Lean and Hard

Hemera/Thinkstock

We've all heard of "the wall." It's a physiological and emotional barrier faced by marathon runners, typically at about the 20-mile mark of the race. Scientifically, it has to do with glycogen depletion. Here's an excellent description from HowStuffWorks:

Hitting the wall, at its core, could just as aptly be called glycogen depletion onset. It's less graphic, but more scientifically accurate. Glycogen is a variety of glucose that the body stores to produce energy. Think of it as the fuel for your body's engine. Your muscles need it, and your brain thrives on it. Unfortunately, there is a limited supply of glycogen that your muscles and liver can stockpile -- about 2,000 calories to be exact. [sources: Latta, Galloway]

The average runner burns approximately 100 calories per mile. It's no coincidence that many endurance athletes describe hitting the wall at the 20-mile mark of the marathon. That's the point at which 2,000 calories of glycogen fuel have been exhausted, resulting in an overwhelming feeling of heaviness in the legs, a lack of concentration and even feelings of outright despair.

There's a similar experience I face often. Maybe you do too. Some days, at around 4 PM, I start having discouraging thoughts about my planned workout at 6. I start thinking, "What's the point? Why am I doing this? Why not just go straight home and pig out? Who cares? I can make up for it later." Etc., etc., etc.

Perhaps it has to do with my blood-sugar levels, in which case a small snack can renew my determination to stay fit. At other times the cause is less clear cut and the solution more elusive than consuming an energy bar. Sometimes I just have to push through it. Or more in line with the metaphor, climb over it.

What I know in the rational part of my mind is that the feelings of futility are not justified by my reality. And better, I know that they are temporary. I know that once I change into my workout clothes and step up to the elliptical, with good workout music coming through my headset, I'll feel better.

So climb the wall, friends, and see how beautiful it is on the other side!

Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for free email updates.

I've long held the conviction that people being critical of my unhealthy weight did not help me in the least. Family, friends, doctors, anyone who just felt compelled to confront me on the fact that I was fat and ate too much, utterly failed to motivate me to change. Why? Because my problem was never one of motivation. And I believe this is true for most people who struggle with weight issues. The article below makes the point and will be a great one for you and people you know to read and understand.

NPR - 7.26.13 by DEBORAH FRANKLIN

Overweight people who said they'd experienced discrimination based on weight were more than twice as likely to be obese four years later than people who didn't mention such discrimination.

Don't try to pretend your gibes and judgments of the overweight people in your life are for their own good. Florida researchers have evidence that discriminating against fat people only makes them fatter.

"People often rationalize that it's OK to discriminate based on weight because it will motivate the victim to lose pounds," Angelina Sutin, a psychologist at the Florida State College of Medicine in Tallahassee, tells Shots. "But our findings suggest the opposite."

Sutin and a colleague checked survey data from more than 6,000 American men and women age 50 and older who were asked how often in their daily lives they experienced different types of discrimination. Examples ranged from discourtesy or refusal of restaurant service to not getting a job or promotion.

Read more>>

Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for free email updates.

No one has time to get exercise, right? So if we're going to get it done we have to be efficient about it. That means working out in such a way as to get the most bang for our buck, or the most results for the time and energy we put in.

To accomplish this, we need solid advice and a high level of motivation. Wasting time and energy on workout routines that produce next to nothing in terms of our fitness goals just isn't an option. Neither is the kind of motivation that only lasts a week or two. (I always say that it's easy to decide to eat less right after a big meal. But it's what you do when your belly isn't full that counts.)

This app is designed to help, both with advice and motivation. The developer says,

"Up your motivation, improve your fitness, and stay on track with Gymprovise - a powerful, versatile, and flexible workout tracker for the Gym and outdoors, which gives you everything you need to plan, track, and review all your fitness activity. Gymprovise is THE Workout, Fitness & Bodybuilding app for gym junkies, fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders & anyone serious about getting fitter and stronger. This is the free, ads-supported version, with core functionality. Get the paid version for no ads and TONS of additional features! Gymprovise makes it easy to plan & track all your fitness activity, in the gym & outdoors. We have many features to suit everyone from beginners to advanced,"

Check out the screenshots:



Get it by clicking below!


 Follow me on Twitter. Please subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for free email updates.