From the category archives:

Commentary

Small changes make a big difference

July 22, 2010

I remember one morning back in 2002. Sitting in my cube, enjoying one of the perks of my new office job–free soda–I found myself disgusted that over the course of the morning I had consumed six Mountain Dews.

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Our obsession with cardio needs to end

April 16, 2010

There are few things that look as goofy to me as a human riding an exercise machine. One, it’s ironic to me that people pay to go to a place where they can do nearly the same thing outside (in fresh air) for free. Two, is the way people swear by doing this cardio thing. [...]

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Office worker training 101

April 8, 2010
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Many people who obsess about fitness think that everyone else should obsess about fitness, too (similar to proponents of certain religions seeking converts). I used to be one of those people. Then, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona and experienced summer. The phrase “work up a sweat” doesn’t make sense in the summer in Phoenix. In [...]

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Life changes? Don’t worry about missed training

April 2, 2010

The past three weeks, training has been hit or miss. That’ll happen when you quit your job, pack up all your belongings, sell some of them in a frenzy on Craigslist, and drive 1,920 miles. Yeah, I moved. I’ve lost weight and I’m not quite as healthy. I’ve been eating on the road. I haven’t [...]

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How to exercise consistently

January 20, 2010
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It’s a known fact that humans are experts at inventing excuses to avoid something they don’t want to do. If your excuses are preventing you from attaining the body you want, try some of these strategies.

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How economic downturns forge better bodies

December 31, 2009

If you can’t afford to buy your clothes, you learn how to make them, says Peter Bregman of CNN. Remember last year when gas prices rose to nearly $4 a gallon? Phoenix local news interviewed several people who switched from car to bike for transportation to and from work. Peter lists several more examples in [...]

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Overdoing it at the first sign of progress

December 11, 2009

It’s tempting. If a little is good, more must be better. But it’s not.

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Have we lost our edge?

November 22, 2009

Many of us are living in countries where physical survival pressures have disappeared. There’s not a compelling need to gather firewood for the harsh winter. We’re not concerned about finding drinking water. In the desert, we’re not even concerned about wasting water to support artificial lawns. That’s how far we’ve come. But have we lost [...]

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Three skills you develop by exercising (they’re not what you think)

November 19, 2009

Plenty of people maintain active lifestyles, live well, and don’t exercise according to the popular definition of the word. Maybe our “you must exercise for health” culture is still thriving on the idea of torture. In another century, a treadmill would have probably been used to extract information from the enemy. Nowadays it’s one stop [...]

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Exercise doesn’t improve your health

November 14, 2009

Or does it? I’m not so sure. I’m talking about lifting weights, doing your cardio, stretching…is it really all it’s cracked up to be? I say this because I see plenty of people who don’t exercise, are healthy, and have lived long successful lives. You may know some people like that. Do you want exercise [...]

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