SMWI*: It’s simple. More in than out.

Fat City - Karen Hitchcock - The Monthly

You read.  Articles.  Books. Magazines. Posts.

Much of it blows in one ear and out the other.

Not this one.  This article is from The Monthly and is titled Fat City.  It has stuck with me since last weekend.  It’s long but captivating. Seared in long term memory.

Karen Hitchcock is an Australian author and medical doctor.

A few excerpts:

  • Barring the gravely ill and a couple of men, everyone I know wants to lose weight.
  • As a doctor, I no longer know what to do about the obese.
  • people quit smoking, cut down on their drinking and sometimes lose weight. But usually counselling people to lose weight is hopeless.
  • and obesity seems simple: more in than out
  • love reading articles with titles like ‘How I Lost 25 Kilos’, even though the answer is always the same: I ate less.
  • Who wants to eat less – of anything – when food is so good and plentiful?
  • It’s hard to say no to something that is right in our faces, promising a bit of easy pleasure.
  • It is especially hard to say no when the consequences of overeating come about in such a distant, gradual and mysterious way.
  • I find it difficult to believe that an extra scoop of ice-cream will end up as fat somewhere on my body
  • If you make a fat person thin, you are sentencing them to a lifetime of hunger. [Read more...]

SMWI*: Why just run when you can be fabulous

funny-treadmill-dancing-gym


Work-Out Inspiration: And my excuse would be…what?

He was born with cystic fibrosis, a chronic progressive disease characterized by a thick, sticky mucous that clogs the lungs. Each day, he takes 50-70 pills.  And he hooks himself up to a machine called the vest that shakes his upper body for 1-1.5 hours a day to loosen the mucus from his lungs.  All this – - so he can run. He’s run 6 marathons, five of which have been under 4 hours. Why does he do it?

“I do it because I want to prove to myself that I can…I run because one day I might not able to.”


Source: Thank you lybio.net

Running. Besting 100-year Old Men.

teeter totter, elephants, gif, see-saw

5:50 am. I’m off.  100-year old men running marathons and I’ve been filling the couch.  Now there’s inspiration.

45F according to Weather Channel. Walk outside.  Feels like 60F.  Strip off running jacket.  Fat man goin’ to fly.

Feeling HEAVY.  Thanks to my enabler friend Lori.  She sent a can’t miss recipe after last week’s Spaghetti Bolognese post.  Zeke (dog) and I were sniffing around like crack addicts for 10 hours while the bolognese simmered in the slow cooker…with the aroma from the meat sauce oozing into every pore of the house.  When the 6pm dinner bell rang, I was at the table with fork, salt shaker, large plate.  Salad? NO.  Bread?  NO.  Vegetables? NO. Keep all distractions out of the way.  I told Zeke to stand back, I needed room to feed.  Four plates later (at least I stopped counting at 4), I was licking my plate…and telling myself, maybe it’s time to stop.  Bliss.  Peace.  10 years from today, new FDA research will find that eating Spaghetti Bolognese extends life.  And you’re going to think back and say that crazy man was right.  You read it here first.

Back to the run.  So, here we are.  The day after.  A DIRIGIBLE. LARGE AND BLOATED.  On the road again trying to knock out some lbs.  100-year old running man drifting in an out.  I’m half his age and can’t get the pistons firing.  Wonder if he lied about his age. (That’s not nice. But something seems off. He looks better than 100. Hell, he looks better than I do.)

On February 23, 2013, 101 year-old Fauja Singh finished the Hong Kong 10km (6.25 mile) event in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds. (That’s it!  I’m going to kick his a** today. I’m sick of being embarrassed by 100 year old men. It’s sad. Really it is.) [Read more...]

Running. Like a Hippo.

drip gif

6 am. I’m off.  No slackin’ today.
32F. Feels like 27F according to Weather Channel.
Spring?  Laughable.

Snarky Man is on the move.
Black wind breaker. Blue sweat pants. Red shoes. Black Chargers Tuk.
(How do you spell C-L-A-S-H?)

Reach for draw string to synch up sweats. Only find one end. The other end is buried in hole about an inch back. Are you kidding me?  Paused for 1 second – - no chance I’m going back to change.  Veer way wide of the Man today. He going gangster.  Let his sweatpants hang off his a**.

THE MOOD.

It all started yesterday.  3 am.

Morning ritual of stepping on the scale.  Followed by Morning Delusion. LED flashing. Flashing. Flashing. (Think 10 pm on Christmas Eve as a Child .)

And then BAM.

Followed by SHOCK.

The scale reports a new 5-year high.

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.” — Augustine of Hippo

I don’t know who Mr. Augustine is.  But I’m looking like a Hippo. I have one daughter and not two.  And her name is Anger.

I get off the scale.  Inhale.  Exhale.

Technology!  Has to be that I jumped on the scale too quickly.  It didn’t find its equilibrium.  It needs to set itself.

I gently step back on. (Like, if I treat it more kindly, I might get a better outcome.)

Flashing. Flashing. Flashing. Flashing. Flashing.

DAMN IT!

Enough.  We enter Day 1 of my new weight reduction program.

And as I reach Post Road on my run this morning, I recall my first day…

[Read more...]

Running. In Confessional.

blue, photography,sun,light

I’m off.  35F. Feeling good.
It’s the day after Good Friday.
The title of LaDona’s post banging around in my head like a 50 Cent Rap song – - the tricked up Chevy heaving up and down to the beat:

This Place Was Made By God.
This Place Was Made By God.
This Place Was Made By God.

I look around.  Trees reflecting on the still waters of the Long Island Sound.  Sun’s up in its full magnificence.  Sky is a brilliant blue.  Who else could have made this?

She goes on.  This place was made by God, a priceless sacrament; it is without reproach.
(She’s so d*mn sure.)

And on.  The most sacred day in the Christian calendar, and indeed, in Christianity itself. Inspiration for stunning, poignant music across the centuries. Even if you don’t believe, or if you do and God seems far away, the music speaks. And touches. And heals.
(I’m right there with you Sister on the far away part.  And right there with you that the music speaks, touches and heals)

Then the mind, faster than a switchback on a BC mountain highway, turns to a conversation with a colleague on Thursday: [Read more...]

Saturday Morning Work-Out Inspiration: Our Killer

exercise, fitness, diet,fit

I share exercise inspirations on Saturday mornings to get me off the couch and out the door. This share by Steve Layman may be the most powerful story and research that I’ve read on this topic.  A few excerpts…

The story starts with a Phil Bruno “super-sizing again…He was only a mile from his house, where his wife, Susan, was cooking the usual big Italian dinner for their family of five, but he was hungry now. The urge was automatic…Ten minutes later, with a bag of burgers steaming on the seat beside him, he pulled into a McDonald’s and ordered a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, an apple pie, and a chocolate shake to wash it all down…Phil had always loved food, which was part of the fabric of his tight-knit Sicilian-American family: Grandma and her lasagna were right down the street. But he’d been athletic in his youth, playing high school football and carrying a robust but reasonable 215 pounds on a six-foot-three-inch frame. Then, in his mid-twenties, he’d stopped working out, as many of us do when life starts to chew up our time. Over the years, his regular meals and high-calorie bingeing had turned him into a physical and emotional wreck. His joints ached whenever he used the stairs, his heart hammered, and he was possessed by a strange, burning thirst that no amount of ice water could quench. “I was 47 years old,” he says, “but I felt like I was 80.” [Read more...]

SuperFoods?

fruits, vegetables, health, fruit,food,dietSteve Layman’s post on this book published in 2006 peaked my interest.  (NY Times Bestseller.  Where have I been? How could I have missed this?)

Here’s an excerpt from Steve’s post:  ”The foods you eat every day, from the fast food you mindlessly consume to the best meals you savor in a top restaurant, are doing much more than making you fat or thin.  Their effects on your body are making the difference between the development of chronic disease and a vigorous extended life.  They can prevent or greatly reduce your risk of vision problems, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and a host of killers.  These are not just vague promises; they are facts that are now supported by an impressive and irrefutable body of research.”

What are the 14 “Superfoods”?  Hit this link to see the complete list. (You have to question the veracity of this story given the omission of chocolate chip cookies, pistachio ice cream and smoked & salted almonds.)

 

Running. With Galileo.

bird, nature, fly,wings,inspirational

Late (LATE) start. Galileo’s Sun is up. I look up and bask in its warmth. I start my run into a cold headwind. Fingertips tingling. My eyes, fill with water. Like mist on cold air over warm waters. This will clear.

Run by the corner of Noroton and Post Roads. Church Corner. Ascension Episcopal. Noroton Presbyterian. Christ Scientist. Churchgoers are filing in. Man cradling baby in a papoose. Families striding briskly, holding hands with their children. Lady holding kerchief in place from wind gusts. Elderly couple shifts right to let me pass. Community. Peace be with you too.

I usually run too early to see churchgoers. Not today. Guilt washes over me. Eric joined his friends in attending a eulogy yesterday. “Weird,” he described it. “Awkward not having been to church in years.” He lights my fuse using less than 10 words. Jung scolds: “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” Then Robert Fulghum piles on: “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” How quickly this has escalated. Yes, “my” Son – - he’s been watching. And now I’m irritated, here on Galileo’s beautiful Sunday. NO, gentlemen. Not today. You won’t get under my skin today. No sir.

[Read more...]

Saturday Morning Work-Out Inspiration: I Got My Tight Pants On

Some clips need no introduction…


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Yep. On point.

funny, laugh, true,cookies,craving, sweet, dessert, Sesame Street,memories


Source: iwastesomuchtime

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Yep. Same reaction after this weekend’s feeding frenzy…

…after I stepped on the scale and saw the damage.

laugh, joke, weight, gain weight, exercise,diet,food,eating,monkey,fit,health,healthy,gif


Source: Themetapicture.com

Running. With Shirley MacLaine.

birds, flock, nature, whooper swans, swans, birds, flock, white, yellow

Late start. (LATE) Aspirational intentions at 5:23 a.m. not converted into action until late morning. Chopping through a mountain of Emails. Tumbling. Reading. Cat videos. (How many of these can I watch?)  Find myself in workmanlike mode. Stress notched up a few clicks. And racing again – like mid-day on a workday treadmill at the office.

And then, I come across Terry’s post and Yellow lights are flashing…

I’m in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why
~Alabama, I’m in a hurry

Oddly enough, my immediate concern is not why I am in such a rush on a Saturday morning. But, synchronicity. Why is Country Music around every turn. (Now Country music, this is something to be concerned about. Then the mind goes back to HURRY. What’s the Rush?) [Read more...]

I’m not one. But this stopped me in my tracks today…

Vibrant Produce

“The risk of hospitalization or death from heart disease is 32% lower in vegetarians than people who eat meat and fish, according to a new study from the University of Oxford.

Heart disease is the single largest cause of death in developed countries…The new findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that a vegetarian diet could significantly reduce people’s risk of heart disease…This is the largest study ever conducted in the UK comparing rates of heart disease between vegetarians and non-vegetarians. The analysis looked at almost 45,000 volunteers from England and Scotland…of whom 34% were vegetarian. Such a significant representation of vegetarians is rare in studies of this type, and allowed researchers to make more precise estimates of the relative risks between the two groups.”

Source: University of Oxford


Image Credit

6:53 am. And inspired.

Canola Field Shaun Lowe

Here’s my picks for the inspiring posts of the week.

Thank you Canadian Art Junkie for sharing the photo above in her post Shaun Lowe: Canola, Sunshine & The Sea.  See her post for more wonderful photographs of eastern Canada.

Steve Gutzler with his post titled 7 Keys to Building Irresistible Energy:I’ll be honest, one of my favorite compliments is when people take note of my energy and passion. But having such energy has been a life struggle of mine. When I was a young man in my early 20′s, I was diagnosed with a blood disorder. For over three years I woke up every day with a low grade temperature and lacking energy. I’d drag through my days. My attitude was good but my immune system was ravaged…Well, fast forward to today. I’m healthy with no hint of fatigue. I train 4-5 days a week and I eat like an athlete. I strive to get seven hours of sleep and I’m working most days by 5 AM. What I like most about where I am at is how grateful I am for what I have. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, not perfect but I’m sure grateful for what I have!”…Read entire post for Steve’s 7 Keys to Building Energy at this link.

Maybe It’s Just Me who describes herself  and her blog as “The life of a middle aged hippie on Maui, eating raw and vegan and staying healthy. I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain in fall 2012 with my husband and son“…do we need more inspiration than this?!!  Her beautiful post shares her sensations as she returns home to the various places she’s lived.  The post is titled:  As We Relive Our Lives In What We Tell You and this excerpt is returning home to Maui: …there is no better feeling than coming home to a place that I love.  I went up onto the roof deck today to look at the clouds, the palm trees, and the volcano rising above, and again later on, to watch a glorious sunset over the ocean.  I was content to just sit and feel the warmth of the island air on my skin.  Skin that desperately cries out for sunshine and humidity, and that whispers “mahalo” every time I return home to Maui.”  Read her entire post at this link.

[Read more...]

People are awesome

Here’s an inspiration for your Saturday Morning Work-out (or something)…many wows here.


Thank you John E. Smith @ The Strategic Learner for sharing.

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Review: New Year Resolutions 2010 – 2012

diet, weight, weight loss, fitness, exercise, funny, true, laugh, procrastination,resolutions, New Year's Resolutions, reading, read


Adapted from themetapicture.com. Thank you Rachel for the artist support.

Saturday Morning Work-Out Inspiration: Movies…

Here’s a three-minute montage of famous movie scenes to inspire you for your Saturday Morning work-out.  From Jacki Chan, to Rocky, to Mulan, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and more. (What?  No Karate Kid?)


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Saturday Morning Workout Inspiration: Virgin Islands

Now this has considerable appeal this morning as temperatures dip well below freezing.  I’m inspired.

Action Sports St. John from Steve Simonsen on Vimeo.


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Weight Loss Step #1: Measured Food Intake

funny, laugh, weight loss, eat, eating


Source: Thank you headlikeanorange

Running. And Chafing.

weight loss, diet, exercise, health, eat, craving, running, run, walk, walking, chart

It all started at around 8pm last night.  Susan asked: “Do you really need that?“…this in response to my complaining earlier in the day about hitting new record highs for weight gain. And after my 4th trip to the fridge since dinner time.  The “that” was a peanut butter (Jiffy Creamy) and blueberry jelly sandwich.  Yes, I needed it. Badly.  And I didn’t need someone, anyone, scolding me. (Am I a child?) I continued lapping the peanut butter on the bread – jabbing the knife into the jar – spreading on a few extra layers.  I don’t lift my head.  She continues on from the other side of the room.  ”You know, you should read this book on life style changes in what you eat.  You can lose weight by just eating healthier.  You are not getting enough proteins.  This is causing you to crave potato chips, sugars and salty foods.”  Blueberry jam dribbles out of the corner of my mouth.  I look up.  Fat man’s blood pressure building…readying himself for counterpunching.  I glance up and glare.  She continues: “You know that I’m just trying to help.”  I take the last remaining bite and jam dribbles down my shirt…well doesn’t that about capture it.  Enough!  My turn…trade a boulder for a pebble.  ”I don’t need to read a bloody book to tell me that I eat junk and too much of it.  And I certainly don’t need you haranguing me about it.”  Now, if I had just stopped there.  Trade the ocean for a drop of water.  ”So tell me.  If this book is so good.  How’s it working out for you?”  Nearing 30 years of marriage you know exactly where the nerve endings are and where to jab.  Yep, direct hit.  Then regret washes over me.  But not enough to apologize.  She knows I didn’t really mean it.  Right. [Read more...]

Is it possible that I could have missed this?

John E. Smith @ StrategicLearner informed me in his post that yesterday was National Cookie Day. Who knew?! What John failed to mention in his post is that unlike other major celebrated holidays which last a day, this holiday is to be worshipped for the entire month (and seems to have started a few days before Thanksgiving). Let’s get started…

craving, chocolate, cookies, hot chocolate, National Cookie Day


Image Credit: Wierdinabadway

Still Standing.

The Cove, Stamford, CT

The stone walkway may be 2.5 feet at its narrowest point.  The shore line is 7-8 feet down from the walkway.  It’s narrow, it is a ways down and I’m always wary.  I must have been daydreaming.  Or better stated, distracted by day-work-worrying.

I’m on my morning run.

My right forearm slams into the end of the steel I-beam guard rail.  Here it comes. A car crash in slow motion.  A Bruce Lee flick.  With much less grace.  The I-beam doesn’t move.  But it moves me.  It spins me around.  Full Stop. Drop.  Roll.  Air explodes out of my chest.  I’m gasping for air.  More stunned than hurt.  I’m down flat on my back for a few seconds, grateful that I didn’t plunge into the mud and frigid waters in the bay.  I look around to see if anyone caught the show.  No one is yelling “Man Down.  Man Down.”  We’re clear.  Pride intact. [Read more...]

Run long and fast. At your peril.

exercise, fit, diet, weight loss, run, running, gif, research, extreme

I’m giddy when new research supports my undisciplined behavior.  This time, it’s exercise.  Here’s a quick snapshot of new research reported in the Wall Street Journal:

  • Running too fast, too far and for too many years may speed one’s progress toward the finish line of life.
  • After age 50, pushing too hard is probably not good for one’s heart or longevity.
  • For a lot of older athletes: Running can take a toll on the heart that essentially eliminates the benefits of exercise.
  • The benefits of running may come to a hard stop later in life. Runners had a 19% lower death rate than nonrunners but among the runners, those who ran a lot—more than 20 to 25 miles a week—lost that mortality advantage.
  • There was no mortality benefit for those who ran faster than 8 miles per hour, while those who ran slower reaped significant mortality benefits.
  • Studies are finding cardiac abnormalities in extreme athletes, including coronary artery calcification of a degree typically found in the utterly sedentary.
  • Chronic extreme exercise appears to cause excessive ‘wear-and-tear’ on the heart.
  • If you are running more than 15 miles a week, you are doing it for some reason other than health.

Source: Wall Street Journal: One Running Shoe In the Grave.  Image: Crescent Moon

Work-out Inspiration: Crunches are tough…

sit-ups, crunches, fitness, exercise, laugh, funny, cat, fat cat, gif


Source: Themetapicture.com

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Running. With Nature.

6:15 am. I finish up my blog posts.  Finish bantering with Mimi.  I pan through the Weather app on my iPhone for a temperature report on my set locations: Miami 61 F/78 F.  Sunny.  Sydney 67/81.  San Diego 54/65.  Home: 29 F/41 F.  (Brrrrrrr.  I shiver.  Do I really want to do this?  Maybe I should wait until later this afternoon when temps climb.  Come on.  Who are you kidding?  If it doesn’t happen RIGHT NOW, it’s not going to happen pal…you know that.)

6:20 am: I put on sweatpants, sweatshirt and grab baseball cap.  (Mind is chattering… should I drape myself in layers…thermal underwear and thermal undershirt…and Tuke/Beanie.  Are you kidding?  A mere 29°.  A Canadian, last time I checked. Man-up.)

6:24 am: Grab headphones, iPhone and Garmin GPS watch. (Notice that I have 1 bar of power left on Garmin and 2 bars on iPhone.  Irritated. Irritating.  Hundreds of dollars of e-equipment and they can’t hold a charge for more than a few hours.  Yep, good one - Gadget Man is blaming battery life.  Be grateful.  Thanksgiving.  Day of Sabbath.  And I’m sniping.) [Read more...]

Work-out Inspiration: Breathe

“BREATHE” from Paul Schneider on Vimeo.


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Yup, about right.

food, meal, craving, I'm full, eating, food addiction, can't stop, funny, true, psychology

And,

“Eating Season (Nov 5th to Jan 1): My Holiday Preemptive Diet Plan vs. Probable Reality” [Read more...]

Excuses. Stack ‘em up.

exercise, excuses, illustration, work-out, gym, fitness, fit, zen habits, leo babauta, run, running, diet

#3: My job takes my time and energy. #4: I’m too tired. #14: The weather sucks. #15: I AM NOT MOTIVATED.  There we go.  They are on the table.  My excuses not to exercise (again).  Leo Babauta @ Zen Habits wrote a recent post titled 15 Great Excuses Not to Form the Fitness Habit that has lingered with me.  He lists 15 excuses that have blocked him from exercise – along with his “excuse blasters.”  And of course, I’ve added my commentary… [Read more...]

Running. With Guilt.

guilty, guilt, remorse, black and white, illustration4:05 am. And STILL, no cable, no phones, no internet.(Morning routine disrupted. Motivation waning. Out of bed. But out of sync. Ranging somewhere between live fish in boat flopping around the deck to full Train derailment.)  

4:07 am.  Begin surfing internet on iPad.  (Wondered what I used to do at 4am in the “old days.”  B.I.  Before internet.  I don’t even remember.  Ah, yes.  I used to read.  Like books.  Real Reading has plummeted. Guilt washes over me.) 

4:15 am.  Still reading and surfing.  Mostly surfing.  (Mind shifts to AT&T 3g – confident that their gouge meter is running.  I’m watching cute cat and dog videos while AT&T is performing alchemy – turning my minutes into cash.)

4:22 am.  I hit publish on my work-out inspiration post.   I look out the window.  Black as coal.  Touch window.  Feels cold on finger tips.  (Shut-er-down. Enough alchemy feed stock for AT&T.  Mind shifts to Running in the cold and in the dark.  Hmmmmm.  I grab my Grandma’s hand-knitted quilt and fall heavily into the couch.  Now, there’s inspiration for you.)

7:00 am.  Conscience wakes me.  I need to exercise NOW or this will never happen. (Mr. Work-Out Inspiration Man needs inspiration.)

[Read more...]

Saturday Morning Work-Out Inspiration

diet, fitness, fit, exercise, run, running, job, walk, walking


Source: Vandalog

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Work-out Inspiration: Brothers on the Run…

Didn’t do this as a kid.  Wish I could have done it as a kid.  Wouldn’t dream of doing it today.  Something peaceful and zen about flowboarding and especially breathtaking in the mountains of Chile…longer clip, pan through it…


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Get Up. Get Out. Don’t Sit.

run, running, exercise, diet, fitness, funny, illustration, marc johns


“…New research this month finds that the more time someone spends sitting, the shorter and less robust his or her life may be. The findings were sobering: Every single hour of television watched after the age of 25 reduces the viewer’s life expectancy by 21.8 minutes. By comparison, smoking a single cigarette reduces life expectancy by about 11 minutes. Looking more broadly, they concluded that an adult who spends an average of six hours a day watching TV over the course of a lifetime can expect to live 4.8 years fewer than a person who does not watch TV.  Those results hold true even for people who exercise regularly. It appears a person who does a lot of exercise but watches six hours of TV every night might have a similar mortality risk as someone who does not exercise and watches no TV…” [Read more...]

Into Thin Air…

This is the normal day and time for some form of Saturday Morning Work-out inspiration.  And, that is exactly what we have here but bigger – for your mind, your body and your spirit.  Whether you bike or don’t bike or don’t care about biking, this clip is flat out inspirational.  Mother Earth in Northern Italy at “King Ortler” with its breathtaking scenery.  Incredible cinematography.  Beautiful music.  LOVED IT.


INTO THIN AIR | engl. Subtitles from infinite trails on Vimeo.


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I’ll take it straight up. No chasers.

No Almonds. No Butterfingers. No Caramel.  No Cookie pieces.  No Chocolate chips.  No Chocolate sauce.  No Heath Bar crunch.  No Gummy Bears. No Hot Fudge.  No marshmallow.  No fudge.  No Reese’s Peanut Butter pieces. No walnuts. No strawberry.   NEED. IT. RIGHT. NOW.  No chasers. Straight up….


Image Source: andrewbreitel via marcdesa

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Crave Ice cream? Like no other man. Addicted? Not!

Craving an ice cream fix - Food Addiction - New York Times Magazine

Join me in taking the NY Times Magazine Quiz: Are You Addicted to Food?

Part A: Answer 0 for never; 1 for once a month; 2 for two to four times a month; 3 for two to three times a week; and 4 for more than 4 times a week.

  1. I find myself consuming certain foods even though I am no longer hungry.  (DK Score: 4.  Actually 4×4=16, if we are asked to uphold a Monk-level integrity standard here.  I could eat ice cream 3 meals a day.)
  2. I feel sluggish or fatigued from overeating.  (DK Score: 2.  Shocking actually.  I think I have built up a gorging stamina.)
  3. I have had physical withdrawal symptoms like agitation and anxiety when I cut down on certain foods (not including caffeinated drinks). (DK Score: Hmmmm. What if your normal condition is being agitated and anxious?  Let’s split the baby here and give me a 2.)
  4. My behavior with respect to food and eating causes me significant distress. (DK Score: 1. I’m should get “negative” points here.  Eating actually brings me incredible joy and peace.  That is, until my pants begin to snug up.  Then we’re talking sirens.)

[Read more...]

Picture is worth…


Source: Runforfitness via marcdesa


Work-Out Inspiration: Muscle Music

Be sure to stick with this until the end…when you need to press your keyboard keys to play muscle music.



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Running…with Jung.

6:17am: I’m up and out the door.  It’s a beautiful morning for running. Wisps of cool air cutting through the early September humidity. Streaks of clouds cover the sunrise.  A splash of color on a few trees getting a head start on autumn.  It’s September 3rd.  And a great day to be alive.  (Hello September.  Where did the year go? Love, LOVE, the fall season.  The pulsating picture above feels like my heart does now. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Ba Boom. Ba Boom.  Keep tickin’ baby. Keep tickin’.)

6:23am: Pace is good.  Both jets feel good.  No one is out and about. Pesky squirrels are sleeping.  Even the birds are quiet. (Yep, it’s just me and my head.  And that can get crowded.  Managed to contain the food intake yesterday. Miracle. Determined to get this weight down before the hibernation period. As Brenna would say, Thanksgiving is the time of the year “when I feel like I’ve eaten a gallon of mashed potatoes and a gravy-injected turkey and washed it down with six or seven espressos.”)

[Read more...]

Work-Out Inspiration: The Relay



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Work-Out Inspiration: Run with Usain Bolt & Tyson Gay



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The Beauty of the Irrational

Whether you run or not, this video is awe inspiring. It features South African Ultra-Runner Ryan Sandes running the 5-day, 84k Fish River Canyon Hiking Trail in Namibia, Africa.  You will find “epic scenery” coupled with inspiring narration by Sandes.  It certainly prodded me out the door on my mountain run this morning.  Thank you Doobybrain.com via explore-blog for the share.



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Running…Away.

5:35am: I’m up and out the door. The rest of the gang is sound asleep   (Day 3 of vacation. Day 1 of running after a week sabbatical.  I needed to rest the jet. Have to say the condition of my knee spooked me.  30 years ago, I could fall from pine trees, slip head long on slimy river rocks fishing with cousins, get chopped on ankle by a nasty Trail Smoke Eater – - and spring back like a slinky.  No more.  Dark thoughts encroach – - will I heal or will this knee-thing be biting me the rest of the ride?)

5:40am: I find the sign for the Mountain Trail.  (There are 3 trails.  Walking. Intermediate. Mountain.  I’m a Man, right?  Mountain it is.  ‘Throw caution to the wind.’  Knee be damned.) [Read more...]

Work-Out Inspiration: Greatest is not a gift reserved for a chosen view. You can forget that.

1 minute of inspiration.  ”This is Nathan. He is 12 years old. He’s from London, Ohio. Greatness is not beyond his reach, nor is it for any of us.



Source: Thank you Psysociety for the share.

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Running. With a bad jet.

Homer Simpson6:15am.  77°F and 89% relative humidity.  I walk out the door and air is thick and soupy. (Hmmmm.  Maybe this sauna will accelerate the decomposition of the Oreo cookie intake yesterday. Count: 16. Yep.  Strapped on the feedbag and ravenously wolfed ‘em down. But lets be balanced here. This was spread over lunch and dinner – not so bad when looking at it this way – a modest amount actually.  I don’t think this even adds up to a full row.)

0.5 miles: I feel a pinch in my right knee.  The pinch advances to bite.  I grimace. (D*mn weekend warrior. I slow the pace but don’t stop.  “Run through it.” I recall the 2007 NY Times article – ‘We want you to keep moving…injured tissue heals quicker if it’s under stress…moderate exercise aids the healing.’ 5 year old article and its stuck with me.)

1 mile: It’s not going away. Limp-running now.  Slow pace further. (So, where’s the d*mn moderate exercise will heal part.  Healing can show up anytime now. I’m almost walking know.  Sweat is raining down…and tastes a bit creamy. (Oreos?)  You would think this humidity would be lubing my knee. Odd, my right shoulder is stiff now.  Oh, yea.  Re-started my push-up routine yesterday.  Man, my entire carriage is coming apart!  Another 1/2 mile and we’ll need to call 911.  As long as I don’t keel over into all of this Goose dung and avoid rolling into the cove…I should be ok.)

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Work-Out Inspiration: Ode to the Young…


Source: Thank you Eric for sharing this clip with your Dad.

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Think I’ll go for a ride…

I’m jumping the gun on my Saturday morning work-out inspiration clip – but this morning feels like a bike ride.  This music video was instant inspiration for me and brought back childhood memories.  Thank you Rob Firchau for sharing.  Enjoy…

Think I’ll go for a ride…take the bike out of the shed…make a fresh start…when the head spins…there is no joy…put me on the saddle…and I’m a little boy…a little boy on a mission…we’re like Fred and Ginger…when the’re doing their dance…to the sound of rubber…out on the old bog road…I’m as free as a bird…It helps me remember…How good it used to be…feeling like a king…the bike, the road, and me…You hope the skies don’t open…when home is many miles…you think your’e just cruising…life is flowing along…a fall or a puncture…anything can go wrong…you’re vulnerable…at the mercy of the wind…with every hill you climb…you begin and begin and begin…with the freedom of the road…summer evenings on the road…the cool breeze in my hair…poetry in motion…on two wheels in Kildare…”



Source: Thank you The Hammock Papers.

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Eat.

One minute clip.  3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles.  ”Eating” is the topic.  Hungry?

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.


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Do you need to change your relationship with food?

nutrition factsAfter another weekend of gorging, this blogger’s posts hit home.  A few choice excerpts from Craig Harper’s top 15: Nutrition for Dummies.

3) If it comes in an exciting range of fluorescent colours, don’t eat it.
4) Nobody accidentally eats cake. Own your choices and your behaviours.
6) Calories consumed in secret count. Your friends might not know but your arse will.
7) If dieting was an effective way to lose weight permanently, nobody would ever diet twice.
8) Don’t confuse ‘what your head wants’ with what your body needs. Your mind is a lying b*tch.
10) If you haven’t had a poo since June, maybe cut back on the processed food. And try a little fibre. Just saying.

 

Then he follows up with another solid post titled: Your Body: One Year From Today – A Question of Change.  A few excerpts:

“…If you’re serious about changing your body, and more importantly, keeping it that way, below you’ll find 12 relevant, valuable and potentially-transformational questions…

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Running…with red eyes.

3:30am.  And up.  (Nothing wide-eyed and bushy tailed here.  You have a problem pal.)

Posted my work-inspiration video.  (Was inspired.  For about 3 minutes.  A** firmly planted in chair.  Motivation rating: 1.5 on scale of 10.  Darkness rolls in.  I’m sorry.  That’s disingenuous.  My a** is hanging so low, you can’t see where my a** starts and the floor begins.)

Slash through 50 emails. (Tension climbing with the disposition of each mail.  Look down at meter count.  126 left.  Standing in ocean.  Neck deep.  Taking in water with each wave.  Gagging on the salt water.)

She left the office yesterday after lunch.  A colleague.  Her water broke.  Six weeks early.  No word.  (Damn it, CALL!)

I shut down the email train.  (Rationalizing again.  Maybe I’ll run later.  Nothing in the tank this morning.)

Little red light blinking on Blackberry. (Devil’s tool that little red light.  Blinking.  Blinking incessantly.  It’s not even a pretty red color. Maybe it’s T.  No.  No, it’s not.)

It’s an email from a former colleague.  He’s now in London with his family.  (I haven’t spoken to Steve in a very long time.  What an amazing person and talent he is.  Had no idea he was even following my blog.  Dark clouds fall away.  Mood shifts.  Amazing what a few kind words will do to my psyche.)

“Dave, I hope this note finds you well…Now, I read an article in one of our leading newspapers and felt inspired, when I feel inspired I think of your blog. It’s not the most obvious article that may be worthy of landing on your blog but I thought I would share it just in case you thought your friends would relate to it. As a Dad, it struck a chord with me. Hope you are doing well, and the family is good…..take care……Steve.”

I start panning down the article.  I finish the article.  I’m rubbing tears from my eyes.  I put on my running gear and head out the door.

“It’s not the most obvious article that may be worthy of landing of your blog.”  (Right!)

The story consumed me the entire run. (“You will wish for terrible things; you will pray for your newborn baby to die — not just once, but a thousand times. Go with it, don’t judge yourself, and the storm will pass.”).

If you read nothing else today, take a moment to read the story below.

Running Time this morning? 39 seconds ahead of last Sunday’s pace.  A new personal best.  Steve, I owe to it you for bringing the light back.  Thank you.

Enjoy your Saturday.  That is, after reading the story below.


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