I’m sure the Pilgrims and Indians (gasp! I said that horribly politically incorrect word) didn’t know that the feast tradition they started all those years ago would be embraced by a nation far into the future. I’m also sure they didn’t realize that nation would celebrate with food every other day of the year too, in such a big way that their ancestors (us) would be battling an obesity problem.

I thought that since we are headed into the biggest eating holiday of the year, I would show you which parts of the country will be needing to work out the most in 2009! See whether you live in a fat State, or a *f.a.t. State by clicking here. 

Whether you are traveling across this great country over the next few days to celebrate, or just staying where you are, check back for some healthy Fit After Thirty turkey recipes for your post-holiday leftovers!

We women talk a lot about training our bodies and keeping our muscles toned, and for the most part, these conversations are limited to which butt exercises are working to give us a booty we’re proud of, or how we’re keeping our abs toned, or our triceps from going grandma on us. But we almost never talk about the muscles we can’t see - our Gynecological Goddesses. 

Ironically, the muscles that are not on display often get ignored in our fitness routines, yet they play such a vital role in the functions that affect our overall sense of well being as women! Hello! Sex. Controlling your bladder. Important things, right?

Any muscles that can keep you from peeing your pants and also give you more and better orgasms are not muscles you want to ignore, ladies! In fact, they deserve to be high on your fitness priority list every week, if not every day!  I’m talking about your pelvic floor muscles. These are the muscles that take a beating through childbirth, and the ones you use to stop the flow of urine mid-stream. They must be trained with the same dedication you have toward your pecs and glutes! 

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When we decided to review running skirts, I was a little nervous, because just as Suzy mentioned in her I’m Too Sexy For My Running Skirt article, I too was a running skirt virgin. I rarely even wear skirts for my non-exercise attire, let alone for my workouts. I’ve always been a traditionalist when it comes to my running. So what was it going to be like to run in a skirt? To find out, I tried the Runningskirts.com running skirt, which is slightly different than the athletic skirt that Suzy reviewed a couple weeks ago.

Unlike with Suzy’s experience with that skirt, I did not hear any music playing in my head when I put it on (she’s weird that way), but I will proudly admit that I did hear a few whistles when I tested it on the open road! (For a mom of two who barely has time to brush her hair, I was pleasantly surprised and flattered!) It shouldn’t be a surprise though when you consider that it was designed by two female runners who have first-hand knowledge about what looks good on the female form, and how a woman’s body moves when she runs.

It has an underwear-like brief underneath the skirt, which allows for optimal mobility and air flow. The brief was surprisingly comfortable. It is form fitting and free from extra material between your legs. It was also lightweight for proper breathability. It reminded me of running track with the shorts that had the built in underwear back in my high school days, but with the coverage of a skirt to cover the body parts that I don’t want to show off!!!

The skirt has the perfect size side pocket for a car key, or iPod. I tried the pink camouflage version - very strong, sassy and feminine. As for the functionality of the skirt, it never got in the way while running outside or working out on the cardio equipment at the gym. 

I also wore the skirt out and about to the grocery store and a walk to the park with the kids, and I did not feel self conscious at all. It is actually this sort of duel-functionality which allows me to go easily from a workout to my mommy duties which I like most about it.

I think every *f.a.t. runner should add one to her stack of running shorts. Check out the new colors and designs at Runningskirts.com and enter the promo code - fatty - for a 15% discount.

A few years ago, I worked with a woman who insisted she must have thyroid problems because she couldn’t lose weight despite the fact that she did 30 minutes of cardio every night, and kept tabs on every morsel of food she put in her body. The operative word in that sentence is food. As she plucked yet another carrot stick from her zip lock baggy between slurps from her oversized frozen Starbucks concoction, I suggested she give up her daily liquid addiction for three weeks and see what happens to her excess lbs. 

It’s easy to discount the calories in something we consume with a straw, because our mind associates chewing with appetite and satiety, and satiety is naturally linked with energy consumption in the form of calories, which translates to weight gain and/or loss. Drinking the calories almost convinces us they don’t exist. Sadly, a lot of the beverages that make up a regular part of the American diet not only have more fat and calories than the average fast food chain sandwich, but have less nutrients than those same sandwiches.

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You may be surprised to know that boredom is one of the main reasons people don’t keep up with their exercise routine. Yes, laziness, and time constraints are two other common reasons, but boredom is a big one too, and it’s so easy to solve.

Fitness is like sex within a marriage. Sometimes you just have to mix things up a little bit to keep it interesting and exciting!  Just like with sex, if it’s fun, you’ll want to keep doing it, but if it feels like a chore (does that really happen?), then you’ll stop doing it. In my opinion, fitness never has to get boring. When making fitness fun, think NEW. New challenges, new methods, new people, and new workout gear!

Here are my top ten suggestions for more making fitness fun:

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A few years ago I met a guy who was much younger than me, and for whatever reason, he was convinced that I was the girl for him. (I wanted to believe it was my uncanny resemblance to Cindy Crawford, but it could have been my unwillingness to live in reality that he liked).

Anyway, as nice, cute and giving as he was, every time we were on a date, I felt like I was with a boy and not a man, and I just didn’t feel the chemistry. I kept thinking that if I continued spending time with him, my feelings of attraction would grow. After all, as a person, he had a lot of qualities that were appealing to me, so I really wanted to like him in that way. But after a handful of dates, I couldn’t do it anymore. I know you’re wondering what that has to do with cauliflower, so I’ll tell you.

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In an effort to continue to redefine fat one woman at a time, we have another fitness story to share with you. Thank you once again, to everyone who keeps submitting their fitness and weight loss success stories! If we post yours you will be contacted and given a gift from one of our partner-sponsor companies! You are all an inspiration to every other Fit After Thirty reader. We love that you are helping us redefine “fat” to *f.a.t.! 

Vickie Nelson’s Story:

Hi, my name is Vickie Nelson and I am 38 years young! I live an extremely active life and have participated in sports my entire life, beginning at the age of 6.  I started out in gymnastics and was competing until the age of 12.  From there, I joined a track club and competed in the 400, 800, hurdles, relay teams and triple jump. 

In high school, I was part of the Varsity Cross Country Team.  I did take a few years “off” after high school, but I missed running so I started training for my first marathon in 1995.  I was fortunate enough to complete 2 marathons, one in Maui and the other one at Disney World!!  The marathons were a great accomplishment for me, but I needed something MORE!

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Looking cute while working out just got a little easier, girls! Remember the old days when your only choice for keeping your hair off your face and the sweat out of your eyes during a workout was a John Wayne-like bandana or the Olivia Newton John terry cloth number? (Let’s get physical, physical. Let me hear your body talk. Your body talk!) The good news is, I’m getting ready to share with you a little secret about how to also get your head to talk right along with your body during those workouts!

Headbands have gone through a revolution. They had an uprising against ugly and won big time! You can see evidence of their victory in my new discovery. They’re the latest recipient of my award for products that help us live my motto: play like a boy, but look like a girl while you’re doing it!

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After losing yet another iPod on yet another airplane a couple weeks ago, I had to borrow a friend’s Shuffle for my run the other day. This was a good idea in theory, except that I ended up spending most of the run fast forwarding through the crappy rappy and the crappy sappy (rap and country) to get to the intermittent good song. “Good song” being any song that suited my musical tastes while also being motivating, inspiring and otherwise keeping me pepped for my run.

It got me thinking about just how important music can be to the workout process. Therefore, I thought I’d share with you a playlist with eleven (ten is so boring) of my favorite tunes for running with. I promise you, these will fire you up, and by the end, you will get that last push you need to finish strong! 

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Lately I have been going overboard to make sure my family stays as healthy as possible now that flu season is here. We just had a wicked bug sweep through our house though, with each one of us getting it worse that the one before.  I have disinfected my house from top to bottom and just keep wondering what I could have done differently to prevent us from all getting sick!  

I was reading an article that gave the pros and cons of using hand sanitizer. In the past I have avoided using it, because I could not find one which did not burn or dry out my hands.  I was also worried that I was destroying my ability to fight off certain virusus. However, I think I am reconsidering my stance.

After this last bout with the flu, and after reading the hand sanitizing article, I decided to try to find one that would work for me and my kids.  After testing a few, I found one I just adore!  It is Natures Paradise,  Baby Organic Coconut Hand Sanitizer.  It feels like a great lotion, sprays on easily, and fits conveniently in my purse and glove box. I found it for $4.99 for 2 fl oz. You can buy it here.  

Also, I found this great list of natural flu fighting remedies which should help all of you boost your immune systems from the inside out! I hope you avoid the flu this season, and implementing some of these tips will be a great start!