You know, the sand is running out of the hourglass, so I want to look back and say "See, I did that. That was me. I was reckless and I was wild, and I fucking did it." ~ Jamie Lee Curtis as Helen Tasker in True Lies I recall reading a blog post, years ago, by a young man who was so excited to see the new Star Wars: Episode I movie when it was about to be released. He also talked about his...
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You don't have to look very far to see someone who will say anything to avoid being responsible for their own actions. In some cases it's that person ordering a supersized meal at a fast food restaurant as part of their dialy routine, who claims "genetics" are responsible for their weight problem. In some cases it's a friend or loved one who announces diets or New Year's weight loss...
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For me, today is yesterday. Not that I'm listening to Culture Beat as though it's current, tuning my TV with rabbit ears, and wearing corduroy pants in a non-ironic way (or, indeed, in any way. You can keep 'em, hipsters). I mean literally, it's still yesterday for me. I've not yet been to bed. Last night a buddy of mine popped 'round. Because he's a molecular biologist and I'm a nerd, we...
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One thing I often hear when talking about proper nutrition is "I'd like to eat better... but it's so expensive!" What people overlook is it's actually cheaper in the long run, and you get a better quality of life in the time in between. To draw a crude analogy, at one point in my life I was making far more money than I do now. Back then I bought high quality clothing; even a simple solid...
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Ever feel like you're alone in a crowd? Now take away the crowd. How do you feel now? One of the most important parts of my recovery has been about being around people again. I require a lot more personal space, and certainly more 'me' time, after having spent 100 days alone virtually every day. Counterbalancing this is a core group of good friends who know that getting over the starvation is...
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I'm biking about 46km a day now. Naturally I was pretty proud of myself, and so when a friend asked "How's that whole hungry thing going?" I blurted out "Pretty good. I'm eating daily, and biking almost 50k per ride now!' He just blinked, shrugged, and took another sip of beer. Dear friend though he is, this chap has a liver so dark and bloated it could've been cast in the movie Precious....
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Many people enjoy listening to music while working out. Lately I've been throwing on the MP3 player and going for a 24km bike ride around the river valley every day. Well, a recent study quantifies just how we respond to the beat. The study participants were given categories of music to choose from so that they were listening to styles of music they actually like, then made to pedal on a...
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The physical recovery is going well. Today I went for a 24 kilometer bike ride and came home sweaty but barely breathing heavy. My muscles are also re-adapting to weight training faster than I could have hoped. The mental recovery... well, that's another story. I only underwent 100 days of starvation, but as I said one of the worst aspects of it wasn't the lack of energy or the atrophying...
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Ah, night riding... Unlike other cities I've lived in, where condo developers compete as to who can get their balconies the closest to overhanging bodies of water, my current home of Saskatoon has set aside the riverbanks as park land. This leads to two swaths of green, one on each bank, paved only with narrow walking and biking paths bisecting wide rolling lawns and villages of trees. So...
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Have you ever heard that saying "dress for the job you want, not for the job you have"? The theory is if you carry yourself as though you're the person you want to be, you'll get there. Let's apply that thinking to making a healthy lifestyle change. If the theory holds true, then if you start dressing and acting like someone who is in shape, as opposed to someone who's idea of a workout is...
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