Fitness advice from a bum?  Nope, it’s just me looking very homely today.

Listen to me ramble a little bit about the use of exercise equipment and why I don’t believe machines are gods gift to the gym.

How do you feel about training with machines?  Good?  Bad?  Is there a place for them in a solid fitness routine?  Let me know how you feel.

The following is an email I received from Eric a reader and his friend Sadie (the red menace).

I’m not a runner.  I hate running. But yet I run every single morning.  Why?  Because each morning I get a cold wet nose in the eye and then there’s an Australian Cattle Dog at the side of my bed making a sound that I can only compare to an air-raid siren.

6 months ago I rescued the cutest dog in the world from a county pound.  I was only marginally aware of the intense exercise needs of the Australian Cattle Dog.  She needs one (preferably two) hard runs a day.

And each morning – and I literally mean every morning – when I wake up I have the same thought:  I can’t believe I have to go out and run now.  And as soon as I’ve taken my second or third stride outside, I have the same thought:  This is so great.  I’m so lucky I have such a beautiful, sweet dog that gets me out every morning to run (at a pretty decent pace).  When I get home, I feel like a million bucks.

I’ve lost 40 pounds.  My sport (judo) has improved.

And I owe it all to my very personal trainer.

Tell your readers that there are plenty of dogs in pounds in shelters that would love to be a personal trainer, too.  And unlike the ones at the gym, you can snuggle them after the workout.

Best,

Eric

Thank you very much for the inspirational story Eric.

For those of you out there who may be curious in adopting your own personal trainer you can find hundreds of pets in your area in need of a home through Petfinder.

Or if you’re just feeling charitable go ahead and visit ASPCA.

And if you have a similar story or anything else entertaining or inspirational please email me at thebuffgeek@gmail.com.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everybody.

It looks like Nintendo and Marriott are currently testing out a potential partnership.

As a test Nintendo will be outfitting several Marriots with units of the Wii specifically made just for them.

There will be a variety of different games offered, one of which is Wii Fit.  I’ve spoken to many a geeks who have trouble fitting in their workout routines just because of travel.  Now I know working out on the Wii Fit doesn’t seem to offer the same benefits as hitting the hotel gym but at least it’s something.  And if you’re familiar with my content you’d know I prefer doing a good bodyweight routine in my hotel room as opposed to using some crappy and potentially dangerous machine found down in one of those factory style gyms.

I think this partnership is a great idea and it only seems natural.  Where other gaming units have failed in the past I think the Wii is actually a really good fit.

Let’s hope this works out for the sake of Nintendo, Marriot and the few who would benefit from a little extra activity when on the road.

I’m interested.  What are some of the things you have tried when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle when traveling?