Move | wellfesto

Feb 27

I Run Because I Can

A few months ago, I got a haircut from my mom’s stylist in rural Wisconsin (who definitely gave fancy SF stylists a run for their money, btw). Rather than fashion magazine clips or shiny mirrors, his studio walls were dotted with race photos and medals. I loved this first, because he was proud and passionate wanted to share that; and second, because it gave me a softball topic to talk to him about, eliminating the awkward “so, what did you do this weekend?” banter I dread when someone new cuts my hair. When I told him I was a runner too, his first question was why. I fumbled through a bunch of reasons and then flipped the question back to him. His answer was elegant and simple and awesome: “I run because I can.” Read more

Feb 21

Does Sweatier = Better?

For years, sweat wasn’t talked up much, unless advertisers were trying to sell Old Spice or wicking t-shirts. But as exercise has become mainstream, sweat somehow feels like a more approachable…and maybe even a sexy topic. Rather than marking hard work in the fields, a sweaty brow reflects workout prowess. In some circles, it’s a badge of honor, as people wring out their towels after Bikram yoga class and drink their smoothies in drenched tank tops. And at endurance races (like the famous Western States 100 ultramarathon), sweat is so matter-of-fact that athletes are weighed at checkpoints to make sure they’re taking in what they’re sweating out. Read more

Feb 4

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Yoga: For You or For Them?

My yoga teacher busted out an insanely difficult pose during our Sunday morning class. It was the sort of pose that left me dumbfounded and wanting to curl up in a ball on my mat until it was over (this is essentially what I did). I don’t know what it’s called, but I just searched the web for a picture of it (below).

It’s a headstand with outstretched arms (not the usual hands-behind-head style); and just the sight of it terrified me that I was going to do some major damage to my neck and/or my neighbor if I attempted it. Read more

Jan 31

Playground Workouts: Not Just for Kids

photo by bill ohl, via flickr creative commons

I recently observed a bunch of kids playing on the monkey bars – jockeying for position, swinging their legs around, doing pull-ups without even realizing it, and flipping over and onto the ground (this used to be called a “penny drop” when I was a kid). It’s fascinating to see what kids are naturally able to do before things like self-judgment and fear of public failure and cars and desks come into the picture. They make downward dog and penny drops and freeze tag look so effortless that I often find myself inspired to find more playfulness in my own workouts….to return to the mindset of a kid playing instead of an adult “exercising.” Read more

Jan 24

3 Comments

Life Advice from the Orthopedist

Late last summer, I started noticing some weird sensations and noises (popping, grinding, crunching) coming from my knee. Nothing hurt, but everything felt a little bit “off.” These symptoms would make anyone uneasy, but since I’ve had my knee reconstructed twice, I bypassed uneasiness and went directly into panic mode. For months I avoided going to the doctor, for fear I’d be told that it was time to pack up my running shoes and jump rope, and make friends with the swimming pool for life. Read more

Jan 21

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Efficient Cross Training

photo by fang guo, via flickr creative commons

Ever since having kids, I’ve optimized weekday workouts for efficiency over natural beauty, variety, and (unfortunately) even peak enjoyment. This has all-too-often translated into getting up, bolting out the door for a run, coming home, and going directly into the shower (no stretching, no ice, no passing go, no collecting $200). Efficient? Yes. Sustainable? No. Read more

Jan 14

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Workout Motivation: What Works?

State of Michigan Public Health Campaign (via Flickr Creative Commons)

Rewards are nothing new in the fitness world. For years, diet and exercise gurus have propagated the “carrot and stick” mentality, combining rewards and punishment to get people to eat more veggies and run more miles. We’ve all likely used this tactic at times in our lives, bribing ourselves with chocolate or workout clothes or spas or charity donations to incent ourselves to bail on beer and brats in favor of a few more minutes on the elliptical machine. And not surprisingly, technologies have also emerged to support these incentives. A company called Gympact is based on financial rewards (you earn money if you meet your goals, and you need to pay money if you don’t), and companies like Nexercise are making workouts social and rewarding people along the way. Read more

Jan 8

3 Comments

Pre-Dawn Workouts: Five Ideas to Help Them Stick

photo by: david goehring (via flickr creative commons)

Every Tuesday morning, I get up at 5:15am, brew and guzzle some coffee, stumble into some clothes, drive to the gym, and click into a spin bike for a 6am class. To any outsider – let’s say, someone who lives in Mali or came of age in the early 20^th century – this charade of getting up (in the dark) to go to the gym (in the dark) to ride a bike that goes nowhere would likely seem at best, bizarre. But in today’s world, it’s common practice. Read more

Jan 3

5 Comments

Five Simple Ways to Design a Fitter Workday

The holidays are already feeling distant – the tree’s in the compost, the thank-you notes are in the mail, the champagne bottles are empty, the 2013 commitments have been made (or at least deliberated)…and alas, the inbox is filling up again. We’re quickly and abruptly moving into the time when the resolution rubber meets the road…when we begin to test whether the ideas that made sense during holiday relaxation and celebration are realistic during busier times of the year. Read more

Jan 2

7 Comments

Earbud Face-off: Lady Gaga versus Ira Glass

The sea of options we have to motivate, inspire, and distract us during our workouts is incredible – music, podcasts, and books are all available and easy to take anywhere. Even with such abundant options, until a few years ago, I always defaulted to music – the light, poppy, top-40 stuff for my high-intensity workouts, and more melancholy sounds for trail running, yoga, and long rides (my needs were so basic that even my old Sony Walkman may have even sufficed). I wasn’t open to other kinds of media, in short, because I was concerned that my brain and body wouldn’t simultaneously function well enough to digest anything beyond music. Read more

Posts from the ‘Move’ Category

I Run Because I Can

Does Sweatier = Better?

Yoga: For You or For Them?

Playground Workouts: Not Just for Kids

Life Advice from the Orthopedist

Efficient Cross Training

Workout Motivation: What Works?

Pre-Dawn Workouts: Five Ideas to Help Them Stick

Five Simple Ways to Design a Fitter Workday

Earbud Face-off: Lady Gaga versus Ira Glass

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