I had the opportunity to fly home to Minneapolis for a quick weekend to see friends and family. My sister is heading off to Galway, Ireland to study abroad for the whole year and my intern year schedule might cramp my style in getting to go visit so it was great to be able to say goodbye to her. We got a little tennis in as well to shake the rust off.
The family gathered for a few meals and also to take the 2011 Christmas card photo…spoiler alert: here’s a sneak peek.
What a crew.
I also got to watch a little of the Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic in White Bear Lake to cheer on some of my friends. I usually love playing in the tourney but got in a little too late on Friday night to be able to play “for the children.” I did get to enjoy the annual Narr afterparty with subsequent tippy cup, had to shake the rust off there too.
The weekend concluded with a terrific dinner with friends at Ingrid and Pete Schwingler’s condo. All in all a nice whirlwind tour.
Despite a missed approach into the Santa Barbara runway due to late night fog, United got it done the second time around and I made it back.
On to the standin’. I have been rocking the standing desk since moving into my place in Santa Barbara and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to sitting for work. It is killer for improving my posture and I never feel sluggish after working at the computer.
It has to be better for you
Plus, Thomas Jefferson stood for work as well, so it’s got to be the way. I am reading Billionaire’s Vinegar which is about an extraordinarily expensive bottle of wine that Thomas Jefferson supposedly owned. Through reading the book, I’ve been amazed at how TJ shaped the wine collecting and growing environment in early America. The book has been an interesting read and I recommend it to anyone interested in wine collecting.
The Jefferson Standing Desk
Even the ER at the hospital has some standing work stations, I’m all over those when they’re available. I’m wrapping up my last week in the ER and will post my thoughts on the experience soon. The big finish will be a trip up to Monterey this weekend to see my Aunt and Uncle, attend some wine events, eat great food in Carmel, and compose myself before beginning my first week of working overnights in the ICU.
As my brother Andy says, “There’s no reset button on intern year” and I have to say I’m loving it…
Having been home, I’m shocked at how many people actually check out my thoughts and musings on this blog. Please let me know how you’re all doing and leave me message in the comments!
Looks like maybe Thomas Jefferson was on to something with his standing desk… that’s cool that you have one too.
Have you heard of Dr.James Levine, he’s a leading expert and authority on obesity prevention and treatment and energy metabolism.. coined the term NEAT. Have you heard of it? His book, Move a Little, Lose a Lot is quite fascinating and I think you would find it a good read. http://www.amazon.com/Move-Little-Lose-Lot-T/dp/030740854X#_ A quote from the book: “Diet and Exercise don’t work because they are unnatural.Selectively eliminating entire food groups from your diet or only eating grapefruit or some special shake or soup is completley out of whack and is not how we are meant to live.Human beings are hardwired to eat to nourish ourselves, not to systematically deprive ourselves of sustenance. Thats why you can never stay on a diet, and why you regain weight the moment you go off. We have evolved to hunt and gather, sow and reap, and to spend the day burning thousands of calories through constant motion, not to run like mad for 20-30 minutes burning maybe 200 calories and then sit motionless for the remaining 15 1/2 hours our of day burning next to nil…
…50 years ago there were no gyms; people rarely “exercised” and very few people struggled with being overweight. We managed our weight effortlessly because we moved. Now we struggle with it daily because we are desk sentanced… and it goes on
Also, another intersting article I read stated this: “Standing or walking causes tiny muscle contractions that begin a cascade of important metabolic and genetic processes breaking down fats and sugars in the blood. Sitting or lolling about on the couch appears to shut off an important enzyme (lipoprotein lipase, or LPL) that “acts like a vacuum cleaner for fat in the blood.”
So I wonder where that fits in with your thought process on the evil carbohydrates? 😉
I agree with you that PROCESSED carbohydrates are bad. Not naturally occuring 100% whole grains, fruits and vegetables. And don’t forget…next time someone orders a burger or a steak that is not grass fed…just eating corn with corn.