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

They claim to be able to tone your thighs, calves and glutes. How could a shoe do that?

• The Fit Flop

Here is their explanation:

Every step you take in the FitFlop helps tone and trim your legs. The FitFlop’s uniquely built multi-density midsole activates muscles midstep to help tone your thighs, your calves and your glutes. In fact, FitFlops are biomechanically engineered to absorb shock, lessen joint strain, and recreate the gait of barefoot walking – but with a powerful new built-in micro-wobbleboard workout-enhancing effect.

Since they are sold in Great Britain, they’re not under the strict advertising laws of the FCC. I don’t know what kind of false advertising laws Great Britain has, but I want to see proof before I’ll buy them. I want to see tests from REAL universities. Nothing on their website gives me any inkling that these have been tested. Their FAQ just tells me how to buy them.

Plus, I have enough time balancing and tripping. I don’t need a micro-wobbleboard under my feet at all times.

Via: Popgadget Personal Technology for Women: Fit Flops: gym in a sandal?

As stated on AOL’s Sports Blog, Joey Chestnut beat the hot dog eating record last week.

• Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi’s Hot Dog Eating Record – Sports Blog – The FanHouse

Why was this on AOL’s Sports Blog? Why is eating too much food too quickly considered a sport? What is the matter with the world where something like this is NEWS?! There are people starving on the other side of the world. There are people starving in the United States. There are people who are overweight and cannot fathom why Joey Chestnut is thinner than they are.

Sometimes it feels like the world has gone crazy.

Back in February, we had one final snow storm that covered the city in a blanket of beautiful white. I wasn’t really in the mood to go for a walk, but I couldn’t let the gorgeous snow get away. I grabbed Mike’s camera and headed to Sugarhouse Park to film a walking video. It’s strange to see the shivering whiteness now that summer has overtaken Utah. If the heat is slowing you down, pop this DVD into your player and pretend it’s cold and snowy.

Here is a glimpse of what the video looks like:

The cold air made it harder for me to breathe, so you can hear me panting up the hills on this one. By the end of the filming, the lens was covered with snowflakes. Is it distracting or realistic? You decide!

Estimated Distance: 1.74 miles
Estimated Speed: 2.2 mph
Time: 48 minutes

I’m offering this workout DVD for $5 plus shipping.

Order Starling Fitness Walking Videos Here

You can see the route I walked here:

Video Description:

When you went to bed, it felt like spring, but you woke up to a blanket of snow and still more coming down. It is sticking to every branch and the whole world looks like it has been spray painted white. It is a perfect morning for a walk in the park. The snow crunches under your boots. Be careful not to slip.

The geese and ducks have congregated to the middle of the pond, but you can still hear them honking in protest at the sudden storm. A family is tobogganing down the hill. You want to play with them, but you don’t have a sled, so you keep walking. Photographers are wandering the park taking photos of the snow-laden branches. Say hi to the other walkers intent on their daily routine despite the snow. By the time you’re finished, your glasses are covered with snowflakes, but your cheeks are red and you feel like you could walk across the world.

Order Starling Fitness Walking Videos Here

Humans are omnivores. We have molars AND canines for eating grains and shredding flesh. There is no doubt that we are built to eat meat, but our meat consumption has reached such proportions that we are actually harming the environment with our diet.

• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – Livestock a major threat to environment

According to a new report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport. It is also a major source of land and water degradation.

Choosing tofu instead of beef could do as much to save the environment as driving a hybrid, so why do we keep eating meat?

Because it tastes good.

What can you do? Just limiting your meat intake and having it only for special occasions can be your first step toward helping the world with your choices. All those small choices add up, so when you’re ordering your dinner tonight, try vegetarian. You could start a habit that is not only healthier, but could save the planet.

Via: Michael Verdi on Twitter

Janet Jackson was in US magazine again this year because she kept the weight off after losing 60 pounds in four months last year. Seeing her weight loss pictures really inspired me to do better.

But I hear from the “experts” all the time that continued exposure to photos of beautiful people makes young girls depressed and anorexic. I don’t quite know where they are getting their data for these assumptions, but it does make me wonder if I’m the weird one.

Do weight loss photos inspire you or depress you?

Do photographs of thin people make you want to eat healthier?

Do you cut out pictures of people who have the physique that you want?

Do you keep a book of these photographs to look at when you feel like eating poorly?

I feel like the photos inspire me. I keep a book, but I haven’t added to it in a long time. I haven’t even looked at it in a long time. I even had photos of what I wanted my hair to look like. I was finally able to get my hair to be “perfect” only to realize that it wasn’t worth 45 minutes of my time EVERY day. Now, I live with crazy curly hair and use the extra 45 minutes to write more. It makes me worry that weight loss might be the same.

Last year, Janet Jackson shocked all of us by losing 6o pounds in four months. I talked about it here:

• Starling Fitness » Janet Jackson Weight Loss

She has been able to keep the weight off for a year and according to the cover of the magazine, she will share her “secrets” with us.

What’s her secret?

Eating light and clean helps, but you really shouldn’t think of it as a diet, otherwise you feel like you are depriving yourself. If you crave something, you should have a little bit of it, then let it go and move on. Do a little extra exercise so you’re back on track.

She exercises six days a week doing cardio mostly. She has toned down on the weight training because she has injured her rotator cuff, so any workout that affects her shoulder has been cut out of her routine.

From the example menu and workout list, it looks like she is keeping things REALLY light in order to keep her size four frame.

I have to admit that seeing her look so good after a whole year is really inspiring to me. I think to myself, “Janet has been fighting this her whole life. If she can do it, then I can too.” Personal trainers and chefs? The fact that she has access to them doesn’t change my level of inspiration. I can plan my own meals. I can create a workout.

I really believe that 90% of weight loss happens in my head and the other 10% is what I do on the treadmill or put in my mouth. When I decide that it’s possible, nothing can stop me. When I decide that it’s hopeless, nothing can help me. Just seeing how well Janet has been able to keep off the weight really helps me get that 90% back into gear.

Street View on Google Maps is a new feature that allows you to see an image of the street on the map. Jason Kottke has been fantasizing about the future of Street View here:

• I’m sure this functionality is coming, but when using the new… (kottke.org)

I’m sure this functionality is coming, but when using the new Street View feature in combination with driving directions on Google Maps, I want a play button that drives me from the starting point to my destination, showing me the street-level view along the way.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just set up the computer in front of your treadmill and tell it to map out a route and a speed and you could pretend you’re running around the streets of New York? That’s why I started filming my Starling Fitness Walking DVDs so I could do just that. I’m perfectly willing to pass the torch to Google if they are able to pick it up.

For more information about Street View, watch this video:

Read this and while you do, insert your own hated body part whenever she talks about her butt.

• skirt!features – Flat-Bottomed Girl

In the end, we all have to accept ourselves the way we are and enjoy the good.

I’ve accepted that I’m never going to have a rump like J. Lo or Scarlett Johansson. I’m never going to have a killer rack like Megan Mullally or Jessica Simpson. But I have made men walk into walls by wearing a short skirt, I will never “have to” wear a bra, and I’m the only member of my family gifted with slender ankles. So I’ll accept my flat ass and belt out my own version of “Fat Bottomed Girls” (changing the lyrics to “Flat Bottomed Girls”) when I strut down the street, knowing that no matter what my ass looks like, I can still make this rockin’ world go ’round.

When you hike outdoors, you may encounter poison oak, which is a plant that will give you an oozing and itchy rash. Wendy Bumgardener at About.com has a tutorial on how to recognize and avoid poison oak

• Is it Poison Oak?

Here is a link to a slideshow of poison oak prepared by Wendy:

• Oak Shaped Leaves – Poison Oak Photos – Is It Poison Oak or Not

Here is a link to all the photos on Flickr tagged with the words poison oak:

• Flickr: Photos tagged with poisonoak

Hiking is great exercise and you should never avoid it because of something like poison oak. With a little preparation and knowledge, you’re sure to be safe from poisonous plants and hike risk-free.

The San Antonio Botanical Garden Walk DVD is finished and ready for you! It is a little over 1 hour of walking on the San Antonio Botanical Garden on September 15, 2006. If your treadmill workouts have been getting you down and you are wishing for greenery, this is the right video for you!

I’m offering this workout DVD for $5 plus shipping.

Order Starling Fitness Walking Videos Here

Here is a glimpse of what the walk will be like:

Video Description:

I was lost and unprepared for the hot Texas weather, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the garden’s beauty. From the native Texas grassland areas to the indoor fern grottos, I filmed all that the San Antonio Botanical Garden had to offer.

Wander along the garden paths. Watch the birds fly past you and squawk at you from the trees. Smell the herbs and flowers in the garden for the blind. Breathe in the humid air in the fern grotto. Explore the historical homes of Texas’ past. Chase down the golf cart. Can you keep up?

If you are missing the beautiful greenery that Texas has to offer, you can enjoy it every day with this video.

Order Starling Fitness Walking Videos Here