For more than two decades, Diet Coke, the artificial liquid was my oxygen. I had it with breakfast, all morning at my desk, with lunch, all afternoon at my desk, with dinner, all night by the couch. I pumped so… read more
Ted Spiker
Ted Talks: Take the Plunge
When one of my good friends recently called me, he opened with this: “I think I got it.” For years, we’ve talked about signing up for some kind of physical challenge, but we just never found the right one. We… read more
Rethinking Resolutions: Let’s Try Something Different in 2022!
I like to say that I’m not much into Jan. 1 resolutions, but the reality is that I spend the days leading up to the new year dreaming about goals, setting up spreadsheets, wondering if this year will be the… read more
Ted Talks: The Agony of Victory, the Thrill of Defeat
I believe in New Year’s Resolutions about as much as I believe in small-size bowls of queso. Why? Same reason you hear over and over—a one-time declaration (“I forbid fondue forever!”) generally won’t stick. That said, I do think that… read more
Ted Talks: Devoting 2021 to Small Victories and Sun Salutations
My relationship with yoga is a short one: I took a few classes some two decades ago. I had a trainer mutter 32 expletives when he tried to stretch me and felt how tight my muscles were. And I once… read more
Ted Talks: The Year of a Bodily Buffet!
A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That... I went into 2021 without a massive declaration — no dream race to run, no ideal weight I must hit (though that number has had a three-decade occupancy in my… read more
Ted Talks: What the Hill Was Wrong With Me
Because of some of the work I do with Runner’s World magazine, I had the opportunity to run the Big Sur International Marathon along the California coast about a year and a half ago. Though I trained steadily, my mashed-potatoes… read more
Ted Talks: Putting Solution into Resolution! Let’s Go, 2021!
We’ll remember this year as the one with masks and mute buttons, with Zoom meetings and zapped-from- the-calendar events, with social distancing and societal anxiety—and with so many changes, stresses, and disruptions that slapped the living shish kebab out of… read more
Healthier Huddles: The Perfect Time to Draw Up New Plays
Finally figured out why I’ve split a seam or two in my day. I’ve been using the wrong dieting playbook! Maybe it's time to draw up new plays: Last-Place Playbook THE PLAY 1/ ALL-OUT BLITZ Clean out the fridge… read more
Keep on Rucking: 9 Things I Did for My Health During the Pandemic
As COVID-19 spread, many of us had to change the way we worked and change the way we lived. For those fortunate enough to be spared of any serious ramifications caused by the pandemic, isolation could have sparked some self-reflection… read more
