Finances and Fitness

Many people use a lack of finances as an excuse to avoid fitness. Yes, being filthy rich would make it much easier to be fit. Expendable income could mean more free time to spend exercising. Money to spend on personal trainers, ideal equipment and a personal chef would be ideal. Unless you won the lottery, figuratively or literally, you don't get to have the ideal; you have to work within reality. That does not mean you have no hope of living a healthy, fit life, though. There are many, many ways to achieve fitness on a budget.

Walking: There is minimal cost to beginning a walking program. The only needs are a comfortable pair of shoes and socks. If it's cold outside, you would need winter wear, but it can be the exact same items you wear the rest of the time. There is no need to buy special clothing to begin a walking program. You don't even need to venture far from home, if at all. You can walk around the block, up and down your hallway, or around your yard.

Running: Just like walking, the only equipment needed are a good pair of shoes and socks. I do recommend going to a good shoe store and getting the shoes fitted for running. I would also try to avoid cotton socks, but sweat-wicking socks can be bought for about the same price as cotton. If you're a woman, you will also need a good sports bra, but if that's outside your budget, you can wear a good normal bra with a cheaper sports bra over it. Again, it's not ideal, but as long as it keeps the bouncing to a minimum, it will work. As with walking, you don't really need to venture very far. I have done interval training by running around my block repeatedly for 30 minutes.

Resistance: You can work most muscles without any weights, other than your body. Push-ups, sit-ups, lunges, crunches, squats, planks, and leg lifts are all exercises where you can use gravity and your body weight to challenge your muscles. There are about as many of these exercises as there are muscles in your body. For a few dollars, you can also buy resistance bands, which work like hand-weights, but cost less and take up less room. You can also use old, handled beverage containers filled with water as hand weights.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you want more cardio, you can buy a jumprope. You can also search online for fitness videos. There are yoga, Tai chi, stretching, and many other fitness videos available on youtube, netflix and cable's On Demand features. As always, the internet has as much bad information as good information, so you'll have to weed through the crap to get to the good stuff. I think it's worth it to get healthier, though.

Holiday Wish List

It's that time of year again. It's the season when people ask you what you want for Christmas. I find this to be a really difficult question to answer. Part of that is because I don't want to ask for practical things like a new carafe for coffee. The other reason it's kind of difficult is that I don't have extravagant wants, so I tend to buy things for myself when I want them. I now understand why shopping for my dad for the holidays was so difficult; if we saw he could use something, he would go buy it for himself.

I finally took some time today and created a wish list on Amazon. Every item on the list is fitness related. I tried to come up with non-fitness items, but nothing came to mind. That's not totally accurate, I did ask for comfortable shoes that are ok to wear for work. I only need those because I stand at my desk and need shoes that aren't running shoes or heels. If I sat at my desk, I wouldn't need or want new shoes. So, that's tangentially a fitness item.

Here, for you to view are the items on my wish list:

"Duel in the Sun: The Story of Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon".  I also asked for Alberto Salazar's book "14 Minutes: A Running Legend's Life and Death and Life".  I've already read Dick Beardsley's autobiography "Staying the Course: A Runner's Toughest Race" and I've watched the video of the marathon, so I thought it was time to read the book about that race. Here's the video of an amazing marathon finish.



In addition to two books about running and runners, I also asked for items to help me be fitter. I asked for the FitBit. It's a pedometer, accelerometer and altimeter. It measures all activity, including sleep. I am hoping this will give me the push I need to shed the remaining weight that I don't like and get the flat belly I want.

I also asked for push-up bars to help me get more range of motion on push-ups, and a wobble/balance board for some added core work. I didn't ask for more microfiber socks, but I could always use those. I'm sure I could find many, many more fitness items that I would be happy to receive. That's the other reason coming up with a list is difficult; I'm happy that people just think of me, so any gifts are good gifts.

Sweat

When I was a kid, I heard the saying "Pigs sweat, men perspire and women glisten." This went right along with "Sweat like a pig" which always seemed to prompt someone to mention that pigs don't sweat. Turns out that the pigs in question aren't the animal, but pig iron. Or maybe not, the source is a bit muddy. Maybe the phrase should be updated to say, "Athletes sweat, others glisten."

Sweating/perspiring is natural and our bodies way of regulating our temperature. When we exercise, our core temperature increases. This increase triggers our brain to remove the excess heat to keep our organs from getting too hot. To do this, our blood vessels expand near the skin so we can radiate heat. We also begin to sweat to start the process of the sweat evaporating and cooling us off in a secondary manner. All of this is how our body thermoregulates.

Sweat is about 99% water with the remainder made up of the electrolytes sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium and tiny amounts of other trace minerals. This is why Gatorade contains sodium, potassium and carbohydrates to give you energy and replace the minerals lost during exercise. It's also why there are bananas available at the end of races. The percentage of sweat that isn't water varies based on the availability of these minerals in your body and your fitness level.

I was noticing this year during my running that I seemed to be sweating more than I did last summer. I thought it might be faded memory or a difference in hair length, but then I read that as fitness increases, our bodies will sweat more quickly during activity. The percentage of sodium in the sweat decreases as our fitness increases, too. This helps athletes to have more endurance because they're not going to overheat, or run out of electrolytes.

I think many people think that out of shape people will start sweating sooner during activities than someone who is in shape. Turns out that may be the opposite of the reality. It also means that even really athletic people need to be aware of sweating, dehydration and replacing electrolytes. We should all make sure to hydrate properly every day and especially during exercise.

Shape-Ups

In 2009, Skechers introduced their Shape-Ups version of rocker-bottom shoes. They were not the only shoe company to introduce shoes like this. They did seem to lead the way and had the largest presence. They even advertised during the Super Bowl. During these advertisements, they claimed that unique sole of the shoes would help tone glutes, improve posture and lead to weight loss. Unfortunately for them and people who believed them, this was NOT true.

Yes, walking will tone your tush, improve your posture and help you lose extra pounds, but these shoes won't increase those benefits over regular athletic or walking shoes. People had their doubts and those were confirmed with a study done by the University of Wisconsin and commissioned by ACE. In addition to the added benefit claims being false, there are also all of the injury claims out there. In fact, there are at least two sites specifically dedicated to injuries from these kinds of shoes.

Now the Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on them, too. Today saw a $40 million fine announced. As part of this, customers who purchased these shoes can get a refund or join in a class-action lawsuit. It also stops Skechers from continuing to make the erroneous claims. This should stop other shoe companies from making similar claims about their shoes, too.

Walk and Talk

This video combines so many things that I love in one place that I can barely contain my glee. I love "The West Wing" and have defended the 'walk and talk' aspect of that show on several occasions. I also love fitness and humor. This video has all three combined. I know it's difficult to schedule hours of exercise into your day, but try to fit 30 minutes every day. I can't embed, but I highly recommend you go to Funny or Die to watch the video. Until you can get to that link, I offer you this video from the show. It's one of my favorites; "The Frances Scott Key Key Award."

Hollywood and Fitness

Soke Tak Kubota and actor James Caan

Hollywood and Fitness

Joan Crawford and Dorothy Sebastian, exercising to records at the beach 1928

Hollywood and Fitness

I found a biography of a woman who was teaching health and fitness on TV before others really considered it an option. In the first photo, she's helping Jack E. Leonard do a sit up near the front of the stage while Pearl Bailey assists host Mike Douglas. The man watching this all from the stage is Jordan Christopher, the first to record "Wild Thing" Paige Palmer is the woman leading the sit-up session on the set. She has a health and fitness biography that is astounding, especially considering that is all occurred when women weren't supposed to be active and didn't talk about it. Her health and fashion show debuted in 1948. She encouraged her viewers to get pap smears, when that was something no one mentioned. She also encouraged pregnant women to continue exercise, another thing that was ahead of the curve.

Hollywood and Fitness

This is Joan Crawford circa 1933.

Why-->How

Source: reasonstobefit.tumblr.com via Taylor on Pinterest

If you're the first in your group of friends or family to start being active, you may meet resistance. You may even endure some scorn and derision. Part of that is deflection. They may not want to deal with their own health or weight issues. I know I was one of those people; pointing out that the first guy to run a marathon died at the end of it.* I was merely deflecting my feelings of laziness outward into mocking.

Eventually, I was convinced that they were probably right and I was just being a jerk. Your family and friends will do the same thing. They will see how good you look and feel and will want to join you. Fitness nuts are like the Borg, except that assimilation takes a bit longer with fitness.

*What I didn't know until just now is that he ran 150 miles over the two days before the marathon. (It's not part of my blog post, just interesting to me.)

Focus

Source: Uploaded by user via Marisa on Pinterest

Finally, a perfect summation of my fitness philosophy. The results will come. If you focus on eating a more healthful diet and moving more, weight loss will occur. If you increase your movement and add resistance training, you will gain muscle and lose mass.

Placing the focus on the changes makes it easier to keep on track. You can see goals being reached every day. Sometimes the ultimate result being sought is such a long journey that it can seem unreachable. That can be discouraging and lead to quitting. If achievement is occurring regularly it can encourage greater change and keeping with the new, fit lifestyle.

Tony Curtis & Janet Leigh

Pure Awesomeness.

Nothing more needs to be said about this.

20 minutes

Source: loseweight-safe.com via barlina on Pinterest

It's possible that 20 minutes a day won't give you the "perfect" body you desire. However, 20 minutes well-spent can make a world of difference. In 20 minutes, you can run over a mile, do the P90X ab workout, burn tons of calories on any cardio machine. 20 minutes is 20 minutes more than doing nothing. The same holds true for 15, 10 or even 5 minutes. If you don't have a large block of time to devote to exercise, squeeze in small bouts wherever and whenever you can.

Stop and Think

Source: 2.bp.blogspot.com via Mark on Pinterest

It's easy to get caught up in the moment when you're working out. You can get fixated on the discomfort and difficulty. Those feelings can push your mind to stop and call it a day. Memories of those sensations can get your mind to stop you from trying again the next day. It's ok to stop and think when those doubts creep in. Think about why you're doing this. Think about the progress already made. Think about the progress you still hope to make. Then let your goals overcome your misgivings and keep going. Your body and your mind will thank you. Ali has a point; it's only when you challenge your muscles that they grow larger. If you keep pushing past the point where it becomes challenging, you will see results.

Source: tightdressesandskinnytights.tumblr.com via A.A. on Pinterest

Athletes

These women are all athletes. Olympic athletes, actually. Would you think they were athletes if you saw them on the street? Do we have an unfair idea of what an athlete looks like?

Fit doesn't always equal thin. Active and athletic doesn't always equal fit, either. Fit won't look the same on every person, so we can't all expect to look like a composite of the most desirable body parts of the women in the photo.

Even without achieving visual perfection being physically active will improve our bodies and our minds. Get out there and move!!

Unstoppable

The food you eat should fuel your body to do things. It should also be enjoyable while you're eating it and after. If a food will make you feel guilty, try to avoid it. If a food doesn't fuel you, try to avoid it.

Try to do things that make you feel good, strong and confident. Yes, losing weight may help with those feelings, but feeling deprived won't. Get active and you can lose weight and eat. Plus, as your body does more physical activities and gets stronger, that will fuel your soul.

Source: loseweight-safe.com via H. on Pinterest

Stronger

Source: loseweight-safe.com via Michayla on Pinterest

When we're kids, we can do anything and everything. All kids are artists. It's only as we get older that some people take themselves out of the artist box. Mainly because at some point it was decided that they weren't good or talented enough to remain in the group of artists. The same thing happens with fitness and athletics.

All kids are athletes. They run around and play tag, ride their bikes, jump rope and do things that if an adult did them would qualify as exercise. When we're kids, it's just play, but at some point it becomes competitive and only the skilled kids continue on. We have to overcome those thoughts and categories as adults and realize that we are all capable of being athletes.

All we have to do is go out there and do it. Lace up your shoes and go for a run. Grab a football and go throw it around with some friends. Buy a jump rope and take that for a spin. You can be an athlete again, you just have to believe that it's possible.

Source: loseweight-safe.com via Sherley on Pinterest

Losing Weight

I do like the idea of getting rid of fat. Of BANISHING fat. They're active verbs that convey power and control. They don't imply any blame at all. Fat is Banished!!

This is close to my fitness philosophy.

Source: getfuckinfit.tumblr.com via Alicia on Pinterest

Patience

None of these things mentioned are failures. Heck, they're hardly even set-backs. Just keep pushing to your goals and eventually you will get there. It is possible, but it won't happen overnight. You didn't gain the weight overnight, either.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jania on Pinterest

Love and Respect

I won't guarantee that you will love your body after you switch your focus from bemoaning it to working it. I will guarantee that you will RESPECT your body. You will see all the things that it can do that it couldn't do before. That's worthy of respect and admiration. They're both steps on the way to love. You can't love something that you don't respect.

If you give your body the opportunity, it will impress you with its abilities. It is just waiting for you to provide a challenge. Once the gauntlet has been thrown down, your body will answer, you may have to convince your mind, though.

Source: google.com via Emma on Pinterest