Treadmills
Workout
Catch Up Post: I wish the US was on the metric system..
..because one treadmill I hopped onto in Aruba was only in kilometers and it took me a second to figure out it wasn't broken. I was watching more footie and ran 5k (because it was a number I knew I could easilty convert) then walked it out so I could finish watching the first half of the game :)
Flinstones-esque
Ridiculous and Inspiring Treadmills: Part I
The science here is intriguing. Would it be more efficient than running, or less? You make the call, and don't forget the downhills....
Food Love
We Met in the Cheese Aisle
In February, we learned the art of the treadmill pickup, courtesy of Marc Jacob's fiancé (though, it should be noted, Bruce Springsteen recently came out with a competing theory). Today's lesson: how to swap digits not at the gym, but in a Trader Joe's aisle. It seems so many folks are trawling the aisles of Trader Joe's in search of more than just healthy fare and affordable wine that a considerate TJ's coworker felt compelled to post a note on Craigslist explaining the exact etiquette of the cheese aisle pickup. "Odds are," she says, "that the employee liked you but felt uncomfortable asking for your number at work. When in doubt, make the offer yourself." All cleared up! And in case you're still nervous, the instructions end with the nudge: "TJ's Missed Connections often end well." (via EVGrieve)
Snapshot
Olivia Runs All Over Boston and Is Amazed By People Who Turn Their Lives Around
Every day, we give you a snapshot of one fellow striver in fitness. We ask personal questions, he or she boldly answers. Today's snapshot: Olivia, aka oiwuc.
- What's your secret (fitness-related) sin? Creeping on other people's time/distance on the treadmill next to me.
- What's your number one workout spot? The great outdoors! I've been mapping running routes around Boston of various distances, then I usually come home and do some muscle conditioning. And when I have the money, I like to go to the Virgin Islands during the cold months and swim everyday.
Workout Wear
In Search of the Perfect Running Shoe
I go through about three pairs of sneakers a year. Seems like within minutes of first wearing new sneakers, they're filthy, completely stretched out, and of withering arch support. Truth is, I have no idea how to pick a good shoe. Generally my process goes something like this: Walk into store, find shoe that fits and doesn't look appalling, walk around for approximately thirty seconds, buy, then wear for a few months until it's time for a memorial ceremony. I just mourned the passing of another pair, but this time I was determined to get new sneakers that fit perfectly...
More...Gym Dangers
Tripping on Jump Ropes and Falling Off Exercise Balls
The gym in January isn't just more crowded. It's also more dangerous. More than 50,000 people were injured at the gym last year, estimates the Consumer Products Safety Commission, with injuries sustained, "falling off exercise balls, getting snapped in the face by resistance bands, dropping heavy weights on their toes, tripping over ropes, or flying off treadmills. Especially flying off treadmills." Those new to treadmills, MSNBC reports, are especially vulnerable, making the January rush peak time for gym-juries. Now that it's February, we should all be safer. Still, a protocol is in order: If you see someone fall off an exercise ball or get snapped in the face with a resistance band, first make sure they're okay, then suppress guffaws till you're at least five steps away.
Scientific
Run to Stop Smoking and Get a Smoking Hot Brain
- If you want to stop smoking, start running or spinning or dancing, or anything that makes you sweat. A new study out today shows that smokers who combine a nicotine replacement therapy with exercise are more likely to quit. But for the effects to last (aka for you to stay off the cigarettes) you have to keep exercising.
- Further reason to lace up your shoes, another study out today shows that running makes you smarter. Mice who voluntarily used a running wheel increased their number of brain cells, and these weren't adolescent mice whose brains were still developing, these were adult mice. The running mice also performed better on spatial learning tests, meaning they were better at navigating unfamiliar terrain and detecting new patterns. So forget about working out for a hotter body, now you're working out for a hotter brain.
Gratuitous Late Afternoon Videos
Latest Video from OK Go, Famed Treadmill Artists
From the makers of the greatest treadmill music video of all time, comes something new. Think Chagall meets Final Cut Pro FX — with several soccer balls hidden in the middle, presumably for thematic consistency. We worship these guys. Plus, Charity is on vacation in South America, and we're desperate not to let you down for brilliant late afternoon posts. BTW, if you love this, must see here for the making of the video video.
Your Playlists
Anitak's Treadmill Playlist
A couple of weeks ago, Anitak forgot her headphones. "I felt so deflated that I almost went straight home! Treadmill + no music = ultimate boredom." It was particularly painful because she'd just put together a new high-energy playlist. She made it through, but here's the playlist — download it, and you'll see that it would indeed be rough to be cut off from these tunes. Anitak's full liner notes after the jump.
Missed Connections
Locking Eyes Across the Crowded Gym
Is the hottie you're scoping at the gym, scoping you back? Not at Lucille Roberts! But elsewhere, sometimes, some of us can't help but notice....
Park Slope -Crunch (asian guy) - m4w - 21 (BK) We were running next to each other today, June 8th, 2009, at Park Slope Crunch Gym at around... 6:00PM give or take 10-20 mins, lol. I was the Asian guy in a black shirt, white towel around his neck, and under armour shorts. I don't know if you were just looking around, but we kept looking at each other during our run, and I wanted to say hi.. but didn't.
Were you looking at his Under Armour? Could be the start of a beautiful relationship. Meanwhile, outdoors things are way less repressed....
Skater who high fived me while I was running on the East River - w4m (Downtown) My friend and I were running on the East River bike path on Saturday around 6pm. You and your blond friend were skating the opposite direction and high fived me. You had on a Hawaiian flower print hat. HAWT!
Or NAWT! OK, we want in. If you're feeling a missed connection of your own, and you don't have the David Barton steam room to help you out, let us know. We just might be able to help.