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

Thank goodness the lawyers have settled this:

• Is a burrito a sandwich? Judge says no – Yahoo! News

The White City Shopping Center signed a lease with Panera stating that they would not allow another sandwich shop within their mall. Panera sued them when they leased to Qdoba Mexican Grill. In the end the judge ruled that a burrito is not a sandwich. I’m glad the courts are spending time and tax dollars resolving the all-important burrito issues.

Too bad there aren’t any clauses in those leases that require them to provide healthy food. A single serving of Panera’s Spinach and Artichoke Souffle has 490 calories, 32 grams of fat and only 2 grams of fiber. That’s a pretty hefty caloric price to pay for only 6.25 ounces of food.

Via: Accidental Hedonist – A burrito is NOT a sandwich

When I first got my Nike+, it was pretty accurate (within 0.05 miles) compared to what the Google Pedometer said. Lately though, I had been having REAL troubles with inaccuracy. Runs that I knew the mileage for were reading less than half the distance they should have. The only thing that changed was how I attached the Nike+ pod. When I started, I used the Shoe Wallet, but later, I got the Marware Sensor+. Yesterday on my walk, I pulled out the Shoe Wallet to see if the mileage would go back to almost accurate. Guess what, it did.

I have NO idea why the Marware sensor holder doesn’t work as well as the Shoe Wallet, but sadly, that’s the case. I like the look of the Marware product so much better, but I want to actually USE my Nike+ and get fairly accurate readings. I don’t mind a little off, but a 50% difference is unacceptable. I’m back to wearing the big bulky Shoe Wallet on my running shoes, but that’s okay. There’s room for my house key and credit card…

I have been enjoying running and walking outside this season. It made me think about what other things I could be doing to enjoy the nice Autumn weather.

What exercises do you enjoy during Fall?

Are there things during this season that you don’t do the rest of the year?

Are there certain exercises that are just better when the weather turns a little colder?

Which exercises are harder this season?

What did you used to do as a kid during Autumn? Are you still doing them now? Why or why not?

What do you think is perfect exercise weather?

What do you think about not-so-perfect exercise weather?

The Question of the Week is meant to be an Inner Workout for you. Find some time during the week and allow yourself to write the answers to the questions posted. You can write them on paper, on a word processor or here in the comments section. Whatever works for you as long as you do it.

Keep writing until you find out something about yourself that you didn’t know before. I’ve also heard that it works to keep writing until you cry, but that doesn’t really work for me. Whatever works for you. Just keep writing until it feels right.

You might think that the rain would make the walk unpleasant, but strangely, it made it better. I carried my umbrella and let the rain fall while I walked around my neighborhood. I got a little wet, but I’m not made of sugar. Years of running on the treadmill has made me shy away from running in the rain or snow, but this walk reminded me of how interesting and different the same neighborhood is when it’s raining.

It made me excited for winter and the snow. I remember many winter runs under the heavy snow. The snow would dampen the noise of my footfalls and scare away other runners. I had the whole place to myself and it was a quiet and white sanctuary. I love the treadmill, but sometimes I need to be reminded that there is a whole world out there waiting to expose itself to me.

Kirstie Alley has had a very visible weight reduction using Jenny Craig. She recently went on Oprah Winfrey’s show and was willing to wear a bikini for the cameras. She actually looks amazing and I find her bravado inspiring.

Whether Jenny Craig is any better than eating whole, fresh food in moderate portions is another story, but kudos to Kirstie for being willing to show off her newly toned body.

I don’t like to give bad reviews. I prefer to find something else positive to talk about instead. There is so much to write about, you really don’t need to hear me talking negatively about a product that is trying to do some good in the world and just doesn’t do it good enough for me.

When I see articles like this, however, I want to scream to the whole world:

• Dieters skip doctors, turn to ‘magical thinking’ – Diet & Nutrition – MSNBC.com

This article talks about a survey with startling statistics:

“70 percent of Americans who are trying to lose weight are following their own diet plans and have no interest in seeking a doctor’s help.”

I can understand that. I have received HORRIBLE advice from general practitioners about diet and nutrition, so I can see why most of us are trying our own diet plan. This statistic surprised me, though.

“One-third have tried dietary supplements of unproven benefit — pills and powders that promise to burn fat, boost metabolism or melt pounds without the sweaty hard work of exercise or the discipline and deprivation of diets.”

One-third?! Thirty-three percent?! Even if it was ten percent, that would be far too many people trying products that have no proven benefit. No matter what they promise you, don’t spend your money on that junk. One-third is a HUGE amount of people! Even if each person only spent a dollar, it would amount to 100 million bucks! No wonder my email box is filled with spam trying to promise me magical weight loss! No wonder Starling Fitness comments are regularly vandalized by comment spam trying to get YOU to buy magical weight loss! Even if only 33% of you respond, that’s a major profit.

Don’t do it!

I know you’re tempted right now. Halloween just passed us by and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. After that, there is the month-long binge of Christmas to survive. Buying a bottle of pills that promise to boost your metabolism or burn fat while you sleep is really enticing, but don’t do it. Eating healthy during this time of the year is the best Christmas present you can give yourself. Plan for it now and you’ll be able to afford it by then.

Via: Integral Options Cafe

Hi Laura,

Have you noticed this problem when running with the Nano Nike+ Sensor on your treadmill?

Support Forums : Treadmills …

Hope all is well.
Shiny Penny

Shiny Penny,

Yeah, I mentioned that it doesn’t match perfectly to my treadmill or even the Google Pedometer readings. The thing is, I’m not worried about being THAT exact. I just want an estimate of my workout. Sometimes I think I obsess over the measuring of things instead of just doing the workout.

Thanks for the link to the forum, though. If other people have questions, they can see more info there.

Thanks again,
Laura

Remember those? I bet you had some weight loss or healthy living resolutions back in January. What did you do with them? Did you write them down? Did you leave a comment on a forum, a message board, or maybe even here at Starling Fitness? Were they just a passing thought?

Whatever they were, either find what you wrote down or try to remember what went through your head.

How are you doing?

Have you met any of your New Year’s Resolutions? If you did, which ones?

If you haven’t met your New Year’s Resolutions, how close are you? Did you backslide or are you pretty near your goal?

You’re lucky. You still have two months until that clock strikes midnight again. You have two months to get to that goal and really feel good about yourself. Don’t waste another second and get working on last year’s New Year’s Resolutions NOW!

The Question of the Week is meant to be an Inner Workout for you. Find some time during the week and allow yourself to write the answers to the questions posted. You can write them on paper, on a word processor or here in the comments section. Whatever works for you as long as you do it.

Keep writing until you find out something about yourself that you didn’t know before. I’ve also heard that it works to keep writing until you cry, but that doesn’t really work for me. Whatever works for you. Just keep writing until it feels right.

I always have two voices in my head. One that comments on my weight and how I need to be leaner and stronger. The other one that says that I never want to get an eating disorder like my friends in high school did. Somehow, the second voice never realizes that bingeing WITHOUT purging is still an eating disorder. All she remembers are her thin friends vomiting in the toilet.

This article by Ariel M. Stallings also deals with two voices in the author’s head. One voice wants to avoid doing anything that strengthens the patriarchy and another noticed that her frame was holding a little too much bulk. It’s a great read.

• AlterNet: Is Dieting Anti-Feminist? by Ariel M. Stallings

She also dealt with friends with eating disorders in her teen years:

“I felt like it was my job to be the one who held down the fort of healthy eating, setting a good example for women who were crushed under the thumb of eating disorders and weight issues.

“In my mind, the only way to fight eating disorders and the all-too-common feminine weight neurosis was not to think about food or weight at all … I ate HEALTHY food, but the thought “maybe I should eat less” always felt like it was just around the corner from some sort of Karen Carpenter nightmare, where I suddenly became a neurotic starving skeleton with amenorrhea. But still, I desperately wanted to loose the extra poundage, at least so I’d feel as healthy as I was supposedly being.”

In the end, she lost the weight and realized that it’s possible to be a feminist AND eat healthy.

“Women and food are big issues in this culture. I’ve tried to tip-toe through the minefield as carefully as possible, and I’ve had some great help from my mother and the women around me who’ve done everything to help me love my body … and it’s been my goal to deal with the process of losing weight in a positive, self-affirming, self-loving way. No deprivation or punishment but a pro-active approach toward my own health. It’s been good.”

What voices are talking in your head? What are they saying about weight loss, feminism and eating disorders? If you listen to your own thoughts and take the time to write them down, you just may make your road to eating healthy a little easier.

Via: Big Fat Blog: Dieting and Feminism

Laura,

I find your informations to be informative but I must ask, How do I stop the cravings for fatty foods and quick meat that has been processed. I live on a budget and do not have alot to choose from. It appears that prices are not fixed when it comes to fresh foods at my grocery store. I am wheelchair bound and it is difficult for me to cook meals constantly,not to mention that I am the worst cook ever. Can you tell me what is the best foods that I can afford and stay healthy doing it?

Ed

Ed,

You’re right fresh veggies and fruit are more expensive in the winter than they are in the summer, but compared to a frozen dinner, they are pretty inexpensive. You don’t have to be a good cook to cut up fresh veggies and eat them raw. That is what I do for most of my snacks throughout the day. Fresh apples, nectarines, pears, oranges, green peppers, carrots and celery are the best to choose from during the winter. I would avoid cucumbers and zuchinni. They tend to be small, shriveled and expensive this time of year.

As far as stoping cravings for fatty foods, I don’t really know what to tell you. I’ve found that my cravings have NOTHING to do with food and everything to do with my emotions. My binges are spurred by what I am feeling. Getting to the bottom of my feelings really helps, so I end up writing in my journal when I feel like eating food that I know isn’t healthy for me.

Choosing healthy options might not be the easiest thing to do. If it was easy, we all would be bastions of health. Choose to go to the extra effort. Choose life.

Good luck,
Laura Moncur