Social Workout

Scientific

Prescription Exercise Helps Treat Alcohol Dependence

Earlier this week, we pointed to news about doctors now prescribing exercise to treat depression. Thanks to a new study, exercise may soon be prescribed for treating alcohol dependence as well. In the experiment, hamsters who exercised consumed far less alcohol. Scientists had two explanations for this. First, alcohol consumption and exercise are both inherently rewarding, and the reward systems may be overlapping so that exercise "rewards" can partially substitute for alcohol "rewards."  Second, exercise helps regulate our Circadian rhythms, and alcohol dependence and messed up Circadian rhythms are tightly connected — drinking often leads to sleeping too early or too late, eating at irregular intervals/overeating, and then craving alcohol to fall asleep again in an attempt to smooth out the rocky schedule.

Blah

Lots of headaches.  Too much partying.  Not enough exercise.  Have lost my focus, I think.  Lost it a little while ago, actually.

I'm sure I'll get back into it....  When?  Unsure of when.

It's been so cold.  There's a sale this weekend at Ray's Outdoors for Under Armour ColdGear.  :)

Other Places

Scientific

Carbs Have A Vendetta Against Women

It may be true that a drink or two will help us lose weight, ladies, but unfortunately, not all gender inequalities are in our favor. A study released today in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that women who eat High Glycemic Index foods are at greater risk of developing heart disease. By like, a lot.

Scientific

The CDC Says Rich Southern Men With Graduate Degrees Very Likely Fat and Drunk

The CDC is out with their latest health survey. Among the interesting tidbits:

• In 1997, 35% of adults were overweight. In 2007, it's 68% of men and 53% of women.
• Close to 60% of adults have never smoked.
• The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be a drinker. 73.9% of adults with graduate degrees drink. 
• Adults living in the south are least likely to engage in leisure time physical activity.
• Men with higher family incomes are more likely to be overweight, while women with higher family incomes are less likely to be overweight. So, to clarify: For men, rich = fat. For women, rich = thin.

Scientific

Have a Drink, Ladies. It'll Make You Thinner.

From the annals of counter-intuitive research: Women who regularly drink moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight than nondrinkers, reports the New York Times. The study cited tracked close to 20,000 women over 13 years, and found that the women who drank one to two alcoholic beverages a day had an almost 30% lower risk of becoming overweight than women who didn't drink at all.   

The biological/sociological explanation for this phenomenon isn't entirely clear, though researchers think it may be because, in women, alcohol consumption slightly speeds metabolism. Sadly, alcohol doesn't have the same metabolic effect on men, and past studies have shown that men who drink gain the weight you'd expect. Sorry fellas.  

oops?

So.......

Yesterday I found out that my boss had a heart attack and a stroke at the same time Tuesday.

And that I have to do his job indefinitely.

Now, I know I talk about hating my job.

New York

Newslinks

European Doctors Say No to In Vitro for Fat Women

More pregnancy news. The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has a new official position: If you're a woman who drinks too much, smokes, or is obese, the ESHRE says your doctor should refuse to provide you with fertility treatments. Or, that is, they should refuse to provide you with reproduction assistance until you lose weight, stop smoking, and agree to drink less during your pregnancy. Kind of uncomfortable to agree — whiffs of China one-child and Nazi master race, etc. — but still, kind of makes sense. If only because losing weight and quitting smoking have been shown to increase fertility naturally, so it's the least invasive form of treatment.   

Workout

30 minutes of Yoga

I know exciting, but it was supposed to be an hour. I gave up after 30 minutes, cause I was feeling pretty crappy.

Note to self: Do not do yoga after having a few glasses of wine earlier in the day.

Next Steps: Sign up for 4 mile Race at the end of February.

Some Facts on Drinking

If you're like me, you probably go out a couple of nights a week, and maybe kick back a few brews with your friends at the homestead every so often.

My Body

David Carr On Drinking and Bananas

David Carr writes a column for the Monday Business section of the New York Times that focuses on media issues including print, digital, film, radio and television. He also works as a reporter in the Culture section of The New York Times covering all aspects of popular culture. His memoir The Night Of The Gun details his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction.

I starting riding a bike in ‘95. I used to live in D.C., which is a wonderful biking town. I began commuting to work on a bicycle there — there are so many beautiful ways to ride there. This past summer I rode in Columbia and Stockholm. I met friends in Columbia and rode bikes in the Andes for eight days, and in Stockholm I rode by myself. In Montclair, where I live, I ride with my twelve-year-old or my wife or by myself. I like biking because it’s the same thing an eight-year old does. I like being on something where no one can tell you where to go and what to do. It's humankind's most glorious creation.

The thing about biking is if you’re a person who bounces between fit and not fit the bike will accommodate that and still deliver joy. You can treat a bike as something that will get you aerobic and keep you there. Or you can approach it as kind of a wheelchair. I’ve had periods of epic fitness followed by periods of epic sloviness. [Yes it's a word. We checked. -The Eds.] It’s because I go on and off cigarettes. Like, in the last year, I’ve probably gone on and off cigarettes three times. I’m quitting Monday. Whenever I travel, I smoke. I’m an addict.

When I’m not smoking, I’m active. I ski double blacks. I play baseball. I play football poorly. I still enjoy golf. My health habits go up and down. I've weighed 280 pounds before, and I’ve weighed 180. Now I weigh 200. I like to put things in my mouth. Almost anything. Cigarettes, Ding Dongs… I grew up as part of the generation where you did something good, and you were rewarded with something bad. [Um, like drugs. -The Eds.]