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

If you are tempted to eat some McDonald’s food, here are a couple of videos that might put you off your Big Mac.

This first video is of Morgan Spurlock, testing what McDonald’s food looks like when you just leave it to rot. ALL food looks disgusting when it is rotting, but if you’re tempted by a Quarter Pounder, this might change your mind.

I wouldn’t put it past Spurlock to have switched out those fries to make us believe that they lasted that long without decay. Other people have tried this experiment as well and have gotten VERY different results.

Still gross, though. McDonald’s food isn’t any worse than other food. The fact that they are a little slower to grow mold and decay actually points to a cleanlier cooking environment and lack of moisture in the food.

However, if you’re tempted to eat a Big Mac when it isn’t part of your program, watching these videos might give you the strength to abstain.

If you are thinking of skipping your workout today, check out this training montage from Rocky IV.

This video is really an homage to USEFUL exercise. It reminds me of my favorite quote about exercise.

Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men.

Marcus Valerius Martialis (40 AD – 103 AD)

That’s why I love to walk on errands because I get exercise AND I accomplish something. Now, I just need to add chopping wood, righting snow sleighs and outrunning government spies in black sedans to my itinerary and I’ll be as buff as Rocky.

The next time you’re considering eating something that you shouldn’t, take a look at this quick video from National Geographic.

After a mere thirty three seconds, you’ll be ready to abstain from any food that might tempt you. Just imagine eating those huge cockroaches on a stick, still walking around, and you’re good for at least ten minutes.

This performance of Kings Firecrackers at the U.S. Naval Academy in April 2009, it freakin’ amazing! It’s long (a little over seven minutes), but totally worth watching!

The standing ovation is WELL deserved! Next time you are feeling like you just can’t get up the energy to exercise, pull up this video to watch and get inspired!

Via: Twitter / nakedjen: morning, peeps. after this …

Michael Verdi has been running a lot lately. While listening to the new Flaming Lips album, Embryonic, he had a musical epiphany that lead to this awesome running video.

It’s only a snippet of a song and a really short video, but it feels like running to me. Thanks for such a great video, Verdi!

Visit his website and read the whole story here: Embryonic – Michael Verdi

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!

Jere Keyes has been working hard for the last 16 weeks and has gone from 217 lbs. to 191 lbs.

• Now with 10% less of me | Blind Prophecy

He has done an incredible job of working out consistently. Here is a photo of his workout schedule.

When I read about his consistency, I was so impressed with how well he has done, especially when tempted with a birthday cake like this less than a week before:

If I found myself in front of a beautiful cake like this, I would have trouble eating it and even more trouble NOT eating it. I would have been paralyzed with indecision or acquiesce to a binge. Instead, they had a cake fight. You can read about it here.

• Green Frosting Stains | Blind Prophecy

The next time you are confronted with a beautiful dessert or savory treat, remember Jere and how his devotion to fitness really paid off. You are in control, not the food!

I saw this photo of Shia Lebeouf in People magazine today and it made me realize something.

No matter how fit or thin someone is, working out isn’t that fun.

The look on Shia’s face shows just how difficult a hard run can be. Even though he is ripped and buff (or “Le Buff,” as they say), the photographer caught him in the middle of a HARD run. Anyone who looks at him KNOWS that this very difficult run is WORTH it. He looks awesome, even though he is struggling.

Sure, there are some easy runs. There are times when the same workout at the same pace on the same trail feels fun, easy and enjoyable. There are other times when it’s just an uncomfortable chore. So, why do we do it?

I exercise for a lot of reasons:

• To lose weight: Honestly, this is the most important reason I exercise. I just don’t want to be fat anymore.
• To be healthy: Exercise, even when it’s hot and uncomfortable, strengthens my muscles, heart and bones.
• To be strong: When I’m at Yellowstone Park and find myself on a trail that’s three miles longer than we thought it was going to be, I can finish that hike strong because I get my butt on my treadmill every day.
• To make myself less crazy: Working out keeps me sane. When I’m fighting the crazy, working out is MUCH more difficult, but I would lose myself in the quagmire of depression without it.

I’d love to just sit here and say that working out is all fun and roses. I’d love to say that the elusive Runner’s High is a daily component of my exercise routine, but it’s NOT. See that look on Shia’s face? That’s not the face of the rumored sheer bliss of endorphins. That’s pain and work and squinting against the summer sun in order to keep his endurance and six pack abs at their best. The next time you’re thinking of cutting your workout short or taking it slow when your plan calls for a difficult workout, think of Shia Lebeouf duking it out against the heat and smog of a Los Angeles summer. If he can do it, so can you!

Part of the reason Mike and I were willing to uproot our entire lives and leave our friends and neighbors in Sugarhouse was because of the lake in Daybreak. It is a man-made lake specifically designed to be the focus of the community. Not only is it surrounded by miles of trails for biking, running or walking, the residents of Daybreak can borrow boats free of charge to explore the lake.

Yesterday, Mike and I took a break from moving boxes to take a walk around Oquirrh Lake. As we were getting in our exercise, we saw a couple enthusiastically racing each other on the lake. Their paddles were quickly rotating and their laughs echoed off the bridge. Apparently, the bridge was the finish line and when the woman crossed it, victorious, they slowed their pace to a leisurely tour of the water.

I couldn’t help noticing how fun all of us were having. The couple on the lake, Mike and I walking around the trails, the families fishing and the even the security guard on his bicycle. We all were exercising, but we didn’t notice it because the vistas were so beautiful. I decided to remember this the next time I’m sweating it out on the treadmill. Working out in the gym is important if only because it makes enjoying times like this so much easier.

The couple continued their quiet rowing around the lake just as Mike and I walked on the trails around it. By the time we were finished with our workout, they were finished with theirs and we all watched the sunset turn golden behind the mountains.

I love this advertisement from Jantzen Girdles.

It reads:

Anybody can have a better figure!

Anybody can look better, feel better, wear clothes better, get around better, do bigger and better things!

It goes on to tell you that you can achieve all these things by buying a girdle that doesn’t pinch, bind or twist, but they missed the point. The truth of the matter is that any of us can do all of these things just by eating healthier and getting some exercise regularly.

You don’t have to wear tight undergarments to look better and feel better. You just have to tighten your eating regime and exercise habits.

And best of all, it’s free!

Jantzen advertisement via: Found in Mom’s Basement: Vintage ads for lingerie