Category: Exercise
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Why is leisure activity so important?
19 comments on Why is leisure activity so important?One thing I read a lot is conflating “leisure-time physical activity” with “all physical activity”. For example, try the following, from a book on things that can affect happiness: In the USA, roughly 62 percent of adults engage in at least some physical activity during their leisure time. That means 38 percent don’t engage in any physical activity whatsoever! Gardening is recommended as a “leisure-time physical…
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Walking review: Pike Place Market
Since the knee has been bothering me lately, I’ve been making more of an effort to go for walks. The physical therapist I worked with during my prior knee episode recommended that I walk on a treadmill* at least part of the time because the uniform speed and surface let me walk at a very predictable, steady pace. But, of course, the best place to walk is…
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Ash Wednesday
Today always reminds me of the friend who gave up Catholicism for Lent one year. :) I grew up born-again, in a church that was a megachurch before megachurches were cool, in a small, fairly fundie denomination. I was so “low church” I didn’t know what “low church” was. I was baptized Episcopalian at St Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle when I was 27. I realize it’s not…
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Long time no post
Work was insane for a couple of weeks. The anniversary / Valentine’s / President’s Day weekend that we’d planned to spend out of town? Turned into “Friday the 13th at a local hotel, then rush home Saturday morning to work.” The rest of the weekend was spent tied to the computer. Things did wind down at the end of last week. Unfortunately, I noticed some…
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Quotes
“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” — Henry David Thoreau …and now…the sun is shining today (not raining, not overcast, not shining through clouds and fog – shining) so I am going for a walk. Toodles!
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How many non sequiturs are IN this one anyway?
This comment came in reply to my review of my review of Health At Every Size: I personally belive that living a comfortable life is a way to longevity, so if you believe that you are over-weight, have the determination to loose the extra fat you dont want, you can do it and never loose focus. Er … I’m confused. I don’t “belive” my life, I…
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De-stressing
Work was stressful today. I came home feeling out of sorts. Mentally I was punchy; I knew my thinking was a bit slower than usual, but I was still obsessing about work. Physically I was wired – not only was I was busy enough at work that I ‘d forgotten my afternoon walk, but after dinner I’d sampled the candy my coworkers brought in. I wasn’t…
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Yoga Videos & Books I have known
I started doing yoga in college with Raquel Welch’s book on yoga.1 Even then I found yoga relaxing and energizing. It also helped me improve my strength & flexibility. Years later I wanted to try yoga again, but, remembering how I’d had no idea how to modify some poses, I looked for something more tailored to my sort of body. I’d read about the video Yoga for…
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Why I Should Go to Yoga Tonight…
… even though I’m probably going to want to skip it just on general “it’s my Monday I want to go home and collapse already” reasons. More than 1,000 studies have been conducted to determine whether yoga helps people suffering diseases. Here’s a sample from the medical literature: Depression: Patients diagnosed with depression showed significant reductions in anger, anxiety and neurotic symptoms after completing yoga classes, according…
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Being fat is just like carrying a heavy backpack, right?
I mean, everyone assumes it is, so it must be, right? Nobody needs to research this because we know what they’d find, right? Studies that simulate obesity in nonobese people suggest that putting on pounds substantially increases the metabolic cost of walking. When lean women walk with heavy, bulky gear strapped to their legs and bodies, [locomotion researcher Rodger] Kram says, “their energy costs skyrocket.” But in…
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A Few Quotes
These are quotes that have stuck with me lately, so I thought I’d share. “[E]ven extremely obese women still have a longer life expectancy than normal-weight men.” — Paul Ernsberger, Ph.D. “Yet, we are not being inundated with scares about the deadliness of being male, millions aren’t spent to eradicate maleness, and men make up a fraction of bariatric patients.” — Sandy Szwarc, BSN, RN, CCP (commenting…
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Shock: Fitness article that doesn’t mention weight
This near-mythical item appeared in The New York Times, reporting on the US Government’s latest physical activity guidelines. Nothing about how exercising can cause weight loss. Even when discussing beginners, weight loss does not come up: The people who accrue the greatest health benefits from exercise go from doing nothing to doing something. “A one-minute walk isn’t going to do much for your health, but it is…
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Tired Blogger is Tired
We moved into our new workspace this week. The shiny, newly refurbished space is clean, brightly lit, and rather nice. We have a new “lounge” space, decks for occasional fresh air, and the new layout is more organized in a lot of ways. …and between the new carpet, new paint, and much brighter overhead lights I’ve had headaches all week. Any weight-related notes? Um, if I grasp…
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Fit or Not Fit
This came in as a comment to one of the “Day in the life” posts. One movement involves leaning forward; this irritates my lower back so I substitute something else. Jesus! You’re practically crippled by your weight. A normal person would be able to do this easily. It”s enough of a workout to get my heart into the aerobic range If a bit of shuffling around gets…
Living ~400lbs 