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Every year, in February, when it is cold and dark and tough to get outside to exercise and I’ve slowly begun to wonder, “Why should I even bother trying?” I love to watch two amazing movies, which have always worked to get me out the door or to the gym. As a long-time cyclist, they are both bicycle related, but amazing movies across the board and should motivate anyone to move:
I’m an avid cyclist as well so I like to watch the HD series of Chasing Lance Part I - V. I feel guilty sitting on the couch watching it so it’s not long before the seat hits the saddle
I think any sports movie i.e. “Any Given Sunday”, “The Program”, “The Replacements”...you get the point. I think that movies like that reach down to the athlete in all of us and slaps the taste out of his mouth and tells him to get back to it and not to give up. Another non-athletic movie is “Supersize Me” that is very motivational to watch what you eat. Thanks for jogging the movie juices...I think that I will watch “Braveheart” to get me into the gym this weekend.
And if you haven’t seen “Supersize Me”, it’s worth seeing.
I found the most powerful part of “Supersize Me” to be in one of the DVD’s special features, where they test the decomposition rate of various McDonalds products. They also had two products from a local mom-and-pop diner. They put each in a separate glass jar and waited to see how long it would take for each item to decompose. (ie: how natural they were)
The mom-and-pop burger and fries started decomposing within days. The various McDonalds burgers were decomposing within a few weeks. McDonalds fries… still hadn’t started decomposing after two months! What on earth do they PUT in those things?!?
Anyway, one of the problems I had with that movie was also that it IS theoretically possible to eat well at McDonalds—they have many salads, both as the main dish and as a side. If you need to go to McDonalds (which, I’ll note, I haven’t done for about two years), you can get a salad, water, and a yogurt thing for dessert. You don’t need to go for a supersized big mac combo. This wasn’t as much an option when Supersize Me was made, but it is now.
The movie “Supersize Me” made some great points that most of us can agree with. It was also very well produced to make sure the “story” was good - leaving out what most folks with “Caveman Common Sense” would see anyway. The same thing happens millions of times a day with ads on TV. Companies and producers “spin” things to fit their needs and folks just go along with it. I know - that’s how I’ve made my living for 20 years. But back to McDonalds…
Yes - some of the food is bad - but you can go to McDonalds and eat somewhat well if you need to. It’s your choice.
That having been said, the last time Sheryl and I stopped in McDonalds for a salad it was a day off from school and all the mothers decided to bring their kids in for for a healthy kids meal. The screaming almost drove me to a Big Mac attack!
The same thing happens millions of times a day with ads on TV. Companies and producers “spin” things to fit their needs and folks just go along with it.
Have I mentioned that I haven’t owned a TV since September? *grin*
if you don’t own a TV how did you watch the SuperBowl???
1. I live in Canada, where football isn’t nearly as big as it is in the States.
2. Even for a Canadian, I have a tremendously low interest in watching sports.
3. The only good part of the superbowl, the comercials, are available online.
1. I am an American
2. I own a TV (and cable)
3. I went to the symphony on Superbowl Sunday.
4. I watched the commercials on the Today show on Monday morning. Like Julie said, that’s the best part anyway.
Just to keep on going and drive a few people here to the edge. I don’t like American football either but I do like real football (soccer) as my boyfriend would say. I wasn’t really interested in the commercials except for the addicted to lost one which I checked on the net and have to say was really cool.
But going back to the original topic, I don’t know if there is any movies that actually motivate me to be healthy or lose weight… but then again I’m not a sport movie fan, and my favorite movies range from horror to scifi to independent and foreign, among others… although I guess horror movies should be a motivating factor, you want to be able to run just in case you find yourself in a tight spot one day… zombies roam the earth? Hey, you never know! lol
But anyway, what I wanted to say was there is a book series, and I mean a fiction book series that I’ve found very motivating. I love reading fiction and one of my favorite series at the moment is Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series. This series is a mystery series, your average there was a murder, let’s find out who the murderer was type of book. The main character is Kinsey Millhone, a private detective, a fit independent woman in her late 30’s (in the latest book) who fights with herself to go workout in the morning but likes to stay fit to be able to outrun the bad guys if the time comes. And while the main story of the books is whichever case she’s investigating at the moment you get to know her as a character very well. These books are very cleverly written and are a fantastic series in all. So check them out.
That movie made me give up Fast Food. I used to live on this “food.” I’d have fast food AT LEAST 5 times a week, often more. (Gee… I wonder how I got 60 pounds overweight.... !). I saw there watching that movie (the first time) and I thought, “could I give up McDonalds for 30 days?” Throughout the movie I wrestled with that personal challenge, feeling pretty sure I’d never be able to conquer the evil beast that is Ronald McDonald! By the end of the movie, and especially after the interview with the author of Fast Food Nation, I realized that McDonalds isn’t just bad for me personally, it’s bad for everyone. They are an evil corporation, making money off the weaknesses of ill-informed consumers. Knowing or at least BELIEVING that they are really an evil company out for the destruction of mankind (could I be anymore over-the-top?!!), made it easier for me to go on a hunger strike against McDonalds. It’s been almost 3 years since I had any form of “food” at McDonalds, but I also have not eaten a thing at Wendy’s (Canadian chain), Burger King, KFC and a few other regional ones.
Sure, I’ll still have Pizza now and then, and when I’m in America, I quite enjoy a trip to Sonic!!! (can you say Hypocrite??!!), but thanks to the persuasion of Super Size Me… I am indeed a new man!!
