(image: Contortion Home Page)

Atilla just keeps comin' on up with stuff. We started this week with a full-body, cross-training, intervalic (it's a word now) wonderland of yowza. Because I care, and because I want to complain and she's sick of listening to me, I hereby share part of that workout with you. This is one circuit we did today. Between the second and third exercises, I ran on the treadmill until I felt like dying. You can have a brownie instead if you want; Atilla didn't bring any, so I had to run instead.

Ready? Get warmed up, and here we go!

1. Evil Step Squat Thingies She Just Made Up Last Night:

First, grab a pair of hand weights and a step. The hand weights don't have to be heavy (I used eight-pounders for the first two sets, then ten pounds for the last) and the step doesn't have to be very high.

Place your left foot--with your toes pointing straight ahead--on the step. With your right foot, step forward into a lunge. Then step backwards into a wide-stance squat and curl those hand weights up. Straighten your arms back down and step backwards into a reverse lunge.

That's one.

Do it nine more times. Start screaming at about rep seven. Switch legs and do it all over again, with screaming.

2. Nasty Tricep-Press and Bench-Press Combo

This is what you'll do as the second part of your circuit. Lie back on the step and have somebody hand you a bar with, say, twenty pounds on it (if you're me). Bend your elbows so the bar is slightly behind your head and your forearms are parallel to the floor, as though you were actually in a tricep-press machine.

Now press the weight forward until it's even with and above your nipple line.

Now press it up as though you're doing a bench-press. Bring the weight back down and press it backwards over your head again to the starting position.

That's one. You only have nineteen more to go... ... ...in your first set!

3. Foul Shoulder Horrors

After you've run as fast as you can for thirty seconds, grab a pair of fairly heavy-for-you weights.

Assume the squat position, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend over slightly while tightening your stomach muscles. Love this position, because that's where you'll stay.

Bend your elbows to a slightly-less-than-ninety-degree angle, and bring the weights up to even with your shoulders before you swing them back again, elbows still bent, in a controlled manner back to your sides.

Whimper slightly. Do nineteen more.

4. Aaaaand repeat!

I guarantee after this is all over that you'll feel wonderful. It's helpful to have somebody with you, because--and I can't say this strongly enough--it's *vital* that you have somebody to cuss at remind you to keep your toes straight during the lunges and have a spotter at the ready to catch the weight during the tricep/bench press thing in case your muscles give out.

I am now going to go eat a brownie.

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No one likes inflammation, right?

(Photo: sethrt)

There's been a great deal of interest lately in the possible connection between what we eat, and the medical problems that come with chronic inflammation. These problems may include cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity, insulin resistance, depression, dementia, arthritis, psoriasis, and bursting into flames.

Researchers have long noticed that some foods make inflammation worse, while other foods make it better. Plus, people with certain inflammatory markers are more likely to end up with an assortment of unpleasant medical conditions.

So not surprisingly, there are now diet books on the subject telling you what to eat and what to avoid. For example, The Zone Diet guy, Barry Sears, has one out called The Anti-Inflammation Zone. And dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone (warning; some think he's a quack) thinks you can keep your skin from aging by following his anti-inflammatory diet.

Should we pay these folks any attention? After all, there are tons of diet and nutrition books by supposed experts, and if you took them all to heart, you might find it simplest not to eat anything at all.

Seriously: according to this Breatharian Book, you don't need food.

So one wonders, is this "eating to avoid inflammation" notion a sensible strategy, or just another trendy nutrition fad?

Well, fortunately the L.A. Times blog Booster Shots had some answers! Not only did they alert me to a recent study testing out a new "dietary inflammatory index" for common foods, but they also linked to a great summary of the relevant anti-inflammation research compiled by one of their interns. This of course had me scurrying to evaluate my diet wondering how we could possible score a few interns here at Cranky Fitness. How sweet would that be? Then Jo and Gigi and I could all kick back and drink beer and eat cupcakes while our spunky, energetic interns slaved away in the Cranky Fitness labs, cranking out the nutrition research.

Go spunky interns, go!
(Photo: Shorpy).

Anyway, So What's the Deal with Inflammation?

According to the L.A. Times anti-inflammation article, the point of an anti-inflammation diet is to fight "chronic silent inflammation," the result of an immune system that isn't shutting off when it's supposed to. To quote:

"The theory goes that long after the invading bacteria or viruses from some infection are gone, the body's defenses remain active. The activated immune cells and hormones then turn on the body itself, damaging tissues. The process continues indefinitely, occurring at low enough levels that a person doesn't feel pain or realize anything is wrong. Years later, proponents say, the damage contributes to illnesses such as heart disease, neurological disorders like Alzheimer's disease or cancer."

Sounds like something we'd like to avoid, doesn't it?

And in a round-up of of nutritional studies, both human and animal, (best to read the whole article for more details), it's beginning to look like eating the right foods actually can help with the conditions associated with the inflammatory response. Furthermore, the researchers who came up with the nifty inflammatory index found it was able to predict levels of hs-CRP (which is an inflammatory marker) and "provide additional evidence that diet plays a role in the regulation of inflammation."

Neato!

Now all we have to do is avoid the foods that cause inflammation, and eat more of the kind that fight it.

And so what foods are those? Well, here's the really cool part, at least if you're a health-conscious Cranky Fitness reader:

The "good" foods are pretty much the ones you already knew were good for you, and the "bad" foods are mostly the junky ones you've been taking pains to avoid!

I love it when things work out like that.


Some Foods That Apparently Help Battle Inflammation:

Generally, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, oily fish, protein sources, spices such as ginger and turmeric, and brightly colored fruits such as blueberries, cherries and pomegranates.

Foods You Might Want to Avoid:

Saturated fats, trans fats, corn and soybean oil, refined carbohydrates, sugars, red meat and dairy.

(Wait... dairy? Damn! I drink a LOT of milk. Hmm. But otherwise, this is pretty much what I've been trying to do anyway.)

There's also a chart on the third page in the inflammatory index study that shows the ratings, but it's kind of tricky. In this chart, high numbers seem to be "good" and low ones seem to be "bad." And while there are a few recognizable foods, like garlic (fine), tea (better) and tumeric (awesome), they mostly track boring nutritional components like magnesium (great), and saturated fats (bad).

Do you buy the idea of foods contributing to or preventing inflammation? Any plans to tweak your diet?

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(Photo: Xinem)

"Ugh! Not a line for coffee! What?! What do you mean you're out of half-caf-double-latte-malted-mocha-chino?! You cannot be serious! Where's the manager?! Heads are going to roll!! I need my coffee!!!"

And so begins another day in the life of Schotsie Volvo and her pampered existence of ridiculously high expectations of everyone and everything. Why, this morning's coffee episode was almost as devastating as that nail she chipped last week. Schotsie doesn't handle bad news very well - not that this is all that serious, actually. It's disappointing, of course. Even frustrating. But it doesn't really fall into the "bad news" category. Schotsie doesn't really roll with the punches - she throws them. And if you've ever been in line behind a person like her you might start to wonder how Schotsie would handle actual bad news. And not just actual bad news but one bad thing after another. My guess is she'd fold up like a two dollar beach chair.

Life isn't fair and never easy and there eventually comes a time when you begin to recognize just how little control you have over some events that shape your life. You can't control the waves that knock you down, that's for sure. But can you learn how to ride them better? And how is it that some people can deal with pretty much everything that gets thrown at them while drama queens like Schotsie dissolve like vapor at the mere whiff of trouble? In keeping with the fitness and well-being cornerstone that Cranky Fitness and its corporate headquarters are built upon, read on for the secrets of resiliency.

Many in our fitness blog universe have traveled light years to get here from their home planet of Slackonia. They arrive with bright eyes and big plans and begin their journeys of bettering themselves through exercise and eating right. Everything goes great for a while until one little injury starts to monkey-pile onto another and before you know it, they've been knocked quite a ways off plan because of this unanticipated detour. Some have even had to deal with serious illness or traumatic events which have sidelined them. By the time they recover, their goals are looking pretty distant and they wonder if they have the strength to press on. What about that first 5K they were signed up for? And how will they ever get back to training for that marathon? It's New Year's already and they didn't lose the amount of weight that they thought they would have by now. They've already been through so much - wouldn't it just be easier to quit - even if it was a goal that was once important to them before life got in the way?

Resiliency - the ability to adapt to change or misfortune - can vary from person to person, as noted in this article. There is actually a genetic component to it which accounts for how some people handle great burdens with so much more grace and dignity than, oh say, me. Oh yes, yours truly admits to coming apart like a tissue in a washing machine on occasion - even though my tough-as-nails parents have weathered every storm with steely resolve. (Apparently, the resiliency gene may have skipped a generation in this case.) Ah, but there's good news: resiliency can be a learned behavior like so many other things in our lives. And what better way to lean than from others who have mastered the art of rolling with it.

There are common traits among resilient people that we can emulate in our efforts to learn about bouncing back better from adversity. Staying connected to people and reaching out during times of setback or crisis can create a shared burden effect. Blogging, for instance, is a great way to stay connected to people sharing the same goals and trials as you in this fitness journey.

It is vital to remain optimistic. This is classic "glass half full" thinking. Resilient people put a positive spin on things, believing that whatever crisis they've been handed is something that is hopefully temporary and solvable. Those of us with the recessive resiliency gene can un-learn our negative thought process by becoming more aware of our perceptions and re-thinking things in a more positive light.

Having a spiritual life is another component to bouncing back more easily than others. A study at Duke University shows that people dealing with a serious illness were better able to cope with the accompanying depression if they had strong religious beliefs.

Having a sense of play and experimentation helps us ride things out. Staying playful and curious and enjoying life in general is another key element to bouncing back.

Giving back to others is the ultimate in karma. Giving of yourself to others enhances that feeling of well-being and people who do it live longer, research shows.

Knowing how to pick your battles, as in the Serenity Prayer, is a big help. Changing the things you can control but not obsessing about the things you can't saves you the energy to steer you way through whatever situation you're trying to navigate.

Taking as good care of yourself as possible will keep you strong for the road ahead. If you've been sidelined with an injury, focus on eating well and exercising to the extent you can. If you can exercise, it actually produces a reaction in the brain that repairs stress-susceptible neurons.

And finally, resilient people know how to find the lesson in any given experience and use that knowledge in bettering themselves; sort of in the vein of "whatever doesn't kill me makes me stronger."

My personal point of view is that I need lots of help with becoming more resilient. I need to remind myself that whatever pit I have fallen into on any given day will not be the pit that I necessarily have to live in for the rest of my life. Looking forward, past the difficulties of the moment, has helped me greatly as in, "this too shall pass."

Are there any adversities you've had to overcome in reaching your fitness goals? And if so, what made the biggest difference to you in getting through it?

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Photo: flygraphix

I'd like to thank the Academy...oops, wrong post. Seriously though, I'm so grateful for the readers who share their thoughts and experiences with us here at Cranky Fitness. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this community. I couldn't ask for nicer - and funnier - co-bloggers than Crabby and Jo. And the commute can't be beat.

I have a great appreciation for the great and small blessings in my life and would like to take a minute to share some of the "greats" with you:

- The Hubby and Teen

- Good health and an able body (which I promise to stop treating like an EPA Superfund Clean-up Site).

- Great friends with whom I have shared every imaginable up and down that life has to offer.

- A modest intellect and rockin' good sense of humor.

- The brave men and women of the military who put their own lives on the line every day to protect our way of life.

- UConn Basketball

- Bailey's Irish Cream

- New England stone walls

- Comedy (for some classic Thanksgiving laughs, check out "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" and the "Cheers" Thanksgiving episode from Season 5).

- Books

- Misquamicut Beach in Rhode Island.

- Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett and Sinatra

And when I come across with the occasional loss for words, I can always find some who articulate what I am feeling so much more elegantly than I ever could.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity...It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -- Melodie Beattie

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice." -- Meister Eckhart

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." -- Thornton Wilder

"The Pilgrims made seven times more grave than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving." -- H.U. Westermayer


I hope this day finds you surrounded by the people you love best, a healthy body and mind, and an appreciation for all the other blessings in life.

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image: riptheskull

(Wait, this image is courtesy of "Rip the Skull?" How festive!)

So have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow, if you are celebrating that holiday, and if you are not, have a wonderful Thursday!

In my mind, Thanksgiving is a great chance to appreciate good food, close friends and relatives, and all that we have to be grateful for.

But while it can be a joyful time, it can also be a somewhat stressful time.

Photo: Zellaby

There are plenty of cultural assumptions about what Thanksgiving is supposed to be like, and the expectations are pretty high. Unless you live inside a Norman Rockwell painting, there will likely be opportunities for disappointment, conflict, anxiety, and embarrassment and crankiness as well as the requisite joy, love, gratitude and peace. Here's hoping that your Thanksgiving day includes more joy and gratitude than bickering and humiliation! And if any culinary or social disasters occur, may they at least make for an entertaining story to tell next year.

So there will be no tips from Cranky Fitness about how to eat "light" tomorrow, or how to make every item on the table super-duper healthy, or what you should do with the leftovers, or how it's already time to start Christmas shopping and what you should do to get organized about that.

Instead, I suggest you just cut yourself a few acres of extra slack. And try to enjoy the day and the company you're with--even if this year it's just your wonderful own self and a peanut butter sandwich!

I have much to be grateful for in my own life, but rather than bore you with my list like last year, I just wanted to say a brief thank you everyone who stops by Cranky Fitness--you are such a supportive, clever, warm, thoughtful bunch of folks!

And special thanks to cobloggers, past and present. Cranky Fitness would have long since gone silent without Merry, Gigi, and Jo bringing great advice, encouragement, good cheer, and, of course, a good dose of crankiness to this odd little health blog.

Have a great holiday tomorrow!

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