Something occurred to me today…why are triathlons becoming more popular? Think about it, it takes three favorite childhood activities and legitimizes them as adult activities:
A bike – how fun was it to ride as fast as you could down hill (and good God, no helmet)!!
Sneakers – running as fast as you can, through tall grass. Watching grasshoppers scatter for safety, a faithful dog bounding beside you.
The pool – Whirlpools, going in one direction around the pool as fast as we could…stopping and riding the current around and around. Floating on our backs, eyes tight closed against the summer sun. Sunburned shoulders and noses.
Three things that made a summer magic…this is the mindset I’m taking with me as I prepare for my first triathlon at age 39. I will remember how it felt to be 11 in the summer sun, with weeks and weeks of freedom stretched before me.
I tried “Basic (30minutes)” from “Yoga Shakti with Shiva Rea” this morning. It included basic movements like sun salutations and I was able to follow Shiva Rea’s guidance pretty good. After some nice-easy-relaxing stretching, spinal, and twisting movements for about 30 minutes, I felt very relaxed. I love the soothing music throughout all the chapters so far This should be a great dvd for me to use every day and also to take with me on a road trip!
Today was family day. I also did something for me. I went to a friends fitness center where she is doing an 8-week free training for a Race for Cure (5K). I have never even thought about doing a race – EVER. I figured it was a sign, since the race will be held on my 40th birthday. I did want to get back in shape – so why not.
I won a T-shirt and a free 1 hour personal training. I even ran into some people that I have networked with before and one who will be attending one of our meetings sometime soon.
I was so excited about getting back in shape, I took the kids down to the school to play on the playground. We took our dog, Bob, he was certainly was excited and exhausted after all the walking we did.
Question of the day: Have you done anything that you never thought? If you did are you glad you did?
Your kindness and comments on my blogiversary post have once again made my week so much brighter! Another bright part of the week was the sunshine and warm temperatures – but that all went away this morning when I woke up and saw snow outside my window Chicago has a way of bringing you back down to Earth with its unpredictable weather patterns.
As ready as I am for the first day of Spring – did you know it was today?! – I guess I won’t complain about one more snowfall. As long as it melts quickly!
Speaking of Spring, I have made the decision to train for another 10K in May! It’s a shorter version of the Chicago Spring Half and I can’t wait to have a chance at beating my time from the fall. I’ve embarked on an easy training program that has me running anywhere from 2-5 miles three days a week, which I am also interspersing with some of my favorite P90x workouts. We shall see how it goes
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Now I introduce to you a fabulous Guest Bender who is also in the mood for Spring (just look at her header)! Lindsay has a fabulous eye for design and is a self-proclaimed talker, just like me. Here is my favorite quote from what you’ll read below:
“Stop waiting to act on dreams and start chasing them.”
It aligns perfectly with my current state of mind and I think her story will inspire you, too!
***
Well, hello there! I’m Lindsay from The Glamorous Life of a Designer Wife. I blog about design, health, fitness, my cats, pretty things and everything in between (totally didn’t intend for that to rhyme!) I’m sooo excited to be a Guest Bender today! I’m honestly not just saying this because I’m here today, but this is just one of my favorite blogs. I completely identify and agree with sooo much that Jenn blogs about, so I’m super comfy here. It’s definitely hard to follow up after all the amazing Guest Benders lately. I’m always so amazed at the great content that people come up with! Inspiring!
So what in the world am I going to blog about?? Well, truth is I’ll have to come up with something that I can keep short. I’m a chatterbox. I tried video blogging over at DW until my vlog turned out to be 21 minutes in length. #vlogfail.
Sticking with the Bender theme of a healthy eating & living, I thought I’d just share some of my awakening that lead me to a fit, healthy, balanced lifestyle as well. I’m a complete foodie… yet, I’m just now learning to cook. But I *love* to eat. I’m a health nut, an organic, and love learning about better and yummier ways to be healthy.
Much like several of you, my “wake up call” hit during my college years as well. I’m a hardcore geek when it comes to education and kept my nose in a book, ate whatever was readily available and abandoned the beloved gym. I quickly gained the freshman 15 (or 20). It really hit me hard and I decided that enough is enough… I’m going to the gym… right after I finish off this bowl of brownie batter.
The next morning I awoke at 5 so I could work out before my morning class… except my super comfy workout pants that I LOVED no longer fit when I attempted to put them on. I think I literally did something resembling the “Home Alone” face… hands on face and SCREAAAAM!
For the sake of length, I’ll fast forwarded and spare you a bunch of rants and details. What it boils down to is that my physical state was simply unacceptable and I was going to do something about it. Out of this, my love affair with fitness began. As a result of my new found fitness obsession, I then became completely aware of the “bigger picture.” It wasn’t about going to a gym and dieting… it was about a lifestyle change.
I picked up Oxygen magazine each month on a news stand. Secretly, I wanted to compete in fitness and bikini competitions, but that was just so unattainable!
Source
I was drinking my protein shake and flipping through my new Oxygen issue when I came across a write up called “This Is It,” which said:
“This is Your life. This is not a dress rehearsal. All the things you want to be, achieve, do, see, feel, have, think about them. This is your life. Your chance to fulfill all your hopes and dreams.”
Something clicked in my head. Everything changed. If I wanted to be serious about my dream of competing, I had to realize that the mindset of I’ll do it when “I’m fit enough” or “I’m rich enough” wasn’t cutting it.
I’m competing for the first time this summer in Miami. Come to find out, It *is* attainable. Everything is. Living healthy, happy and balanced is the key. I wish more people realized that a healthy lifestyle isn’t about depriving yourself or never eating chocolate again…. and salads can be SOOOO YUM! Oh, and I totally eat dark chocolate a couple of times a week!! Believe me, I’m not living without my sugar, haha! All in moderation
I now work out often and really love it. I eat ALL the time… it’s sometimes a struggle to actually eat all 6 meals in one day. Designer husband is the chef in the family, but since I left a design firm to freelance from my home office, I had to start learning to prepare meals while home. It’s been eventful…. and I nearly burnt the kitchen down. Twice. Using a microwave.
Thanks to food bloggers, I’m finally navigating my way around pretty safely. I at least don’t have to have the fire extinguisher nearby anymore. I’ve now been getting adventurous and making my own healthy culinary experiments. So far, a few have actually been edible.
So what am I getting a here? That article that I mentioned *changed my life*. This IS it! What if this really is as good as it all gets? Stop waiting to act on dreams and start chasing them. Do something each day that’s a bit out of your comfort zone. Make plans, lists, day dream… get inspired. Take care of yourself, fall in love with yourself and be thankful for each day.
With that, I’ll leave you with something yummy that makes me sooo happy. And, it’s edible, haha
Turkey Mini Meatloafs
These mini meatloaves are a hit with everyone who has tried them! They are a great source of lean protein, high in fiber, and a wide variety of anti-inflammatory antioxidants. The great thing about making them in the muffin tins is that you can freeze half of the batch for later use. Just pull one out of the freezer when you want it and pop it into the microwave until hot. Bon Appetit!
Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs. ground turkey breast
½ cup egg substitute
2 tbsp. whole-wheat matzo meal
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce (or your favorite)
1/8 tsp. Lawry’s season salt
½ onion, minced
1 zucchini, minced
8 mushrooms, minced
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet that has been coated in cooking spray and heated over medium-high heat, sauté the vegetables 5-7 minutes. Season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Set aside and cool completely.
In a large bowl, combine turkey breast, egg substitute, matzo meal, Worcestershire sauce, season salt, and BBQ sauce. Add the cooked vegetables and mix thoroughly.
Scoop mixture into muffin tins that have been coated with olive oil cooking spray(makes 12). Top each mini-meatloaf with a teaspoon of BBQ sauce. Place in oven (350 F) for 30 minutes. Check for doneness by using meat thermometer – should reach 160 degrees. Remove from oven ans let rest 15 minutes before handling.
Alternatives:
Make 1 large (or 2 smaller) meatloaf
Make 12 turkey burger patties
Make turkey meatballs
***
Thanks for sharing, Lindsay! The picture of those meatballs is absolutely mouthwatering!
What was your “aha!” moment when it came to healthy eating and exercising?
For those who are still searching for one (I know I have days where I lose sight of mine), I hope that the comments and discussion will generate some new thoughts and ideas!
Have a fantastic weekend everyone. If you’re in a place with real Spring weather — enjoy it! If you’re lucky enough to be in Baltimore at FitBloggin’ — have fun! Can’t wait to follow along on Twitter.
I got an email the other day from a friend of mine from Toastmasters. Attached was a small “e-book” touting secrets to getting in shape and never having to diet again. “Wow,” I thought. This guy’s gonna put all the health experts, fitness trainers and nutritionists out of business! Why even bother having a website if this guy is giving away all the secrets absolutely FREE!”
Yeah, so I”m a little sarcastic. You know what it listed? Every single thing you’ve ever heard or read about staying healthy/ Yup…don’t eat sugar, count calories, exercise, do interval training, go to the gym with a buddy…etc, etc.
Ummm, if I’ve seen these suggestions listed in every magazine from Esquire to Marie Claire and talked about on the Today Show and Larry King, how secretive can they be? Really, are we supposed to be that stupid? This country may be lazy, addicted to caffeine, white flour and sugar, but we’re not stupid.
Of course, the e-book constantly referred to his ‘original methods of training.’ Here’s a secret for you….if I take a recipe, change ONE item, it becomes MY original recipe. (Not that I’d ever DO that!) So, all this guy would have to do is change ONE thing about an exercise, published diet or touted cardio routine and it’s considered original.
The fact is, burning calories has to do with intensity, the amount of muscle one has, age, hormones and stuff like that. People just need to move, eat healthier, take human portions, don’t drink to excess or smoke at all. Ever heard that? It’s no secret. And it’s not brain surgery.
We all know that video games keep kids indoors, socially isolated, and immobilized except for their thumbs, right? Wrong. A couple of White House bureaucrats and their kids are busting that myth with a little help from Pokemon.
In a whitehouse.gov blog post, Peter Emanuel reports that his 11-year-old son, Devon, just got the new Pokemon DS game that comes with a pedometer that strengthens your pocket monster the more you walk. Devon likes it so much that he wrote a letter to the First Lady suggesting it as a way to help her in her campaign to fight child obesity:
Dear First Lady Michelle Obama:
My dad told me that you think it is really important that kids exercise and eat right, so I wanted to write this letter to tell you about a new video game I just got because you would find it interesting. My parents are always telling me that I have been playing my video games all day and that I should go outside and play. My sister, Isabel, plays softball and soccer, but I’m not into that. I was really excited this weekend because my dad took me out to pick up the new Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver game that I ordered. The store helped me unlock a new character in my game when I picked it up, and they gave me a Poke Walker that I clip to my pants. It counts my steps when I walk. Today I beamed one of my Pokémon named Onix into the Poke Walker. When I walked around so did my Pokémon. He earned watts in the game and that helps him evolve. The book also said that when I earn enough watts I can start battles and catch other Pokémon that I usually can’t find. I want to earn enough watts so I can catch Castiform or Kecleon. The book says that once I catch them in the Poke Walker I can beam them back into my game. I haven’t done that yet. I need to take a longer walk so that I can earn enough points. Dad says it should stop raining soon and we can walk around the neighborhood. I hope you are having a good time at the White House.
Sincerely,
Devon Emanuel
One of his dad’s colleagues, Debbie Stine, reports that her daughter Tina-Marie is also getting into walking with her Pokewalker. (And apparently you need to walk 1000 miles to unlock all the available routes, so better have some comfy shoes and keep those water bottles full!)
Devon mentions in his letter that his sister plays sports, but “I’m not into that.” How many of us were treated like outcasts in PE class because we simply couldn’t hit a ball or run as fast as the others? What are you learning when you’re seated on a bench or isolated in the outfield? With new games and new technology, now everyone can choose to be active and social in ways they enjoy and are good at, whether it’s traditional sports or exergaming. None of it is “wrong”. Go Devon, go Isabel, go Tina-Marie, and more power to your parents and your monsters.
Four days from now I will run my first ever marathon. I’m so fricken excited, I can hardly stand myself. This is a biggie on my Life List and I’m here, just about to complete it! I’m thrilled to finally be here after 17 weeks of committed (read: the center of my life, almost) training. I feel so totally ready. I’m downright giddy to be in the easiest week of running (3, 4, and 2 miles). And then there’s the whole raceday itself.
Do you have any idea how many people run a marathon in their lifetime? Go ahead, guess. The percentage is estimated at about 1%. Did you catch that? Let me say it again. ONE PERCENT. The percentage of people who actually complete the entire course or run the entire course is even smaller.
So running this year’s LA Marathon is a pretty big deal for me and my three marathon buddies – Shauna, Laura and Dolores. We’re about to become members of a very small group. We’re about to accomplish something that scares the shit out of most people, something the vast majority of the world will never do, and something that has our family members thinking we’re all a bit nuts. It’s my own personal Mount Everest (for the first part of this year, at least).
The four of us have gone through quite a bit over the last 17 weeks. Over 400 miles of running, a ton of learning and growing, some race-threatening injuries, and some great recoveries. For me, I can honestly say, this marathon journey has already changed my life. I am a different person . . . and I haven’t even run the race yet!! I have become not only a different runner, but a better person.
I’ll share some of the details of our journey in the remaining days leading up to the marathon. For today, let me just share the guidelines we’re all following for this final week. It’s not just the 24 hours before the event that impact your body and the race. It’s the whole week. Our plan of attack goes something like this.
Eat great all week long. Yes, that means carb-loading. Not on crappy, processed, unhealthy carbs. On the good stuff like fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, rice and legumes. I’m a vegan so there’s no way meat is on my list, but some of the others in our group are eating the stuff.
Have a extra glass of water everyday this week.
Don’t eat the crappy white stuff – white rice, white breads, “enriched wheat flour” (aka whole wheat with all the good stuff taken out and a tiny bit shot back in), all refined sugars, etc. Stick with the whole grains.
Get really good sleep all week because with nerves and excitement, we may not sleep the best the night before the race.
Skip the alcohol. All week? Yep. Enjoy it after the race.
Taper according to our training schedule – no matter how great you feel or how counter-intuitive it feels.
Today was a cardio day. I am a big proponent of HIIT workouts for many reasons. I chose to do intervals on the rower, stairclimber, and jump rope/body movement exercises. This is a good routine for kick starting the metabolism. Definitely not boring cardio.
Today’s HIIT workout consisted of the following:
Rower Intervals: 30 seconds fast/30 second rest (slow) x 10 sets for a total of 10 minutes
Stairclimber: Speed intervals for 10 minutes at level 15 (out of 20). Double steps during the 40 seconds of slow moving stairs and single steps for the 40 seconds of fast moving stairs.
Jump Rope for 100 jumps then go to a body movement exercise then back to the jump rope for 100 jumps and another body movement exercise:
Rope/Squat Thrust, Rope/Roll Ups, Rope/Burpees, Rope/Side-toSide Steps over a step with 20# medicine ball held in front, Rope/Floor Side Shuffles (in the upward push up position move the left hand and foot to the left at the same time, then move the right hand and foot to the left, then back to center, then repeat to the right side for reps)
This got me thinking…
Warmer weather and longer days have many people around Philly thinking about getting out and getting in shape for the summer. No that muffin-top you are sporting is not attractive. Hide the midriff until it doesn’t hang over the button of your pants. A lot of individuals will take to jogging the city sidewalks for countless minutes each day, slowly, monotonously, placing one foot in front of the other daydreaming about this, that, and the other. While this steady state cardio has some advantages, mostly over sitting on the couch getting chip crumbs all over yourself, it is not the optimal means of shedding the weight and melting off the pounds. If fact the fair-weather exercise mentality is barely adequate for true fitness. Fitness is a commitment that must be adhered to year round. But, if you are just now taking up the challenge and attempting to whip yourself into decent shape for the spring and summer, you would do yourself a great favor by incorporating high intensity interval training (HIIT) into your routine.
Conventional cardio consists of thirty to forty-five minutes of even-paced activity. The goal is to burn calories (and, hopefully, fat) as well as develop the efficiency of the heart and lungs. The activity raises the metabolism and calorie burning continues for an extended period of time throughout the day. It works to a degree. As you become more efficient doing the same thing over and over your body requires less energy to perform the task thus the calorie burn will decrease. Additionally the long slow distance jogs can cause your body to want to conserve energy in the form of fat and attack less critical energy sources which are your muscles. Your body goes into a starvation mode in which it wants to protect its energy inventory, thus it will feed off of muscle which it views as less critical to its immediate survival. Add to that the monotony and time-suck that is steady-state cardio and it is no wonder so many people will only stick to it sporadically for a month or two. You may as well clean the house vigorously, instead. It is both practical and functional. For those taking it to the streets, this type of cardio exercise can often lead to sore knees, aching feet and lower back pain. Once the injuries mount up the exercise often comes to a screeching halt and inertia will keep you on that couch all summer long.
Why not try something that is considerably more interesting and beneficial. Use HIIT to improve your overall fitness. High intensity interval training is an exercise strategy that is intended to improve performance with short training sessions. HIIT is a form of cardio which is beneficial to burning fat in a short and intense workout. Usual HIIT sessions can vary from 15–30 minutes, plus some warm up, cool down, and stretching time. Most HIIT sessions have a 2:1 ratio in terms of time. For example, a HIIT session may be 60 seconds of high intensity activity alternating with 30 seconds of much lower intensity activity for recovery.
Weight loss is not only about calories in and calories out. Where the energy comes from is very important. HIIT causes the body to burn more fat and carbs for energy leaving the muscles alone to do what they should be doing, moving you and looking good. The increased metabolism created by HIIT will cause the body to consumer more calories while you go about your regular daily activities (just be conscious of what you are eating). HIIT will not make you exceedingly strong but you will develop some additional strength and power if you incorporate the right exercises. Sprint intervals instead of long slow distance. High rep resistance circuits with little to no rest periods. Short bursts on the rower mixed with jumping rope. Most cardio equipment in the gym has an interval setting. HIIT confuses the body so that it cannot adjust effectively thereby reducing its efficiency and increasing your body modifying results.
Vary the exercises you perform. It will keep your body from becoming efficient at doing the same thing over and over. Keep the intensity high. High intensity means shorter time required for results. Experiment with volume. If resistance training for weight loss keep your volume high and rest periods short while performing several compound moves in a circuit.
I know long slow, steady-state jogging can have many exceptional benefits, but only when done right and committed to in the long term. For the individuals attempting to get in shape quickly for the warm weather, HIIT will pay high dividends now.
Fitness Goals:
-reduce my body fat to 6%
-develop balanced strength, focusing on all muscle groups
-to feel confident in the way i look!
Here’s what I will do to achieve those goals:
-Train intensely and train often
-Train without a gym membership
-Train solely in my Vibram FiveFingers KSOs
-Replace typical cardio with a sprinting routine
I move to New York City in six days, and naturally that also means I will be leaving my gym in Boston. At first I panicked and immediately went online to look at my options, but then I remembered that I will be leaving New York for two months in May. And then I thought to myself–why do I even need a gym when it’s warm out? I realized that I could do without one until at least October. I will follow a program comprised of bodyweight strength training and sprint training. My new go to online fitness gurus, Morgan Polotan and Mark Sisson, both have many resources on the subjects. I will also spend the months of May and June just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. This will provide me with good outside training weather, trees to climb, and [most importantly] a massive variety of hiking trails. From Mount Mitchell–the highest mountain on the east coast–to the Appalachian Trail–I will be doing a LOT of hiking. This will also provide me with a nice excuse to purchase the Vibram Five Fingers KSO Trek’s, designed especially for “off-roading.” Speaking of which, I have also decided to do away with traditional footwear where fitness is concerned, and train exclusively in my Vibram FiveFingers.
I look forward to keeping this promise to myself, and will be sure to log my progress on here! (This morning I completed a bodyweight circuit strength workout in my apartment)
This is a yellow curry, but my green one looks very similar
Saturday
I started the day with a smoothie and two milk teas. I had some spicy pork and rice leftovers from yesterday. Then, we had some spicy chicken with a wee bit of rice. I topped the day off with another smoothie, because I had a craving.
I’ve learned that it’s best to stem the craving with something healthy. I think of the banana smoothie as a treat, so that works well for me.
I haven’t gotten any frozen berries yet for my smoothies, but since I’m not yet bored of the banana smoothie, it’s fine.
Sunday
I had a cup of leftover pasta from my wife, two milk teas, a green salad with two eggs, a little bit of rice with a Thai green curry that I made. It was darn spicy.
Passion fruit/peach tea
I went grocery shopping and came back with a lot of good things. I bought some passion fruit/peach tea from Twinings.
I like drinking hot tea, and this is perfect. I found that the Carrefour mint/anis tea was good, but it wasn’t fresh enough so it didn’t infuse much. This isn’t the case with the Twinings. I also bought some frozen wraps to make… wraps!
Other than that, I didn’t buy any pasta, only a lot of fresh veggies. My wife commented that the fridge was bursting, but I told her that a packet of lettuce only lasts two days, so it’s fine.
Spike was happy too, as I had used chicken drumsticks to make the curry, so he had a little treat as well.
I’ve noticed that it’s harder to stay on track if not your whole household follows the same change of diet. For example, since I started, my wife is eating the same way. Although she doesn’t need to lose weight, it’s a healthy diet. I can understand that it’s harder, especially if your house still has foods that you shouldn’t eat. I don’t have that problem, as I do most of the grocery shopping, as well as the cooking. Though I have asked my wife not to buy any more treats for me.
Want to learn how aerobics can change your life? Consult the experts what types of aerobic exercises will work best for your body. aerobics are the key to living a healthier and physically productive life, so don’t wait another day before starting a new healthy program that includes aerobics.
The key to weight loss is to increase heart rate and metabolism by spreading out moderate levels of energy over a longer period of time to trigger the use of fat in energy production. Doing it right could be a cure for obesity. There are many advantages of aerobics, which is why this form of exercise is both important and popular among health-conscious people.
Exercise can be broken down into two categories: aerobic and anaerobic. These differ in the ways in which your muscles contract during the exercise and how energy is generated within the muscles. Examples of anaerobic exercises include weight training or strength training, and with aerobic exercises, even the most well-built bodybuilder will not be able to run, swim, etc for long periods of time.
During aerobic exercise, your body breaks down glycogen to use for energy. If there is not enough glycogen in the body, you start using fat reserves instead, which is why you lose weight. Unlike anaerobic exercise such as weight training and strength exercise, aerobic exercise requires more on body’s stamina and not muscle strength.
Benefits of aerobics exercises are great, which is why most doctors recommend them to patients, even if you enjoy a normal weight. Some of these benefits include strengthening the repertory muscles, enlarging the heart to pump more efficiently, increasing the flow of blood (and oxygen) in the body, and increasing endurance. Aerobics decrease the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems and of osteoporosis in both men and women.
Aerobic exercise can be done from home or attend classes with groups. Many doctors recommend it to patients as a mean to maintain healthy lifestyle. Regardless of age, youngsters or seniors, aerobic exercise is one of the best forms of activities to keep fit as well as for weight management.
Are you interest to learn how aerobics can change your life? Consult the health care professional what types of aerobic exercises will work best for your body. Aerobics are the key to living a healthier and physically productive life, so don’t wait another day before starting a new healthy program that includes aerobics.
Watch your back, Just Dance. A new challenger is ambling toward the title of sleeper video game hit of 2010, or more accurately, “the game the gamers love to hate and everyone else is finding irresistable”.
Of course we’re talking about Walk It Out, which was released 2 months ago and didn’t make much initial noise other than guffawing from game critics. In WIO, you just walk (or jog or jump) through a cartoony fantasy land called Rhythm Island, using a DDR mat (an Active Life mat also works), balance board or just the remote/nunchuck. With each step recognized by the game, you get a point, and you spend those points furnishing the nearly-barren island with trees, buildings, fountains and even bridges to other islands, as well as gaining new songs and a daily rainbow.
That’s all there is to it: walk, point and shoot at prize capsules. Even I thought it sounded a little dumb at first. But it got some good reviews out of the gate at Amazon, so when they put it up as a one-day special for $10 off, I bit. And like a growing number of fans – here, here, here and here – I got sucked into the happy little world (Bob Ross would’ve loved it) of Rhythm Island.
Happy little trees! (courtesy of Gamespot)
As with other addicting casual games like Bejeweled and Tetris, simplicity is key. The easy, monotonous gameplay lets you while away hours, only with Walk It Out, you’re on your feet and burning calories while whiling away. And while the soundtrack isn’t as party-in-a-box as Just Dance or We Cheer, it is huge (120 songs) and has a variety of both genres and tempos.
Wii often gets criticized for being standard-def in a high-def world, but Rhythm Island has terrific detail for its graphical limitations, from drifting clouds to shifting shadows in breeze-blown cherry blossom trees. Cows moo and streams whisper as you stroll past. And depending on the time of day, the island changes from sunny days to starry nights, or you can unlock the “magical” clock and warp to whatever time you choose. Most of the time, though, I stick to real-life time, whether it’s a mid-morning walk in the blazing sun (no need for sunscreen or bug spray), an after-dinner sunset stroll, or a late-night walk in lieu of Jay or SNL – or a midnight raiding of the fridge.
Walk It Out is also very well-designed as a fitness game, with enough profiles for 6 people to track BMI, calories, steps and distance. I’ll go into those record screens in detail in a future post. Two can play, and it’s ideal for families. My 8-year-old has been enthusiastically playing the game nearly every day.
This game combines pick-up-and-play simplicity, the fantasy-world attraction of Animal Crossing or Farmville, mostly-good tunes, and a healthy angle into a can’t-miss package. It also has much less of a learning curve than DDR, and superior workout record-keeping. (I just got DDR Hottest Party 3, which I’ll review in another post; it’s improved over previous editions, but workout mode is still lame.) With Walk It Out and/or Just Dance for cardio plus Wii Fit and/or EA Sports Active for strength and flexibility, you could have yourself a very well-rounded exercise program on the Wii.
Today we both did great! I did manage to fall once but it was a graceful fall. Kristyn said, “It was like you just slowly put one knee down on the ground and got back up again.”
I DID have my first collision though. The place was packed with kids. I think there were a coupla parties going on. Anyway, bitches were falling all over the place and I was terrified that I was going to trip over one. BUT this one kid was unsteady and crossed my path to get to the exit. I bellowed, “I DON’T KNOW HOW TO STOP!!!” and we collided. Thankfully both of us were going at a veritable crawl so all we did was slowly roll into each other and grab on. We both managed to stay up and skate off haha.
Kristyn was a total pro. She looked great out there, just totally natural and not nervous at ALL. So awesome.
I felt really stiff from all the exercising I’ve been doing so I was nervous about myself today. I did a good stretch before we left though. Even still, skating was a LOT more natural for me today. I finally got the motion of it mostly down. My calves didn’t burn today thank god. That’s prob bc of the walking I’d imagine.
The one thing is that I could only go around the rink twice before having to stop. My legs didn’t burn but they did whisper, “You’re at the end of your endurance here, time to sit down.” I listened. Doing that, I was able to skate, rest, skate, rest. My endurance is really going up, I just have to keep listening to my body and I think I’ll progress a lot.
Okay, I wanna go swimming now so “Ta!”
P.S. That lady pictured above was a great skater. I wanted to admire her but she got on my bad side after she skated up fast behind me, zipped around me and then cut (close) back in front of me. I’m not steady enough where you can do that to me without it totally throwing me off. She doesn’t know that but still. It was hard to generate positive feelings for her after that faux pas. *shaking fist*
Following a Narnia-like winter in the Northeast, there are finally some signs of spring – visible grass, robins, temps in the 60s and outdoor-sports-themed Wii titles with some active component.
Leading off is Racquet Sports, which was released this week. Racquet Sports uses the same camera that was packaged with Your Shape, an exergame which got lukewarm reviews, perhaps because many members of the targeted market just don’t want to watch themselves work out. So it’s nice that Ubisoft is looking at other ways to use its camera in an active fashion. (You can buy the game with or without a camera.) With no need to hold a remote, you could use an actual tennis racket in this game and get a good arm workout, provided no lamps are in harms way.
On deck (corny, isn’t it?) is The Cages, a baseball game that focuses on batting practice. I love going out to the batting cages when the weather isn’t too hot or too cold; it’s great mental as well as physical therapy to whack balls over the fence. The Cages makes use of Motion Plus add-ons and also has a calorie counter, according to Amazon’s description.
Yesterday I blasted to the world
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My 3 blogs
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As of yesterday I am getting QUITE the traffic
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Even if you don’t have a business or service but knows someone who does can you please spread the word for me?
Paypal will be set up on the blogs so you can still donate even if you don’t have a business
If everyone donates $1 I will FINALLY have my dream in LESS than 3 months!!!!
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One of my perhaps more regrettable traits and/or habits (that I have been made aware of by my mother since age is that I compare myself to other people a lot. I have gotten a lot better at quieting this instinct, but I was in a situation today where I realized my comparing does a lot of hindering when it comes to feeling good about myself and my body.
I was feeling really lazy about going to the gym even though I knew it would make me feel better and I told myself to just do the best I could do in this moment. I finally went and got on a treadmill and I was actually feeling pretty good at the beginning.
I was confidently striding a long and a Giselle look-alike got on the machine right next to me. She was probably six inches taller than me, consequently thinner and just all of the things I am conditioned into thinking defines beauty. I got this heavy, insecure feeling and all I could think about was what our behinds must look like next to each other, bouncing along.
My head space really drastically went from feeling strong and normal to panicky and bad about myself. What is going on? Ohhh…I’m comparing myself to this stranger for no good reason and it’s sucking positivity out of me.
Luckily, I caught myself and my negative-thoughts loop and immediately gave myself a little pep talk. What prompted me to compare myself to this person? Why do I care at all? Why am I so worried about what other people are looking at? (p.s. Everyone is always so into how they are coming across, they generally aren’t even paying attention). I realized in order to get myself out of this space, I needed to focus more on myself and what I was doing.
I realized that I felt proud I actually made it to the gym and that I was fulfilling my own personal exercise goals. After I had my turn around, I felt this lightness come back into my step and pseudo-super-model next to me kind of faded out of my periphery. (She also got off way before me, but who’s counting anyways, right? =)
Looking back, I think that when I was at my worst with my food and body stuff, some of it was due to a perpetual bad habit of comparing myself to other people…Other people’s bodies, eating habits, jean size, social lives, accomplishments, you name it. After learning to focus more on my own thing, I think it had a direct correlation to me being able to listen to my body and really figuring out what I need and what is best for me. It takes some practice to recognize moments of comparing and then ways to talk yourself out of doing it, but ultimately I think it is a helpful thing to work on! There’s little use for comparing on the road to recovery because we are all so different!
Do you compare yourself to other women in day-to-day life? Or at work? Or at the gym? —Morgan
When the running gets tough, the tough get friends. And beautiful locations, which isn’t too hard in Orange County, thanks to the ocean boardwalks, and Corona Del Mar. The nice thing about running friends is this: I enjoy all of them for different reasons.
Last week, I picked up a running buddy on Craigslist. This sounds a little sketchy, I admit. But her ad was friendly, and we emailed back and forth, and she had a Facebook page. We met in a populated and well-lit place, and we actually both had brought pepper spray and had to text our boyfriends once we met up to assure them we were not in the presense of a psycho. While sad that we live in a day and age when all these precautions are necessary (at least in my slightly over-concerned mind), at least she was on my safety-first page.
We ended up having a very pleasant run together – she showed me a part of Orange County I’d never seen, and I pushed her to run for longer than she usually did. Plus we conversed naturally and discovered a mutual residence in Santa Barbara (at different times in our lives), writing, and anything pop-culture related from the 1980’s.
Friend number two was “Sachmo” as the boyfriend as affectionately nicknamed her. She had expressed interest in starting to run before, and I love helping new runners get their running shoes wet! We established a routine of run/walks around town in the early morning hours; she appreciates my ability to not be too hard-core about the whole thing (and goodness, why would I be? If I learned anything from my dad about training it’s that you can’t scare people off), and I like that she gives me a reason to get out of bed. Plus, she gets ready at my house afterward, which makes me totally feel like I’m in college and have roommates. I miss roommates! (I know, I never thought I’d say that either.)
Friend number three was my dear friend J. She knows a gorgeous run in Corona Del Mar that involves hills, stairs, sand, and a community of strange little fitness people who also love hills, stairs and sand (and love talking about their love for it all, too!). I like J because she keeps me realistic. Whereas I want to run for an hour on an empty stomach, J is satiated with moderation and is incredibly smart about working out. Plus, we know each other well enough that we yabber the whole time about crazy topics like the inner workings of the Girl Scouts (she made me like them) and sports fitness, which granted, isn’t that crazy.
I had to run solo today, with only Ira Glass to keep me company; it was a pleasant jog, counter-clockwise on a route I usually do clockwise. But the whole time I wondered if I would be a little too crazy if I just imagined other friends with me and had pretend conversations with them instead. Not that I don’t love Ira…I just like interactive running friends more.
Thanks to Suburban Assault for highlighting this report. I would have eventually stumbled on it at Bike Texas but I was surfing my favorite blogs first this morning. You can get a copy of the report (PDF) here from the Aliance for Biking & Walking.
Very interesting report. I will be reading and re-reading it over the next few weeks, especially as I prepare for the next Bicycle Advisory Council meeting.
Part of this blog is to discuss/promote cycling as a fitness and health tool. So, this graphic leaped off the page and grabbed my attention. It compares levels of adult obesity to biking and walking use. I’m a little skeptical about how obesity is defined (if it’s that useless statistical nonsense called BMI, I have a problem). However, there is a correlation between “healthy” populations and increased biking/walking. Probably a pretty good cause-effect relationship there (any bets?). It shows some other patterns that seem counter-intuitive. Take a look at the south: high rates of obesity, low bike use and yet a moderate climate that would seem conducive to more biking and walking. You can see some interesting opposites in some northern states (Montana and Wyoming?).
Recommended read. Some very useful information here.
Although I am a huge fan of the Sunday sleep in, I dragged my ass out of bed this morning to head to the one hour spin class that they have on a Sunday.
I wasn’t the cheeriest person in the class when I got there (in fact I am sure I was still half asleep) but I pushed through it and feel so much better now.
After a week’s worth of running my legs were starting to feel the strain so I decided a spin class was in order to iron out any kinks so to speak.
Now I’m off for a Thai massage before flopping in front of the TV for a well deserved rest.
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I try more often then not to check up on “Mark’s Daily Apple”. A great blog focused on improving the well being of people, with great information on diet, health and fitness. Mark talks about a Primal Blueprint Fitness methodology. Stating that CrossFit may be too intense for some individuals and that this can lead away from sustainability. I agree with this to a point. But, this is what is great about CrossFit is that it is scalable to all athlete types. And a good coach should recognize the ability differences between individuals but be able to notice when someone can do more too. In Mark’s most recent post he discusses the difference between P90X and CrossFit. What are your thoughts?
Newest Addition to the Gym!
Thanks Tim & Tammy!!
WOD #5: Modified from the original WOD but you’ll get the idea!
5 rounds for time
20 Back Squats
18 Double Unders
16 Pullups
Level III: 135/95
Level II: 95/65 – Band PUs & Must do Double Unders
Got a late start today…so just a quick few lines…..No coffee yet….again, people could get hurt!!! Woke up late because I went to be really late…yuk. That is never good for me. I’m finding it hard to sleep not having a job to go to everyday. Anyway the job search is a daily issue for me and I stay up very late sending out resumes…this economy is hard on the spirit…which is hard on getting motivated. Depression makes it hard to just get out of the house. I have 2:30 with Nicole so I’ll post after that…have to get some coffee & breakfast first.
What I am finding hard is making a schedule to go to the gym. It’s ok to just be able to pick up and go, but on the other hand having a set schedule works for me better. Anyway…more to come! Now that I know how to put links and stuff in my blog you’ll be getting more great information and lots of laughs as you hear of my adventures in exercise…
I read the other day that President Obama had his first check-up since his inauguration. For the most part, everything checked out okay. Of course, he was told to quit smoking, and his cholesterol was high. But other than that, he got a clean bill of health. Except for that pesky left knee tendonitis. The article noted that he’d been struggling with it for a while, and I couldn’t help but wonder what was causing his knee pain. I know he doesn’t have a “bad” knee. I also know it’s not basketball’s fault, because if it were, both knees should have tendonitis. So, I did a little work. I did a “Google Image” search to see what I could come up with. The results were exactly what I thought they would be. His load joints—shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles—are misaligned. What kept jumping out at me as I scanned hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures was two-fold: First, President Obama has an elevated left hip. If you look at the picture of him on the beach you’ll see what I’m talking about. Notice the waistline on his swimsuit and how much higher the left side is compared to the right side. You can also see a difference in the “pitting” of his rib cage from left to right. There is more of a “pit” on his left side compared to his right side. This pitting further proves that his left hip is sitting higher than his right. If his left hip isn’t in the same position as his right hip (and therefore isn’t doing an equal amount of work as the right hip), what is making up for this compromised joint position? His body is still getting him from Point A to Point B, but at what cost? I believe that the compromised left hip position is now making the left knee work overtime. The knee (hinge joint) is now being asked to help do the job of the left hip (ball-and-socket joint), and that spells trouble.
Second, his feet are everted (duck-footed), and they aren’t everted evenly. His right foot is more everted than his left. It’s splaying out in attempt to stabilize because of the misalignment of his hips. There is a constant tug-of-war going on between his hip joint and his ankle joint, and the joint caught in the middle—the knee—is taking a beating.
I also noticed that in a lot of the photos of him standing, his weight is shifted to the left (similar to his position in the picture above). So, even though his left knee hurts, he tends to lean to that side. This goes against common knowledge. When something hurts, don’t you usually come away from it? You and I aren’t going to carry on a conversation while I rest my hand on a hot burner! You can bet I’ll be pulling my hand off of that burner as quickly as I put it down. You would think that President Obama would be trying to take pressure off of his knee instead of leaning on it. There were countless other pictures that I found of him it appears that he’s leaning directly on that painful knee.
So, Mr. President, I would like to offer a solution to your knee pain in the form of Egoscue. We have a lot of options to eliminate your pain. If you want to give me the number to the ‘red phone’, I’ll call you and we can talk.
I’ve had a lot of friends email or message me about the Shangri La Diet (SLD) which is convenient because I was already planning to write about it today! Way to be on the same page, guys!
I first read about SLD in a book called, ‘Freakonomics’, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt. The SLD was discovered by Seth Roberts, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at Berkley. He was not happy with several things in his life, insomnia, acne, being overweight, etc…and decided to do something about it. Relying on self-experimentation and using the scientific method, he researched and put into practice several different theories until he finally, one by one, was able to change the things in his life that he was unhappy with. When it came to weight loss, he dubbed his new eating style the Shangri La Diet.
In a nutshell, SLD is based on the theory that, our world and our brains have progressed, basically, we’re all still cavemen when it comes to food. When there is an abundance of food and lots of variety, our bodies tell us, “Eat, eat, eat!! There will be famine later, let’s stock up your fat supply now so that we can live on it when we need to!” and, when there isn’t a lot of food, very bland food, or not a lot of variety it, our bodies say, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let’s slow that metabolism down, we’re obviously in a famine and we’ll supplement with your fat reserve.” When there’s less food available, your body actually makes you less hungry and, when there’s tons of food, your body tells you to binge. Doesn’t make much sense today in our modern world, does it. I’m very blessed to live in a time and place where, if I’m hungry, I can run to the grocery store and choose from thousands of food items from all around the world. Basically, my body has had 32 years of prepping for famine and, guess what, it’s not happening in my life anytime soon!
So, what are your options if you want to short-circuit this caveman program? You can’t starve yourself, that will just lead to your body hoarding your body fat. You could eat bland, boring food all the time to trick your body but, really, who is going to be able to sustain that kind of diet? In no time at all, you’ll be bingeing on cake and ice cream! Seth Roberts’ theory is that, if you give yourself ‘falvorless’ calories once or twice a day, that will be enough to trick your body and then you can eat whatever you want the rest of the time. The flavorless calories he suggests are, 1-4 TBSP of Extra Light Olive Oil (ELOO) or sugar-water per day. The flavorless calories actually cause appetite suppression which leads to eating less (obviously) but without triggering the ‘I’m starving!’ alarms that cause your body to hoard its fat reserves.
Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it? Well, like anything else, it does have stumbling blocks. For me, it’s the texture of the oil as I take that quick shot in the morning. It doesn’t taste bad at all but, that .o5 seconds where the oil is actually in my mouth is enough to trigger my gag reflex most days. Most people would, if they had a problem with the oil, switch to the sugar-water but, since I have PCOS and I’m pre-diabetic, I really am supposed to limit my carbs and my brain just kind of rebels at the thought of drinking plain sugar-water as horribly unhealthy, even though I’m fine drinking juice or soda. When you think about it, soda could be hundreds of times worse, with all those chemicals and dyes! Another thing to watch out for is making sure you eat only when you’re hungry, not just because it’s dinner time or you’re going to be hungry later, it defeats the whole purpose!
In my experience, I’ve discovered a lot of unexpected benefits to SLD that totally outweigh the gag factor. Besides the fact that I started experiencing appetite suppression the very first day, I’ve also linked the ELOO to better and easier sleep, my skin clearing up, my hair being healthier and less pain in my joints. An awesome side-effect for me is that, when I am hungry, I’m craving lighter foods like fruits and vegetables and I’m thirsty for water all the time!
That being said, I haven’t been perfect in taking it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve taken it for a week and I need to get back on the horse! If you do decide to try the SLD, I would suggest reading the book, The Shangri La Diet by Seth Roberts. Barnes & Noble has it for about $4. If you’re too eager and you want to try it right away, the least you need to know is, make sure to take your flavorless calories in the middle of a two-hour window so as not to cause your brain to associate the calories with the other flavors. I usually take it right when I wake up in the morning and hold off breakfast for at least an hour though, usually, I’m not hungry until lunch time. conversely, you could take it at bedtime as long as you haven’t eaten for at least an hour before. Also, unless you have over 50lbs to lose, start at 1 TBSP per day and see how you feel. If 1 TBSP doesn’t really change your appetite, slowly work your way up, never exceeding 4 TBSP per day.
I hope that answers all your questions! If you have any others that weren’t covered, please post them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them! Also, if you try SLD, let us know what you think and about your experiences!
Really, it’s been less a week since I started this little jump start exercise “program” and I’ll be picking up speed from here. Since I don’t have the Insanity workouts yet, I’ll be using the P90X program. I’m not going to follow the P90x workout schedule, food system, or anything like that. I’m using the videos for my workouts to keep me active and as long as I’m doing something everyday and mix things up, I won’t be injuring myself.
So I’ll be maintaining the same level of exercise and food for the next week. I’m taking it one week at a time because thinking too far ahead makes me lose sight of the goal. I’m not on any major quest, I just want to be smarter about my health and my lifestyle. If it takes me 3 years to lose muscle mass and be “flabby,” then I don’t expect it to take 3 months to get it all back.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Food Plan
Breakfast: 3 egg whites “custard”, 1 cup chopped strawberries, 1/3 baked Lavash flatbread, and 1 cup soy milk
Lunch: Pan-fried tilapia, Herb mix salad, veggie curry, and 1 cup steamed rice
Snack: 2 mini pumpkin pancakes, 1/2 grapefruit with cinnamon and nutmeg
Dinner: 2 pork tenderloin medallions, blanched asparagus, and Trader Joe’s harvest blend (couscous, quinoa, orzo, and beans)
Since I did a double workout today, I thought I’d reward myself with some pork “steak”. I no longer purchase beef, but if I go out to eat and I want a steak, I’ll have it. Besides, I think the restaurants cook steaks better than I can.
Exercise Plan
I did the P90X Cardio X today and for being a 45 minute workout, it wasn’t so bad. When I did this the first time 6 months ago, I remember feeling a bit more tired than I am now and asked my friend “Is this the warm-up?” which is probably not the best thing to say when your friend is panting on the floor after the session.
But anyways, I think I’m better at cardio than doing strength training and I’m glad that there are different types of exercises to do during the 45 minutes. I kind of get bored running and jogging because I’m just doing the same thing over and over for 30-60 minutes at a time. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing the sights as I move by, but it’s boring for my body.
I also completed the Ab Ripper X. Honestly, I thought Cardio X wasn’t enough…so I’m back for more punishment. I think my abs are pretty strong, though I can’t do all 25 reps perfectly. I’ll get there eventually.
Photos
I love what I eat and I eat what I love…there’s nothing wrong with that!
*Please don’t steal these photos, I took them myself and I’m very proud of how they turned out. At least email me and link back to this site if you’re going to use them.
Breakfast: egg white custard with strawberries, lavash flatbread, and soy milk
Lunch: Pan fried tilapia with Japanese vegetable curry, herb salad, and steamed rice
Snack: Mini pumpkin pancakes and 1/2 grapefruit with cinnamon and nutmeg
Dinner: pork medallions, blanched asparagus, and harvest blend
This should be a great dvd for me to use every day and also to take with me on a road trip!
Chicago has a way of bringing you back down to Earth with its unpredictable weather patterns.
Source
We all know that video games keep kids indoors, socially isolated, and immobilized except for their thumbs, right? Wrong. A couple of White House bureaucrats and their kids are busting that myth with a little help from Pokemon.
Four days from now I will run my first ever marathon. I’m so fricken excited, I can hardly stand myself. This is a biggie on my Life List and I’m here, just about to complete it! I’m thrilled to finally be here after 17 weeks of committed (read: the center of my life, almost) training. I feel so totally ready. I’m downright giddy to be in the easiest week of running (3, 4, and 2 miles). And then there’s the whole raceday itself.
Following a Narnia-like winter in the Northeast, there are finally some signs of spring – visible grass, robins, temps in the 60s and outdoor-sports-themed Wii titles with some active component.
One of my perhaps more regrettable traits and/or habits (that I have been made aware of by my mother since age 
is that I compare myself to other people a lot. I have gotten a lot better at quieting this instinct, but I was in a situation today where I realized my comparing does a lot of hindering when it comes to feeling good about myself and my body.
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Thanks to Suburban Assault for highlighting this report. I would have eventually stumbled on it at Bike Texas but I was surfing my favorite blogs first this morning. You can get a copy of the report (PDF) here from the Aliance for Biking & Walking.
