I'm a firm believer in balance.  In the old days, we'd say between "body" "mind" and "spirit" but I'm bothered by "spirit."  Even though I mean the word in an entirely non-religious way -- for I mean the part of us that has passion and art and music -- I fear it will be misinterpreted.  So I prefer "body" and "both hemispheres of the mind." 

I think it's fair to say that everyone of us is unbalanced.  We pay attention to the needs of the mind, but not the body.  We eat poorly, not understanding that whatever we take into our body is what our body becomes.  We rationalize.  We are reactive to our conditions rather than being preventitive. 

The needs of the body can be broken down in three, too: exercise, nutrition and supplementation.  Every person's body has an unique chemical makeup.  My nutritional needs are very different from someone else's.  Part of my education over the last couple years has been the importance of nutrition in the balance.  Sure, I exercised everyday and worked my body hard, but I didn't see improvement or growth.  But that was because I was robbing myself of my nutritional requirements.

Now I'm at a place where I recognize how important nutrition is in the overall picture. 

My first course of advice -- aside from the obvious "if you don't exercise at all, start doing something" -- is to get a blood workup done by your doc and take it to a nutritionist or a nurse practitioner and honestly discuss where you are and what you need.  Now, there are basic nutritional things we'll talk about here, but I can't stress enough the importance of knowing your body from the inside out.

I ate breakfast today for the first time in awhile (oatmeal and a banana), hopefully I can stay on target on eating better so I won't get those mid-afternoon cravings anymore.

Tom, should I be bothering with oatmeal or should I just eat something with protein (like two eggs) or have a bit of both? I figure if I start off the day right, I can build off of that.

I have oatmeal every morning. 

Think about it like this: complex carbs are fuel for the body.  Your body breaks them down into sugar and uses them for energy.  Protein (like eggs and meat) are used to feed the muscles AFTER you use them. 

The earlier in your day you eat your complex carbs, the better the chance that your body will use them as fuel and not store them.  See, if you don't use the complex carbs you take in, your body breaks them down into sugar and stores them as fat in your body.  That's why conventional wisdom says not to eat complex carbs after 3 or 4pm. 

You can have leafy carbs or veggies anytime, but complex carbs like oatmeals, pastas, breads shouldn't be consumed late in the day.

1st meal: oatmeal and banana

2nd meal (mid morning): protein (egg sandwich for me, usually) and carbs before gym usually a protein shake, too.

I work out in the mid-morning then have lunch after.

3rd meal (lunch): what would be considered "dinner" to most -- the most complex and heaviest meal of the day.

4th meal (mid-afternoon): nuts <-- can't stress nuts enough and yogurt or fruit

5th meal (dinner): protein and leafy veggie (chicken breast and salad)

I also have a protein shake before bed (and I usually "cheat" and have a bowl of cold cereal -- I'm trying to break this, tho.  Not easy.)

I've been bringing wraps I made with chicken breast that I grill. Lean protein and tastes great with the right seasonings. I'm thinking of having a salad and fish for dinner.

I bought some granola bars from Kashi to have as snacks so I can steer clear of the vending machines at work.

I figure to work out in the morning before work since I'm usually drained by the time I get home. Hopefully I can keep on target. I know I'm not going to get built like you, Tom, but if I can at least not be too embarassed to take my shirt off, then that's a good thing.

I was not built like me for a long time! 

Again, all you can be is the best you possible!  Any improvement is improvement and change is always good!  If your goal is to be able to take your shirt off, that's a great goal (It took me forever to feel good about taking my shirt off, btw -- I still get nervous about it.)  -- but once you achieve it, remember to make anew goal!

Something is better than nothing, right? 

Walking is surprisingly healthy.  A lot of people believe that tons of cardio -- running, stair-stepping, those elliptical machines at the gym -- and heavy sweating is the way to lose weight.  Cardio exercises are designed to get the heart/lungs in shape, not necessarily burn fat. 

In order for fat-burning to happen in the body, the heart-rate has to be elevated, but not as much as you'd think.  A raised metabolic rate in the body causes your internal temperature to go up, and that's how you "burn fat."  Raise the rate higher and you're doing cardio (heart/lungs) which burns fat at a slower rate, believe it or not. 

A brisk walk (and the speed of "brisk" is different for different people, but let's say enough to get your breathing a little bit) will raise your metabolic rate and help you burn fat. 

Unfortunately, what happens is -- the body adapts!  And the body adapts quickly.  It won't be long before you'll need (and want) to increase the duration of your walks.  If you can do twenty or thirty minutes, that's great.  (A perfect reason to have an energetic dog!)  But anything is good to start.  What matters is starting! 

Despite the Obama administration wanting an injunction, the judge mandated that the military is to cease discharging openly gay personnel.