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Solving your writing problems since 1998! |
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The
Write Way
21 December 2007 They Should ... Greetings, As I was driving down to the lagoon for my early morning swim one morning last week, I caught the tail-end of a story on the news about physical fitness and exercise ... or lack thereof. Researchers had discovered that around 40% of people interviewed felt they didn't get enough exercise, 16% said they didn't get any exercise, and a considerable number claimed their inactivity was the result of a lack of exercise facilities at their place of work. Now, is it just me or does that sound wrong, wrong, wrong? C'mon now, boys and girls, I mean really ... Since when has it been the responsibility of the employer to provide gym equipment so employees can get some exercise? Haven't these people ever glanced down at the ground? Those things in your shoes aren't just to stop your legs from fraying, Kiddo ... Those feet were made for walking! So in the spirit of giving and just in time for the Silly Season, may I present some Effortless Exercise ... Ready? Here we go ... Move. Yep, that's it. Just move it, baby. And when you stop and think about it, that's what the human body does best -- it's a groovy mover, and up until recently, it's what we all did. We walked to and from work, school, the shops, friends' places. We carried groceries home every day in shopping bags. We pushed lawn mowers, we swept floors and footpaths. We went to the beach and surfed and swam and played games on the sand. We played tennis with friends or went 10-Pin Bowling, and we walked around the golf course carrying our clubs (at least, that's what some of us did ... my golfing experiences are somewhat different from the norm ). It was no effort to get in our 10,000 steps a day, and in those days, the overweight person was the exception. So why is it that people now seem to feel that "exercise" is some special activity that can only be performed while wearing neon lycra and after handing over huge wads of money in exchange for the privilege of subjecting themselves to the sort of pursuits that would have made Torquemada squirm with happy anticipation? Beats me. (Sorry ...) So that's it ... No more blaming "them" because "they shoulda ..." It's time to take responsibility for your own fitness, and while that noble, empowering thought echoes through your little grey cells, here are some ways you can burn off 200 calories: *
Paint for 40 minutes (as in house painting with lots of bending and stretching
and heaving ladders around and lugging paint tins from room to room) *
Iron clothes for 1 hour 40 minutes (put the radio on or some catchy music and
dance around as you iron and make a point of carrying each finished item to its
room and hanging it up as you finish it ... Think of all those extra steps
you'll take!) *
Dance exuberantly for ½ hour (with a partner or without ... Who's going to
know?) *
Scrub the floor for ½ hour (excellent stretching exercises involved here, and
you'll end up with a shiny floor!) *
Cycle for ½ hour (watch for cars or better still, find a nice, safe bike track
or park with lots of trees so you breathe in fresh air at the same time) *
Jog for 25 minutes (avoid hard surfaces; opt for the grassy verge or the beach
if possible) * Skip for 18 minutes (now how much does a length of rope cost? You don't need a fancy skipping rope ... That's not an excuse!) And isn't that a great word? It means "to convert or attempt to convert as a proselyte; to recruit someone to join one's party, institution or cause," and it's made a convoluted journey to get to us. dictionary.com explains it's come from Middle English proselite, then before that from Old French, before that from Late Latin proselytus, and originally from Greek proselutos meaning 'stranger, proselyte,' which in turn comes from two Greek words pros and eluth the aorist tense stem of erkhesthai 'to go.' So feel free to proselytise to your heart's content this weekend!
And here's a simple workout you can try at home: You might wish to adopt this regimen. Three days a week works well. You start by standing outside behind the house and, with a 5-pound potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out to your sides and hold them there as long as you can. After a few weeks, move up to 10-pound potato sacks, then 50-pound potato sacks and finally you should be able to lift a 100-pound potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight out for more than a full minute! After a week or so you can start putting a few potatoes in the sacks, but don't overdo it at this level! Since there are only three more sleeps till Christmas, I want to wish you a wonderfully happy time with your family and friends. And before you raise your eyes or look uncomfortable or mutter something about not celebrating Christmas in your little corner of the world, let me just repeat what I said some time ago ... that it doesn't matter to me what your religious or cultural preferences are, if you have a brain with a few neurons in working order, a heart, a couple of lungs, a liver and at least one functioning kidney, then as far as I'm concerned, we're the same, mate. And if I want to send you lots of happy thoughts and good wishes, well, by golly, you're just going to have to accept them ... So there! Have a Merry Christmas wherever you are ... If you've only recently joined our Merry Band and this is your first Christmas, you can catch up on some of the rather odd and sometimes downright bizarre Christmas traditions associated with this time of year, shake your head at the crass commercialism of Christmas and learn how to correctly wrap those awkward Christmas gifts. These days, family and friends are often scattered across our little blue planet, and while the Internet has made communications much easier, you're still limited to one-on-one contact ... But not with this little ripper of a program! It's actually designed for business meetings, but there's absolutely no reason why you can't indulge in a little lateral thinking and use it for social meetings ... Click for a free trial to see what it's all about. This week's quiz: While you're huffing and puffing, try matching these ... anaerobic, metabolism, aerobic, isometrics, abduction, agonist, adduction, deltoids, endorphins, fartlek 1. movement of a limb away from middle of body, such as bringing arms to shoulder height from hanging down position 2. process by which digested foods (nutrients) are converted into energy to be used by the body for vital functions; measured in calories 3. any of a group of peptide hormones that bind to opiate receptors and are found mainly in the brain; reduce the sensation of pain and affect emotions 4. Swedish for "speed play," a type of loosely structured interval training for runners, cyclists and in-line skaters; combines high-intensity segments with regular training pace in order to build strength and speed 5. type of exercise that involves brief bursts of exertion followed by periods of rest, where the body uses the energy from glucose and fuel stores in the muscles; build muscles; examples include sprints, crunches and lifting weights 6. the large triangular muscles of the shoulder which raise the arm away from the body and perform other functions 7. muscle directly engaged in contraction that is primarily responsible for movement of a body part; a muscle that contracts while another relaxes 8. type of exercise that causes a temporary increase in respiration and heart rate in order to condition your heart and lungs; examples include running, walking and swimming; generally burns fat 9. exercise or a system of exercises in which opposing muscles are so contracted that there is little shortening but great increase in tone of muscle fibers involved 10. movement of a limb toward middle of body, such as bringing arms to side from extended position at shoulder And another interesting study about diet and health ... The
Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or
Americans. Did you know that every newsletter is archived? So if you've missed anything since 1998 or want to revisit some favourites, you can do so any time! Don't forget to bookmark the page when you get there ... or even make it your Home Page. (For Internet Explorer, just click on Tools ... Internet Options ... General ... fill in www.write101.com/archives/index.htm and click OK. For Netscape, select Edit ... Preferences. Then select Navigator from the left menu, click Home Page and enter the URL above next to Location and click OK. For all the flash new browsers, you'll have to do a search on my mate google to find what to do. There's a search box on the archives page!) If you've received this little missive from a friend, you can get your very own issue, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every Friday morning by clicking here: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogrups.com And I'm even prepared to offer a shameless bribe. An Ape that wants to play Hamlet after being type-cast as King Kong, a talking anvil and that rottweiller ... Dr Morgenes is still caught in the nightmare that is the casting couch. Help him find a plot! Just click on the Comments button at the end of the entry to add your contribution. If you have friends who fancy themselves as writers, invite them to contribute (just forward this newsletter in its entirety to them). I often trawl this for comments to post on my site ... so if you say something about the newsletter or site, be warned, you may end up being read by one of the 2,000+ unique visitors who visit Write101 every day! Make your Mark on the World. Then stop by our Map of the World and read the messages. (Just click List) and add your mark. Last week's quiz: betimes, yore, horology, sidereal, nonce, usance, prelapsarian, clepsydra, nonage, opetide 1. an ancient device for measuring time by the regulated flow of water or mercury through a small aperture - CLEPSYDRA 2. the present occasion - NONCE 3. the art or science of making timepieces or of measuring time - HOROLOGY 4. the early spring, or the time when flowers begin opening; time after harvest when the common fields are open to all kinds of stock - OPETIDE 5. time long past; of old; long ago - YORE 6. characteristic of or pertaining to any innocent or carefree period - PRELAPSARIAN 7. in commerce, a length of time, exclusive of days of grace and varying in different places, allowed by custom for the payment of foreign bills of exchange - USANCE 8. early; in good time; occasionally; at times; within a short time; soon - BETIMES 9. the period of legal minority, or of an age below 21; any period of immaturity - NONAGE 10. measured or determined by means of the apparent daily motion of the stars - SIDEREAL A Little Something Extra A
typical meal from a well-known burger chain contains the following calories and
grams of fat: Burger
-- 560 calories; 33 grams fat Apple
Pie -- 260 calories; 15 grams fat French
Fries (medium) -- 310 calories; 17 grams fat Milkshake
-- 310 calories; 1 gram fat TOTAL --1440 calories; 66 grams fat! If that has whet your appetite (or killed it cold) here's a detailed comparison of the calories, fat etc in some well-known fast food ... Read it and weep! Now measure your BMI (Body Mass Index) And enjoy the festivities over the next week! Word of the week: Kinesiology (n) Study of muscles and their movements; the science dealing with the interrelationship of the physiological processes and anatomy of the human body with respect to movement; the application of the principles of kinesiology to the evaluation and treatment of muscular imbalance or derangement This word comes from the Greek kinesis meaning 'movement.' Oxymoron of the week: Fast food restaurant And a Latin phrase that maybe you'd better not use ... Da mihi sis crustum Etruscum cum omnibus in eo [DAH MEE-hee KROOS-toom ay-TROOS-coom COOM IN AY-oh] (I'll have a pizza with everything on it) Did you know that you can have your very own Latin reminders? How about undies proclaiming, Bene est rex esse? (It's good to be king) Or a shopping bag that warns, Emptrix nata sum (Born to shop)? Click here for these and more. Kind regards, Jennifer P.S. Want to donate to the upkeep of this newsletter? Just $17 a year seems a small price to pay for all this wit and wisdom, don't you think? C'mon, that's just a tad over than 30 cents a week! Here's how to toss a few pennies in my Running Away Fund: 1. Pay by PayPal:
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a blank email to: mailto:WritingTips- Copyright Jennifer Stewart 2008 Individual articles copyrighted by their authors. |
