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

This motivational poster from I CAN DO IT is wonderful!

It reads:

The more you stare fear in the face, the less of a face fear has.

• Eddie Harris, Jr.

For me, weight loss and exercise has nothing to do with fear. At least, I don’t think it does. It’s more about trading present pleasure for future pleasure. Do I run my butt off right now so that I’m stronger tomorrow? Do I skip that peanut butter and jelly snack for a thinner body in the future? Too many times, I have chosen present pleasure and you can tell by just looking at me.

It’s not fear that’s holding me back. It’s lack of planning for the future.

This image from I CAN DO IT made me laugh.

It reads:

You should eat your vegetables before they eat you.

There are no carnivorous bell peppers, so you’re probably safe from murderous veggies, but you can never be too safe.

We’re almost to spring and our New Year’s Resolutions are three months old. It’s time to remember that this isn’t a sprint. It’s a long distance run.

Working out every day and eating less calories than your body wants is HARD, but that’s not an excuse to quit. You have to keep going!

Whenever I start feeling like I should want to quit, I remember Finding Nemo and Dori’s continuous singing, “Just Keep Swimming!”

If you’re not familiar with what I’m talking about, here is the video:

This image is the best because it’s animated:

If you’ve been slacking off on diet, exercise or both, remember Dori singing this song and get back on track!

Images via:

• just keep swimming | Tumblr
• Blogger Challenge #3: Just keep swimming.

This image from I <3 To Run’s Timeline Photos on Facebook is so true!

It reads:

Ran sounds better than run.

The next time you are thinking of skipping out on your workout, remember how good it feels when it’s done. You don’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. You can brag about how you “ran” this morning. You’ll get those delicious endorphins that make you feel happier all day.

Don’t skip your workout. Get it done now!

I love this drawing from That ARThletic Girl.

It reads:

You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.

Zig Ziglar

I love how the girl in the drawing isn’t the ideal body type. She is just a normal girl, working out every day. LOVE IT!

I don’t know how I found this television series. I think it might have been a YouTube featured video, but I am so glad I found it. My Mad Fat Diary is a British TV series that started in January of this year and it treats eating disorders so spot on that I just couldn’t stop watching.

This scene is from the second episode and it is brilliant.

This show has really become a battle cry for self-acceptance and I just love it. So does arthlete. She has drawn quite a few of Rae-focused illustrations, but this one is my favorite: Arthlete: Rae and My Mad Fat Diary

It reads:

You can’t spend the rest of your life being afraid of people rejecting you, and you have to start by not rejecting yourself. You don’t deserve it. From now on, people can either accept you for who you are or they can FUCK OFF.

I can’t really show you any of her other illustrations, because they are spoilers.

You can see the entire first season here, but be careful. Space the episodes out so that you don’t consume them in a huge binge like I did.

I love this drawing I found on Weight loss and fitness motivation.

It reads:

Water will always be good for you. Drink it!

It is possible to drink too much water and hurt yourself, but most of us fall shy of the eight cups of water a day, so start keeping track and see if it helps you feel full and energized. So many times, when I go to the fridge to find some food, I realize that I’m THIRSTY, not hungry. When I make sure I drink eight cups of water a day, that never happens.

I saw this image on I CAN DO IT the other day.

It reads:

The most important weight loss muscle?

Your Brain

Change your mind, you will change your body.

Aside from the fact that the brain isn’t a muscle, it’s a good thought and it reminded me of the Eiffel 65 song called, “Move Your Body.” [iTunes link].

Here is a video of Sims exercising to the song:

Here are the lyrics (repeated ad infinitum):

Workout your mind mind – Workout your body
Move your mind – Move your mind mind
Move your body, every everybody.
Move your body, come on now everybody.

If you wanna to move the world, start with your body.
Yo, come on, you gotta start with something.
If you wanna move your mind, just move your body.
Move your mind, move your mind, it’s gonna cost you nothing.

If you wanna move someone, start with your body.
Yo, come on, and try to move somebody.
If you wanna move alone,
Then everybody will move along with you.

I found this great dance video with the same song here:

The truth is, moving your body is a GREAT way to shake the cobwebs out of your mind. It sets you free from your rumination and lets you think clearly. Exercise can dissipate negative moods and alleviate your depression.

Conversely, if you focus on fitness and succeeding, your mind can make your workouts easier. Imagining how good you’ll feel after the workout can make your time exercising better. Visualizing your success will help you get there quicker.

We like to think that our minds are separate from our bodies, but they are tied together with sinew, hormones and blood. If you want to make your mind better, move your body. If you want to make your body better, move your mind.

This image from Hello there, fellow fitblr says it perfectly:

It reads:

Healthy Mind + Healthy Body = Happy Life

So true!

Update 04-29-13: I found another good motivational poster about this subject from Turning day-dreams, into reality.

It reads:

By changing your mind, you change everything.

It’s true in both the positive sense AND the negative. If you decide that the plan you have been religiously following and seeing success with doesn’t work, it will STOP working. This is ALL a mind game. Play it in your favor.

This Summer posted an image of this tank top the other day and I just love it.

It reads:

Sore Today STRONG Tomorrow

I couldn’t find that exact tank top for sale, but I found this nice one on strongconfidentYOU on Etsy.

Buying the shirt, however, doesn’t create the results. If you want to be strong tomorrow, you pretty much have to exercise TODAY. So, make sure you get your workout in today, no matter what excuses pop into your mind.

I love these images from DIEThoroscopes.

They are great goals:

• Sleep Eight Hours Each Night.
• Drink Eight Cups of Water Each Day.
• Exercise Three Times Each Week.
• Eat Three Snacks Each Day.
• Eat Three Meals Each Day.
• Focus On One Goal At A Time.

These are all great goals to have and such a visual way to remember them!