Wiser Health Quote of the Day

This one is a wise sports analogy for life from The Great One:

Wayne Gretzky: "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it's been."

breakfast

Don't skip breakfast. This is an often repeated mantra in health and fitness circles. One way to make this happen is the make it easy for yourself to throw together a nutritious breakfast.

Most mornings, I microwave some instant oatmeal with some water. Or I'll break out some Greek yogurt and throw in some berries. Bananas are easy too to incorporate.

I definitely have more energy throughout the day and don't tend to overeat later. On the weekends, I'll make some eggs and breakfast meats for a treat.

Wiserhealth endorses

Why can't more companies make workout gear that is stylish? After witnessing all those garish marathoners taking over the subway system last weekend, I vowed to write a post to give proper respects to companies making exercisers look good.

My wife looks stunning in her Stella McCartney adidas. The designer channels an ancient gladiator look and combines it with neoprene for future-perfect design. Check out the clothes and sneakers here.

My hat goes off to a company that let's cyclists not look like fools. Even Lance looks dorky in a standard bike kit. So check out these duds by Rapha.

A new upstart helps the adventure set look chic. Aether sells great looking gear. Here's their stuff. Pictured is their Highland Waxed Jacket.

This stuff is pricey, but hopefully they will influence the entire industry to design less garish workout garb and kicks.

Throw away the scale

I haven't weighed myself in years. What's the point really? It's a number that can tell you something, or nothing at all. How do my pants fit? is usually a better question to ask yourself.

People obsess over weight, but unless you are competing in a sport with weight divisions, the scale can be a harmful tool in helping people achieve physical health.

Think about how you breathe after climbing a set of stairs. Do your joints ache? Does your neck hurt? Do you feel tired? Fix those things first.

Getting back into the swing of things

For the last month, I've become a member of my local gym, a basic, no-nonsense type of place. Mostly, it has free weights and the necessary little things like towel service. People are friendly and don't blather on if engaged in conversation.

The end of summer is always welcome for me. It means sweaters, football and leaves changing. Business gets more serious. It's time for full-body workouts, plenty of yoga-inspired stretching and a healthy dose of nutritionally valuable foods.

Fall is good time to revisit New Year's resolutions. Are you there?

Cool salad ideas

There's always a place for sharing a great article on how to made salads that aren't the same old thing. Summertime is great for gathering all these fresh ingredients. Here's the article from the Times.

Don't cheat

I saw an ad for a rope-less jump rope once. How idiotic is that?

The whole point of jumping rope is get into a rhythm. I see tons of products advertised to make exercise easier, mostly trying to trick people into whittling down their midsections.

Good exercise can be hard, but it gets easier. The key is to know your limits. Instead of choosing the easier machine at the gym, go with a free weight but use a manageable weight. Free weights are, for the most part, better at building the body. Instead of walking that last mile, jog slower.

Work hard in the moment and the rewards will come.