Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Author Archives: Kelley


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When the going gets tough, the tough turn to cookie dough.*

Sooo...yummy...

Those of you who have been following Motion Starved for a while will remember The GP-2011 Project. GP is a friend of mine who agreed to be my Guinea Pig (GP) for a few months last year. GP was asked to follow all the advice I posted on this site in an effort to see if in fact, my advice was actually beneficial. If you would like to read more about GP-2011 and our experiment I will list the relative posts at the bottom of this page. I can say however, that our mission was successful.

With that… I have asked GP to send us a little guest post relative to her life today. Here is what GP-2011 has to say about stress (which she knows a shitload about!)

GP-2011, Guest Post – for Motion Starved…

When the going gets tough, the tough turn to cookie dough.*
*And other bad ways to deal with stress.

When was the last time you were totally stressed out? Yesterday? Last week? Maybe you’re a great big ball of stress right now, grinding your teeth as you stare at your computer. Stress is a fact of modern life—you can’t avoid it. Sometimes the stress isn’t quite so major: Your computer crashes—and you haven’t backed it up, in, oh, a year. You race back to your car to find the Parking Nazi scrawling a ticket. Or you forgot to attend an important meeting at work. But sometimes stress is a big deal: Your “routine” visit to your doctor turns out to be not quite “routine.” Your partner loses his/her job. Or your child is in trouble at school.

When life slaps you in the face, it wallops your whole body. In fact, when it comes to your health, stress—big or small—is downright dangerous. Stress can cause serious sleep problems, fatigue, stomach upsets, headaches, anxiety, irritability, weight loss, weight gain, hair loss (yikes!) and feelings of sadness or loneliness. Over time, your blood pressure rises, your heart rate increases, your immune system takes a hit, glucose floods your bloodstream and your digestive functions suffer, all of which can lead to chronic illness.

You can’t avoid life’s ups and downs. But it’s how you deal with stress that can make all the difference.

Bad Ways to Deal with Stress:

  • Make a big batch of chocolate chip cookies and eat the dough—salmonella be damned.
  • Drink a whole bottle of Chianti. Alone.
  • Hole up in bed for a few days watching a Real Housewives marathon.
  • Invite your new best friends Ben & Jerry over for the 3rd night in a row instead of meeting up with real friends.
  • Pretend everything’s ok and cry into your pillow.
  • Watch QVC from 2:00-3:30 a.m. and order stuff you don’t need like a Slap-Chop, or limited edition Snuggie.
  • Get a dramatic new haircut. (Trust me, this is never a good idea.)
  • Having more Chianti and posting messages on your ex’s Facebook page.

These are the things I used to do to deal with stress. The ‘old me’ would run straight to the fridge to find comfort—“Hello, Ben? Jerry? You in there?” But the ‘new me’ knows that there are better ways to deal with stress than cookie dough and Chianti. When life slaps you in the face, hit back. Hard. Instead of curling up into a ball clutching a bag of potato chips, lace up your sneakers and get a sweat going. Eliminate all that anxiety from your system by moving your body.

According to our friends at the Mayo Clinic, one of the easiest and most effective ways to combat the negative effects of stress is to exercise. It only took me 40-something years to figure this out for myself, but it works. Simply moving your body kick starts the process of beating back stress. Whether you go for a hike with a good friend, hit the gym, play a game of tennis, go for a run, or even take a walk around the neighborhood, you’ll be doing your body—and mind—a huge favor.

Here’s all the good a little exercise can do for you:

  • Pumps up those feel-good endorphins
  • Pumps up those feel-good endorphins
  • Boosts your mood
  • Makes you feel more confident and in control of your life
  • Improves your sleep
  • Enhances your sex life (!)
  • Helps you relax
  • Improves your overall health
  • Keeps your immune system in tip-top shape
  • Helps you focus on something other than your problems

Better still, if you can find a way to make exercise a habit, the next time life slaps you in the face, you’ll be able to shake off the stress that much easier. What ever you do, when the going gets tough, don’t turn to cookie dough to make yourself feel better. When that button from your too-tight jeans goes flying across the room, and you’ve busted out of your pants on a date, you’ll feel even more stressed out. Not that this has ever happened to me, or anything…

P.s. If you want to learn more about GP, here you go…
“Meet GP”
“GP has an Admirer!”
“If Jerry has time to workout…”


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“Fitness Bread?”

Yummy brick of bread

Yummy brick of bread

Yep, there’s some stuff called Fitness Bread. A German company named Mestemacher makes it. I’ve been eating fitness bread for years but only recently thought to share it with you. Guess that makes me selfish. Sorry.

Basically, Fitness Bread is a pre-sliced, vacuum packaged, super dense brick of bread made from all natural/whole grains and packs a slew of healthy (and filling) ingredients including rye, oat kernels and wheat germ.  Wheat germ, for those of you that aren’t familiar, is very high in protein and contains more potassium and iron than any other food source.  Great for maintaining energy levels, Fitness Bread is also a source for vitamins A, B1 and B3.  All very good stuff.

The dirt: While Fitness Bread, is yummy it’s not the kind of bread you can make a sandwich with (in my experience). Since it’s made entirely of whole grains it’s very crumbly and strangely chewy. The best way to enjoy this bread is; toasted, slathered with nut butter, jam, honey, apple and/or banana slices is my recco. It’s also  good spread with a soft/mild cheese and pear slices.

Each slice of Mestemacher Fitness Bread contains: 120-calories/1g fat/24g carb/6g fiber/1g sugar/4g protein.

If you haven’t already done so, check this bread out. Let me know what you think.

P.s. You can buy this product by the case on amazon.com, which I find amusing but unnecessary as it’s sold in most grocery stores here in CA. You can also buy the same bread under different names. Trader Joes even has a similar version.


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We Ran for the Seals!

During my second workout with Paige I asked her to run down the beach about 200 yards, turn around and come back. Immediately she moaned but forced herself to trundle off behind her workout partner Cindy. When Page arrived back, I asked her if she was okay, she said, “ I just really hate running.”

A couple of weeks later I heard Paige say, “I think I might like to try a 5k some day” I don’t think she realized what she had said until she heard me say,  “Great! Lets find one and start training.”

To Paige’s great distress, I found a “fun run” for her, and I invited my other clients to join in. The event could not have been more perfect. It was a 4-mile relatively (although the organizer description said it was “hilly”) flat fundraiser for the Marine Mammal Center, in Sausalito CA.  It’s called Run for the Seals.

For about two months everyone trained, adding a little distance at a time, working on their form, rhythm, breathing and the general psychology of how to get through an endurance event.

Our Run for the Seals event was this past Saturday. I am very proud to announce that Paige, Mike, Lindsay, Bessie, Rich, Cindy, Diana and Kazumi all finished strong and had a great experience. Bessie and Lindsay were there to stretch their legs for longer events scheduled in the spring. For the rest of the crew, this was their first event and longest run ever. For Mike, the best part was realizing that his asthma doesn’t have to slow him down.

As for Paige, while ascending the final “climb” she looked up and saw the hill choking down on her, panicked, and said “can I walk, just for a second?” I asked, “why?” “Because we’re on a hill.” “No, not a good reason, look straight ahead and keep running.” With about 100 yards to go I asked Paige if she had anything left, could she sprint over the line? Her reply was simply, “yea.” And so, as we approached the line we gradually sped up putting the hammer down completely over the last few yards.  Paige sprinted over the finish line looking strong to the delight of her cheering family.

In the end, I could not be more proud of each and every one you who represented Motion Starved on this day. For some, this was just the beginning. For others it was practice for bigger events. For each of us it was a celebration of our personal strength, our fitness, our friendships and the wonderful place we live.

XOXO, Kelley


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What in tarnation is a Fitness Court?

Fitness Court in action!

Fitness Court in action!

Well, if you Google “fitness court” you’ll see that a fitness court is simply a place set aside specifically to work your body out. Could even be a basketball court by another name. In this case I’m referring to the Nation Fitness Campaigns’ Fitness Courts.

I bring this up because a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a nice fellow named Alex with the NFC (National Fitness Campaign). Alex emailed to let me know about the new Fitness Court his organization is putting in on the Marina Green and invited me to Treasure Island for a sneak peek.  A chance to have my way with the court before it launches. After reading about the NFC and seeing photos of the court I figured I’d be a fool not to check it out.

So, on Saturday right after our Stair Climbing Workout, I gassed up the car and headed for Treasure Island…

When I walked into the massive airplane hangar that temporarily houses the Fitness Court I had flash backs of walking into a school dance without a date.  Panic set in as I shyly strolled in and realized I didn’t know any of the 30 beautiful people rhythmically jumping, lunging and bounding around the court. There was a cameraman and orchestrated workout session with music going on. It looked to me like serious business and that everyone knew exactly what they were doing. As I stood on the sidelines in awe, a tall, fit Alex magically appeared and began to explain the court. As I stood there wondering if I had the nerve to jump up and have a pass around, another really nice, fit looking fellow asked me if I’d like to have a go. Again, I flashed back to school dances, it was kinda like being asked to dance by a stranger. Finally I managed to gather the words “yeeea, okay, thanks” and off I went for my romp around the Fitness Court with my partner giving me detailed FC 101.

Here’s what I learned; The Fitness Court is a free outdoor body weight training system designed with adults of all fitness levels in mind. The court features seven exercise stations: Core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend. These 7 stations are meant to build strength, balance and flexibility. The idea is that you go through the entire court a number of times, with one minute at each station recommended. After a full circuit, rest for 3 minutes and then around again and again if you like.

On this day I managed just 2 circuits but only because they were starting to do a serious photo shoot and I figured I’d stay out of that business.  I do wish I’d had longer to play around on my own. I was so busy trying to do the right thing at the right time, and follow the circuit that I didn’t have time to think about all the different exercises one can actually perform at each station.

So… with that, I highly recommend that each and every one of you make the effort to go check out the Fitness Court once it’s planted on The Marina Green. I’m not certain how long it will be there but I do know that this is a trial and if it’s a hit it may get to say and we may get to see more of them pop up in other parts of the city and the country for the matter.  If you are worried about knowing what to do once you get to the FC, don’t be. There are directions and there will be trainers there to help you during peak hours. Or, you can go with me. If you’re a current client, be sure we’ll be visiting the court as soon as it sprouts at the end of this month.

Lastly, I’d like to say THANK YOU to: Alex for finding me and inviting me to check out the FC! To my workout partner whose name has escaped me (I’m really sorry about that because you were very nice to take me around. I’m just super bad with names!) To Chelsea for chatting me up, and to the National Fitness Campaign for doing what they do and for bringing this super cool contraption to my hood. I hope to see you all again soon…

P.s. The National Fitness Campaign is an organization works to build fit communities by providing public outdoor fitness courts in schools and parks across the country.


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Do not look up!

Do not look up!

With our Run for the Seals 4 mile foot race just around the corner, my clients are starting to get a little worried about the “hills” along the course. See, the course description states that the route is “hilly in parts.” Those three small words have evoked large-scale panic in my brave, newbie runners.

Here’s what I have to say about the psychology of hills and words:

  • First – Remember that “hilly” to one person is rolling or flattish to another. Everything is relative. Don’t let someone else’s words get your feathers in a fluff. Remember my “Do not crawl on the stairs” melt down?
  • Second – When the elevation starts to go up, shut everything out of your head, listen to your calm slow breath like it’s music and “focus” on that. If you start gasping then slow the hell down and get your focus and breath back.
  • Third – Do not look up. Look straight ahead just up the road, but do not look up the hill! If you look up and see how far you have to go you’ll freak yourself out, panic and lose your focus. The climb is almost always easier than you think it will be.
  • Forth – Break the task down into small, easy to digest chunks. Think to yourself “let me just get to the first switch-back,” once there, get yourself to the big tree or some other small goal and keep it going, all the way to the top.
  • Lastly – Never anticipate the top. Trust that it’s there and keep going until you find it. Remember, once you’re over the top you get to go down!

And there you have it. Kelley’s hard earned words of climbing mind games and wisdom. Use it wisely…


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Be extra nice day

I love you!

Yippee! Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! Why am I so excited? Well… in my mind Valentine’s Day is an excuse to be nice to someone you like. You don’t have to profess your undying love; you can simply be nice and show some warm-hearted affection. It’s also an excuse to be kind to yourself.

Last year this time I wrote about Valentine’s Day expectations and who Saint Valentine actually was. What I learned was that Saint Valentine was a priest turned saint who did kind things for single soldiers, that is until he pissed off Emperor Claudius II. What happened next, you can read for yourself.

So… again this year, I remind you to use this day to be extra good to yourself and to those who capture your attention. I suggest, luring your sweetie to a heart healthy pillow fight and/or, a long walk up and over some hills to visit your favorite ice cream shop. No sweetheart? Don’t need one, take yourself or a pal. If chocolate’s more your style than how about chocolate dipped strawberries? They’re a tad better for you than a truffle or hunk of Sees. Just sayin’…

Now giddy up and go engineer yourself a hot and healthy Valentine’s Day!

Kisses…


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One step, event, mile or seal at a time!

Sula the seal

Some of us run ultra marathons, some of us ride our bikes for miles and miles, and some of us wonder what people who do those things are thinking. Those of us who push ourselves are not nuts, and we’re not “special,” we just don’t mind making the extra effort so we end up going big. The thing to remember is, we all started with one small step and took off from there.

The people I work with are usually just getting back into working out or have never really been all that into it. They tend to be in various stages of motion starvation, until I get my hands on them anyway. After about a month of working with me, like clock work, every single person has verbalized that they might like to attempt an endurance event. Usually seconds after they make such a statement I notice then cowering as I start listing off events and training ideas to get them started. I guess “training” sounds like a large, painful task at first. Fortunately we trainers and endurance veterans know victory is just within your reach and we salivate at the idea of helping you realize that.

On that note, I’ll say to you as I’ve said to all my clients. If you want to play around with endurance events, then let’s get started. Start small and go from there. Even if you’ve run dozens of marathons in the past but currently need a push to get rolling again, start with one small step. Begin with one small event or one small goal that will lead you to where you want to be.

Here’s what the Motion Starved crew is doing to get started: We’re Running for the Seals. Run for the Seals is a relatively easy 4-mile foot race on mostly paved road. This will be the very first event for 6 of the 10 of us attending. Two of my clients have run half marathons but are using this event to train and motivate to go bigger. The 6 who have never attempted an event before are currently sweating bullets, but in the end, this small step will have taken them miles toward a lifetime of fitness and self-confidence.  They’re starting small but the reward will be huge!

Join us! Run with the Seals is a great cause benefiting The Marine Mammal Center in the gorgeous The Marin Headlands. 100 percent of the money raised goes to the critters. How can you say no to that?


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Stupor Bowl Monday

Super Snackage

Did you watch the Super Bowl? I didn’t, I totally appreciate it but it’s just not my thing. I even got invited to a big party where they trucked in a special cast iron kettle the size of a washing machine to brew up a special Super Stew. Two weeks prior to the event the “chef” emailed a spreadsheet to his friends asking us to sign up for shifts to help chop veggies and stir the Super Stew. I couldn’t open the document but I think the concoction needed to be stirred constantly for something like 24 hours. It’s pretty nuts but after all, the Super Bowl requires super special snackage. Fortunately for me in this case, the kind hostess granted me a pardon recognizing I’d be happier using my time in a different fashion. Thanks Pen!

With the Super Bowl comes bowls of grub. The latest treat is something called Tater-Tot Nachos. Kinda sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen. Or, at the very least, an impending need to dig out the “fat jeans” and spend more time than usual on the potty… As much as I like the occasional greasy treat, more than a couple of Tater-Tot sponges would be a bad idea. But seriously, who’s thinking straight in the throes of the “big game” surrounded by hordes of friends, 7 Layer Dip, Buffalo Wings, beer, little hot dogs wrapped in pastry, beer, spinach dip, beer, pizza, and more beer. Even the toughest among us can only keep our hands in our pockets for so long. Eventually we all give in. It’s human nature (for most of us).

Oh well, now what? Rather than giving into Super  Stupor Monday, get right back on the wagon!

Kelley’s Super Stupor Recovery Recipe:

  • #1 Water yourself up like a Pony Express steed. Drink as much as you can manage the second you retain your senses. (Sure you can drink too much water but that’s not likely to happen).
  • #2 First thing in the AM, heave your carcass out of bed and go for a walk, run, ride, anything you can manage for AT LEAST 20 minutes. If you didn’t get out first thing in the morning, then get to it right after work.
  • #3 Eat as clean as you can. If you can manage it, eat nothing that has a label on it. At the very least try for 85% of your foods being whole (nothing processed or labeled). Got it?
  • #4 Wake up and do it again tomorrow. It just gets easier and you feel better and better from here… I swear!

P.s. If you liked this post you should read, “It’s a Gut Bomb!” I wrote it this time last year. Kinda amusing and helpful if you ate stuff that might cause you to “explode.”

P.s.s. When I was researching Tater-Tots I learned that there’s a guy in St. Paul that’s starting a food truck business that serves only Tater-tot stuff. He’s got things like, Nachos and Bacon rapped tots. Yikes! Good thing I don’t live in St. Paul cuz I might have to try the bacon rapped ones. Just once!


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Don’t groundhog yourself!

Punxsutawney Phil

Groundhog day is celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it’s cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day then spring will come early. If it’s sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will continue for six more weeks.

Is it me or does that make absolutely no sense? Read it again and think about it. I got the paragraph from Wikipedia. They know their shit, but it’s the logic that has me confused.

From what I can tell there are a few groundhogs around the country that have been coaxed into predicting the weather. There’s Jimmy the groundhog, Wartian Willy the groundhog, Staten Island Chuck and the most famous, Punxsutawney Phil. PP lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and does his work there. Being a person that hates the idea of caged animals I don’t much care for this practice especially after seeing photos of these critters. While they all look well-groomed and “healthy” they’re all extremely chubby and perhaps (although I’m not an animal fat specialist) very over weight. I fear they all could use a bit of exercise and some diversity in their daily routines.

That brings me to the Movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Remember that? Bill plays a TV reporter who finds himself repeating the exact same day over and over again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to re-examine his life and priorities and eventually realizes he’d be wise to take advantage of the situation and break out of his patterns. Once he makes some changes to the cycle, his life improves and all is well. Storybook ending so to speak.

Unfortunately Punxsutawney Phil probably doesn’t have the option to change his ways to better his life and health but you and I do. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; change it up, mix it up, challenge yourself, excite yourself and you’ll become a more rounded athlete, happier, flexible, interesting person. Doing the same thing over and over again makes you good at one thing and teaches your body and mind to move only in that one direction, and eventually it will fight back.

Lets start with this: today brush your teeth, your hair and open doors with the opposite hand you normally do.  Just try it!

Happy Groundhog Day!


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Morning people

Morning stretch

Most mornings I wake up at 5:30 am and trudge around making coffee and getting ready to go out into the freezing cold where I command people to do things they usually don’t want to do. That’s my job these days. I’m a trainer. I love this job although I’m not used to thinking of myself in this manner just yet. Regardless, it was early on the morning of Friday, January 27th 2012 that I realized just how special it is to be up and out, starting your day while most of The City is still snug in their beds.

I think we all know that it’s difficult to cultivate and maintain the self-control and motivation necessary to regularly hoist ourselves out of a warm cocoon and heave our bodies into a state of ferocious discomfort, in the name of physical fitness. I will say this though; it’s well worth the effort. There is truly something special about watching the fog pull back from the shore or watching the sunrise, realizing that the clouds are sometimes orange, pink or purple early in the day.  Sometimes you hear owls and see wild critters, on a very special day you might see a bunny or three darting across your path. These are things you can’t begin comprehend until you experience them yourself.

So, the next time you’re laying in your warm bed trying to force your leg over the edge and toss the covers off, remember, feelings of discomfort are fleeting, only lasting for a moment. And, the first step onto the cold floor is the hardest; the day gets brighter and warmer from there.

Hope to see you out there…