Never underestimate the power of sensible shoes.

It’s only a snippet of a song and a really short video, but it feels like running to me. Thanks for such a great video, Verdi!

Visit his website and read the whole story here: Embryonic – Michael Verdi

This has been an ongoing problem since the beginning of Nike+. Their insistence on using a clunky Flash interface has truly been their downfall. I can’t wait until RunKeeper has the ability to challenge your friends to races. When they do, there will be no need for Nike+ anymore.

Every night, Mike and I have been taking quick walks to the lake right before the sun goes down. We chose this neighborhood BECAUSE of the lake, so we might as well take advantage of it. It doesn’t hurt that they built a gelato shop next to the lake, of course.

It COULD hurt, actually, but I’ve been ordering the herbal tea with Splenda for my dessert. The paper cup warms my hands as we walk in the chilly autumn weather.

They say a quiet walk an evening helps to keep weight down, but I’ve been enjoying it for what it is: blissful relaxation.

They measured the number of people who took the escalator versus the stairs before and then created the piano stairs. When they remeasured, 66% more people chose the stairs over the escalator.

The next time your workout feels like drudgery, choose something FUN instead. Play a game with friends, workout with the Wii, or play DDR. Your exercise routine doesn’t have to be boring. It can be as fun as climbing piano stairs.

Video via: Hate Climbing Stairs? These People Don’t

The November/December cover, however, looks strangely out of place. It’s WINTER, folks! Show a trim and beautiful girl in a snowsuit. Those sun-kissed locks and swimming trunks just feel wrong when we are feeling the winter chill. Working out in the snow is just as photogenic. I KNOW you folks understand cold and snow. You’re stationed in New York, for heaven’s sake!

Cover art aside, this month’s issue seemed to be all about shopping. I know Christmas is coming, so it’s nice to have lots of present ideas at your fingertips, but I’m just not that much of a shopper, so over a dozen pages were lost on me. They just looked like huge chunks of advertising.

The GOOD stuff, however, was really good! They tested the Skineez Thigh Slimming products and gave us their verdict. Did they help her lose inches on her thighs?

“Nope, after six weeks, my thighs are the same size, but I have to admit that they look smoother.”

I talked about Skineez back in January when they won the Slim Chance Award for Fraud and Quackery.

• Starling Fitness » Slim Chance Awards 2008: Skineez

It’s good to see that Fitness Magazine was independently able to determine that it’s not worth your money to buy Skineez.

I absolutely loved this quick little article about hiking. Mount Hood is one of my favorite spots for hiking and getting away from everything. It was there that I got the inspiration for Merriton and my Wildwood Walking DVD was filmed in that area. The long walks clear my head and make writing easy again. It’s a workout for my body and my mind.

This article about losing weight during the holiday season was wonderful advice. There were tips to keep away from the food court at the mall and some instant motivation to choose a “nice” treat instead of a “naughty” one.

I wrote a similar group of entries. You can read them here:

• Starling Fitness » Surviving Christmas Shopping

• Starling Fitness » Christmas Shopping: The Workout

• Starling Fitness » How To Survive Christmas in the Office

• Starling Fitness » How To Handle Neighbor Treats

Pick up the Nov/Dec 2009 Fitness Magazine and check out what they have to offer. If your motivation is flagging in response to the holiday season, it’s the perfect pick-me-up to keep you on track for the next couple of months.

It is from the movie, Playtime, which was released in 1967 in France. Personally, I love to see the people of all sizes, sexes and ages dancing. It makes me want to get up and move!

That phrase is usually means bad things. Suddenly, you’re worried about being late for work or unable to complete your chores. Whenever I hear the word “delay” it has SUCH a negative connotation that I want to avoid whatever it is.

Delayed gratification, however, is supposed to be a GOOD thing. People who can delay gratification are far more successful than those who never learned that skill. I talked about it here:

• Starling Fitness » Don’t Eat The Marshmallow

That’s all well and good, but HOW do we learn how to delay gratification? The definition of it seems pretty self-explanatory: taking an action NOW that will cause a desired result LATER. If it were as easy as it sounds, then we would all be incredibly fit and eat only healthy food.

The important thing to remember is that this is DELAYED gratification, not NO gratification. Here are the techniques that I’ve used to focus on what I will achieve in exchange.

Be CLEAR About What You Want

It’s really hard to say no to that cake or pizza when it’s right there in your face. When you can smell the frosting or melted cheese, you have to have a CLEAR picture of what your final goal will be like in order to bypass it. One way to do that is making a photo of yourself when you’re at goal. I’ve talked about this before:

• Starling Fitness » The Digital Diet

• Starling Fitness » Face Swapping with Photoshop

Being able to SEE what I’ll look like if I just say no to another slice of pizza is really helpful. I keep a copy of the photo on my iPhone ALL the time just to keep myself focused on what I want.

Make A Mantra

Sometimes it helps me to have a phrase that I repeat to myself. For me, the mantra that has worked the best for me is:

“I’m in control, not the food.”

Of course, that phrase hasn’t always been my mantra. I used to use the quote from Winston Churchill.

“It’s not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required.”

Mantras are VERY personal things, so you’ll have to choose one of your own, but here are a few to give you some ideas.

• Starling Fitness – Quote of the Month

Give Yourself Mini-Gratifications

Maybe if you only have ten pounds to lose, you can focus solely on your final goal, but if your goal is a big one, you need to have several pit stops along the way so that you don’t feel like you have had no positive reinforcement for months.

If your goal is a weight goal, you can give yourself presents for every few pounds lost. If your goal is a fitness goal, you can reward yourself for every speed record or distance you’ve achieved. Whatever your goal, you MUST give yourself mini-gratifications to keep the beast within you feeling placated.

You Have To DO It!

There is a famous story about Jim Carrey.

“I wrote myself a check for ten million dollars for acting services rendered and dated it Thanksgiving 1995. I put it in my wallet and it deteriorated. And then, just before Thanksgiving 1995, I found out I was going to make ten million dollars for Dumb & Dumber. I put that check in the casket with my father because it was our dream together.”

Hardly anyone talks about the corollary to the story, however.

“I would visualize things coming to me. It would just make me feel better. Visualization works if you work hard. That’s the thing. You can’t just visualize and go eat a sandwich.”

You can’t just make plans, visualize yourself at goal, and repeat mantras. You have to actually DO what you need to do to get to your goal. Whether that means eating healthier food or getting your butt out of bed an hour earlier every morning to exercise. Whatever you need to do, you have to DO it!

In the end, delaying gratification is THE KEY to getting to a healthy weight and fitness level. Putting off the tasty treats and luxury of sleeping in is what differentiates those that get to their goals and those that dream about them. It’s a skill that needs just as much practice as learning to play a game or how to cook a healthy meal, but when you take the time to learn that skill, you’ll profit from it far more than you can imagine!

• Now with 10% less of me | Blind Prophecy

He has done an incredible job of working out consistently. Here is a photo of his workout schedule.

When I read about his consistency, I was so impressed with how well he has done, especially when tempted with a birthday cake like this less than a week before:

If I found myself in front of a beautiful cake like this, I would have trouble eating it and even more trouble NOT eating it. I would have been paralyzed with indecision or acquiesce to a binge. Instead, they had a cake fight. You can read about it here.

• Green Frosting Stains | Blind Prophecy

The next time you are confronted with a beautiful dessert or savory treat, remember Jere and how his devotion to fitness really paid off. You are in control, not the food!

Now, I can walk for miles without leg pain as long as I take the time to stretch. In fact, the weakest link on my body when it comes to walking are my toenails.

It’s so easy to forget how far I’ve come. I get frustrated that I’m not regularly running 12 minute miles, when really, I should be celebrating the fact that my legs rarely hurt, even though I’m exercising every day…

…as long as I do my post-walk calf stretch.