Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

The other morning was the first time I have ridden my bike to work using the highest gear the whole ride. My bike only has three speeds and until today, I never thought I would need anything more than that. I’ve had this bike for a year, but I’ve only started riding it regularly in the last month or so. Now, after a month of riding at least three times a week, I’m finally strong enough to use the fancy gears on those fancy bikes.

I used to think that the bike gears were there to help me get up big hills. They would make it easier to pedal. Of course, I had always been so out of shape that even on the lowest gear, I couldn’t get up the hills of Salt Lake City. I always had to get off my bike and walk it up. Last week, when I rode to UCMT, I took that hill on the lowest gear and didn’t have to get off my bike until I reached the bike rack.

I’m beginning to think that all those complicated gears are there to make pedaling harder. They are there to keep the tension high and the bike fast. I was pedaling as fast as I could with the bike in third gear, but I was still was going slower than those professional bike people on the road that morning (you know, the ones with the tiny butts, sponsors on their bike clothing and skinny tires on their bikes). I know my cruiser is heavier than their racing bikes, but I don’t think it’s that so much as the fact that they can put their bikes in 26^th gear and they are strong enough to move the pedals.

Will I have to turn in the cruiser for the mountain bike for my morning commute? My mountain bike has been hiding in the shed untouched for over a year. Will I get strong enough to need those fancy higher gears before the snow flies this winter? I’ll have to see.

This shoe tracks your movements and uploads them to your computer via a wireless connection. They cost about $500 a pair, so it might be a better option to just write all your exercise down.

• Verb For Shoe – Official Website

• Next Fest Review – Verb For Shoe

• Engadget: Verb For Shoe shows off their… shoe

This entry was orginally posted on Pick Me! 06-30-05:

This week’s Illustration Friday is “Heroes.” The most recent heroic act I’ve experienced in my life happened when I was playing softball a couple of weeks ago. I joined the company softball team because they are in constant need of girls. I told them that I hadn’t played since grade school. They didn’t care. As long as I was female, owned a mitt and was willing to show up at the park every Thursday, they were happy.

A couple of weeks ago, they were really shorthanded and pulled me out of right field to put me in the catcher’s position. The team captain was pitching and I was throwing the worst balls back to him. I was terrified of the batters taking my head off; I was lousy at catching the ball when it looked like it was coming straight for my face. I felt embarrassed and apologized for every errant ball.

The team captain pulled me aside after it was our turn to bat, “Don’t worry about throwing the ball to me. Just do your best and I’ll get it.” It was at that moment that I became a team member. I’ve never felt so good about playing with a team before.

It seems like the heroes of the world are the people who say or do little things. They are so important to the people who received them, but the heroes think nothing of it and go about their day as normal. At some time or another almost everyone is a hero and we don’t even know it.

After so much derision and scorn I experienced for being a fat kid in grade school, having the guy in charge say something nice was like water on parched lips. All of us are just dry sponges wishing that a nice word would come our way. I’m a permanent member of the team now because he didn’t mind me throwing a few stray balls or having to run after the ball when it slipped away from me.

I’ve never seen a super hero. I’ve never met anyone who has saved a life. I’ve only seen the every day heroes that say the exactly right words to save the day. I’ve only met the every day heroes that show up when all is lost and say two simple sentences.

This holiday is full of fun and fire and food. I used to feel left out whenever I heard that our family was having a BBQ. I didn’t know how to survive the meal without feeling left out or sacrificing my eating habits. It took me a couple of years to learn how to go to a BBQ, have fun and food without giving up on my healthy eating for the day.

• Bring Your Own Food – If you’re not in charge of the BBQ, you’re probably bringing a side dish of some sort, so that is one thing that you can KNOW will be healthy. I usually bring a fresh veggie platter. I also bring my own food to go on the grill. I’ve found that everyone is very grateful when I bring extra food. I was so scared that they would be insulted, but instead, they are excited to see what you are going to put on the grill.

• What to Bring – I like to bring fat free hot dogs that are about 50 calories apiece. Several brands make them. Find your favorite. I also bring my own hot dog buns. I don’t want to waste 250 calories when I know that I can have a bun for 100 calories. Don’t leave yourself at the mercy of what your host bought. I also bring some veggies for grilling. My favorites are: spaghetti squash, zucchini, yellow squash, onions and tomatoes. They all taste great after being grilled, especially with a little garlic on them.

• What to Avoid – I avoid anything with mayonnaise. This is because I don’t want to get food poisoning (once is enough), but it has the added benefit of keeping my calories low. I also steer clear of the potato chip bags. It’s too easy to reach in and pull out one after another.

• What to Eat – The fruit and fresh vegetables are safe as long as you don’t eat the dip. Stick with your fat free hot dogs and grilled vegetables and you’ll feel full and satisfied. As always enjoy the watermelon!

Don’t lie to yourself! There is a small voice in the back of your head saying, “It’s just one day. I don’t want to miss out on the fun. I deserve to celebrate.” If you hear those voices, refer to my entry on how to Have a Healthy Valentine’s Day. It will tell you why those are lies.

You can survive this holiday and enjoy the fun, fire and HEALTHY food!

Remember when my sister said that it seems like all of these articles in the news about the rising obesity rates might be so prevalent because the health insurance companies are trying to get out of paying benefits for half the population? Here is another article that points in that direction:

• HealthDay – Obesity Sends Health Costs Soaring

When we see all these articles, remember that there is a reason they keep quoting that 60% of the population is overweight. They want you to believe that it’s acceptable to deny benefits to people who are overweight. The truth of the matter is, there is no substantial proof that being overweight causes diseases. Overweight is a far cry from obesity. A few pounds overweight may not cause disease, but the insurance companies want you to believe that it will. They want you to get confused by using the words overweight and obesity interchangeably.

Via: About.com – Staggering Stats … – by Jennifer R. Scott

You can’t buy it for your home console. It doesn’t work with Xbox, PS2, PS3, GameCube or even Xbox 360. You can’t even see it in person unless you’re in Europe. It looks cool anyway!

• Kick-Ass Kung Fu

It is being heralded as the beginning of video games as spectator sports. Others watch while you play in this special room with padding and 360 virtual reality screens, which give you the impression of being able to fight like someone in the Matrix.

Man, I wish I had a flight to Finland planned. It looks totally cool!

Via: Engadget – Like Keanu, you too can know Kick Ass Kung-Fu