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Hot Topic Tuesday: Is There Such a Thing As Too Fit, Too Soon?

Written on March 6, 2012 at 3:06 pm , by

This is what we think of when we hear "active kids." (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Watch this video and try to keep your jaw off the floor! Claudi and Giuliano Stroe, ages 5 and 7, might just be the strongest grade school kids we’ve ever seen. While we feel accomplished if we can knock out a few standard pull-ups, these two adorable boys from Romania are completing the so-called “human flag” (picture them hanging horizontally from a floor-to-ceiling bar) and doing a pull-up motion from that position.

Like this 10-year-old bodybuilder we told you about last summer, this pair trains…and they train hard. They began exercising when they were 2 and now hit the weights with their dad for two hours every morning.

Which brings us to today’s hot topic discussion: Do you think that it’s healthy and inspiring for these kids to start so young? We’ve all seen the startling childhood obesity statistics, and these kids are certainly not following that trend. But there is something to be said about letting active kids be kids (not mini-adults) with their jump rope rhymes, Capture the Flag games and bike rides—away from the gym.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Now tell us: Do you find these fit kids to be motivational wellness all-stars or do you think it’s too much too soon?

The 25-Year Running Streak: One Man’s Quest to Never Skip a Workout

Written on February 6, 2012 at 3:22 pm , by

In grade school, Stuart Calderwood would run lap after lap around the recess yard while his classmates were playing a ball game. “I’m not sure where this feeling came from, but the sensation of running fast felt more important than being good at ball games, or even smart or strong,” Calderwood remembers. Now, as the senior editor of communications for the New York Road Runners, this 53-year-old hasn’t hung up his racing shoes. In fact, he’s run every single day for the past 25 years!

Since we can’t imagine a life without rest days, we had to ask Calderwood how he stays motivated and the most important question of all: why?

Calderwood's hobby started in grade school and decades later, he's still running! (Photo courtesy of NYRR)

Did you start your run 25 years ago thinking this would be the beginning of a long streak?

Yes. When I was 28, I felt like my running career was coming to an end. I had run cross country and track in high school and won two division II national championships with my track team at the University of California, Irvine. I became a coach and was worried I might not improve my own skills. I noticed I was missing my runs and eliminated that excuse by deciding I’d never miss a day again.

How do you stay motivated to hit the road every day?

That’s exactly why I have a running streak—so I have a reason. Nothing is big enough now to make me break the streak!

What does a daily workout look like for you?

According to the United States Running Streak Association, you have to complete at least one mile non-stop to count as a day in your running streak. I always run at least 1 1/4 miles, to be on the safe side, and have run up to 31 miles in one day during the past 25 years. The average for my streak is 9.2 miles per day, and I do the elliptical and ride the bike to cross train.

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Fit Links: US Open News, Spinning Tips and Controversy Over a Children’s Dieting Book

Written on September 2, 2011 at 2:41 pm , by

Are you a spin class newbie? (Photo by Chris Fanning)

Are you a spin class newbie? (Photo by Chris Fanning)

This week’s fit links around the web: