Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.


by 1 Comment

The anklebone is connected to the knee bone

They say that if you stand up straight you’ll look 10 lbs thinner. I’d have to agree. While you’re working on your New Years diet and exercise regiment take an easy 10 lbs off with these common sense tips to adjust your posture.

  • Your feet are designed to point straightforward, directly beneath your knees. Feet and kneecaps should be pointed forward, not splayed out to the side. The body was designed to move at right angles. Remember that.
  • Hips should be level. One side should not be higher than the other or jutted forward. Hips should sit directly under the shoulders and over the knees when standing. Put your hands on your hips and look in the mirror. Think about those right angles and make adjustments as needed.
  • While you’re looking in the mirror look at your shoulders. They should be level and parallel to your hips, not hunched forward over your knees. If one hip rides up than that shoulder may ride up as well. Not good.
  • Your head should be erect and chin level. Nose should not be pointed up or down.
  • Same thing when you’re sitting. Feet straightforward, under knees. Hips square, shoulders over hips, head erect…

Remember, your body is one unit designed to move at right angles. If one part is out of balance it affects the whole party.

For fun, do a little self check based on the above tips and see what you think. If you choose to make an effort to revise your posture, know that initially it’ll be hard to get your body to remember the right angle rule automatically. It’ll take some thought and attention on your part but with practice eventually your new and better posture will become the norm. Give it a try. You’ll look and feel better for it.

By the way, most of what I’ve shared here was taken from The Egoscue Method. It’s a very common sense approach to movement and physical health. Check it out! (Thanks Coach B for turning me onto it.)

 

 


by Leave a comment

The first Monday

In case you’re wondering why I’m here, I’m attempting to provide an environment in which folks may be entertained, educated and inspired (yes, at some point I intend to get rich off this). My approach is simple and to the point. My topics are well researched, however I will not be listing a bunch of long-winded study information. It’s my hope that I will inspire my readers to look further into the issues that interest them on their own. So, you might say that I will be “teasing” you with information and ideas hoping that you will be sparked to into bettering your lives.

With that, today I offer a few bits of information that perhaps are new to you.

  • Light soy sauce contains 600 milligrams of sodium?  That’s insane! A healthy adult should consume no more than 2,300 mg in one day. Tip from my friend Skinny Scott, put your soy sauce in a spray bottle and spray it on your food.  That way the flavor stays on the surface and doesn’t get absorbed into your food like a sponge (and you don’t puff up like a blow fish and die of heart disease).
  • Cherries. Who doesn’t love cherries? Cherries have been shown to reduce inflammation and may help with arthritis pain. Drink a glass of unsweetened cherry juice or eat a few fresh or dried cherries everyday.  Unsweetened juices can be a bit tart, so if it’s too much for you I suggest cutting it with water. Try, ¾’s water, ¼ juice.  Same goes for Cranberry juice, which helps the body to eliminate excess fluid.

Don’t forget to move today.  If you’re stuck at your desk, make an effort to get up every hour and walk around. Circle your ankles and wrists 10 times each way, do 3 side bends each direction and gently stretch your neck, front, back and side-to-side. Do this every hour if you can.  Remember, every time you move you’re burning calories and helping your body function.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more and soon illustrations and photo’s to help illustrate all sorts of things. Also, feel free to comment on my posts.  Your comments won’t show up on the blog unless I approve them so say what you like.

Enjoy your first Monday of the year.


by Leave a comment

It’s the Sunday before the big Monday

If you’re like most of us you’ll be starting your New Years diet & exercise program tomorrow. The said beginning of the New You. It happens at the beginning of every year and lots of Mondays throughout each year. We chow down on Sunday and start big on Monday. I’ve been there. I’ve tried every diet, exercise and over the counter aid known to man. I’ve lost thousands of pounds since my first diet at age 10 and gained most of those pounds back. In all my years, I’ve gone from looking great, to looking like a massive farm animal and back to looking great again, over and over. Same thing happens to most of us (even those folks on The Biggest Looser). What’s become clear to me is that you must find a solution to your fitness needs that you can live with every day, forever. It needs to be fun, reasonable and adaptable.

Here’s what I suggest. Start with a washing out of your insides. Use the terms detox or cleanse if you prefer. Sure, there are lots of things you can do and kits you can buy to help eliminate the havoc wreaked upon your body during the holidays. Some of those products even promise to cleanse your system of things that have been stuck in there for years. Remember those crayons you ate as a kid? They may still be in there. I’ve tried some of these products, they’re fun but they’re a bit of a commitment.

Why not start with these simple detox ideas…

First – drink water, drink lots of water. Water helps ease your digestion and clear your system of all the fat, alcohol and sponge like carbs you’ve been sucking down. For better taste, place lemon, cucumber, orange or grapefruit slices in a pitcher of water and keep it chilled. Also pour yourself some freshly squeezed grapefruit juice instead of that martini. Grapefruit juice is said to help detoxify your liver. Whatever…just drink up!

Second – Fiber, eat lots of it. Every meal. Same as with the water, fiber helps smooth the flow of digestion and scrub out all that stuff you don’t want in there anymore. Get my meaning…? It makes you feel fuller too which helps with that post holiday diet you’re working on. Great sources of fiber are: beans, lentils, Okra, pears, whole-wheat products. Remember you need 30 grams a day.

Third – Get your sweat on! Go outside, go to the gym, clean your house. Do whatever it takes but make it something you actually like. I’m going on a guided hike (in the rain) along the coast in search of shipwreck remains today. Sounds fun right? Here’s your plan…Warm up for 5-10 minutes, then start doing some serious moving. Make sure you’re sweating. Sweat for at least 20 minutes, cool down 5-10 minutes with some stretching and drink some of that yummy water.

Forth – Repeat daily. Try it for a week and see how you feel. Can’t hurt. Just one week and then we can reevaluate.

More on this tomorrow, recipe ideas too…


by Leave a comment

Happy New Year!

Here we go.  It’s 2011.  Frankly, for me it couldn’t have come soon enough. Those holidays really put a crimp in my fitness and mental well-being. Now that the debauchery of the holidays and all that went on in 2010 is behind us, in the “rear view mirror” as my friend Michelle would say we can begin the process of getting on to a new and better year. A year filled with new goals and exciting new adventures.  First step…what do I want?  How do I want to feel? They say, ask for what you want and you just might get it.  Be clear and be deliberate. Dream big. What do you have to loose?

Here’s what I want.  I want to have lots of fun. Lots of laughs and lots of happy interesting people around me. I want to be a giving person, I want to be fit, to look hella good and to spend lots of time outside in the fresh air feeling healthy and happy, causing lots of trouble (the good kind) and having adventures to write about, to share and learn from.

My plan of attack…Lead 1.5 hr long fitness walks around The City. Such walks will incorporate low impact circuit activities while exploring the outdoors. What better way to get or to stay fit, clear your head and help folks do the same?  Maybe we’ll see some wild life. (Remind me to tell you the story of Mo and the coyote.)

What’s your plan? What do you really want?


by Leave a comment

When life hands you a lemon

Make a facial – Take the juice of half a lemon, add 2 aspirin and wait for them to dissolve. Wipe the concoction over your clean face and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with a mixture of 1 tbsp baking soda and 1/2 cup water. moisturizer as usual.  You’ll look polished and marvelous.  No lie!

While you have the knife out, slice up the other half of the lemon and place it in a pitcher of water.  Place the pitcher in the frig and drink from it all day. Makes the water taste yummy. Try to drink the whole pitcher in one day. Hydrate!

 


by Leave a comment

Move your body every day

You all know that you should be getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day. This could include walking fast if that’s what works for you. You also know that weight-bearing exercise helps keep our bones strong and weight lifting helps burn more calories all day long. At the very least, do some jumping jacks or jump up a flight of stairs. You can hold onto the railing if you need to (but only if you need to!). If you feel like lifting weights is only for The Govenator than simply do a few push ups (on your knees if you need to or even against the wall). Use your body. Lastly, make time to move. More on this stuff later…


by Leave a comment

Celebrate the simple things

Got a cat or a dog?  If you do, then you know that every time you come home from being away for even half an hour they’re always excited to see you.  Even in her last days my dog Kyle would leap out of her bed and jump up and down wagging her tail when I came home.  Every cat I’ve ever had has been right there at the door the second I open it. Every time! Life tosses lots of bad attitude our way.  Why not be like our pets and celebrate the simple things. It can’t be that hard.