Aspartame

What exactly is Aspartame ? When I first heard the word I didnt even know how to say it right, much less spell it. I couldn't decide if it should be Aspartme or Aspirtame. Then when I looked the word up on Wikipedia it said (pronounced/ 'æsperteim/or e' sparteim) whatever that means.

So what is Aspartame ? Aspartame is one of those words that you find on the back of food and drink products. It is generally in small print, and surrounded by other words that are just as confusing and unpronounceable as it is, and I am starting to get the general idea that most Americans just do not pay attention to it. I mean, I think most Americans trust the product, they trust the company, so they assume anything it has printed on it has to be ok.

So what is Aspartame ? Aspartame was created by scientist James M. Schlatter in 1965 in a chemistry lab. It was intended to do something else than it does today. It is an artificial sweetener that is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. Often it is used to reduce calories because Aspartame has less calories than real sugar. So foods that claim to be low calorie may use Aspartame instead of sugar. Aspartame is found in Diet Coke; in little packets of Equal and NutraSweet; and in beverages like Snapple Tea and Crystal Lite. It is used in over 6000 consumer foods and beverages.

So what's the big deal ? Well it is artificial, meaning that it is not natural. And while Aspartame has less calories than sugar, it does have one thing that natural sugar does not have and that is a list of over 90 side effects. I will not list them all, but some of my favorites are blindness, ringing in the ears, holes in the brain and even slows down your metabolism.

So the next time you grab a Diet Coke and think you're doing yourself a favor, think about this. There is nothing natural about artifical. And if you look on the back of your food or drink and you can't pronounce the ingredient's name, or if you don't know what it is, then maybe you should not put in your body.

When it comes to food, there is only one rule you need to know. Eat food, real food, mostly plants.

Training 11/23

Name: Mile 1 - Mile 2

Belmares - 14:06 - 29:50

Castro - 12:12 - 26:58

Contreras - 9:40 - 20:37

Flores - 14:06 - 30:19

Gutierrez - 9:34 - 20:37

Lara - 13:13 - 30:19

Paz - 12:57 - 28:53

Ruiz - 10:05 - 22:02

Varela - 17:50 - 39:56

Vargas - 11:37 - 25:57

Vela - 8:12 - 16:27

Mendez - 14:06 - 26:58

Mijares - 10:38 - 21:09

Little B - 13:17 - 28:58

Great Job Today. Remember this is the last practice till Thanks Giving, so make sure you get 2 runs over the holiday break. Next week we start practice three days a week, Mon, Wed, Thur. Enjoy the break Team Ranger !!!!

Training 11/18

Name: Mile 1 - Mile 2 - Mile 3

Belmares - 15:40 - 34:21

Calles 15:00 - 36:08

Castro 15:27 - 20:00 -

Slow n Steady - 8:52 - 19:40 - 30:34

Lara - 10:25 - 23:50

Patel K - 10:20 - 23:09 - 37:34

Patel R - 15:16 - 27:37 - 47:00

Paz - 11:35 - 27:54 - 46:00

Vargas - 14:15 - 30:14 - 43:32

Little B - 12:15 - 30:41

Vela - 8:34 - 20:00 - 34:09

Mendez - 15:08 - 34:27

Also Great Job Mrs. Torres - sub 9 minutes mile !!!!

Training 11/16

Name: Mile 1

Belmares - 12:45

Calles - 12:20

Contreras - 9:50

Flores - 12:40

Slow and Steady - 8:33

Lara - 11:50

Patel R - 13:55

Paz - 11:40

Vargas - 11:53

Little B - 12:15

Today was a beautiful day, so we limited the run to 1 mile and then did speed work by playing soccer for an hour. It was a nice change of pace and Team Ranger loved it. It is important to cross train, its important to mix up your training and playing soccer is a great way of showing people why it is important to be Ranger Fit.

Ranger Fit Gets A Donation of Shoes

Coach Jen from the Yellow Group at Houston Fit generously donated some shoes to Ranger Fit over the weekend and the kids loved them. Thank you so much Jen for making a difference in these kids lives. YOU ROCK !!!

If you think you can support Ranger Fit please contact Mr. Johnson at ajohns26@houstonisd.org We need running shorts, shirts, and kid shoes of all sizes. Also any running gear would be much appreciated.

Remember if we do not help our children, who do we help ?

Little B Joins Team Ranger

Little B, he is a 2nd grader, little brother of Belmares and newest member of Team Ranger. And lets get something strainght, he is not standing in anyone's shadow. He ran the mile today and beat older sister and 4 other memebers of Team Ranger.
When I asked why he wanted to be part of the Team Ranger he simply said he wanted to be Hooah !

Hooah Little B !!!

The Basics of Weight Loss

Over the past few months I have talked to and counseled several people about weight loss and getting in shape. I love doing it, I am passionate about it, and I generally hope that in some small way I am making a difference in peoples lives by doing so. So here few rules about weight loss and basic nutrition.

Rule 1 - The simple Formula for Weight Loss. Increase your Activity and Decrease your intake of Calories = Weight Loss

Rule 2 - There is no healthy way to loss weight with a pill or supplement.

Rule 3 - If you put good healthy foods into your body, you will feel good and healthy. That's pretty basic.

Rule 4 - Eat food, real food, mostly plants. Try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. When you eat meat, try to eat white meat like chicken and fish. Try to limit your consummation of red meat by eating it only twice a week, and even then never two days in a roll.

Rule 5 - Eat small meals through out the day. Never skip breakfast, and if you going to eat a big meal breakfast is the meal to eat big, because your more than likely you will burn off those calories through out the day.

Rule 6 - Eat healthy snacks like almonds and carrots and other fruits and vegetables.

Rule 7 - Being Fit is not a part time job, its a full time job. Either you live a healthy life style or you don't.

Rule 8 - Drink water and juice. Avoid alcohol and soda.

Rule 9 - Have a fitness goal and give yourself a timeline. A fitness goal gives you a reason to eat healthy and exercise.

Rule 10 - In the end its you versus you. No one can do it for you.

Training 11/11

Inspired by Susie, a Rice Track Alumni and Boston Qualifier, I decided to change up training today. Thus, after our stretching and core training we did sprint work, followed by a mile run. Great Job on the sprints !!!

Name: Mile 1

Calles - 7:59

Contreras - 10:31

Gutierrez - 11:17 ( his 4th mile for today, Hooah !!!)

Lara - 9:25

Patel - 10:23

Paz - 12:54

Vargas - 11:17

What did you have for lunch ?

What did you have for lunch ? 1 member of Team Ranger and another student from my homeroom had a 3 mile run for lunch, and loved every step of it.

Daniel Gutierrez and Leader from Homeroom joined Mr. Johnson today for his 3 mile noon run. This is quite an accomplishment, especially since we had 80 degree temprature at noon today. So the next time you want to call a kid lazy, you better make sure they are not a member of Team Ranger.

Good Job Rangers!!!

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day !! It was both and honor and privilege to serve my country. A special thanks should go out to all veterans for preserving our way of life, and ensuring our freedom.

Hooah from Team Ranger !

Training 11/09

Name: Mile 1 - Mile 2 - Mile 3

Belmares - 15:28 - DNF

Calles - DNF

Cavazos - 15:04 - DNF

Flores - 12:42 - DNF

Gutierrez - 9:16 - 20:05 - 30:59

Lara - 9:15 - 20:04 - 34:19

Leader - 13:25 - 30:26 - DNF

Patel R - 15:14 - 33:56 - DNF

Vargas - 10:56 - 23:55 - 36:34

Mendez - 11:36 - 26:49 - DNF

Childhood Obesity

If we do not help our children who do we help.

In Houston, 36 percent of children ages 6-17 are over weight. Within this population, 19 percent are obese.

Texas is ranked 6th in the nation for childhood obesity and Houston is among the top 10 Overweight Cities according to the American Obesity Society.

Regardless who is to blame, these are the facts.

Houston Masters Sports Association 25 K

I ran a personal best today at the HMSA 25K with a time of 2 hrs 9 min and 57 seconds for 15.5 Miles. Thats an average of 8 minutes and 17 seconds per Mile.

I beat my personal best on this course by 3 minutes. I am having a great a year and I want to thank everyone on the course who helped me run and cheered me on and all the Coaches and Staff at Houston Fit. You Rock !!!

Run This Weekend

Remember fitness is not something we do some of the time, it is something we do all the time. Make sure you get a nice 30 min run sometime this weekend.

Also 70% of our training is eating right. Eat food, real food, mostly plants. Avoid the most common FAT BOY SNACKS: soda, candy, and chips.

Training 11/04

Name: Mile 1 - Mile 2

Calles 14:40 - DNF

Castro 16:35 - DNF

Ruiz 16:40 - DNF

Vargas 11:19 - 24:56

Patel 14:10 - 33:16

Mendez 11:25 - 29:52

Flores 13:51 - 29:52

Belmares 13:52 - 29:18

Garfias 15:43 - DNF

Gutierrez 10:00 - 21:36

Friess - 16:30 - 30:40

Lara - 10:10 - 22:45

Paz - DNF

Cavazos - 19:40 - DNF

Varela - DNF

Contreras - 8:36 - 19:28 - (3rd mile 35:01)

Training 11/02

Name: Mile 1 and 2

Belmares 14:58 - 38:55

Flores 14:58 - 38:55

Calles 9:10 - 19:23

Lara 11:49 - 25:16

Varela 17:15 - 42:00

Vargas 11:40 - 25:00

Contreras 9:10 - 19:25

Patel 12:19 - 28:27

Gutierrez 9:30 - 22:19

You Guys did Great Today. Weather was awesome and so was the running. Keep Up the Good Work !

The 2009 Great Pumpkin Fun Run

Patricia Lufsey (Right) 35:10 and Theresa Torres (Left) 29:02 - 7th in her age group !!! Awesome Job ! Thank you so much for modeling fitness to our students and staff and for your continous support of Ranger Fit. You Rock !!!!