The Simpson Blog

A comment from Sandra in BAS:UW:1 points out the value of water. Yes! Water is great. I think most people could benefit from drinking more water each day, especially those who are exercising. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (is your subscription up to date?) even suggests that drinking water can actually help you lose weight! Something about water-induced thermogenesis: In 14 healthy, normal-weight subjects (seven men and seven women), we assessed the effect of drinking 500 ml of water on energy expenditure and substrate oxidation rates by using whole-room indirect calorimetry. The effect of water drinking on adipose tissue metabolism was assessed with the microdialysis technique. Drinking 500 ml of water increased metabolic rate by 30%. The increase occurred within 10 min and reached a maximum after 30-40 min. Of course, that's just one paper, and research published in the same journal earlier this month seems to contradict the

Monday began with a visit to the apartment gym. Our building complex has facilities including a pool, hot tub, sauna, and small gym. The workout room has two elliptical trainers, two treadmills, a recumbent bike, and some weight machines. I'd only been there twice -- once when touring the building last fall, and again when Amanda moved in. Monday, she had the day off, and sort of challenged me to begin my effort with a joint morning workout. So, we got up, suited up, and went down for a 45-minute cardio stint. After 20 minutes on the elliptical machine, my feet started to go numb. I did the remaining time on the treadmill. So far, so good, but the arm movement of the elliptical machine got my upper back all knotted up and breath-haltingly sore. And the tip-toe movement of the same machine did something to my right calf, with a close-to-the bone charlie horse of some kind. I hobbled around for the rest of the day and tossed and turned through the night. Tuesday morning was out becau

Game on! After Halifax was cut from production in the new season of Life Network's "X-Weighted", I decided to launch my own web series, "Big Ass Superstar: Un-Weighted". It has now begun. Over the next six months, I hope to chronicle the process and effects of going to war with myself in the quest for fitness. Start day has been set as September 18. Goal end date would thus be ... umm ... March 18. At this point, I hope to have weekly or perhaps bi-weekly blog updates on what I'm up to and how it's going. I also hope to have monthly video recaps over on the BigAss YouTube channel. (Gotta get my editing chops sharpened up, and cook up a logo for the segment.) The "Before" pictures have been shot. Intial measurements at launch: Height: 5'7" (not expected to change) Weight: 220 pounds Body fat (on electronic scale): 40.1% Chest: 44.5" Biceps: 12" Waist: 47" Thighs: 25" Neck: 17 3/8" Goals and ai

For years, I've been occasionally saying "If you're like me -- and I know I am ...." to the amusement of some. It's good in appropriate news stories maybe once a year. If ever anyone thinks I'm being clever and original with that line, I promptly admit comedic plagiarism. I know I didn't make it up, but I'd never been able to place the original source. Collaboration with friends suggested it was likely uttered by Norm Macdonald or Dennis Miller. Well, I've done some searching. The only reliable citation I've found, other than people passing it off as their own unattributed quip, goes to the character Joel on Mystery Science Theatre 3000 , aka MST3K. The earliest citation I've been able to find goes back to early 1998. So there ya go.

Summer appears to be over. Sure, it's not snowing, but it's breezy and chilly. It's around this time of the year -- actually around the time the CNE runs in Toronto, usually -- that I get this unsettled, quasi-nostalgic, implied-panicky feeling. Something to do with the change of the season. Perhaps echoes of back-to-school time. I dunno, but I'm always reminded of a bit of the Rush song Time Stand Still (Hold Your Fire, 1987): Summer's going fast, nights growing colder Children growing up, old friends growing older Freeze this moment a little bit longer Make each impression a little bit stronger Experience slips away Experience slips away... The innocence slips away And though I'm not one to fill my blog with song lyrics, I thought I'd share another song that's been running through my head lately. Underwhelmed, by Halifax heroes Sloan. She was underwhelmed, if that's a word I know it's not, 'cause I looke