Progress Reports
Day 15 Feral Victory
"Yes. I went out — in public — even ran back through INDEPENDENCE MALL one of the busiest tourist sites in the USA in leggings and nothing hanging down over my thighs. That my friends is more than improvement. That is 25 years of crippling self consciousness defeated - at least for one afternoon. "
~ Butwhatifido, Today, 3:40 P.M.
Onward challengers!
Home Stretch
Broken Elevators Don't Stop You When You're Feral
"I had to run by this dilapidated building off Wall Street today to pick up a press clipping, and what do you know, when I arrived, all four-- FOUR!-- elevators in the building were down at once... Was I annoyed by this fact? Noooooo!!!! I took this as an opportunity to get in a midday workout." — joesgirl, today, 4:55 P.M.
Tuesday Truckin'
Yoga and Death
DEATH Workout
On Friday morning, I did one of the most crazy and intense workouts I've ever done in my life. The SoCal Crossfit Sectional workouts had just been announced and my coach wanted us to test it out, partly because he wanted to strategize ... More
HIGH FIVE!
I hit an all time high for caloric burn tonight...in 75 minutes I shed 818 calories. I am pretty proud of myself for this achievement, and have felt like the Cheshire Cat (so pleased with ... More
if you guessed yoga, you'd be right
i'm sure no one is actually reading these blogs, but i must admit that the fact that my exercise is basically limited to running and yoga probably makes the chance of developing a following pretty slim. There is not too much ... More
Oh Yoga...How I Missed Thee...
Religiously going to yoga for weeks, I was enamored; but something changed. I forgot how important it is to do something rejuvenating and good for the spirit and traded in yoga for something more "hardcore."
After weeks of ... More
The Love Challenge is over, but the Feralicious Challenge is growling at you.
Figure Skaters
Johnny Weir Does Pilates and Loves Foot Massages
In case you slept through the Olympics, or, more important, missed the recent New York magazine story, Johnny Weir is a figure skater. He's the flamboyant, "dancerly" American who wears feathers and who did not win the gold medal at Vancouver. Lagging the story just a little, Gawker.TV has today posted several home videos of campy Johnny talking about his Pilates practice, his orgasmic foot massage machine, and about how he's not getting enough action. Were these taken before or after the Games? Hard to say, just as it's hard to say they're 100% authentic. Still, figure skating junkies and South Park script writers should check them out....
My Body
Erin McKenna Eats Two Cookies Every Night
Chefs are like athletes — they abuse their bodies in the name of performance. There are the burns and the cuts, of course. But then also the late hours, the constant high stress, the endless rich food, drinking, smoking, drugs, and broken relationships. It's arguably the most unhealthy profession since coal mining. At least that's the impression given by popular chefs, like Gordon Ramsay or Anthony Bourdain. In the name everyone's general well being, and out of sheer curiosity, Social Workout decided to investigate. We started with Erin McKenna of BabyCakes....
More...Retreats
Personalized Fitness Retreat in Jamaica
- Who: Ashley and Colby Swartz
- What: A week of customized fitness on the beach in Jamaica, with all proceeds going to HELP Jamaica. You tell the trainers what you want, from Pilates to interval training, and they make it happen.
- When: April 28 - May 3, 2010
- Where: Negril Jamaica with accommodations at Villa Sur Mer
Afternoon Stretch
Wake Up, Metabolism!
"Kettlebell swings, squat thrusters, medicine ball lunges, dumbbell snatches ... pain inducing in a positive way." — saadiah, today, 1:30 P.M.
Scientific
We're Born to Dance
Babies move to the beat of music, and they find rhythmic music even more engaging than speech, shows new research. What's more, dancing makes them happy. "The better the children [aged 5 months to two years] were able to synchronize their movements with the music the more they smiled," says one of the study's lead authors. Note: At no point does the study say the dancing=smiles reaction fades as we age.
Workout
too tired to spin, so went to Transform instead and oops I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!
[You Wrote We Like — In which sandella wins big for all her exuberance during the New Year's Edition Challenge: 6% body fat gone, $500 in her pocket from Sports Club/LA ~ the Eds]
At 6:30pm, i was on my way to spin class but then ran into Gabriela, who teaches Transform and I realize while talking to her, i just had no energy to spin... so I take Transform instead... at 7:15pm, i felt like my old self again, I then met up with Julie Bobek, and Esref Mansur Private Training Director @ Sports Club/LA and we took pix bc I won the The Sports Club/LA InBody Challenge, losing the most body fat.. and the prize a $500 gift card to use at the gym. The New Years' Edition challenge helped me to stay on track. what is funny, everyone wants me to spend the $500 on spa treatments, but I am going to train with Julie instead.
Newslinks
Even if You Don't Become a "Garbage Disposal," You Probably Still Won't Look Like Gisele
"I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals."
— Gisele Bündchen in April's Vogue
Noon Stretch
Jumping Rope
"Beautiful day today, 50 degrees, sunny. I only had about 20 min to workout so I did some jump rope (hard, I was surprised how hard)." — mindyse, today 10:06 A.M.
Summarizer
Men's Health April
Cars! Beers! Breasts! Welcome to the April edition of Men's Health! You'll be pleased to know that this month's cover does not include the same headlines as last month. Yes, "20 Grab-N-Go Powerfoods," but sadly no "1,742 Ways to Get Better at Everything." As usual, we hunt down the tasty morsels like a big mama bird and drop them into your mouth. Next to each of the following factoids, please imagine either a very serious, very underdressed woman, or a freshly showered man reaching for a bottle of cologne....
More...Newslinks
Army Basic Training Adopts New Ab-Blasting Routine
Rolling out this month at Army Basic Training installations around the country: A whole new workout. Out — five mile runs and bayonet drills. In — core-strengthening twists and zigzag sprints. "We don't run five miles in combat, but you run across the street every day. I'm not training long-distance runners. I'm training warriors," says Frank Palkoska, head of the Army's Fitness School at Fort Jackson.
Newslinks
Lame Duck New York Guv Frees the Yogis
Minutes away from impeachment, New York Governor David Paterson has stuck his neck into the hornets nest of yoga regulation squabbles! Last week Virginia yogis had won exemption from state regulation of teacher training — and the associated fees. Paterson is expected to sign a similar exemption this week. Who needs to preserve political capital now, yo!
Events
Hang Out With Social Workout at the ECA Convention This Weekend
NYC workout junkies with a sixth sense, you should be all keyed up right now, because there's a major fitness event in the offing: The ECA Convention. What's the ECA Convention, you ask? It's the biannual event where all the big name fitness gurus and the aspiring gurus looking for enlightenment get together to chat and show each other their classes. Sort of like the Knights of the Round Table getting together for a round table meeting followed by a jousting tournament. Wonder what Flirty Girl Fitness is? Yo Chi Glow? Indo Row? Show up this weekend, and you can take these and all the other crazy new classes and find out for yourself.
Pricing and details after the jump, but two big things to note: 1) Social Workout will be there! Stop by our table and say hi: 2) We have free passes to the trade show, so if sniffing around the latest in fitness and wellness goods and services sounds like your idea of a good time, leave a note in the comments, and we'll hook you up.
More...New York
Overheard
Breakfast Not Feral
"I'll have a small vanilla hazelnut with skim milk and Sweet'N Low."
~ Girl at deli also buying Orbit gum.
Snapshot
Shayne Worships at Jillian Michaels' Tiny Muscular Feet
Every day, we give you a snapshot of one fellow striver in fitness. We ask personal questions, he or she boldly answers. Today's snapshot: Shayne, aka shaynet.
- What's your number one workout spot? When it's nice out, outside! My favorite thing to do is explore a city by running it. I don't think I'll ever give up my gym membership though, because I also really appreciate a good treadmill run, and I'm into gym culture. I'm moving back to New York in May and need an awesome gym, so send your suggestions my way!
- What's the healthiest thing you eat? I'm vegan, but that definitely doesn't mean everything I eat is healthy. I do start every day off with a huge bowl of oats with almond butter, though, and lately my snacks have been mostly raw nuts and prunes. (I swear I'm not 70.)
Wake Up Call
Without A Doubt
There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
~ Siddhārtha Gautama, a.k.a. Buddha
Excerpts
Highly Palatable
Many of us have what's called a "bliss point", at which we get the greatest pleasure from sugar, fat or salt. Combined in the right way, they make a product indulgent, high in "hedonic value." During the past two decades, there has been an explosion in our ability to access and afford what scientists call highly "palatable" foods.
~ From The End of Overeating, by David Kessler (Via the guardian and msh258).
Don't Mock
Free the Zoo Humans
In researching all things "feral" and "workout," we've wandered into a rich world of back-to-nature fitness buffs. Among the Paleo dieters and primal exercisers, there is a thriving sub-culture of those who scorn the gym, and who exercise in the fashion of "Grok," our mythical hunting-and-gathering forebear. Fortunately, many of these types believe in posting videos of their wild workouts to YouTube. We give you Erwan Le Corre, inventor of MovNat®, "a philosophy and practice that empowers Zoo humans to experience their true nature."
Online & Video
Poll
The Day 14 Feralicious Affirmation
According to our exceptionally accurate challenge tracking software, it's Day 14.9583333333 of The Feralicous. You might think this is some kind of glitch. I did too, until it occurred to me that the software was sending us a message, a brilliant Zen command: Remain present! Even to the microseconds of our daily lives, to the half breaths and to every frisson of skin and heart. Time flies. We've completed 45% of this challenge, as well as more than 1,000 workouts, and a steady parade of feats. Bravo Challengers! Your participation rate remains at an all time high. To mark the moment (here deep in the middle our challenge, with fractions of seconds racing by on all sides), we offer you a small digital pause. Choose "mantra" below, click, feel renewed....
Huge!!!! Congrats!
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