Physical Funness for the Motion Starved

Fit more fun into your fitness while exploring the outdoors.

Tag Archives: new things


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Crumbs in my keyboard

Standin' tall

It’s come to my attention that I’m spending a large amount of my time on my blog and not enough time bringing home the bacon. With that, I’ve decided to post only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Three days a week should allow me more time to score some bacon and put some punch into my posts. At the very least I hope catch a few of my errors.

In turn, this slow down will allow you more time to keep up on all the engrossing information I choose to share. Five posts a week is a lot to read and I know you read every one of them. Right?

So, enjoy your Tuesdays & Thursdays off, if you need something to do in place of reading one of my posts, I suggest walking up a hill, up some stairs or around the block. Easy as that.

Tomorrow I’ll be back with a very important reminder. The image at the top of this post is a clue…


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Quinoa?

Hella Yum!

Years ago my cycling coach suggested that I try quinoa as I wasn’t getting enough protein in my diet. At the time I had no idea what the hell quinoa was, and since I thought the guy was kind of a jerk, I ignored his advise (forget the fact that I was paying him a shitload of money to tell me things I didn’t like, silly me!).

So, what is quinoa? Quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Kind of a light, fluffy rice like thing. It’s yummy and it’s super high in protein and fiber.

I hate to admit it but it’s been until now, 5 years later that I’ve finally given quinoa a try. Guess what, it’s damn good! With that I share the following recipe. You won’t be disappointed so make the effort to give it a try.

Mexican Quinoa with Black Beans and Avocado

Ingredients:  (4 servings)

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
1 large white onion
10 medium button or Crimini mushrooms, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small avocados, peeled and diced
2 tbsp lime juice (or more to taste)
salt to taste

Instructions:

Start by cooking quinoa in either a rice cooker or on the stove top. Add 1-cup dry quinoa (rinsed) to 1.75 cups of water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil to the quinoa pot for extra flavor!

Meanwhile, dice the onions and mushrooms and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, and all moisture has cooked out of the mushrooms.

Once the quinoa has finished cooking, add fluffed quinoa and black beans to the pan with mushrooms and onions, and stir to combine and heat through.

Add 2 tbsp lime juice (or more to taste), and reduce heat to low.

Stir in sliced cherry or grape tomatoes and avocado, and season to taste with salt.

Serve with tortilla chips and a dollop of Greek yogurt, and enjoy!

With the double dose of black beans and quinoa, this dish packs a huge nutritional punch of making a complete protein.  Perfect for vegetarians and vegans, but tasty and simple enough to make anyone clean their plate.

P.s. I found this recipe on Daily Garnish, check it out, she’s got some smart ideas.


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Summer’s a comin’… Chop, chop!

Old School's the way to go!

Yippee! The weekend is upon us. What are you doing with your weekend? You know, there are only 11 days left until the first official day of summer. Does that encouraged you to get a little more exercise than usual? It does me.

How about I challenge you to mix it up with some of your favorite household items? You don’t have to do anything structured, just look at the list below and play around with as many of the items as you see fit. Just for fun see what you can do to get a little extra exercise and be creative. Just add this challenge to the other things you plan to do this weekend. Call it extra credit, or extra burn, as I like to think of it. Let me know how you do.

  • Water Bottles — Fill ‘um and go for a walk or use as hand weights while you watch TV
  • Gallons of Water or Milk — The original Kettlebell – Use as a weight
  • Backpack — Fill it and go for a hike/picnic
  • Stairs — Up and down, up and down, hop or walk, also good for doing calf raises
  • Lines on Pavement — Hop from side to side back and forth, for as long as you can stand
  • Wheelbarrow — Push it around, empty or better yet fill it a friend/kid
  • Sledge Hammer — Swing it
  • Axe/Hatchet — Chop, chop (be careful with this one!)
  • Saw — Be sure to use both arms though – balance both sides of the body
  • Shovel — Dig it up!
  • Push Lawnmower — I do this every few weeks! It’s great fun and good for the core
  • Car Pushes — Push a car, just make sure someone is in it ready to use the brake when it’s time to stop!

Have fun! See you on Monday…


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May is on the way

Physical Funness at it’s best!

Friday was Earth Day, this week is National Dance Week and next month is both Ride your Bike to Work Month and Presidential Fitness Month. Yikes! So much pressure to go green and get fit.

The beauty is, with all that’s going on, getting fit is just a matter of joining in on the fun. It’s a no brainer.

This Sunday marks the beginning of May.  With that, I propose a little challenge. I challenge you to try one new fitness related activity each week for the entire month. That’s 4 weeks so you have to try 4 things that are completely new to you. Anyone who completes 4 new challenges during these 4 weeks will receive a Motion Starved T-shirt.

Challenges may consist of organized events or your own personal adventures. Just remember that this challenge is set up to motivate you to try new things that will advance your fitness and or well-being.   If you’re interested in joining the May Fitness Challenge “comment” on this post or email me directly.  If you take this challenge you will be encouraged to share your stories with the rest of us (or at least with me).

Here are a few ideas to get you started. I’ll have other suggestions as the month goes on.

Big Wheel Race — Sorry, you missed this as it happened last Sunday but I attached the video as inspiration and an example of how exercise can be fun.

National Dance Week — There are over 400 free dance related events and classes offered in The Bay Area alone.

Bike to Work Month — In SF check out the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for all sorts of bike related events to make you a stronger and smarter rider.

Loads of free classes of every kind imaginable — Sports Basement.

Green Volunteering Guide — Get a workout while cleaning up Ocean Beach or helping to plant trees with Friends of The Urban Forrest.  All excellent workouts as well as earth friendly missions.

Last but not least — Don’t forget this Saturday I’ll be offering a group hike in The Headlands followed by a little core work and some stretching. Or, you can join one of my Tuesday & Thursday evening’s classes. Click on “Schedule” for details.

Take advantage of this little push and get moving. Let me know what you come up with.


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Fish Face Pose?


A long time ago I read that if you chew gum your face won’t get saggy, so I started chewing gum. I’m not sure if it worked, but my face isn’t really saggy (or is it?).

Now there’s something called Facial Yoga, ever heard of it? The idea is the same as the gum chewing; apparently exercising the facial muscles will sculpt and lift your face keeping it looking younger. Maybe it’s not the answer to going under the knife (if you’re into that) but we know that working the other muscles in your bodies keeps us looking fit and younger so why not the face? Hence my gum chewing.

Aside from toning the facial muscles and reducing sagging, these exercises promise to smooth away lines, and deliver a more glowing, youthful complexion. Sound too good to be true? There’s only one way to find out.

From what I’ve read it’s best to do your face yoga routine in the evenings after you’ve washed and moisturized your face. There’s no specific routine, just do the exercises for 10 minutes each evening.

If you have even a remote interest in face yoga watch the video. It’s short and funny, you get to watch the lady do the exercises and make fish faces,  also the interviewer is kinda snarky.

Give it a try and report back. I’d like to know how you did.


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No motion starvation allowed

What’s up for the weekend? I hope you will all be doing a little moving around. No motion starvation allowed.

On Saturday I’ll be participating in the first WTF Cycling team ride of the season. WTF is a bike team started by me and my best bike pals. The majority of us are retired bike racers that just can’t get the bike out of our blood so we formed a team. What does WTF mean? I think you can figure it out. If you’d like more info on WTF Cycling or would like to join us for a ride sometime, feel free to “like” us on Facebook so you can stay appraised of our goings on.

No matter what you get up to this weekend have a wonderful time of it. If you need a suggestion, how about a Scavenger Hunt?  I’m sending all my clients away for the weekend with this assignment and I expect full reports from them on Monday. Join in on the fun if you dare!

Here’s how it works — Go for a run, walk or combination of the two for one hour. As you travel along, hunt for the items listed below. Keep track of what you find and let me know how you did. I suggest you place this list in your phone so you have it handy. Check off the items on the list or better yet, snap a photo of your findings. I’d love to see what you come up with.

Be sure to warm up with some Jumping Jacks and a few stretches before you start to run, and stretch well post workout. Have fun and watch your step!

The List

Beware of Dog Sign

House with Green Door

A Bird House

Garden Gnome

Take Out Menu

A Swing

Graffiti

Someone 85 years or older

Water Bottle

Cardboard Box

Glass Bottle

Paper Bag

An Acorn

Feather

Nail

Fruit Pit

Pink Stone

Mushroom

Berry

Shell

Your Hunt Reports are due to me by Monday.  May the force be with you!

See you next week…


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Do you have a kink in your crack?

That is one crooked crack!

Don’t laugh! It’s not funny even though it sounds really funny!

A crooked butt crack, or crooked gluteal cleft, is not uncommon and could be the sign of a potentially serious problem. According to Dr. Barbara, “it’s probably the sign of a torqued pelvis, could also be a sign of scoliosis, or a short leg.” YIKES!  Either way, it’s the sign of a dysfunction and if you read my post The anklebone is connected to the knee bone, you know that everything is connected. If your pelvis is torqued, sooner or later that will effect your back, knees and ankles.  Not a good thing in general and certainly not if you plan to stay active and perhaps live a healthy, “physically comfortable” life.

So… drop your drawers and have a look in the mirror. If you’re crooked, at the very least have your posture assessed by a professional, or like Dr. Barbara suggests get an x-ray to decipher the culprit. You gotta read the signs if you want to keep it together as you age. Don’t let this message slip through the crack (Ha!).

Tomorrow maybe I’ll talk about asparagus, something a little less dramatic. Maybe not, depends on my mood.

Wake up! It’s Monday!


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The Rules

Even-Steven

I went shopping this weekend and bought two things.  I bought a book by Michael Pollan called Food Rules. Maybe you’ve heard of it.  My friend Pauline told me about it, it’s all the rage and a #1 NY Times Bestseller.  According to the cover it’s “an eater’s manual.” Basically it’s an easy to use book of rules that takes the complexity out of eating. For instance rule #37 is “The whiter the bread the sooner you’ll be dead” (referring to the fact that you should be eating whole grains). The final rule is rule #64, which reads “Break the rules once in a while.” I like that one; in fact, the second purchase I made this weekend was a box of Girl Scout Cookies. By the way, rule #19 is “If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t.” Looks like I’m even-steven.

As for the Girl Scout Cookies, I won’t make excuses. Excuses make you appear weak and nobody wants to hear them anyway.  I bought the cookies and I ate them, they were good. I did it because I told myself that I wanted to support the GS’s but the truth is, eating them brought me back to the time when I was a GS. One season I ate so many GS cookies that I racked up a bill of over $150 which my Dad had to cover. That’s when I learned not to make excuses. How do you explain why you ate dozens of boxes of cookies? Temporary insanity? Or, “face it Dad, I’m just a pig,” would have gone over better.

Anyway… Back to rule #64, break the rules once in a while. Pollan says, and I agree “Obsessing over food rules is bad for happiness, and probably your health too.” Worrying about nutrition will make you no healthier or slimmer. Relax, throw “the rules” out the window once in a while, what matters is everyday practice. That can be said for everything in life, don’t you think?

Tomorrow we’re talking about setting goals. I don’t understand why so many of you are afraid to commit to even the smallest goal.  Yea, I know it’s frightening but seriously, aren’t you getting a little bored?

Happy Monday!

p.s. Rule #43 – Have a glass of wine with dinner. Drinking a little every day is better than drinking a lot on the weekends…


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Unbitter!

Valentines day is next Monday. Personally I’ve never really cared much about Valentines Day. It’s one of those days that never seem to meet up to your expectations. I am starting to get a little annoyed lately though, I keep hearing this ad on the radio for something called “The Bitter Ball.” It’s for folks without Valentines.  While the name is funny I really hate thinking about spending a perfectly good day being bitter. Bitterness gets you no place you want to be. I also heard someone on the same station ask, “who came up with Valentines Day anyway?” With that I decided to do some looking into the history of Valentines Day.

As usual, there are a bunch of legends and stories so who really knows the truth. The bottom line is, Valentine was a priest who became a saint because he helped people, not because he was some over the top romantic or sex god. Most notably, Valentine married soldiers who where banned from marring because Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers so he outlawed marriage. Saint Valentine is also said to have healed a blind girl while he was in prison waiting to be executed. Just before his death he wrote a note to the former blind girl that said, “From your Valentine.” And, there you have it!

Rather than stewing up a big ol’ batch of bitterness this Valentines Day, I suggest that we do something nice for someone we don’t know.  Like Saint Valentine. You can be anonymous if you like. Think of it as a social experiment. (You can still do this even if you have a “real” Valentine). It doesn’t have to be big, all you have to do is take the guys in the mailroom at work something nice, or pay the bridge toll for the car behind you (I love it when people do that for me!). Buy the person in line behind you at the Starbucks their coffee. They don’t have to know you did it. Just give the cashier an extra few bucks and tell ‘em what to do. Take the dogs at the animal shelter some biscuits! How easy is that!

If you make someone feel good it will make you feel good. Just try.

Start thinking about your plan…I’ll check in on you later.


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Letting go is hard to do

It’s hard to let go of things.  Especially those things that you really like but that may not be good for you. When you let go of something there’s always the fear that you’ll miss what you’ve released and there may be no going back.

Here are a few things you can let go of without worry, do your body and soul some good.

  • Play catch – With a friend or against a wall by yourself.  It’s good for concentration, coordination and your pecs.
  • Toss out all the things in your closet that don’t make you feel “alive” (That’s what Oprah says – did you know that Oprah just found out she has a half-sister? Drama!).
  • Go to a pub, have a pint and throw a game of darts.  Darts are hella fun and a good way to meet some new friends.
  • Horseshoes – Golden Gate Park just finished fixing up their Horseshoe Pit. Again, good for the coordination, who cares if you don’t know how to play.  Just go toss some shoes.
  • Time to compost all the old stinky food in your frig.  Clean out the frig and clean up your diet.
  • Play around with taking your hands of the bars for a few seconds the next time you go for a bike ride.  If you’re a little nervous just hold ’em right over the bars.  (Obviously don’t do this on a busy street!). This is fantastic for your core.
  • Batting practice – Find a batting cage or just head for the local ball field. They’re all over the city.  Swinging a bat (even if you miss) is great for the whole body!
  • Fling a Frisbee at the beach, play a little volleyball, badminton, the list goes on. The weather is perfect right now!