fitness and food

I’ve been thinking about fitness more and more these days. I know that I like to do outdoor activities but I’m not likely to go out and ride my bike for aerobic fitness every day. I like to have fun or move myself around but any fitness or health comes from incidental exposure to activity. I had an elliptical last year for a bit, a very crappy elliptical but I was on it pretty much every day, watching Futurama episodes. I know that I’m happy to do exercises at home, I like it when I can watch TV while I’m doing it, and I won’t go to a gym.

So I’ve been futzing around online checking out workout DVD’s. I was considering Jillian Michael’s 30 day Shred which sounds okay, you do the same 30 minute workout for 30 days in a row. Sounds kind of harsh and boring eventually though, no? Maybe if I offset that with a yoga video or something. And then I got on the Kettleworx. Kettleworx was invented by a Canadian (who lives in the US now, unfortunately for shipping). The kettle bell is basically a cannonball with a handle on it that you do weight-y stuff with. The Kettleworx deal is you get a 5lb kettlebell and a pile of routine DVD’s and do 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week. Supposedly swinging, squatting and whatevering with a 5lb (or more if you are string) kettlebell makes you string and fit but not bulky (it’s unisex).

I have some birthday money and I’m considering the kettleworx deal. My other option is Shovelgloving. Please go read that link and learn about shovelgloving. The premise sounds good, it’s low tech, it’s funny, it’s just the kind of thing that works. Plus I can watch tv with it. Plus it is hilarious. Plus, 14 minutes a day works for me. Simple = good.

WWYD? (What would you do?). Understand that no, I won’t run; no, I won’t do dance aerobics and no I don’t wanna buy a machine. Kettleworx or shovelgloving?

Next: nutrition!

I eat fairly well generally. I eat great day to day plus lots of garbage. So, my base diet is awesome I just sabotage a it with candy an cookies. I’m pretty fine with that. But here is my question for you: if you are a brown-bagger, what do you take in your lunch? I like to take the same thing every day and have a routine, and that’s for packing and eating. Here’s my lunch system so far:

-Sandwich (pb&j or tuna with lemon&pepper and lettuce) on homemade bread
-1/4 C of trail mix from the store. I have to pick out the preserved mango and pineapple bits though UGH. I only eat this in an emergency
- yogurt cup (super bad for the enviro but so perfect and portioning is easy)
- 20 almonds (raw) and 5 dried apricots
- apple
- carrot sticks
- 1 wheat germ banana choc.chip muffin and 1 choc. Chip cookie (both homemade)

I eat the yogurt and the carrot sticks at around 10:30-11 am, then the sandwich and the apple and the cookie at noonish, then the almonds and apricots at 2ish and the muffin at 3:30ish and the trail mix if I am extra hungry whenever throughout the day.

What do you do? What do you eat every day?
For breakfast I have cream of wheat every day. Today for the first time I made it with half milk and it tasted SO good. Dinners are planned out in advance and are almost always bean quesadillas and veg, pasta with homemade sauce, soup (homemade) and grilled cheese once or twice a week, tofu stirfry and on the weekends we sometimes get a chicken with is lunch sandwiches, stock for soup and dinners for a few days at least. Other stuff too but those are the staples.

I make muffins and cookies at least once a week, since when the oven is hot and it takes under an hour to make 24 cookies and 12 muffins. I know those recipes off by heart now too which helps the speediness and spares the grocery budget (one of my main recreational activities).

I would love to hear what your staples are, what you do for food and how you keep costs down! What is delicious and easy? How do you stay fit? How should I get fit?