Washboard abs. Quads of steel. White Chiclet teeth. Itty bitty clothes. A tan so dark and glossy that Crayola weeps with jealousy. These are the symbols that magazines and advertisers use to sell us the picture of health. And yet, strangely, not only can these things be faked but even if they are legit, are …
Reader Sarah asked an interesting question in the comments the other day. Actually, she asked me three questions but it was the last one that made me realize she is truly my soul sister of fitness fanaticism. Sarah writes: 1)What are your favorite foods/things you eat everyday? 2)Do you count calories? 3)Do you suppose I …
Read more “Stupid Things I Have Done in the Name of Fitness”
See? It’s so easy even hamsters can do it. Raise your hands if you have meditated this month. At all. I’m serious. I want to see hands, people. Now, how many of you have meditated every day? For all of you that lack the ability to manipulate the space-time continuum, I am not raising my …
Some days are easy workout days. Which is fine. I have learned – many times over as I am a remarkably slow learner – that you don’t have to hammer yourself on every workout. Last week was one of those weeks where I had blood-sweat-and-tears workouts on six out of six days. (More on that …
Read more “A Weight Workout To Make a Grown Man Cry. Or Give Birth.”
Does birth control make you gain weight? The research says no. And that, my friends, is the sound of a million women screaming and throwing things at their monitors. Occasionally I read a piece of research that makes me wonder if the researcher has ever met an actual live human specimen and this is one …
Pop quiz: what do stinging nettles, horseradish whips and burdock clubs all have in common? They may all sound like instruments of torture but actually they are foods my CSA (community supported agriculture) farm considers edible. I, on the other hand, consider them… instruments of torture. Did you even know that you can eat stinging …
Read more “Mini-Experiment: Community Supported Agriculture”
Bratz Dolls May Give Young Girls Unrealistic Expectations Of Head Size Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself. That’s why The Onion was invented, folks. (Anyone else not know they’d branched out into film?) And if that did not amuse you, then perhaps this will: Someone (who I can’t be bothered to look up …
Read more “Friday Fun: The New Body Image Woe Plaguing Young Girls”
Sweat. Expended energy. Stress relief. Weight loss. Heart health. Friend time. Or alone time. An excuse to wear the ridiculously cute new workout duds from Nike Dance Line. I mean, really, what’s not to love about working out? Well, there is one part of you that doesn’t appreciate your dedication to exercise – and I’m …
Read more “The Bad Side Effect of Exercise That No One Talks About”
“Pumpkin!” That was the final word that I needed to win Mrs. Julkunen’s second-grade Fall Festival bingo game. The stakes were high: winning meant not only bragging rights on the playground but also a beautiful package of scented pencils that I lusted over and begged my mom endlessly for quarters so I could buy some …
My locker room drama started and ended with the showers. Sixth grade P.E. (“Phy Ed” if you’re from Minnesota) found me at the end of a long line of body-conscious girls wrapped in thin towels, each awaiting her turn to wash off the sweat from dodgeball. Despite the fact that huddling against a wall staring …
