Gimzoo

Diabetes Prevention-Earning Your Calories

Michael Phelps at work

It should be pretty clear from the last two posts that sugar in the blood stream leads to the dangerous complications of diabetes. Just as important as what is delivered to the blood vessels is how it leaves. The greatest source of energy demand is from the muscles. If we don't use our muscles, they won't use up the sugar. It is that plain and simple. Conversely, when we actively use our muscles we turn into a blood sugar burning machine. Well conditioned athletes use up a huge amount of sugar. In the last Olympics, it was well documented that Michael Phelps, our gold medal, world record breaking swimmer, consumed around 9000 calories a day. Most of those were in the form of carbohydrates. That would put many of my diabetic patients in the hospital in a diabetic coma. He had to consume that much to keep up with the amount of calories that his muscles were consuming due to his intense training. However, I have witnessed many swim coaches who are over weight and at risk for diabetes. The reason? While they were actively training they developed a habit of heavy caloric intake which was not adequately scaled back when their training decreased. The point is that exercise allows us to be able to eat more food.

One need not be an olympic swimmer to increase his ability to burn sugar. Intensity matters but consistency is the key. In the days when most of our population worked on farms, type II diabetes was not very common. Today, where many of us work at computer screens or sitting down, the incidence is sky rocketing. That is not a coincidence. If you are not a construction worker or a farmer, you likely need more exercise. I've discussed this in previous posts, but it does not matter what sort of activity you engage in as long as you are moving your muscles and getting your heart rate up. The heart rate is an indicator that the muscles have used up their store of fuel and are calling out for a new delivery. Whatever you choose to participate in, do it regularly. It would be nice to be able to exercise just once a week for three hours and call it quits. If we just ate once a week, I suppose that would work, but as long as we are putting fuel in the body, we need to keep the engine running. I recently saw a patient in the office and I told him, "I'll make you a deal...you only have to exercise on the days that you eat." The glimmer of hope that shone in his eyes as I started my sentence quickly turned to despair as he realized the point I was making.

I enjoy eating as much as anyone else. I love ice cream. I have been known to have a certain fondness for M&M's. I realize that eating such items on a regular basis is a recipe for disaster. Some years back to curb a nearly nightly habit of having ice cream, I put together my rules for eating. I have followed these rules now for 15 years and I'll have to say that it has worked well for me. During the week, I make sure and eat my five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. I avoid all sweets, junk food, and yes, even ice cream. On the weekends, I can eat anything I want, if and only if, I have exercised at least four days during the week. I'll admit that in the beginning, I over did it on the weekends. By Sunday, I would often feel bloated, lethargic and I often battled headaches. Monday would be a relief. I now no longer go crazy and feel much better for it. It is nice to be able to sit down and have a milkshake without guilt. I view it as a reward rather than a transgression. Since I have burned it, I earned it!

The Return of Acquisitions Incorporated

I think this is now the fourth adventure of Acquisitions Incorporated as Mike Krahulik, Jerry Holkins, Scott Kurtz, and Wil Wheaton play Dungeons and Dragons. Above is part one of their adventure from PAX.

The Worry of Newport

Trailer for Crysis mod The Worry of Newport. RPS says:

The Worry of Newport is as authentic a Lovecraft experience as I’ve ever played. Which is to say, it’s slow, wordy and takes itself very seriously indeed. However, it’s also atmospheric, creepy and mysterious.

You can watch a playthrough at Youtube.

Link roundup

1. Collection of easter eggs from Deus Ex Human Revolution.

2. "The bizarre saga involving a lost prototype of the iPhone 5 has taken another interesting turn. Contradicting past statements that no records exist of police involvement in the search for the lost prototype, San Francisco Police Department spokesman Lt. Troy Dangerfield now tells SF Weekly that 'three or four' SFPD officers accompanied two Apple security officials in an unusual search of a Bernal Heights man's home."

3. The Grant Morrison interview got all the link love, but the truly interesting article in Rolling Stone is this one: How a high school jock from Texas rose to the top of one of Mexico's most powerful and ruthless cartels.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Trailer for the DS game aliens Infestation

Trailer for Aliens Infestation shows off lots of gameplay. Via.

*Buy Alien toys by Neca at eBay.

Stop-motion recreation of the Johnny Quest opening

Spectacular stop-motion recreation of the Johnny Quest opening by Roger Evans and Brandi McAlister. It looks gorgeous in fullscreen. Lots and lots of making of pics here. Via.

*Buy Jonny Quest toys at eBay.

Batwoman wallpaper

JH Williams III posted a new page from Batwoman, which I cropped into this widescreen wallpaper.

*Previously: Variant Batwoman covers by Amy Reeder.

*Buy Batwoman toys at eBay.

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

A few paintings from Joey Remmers's upcoming show at Corey Helford.

Link roundup

1. Cool and creepy scene in Deus Ex Human Revolution.

2. Gallery 1988 posted the originals and prints from its Garbage Pail Kid-themed show.

3. Detailed description of Amazon's $250 tablet. Although, you have to take with a grain of salt a description that includes this line: "I’m not sure what the battery life is like (I only played with it for about an hour), but I imagine it is very good and in line with other tablets — 10 hours or so." Gizmodo created a mockup based on the description.

4. That totally wild One Piece figure I posted a few days ago is now available for preorder at the BBTS.

*Buy Garbage Pail Kids cards at eBay.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Zombie in Love by Scott C.

My favorites from Scott C's Zombie in Love show opening tomorrow at Gallery Nucleus:

Diabetes Prevention-The Right Fuel

Though there is not yet a cure for diabetes, type II diabetes is certainly preventable in most people. Yes, some inherit a genetic tendency towards diabetes but that is not a guarantee of getting the disease. As discussed in last week's post, the key to keeping diabetes at bay is to keep down the abdominal fat stores so that the pancreas does not become overworked. Quite simply, if you are overweight you must burn more than you take in. I realize that this is easier said than done. I've discussed diet and exercise before but will readdress these topics with a specific emphasis on how diabetes is impacted. I'll start with food intake and will discuss exercise next week.

First, let's talk about what is coming in. If the goal is to minimize the amount of glucose (sugar) that reaches the blood vessels, sweets must be avoided. Table sugar is sucrose which chemically is composed of two glucose molecules stuck to each other. It takes nearly no effort to split them in two. Compare that to fructose, the molecule that fruit contains. It is composed of one glucose molecule and another called galactose. For the same amount of food ingested, there will be half as much sugar in whole fruit than in sweets. In addition, fruit contains fiber, vitamins and other nutrients all of which are healthy. The fiber makes the body work harder to digest the food and thus delays how quickly the nutrients reach the blood stream. In addition to sweets, some foods have a much higher glycemic index than others. Think of the glycemic index as how much sugar a given food delivers to the blood vessels. Cereals are notoriously high, though the higher fiber cereals are much better than the others. Bread, pasta and potatoes are also high glycemic foods. Whole grains are always better than processed ones. The bran and fiber in whole grains makes it harder to digest and will therefore deliver less sugar to the blood stream. For more details about the glycemic index of specific foods, click here.

In addition to the types of food we eat, the amount eaten is just as important. Our body uses sugar to meet its metabolic demands. If too much glucose is delivered, it will get stored either in the liver as long chains called glycogen or be processed into fat stores. If small amounts of food are eaten frequently, total calorie consumption will not need to be decreased in order to keep the weight stable. In fact one of the worst things someone can do when trying to lose weight is to skip meals. When going too long between meals, the body does not receive the nutrients that it needs so it enters starvation mode. Signals are then sent throughout the body to turn down metabolism, lessening energy demand. In addition, cortisol is released from the adrenal gland. One of its effects is to decrease the sensitivity to insulin, thus raising blood sugar. It is best to have healthy food nearby during the day. Just a few grapes or a bite or two of carrots will keep down hunger and maintain the metabolism. Keep it small and keep it healthy.

Lastly, eating a large meal late in the evening prior to going to bed is a recipe for disaster. Very few of those calories will be metabolized. The exception is if you chose to exercise in the evening before eating. Exercise turns on a muscle enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. It is quite good at burning up glucose. It stays active in the muscles for 2-3 hours after exercising. If you are going to have foods with a higher glycemic index, the time to eat them is during this window of opportunity after exercise.

Link roundup

1. A detailed look at how The Asylum makes movies. Sample:

Oh, and one more tip -- pick something that you're pretty sure is going to be an actual hit. "People ask why we didn't do Cowboys and Aliens," The Asylum's Paul Bales says, "And we considered it for a while, but in the markets we have, genre-mixing doesn't work." In fact, The Asylum takes international genre tastes really seriously. "Disaster films work pretty much anywhere," Bales says, "But creature films only work in a few territories. In most of Europe, a big giant fish means nothing to them."

Via.

2. A look at the character designs from the Iron Man: Armored Adventures cartoon (my boys love this show, and since they often watch it in the car, I regularly have the theme in my head).

3. "It began as a classic Hialeah politics whodunit: Little mirrors were glued on some of Acting Mayor Carlos Hernandez’s campaign yard signs. The mirrors prompted a rumor in the no-love-lost mayor’s race that Hernandez was trying to appeal to voters who practice Santería." Via.

4. The Kidrobot plastic breakdancers I posted a few days ago will also be sold by the bag. Now all we need is for them to start selling MUSCLE knockoffs by the bucket.

*Buy MUSCLE Men at eBay.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Book review roundup

1. Ann Patchett, one of my favorite writers, has a new 50-page digital guide and memoir called The Getaway Car.: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life. It's a mix of practical tips about becoming an author (applying to schools, motivating yourself to write) and anecdotes. Here's a bit about one of her favorite teachers (Grace Paley):

Oh, Grace, with her raveling sweaters and thick socks, her gray hair flying in every direction, the dulcet tones of Brooklyn in her voice: She was a masterpiece of human life. There was the time she came to class and said she couldn’t return stories because she had been robbed the night before. A burglar had broken into her apartment and tied her to the kitchen chair. She’d then proceeded to talk to him about his hard life for more than an hour. In the end, he took her camera and her bag full of our homework. I’m sure I was not alone in thinking how lucky that guy was to have gotten so much of Grace’s undivided attention. Another time, she came to class and herded us all into a school van, then she drove us to Times Square. We were to march with the assembling throngs to the Marine recruitment offices chanting USA, CIA, out of Grenada! It was crowded and cold, and after we were sent off down Forty-second Street with our signs, we never did find Grace or the van again.

You can read an excerpt here and buy the Kindle single at Amazon. (Some of the most useful information I've seen yet about having a career as a writer.)

2. Kraken by China Mieville: Easily my least favorite of his books, possibly because it's too similar to his other books. It seems slow despite near constant action, the characters are largely forgettable, and I just couldn't find myself caring about what was going to happen (I finished three or four other books during the time I was reading it). This isn't to say it's without merit - - he makes very clever use of extreme origami, iPod playlists, and trap streets, and after 460 pages, the squid cult at the center of the book finally becomes very interesting. Also, my copy had a fabulous cover by David Stevenson. Available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

3. The Cosummata by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins: It's one double cross after another as Mickey Spillane's Morgan navigates a world of high class prostitution, Cuban exiles, and nuclear scientists. The book features a beautifully-painted (and probably NSFW) cover by Robert McGinnis, and was a nice, manly palate cleanser after The Forgotten Garden. You can download a wallpaper-sized version of the cover here, read an excerpt here, and preorder the book at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The Star Wars x Adidas shoes are in stock

The Star Wars x Adidas shoes are in stock at the Adidas store. Would you all be kind enough to buy them out so I'll stop being tempted?

Final Rock of Ages trailer

The last trailer for Rock of Ages. Alas, it looks like it's getting mostly lackluster reviews.

Illustration roundup

Vicious rabbits by Anna-Maria Jung up for vote at Threadless.

Batwoman by Steve Lieber - - one of several illustrations on sale at eBay to benefit Dylan Williams.

I might have posted these before, but Sean Dove added some $8 prints to his Etsy shop.

The First Grade by Don Clark on sale as a $12 print.

Cover for Ilsa Bick's Ashes. io9 posted a 100-page excerpt from the book.

Thor loves kittens

Thor loves Hello Kitty by Davide De Rose Veltri, who is looking for commissions.

*Buy sketch cards at eBay.

Hulk vs. the Rain

Page from James Kochalka's Hulk vs. the Rain from Hulk 2001 Annual. Via.

*Buy Marvel Legends action figures at eBay.

Link roundup

1. "Tuesday’s discovery marks the eighth foot to be found on the B.C. coast since August 2007. Three more have washed up in nearby Washington." Via.

2. "Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigators are refusing to return a purported Rembrandt drawing that was stolen from an auction at an upscale hotel and then recovered last month, citing questions about the authenticity and ownership of the piece."

3. New Marvel Universe sets/singles have been added as preorders to the BBTS.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Link roundup

1. I can't believe so many longtime bloggers still don't know that infographics are created as linkspam to improve Google search results. (As I've mentioned before, I've been offered money to post them.)

2. BoingBoing interviewed William Gibson to celebrate the release of the Zero History paperback. Sample:

Do you have a "daily carry?" If so, what are the things in it?

A very thin, almost weightless wallet, made of a material called Kuben (which is sort of like Dyneema but less fancy-looking) deployed in front pocket. (I had a walletectomy for a back issue; back-pocket carry is murder on the back, plus much less secure.) A steel-cable Muji keyring with keys and a SwissTech Utili-Key 6-in-1 tool (which looks like a key). A Montblanc roller-pen from before they become a luxury brand (I found one on eBay after reading Hiroshi Fujiwara's fascinating book Personal Effects). 

3. My understanding is that Mattel didn't sell remotely close to the minimum number of subscriptions that they supposedly needed to support a DC Universe club, but have nevertheless announced that they "found a way to make the program work."

4. Apparently the Deus Ex Human Revolution viral game is ongoing, but the moderators have had trouble finding an audience able/motivated enough to solve the puzzles.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Papercraft Sentinel (Marvel Comics)

Download the Sentinel paper toy here.

*Buy Marvel Universe figures at eBay.

Sea monster and giant robot by Ryan Heshka

The Man Ray is for an upcoming show at Copro. The giant robot is the cover of Cinelli's cycling catalog. There are various Ryan Heshka prints on sale here.

Video of a white blood cell chasing bacteria

"It is a neutrophil chasing Staphylococcus aureus." Via.

Martin O'Neill: The Power Of An Internal Franchise - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio

Consultant, leadership and corporate culture expert, principal with Corsum Consulting, and author of the empowering and company transformational book The Power of an Internal Franchise: How Your Business Will Prosper When Employees Act Like Owners, Martin O'Neill, describes the leading edge of company cultural transformational concept of turning every employee into an internal franchisee. Marty O'Neill provides evidence of how when employees take personal ownership, and see the company's success as their own, engagement and productivity are increased dramatically. The internal franchise company has a strong and empowered culture where people act with the best interests of the organization in mind. Marty O'Neill ares three steps to put the internal franchise concept to work for your company.

Martin O'Neill is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, September 1, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Consultant, leadership and corporate culture expert, principal with Corsum Consulting, and author of the empowering and company transformational book The Power of an Internal Franchise: How Your Business Will Prosper When Employees Act Like Owners, Martin O'Neill, describes the leading edge of company cultural transformational concept of turning every employee into an internal franchisee. You will learn:

* Why company cultures are so moribund today

* How an internal franchise empowers and engages employees

* How to put an internal franchise culture in place

* How to lead and reward an internal franchise company culture

Mertin O'Neill (photo left) has been an operator and consultant in the technology services and software industries for 25 years. He has started technology based services companies, led two IT Services firms through successful acquisitions and ran a business unit for a Fortune 50 company.

He was the Director of Maryland Operations for the Boeing Company’s Space and Intelligence Systems business unit. Marty joined Boeing while the COO for the acquisition target, Conquest, Inc.

Prior to this, he was CEO of Canal Bridge Consulting, a management consulting firm. Marty was also the President and CEO of CTX Corporation, an IT Service company in the Federal Intel market. He founded and was COO and Director of Rapid Systems Solutions, an IT services company. Marty started his career as a consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton and later moved to Oracle in a sales role.

Martin is now Principal with Corsum Consulting, a firm focused on building enterprise value for mid market companies. He has also served as the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Entrepreneur-in-Residence and currently teaches classes on Entrepreneurship.

Marty has been leading change his entire career. He is well known in the Washington/Baltimore market and has a proven record of building dynamic, growth oriented organizations. Marty's co-authored book, Act Like an Owner: Building an Ownership Culture, was lauded by Ken Blanchard as "a must read for the 21st century."

Marty O'Neill's new book, The Power of an Internal Franchise: How Your Business Will Prosper When Employees Act Like Owners, was published in May 2011.

Marty lives on the Magothy River in Maryland with his wife, their three children, and their yellow lab Sunny.

My book review of The Power of an Internal Franchise: How Your Business Will Prosper When Employees Act Like Owners by Martin O'Neill.

My book review of Building Business Value: How to Command a Premium Price for Your Midsized Company by Martin O'Neill.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.

If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.

To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with consultant, leadership and corporate culture expert, principal with Corsum Consulting, and author of the empowering and company transformational book The Power of an Internal Franchise: How Your Business Will Prosper When Employees Act Like Owners, Martin O'Neill, as he describes the leading edge of company cultural transformational concept of turning every employee into an internal franchisee. Marty O'Neill provides evidence of how when employees take personal ownership, and see the company's success as their own, engagement and productivity are increased dramatically. The internal franchise company has a strong and empowered culture where people act with the best interests of the organization in mind. Marty O'Neill ares three steps to put the internal franchise concept to work for your company on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: The Power of an Internal Franchise: How Your Business Will Prosper When Employees Act Like Owners, Martin O'Neill, employee empowerment strategies, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

Move over cotton candy, here's "dirt floss"

MacLaren McCann gave away buckets of dirt floss to promote GMC. Via.

Link roundup

1. Walter Russell Mead:

The looming struggle over water is not difficult to foresee. As China and South Asian countries use more and more water in urban development and agriculture, available resources will be intensely protected. China controls the vast Tibetan plateau, where most of South Asia’s rivers originate. Not only does China appropriate upstream resources, but pollution flows downstream, making what water downstream nations have available increasingly unsuitable for consumption or agriculture.

2. New Resident Evil ARG site and the site it takes you to.

3. Graphic design in the movie Moon.

4. Offline Gmail. (The only Chrome app other than Angry Birds that I've installed. Are there others worth installing?)

5. The latest nick and dent sale at TFAW (lots of comics and toys).

6. Tenacious Toys has Kidrobot Azteca Series 2 Dunny blind boxes on sale.

READ MORE - Link roundup

EcoKat (the woman is EcoKat)

Meet the EcoEnforcers:

Meet EcoKat, crusader of conservation and fanatic of fluorescents. She has embarked upon Kansas State University with one mission: Reduce, reuse and recycle.

EcoKat, played by a K-State student who auditioned for the role, is outfitted in a costume made of 90 percent repurposed materials. The department of apparel, textiles and interior design helped with the final look, making it an entirely sustainable project partnering many campus groups.

The EcoKat video idea was born from a serious call to action that morphed into a more humorous, tough-love take on environmentalism.

EcoKat is not affiliated with K-State athletics, but Willie the Wildcat was added as one-half of the EcoEnforcers to make the local campaign uniquely K-State.

Willie the Wildcat

You may recognize Willie as the faithful warrior on the sidelines of every K-State sporting event, but he's taking his talents even further. Joining EcoKat as an EcoEnforcer, Willie is working hard to keep his favorite place on earth beautiful and sustainable. When not perfecting his raise-the-roof techniques and sculpting his arm muscles, Willie enjoys recycling, hunting Jayhawk and watching Planet Earth.

Link roundup

1. A Gizmodo writer went on two dates with a guy she met on OK Cupid and then wrote a post about how he was a loser for being a world class Magic The Gathering player and not mentioning it in his profile (or maybe she had a different motivation for going on the dates). He participated in an interesting q&a at Reddit. Also funny: Top Signs You’re on a Date With a Gizmodo Writer, including "refers to post-dinner plans as 'occurring after the jump'."

2. Hotel elevator with separate buttons for staff and guests.

3. How to report scraper sites to Google. Via.

4. Lime green couch wallpaper. Via.

READ MORE - Link roundup

Link roundup

1. Cocktail umbrella design contest.

2. Skull face paint. (Part of a super hero-themed bodypaint gallery that's probably NSFW.)

3. Animated gif of a mosquito getting blown out of the air by a laser. Via.

4. FYI, I randomly chose these three of my Tumblr followers to receive Threadless credits. They should have received the credits.

READ MORE - Link roundup