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

Great story from a runner about running:

• Quadrathon: Thoughts of a child…

Daddy has a sore foot and his son wants to know why:

“because Daddy has an owie on his toe”

“why?”

“because Daddy tried new running socks and then made his toe sore”

“toe sore? I like running”

“You do, (the window opens for me to turn the table I think) why?”

He contemplates this for a second and answers…“because I can”.

Next time you’re slugging away through a workout, remember that not everyone can run. You’re very lucky that your legs still work, even if they feel like they aren’t working as well as they should. Enjoy your ability to run. You might not be able to do it in the future.

02/12/07 Bento-licious Brunch by Aylanah on Flickr

Aylanah creates beautiful Bento boxes for herself and takes a picture of them to share with the world. When was the last time a simple meal of fruit, cucumbers and rice looked so beautiful? You can see the entire collection here:

• Bento-licious! – a photoset on Flickr

Next time you’re feeling sick of your food, try making it a little prettier. The exact same food will taste better, I promise!

Every day, when I run outside, I see this red chair. When I see it, I know I don’t have much further to go. Any second now, the little guy in my iPod Nike+ is going to say, “400 Meters To Go!” Soon I will be finished with my run and I can stretch.

What do you see when you exercise?

What do you think about when you’re exercising?

Have you created any comforting thoughts or attached meaning to anything you see?

Sometimes running, walking or riding your bike around the same area ends up creating a map in my mind. When I drive past my old neighborhood in West Jordan, I see places where I had run too hard or maybe places that always felt good to run by because it was a nice stretch of flat road or maybe the air smelled like fried chicken.

Right now, the weather is perfect for running outdoors, so I have been taking advantage of it as much as I can. When I run outside, I end up seeing my neighborhood in a whole different light.

Nike+ has started a group event that bugs me. It’s called the Run Like NYC Challenge.

You’re supposed to pick a ‘hood and run. Coming from someone who doesn’t live in New York, I DON’T CARE. It actually makes me kind of angry how New York centric the world is. Do we really need ANOTHER event focusing on New York?! I live in SLC. I don’t care whether Uptown, Midtown or Downtown win. I want to run for SLC.

How hard would it have been to have a run for your state challenge instead? It certainly would have been more inclusive, if not USA centered.

This is the sort of thing that happens when all your employees work in one city. Stupid stuff like the Run Like NYC Challenge happen.

Most of you don’t live in New York. Do you care which ‘hood wins? Does this challenge make you want to join up?

Just makes me want to punch something. Bad form, Nike, bad form…

I wrote before about this advertising campaign in Utah.

• Starling Fitness » Intermountain Healthcare Doesn’t Get It

They STILL don’t get it and have paid to move all the billboards around to different places. I have since been able to get photos of the other two:

This is what happens when people who don’t really understand what it takes to be healthy design advertising campaigns for health. It’s not the creme-filling. It’s not the cupcake. It’s the fact that I ate three or four cupcakes in one sitting. It’s not the food, it’s the quantity.

A cupcake every once and a while is just fine. It’s when it’s a habit that it becomes dangerous for me. They’re not creme-filled lies. They’re just food. It’s my lack of control over the food that’s the problem, not the food.

This one makes a little more sense, but it’s still offensive. Eating treat foods in moderation are just fine, but super-sizing your food and eating fries on a regular basis could be a problem. I know it’s hard to gain weight eating too many carrots, but the fact is, these foods are part of our lives. We need to learn how to incorporate them into our diet AND be healthy.

Creating a stigma regarding certain foods, merely creates a Good Food – Bad Food dichotomy in my mind. When I’m feeling negative, I end up eating too many Bad Foods. If I can knock down the idea of Good Foods and Bad Foods, I end up eating a lot healthier.

Bad form, IHC, bad form…

They claim to be able to tone your thighs, calves and glutes. How could a shoe do that?

• The Fit Flop

Here is their explanation:

Every step you take in the FitFlop helps tone and trim your legs. The FitFlop’s uniquely built multi-density midsole activates muscles midstep to help tone your thighs, your calves and your glutes. In fact, FitFlops are biomechanically engineered to absorb shock, lessen joint strain, and recreate the gait of barefoot walking – but with a powerful new built-in micro-wobbleboard workout-enhancing effect.

Since they are sold in Great Britain, they’re not under the strict advertising laws of the FCC. I don’t know what kind of false advertising laws Great Britain has, but I want to see proof before I’ll buy them. I want to see tests from REAL universities. Nothing on their website gives me any inkling that these have been tested. Their FAQ just tells me how to buy them.

Plus, I have enough time balancing and tripping. I don’t need a micro-wobbleboard under my feet at all times.

Via: Popgadget Personal Technology for Women: Fit Flops: gym in a sandal?

As stated on AOL’s Sports Blog, Joey Chestnut beat the hot dog eating record last week.

• Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi’s Hot Dog Eating Record – Sports Blog – The FanHouse

Why was this on AOL’s Sports Blog? Why is eating too much food too quickly considered a sport? What is the matter with the world where something like this is NEWS?! There are people starving on the other side of the world. There are people starving in the United States. There are people who are overweight and cannot fathom why Joey Chestnut is thinner than they are.

Sometimes it feels like the world has gone crazy.

Back in February, we had one final snow storm that covered the city in a blanket of beautiful white. I wasn’t really in the mood to go for a walk, but I couldn’t let the gorgeous snow get away. I grabbed Mike’s camera and headed to Sugarhouse Park to film a walking video. It’s strange to see the shivering whiteness now that summer has overtaken Utah. If the heat is slowing you down, pop this DVD into your player and pretend it’s cold and snowy.

Here is a glimpse of what the video looks like:

The cold air made it harder for me to breathe, so you can hear me panting up the hills on this one. By the end of the filming, the lens was covered with snowflakes. Is it distracting or realistic? You decide!

Estimated Distance: 1.74 miles
Estimated Speed: 2.2 mph
Time: 48 minutes

I’m offering this workout DVD for $5 plus shipping.

Order Starling Fitness Walking Videos Here

You can see the route I walked here:

Video Description:

When you went to bed, it felt like spring, but you woke up to a blanket of snow and still more coming down. It is sticking to every branch and the whole world looks like it has been spray painted white. It is a perfect morning for a walk in the park. The snow crunches under your boots. Be careful not to slip.

The geese and ducks have congregated to the middle of the pond, but you can still hear them honking in protest at the sudden storm. A family is tobogganing down the hill. You want to play with them, but you don’t have a sled, so you keep walking. Photographers are wandering the park taking photos of the snow-laden branches. Say hi to the other walkers intent on their daily routine despite the snow. By the time you’re finished, your glasses are covered with snowflakes, but your cheeks are red and you feel like you could walk across the world.

Order Starling Fitness Walking Videos Here

Humans are omnivores. We have molars AND canines for eating grains and shredding flesh. There is no doubt that we are built to eat meat, but our meat consumption has reached such proportions that we are actually harming the environment with our diet.

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Livestock a major threat to environment

According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation.

Choosing tofu instead of beef could do as much to save the environment as driving a hybrid, so why do we keep eating meat?

Because it tastes good.

What can you do? Just limiting your meat intake and having it only for special occasions can be your first step toward helping the world with your choices. All those small choices add up, so when you’re ordering your dinner tonight, try vegetarian. You could start a habit that is not only healthier, but could save the planet.

Via: Michael Verdi on Twitter

Janet Jackson was in US magazine again this year because she kept the weight off after losing 60 pounds in four months last year. Seeing her weight loss pictures really inspired me to do better.

But I hear from the “experts” all the time that continued exposure to photos of beautiful people makes young girls depressed and anorexic. I don’t quite know where they are getting their data for these assumptions, but it does make me wonder if I’m the weird one.

Do weight loss photos inspire you or depress you?

Do photographs of thin people make you want to eat healthier?

Do you cut out pictures of people who have the physique that you want?

Do you keep a book of these photographs to look at when you feel like eating poorly?

I feel like the photos inspire me. I keep a book, but I haven’t added to it in a long time. I haven’t even looked at it in a long time. I even had photos of what I wanted my hair to look like. I was finally able to get my hair to be “perfect” only to realize that it wasn’t worth 45 minutes of my time EVERY day. Now, I live with crazy curly hair and use the extra 45 minutes to write more. It makes me worry that weight loss might be the same.