Healthy breakfast

My breakfast every morning at work is yogurt with cereals and honey. It is very delicious and it doesn't contain artificial sweetener and flavors. Here is my recipe:

about 300 grams of yogurt

4 tablespoons of  cereals wit nuts and dried fruits

one tablespoon of honey

mix it

This is a good breakfast wit a lot of vitamins, good sugars and proteins. You can use fresh fruits for an extra kick :)

Drinking tea

I was drinking a lot of plain water, at least 2 liters every day. After I got a magazine about tea I started to wonder why am I only drinking plain water when I could take in other useful stuff with it. So I got a simple tea making machine and I ordered some tea from Fares, one of the biggest tea brand in the country.

I bought an Echinacea tea wich is very good for the immune system. I used to take Echinacea pills and they are very good, I got rid of a cold in a few days without staying in bed. I also bought a tea designed for the health of the joints which hurt sometimes from to much use :)

Don't forget to enjoy your tea without sugar!

How to stress stress

Lately I had a very stressful period an stress is killing my inspiration and my mood to write, that's why I've published fewer articles. Now I understand why the writers need a calm environment to write :)

What can you do when you are stressed, angry? The best thing is to remove the cause, but if you can't do that (can't quit work for example, or can't move to another city) you can try these:

- first thing you should do is to try to calm down, try to think logically. And very important, don't do stupid things when your angry, think about the consequences of your action first!

- a good stress killer is swearing

- the next level is hitting something but be careful not to break it or not to hurt yourself

- taking a walk helps you calm down

- do something pleasant to divert your attention like watch a movie or eat or sleep

- try to find out what works for you, for me the best stress relief  is to going for a ride :)

Probably the best stress relief is the physical activity. You don't need to run or to workout even if you walk faster then usual endorphins are released in your body which calm you down. From my experience the more intense the workout the more relaxed I get after it. Going for a ride or playing football for an hour makes me a new man :)

The health benefits of donating blood

I've been planning for a long time to donate blood but I kept delaying it. But tomorrow morning I will be at the hospital :)

There are a lot of benefits of donating blood. I've been searching on the web and  I found a good post on livestrong.com which enumerates some of the benefits of the donation:

• you get a physical, you get a basic physical from a health care worker at the blood collection clinic
• lower iron levels every time you give blood, which can help reduce the risk of heart disease
• reduce cancer risk
• reduce heart attack risk
• help your body function more efficiently by allowing it to replenish your blood supply regularly
• if you have high blood pressure it is recommended to donate blood regularly

Image from http://eriks101in1001.blogspot.com

Last weekend

Saturday I gave up my detox program after three and a half days. I was feeling a bit weak (I don't think I have enough stored energy - fat - for these kind of programs) and I think I'm catching a cold. The other reason was that I went home to my parents because it was my brother's birthday and I dind'n want to miss my mothers cooking :D

It was a great experience, I saw that it is not so hard to eat less food. I am planing on doing raw vegetable and fruit days in Spring.

On Saturday I went out for a ride. I took my mtb on the road because I thought the road will be dirty. It was a bike mistake, my friend was on a road bike and it was to hard to keep up. My wide offroad tires and the gears on the bike didn't help at all. On top of this there was a strong wind to so I had a very rough time.

My average speed was only 20 km/h and it got up only when we turned back and the wind got helpfull. I got home waisted and wise. I saw that there is a huge difference on the road between a road bike and a mountain bike. Maybe if I put some better tires (race kings) on the bike it would be easier to keep up with a road bike.

Stats:
    - time: 1:43:46
    - distance: 39,01 km
    - average speed: 22,5 km/h
    - max speed 58,8 km/h 

10 day detox program

I decided that I will do a 10 day detox program. There are so many benefits of a detoxifying program that it is very hard to enumerate all. The main benefit is that you get healthy :)

This is what I am going to eat for ten days:

Wednesday: 1,5 kg apples
Thursday: 0,5 kg Bologna sausage (chicken)
Friday: 0,5 kg cheese
Saturday: 1,5 kg cooked potatoes
Sunday: 0,5 kg cooked beef
Monday: 5 slices of toast and one liter of milk
Tuesday: 10 boiled eggs
Wednesday: 5 slices of toast and one liter of tea
Thursday: 0,5 kg hot dog (chicken sausage)
Friday: 0,75 kg curd cheese

I will drink only water.

 The program starts on Wednesday so you can eat something good in the weekend (people are used to eating potatoes and meat). I already started the program, today I had 3 apples and so far everything is ok.

World Carfree Day

This is a very important week,  the European Mobility Week.

The European Mobility Week is an awareness raising campaign aiming at sensibilising citizens to the use of public transport, cycling, walking and at encouraging European cities to promote these modes of transport and to invest in the new necessary infrastructures.


From 16 TO 22 SEPTEMBER 2010 the Mobility Week is the opportunity for European cities and towns to participate to the most widespread event on sustainable mobility.
The overall aim of the European Mobility Week campaign is to encourage public awareness of the need to act against pollution caused by the increase in motorised traffic in the urban environment. In fact, it is not just a question of fighting atmospheric pollution or noise but also of improving the quality of urban life.


Accordingly, that operation is centred on three types of measures, designed to:
- encourage the use of alternative forms of transport and travel other than private cars,
- raise awareness and inform city-dwellers of what is at stake so far as concerns long-term mobility in towns and the risks connected with pollution,
- show the town in another light thanks in particular to reduced motorised traffic within restricted areas.


There are many important manifestations taking place all over the world. In this important week there is an important day, the World Carfree Day.


Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets, intersections, and neighbourhood blocks to remind the world that we don't have to accept our car-dominated society.

This morning I came to work before 8 and the traffic was terrible. I was on my bike but there were so many cars that I could barely come out to the main street and than I had to use the sidewalk because the road was blocked. If I would use a car or a bus to come to work it would take at least twice as long to get in :)

This weekend there is another critical mass in Targu Mures :)

Run on fat and save money

(a picture that I got from a friend)

Jamie Oliver's TED award speech

"I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity."

Burn calories not electricity

I wrote a post about elevators some time ago and today I got a picture from a friend:

This sign was given by the NYC (free-of-charge) to any building that wanted to mount it. From this campaign:
Benefits of Taking the Stairs:
 - Stair climbing burns almost 700% the number of calories you burn standing on an elevator.
 - Just two minutes of stair-climbing each day burns enough calories to eliminate the one pound an average adult gains each year.
 - Men who climbed at least 20 floors a week (about 3 floors a day) had a 20% lower risk of stroke or death from all causes, in one study.
 - Stair-climbing has been shown to raise good cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health
Stair use also advances the city’s GreeNYC effort to reduce energy consumption. An escalator that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, can use 28,000 kilowatt hours of energy over the course of a year. That’s enough to create 43,000 pounds of carbon dioxide – more than three times the amount a car produces.

Posting such signs has been shown to increase stair use by approximately 50 percent.

Why do people use the elevator?

Are they afraid to move?

I don't really get it... Yesterday when I got home I heard some elder people talking, they wanted to go to the second floor with the elevator. But why? I don't think they were in a hurry and they didn't have big bags...

I live in a 10 story building on the 5th floor. I only use the elevator when I'm in a hurry or I have to carry something heavy (groceries, bikes). Even if I have to go up to the 10th floor to pay my bills I use the stairs and when I have to go down with my mtb I use the stairs, I get the bike on the rear wheel and it bounces nicely down the stairs.

I understand that elder people get tired when they use the stairs but they don't realise that if they have time that is a great workout and it is very healty. But not just the elder people use the elevators...

And you can save some energy to if you don't use the stairs so it's less CO2 if you use the staris and the electric bill is smaller :)

So STOP using the stairs and get some quick workout!

Summer salads

I love summer because there are a lot of fresh vegetables at the market. This week I made two kind of salads, one with a yogurt dressing and one with lime juice.

I use the yogurt dressing for every salad that doesn't involve fish. For example in this salad I had some left over grilled chicken. You can use every vegetable you like, I chopped up some cabbage, cucumbers, carrots,  tomatoes and onions. I like to make my own dressings, I usually use one big cup of yogurt and some herbs and spices like parsley, oregano, basil and salt (maybe some paprika for color). I chopped up a few leaves of mint to but I didn't really like it.

I like to make my own croutons also. I toast the bread and cut it up in small cubes. It has a really good taste when you rub some garlic on the bread before you cut it up.

The fish salads are easier to make because you just chop up the veggies, put the fish on top and squeeze some lime juice on it. Then throw on some croutons and some herbs (basil, parsley) and enjoy :)

This is what keeps me from going crazy :D

What keep you sane in this fast moving world filled with stress?

This is my medicine, about an hour of riding relaxes me. No mater how tired or stressed I am it always helps. Exercise in general has been shown to decrease anxiety and stress levels, and bicycling is a fun way to exercise. Another benefit in stress reduction is that it keeps you out of traffic jams :D

Any regular exercise can reduce stress and depression and improve well being and self esteem. Cycling outdoors is also a good way to be one with nature and to feel the breath of the earth. It takes one’s mind out of everyday-life stress and rejuvenates his soul.

Other health benefits of cycling:
1. Promotes a Healthy Heart
2. Improves Blood Chemistry, including HDL, “good” cholesterol”
3. Lowers Blood Pressure.
4. Decreases Risk of Cancer.
5. Builds Stronger Bones.
6. Reduces the Chance of Diabetes
7. Promotes Greater Muscle Strength.
8. Reduces Stress.
9. Decreases Chronic Pain (arthritis, back pain, and more)
10. Improves digestion, lung function and joint flexibility

I was inspired by experienceplus.com and adultbicycling.com.

How many calories is your diet?

A regular person who exercises a bit every day consumes about 2,000 calories.

As I always said keeping your weight or loosing some weight is just a simple math problem. If the result of the difference of how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn is negative you loose weight, if it is positive you gain weight and if it is close to zero you maintain your current weight. But, there is always a but, for example if you reduce the intake of your calories drastically your body reacts and reduces the calorie consumption.

Some athletes have a very high calorie diet, for example Michael Phelps has a 12,000 Calorie Diet!

How to boost your metabolism?

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in living organisms to maintain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments.

A fast metabolism is critical to burning fat and managing body weight. While some dieters use diet pills to speed up their metabolisms, the risks and side effects of these drugs make them risky. You can use some safe and natural methods to speed up your metabolism.

The best way to jump-start your metabolism is to exercise. Exercise will reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass. By increasing lean muscle mass, metabolism will increase and aid in the weight-loss process. Muscle tissue uses more calories than fat tissue because it has a higher metabolic rate. Aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming or cycling, has the added bonus of speeding up your metabolism for 4 to 8 hours after you stop exercising. Additional calories will be burned off long after you stop exercising.

Weight lifting, resistance or strength training, does not speed up your metabolism, but it does burn fat and increase your lean muscle mass which increases your resting metabolic rate. A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training is best for optimal fat burning and metabolism boosting. Exercise in the morning and you will reap the benefits of a faster metabolism throughout the day, or exercise in short 10 or 15-minute bursts every couple of hours to keep your metabolism pumping. Exercise any time you can fit it into your day and you will burn that fat away. By exercising just a little more than usual you can speed up your metabolism and use up stored fat in the process.

Eat breakfast! Breakfast is essential. Your body has been deprived of food throughout the night, therefore your metabolism has slowed. If the cells do not receive sufficient nutrients they will begin to function less efficiently on smaller amounts, and they will actually store more fat to use during these times of nutritional deprivation. Eat six small meals a day to keep your body's fuel supply consistent and keep your metabolism revved up. Avoid eating late at night because your metabolism naturally slows down in the afternoon and evening, so eat a hearty breakfast. Consistency is important because your body metabolism adapts to your current weight. If you have been dieting or skipping meals your body's metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of nutrients. When lean people overeat their metabolism speeds up and when obese people diet their metabolism slows down. The key is a balance of exercise and diet.

Don't starve. Dropping your calorie intake below 1,000 calories a day will signal to your body that you are in starvation mode, and will slow down your metabolism.

Keep Hydrated. Inadequate water intake can slow your metabolism. Water is responsible for several metabolic processes, including digestion, waste management and temperature regulation. The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking 2 liters of water daily. You can fight hunger as well as raise your metabolism by drinking a glass before each meal. To provide an extra boost, make sure your water is ice cold. Your body burns extra calories heating it up to room temperature.

Coffee. Whether you realize it or not, you might already be waking up to an effective natural metabolism booster. The caffeine naturally present in coffee raises metabolism and can improve fat oxidation. Drinking a cup before exercise can also improve alertness and help fight fatigue. I saw some guys drinking energy drinks (with caffeine) before their workout.

Eating protein-rich foods like low-fat dairy products, lean meat and skinless chicken is found to increase metabolism. Include fish, dark green vegetables and foods high in fiber to your meals. There is evidence to show that foods rich in protein increase the burning of calories by about 25%. Consume foods that contain antioxidants for speeding up your metabolism. For instance, green tea will raise metabolism better than coffee due to its high antioxidant content.

The temperature of your body environment affects your metabolism. If it is very cold or very hot, the rate of metabolism is found to go up by about 20%. You can manipulate that temperature. You can either chill out or have a sauna to raise your metabolism.

Keep yourself active and moving throughout the day. When you increase your physical activity, your muscle increases and, consequently, the metabolic rate also goes up. Aerobic exercises coupled with resistance training and exercises are very useful in this regard. If you have a job that requires you to sit at the desk for long hours, find ways to incorporate some physical activity and movement that takes you away from the desk, even for short durations, as often as possible.

By increasing the heart rate, you can raise your metabolism rate. Adding spices, especially chili or green pepper, to your food will most likely do that. It is believed that spices speed-up the metabolism by about 50%. But you have to develop considerable tolerance for the spicy condiments if you do not already have it.

I was inspired by consumeraffairs.com, livestrong.com, about.com & www.squidoo.com.

The effects of black pepper

I was wondering today if black pepper is healthy so I searched around. I found out that black pepper has more healthy properties than most people know about. Black pepper isn't like salt that can make food less healthy if too much is added. Black pepper is a spice that has the potential to make food more beneficial when used in various recipes and as a table spice.

The main health benefit of the black pepper  is its ability to enhance the function of the digestive tract that makes it a good reason to put it in the dishes you cook. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion. Hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion of proteins and other food components in the stomach. When the body's production of hydrochloric acid is insufficient, food may sit in the stomach for an extended period of time, leading to heartburn or indigestion, or it may pass into the intestines, where it can be used as a food source for unfriendly gut bacteria, whose activities produce gas, irritation, and/or diarrhea or constipation.

Another benefit of black pepper is its ability to diminish the amount of gas in the intestinal tract. This leads to less flatulence and bloating and is believed to be another benefit of increasing hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

For those who understand the benefits of antioxidants, you'll be glad to learn that black pepper is known to have a great amount of antioxidant properties. It also has benefits against bacterial growth, particularly in the intestinal tract. The good news is that all you need to do is put a little bit in your food every day.

This spice acts as a diuretic (promotes urination). It also encourages our bodies to sweat and get rid of harmful toxins.

Black pepper is an excellent source of manganese, a very good source of iron and vitamin K, and a good source of dietary fiber.

Black pepper has demonstrated impressive antioxidant and antibacterial effects--yet another way in which this wonderful seasoning promotes the health of the digestive tract. And not only does black pepper help you derive the most benefit from your food, the outer layer of the peppercorn stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, keeping you slim while giving you energy to burn.

I was inspired by squidoo.com, associatedcontent.com and whfoods.com.

Slow down - enjoy life!

There is a famous quote on the Internet (copied from zenhabits.net):

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn’t say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, “Do you have a fixed parking space? I’ve noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot.” To which he replied, “Since we’re here early we’ll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don’t you think? Imagine my face.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of “hurry” and “craziness” generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of “having in quantity” (life status) versus “having with quality”, “life quality” or the “quality of being”. French people, even though they work 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US’s attention, pupils of the fast and the “do it now!”.

This no-rush attitude doesn’t represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the “now”, present and concrete, versus the “global”, undefined and anonymous. It means taking humans’ essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It’s time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”.

In this fast moving world full of stress we should slow down and just enjoy life, enjoy every moment. For example we should enjoy cooking our food and hanging out with our loved ones while eating it together without watching the tv. There is an organization which tries to teach people to do this - slowfood.com - their sign is a snail :)

There is a cool site called Slow Down Now that offers a few tips for slowing down:

1. Drink a cup of tea, put your feet up and stare idly out of the window. Warning: Do not attempt this while driving.
2. Do one thing at a time. Remember multitasking is a moral weakness (except for women who have superior brain function.)
3. Do not be pushed into answering questions. A response is not the same as an answer. Ponder, take your time.
4. Yawn often. Medical studies have shown lots of things, and possibly that yawning may be good for you.
5. Spend more time in bed. You have a better chance of cultivating your dreams (not your aspirations.)
6. Spend more time in the bathtub.
7. Practice doing nothing. (Yes this is the difficult one.)
8. Avoid too much seriousness. Laugh, because you're live on earth for a limited time only.

I would like to add that my favorite thing to do to slow down is to ride my bike in the forest and when I find a good spot just sit down and relax, just watching the nature :)

Other benefits of a cold shower

Other benefits of a cold shower (I forgot to add these to my other post):
- short - you are not waisting a lot of time under the shower (no time for singing)
- cheap - cold water is cheaper then hot water, and because it is short you consume less water
- lower carbon footprint - because you are using cold water there are no carbon emissions for heating the water

I started to get used to the cold showers :D

Cold shower!

Take a cold shower for your health!

Yes, it is very healthy to take a cold shower. Here are a few health benefits of a cold shower:

- Brings blood to the capillaries, therefore increasing circulation throughout the body
- Cleans the circulatory system
- Reduces blood pressure on internal organs
- Provides flushing for the organs and provides a new supply of blood
- Strengthens the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems
- Contracts the muscles to eliminate toxins and poisonous wastes
- Strengthens the mucous membranes, which help resist hay fever, allergies, colds, coughs

- A brief cold water shower will decrease your body’s “reaction time” to cold. The cold shower “teaches” the blood vessels in your skin to clamp down faster, so you are losing less warmth in draft or cold exposure. Especially, during the winter months while it’s cold outside, you’ll stay warmer, longer.
- Gamma interferon and interleukin-4 are two important virus-fighting cytokines (immune system proteins) A new German study has shown that cold water exposure helps these two disease-fighters work better together, resulting in fewer viral colds.
- A cold shower increases lymphocytes in the blood. Lymphocytes produce antibodies, which help fight germs.
- A cold shower makes you breathe deeply. (A big gasp when the cold water hits the skin!) A deep breath opens closed or clogged alveoli (small air sacs in the lungs) which are then less prone to bronchitis and pneumonia. And deeper breathing means more oxygen for the whole body.
- A cold shower lifts your mood. Depressed people get more colds – probably because depression lowers immunity. A brisk cold shower has been proven to lift the mood and lower stress, both of which jumpstart the immune response – which kills flu and cold germs!

- Better looking skin - when you shower with warm water, it opens up your pores. Then you wash and this cleans up your pores. That’s all good. When you end, it would be best to close your pores and cold water does just that. It’s good to close your pores after you are all cleaned up because it will prevent the pores from being easily clogged by dirt and oil, which causes skin imperfections such as acne for example. Another benefit is that cold water makes your blood vessels constrict which reduces swelling and the appearance of dark circles under your eyes (where skin is at its thinnest). This provides you with a young, healthy glow.
- Healthier hair - cold water makes your hair look healthier and shinier. As a matter of fact, cool air makes your hair shinier too (that’s why there is a cool air button on your hair dryer). What the cold water does is that it closes the cuticle which makes the hair stronger and prevents dirt from easily accumulating within your scalp. Basically, the same principle with how it closes the pores of your skin as mentioned above. Stronger hair, of course, prevents hair from being easily pulled out when you are combing, and it helps in slowing down overall hair loss.
- Mental benefits -here are plenty of mental benefits to ending your shower with cold water. The ancient samurai warriors used to pour buckets of cold river water on their heads every morning in a Shinto practice called Misogi. This was a purification ritual on a spiritual level. They believe that it cleansed their spirit and helped start a new day & new adventure fresh. Cold water obviously helps waking you up, which is what you want in the morning. Also, it energizes you and invigorates your entire being with the essence of life. Give it a try, you will definitely feel more alive! It can also lift you up if you are feeling a little down or unmotivated.

- and for men: cold water helps to increase sperm count and sperm motility

I knew some of these but I found some more on Google :)
Good thing that there is no hot water in the city because the gas bill wasn't payed, so I will be taking cold showers for a few days, after that I will try to get under some cold water after a regular shower :)

I was inspired by earthclinic.com, ownyourhealth.wordpress.com and ineedmotivation.com

How to Relieve Stress at Work?

A few tips to Relieve Stress At Work:
- Take a few deep breaths, allowing your rib cage and belly to expand as you inhale. Exhale slowly
- Seek a change in venue. Getting away from your work station, even for a walk to the water cooler, can help you collect your thoughts and refocus on the task at hand (I even had ideas in the bathroom :D).
- Laugh! Read one of your favorite jokes or simply laugh aloud.
- Play with a stress-relieving toy or game like a mini-basketball hoop, dart board, foam stress ball or punching bag.
- Listen to music.
- Visualize yourself relaxing or practicing your favorite hobby.
- Rehydrate! Most of us fail to drink enough water - that's water - not tea, coffee, coke, 'sports' drinks, Red Bull or fruit juice. You will drink more water if you keep some on your desk at all times - it's human nature to drink it if it's there - so go get some now. When you drink water you need to pee. This gives you a bit of a break and a bit of exercise now and then, which also reduces stress. :D
 - Take frequent snack breaks: Eat several small meals throughout the day to manage blood glucose levels. Why? When blood glucose levels get too low it puts stress on the body, sends it into survival mode and we get “hangry”: angry, impatient, critical, and easily pushed over the edge. try to eat healthy snacks like fruits :)
- Minimize caffeine, nicotine and alcohol: Many people tend to reach for these when feeling stressed out. In reality all of these substances release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which actually increase physiological stress on the body.
- Don’t overeat at lunch: Many people skip breakfast, work all morning, are famished by the time lunch rolls around and then eat an enormous meal. Putting too much glucose into the system at one time adds stress to the body in that any glucose that has greater levels of insulin must be released and any glucose that can’t be used is stored in the fat cells. Not only is eating too much at once a stress on the body, carrying around extra fat also places stress on the system.

LE: curse and hit the desk, usually this helps a lot :D

I was inspired by ehow.com, businessballs.com and whig.com.