The Quest for Fitness—Join the Party

Resolutions are one thing, but change doesn't happen overnight. If you find yourself not living up to your goals, don't put them off for another year; regardless of the date on the calendar, every day is a chance to get something right. There is a growing buzz here on ScienceBlogs about health and fitness, and we invite all our readers and bloggers to join the discussion. ERV kicks things off, wondering why there aren't more scientific voices to guide those on the quest for personal health through the "minefield of woo" that promises miraculous ways to get in shape. Ethan Siegel responds on Starts With A Bang!, writing that fitness is ultimately a personal ideal, about "your body and your life." Ethan goes on to outline proper workout methodology and explains how to start building the muscles we want. And ERV trashes the idea that weightlifting will bulk you up while cardio will make you slim, since skinny people can still hold on to an unhealthy percentage of body fat. Lifting weights will foster lean and not necessarily bulky muscle, a vital aspect of developing fitness. We see a different aspect of the quest on Thus Spake Zuska, where Zuska reveals the obstacles that get in the way of our best intentions. And before recounting his incredible ambulatory feats, Greg Laden compares us to a bunch of cattle, slow to get going but just waiting to stampede.

Links below the fold.

• Jocks vs Nerds on ERV
• Weekend Diversion: Fitness Challenge! on Starts With A Bang!
• In just seven days... oh baby... on ERV
• Fitness for the Aging Body Charged with Elder Care on Thus Spake Zuska
• From Fit to Fat to Fit. And Back. on Greg Laden's Blog