Beyond Beeton» help

Off the Couch – Fitness for Free

Rachel — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:29:51 +0000

It is fair to say that I am not the athletic type. I'd rather walk the whole way to work than run after a bus, the thought of a social game of soccer makes me break out into a cold sweat and I don't even run for shoe sales any more.

My exercise philosophy has always been no. Too hard, too boring, too sweat inducing, just no. Until that horrid turning point in my life when my previously fast metabolism decided to be as lazy as I am. All of a sudden I started putting on weight. And it didn't come off.

While I'm modifying my eating to be more healthy, even I have to admit that being active has to be part of the bargain.

A way to a healthy life by Abdullah AL-Naser

I considered a number of options for introducing exercise into my life. Despite the fact that I can't see the logic in working more hours to be able to afford more things to save ourselves time and effort and then paying to exert ourselves, I was even prepared to invest some money in my future health and fitness.

Swimming at the local pool

Good:

I'm not completely hopeless at it
Not expensive
Easy to get to

Not so good:

Crowded swimming lanes
Being seen in my bathing suit
Poo in the pool

Gym near home

Good:

Not pretentious: low number of posers
Not ridiculously expensive
Easy to get to
My husband and some friends go there

Not so good:

Gym equipment confuses me
My husband and some friends go there
I'd have to get up before 6:00am

Gym near work

Good:

I could go immediately before or after work, or during lunch
Lots of nice equipment
Great, encouraging staff who will show me not to look like an idiot

Not so good:

Sweaty gym hair at work (ew) or wet hair for the rest of the day (it takes two hairdressers a long time to blow-dry my hair)
I'd have to take gym gear/makeup/work clothes on the bus to and from work

Jogging or running by myself

Good:

Fresh air
Can do it anywhere
Free!

Not so good:

How would I stay focussed?
I have no idea what I'm doing

As tempted as I am to say that the above lists prove that exercise is no good, I did some more research.

Lazy Cat by dougww

I found out about the Couch to 5K program. The program was designed by Cool Running and involves, um, running. The program is a gradual one, progressing from couch level fitness (which is where I'm sitting right now) to being able to run 5 kilometres. At once. Without stopping. It takes about 2 months to get to that point (although depending on fitness level it can be slowed down a bit) and involves a three day a week commitment.

The Couch to 5K website gives you a handy guide for how to progress your running. There is a schedule (I like schedules) prescribing what to do on each run. This solves my problem of not knowing what to do or how to do it.

To keep up the motivation and to make it easy, Robert Ullrey has made a series of podcasts for the program, incorporating music and directions on when to run and slow down during the workout. I found my husband's old ipod and was able to easily load them all on.

To top it all off, you don't have to pay a cent for the program or the podcasts. It is all provided free from the goodness of peoples' hearts. I figure if they're going to do all this to help me get fit and healthy the least I can do is get on with it.

So I checked with my doctor, (which is a very good idea if you're starting a new fitness program, particularly if you have medical conditions, are overweight, over 40 or just hopeless like me) and with her approval I've gotten off the couch.

What you need to start

Couch to 5K program
Couch to 5K podcasts
An ipod, mp3 player or mobile phone that can play mp3s
45 minutes, 3 times a week
Properly fitted running shoes
Health check-up with your doctor

I'm now at week one - which means we can do it together if you'd like to join me. I'd also like to know what fitness and exercise you prefer and what your health goals are - tell me in the comments below.

The truth about the supermarket and what you can do about it

Rachel — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 07:20:46 +0000

There is something incredibly dreary about every supermarket ever known.

As soon as you walk into one your heart sinks and you become a grumpy trolley shuffler, unless you're one of those crazy basket people that goes to the supermarket at 6am after a brisk jog (in which case you should go away and eat a carrot now and leave us all alone), or you're 2 years old, in which case it is your god given right to chuck a giant tantrum.

photo credit: jumer

The traffic inside most supermarkets is just as bad as roads in any modern city. The same women who can't manage to reverse without an oops or two are let loose here on far more dangerous vehicles without a licence.

You'll find those horrid perky athletic types in the supermarket too - jogging on the spot while contemplating whether they want 5 packets of lean cuisine spaghetti low-fat extra-goo or the smooshed up packets of tofu burgers with added tar that are on special this week.

There's always at least one newlywed couple - arms around each other, romantically deciding whether they should have a bright yellow packet of tacos or frozen lasagne for dinner tonight.

The aisles are set up like one of those awful hedge mazes that landscape architects think are "charming" and "quaint" but there is nothing at all quaint about an entire aisle of noodles served with varying kinds of sludge in styrofoam cups. This aisle is a particularly dangerous one and must be avoided at all costs, lest you accidentally tarnish your ears with the existential rubbish that can only be emitted from first year arts students.

When you run away to safer ground you find yourself surrounded by last year's apples, floury and tasteless. Or maybe they're the potatoes? It is hard to tell.

photo credit: Lab2112

A fact about supermarkets that you should know:

'Fresh' fruit and vegetables on supermarket shelves can actually be around a year old when you buy them. The Sydney Morning Herald bought apples from Australia's major supermarkets and sent them to the Sydney Postharvest Laboratory for testing. The tests revealed that the apples were up to ten months old.

Despite common misconception, apples are not grown year round in Australia. In order to meet the year-round demand, supermarkets purchase apples from growers during the short season and then keep them in cold storage. While the cool temperatures can help the apples last longer, it has a negative effect on the quality and flavour of the apple.

So what can you do if you want to eat produce that is actually fresh, full of flavour and nutrients?

photo credit: tanguero (BLOCK, rinse, repeat)

The answer is simple. You need to embrace the slow food movement and buy nearly everything from organic happylands where everyone wears hemp, talks about ecosystems and sustainability and smiles a lot.

The hippies have got it right. The birds sing and frolic as you stroll along at farmers markets or at those wonderful greengrocers that actually source fresh produce. I promise you will taste the difference. Nobody will smack you in the shins with a trolley. You will be able to identify everything on the stands and if you can't, a friendly person over the age of 12 will be able to explain it to you.

So how much extra should you pay for fresh? Almost nothing at all. Sure, the prices look more per kilo but somehow my basket, laden with fresh goodies, costs less than the equivalent from the supermarket.

photo credit: Indiana shutterbug

Fresh lasts longer too, so you won't need to resort to stringy lettuce or frozen peas at the end of the week. Is it any wonder that most kids don't like vegies? Get them to choose the fresh veg from the stands and see what happens next. You can thank me later.

If you can find a quality butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer or farmers market and wholefoods store you will come out ahead financially and have the knowledge that you're supporting your community, your own health and the environment too.

If you haven't got access to a fresh market, have you considered starting your own or a community garden?

How can neon lights and plastic wrapped in more plastic compete with that?

Weighing in – weight gain and moving on

Rachel — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:37:07 +0000

As promised, I have weighed in at the end of week 1 since starting my weight loss plan.

photo credit: bayat

I now weigh 68.3kg. Yes, I weigh more than I did last week.

The most important thing to remember is that good change is gradual. Or as Mae West said, “Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”

I'm not aiming for tabloid style fast weight loss. I'm aiming for a sustainable, healthier, better way of living and enjoying food. So I'm ok with the weight gain as long as I can learn from it.

So why didn't I lose weight?

During the week I went out for high tea for a good friend's 30th and dinner for my mother's **th (deleted to protect the old) birthday. On the same day. I didn't moderate my eating or drinking at all and had fun with friends and family. This is ok in and of itself - but I didn't make healthier choices later in the week to balance it out.

I ate because I was stressed, not because I was hungry. I was nervous about a review meeting at work and I ate to quieten the butterflies in my stomach. I should have had a few glasses of water or gone for a brisk walk instead.

I skipped a meal. I went to bed early one night and then woke up hungry at midnight. Hot cross buns are not a nutritious, balanced dinner.

I used the car when I should have walked. I was lazy. I live walking distance from several fabulous butchers, a good greengrocer, an excellent deli, cafes and more. Yet I relied on the car instead of my feet. I'm not a big fan of organised exercise for exercise's sake. I am however a big fan of reducing reliance on cars and integrating activity into normal routine.

UPDATE: I just came across a fabulous post at Feasibly Fit Mom that gives examples for 5 minute workouts - yes, five minutes. Even I can do that!

There is plenty of room for improvement this week. I'll keep you up to date with my progress.