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The Crops Are Coming: Are You Riding With the Dirty Dozen?
I've never wanted a tattoo of the Dirty Dozen before, but I do now. Because this is when so many spring and summer fruits and vegetables are coming to town, and it's nothing but fun to wander around my local farmer's market, picking and schmoozing.
…Read more.
Body Image 101: How to Embrace the Naked Truth
Last week, we ended our Summer Is Coming Bad Body Image Redesign class with some very encouraging news. If you've lost your notes, I will backtrack a bit ...
While it's sad but true that millions of women and men are suffering from the bad-body-…Read more.
Om-land Security: How to Defeat the Body Image Blues
A woman I know — let's call her Terry — is suffering from a case of the Bad Body Image Blues. She loves her life, her family and her work, but when she thinks about her body, she feels miserable.
"I hate the way I look," she …Read more.
High Intensity Exercise Takes Your Breath Away! Goodie!
From time to time, I feel it's my sacred duty — as your most personal trainer — to tell you about exciting developments in the world of getting stronger and lasting longer that you otherwise might not know about, leading the crazed and …Read more.
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Rethinking Gift-giving: More Joy, Less StuffThis December holiday season — thinking about our consumer-driven economy too broke to grow and too indebted to save — I am reminded of that shopworn but still inspiring quote by Hamlet of Walmart: "To buy or not to buy." Is that a question? Yes, it is — especially this woe-is-me year, with so many of us fearful about losing our homes, our jobs, our kid's future. Credit cards are exploding, the American dream is imploding, and the prospect of spending hard-earned money on more stuff for family and friends who don't really need more stuff borders on the goofy. Call me unpatriotic, but ... does Dad really need a hydraulic cork-puller? More socks? Another tie? What would happen if you gave your wife a neck-rub instead of a necklace? Would your kids hate you if you asked them to recycle their used toys and games at a homeless shelter this Christmas instead of filling up their room with new ones? OK, I'm dreaming. But I'm in splendid company. There's an increasingly vibrant and healthy movement in the country toward voluntary simplicity, toward having less stuff, toward a happiness-driven growth model that is based on people working less and owning less, driven by acts of creative kindness, not crass consumerism. If this speaks to you, join in. Admission is free! Your stocking-stuffer habits may be ready for radical change. Meanwhile, the rituals of holiday gift-giving are not going away. Our economy thrives on it. Family and friends expect it. The real challenge this holiday season is to do it in a mindful way that fills you with joy instead of tension. As your most personal trainer, I suggest you take some quiet time and ask yourself: What could you do to make this season's gift-giving more satisfying, less spiritually draining? Keep in mind that nonprofits are just as worthy as for-profits. And never confuse being sensible with being a Scrooge. The sooner you find a strategy for gift-giving that suits your budget, your comfort level and your highest desire to be generous, the healthier and happier your holiday will be. That said, here are four of my favorite gift-giving ideas to get your holiday synapses sparking: — BODY WORK. A good massage — whatever style, from Swedish to shiatsu — will do wonders to soothe the body and refresh the mind.
— TIME WITH A TRAINER, COACH, NUTRITIONIST. I love giving lessons, and so will you, as long as your giftee is open to instruction. For a golfer, this is never a problem. Tennis lessons, swim lessons, dance lessons and cooking lessons make wonderful gifts. All fitness-minded folks will benefit from some instruction in breathing and meditation (call a master yoga teacher for guidance). — A BASKET OF TREATS. Consumables make smarter gifts than stuff because, in time, they disappear. Avoid the high-fat fruitcakes and chocolate-chip cheesecakes. Instead, pack a basket of goodies that taste great and invigorate; choice fruits, artisanal cheeses, great breads, fine wines. Just for fun, stick in something unexpected: a favorite cookbook; a subscription to the Nutrition Action Newsletter; a coupon for a carwash. — SUPPORT A NONPROFIT. Is this the year you honor your loved one by giving a box of honeybees to the Lopez family in Honduras? (www.heifer.org) Or pay for after-school classes for girls who are desperate to play sports, eat smart and grow into healthy women? (www.girlsinthegame.org) Or maybe you want to support a nonprofit that provides free websites to families in hellish health situations and need the healing support of friends? (www.Caringbridge.org) These are three nonprofits I adore, but there are countless more, waiting for your holiday gift dollars this year. ENERGY EXPRESS-O! WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? "Christmas is a school for consumerism. In it, we learn to equate delight with materialism. We celebrate the birth of One who told us to give everything to the poor, by giving each other motorized tie racks." — Bill McKibben Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 ENERGY EXPRESS, LTD. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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