I went on a magazine binge and this is one of the advertisements I pulled out:
It was inspiring to me, so I thought I would share it with you. Apparently, its an advertisement for Calvin Klein exercise clothes like these:
I’m not really the target market for these clothes because I can’t see spending fifty bucks on one pair of gym shorts. I enjoy the inspiration, though…
A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to my city library’s periodical department. In the back room, they have all the Seventeen magazines that have ever been printed. I took out some of the huge bound books and leafed through the Eighties. I found this advertisement from Reebok. I reads:
Because life is not a spectator sport.
I never realized how closely I took this advertisement to heart. All my life, I have spurned sports that don’t include me such as football, basketball and all those other sports that only allowed boys to play. I’ve also avoided watching sports on television. There is no point if I can’t play.
All the fun is in the playing, right?
I love sports like running, tennis, golf and swimming because I am EXPECTED to play. I’m even allowed to compete in running events. Whether I run fast or slow, I can sign up to compete in the next 5K in my town. They include me no matter what I look like. As long as I’m willing to tread the miles, I’m allowed to play along.
Next time you find yourself dreading your workout at the gym, think about sports that include you. Would you like to be in a bicycle race? Would you like to kick some butt on the golfing green? Make your workouts fun and enjoyable and you’ll be able to exercise without the drudgery. In fact, a workout at the gym means so much more when you’re doing it to be strong for your next race, game or competition.
Make your workouts MEAN something because life is not a spectator sport!
Last Sunday’s Sheldon comic caused quite a reaction in the forums. Here is a comment from one of the readers:
There is a “restaurant” in Memphis called Dyer’s (an appropriate name, you’ll see) that has been in business over 75 years. Their specialty is deep fried burgers (just the meat, to be totally clear). No, that’s not the killer part (well, yes, but it gets better/much worse). The killer part is that they deep fry the burgers in a big kettle of grease that has NEVER BEEN CHANGED in over 75 YEARS. They just top it off a bit if needed (probably not often, since the grease from the burgers adds to it). They just throw the patties in and they sink — when they’re done they rise to the top.
Here is a photo of the kettle of grease:
If the idea of 75 year old burger grease isn’t enough to keep you away from burgers for a while, then I don’t know what is…
The caption for this photo reads:
I’m faster than squirrels while riding on my Iron Duke.
Remember how that felt? Remember when your new tennis shoes made you run faster than you could have ever run before? Remember when you felt a surge of power from the speed of your bicycle? Remember how that felt?
Get that feeling back today. Instead of doing your normal exercise routine, go outside for a crazy run where you race to see how fast you can go. Pump up the tires on that expensive bicycle you bought two years ago and feel the chilly air race past your face. THAT is what exercise is about: getting to know your body and how it feels when you push it to its limits.
Feels good, doesn’t it?!
This is a portion of a photograph from the Library of Congress called Bulgar Evening Meal.
Bulgar is a whole wheat product that has been touted recently for its health benefits. Here’s some information from Wikipedia:
The key attributes of traditional bulgur production are that the grain is parboiled, dried (usually by spreading in the sun), and the bran removed; significantly, it is processed from germinated grain, thus altering the glycemic index and nutritional values of simple wheat. Bulgur is often confused with cracked wheat, which is made from crushed wheat grains which have not been germinated nor parboiled. Although traditionally de-branned, bulgur and cracked wheat products available in shops may or may not have had their bran removed. Thus there are whole-grain, high-fiber versions of each. Bulgur is most often found in Turkish, Middle Eastern, Indian and Mediterranean dishes mainly Greece, Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus. It has a light and nutty flavor.
Bulgur can be used in pilafs, soups, bakery goods, or as stuffing, but is best known as a main ingredient in tabbouleh salad and kibbeh. Its higher nutritional value makes it a good substitute for rice or couscous. In Indian cuisine, bulgur or daliya is also used as a cereal with milk and sugar.
When I was a kid, my grandparents used to make cracked wheat for me for breakfast on the weekends. We would crumble a piece of bacon into the cracked wheat and eat it with milk. It wasn’t a sweet dish (although sometimes my grandma skipped the bacon and had hers with Sweet N Low).
When I look at that photo of the soldiers preparing bulgar for their evening meal, I wonder what happened to it? Bulgar was something that people ate regularly and it virtually disappeared from our diet only to reappear almost a century later. It’s kind of hard to cook. Did the advent of computer-controlled rice cookers bring it back? Is it the current obsession with “whole” foods?
Whatever the reason, bulgar is a grain that is quickly returning to the human diet. Get to know it and try eating it for breakfast or maybe your evening meal.
In the early twentieth century, the Bennett Sisters were a vaudeville act, featuring wrestling, fencing and boxing. Almost a century before Joanie “Chyna Doll” Laurer wowed audiences, the Bennett Sisters were showing their skills to the world.
When I look at these photos, I wonder if they were just an act, just like the rest of the vaudeville acts, or were they “real” athletes. There is no question whether the women wrestlers of today are athletes or not. Their antics might be an act, but the physical stamina required to perform those acts is very real.
Dictionary.com gave me this definition:
ath·lete: a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.
If that’s the case, Chyna, The Bennett Sisters and I are all on the same page. We’re all athletes. Just because my game requiring physical skill is Dance Dance Revolution doesn’t negate my abilities.
It’s not about winning. There are marathon winners every week that never get shoe deals with Nike. There are cyclists that never make the cover of Sports Illustrated. Lance Armstrong, you say? Well, he hasn’t competed for over three years. Quick, name the last three winners of the Tour de France…
I’m waiting…
The truth of the matter is, FAME is very different from ATHLETICISM. Fame is the cover of Sports Illustrated. Fame is the stadium filled with screaming grease-paint covered fans. Fame is a show on the vaudeville circuit.
An athlete is the one who exercises every day. An athlete is the one who white knuckles a rest day because she wants to get out on the road and run, even though her body needs a break. An athlete practices to be better. An athlete is out there competing, even though she knows she’ll lose. Even though she knows there’s no stadium full of people. Even though Sports Illustrated would only put her on the cover if she was in a bikini. Even though it’s only her sister she’s fighting against.
Long-time readers, remember when I wrote that entry about my black toenail and how much it hurt? If you don’t here’s a refresher:
Now, my feet are nationwide famous. Check it!
It’s an article about running marathons and preventing injuries. Of course, I didn’t get black toenail from running a marathon. I didn’t even get it from running. I got it from walking on the treadmill for 10 miles one day and 7 miles the next… all while playing Animal Crossing.
It could be said that video games gave me black toenail… embarrassing, I know.
But not embarrassing enough to deny Lauren Cox from ABC News the right to use my photos. Feeling pretty stoked about that.
By the way, she wrote a really good article about all the things you should do to prevent injury during a marathon. It’s good advice, so check it out!
If you’re a long-time reader, then you probably remember these two entries from back in 2004. If you’re a new reader, these entries might be the reason that you’re a regular now.
I have found myself back on caffeine a couple of times since I wrote those original entries, but I’ve been caffeine-free for the last few months now and I’m surprised at how often I’m tempted to go back to it. Sometimes just the smell of Mike’s Diet Coke is enough to entice me.
In all honesty, I feel better when I’m not drinking soda of any kind. I don’t know if it’s the caffeine, the sweeteners or the carbonation, but I feel MUCH better when I just have water. Sometimes I even order a milk, but it’s so rare that I shouldn’t even mention it here.
Why should you avoid caffeine? I don’t necessarily think you should. Caffeine affects ME negatively, but that doesn’t mean that it will affect you the same way. The most important thing during this whole journey is learning how to listen to your body. How do you know if caffeine is negatively affecting your body? Here are a few symptoms that might tell you that you should try giving soda a rest:
Gastro-Intestinal Problems: stomach bloating, gas, uncontrollable farting, pain. This is the reason that I first went off soda. It didn’t help with my stomach, but I’ve heard other people say that pop was the whole reason for their stomach pain.
Anxiety: anxiousness, irritability, restlessness, inability to concentrate. HELLO! Caffeine is a DRUG! It’s a mind enhancing drug that makes you more alert. Being in a constant state of alertness isn’t necessarily healthy for you. Some people tolerate it more than others, but if you’re experiencing those symptoms, you might want to throw yourself in rehab.
Sleep Issues: inability to sleep, sleep binges on the weekends. Ironically, when I’m off caffeine, I am more alert during the day. Sure, I don’t have those hyper-alert moments like I do when I’m on caffeine, but I don’t have those lows either. The highs aren’t as high and the lows aren’t as low, so on the whole, I do a lot better as far as alertness and ability to sleep is concerned. THIS was the unexpected benefit I found from being off caffeine.
Not everyone has a caffeine addiction. Not everyone who drinks soda, sips coffee or chugs Red Bull needs to look at their caffeine consumption, but for the few of us who are very sensitive to the chemical, it’s best to avoid it.
Photo via: Found in Mom’s Basement: 1947: The year of mutant children
If Otis the Cat can figure out an elliptical trainer within three minutes, then you can certainly learn how to exercise on it. Next time you’re intimidated by a piece of gym equipment (or even the idea of walking into the gym), remember Otis. Considering your brain is larger than a golf ball, you should be able to conquer even the scariest of cardio equipment.
This postcard from PostSecret says EVERYTHING about someone who says they love you one minute and tells you you’re fat the next:
It reads:
My whole life, you told me I was fat. I had surgery to become thin.
Now I’m skinny. And you’re still an asshole.
This exact same thing happened to me (except the surgery part, I lost the weight on my own). The first time I tried Weight Watchers, I lost almost 75 pounds. I wasn’t to goal yet, but I looked world’s better than before.
I’ve made no secret that my grandparents starved me every summer in Billings. On one particularly dark night, I was feeling down. I felt like my grandpa never was proud of me. Mike told me that it wasn’t true and told me to call him and talk to him.
In tears, I called him and asked, “Are you proud of me? Are you proud of anything I’ve done?”
He answered, “Well, you really need to get your weight under control.”
No mention of the college degree. No mention of the prestigious job. No mention of the recent weight loss.
He died last year and right up to the end he was that kind of person. My mistake was ever trying to please him in the first place. Don’t get me wrong. That doesn’t mean I don’t love him. Whenever I tried to get any positive reinforcement from him, however, I always came away feeling worse than before.
In the end, I need to eat healthy and exercise for ME. Not for anyone else.
PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.
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