Most fitness experts say that, as regards weight lifting, you should alternate days–either doing a full-body workout every other day, or by alternating upper body and lower body workouts.

Now, I get how that works, and why it works, is your goal is to bulk up. But if your goal is to actually get functionally stronger, doesn’t it make more sense to do a little of everything every day?

Consider manual labor professions. Those sexy, dirt-and-grime encrusted construction workers who used to come into the Subway when I worked the lunch shift weren’t taking every other day off. The ultimate fighter (now Mixed Martial Arts, but this was several years ago) who came in so addled he could barely finish his order–he was probably altnernating days. But for a functional, normal-human, nicely toned body, I contend that it makes more sense to perform a sensible workout every day rather than kill yourself every day.

So that’s what I’m trying. We’ll see how it goes.

My husband and I just joined a Snap Fitness within walking distance of our apartment, which means we are officially out of excuses. Weight lifting has commenced.

I’ve gone twice now. The first night I felt I had greatly irritated an already pissy series of joints and discs in my body, throwing their delicate balance off-kilter with the grunting and heaving involved in weight lifting. “Now I remember why I quit this…”

But yesterday I went armed with a workout plan that would work opposing muscle groups without arching my back or straining my neck, which is always my downfall. I’d say I was 90% successful in avoiding trauma while still challenging myself.

One thing is for sure, though. If I don’t continue to practice yoga in conjunction with this new endeavor, it’s all for naught. Already my knee is objecting. But whereas I’ve always tried to muscle through my various fitness routines, yoga has taught me how to feel out each exercise. If I can manage a Western regimen of body building/toning with an Eastern/yoga mindset, this might actually work…

So, Pawlenty has infamized “unallotment.” Here’s how it’s looking so far:

K-12 Education $1.771 Billion
Higher Education $100 Million
Local Gov’t Aids $366.7 Million
HHS $236 Million
State Gov’t $33 Million
Revenues $168 Million
TOTAL $2.675 Billion

(For a full list of proposed cuts–oops, I mean “unallotments”–click here)

Yes, this is for the 2010-2011 biennium. No, that doesn’t mean cuts don’t begin until then. They start July 1. Nice one, Jackass. When you run for president, don’t expect to carry Minnesota.

This morning as I was fighting the necessity of actually getting out of my delicious bed, NPR had a segment on Food, INC. (trailer), a new documentary about where our food really comes from. Now I know I’m a tad prone to conspiracy theory, but seriously–this is not the first place I’ve heard that there are meat industry lobbyists trying (and succeeding in some states) to make it illegal to say/show anything negative about the meat industry (beef in particular). First Amendment, anyone?

But if you’re not as much of an animal softy as I am, here’s another reason to consider reducing or eliminating meat from your diet:

“[I]t takes 8 or 9 cattle a year to feed one average meat eater. Each cow needs 1 acre of green plants, corn, or soybeans a year. Thus, it takes about 9 acres of plants a year for the meat one person eats rather than the half acre needed if the plants themselves were eaten. The amount of grain needed to provide meat for one person is enough to feed about 20 people for a year. [...] A reduction of meat consumption by only 10 percent would result in about 12 million more tons of grain for human consumption. This additional grain could feed all of the humans who starve to death each year–about 60 million people! Furthermore, about 26,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 2 pounds of beef, whereas 2 pounds of wheat require only about 120 gallons.”

–Marc Beckoff, The Ten Trusts

I’ve been getting more exercise (about three walks outdoors every day) and vitamins (LUNA Bars, baby) lately, so I updated my Real Age status just to see if it made a difference. Apparently I’ve taken 8.1 years off my life with recent lifestyle choices! (That’s about 5 years better than last time.)

Walking to work was out of the question, but as part of the Twin Cities Bike Walk Week (May 10-16), I walked to the grocery store instead of driving. Cage free eggs and Morning Star Farms meat substitute for my [soon-to-be]famous hash recipe.

This is, quite possible, the coolest thing ever.

Want to know how much water you’re drinking in a day? Thermos makes the BPA-free Intak water bottle with a rotating tracker that counts the number of times you’ve filled and emptied it. It only counts up to 6, but it holds 24 ounces, so 6 should be plenty in a day.