Running With the Dogs

Wow... about 5 or 6 years ago now I was big into running. Every second day or so... until Winter, of course.

I've been trying to figure out what got me into that groove of discipline in the first place. As I recollect, I really enjoyed running with Riley. Riley is my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is now almost 7 years old.

Last year we discovered that Riley had developed some hip problems. So, I definitely can't run with him any more. This has lead me to try running with my other dog, Reuben. Reuben is about a year and a half old and very much full of P&V.

My first run with him a couple weeks ago was well loved by both of us. Hopefully I can get back in that groove of regular runs with my dog. I am not sure why but when I run with the dogs I forget about my distance, heart rate, or stitch in my side and I just have fun... and they seem to as well.

My rule on running with my dogs is no more than 30 minutes every second day and if they seem sore the day or so after a run they get a pass on the next run. The dogs both now freak out when I put on my running shoes. They love running and I hope that transfers to me.

Here is a picture of the dogs (specially for the Doll from BC). Reuben (on the left) is still a puppy in this picture. I will have to take some more recent pics.

CRON Blog Carnival - April 2009

Well, it was feeling like a good time to review some CRON blog articles.

April's CR Diary had a great (which for me includes a healthy dose of simple and easy) recipe for CRON compliant creamy clam chowder.

Cooking in Our Cave wrote an article about social control related to diet from within relationships and from society. It's funny how people make exagerated shortcuts to thinking for themselves. It's even funnier to reflect on comments like Atkins adherents being "bacon snarfing freaks". Common sense is far from common but moral superiority is everywhere. Long live the heretics that caused civilization to evolve!

Count Calories wrote an article about her hopes to intertwine CR, raw food, and food combining. The idea of mixing up your CR routine, strategies, and tactics appeals to me. I like innovation and change... from time to time.

CRON Diary wrote an article about her struggles to be CR and live among non-CR people. Seems like a common theme at this time of year. She too centers herself on counting calories.

CRON Lifestyle started this article with mention of the temptations of Easter. It seems many other CRONies have noticed this too.

CR Skinny wrote an article on discipline and preparedness. One of the things that most appeals to me about CR is the self improvement aspects of it: setting a goal and bringing yourself towards it despite many challenges; discipline, desire, dedication, and direction.

CR 4 Life is experimenting with fasting. Many of the glucose control effects of CR are achieved through periodic fasting. Interesting too that so many world religions incorporate fasting (ie. ramadan, lent, native vision quests, yom kippur, etc.).

Matt's CR Blog - Matt has taken his raw food enthusiasm a step further and has decided to grow his own vegetables. That is certainly neat... especially considering it snowed in Edmonton yesterday.

MiniCronnie posted an article about timing. The timing of CR meals and being prepared have been important factors for most CRONies.

Quest for Life wrote candidly about her recent struggles with CR and renewed inspiration. I especially like her approach of focusing on one thing rather than trying to fix too many things at once. Hang in there Ali.

The CR Way

I've been trying to incorporate a number of the strategies and tactics contained in The CR Way. However, I have not had much success as of late with CR overall. Business meetings, extra stress, less planning, other excuses as yet unthought of.

I'm going to Las Vegas for a four day destress and I hope I come back all the more commited and ready to face the world. Re-creation. Re-creating myself the way I want to be: lean, healthy, and long lasting.

Blood Glucose Meters in Canada

Interestingly enough I was reading The CR Way by Paul McGlothin & Meredith Averill and it suggested that individuals may want to become more knowledgeable about the effects of various carbohydrate sources on their blood glucose levels. That in itself was not the interesting part. The next day I ended up getting an overview of how blood glucose meters are sold in Canada. It turns out that measuring your blood glucose level may be rather inexpensive if you're not testing a huge amount everyday.

So, the interesting parts are these:

• Blood glucose meters are given away to many new diabetics in hopes of selling the patients more lancets, and test strips.
• Almost every blood glucose monitor in Canada purchased in a pharmacy includes paperwork to be reimbursed by the manufacturer for the purchase price. This rebate essentially makes the blood glucose meter free.
• Test strips are often specific to a particular brand of machine and with some manufacturers are only useful with specific models.
• LifeScan by Johnson & Johnson has about 50% market share in Canada followed by Roche and Abbott's product lineups.
• Apparently filling out the warranty card earns the pharmacy you purchased the unit from an additional $15 or so from the manufacturer.
• Completely new blood glucose monitors come out about once a year. So there is a constant planned obsolesence inherent in the industry.
• Type II diabetics likely check their levels once a day where Type I diabetics often check 6 to 12 times a day.

From here I started to formulate a plan if I ever wanted to measure my blood glucose levels. I would find the most inexpensive test strips and then purchase the monitor and get reimbursed for the purchase price.

I hope some of this info helps or entertains you!

Lunch Munch Crunch

Lately lunches at work have been social lunches with colleagues and vendors. And this has caused me to be naughty. It's just too easy to not have the healthy salad or soup options. Especially when others at the table are having naughty food too. I've also been having trouble with busy waitresses that really don't like the extra "details" of dry toast and substituting fries for tomato slices. And it's always hard to get in some good food when time crunches hit too.

Sounds like a number of excuses but no good reasons. I guess I forget that getting what you want and being who you want isn't always easy. I will certainly have to redouble my efforts to make lunches CRON compliant.

Not sure about everyone else out there, but if I don't bring my own lunch then lunchtime CRON choices are not always fast and convenient. I will often end up going to Subway if I'm alone. Let me know if you have some good options for dining out at lunch while staying CRON.