Fitness Clothes: Where To Spend, Where To Save

Socks and jellybeans. My two favorite things. If my feet are wrapped in the pelts of Muppets and my belly is full of sour simple sugars then I am a happy girl. Unsurprisingly I have a wide assortment of both but today I'm just going to talk about the socks. I have furry socks, loud socks, knee-highs, thigh-highs (with little bows!), invisible socks, patterned socks, holey socks and lacy ankle socks. But do you know what I do not have? Real athletic socks. I know. The tragedy is unspeakable. Despite owning - I kid you not - 30+ workout tank tops, for some reason I never buy athletic socks. Probably because I can't get them second hand like I do everything else.

At first I was dubious that "real" athletic socks were anything more than a marketing ploy. After all, feet just sweat whether they are clad in my $10/6 pack of Target cotton ankle socks or in these $50/pair Goretex babies, right? But then the Gym Buddies schooled me good - they got me real Nike athletic socks (with an "L" and an "R" to help me tell my feet apart, even!) for my birthday. Apparently there is an advantage to be had from actual athletic socks made with things like antibacterial silver and wicking fibers and support arches. These new fangled socks come with everything but a SETI program to multitask during your rests.

Runner's World agrees with the Gym Buddies. According to them, the right socks can prevent blisters, help with plantar fascitis and even help you run faster. But Brian Sell sums it up nicely with his advice: Wear socks. They even offer a "sock guide" with an in-depth analysis of the top 10 best sports socks to help you find the style just right for you. I even got to try out a pair of fancy-schmany Karen Neuberger running socks. These were a nice compromise as they were super comfy, wicking and they only cost $5! They held up much better than my Target whatevers.

At an average $10-$16 a pair for most athletic socks though, I'm still going to take a lot of convincing. I - knock on wood - never get blisters. I don't have arch or heel pain. And sweaty feet don't bother me much. Now I don't want you to think my feet aren't important to me. I shell out a lot of money for decent athletic shoes. (Confession: I actually own three pairs at any given time - one for running, one for cross training and one for dance.) I'm very brand loyal and I'm easily sucked in with new marketing ploys like "gel support soles" and "shock balance" and "three different flavors swirled in one pint of ice cream." (Yes I'm talking to you Ben & Jerry's, you Dairy Siren.) Also, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I'm a sucker for colors and crazy patterns. My running shoes right now are bright pink with both polka dots and paisley on them (I love you Aasics!) Although I do draw the line at buying two separate pairs of shoes to fit my differently sized feet, curse them.

All of the cash I drop on shoes is kind of ironic considering how little I spend on the rest of my workout apparel. My favorite source of clothing is the thrift store. I'm such a Sweaty Betty that this way I can pit out my tanks and then throw them away after a few months without feeling guilty since they only cost me a buck. Although considering how many I own, I probably ought to be weeding them out more often. (Note to Gym Buddies: please tell me when I stink!) Second to thrift stores, my next best source of clothing are hand-me-downs, mostly because my friends all have much better style than I do. My current favorite pants are a cute lil' Nike pair with ribbons and ruching at the knees gifted to me by Turbo Jennie. Which, incidentally, you know it says a lot about a friendship when you can share clothing obviously not meant to be worn with underwear.

So I'm cheap on clothes, spendy on shoes and just confused about socks. Help me sort out my priorities! (Any cracks involving the words "Dr. Phil" and/or "intervention" will be ignored.) Is the price tag for expensive gym socks worth it? What kind do you use? What fitness essentials are you willing to spend on and which do you scrimp? Anyone else own way too many tank tops for their own good??

Hey ladies, try these three moves for Sexy, Toned Arms

The boxers jab-
It’s a great move—not only does it target your biceps and triceps, it also works your back and shoulders.

TO DO: Stand with feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent, holding a three- or five-pound dumbbell in each hand. Bend elbows and press them into your sides, holding weights at chin level in a boxing stance, palms facing each other. Then twist torso left and punch right arm straight out and across your body and to the left. Immediately switch sides, bringing right arm back in and punching left arm out and across body to the right. Keep going, punching side to side for 20 counts. That’s one set. Do two sets.

Front shoulder press-
If you develop your shoulder, with dumbbell front raises, it actually makes your whole arm look fitter.”

TO DO: Stand with feet about hip-width apart, holding a three- to five-pound dumbbell in each hand, elbows bent, weights to sides at shoulder level, palms facing forward. Slowly press weights up over your head, meeting them in the middle, then lower. Do three sets of 15 reps.

Triple seven's-
If you’re a woman who wants a lot of definition, you should try what I call the 7-7-7, where you work your whole arm and your shoulders.

TO DO: Sit on a bench or chair holding a three- or five-pound dumbbell in each hand, palms facing forward. First, raise arms straight out to sides and overhead in a half-circle arc. Lower and repeat seven times. Next, raise weights out to sides just to shoulder height, then bring hands together in front of you, elbows slightly bent as if hugging a tree; return to start and repeat seven times. Last, twist arms so palms are facing thighs, then lift weights straight out to sides a little higher than shoulder level, and lower. Repeat seven times. Do two sets of this entire sequence.
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Note: Photo courtesy of Belinda Benn,Fitness model. Check her out at http://www.belindabenn.com

Working Your Abs During Pregnancy

Right after "Are you having twins?" (um, NO but thanks for making me feel huge) the single most frequently asked question I get in regards to my pregnancy is "How do I do ab work while pregnant?" I've already busted the myth that pregnant women shouldn't do ab work but now it's time for more detail.

Not only can mamas do ab work but it has many benefits! Reader Rachel wrote me to ask if it really helps with labor and delivery. You'd think after birthing four babies, I'd have a ready answer to that one but as I am a huge pain wuss and am absolutely convinced every time I transition in labor that I AM DYING AND FOR THE LOVE OF LITTLE GREEN APPLES WHY WILL NOBODY HELP ME?!? I cannot say with certainty that anything "helps" make labor "easier." It is horrible pain. Every time. Once I even saw a long dark tunnel with a light at the end. Not to scare you or anything. Ahem. But according to the experts (expert: (noun) male who has never given birth but has watched Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Junior" 17 times), working your abs - especially your transverse abs - not only makes pregnancy more comfortable by reducing back pain but it also makes labor easier, especially the pushing part! Also, you didn't ask (but Reader Katie did!) if prenatal ab work helps your stomach spring back faster. The best way I know to have your stomach spring back immediately is to be young, pregnant for the first time and genetically blessed but apparently ab work can help too - especially if you practice the Tupler technique (see below).
The First Trimester
Don't change anything. Even at the end of the first tri, your baby is only the size of a tube of lipstick. (There's a really inappropriate joke here about the tragic misapplication of lipstick but this is a family site so I'll let you do the math in your head.) So you can sit-up to your heart's content. Or until you barf, whichever comes first.
The Second Trimester
This is when things start to get tricky. As your uterus gets bigger, it'll start to put pressure on your vena cava when you lay flat on your back which will make you feel dizzy, nauseous and breathless. For Gym Buddy Allison, who is 30 weeks on Saturday, I don't even think this has happened yet. For me however, it hit about 24 weeks. Most doctors will play it safe and tell you not to do lying ab work after the first tri.

But just because you can't lay on your back doesn't mean you can't work your abs. An incline bench - with your head at the top, duh - can be really helpful. You can also do some basic ab work including crunches and obliques while sitting and standing.

The Third Trimester
The key here is to know when to stop. How do you know? When your abs have separated (a state known as diastasis - yes I know that sounds like it has some to do with your kidneys but it doesn't). If you recall, there's a fun little test to see if your musculature has rebelled yet: Lay on your back (not for long, don't worry!), feet flat and lift your head and shoulders. Stick your fingers about an inch above and/or below your belly button. You can feel if your abs have separated. One finger's width? Be very careful. Two fingers? Lay off ab work until the muscles come back together, about 8 weeks after the wee one is expelled.

Some women's abs never separate. At 27 weeks (on Saturday! I like to round up.), mine already have. I can actually see it when I look in the mirror. There's a ditch right above my bellybutton. It's not huge yet but it's definitely there. Which means I'm pretty much done working my abs for the duration.

The Tupler Technique
But wait! All is not lost. A technique has been developed (by someone named Tupler, apparently) designed specifically for pre- and post-natal women with diastasis. The moves focus on the all-important transverse muscle and, according to research, have shown real improvements.

1. Traditional crunches are bad. You probably can't lay on your back anymore but even if you can - or are using a bench - the ol' sit-up will actually make your abs weaker and your diastasis bigger. Not to mention they're also bad for your back and can actually give you a mummy tummy. Even if they don't hurt, don't do them.

2. Support your back by sitting with good posture against a wall. Your back should not move during these exercises.

3. Do the Tupler Technique exercises. These exercises involve very small movements - in fact, when I do them at the gym people think I'm just sitting there with a funny look on my face - but they are precise. I definitely can feel them working.

4. Do them right. Apparently doing them wrong is, well, bad. In addition to the slideshow I linked to in step 3, there are videos you can purchase or you can go to a workshop to make sure your form is right. Me being cheap and lazy, you know I just read the articles and watched the vids but deep down I wish for my very own Tupler Counselor!

5. It's preventative so start early. You can do the Tupler technique at any stage in pregnancy and in the post-natal period. According to research, women who do the technique early in pregnancy have a smaller diastasis than those who don't.

6. Get out of bed the correct way. Tupler says that sitting straight up in bed is one of the worst things a pregnant or post-natal woman can do. Instead, roll to your side and use your arms to help you sit up.

A Belly Wrap
One last thing that I've read can help with post-partum abs is to use a belly wrap - like the Taut or Belly Bandit - for 6-8 weeks after delivery. It's supposed to help close the diastasis and reattach your ab muscles to their proper positions. I've never tried this with any of my other kids but I purchased a Taut for use after this one and I'll let you know if I see a difference because of it!

Yoga Saved My Life

Want more drunk yoga poses? See fun tuna!

Breathing. It's your basic bodily function, right? So easy even newborns can do it? Not me, apparently. Oh sure, I managed to survive to adulthood despite, when I was 7, being 100% sure that I was going to stop breathing in my sleep but things got trickier as a grown-up. I don't know if I forgot how to breathe properly or if I never knew but either way air and I have a rough history.

The first time I remember noticing not being able to breathe was at the State Science Fair - oh yes, I was that geeky - and my homemade (with LEGOs!) magnetic-levitation train was up for Grand Champion. There I was sitting in my green velvet drop waist dress with the lace collar and matching velvet scrunchie when all of a sudden it happened. At first I just felt really hot. Then nauseous. And then I couldn't breathe. So I did what every child should do when they can't get air in their lungs - I ran to the bathroom to be alone, ostensibly to die alone too. Instead I got diarrhea. And then I threw up. After that everything was kosher and I marched up on that stage to get my ribbon like nothing had ever happened.

That was my first IBS attack.

IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome, is the label they give you when you have excruciating stomach pain and they can't figure out what's wrong with you. It's a label I wouldn't get for many years though. Before I knew what to call them, I just called them "my attacks." I had them all throughout middle and high school, even making a trip to the ER on the eve of my first homecoming dance to get rehydrated due to all the pukeage. (I probably don't need to explain this but there would be no kissing that night.) Over and over again, I'd get the hot flashes, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. Occasionally I'd even faint just to keep everyone on their toes. At the time I chalked it up to food poisoning or dehydration or a too-constrictive hemp choker - but it never once occurred to me that it was psychosomatic.

The attacks peaked in graduate school. My youngest sister had just died, I'd gotten married three weeks after that, moved, was still being stalked by the boyfriend who had assaulted me and I was in my last semester of grad school where I was both taking classes and had a teaching assistantship. Oh, and I had my first miscarriage. Stress doesn't even begin to describe it. That semester I think I was in the ER almost every weekend. I tried every pill on the planet - anxiolytics, anticonvulsants, antiemetics, antispasmodics and enough pain pills to fell Ferdinand - but all I got was loopy. (Want to know how they make you take pills when you're throwing up every 5 minutes? In the backdoor. Uh huh. Help me with my suppository honey? Welcome to newly wedded bliss!) And yet there I was on the day of graduation giving my valedictory address with hospital tape still on my arm from my ER trip the night before. Nothing worked. Nothing.

And that was the worst part of it. I felt doomed to a lifetime of surprise pain attacks that would bring my whole life to a screeching halt and would only end when I either passed out or was drugged out. Finally a doctor sat me down and gave me the dreaded life sentence: IBS. He explained that it just meant that the peristalsis in my intestines got out of whack when I got stressed or ate the wrong kind of food (he specifically forbade grease and peppermint), the muscles working against each other until I felt like I'd swallowed glass. Nobody really knew what caused it or why some people had it worse than others. There was no cure. Although he did give me about 20 prescriptions with which to dose myself every day.

"Isn't there anything else I can do?" I wailed, imagining the rest of my life as an intermittent invalid.

He shrugged, "Find a way to relax. You need to learn to just chill out."

I don't "just chill out". No, I like to work myself into a nice frothy frenzy! So at first his advice was as cryptic as if he'd told me to "just sing opera". I didn't know how to do it. I didn't have the skills. But I was determined to learn. I chucked the pills in the toilet (Dear environment, please accept my sincerest apologies for dumping toxic waste into you. In the meantime, enjoy the Vicodin. Everyone else sure seems to.) and signed up for yoga.

I'd taken yoga before with my sister in high school and enjoyed it. Although then we did it more for man-watching purposes (Helloooo Brian Kest!) than for any intrinsic value. But I knew yoga was supposed to be relaxing and I was terrified of pain so in I went. We spend the first ten minutes sitting on our mats single nostril breathing. That is exactly what it sounds like: taking turns holding one nostril shut - with your thumb, that part's important! - and breathing in and out through the other nostril while counting. It was like Sesame Street but you weren't allowed to eat your boogers at the end.

But then I noticed something. My heart had slowed down. The crease between my eyebrows wasn't there. I wasn't gritting my teeth together. I was actually relaxing. Just by breathing. Over the course of several years and yoga teachers I learned many things about breathing from yoga. I learned that there are different ways to inhale and different ways to exhale. I learned to breathe deeply while moving. And, most importantly, I learned how to breathe through pain. It takes a lot of practice to regulate one's breathing when one is hurting but it can be done and I was learning it.

My husband even learned it so that at first he could help remind me how to breathe. When I felt the onset of an attack, I'd lay on my side with him cradled around me and he'd count for me. "One, two, three, hold. One, two, three, release." Over and over again until the pain subsided. And subside it did. Eventually I got to the point where I could do it myself - I didn't even need to lay in a dark, quiet room! I could even do it while driving! I got my life back. It was a miracle.

I tell you this story because I often hear people debating whether or not yoga counts as a "real" workout. First I must say that your level of exertion - if that is what you measure a "real" workout by - depends entirely on the type of yoga class you are taking. A gentle Hatha class will not get your heart rate up much. Bikram and Vinyasa classes are definitely challenging and then there are the hybrid classes like Power Yoga or Fitness Yoga or Yoga Strength or PiYo that have been some of the hardest classes I've ever done. In addition to giving you a good burn, yoga is excellent for stretching out tight hams, releasing tension from shoulders and loosening hips. Why is it important to be flexible? Cosmic implications aside, it's good because it helps prevent and rehab from injury. With that out of the way, however, what I really want to say is that it doesn't matter to me if yoga gives good workout - to me, yoga is a life skill. It's a way of learning to be quiet and to trust and, most of all, to breathe. I'm in love with yoga.

And - in one of the gosh darn funniest clips I have ever seen - here is another way exercise can save your life:


Remember ladies, if you are threatened by a rogue gang of central-casting creeps, you should back-layout them to death. Because "That's some superhero action, yo!"

Has exercise ever saved your life? Anyone else ever had IBS? Can't breathe? Tell me all about it!
PS> That whole "breathing through the pain" thing? Didn't help me at all during childbirth. Nope.

Lean, muscular, fit & strong for a lifetime...

Don't believe all those horror stories about having to except those things that come with ageing. With a commitment to fitness and good eating habits, good health and a fit body will carry you well into your later years. I always say weight training is the true fountain of youth. Let’s review the many compelling benefits of weight training.



Weight Training Benefit #1


• Improving your health. Yes, you might start weight training because you want to improve your appearance, but weight training is an excellent way to benefit your overall health and wellness. Scientific research has made a direct connection between weight training and your ability to decrease the risk of osteoporosis and sarcopenia (loss of body mass), prevent injuries due to weak bones and muscle and develop coordination and balance.

It’s not just bone and muscle related health concerns that are affected by weight training. Other research has demonstrated that weight training may help positively affect risk factors such as glucose metabolism, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and cholesterol levels.


Weight Training Benefit #2


• Improving your strength and flexibility. Not surprisingly, weight training improves your muscle strength, endurance, size and power. This improvement in these areas helps you with your everyday tasks like carrying parcels or kids, walking up stairs and lifting.

Flexibility also improves through weight training because you are working the muscles through a full range of motion. Increasing your flexibility can protect your from back pain and muscle injury.


Weight Training Benefit #3


• Boosts your metabolism. You’ve probably heard many people blame their weight gain on a poor metabolism. Metabolism is the amount of energy or calories our body burns to maintain its daily functions like sleeping, eating, exercising etc. People who are more muscular have a higher metabolism because muscle uses more calories to maintain itself than fat.

So, one of the benefits of weight training is building more muscle mass and hence increasing your metabolism!


Weight Training Benefit #4


• Enhancing your sports or athletic performance. If you are a sport enthusiast and enjoy playing certain sports, recreational or competitively, another benefit of weight training is improving your sports performance.

One clinical research study examined cross-country ski athletes to see if strength training increased their endurance.1 The group that was assigned a strength training program three times per week experienced improved strength and improved aerobic endurance than the control group.


Weight Training Benefit #5


• Better State of Mind. It is well documented that as you develop a regular strength training routine, you are more equipped to handle the everyday stresses of life. You will also notice improvements in your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep.

One Australian study set out to determine if there was a strong connection between weight training and improving depression.2 A group of clinically depressed individuals aged 65 to 75 were divided into a control group and treatment group to assess improvements.

The treatment group was assigned an intense 45 minute, 3 times per weight training program. The results were that the treatment group had a significant improvement in their mental state than the other groups. So significant that approximately 75 percent of the treatment group didn’t show any signs of depression.


Weight Training Benefit #6


• Improved posture and balance. Not many people realize that by weight training you are improving your posture because the way you stand and sit is influenced by your neck, shoulder, back, hip and abdominal muscles. When you improve your muscle strength, you sit and stand straighter and develop better balance and stability.


Weight Training Benefit #7


• Age more gracefully. If you’re concerned about the declining years, fight them off with regular strength training. Strength training ensures you are strong enough to continue to participate in aerobic activities, sports and outdoor recreation. Strength training makes you more resilient and less susceptible to slips and falls and increases your ability to heal.


Weight Training Benefit #8


• Enhanced body image. In our image conscious society, many people feel they don’t measure up and lack confidence regarding their body. Strength training improves your muscle definition and helps you lose fat, which helps you feel better about your body.

A recent study looked at the impact a 12-week strength-training program had on the body image of 44 sedentary men and women.3 Before the program, they took an initial survey evaluating how they feel when others assessed their bodies and how satisfied they were with their bodies. They were reassessed after 12 weeks of training. All the participants reported a better body image after the strength-training program.

I’m sure after reading about all the wonderful benefits of weight training; you’ve identified those that mean the most to you. I highly encourage you to start a regular weight-training program so that you can see all the wonderful benefits for yourself.

Warning: The Following Post is Satire

Wow, never has one of my posts been so misread. I feel compelled to add a disclaimer to precede the following post. Warning: the post directly after this one is satire. I realize that the fault with the misunderstanding is entirely mine, being the writer and obviously missing the mark with my audience. I considered pulling the post but it's already gone out over e-mail and thru my RSS feed and so I shall offer instead an apology and an explanation.

1. I am not advocating universal gastric bypass surgery as a solution to the obesity crisis. That would be ridiculous on so many levels.

2. I am not trying to dismiss or deny the impact of obesity both on the individual and on society at large (pun unintended).

3. I am also not promoting farming human beings for energy. That would be unethical.

My point: We need to be kinder to each other. We need to think of more creative solutions rather than relying on things that don't work (like satire, apparently).

I apologize for not making my point clearer and in a less objectionable way. I have a weird sense of humor. Thank you for your patience with me.
~ Charlotte

How to Solve the Obesity Crisis, Fix Health Care and Save the Environment (All at the same time!)

DiPlease read the preceding disclaimer first. Read the following at your own risk:

"Outside of gastric bypass surgery, no system has ever produced any significant long-term weight loss. None. "

So says Megan McArdle, channeling Paul Campos and Gina Kolata, in her article "Thining Thin" in The Atlantic Monthly. She adds, "Every single study which has attempted to make overweight people get thin without very risky surgery has failed completely and utterly. Fewer than 1% of patients ever keep the weight off."

She rebuts the predictable argument of "But I'M thin! Therefore there must be a way to 'make' fat people lose weight." with the hilarious "And I'M tall! So there must be a way to make you shorties grow!" Speaking with chutzpah I can only admire from a non-confrontational distance, she adds,

"I fearlessly predict that more than one person will respond with some variation on 'there were no fat people in concentration camps/but I told you, I totally lost 20 pounds last year by taking up marathon running!' Yes, we could solve America's obesity problem by putting everyone in the country on sawdust bread and cabbage soup. We could also just shoot anyone whose BMI is over 28. Are these good solutions? Because short of that, we don't have much."

Read her entire article to get the details of her argument or just accept the parsed version: Despite decades of scientific research into why some people are fat and why some aren't, we really don't have any practical answers.

Assuming the validity of her premise, I'm going to ask the obvious question: So why doesn't every overweight person just get gastric bypass surgery and be done with it? Sure, there's the "dumping" and the lifelong vitamin deficiencies and the pain of major surgery and, oh yeah, that pesky 2% mortality rate. But I'm willing to bet that people would accept all those risks and more to be guaranteed to be thin for life.

Well, maybe not for life. Gastric bypass surgery, while more successful than other weight-loss interventions, still doesn't work for everyone. In fact, most patients gain back a significant amount of the weight they initially lose. Even though their stomachs can only 2 tablespoons of food.

Even still, the promise of losing any amount of weight is enough to tantalize more than 205,000 people into going under the knife in 2007. So I'm going to postulate that it isn't the riskiness of the surgery nor the mixed results that's holding people back. I'm guessing it's the $20,000 - $25,000 price tag and only spotty insurance coverage for it. Which is why the government should sponsor gastric bypass surgery. To heck with "a chicken in every pot"! How about "A band on every stomach!"? Think of the publicity coup for any politician who supported that kind of health care reform. Not only are they lowering costs for all Americans by Winning the War on Obesity but they're prettying up the joint too.

That's ridiculous (and offensive) you say? Well then the only options left to us are to continue doing what isn't working (i.e. good hearted but sadly unproductive programs like diet and exercise education, early childhood intervention and reality television shows/celebrity-endorsed diets) or to admit that we don't know the way to make people lose weight and keep it off.

McArdle sums it up by saying,

"You do not have better willpower than they do. You do not "care about myself" more. You are not more "serious about a healthy lifestyle" because you took off the eight pounds you gained at Christmas. You are no more qualified to lecture the obese on how to lose weight than I am qualified to lecture my short friends on how to become tall. You just have a different environmental and genetic legacy than they do. You're not superior. You're just somewhat thinner."

All of which isn't to say that obesity isn't a problem. It is. The negative effects from being obese are well documented. I'm also not saying that we don't need health care reform. We do. The system is deeply flawed and unstable. What I am saying is that we need a little more compassion and lot more creative thinking. Anyone ever read that short story by Orson Scott Card where aliens discreetly turn suburban malls into fat farms by providing endless buffets of decadent food and then harvesting the resulting pudge for energy? Solves two problems in one! People get to eat what they want, stay thin and it's green energy to boot! Too bad it ends up killing off the humans in the end. I know what we need: smarter aliens.