From Joe: Many of the adults that surrounded me as I grew up needed worldly reasons to supplement the religious motives that inclined them to fast during Lent. So, in addition to wanting to follow the rituals of their church, they framed Lent as a time for losing some pounds that would improve their health or their appearance when beach season finally arrived in Chicago.
Food writer Mark Bittman talks about his new experience of fasting for moral values:
From Eileen: Nothing gets me motivated more than a new exercise gadget. I hate to say it, but I love buying exercise stuff and, for some reason, this really works for me.
Many years ago, I spent a lot of money on a treadmill and was worried sick that it would become a $2,600 dusty clothing rack. So I decided I would have to use it 1,300 times (at $2 per run) to make it worth my while. I kept track and, after about six years, I made it! I actually kept tabs on the number of times I hopped on board (a bit compulsive, I realize), but it really helped me keep going. And for $2 per use, it was worth it even if it eventually becomes a clothing rack. That’s my logic, anyway.
From Joe: Can your own stereotypes cause you to misunderstand your weight and fitness issues?
When the causal network of a medical disorder is poorly understood, social stereotypes readily come into action. Recently, for example, some Chicago sports commentators fretted that Bulls star Derrick Rose’s ulcers signaled that he had become too emotionally intense. The ulcers-are-caused-by-stress stereotype had gone into high gear. It took a few days for the relationship between ulcers and bacteria to make its way to the public.
Lifehacker Whitson Gordon reminds us that sleep deprivation – and, by implication, insomnia – can lead to heavier eating:
From Gerry: This week the contestants are talking about the exercises they love and hate. I wouldn’t mind sharing the same thing, but I hesitate to put anything in writing because I fear my trainer Tony will use it against me. I said as much to him the other morning, but he swears my likes and dislikes are of no interest to him. He says he has a well-designed plan already laid out for me.
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Posted in Our Fittest Loser
From Joe: It’s possible to define a marathon as a bunch of people in their underwear running as fast as possible for 26 miles without giving proper attention to the bad things that can happen to them along the way. This way of looking at a marathon, taking the event literally, makes the runners look foolish. It makes the spectators too look foolish: They roar with primal excitement as the runners leave the start. Many of the spectators choke with emotion. Some are moved to tears. Same thing happens at Bulls and Bears games. Why the emotion?
From Joe: What equipment is absolutely indispensable to you when starting a new diet or fitness regimen? Do you need free weights? Special apps for the phone so you can count calories? A heart rate monitor? A treadmill? Elaborate progressive resistance machines? Or, that perennial favorite, a fancy new set of gym clothes?
All that stuff is nice. But indispensable? Maybe not.
For most of my adult life, I’ve spent 7 to 10 hours a week in gyms. All kinds of training fads and equipment fetishes came and went. Throughout it all, one apparatus remained perpetually useful.
From Eileen: Full discloser here … I am a cat owner and proud of it. Still, it should come as no surprise that a new study shows dog owners are 35 percent more likely to get the exercise they need. Of course, they may be getting it at 4 a.m., but let’s not quibble. Hmmmm, I wonder how my cat would feel about taking a stroll with me. Here’s the full article: http://ti.me/hP7bLp
From Eileen: Not sure what my boss would say if I tossed him a 12-pound medicine ball during a meeting, but the idea of exercising while working intrigues me. 1.) I wouldn’t have to get up early. 2.) I love the idea of multi-tasking. 3.) It would leave my evenings completely free (hello, couch!) I have often thought about how many calories I would burn if my computer was attached to a treadmill, but, alas, here I sit. In any case, here are some suggestions for exercising in the office, courtesy of Mayo Clinic. http://bit.ly/hUjXun
Hard to believe these happy campers just finished boot camp!
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