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

I have run pretty hard, but never hard enough to smell like ammonia.

• “Daddy, You Smell Like …Pee” » Complete Running Network

Releasing ammonia in your sweat is caused by burning protein during your exercise instead of carbohydrates. If you are low are carbs, the body dips into the protein reserves, which means your muscles or whatever protein you ate recently. I’m not a long distance runner, so I have never had a workout that was this intense.

It makes me wonder what it would be like to workout so hard that you end up burning off all the carbs you have eaten. I’m such a carbohydrate hound that I don’t know how far and long I would have to run to achieve this. I wonder if it’s healthy. According to Devine Sports, it might not be:

“The smell usually isn’t anything to worry about. But if it persists, you probably aren’t taking in enough carbohydrates. If you emphasize carbohydrates before, during and after running and the ammonia smell is still around, you should get checked out by a physician.”

If you have noticed an ammonia smell after exercise, try increasing the percentage of carbohydrates in your diet. If the smell, persists, make sure you talk to your doctor. It might be enticing to know that you are burning off so much fuel that you are dipping into your protein reserves, but it might be a sign of a bigger problem further down the line.

When I first started exercising, it was always a struggle to find any exercise clothes to fit me. I remember finding some plus-sized shorts and tops at K-Mart once. I was so grateful that they had my size that I bought EVERYTHING that fit me, despite color or fashion. I just wanted anything to fit me and I am STILL grateful to K-Mart for that day. Even though I’m down to regular sizes now, I still hit K-Mart first to give them a chance at my money.

Wendy Bumgardner at About.com has a great entry about Plus-Sized exercise clothes:

• Plus-Size Walking Clothes

Having enough workout wear is essential. I always set out my workout clothes the night before so I don’t have to make decisions when I’m half-asleep. I just throw on the clothes and get moving. I always make sure I have at least seven outfits so that if I want to exercise every day this week, I can. I don’t want to have to worry about doing laundry before I can workout and I NEVER want to have to wear the same sweaty clothes two days in a row. I did that enough in junior high dance class for a lifetime.

Don’t let the fashion designers tell you that you can’t workout just because they refuse to admit that you exist. Fashion designers aren’t fitness experts. Find a company that makes clothing that fits you and reward them with your loyalty.

I don’t know if you noticed, but I don’t do shoe reviews. I don’t even mention the shoes that I wear by name. I have had such bad luck with shoes that I found one version of a shoe from one company that works for me. One, out of all that are out there. I can’t even find these shoes in Salt Lake City anymore. I actually order them online from the company that makes them. Every time my shoes start to wear out, I think that I should try a different brand or shoe so that I can just walk into a store and buy them.

Every time I try to go shoe shopping, I regret it.

I have tried on hundreds of shoes and I have only found one pair to ever work for me. Most shoe shops don’t have treadmills in the store, so you can’t really try the shoes out. Every time I have bought shoes other than the ones I use now, I have found weird things wrong with them. I try lacing my shoes in all the ways that they talk about in the running magazine to make it better, but in the end, I order my running shoes online.

Each of us is unique. Running puts a lot of stress on our feet and can cause a lot of rubbing in sensitive areas if the shoe isn’t perfect. If you find a shoe that works for you, buy a few extra just in case the company stops making that shoe. Or go with a reliable company that makes the same shoes over and over for years like New Balance or Ryka. Reading shoe reviews won’t tell you how the shoe fits your foot. All you can do is hit every store in the city and when you finally find that perfect shoe, stick to it like glue and hope that the manufacturer is still making it next year.

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