Category: Getting Started
-
“What was I waiting for?”
It’s easy to see problems with a new plan, particularly when you have no experience to draw on. And it’s valuable to consider the potential problems. The old saying “hope for the best, prepare for the worst” describes a pretty good way of doing the pre-problem-solving that will keep you on track even if events…
-
How Do I Get My Partner to Exercise?
Johns Hopkins has presented data for a large group of middle-aged couples, who were asked about exercise habits at two medical visits conducted roughly six years apart. If one was getting at least the recommended amount of exercise each week at the first of those two visits, it was quite likely the other would be,…
-
Are You a Rebel?
When we are trying to establish a new habit, we are often advised to seek accountability partners of some kind. That could be a workout partner, for example, or a family member that you share (healthy) shopping and cooking tasks with. Some people benefit from working with a personal trainer, and others can go it…
-
What Is the Perfect Bicycle?
Meet Denny. Designed in Seattle (where Denny is a name with lots of history), this bike was selected from 5 proposed designs and will be produced in a partnership with Fuji Bikes. The goal was to design the perfect bike for convenient use in cities. Bike innovation has been fairly quiet for a while —…
-
All Calories Are Equal, but Some Are More Equal Than Others
The human body uses energy and nutrients from foods to do work and to build and repair tissues. If it has extra calories, it stores them as fat. This is normal operations — humans evolved in conditions of modest food security, so it should not surprise us that we are descended from people who made…
-
Is the Gym a Welcoming Environment?
Ask a regular lifter, “Is the gym a welcoming place?” and they may wax poetic about the support and acceptance they find there. Ask a person whose last experience with gym was PE class — which they hated with a passion — and you’ll get a very different answer. The reality contains a little of…
-
Getting More Out of Gym Machines
Gym cardio machines are never perfect simulations of their outdoor equivalents, and their design considerations can affect your workout. Here are a few tips for using them well: — Engage your core muscles consistently to improve your movement and protect your back — Treadmills and stair climbers don’t give you much of a workout if…
-
Should I Join a Gym?
This may seem like a newbie question, but it spans experience from “just starting” to “planning to compete.” Whether to join a gym is about psychology and interests more than exercise ability. In favor of joining a gym: Gyms are expensive, and if you aren’t looking for instruction, specialized equipment, or a place to pursue…
-
Discovery and success
jitenshasw shares her process of discovery and success — see the rest at her tumblr. No quick fixes here — just a willingness to ask herself tough questions and actively decide how she wanted to eat and move — and a journey that established the (different) way she wanted to live. This kind of change…