ABC News rates calorie counting sites

Want the skinny on online calorie counting sites? ABC News reports some calorie counting sites may not be as helpful as others. Check out their article here.

Post your calories, New York City!

Yummy pastry? 500 calories.

Would you want to know the damage you're about to do when you pick up breakfast from your favorite shop? New York City is enforcing a law requiring some restaurants to post calorie information on their menus.

Personally, I never thought this day would come. The higher ups at Starbucks and Dunken Donuts had to be real miffed about this whole thing. Really, it's about time. Obesity is a huge (no pun intended) issue in our society, and what are we doing about it?

Restaurants are slapping the term 'fat free' and 'low carb' around like it's a high five. Of course it's a high five, to themselves! We suck up gallons of diet pop, and trust these so loosely used phrases. Companies are not invested in selling Americans healthy products, they are invested in selling. Period. From companies that sell frozen dinners, to cigarettes, the goal is simple- lure the consumer to purchase, and purchase regularly.

When obesity numbers first rose, restaurants started to "show their dedication to the well being of their consumers" by posting nutritional information deep within their web sites. Sorry, but when you missed breakfast and need to pick up a bagel to go, are you really going to swing by the library to look up the nutritional info first? Inconvenient.

I even noticed Starbucks started to carry pamphlets with nutrition info. I admire their attempt to fool consumers, because the higher ups know as well as we do that no one is going to pause from their morning rush to scrutinize papers tucked in the corner of the store. Although again inconvenient for the consumer, think about how convenient it is for the companies to boast they care.

Thankfully the government is taking things into their own hands and requiring calorie posting, even in the same size and font at the food label itself. Thank you to The Weighting Game for first bringing this to my attention; I had to bring the topic to ASA. Here's what folk in the Big Apple think, what about you?

Push up challenge- week 3

Posting with an update from the One Hundred Push Up Challenge I blogged about 3 weeks ago. Good news, we're still on track! Bad news, I cannot feel my arms as I type this. We're only three weeks in but in a span of about 10 minutes we completed 99 push ups. O U C H.

If you haven't started yet, hop aboard! Along with being so busy ASA is being temporarily taking a back seat to the paying gigs, my workout time has suffered as well. If you're feeling the same towards the end of your summer, dedicate 10-15 minutes at night for push ups, sit ups, stretching or something. It will give you a reason to lace up your tennis shoes even if you're not going to town on 'em.

How is your workout routine going? When you get swamped, how do you push through? As long as you're not eating these you should be ok.

ASA readers-

Please bare with me while get through a hectic July!  I will be back to regular posting in August, for ASA's first birthday!  Until then, check regularly for some of my favorite links and stories.

Major injuries for young athletes.  What do you think about this CNN article?  In my own experience with youth sports, I never fell victim to any serious injuries; given most swimming injuries occur from overuse and improper technique.  I was lucky enough to have great coaches early on.  I did have a mild shoulder injury in college, but I've chalked that up to a misunderstanding between myself, my body and my coaches.

Been keeping up with Olympic business?  If you've been tuning in at all, you've probably heard about over 40 all-star Dara Torres.  Check out this Women's Health Magazine article with her.  Anything and everything you had no idea about; her battle with bulimia, failed marriages and her five favorite foods!

Whose career comes first?

A must read CNN article- whose career is more important in your relationship, yours or your partners?

The article researched the trends of placing more importance on the male’s career, even if the female’s career was bringing in more money.

I think traditions play a nasty roll in this sticky topic. Men might be more unwilling to place the importance on a woman’s career because they may feel it jeopardizes their roll as the main provider. Sadly to many it may seem threatening in a relationship to place trust and value on the woman’s career.

The traditional approach of sending dad off to work while mom tends to the house is no longer the norm. Women are a powerful threat in the working force. Maneuvering around motherhood and childcare has changed in modern day society as well, making for full daycares and more acceptance for the stay at home dad.

I can only hope as I plan to start a career within the next few years and eventually (but not within the next few years!) a family that my husband understands my career and enjoyment I get from writing.

What goes in your family? How about your parents? Things are changing- has your value on career changed too?

Fashion/Sports?

Professional athletes have it tough. A former athlete myself, I understand the further level of commitment it takes to be successful at a sport and on-going challenge to keep up performance to stay at the top of the pack. Determination, discipline and a competitive spirit are all necessary traits to make it at a professional level; but is fashionista one as well?

It seems athletes from Dennis Rodman to Maria Sharapova are among the many that gain as much press for their performances as they do their clothes. Golf followers know what it means when Tiger Woods wears red on the green, and I’ll admit, I don’t watch Hockey Night in Canada for the game.

When did advertising take on such a crazy toll that pro athletes are dressed by their endorsers? And more so, why is the hoopla surrounding fabric and not athletics itself?

Tell me- do you tune in to see what they’ve got on, or could you care less? Do the clothes bring more attention to the player than the game?

Spin Nation

Sent to me by buff beauty MizFit, here’s a great way to spin your heart out for a cause.

“Our mission is to ensure that ALL women’s cancers are diagnosed in STAGE 1, when it is most curable. Early detection equals survival. Through education, legislation and social reform, we will not stop until the very landscape of America’s women’s healthcare consciousness has been replanted,” said Spin Nation supporter Fran Drescher.

Visit Spin Nation to register your team or individually and to start raising money for awareness.

In case this ain’t yo thang, visit anyway and download the Spinning mixes straight into your iTunes. I’m in the process of downloading as we speak, but I’ve already seen a couple cool albums on there that I need in my collection.