The future is here. And it includes the Nike FuelBand.

This nifty little product (not exactly cheap at $150) tracks your every move. It’s Big Brother meets Evernote. Read the rest of this entry »

Really, is nothing sacred?

Apologies to all of the chocolate bunny lovers out there, but do we really need another candy-fueled holiday? Is the true meaning of Easter found in pastel jelly beans or squishy Peeps?

I love Cadbury Eggs as much as the next fat girl, but I am growing increasingly weary of the candiazation of holidays.

It seems that every major holiday has to have its corresponding candy: Halloween, naturally. It’s what started it all.

Christmas, maybe I see the point. Valentine’s Day? Say it with flowers. Or just say it. Fourth of July … do I need to explain why not? Columbus Day — oh, you know it’s coming. Gold coins, etc.

Let’s not even delve into the message we are sending to children, who come home hyped up from so many sugary Valentine’s or treat-filled eggs. Because we should all universally acknowledge what a bad idea that is.

What concerns me is the day AFTER the holiday, when prices are slashed on all of those bags of candy. Who among us has the wherewithal to withstand 50-percent-off peanut butter cups?

Just don’t buy it, you might say. Exercise some self-control.

To which I say:

Hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha.

Why don’t we just make a holiday celebrating candy? Oh wait, those exist.

Blogger Jennifer with her 5K buddies Kristina and Amy.

Friends make everything better, which is why, when doing an exercise program, buddying up is ideal.

Friends push you to go farther, but not too far. They encourage and support and make time fly.

Speaking of time, it’s time to give away that fantastic book.

The winner is Marli! Congrats – I’ll be in touch via e-mail to get your Big Book of 15-minute Workouts to you.

I almost didn’t want to give it up (I might be buying my own copy soon!).

And for today’s it’s-never-too-late-to-get-fit story, a New York woman has been breaking world running records and showing us all how it’s done.

She’s 60.

You read that right. So when most begin to give in to the ravages of old age, believing it’s inevitable, this woman is thriving.

Kathy Martin started seriously running when she was in her 40s after doing some road races in her 30s. Since then, she has run distances large and small, shattering records as she goes. (Read her story here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/sports/runner-kathy-martin-60-is-speeding-through-records.html)

In the Philadelphia half marathon last year, she finished 44th out of all women with a time of 1:28:28.

“I certainly don’t go crazy about setting records, but I like to challenge myself,” she said in The New York Times.

Her dominance in the sport at her age tends to support the idea that a body and health don’t automatically go south with age, but that the decline is somewhat voluntary (by doing nothing).

In other words, you have to stay active. Martin works out seven days a week, whether it’s running or other exercises.

There’s more maintenance involved, too. Martin has a chiropractor, a massage therapist, a strength coach and a physical therapist, a team that helps keep her aligned and ready.

So what’s stopping you?

Also, the drawing for The Big Book of 15-minute workouts is tonight. I’ll announce the winner tomorrow. Thanks to all who commented, and please continue to do so. I’ll have more books in coming days.

This book could be yours!

It’s giveaway time! Line right up for a chance at free stuff (and who doesn’t like free stuff)?

For this, the inaugural Get Fit giveaway, is a book that could also be used as a hand weight if it came down to it.

It’s the BIG BOOK of 15 minute Workouts from Women’s Health.

I can’t vouch for every single exercise, but I can tell you the ones I tried (side kick for stress busting, pendulum lunges for office warrior, parallel extension from ballet workout) were fairly easy to follow and left me feeling good.

The book includes clear instructions and plenty of photos. The exercises are broken down into logical categories. And since each takes 15-minutes, try several as a sampling.

I almost don’t want to give this away. But I have to share the goodness.

So leave a comment, and a winner will be chosen at random.

Good luck!

Two studies released this week show that going under the knife can help those with Type 2 diabetes considerably. Bariatric surgery even reversed the course of the disease in some.

Gastric bypass surgery is nothing new. Doctors have been making stomachs smaller (first by removing a portion, now by lap bands) in obese people for decades now.

This is the first bit of research that shows how much that surgery can improve the lives of those with diabetes, to the point that they are seeing normal blood sugar levels.

Of course, more research needs to be done. Supporters are pushing for diabetics to get the surgery. But some aren’t entirely sure that surgery is the right course of action.

According to a report, researchers are now looking into whether the surgery works on diabetics who have BMIs as low as 26.

Arkansas was the ninth most-obese state in the country, according to a report last year from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The obesity rate in our state jumped from 17 percent in 1995 to  30.6 percent in 2011.

Clearly, that’s a problem. A big one.

How do you combat obesity and the health problems that accompany it, including diabetes?

At what point does a person and his doctor decide to take the drastic measure of surgery?

Is it the easy way out, bypassing diet and exercise?

Cleveland Clinic study: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200225?query=featured_home

Weill Medical College study: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1200111?query=featured_home

If working out makes you all sweaty and generally icky, you’re not alone.

We all know what sweat is supposed to do. But in this particularly humid weather we all know and loathe, the body’s natural cooling mechanism is simply overwhelmed. A lot of us are heat intolerant, which in turn means we might not exercise as much as we should (if at all).

Which makes this study on exercise and core body temperature so compelling.

Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine found that women whose palms were cooled with a device that circulated ice-cold water stayed on a treadmill longer than those who just had luke-warm water.

The device used in the study is called an Avacore Rapid Thermal Exchange, which can be bought for $4,000.

No sweat, right?

While that is out of reach for, well, all of us, there are some things we can be doing to keep our cool.

Of course, ice water tops the list. Keep a water bottle nearby whenever you exercise.

If you are walking/jogging/biking/hiking, there are water backpacks and collapsible water bottles you can cart along without them being too obtrusive.

There are also cooling vests, hats and handkerchiefs.

Bottom line, common sense tells us we are more likely to keep exercising if we feel comfortable.

Sure, elite athletes are conditioned to push through the bad, but for us mere mortals just trying to schlub it through a 2-mile jog, in this humidity, overheating is a peril we should avoid.

So take it easy out there.

Being big and being bullied is something many of us had to endure during those formative adolescent years, when words DO hurt because our skin hasn’t developed that tough, protective layer yet.

We carry that pain and shame into adulthood, too. And while the wound isn’t as deep, mean words do still hurt.

Which is why I found Brittany Gibbons’ message to be so truthful and empowering (much like those Dove “every body” commercials).

Watch for yourself:

http://barefootfoodie.com/2011/11/20/my-2011-ted-talk/

Is it just me, or is that an oxymoron?

When I think of yoga, it’s meditative, soul-centering, and very personal. My breathing doesn’t have to be deeper than yours, your om is no better than anyone else’s, etc.

Yoga is not a wanna-be Olympic sport.

Or is it?

This weekend in New York, the United States Yoga Federation holding a yoga competition. It’s the ninth annual National Yoga Asana Championship, where yoga practicers from all around get three minutes to perform seven poses in front of a panel of judges.

Points are given for alignment, steadiness and timing, while they can be docked for showing off and blemishes.

These type of events have been going on for decades in India, the cradle of civilization for yoga.

Apparently, these type of competitions are not for the weekend yogis, or the weak of heart. Most who enter treat this as a serious athlete would his given sport, putting in some serious hours and training.

Rajashree Choudhury, the founder of USA Yoga and a five-time national champion, told the New York Times that she wants to see yoga asana become legitimized as a sport.

“Someday, I want everybody to watch it on ESPN,” she said.

The Ocho, anyone? Although I would be more inclined to watch this over say, curling.

Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe I’m a purist. Or maybe it’s because my favorite yoga position is the corpse (you don’t have to use your imagination for that one).

Maybe I just need to expand my definition of what yoga can be, which is a lot of things to a lo of people.

I’d be fine with that. Just don’t make me try a Vrschiknasana.

So Cosmo says you’re fat / Well I ain’t down with that / ‘Cause your waist is small and your curves are kickin’ / And I’m thinkin’ bout stickin’

— Sir Mix-a-Lot, “Baby Got Back”

A recent survey conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that black women, while heavier, are generally happier with their bodies.

The positive self-image likely stems from a different definition of beauty, one that isn’t tied to mainstream culture’s expectations.

So being thick, big-boned, zaftig, what have you, isn’t necessarily a bad thing, these women say.

Their ideal size isn’t 2 or 4 or even 6. It’s 8 and 10 and even 12.

They want to be healthy but keep the curves.

What’s your ideal size?

Read more on this fascinating study at The Washington Post.