World Run Day

Hey everyone, please consider registering for this annual world-wide event and dedicating your run or walk to someone/something meaningful in your life. The impetus behind World Run Day is to encourage charitable giving and promote a passion for running/fitness. YOU choose the charity you wish to donate to as well as the amount you wish to donate.

World Run Day takes place this year on November 9, 2008. Participants can register to run in a local World Run Day event, or you can register to run on a self-created course using internet tools. YOU choose the distance you plan to run/walk as well as your own course for your race. You can run/walk alone or with others, it's totally up to you.

Locally, here in Boston on Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 you can register for the 10th Annual World Run Day Dedication Run on Active.com. All registrants receive a free red t-shirt with the logo above. Please let me know if you want to do either the World Run Day in November or to plan your own little "race" so that we can do our personal race on the same day/time. THANKS!

Namaste, babies.

Am participating in a yoga intensive directed by Anna Forrest (who is pictured). She assisted me today in doing my version of this pose! It was an awesome and empowering moment. The first day of the intensive I experienced an awakening of all my dormant places. My wrists were enlivened. My abs (the muscle that would be a six-pack were it not sheathed in fat) yawned sleepily awake. I even felt the inside of my v-jay-jay (no hands!). Everything hummed in a yummy way.

The second day was emotionally and physically overwhelming. I felt nauseous most of the class and struggled through the poses. My body begged and begged for me to stop. Afterwards I felt like I had the flu. I developed a mild fever, all-over body aches, a headache, the shakes and I was unbearably tired. My missus drove me home from work. I went straight to bed and slept for 12 hours. The next morning my system eliminated what seemed to be DAYS worth of waste (yes, I went there!). It was sort of amazing! I felt miraculously renewed...healed.

This resulted in me deciding to take a break from alcohol. I like the numbing effects of alcohol but it saps my energy, depresses me and interferes with my sleep (even in moderate quantities). Part of what I experienced in the second session was a system purge. What will happen if I ingest with the intention of wellness (not weight loss or sobriety but wellness)? Anna also urged us to stop shouldering other people's burdens (we were doing shoulder work, of course). It sort of struck me that I didn't have to convert others to my way of thinking. I've been wrestling with the fact that people have different approaches towards things. The truth is: my way is right for me. Not THE right way. I realized that I can instead use my energy to focus on me. I don't have to convert anyone to my way of thinking.

In today's session we transported our "stuff" to our yoga blocks. We assumed the boat position as we held a rubber block tight between our ankles. After a lot of tension, we physically and psychically let go. Stuff = the negative interior monologue. It's the weird things we hold onto from our childhood and use to dull our shine. Not rocket science but I realized today that I could consciously let go of this stuff through intention. I say all this because this work enabled me to find the power to assume this pose. Of course, I was shaking and ineloquent but Anna (yes, Anna!) assisted me and I did it. I DID IT!

Namaste, babies.

Very funny "gym diary" entries

This is hilarious and so true for those of us who have ever been tortured by, er...worked out with a personal trainer! It's the diary entries from a woman who went to the gym after having not gone in a very long time. Enjoy!

Dear Diary…

For my fiftieth birthday this year, my husband (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me. Although I am still in great shape since playing on my high school softball team, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer I’ll call Bruce, who identified himself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My husband seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started. The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 am. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Bruce waiting for me. He is something of a Greek god – with blond hair, dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Bruce gave me a tour and showed me the machines. He took my pulse after five minutes on the treadmill. He was alarmed that my pulse was so fast, but I attribute it to standing next to him in his Lycra aerobic outfit. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which he conducted his aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring. Bruce was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time he was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week!!

TUESDAY: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but finally made it out the door. Bruce made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air – then he put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Bruce’s rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT!! It’s a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by lying on the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn’t try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot. Bruce was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. His voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when he scolds, he gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Bruce put me on the stair monster. Why the hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Bruce told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. He said some other rubbish too.

THURSDAY: Bruce was waiting for me with his vampire-like teeth exposed as his thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn’t help being a half an hour late; it took me that long to tie my shoes. Bruce took me to work out with dumbbells. When he was not looking, I ran and hid in the men’s room. He sent Lars to find me, then, as punishment, put me on the rowing machine – which I sank.

FRIDAY: I hate that bastard Bruce more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat him with it. Bruce wanted me to work on my triceps. I don’t have any triceps! And if you don’t want dents in the floor, don’t hand me the barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich (which I am sure you learned in the sadist school you attended and graduated magna cum laude from). The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn’t it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director?

SATURDAY: Bruce left a message on my answering machine in his grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing him made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours on the Weather Channel.

SUNDAY: I’m having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my husband (the IDIOT) will choose a gift for me that is fun – like a root canal or a hysterectomy.

Build A Gold-Medal Physique

Pound for pound, Olympic gymnasts are perhaps the strongest athletes in the world. But it's not because they pick up a lot of heavy objects. "I don't lift weights at all," says Team USA gymnast David Durante. "I'm either practicing gymnastics or doing body-weight exercises." Which just goes to show that you don't need high-tech training equipment to be strong and muscular. The recommended workout plan from this article will let you train your muscles the way a gymnast does but without having to be a world-class athlete. By combining the classic body-weight exercises (you'll add resistance to some) and cutting-edge training techniques found in this workout, you'll build shirt-splitting muscle, real-world strength, and a more athletic-looking body. And you won't have to spend hours at the gym—you'll be in and out in under 40 minutes. Click HERE for the full workout plan.

Avoid brain drain with memory-boosting foods

Compelling research indicates that certain foods and nutrients can help enhance your memory. Read the facts on fish, berries, leafy greens and coffee — and be sure you remember to incorporate them into your diet. Click HERE for the full story.

Quod: Do certain foods make you feel more focused/sharp? Are there foods that bring you down?

I've run 1000 kilometers (621.3 miles)

I hit the 1000 Kilometers milestone! Next stop: 1000 miles!