by | Feb 9, 2014 | 14 comments

Happy Sunday! ย Kevin and I are heading off to Brazil tonight for a good friend’s wedding next weekend. ย Aside from the 11 hour red-eye both ways, I’m excited beyond belief and feel so lucky to get to experience Brazil. ย We’ll be gone until next Monday, but I have a great line up of posts already scheduled for you, so barring any technology issues, you shouldn’t notice much difference around the Lyons’ Share, besides maybe a lack of response to your comments for a few days!

7 Interesting Things I Read This Week

Now on to this week’s links. ย Enjoy!

  1. The Importance of Protein for Losing Weight. ย I believe that protein is so important (and often overlooked) even if you’re not trying to lose weight, but this article reminds us that protein keeps us satisfied, repairs muscle tissue, and keeps energy levels up. ย The other Fitsugar article linked from this one (and the study it cites) shows that study participants who ate double the protein were best able to lose fat without losing muscle. ย protein picture(picture source)
  2. A Look at Protein Bars. ย Speaking of protein, this article gives a few interesting facts about the make-up about protein bars in general. ย It talks about a study that shows that protein doesย not increase muscle mass, as well as a meta-analysis of studies that show itย does. ย Conflicting research like this is why I find nutrition so fascinating – it’s so fun to try to stay on top of it! ย The article has a few great points, including saying that real food is generally better, we shouldn’t apply a health halo to protein bars just because the package says “healthy,” and that we should look into the extra ingredients in our bars. protein bars(picture source)
  3. (Added)ย Sugar Is Making Us Sick. ย I’ve spoken about the dangers of added sugars before many times, and this CNN article shows that the risk of cardiovascular disease more than doubles for those consuming diets high in added sugars. ย It also reminds us that the problem is really just added sugars, not naturally occurring sugars like those in fruit! added sugars(picture source)
  4. Cancer Rates to Increase Steadily. ย This article doesn’t really have health tips or practical lessons for us, but it made me sad. ย The WHO estimates that we could have 22 million new cancer cases per year in 20 years (vs. 14 million per year in 2012). ย A reminder to all of us that life is short, and sometimes scary, so enjoy every moment and feel gratitude for your health. cancer(picture source)
  5. 10 Ways to Increase Your Metabolism. ย Laura posted this on her Facebook page, and I loved reading it. ย I’ve talked about protein, spices, coffee, and “gamifying” an active lifestyle, and you allย know I love my vegetables, but I still liked the article as a quick, fun read. broccoli(picture source)
  6. CVS to stop selling tobacco products. ย YAY! ย What a huge success! ย Obviously, people can still get tobacco from several other places, but I think it’s incredible that CVS is doing something that will cost it $2 billion per year, but that will be an amazing way to set the pace for the industry and improve the health of its consumers. ย (And yes, I understand that this may be a strategic play to actually makeย more money, but I’m still all for it!) ย CVS has been my pharmacy of choice in Dallas, Boston, and Chicago, and even though their pharmacy is painfully slow sometimes, I’m even happier to be a customer now! ย CVS(picture source)
  7. 8 Weight Loss Mistakes Runners Make. ย When I posted about the challenges of losing weight while training for a marathon, Michael linked to this post in the comments. ย I couldn’t agree more with the ideas that skimping on fat, skipping post-run fuel, overloading on sports “nutrition” products, and having unrealistic expectations are mistakes that runners often make. ย Like I said to Michael, I don’t totally buy into the fact that you MUST eat breakfast before a run of 30 minutes or more (I talked about how I often run without fuel in the mornings in this post), but I still think this article is full of good reminders! running(picture source)

So tell me in the comments…ย Which article is your favorite? ย Did you learn anything new? ย If you’re a blogger, will you forgive me if I don’t read your blog for the next week, and will you let me know if anything major happens? ย I’ll try to keep up, but no promises, as I’m going to try to enjoy vacation as much as possible ๐Ÿ™‚

14 Comments

  1. Davida @ The Healthy Maven

    Safe flight, love!!! Enjoy your time in Brazil and I hope you’re able to disconnect (at least for a little bit!). But make sure to snap a pic of you in that hot-mcbody pink dress ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thanks, Davida! We’ve taken about 300 pictures in 1.5 days so you should expect a ton in the recap :).

      Reply
  2. Michael Anderson

    Once again I refuse to choose! Too much good stuff – and so much that highlights that the ‘fad diet of the week’ is so often about someone selling something. I look at it this way – any time someone promises something that is a ‘quick and easy’ path to something that SHOUL require hard work … run away!

    Also glad to see the move by CVS – growing up in Mass. south of Boston, CVS was still mainly local to that area and I still think of it as my ‘hometown’ pharmacy, so it is great to see it making good. Sure it will cost money now, but you can be sure they plan to make money from this in the future and see the path clearly.

    And finally – here is the deal: I forgive you not reading any of my stuff so long as we get a great report when you return from Brazil with loads of pictures!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      I will give you those loads of pictures!! I’ll probably do a whole post on the recap so those who just come for health and fitness can skip easily and those who are interested can browse!! Thanks for the support!

      Reply
  3. Lisa @ Running out of Wine

    I was so happy to hear that CVS was no longer selling tobacco products! Its a step in the right direction. I also enjoyed reading about weight loss mistakes that runners make. I think its important to remember to refuel quickly after a workout. I know it can be easy to forget if you aren’t hungry, and busy stretching/showering etc. I had to make a conscious effort to start refueling after my runs and now it has become a habit.
    Have an amazing time in Brazil!!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Thank you Lisa! I will! Glad you liked the articles.

      Reply
  4. Tonya@healthy, Fit, and Frugal

    Have fun in Brazil! How exciting! I read the article about protein for weight loss. I’m still feeling a bit, er, “gooey” lately and wonder if I should focus more on protein. My biggest food problem is between 3-7 pm. Even though I eat a good quality and balanced snack, I’m always hungry at that time and end up reaching for triscuits. Those damn things are going to be the death of me! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Not laughing at your situation, but the word gooey made me laugh :). I really do believe that focusing on protein with each meal and snack will help your munchies a lot. Not a magic bullet for sure, but worth a shot!!

      Reply
  5. Sara @ LovingOnTheRun

    I really enjoyed reading the article about weight loss mistakes runners make. I agree with so many of them! I liked the parts on fat, not re-evaluating, and running on empty. They are all so true. I think so many of us try to be like others but we each have our own needs and bodies and we need to know what works best for US!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Sara, I completely agree with everything you said and want to point out how far you’ve come in a short time. You wouldn’t have really believed in things like healthy fats, re-evaluating, and not comparing, right? You’re amazing!

      Reply
  6. Jessie

    I personally loved hearing about CVS no longer selling tobacco products. Sure they may loose quite a bit of $$$, but it’s definitely for the best reason possible!

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      Couldn’t agree more Jessie!

      Reply
  7. Amy @ The Little Honey Bee

    I’ll forgive you ๐Ÿ™‚ I’m leaving to Peru on Friday so will you forgive me after that? I am so happy that the world is becoming so much more educated about sugar! YES! About time ๐Ÿ™‚ did you decide on the dress? Hope you guys have an amazing, amazing time. Can’t wait to hear about it. Safe travels xoxo

    Reply
    • Megan Lyons

      I will!!! I remember last time you traveled you said you were hitting “mark all as read” and I just didn’t think I could ever bring myself to do it. But I’m going to try this time!! Have a blast in Peru!!! And on the dress- found out most people are wearing colors other than black so I brought the pink + muted silver shoes and a navy that I also bought yesterday that was Kevin’s favorite. Spur of the moment, but thank you for the advice!

      Reply

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Megan Lyons Headshot

Hi! I'm Megan Lyons,

the voice behind The Lyonsโ€™ Share. I love all things health, wellness, and fitness-related, and I hope to share some of my passion with you. Thanks for stopping by!
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