Men lie about yearly goals. So do women.

Don't you love the new year? So many polls on what was, what is, and what will be.

The information today comes from Mindbloom, which  issued its annual Life Improvement Pulse Report and discovered that men are projecting that their careers (31%) followed by relationships (20%) and health (17%)will be the most important life areas in 2013.

For 2013 women are projecting it will be their health (29%), followed by careers (18%) and relationships (17%).

But here's the rub: the same survey showed that what people say and how they behave throughout the year are different.

In last year's survey,  men cited their career as their most important life area for 2012, yet when Mindbloom looked into the actions that men took in 2012, it discovered that men placed a higher priority on conducting acts first to improve their relationships, then health, and finally their career.

In addition, while men kicked off 2012 with a focus on their careers, they finished the year having checked off more relationship-oriented actions, such as: 'say I love you,' 'schedule a date night,' 'check in with my parents' and 'give someone a smile.'

Men did place a top priority on taking actions related to their careers, including 'clean out my email in-box,' 'write a to-do list,' and 'add a connection to LinkedIn.' However, they preferred actions for health improvement over their career. The most popular health improvement actions included focusing on things like drinking water, exercising regularly and taking a walk. The least popular life areas men focused completing actions in 2012 was in finances, followed by lifestyle, creativity, and spirituality.

What women said they wanted in last year's survey and what they did in 2012 were also at odds. In the 2011 survey, Mindbloom found that women said their health was their most important life area, followed by their careers and then relationships. 

Their behavior was a little different: yes, they did a lot for health and careers, but relationships lost ground to an interest in improving their creativity. To be more creative, women focused on accomplishing acts like trying a new recipe, taking a photo or listening to music. The least popular life areas women focused on completing actions in 2012 was in spirituality, followed by finances, relationships, and lifestyle.

So while the poor guys are out there trying to make a love connection, the women appear to be exploring their own creativity.  Hmmmm.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass that all along to you. Here's the press release if you want to read the entire thing, and see how folks say they are going to adjust their life for 2012.

Really easy tips for cutting fat but leaving in the flavor

It's no secret to anyone who reads this column or San Jose Fitness Examiner that I'm a big fan of the American Council on Exercise (ACE).  

As we head into the new year, ACE has developed a quick, healthy holiday cooking video  to help you prepare seasonal favorites and avoid those two extra pounds.

 

Here are some of ACE’s recipes and cooking tips for compromising fat and not flavor:

·         Use whole grains: You don’t have to sacrifice enjoying rolls and stuffing during the holidays. Instead of choosing white bread, opt for whole grain products. Check out ACE’s kale, apple and chicken sausage whole grain stuffing recipe for a traditional stuffing alternative you and your guests will surely love.

·         Reduce Sodium:  This season comes with its fair share of hearty, warming soups. However, these often contain high sodium levels. You can still enjoy your favorite bowl of soup if you cook it with a low sodium broth. Lower your sodium intake while maintaining a quality taste, and start your holiday meals with ACE’s Spicy Sweet Potato Soup. Can we link to these individual recipes

·         Throw on the feta: Everyone loves cheese, but we all know it’s high in fat. Substitute regular cheese with feta; it’s lower in fat and makes your dish look pretty and festive. Serve up ACE’s green bean and almond salad with feta and cranberries for a delicious side that’s sure to be a hit.

After maintaining flavor, indulge without overstuffing:

·         Listen to Your Body: It takes about 20 minutes after eating for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s satisfied. When there is a spread of holiday dishes in front of you, this message may be even more delayed. Be sure to listen to what your stomach is saying before taking another serving of stuffing.

·         Use a smaller plate: You can still enjoy all of the holiday foods that you like, but portion size is key. To ensure that you’re not taking more than you need of one dish, use a smaller sized plate. You can always go back for more, but once that oversized serving is on the plate, you can’t put it back.

Stress: deal with it or pay for decades

A recent situation caused me so much stress that I was almost incapacitated. I came across this transcript of a podcast from  U.S. Department of Health & Human Services HealthBeat which served as an important reminder.  I'm passing it along for others who may be in the same situation.

We all experience stress at some point. There are interpersonal stressors, like arguments. There are overloads. I have too much to do and no time! And there are network stressors that happen around you. Researchers reviewed the National Study of Daily Experiences to see how people react to stress, and how that affected long-term health.

David Almeida is a professor of human development at Penn State.

“People who reported being emotionally reactive were 30 percent more likely to report chronic health conditions 10 years later.”
People were more reactive to interpersonal stress that involved their family. If you’re feeling stressed…
“Get away from the situation. Try to take a break. And, if possible, engage in some sort of physical activity.”

The study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

Angeles Burke shares 3 great anywhere, anytime exercises

Quick, effective workout: Anytime, anywhere exercises to fight the holiday bulge

  Angeles Burke, who is one of those incredible-bodied bikini fitness goddesses, a member of the National Physique Committee, a certified fitness instructor through Aerobics and Fitness Association of America and a Celsius sponsored athlete, put together a holiday workout with three exercises that could be done pretty much anytime, anywhere. 

 

 I liked them not because they were remarkable exercises but 1) because she wrote them in a nice way and even had photos to go along with them, and 2) because even if three exercises (10 reps each, 3 sets a day) aren't the equivalent of going to the gym they do keep you from getting that sloggish feeling that comes from not doing any workouts.  

Here's one of her exercises, but go to Examiner.com to see all three along with some photos she sent so you can check your form:

 Holiday Cooking Lunges
Who says cooking for the holidays had to be dreaded work? Lunge across the kitchen while cooking and baking: no walking allowed! Grab ingredients as you need them, making this workout more intense and earning that holiday pie for dessert.
a. Start with your right leg forward, left leg back in a lunge stance.
b. Keep your front knee behind your toes and the majority of your weight on the front heel.
c. Push off the ground with your front heel and step your left leg forward past the right.
d. Keep your chest up, back is nice and tall. This is great for stability as well.

Didn’t your trainer teach you any manners? A guide to the unwritten rules of working out in a public gym

I'm not much for recommending books I haven't even read yet, but we're headed to the most dreaded month for gym rats: January. 

Gyms across the country are swarmed with newcomers each January. As any regular gym-goer can attest, the first few months of the year bring out all kinds of newly inspired fitness fanatics, many of whom could use a lesson in gym etiquette.

The following preview of a book crossed my desk and I found myself shouting, "YES!"  Sounds like a great book to pre-order and have on hand as a coping mechanism....or perhaps to place strategically around your own favorite fitness haunt.
  
Bombarded by inconsiderate behavior at the Manhattan gyms she frequents, attorney and long-time fitness buff Lori Pines put down the dumbbells and wrote The Little Book of Gym Etiquette: A Handbook for Dealing with Annoying People at the Gym (January 2013, $8.95).

Pines addresses the culprits of “gym rage" among the regulars, and point newcomers to six helpful rules of gym etiquette:

1. Don’t be a slob

2. Don’t be a hog

3. Don’t be a space invader

4. Don’t be a super-talker

5. Don’t be a grouch

6. Don’t be an exhibitionist 

“This is a topic every gym-goer has thought about at some point,” says Pines, who is tired of seeing empty water bottles litter the gym floor and listening to loud phone talkers barely breaking a sweat on the stationary bikes.

In The Little Book of Gym Etiquette, she cites the “3 C’s” everyone should know before a gym workout: be clean, considerate and cheerful. Following these three simple rules will, according to Pines, keep everyone in the gym satisfied.

With satirical descriptions and hilarious illustrations, Pines pokes fun at stereotypical offenders—the slobs, hogs, space invaders, super-talkers, grouches and exhibitionists—while simultaneously promoting  fitness and encouraging readers to be accommodating.

“Let’s face facts—it isn’t easy getting to the gym. You have to walk or drive there, change your clothes, psych yourself up for the pain and exertion, and then clean yourself up and change your clothes afterwards,” Pines writes. “The last thing we need is a further deterrent to getting to the gym. That’s why there is nothing more annoying than having to deal with people who don’t know how to behave there.”

Fitness Gift Guide: Galactic Romance dance-themed apparel

You don't have to be local to San Jose to enjoy the dance-themed fitness apparel made by a small Silicon Valley firm. Galactic Romance apparel was inspired by owner Brandie Schweizer's love of dance and...(read more on San Jose Fitness Examiner)

Longing for a trip to Hawaii? Win one.

There's still time to enter the Eat Well, Be Well Holiday Giveaway presented by Spa Week and famed nutritionist, Keri Glassman.

Running on SpaWeek.com until the end of the year, this exclusive giveaway will gift a lucky winner with the perfect post-holiday package that will aid in creating a smooth healthy diet and lifestyle transformation.

Seriously, isn't that what we're all longing for about this time of year?  The prize is  an incredible three part nutrition and wellness giveaway. Begin with the ultimate Be Well Package from Kalani, an oceanside retreat in Hawai’i where the winner and guest will enjoy a Six Night Stay for Two in an Eco-Friendly Bamboo Cottage, complete with three healthy meals daily, full access to more than 50 yoga and Hawaiian culture classes, two spa treatments and one half-day adventure to the winner’s choice of Hawaiian cultural site.

Once the winner returns from this life-changing retreat, he/she can conveniently stay on course courtesy of the Eat Well Package from Keri Glassman, which includes a personalized nutritional counseling program, three-day supply of Nutritious Life meals and two autographed copies of Keri’s new book, The New You (and improved!) Diet. Last but not least, the winner can relax body and mind at his/her choice of over 7,500 spa and wellness locations across North America anytime of the year with a $175 in Spa & Wellness Gift Cards by Spa Week®.

Javorskie Lane's inspiring weight loss transformation

As part of its continuing series "Outside The Game," Yahoo! Sports recently spotlighted Miami Dolphins' rookie fullback Jorvorskie Lane, whose decision to get healthier has not only given him a second chance at his dream, but has also made him a role model for his family.

Thanks to Yahoo! for allowing the story to be shared here.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A standout running back at Texas A&M University, Lane was switched to the fullback position after ballooning up to over 300 pounds during his senior year following the death of his grandfather. After a subpar senior season, mostly due to his weight gain, Lane went undrafted and for two years Lane found himself working as a furniture deliveryman. However in 2012, he got a second chance when his former college coach signed with Miami Dolphins and helped him turn his life around.

 

In the segment, Jorvorskie gives insight into to his life changing diet and how his family have show their full support.