Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Category Archives: Fitness


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Random bits

Happy Friday!  I know some of you are pretty happy the week is over. I hope the weekend serves you well and you find yourself rested and recovered in time for Monday (or, is that a stupid thing to say?).

Today I’m sharing some tips from my friends.

  • Drink your water – Marathon Louie thought he was “all that” by doing a nice tempo training run and then attempting what he assumed would be an easy spin class. Unfortunately with all the training ML lost track of his hydration level. With that, the double workout proved too much for the lean, fit gent. Post “spin” Louis spun himself right onto the floor and awoke to find himself sprawled out and surrounded by some very nice EMT’s. His advise. Drink up!
  • Wash your stuff – Skinny Scott wanted me to remind everyone to wash their fruits and veggies. Even the ones that you plan to peel. It’s not just about obvious dirt, it’s about all the nasty stuff that gets on there from all the different folks handling it.  Mr. Skinny found himself with a case of “The HoneyMustards” after eating a mango that he peeled but must have picked up some fungi from the cutting board. Best way to wash your stuff is to run lots of water over it. Just to be safe, Skinny suggests washing the pre-washed lettuces that comes in a bag. Need I say more?
  • Sleepy? – Nancy The Guit wondered why she was tired all the time.  She was sleeping well at night, eating right, getting plenty of vitamins and her hormones were in check but she still felt sleepy all day.  What’s up with that, she thought so she asked her Doc and found that she was taking twice the recommend dosage of melatonin.  She’s now cut back and behold, she’s not tired anymore. Watch your dosage, take the recommended 3 mg at most and when you wake in the morning turn on a bright light to trigger your body to stop making it’s own melatonin. More is not better!
  • GP-2011 says “lube your business” – Body Glide is for beginners, too. There’s nothing like getting ass-burn, or chafed cheeks from a vigorous workout. Anywhere you sweat and have a little friction is prime real estate for chafing—arm pits, thighs, butt cheeks. GP recommends body glide, Vaseline, A&D ointment—she’s even used her kids’ diaper creams—use whatever you’ve got, but the body glide is greaseless, easy to roll on, and doesn’t smell like baby powder. Better lube your business, or you might feel the burn—and not just in your muscles.

Learn from their mistakes, I’ll see you on Monday. Next week I’ll come clean and let you have a look at my abs.  We’ll see if all those crunches from my ab challenge did me any good. Stay tuned…


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If they worked for Granny…

Recipe for recovery

Remember your Granny’s support hose? Ever get a look at a pair of those uncomfortable contortions? They looked like a full-length girdle, sort of. The good news is they’re back in fashion, although now they’re called Compression Socks.

Anyway — Compression Socks or sometimes-called Recovery Sox are currently all the rage. Essentially they’re a knee-high version of Granny’s support hose. Their soul-purpose is to create an upward flow of blood through the lower legs helping to get unoxygenated blood out and replace it with fresh oxygenated blood. A desired effect for anyone who wishes to increase circulation in the legs. I.E. athletes, diabetics, folks that work on their feet or sit for long periods of time.

Fresh oxygenated blood is what athletic recovery is all about, which is why athletes are willing to drop $30 plus dollars for these magic socks.  I have a pair thanks to my friend Mo.  At first I thought “gee, thanks Mo…what do I do with these? They’re ugly.” Now I am addicted to them. I can’t say for certain if they help my legs recover but I know they don’t hinder recovery and the squeezy feeling is oddly nice.  Kind of a tingly massageie feeling. I even sleep in ‘em sometimes.

Get your Google on if you want more info, or take a risk and pick some up.  They’re socks. Everyone needs socks and these are magic socks!


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Stairway to your gluteus

 

Running stairs is fun. I know you think I’m crazy but I like running the stairs.  Not as much as I like drinking wine and eating pizza but in terms of exercise, running the stairs has its merits.

For starters, stair climbing is extremely time efficient as it can burn about 300 calories in 30 minutes (depending on your pace and body weight). Plus, stairs work your butt, quads and hamstrings as well as give you a good dose of both cardio and strength building. It’s a double whammy.

Things to do on the stairs

  • First – get your legs good and warmed up
  • Mix it up – Jog up, run up or hop up
  • Lunge – don’t hit every step – skip a step – take every other step
  • Cross over – hit every step but cross your right leg over your left, and then your left over your right as you move up each step.
  • Side step – walk up the steps sideways skipping a step between steps.
  • Walk back down – it’s safer

Form

  • Stand tall and bend from the hip joint. Never hunch over or swing your arms way out in front of you.  When swinging your arms think “cheek to cheek,” your fingertips should graze your hind cheek and then the cheek on your face. I learned that from my old chum Coach B. It’s very helpful!
  • When placing your foot down on the step make sure to get your entire foot on the step to avoid injury.
  • Push off from the bottom step. Think “push, push.” That too is helpful if you imagine your foot pushing your body off each step.

In case you’re wondering

  • Twenty flights of stairs is equal to about a mile, 16-20 stairs make up a flight.
  • It’s not too late to sign up the Lung Associations Climb for Air. The event is March 26th. It’s only 52 flights. That’s less than 4 times up The Filbert Steps and just a few more steps than 4 times up Lyon Street.

I hope you enjoyed my little video. That’s Diana, she calls herself The Whiner. I know it’s a little dark but we workout outside in the evenings. It was my first, I’ll get better…


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“Why do we do this?”

I’ve been looking through my old race reports trying to find the answer to that question. I remember driving home from many bike races with Penny asking over and over again, “why do we do this?”  The only answer I can remember coming up with was “because we can.” The fact that we could do something that most people didn’t have the nerve to attempt made us who we are. If we gave in and acted “normal” we wouldn’t be the people we are, and in spite of the never-ending torture we had fun, made life long friendships and learned more than anyone can imagine.

This is why I am confused. I don’t understand why so many of you are having a hard time making the commitment to succeed physically. Every day someone says, “I’d really like to loose some/run a/ride a ­­­_____ someday.” Someday? When is Someday?

Let me ask you, every day you have things that you need to get done, correct? You do your best every day to clear your to-do list, you go to work, feed the kids, see friends, laundry… Those things are your priorities, your daily commitments or “goals.” Some of those things are fun and some you do because you have to. Either way you succeed because you’re committed.

Why is it not the same when it comes to achieving a fitness goal? Are you afraid of making a fool of yourself and failing? Are you afraid it will hurt? Maybe you fear that it will infringe on your social schedule or time with your family?

Seriously, when was the last time you heard of someone making a fool out of him or her self while attempting to better themselves? Yep, if you decide to cut calories or train for an event it may cut into your cocktail hour, but it’ll open new doors that will more than make up for the ones it hinders. The pain, yep, pushing your body does hurt a little but it’s not that bad and it really does make you stronger, healthier and hotter!

Maybe you should think of your goal is just another thing on your daily to-do list.

Example; say you sign up for the Fight for Air Climb. With that you know that you need to build your endurance so that you can complete the event, and climb 52 flights of stairs. So, on your to-do list goes the daily tasks that you need to accomplish in order to get yourself to event day. It’s the same mindset you use for making dinner. On your to-do list is the question of menu, shopping list, grocery shopping, cooking and finally achieving your goal of eating dinner. See, it’s easy!

Don’t over think it. Decide what you’d like to do. Figure out the steps to get there. Take the necessary steps and don’t stop till you get there. All you gotta do is commit, focus, succeed and celebrate!


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‘sup for the weekend?

They say it’s gonna snow here in San Francisco right down to sea level, sometime between today and tomorrow. It better. With all the talk folks’ll be pretty sad if there isn’t any snowballing available.  I certainly will be, and I’m no fun when I’m in a mood (I have references).

Here’s the plan.  Snow or no snow we’re all going to get ourselves outside for some fresh, crisp air.  As you know air is a good thing and crisp air, makes your body work extra hard to keep warm therefore burning more calories while it gives your body a nice healthy jolt.

In fact, there are “diets” called The Ice Diet and The Thermal Diet. The Ice Diet suggests that if you eat a bunch of ice and drink lots of really cold water that will shock your body into burning extra calories and at the same time will curb your appetite.  My personal favorite is The Thermal Diet. The Thermal Diet asks you to sit in the tub of cold water with 2, 10 lb bags of ice, 3 times a week for 30 minutes a stretch. The premise with both diets is that the cold temperature will force your body to work harder to warm itself, thus boosting your metabolism.

Personally I’ve done this. I have lowered myself into a tub of ice water, and in case you have any doubt, let me assure you that it is bloody horrific! We used to do this after a bike race to flush the lactic acid from your legs so we could go back the next day and trash ourselves again.  It worked so I put up with it, but I would only fill the tub with enough water to cover my legs and I would cover the rest of my body with multiple wool sweaters, a hat and a scarf. That system would surly hinder the extra calorie burning process, but then again that’s not why I did it. I was doing it because it was the best way I knew to cleanse the toxins from my over worked legs, quickly.  As for weight loss, maybe it does work. It makes sense but let me tell you with complete certainty that it’s far more pleasant to go for a walk, run or bike ride to burn those calories. And, don’t forget the heart healthy and emotional benefits you get from good old fashion physical exercise. Seriously, skip the ice and get moving!

Here’s a thought – The Get Yourself Outside In The Cold & Exercise Diet. Definition – stop whining about the cold and get your ass outside for some exercise. Pure and simple.

See you Monday… (don’t disappoint me!)


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If your brain wants to do it, your body will follow

Ridin' in Iowa

I had just picked my Dad up from the Oakland airport.  It was the day before Thanksgiving 2008 and we were en route to Redding some 3 hours away.  As my Dad squirmed uncomfortably in the passenger seat of my Mini Cooper he said to me, “I’d like to ride my bike across Iowa. I heard about this organized ride that goes from the west side of the state to the east. It’s only 500 miles. I think it would be a nice thing to do. What better way to see Iowa, and it’s flat all the way. How hard can it be?” I said… great idea Dad, if you start training now you should be ready to do the ride by next year. Dad said… “Next year, I want to do it this July.” I’m not sure if I actually laughed out loud but I know I did in my head.  I thought, he had completely lost his mind. My Dad, in his early 70’s is very fit and very tough, but not a cyclist. He owns a bike but it’s a cute little 40 lb bike built for riding to do errands around town. Certainly not meant to ride across an entire state. All I could say was… Dad, I really think you’ll need more time to train for this event. 500 miles with 7 days of riding and camping along the way is a long week.  It’s not as easy as you think and by the way, Iowa is not entirely flat! Not by any stretch of the imagination!

In spite of almost zero training, in July 2009 we did the ride across Iowa, Ragbrai as it’s called. My Dad, Paula and Me. I went to keep an eye on them, as I was the only one with a clue as to what we were getting into. After the first day, both D & P were praying that the following days would be easier. They were not, there were lots more hills and rain and wind but they took it one day at a time and were thankful to see the end of each day.

In the end they both pulled it out. Failure was simply not an option for those two. They had a goal and they made it happen. It was amazing and I was incredibly proud to see them finish every day leading them closer to the end of the ride and to the reaching their massive goal.

My point – You can do anything you set your mind to. That was made clear to me in Iowa that July. We’ve all heard impressive stories of things people have done. Why not see what you can do?


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Party’s over, time to make a commitment

It’s time to stop messing around. Time to start making some serious goals and plans re: our fitness. That means me too. I’ve been going easy on everyone because it was the beginning of the year and we were recovering from the holidays. Now that it’s mid February it’s time to get serious. This week is going to be about goals and inspiration so start thinking about what you want to achieve this year. If I have my way, by the end of the week we’ll all be in a committed relationship with an exciting new personal betterment routine.  You with me?

Don’t panic – Remember, my approach is not to jump into an exercise or nutrition routine that’s so adventurous that you’re likely to wiggle your way out, or fail. I like to start easy and build up once things get rolling.  “Go slow so you can go fast” is something a cycling coach said to me years ago. It means that you can’t go hard all the time if you want to be fast/strong and keep performing/healthy. Remember that.

First – Decide what you most want for yourself? Lose some weight? Run in an organized event? Ride your bike a 100-miles, how about 500 miles? Climb 52 flights of stairs for charity (more on that later). Maybe you just want to stop feeling so bloody stiff and would like to start with being a little more physically active.

Second – You will need a relatively structured training/nutrition plan to work from.  Obviously there are lots of classes, clinics, online tools and trainers out there that can help you (like me.). You will need some support.

Lastly – No more excuses, make the effort. Rain or shine, every day. If you fall off your plan, don’t panic just get back on tomorrow. If you decide you don’t like what you’re doing, get sick or hurt, than reassess the situation and make revisions but don’t give up on your goal. Think about/read about all the people who have come before you and done amazing things with their bodies and their lives. I’m talking about “real people” not just the Lance Armstrongs of the world.

Tomorrow – I’ll share a story of two amazing “real people” who I personally witnessed achieve a goal that I never thought they would reach (sorry D & P but it’s true).  It was inspiring and life changing for me to witness.  For them – they’re just glad they did it. Stay tuned…

By the way, Happy Valentines Day. Don’t forget to do something nice for someone. Remember my Unbitter post.

Kisses…


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Workin’ off my muffin

Workin' it!

Get a Hula Hoop.  Use it to have some fun and get a little exercise. There are classes and videos and all sorts of suggested uses for a Hula Hoop. Even Marisa Tomei has gotten in on the action with her own video and hoopBody Kit.

I’ve just ordered a weighted hoop (2 lbs); they say they’re easier to operate and I would guess allow for a better workout.  Either way, I intend to use mine as a vehicle for laughter and to work my core. Remember, my Ab Challenge? Maybe even one day I’ll try a Hooping class but for now it’ll be a fun way to break up my core workout.  A few crunches here, a few turns of the hoop there. Get where I’m comin’ from?

For inspiration have a look at this video. It’s called April Curvy Hooping. While you might think this sister could use a little more core work she’s clearly fitter than she looks and I think one hot Hooper! Seriously…take a second to click on the link.

(And yes, the Hula Hoop will be making an appearance at one of my Fitness Walk workouts one day soon…)

Make me proud! See you back here on Monday…


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She sucked the juice out of a Wet Nap!

It was a few years ago while vacationing on Kauai, Gina (aka, Billy Goat) talked Jacks and I into going for a “quick stroll” before breakfast. “There’s this really amazing waterfall just up the trail. The book says it’s a 20-minute hike, round trip. Then we can go for breakfast…” Trusting Miss Gina, Jacks and I reluctantly agreed to hold off on our AM feeding frenzy and go on the hike.

Long story short –  Four hours later, Jacks Gina and I were remarkably rescued by a short, barefoot man swinging a machete. The man was cutting his way through the lush Napali vegetation to get us back on the proper trail, he said nothing more than, “you are lost come with me.” You can imagine the thoughts going through our heads, they make TV shows about things like this. Ever seen Gone Without a Trace?  I could hear my mother’s voice reminding me not to go off with strangers (let alone ones that pack a machete). Unfortunately our choices were few. We could perish by bring hacked to bits by a Menehune, or die of dehydration.  You see none of us were smart enough to take a drop of water or crumb of food with us on our “quick stroll.” Not only were we frightened, we were severely dehydrated at this point.

Once Machete Man got us back on the trail we still had about half an hour to hike back to the car/breakfast/lunch. We were cranky and seriously dragging.  At one point I looked back to check that Jacks was still following and what I saw was my best friend sucking the juice out of a lemon scented Wet Nap.  I yelled at her to share but she refused, shouting back “this is mine…you should have brought your own…” Can you imagine? I was near death!

That said, we all know that we need to drink lots of water every day so I’m not gonna push. Think of this as a friendly reminder.

The general rule of thumb has been to drink eight, 8 ounce glasses of water daily. Especially if you’re trying to lose weight. If you’re active in sports, live in a hot climate, at high altitude or are dehydrated for one reason or another (excessive coffee or alcohol) you should drink even more.

The latest conventional wisdom holds that you should drink daily half your body weight in ounces of water. That means, if you weight 120 pounds, you should drink 60 ounces of water every day, or seven and a half cups. If you weight 180 pounds, you should drink 90 ounces of water daily, or eleven cups and another few sips for good measure.

Makes sense. The heavier you are the more water you need to hydrate and flush out those nasty waste products.

Drink up, I’m told Wet Naps don’t taste too good, even the lemon ones…


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GP has an admirer!

GP workin' up a sweat

The Guinea Pig 2011 Report ­­– Saturday, February 5th 2011. GP goes to the gym to spin on the stationary bike for a while. GP chooses a bike right next to the fan, as the weather in Oakland is unseasonably warm today.  The fan and the bike happen to be right next to the street level picture window.

As GP gets rolling she notices a man pressing his face against the window, swirling his tong and licking the glass. In extreme horror GP does her best to ignore the man and continue her workout. Eventually the man went away and GP was able to relax and sweat in private.  While the man was clearly “off “ mentally, GP could do nothing more than take his gesture as a complement.  It seems that as of Saturday, GP has managed to “shift 5 pounds of body weight.” All this without having to change her life much at all. Since the beginning of January this year, GP has regularly cut back on her wine consumption, is working out for an hour, 4 days a week and is making better food choices. GP is still indulging in the occasional brownie or chocolate chip cookie and is still having her vino a few times a week. GP confesses that some weeks she does better than others but is consistently making small, comfortable changes to her lifestyle.

In the end, GP was surprised to see that she was able to lose weight and feel better without having to make huge sacrifices. GP is even making an effort to take part in my Ab Challenge. She’s chosen to do 100 core specific reps, two days per week. That’s what she feels comfortable sustaining. Now that GP and the window licking stranger are noticing some changes in her physic, GP in encouraged to take things up a notch.

Stay tuned…

p.s. I’m really proud of you GP! Take no prisoners!