Skwigg Blog

The Big Book of Exercises

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:20:32 -0600

I received The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises for Christmas. I wasn't all that excited about it at first because, wooo exercises. Like I need more of those. Then I opened it. Every page is in glossy full color and has up to a dozen variations for each exercise, 619 exercises total, including many I've never seen before. It includes moves for dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, Valslides, TRX, blast straps, sandbags, stability balls, Bosu balls, resistance bands, foam rollers and Airex pads to name just a few. Don't have all (or any) of those? Don't worry, there will be pages of alternatives that don't use the missing doodad.

It has complete workouts from trainers like Mike Boyle, Leigh Peele, Jen Heath, Rachel Cosgrove, Valerie Waters, and many others. It's not just strength workouts. It includes cardio routines like The Ultimate 10-K Plan and The Fastest Cardio Workouts of All Time. Then there's The World's Greatest 4-Week Diet and Exercise Plan, The Big Chapter of Nutrition Secrets, Body Weight Workouts You Can Do Anywhere, The Best Workouts for a Crowded Gym, and The Ultimate Chinup Workout. It's just a big gob of fitness goodness! If you enjoy Women's Health magazine (or Men's Health) this book is the same style and quality. There is a women's version and a men's version. I haven't seen the men's yet but I'll bet it's equally fun. I'd like to compare them side-by-side but Santa only brought me the girly one. This would be a fabulous gift for a fitness nerd. I can't wait to try some new moves.

I use an affiliate link when discussing this product. I will receive a portion of the sale if you buy it. See my Disclosure Statement.

The Chicken Injury and The Food Critic

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:33:01 -0600

I am no longer allowed to use the oven. Last week I suffered a second degree burn after picking up a pan of chicken with no oven mitt. Well, technically, I had an oven mitt... on one hand (derrrr!). But the cast iron pan was heavy and I tried to give it a little assist with the non-covered hand by grabbing the mitted hand. I also grabbed enough of the 350 degree handle to make me see Jesus and squeal like a wounded guinea pig. I think my kettlebell calluses saved me. I ended up with a big owie blister but it was on some very tough skin and went away in a couple of days.

Here's the kooky part. At no point did it occur to me to a) photograph the burn or b) blog about it. Like a week went by before it dawned on me that I didn't tell anybody about the chicken injury! I don't know if that means I'm cured or losing my touch.

I'm reading Born Round by Frank Bruni. I'm barely a quarter of the way through it but loving every tasty page. What happens when a lifelong disordered eater lands a job as the restaurant critic for the New York Times? The guy has struggled for years with binge eating, bulimia, crazy diets and wild weight fluctuations. He finally gets it together, loses the weight, regains his health and sanity, and now they want him to be a FOOD CRITIC? I can't wait to see how he pulls it off. His storytelling is hilarious. I can so relate to both his love of food and his complete insanity regarding it.

The Lean Eating Coaching Program

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:54:58 -0600

It's that time again, so yes, I'm reposting this. :-)

Quite a few people read my intuitive eating posts and say, intuition, yeah right!

- If you're someone whose intuition wants nothing but chocolate

- If you prefer guidance, accountability and serious incentive

- If you want to get superhero lean and haven't been able to achieve it on your own

John Berardi is about to start a Lean Eating coaching group. This is an opportunity for regular people (all ages and sizes) to receive the kind of world class nutrition and fat loss coaching he gives to his Olympic athletes, figure competitors and gladiators.

His Precision Nutrition program was a HUGE factor in my food peace. It's not all about counting things and depriving yourself. He taught me how to relax and make good decisions based on measured results. If something isn't working, you identify and change it. If something is working, then you leave it alone. Precision Nutrition was the first time I'd really eaten for health. I'd always blabbed about "healthy eating" but my focus was still on my weight. I started the program around the time I was diagnosed with skin cancer. Suddenly, it wasn't all about body fat percentages and jeans sizes; I wanted to keep my DNA from mutating! I learned how to prepare and enjoy 10+ servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Before, I would buy fresh produce and it would always rot while I ate protein bars, rice cakes, and Lean Cuisines. PN taught me how to grocery shop, and how to prepare and enjoy everything I bought. It didn't quite teach me how to cook (recall the great granola fire of '08) but I'm getting there.

I can't say enough good things about John Berardi, his style of coaching, and the support provided. He gave me a great foundation that allows me to stay lean and healthy no matter what goal I'm pursuing or what crazy activity I'm enjoying. I understand my nutrition needs well enough that I can stay on track whether I'm training several hours per day, spending eight weeks on crutches, or enjoying everyday life. I don't have to struggle or guess. And while I may bend some rules (Cadbury Eggs, cough, cough...) I know exactly how much I can get away with before ab wreckage occurs. I've become a kick ass intuitive eater and not somebody who is always going to go for the cupcakes.

If you join the coaching program, JB is also giving away $40,000 for the best transformations. That's whack because there aren't that many openings available and so not a lot of competition. It's not like a Body for Life challenge where you're competing against millions of other people. This is a prize you actually have a shot at.

If you're tired of struggling and you're in need of motivation, guidance and support, take a look at the Lean Eating coaching program. If I hadn't already reached nutrition nirvana, I'd be signing up myself.

I use an affiliate link when discussing this product. I will receive a portion of the sale if you buy it. See my Disclosure Statement.

Peace, Cheerios and Writer’s Block

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:03:59 -0600

I had a crazy thought. It was easier to write about nutrition and fitness when I was struggling and obsessed. I used to really tweak about stuff - ratios, percentages, calories, calipers, conflicting theories. I could go on for days trying to describe my latest scheme or straighten out some confused diet ninny.

Now, I wake up, eat my Cheerios, enjoy my workout, and go about my day not giving any of it much thought. I was trying to imagine what my five-years-ago self would tell someone who dared to eat kiddie cereal for breakfast. It would have been an arm-flapping rant, something like, "Where's the protein? That's all processed carbs. Are you crazy? Do you know what that will do to your insulin levels? You'll become a fat-storage machine. You'll lose your abs. You'll fall asleep sitting up. You'll BE DEAD BY NOON!"

Do you know what actually happens when I indulge in morning Cheerios? I enjoy my breakfast. That's the extent of the drama. How am I supposed to write about that? "Wow, my cereal was really tasty today. Then I lifted some heavy stuff. That was fun too."

Where is the passion? Where is the angst? Maybe I should use my goofy new peace to help others find fitness Zen, but on some level I fear that I'm just a freak, a special case, an anomaly. If I encourage you to go ahead and eat that bagel or whatever you think you're NOT supposed to do, you might get fat and blame me. However, on some deep secrety level I know a radical truth. Whenever I was obsessing over variables and struggling to find "the answer" I was still eating too much and that was the whole problem. When you're not as lean as you want, it's easier to speculate about carb ratios and nutrient timing than to shut your pie hole. Any plan that worked well for me worked because it dropped my calorie intake below my activity level, not because it balanced my eicosanoids, saved the planet, or healed my inner caveman.

Now, some plans have been more pleasant than others. Precision Nutrition was great because of the sheer volume of tasty food. Body for Life was fun because, hello, free day!! Veganish eating thrilled me with the crazy variety of guilt-free carbohydrates. Naturally Thin made me squeal and twirl over restaurant meals and gourmet goodies.

I have this problem now where I see merit and possibility in everything. So, how am I to rattle off rules and criticize nonbelievers? The best approach to nutrition and fitness is the one you enjoy. Some goober doing full-tilt Weight Watchers will lose fat faster than somebody doing a half-assed competition shred, and vice-versa. It's the deficit, well, the deficit plus enthusiasm and follow-through.

Getting a Grip

Sun, 6 Dec 2009 12:01:58 -0600

When Amazon.com recommended I read Getting a Grip by Monica Seles, I thought, "Huh? Tennis? I don't care about tennis." Then I read the description and decided Amazon knows me eerily well. After a crazy fan stabbed Monica in Germany, she didn't compete for a couple of years, fell into a deep depression, and started binge eating. When she returned to the sport, the press was brutal about her weight gain. The pressure was on to lose it quickly, but the harder she trained and the more she dieted, the bigger the binges became. She hired a team of trainers, nutritionists and coaches who were monitoring every bite, but the moment she was alone she would down thousands of calories in a sitting, undoing any progress from her six hour training sessions.

The book deals mainly with her life and career, but the food stuff is fascinating to a formerly messed up eater like myself. Monica read and tried everything. She says, "I tried meditating to my ideal weight. I spent a week eating unlimited meat and cheese until I was too grossed out to continue. I counted carbs obsessively. I tried visualizing my hunger as a shrinking blue square. I ate carbs before noon and protein until bedtime. I food-combined like a mad scientist. I ate what I thought my blood type wanted me to." But at night she would lose it and hit the ice cream and chocolate covered pretzels. She made numerous attempts at Body for Life because she desperately wanted one of those fairytale transformations. She ate chicken, glugged protein shakes, hired fitness competitors, and watched her weight continue to climb. The added weight contributed to career-ending stress fractures and sprains.

Ironically, once she had her foot in a cast and couldn't compete, things began to turn around. She lost her "dream team" of experts, the grueling training plans, and the strict diets. She was on her own and free to eat whatever she wanted. Terror ensued, but instead of gaining, her weight started to drop. She learned to trust herself, to eat what she likes, and to deal with her emotions instead of stuffing them. The photos above show Monica during the binge days and 40 pounds lighter on Dancing with The Stars. I love a happy ending! Getting a Grip is a quick and enjoyable read for tennis fans and food kooks.

I use an affiliate link when discussing this product. I will receive a portion of the sale if you buy it. See my Disclosure Statement.

Kettlebell and TRX Workout

Sat, 5 Dec 2009 13:30:30 -0600

Here's a fun video from Lauren Brooks using TRX and Kettlebell exercises. It's a follow-along routine with timed rest periods. Repeat it 3-5 times for a complete workout.

TRX Sale

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:23:41 -0600

The TRX Suspension Trainer is on sale for the next 5 days. If you were hoping Santa would bring you one, now would be a good time to hit Santa up.

You Asked

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:32:32 -0600

No, it's not another gremlin. I turned myself into a bug-eyed bobblehead by attempting to photograph my whole body while holding an iPhone at arm's length. It went all kinds of wrong. My arm is not bigger than my thigh and my eyes are not the size of dinner plates. It made me laugh though.

I haven't been taking any photos because 1) busy and 2) I think I look exactly the same except smaller and whiter. Three years after skin cancer and a sunless tanner allergy, I'm so pale I would probably glitter like a Cullen in full sunlight. That blinding belly glare is not exactly conducive to showing off muscle definition in a fitness blog.

E asked if I lost muscle. I don't know. From my experience with injury and atrophy, the fastest way to lose muscle is not to use it at all. I've never stopped using mine so it tends to stick around. I'm definitely not as big as when I was eating like a football player, lifting heavy six days a week, and taking creatine. To some degree, you look like what you do. If I look a little more Pilates and a little less bodybuilder, that's ok with me.

Z asked for a detailed workout schedule. There is no detailed workout schedule. :-) I'm totally making it up as I go. I steal great ideas from various trainers and programs, but right now I'm winging it with whatever I feel like and have time for. I walk miles a day with the dog. I did a TRX workout a few days ago that was just pistol squats, atomic push-ups and inverted rows. I got a huge kick out of watching TV on the elliptical trainer. I did a whole machine weight circuit at the gym last week. I run sprints with Ripley barking, nipping and herding me along. I swing, clean, press, squat and lunge with my kettlebells. I do the killer Pilates core routines I learned when I was going to the studio. I love Valslide reverse lunges. If I only have time for one lower body exercise, that's the one.

Now there are obvious pitfalls to using a fitness mishmash approach. The biggest one is that you're always going to do what you most enjoy, not necessarily what you most need. If you're looking to make dramatic changes, it's MUCH better to follow a carefully structured program than to go with some homemade thing that humors all your weaknesses. Still, humoring beats quitting! It's dumb to say, well I can't follow a specific program right now so I'm not going to exercise.

I really do eat whatever I want. I've been enjoying a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast every morning. I try to eat other things but I always end up grabbing the Cheerios box and twirling happily toward my Spiderman bowl. I like to fill it a little too full so that when I add almond milk, it makes a Cheerios mountain. I'm sure the novelty will wear off at some point and I'll go back to grown-up fitness food. I still catch a green smoothie midmorning. I like sandwiches. I like salads. I like veggie omelets, family dinners and Chinese take-out. I like those giant greasy Angus burgers from McDonald's. They totally nailed the fat on sugar on salt on fat engineered food-addiction thing with that monstrosity. I drool just typing about it.

Anyway, mostly healthy. Mostly plants. No food off limits. Tight portion control. I don't think it's anything too secrety. I'm smaller because I eat less than when I was bigger.

Gremlin Test

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:17:13 -0600

My last couple of blog entries disappeared and then randomly reappeared hours or days later. I'm posting the gremlin to see what happens. Will he vanish? Will he multiply? Will he run amok? I don't know. Let's find out...

Holiday Fitness, Haagen Dazs and “Hungry”

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:02:47 -0600

I've been to the gym twice this week. How odd. I wasn't really missing my gym membership but I got a 2-week guest pass and decided to investigate. Things have changed. Elliptical machines have cable television now! I watched an episode of MTV's True Life "I'm on Steroids" while pedaling to nowhere. I haven't checked out any classes yet but I laughed to the point of crying face-pain at the thought of ME going to Zumba. It might be worth doing just for the hilarity factor.

The gym is empty this time of year. I think quite a few members wander off when the Halloween candy hits. They keep eating right through Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then wake up January 1st thinking, "OMG, what have I done?!" Tom Venuto posted a great article last week about how reverse goal-setting and either/or thinking lead to holiday weight gain. If you feel like your fitness goals are slipping and you're thinking about chucking it until after the holidays, get over there and read it.

Life is still crazy busy. I haven't had time to photograph my lunch lately, and I haven't been very organized, but I haven't missed a workout. I've been mixing it up with my TRX, kettlebells, Valslides, sprints, dog walks and gym visits, plus some bonus kid chasing and playground climbing. The spazzy activity level has more than offset any ab damage from family dinners and kid food. (I have a new thing for Cheerios.) My weight is lower than it has been in ages. It bounces around 128-131. I had to buy smaller clothes. It's kind of weird how it happened. Let's recap: I relaxed my control freak food tracking. I ate what I liked instead of what I thought I should eat. I ate more plants and less protein. And I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner instead of perfectly balanced and timed mini-meals. Last time I was even close to this size, I'd been dieting my brains out for months and feeling very deprived - lots of Myoplex and plain chicken breast, no bread or sugar. :::cry::: I would never do that to myself again. I definitely prefer this freewheeling "watch your portions and move your ass" approach.

This week I tried Haagen Dazs Five ice cream in brown sugar flavor. It only has five ingredients and they're all identifiable. It was something like milk, cream, sugar, eggs, and brown sugar. It boggled my mind. I'm still a mostly healthy eater, but wow. I mean, WOW. That stuff is good!

I finished reading Hungry by Crystal Renn. I got a little glassy-eyed during her endless recounts of various photo shoots, but I loved her story - forgettable anorexic runway model decides to eat and becomes a superstar, landing Vogue covers as a size 12. It was an excellent reminder that we shine the brightest when we embrace who we are. Also, starving sucks. :-)