Crabby Hits the Jackpot: Cranky Readers are Ultra-Awesome!
photo: sexy77betoSo Crabby has coerced... er, let's say "invited" another fun and inspiring blog commenter to share a fitness adventure. And yet again, it was an exciting aspiration to which Crabby herself would say "hell no!" The Jackpot Ultra Marathon is not the sort of thing one approaches in a half-assed fashion, and Crabby rarely employs her entire ass unless absolutely necessary--being chased by angry bears or pursuing fleeing cupcake vendors are the only situations that come immediately to mind.Anyway, wanna hear how it went? This is the first guest post by UltraKaz but, I'm sure hoping there will b...
Source: Cranky Fitness - March 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Bucket Lists--What Should Be on Yours?
By Crabby McSlackerDo you have a "bucket list" of things you'd like to do before you croak?There's a whole website designed to help you "track and achieve your life goals," and there may be some bucket list ideas there you could swipe.I don't actually have one myself, but hmm... maybe I should?Mostly I'm curious about what you guys have on yours.This brief post was inspired by awesome and beloved Cranky Fitness commenter Tree Peters, who has a great list over at her blog about tackling 50 Things Before 50. Plus I frequently walk by the chalk board, pictured above. One that reinforces the notion that gosh, we're ...
Source: Cranky Fitness - March 5, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Three Annoying Questions for Jody of Truth 2 Being Fit!
photo: the unquiet librarianInterview By Crabby McSlacker So again with the "3 Annoying Questions!" This time we decided to ambush... er, ask the awe-inspiring Jody, whom you can find being all Fit at 56. Jody keeps it real, offering inspiration and practical tips on fitness and health and nutrition, but damn it, she stubbornly refuses to offer quick fixes to tough problems or magical solutions which require no effort or sacrifice. Spoilsport.Please welcome Jody to the weirdness that is Cranky Fitness!--Crabby And here are the 3 Annoying questions:.1. What do you find to be the suckiest thing for yo...
Source: Cranky Fitness - March 4, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Monthly Support Post: Blow Your Own Horn (Plus, Life Coaching Flash-Sale )
By Crabby McSlackerRegulars here may recall that about once a month, Cranky Fitness gets all nosy wants to know what you guys are up to. These "goal support" posts may have started out being about New Years resolutions, but many people who check in are not actually pursuing any official resolutions or goals. And that's just peachy too! So how about we do something slightly different? This month, I'd like to encourage Cranky Fitness readers to say something nice about themselves. So join me, will you? Let's go ahead and brag a little!And, like me, you can consider getting some practice promoting your busines...
Source: Cranky Fitness - March 3, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
In Defense of Fake Foods
By Crabby McSlackerYep, Crabby is feeling all contrary today and thought she'd try to stir up some controversy by contradicting every normal sane health blogger in the world with this daring pronouncement:It's perfectly OK to Consume Fake, Processed, Non-Natural Foods...!...Sometimes.Well, so maybe it doesn't sound quite as controversial with that qualifier, but I'm not a total idiot.Natural Is Better, Right?There is a fun video making the rounds (which runs a bit long for my tastes, but whatever) that spoofs commercial dishonesty and consumer gullibility when it comes to claims that various processed foods are "natural."B...
Source: Cranky Fitness - February 27, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
A Walk in the Park
By Crabby McSlackerFear not, this is not gonna be a long post or another massive camera phone dump. Just a couple brief thoughts vaguely related to health and fitness inspired by a walk in the park yesterday morning.1. Walking is Underrated in the Fitness World But it Rocks.I was actually headed to the gym yesterday, but got a few blocks from my door and said screw it and headed for the park instead. It was a nice day, and I was feeling overwhelmed by a long to-do list and realized that I was dreading the strength training and intervals that were on my exercise agenda. So I put off my more psychologically...
Source: Cranky Fitness - February 26, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Gamblin' Again
By Crabby McSlackerGambling seemed like a natural theme for this next camera phone travel photo dump, since:1. The last similar post was called Ramblin' Again and it rhymes;2. We just got back from Reno, a town known as a gambling destination, where we went to celebrate my mother's 80th birthday; and3. Life is a crapshoot, right? You peek at the odds, you roll the dice, and you take your chances. No no matter how carefully you plan--or whether you don't plan at all--there's no way in hell you can predict exactly what's gonna happen. Healthy and Unhealthy ChoicesThe interesting thing about gambling to...
Source: Cranky Fitness - February 25, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Goal Support... and Again With The New Years Resolutions
cartoon by someecards.comNot everyone does the New Years Resolution thing, and if you don't, please forgive my blathering on about them again this year. In fact, fewer and fewer people are bothering to make resolutions these days. Are people getting more realistic about behavior change, or just lazier?But some of you may have goals, plans, hopes, or dreams for the future, and may also have at least a vague intention of moving towards your ideals rather than hurtling along at warp speed in the totally wrong freakin' direction.And a fresh new calendar year seems as good a time as any, right, to reflect, prioritize, and ...
Source: Cranky Fitness - January 2, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Happy 2014!
Hope you all had an outrageously pleasant end to 2013, and are off doing wholesome healthy virtuous fun things today!On the theory that sitting in front of a computer is not the best way to greet the new year, I'll wait 'til tomorrow to reprise the monthly New Year's Resolution/Goals/Check-in Thing for 2014. But I can't wait to hear what you all are up to.However, fortunately not all fitness bloggers are as lazy as I am, and if you like to greet your new year with a bit of inspiration:Our pal Jody has a great reminder about the importance of laughter over at Truth to Being Fit;And a clever trick for optimal use and re...
Source: Cranky Fitness - January 1, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Fitness Communities: Whaddya Think?
By Crabby McSlackerPhoto: German Federal Archives via wikimedia commons.So, yeah--these may well be fit and happy Nazis.In case you were hoping this a post might be a thorough round-up of all the new interactive apps and websites that encourage people to become part of a healthy community: um, sorry, no. At least not yet. That would take a lot of work, and the brand new Cranky Fitness Research department is not quite open for business yet.This post, when I eventually get to the point, is mostly a follow up to the "help wanted" plea of a couple weeks ago, and an update on some forthcoming blog changes! For ...
Source: Cranky Fitness - December 30, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Trick for Nearly Instant Flat Abs: Balloons?
Don't worry, that's not a "before" and "after" pic.image: wikipediaSo when I was online digging up various sorts of strangeness for the Weirdest Weight Loss post, I came across a "Daftest Diet" article from the Daily Mail. It included a tip from the book "Six Weeks to OMG: Get Skinnier than All Your Friends," which sounds, overall, highly annoying.But a tip it offered seemed intriguing: it's a simple way to engage and strengthen the transversus abdominis muscles.As you are probably aware, your transverse abs are the handy muscles deep inside that pull your belly in, and probably do other important things too but ...
Source: Cranky Fitness - December 23, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Help Wanted: Join Team Cranky!
TheDailyWhat.comWould any sane person want to join a health blog known for its crappy attitude, half-assed research, endless digressions, and gratuitous cursing?Let's find out!Here's the thing: I'm planning to put a little more energy into the blog in 2014, and it would be awesome to have a Cranky-Compatible co-conspirator or two.This is a total long shot, I realize, but what the hell. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? I have promised myself I will NOT let myself feel like a total ass if I put this out there and nothing comes of it and I continue to soldier on solo. More on what I'm looking for below, but...
Source: Cranky Fitness - December 16, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
5 Weirdest Ways to Lose Weight
Losing weight is tough, and conventional methods don't always work quickly or easily. So it's not surprising that people will try tricks and tips that promise shortcuts to shedding pounds, even if they sound kinda offbeat.Me included!But what constitutes a truly "weird" weight loss approach?Well, when I googled, many of the "weird but helpful weight loss" tips were ideas that weren't all that strange.According to Allure Magazine, snacking on whole foods instead of refined junk, and watching less TV are a couple of "weird weight loss tricks." While eating at home and riding a bike were some of the "unusual...
Source: Cranky Fitness - December 9, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Sneak Attack--Monthly Goals
Photo: byron chinSo, we're a month away from that most amusing time of year, New Years Resolution Season!Hope springs eternal, eh?I know not everyone is a fan of the annual Resolution Ritual. Each year, millions of earnest folks set lofty goals and then, for the most part, totally blow 'em off a few weeks or days or even hours later. Getting healthier and/or more productive generally involves willpower, self-discipline, and deprivation--and dressing it up in a party hat, alas, doesn't make it suck any less.Portion control? Nooooooo!!!photo: tambakoBut, if you, like me, can't help but join in the annual Failure Festiv...
Source: Cranky Fitness - December 2, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
Brainwave Biofeedback at Home? ReLax, it's Cheap and Cool!
photo: gloggerSo this is a review of the ReLax Kit by OP Innovations, which (fear not), looks nothing like the photo above. It's quite a bit less scary.The ReLax Kit costs less than $50, and promises to monitor your brainwaves, posture, and muscle tension using advanced bio-signal tracking.It comes with a smallish TrueSense biosensor you wear on your forehead, no gel or anything required. And it has a little controller thing that flashes colored lights based on how stressed you are.Or, if you want to get fancier, the controller plugs into a PC to show you your actual brainwaves and muscle tension in re...
Source: Cranky Fitness - November 25, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs
