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

I love this LOLCat from I Can Has Cheezburger.

It reads:

Your Mama Loves U
even if the other kids calls u fat, she knows uz jes fluffy.

There is something incredibly powerful about knowing that someone loves you just the way you are. So many times, people tell you that you need to love yourself in order to heal. That’s a good way to get to a healthy weight, but it’s not the only way.

You can draw from the love of the people around you, whether it’s your mother, your spouse, a sibling or a cherished friend. Become the person they believe you are. Whenever you are thinking of slacking off on your exercise, eating food that you know will harm you or restricting your food too much, think about them. Don’t let them down because they love you just how you are now and they will also love you when you finally reach your goals.

Rudd Sound Bites has a great article about Dr. Regina Benjamin and whether she is qualified to be the Surgeon General.

• Rudd Sound Bites: Why does Dr. Benjamin’s size matter?

There has been a surge of discussion this week about Obama’s pick for Surgeon General, Dr. Regina Benjamin. The focus has not been on Dr. Benjamin’s many accomplishments or qualifications as a health care champion.

No, the focus has been on her body weight, and the criticism that somehow being overweight discounts and discredits all of her impressive qualities and accomplishments.

The truth of the matter is, she is MORE than qualified to handle the job of Surgeon General. When you look at her record, she is freakin’ amazing.

• Regina Benjamin – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first step toward getting our country healthy again is acceptance. Polarizing weight as a health issue isn’t the best direction for the United States.

The same people who are trying to make obesity a disease are now trying to discriminate against Dr. Benjamin because of her weight. Would it be fair to discredit other Surgeon General candidates because they had a different disease like diabetes? No, it wouldn’t. In fact, it would give them MORE credibility because they have dealt with keeping themselves healthy despite a disease.

They can’t have it both ways. If they want to call obesity a disease or label it as an epidemic, then they can’t discriminate against Dr. Benjamin.

• RT @ddrdiva: New blog post: exergaming in the news http://bit.ly/3GqFL #
• My sister and I set up a private challenge on Nike+. There’s nothing like sibling rivalry to get us motivated, isn’t there? #
• ran 0.93 mi on 8/3/2009 at 4:40 PM with a pace of 27’27″/mi http://bit.ly/71TpY #

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This postcard from PostSecret showed up a couple of weeks ago.

It reads:

I just realized that veganism
has become an excuse for my EATING DISORDER.

I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of disordered eating. I tell myself weird lies all the time to justify a binge. Sometimes I can recognize them as a lie, sometimes they slip right past me and I find myself doubled over with stomach pain.

I truly believe that veganism is the most healthy way to eat… for SOME people. For others, it easily turns into a way to binge or starve yourself. It is entirely possible to get fat on a vegan diet, just like it’s possible to starve yourself to death on one. It’s not the veganism that caused that person’s disordered eating, but it sure is a good excuse.

What excuses are you using to get in the way of your perfect life? Are you letting yourself slide on daily exercise? Are you slipping in food that you know is your downfall? Are you limiting yourself too much? Watch yourself carefully today and make sure you are living the life that you want to without letting any excuses get in your way.

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PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.

• Just finished 48mins of DDR for my workout. First time since the move. House finally in order enough to set up my dance pad! #

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About a week ago, I had a nightmare. There was a horrible disease that was turning people into violent zombies. It would happen very quickly, just like in the movie, Omega Man. I would turn around and my best friend was suddenly a zombie, trying to attack me. They were weak and pathetic zombies, easily defeated, but it was still scary.

Mike and I were safe in our new house, and we learned that the problem was in the food supply. SOMETHING about the food supply was turning people into zombies. I felt such a wave of relief. I said to Mike, “This is PERFECT! All we need to do is NOT EAT and we’re safe from the disease! We have enough fat on us to last MONTHS, which just might be long enough for the scientists to figure out which food is turning people!” I was overjoyed. All we had to do was not eat and both of us would be safe!

Then Mike said, “Like you could do that!” His voice was joking, but it did ring true. I was crushed with the knowledge that even if food could KILL me, he didn’t believe that I wouldn’t eat. It hurt my feelings so bad that I immediately woke up.

In REAL life, Mike would never say anything so rude to me. He has always been so supportive of me and all my eating problems. The truth of the matter is, foods that are high in carbohydrates HURT me. Sugary and starchy foods really make my stomach writhe in pain.

Yet I still eat them.

My reality isn’t too far from the horror of that dream. Even when food is “killing” my stomach, I still eat it. I don’t know HOW to reduce my carbohydrate intake without setting off my feelings of deprivation, but I’m going to figure out a way to do it. I’d much rather live a long and pain-free life than end up with a disease.

Photo via: the WAREHOUSE: the Omega Man

Now that the summer months are in full swing, remember to gulp down enough water. In dry areas like Salt Lake City, it’s kind of difficult to forget that you need to keep hydrated. The blast of oven-like air smacking me in the face every time I leave the comfort of air-conditioned bliss reminds me vividly.

Weight Watchers suggest a total of six glass of liquid a day, whether it’s water or soda or even coffee. They used to say that only half of that allotment could be fulfilled with anything but water. Now, however, it can be anything.

For me, however, nothing quenches my thirst quite like water.

Moving all of my possessions in the middle of the blazing heat has reminded me that keeping hydrated is important. I’ve felt my fingers swell and my head ache with dehydration a couple of times over these past two weeks. It’s so easy to get caught up in the lifting and carrying that even a quick drink of water is forgotten.

Make sure you give yourself enough water this summer. Your body will be a smooth running engine if you do.

Pho Tai (pronounced fa tie) is a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup. It is usually an inexpensive meal that is also pretty healthy if you can find a restaurant that uses healthy oil.

When you order it, the first thing to arrive is a plate of veggies. It usually includes bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, limes and green chili peppers. When your bowl of soup arrives, you get to choose what to add to the soup. I am always eager to increase my vegetable intake, so I usually throw everything in (I go easy on the green chilies). I figure that the more veggies, the better. I do pull the leaves off the basil and cilantro stems before I add them to my soup because it makes it easier to eat. I squeeze in both limes. Sometimes I even drop in the limes after squeezing in the juice to add a little more citrus flavor.

The wait staff should also bring in a small tray of spicy sauces as well (or maybe it was already at your table when you were seated). My favorite is the oily pepper sauce in the middle. It is very strong, so make sure to be conservative when you start out. There usually is Sriracha, which is a spicy chili sauce that tastes a little different. Part of the reason I love Pho is because I can make it as spicy as I want.

Once you’ve added all the veggies and spices, stir the soup with your chopsticks or fork. If you prefer to use a fork and your restaurant didn’t provide one, feel free to ask. It’s better to enjoy your meal than suffer with awkward eating utensils.

The beef is thinly sliced and placed into the boiling hot soup raw, so make sure you stir your soup thoroughly until the meat is cooked to your liking. The soup will be really hot, so make sure you be careful when you take a bite.

Lean meat, fresh veggies and healthy oil make for a filling an healthy meal. I usually count 7 points for the soup, 2 points for the healthy oil and 0 points for all those crispy vegetables. Next time you drive past a strip mall, be on the lookout for a Pho Noodle shop and take a moment to drop by. You will find a new food that us fun to eat and healthy for your body!

If I don’t take a couple of minutes to stretch out my calves and shins after my morning walk, I end up with pain later in the day. I remember when I first started walking. I couldn’t walk around the block without intense pain in my shins (the muscle at the front of my lower leg). Back then, it was a struggle just to do a mile. I had taken my car to measure how far I had to walk to go a mile and found a nice route that took me past a holding pond. It was so hard to get just to the pond and back, so I would let myself take a break and watch the birds at the pond when I finally got there.

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.

This postcard from PostSecret showed up today and it made me think.

It reads:

I think one of the reasons I like you is because you’re not insanely thin, like the rest of my friends.

Honestly, thoughts like these make me scared to lose weight. What if I lose weight and no one likes me anymore? I’d have to change my lifestyle quite a bit in order to be thin. What if it changes me so much that I lose all my old friends?

I’m sure many of us have fears like this and they don’t all have to do with weight. Going to college, getting a promotion, getting married (or divorced) or even having children can bring up all these same fears. There is only ONE thought that makes me feel better when I start thinking like this:

Things are going to change anyway.

There is NOTHING I can do to stop things from changing. I can’t predict HOW they are going to change, but the one thing I can count on is that my life will be different in five years whether I lose the weight or not.

I might as well have a different life AND a healthy body.

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PostSecret‘s beneficiary is the National Hopeline Network. It is a 24-hour hotline (1 (800) SUICIDE) for anyone who is thinking about suicide or knows someone who is considering it.