Yuumoushin.com (勇猛心)

I’ve been lacking in my updates lately, but I have a good reason: just about finished with school and then I’m off to Japan for a little trip. As with my previous trips, I’ll hit Oita first, and then finish off my time in Tokyo, with my host family from my days at I.C.U. Gives me a chance to handle some pending wedding arrangements, as well as see friends before I start work.

I’ve been to 33/47 prefectures in Japan, and the more I visit Oita (Kyuushuu, which is the southern region of Japan), the more I like it. It’s most famous attraction (at least in Japan) is Beppu, literally an onsen mecca. The food is also really good, and I’ve been told a number of times that Oita has the cleanest water. There’s also a popular international university in the area so the number of international students is relatively large – an added bonus, in my opinion. Anyway, two week trip – well deserved and well timed!

Something I won’t have to consider for a while, but given my recent experiences, I thought this post was rather interesting: Job Interview 2.0: Now with riddles.

I remember questions like this as an undergrad. In one of the interviews I had for a summer internship, I was asked “how many coins do you think would fit in grand central station?” More than anything, it was my thought process, but does this really determine my ability to be an effective worker? The more recent questions were less riddle-based, more like case studies. Those I feel are a bit more effective when it comes to determining how well a person applies logic. However, some of the questions get to be a bit outlandish (especially when the person doing the interview hasn’t really thought out the direction they want the case study to go – and if you question their logic, they associate it with your inability to analyze the scenario). Or like the blogger above said:

During a screening interview, I was asked how I would design a bike fit for someone visually impaired. I responded something to the effect of, “What, like, for blind people?”, and she answered yes.

I thought for a moment and then I responded, “Well.. a blind person riding a bike doesn’t sound like a very safe idea, so I would make the bike stationary, maybe with a fan blowing in the person’s face. He probably wouldn’t even know the difference.”

haha.

Emphasizes my point: dieting is good, but only when done in conjunction with a solid workout/exercise routine. And this applies to everyone, thin or not. Especially with the “busy” lifestyles people live and the amount of processed foods they eat, proper supplementation is a must. This article by USA Today talks all about organ fat.

“Being thin doesn’t automatically mean you’re not fat,” said Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.

According to the data, people who maintain their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are otherwise slim. “The whole concept of being fat needs to be redefined,” said Bell, whose research is funded by Britain’s Medical Research Council.

Without a clear warning signal — like a rounder middle — doctors worry that thin people may be lulled into falsely assuming that because they’re not overweight, they’re healthy.

Consumer Reports on dieting…

Currently 41 percent of Americans are trying to lose weight, while 63 percent say that they have dieted at some point in their lives, according to a separate survey being released by Consumer Reports. And ultimately, though weight-loss plans are big business, the vast majority of dieters — more than two-thirds — do it on their own, the survey found. Another 16 percent are enrolled in free weight-loss programs, while 8 percent have signed up for paid programs.

It’s unfortunate that the whole idea of dieting has become so convoluted. It really shouldn’t be, but there’s always someone out there trying to make a buck with what they consider to be the next best thing. The truth of the matter is: burn more than you consume, and be aware of the types of foods your consuming. For example, a bowl of vegetables will affect your body differently than a bowl of ice cream. Not too hard, right? Of course, there is a bit of work required as well.

See, one can follow any number of diet plans, and I think they’re very important; however, not very many people really know how to properly approach weight loss. The hard part for most people is working out. And no, it’s not going for a short jog, or pushing some small amount of weight a few times at the gym (it does wonders for one’s conscience, I’m sure, but the results won’t be there).

The problem is, Americans lead very sedentary lifestyles, and this has to be counteracted with a proper workout routine. People can go to the gym all they want, but if they’re not really doing anything to cause muscle development (i.e. pushing themselves a bit), then they’re not going to get much out of it. There’s a reason why a heavy person walking on a treadmill is…well, still heavy. I see it all the time in a gym. And I always chuckle when I hear someone say “gee, that wasn’t hard at all…I’m not feeling any sort of pain.” One doesn’t have to be in extreme pain, but the lack of some sort of muscle fatigue means they probably didn’t a) do it correctly or b) do enough.

But, like many others, Fike-Carlson couldn’t stick with the restrictive eating plan. “I couldn’t keep it up,” she says. “I wanted chips with my Mexican food. I wanted french fries and bread.” And over the next year all the weight — plus a few more pounds — came back. In the end, what worked was exercise.

For the past four years, Fike-Carlson has hit the gym three times a week for three hours a day. One hour is spent on the weight machines, one hour doing aerobic exercise and another hour doing crunches and other body-toning exercises.

Granted, not everyone has this amount of time, that I understand. But one has to ask the question: what matters most? I know plenty of people who are “too busy” to go to the gym, as they put it, yet don’t seem to have any issues with sitting for an hour (plus) in front of a TV with some snacks. I guess it just comes down to priorities and will power. And like I said earlier, Americans lead very sedentary lifestyles – trying to be more active can be difficult in the beginning.

People have to go into this not as a diet per se, but as a lifestyle change. Set long term goals. If someone were to find out they have diabetes, or something else, they would figure out what to do to live a long and fruitful life, despite the disposition. The same holds true with dieting.

What separates the best plans and books is their focus on lifestyle change rather than an attempt to lose weight through short-term changes with a restrictive diet

And I think the article sums it up best with:

…it’s best to choose a plan that is simple and easy to stick to, says Dr. George Blackburn, associate director of nutrition at the Harvard Medical School. “You can cut these tips to three: Eat less, eat healthy and exercise.”

Check out this guy’s site: John Stone Fitness. He’s taken a goal and pursued it like no other. He started 4 years ago and is still seeing phenomenal results. Take a look at his before and after pictures, and you’ll see what I mean. Also, he has very good information in his “about me” section, such as his approach to planning, execution, etc.

What can I say, I can’t help myself. hehe. This one involves a hoard of people (part of the prank) running around a corner onto a fairly deserted street, except for a pedestrian (the one being tricked). The first guy doesn’t do a thing, but the two people afterward have great reactions. They also have a couple of other things, one where they literally throw a guy into the air. Man, they really do get away with some things.