Thursday, March 11, 2010

Things I Love and Don’t

Hey party people!

Can we chat for a second about something that I feel should be addressed?

When I was at my personal trainer workshop, I heard one of the trainers-in-training ask the instructor how she could get rid of her flabby arms.  (For your sake, I will not even touch upon how annoying a question like that is in the context of trying to learn all those muscles, physiology and science.)  But for the purposes here, I think it makes sense to answer this question in the most basic way I know how, because it comes up ALL THE TIME.

Here’s the short answer: You can’t.  You cannot specifically get rid of flab/fat in one area of your body.  It doesn’t work that way.  You can do a zillion crunches and sit ups a day and it still won’t make you have a firm, flat belly..IF you’re not combining it with cardio and/or some kind of fat burning exercise.

This is not just for chicks, either.  One guy at my gym actually bought some sessions with my trainer and then told him that all he wanted was big biceps so that he could “get the ladies.”  I kind of wish I were kidding about this.  This is a frustrating situation for a trainer.  Working only one muscle group isn’t going to get you in better shape, help you live longer, or “get you ladies.”  In fact, if you’re not working the muscle groups that stabilize those muscles, you’re doing more harm than good.  I digress.  But the point is that women aren’t the only ones who think like this.      

Our bodies are one big package.  We don’t just lose fat in one area, we lose it all over.  Similarly, when we lose weight, we lose it all over.   We may notice it easier in the areas that were the biggest (like my ass) but its really coming off everywhere.  A good example of this is how we can notice weight loss in someone’s face.  Is anyone ever really like, “man, I just really need to lose some of this cheek fat I got?’  No one ever really TRIES to lose weight in their face.  I can’t even think of an exercise that they would do.  Nose crunches? Aggressive smiling?

That’s my rant for the day.  It was sparked by yet another misleading e-mail newsletter from SELF magazine telling me how to get a firmer butt.  Apparently, all I need to do is like 6 exercises for 4 minutes 5 times a week and I will look like Jennifer Aniston.

I’ll let you know how that works out. 

 

Now I will tell you about some things that I actually like and love!

Kombucha!!! 

kombucha This stuff is DEELICIOUS!  But wait! I didn’t like it at first.  It kind of tastes like vinegar.  But it has totally grown on me and now I like all the flavors, especially Grape, Raspberry and Guava!  I should also mention that my GI system has not always been my friend.  But this stuff makes it happy.  Therefore, I am happy. Read about it and try some! Let me know what you think.  They sell it at Whole Foods and other health food joints.

Balega Hidden Comfort Socks

 socks

It’s like running on pillows. Which is a miracle when all you run on is concrete.

 

Madden Girl Sursey Patent Pumps

shoes_iaec1151395 They come in teal, yellow, grey, eggplant, black, red…I just can’t pick which color I want. Suggestions?

 

I’m so glad that it is finally Spring!  The birds are chirping, my windows are open and I’m dragging out all of my cute dresses and skirts!  Soon it will be time for bonfires and BBQs!  I love it all!

What are YOU loving right now?

5 comments:

Sarah said...

Loving this post, first of all.

Get all the colors. Then, you're guaranteed to have made the right choice.

I would please like to look like Jen Aniston in 4-5 minutes a day. Can you make that happen?

I would also like her bank account, please. kthnxbai.

Jill said...

Oooh I love Balega socks! When I first put them on they were so soft and cushy that I thought maybe there was something wrong with them. No more Target-brand cotton athletic socks for me.

Also, my GI system is always trying to ruin my day, so you've got me curious about this Kombucha stuff...

Nike Athena said...

Thanks for the reminder that exercise takes dedication AND cardio. I was trying to skip the cardio earlier this week... Oops.

I agree with Sarah, get all the colors. I love Madden Girl shoes.

I haven't had kombucha in forever and am suddenly inspired to go pick some up... along with some Balega socks.

jilly said...

I am also loving those shoes and kombucha does taste a little vinegary.

Also, I'm loving www.eshakti.com which has super cute, somehwat affordable clothes that they can custom make (for just a little bit extra- like 5 bucks.) Now I can own clothes that aren't jersey material that don't make me look like i'm in my third trimester or like a porn star.

The Humble Table said...

Synergy is a personal fav of mine as well- I discovered it last year and have become totally obsessed! Definitely a fan of how it seemingly uncoils the angry hell beast cobra that is my internals, makes the Moj happy.