No, this is not a picture of me. I am not that tan, that slim, or that hairless. However, on the plus side, I am also not sliced down the middle, and unlike this lady I actually have a head.

So I've complained many times over the years about how running hurts my knees. I've tried different stretches, various strengthening exercises, orthotics, ibuprofin, taking breaks, cross training, avoiding pavement--it all helps, but nothing completely resolves the issue.

And sure, I'll quit running for a while (for a time I even tried to embrace dorkwalking racewalking). But I always come back to running, because unlike many forms of exercise, I actually like it!

One weapon in the battle against the pain in my crappy crunchy knees that I discovered in the last year or so (at the suggestion of the always helpful Dr. J), was icing my knees after a run. It really does seem to help pain and inflammation, and has allowed me to continue to abuse my knees week after week, which may not sound like a great thing but trust me, it is!

Here is a picture of my first Reusable Ice Pack:



But it started to leak and stink after a while.

So then I graduated to a big lumpy gel cold pack thingy I bought from a running store. I forget the brand name, but it cost about $25. You store it in the freezer, and strap in on with velcro straps. But it wasn't specifically designed for knees, so it wouldn't fit snugly and would fall off if I tried to walk in it.

So when the Moji folks told me that they had a Cold-Wrap designed for knees that would fit comfortably rather than lumpily and wondered if I wanted one of my own? I said you betcha!

And sure enough, this is gonna be a short review because the Moji really is great and there's not a lot of "cons" to talk about, just "pro's." It's a comfortable way to ice your knees with minimal hassle.

The whole thing stores relatively flat in your freezer in it's own little ziplock bag. When it's time to ice, you strap it on for 20 minutes (do watch the time or you could get frostbite), and unlike actual ice, it's not painfully cold. It uses compression as well as cold temperatures, so getting the size right is important. (It comes in lots of sizes). The thing is comfortable enough to walk around in, and if you're willing to spring for the "to go" thermos, you can take it with you you're exercising away from home and keep it cold for hours. (I didn't get to try this part, but i think it would be a really nice feature).

There's only one con to the whole system: the price. The thing retails for almost $85, and the "to go" accessory is another $55.

Is it worth it? Well, it seems like it is to me, but then I got mine free. Before, when I just had the lumpy bumpy icepack, I would frequently "forget" to ice because it seemed like a hassle. Now I use the Moji much more often.


Would you like to win a Moji Cold Knee Wrap?

Just leave a comment! The Random Number Generator will pick a winner on Wednesday, Aug 5th.

If you win, you'll need to email us your name, address, and your size information by Saturday, Aug 8th.

And I believe they are opening this giveaway to anyone! (Apparently there are some ordering issues online for those buying internationally that they expect to resolve soon, but that won't affect the giveaway).

So does anyone else have knee issues when they work out?

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So Do We Really Need Another Health and Fitness Magazine?

Of course we do! Or at least I do. I have to confess I'm addicted to them, despite my many complaints about them. You'd think spending so much time on the web visiting health blogs, news sites, journals, etc, the last thing I'd want is a glossy magazine full of healthy eating and exercise tips. But as it turns out, yes I do! Because when the Fitness Magazine folks offered me a free subscription I jumped all over it. Jump, jump, jump! And they were generous enough to offer a giveaway subscription and prize pack too.


So What Do I Think?

Well, unfortunately, my copy hasn't arrived yet, and I'm too cheap too darn busy at the moment to purchase an issue off the newsstand. So this isn't intended to be a review. But I did get a peek at the July issue, and it's got some cool stuff in there. Don't let the cover throw you off though, because as is the case with almost all magazines marketed to women, it's annoying as hell.

The cover makes many promises to make you "slim," "hot," "pretty," and "skinny," but there is the frustratingly little cover ink devoted to "getting healthy," "building strength," "avoiding heart attacks" or "kicking ass." However, I suspect this is because most women standing in line at the grocery store will not buy magazines about kicking ass, just about looking pretty. I have ranted about this many times before and so will just shut up about it now.

Anyway, that said, the magazine itself seems way more health and fitness-focused than the cover. In fact, the article billed as "50 Best Foods That Will Keep You Skinny" on the cover turns out to actually be titled the Fitness Healthy Foods Awards, highlighting the best tasting and healthiest convenience foods they could find. And many of my favorites were on the list!

So I sense there may be some tension between the Skinny Pretty Cover Agenda and the Fit and Healthy Editorial Agenda. And I personally think the best way to resolve it would be to have a kickboxing match between the marketing folks and the editorial folks. And if the editorial people should happen to thrash the marketing people? Then they should be able to put an actual real life Size 12 model on the cover and talk about nothing but actual health and fitness! In which case sales would no doubt plummet and all the Fitness Magazine people would unfortunately be out of jobs, but it would great while it lasted and at least it would be fun to watch them duke it out, don't you think?

Go Editorial!
Photo: livegym-showtime

How to Win a Subscription and a Prize Pack:

So sadly, I think this is another US only deal. To be honest, I forgot to ask but I noticed it said U.S. only at MizFit's site. And what are the chances they're going to say: oh, but for you, Crabby McSlacker, we'll ship anywhere! So Canadians and others non-Americans, comment at your own risk. We'll totally appreciate your contribution, but you probably won't win a magazine subscription. Winner will be chosen via Random Number generator; only first comment counts if you comment more than once.

So the Prize Pack includes a magazine subscription, cosmetic bag, umbrella, apron, hat, notebook, and massager. (Note: not that kind of massager, sorry).

To enter, just leave a comment below saying what you like or don't like about health and fitness magazines.

Entry deadline: Tuesday night, July 28th.
Winner announced: Wednesday, July 29th.
Check back to claim your prize by end of day Saturday, Aug 1.

Thanks for stopping by!

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