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

I made this inspirational poster the other day.

It reads,

Of course it burns, but complaining won’t make you look good naked.

I surprise myself at how wimpy I can be sometimes. After a hard workout, it hurts to climb the stairs to my bedroom the next day. If I want to be a hottie, though, I’m going to have to live with a little pain on the way up the stairs. It’s a lot better than living with the pain of being the fattest girl in the room.

Original photo via: I CAN DO IT

Paula Deen recently lost 30 pounds to help keep her diabetes in check. She talked about it on the July 9th issue of People Magazine, but the recipes that she shared were LOADED with carbs. I’m glad that she has lost weight and I hope her diabetes is controllable for her, but most of the things she recommended to lose weight with, like fruit smoothies, would send my blood sugar through the roof.

She did have one good recipe, though. Chicken Kebabs with grilled onions.

Ingredients:

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 TBSP teriyaki sauce
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
• Pinch pepper
• Pinch salt
• 1 lb. chicken tenders cut in half
• 1 small bunch green onions

Directions

• In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine the garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, teriyaki sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and salt. Add the chicken. Seal the bag and chill for 1 hour.
• Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
• Spray a grill track with nonstick cooking spray, then preheat grill to medium high.
• Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade.
• Thread the chicken onto the skewers.
• Grill the chicken about 3 minutes on each side.
• Grill green onions until browned, about 3 minutes on each side.
• Arrange onions on a platter, top with the chicken and serve.

I wish Paula Deen the best and I hope she lives a long and healthy life. I just want the world to know that her love of butter did NOT cause her diabetes. It was the carbs.

I love these inspirational quotes from Olympic Athletes that I found in Fitness Magazine this month.

This is quote if from Lolo Jones, a Olympic hurdler.

There’s always a point where you get knocked down. But I draw on what I’ve learned on the track: If you work hard, things will work out.

This quote is from Kerri Walsh, who is a beach volleyball player and two-time Olympic gold medalist.

Passion is a huge prerequisite to winning. It makes you willing to jump through hoops, go through all the ups and downs and everything in between to reach your goal.

So motivational!

I’ve never found a workout buddy who could last longer than a month with me. I need someone who will workout with me every day without flaking on me. Sure, you might have to flake on me once or twice a month, but not every other day.

My dog, Nina, is the only exercise buddy who is eager and ready to go with me every single freakin’ day, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone get a dog for that reason. I’ve talked about that before.

• Starling Fitness » Bad Fitness Advice: Get A Dog

In the end, when it comes to staying motivated to exercise, it all falls on me. I can’t depend on a workout buddy. I have to put on my gym clothes and get my butt out there every single day, no matter the weather, my mood or schedule. It all depends on me and all the people who said they would be my exercise buddies and flaked on me will see the difference soon enough.

This video brought tears to my eyes. I just imagined myself in that same situation and all of a sudden, food didn’t matter. Exercise seemed important.

The next time you’re thinking of blowing off your workout or adding fries to your meal, remember this video. Our bodies are an accumulation of a million tiny decisions we make every day, week, month, year and decade. Make more right decisions and stop the cycle.

Video via: work sweat achieve

I read this saying on Lifehacker the other day:

It reads:

If you want guaranteed results, do nothing—you’ll be guaranteed nothing in return. But that’s no way to succeed. -Ben Nesvig

The truth is, I WANT guaranteed results. I want to be able to know that if I follow the exact eating regime and workout plan that I will be to goal at a specific time. It’s depressing to know that there are no guaranteed results, except in failure.

No diet or workout can promise that I will get to goal, especially if I’m not willing to work at it. As long as I am willing to get my butt off the couch and my face out of the fridge, however, I will be better than I was yesterday.

I really believe this:

You don’t have to love yourself to succeed. It helps, but it isn’t essential. What is essential? Eat well. Train hard. Do it every day.

I spent SO MUCH time trying to learn to love myself and never was able to feel it. I hold in disgust most of what I do, say and feel. I am constantly berating myself and feeling like I’m not a good person. I spent a better part of my life WASTING time trying to change that aspect of my personality until I realized:

I was told that if I didn’t love myself, I could never love someone else. WRONG! I have a beautiful and loving husband whom I adore and who adores me back.

I was told that if I didn’t love myself, that I couldn’t succeed in my career. WRONG! I have been a successful writer for the last eight years.

I was told that if I didn’t love myself, that I couldn’t lose weight. I’m beginning to believe that they are wrong about that one, too. Fat doesn’t care if I love myself or not. The only thing that affects the fat on my body is the food I eat and the exercise I do.

Would I like to love myself? Sure I would, but I’m not wasting one more second trying to make that happen. I don’t need to love myself to succeed. I just need to do the things that successful people do and I will succeed as well.

The next time you’re thinking that you need to do some self-love spreadsheet or make a collage of the things you love about yourself, STOP! Stop right there and get your butt on an exercise bike or go for a run. You don’t need to change your feelings about yourself. You just need to eat healthy and exercise EVERY DAY. THAT is what will help you succeed, far more than any self-love workshop can.

Update 07-24-12: I found a quote from Megan Fox that basically says what I was saying:

It reads:

I’m really insecure about everything. I never think I’m worthy of anything. I have a sick feeling about being mocked all the time. Self-loathing doesn’t keep me from being happy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t struggle. I am very vulnerable. I’m emotionally unpredictable.

Megan Fox

If a beautiful woman like Megan Fox can feel insecure and struggle with self-loathing, then it’s pretty clear that you don’t have to love yourself in order to be successful. It might help you along the way, but it’s possible to get to your goal weight without loving yourself. All you have to do is do the work.

Photos via:

• I CAN DO IT
• Curvy-skinny

I’ve been back to doing weight training again for the first time in two years. Every time I tried to do it in the past, I just did too much at first and ended up quitting before a week was over because I was in too much pain to do any more.

This time, I did it differently. This time, I cut my weight down to the lowest it could be and the first week, I only did one set of 15 for each exercise. I had a routine for the muscles on the front of my body for one day and a different routine for the muscles on the back of my body for the next day (I think I got that idea from Jillian Michaels). And I have been doing my weight training EVERY day.

It was super easy, but I didn’t hurt myself and I didn’t quit, so I considered it progress.

The second week, I upped my workout by doing two sets of 15 and kept the weights at that same LOW level. I was surprised that at some of the exercises, I was really struggling to do my two very simple sets. No wonder I had hurt myself before, I was doing WAY more than I should have for a beginner.

Next week, I’ll up my workout to three sets of 15 at that same low weight level. Sure, I’m going to start feeling pain and the last rep is going to look just like the girl in the picture, but at least I won’t be injuring myself. Pushing myself is good, but pushing myself so hard that I quit isn’t.

The next time you’re inspired to overdo it on your workout, remember that you have to be able to do another workout tomorrow. If you push yourself so hard that you can’t remain consistent, then you’re sabotaging yourself. That photo might be what your last rep should look like, but only if it doesn’t injure you.

Original photo via: I CAN DO IT

I absolutely adore this animated GIF from i’ve got miles to bike.

The next time I’m reluctant to do my cardio, just a couple of seconds watching this girl run will get me going.

Via: work sweat achieve

If your morning bacon and eggs has gotten a little too routine, here is a way to mix it up. I made myself a chocolate and cream cheese omelet on Sunday and it was divine!

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa
• 2 packets of stevia
• 1 oz. cream cheese

Directions

• Put the butter in your skillet and set the flame on medium.
• While the skillet is warming up, mix the eggs, cream, cocoa and 1 packet of stevia in a bowl. The cocoa won’t fully mix in (there will be tiny chunks of it), but that doesn’t affect the taste.
• Once the butter is fully melted and bubbling, pour the egg mixture into the pan and put on a lid for approximately three minutes.
• Mix the cream cheese with the other packet of stevia (you can use the same bowl that you mixed your eggs in).
• Flatten the cream cheese mixture until it is approximately the size of half your omelet.
• Place the cream cheese on the egg mixture and gently fold in half.
• Cook for two minutes more or until the cream cheese is melted.
• Allow to cool slightly before serving (no one wants molten cream cheese lava burning their tongues in the morning).

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories 396.6
• Total Fat 37.2g
• Total Carb 3.6g
• Fiber 0.6g
• Protein 15.3g

The next time you’re feeling chocolate deprived, remember that you can create low carb chocolately food on your own without sacrificing your health.

Update 02-12-13

I’ve found that Sweet N Low tastes better than Splenda in this recipe. Additionally, using coconut oil instead of butter makes it taste especially yummy and only adds twenty calories. I talked about it here:

• Starling Fitness – A Delicious Tweak To The Chocolate Cream Cheese Omelet