This is #2 of the “top 10 lessons that becoming an athlete have taught me about weight loss” that appeared in the “Building Sweat Equity” blog. In my mind, “you don’t start with the marathon” means that you don’t start at the end-point of a goal. You must start at the beginning and progress incrementally. […]
The blog I wrote last week, “Does Everybody Have An Inner-Athlete?” really got me started thinking. What is it about becoming an athlete that has not just changed my body, but changed how I think about food, changed how I spend my time, and changed how I view my future? Exercise has so many lessons […]
Yoga is the full meal deal when it comes to exercise. It incorporates four key elements of fitness: strength, stamina, balance and flexibility. Five, I suppose, if you count mind-body connection. Which you should. So okay, five. First, let me say that there are approximately 147 different kinds of yoga. (I’m exaggerating. I do that.) […]
I don’t know. I do know that 120 lbs. ago I would’ve told you I didn’t have one. Turns out, I was wrong. I do have an inner-athlete and I have harnessed her strength and drive to finally put to rest the food demons that tormented me most of my life. Becoming an athlete means […]
I might as well fess up now; I didn’t actually put together this strength training workout for you. My trainer did it. She’s a genius. At exercise, and a bunch of other stuff too. Lucky for us, she said I could share it with you as a good example of an introductory strength training workout. […]
Now that last week’s blogs got you all jacked up to start a running or walking regimen, I’m going to tell you to STOP! No, I’m just kidding. Don’t stop. But do add in strength training. You won’t end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I promise. Even if you’re a guy it’s difficult without hours […]
In Tuesday’s blog, “Run That By Me Again” I said that for about $100 you can get outfitted for a great pair of running / walking shoes. Truthfully, a good-fitting pair of shoes is all you need to get started on a running or walking fitness program. But you know I’ve got more goodies in […]
Walking and running have the lowest cost of entry of nearly any sport and are among the most convenient. Think about it, a good pair of shoes, a lively playlist and you can leave right from your own driveway. How much simpler can it be? Certainly there are other great ways to get a cardiovascular […]
A couple months ago I wrote a blog “Motivation Comes and Goes Like a Bad Mood” which made the point that we’re creating healthy habits rather than waiting around for some elusive wave of motivation to come and wash over us. And it’s true that creating a habit of exercise will increase the likelihood you’ll […]
Along with 1) choosing an eating plan for life, 2) setting realistic achievable goals, and 3) working at both of those things consistently, the final pillar of the “Ready, Set … Goals” series is prioritizing. You must actively prioritize healthy habits in your life or they will not happen. We all get 24 hours in […]
What are the things you do every day, without really even thinking about them? You brush your teeth, hopefully floss, go to work, check your child’s homework, watch “The Bachelor.” Just kidding on that one! The things that you do every day, those habits that you have adopted and no longer even think about, are […]
Go Marilyn McKenna! If you haven’t heard of Marilyn, maybe you’ve seen her photo…but not on Facebook. According to several news sources, Facebook banned this photo (see inset) that Marilyn posted last week. It seems that the social media site viewed the picture as an advertisement and it violated the site’s policy by promoting idealized physical […]
You’ve heard it before; you’ve probably said it before… “I’m just not motivated to work out!” Feel free to substitute “eat right” or just about anything else that you feel you should be doing that you’re not doing. You feel like, if only you could harness that elusive motivation you’d make it to the gym […]
Goal-setting is imperative to implementing a new direction in your life, but when it comes to weight loss and fitness, well, this is the fun stuff! You get to think big! Obviously since my theme for January is “Ready, Set … Goals!” I believe that goals are critical to weight loss. Like I said in […]
Incorporating activity into your everyday life can become addictive; at the very least I hope that it’ll become a habit for you. It certainly has for me! Once daily exercise and constant movement have become second nature to you, you may find yourself wanting to up the ante a little bit. There are ways to […]
Choosing the more active path rather than the sedentary one is a guiding principle for living a long and healthy life. Forgive my bluntness, but there’s a reason you don’t see a lot of really old people who are fat. They’re all dead. Building activity into your everyday life is a mindset. It makes you […]
Most every day I hear people say that family is the most important thing in their lives. Yet consistently they act as if that double bacon cheeseburger were the most important thing in their lives. Because in a very real way, when you choose the double bacon cheeseburger (or the cookie dough ice cream or […]
Cross-training is how you avoid injury and tax muscles in different ways, increasing overall fitness. Moving outside of your comfort zone means you try new forms of exercise, to keep things interesting and challenging. That’s all good. But what if you’re too self-conscious to try something new? Maybe you’re too busy to think about a […]
When you embark on a new eating plan you try lots of new-to-you foods. Grains like quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), amaranth and spelt. Greens like arugula, watercress and chard. Similarly, when you’re trying new forms of exercise be open to a broad range of possibilities. Not everything you try is gonna stick, right? You may find […]
When I was fat – sorry if that word offends you; I don’t use euphemisms for it when I’m talking about myself – all sorts of exercise intimidated me. I was embarrassed to try something new and look foolish. I was nervous because it was unfamiliar, but even more so because of my physical size. […]
“You can’t print half of what I say,” Marilyn McKenna declared, before I’d even had a sip of my latte. I couldn’t tell if she’s talking about this conversation, or her recent flurry of tweets, which have kicked up plenty of chatter after the cursory Quiet Period following her husband Rob McKenna’s defeat in the […]
I’m a bit of a gym rat, I’ll admit it. I like the ritual of packing a gym bag, grabbing a water bottle, my iPod and heading to the gym. I look forward to breaking a good sweat (all sweat is good, btw) and the camaraderie of like-minded gym rats. I also love to see […]
I may have mentioned that I like running … once or twice (ahem). At my age – perhaps a tad over 30 – it can be a cruel companion. Running is hard on my body. Sometimes my body protests … loudly! For example, while I was training for the Seattle Marathon in the fall of […]
Have you ever seen that crazy person on the treadmill who is either jamming to their tunes or swinging their arms around or maybe walking backwards or sideways? And you’re thinking to yourself, “What the heck are they doing? They look positively insane!” Yeah … that’s me. In my own defense, can I just say […]
