NFL Kick Off, Fantasy Healthball Season Kick Off

A big circle on our Fantasy Healthball calendar around September 4, the first game of 2008.  Redskins vs. Giants.  That is also the first week of the Fantasy Healthball 2008 season which starts on Monday, September 1st - RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.  You score your Fantasy Healthball “Healthpoints” Monday through Saturday and then watch the games on Sunday to see if your healthy efforts were enough to beat your NFL opponents.  Work your tail off and you’re likely to get a win, but if you phone it in, you can bet your NFL opponents won’t be doing the same.  Game on.

We have gotten many requests, from those of you playing our off-season version called “Training Camp,” to post the rules of play for the regular season.  We are working on that right now and will post them to our website under the “Start Playing” tab in a couple weeks so that you have everything you need once you start your fantasy season.  Keep watching this blog and we’ll let you know when the site has the new info. 

Meanwhile, treat this like your exhibition season, your “tune-ups” for the actual season starting in less than a month.  Now is the time to get those habits firmly in place so that you are putting your best foot forward once the season starts and the competition is live!  The NFL pros have that first week circled, they will be waiting……… — Jim Ballard

The Start of the Day is the Night Before

One of my weekly challenges that I continue to fight with is “Eat a Healthy Breakfast”.  It seems so simple, just make sure you don’t walk out of the house without at least having a decent cereal, fruit and juice.  How hard is that?  However, I continue to score less-than-perfect weeks in this category.  Why?  Well, I have found that a good start to my day, doesn’t begin at breakfast.  It begins the night before with a good night’s sleep.

In order for me to score well in Fantasy Healthball, I have come to realize just how much the decisions I make at night affect me throughout the next day.  I also often take the “Get a Minimum 7 hours of sleep” challenge, because I am a night-owl.  Always have been.  And like many parents with young children, the time in the evening after the kids go to bed is “my time.”  Finally, I can get caught up on the sports scores of the day, or listen to music, or read, or whatever I choose to unwind after a full day.  But if that time turns into a late enough bedtime, then it not only jeopardizes my ability to get 7 hours of sleep…It also potentially  squeezes out an opportunity for a morning workout and/or breakfast.  The domino effect of that decision to stay up later absoultely has the cumulative effect of reducing my weekly Healthball score.  

So, as much as I like to stay up and enjoy the late evening hours, part of the discipline in fighting for better health has included setting a 10:30 p.m. bedtime for myself.  This allows my “6:00 a.m. workout plus breakfast” master plan to fully take hold.  And, the more I exercise, the better I sleep, and the more energy I have to fill up my active days.  It does all work together.   But, sometimes we have to remind ourselves just how much our decisions one day can have lasting effects throughout the week.  — Jeff Hagen

Fantasy Healthball Trailer is Here!

Watch our trailer, put up on You Tube today!  And then send the link to all your friends!

The World’s Healthiest Foods……drumroll please……

Jeff and my literary agent turned us on a few months ago to George Mateljan’s “The World’s Healthiest Foods.”  We’ve been really enjoying George’s advice on preserving nutrients while cooking.  One suggestion is a “Healthy Saute” that uses vegetable or chicken broth in place of heated oils.  It is used for vegetables such as as asparagus that only require a small amount of liquid to tenderize them.  The “Healthy Steaming” method suggests steaming for a minimal amount of time (cooking al dente) to really make the flavors pop while maximizing the nutrients.  When you over-blast food with tons of steam, the nutrients just wave the white flag and drown themselves in the water.  You want happy nutrients that are energized from a quick steam bath rather than nutrients that have wilted and expired. 

George also suggests a “Quick Broil” for fish and chicken and other meats, also poaching (fish), roasting (meat or vegetables), and a healthy way of grilling.  But let me say this:  George’s book is 880 pages long and if you stood on it you could probably dunk a basketball.  In other words, it is thick.  And I prefer things to be very simple and quickly understandable.  George caters to me by just listing his view of the “World’s Healthiest Foods” on page 21.  And each one is given a total score!  How perfect for us sports fans!   Now I can pit two foods against each other in a battle for maximum health!  Who wins in Spinach versus Corn?  Spinach in a blowout bigger than the Bears over the Pats in Superbowl XX. 

Here is a list of some of the tops in each category.  Check out the book for a full list.  And incorporate these into your Fantasy Football Food Formation.  These foods will lead you to victory.

Veggies and Salads

Spinach 65pts, Swiss Chard 55pts, Crimini Mushrooms 47 pts, Asparagus 43 pts, Broccoli 40 pts

Fruits

Strawberries 24 pts, Raspberries 18 pts, Cantaloupe 14 pts, Pinapple 12 pts, Kiwi 11pts, Oranges 11pts

Fish and Shellfish

Tuna 24 pts, Shrimp 23 pts, Salmon 21 pts, Cod 21 pts

Nuts and Seeds

Sunflower seeds 18 pts, Flaxseeds 13 pts, Sesame seeds 12 pts, Pumpkin seeds 11 pts

Poultry and Lean Meats

Liver 41 pts, Grass-fed beef 15 pts, Venison 14 pts, Lamb 12pts, Chicken 11pts

Beans and Legumes

Lentils 20 pts, Soybeans 20 pts, Kidney/Pinto Beans 19 pts, Lima Beans 18 pts

Dairy and Eggs

Eggs 18 pts, Low fat milk 17 pts, Yogurt 15 pts, Low fat cheese 9 pts

Grains

Oats 12 pts, Rye 10 pts

Go forth and consume the world’s healthiest! –  Jim Ballard

Fireworks and “Burcken” - 4th of July

Grilling on the 4th of July is as American traditional as it gets, and for my Midwest-based family it is no different.  When we gather for the summer holiday, it is expected that the host will be preparing the meal over an open flame and coals.  The only difference this year was that 5 of 11 people were playing Fantasy Healthball, and it was my turn to host.  And not only host, but host without the assistance of my wife who was traveling abroad in Europe.  I’ve rarely hosted anything larger than a football game party without her involvement, so it was an opportunity to show my stuff.  However, the key was how to satisfy everyone’s traditional craving for charred meat, and not completely fall off track towards our bigger health goals.

We did serve meat, and yes, hamburgers were on the menu.  But they were intentionally made smaller-than-years-past and less than one-per-person was prepared.  The ‘main’ grilling meat of choice this year was skinless chicken breast, which was prepared simply with lemon and pepper.  It was intentional to avoid slathering them with BBQ sauce this year.  All buns were 100% whole grain wheat.

Slow-cooked Midwestern sweet corn (encouraged to be eaten with just a dash of pepper), baked beans, and tossed salad with raw carrots, sweet onions and peppers formed the sides.  Lemonade and Kool-Aid prepared with Splenda sweetener instead of sugar helped avoid all caffeine, sugar, alcohol and carbonated water.  Dessert was fresh fruit, watermelon, strawberries, and green grapes.

My brother-in-law is a tall man standing over 6′7″ and he is currently playing Fantasy Healthball with us.  Normally 2-3 hamburgers would be his choice, but this year he chose to go the Burcken route.  A hamburger and chicken breast put together on one bun.  He explained, “saves me from eating too much bread by reducing one bun and I don’t need seconds”.

It may be only baby-steps for our family, but it was a conscious effort to move towards healthier choices, even on a holiday traditionally reserved for excess.  — Jeff Hagen

It’s Go Time!

Newsflash!  Summer is here.

While there are people reading this blog from Alabama to Zimbabwe (Okay, maybe not Zimbabwe, but you get the idea), for most of us, it is summer time.  For most, the weather is nicer outside now than it was six months ago and what it will be six months from now.  Our point?  It’s go time. 
Remember how hard it was to go exercise back when it was dark when you got up and dark when you got off work?  Some of you were shoveling snow off your driveways not long ago.  Remember all those excuses that tried to keep you from exercising?  It is too cold, it is too rainy, it is too dark, I’m too tired.  When it was dark at 5pm, it was harder to get exercise outdoors in the evening.  Single track mountain biking in the dark is just not as fun as when you can see (well, for most people anyway).  Going jogging in a hail storm just isn’t the same as blue skies and sun. 
Well, if you made any excuses before, and even if you didn’t, the time to get out there is now .  If you need some extra encouragement and maybe a little competition, check out our Training Camp game and get off on the right foot.  Habits you put into place now will be that much easier to keep up when the forces of nature start making it harder later this year.  If you can keep up a routine now, you won’t want to stop just because it is too cold or too dark.  You’ll get creative, find new things to do to exercise and focus on nutrition.  But for now, get out there in the sun and enjoy.  Walking, jogging, hiking, catch with the kids, basketball, soccer, swimming, biking, rock climbing, kayaking, whatever.  Mother nature is smiling on you.  It’s go time.  — Jim Ballard

300-pound kid

A few weeks from my 40th birthday, I’m in the best shape of my life.  But if you looked at me as a kid, you might of thought I was destined for obesity.  I grew up in that blissful time after food had become exceedingly processed and before the general public really understood that wasn’t a good thing.  My childhood diet consisted of the four main food groups:  Twinkies, HoHos, DingDongs, and SuzyQs - washed down with Coke or Strawberry soda.  I seriously had a couple friends that were friends with me, I now understand, solely because they could go to my house after school and pour a big bowl of Frosted Flakes with a side of mini-donuts.  Another friend would come by and melt a huge chunk of butter in a pan and then throw in a bunch of sliced bologna.  We’d eat it on white bread and it would drip butter down our chins as we devoured it with Spaghetti-O’s with sliced franks.  Yes, you are correct I ended up with a ton of cavities, BUT I was also able to right the ship before I did too much weight/health damage.  

Not wanting to be the health police, I’ve allowed my toddler twins access to a reasonable amount of cup cakes and ice cream (primarily at parties).   My daughter really enjoys it like most kids do.  My son won’t touch the stuff.  He has zero interest in cake, ice cream, even pizza.  He eats tofu, fruit, and vegetables.  We have tried, begged, to get him to eat other things whether they are healthy or not but he just won’t do it.  Since I grew up on crap and became extremely fit and healthy, my fear is he will grow up on raw tofu and end up weighing 300 pounds.  And if he does, or even if he just needs to drop an extra 10-15 pounds, Fantasy Healthball will be available to him to get him there.  Of course, I’ll be an old man at that time, but since I plan on being in some sort of old man Olympics, I might still be able to keep up with him.  At least I think so now, I better get back to my fruit bowl and have a chance to digest it before I hit the gym later……

– Jim Ballard

Eat More to Weigh Less, Part II

In our last post we made the case for breakfast.  Let’s sum up:  don’t skip it.  Okay, that said, what to have?  Let’s think about the Fantasy Healthball Food Formation as it relates to breakfast.  Breakfast is a great time for some whole grain cereal.  Gone are the days when you had a choice only between Cheerios or Corn Flakes or some crazy concoction of chemicals, preservatives, sugar, and air known as Super Duper Sugar Fun Puffs.  Now you can find whole grain cereals at most any store.  And they taste good too.  There are now enough to choose from so you can find which you like best. 

Our favorite cereal of the moment is Nature Path’s Optimum Power Breakfast, which is found nationwide.  It has 2.5 grams of fat, zero saturated or trans fat, 10 grams of fiber, 0 mg cholesterol, 40 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein per serving, and it tastes great.  You gotta love the double digit fiber count, nice!  Put some raisins and strawberries on top to boost your fruit intake.  I’m currently going through a phase where I fill up half the bowl with Optimum Power, and then I add a couple tablespoons of wheat bran, a small handfull of organic blueberries, a couple strawberries, a half banana, some apricot and raisins.  What a power packed way to start the day.  I wash that down with some orange juice.  Yum. 

If cereal isn’t your thing, you can use breakfast to get your “meats” group by having eggs or your “milk” group by having yogurt.  Whole wheat toast with a light spread of organic peanut butter?  I always use Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat bread or their new Double Fiber bread which has 6 grams of fiber.   Sounds good to me! 

Low fat milk…..fruit…..fruit juice…..yogurt……oatmeal……all great choices.  Happy breakfast.  — Jim Ballard

Eat More to Weigh Less

You’ve heard the advice on breakfast.  It is not too complicated.  It goes like this:  don’t skip breakfast!  But for heaven’s sake, that doesn’t give you carte blanche to order the Hungry Man Mega-Breakfast at your local greasy spoon. 

Breakfast is an easy victory.  It gives you the energy you need to move into your day.  And it is often at your home so you have complete control over what happens - as opposed to choosing off a limited menu at a restaurant.  Do it right and you just set the tone for the rest of the day. 

Eating a healthy breakfast is like running the opening kick-off back 70 yards to your opponent’s 30-yard line.  A great start and everything is a little easier after that.

A Harvard Medical School study showed that people who eat breakfast everyday are a third less likely to become obese.  Eating first thing in the morning, may help stabilize blood sugar levels, which regulates appetite and energy. 

According to the director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado, one common trait of people who are successful at managing their weight is eating breakfast seven-days-a-week.  He says, “Eating a meal first thing in the day seems to help people manage hunger better. The typical pattern of obese people is to skip breakfast, have a light lunch, and eat a lot from late afternoon on.”  Does that sound like you? 

You get up having slept as late as you can.  In fact, you hit snooze a couple times.  Now you are in a rush to drop the kids off, get to work, whatever. You skip breakfast.  Grab a mug of designer coffee on your way somewhere.  You refill it at work. 

You are then starving at lunch so you order that big thing with all the bacon on it and supersize some fries.  After you awake from your food coma, you need a snack in the afternoon and rummage around your desk.  Not finding anything you hit the vending machine and get a candy bar and a soda  (or let’s say you eat a light lunch, and then mid-afternoon comes and the fistfulls of junk start).  Dinner is your more formal meal so you eat until you are past full and then hit some late night snacks before going off to bed to repeat the next day. 

The trick in avoiding the above is to plan for it.  Give yourself some time for a nutritious breakfast.  What to have?  We’ll cover that in our next post.  If you can’t wait until then, we’ll now give you a super fast executive summary in four words:  fruit, whole grain cereal.  — Jim Ballard

Eat a Twinkie, Go to Jail

For some reason, I often think of obesity as an American thing.  After all, the expression is “mom and apple pie,” not “mom and spinach.”  But in this article that popped up on our blog recently, a World Health Organization (WHO) researcher says aside from sub-Saharan Africa, nearly every country has suffered a dramatic rise in the number of obese people in the past 30 years — the number has likely been a tripling in many industrialized nations.  About 400 million around the world are obese, 20 million of them children under the age of five. 

The WHO researcher recommends that it is time for the government to step in and use anti-smoking laws as a model.  Government could restrict how companies market junk food to kids and requirements for schools to serve healthy meals, he says.  A quick tangent, do remember those meals you got as a kid at the school lunch room?  I think the pizza had the same nutrition value as the cardboard box and plastic wrap it came in.  At least the cardboard had fiber, but I digress. 

So what do you think?  Time for government to step in?  I can picture the episodes of Cops.  “We’re taking this guy downtown, we can’t find the stuff, but he had empty candybar wrappers hidden underneath the maps in his glove box, and he scored a 8.6 on the new ‘trans-fat breathalizer’ test.”  Until every state caught up, Californians would have to drive to Nevada (or Texas) to find a Krispy Kreme. 

Check out this smoking ban map from the fountain of all knowledge, Wikipedia.  In short, if you are in a white state, you are breathing clearly.  If you are in a black state, assume your lungs are the same color (black).  Red, blue, green, or yellow and you are somewhere in the middle.  I’m proud that the two states I’ve spent the most time in are both white on this map.  One got there ten years ago, though, and the other just this year. 

50 years ago, no one would have imagined warnings on cigarette packs like “Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, and Low Birth Weight” (United States), or the more direct, “Smoking Kills” (France).  It is not too hard to see the future:  “These Fritos are Hazardous to Your Health” or just simply ”Apple Fritters Kill.”  No junk food in public buildings.  The “No junk food section” at restaurants.  No eating junk food in airplane lavatories.  No junk food within 20 feet of doorways and building entrances.  Second hand junk food. 

Yes, you could delay and ultimately find yourself legs splayed, up against a squad car with handcuffs behind your back, OR you could join us now - and start living a healthier life.    Your choice…..For now.   — Jim Ballard