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

• ran 2.5 mi on 9/27/2009 at 7:07 AM with a pace of 19'15"/mi http://bit.ly/321Xet #
• ran 1.65 mi on 9/22/2009 at 6:25 PM with a pace of 31'23"/mi http://bit.ly/YtnCf #

I am totally stoked to announce that I’ve been chosen to speak at the Utah Open Source Conference this year.

• UTOSC 2009 | (Afford|Scal|Reli)Ability – Home

These are my presentations:

• UTOSC 2009 | Open Source Basics: What are you a bunch of hippies?
• UTOSC 2009 | Intermediate GIMP: Face Swapping
• UTOSC 2009 | Advanced GIMP: The Digital Diet

You may remember my entries about Face Swapping and The Digital Diet. I’ll be presenting these in person at the conference and showing you how to create your weight loss goal photos on your own using the open source (and FREE) software GIMP, so if you live in the Utah area, it would probably be very helpful for you to attend my demonstrations.

Hope to see you there!

I love this comic from Sheldon.

It reads:

How to Eat Chicken

If you grew up rich: Separate out the savory cuts from any indelicates (cartilage, arteries, veins, skin, etc.).

If you grew up poor: Plow right on in to the awesomeness (stopping only if you hit something truly nasty).

I grew up middle class, but I was starved as a child, so the “grew up poor” rules apply to me. I don’t know how to grow beyond my upbringing, but I would love to be the kind of person who can just casually eat chicken with a fork, separating the yummy bits from the gross bits instead of attacking my food like a concentration camp victim.

• ran 1.96 mi on 9/17/2009 at 5:28 AM with a pace of 19'09"/mi http://bit.ly/2ij1fQ #

Fitness Magazine provided me with a complimentary subscription in exchange for a monthly review of their magazine. I haven’t bought a health or fitness magazine for a LONG time because all the stories seem like a rehash of stuff they wrote last month. Honestly, there are only so many ways to write eat less and exercise more and sometimes I get sick of reading it over and over. So, this month’s magazine actually seemed fresh to me because I hadn’t read this kind of magazine in a long time.

They grabbed me right from the beginning with their Reader Success Secrets. Unfortunately, I was unable to find them online, but the stories were inspiring for me to read.

Even more compelling, however, was the ad for the LunarGlide+ Nike shoes on the opposing page. Unless I look for them, I rarely see advertisements on the Internet. I hadn’t heard of these new shoes, despite the fact that I visit the Nike+ website EVERY day. That surprised me and I’m smiling at that fact that I enjoyed the ADVERTISEMENTS in Fitness Magazine more than the articles.

This article, called Souped Up, was wonderful inspiration for me to cook. Usually, I don’t want to eat something unless I can see it. The fact that they had a photo for EVERY recipe was enough to make me want to cook some food. The included nutrition facts after each one was an extra bonus that made me feel completely at ease with going to the trouble of cooking these healthy meals.

The photos of the soups on the website aren’t nearly as pretty as they were in the magazine. I actually tore out the pages and added them to my cookbook for inspiration next time I want to cook.

Finally, I was so motivated by this story about Kristin Armstrong. She was training to be an Olympic Triathlete, but osteoarthritis got in her way. Instead of giving up, she focused on cycling and won the gold medal in the Beijing Olympics.

I can read almost the whole magazine on the Internet, but having the magazine at my kitchen table was a great reminder to eat healthy. I think I’m going to like receiving it every month and I’m looking forward to the November issue!

Last month, those of the Islamic faith observed Ramadan. It’s a month-long fast during the day. Instead of eating throughout the day, you are only allowed to eat after sunset. You are also supposed to refrain from sex, speaking ill of others, using profane language and smoking during those hours. The practice is supposed to lead to a heightened sense of spirituality and aid the practice of self-restraint.

This year, an AppleGeeks Lite character was following the practice with predictable results:

I’ve talked about Ramadan before:

• Starling Fitness » Ramadan Starts Tomorrow

Limiting your diet can have two effects on people:

• It can give you a sense of control: When I am able to fast an entire day, it reminds me that I am in control of what goes into my mouth, not the beast within.
• It can make you lose control: Other times, denying myself spawns a binge that will last far longer than the fast did.

I’ve found that limiting my diet is far more harmful than helpful to me, but there are others who feel a sense of empowerment from a short fast (whether for religious reasons or health reasons). The next time you’re planning on going on a fast, take into account what your eating personality is and how this will affect you in the long run.

• RT @motivation: “It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy.” – Dr. Howard Murphy http://tqpage.com/1711 #

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