this is the first study to link soda to vascular events.

So what about a 35 year-old vegan triathlete cardiologist with a one-can-a-day habit?

As I look across my desk at the empty soda can, I think it's time to give it up.  I may continue to drink diet soda at social gatherings, but as a daily habit, it's just not necessary.

UPDATE:  April 1, 2012 -- As of January 1, 2012, I have not had a sip of diet soda.  I'm done with it and I feel better for it.  Read about it here.

Sodium

Sodium.  Salt.  It's the bane of my existence as a cardiologist.

In medical school, we learn that 85% of diagnosis is history.  This is very true, especially when it comes to uncontrolled hypertension or congestive heart failure.

Why does sodium matter?  Sodium consumption leads to retention of fluid.  This can raise the blood pressure, and in someone with a weak or stiff heart, can lead to congestive heart failure.

When I encounter a patient with an extremely elevated blood pressure or new onset heart failure, the first thing I ask about is diet.

Me:  Do you watch your salt intake?
Patient:  Yes, I never add salt to my food.

And there is the first fallacy:  Just because you are not salting your food does not mean you are consuming a low-sodium diet.  There is often plenty of sodium in the food you are eating.

Me:  What did you eat yesterday?

The answers to this question are always interesting.  Here are some of the recent high-sodium items consumed by patients of mine:
Soup "but it was homemade soup, not from a can"
Pad Thai "with just a quarter of a cup of fish sauce"
Hot dogs
In 'N Out Burger
Pizza
Various foods on a cruise ship
Las Vegas buffet

If you are eating at a restaurant, you can assume you're getting a ton of sodium.  Any soups, or entrees labled au jus, in broth, marinated, in soy sauce, these will all be highest in sodium.  Or, if it comes from a box or a can at the grocery store, be cautious and read the label.  And finally, any homemade broth from an animal is loaded with sodium -- the drippings of the animal are very concentrated in sodium.

Read here for more on diet and hypertension and heart failure.
Image from legacy.co.mohave.az.us

Resolutions

My resolution is to do more yoga and to stretch.


Me and my nieces doing yoga on the Wii Fit

In the past, I've been of the mindset that you train hard to get better.  Which to some extent is true.  But, it's important to take care of your body too.  Yoga helps to strengthen and stretch.  Massage is good too.  I think that a combination of massage and yoga has helped improve and nearly resolve a hip flexor strain that I had been dealing with over the past few months.

Journey to Health

We all start somewhere.

This is where I started at age 18, an overweight college freshman who ate way too much pizza and ice cream, drank too much soda, and barely exercised.

If you scroll down to any post on this blog, you'll see pictures of me now.  It's a big difference, not only in how I look, but also how I feel.
 
I share this because I talk about lifestyle change all the time with my patients.  Diet and exercise are such important parts of heart health.  Patients have said in various manners, and others have silently thought, how can a slender cardiologist who eats healthy and exercises regularly relate to me?
 
I can relate because, as you can see above, I've been where you are.  I made my own journey from overweight unhealthy college student to fit and healthy cardiologist.
 
Just before starting medical school, I began exercising.  And over the course of medical school, my eating habits improved.  I ditched regular soda during my first year of residency.  During my second year of residency, I ran my first marathon -- slowly -- in just under six hours. 
 
Then, I started incorporating more vegetables into my diet.  During the second year of my cardiology fellowship, I went vegan.  And, over the past five years, through triathlon training and working with excellent coaches and personal trainers, I've become a better athlete, far exceeding my running times from when I was ten years younger.
 
In the meantime, I've struggled with my eating habits, particularly at night, when I have had tendencies to overeat.  A couple of years ago, I worked with a nutritionist to help get some of my eating habits in check.
 
I'm certainly not perfect in how I eat, but I've come a long way.  And I understand from my own experience that lifestyle change comes in baby steps.  It doesn't happen overnight.  But with time and with effort, we can all adopt healthier lifestyles.

Vegan Doesn't Necessarily Mean Healthy!!!

I was reminded of this recently.  A patient with high triglycerides told me of her intent to become a vegan.  She ate two meals and usually one smoothie every day from a local vegan restaurant.  While she was completely vegan at this point, her repeat blood work looked no better -- her triglycerides were still very high.

Why is this???

Not everything that is vegan is healthy.  Salt and oil are vegan.  So are avocadoes.  And coconut milk.  And white bread.  So, even on a diet that is vegan, we can still be unhealthy.

And, it's important to remember that when you eat at a restaurant, you don't know what has been added to your food for flavor.  Vegan or not, the chef usually does not care about your long-term health; he or she just wants you to love the food so you come back and buy more.

While I love a good restaurant meal, most of my meals are prepared at home.  I usually pack a salad loaded with veggies and tofu slices or lentils and a piece of fruit for dessert.

Remember:  A healthful vegan diet consists of plant-based foods that are unprocessed (or minimally processed), with lots of fruits and vegetables, with minimal (if any) oil, and low in salt.

My Team

To provide excellent care, it takes more than one person.  These are some of the people whom I am fortunate to work with every day.

From left:  Ashley our office manager, me, Lizzy our receptionist, and Keely my medical assistant.

They're a great team who care about our patients.  Lizzy is the friendly face that greets you when you enter the office and when you are leaving.  Keely is the person who brings you to the exam room and takes your vital signs.  And, Ashley works behind the scenes to schedule tests and keep the office running smoothly.

Going to a cardiologist can be and intimidating experience, and my wonderful staff helps to make our office a welcoming environment.  Without them, I could not do everything that I do every day, and I am so grateful to have them.

Off-Season Training

It's been a long off-season, or at least that's what I consider it, as I've been without a coach or a specific training plan since Ironman Lake Placid in July.

I still exercise most days, with three days of weights, three runs, and the occasional bike ride.

I was about to blog about "excuses" and the reason why we might stop exercising, with the premise of suggesting that we all get off our collective tuchus, stop coming up with reasons why we shouldn't break a sweat, and just get it done.  But then Tuesday morning came -- I woke up, ate breakfast, drank my pre-workout green tea, watched the news to hear that it was 38 degrees outside, and then went upstairs and crawled back into bed for another hour and a half.  I guess we all have our moments of inertia, and that was mine.

My running has consisted of three runs per week.  Tuesday is a tempo run, Thursday is a hill run either on my own or by doing hill repeats with my triathlon girl friends, and Saturday is a long run.  Yesterday's run was twelve miles.

Today I ran the Walk of Ages 5K.  At the start, a man in front of me tripped, and I in turn tripped over him scraping up my left knee.  But, we both got up and ran the race.  In spite of the rough beginning, I finished third place woman overall (first and second place were teenagers!) and first place woman ages 30-39.  My friend Miriam took first place in her age group 25-29.

Miriam and I and our gold medals!!!

Right now, I'm enjoying myself.  While I am training for a half marathon in January, I am maintaining my fitness and not pushing myself too hard.

Vegan Thanksgiving

My family celebrated Thanksgiving a week early.  So, if you're looking for a few ideas of what to serve at your celebration, here's what we had:

Broccoli recipe from vegancoach.com -- broccoli sauteed with shallots, walnut pieces, and a tiny amount of olive oil and soy sauce.

 Stuffing made by my sister-in-law's mother -- yummy with cranberries!

Field Roast celebration roast.  We also had a Tofurky, but that had been polished off before I took a picture of it.

Sweet potatoes!  My sister-in-law Mary Ruth made these.  They are far healthier than you would think from their amazing taste!  She mixed sweet potatoes, applesauce, and a little bit of Earth Balance spread, and cooked it in a crock pot.

Homemade cranberry sauce recipe courtesy of Chef AJ -- cranberries, oranges, and date paste whirred in my Vitamix blender.  Don't mind my brother's maturity in the picture below.

Mashed potatoes and Tofurky gravy.  I mix the potatoes with unsweetened soy milk, just a little bit of Earth Balance, a pinch of salt, and lots of pepper.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Get Healthy Challenge!

The staff at my office has talked about how they want to get healthier, and if you read down a couple of posts, you can hear a bit of my own frustration of maintaining my weight when not training for a major event.

As a result, I started the West Hills Multispecialty Office Get Healthy Challenge!  It is a five week challenge to eat better, adopt positive healthy habits, and lose weight.  The challenge started yesterday with a weigh-in.  I've offered up a $100 prize to the person who loses the most weight.  I've also given everyone a copy of the book Skinny Bitch for inspiration, since no one quite says it like Rory and Kim.

Each day, I am providing a health tip.  Today's tip:  Pack a lunch so you're not tempted by unhealthy choices around you.  Yesterday:  Soda has 100 calories per eight ounces -- cut it out!  I think I'm also going to have a "Skinny Bitch Potluck Lunch in a couple of weeks.

Nine people in my office are participating, and so far there's a lot of buzz..  I'm really excited!!!!

Cookin' With Chef AJ!

Chef AJ is a plant-based chef who prepares unprocessed foods with no sugar, oil, or salt. I've taken some of her classes and have loved her food, but have never prepared any recipes, until now.

This is my Vitamix, and in it I am making her "Dream of Tomato" soup.  It includes tomatoes, red peppers, lemon, and some spices.  I love the "Hot Soup" function because it blends everything and at the end of a few minutes, you have.... guess what?  Hot soup!

To make it my own, I added flax seeds and a cup of soy milk.

And, here's her Cranberry Relish.  At Thanksgiving, I make cranberry sauce every year.  It has orange juice, which is very sugary, and then even MORE sugar added.  AJ's version is simple:  Cranberries, oranges, and dates.  And psyllium husk, which I didn't have, so I didn't use, but it doesn't need it.

I love this stuff.  I'm going to make this for my family for Thanksgiving, but for them I'll probably add a few extra dates to make it sweeter.

Learn more about Chef AJ's classes:  http://www.chefajshealthykitchen.com/

Success and Relapse

We're doing great.  We've lost weight.  Look awesome.  Ran our first 5k.  Completed a marathon.  Or an Ironman.

And then, perhaps complacency sets in...

We aren't quite as careful... the exercise drops off, the good eating habits slip.  And there's a bit of denial... I still look good, my clothes still fit, I've only gained two pounds.  Four pounds.  Then ten pounds.

But the reality is, often we relapse from the good habits we've adopted.

That's a position I find myself in.  After Ironman, my exercise has decreased dramatically, as it should -- 20 hours of exercise per week is way too much.  I'm still working out six or seven days a week, but the intensity of those workouts has decreased, or they're shorter.  I walk/run with the dogs and call that cardiovascular exercise, when that is nothing compared to what I used to do.

And I'll have to admit, my eating habits haven't adapted entirely to that change.  And here I am, seven pounds heavier than when I finished Ironman Lake Placid.

It's time to get back on the wagon..

I'm writing down everything that I eat.  I'm being more mindful of my portions.  And, I'm making sure that I get an hour of cardiovascular exercise every day.

I will do better.  We all can.  Tomorrow is a new day, and going forward, I will get back to where I was.

Dog Companionship Can Make You Healthier

I've had my pooches for six weeks now.  It's been an adjustment for all three of us.  I've learned that it takes dogs time to build up stamina for long walks when they've lived in a kennel environment all of their lives. And they've learned that my dining room floor is not a toilet.

Curves and Gold, my rescued greyhounds, have been so wonderful to have.  As I've mentioned before, they make me a happier person.  They always greet me with wagging tails.

There's great benefits to owning dogs.  Dog companionship has been demonstrated to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.  Dog owners have less depression.  They get over acute illnesses much quicker.  And dog owners live longer.

Of course, if you're looking to get your own dogs, rescue.  NEVER buy from a breeder.  So many dogs need loving homes.