Run DMZ

During my blog hiatus I did a 30-day elimination diet.   “We should both do Whole30 ,” my friend suggested one Friday night as we wolfed down chips and dip to counter the quick effects of her lemon martinis.  I’d done only one true elimination diet, back in 1988. It didn’t go well, in part because it called for fancy food, and I lived on an Alaskan island where six red plums cost me $12. The second attempt was about 15 years ago, and I quit after I could only eat the garnish at an office birthday party spread. It wouldn’t have been noticeable were I not among the honored guests.  I also should mention this friend did 50 pushups in pumps and a mini skirt in front of everyone at her 50th birthday party. She’s incredibly athletic [read: disciplined], and I knew she’d hold me accountable.  We talked for all of two minutes, with mouthfuls of Doritos, about the logistics and likelihood we could do this. I declared: “I’m in.”  What is Whole30?  I knew nothing...

I’ll be honest: I’m not a fan of the winter holidays. I tend to see them as just more work, only unpaid. I wish I wasn’t such a Scrooge, but it takes a lot for me to get in the mood to buy and wrap and ship presents. To bake sugary treats and not give in to sampling. To sit through a sensory-friendly showing of   How The Grinch Stole Christmas at The Old Globe and not cry. To deal with indoor and outdoor lights. Babysit more than usual. To make one more library-book run to stock up for an anticipated work lull that somehow rarely happens. To find everything on grocery lists for special brunches and dinners. And, of course, nail all of my many work deadlines.       Not to mention, even with early morning temps finally requiring heavier jackets and sweaters, it doesn’t feel like Christmas. Never does here in San Diego.   But this is a great time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t this year, especially in keeping with this year’s theme:  Clean . In some...

I’ve written numerous times about bathroom issues common among runners and probably anyone whose repetitive movements impact their  gastrointestinal organs ,  kidneys  and  bladder . Pre-exercise nutrition is a key factor; you need to make sure you eat foods and drink liquids that help prevent things like diarrhea and dehydration. But there’s another important factor that isn’t always within the runner’s control. I’m talking about restrooms. If you run or even walk long and far enough, especially if you pre-hydrate to ward off other dangers due to hot-weather workouts, then at some point you’ll need to make a pitstop. This typically isn’t an issue and may even predetermine a select route. But these are still not typical times, despite the relaxing of rules that now allow for more public interaction. Depending on where you work out outdoors, you may need to go and find a public restroom near a still-shuttered state or local park is closed. It’s also not as ea...

I have to admit I've never fully bought the "addictive nature" of junk food, even as I was engrossed in a bag of Ruffles that disappeared in minutes without me even realizing it. We all have a weakness and some of us are able to manage our cravings better than others. Real food is also more expensive than the fake stuff, which we can buy on sale and with coupons. But I highly recommend you read The New York Times feature on " The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food ." It's based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning author's upcoming book on the same subject, which is already cued up on my Kindle Fire. The piece opens with one of those secret meetings in 1999 in which big CEOs behave just as we expect them to behave: without any scruples, ethics or morality. Here's the crux: The public and the food companies have known for decades now — or at the very least since this meeting — that sugary, salty, fatty foods are not good for us in the quan...

At 7 Saturday morning, my friend called to let me know that their 2-year-old had just come home from the ER. I was due to babysit her and her 3-year-old sister for the weekend while her moms went to Las Vegas to celebrate a birthday. The toddler had a stomach bug, and even though the worse had passed, my friend was willing to stay home. I knew how long they had planned this trip and agreed to stick with the plan. Which is how I ended up dehydrated and delirious with fever the past 24 hours. Fortunately, the illness didn't strike until Sunday night after everyone was home and I was able to get sick in my own home. But here it is Tuesday and I still lack an appetite and have trouble moving around, mainly because my body's sore from six hours of straight retching followed by 18 hours of shaking under the sheets. Tylenol doesn't work to reduce a fever if you can't keep it down. I feel like I did after undergoing a colonoscopy several years ago. I feel "clean....

If you want to lose more weight by running, do it by miles and not minutes. For instance, say you'll run 5 miles and not 40 minutes because we overestimate how much distance we actually do when we run by time, according to Self magazine. If you want a racy dream, fall asleep on your stomach. The mattress apparently stimulates your breast and pelvic regions. Guys say they prefer women who don't wear makeup then they actually complain if they don't wear any. So, ladies, wear makeup for your man, just not enough to where he can tell. An old NYC acquaintence has always been courageous, talented, truthful and beautiful, but it's still startling to keep seeing her in Juvederm ads -- using her real name too -- that say, "With Juvederm, no one will know." Really? Kale is the trendy veggie now. Or it was last month, anyway. The reason legs and hands get so dry in winter is because neither area produces many natural oils. And Glamour magazine recommends a $125...

I'm a huge tea drinker. I have, like, at least 5 cups a day. And although tea is very subjective, I've become pretty good at distinguishing good teas from not-so-good ones. Lately, I've been consuming oolong tea as much for the taste as for the potential health benefits. Those benefits include: Reduced cholesterol in the bloodstream Weight loss Improved digestion Stronger bones Reduced tooth decay I'm not sure how many, if any, have been scientifically proven to do any or all of that, but I do notice that when I have a couple of cups, I'm less hungry and more awake. This is no surprise since oolong combines some of the best benefits of black tea and green tea. I personally think it tastes more like green tea, which is mild. Some people claim oolong tea helps improve their skin. And reduce their stress. Where you buy your tea counts. If you don't know already, the stuff you buy in most supermarkets is the lowest grade, the dregs of earlier harves...

Now that I've raised everyone's social conscience about the true cost of our fresh food and other goods , I thought I'd focus on some of the benefits of those fruits, vegetables and another natural ingredient: the sun. A couple of weeks ago I attended a health conference and one session focused on treating the whole person through diet and exercise. Many of our "lifestyle diseases" such as type 2 diabetes come from poor choices and bad habits. I thought I knew it all, but here are some things I learned that surprised me. Vitamin D - Not as Easy to Get as You Think We all know that vitamin D is a key component of our everyday health, and that the best way to get it is from direct sun. (Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to depression.) What you may not know is that if you wear sunscreen, you not only block potentially harmful rays but also the beneficial ones. Similarly, once you ingest vitamin D through the skin or the stomach (in food or pill form), you must...

For decades I went through life believing I was allergic to Novocain, a common local anesthesia. As a result, I never was numbed when I had cavities filled or even an episiotomy during childbirth. (And epidurals? Forget it!) All because when I was 5 I fell off a see-saw and was knocked out. I remember the fall and next coming to as a doctor was stitching up my forehead. I was told my heart rate wasn't right after the injection and shouldn't take Novocain. That was in the 1960s, and I stuck with that story through a lot of painful procedures. Then this summer I went to a new dental practice for my first crown. Instead of taking my word, they conducted an allergy test because the formula had changed and - lo and behold - I wasn't allergic anymore. I now wonder if I ever was. This got me thinking about the sudden surge in food allergies and this article I read earlier in our local newspaper . It seems to buck against evolution that we're becoming less tolerant of our envi...

Earlier I shared steps that I took over the summer to improve my overall health . Everyone reaches a stage in middle life where serious self-evaluation is needed. I do not begrudge my many years of running, but I do now see that my dedication has done some real damage. Here’s what I am doing now to try and make it up to me. Maybe you can learn from my mistakes. 1. Maintain a healthy weight. We all know our metabolisms slow as we age, though many don’t slow as much as we think. Instead, our appetites grow along with our income, especially once we hit our 40s. We also tend to have desk jobs by then because fieldwork is for younger folks. Now that I live in a much smaller home with very limited pantry space, it’s easier for me to not eat as much or as often. So if diets haven’t worked for you, consider the “scarcity” model and only stock, at most, a week’s worth of meals. And, of course, try not to eat too many empty calories in the name of carbo-loading. 2. Improve flexibility . ...

It's been a terrible week for those of us whose commute includes the I-15 corridor. CalTrans closed the express lanes for construction, and my normally 30-minute drive home in "normal" San Diego freeway traffic grew to 90 minutes no matter which alternate route I sought. This is the problem with living around millions of people, all of whom get around by car. (And in my defense, there are no other public transportation options where I live in Carmel Valley, which is, of course, why the roads are so congested.) Sitting so long in traffic has had one advantage -- more time to catch up on news. I used to listen to NPR on my MP3 when I commuted by bike at my previous job. Then they outlawed earplugs/headphones for cyclists in California and the trips became better remembered for grinding up the 56 bikepath hills in sweltering 90-degree heat. I saw some current cycling sufferers on one ill-fated attempt to get home sooner and was wistful. One report that was particularly of in...

For the past month I’ve developed a new routine to try and overcome a major weakness in my running: overall fitness. So I’ve been running less and hitting the machines more to provide more balance and to prevent burnout. Ideally, I’d like to hit a new masters PR in the 10k this summer but a recent visit to the doctor’s office has me reconsidering. I’ve developed severe allergies that have dramatically restricted my running (and breathing) capabilities. Here are a few things I’ve learned about running with allergies: Pollen counts are highest between 5 and 10 a.m. So, if you can, avoid running during those hours. Wind is your worst enemy; sunglasses, your best friend . The wind factor is obvious, but if you are caught in a windstorm or just hit a pollen pocket being blown around, those sunglasses help protect your eyes so they itch less. It’s easier to develop allergies as you age . I rarely suffered from nasal allergies until last year, and then the case was rather mild. But as we age...

Some weekends I feel closer to my food and this is one of them. That’s partly because yesterday we made our annual pilgrimage to Little Quail Farm in Valley Center to pick our own ripe persimmons. Partly it’s because I finally made it to a farmer’s market and felt a little pious buying direct from growers versus grocers. But mostly it’s because of pigeons. Yesterday morning I drove down to Coronado to babysit canisters, cups and a couple of jackets while everyone in our half marathon training program ran around town at daybreak. (I even saw AKA Alice gearing up for a Silver Strand ride in a chance encounter.) Once everyone took off, I sat on a concrete bench with a book and about 10 minutes later noticed a couple of pigeons walking toward me. Soon more pigeons were on the move and before I knew it they were arriving en masse. Feeling like a hapless victim in the early 1970s movie “ Willard ,” I stood up to leave, which is all the action it took for them to fly away. But they kept comi...

I'm curious if anyone is now incorporating chia seeds into their regular diet or pre-run fuel regime? And, if so, what's been the outcome? There's a discussion on DailyMile.com about it. And a friend a few months ago made me one of those chia drink concoctions featured in the book Born to Run . It gave me terrible diarrhea the next day, so I haven't taken them since. But, I keep hearing how they create natural energy and suppress appetite. True? DailyMile conversation [you may need to be a member to access] What are chia seeds? Chia seed benefits Chia seed side effects Chia seed as a 'Pure Healing Food'

Last night I was reading a book about a popular plus-size model, which includes a chapter on eating disorders and fat bias and several times quotes a UC Davis nutritionist. My daughter had mentioned earlier that she was excited about her nutrition class, a favorite on campus. So I asked her the name of the professor. It wasn't the same woman, but it turns out my daughter's learning sports nutrition from none other than Liz Applegate , who should be a familiar name to anyone who's been an avid or even casual reader of Runner's World . She's had a column in the magazine for many, many years. Meantime, I'm learning about what the Mayo Clinic calls "normal weight obesity." It's a term for thin people who are still "fat." Conversely, there are plenty of heavier people who actually are healthier because they don't carry as much fat. It also includes both scientific and anectodal evidence that just because you lose weight doesn't mean y...

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that a fair number of you plan to eat better in 2010. If so, you might be interested in some tips from one of the leaders of the current Real Food Movement, Michael Pollan. He's got a new paperback to guide your gastronomic decisions . Among my favorites of the one-page passages in Food Rules (culled from online reviews): Be the kind of person who takes supplements, then skip the supplements. Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk. The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead. It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car.

This weekend has been marked on my calendar since August, when a farm in Fallbrook took out a notice on Craigslist to let everyone know that persimmon picking would begin the first full weekend in November. That weekend finally arrived, along with an email invitation to former customers of Little Quail Ranch deep in Valley Center, where we set out Saturday morning. The timing worked well for me because I’d decided to take the day off from our half marathon training program to ditch some e-waste at our suburb’s annual recycling event. It’s usually full by mid-morning, but as a sign of the times, there was still plenty of trash truck space at all the recycling stations by 9 a.m. People are indeed holding on to their stuff now, which is probably just as good for the environment. From there we drove up to northern San Diego County, though my husband did so under duress. It’s college football season, after all. To win him over, I repeatedly vowed to be quick and to not go over budget, and I...

Last week I had a friend over for lunch and decided to test a recipe on the POM Wonderful site with some of the pomegranate juice I received. I made a simple spinach salad infused with a pomegranate vinaigrette. It tasted terrific. You can mix together any ingredients, but because I knew this would be a sweet dressing I selected: 4 c. fresh baby spinach leaves ½ c. honey-roasted almond slivers ½ c. dried cranberries 1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped 1 cucumber, sliced thinly Dressing: 1/3 c. POM Wonderful juice ¼ c. olive oil 1/3 c. red wine vinegar 2 T. grated red onion 1 tsp. sugar ½ tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper

Once upon a time a woman named Lynda and her husband bought a pistachio farm in central California and found it came with an orchard of exotic-looking orbs. Rather than raise the fruit trees to make way for another money-producer, the couple researched the market potential of this tart-tasting fruit and discovered these gems were nutritional gold. I’ve eaten pomegranates since Shelly Yoder shared one with me in the ninth grade. But it’s only been in recent years that the fruit has reached the height of its popularity – thanks in part to medical research, marketing genius and health-conscious consumers who like their food loaded with vitamins and antioxidants . And POM Wonderful , the juice that’s 100 percent pomegranate, is one of the best ways to get these benefits, I’ve just discovered. The folks at POM recently sent me a small box of 8-ounce bottles of their juice to try and report my findings here at Run DMZ. When my older daughter lived at home, I bought pomegranates almost weekl...

A hat tip to my friend Annie in Elizabeth City, N.C., who sent me a link to a Sierra Club taste test on energy bars. In case you're wondering which were deemed the best tasting and best for the environment, here are the top five: 1. LUNA White Chocolate Macadamia $1.39 | lunabar.com "Luna bars, marketed to women by the makers of Clif Bars, are 70 percent organic." 2. OLYMPIC GRANOLA Almond Chocolate Trail Bar $2.99 | olympicgranola.com "Olympic Granola's corn-syrup-free bars are made of non-genetically-modified ingredients that are grown without chemical sprays." 3. ONE LUCKY DUCK Chewy Almond Crunch Bar $6.50 | oneluckyduck.com "Handmade in small batches, this pricey bar is from a company that sells only raw, vegan, organic products." 4. CLIF BAR Cool Mint Chocolate $1.39 | clifbar.com "Clif Bars are 70 percent organic, and the company engages in many sustainable actions, including diverting most of its waste and using biodiesel for its fleet...