Friday, January 13, 2012

Currently Reading...

I felt tired and run-down last night (I think I overdid it a bit with the gardening) and woke up feeling really heavy this morning so instead of doing a circuit or weights I decided to do some cardio (50 minutes on the stepper).

For breakfast I had some crushed oat brits, lactose-free yoghurt and blackberries.

Lunch was a smoked salmon bagel

It was raining off and on here this afternoon, so instead of going to the garden centre to look at some hedging plants, I read my new book, The O2 Diet. The subtitle is a bit over the top: 'The Cutting Edge Antioxidant-Based Program That Will Make You Healthy, Thin and Beautiful', but the book interested me because of its information on antioxidants. Some of the points I found most interesting:
Sleep 'sleep is one of the most powerful antioxidant tools we have. During sleep, our body actually removes free radicals that build during waking hours. Essentially, sleep - governed by melatonin, a hormone that is one of the body's most powerful antioxidants - provides the body with a natural way to repair oxidative damage.'
Exercise 'Even though exercise and activity are vital to repair oxidative damage, there's a bit of a paradox: Exercise, which works by causing the body to overcome stress, actually creates free radicals. And yes, it is true - the more we exercise, the more free radicals we create. If the number of free radicals created by our workout exceeds our body's antioxidant capacity that day, those rogue molecules will harm the lipids, proteins, and DNA we need for optimal health.'

The book also has lots suggestions for snacks and meals that are high in antioxidants.

Dinner tonight was a pork, green bean and mushroom stir-fry

I feel much better after having a quiet day today. What are you reading at the moment? Anything worth sharing? I'm open to fiction or non-fiction.

2 comments:

Magda said...

The O2 diet sounds really interesting Charlotte. I'm a great believer in anti-oxidants. I eat a mainly healthy and clean diet but there is always some dirt in it (mainly wine) so I like to keep up the AOs.

I've just finished reading 'Its Not About the Bike" by Lance Armstrong. I'm not a big cycling fan but this book was FANTASTIC - definitely on the highly recommemded list. I also read 'Be Your Best' by Geoff Huegill- documenting his career from swim star to fat, unfit nobody and back to swim star. Another great read that I'd highly recommend.

Cheers

Magda

Charlotte Orr said...

Great, thanks Magda. I'll order them from the library. Cheers, C