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

Every time I see a magazine or blog recommend to people to “get a dog” for motivation to exercise, I cringe. I did just that in 2001 when we adopted Sid. Now, Sid was a saint of a dog for many reasons, but he was NOT a good dog to keep me motivated to exercise. He was a high energy dog and needed a lot of exercise, but he was completely unleashable. Despite all the training Mike and I gave him, he never in his life learned how to take a walk with us. Every time I walked him, it was only an exercise in frustration, fear and embarrassment.

If you need motivation to exercise, adopting a dog is NOT the way to go. Dogs are each unique and every time you adopt one, it’s a crap shoot. I adopted Sid so I could have a walking and running partner. He was a good friend and I still miss him, but he was NEVER a motivator to exercise for me.

That being said, I find myself in a strange situation. Sid died six months ago, so Mike and I adopted a new dog about three weeks ago. Her name is Nina and everything I wanted from Sid, Nina has given me. I finally have my walking partner.

Nina has her own problems completely different from Sid. The REASON I’ve been walking her two miles a day is because she refuses to go potty in our backyard. We take her out there and she will NOT do it, even if she is bursting with pee and we offer her a treat to do it. She literally needs to walk about a half mile from the house before she will release.

Just like I said, every time you adopt a dog, it’s a crap shoot.

These last three weeks have been bliss for me. Every morning, I wake up and immediately put on my gym clothes to take the dog on a walk. I don’t ever think that it’s not an option. The poor puppy needs to go potty and she won’t be able to go unless I walk her. Exercising has never been so automatic and easy for me, and the backyard has never been so clean and fresh smelling.

So, after these three weeks of happy exercise, would I recommend to people to get a dog for motivation? No. Having a dog is a big responsibility and if the only reason you want one is for company on your daily walks or runs, then do not adopt. You might luck out and get a dog like Nina, but then again, you might end up with a dog like Sid, who you love, but will never be a motivation to exercise. Adopt a dog for the company and joy they bring to your life. If they happen to be a good workout buddy as well, then consider yourself lucky.

This old advertisement for a bowling alley in North Dakota reminded me of the fun I’ve had this last year. In May 2010, Mike’s sister, Kristen, wanted her birthday party at a bowling alley. Our entire marriage, Mike had denied my requests to go bowling over and over because they required him to wear someone else’s shoes. I convinced him to try it for his beloved sister’s sake by telling him he could bring an extra pair of socks and throw away the “contaminated” socks after we were done.

To my delight, that suggestion started a year’s worth of bowling every week.

He loved bowling so much that he bought his own bowling shoes and we have enjoyed many days of activity. I have been able to get a little exercise every week and it feels like a party every time we do it.

The funny thing is how often bowling is shown in the celebrity magazines. Here is Kim Kardasian, in shoes that are NOT appropriate for bowling.

Here is Ben Stiller.

Here are a couple others:

Apparently, even Lady Gaga likes to go bowling, although the paparazzi didn’t get photos of her.

I’ve enjoyed the sport so much and even though it’s not aerobic, by any stretch of the imagination, it DOES give me a workout. The first few weeks of bowling, my back, hamstrings and arms ached as much as when I did weight training.

The next time you’re thinking of doing something fun for the evening, try bowling. It’s a fun time with your friends and you get the added benefit of a workout while you play.

Yesterday, Mike and I got our first weekly delivery of veggies from Petersen Family Farms. We signed up for their farm cooperative in January, so we have been eagerly awaiting veggies from them for months. After such a cold winter and spring, they are just now harvesting some for us.

Having a weekly shipment of veggies brought to us lets us try new things and urges us to eat more vegetables. You’d think that going to the grocery store and buying a couple heads of fresh lettuce and beet greens would be incentive enough, but when we picked up this box of produce, it was different. We met the guy who grew them, so it made me want to eat them instead of letting them go to waste.

If you have been having trouble getting more veggies into your diet, try visiting a local farm, farmer’s market or signing up for a farm coop. It won’t provide you with fresh veggies all year long, but during these glorious months of summer, you’ll have great tasting veggies.

• Local Harvest / Farmers Markets / Family Farms / CSA / Organic Food

I have been going to Weight Watchers since 2001. For those of you counting, that’s TEN years. I had some progress at first, but I was in a CONSTANT state of hunger and wanted to binge ALL THE TIME. Last year, for my New Years Resolution, I decided that I was going to go to EVERY Weight Watcher meeting. I was never going to miss one meeting. I also got my willpower going when I decided I didn’t want to be like Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen. I was going to keep my addiction under control.

And I did it. I went to every WW meeting and I followed the program for a year. My progress was minimal at best. I lost approximately ten pounds in that year, which is better than gaining that same amount, but it was a CONSTANT struggle to even have those minimal results.

If you are like me, then you are reading this and thinking, “She really didn’t give the program a chance. If she had done everything correctly, there is NO WAY that she only lost ten pounds. She MUST have cheated. It goes against the laws of thermodynamics to eat that little food and lose that little.”

Let me assure you right now that I followed the program to the letter for a year and saw such paltry results that I KNOW for a FACT that Weight Watchers does not work for me. It did when I first started it in 2001, but something has changed and I can no longer lose weight on that plan.

I had been playing with the concept of low carb for a while. It appealed to me because my lactose and gluten intolerance were severely aggravated by the WW plan. When I followed low carb, they understandably went away. You know what else went away? My constant hunger and desire to binge.

Another thing led me to believe that maybe Weight Watchers isn’t telling me the whole truth. Jennifer Hudson, the WW spokesperson, was quoted at a Vanity Fair party to say:

“I just made sure I stuck to my Weight Watchers…I also took the extra mile to delete the carbs. I didn’t eat any carbs until today. I made sure when I felt the need to eat something crunchy I ate nuts instead and stayed away from the carbs.”

So, here we are in 2011. I’m giving it a year of following the low carb diet just as faithfully as I did WW. I’m going to see if I have any better results on this diet than I did last year.

Quote via Jennifer Hudson: ‘I didn’t eat any carbs until today’ | Jennifer Hudson | Skinny VS Curvy