How Do You Define Healthy? [Plus: 22 "Men's" Exercises Women Should Do]
This is how Gym Buddy Megan defines healthy. And also, this is hands-down my absolute fave picture of her ever.
Six scrambled eggs cooked in butter, a half pound of bacon, four potatoes worth of hash browns, six pieces of buttered toast, and a 32 oz. milkshake. And that’s just for breakfast. As the world watches in horror and fascination, Susanne Eman just keeps eating — literally — at her goal to become the fattest woman in history. Says Eman to The Sun, “The bigger I get, the better I feel. I feel more confident and sexy. Why shouldn’t I push the limits and see how fat I can get and stay healthy?” Her ultimate goal: 1 ton, or 1,800 pounds.
While Eman’s blood work has consistently been in the normal(ish) range, her doctor thinks she’s playing Russian roulette with her life and many are questioning how she can really consider herself healthy when she can barely walk without assistance. Eman, who eats more than 20,000 calories a day, needs her two sons, six carts and a motorized scooter to do her grocery shopping — a feat she only attempts once a month because it takes her eight hours.
One person who could understand the pains of being that heavy is Donna Simpson — earlier this year a 600-lb Simpson made headlines for being “the world’s heaviest mother” and announcing her weight goal of 1,000 pounds. But perhaps more newsworthy was the fact that she supported her increasing waistline with a fetish website where men paid to watch her eat in her underwear. She felt sexy! She felt great! But now that Simpson has broken up with her boyfriend of five years, she’s decided to drop some of the pounds. She’s not doing it because she thinks she has to be svelte to find another man. In fact, she says that she would happily ditch the diet should another “feeder” boyfriend come a-knocking. Simpson is losing weight because she simply can’t function. She cannot effectively take care of herself or her day-to-day affairs at her size.
“The health and welfare of my family was always my priority and they were well taken care of by my ex. Now that I have sole responsibility of taking care of my children, I must drastically change my lifestyle. Most people see me as a woman who became famous for wanting to gain weight while the rest of the world was trying to slim down. This was true as I was in a relationship that was based on a fetish that exists only in a fantasy.” Simpson goes on to call her relationship which was based on “feeding,” abusive.
I originally wrote this piece for iVillage but I’ll admit to still having a lot of conflicting feelings about this story. I admire both women for feeling so great in their own skin and for bucking convention. And I do think it’s possible to be perfectly healthy and still weigh more than what is currently deemed ideal. But, when your weight (either too low or too high) interferes with your ability to meet your basic needs, that’s kind of the definition of unhealthy right? Or does health not matter as long as what she’s doing makes her happy?
How do you define healthy – is it about what your numbers say or about how well you can function? Or is it something else entirely?
Other places I am this week:
Shape Magazine: Can Pinterest Change Your Life? Science says yes! And you thought it was just another fun way to procrastinate…
iVillage: Kninkles: The One Body Part Gwyneth Paltrow and I have in Common. Another day, another manufactured body “flaw” to hate on.
Redbook: Are Leashes for Kids Cruel or Kind? I once had a girl ask me in a store why I brought my puppy. It was actually my 3-year-old on a toddler leash. (He liked being on a leash about as much as a cat does.)
Shape Magazine: 22 Men’s Exercises Women Should Do – my latest slideshow – is their featured story this week as, just like many of you commented earlier this week, women are learning that we don’t need to be afraid to lift like the dudes.
Here are the outtakes from our super manly photoshoot. Dude Tip #1: Always wear your best workout skirt! (Ours are courtesy of Dirty Red Gear.)
We started out with the manliest of all lifts: the chest press. And yes, Allison really does bench 135.
Then we moved on to the Olympic lifts. Ok, deep breath! I can do this! I’m so ready to clean-and-jerk this baby! (Oh if I had a nickle for every time someone yelled “That’s what SHE said” during this photo shoot.) Wha…? Who took my weights?
Nothing says DUDE like jazz hands and duck lips.
Megan takes her kettlebell workout to Broadway. Totally manly.
Where does a kick line rank on the testosterone meter, exactly?
And of course in true male fashion, we ended the workout with a group tickle fight! Who’s got pillows, girls?!
This pose was literally ripped from the pages of my childhood photo album: Ballet Recital 1982. All we’re missing is my Little Orphan Annie wig and some garish makeup.
To see the actual weight-lifting moves and to read my hilarious instructions on how to master them, check out the slideshow on Shape.com!
Exercises That Women Do Better Than Men
Why yes, we all ARE making duck-face! It’s a sickness I tell you…
Not to get all Gender Wars up in here but let’s face it ladies, when it comes to exercise the men usually win. They’re generally faster, stronger and more cut-throat. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have some tricks up our technical running tee sleeves! Thanks to our natural agility, better balance, flexibility and coordination and our willingness to play nice with the other kids, there are some exercises where Girls Rule the Workout!
Check out my article on Shape.com today “19 Moves Women Do Better Than Men“!
Other articles I’ve got out this week for Redbook Magazine, Yahoo!Shine, BlogHer and the Huffington Post (busy, busy!):
Lollipops for Drunks and Other Unconventional Uses For Kiddie Stuff (yes I invoke the phrase “adult onesie”)
Should Childhood Obesity Be Considered Parental Neglect? (nobody wins in this one.)
When Do You Let Your Children Use Public Restrooms Alone? (independence vs. mom anxiety, round 204!)
11 Children’s Books That Are Way Funnier When Narrated by Celebrities (if you read just one, read this! I made myself giggle until I shook the table.)
Does Complimenting Your Daughter’s Looks Send the Wrong Message? (I call Jelly Bean pretty. I can’t help it!)
The Milk Truck and Other Mommy-Rescue Vehicles We’d Like to See (The milk truck is literally a big van with a gigantic breast on top.)
My book review of Sarah Dessen’s latest YA novel (I’m a sucker for Sarah Dessen!)
So: Do you ever feel secretly proud when you beat a dude at something at the gym (even if he doesn’t know you’re “competing”)?? What moves are your personal bests?
Now for the fun! Here are some of the bloopers of our Shape Girls Rule the Workout Photo Shoot!
We all wore skirts/dresses since it was the Girly workout. Unintended consequence: There were a LOT of wardrobe malfunctions. Which led to a lot of crotch pointing. “And this is called your lady flower!”
Hard to demo a proper handstand when somebody keeps playing London Bridge…
This looks like we’re trying to give Megan first aid or something. What I’m actually doing? Picking her skirt wedgie for her. We’re that tight.
This is definitely not first aid.
All we need is our own theme music, people.
Give me your lunch money you little rat or I’ll… I’ll… make you smell my sweaty gym socks! Again!
One of these things is not like the other… Which sucks since this was the best shot of the rest of us. AHEM.
28 Exercises to do with a Jump Rope Besides Jump It
Good news: The Gym Buddies and I are jumping for joy because we are the #1 story on Shape.com today with my slideshow of 28 exercises to do with a jump rope (besides just jumping it)! Yay! (You know, like tripping your friends while you make them jump and smile simultaneously about 500 times in a row.)
Bad news: Um, yeah, that’s my butt they used to illustrate the story on their homepage. It’s so… shiny! And a little dominatrix-y!
And if you’re missing me while I’m on vacay, you can check me out this week:
My article on 10 Things I’ve Been Peer-Pressured Into Doing… By Other Parents for Redbook
Finding the Sweet Spot Between Too Much Parenting and Too Little: Easier said than done? for Redbook
6 Things Only Your Girlfriends Can Tell You for Shine!Yahoo
And… my favorite: Here are the outtakes from the Shape Jump Rope Slideshow. We were in an interesting mood that day!
When Gym Buddies go bad…
Krista pulls an Exorcist. Seriously, that just looks wrong.
Help I’m all tangled up in the rope and all I can think to do is jump in circles!!
This move sounded like a good idea until I saw that I’m basically delivering Allison’s baby by pulling on the umbilical cord. #OBGYNfail
I’m so excited! And I just can’t hide it! (And I only have one eye!)
Ooh I can’t stand the suspense! Which one of us is going to be crowned Miss YMCA? Hold me.
25 Deceptively Simple Exercises [We made the front page of Shape.com!]
Why yes that is Gym Buddy Allison’s adorable grin gracing the front page of Shape.com!
One-legged squats. Push-ups. Plank. Burpees. We’ve all seen them done so many times that, admit it, sometimes we write them off as too easy or boring. But in an article I wrote for Shape, I discovered that while these humble exercises may be simple they sure aren’t easy! Check out the Gym Buddies and I on the homepage of Shape.com and read up on all the exercises we think are harder than they look. (And of course, us being us, we got kinda silly during the photoshoot so there are some pretty hilarious pics up there! My fave is Allison elbowing me in the face as we race up the stairs. Fitness models we are not but sure had a great time doing it!)
If you haven’t read it yet, you have to check out my article for Redbook on The 8 Messiest Mom Chores (that no one ever warned you about). Bodily fluids are always funny!
Things got a little serious though with my post on 10 Thing to Never Say to a Mom of Boys. Mostly I wanted people to stop criticizing my boys for acting like boys but the commenters got all crazy with the circumcision debate… which I don’t mention anywhere in my post. Ah well, such is the Internet.
And don’t forget – there’s still time to enter my Olay $100 gift card giveaway! (Yes, I know it feels like I’ve been touting this one forever but they set the giveaway to be open for a month.)
Tune in Monday for a great giveaway!
Must Exercises Be Taken When Experiencing The HGD Diet?
The successful stories continue to be added about the HCG diet and a lot of questions come from people who have a wish to push the results at various levels. As it stands, between 0.5 and 1 pound is lost by the people who are following the HCG diet each day and even some better results are noticed. The basic question that can occur is exercise.
To say the truth a lot of people are drawn to the HCG diet due to the fact that exercises are off limits to most part of the people who do them. This is interesting because people find themselves overweight and stick to the point that the exercise can cause risk. Imagine how it feels to be trapped in such a situation. You might know that you have to lose weight but physically can not do it being afraid that you can injury yourself.
A lot of people like these come from those successful stories who are not able to exercise, but then lost 30-40-50 pounds and feel better and realize that point that some health problems are solved and they have done something that had helped them.
This is really what this article is about. Every person is different and each body can tell its different story. For some people who follow the HCG diet it is significant to lose a minimum weight. There can be people who exercise, but have troubles with losing those 10 poor pounds. Then there are other people who have been overweight for most part of their lives and are searching for something that can give them that momentum.
When time for exercising comes it encourages everyone to experience the protocol, but take in mind your physical condition. A lot of people can follow the HCG diet and still walk in the morning and no ill effects are felt from it. Listen to your body and signals that it gives you. Take into consideration that you only eat 500 calories a day so that the body has to burn it right up.
The other strategy that really gains popularity among those success stories is the plan for success. Every person has a set weight loss aim and when it happens that the weight loss has been observed a person starts his exercise program. This is what a plan for success is about, because this diet is not only directed for losing weight but also keeping it off. Each training plan has to begin small. As the progress starts to incorporate weight or resistance training for keeping you on your new road then it works out perfect. Then why not start this new path that can lead to desirable weight.
Luckily we live in the world of digital technologies which provide us with a truly unique way to find anything we need or solve an issue. Those who are concerned about their extra kgs, might be interested to visit this HCG diet site. Of course it would be right to get to know some info about HCG diet drops before trying them.
And this is where it wouldn’t be wise not to avail oneself of this really unique opportunity. Modern Internet technologies provide us with a way to break the borders and look for HCG diet all over the planet. Go to different social networks, look through relevant topics, participate in discussions in niche forums. All this will help you be well informed about the events concerning your interests. And, subscribe to the RSS on this blog not to miss new publications on the topic.
Related posts:
Replacement Fat X Exercises
I often get messages from people that are doing the Fat X Program (FX 12) and they are concerned because they don’t have the necessary equipment to do the exercises. Here’s a list of the most common exercises in the Fat X Program that people need replaced due to lack of equipment.
New Research: Toning Shoes, Instability Exercises Don’t Work
Shoe pants. (Shpants? Poos?) Brilliant. If you keep the laces going up, you could use them like suspenders thereby completing the trifecta of cool.You knew they were too good to be true. We all did. And yet “Officials from Reebok, a unit of Adidas, say the EasyTone is the company’s most successful new product in at least five years.” I blame the word “easy.” Here’s how it went down in my brain:
Um, I have to wear shoes. (And a shirt or I won’t get any service.) Minnesota weather precludes me from going barefoot 9 months out of the year so they’re an evil necessity. So if I must wear shoes, I might as well get a little bit of toning action in at the same time, right? How hard can it be – they’re actually called EASY.
Unfortunately I discovered very quickly that wearing “toning shoes” not only didn’t do anything noticeable for my legs or butt, but they were also painful and nearly injurious. I picked the MBTs for my 30-day Experiment as they are generally considered to be the best (and science-iest), if not the prettiest, of the toning shoes. I didn’t last 30 days. I barely lasted two weeks. There’s a reason you never see a Weeble Wobble lifting weights (besides the fact they have no arms or legs). Turbo Jennie wanted to give them a spin as well so I gave them to her with the instructions to wear them as long as she liked. She gave them back to me the very next day. If a physical education teacher and group fitness instructor doesn’t think they work, then the shoes have a serious credibility issue.
Recent research has back up my experience.
The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s leading authority on fitness and the largest non-profit fitness certification, education and training organization in the world, today released the findings from an independent research study on the effectiveness of popular toning shoes including Skechers Shape-Ups, MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) and Reebok EasyTone. The study, one of the first from an independent organization, enlisted a team of researchers from the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and found no evidence to suggest that the shoes help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone. “Our findings demonstrate that toning shoes are not the magic solution consumers were hoping they would be, and simply do not offer any benefits that people cannot reap through walking, running or exercising in traditional athletic shoes.” [ACE Fitness]
Jen Sinkler, editor of Experience Life, explains the fundamental problem with these shoes (and any unstable training surface, including BOSUs and exercise balls) on her blog Survival of the Fittest saying, “The idea that training on unstable surfaces is a good thing is flawed in and of itself — check out “Build Your Balance” for a glimpse into Eric Cressey’s research on the topic (the gist: unstable-surface training makes you slower and less powerful) — and aside from that, the muscle-activation research these shoe companies are producing is flimsy at best (tiny studies, questionable results).”
The shoe failure did not surprise me. (After all, what do you expect from a company that uses talking boobs to sell shoes?) The BOSU failure, however, did. For years I’ve seen people doing all kinds of different activities on the BOSU (both sides up) ball: everything from weight lifting to jogging to push-ups to abs. Gym Buddy Allison and I used to take a twice-weekly BOSU class. And we really liked it! We were told that doing regular moves on an unstable surface would “activate our cores” and “work our small supporting muscles” as well as improve our balance. Not so, says the research. And not only do unstable surfaces, whether they be BOSU or shoe, not have a fitness benefit they also up your risk for injury.
What’s your opinion on unstable surface training? Have you ever tried any of the toning shoes? Do you love the BOSU/Swiss ball/balance board? Does this research change your mind about any of it? Anyone else think that stupid talking boobs ad is one of the lamest ads of all time?
Shoe fish. Not brilliant.
Chin-up Pull-up Exercises: The best…
Introduction
A recent study revealed that people who suffer from depression (mostly from a breakup or for other reasons) hit the gym to work off the stress but in the more extreme cases, people find it hard to keep their head above the water and run circles in their head until a lot of time has been spent thinking about the past.
The real issue with people who are dealing with tough problems that have affected them emotionally is that they meet therapists and psychiatrists all in the effort of ironing out those mental wrinkles that Life has supposedly left them to deal with.
Personally speaking, I don't like the idea of people 'tinkering' with my head. However, not everyone will subscribe to that kind of 'independent' behavior, and in most cases, it's hard to keep your head up when times are tough in life all by yourself.
But more than ever, it is important to keep your 'chin up'… and by that I mean paying attention to both the psychological and physical aspects of your life. And believe it or not, taking care of the latter results in resolving the former.
Exercise – The Chin up & Pull up
For these two exercises, one must work against gravity and lift the entire weight of their body (using their hands ofcourse) to the point where the chin passes the bar you are holding on your way up. Right off the bat, if you are a beginner, these two exercises are really tough.
And almost everyone who has been through serious physical training (which includes these two exercises) know that the only way to be able to execute these exercises flawlessly, is by doing more and more of them.
All that is needed is a pull up bar, and the desire to get started… and if you put your 'nose to the grindstone', the immediate benefits are upper body strength and increased muscle mass. And these exercises are second to none if this is the area of your focus in training.
Differences
Even both these exercises share a common purpose, the biggest difference between the two is in the 'grip'. With the pull up, the palms are facing away while with the chin up, the palms face the person who is exercising.
Another big difference is that pull up strengthens the back (and to a certain extent, the biceps as well) whereas the chin up strengthens the biceps.
For those of you who are interested in doing these two exercises, you'll be glad to know that the chin up is the easier of the two, so you might want to start of with that first.
The Benefits (Pros)
The most obvious benefit of both these exercises is that they strengthen the arms and back, and if you are in a sport like MMA or rock climbing, both these exercises increases your grappling strength.
Interestingly, when one does pull ups, exercises which use the exact opposite movements such as the Bench Press and the Overhead Press are performed much easier, since the balance between press and pull exercises have been maintained.
The only con is in doing it wrong. One must be careful to study the entire movement of the exercise from start to finish, and this can be avoided by watching several videos available over the Internet by certified health professionals.
In Closing
Exercise not only helps one take pride in keeping a fit body but also helps one to regain emotional balance as well, and perhaps this is why therapy is not necessarily the solution to people problem all of the time. If you're feeling low, go and work out… and you'll see the difference!
Other Posts You’ll Find Useful:
10 Easy Everyday Exercises
Introduction
I have this pesky neighbor who comes by once in a while and gives me fitness advice (while getting on with that 'whine' routine that some bored people love to get started on), while she doubles in size by the hour… and I get comments, "well, haven't you slimmed down quite a bit?" and "God, you look good" and so on so forth…
I don't care much for advice… you know… it's mostly unsolicited and free… and useless… Baz Luhrman says that 'advice is basically recycled memory' and as stupid as some people get, I suppose they just want to talk… but it gets on your nerves! Really does, when the blabbermouth goes on for six months…
It's not the advice but the sheer stupidity and then the proverb, 'Never argue with a fool, people may not know the difference' comes to mind, while I hurriedly excuse myself to get back to work.
Some people cannot be helped… they love to run their mouth… just big talk but nothing to show for… and as pathetic as that sounds, it's the bitter truth that helps you separate the wheat from the chaff.
One the other hand, there are some obese people who really try to lose weight and most of the times keep mum about it, and these are the kind of folks that one should empathize with, rather than make fun of…
Exercise – An uphill task
If you are overweight, there's no doubt that your motivation to exercise is at an all-time low. Well, the truth is that you are stuck in a rut, and you don't bother to diet or exercise and instead do things that doesn't necessarily help you get your weight under control… and make excuses along the lines of, " I'm good enough this way, and if people don't like me, that's their problem".
What crock?
The thing is it is OK if your weight annoys you because it's really your body saying: "Hey, wake up and do something about all this lard". Everyone's been through that phase… and for one to look fit you have to put a lot of hard work into it… that's the bottom line!
So, how do you start if you've never ever worked out?
Trust me… it's not too tough as it sounds! All you have to do is moderate your daily routine to make it more active, and as small (and insignificant) as it might seem… 'the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step'.
Things to do to make your daily routine 'active'
1. Whether at work or home, take the stairs. No elevators.
2. Walk for 30 minutes in all, right after breakfast, lunch and dinner.
3. If you are in a relationship, do some justice to the term 'f****** like rabbits', and you'll lose quite a lot of weight.
4. Suck your stomach in for at least five minutes a day.
5. Park your car in the farthest spot when you are running errands, and if can't find parking space… don't get mad… it's more exercise.
6. Walk your dog, or rather let the dog walk you…
7. Put on some fast music that you love, and dance as if you are on 'Dancing with the stars'… or on steroids!
8. If you have kids, play with them for at least thirty minutes a day. Or find some kids, and you'll automatically be forced to be 'active' like they are.
9. Do some gardening (not the gardener), and this activity surprisingly will burn a lot of calories.
10. Don't sit around doing nothing but if you are at home, keep yourself busy doing housework. If you have a desk job, try and move around as much as possible. Just don't sit there for long hours.
In Closing
When you do these 10 easy activities (and there are so many more), and you begin to feel good and active (and a good indicator of this is if you are tired enough to fall asleep immediately at night!), ask your partner or friend to help you get to the next level, which is exercising regularly… and you'll be on your way to looking fit soon enough. It isn't as tough as it looks…
Most importantly, don't sing it… bring it!
Other Posts You’ll Find Useful:
Booty Enhancing Exercises
