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

It has been a long time since a exergaming machine has surfaced. Say hi to Motivatrix, the newest exercise-gaming machine.

• Motivatrix

I have seen so many of these companies come and go that I never believe that their products exist until they are available on Amazon.com. Granted, Motivatrix looks like they are promoting their exercise equipment to sports facilities, but the lack of an “order now” button on their website really makes me doubtful of their existence.

Did they build one prototype and a spiffy flash-based website? I can’t tell. I’m trying my hardest not to get excited about this product, but it looks like it has the potential to be a lot of fun.

For more information:

• Motivatrix’s MX9 Workout Master replaces aging stationary bike – Engadget

• Silicon sweat / High-tech, full-body machines merge multimedia and exercise

• Get an interactive workout sans game console | Crave : The gadget blog

I has been a hard week and it only just started. Last week was just fine, but this week I have had problems every day. What did I try to do? I tried to limit my intake:

I reduced it by 100 calories a day. That’s it. Just a 100 calories a day. That’s like… an apple. Less than an apple…

Okay, a little more than an apple, but still it’s just a small, small, small amount. It’s like two Hershey’s kisses. A tiny, tiny amount.

Learning to eat healthy is still an adventure for me. Wish me luck!

It’s spring and I find myself going outside for my runs and walks lately. I’ve really enjoyed walking outside and I started wondering why I ever use my treadmill at all. I even started thinking that I wasn’t going to use it again.

That’s how long it took me to forget about winter… two weeks.

Two weeks of lovely weather and I have forsaken my beloved treadmill in favor of the great outdoors. I have to admit that I love exercising outside mostly because there is just so much interesting stuff going on. There are people to avoid, streets to cross, and lots of things to look at.

The other day, I took my camera with me on my walk and just clicked away. Here’s what I saw:

With this much to see outside, it’s no wonder that the treadmill holds no attraction for me. I’m just surprised at how quickly I have forgotten about the freezing winds and snow and wondering how long I can enjoy the beauty until the heat takes my breath and forces me back indoors.

I have wondered for a long time what use it is to be at my goal weight? I remember those rare times when I was thin. I wasn’t any happier back then than I am now. Why should I work so hard to be thin? Gretchen Rubin writes on her weblog, The Happiness Project, that people do feel happier when they feel more attractive:

• The Happiness Project: Does feeling more attractive make you happier?

People are willing to admit that their happiness depends on having friends, feeling close to their family, being satisfied with their work, etc…

But I think there are other elements to happiness as well—elements that we might not want to admit.

And one of those things is feeling attractive.

There have been times when I have felt attractive and they had nothing to do with how much I weighed. Learning to take care of myself and enjoy my appearance no matter what I weigh is an important step toward my goal. There were times when I was thin and beautiful, but I felt fat and bloated. It has nothing to do with how I actually look and has more to do with how I feel.

What can I do to make myself feel better about my appearance?

What will happen if I get to goal weight and I haven’t been able to like my appearance yet?

What if I loved the way I look right now? Would that stall my weight loss? Do I have to lose weight from a point of disgust or can I love the way I look AND lose weight?

How can I feel attractive right now? Is there something I can do with my hair, nails, face or clothing that will improve my opinion of myself?

It seems that I only get fired up when I feel unattractive. The problem with being “fired up,” though, is that I lose weight in such an unhealthy manner that I end up bingeing later. There has to be a better way.