Remembering Sally Ride

Photo courtesy of Sally Ride Science

Sally Ride's death has hit me hard.

And I know how weird it is for me to be writing a post like this on Cranky Fitness; this is not that kind of blog. So, kind readers, please forgive today's rather self-indulgent wallow in grief and know that normal whining about health and fitness aggravations will return soon.

The thing with Sally Ride and why the loss feels so personal...

She was one of the few role models I've ever welcomed and internalized into my own bizarre psychological  landscape--a spooky but ultimately hopeful place in which conventional "heroes" and "celebrities" don't tend to venture very often.  But kind, brainy, brave, self-effacing, determined gals who accomplish amazing things without ever getting big-headed or braggy...they tend to loom large.

Plus, I knew Sally Ride and she changed my life.

Getaway Giveaway: The Wun-Jo!

Yep, once again the spoiled crab is taking off for an out-of-town adventure. So this will probably mean sporadic posting, a possible guest blogger or two, and self-indulgent photos of Crabby and the Lobster grinning happily at the camera in far-flung locations. Oh lucky readers!

Is there any chance I will write something informative about health and fitness while on a house-swap to Edinburgh, Scotland for almost a month?  Gosh, I bet there's nothing better do during the freakin' Fringe Festival than stare at a computer screen composing blog posts!  

And seriously, do you really want to read yet another post on how to exercise while away from home and avoid eating too much crap? No, you do not. I've written countless "how to stay fit while traveling" posts and so has every other blogger who ever stuck a pair of running shoes into a suitcase, ordered a salad at a burger place or bought a guest pass at a gym. You know the drill by now. Happy traveling involves shaking up your normal routine, not blowing it off completely. (Though thanks to Shauna I have been warned about the Edinburgh Cake Ladies and other Scottish temptations--some of which I may have to investigate... purely for research purposes.)

So instead, here's a pre-trip giveaway of the Wun-Jo, a clever fitness contraption that coincidentally, would make a perfect traveling companion. (Though if you win, the thingy might not arrive for a month or so, so be prepared to be patient).

So what the heck is a Wun-Jo and what does it do for you and how might you win one of your very own?

Food and Exercise Journaling: 5 Practical Tips

Yet another study, this one from the folks at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, says you should keep a food journal if you want to lose weight.

Is there a similar study that says keeping tabs on your exercise efforts leads to better fitness?  Probably!  I was too lazy to try to dig up research on it. However, my opinion, based on observations of self, friends, clients, bloggers etc.: Those who schedule and track their activities are much more consistent and successful than those who form a vague notion that they should get off their asses a bit more often.

So why doesn't everyone use a journal, or a clever app, to plan and track dietary and activity details on a daily basis?

Because it's a huge pain in the ass, that's why!

As it happens, I'm not counting calories or journaling about food at the moment, content to just follow my own bizarre dietary religion.  And my exercise data is being kept the lazy way: I'm wearing a fancy heart rate monitor when I exercise and letting it do the data collection.  All my tracking motivation has been hijacked by my brain re-wiring project, for which I've started a journal, and there is no way in hell I'm going to keep tabs on more than one major endeavor at at time.

(And yes, this means there will probably also be a post about the joys and annoyances of attempting to journal about sappy personal growth stuff over at Cranky Enlightenment before too long. And gosh how exciting that must sound!)

But anyway, here are 5 tips for tracking your eating/exercise efforts:

Healthy Recipes and Food Religions

Hint: This Ain't One of the Healthy Recipes.

So this post was originally going to be called: "Cauliflower, It's a F--ckin' Miracle!"

But too many people hate cauliflower. (Including, sadly, the Lobster). And since I'm hoping to elicit some help in finding new meal ideas, I didn't want to scare all you cruciferphobes away.

But since the webworld is FULL of recipes, you may be wondering why on earth I'd ask for help in finding a few easy healthy recipes?

Well, here's my dilemma:

Polar RCX3 (with GPS) Review

So remember how Crabby already apologized for doing a string of product reviews that aren't giveaways? Keep that in mind, and please cut her a little slack...

Because seriously, how could she turn down the chance to review (and keep!) a Polar RCX3 heart rate monitor with GPS and a data-link thingamabob?  This fancy-pants gizmo has the ability to track your location, distance, speed, heart rate, calorie burn, and even heart rate variability... and then wirelessly send all this stuff to the web so you can look at your data.  But beware, the online software has so many charts and maps and graphs to pore over that you may have to be forcibly tranquilized and hauled away from your computer find yourself spending quite a bit of time analyzing your results!

But of course, any time you pair an aging stubborn fitness blogger with advanced technology there are going to be some... complications.