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

If you are one of the many people who have bought a Starling Fitness Yearly Journal, then you know that the quote of the month is about keeping your body healthy. If not, here it is:

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.

• Thich Nhat Hanh

What did you do today to show gratitude to the whole cosmos? Did you get enough sleep? Did you exercise? Did you choose something healthy? These aren’t chores. They are the best way you can tell the universe that you are grateful for your most exquisite body.

If you would like to order your own Starling Fitness Yearly Journal, you can do so here:

• Starling Fitness » Order Your Starling Fitness Yearly Journal

If you order it now, you can choose the month you want it to start and it will last you a year from that date. You won’t have to throw away any unused days from the first of the year. You can start fresh now.

Each week, I will give you step by step instructions on how to get into a swimsuit this summer. If you’re short on time, scroll down to the end and read “The Short Version” to get your weekly tips.

Even though you might have a foot of snow outside your door, NOW is the time to get ready for swimsuit season. It will take you a few weeks to get swimsuit ready, so you MUST start now if you are going to be on the beach or at the pool this summer vacation.

This week’s job is probably the hardest job you’ll have this entire program. Before next Wednesday, you must buy a swimsuit.

I know it’s freezing cold outside and you can’t even think about wearing a swimsuit right now, but the stores have just got their swimsuits in stock. You MUST shop NOW if you want your choice of the best. If you wait until two weeks before your vacation, all you will have to choose from are the swimming suits that no one else wanted. Even though you have to wear a coat, boots and gloves to the store, go shopping for your swim suit RIGHT NOW.

What if I lose weight between now and summer?

Then you DESERVE to buy a new suit. Plus, suits are VERY forgiving. If you lose a little weight, it will still fit, believe me. If you lose a lot of weight, then you will happily try on the dregs of the swimsuits left over because you’ll be that much thinner.

What should I buy?

There are lots of styles of suits out there. My most important recommendation is to buy a suit that feels comfortable. If you don’t feel comfortable in the dressing room with no one watching, then you’re certainly not going to feel comfortable when you are at the pool or in the hot tub.

In addition to your swim suit, look for a sarong or coverup that matches your suit. I want you to feel like an island princess with your suit and your sarong together. You might need to walk from your car to the pool or beach and I want you to feel comfortable. Imagine that you are bone thin and beautiful. If you were wearing your suit and sarong, would you be able to run into the grocery store to pick up some sunscreen before you headed out to the pool? I want you to feel like you’re modestly covered up and a little sexy all at the same time.

Why bother?

I don’t know about you, but too many summers of lost opportunities have gone by for me. I refused to participate in activities that I really wanted because I was “too fat.” Honestly, if I had found a swimsuit that I loved and enjoyed, I might have been more willing to participate.

If I had lived with that attitude my whole life, there are a myriad of wonderful experiences that I would have never had, like snorkeling in Hawaii.

Back in 2002, we went to Hawaii. I had just started Weight Watchers, but it was before I ever lost any weight. If I had let my discomfort with a swimsuit bother me, I would have never gone snorkeling at Ka’paa Beach with Michael. I can’t describe the joy I felt being able to feed fish out of the palm of my hand, but here’s a photo.

If you look, I wasn’t svelte, but all of my body fears were forgotten when we were swarmed by the fish. It was such a joyful experience that even now, over six years later, I am still brimming with excitement and happiness when I see that picture.

If I hadn’t bought a swimming suit that I adored before that trip, I would have never experienced this joy.

So, your job for this week is to purchase a swimming suit and matching sarong that you adore and feel comfortable in.

The Short Version:

• Buy a swimsuit this week.

• Buy a matching sarong this week.

• Make sure you are comfortable in them both. Could you wear it in the grocery store without surprising anyone?

I have been lucky enough to get to know Naked Jen in person. Introduced online by a mutual friend, I learned that she would be moving to Salt Lake City. I was so happy to have such a revolutionary woman come to live in my hometown!

Jen really talked about what she was all about in this article from her website. Be warned, her blog is EXACTLY what it sounds like, so if you are reading this from work, you might want to wait until you go home to click on the link.

• nakedjen: Real Women

“But the reason I started writing Nakedjen, the reason I get naked and share the photos of myself on line, is because I want all of us to appreciate the bodies that we have. To love ourselves. Just the way that we are. All bodies are beautiful. Our media will have us believe otherwise, as many of us who pick up any big fat glossy magazine these days can attest.”

Like the rest of us bloggers, she regularly writes about everything that fill her life, but once a week, on Naked Fridays, she shares her body with the world. This week, she let me be the photographer and we got some beautiful shots of her at home. Here’s a work-safe photo that we can share.

Next time the fashion and women’s magazines make you feel like you just don’t stack up, remember Naked Jen. She believes that you are beautiful and that you should love yourself just the way you are.

If you have ever wondered what you would look like with a thin and svelte body, here is a cool email application that can let you.

• HairMixer.com: See a new hairstyle on your photo in seconds!

This is meant to try out new hairstyles, but you can upload any photo and put your face on it. I gave it a test spin and found it to be a pretty cool application.

All you have to do is upload two photos and mark where you want to replace the face.

It won’t look like a Photoshop artist did it, but it’s good enough to give you an idea of what you would look like when you reach goal weight.

Via: EPIC-FU – episodes – web attack, ghostface killah, vampire weekend

Serious props go out to Leonard Nimoy for his book, The Full Body Project: Photographs by Leonard Nimoy. He is promoting a healthier vision of what makes a woman sexy. It’s a photography book that focuses on the larger sized woman.

He even had the cajones to go onto the Colbert Report and defend his book:

I love how he explains the importance of such a book to Stephen Colbert:

“There really has been a standard established and the standard is presented to us by the women who model the clothes. The issue is this: the average woman in this country weighs 25% more than those models do and they will never attain that body shape, so they have been sold on the idea that they don’t look right. You have been told that there is something wrong with you and you have to buy our pills, or buy our diet, or buy our surgery, or whatever…”

Stephen Colbert said that he wouldn’t call Mr. Nimoy a pornographer and then goes ahead and calls him a pornographer. He defended himself beautifully:

“This book would be appropriate on the coffee table of every home in the United States, particularly where there are young ladies involved and I’ll tell you why. Because young girls are standing in front of mirrors as a result of what they’ve been sold as being the standard and say, ‘I hate my body.'”

Thanks, Leonard Nimoy, for showing us that you can be fat and sexy.

Via: February 14 Colbert Report: Leonard Nimoy (Video) | TV Crunch

Over the last couple of years, I’ve written a few entries about Valentine’s Day that I feel still apply today. You can see them here:

• Starling Fitness » Have a Healthy Valentine’s Day

• Starling Fitness » Valentine’s Breakfast In Bed

• Starling Fitness » Choose a Healthy Valentine’s Dinner

Valentine’s Day isn’t about the candy or the fancy dinner. It’s about the greeting cards. Focus on the greeting cards and forget about everything else. Here are some fun tips for creating your own Valentines Cards:

• Flickr: Retro Valentine’s Cards from valart2008

• Craftzine.com blog: ROUNDUP: Indie Valentine Cards

• yoonie-at-home: Say it sweet! Cute Valentines Cards to download

Instead of thinking about who is giving you attention, focus on giving cards to all the special people in your life. This holiday is about telling those you love that you love them. Do it today!

Every week, I’ll be giving you some direction for how to actually KEEP your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get more active. If you’re short on time, scroll down to the end and read “The Short Version” to get your weekly tips.

If you’re like a lot of people, you have given up on your New Year’s Resolutions, but are desperately trying to find SOMETHING that works. Somehow, you’ve found Starling Fitness. If this describes you, go back to New Year’s Resolutions: Week 1 and start from there.

If you have been faithfully following along since Week 1, this week is very much like last week.

Cut Your Intake By 100 Calories A Day

Your goal is to get to The USDA’s MyPyramid recommended daily calorie intake. If you complete their little questionaire, it will give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating every day. If you are still above that amount, then cut your intake by 100 calories a day.

If you are eating the right amount of calories every day, then keep it up. If you are eating LESS than the recommended amount, then increase your calories by adding healthy food. Never eat less than the USDA’s recommended daily calorie intake for your height and gender.

Save enough calories to eat two teaspoons of healthy oil each day

We talked last week about eating healthy oils. Increase your daily intake to two teaspoons. The USDA has a list of healthy oils that they recommend. My preferences are olive oil, flaxseed oil and sunflower oil. I don’t recommend just eating oil like medicine. Find a way to substitute healthy oils for other fats that you might use. How do I get my oils in? I cook with them and use them on salads. Sometimes I mix flaxseed oil with my cereal because I like the flavor of it.

Lean Proteins and Whole Grains

This week, manage your protein and “starches.” Choose lean meats with as little fat as possible. Choose whole grain breads and cereals over “white” bread. Choosing lean protein limits your fat intake and choosing whole grains increases your fiber intake. Both of these are supposed to be healthy. Once again, head over to the USDA’s MyPyramid to see the amounts recommended each day.

Plan One Non-Food Related Present Every Day

The longer you follow this program the more important it is to give yourself a non-food present every day. It will help you avoid the feeling of deprivation by finding non-food activities to nurture yourself. Since this is different for every person, think of some activities that you like to do. If you didn’t do this exercise, then go back to New Year’s Resolutions: Week 3 and work on finding out what these activities are for you.

Plan a non-food activity for yourself EVERY day and protect that time. It is your reward for eating healthy every day. You MUST reward yourself every day to stave off any feelings of deprivation that limiting your calories might cause.

Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day

One way to stay within your calorie range is to eat vegetables on a regular basis. You should be adding four to five 1/2 cup servings of fruits or veggies to your diet every day now. They are low in calories, provide essential vitamins and fiber and they keep you feeling full.

Save enough calories to eat two servings of dairy products each day

You need to make sure that you have enough calories saved up for two servings of dairy products every day. This is another healthy food to add to your diet. One cup of fat-free milk is approximately 110 calories. It’s probably your best option for adding calcium to your diet, so make sure you get two servings a day.

Increase Your Exercise

This week, I want you to increase your walking mileage to 2.0 miles five days a week. I want you to do it at the same time every day. If you want, you can increase your speed to really get yourself sweating, but if you end up sore the next day, you MUST slow down. It’s more important to exercise every day than to push yourself. Consistency is key. You need to learn the habit of exercising every day and that is WAY more important than going fast or covering a lot of miles.

If you are keeping track of your mileage, you can join us at Runner+ to track your miles and compete against other beginners.

Give Yourself Kudos

If you are still working toward your New Year’s Resolution, then you need to give yourself kudos. There are little boxes on the forms every day to give yourself a shiny sticker. Each day that you stay on the program, you need to acknowledge yourself and how good you are doing.

See you next week!

The Short Version:

• Reduce your daily caloric average by another 100 calories. Write down EVERYTHING you eat including measurements and calories.

• Choose lean protein and whole grains.

• Save enough calories to eat two teaspoons of healthy oil each day.

• Avoid the feeling of deprivation by finding non-food activities to nurture yourself EVERY day.

• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Save enough calories to eat two servings of dairy products each day.

• Increase your mileage. Walk 2.0 miles five days this week. You are allowed to increase your speed to the point of sweating, but if you are sore the next day you MUST go slow again.

• Give yourself kudos for coming this far.

Every week, I’ll be giving you some direction for how to actually KEEP your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get more active. If you’re short on time, scroll down to the end and read “The Short Version” to get your weekly tips.

If you’re like a lot of people, you have given up on your New Year’s Resolutions, but are desperately trying to find SOMETHING that works. Somehow, you’ve found Starling Fitness. If this describes you, go back to New Year’s Resolutions: Week 1 and start from there.

If you have been faithfully following along since Week 1, this week is very much like last week.

Cut Your Intake By 100 Calories A Day

Your goal is to get to The USDA’s MyPyramid recommended daily calorie intake. If you complete their little questionaire, it will give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating every day. If you are still above that amount, then cut your intake by 100 calories a day.

If you are eating the right amount of calories every day, then keep it up. If you are eating LESS than the recommended amount, then increase your calories by adding healthy food. Never eat less than the USDA’s recommended daily calorie intake for your height and gender.

Save enough calories to eat two teaspoons of healthy oil each day

We talked last week about eating healthy oils. Increase your daily intake to two teaspoons. The USDA has a list of healthy oils that they recommend. My preferences are olive oil, flaxseed oil and sunflower oil. I don’t recommend just eating oil like medicine. Find a way to substitute healthy oils for other fats that you might use. How do I get my oils in? I cook with them and use them on salads. Sometimes I mix flaxseed oil with my cereal because I like the flavor of it.

Lean Proteins and Whole Grains

This week, manage your protein and “starches.” Choose lean meats with as little fat as possible. Choose whole grain breads and cereals over “white” bread. Choosing lean protein limits your fat intake and choosing whole grains increases your fiber intake. Both of these are supposed to be healthy. Once again, head over to the USDA’s MyPyramid to see the amounts recommended each day.

Plan One Non-Food Related Present Every Day

The longer you follow this program the more important it is to give yourself a non-food present every day. It will help you avoid the feeling of deprivation by finding non-food activities to nurture yourself. Since this is different for every person, think of some activities that you like to do. If you didn’t do this exercise, then go back to New Year’s Resolutions: Week 3 and work on finding out what these activities are for you.

Plan a non-food activity for yourself EVERY day and protect that time. It is your reward for eating healthy every day. You MUST reward yourself every day to stave off any feelings of deprivation that limiting your calories might cause.

Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day

One way to stay within your calorie range is to eat vegetables on a regular basis. You should be adding four to five 1/2 cup servings of fruits or veggies to your diet every day now. They are low in calories, provide essential vitamins and fiber and they keep you feeling full.

Save enough calories to eat two servings of dairy products each day

You need to make sure that you have enough calories saved up for two servings of dairy products every day. This is another healthy food to add to your diet. One cup of fat-free milk is approximately 110 calories. It’s probably your best option for adding calcium to your diet, so make sure you get two servings a day.

Increase Your Exercise

This week, I want you to increase your walking mileage to 1.75 miles five days a week. I want you to do it at the same time every day. If you want, you can increase your speed to really get yourself sweating, but if you end up sore the next day, you MUST slow down. It’s more important to exercise every day than to push yourself. Consistency is key. You need to learn the habit of exercising every day and that is WAY more important than going fast or covering a lot of miles.

If you are keeping track of your mileage, you can join us at Runner+ to track your miles and compete against other beginners.

Give Yourself Kudos

If you are still working toward your New Year’s Resolution, then you need to give yourself kudos. There are little boxes on the forms every day to give yourself a shiny sticker. Each day that you stay on the program, you need to acknowledge yourself and how good you are doing.

See you next week!

The Short Version:

• Reduce your daily caloric average by another 100 calories. Write down EVERYTHING you eat including measurements and calories.

• Choose lean protein and whole grains.

• Save enough calories to eat two teaspoons of healthy oil each day.

• Avoid the feeling of deprivation by finding non-food activities to nurture yourself EVERY day.

• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Save enough calories to eat two servings of dairy products each day.

• Increase your mileage. Walk 1.75 miles five days this week. You are allowed to increase your speed to the point of sweating, but if you are sore the next day you MUST go slow again.

• Give yourself kudos for coming this far.

If you are one of the many people who have bought a Starling Fitness Yearly Journal, then you know that the quote of the month is about bravery and patience. If not, here it is:

“We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.”

• Helen Keller, US blind & deaf educator (1880 – 1968)

If you started the New Year off with a bang, then you might be running into the first stumbling stone right about now. Maybe you’re feeling hungry or you’re sore from exercising too much. Whatever it is, know that the joy from achieving your goals will outweigh whatever unpleasantness you’re feeling right now.

Take a few moments right now to really think about why you want to lose weight and get fit.

• What do you want to look like?

• What do you want to feel like?

• What do you want when people see you for the first time? What about old friends who haven’t seen you for a while?

• What kind of person will you be when you finally reach your goal weight?

Sit down with a piece of paper or write out what you want here in the comments section. Really visualize what you want and imagine the joy that you will feel when you finally get there. The stronger of a vision that you can get of the outcome you want, the more likely you’ll achieve it.

If you would like to order your own Starling Fitness Yearly Journal, you can do so here:

• Starling Fitness » Order Your Starling Fitness Yearly Journal

If you order it now, you can choose the month you want it to start and it will last you a year from that date. You won’t have to throw away any unused days from the first of the year. You can start fresh now.

Every week, I’ll be giving you some direction for how to actually KEEP your New Year’s Resolution to lose weight or get more active. If you’re short on time, scroll down to the end and read “The Short Version” to get your weekly tips.

If you’re like a lot of people, you have given up on your New Year’s Resolutions, but are desperately trying to find SOMETHING that works. Somehow, you’ve found Starling Fitness. If this describes you, go back to New Year’s Resolutions: Week 1 and start from there.

If you have been faithfully following along since Week 1, this week is very much like last week.

Cut Your Intake By 100 Calories A Day

Your goal is to get to The USDA’s MyPyramid recommended daily calorie intake. If you complete their little questionaire, it will give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating every day. If you are still above that amount, then cut your intake by 100 calories a day.

If you are eating the right amount of calories every day, then keep it up. If you are eating LESS than the recommended amount, then increase your calories by adding healthy food. Never eat less than the USDA’s recommended daily calorie intake for your height and gender.

Save enough calories to eat one teaspoon of healthy oil each day

If you are eating lean protein and high fiber whole grains, then you are going to need some fat in your system. The USDA recommends a lot of oil. For me, it recommended 5 teaspoons. Don’t jump into their recommendations all at once. Shoot for one teaspoon of healthy oil a day. That will be about 50 calories, so plan for that amount every day. Here is the USDA’s list of healthy oils:

• canola oil
• corn oil
• cottonseed oil
• olive oil
• safflower oil
• soybean oil
• sunflower oil

Include one teaspoon in your diet every day, either by cooking with it or using it on salads.

Plan One Non-Food Related Present Every Day

The longer you follow this program the more important it is to give yourself a non-food present every day. It will help you avoid the feeling of deprivation by finding non-food activities to nurture yourself. Since this is different for every person, think of some activities that you like to do. If you didn’t do this exercise, then go back to New Year’s Resolutions: Week 3 and work on finding out what these activities are for you.

Plan a non-food activity for yourself EVERY day and protect that time. It is your reward for eating healthy every day. You MUST reward yourself every day to stave off any feelings of deprivation that limiting your calories might cause.

Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day

One way to stay within your calorie range is to eat vegetables on a regular basis. You should be adding four to five 1/2 cup servings of fruits or veggies to your diet every day now. They are low in calories, provide essential vitamins and fiber and they keep you feeling full.

Save enough calories to eat two servings of dairy products each day

You need to make sure that you have enough calories saved up for two servings of dairy products every day. This is another healthy food to add to your diet. One cup of fat-free milk is approximately 110 calories. It’s probably your best option for adding calcium to your diet, so make sure you get two servings a day.

Increase Your Exercise

This week, I want you to increase your walking mileage to 1.50 miles five days a week. I want you to do it at the same time every day. If you want, you can increase your speed to really get yourself sweating, but if you end up sore the next day, you MUST slow down. It’s more important to exercise every day than to push yourself. Consistency is key. You need to learn the habit of exercising every day and that is WAY more important than going fast or covering a lot of miles.

If you are keeping track of your mileage, you can join us at Runner+ to track your miles and compete against other beginners.

Give Yourself Kudos

If you are still working toward your New Year’s Resolution, then you need to give yourself kudos. There are little boxes on the forms every day to give yourself a shiny sticker. Each day that you stay on the program, you need to acknowledge yourself and how good you are doing.

See you next week!

The Short Version:

• Reduce your daily caloric average by another 100 calories. Write down EVERYTHING you eat including measurements and calories.

• Save enough calories to eat one teaspoon of healthy oil each day.

• Avoid the feeling of deprivation by finding non-food activities to nurture yourself EVERY day.

• Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Save enough calories to eat two servings of dairy products each day.

• Increase your mileage. Walk 1.50 miles five days this week. You are allowed to increase your speed to the point of sweating, but if you are sore the next day you MUST go slow again.

• Give yourself kudos for coming this far.