Sunday, November 13, 2011

It is a good thing that the gear doesn't make the athlete.

Changing sports can be expensive. I don't know why I am surprised - everything CAN be expensive.


Luckily I was into minimalist running before I made the switch to CrossFit and owned a pair of Merrell Pace Gloves and New Balance Minimus running shoes.

As it turns out, this sport that heralds a philosophy of natural, functional, how our bodies were made to move fitness, has plenty of top of the line stuff you can buy to make you better, faster, stronger...

The rest of my extra smushy running shoes are now worthless for any endeavor beyond "running" errands. Whatever, you can never have too many shoes for running errands. ((get real, I don't really believe this))

Can really high quality technical gear improve athletic performance? Yes, but let's not get carried away. Can a microfiber shirt prevent chafing? Yes, but it is not going to put a fire in your ass and carry you across the finish line. Would pants have prevented the sexy rope burn I have on my inner thigh? Yes. Did my failure to dress appropriately keep me from getting up that rope. No.

Before I could afford all of this shit, I still had a body. Fancy workout gear cannot make you a better athlete and it should not be an access barrier to fitness. I cannot even pick up a mainstream fitness magazine anymore because of the way they turn getting fit into more of a commercial experience than a physical one. Even the articles of "getting fit on a budget" are diluted and lame. Do you own a body? Awesome, get moving, pick up heavy stuff, jump around until you can't breathe. You will get fit - I promise.

I LITERALLY laughed out loud ((lol'd)) recently when I heard about the $25 Million lawsuit for Reebok's claim that their bouncy ball shoes were going to give you tight thighs and a firm ass.

http://www.inquisitr.com/145950/reebok-refund-easytone-runtone-2011-lawsuit-settlement/

This is a lose lose waste of our judicial system - ridiculous from any perspective.

I am not arguing against quality, just that in athletic gear, quality should be in FUNCTIONALITY. I have several brands of compression shorts. None of them make the work any easier, and it is actually my least expensive pair that manages to not end up so far up my butt when I am doing squats that I need to use the jaws of life to disrobe.

Nike is particularly good at marketing its products for the rough and tumble athlete.  For the most part though, you are paying to further advertise the brand.  If you want to feel tough, cover yourself in dirt and sweat, not logos.


NICE LEGS - I imagine this is what my legs could look like if the weren't covered in bruises. No, if my legs looked like that, I would be a leg model or something and move to Hawaii! ALOHA.

I mean no offense. I am just calling it like I see it.

So, you must forgive me for glazing over while you tell me about your silver lined, NASA quality, waterproof to 500 meters, workout gear that you never intend on doing anything hard in.

Now - go put on anything, and do something with yourself.
Posted by at
Labels: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

About Sam

I am a writer in Omaha, Nebraska sharing my adventures in the foundations of healthy living - nutrition, being active, and being funny.

I was born in Kansas City in the sweltering summer of July, 1986. I was nearly born in the car because I was so pumped to get my life started. I have been bouncing off of the walls ever since. Growing up I hung out with the big kids who were even older than my sister (and best friend) Allie. I quickly developed an "I'm over it" 'tude toward kids my own age whose pastimes seemed juvenile - an interesting perspective coming from a preschooler. My snobbish worldview was hard earned however, as I was forced to learn both multiplication and division early to keep up when we played "school," and I was always forced to do dangerous stuff first to make sure it was okay, like eating unidentified berries and making the first run on super steep hills while sledding. We biked all day, ate wild honeysuckle, painted the house with mud, and collected cicada shells for no reason other than they stick to fabric and freaked my mom out.

I quickly realized that even little legs can get you as far as a car can, and as a young child, you really have nothing but time. My adventures were only restrained by the fact that adults do not find it acceptable for young children to explore the town on foot unaccompanied. I prematurely developed a desire to be an independent self-supporting person, so I opened a Kool-Aid/popcorn business to finance my big plans. Looking back, I would say that the only issues holding me back were my limited advertising budget and the fact that I was still too short to ride roller coasters. People just don't take you seriously when you can't go on the upside-down rides.

I was moved to Omaha in the second grade. I continued walking all over the place, exploring surrounding neighborhoods and visiting grocery stores to pick up my favorites: Goldfish, Sprite, and sugar cigarettes. I don't even think you can buy those anymore, and for the record, I never started smoking.

I never lost my hard work ethic, and I needed to increase my income to afford my new hobbies of beading and Polaroid photography. At the age of ten I mailed in a response to an advertisement for paper delivery routes without discussing the issue with my family. Sometimes you need to take matters into your own hands when people don't share you vision. The people at the Omaha World Herald must have had a good feeling about me becuase they contacted my parents to tell them that they wanted to hire me but would feel better if there was an older family member onboard. I still wonder if Allie holds any resentment toward me for pulling her into the labor force when she was only twelve.

In third grade, I followed Allie's lead and began taking dance classes at Mary Lorraine's Dance Center. For the next eleven years it became "what I did." Nowadays, I train more like an athlete, but I will always move like a dancer, and being in a studio will always feel like home.

After high school I relocated again (this time of my own volition) to study "everything" in the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I acquired a degree in marketing and finance that I may use someday. More importantly, I became a close friend and Alpha Phi sister with a cross country runner who easily persuaded me to train for the 2005 Lincoln half-marathon. I have been running ever since. In April 2011 I developed plantar fasciitis after jumping into an intense 50-70 mile/week schedule. This is the first athletic injury in my life. Although it has been indescribably frustrating both physically and emotionally, the silver lining is my increased receptivity to more variety in fitness disciplines.

I enjoy Pilates, yoga, enjoy Zumba, plyometric interval training, running, walking, and seeing how quickly I can run up stairs without losing my lunch. When I am too exhausted to move, I read and write. I love fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, poetry, philosophy, song lyrics, and comedy. I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I love spell check, and felt tip pens.

I am happy and optimistic most of the time. I enjoy living simply and deeply. I hope you enjoy what I have to share.







Followers