Publication Consternation

About a week ago, I posted this picture on my Facebook page with the question: Which magazine should I subscribe to?

Looking at the photo, the clear leader was SELF - it was the only one which actual had its cover model clothed.  I don't aspire to look like a waifish model, thank you very much.  I named my blog ironically.

Upon closer inspection, I started to notice a few things about each particular publication:

1. Oxygen is for crazy athletes/bodybuilders (I use the term "crazy" as in "way more devoted than I have been or ever will be to exercise, which I think should be fun and not so freakin' intense").  I could literally count on one hand the number of advertisements that were not for some sort of nutritional supplement/protein powder concoction.
   
2. Shape and Fitness are basically clones of each other.  They were fine, but a little heavy on the beauty and style talk.  I wanted something with more of an emphasis on exercises, nutrition, and general health.
   
3. SELF, my judging-a-magazine-by-its-cover favorite, turned out to be a little too touchy-feely.  I don't need every other page reminding me that I'm pretty, worthy, and super in general.  Don't get me wrong, it's nice to hear those things, but too much of it makes me think I'm subscribing to a glossy-papered therapist.
   
4. Women's Health had an awful lot of sex on the cover.  I'm no prude, but between the lingerie-clad cover model and the "Amazing Sex Secrets!" headline, I was a little intimidated.  However, when I actually read the magazine, I found that it was chock-full of interesting factoids, nutritional advice, and health and medical articles, not to mention some workout plans.  The sexy stuff, though paraded across the cover, only took up a few pages of content.

I spent quite a few hours agonizing over this decision.  For no good reason, really, other than that old feeling I have that I need to do everything perfectly.  But really, am I going to ruin my life if I miss an article on butt blasters because I subscribed to the "wrong" magazine?  I don't think so.  So in the end, I went with my gut.  The magazine that I felt gave me the most to work with and fit my health and fitness goals the best.

And the winner is...

Women's Health.  Not only was it recommended by the one Facebook follower who responded to my question (that's really sad, people), but I genuinely liked reading it.

As much as I like to read about and research health and fitness, I actually learned a lot of things from reading this one issue.  For example, did you know that humans have two types of fat - white and brown?  I sure didn't!  A little blog post-spiration, perhaps...

In addition, the magazine offers recipes, workout routines, and just the right amount of beauty and style for my tastes (read: not very much).

To top things off, the Sous Chef, being the lean, green, gardening machine he is, noted that the magazine is owned by Rodale, Inc., a company founded by J.I. Rodale - the pioneer of organic gardening.  Super cool.  Read more about that here.

I am really looking forward to receiving my first issue in the mail (though I must ask, in this digital age where we can sign up for things as fast as the click of a mouse, why does it still take 4 - 6 weeks for my subscription to go through?  Do any of you readers happen to know anything about the publishing world?).  I'm hoping that the workouts it gives me will help keep my gym experience fresh and interesting - something that is going to be absolutely key to my success.

Disclaimer:  I did not receive any sort of compensation for this post.  I bought all of the above-mentioned magazines with my own money at the local bookstore.  This post is a reflection of my personal opinion and taste.