Yesterday morning, I woke up after a night of not enough sleep and too many dreams of driving across the Nevada desert. I cringed at the thought of running on the hotel treadmill. Despite the clean room and state-of-the-art equipment, I didn’t want to be trapped exercising around other people.
For a moment, I considered blowing off my workout.
It’s always a temptation when I’m out of town. Even if I’m on a trip because of work, I get a vacation mentality and the urge to skip my workouts is strong.
Instead of shirking my exercise routine, I put on my running shoes and ran outside around the street by my hotel. I had to go around the block three times to finish my workout, but I got my mileage in. I was able to escape the hotel exercise room and get out into the sunshine and fresh air before spending another day trapped in a car.
Next time you’re tempted to skip your workout, remember me running around Professional Circle outside my hotel in a strange city. If I can get my butt out the door, so can you.
“Yeah. That wind is WAY too cold for a bike ride.”
“I guess I’ll walk on the treadmill tonight.”
“No, let’s just go outside for a quick walk.”
After much complaining, I got him to put on his coat and brave the icy wind and dandruffy snow for a walk by the lake.
“It’s bloody cold.”
“Yeah, but it’s pretty.”
We found ourselves in the lee of a hill, so the wind abated, but the sun tucked itself behind the clouds, keeping it cold. I pointed at the sky in awe.
“If we didn’t go for this walk, we wouldn’t be able to see that.”
Diet 7 Up: Originally introduced in 1963 as Like (not to be confused with 7 Up’s Like Cola from the 1980s), it was discontinued in 1969 due to the U.S. government ban of cyclamate sweetener.
Controversy developed when in 1966, a study reported that some intestinal bacteria could desulfonate cyclamate to produce cyclohexylamine, a compound suspected to have some chronic toxicity in animals. Further research resulted in a 1969 study which found the common 10:1 cyclamate:saccharin mixture to increase the incidence of bladder cancer in rats. The released study was showing that eight out of 240 rats fed a mixture of saccharin and cyclamates, at levels of humans ingesting 350 cans of diet soda per day, developed bladder tumors. Other studies implicated cyclohexylamine in testicular atrophy in mice. On October 18, 1969, the Food and Drug Administration banned its sale in the United States with citation of the Delaney Amendment.
Abbott Laboratories claimed that its own studies were unable to reproduce the 1969 study’s results, and in 1973, Abbott petitioned the FDA to lift the ban on cyclamate. This petition was eventually denied in 1980 by FDA Commissioner Jere Goyan. Abbott Labs, together with the Calorie Control Council (a political lobby representing the diet foods industry), filed a second petition in 1982. Although the FDA has stated that a review of all available evidence does not implicate cyclamate as a carcinogen in mice or rats, cyclamate remains banned from food products in the United States.
Fitness Magazine provided me with a complimentary subscription in exchange for a monthly review of their magazine.
Once again the cover of the magazine seems incredibly inappropriate for the current weather. This is what it looked like outside my house the first day of April. Do they really expect you to “Walk Your Way Slim” in a bikini when the weather is like this?
That bikini is a FAR cry from the exercise clothing I wore this morning on my run. I find it strange that Fitness Magazine is perpetually in a state of sunshine and summer when the majority of their readership is still suffering with snow storms and icy wind pushing against them on their morning runs. It’s as if they aren’t connected to the earth the way the rest of us are.
They did have one good article about eating healthy when you’re eating out called “Fast Food Lite?”
Aryen Jackson-Cannady, a Fitness Magazine writer, tried eating out every day at lunch and she found a great selection of healthy things to eat. It IS possible to lose weight and eat out every day as long as you choose wisely. I love that they were willing to admit that amid this war on fast food.
I also liked Caroline Hwang’s Fit Test article about the TrekDesk, which is a big desk that fits around your treadmill and allows you to work while you exercise.
This month’s FitnessFix was about a woman who LOVED spinning class, but was afraid to get on a real bike. It is the best article in the magazine this month, highlighting that you should get a bike that fits you. I can’t stress how important this is. My bike is a 13 inch frame, which is usually a size for kids, but it is the only bike that has fit me. No matter what you need, make sure you get a bike that fits your body.
This month’s Fitness Magazine is definitely worth the money. Pick up a copy and tell me what you think!
For the next few weeks every Monday, I’ll share a playlist of songs that I have in my Workout Playlist on my iPhone. I’ll include clips to listen to, where you can buy them and why I have them in my list. Just so you know, I do get a portion of the sales of these songs from Amazon, so if you buy them, you’re helping me out.
World by Five For Fighting: This is a great warmup song and it reminds me that I create the world around me. I love the lyrics of the chorus: What kind of world do you want? Think anything. Let’s start at the start. Build a masterpiece. Be careful what you wish for. History starts now…
Don’t Stop by Annie: Sometimes STARTING is the hardest part of my workout. Having a high energy song like this one that tells me to not stop, is very helpful. Plus the chorus sings, “Let’s go!” If I can keep running through this first song, it’s a lot easier to keep running through the whole workout.
Use It To Lose It by SkinnySongs: This week’s song from Skinny Songs sounded kind of lame to me when I first heard it. It sounded like it was trying too hard to be cool. The chorus, however, is so catchy that I found myself remembering it. “You’ve got to use it, babe, to lose it.” Now, I love the song when it comes up on iPod.
Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall: I love this song, because I want to be like the girl that KT is singing about. Plus, it’s written from the point of view of someone just like me, who wants to be the girl that everyone loves.
Live Like We’re Dying by Kris Allen: This song is on the radio every time I turn it on, so it’s hard to escape, but I still love it. It’s a great concept. I love this lyric, “We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to turn it all around or to throw it all away.” Spend your day wisely and spend a few of those seconds making your health better.
Shake That Bubble by Young and Divine: I want to be that “fly senorita” that all the guys want to see dance. Exercising every day is the best way to get to be that girl, so this song is a great motivator for me.
Hard by Rihanna: This is one of those bragging songs. I’m not really the kind of person who ever feels like she’s the “hottest b**ch in heels right here.” I’d like to be that person, so this song is good for me.
I Wanna Life by Goldfrapp: I am total fan of Alison Goldfrapp, so I bought the new album without previewing even one of the songs. After listening to it nonstop for the last week, this is my favorite song for working out. It makes me think about what I want from my life, plus the beat is great for running.
One Step Beyond by Madness: This is the perfect song for the end of my workout. At the beginning of the song, Captain Sensible is yelling at me, urging me to take “One Step Beyond!” I really kick up my workout and run a little harder when I hear his voice and end my workout strong.
Saved By Zero by The Fixx: I’ve talked before how the word “zero” is motivational to me because it urges me to try to get a little closer to size zero clothes. This a great cool down song after a hard workout.
Listen to the clips for these songs. If you find just one song this week that motivates you to exercise, then buy it and make it your powersong when you’re working out this week. I bet you’ll find that you’re more willing to get your butt to the gym and your workouts are easier.
Take a look at this small video of animals yawning.
If seeing them yawn, especially the hamster, makes you yawn, then you probably should think about adding another half hour of sleep to your schedule. Get to bed a little earlier tonight and skip the TV, reading or whatever you find yourself doing when you should be tucked in snugly.
They say that getting more sleep can help you lose weight. I don’t know if I believe that, but I DO know that I do much better at EVERYTHING when I’ve had a full night’s sleep.
When I saw this image from the movie, Repo Man, I was surprised at how easily my mind translated the word DRINK to SODA. I had to look at it three times to make sure it said DRINK instead of SODA. Those cans are just props used in a movie, but they seem like so much more to me.
Is soda bad for you?
I honestly don’t know. There are studies that say even diet sodas can cause an insulin response. There are people out there saying that soda is rotting my teeth and making me fat. I even have a friend who says that carbonated beverages (even unsweetened ones) make me fat because they expand my stomach and make me unable to tell when I’m full.
The only facts that I have are how my body responds to soda. When I keep my diet drinks to one or two cans a day, I have an easier time following my program. When I drink a 32 ounce monster of Coke Zero, I get an energy boost from the caffeine that just doesn’t feel the same as two cups of coffee. When I feel deprived, a diet root beer and a small scoop of low calorie vanilla ice cream tastes like a extravagant indulgence.
Is soda bad for you? That’s something you have to decide for yourself. Is it bad for me? I’m still trying to decide.
Once a week, I drive to NakedJen’s house to walk with her and her dogs. We go early so she can get to work on time. The benefit of a walk before sunrise is the spectactular view of the moon. This photo I took with my iPhone doesn’t do it justice.
The same neighborhood that you live your life within is different in the early hours of the morning. The sound of the few cars on the road is muffled. The house full of screaming children is strangely quiet, with abandoned scooters and bikes lying motionless on the lawn. I can hear things that go unnoticed during the daytime, like the sound of the wind whipping through the tree branches and furtive birds, announcing daybreak.
A walk before sunrise is far more than just an early morning exercise routine. It’s a touch of the divine.
Buy Walking Videos
Instead of shirking my exercise routine, I put on my running shoes and ran outside around the street by my hotel. I had to go around the block three times to finish my workout, but I got my mileage in. I was able to escape the hotel exercise room and get out into the sunshine and fresh air before spending another day trapped in a car. 
