A thought on why people wear exercise clothes to walk and jog.
I walk a lot, and try to throw some jogging in. I want to work up to actual running ;) I wear jeans to walk and even to jog. I don't get why people feel a need to wear special clothes to WALK.
Today, I was out with my kid, walking on both dirt and paved trail, wearing jeans ( as usual) and some rather stylish fur lined boots. I happily threw in running, not feeling encumbered by my jeans, but inspired by the imagination the kid and I threw into it.
Then I got it. Mundanes wear special clothes to exercise because they can't foresee the day when they might NOT be able to change before they have to run. They can't imagine the Doctor materializing and telling them to run for their lives. In their minds, the zombie apocalypse is never going to happen. They will never have to run from dai-kaiju or super villains.
Now, I do sleep in exercise clothes, because they are more practical than pajamas ( these things could all happen in the middle of the night, you know). I will sometimes even wear yoga pants out of the house if I'm going to a Zumba class or actually planning to run. But for the most part, I want to be prepared to run no matter what I'm wearing.
Why I will never cosplay Slave Leia
This is something I've been thinking about for some months. As a relatively fit female who is also a cosplayer, it's nearly impossible for me to get through life without someone, from time to time, usually male and not my husband, to suggest I cosplay Slave Leia. This is often accompanied by Beavis and Butthead style snickering.
It is never, ever going to happen, and here's why.
That's a heck of a lot of skin Yes, I have a Star Trek: Mirror Universe costume. Yes, I am having a (movie) Dejah Thoris costume made for me for this August's Geek Girl Con. They still have at least 3 times as much fabric as a Slave Leia costume. I'm pretty fit, but this is not a costume for a woman who has popped out a kid or few, unless she's also had plastic surgery.
I live in the Pacific Northwest. In other words, even if I wanted to, there would be about three days a year I could wear it.
Half naked slave girl? I'm not a total prude, and it's true that I would hate to put all this effort into being fit and not never show off at all. However, this feminist is not going to play into that particular fantasy. If I'm going to be Princess Leia, I'm going to wear practical clothes and carry a blaster.
Labels: cosplay, feminism, May the Fourth, Slave Leia
Wheat Belly
I recently read the book
Wheat Belly by William Davis. I'm pretty sure anyone one who lives a paleo or gluten free lifestyle has heard of, if not read, this book. It's entirely possible those of us most likely to read the book are already convinced.
I feel like the book is full of great info, though I have a couple of issues of it. The first is the cover. Look at this! I haven't eaten gluten on purpose in a year, but this made me want to run out and eat a crisp, buttery bagel. It very much did not help convince my gluten loving family that wheat is bad.
Dr Davis also suggests using artificial sweeteners for desserts. I know that part of the reasoning behind that advice is to convince people that they can have their cake and eat it to, but I think it's terrible advice. I'm not a doctor or scientist, but I think any lab created food is an abomination and should be avoided. It's much better to avoid sweets on a daily basis and allow yourself the occasional real sugar as a indulgence.
I do try to keep in mind that this book and others like it are really targeted at people who are obese and diabetic or pre-diabetic. Having come to paleo/gluten free as someone at a healthy weight and metabolically sound, I do know that the extreme low carbing is something I don't have to worry about. I don't count nutrients, but I think that by eliminating wheat and not replacing it with GF bread products, I'm doing just fine.
Over all, I find Wheat Belly a great read. I don't buy every claim he makes wholesale, but I think if even half of what he claims about wheat is true, anyone would benefit from a 30 day gluten free trial.
