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

Last week I wrote an entry about how when you want a cupcake, eating a fiber muffin just won’t do. I suggested mini-cupcakes:

• Starling Fitness » Mini Cupcakes

Of course, there is another option, but the thought is so hard for me to deal with that I didn’t even think of it when I wrote that entry. Eat only a quarter of a cupcake. Worse still, throw the rest AWAY!

This is one of the hardest things for me to do.

Maybe it’s because I was starved as a child and the thought of only eating a quarter of a cupcake when I could scarf down the whole thing just seems like sacrilege to that still starving child within me.

I have wanted a REAL cupcake every since the cupcake fad back in July. Seriously, I’ve wanted a cupcake for MONTHS without eating one. For New Year’s Eve, we made some using a recipe from the famous cupcake bakeries in New York. I had to see what I had been missing.

On New Year’s Eve, my sister did something shocking. She cut a cupcake into quarters and only ate a fourth of each flavor (we had three). I just watched her do it in disbelief. She didn’t really care for any of them, so the whole night, all she ate was less than one cupcake. I ate three, by the way…

So, when we were down to the cupcake leftovers, I tried it. I had eaten one cupcake a day for a few days, trying to keep my intake at a healthy level, but I was low on points that day. I had about 200 calories left. I remembered my sister cutting her cupcakes in quarters, so I tried it. I figured I’d eat a fourth and if I wanted more, I would eat a half.

Funny thing, is… it actually worked. After my quarter of a cupcake I felt just fine. I left the rest to eat later, but by the time I came back to it, it was stiff and stale. I took a picture of it and then threw it in the garbage can. Ironically, throwing it in the garbage was FAR harder than just eating a quarter of a cupcake.

The advertisement at the bottom of Prevention Magazine’s website said,

“Need motivation to lose those extra pounds? See how you’ll look with your new body!“

I imagined uploading a photo of myself and having a computer program show what I would look like at my goal weight. Unfortunately, it linked me to a computer generated model of what it thought I looked like based on my weight and height and then showed what that computer generated person would look like at their pre-determined goal weight. Sadly, neither picture was even close to looking like me.

Even worse, My Virtual Model has been brought to me by Prevention’s Sugar Solution, which is a diet book that blames sugar for everything from memory lapses to weight gain. When I clicked on the link, it redirected me to WalMart’s website and a picture of Velvet Chocolate Cake (?!).

Prevention magazine has been selling quick fixes for a long time with headlines that scream “Lose 10 pounds in 10 days!” but I have never seen them go this far. Maybe the Walmart link is broken and it was supposed to link to their book. Maybe the Virtual Model is supposed to be motivating instead of strangely insulting. Maybe Prevention magazine wants to help people, but sadly, this time they missed the mark.

If you made a New Year’s Resolution to exercise more, you’re probably to the point where you want to quit right now. That’s because you’re bored. You need a little motivation and support. There is no better way to start exercising than walking because it’s cheap and you already know how to do it.

Wendy Bumgardner at About.com has a 28-day walking course that will email you daily emails to get you from couch potato to walking demon. You can sign up for the email course here:

• Let’s Get Walking

If you are lacking motivation for the exercise regime that you set up for yourself, it’s not your fault. There might be a couple of things getting in your way:

• You are working out too hard.

• You are bored with what you chose.

• You have no one else to compare notes with.

• You injured yourself.

Whatever your reason, start with a simple program like Wendy’s Let’s Get Walking program. Ease yourself into exercise with a daily email to remind you of your goal. Don’t give up now, just switch things up!

Rob and Big is a reality television show on MTV. Rob is a professional skateboarder and Big is his bodyguard. A few episodes ago, Big decided to try to lose weight. I had never watched Rob and Big before I heard about this episode. I watched the whole thing on MTV’s website. You can see it here:

• Rob and Big | Episode Guide | Ep.4: Lets Get Physical | MTV

At the beginning of the episode, Rob is making fun of how big Big’s shirts are. He stuffs a big ball into one of the shirts and starts imitating Big. After a second or two of that, I just wanted to punch Rob in the face. Blissfully, Big did it for me, pushing him off the bed and onto the floor in one big swipe like a bear pushing away a baby cub. I instantly loved Rob and Big and had to watch the rest of the episode!

Big maxed out the scale they had at home, so Rob took him to Curves to be weighed. Unfortunately, Big maxed out their scale as well, meaning that he definitely weighed more than 400 pounds. That was a surprise even to Big. Rob says, “Extreme weight requires extreme measures,” and takes him to a recycling center to weigh him. He clocks in at 416 pounds. Rob takes him to a hypnotherapist, but Big just falls asleep. Fortunately, the dietician gives Big good advice:

“Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to reprogram you to stop eating when your stomach says it’s full. We’re not going to tell him what to eat or what not to eat. What I want you to do is get little Ziploc bags and take about a 1/2 a cup’s worth of whatever you’re choosing and prepackage them so they’re preportioned. When you’re done, you’re done. At the most, I want you to work out twice a week right now.”

When Rob objects to merely portion control and twice weekly workouts, she’s firm with him,

“I’m going to leave the skateboarding up to you and you leave the nutrition up to me.”

Big tried to leave the nutrition up to her, but Rob bugged him. He ended up working out a lot with Rob. Three weeks later, they returned to the recycling center and what did the scale read? 416.0 lbs. SAME WEIGHT… In desperation, Big goes back to see the nutritionist. She helps him through it,

“Chances are, you’re losing some fat and you’re losing some body weight. Just because it’s not showing up on the scale doesn’t mean that there aren’t changes happening. Continue with your exercise, continue listening to your body and no more scales. And, I want you to go have a burger this week.”

Anyone who has ever had a friend or family member try to “help” them lose weight will find a soft spot for Big and want to punch Rob in the mouth. Don’t listen to the Robs in your life who want you to go to diet boot camp. Listen to the dietician. Eat half of whatever you would normally eat and start working out no more than twice a week. Leave the skateboarding to the Robs in your life and take diet advice from the nutritionist.

Via: Rudd Sound Bites: Rob & Big

Every time we visit California, I try to convince Mike to go surfing or boogie boarding. How can we go to California and NOT surf? We’ve missed that opportunity every time mostly because the both of us are afraid of it. The ocean, undertow, big sea monsters that try to eat people are all things that I fear about surfing. Now, a recent study shows that surfing is about as dangerous as soccer.

• Study finds surfing safer than soccer

The researchers collected data from 32 surfing competitions in both the professional and amateur circuits. When compared to collegiate level basketball and soccer, surfing is actually safer. Here are the recommendations to prevent injury:

“To reduce the risk of injury while surfing, Nathanson suggests good physical fitness, seeking local knowledge before paddling out to an unfamiliar break, and being realistic in terms of your ability level and the size of the waves.”

Being physically fit is mentioned to prevent injury, so surfing might not be the best way to lose weight, but it sure is a great thing to enjoy once you are healthy and strong. Swimming all those laps at the gym can finally have more meaning than just helping you lose weight. It can get you to the point where you can be a California surfer dude!

Via: Surf’s up! surfing found to be safer than soccer – That’s Fit

Diet Blog has an interesting article about the word “diet.” Does it mean misery? Does it mean an eating regime? Does it mean restriction? Does it mean normal eating?

• Does Dieting = Misery?

For the longest time, going on a diet meant that I had new hope that I could finally be skinny. After years of smashed hopes, I decided that I was never going to diet again. I was going to “eat healthy.”

It’s amazing how those habits of the early years can become ingrained, however. I joined Weight Watchers because I could eat anything as long as I stayed within my Points. There were no food restrictions. After years of eating on the program, however, I started installing “forbidden” foods into my mind. It had nothing to do with Weight Watchers, I just decided that to be on program I needed to avoid certain foods. After a year or so of that, the words “eat healthy” became synonymous with “diet.”

Now, when I think, “I need to get back to eating healthy,” I feel deprived just like I did when I was dieting. Somehow, I broke that phrase in my mind.

What I need to do is eat whatever I want.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but giving myself permission to eat whatever I want without guilt helps me to eat healthier. It’s only when I put arbitrary limits on my diet that I end up bingeing.

Years ago, I buried the word “diet,” but it wasn’t the word that needed to be buried. It was the idea that there are certain foods that I can’t eat. When I started eating healthy, I was just limiting my portions of foods that I loved. It was later that “eating healthy” mutated into yet another way to make myself feel deprived.

I never need to feel deprived again. When will I learn that?

Yesterday, I talked about my Healthy & Happy List. It’s a list of things that I try to do every day to stay healthy and happy. It took me a long time to realize what needed to be on that list, but it didn’t have to be that way. Take a few moments today to decide what would be on your list. Answering these questions might help you figure out what should be on your list.

What things do you need to do every day to be healthy?

What things do you need to do every day to be happy?

What things would you like to do but you never let yourself do?

What things do you do too much of and end up getting sick of?

What things should you do that you don’t really like to do?

What do you feel guilty for doing, but like to do anyway? Why?

What do you feel guilty for NOT doing, but do them anyway? Why?

My Healthy & Happy List is a section of my journal pages that I write in every day. You can download those journal pages here:

• Starling Fitness » Journal Pages To Download

You don’t need to use my Healthy & Happy List. Edit the pages to match your own list of things to do to keep yourself healthy and happy.

Yesterday, I provided journal pages to download and use for writing your Inner Workouts and keep track of your healthy eating and exercise. In the Daily Tracking Section, I had a spot to check off my Healthy and Happy List. It took me awhile, but I have a list of things that keep me healthy and happy. The more of these things that I can do, the better my life runs and the happier I am. I wanted to explain each one here:

Exercise: Exercising every day not only helps me be healthy, it boosts my mood. After only a month of regular exercising, I realized that I needed to put it on my list.

Eat Healthy: When I eat healthy, I feel a sense of pride in myself, so it boosts my mood. Mostly, it’s on the list so that I’ll be healthy and strong.

Clean Something: I have a hard time being happy in a cluttered and messy house. All I have to do is tackle one household chore a day to substantially improve my mood.

Sleep 8 Hours: This number might be different for you, but I need at least eight hours of sleep every night to function. It’s really hard for me to be upbeat and happy when I’m struggling to stay awake.

Create Something: Allowing myself a little time every day to be creative is really important to me. All it takes is a small craft project or a few rows of crochet to make me happier.

Journal: I already talked yesterday about how regular journaling keeps me happy and less likely to binge. I find it ironic that there is a check mark in the actual journal. If I don’t journal, then I usually don’t fill out my Healthy and Happy List. It seems like if I don’t journal, everything falls apart.

Work: Work is an important part of life. If I don’t work, I don’t make money, but if life is ALL work, then I end up feeling deprived and unappreciated, even though it was me who pushed myself so hard. I need to make sure I do some work every day, but not so much that I don’t get to check off the other boxes on my list.

Play: I love to play video games. I love to read trashy sci-fi novels. I love to play with my pets. I love to watch movies. I love to watch television. I put all entertainment on such a low priority, though that I end up having binges if I don’t incorporate a little bit of play into my life at all times. I need to give myself permission to enjoy a movie or video game a little bit every day to prevent those strange days when all I do is sit on the couch and watch Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns.

Social: Sending personal emails, calling on the telephone and actually seeing friends in person are all social things. Sometimes I neglect the most important people in my life and other times, I plan so many social things that I’m sick of people. I need to find a balance to keep myself happy. That’s why social is on the list. If I do a little bit every day, I won’t neglect and I won’t get “peopled-out.”

Read: I love to read books, but that is categorized in the Play section for me. This is more work related. I need to keep up on the latest technology, fitness and travel information to do my job correctly, so I have a ton of weblogs that I read. If I am able to read them, I feel more control of my work life and it makes me happy.

This list probably has little to do with YOUR personal happiness. That’s why the journal pages are in Excel format instead of Adobe Acrobat. You can change the journal pages to match what you need every day to keep you happy. Take a few minutes and really think about what makes you happy. Make a list add it to your personalized journal pages.

As I printed some journal pages for the new year, I realized that I have never shared these with you. Every day, I write a personal journal by hand. It’s very therapeutic and one of the ways I have come to depend on to stay on track. I made these journal pages using Microsoft Excel, but you can also open them up using OpenOffice, which is free.

This spreadsheet will probably have to be tweaked to work on your printer, but it can be printed double-sided, so that you will have nice journal pages. I have it available in both paper sizes: 8 1/2″ X 11″ and 5 1/2″ X 8 1/2″. I use the 5 1/2″ X 8 1/2″ size and put them in a comb binder so that my journal is very portable. You can download the journal pages here:

• Download Starling Fitness Journal Pages

These spreadsheets are really just lined paper with a Daily Tracking on each page. You can see the Daily Tracking is just a simple spot where I can record my healthy eating habits, the Points I’ve eaten each day and other things. I’ll talk about the Healthy & Happy List tomorrow.

I use these journal pages for my Inner Workouts. Every day I write out my feelings and worries. It really helps me to stay focused and keep happy. I’ve noticed that the days I’m most tempted to binge are the days when I don’t write in my journal. It has become so helpful to me that I still write every single day.

Hi,

I enjoyed your reviews on the Xavix system. I felt they were the best on the web. I was wondering if you are going to CES 2007 and if you will be checking out and reporting on the Xavix booth.

Both my wife and I exercise daily because of the Xavix. It is much more fun than other methods.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

Ronnie

Ronnie,

Yes, we ARE going to CES! We’re actually leaving today to catch the pre-show press events. I am going to visit the Xavix booth to see if they have anything new. BTW, they finally have the Lifestyle Manager available, which is a scale that connects to the Xavix and keeps track of your weight, etc.

• xavixstore.com – XaviX Lifestyle Manager

I did a comparison of Xavix to the Nintendo Wii for The Gadgets Page:

• The Gadgets Page » Xavix Vs. Nintendo Wii

Some of the conclusions I came to won’t apply to you because you have already invested in the console, but you might find it interesting.

Thanks for the uplifting email. I really appreciate it. Sometimes I feel like I write Starling Fitness just for myself because I hardly ever hear feedback from the readers. I can see the stats, but they are quiet people who hit the site every day. For all I know, they just look at the pictures… It’s really nice to get a positive email from someone who has read my entries.

Thanks again,
Laura Moncur