We think of someone who’s “fit” as having exceptional stamina, endurance and strength. We might even be willing to add in flexibility. But balance? When Marilyn and I started working out together, it didn’t take long for her to realize that many of the exercises I was giving her challenged her balance. “Why?” she wanted […]
Nov 11 2014
Lined up on our mats, awaiting the start of yoga this morning, the instructor walked into the what we affectionately refer to as the “hot” room (it’s normally 105o and 40% humidity) and he informed us: “I don’t know if you noticed, but it’s a little hotter than usual in here today; the humidifier is broken […]
Oct 31 2014
Does the thought of going to the gym fill you with dread? Think it’s just a buncha guys who look like this? Starting a gym routine can feel like you’re the new kid at school. Everybody’s looking at you. You don’t know where to sit at lunch. Your outfit seems hopelessly uncool. It’s natural to […]
Oct 24 2014
“Counting reps is monotonous!” “Doing the same workout each day gets old!” “My workout seems to drag on forever!” I have heard all of these complaints and many, many more. If you find yourself saying any of these (or even thinking them), then here’s a fitness hack to make your workout more enjoyable and engaging. With […]
Oct 10 2014
During one of our workouts recently, Marilyn and I were discussing the best way to go about setting up a home gym. Some people have a room dedicated to that purpose (Marilyn aptly calls hers “The Oxygen Room” cause she says she can breathe in there), but most of us have to make do with […]
Oct 7 2014
Not to sound alarmist or anything, but there are five pounds out there trying desperately to attach themselves to you between now and December 31st. They are going to be disguised as Halloween candy, Thanksgiving leftovers, eggnog lattes and so much more. To thwart them is going to take considerable effort on your part. Losing […]
Oct 3 2014
First let me say, I am so happy Marilyn asked me to write about fitness for her website. In fact, I’m going to be writing regularly with fitness tips and workout ideas for everyone from beginners to advanced. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let me introduce myself! My name is Taryn Langlois. I’ve […]
When I weighed 265 lbs. I had a lot of days when I just felt bad. Physically bad, mentally bad. Spiritually and emotionally bad. Are there other ways to feel bad? Yeah, I felt those too. I was a very busy, very stressed out mom of four, working full-time with a husband who had a […]
Sep 30 2014
My long-suffering husband lives in fear of our wedding anniversary; hopefully not because he has any regrets, but because I use it as an opportunity enlist him in all kinds of adventures. It’s become our tradition now to try out a new exploit each year to mark the occasion. Earlier this month we celebrated 28 […]
Sep 23 2014
“What’s this stuff?” “Some cereal. It’s supposed to be good for you.” “Are you gonna try it?” “I’m not gonna try it.” “Let’s get Mikey!” “Yeah!” “He won’t eat it, he hates everything.” “He likes it! Hey, Mikey!” I won’t tell how old you are if you remember that commercial. Yeah, I remember it too. […]
Sep 21 2014
I can’t answer that question. If you haven’t tried since junior high gym class, you probably can’t answer it either. Or you may be inclined to answer no. I’ve had people even yell “No!” emphatically to me in response to that question. Okay, that’s fair. Running isn’t the be-all-end-all of exercise. In many ways, as […]
Sep 19 2014
In this week’s podcast, I talk to my trainer Taryn about the benefits of using a personal trainer.
Sep 16 2014
“Turn off that racket!” can be heard in households across America. In my house it’s one of the kids yelling at me rather than the other way around. Idk, I like loud stuff. I suppose it’s a throwback to our own teenage years when one way we cut loose and expressed ourselves was through our musical […]
Sep 14 2014
I am a recent convert to kettlebells. And like the newly-converted, I am a zealot for my latest pursuit. A kettlebell is a cast iron weight shaped like a ball with a handle on top. They come in various weights, just like dumbbells. Unlike dumbbells they lend themselves well to fluid movements in which controlling […]
Sep 10 2014
“Gwen, have you heard of high intensity interval training?” (I have no idea why her name is Gwen.) Cheetahs do it naturally: short bursts of intense exertion interspersed with slower “recovery” periods. It’s a different approach to exercise than the way we traditionally think of cardio. But what’s it all about, and why do people do it? […]
Sep 4 2014
Back-to-school with the ABCs of weight loss, and if A is for avocado and B is for beets, then C is for . . . It’s a little bit of swagger, a little bit of passion, and it’s a whole lot of grit. Confidence is earned by doing the tough things that others won’t do […]
Aug 28 2014
For many people, getting on the scale can be a struggle. It goes up, it goes down. It has more mood swings than a woman in menopause. And often seems just as irritable. Not that I would know anything about that. Ahem. Among the best tools to measure weight loss, lean muscle mass, body fat […]
Aug 26 2014
Let me start by saying: I like to hit stuff. Oh, it’s not very ladylike or whatever, but I think it’s very liberating. Good way to get out your frustrations, I suppose. Still, when a friend invited me to try a class at the kickboxing studio she owns with her husband, I was uneasy. Never […]
Aug 20 2014
Some people really get carried away with this whole “wearable technology” thing, don’t you think? Our discussion of technology and weight loss would be incomplete without a look at the wearable fitness devices that are all the rage these days. I recently bought a Jawbone UP24, so I count myself among the believers. I’m loving […]
I feel like a bit of a fraud talking to you about weight loss and fitness apps. Full disclosure: even though I use them now, I didn’t use any of them when I was losing my weight. Quite honestly, I believe that no app can give us the internal drive we absolutely – unequivocally – […]
Just try to make it through the grocery story checkout line without seeing a magazine cover shouting at you, “Get Flat Abs FAST!” Everybody wants the 6-pack, the washboard, the chiseled midsection. But how to get it??? Well, abs are made in the kitchen, so start there. (Sorry, it always, always … ALWAYS comes back […]
Aug 17 2014
As I sit here, I am exhausted but feeling so accomplished after having completed my first triathlon this morning. The weather could not have been better: calm, sunny, mild. As I waited for my “wave” to start the swim, the sun rose. The bike ride was glorious too; in filtered early morning sun, we crossed […]
Aug 11 2014
I was scouring through old photos the other day, searching for something else entirely, when I came upon some photos of me ice skating when I was a little girl. Mom said the picture of my brother and me was our Christmas card photo in 1966. Which is impossible of course as I’m only 29. […]
McKenna’s a weight-loss inspiration and social media maven. Seven years ago Marilyn McKenna weighed 255 pounds. Today she’s a 135-pound marathon runner, triathlete and social media star. McKenna had been a fat kid (and she deliberately uses the word “fat”), a teenager whose weight yo-yoed with crazy diets, and a woman who for twenty years was, in medical […]
Aug 7 2014
“Bathing suit for hanging out by pool? Check!” “Sandals for the beach? Check!” Salacious romance novel for plane? Check!” “Workout clothes??? Ummmm…” YES!!! Almost any trip, for work or pleasure, will be made better by sticking to your fitness routine. And while your exact workout may be different on the road, there are still plenty […]
Aug 5 2014
If you’ve been curious about what a “barre” workout is then this is for you! This isn’t a bar in the sense of an energy bar or “belly up to the …” This is “barre” as in ballet barre. And just like dancers, these workouts are meant to create long, lean physiques that are strong […]
Aug 4 2014
Whether for work or leisure – by plane, train or automobile – travel is a part of our normal routine. Even when it’s for pleasure, though, travelling creates its own challenges when we’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. As I write this I’m sitting on an airplane, headed to a spa in Southern California […]
Jul 31 2014
No, not that kind of cycle! The “virtuous cycle” is a pattern of behavior – just as is the “vicious cycle.” And just like the vicious cycle, the virtuous cycle is self-reinforcing. That is, the more you do it the more it becomes engrained. Over time, the effort required to sustain it lessens because the […]
As much as I’d love to have the long, lean legs of a dancer, my body’s just not designed that way. My legs bulk up when I work ‘em hard. I’m in the middle of cycling season right now and by season’s end I’ll wind up looking more like Helga from the East German Cycling […]
Jul 25 2014
There are two concerns I typically hear from people who want to start an exercise regimen, but haven’t had success. The first is: I don’t have the time. The second is: I can’t seem to get motivated. I get it. We’re all busy. We have jam-packed schedules and are pulled in a million directions. Because […]
Jul 22 2014
Do I look nervous? I was nervous. Terrified may be a more accurate description. I go swimming at my Y all the time, and even though it was out of my comfort zone when I started, I’ve been swimming 2-3 times per week for more than two years and I’m very comfortable with it now. […]
Jul 15 2014
Second only to abs, arms are the body part that people long to tone and firm. Women especially bemoan their “flag arms” (they flap in the breeze) that jiggle and wobble. Spot-toning, exercising a particular muscle group with the intention of reducing body fat in that one area, doesn’t work. No surprise there. But what […]
Jul 10 2014
Scene: My bathroom, random Monday morning. I’ve got my foot poised over the scale, and I’m about to step on it. I spent an hour tossing and turning last night, berating myself for overeating – again – vowing to be “good” this week. Me: Okay, here goes nothing. I step onto the scale […]
Jul 7 2014
Huff! Puff! Gasp! Wheeze! Ugh! That’s me, climbing up the last hill before I finally get home on my cycling route. I have a couple of loops I ride; they all end with that damn hill. I have mental tricks I play with myself to get up hills: mantras (“this hill can’t even handle me […]
Jul 1 2014
Go ahead, say it. You know you want to, so just get it out of your system. “Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding! Me, hire a trainer?!? They’re so expensive!” Feel better? Good, now we can move on. I’ll address the cost (and why it’s not as expensive as you may think) in a moment, […]
Jun 28 2014
Have you taken The Challenge? If not, it’s not too late to sign up! Sign the participation agreement here until 11:59pm on Sunday and you not only have the chance to lose 10 pounds, but you’ll automatically be entered to win weekly prizes! This coming week we’ll be talking about how to schedule meals and […]
In “Start Here, Start Now” I revealed a revolutionary formula for weight loss: If you burn more calories than you take in, you will lose weight. Did you feel the Earth move?!? Me either. No, it’s not earth-shattering because you’ve heard it a thousand times before. And while it’s true, that doesn’t make it any […]
Fitness dilemma: when you’re building up a fitness routine, what do you work on first: Distance? Speed? Time??? There is a temptation when you begin a new workout regimen to go all out and try to do too much, too soon. You’re gung-ho and filled with excitement about your new activity. Or, maybe the opposite […]
This is #10 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “Believe that you are the person you’re working to become.” That sounds vaguely like one of those annoying … er, I mean inspiring Facebook messages that people are always […]
May 26 2014
All month we’ve been talking about how to create a home environment that supports weight loss and healthy living. There was the “Pantry Purge” and “The Proactive Pantry,” the “Refrigerator Rehab” and “Refrigerator Reset,” the “Franken-Freezer” and “Frozen is Fabulous.” But what about the rest of your house? Is it set up to support a […]
May 26 2014
Are there two more feared words in the female vocabulary than “Swimsuit Season”? If there are I can’t think of them. The thought of putting on a bathing suit – in many cases something smaller than your bra and underwear – and prancing around in public can be unbearable. Okay, you don’t prance. But even […]
May 23 2014
This is #9 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “If you’re intimidated to try something new, ask for help.” Whether you’re a cyclist or not, you’re probably familiar with the concept of “drafting.” The physics of it are […]
May 16 2014
This is #7 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “When an obstacle pops up keep the overall goal in mind and find a way to climb over it, go through it, or work around it.” Intellectually we all […]
May 12 2014
This is #6 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “Progress comes in spurts; stay the course.” Along the road in both fitness and weight loss, things come up that make it easy to get sidetracked or discouraged. When […]
This is #5 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “You can persevere through discomfort, but not pain.” Seriously, I am the biggest knucklehead in this regard. I pass along this advice now only after making this mistake time […]
May 5 2014
Stuff happens, right?!? You get sick, you get injured, someone you love gets sick or injured and you have to stop everything and take care of him or her. The truth is, the path to good health isn’t a straight line. In weight loss we aim for “good enough,” not “perfect” (whatever that is anyway). […]
This is #4 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “You must intrinsically enjoy what you’re doing or it won’t last.” There have been times when I had no choice; because of an injury or access to equipment I’ve […]
May 2 2014
This is #3 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. “You don’t get fit once and then expect to be fit for the rest of your life; you must do it over and over, every day.” This principle comes […]
Apr 30 2014
Apr 29 2014
Many of us walk around like zombies, in a sleep-deprived haze. We’re up early to get out the door to school or work; we stay up late catching up on household tasks or dealing with our email in-boxes. Or maybe Facebook… (Oops, guilty!) We should aim for 7 – 8 hours of sleep most nights, […]