IMPORTANT UPDATE: CONTEST IS OVER! Click here to find out if you won.

So we've got 5 copies of the Spark People Fit Firm and Fired up workout DVD to give away, hooray!

These are broken down into quick 10 minute a day workouts, which is good for people who are crazy-busy. (They're probably good even if you're just plain crazy-crazy. At least until someone comes out with a Rockin' Cardio Psychosis line of workout DVD's).

Since I'm crazy-lazy myself, I haven't gotten a chance to check the dvd out personally. But it looks pretty cool--and here are some highlights from the promotional literature:

• Features unintimidating yet effective workouts for everyday exercisers.


• Suitable for beginners while still giving options for people who are more advanced exercisers.


• Contains seven 10-minute toning workouts, one for each day of the week, plus a bonus 15-minute cardio workout and a workout plan.


• Targets every major muscle group; the only equipment needed are a pair of dumbbells.

Mandatory Disclaimers: you need to have a U.S. mailing address to win; also, in case it isn't obvious, the sponsor is supplying these DVD's; I didn't just run out and buy five myself to give away. I'm not that nice.

So, want a chance to win? Just leave a comment below. The random number generator will chose 5 winners after the contest closes on midnight on Friday February 19th, 2010. Winners announced Monday, Feb 22; be sure to check in by Friday Feb 26 to claim your prize. Any unclaimed dvd's may be given away via Twitter over the following weekend, 'cause I'm sneaky like that.

Oh, and if you are someone who has googled here in 2015, and you've entirely missed the fact that there are contest deadlines and you're assuming we just intend to keep giving away free stuff until the end of eternity? Knock yourselves out! Leave a comment anyway and hope for the best!

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So I kept hearing the words "Spark People" floating around the web, and I knew it was a fitness website of some sort. I kept meaning to investigate, but I never got around to it.

And frankly, there was something that seemed vaguely amusing and possibly cultish about the name "Sparkpeople." I even got kind of a science-fictiony picture in my head: fit and cheerful aliens coming together to share tips. Live long and prosper, Sparkpeople!

I was thinking sort of like this, only maybe with
actual sparks coming out of their heads.
(Image: Serendigity)

But, it turns out that Sparkpeople are not aliens. And their website is pretty cool! It has all kinds of tools and advice and a whole community of determined people who have helped each other lose over 9 million pounds, burn 7 billion calories and drink 218 million cups of water. (No word, however, as to how many million bathroom trips were logged in the course of drinking all that water.) And they have a blog called the Daily Spark that has some great info in it too.

Anyway, the three niftiest things about Sparkpeople, in my opinion?

1. Their website is free and has a hell of a lot of stuff on it;

2. They don't promote a particular diet or exercise plan but instead they "encourage small steps," and stress goal attainment, accountability, education, and community;

And, best of all:

3. They have a new book that just came and they're giving us 5 FREE COPIES for a giveaway!

The only thing I'm not 100% on board with? According to their website content editor, "most everything we promote is upbeat and optimistic."


Well, nobody's perfect.


So what's in the book?

I haven't read it yet, but it apparently it crams a lot of the best and most helpful stuff from the website in there, plus some inspiring success stories, and it includes a 28-day plan to change your life.

Oh, and it's got "27 proven secrets of success." And I am SUCH a sucker for lists like that, that if I do nothing else I'm going to at least have to get around to finding out what the 27 secrets are. I'm hoping to see "eat more chocolate" and "take more naps" on the list. You think?

And if you'd like to win a copy of the book (Sorry, U.S. residents only) please leave a comment below! Contest closes Sunday, January 3rd, midnight PST, and I'll announce the winners (chosen by random number generator) on Monday. Do check back to see if you've won and email me by Friday the 8th, or I'll pick some new winners!

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Yep, this is the promised check-in post to see who's still interested in winning one of our awesome Big Fall Giveaway prizes. If you've already entered, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post saying you're still in. But make sure you do it by midnight, PST, Wednesday November 4th. After that, the contest closes.

And if you didn't catch the first giveaway post, it's not too late to enter! Just make sure you read the instructions.

Winners will be announced sometime after I get back, which could be late this week or early next week.

Good luck!

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So today we've got a review and giveaway of 3 sampler packs of Vitalicious products!

And is it just a coincidence that there's a big ol' Vitalicious banner ad running over on our main page all of a sudden? Er, well, not exactly! But here at Cranky Fitness we don't worry overly much about the feelings of the good people who give us samples or sponsor us or compensate us to review things, as is the case here. It's not that we're especially ethical--we're just too cranky and opinionated to be anything but honest. Oddly enough, sponsors are cool with that.

(Well, we don't know how warm and affectionate the Skinny Bitch video folks are feeling after Merry's honest review. But so far we haven't had any Skinny Bitches trying to bust down the doors of Cranky Fitness headquarters in order to beat the crap out of us. Yet. We'll keep you posted.)

Anyway, in case you haven't heard of Vitalicious, they sell muffins, muffin tops, cakes, mixes, brownies, and even coffee. Hungry Girl is a big fan. Their baked goods generally come in portion-controlled packs of 100 calories.

Our sampler pack of 24 muffins included:

VitaBrownies
Chocolate Fig VitaTops
Banana Nut VitaTops
Double Chocolate Dream VitaTops
Deep Chocolate VitaTops
Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip VitaTops
Golden Corn VitaTops
CranBran VitaTops
AppleBerry VitaTops
MultiBran VitaTops
BlueBran VitaTops

The Lobster and I tried every single variety, just to be thorough. We figured that calories can not possibly count if they're consumed while doing research!

So what did we think? Well, there were good things and bad things about the VitaMuffins. First the good news:

Things We Liked!

1. They're mostly whole grains, usually whole wheat flour, and generally it's the first ingredient.

2. A hundred calories isn't bad for either a muffin or a brownie. These are small, but they're fairly substantial and filling.

3. Most of the ingredients are pretty natural, and for those who don't like aspartame or sucralose, there doesn't seem to be any of that in there.

4. They're really convenient, and if you're trying to grab breakfast on the run, a stash of whole grain muffins on hand would serve you much better than a donut or a poptart.

5. For a hundred calories, they've got a fair amount of fiber and even a respectable amount of protein (typically 6 grams of fiber and 4 of protein).

6. They have 9 gazillion flavors (our sample pack didn't even get to them all) and chances are good you're going to find at least one of them you like.

I'd go with the Multibran or Banana Nut for breakfast, and either the Fudgy Peanut Butter Chip or the Double Chocolate Dream for a dessert. The Lobster's favorites were similar: the Golden Corn, Banana Nut, Apple Berry, and most of the chocolate flavors with one glaring exception (discussed below).

7. You can freeze 'em for up to nine months, or keep them around in the cupboard or fridge for about 5 days.

8. For a "convenience" food, they're a pretty darn healthy choice, and you don't have to feel horribly guilty eating them.

Things We Didn't Like:

1. I'm not a fan of adding vitamin supplements to food. I think it's best to get vitamins naturally whenever possible. And if I decide I need to supplement, I'd rather make a conscious decision about which sort of multivitamin formula makes sense to me--not get vitamins randomly added to processed foods. It's especially annoying to see this touted as a major selling point. If the vitamins occurred naturally because of all the healthy fruit in them, then sure, go ahead and mention that. But I wouldn't brag about throwing a vitamin pill into a muffin recipe. (On the other hand, the Lobster doesn't give a crap about the vitamin issue; no complaints there).

2. The taste was not quite as good as "real" muffins or brownies. They tasted more like virtuous, "not bad," compromise versions. The Lobster found them closer to the real thing than I did. I kept noticing a woody sort of taste, and the fruits added in lieu of extra fat tended to clash with the chocolate flavors. (The chocolate fig flavor was probably the worst of all. Neither of us liked that one).

But unless you live in fantasyland, there is kind of an expected flavor trade-off when eating a low fat, high fiber, vitamin fortified baked good. If you're feeling indulgent and want to splurge on the "real thing," these might not satisfy.

3. The Apple Comparison. In their marketing materials and on their website, Vitalicious compares the nutritional benefits of their products to those of an apple, implying that the muffins and brownies are a wiser choice.

I'm sorry, nice Vitalicious people, but come off it!

If you are honestly torn between eating an apple and eating a packaged processed vitamin-fortified muffin? Duh! Eat the apple!

The health benefits of Vitalicious products do not come from eating them instead of whole fruits and vegetables. They come from eating them instead of Krispy Kremes and Twinkies.

Overall: A sensible, healthy choice for a convenience food, especially if you crave muffins and brownies and are counting calories. If you're looking for a no-holds-barred indulgence, these probably wouldn't do it. But if you want something reasonably tasty, and are willing to experiment with finding your favorite flavor, these could become a great no-guilt alternative to much junkier options.

Now, On to The Giveaway--Where There is also Good News and Bad News.

First the bad news: U. S. residents only. So sorry!

And more Possibly Bad News: You need to provide an email address and sign up for a newsletter to enter.

But the Good News: There are three winners, and when you have even a slight contest entry barrier like a newsletter sign-up, you eliminate most of the competition! So if you sign up, there's a much better chance than usual that you'll win!

(Or, if that's too much hassle, the Vitalicious ad on in the left sidebar of our main page has a 10% discount if you want to try some without having to enter anything.)

Entry instructions:

Sign up for the newsletter here by the end of the day Wednesday, Sept 30.

Then come back and leave a comment on this post, or at the main Cranky Fitness post, letting me know you signed up.

The Vitalicious people will give me a list of the signer-uppers, and I'll haul out the Random Number Generator to pick the winner from those names.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!

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Photo: spo0nman

A poetry contest on a health blog?

Well, yeah, we did one before, and readers came through! It was a challenging topic (low-cal snacks) and a "modest" prize (a coupon for low-cal snacks), and yet there were some awesome entries!

So we have another one today, with a better prize, inspired by today's post on the main Cranky Fitness page about the claim that vigorous exercise might make you gain weight.

(Anyone buying that? Anyone?)

Well, whatever you think of that notion, I suspect many of you will keep right on exercising. Either you don't believe the folks at Time Magazine, or you have other reasons for wanting to stay active.

Wanna write a little poem, haiku, or a limerick about why you exercise? Or hell, sing a song, draw a cartoon, pen a novel, produce a 3-act play, film a movie, or write and stage an Opera about it? Whatever!

I'm feeling tired of the boring old Random Number Generator and would rather just pick the "best" creative comment on this theme to win our prize for the week. I may ask the assistance of couple of Anonymous Impartial Judges to help me.

However, be warned that judging will be entirely subjective and probably unfair. Be prepared to write the best entry, and then lose out to one that is obviously not nearly as good! That's how these things generally work.


What's the prize?


Glad you asked! Have you heard of these gizmos? It's a SanDisk slotRadio player.

I will quote from the SanDisk website because I haven't gotten to try one yet:

"Introducing slotRadio™ – the instant load music player bundled with a 1,000 song slotRadio™ Mix card. No downloads, no PCs and no work involved. Simply pop the card in the player and enjoy a near-endless supply of full-length tracks. It’s great music, made effortless."

The player retails for $99.99, and the features include:
· FM tuner;
· Integrated belt clip for hands-free listening;
· 1.3 oz and the size of a matchbook;
· Additional genre-specific cards available for purchase;
· Up to 13 hours of battery life between charges.

How to Enter the Cranky Fitness Poetry Contest:

Write a poem or do something else creative to answer the question: why do you bother exercising? If you can leave it in the comments, please do, if it's something especially weird and unwieldy creative, you can email whatever the hell it is to CrabbyMcslacker @ gmail dot com.

Deadline: Tuesday, August 18th.

Winner announced the next day, Wednesday Aug 19th. Check back by Saturday to claim your prize.


Do You Have to Have a U.S. Address to receive the prize?

Sorry, yes. However, if you enter and are not from the U.S., you can still have the glory of winning, and then you can designate a U.S. friend or favorite blogger or secret crush to receive the prize. They will be very grateful, and you will be revealed to be not only talented, but generous too!

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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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Welcome, you found us!

As I mentioned in the intro back at Cranky Fitness, Mark Sissons of Mark's Daily Apple has come out with a book called The Primal Blueprint. He believes we should all be eating and exercising the way humans did 10,000 years ago.

In fact, the role model/poster-boy over at his blog is a fellow named "Grok," who lived back in Paleolithic times. "What would Grok do?" is a frequent subject of discussion over at Mark's Daily Apple.

Hi there, Grok!

So this looks like a very interesting read, and there are many, many aspects of primal living that seem quite sensible. We at Cranky Fitness totally endorse cutting way down on processed crap, eating more whole natural foods, and getting lots of exercise.

However, longtime readers of both blogs might have noticed that Crabby McSlacker and Grok have slightly different approaches to healthy living. (In fact, back in the early days of Cranky Fitness, Crabby wrote a guest post over Mark's place defending the consumption of Splenda and cupcakes!)

So how to handle the fact that Grok followers are a bit more hard core than Crabby, and that we don't see eye to eye on everything? Well, I could embark on a scholarly debate about evolutionary biology, and question the notion that we should try to emulate the paleolithic lifestyle in so many of its particulars. But that might involve a lot of work! make for a dull post.

Instead, I'll just point out a few random similarities and differences between Crabby and Grok and let you readers weigh with your own thoughts about Primal Living. You folks (a) know a lot more about the specifics of what's involved and (b) always have the best observations and arguments anyway!

Sample Differences Between Crabby and Grok's Approach to Healthy Living:

1. Grok didn't eat grains or sugar. So Grok's followers think you should limit them--and not just junky white flour and other refined grains, but whole grains too.

Crabby says screw that. She has a hard enough time staying the heck away from Krispy Kremes. Do not mess with her whole wheat bread, brown rice, and oat bran muffins.

2. Grok ate a fair amount of animal fat--and many of Grok's followers love their lard. They believe it is good for us and has been unfairly demonized.

Crabby is more scared animal fat. Though she could happily gorge on cheeseburgers and barbecued pork ribs on a daily basis, she believes that red meats and animal fats are best kept to a minimum.

3. Grok didn't eat burritos and his followers say you should go easy on legumes as they are not all that great for you.

Crabby says WTF? She feels quite virtuous when she eats things like beans and split peas and lentils! She is working on eating more of these, not less.

4. Grok did not use an elliptical machine, go jogging, or take Zumba classes, and his followers think we should skip the 3-5 sessions a week of traditional aerobic exercise we are so often told to do. Instead, you should "move frequently at a slow pace, lift heavy things, and run really fast once in a while."

Crabby agrees that those three things are all good, but Crabby likes to get high on endorphins. She loves to run, and bouncing around on an elliptical machine to good music gives her a rush she just can't get by torturing herself with intervals. She is not convinced yet that she'd be better off chucking her cardio workouts.

5. Grok must have eaten lots of protein, because his followers advocate eating greater amounts protein than many of us typically get.

Crabby also believes protein is important (and many women don't get enough), but she is hesitant to "beef up" (sorry) her protein intake as much as Grok's followers would recommend. She worries about medical complications like kidney disease that one can get from high protein/low carb diets.

But enough with the pesky differences. There are also many ways in which Crabby is totally willing to consider Grok a role model!

1. Grok didn't sit on his ass in a desk chair all day long and Crabby doesn't think this is a great idea either.

2. Grok never went to Friendly's, McDonald's, or TGI Fridays, and Crabby would just as soon stay the hell away from them too.

3. Grok didn't run marathons and Crabby ain't gonna either!

4. Grok didn't have a twitter account or a facebook page...and neither does Crabby!

5. Flying across the country in a metal tube 40,000 feet in the air would have scared the crap out of Grok, and Crabby does her best to avoid this too!

6. Grok wouldn't have known what the heck to make of shows like "The Real Housewives of Orange County" and neither does Crabby!

Proving that Crabby is actually very primal!


How To Win a Copy of The Primal Blueprint:

You don't have to be a U.S. resident to win!

Just leave a comment about anything to do with the whole caveman/primal/paleolithic approach to health and fitness, pro or con or confused. I'll chose a winner by Random Number Generator by Tuesday night, June 23rd . Winner announced Wednesday, June 24th. And if you win, please email us at Crabby McSlacker @ gmail dot com to claim your prize by Saturday the 27th!

UPDATE: The Winner has been selected! Go to the Cranky Fitness winner announcement post and find out if you won!

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Ever wondered how you could be such an "adult" in so many other areas of your life, yet respond like Pavlov's poor drooling dog when cued by the sight of crispy french fries or creamy frosting, or the smell of a bacon cheeseburger sizzling on the grill?

We know this stuff is terrible for us... yet some of us find it so difficult to resist.

Why the heck is that?

Well, according to Dr. David Kessler (who served as the FDA commissioner in two administrations), part of the reason we overeat is because our brains have been hijacked! In the book "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite," Kessler exposes some fascinating tricks the food industry has for making their products incredibly, unnaturally enticing.

He also explains why our brain chemistry makes us so vulnerable to the cheap thrills provided by sugar, fat, and salt. (So for those of you hopping over from the intro back at Cranky Fitness wondering what the heck "orosensory self-stimulation" is, this it where it comes in: it's "the cyclical process in which eating delicious food tells the brain to make us want more of those foods." And similarly, the "hedonic hotspot" is not a nightclub but a tiny part of the brain about the size of a head of a pin that "causes us to really like something.")

The book also describes a problem that so many in our society seem to struggle with: that of "Conditioned Hypereating." Kessler proposes a treatment theory that involves "food rehab," featuring sensible concepts like like "planned eating." He also advises people on how to make the "critical perceptual shift" necessary to regain control of our diet and our health. (And Crabby promises to stop quoting practically every word the poor man has written "any minute now.")

So this is the part of the review where Conscientious Co-Blogger Merry Sunshine would provide the thoughtful analysis. Whereas I'm going to present instead a gratuitous photo of an Italian Men's Soccer Team in order to distract the heterosexual female portion of our demographic. (But this time, instead of their white undies, the boys are wearing black!):



Did that work? Are you distracted enough that I can get by with a really quick take on the book?

It's actually a fascinating read, and has a lot of great details about how our brains and current food manufacturing technology conspire against us to defeat our best intentions. No wonder we're so tempted to eat such unhealthy stuff! It's one thing to think abstractly "My those Cinnabon rolls sure are tasty" and another to read how carefully they were designed to make us helpless to resist. So the book is really useful in providing perspective on how tough it is to avoid unhealthy food, and to appreciate the power of the forces that lead to "conditioned hypereating."

This would be an especially great book for a friend or relative who does not frequent health blogs and is only just beginning to appreciate how totally f*cked up our society is when it comes to "normal" eating habits.

But for many of us who have long been aware of the Ubiquitous Evil we are up against at our restaurants, grocery stores, and shopping mall food courts... it's a bit like preaching to the choir. And while we all grapple with temptation, many of us have developed our own common sense strategies for indulging only occasionally, in moderation. Kessler's "rehab" techniques, while certainly sensible, are not all that novel or detailed. Because while stating the problem is helpful, it's the "solution" part that's tough to implement.

That said, he does make at least a good start on it, and while many of us may feel we know this stuff, we can always use reminders. Plus, there is obviously a huge segment of the population (no pun intended) that does not frequent health blogs. Many folks are in the dark about how pathological their eating behavior has become, how unhealthy that is, how it's not just a matter of "willpower," and what some good techniques are to regain control over what we eat.

So, want to win a copy?

Leave a comment by Thursday. Unfortunately, this giveaway is limited to folks who can receive mail at a U.S. address. The random number generator will pick a winner Thursday June 18th, which will be announced by Friday, June 19th. Please check in by Wednesday June 24th to claim your prize or we'll have another drawing. (NOTE: I'm going to be out of town for a few days which is why the entry period is longer than we normally do.)

Special Update: More chances to win! Sagan over at Living Healthy in the Real World and Rupal over at 101 Exercises are also doing a giveaways of this book, and they explain it all much better than I did!

Any thoughts on the obesity epidemic, the role of sugary, fatty, salty, processed foods, the menus as restaurant chains, the methods you use to eat healthy in spite of being surrounded by junky temptations, or the Italian men's soccer team? Comments of all sorts welcome!

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So as I was saying (back on the main blog), I sometimes need some help getting to sleep when it's noisy outside.

But before I tell you what's so nifty about the SleepPhones system, I'd like to whine a bit about other available methods of dealing with this problem. Because if there weren't some whining and complaining, how would you know that you were really still at Cranky Fitness?


Other Solutions to Night-Time Noise That I've Tried:

A "sleep soother" machine like they sell at Sharper Image, the kind that play white noise or various other sounds that are supposed to lull you to sleep.

I hated it.

Not only did it prove I am a schizophrenic because I heard voices in it, but the sound quality was really crappy, and the sounds were recorded loops that only lasted a few seconds. I couldn't help but pick out repetitive noises and then wait for them to come back around again, and again, and again. Neurotic, who me?

Earplugs. They creep me out. (I don't do earbuds on my iPod either. I hate things inside my ears.)

Closing the Window And Turning on the Air Conditioner. This works but makes me feel incredibly wasteful. We get a nice cool breeze most summer nights, and I hate to shut that out and use a power-guzzling machine just because some obnoxious idiot is out there slamming down tequila shots, cranking his stereo and crooning along to I Shot The Sheriff.

Lying There Feeling Angry and Frustrated. Contrary to popular belief, I don't actually enjoy being Cranky. I'd prefer to be relaxed and happy and blissful!


So, What are Sleep Phones and Why Do I Like Them Better Than These Other Options?

They're headphones embedded in a soft fleecy headband that you wear over your ears and plug into your mp3 player, cd player, or other audio device. I use my iPod because it's pretty unobtrusive. (And did you know your iPod has timer and alarm functions? I didn't!)

The headphones are designed to be comfortable enough to sleep in. The package also comes with a lavender sachet and a CD that has three tracks--the one I'm partial to is 30 minutes long and it's called "Rowayton Stream."

Okay, I'll confess, "Rowayton Stream" is the only one I downloaded. The other two are called "Harriman Birds" and "Wake Up!" Since I've already got cacophonous birdcalls waking me up at 4:30 am , I thought I'd pass on any dang birdies chirping. And "Wake Up!" didn't sound all that promising as a track for putting me to sleep.

These soundtracks feature binaural beats, which through a complicated process that I've never quite understood, are supposed to affect your brainwaves and help you to sleep. Over at the SleepPhones site they've got a round-up of some of the relevant binaural beat research. They also offer several more free sleep-inducing mp3 downloads over on the SleepPhone downloads page.

The downside of binaural beats? Well, they sound odd. It's sort of like a washing machine is sitting in the middle of my peaceful Rowayton Stream, on spin cycle, thrumming away.

Excuse me, washing machine, what are you doing here?
Don't you have some dirty clothes to tackle down in the basement?

Actually, at least it sounds like an expensive, possibly European washing machine is sitting in the stream, not a 15 year old Kenmore with a pair of tennis shoes in it. So after a few seconds I don't tend to notice the binaural beat aspect anymore, and I like the idea that it might be messing with my brainwaves and helping me sleep. But if that creeps you out or annoys you, you can use any old CD or MP3 you want to lull you to sleep.

Besides drowning out obnoxious neighbors, the SleepPhones are also supposed to help with tinnitus, insomnia, anxiety, and are probably a good alternative to divorce if you have a spouse who snores.

Additional Options for Dealing With Insomnia

The SleepPhones people have conveniently put together a nice list of sleep hygiene tips, saving me from gathering them up.

And I also thought I'd mention that there was a recent study out endorsing an online cognitive behavioral approach to insomnia. Time Magazine has a good article on the study and on web-based insomnia treatments. Apparently some health insurers like Blue Cross and Aetna offer free anti-insomnia programs, and there are cheap retail versions at cbtforinsomnia.com or myselfhelp.com). I see no reason not to try both the SleepPhones and an online CBT program, but what do I know? I don't have insomnia, just noisy neighbors.

How To Win Your Own Set of SleepPhones:

Leave a comment on this post by Tuesday night, June 9th; the winner will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced sometime the next day on Wednesday June 10th. If you win, please send an email with your name and mailing address to Crabby McSlacker at Gmail dot com by midnight Saturday June 13th.

The good news: if you live outside the U.S., you can enter! The bad news: if you win, it may take longer for your SleepPhones to arrive. Also, depending on where you live, you may be required to pay import tax. But if you're okay with that, please leave a comment!

So does anyone have any issues getting or staying asleep, or do you just drop right off? Any good tips for beating insomnia?


IMPORTANT UPDATE: A WINNER HAS BEEN DECLARED! PLEASE SEE WHO IT WAS BACK AT CRANKY FITNESS!

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Update: The contest is over and a winner has been declared over at the main Cranky Fitness page. But if you're just stopping in, please enjoy this guest post by Charlie Hills!

By Charlie Hills:

Way back at the end of January, I was contacted by these guys asking if I'd do a product review and/or giveaway. Can you imagine? A company trying to promote its products via the blogosphere! I mean, next thing you know people will start selling banner ads on the internet.

So I said, "Sure," most likely placing me forever in their debt due to the fine print I missed on the verbal agreement. The product? "Exercise Anywhere" cards. According to the official blurb:

NURU's Exercise Anywhere is for anyone who wants to improve their physique--regardless of whether they have access to a gym. Sized to fit in the palm of your hand, these 30 ultra-thin, waterproof cards provide innovative, "do-anywhere" cardio and muscle-strengthening exercises designed to get your blood pumping.

Hmmm... interesting idea, actually. Keep them in your pocket and you may just be inspired to exercise anywhere. I can't fault them for that. It's much better than the Eat Anywhere plan I've been on the previous twenty years.

To give you an idea of what the system is like, I thought I'd risk a bit of copyright violation to show you excerpts from the cards side by side with old Charlie here trying out the exercises.

First, the ever-popular situp. I was in the middle of working on the potato soup recipe when I decided adding more potatoes to my midsection was the last thing I needed.



The next day it was back to work. As I was running late for my first meeting of the day, I decided I really needed to do some lower back extensions. I dropped my bag and hit the floor. Ahhhh... that felt good.



About halfway through the meeting, I realized I was feeling a bit flabby and took a few minutes for some squats.



After the meeting I was hungry. Time to hit Vend-O-Land. As I scanned the veritable cornucopia of snackfoods before me, that nagging voice cried out once again, "You don't need any more Cheez-Its!" Grumbling, I told my boss to shut up, and I took to the floor.



I made it through another heavy work week just in time to relax with a leisurely Saturday morning of mowing. I tell you, nothing breaks up the monotony of trimming the green with some exercising.



Hot and sweaty, I decided to cool down and clean up in the tub. At which point I realized I hadn't done my bicycle crunches for the day!



Once up and dressed, it was time for a quick trip to the store to pick up a few things for dinner. Whilst perusing the rice and beans aisle, I decided upon the rice and a "Pike's Pushup."



Unfortunately, I got halfway home before realizing I forgot the one thing I went to the store for: the chicken. Rather than turn around and go back, I realized was just across the street from a McDonald's. Stopped there, grabbing a quick bite followed by a quick set of table chin-ups.



I have to tell you, I didn't believe them at first when they said I could exercise anywhere. How wrong I was. If you're the type of person who never works out because you don't have the equipment or the expensive gym membership, you now have no more excuses. Pick up a pack of these cards and just do it!

You know what else you need to "just do"? Buy my book! Click the picture. Visit Amazon. It's eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders of $25 or more. How can you go wrong?

If you missed the last stop on my tour, please visit Hallie for an oddball interview at the Wonderful World of Wieners. If you missed the tour completely, go back to the beginning at Slim Shoppin.

Or, if you just like my writing, don't want to buy a book, and only have time for one more click, visit my blog Back to the Fridge.

p.s. Win a copy of Why Your Last Diet Failed You and How This Book Won't Help You on Your Next One. Leave a comment below by Tuesday night, April 28th and we'll pick one lucky duck to receive a valuable signed copy of the book (a prize package worth at least three bucks on eBay next year). Winner announced sometime Wednesday April 29th.

Update, in case you missed it above: The contest is over and a winner has been declared over at the main Cranky Fitness page. Thanks for playing!

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