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

The Onion’s parodies slice a little too close to reality for me. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if they are a joke or not. Take this fast food feed bag story, for example:

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

The thought of eating food from a bag strapped to my face sounds entirely unappetizing to me, so I know that something like this will never take off. Just like the 1950’s ideal of getting all of our nutrition from food pellets (Space Food Sticks and Astronaut Food). If I can’t see the food, or if it looks gross, I can’t enjoy it. Sometimes I feel like I eat more with my eyes than my digestive system.

Will the fast food bag ever become an eating trend? I doubt it. It’s an inventive commentary about the “gluttony” of the American public, but it’s written by someone who has never been tempted by that deadly sin.

Via: Would You Eat Fast Food From a Feedbag?

Every Tuesday morning, I take a walk with NakedJen and her dogs. Now that I’ve moved across town, I still walk with her, but I have a commute as well. Is it worth the drive? YES!

I am so grateful that I have a workout partner (three, actually, if you count Buddha and Stella, her dogs). Without my weekly walking escape with Jen, I feel adrift and lonely. So much of exercise and healthy living is habit and social enjoyment. Creating these habits with friends who sincerely want me to live a healthy life is what has kept me on this path instead of giving up altogether.

Every day I carry boxes from where they are to where they should be. I pack a few. I unpack a few. I get one step closer to making this new house feel like home. Lucky thing I’m exercising so much because my eating is out of control right now. It’s like my ability to control the beast within me is inversely proportional to how much stress I’m experiencing. It feels like my only hope is to finish this move and get my house in order so I can go back to the business of getting my body in order.

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

I heard the rumor on a comment from Christine on my entry about Figure Magazine:

• Starling Fitness » Figure Magazine – The New Shape of Fashion

I realize this post is ancient but I am crying. I just got notice today that Figure is being replaced by Ladies Home Journal of all magazines! NOOOOOOoooooo. If I wanted a saccharin magazine I’d buy one. I am SOOOOO bummed!!!! I overlooked the annoying fluff and was so inspired by the women and clothing. I have been anxiously awaiting my next issue and then instead I get this.

Was it true? Was Figure Magazine dead and gone? I checked the Figure Magazine website and this letter to the readers was there:

Dear Figure magazine readers,

Thank you for your extraordinary passion and support throughtout our years of publishing Figure magazine. We are saddened to announce that as of our March/April 2009 issue, we will be ceasing publication of the magazine and shutting down the website.

This was a painful decision to make. We have shared your vision to create an empowering, inclusive place for women of all shapes to come and celebrate fashion and themselves. However, we are facing unprecedented economic times and unfortunately are unable to continue publishing.

If you are a magazine subscriber, we will be contacting you regarding your remaining issues.

You all have made Figure an exciting and dynamic community. It has truly been a joy to serve the needs of today’s fashion-conscious woman through the magazine and website, and we look forward to continuing to serve you in our stores and online at www.lanebryant.com, www.fashionbug.com, and www.catherines.com. We hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
The Publishers of Figure Magazine

Christine is right. Ladies Home Journal is no replacement for Figure Magazine and the best we can do in this situation is to find a replacement online. One good one is a blog I’ve found recently:

• Too Fat For Fashion

Posting there has slowed recently, but you can read their archives for some fun things and motivation to be fabulous no matter what size you are.

If you have a fashion fix, here is a GREAT list of online shops that cater to all sizes:

• MaryMc’s Fat Acceptance Stuff–Clothing and Accessories

It seems like the magazine industry is blaming their demise on the economy instead of themselves for not adapting to the web world. Don’t let the death of Figure magazine be a blow to accepting yourself the way you are. It’s the first step toward a healthier life.

• Just sent out a bunch of Starling Fitness DVD and journal orders. If you ordered while I was moving, your orders are coming soon! #

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Ray Zahab broke the speed record of the trek to the North Pole. He walked while dragging a sled in forty below weather. The most inspirational part of this story is that he started running when he was thirty-four years old after being a long-time smoker living a VERY sedentary lifestyle.

This video of his talk at TED is so inspirational that it’s worth the download time:

Not only did they trek for ten or fifteen hours at a time, they blogged the entire time. You can read them here:

• South Pole Quest 2008

He says:

“I remember thinking, ‘What do I take from this journey? That I’m this uber-endurance guy?’ As I stand here today talking to you guys, I’ve been running for the grand sum of five years and a year before that, I was a pack a day smoker living a very sedentary lifestyle. What I take from this journey is that in fact, within every fiber of my belief standing here, I know that we can make the impossible possible. I’m learning this at forty. Can you imagine being thirteen years old, hearing those words and believing it?”

No matter how old you are, BELIEVE it. If you have ever thought that being fit and healthy was impossible, it is POSSIBLE. You CAN do it. The only thing standing in your way is your head telling you that you can’t. If Ray Zahab can become an uber-endurance athlete at an age when most people think that their careers are over, then we can get to a healthy weight. We just have to keep on trudging through the snow, pulling our sleds of history behind us.

If you’ve been exercising heavily lately, you might have been tempted to use a topical analgesic like BenGay, but according to a recent study, it might not help you much more than a placebo.

• BBC NEWS | Health | ‘No proof’ that muscle rubs work

They looked at 16 studies involving nearly 1,300 patients using creams containing salicylate – a close drug relative of aspirin.

Results from four of the studies showed topical salicylates performed better than dummy creams against acute pain, but when lower quality studies were excluded, the results were not statistically significant.

When it comes to rubefacients they do not work well enough to take any notice of them.

As a child, my grandmother used Icy Hot every night before going to sleep. The smell of that ointment reminds me of her to this day. It almost seemed like the act of rubbing in the balm was far more healing than the balm itself.

If you have been exercising heavily, take the time to give yourself a little massage and see if that helps ease the pain. If you feel any relief from using BenGay, it’s more likely coming from the act of rubbing it in than from the cream itself.

Via: Drop the Bengay and Aspercreme?

A very small and unscientific study (no control group) has found what I found to be true when I tried Atkins. A low carbohydrate diet seems to ease the discomfort of Irritable Bowel Syndrome:

• Can Cutting Carbs Help an Irritable Bowel?

For the first two weeks, the participants ate a “standard diet” of 55% carbohydrate, 30% fat, and 15% protein. Then they were switched to a very-low-carb diet for the next four weeks, similar to the Atkins Induction phase. They were provided with the food to eat.

Of the 13 people in the study, 10 reported “adequate relief” from their symptoms all four weeks of the study. The other three reported relief on two or three of the weeks. The improvement was evident in Quality of Life measures as well as objective measures of stool frequency, etc.

Here is the link to the study:

• A Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet Improves Symptoms and Quality of Life in Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The real question is why I don’t follow a low carbohydrate diet all the time. When I KNOW that relief from my stomach pain is within my reach, why do I keep eating foods that are high in carbs? I LOVED how I felt when I was eating a low carb diet, but I have found myself completely unable to follow the diet. Why?

The short answer is: because I’m nuts.

Any time a certain food is restricted, I find myself wanting it even more. Anyone who was starved as a child understands this reaction. Being told that I cannot have carbs made me want them even more, despite the fact that I felt so much better when I was on that diet. In the end, I have to find a balance between my psyche and my digestive tract. Somewhere in the middle is where I end up eating, so sometimes I still have severe abdominal pain, but at least now I know WHY.

Wendy Bumgardener from About.com was flashed once while she was out walking on the trails. She didn’t look at the flasher and hurriedly walked away. Did she do the right thing?

• Walking About.com: How to React to a Flasher?

While most flashers are not immediately dangerous, some do progress to accosting, groping, and even rape. Calling the police with a good description and photo when possible is the right thing to do to protect others.

Walking and running outside are the best and most inexpensive methods of getting exercise, but there ARE risks. Flashers are only one of them, but they are incredibly RARE, so don’t let fear of pervs in the park keep you from your daily walk.