Oil Pulling and Bike Riding

This morning I had a dilemma. I've been trying to get my morning routine down and running smoothly for a while now, but I haven't quite hit the right order yet. I've been determined to single task more things and not be a crazy multi-tasker any more.

First, I've been Oil Pulling each morning (you can read more specifics about that on our j&kFITNESS blog). Basically, you use as pure of an oil as you can find, and you spend about 15-20 pulling, pushing and swishing it around in your mouth. I've been using organic, virgin coconut oil. I don't even like coconut, but this oil is very refreshing! So you're supposed to do it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and before all your morning oral hygiene routine. That kind of grosses me out, but I'm all about trying new stuff and if I get a benefit from it, I work it in (with the goal of new, positive habits replacing bad ones).

You can get a nice size jar of this at Whole Foods

Secondly, I wanted to wake myself up a bit first thing by riding the stationary bike in our home gym. It's not new, but we just got a new bicycle seat. It's a really nice Schwinn Airdyne upright bike, but the seat has always been awful. It was nice and big and looked like it should be comfortable, but it nearly killed me everytime I tried to ride it. This past weekend we took the seat and post to All About Bikes in Memphis. Literally it took about 5 minutes to find a new seat and solve the problem. If you have bike wants or needs, go see Victor and team, they can help you out.

My new bike seat! Yay! I can ride and still sit the rest of the day without pain!

So... what to do? Well, I did them at the same time. While in my PJs and running shoes. And blaring loud music. I'm pretty sure I completely defiled the mental healing properties of my oil pulling, but it was what I had to do this morning. Not to mention that spitting the oil in a cup at the 20 minute mark so I could keep riding 10 more minutes made me feel like my Dad spitting tobacco. Yuck.

Jimmy's manly-man jam box that is usually in his wood-working shop

While I have impressed myself that I can swish oil around in my mouth, ride my bike and listen to music at the same time, without accidentally swallowing, choking or singing my favorite song in an outburst, I probably won't do that again. I think I'll go back to oil pulling first!

Do you do any crazy multi-tasking things in the mornings to fit it all in? Tell me what works for you!

Health, Fitness and Quality of Life City Rankings

Men's Health and Women's Health magazines just reviewed data from well-known national sources in order to rank 100 of America's largest cities in multiple categories regarding health, fitness and quality of life. All 50 states were represented, and rankings were grouped into best and worst cities for men and for women. Important to understand for this ranking is that the data crunch was not focused on suburbs, but rather the cities themselves.

I'm going to speak to the overall rankings for Memphis, Tennessee since that is my hometown. Memphis ranks 98 for women and 95 for men. Let's put this into perspective: 1 is the best and 100 is the worst. WOW. Before those of us that are suburbanites blow this off I would daresay, unfortunately, that we would not have had much positive impact.

The people of Memphis can change this ranking. It is within our power to do so, but it will take significant change, one step at a time. The short-lived weight loss frenzy that always dominates January is not going to do it. So what steps can we take?

Get motivated.

How important is your health and quality of life to you? It's never too late to take your health and fitness to the next level, which in turn dramatically improves your quality of life. This is true of the self-professed couch potato or the athlete actively competing in a sport. You cannot do all that you want to do or be all you want to be if you continue to put your health and fitness on the back burner.

Set some goals.

I mean long and short term, very personal goals. Long term might be how you see yourself this time next year. Short term goals with specific dates attached keep you grounded and focused. Challenge yourself but don't set yourself up for discouragement with an unrealistic goal. Each short term goal should push you a little further. Do you want to lose fat, gain strength, build muscle, increase your endurance? You can't get there if you don't know where you're going.

Establish accountability and support.

Very important! If no one knows what you're doing, you're not accountable. Seek out someone that will understand your goals and actually hold you accountable. This is probably not the same person that will meet you for dessert when you've had a stressful day. Also, enlist as many family members and friends as possible to help support you during this process. It will make the road easier, help lift you out of a slump and you'll probably be a positive influence on them!

Develop a plan.

Having the motivation and setting goals will still get you nowhere if you don't develop a plan on how to achieve them. Action items are crucial. What workout program will you start on what date? What is your strategy for food preparation and eating? Who will watch the kids? How does this fit into your work day? Make sure your plan is doable.

Clean up the eating.

The hardest part for most and yet one of the most important steps of all. Memphis is not known for healthy eating out options. That means you have to eat at home, figure out healthier options in restaurants, plan your fun meals (instead of just letting them happen to you) and pack a lunch bag. We can say that fast food is cheap, but what's cheaper than a big hand full of fresh green beans from the local grocery?

Begin a sound workout program.

Always get clearance from your physician to begin a workout program. Find a trainer for advice if you're not sure how to get started. Make sure your workout program lines up with your goals. You'll have to decide whether to join a gym or workout at home and potentially puchase equipment. The good news is there are great workouts available that require very little equipment and can be done at home or on the road.

Finish your workout program.

Seems obvious, but next to good nutrition this is the hardest accomplishment. If you have goals, measure your progress along the way and complete what you start, you will achieve success. Remember that once you've gone through these steps, it won't be for lack of knowledge, it may be from lack of just doing it.

Do it again.

Revisit your goals often to make sure you're focused. Revise them as you grow. Also revisit your action items. Are they helping you reach your goals, or is it time for a change?

Come on Memphis and all you other low-ranking cities. We have some work to do! http://www.womenshealthmag.com/ http://www.menshealth.com/