“Commit to Fit” and iPod Giveaway!

One of the perks of working from home (aside from being able to fart unabashedly and have a front row seat to my dog licking himself at all moments), is that I can plop down in front of the TV while eating my lunch. It’s the only time I turn the TV on during the day, so it feels like an indulgent few moments. Usually I’ve got Oprah or The Hills or something really classy waiting for me on the DVR, but today there was nothing. And when I say nothing, I mean nada. So, I resorted to *gulp* live TV with its commercials and nastiness (although I do really like that one dude on the Old Spice commercials, yum). I came across some supposed fitness channel singing the praises of the newest diet trend (not going to name it. Don’t want to give it any publicity). It was like rubber necking at a car accident. I couldn’t turn it off.

Here’s the deal. You sprinkle this magical voodoo powder on your food and then you lose weight. Eat anything you want! Deep friend Twinkies? Swell! Just sprinkle away! A whole Thanksgiving turkey for one? No problem, sprinkle, sprinkle. Whatever is in the powder talks to your brain and tells it that the stomach is full and then you stop eating. And then you lose tons of weight and your life is *perfection*. Right? Wrong.

Like all fad diets, it’s a tactic that doesn't work, at least not over the long run. It’s a band aid that holds in the blood for five seconds then sends a major hemorrhage down your leg, worse than if you’d just left it alone.

A short cut to losing weight or gaining fitness would be nice, but common sense and experience tell us the only way to effectively do this is by eating right and exercising. By finding balance. By treating our bodies with respect and care. It’s a lifestyle change, not some fad you do for a few weeks.

Most of you who read this blog are runners and are in pretty decent shape. Even so, at any given time many of us have goals involving weight loss, our next race, joining a gym, building endurance, speed and/or strength, starting yoga,  eating better, or a combination of a few of the above. We’re a pretty driven bunch. That said, what's your next move? How are you going to Commit to Be Fit (or continue to be fit)?

Remember Jared, the Subway Guy? The one who lost about 250 lbs by doing this?:

Coffee for breakfast. For lunch, a six-inch turkey sub with a small bag of Baked Lay's chips and a Diet Coke. For dinner, a foot-long veggie sub and a Diet Coke. On the sandwiches, no cheese, no mayonnaise, but plenty of lettuce, green peppers, banana peppers and pickles, and a dab of mustard. No snacks, and no cheating. Exercise was not part of the plan, but after a few months Jared noticed he had more energy, and started walking to class. Toward the end of his diet he was walking about a mile and a half daily.

It might not have been the most conventional diet, but it worked for him.

Guess what Jared’s doing next? After months of training, he’ll be running the NYC Marathon in November. Like I was 21 months ago, he’s a marathon virgin. Given Jared’s commitment to the run, Subway is launching a Commit to Fit program.

What does Commit to Fit mean to you? What's your next fitness goal? I’ll be doing a series of giveaways encouraging readers and myself to commit to new fitness goals, be them marathons, triathlons, Zumba classes, yoga challenges or hiring a fitness coach. I’ll also be interviewing Jared regarding the NYC Marathon, so stay tuned! I just wish I was running it too!

The Giveaway

As a kick off to this program, want to win the newest version (4th generation)  iPod Shuffle (in green/2 GB) and a $10 iTunes gift card? 

 

Here’s how to enter (comment for each):

1. Tell me five of your favorite tunes that keep you going while running or working out + 1 entry
2. Write about this giveaway on your blog, FB, Twitter, etc. +1 entry
3. Follow this blog or let me know if you do already + 1 entry
4. Enter Subway’s FB sweepstakes HERE and let me know + 1 entry

This giveaway will be short, so get hopping. It will end on 10/9 to make way for the next one...think lululemon baby!

The fine print:

• Per FTC guidelines: Subway provided the iPod and iTunes gift card for this giveaway. They also gave me a second set of the same items for my personal use. I did not pay anything for them.
• Contest only open to US residents. Sorry! 
• The winner will be chosen at random by Random.org
• Check back October 9 to see if you won!
• If I don’t hear back from the winner within 2 days after posting that they’ve won, I’ll Random.org another name

Good luck!