Weekend musings, with links

Boston is buzzing with  preparations for tomorrow's big marathon, which will actually pass near my house as eager marathoners head into downtown Boston.  As I question whether or not I want to sign up to run a 5K, the impending marathon (which I will watch tomorrow) has made me wonder if I'm a slacker for being so adverse to going for a weekend jog.  This article from the Boston Globe doesn't really make me all that excited by the prospect of running, but provides some slightly helpful information for remaining relatively injury free throughout the running process.  But, this article hints at the thought that running shoes impede our ability to run correctly since these shoes encourage our heels to hit the ground first, which could compound knee joint pain, although there apparently isn't a lot of evidence out there to make much judgment either way.  So, should I put on my running shoes for optimal fitness?
This past week, the New York Times also pondered the "single best exercise."  While walking was entertained, especially for sedentary adults, researchers argued that for the already physically active, just walking isn't enough to cut it.  The best single exercises nominated?  Burpees and squats.  Burpees build "muscle and endurance," and squats work the biggest muscles in the body while fighting muscle loss equated with the aging process.  Overall, the article makes it clear that resistance training, done in the form of weight lifting or interval training, are the healthiest exercises, and weight lifting increases endurance more than cardio.  Plus, interval training can be a lot more fun than slugging away at a steady pace cardio workout.  The point I take away from this article: to be as healthy and fit as I can now and later in life, mixing up my daily workouts to be short, intense, and with lots of body weight and resistance training (a la CrossFit).

But while exercise is incredibly important and essential to our health and well-being, the foods we eat are a huge determining factor in our weight.  Even if a person exercises, if they eat too much of the wrong foods, they will gain weight.  While I'm not personally a big fan of running, this article from the Boston Globe reminds us that while exercises like running can be good for the body, diet is the main determining factor of weight loss.  Often times, runners compensate huge calorie deficits with mindless, indulgent eating (i.e., I ran seven miles yesterday, so I can eat all the bagels/cookies/pasta I want!)  With that said, dieting (meaning, hopping on the band wagon of a fad diet for temporary weight loss) is not the answer, which Darya Pino cleverly tells her readers in her "10 Reasons Dieting Is Idiotic." While I don't have all the answers to healthy eating, unprocessed, natural foods definitely seem the way to go.

No doubt, all of this is tough, hard work, especially as we've become, according to Richard Conniff, a "Fat Nation."  Between clever market from food companies, swelling food portions at restaurants, and jobs which encourage sitting rather than physical labor, it seems nearly impossible to make good choices against the waves of messages from food manufacturers who make money off of us eating their highly sweetened, highly processed crap, no matter how "healthy" they claim their food to be.  They inundate the market with cheap food and hundreds of new food products every year -- how do we stand a chance against them?  One solution that Conniff suggests is to act as a community to fight obesity together.  He totes Somerville, MA, as a prime example of taking the right steps to be healthy.  By adding bicycle lanes to roads, encouraging families to walk and exercise together, and by urging restaurants to serve up healthier food options, Conniff argues that Somerville empowers residents to make better lifestyle choices.  My two cents: changing food and exercise habits is a daunting process, but small changes go a long way.  Example: I quit Diet Coke cold turkey this summer and haven't looked back since.  It was a small step that has led me to better choices; my main drink of choice is now water, and I feel much more hydrated and satiated than I ever did in Diet Coke binge days.  Once you make these baby steps, other food choices fall into place.  It gets easier and better each day.  I promise.

While I am happy and excited to support my local marathoners tomorrow, I'm glad I get to be on the sidelines rather than pounding the pavement for over 26 miles.  I will get up in the morning, spend an hour at CRCF, cheer runners along, and go about my day.  I may be tempted to add a short run here and there in my exercise routine, but for the most part, I'll stick to my weight and interval training and do my best to keep up with my clean eating habits.  For me, it's the smartest and happiest choices I can make for a healthy life.