Who said that you can’t have fun and still get in some exercise at the same time? It’s amazing the amount of calories you can burn off walking around in a gigantic maze cut into a corn field while getting frustrated that you can’t figure out a map to save your life. You should try it!
Located in beautiful Lodi, Wisconsin is the Treinen Farm and a wonderful stretch of land on which sits a field of corn cut into an elaborate maze of mermaids, clam shells, circles, fish and waves. This is also the home of a charming little dog, aptly named Little Dog, who will escort you into the corn maze and linger long enough to determine whether or not you have snacks to share. He will abandon you after you find the first checkpoint, never to be seen again, as if to say, “You’re on your own, suckers!” Don’t be alarmed by this though, as you would have gotten lost with or without Little Dog, and you know it.
Here's Little Dog, leading the way. He's wearing some PVC pipes to keep him from getting through the fence and bothering Big Dog.
Little Dog, searching for snacks
I had a lot of apprehension about doing a corn maze because I am directionally challenged when outside of my hometown. There is nothing to worry about though, and you’ll just have to trust me on that. We started out in the little store to pay our admission fees ($6 per person) and to get a blank map with our first clue taped to it. The “map” is a regular sheet of paper with eight blank squares on it. You are given the first square of the map and the instructions are this: “Find the first checkpoint and you will receive the next square of the map at that place.” You are also given an actual map of the maze, stapled shut. If you can return to the store at the end of the maze with all eight pieces of the map, and the real map still stapled shut you will win a prize.
Sounds easy enough, right?
Here's Mary, ready to start off the adventure, and there's the corn
We were told that it would take the average person between one hour and one and a half hours to complete the maze. It was 5:30 when we started, and sunset was supposed to be at 6:39. With no flashlights available the pressure was on to be the average person, or get lost in the dark in the corn.
We found the first checkpoint without much trouble, and then the second one came rather quickly after that too. It wasn’t until the third checkpoint proved elusive that we began to lose confidence. There were a few points where we found ourselves on the outside of the corn field, but that was a lucky mistake as it allowed us an opportunity to orient ourselves with the maze. It was somewhere after the fourth checkpoint where the map orientation and the maze itself started to make sense to me, but we did still struggle a bit if only because we overestimated the size of the field, and the speed with which our preplanned turns would come up, making it easy to pass them up.
We arrived at the seventh checkpoint just as the sun was setting. Victory was so close we could taste it, but it was much harder actually finding it. Within about five minutes, however, there it was…checkpoint #8. The prize would be ours.
The observation tower was right near the exit, so we climbed it in order to snap a photo of our fully-completed map before we checked back into the store for our major award.
Kristin and the completed map of the maze. Boo-ya!
Safely back at the barn, we handed over our completed map and the other map, still stapled shut. The happy man at the counter handed over our trophy: a piece of our choice of candy from a bucket. I chose the Pal Bubble Gum, and Mary chose the SweetTarts. Success never tasted so sweet!
Musto sponsored athlete Tina Cook won individual and team gold at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships on Sunday (27/09) riding Miners Frolic in Fontainebleau, France.
Tina was also part of the British team that picked up its eighth successive team gold medal, along with fellow Musto-sponsored rider William Fox-Pitt, who finished fourth individually. Tina also set a new record, as the first mother to win an individual gold medal; she now has the full set of individual European medals having won silver in 1993 and bronze in 1997.
Her European triumph comes on the back of the two bronze medals she won on her Olympic debut in Beijing last summer.
Tina commented after winning, “Its one of the greatest days of my life and I can’t believe it. I have a great partnership with my horse who tries hard to leave the fences up.”
Musto have sponsored Tina for over ten years, supplying her and her team with clothing enabling her to concentrate fully on training and competing whatever the weather. Tina has won European medals at junior and young rider level before gaining her first senior team appearance in 1993 where she won individual silver.
The European Eventing Championships is a bi-annual competition which began in 1953, in the British town of Badminton. Since then Britain has hosted the event ten times, and won 22 team gold medals, making them the most successful nation in the competition’s history.
Musto, with the slogan “Keeping athletes warm, dry and comfortable“, is the world’s leading sailing and country sports clothing brand, and is further extending into lifestyle outdoor clothing. Established in 1965, it was founded by Keith Musto, a British Olympic sailor and engineer, who combined his sports and technical expertise to create product to withstand even the most extreme conditions.
Blonde is Back: Fair-haired figure girl Nicole Wilkins-Lee captures the 2009 Olympia!
After capturing the New York Pro less than two weeks ago, an excited Nicole Wilkins-Lee talked about the emotional win in her return to the same venue where she had celebrated earning a pro card in 2007 at Team Universe. “This title means a lot to me,” she wrote on her website.
Little did she know how much the next one would mean.
Nicole won the Figure Olympia in Las Vegas on Saturday night, rising to the pinnacle of the IFBB in only her second season. It was the third win of the year for the young star, who qualified for her second Olympia by winning the Europa Show of Champions back in April.
Even though the field was arguably more open in this year’s “O,” Nicole’s win comes as a sweet though unexpected surprise. Many fans, insiders and pundits in the sport had pegged Gina Aliotti — who was runner-up to ‘07 champ Jenny Lynn and ‘08 champ Jennifer Gates — to finally take the crown. But the 25-year-old from California took second place for a third straight year, yielding the trophy this time to Nicole, another 25-year-old out of Michigan.
But this is no ordinary Midwesterner. For starters, the sporty and exquisite 5-foot-7 athlete grew up as a dancer, cheerleader and gymnast. She battled back from multiple knee surgeries to become a successful fitness competitor — a role she may reprise the on the pro stage next season.
Nicole qualified for the Olympia last year in both fitness and figure categories, going on to place ninth before her meteoric rise to the top over the weekend.
Visit Nicole’s website for plenty of great pictures, video clips and more. And follow this link to RxMuscle to see her gallery from the Olympia, where she absolutely glowed in a her golden two-piece. Congratulations, Nicole!
Between Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, you could be consuming pounds of Sucrose (table sugar), Dextrose (corn sugar), or High Fructose Corn Syrup. Refined sugar contains no fiber, no minerals, no proteins, no fats, no enzymes, only empty calories. But, you still get fat!
In the early 1900’s sugar consumption in the U.S. was around 15 to 20 pounds per year, per person. Today, the average person will consume his or her bodyweight in sugar and up to 20 pounds in Corn Syrup! Consumption like this is costing Americans over $54 billion a year in dental bills. You may think eating your bodyweight in sugar is high, but consider the fact that there are a lot of people who do not eat sugar at all, or people who are conscious of what they are eating. This means that there are people out there who have to make up for those people and are consuming almost twice their bodyweight (which probably isn’t a low number) in sugar.
What happens when you eat a refined carbohydrate like sugar?
Your body must borrow vital nutrients from healthy cells to metabolize the incomplete food. Calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are taken from various parts of the body to make use of the sugar. Many times, so much calcium is used to neutralize the effects of sugar that the bones become osteoporotic due to the withdrawn calcium. Likewise, the teeth are affected and they lose their components until decay occurs and hastens their loss. Being that refined sugar is void of all nutrients, it causes the body to deplete its own stores of various vitamins, minerals and enzymes. If sugar consumption is continued, an over-acid condition results, and more minerals are needed from deep in the body to correct the imbalance. If the body is lacking the nutrients used to metabolize sugar, it will not be able to properly handle and rid itself of the poisonous residues. These wastes accumulate through the brain and nervous system, which speeds up cellular death. Sugar also makes the blood very thick and sticky, inhibiting much of the blood flow into the smaller capillaries that supply our gums and teeth with vital nutrients. Therefore, we wind up with diseased gums and starving teeth. America and England, the two largest sugar consumers, have horrendous dental problems. Click for more nutrition information.
The big question, does sugar contribute to one of America’s biggest health problems, obesity?
Let’s first look at the facts on obesity in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Approximately 30% of the US population is obese. This percentage has increased from 13% in the 60’s. According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, if this continues, by 2015 75% of our adults and 26% of our children will be obese or overweight.
In the past, fat was the target for U.S. Obesity. But after many years of “cutting the fat” and still having the fat people, there were obvious other places to look. The funny part is (or sad, depending how you look at it), when you eat good fats, it creates satiety. When you cut fat out, or don’t eat fat at all, it creates cravings. Cravings for what you may ask? Sugar! The problem with sugar is that it you’re getting a large amount of calories with a comparatively small amount of food. A tablespoon of sugar contains about 60 calories, with almost no nutritional content. Bringing the national average to over 4,500 empty, unnecessary calories PER WEEK! If this person were to eliminate sugar or even reduce it, he or she would have the potential to lose over one pound per week! Add in some exercise, a nutrition tune-up, this person would be well on his or her way to the body, lifestyle and health they desire and need. Check our website out for more information on proper nutrition and exercise, here.
So tonight I’m working on putting my stickers on all of my avon books and there are alot trust me, and watching some of the movies in my DVR so I can delete some of them. I went around today and put avon books in laundromats and posted my flyers in bellefonte hopefully my name will get out there. Tomorrow I have work, well actually other than today thursday is my only day off… LAME. But it pay’s the bills and isn’t too terrible. Going to try and hit the gym in the early AM so I can feel good about myself for once in my pathetic life.. This campaign book is a really good head start on christmas shopping and getting christmas/winter decorations. Get them while they’re in stock.. don’t wait until last minute they could run out. Any way’s have to get back to those books so I dont procrastinate until the very last second..
http://blerch.avonrepresentative.com for more information about Avon.
Thanks Bunches!
Brandi
&& Remember: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Swine flu (H1N1) is starting to hit young people hard. According to the Washington Post today, 49 children have died in the U.S. so far. If you don’t get flu and pneumonia vaccine shots this year (for you and your children), and then get vaccinated against swine flu when that shot becomes available, you are being outrageously irresponsible towards your community and family. Money quote from the Post article:
At the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, some children have gotten so sick that they have required intensive care, and that includes some children with no other health problems. “We have some very sick children,” said Ina Stephens, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the hospital. “I’m concerned it’s just the tip of the iceberg — that we’re just seeing the beginning of it.”
Wash your hands frequently through the day and don’t be glib about this. Pandemics call for intelligent, moral, and responsible actions from people. Will you rise to the existential occasion—or treat the threat as a joke because nothing bad has happened to you yet, and you don’t have children?
So I’m pursuing what I thought was an easy to push myself physically: walking. All in the name of good health and better living. Something about these extra bits of flab accumulating around my sides and thighs anyway. My husband has gotten into it as well. To him, walking is cake. I’d rather have cake and fully indulge in it without regret, but that’s a whole ‘nother. It’s hard work, believe me. Out of shape and never really athletic, this walking gig is kicking my tush. Hard!
Hubby is gung-ho, though, God bless him. Full of gumption and inspiring. I sit back and think, I wish! See, he’s getting up early in solitude or sometimes with a neighbor and they’re serious. They’ll do about a total of 2-6 miles and come home feeling refreshed and renewed. Then, reluctantly, a little sore as the day progresses. Our neighbor, woo-wee!, he goes back for more later in the day. That’s my husband’s new goal. Not me. No way.
My first real attempt at fitness, I’ve decided to make it fun. I’ve tried going around the neighbor, admiring God’s wonderful handiwork, and smiling at neighbors and huffing and puffing all the while. Not cute. Now, I’m going to make it personal and put a little flavor on it: I’m going to hit up a mall after work. Why not do a little window shopping while sweating the flab off? Great motivation, I’d say!
What ever the means we decide do it, we all must find a way to keep moving. And not just physically, either. Philipians 3:4, Paul encourages, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” We have to press toward, strive daily toward being better daughters, better coworkers, better spouses or better believers. Better physically, better emotionally, better period. Don’t settle for mediocrity. It’ll get you nowhere quickly.
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him,” reads Genesis 5:24. Imagine if all had Enoch’s testimony. Looking, I don’t think that’ll happen not me naturally (although I’d love for these thighs to soon be “not” ) but it is my personal pursuit spiritually to have Enoch’s character: ”[F]or before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5b).
Our journey is not always cute or lovely. It’s definitely tough, but experiencing the fruit of our labor is the maximum reward. Naturally, of course, I’ll benefit optimal health and being able to say I’m svelte is a real plus. Besides, svelte is cool word and would love to describe myself as such someday. Spiritually, the greatest benefit is eternal life. So I’m determined – hard work is fine with me – to put in what it takes to make heaven my final destination.
I’m looking forward, by any means, to seeing you there.
Wednesday Sept 25th at 9:30am, Seaview AM 960 show Cup of Joe in the Morning had Egoscue Palm Beach Garden’s Clinic Director Shawn Taker on talking about Egoscue. Thanks Angela for taking a moment and calling in to talk with Joe and Shawn.
Check out the conversation.
Don’t forget to listen to Shawn, Wednesday Sept 30th at 9:30am on Seaview AM 960 “A Cup of Joe in the Morning”!!
If you can’t catch us on the radio listen in to the show live on the web.
I am a big fan of linguistics, and am always amazed at the effect that the words we chose has on our mood and behavior.
A few days ago I was talking with a client that came for weight management. She was telling me about an argument with her husband (that led her to finish the Oreo cookies later that night), and described his position saying: “that’s bullshit!”. I immediately thought how curious it is that we use the excrement of an animal to represent something we disagree with because we think is fake or false. Bull shit (or cow shit) happens to be a truthful organic fertilizer that serves an important purpose. It is natural and honest. It does not mislead us and its smell and appearance make the fact that it is not something edible very obvious. Sugar, in contrast, serves absolutely no positive purpose or function. (Please note I am not talking about blood sugar or the kind of sugar that fuel our brain, but about the refined white powder that is slowly but surely killing us) It tricks us into thinking it’s great through an attractive taste and appearance. It makes us addicted to it by producing a spike of fake energy and pleasure while in reality it is the beginning of the crash. It produces candida and feeds bacteria which will reproduce and overpower our immune system, leading to illness. It turns into a sticky brownish substance that binds to proteins and clogs our arteries. Since the refinement process has depleted white sugar from minerals, it uses our mineral reserve to be metabolized. It makes our bodies acidic, so that in order to restore Ph balance we consume our calcium, and if there is not enough calcium around, we pull it from our bones, which, over time, leads to osteoporosis. It makes us fat and weak.
So, who is here the impostor, the fake one, the perpetrator? Bullshit or sugar?
I shared my thoughts about this with my client and suggested that from now on, every time she wants to refer to something false, with no value, or upsetting, she uses the word “sugar” instead of “bullshit”. By doing that, her mind will create a negative association with sugar that by repetition will become a habit and change her perception of sugar. She looked at me like I’m carzy but promised to give it a shot.
The following session she came in smiling. She couldn’t stop laughing when telling me about her family and friend’s face every time someone said something stupid and she screamed: “that’s sugar!”. It worked for her, she progressively cut down on sugar as she kept doing this. Suddenly, cookies, sodas and deserts lost their pull and power over her. As she became free from her sugar addiction and lost weight, she regained not only her figure but also her good mood.
Why not give it a shot? next time you are watching the news and hear none sense, or someone tries to trick you, forcefully say: “that’s sugar” and you may be pleasantly surprised with the change it brings.
For more tips on natural health, holistic counseling and nutrition, visit www.cre8yourhealth.com
I have had a pretty crazy week. We are getting ready to launch our new subscription site, we have several new titles that come out next month AND I have been busy planning the Mega Muscle Photo Expo in Palm Springs. It makes it sort of difficult to come up with things to share with you all on the blog.
But then, there it was. Eric Turner doing a workout in the Sweat Under Gear jock. I mean, goddam, could my sharing be made any easier? So here it is – hope you enjoy. Think you can do better? Sweat Under Gear is running a video competition right now, show them how you like to Sweat and win some really cool prizes! – CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO ENTER
Ok so I get the 2009 Runner Handbook sent out by The Baltimore Marathon event peeps. They recommend you read it cover to cover. So I start reading a little. Then I see it…a “NO MUSIC PLAYERS OF ANY KIND ALLOWED”.
[Insert panic attack, hot sweats, cold sweats, dry mouth, gag reflex trigger, twitching, fatigue, blinking, sniffling, fever, body aches, nausea, and that pre-vomit salivation here: __________.]
Apparently they mean this so much they say you’ll actually be removed from the course and disqualified. Oh boy. My mind is racing. So many questions…
How can I cue the “Rocky” theme?
My whole pacing strategy was designed around my playlist.
What about the rest of the “Rocky” soundtrack?
How am I going to make it all that way without my 80’s hair metal?
What if I think I have to use the restroom? Music kept me distracted. Now I’ll be stuck thinking about what I might need to do and where I could do it if I absolutely had to and how I would find some semblance of privacy amidst an event expected to draw well over 20,000 people.
Did I mention that cueing various points in the “Rocky” soundtrack will now be very difficult, if not utterly impossible?
What? I am supposed to run13.1 miles while singing to myself? (That’s one way to end the event early for everyone.)
How on earth am I supposed to focus my Attention Deficit Disor…yeah, a cheeseburger would be awesome right now…
I was on the road for work earlier this week at a conference in Minnneapolis. It can be a major challenge to find the time to workout while traveling, especially while exhibiting at a conference, but my favorite way to work up a sweat on the road is to go for a run. I love to explore a new city from the sidewalks, especially early in the morning when traffic is light and the air is cool, and people are just getting a start on their day. I’ve gone for runs while visiting Orlando, Las Vegas, St. Louis, Chicago, Reno, and even Segovia, Spain. So I continued the trend this week in Minneapolis.
running map from the hotel
I grabbed a map from the hotel desk with a 6.5-mile route that took me away from the city and into a residential area and park with a lake. It was small enough to carry and had a map on one side and turn-by-turn directions on the other. I thought this was fantastic until about 10 minutes into my run when I realized the map seemed to have been created by someone who’d never even walked through it before. I really wished I had my compass that I’ve just learned to use for the adventure race next month! Instead I asked another runner (who looked strikingly like Lance Armstrong) for help, and he directed me on what turned out to be a great 6-mile run. It was a perfect distance, there was a good mix of hills and flats, the weather was cooperative, and the scenery was nice. I ran through two parks and many neighborhoods. Though I usually prefer more urban sightseeing runs, this was a nice departure and felt much like running at home in Louisville.
If you decide to run while traveling, I recommend planning a little better than I did and preparing your route in advance. And always take a phone, ID, and some money with you (for safety reasons, but also handy if you get lost on foot and need a taxi!).
The reward at the end of my trek, the “cherry on top” if you will, was this Claes Oldenburg sculpture I spotted:
Sales are easy - you’ve set up business as a premier fitness facility, the marketing system generates leads, members give referrals and you’re selling memberships. There’s nothing better than making sales. And yet the lowest feeling comes when sales are slow.
Whether you’re a sales newbie or a veteran, what most fitness professionals do is hold back from leveraging their presence into their sales.
As Dan Schawbel mentions in his Generation Y personal branding book Me 2.0:
Personal branding is about unearthing what is true and unique about you and letting everyone know about it.
Trouble is, for a lot of people the ramifications of that statement are scary. And in my own work, the critical piece that’s missing in health clubs is the need to connect yourself and your personal brand with your prospects and members.
Your members want the real you (both brilliant & messy) and your connection – so start leveraging your personal brand. Sales will be easy and your impact will be great. So now…. why hold back?
“Change the metaphors in your life and your life will change.” – Oz Swallows (1978)
This is one of those simple statements that goes so deep. For me, it is one of those thoughts that you go back and re-examine as you start to get fitter and fitter. When it comes to fitness, metaphors are remarkably important. In fact, in most things in your life that take a long time to achieve and require long term focus, metaphors can be very important.
My favorite metaphor for getting fit is, ‘This is a marathon, not a sprint’. I have run short distances (5k and less) and I have run long distances (21.1k). I understand how I approach both of these differently. I understand the differences in the frenetic, hard burst activities like running 5k and the mind set it requires, and the slow, grinding activities like running 21.1k and the mind set that requires. I have tried in past to get fit in short bursts and it didn’t work. I have since tried and succeeded at getting fit by changing the way I look at fitness. I need to remind myself though, that this is a marathon and not a sprint because I keep wanting to get fit quickly. I think everyone does. I keep pushing myself too hard and risk burning out or getting disappointed. That is how my favorite metaphor works for me. I know that if I slowly plug away at training for a marathon, I will eventually succeed in running a marathon. I know that now. I also know that if I make some small meaningful changes, work at those, master them, and then add some more small meaningful changes, I will eventually be fit.
“You don’t see something until you have the right metaphor to let you perceive it.” -Thomas Kuhn
But metaphors go much deeper than this. When I think of my recent post about imagining our bodies as houses and the current group of experts as master builders, I can clearly see just how foolish we are being, and just how little we know about getting fit in our current society.
Think about how changing your metaphors on fitness could help you get fit, this next quote is taken from this blog.
“Metaphors are important to be aware of, because they aren’t just the stuff of assigned papers in English. We often think, decide, and plan based on metaphorical assumptions of which we may not be fully aware.
One interesting link below is to a study that looked at the metaphors college students used to describe how they learned in lecture classes (Tape Recorder, Stenographer, Sponge, Reporter, etc.). The metaphors were fairly predictive of student performance, raising the issue that metaphors could constrain as well as facilitate students’ approaches to learning.”
“Teaching is the art of analogy” -Isaac Asimov
If teaching is the art of analogy, then learning is finding the right analogy for you. What analogies do you use for fitness? Are you aware of what they are? I use the analogy of building a house quite often. When I am thinking of all of the facets to fitness I find this a great analogy as there are so many parts to building a house. Planning, design, execution, hard work, you name it.
As well, what analogies do you think of with weight gain and weight loss. I often think of it as a tub with the tap on (food coming in) and the drain open (energy burned). I know this is a poor analogy, and I am working on a better one. What analogies do you use?
I’ve been on this journey for a very long time. When I first started out, I felt so overwhelmed. I thought that I would never understand everything there was to know, that there was just too much information to seek, gather, process, and commit to memory. But I assumed that, one day, I would “get it”. I would have learned how to be healthy. I would learn everything I needed to know about what foods to eat, and how to cook them. What exercises to do and when to do them. What things to say to motivate my husband, what things to say to motivate my kids, what things to say to motivate myself.
I never woke up and thought “ok, now I know it all” The day just didn’t come. My passion for health and fitness grew and changed, and with it came a desire to learn more and more each day. I started toying with the idea of becoming a personal trainer when I lived in England. I didn’t pursue it though, because there was just so much more to learn. I wasn’t ready. I considered it again when we were living in Las Vegas. But, again, I told myself I just didn’t know enough. I had too much to figure out.
When we moved home, I finally made the decision to follow my passion, and accepted that I was always going to be learning. There is always something new out there, some idea I have never heard, an exercise I haven’t tried, a new recipe to prepare, new studies. I accepted that it’s ok to not know everything. I’ve learned a lot, and I am ready to continue learning.
The most important lesson I have learned, with the help of sparkpeople, the moms at MLW, my co-workers and my training is that this is a journey with no end. It’s not about reaching a goal weight, it’s not about fitting into size 4’s, Goals are wonderful motivators, but they are not the end of the journey.
I’ve learned that self doubt is normal, that even experts have problem areas, that we judge ourselves far more harshly than anyone else will ever judge us, and that body image does not magically change.
This is not a journey to have a perfect body- this is a journey to learn to love and appreciate my body for what it can do. I am not going to be able to completely rid myself of doubts, and I can accept that now. Because I know that the goal is not to remove all doubt, but to learn to live with it without letting it consume me. I know now that I am not going to wake up one day and just automatically feel confident and 100% pleased with how I look and feel. Changing my body image is a choice, and one that I will work on each day that I am on this journey.
Most importantly, I have learned that there is always more to learn. The goal is not to have all the answers. The goal is to keep asking questions.
Author: Dan Dailey
Category: Health & Fitness | Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keyword: fitness,health,exercise,nutrition,weightloss,diet,supplements, exercise, fat, weight
Source: isnare.com
Post Data: 01/09/2008 00:00:00
Word: 450
Most humans will try a hundred altered fad diets, at atomic as abounding comestible supplements and even all sorts of absurd alternatives. But, accepting them to exercise can be a absolute challenge.Nevertheless, it’s an assured actuality that able diet has to be accompanied by an age-appropriate, approved exercise affairs, lose 20Lbs in 28 Days
, – if the ambition is acceptable bloom and an adorable body.
Diet is essential, but exercise is its capital partner. Diet provides the able fuel, but exercise uses that ammunition to accomplish bloom and fitness.
There’s no charge to become a exercise fanatic, but there are several simple contest you can activate today.
Start a circadian addition accepted of at atomic 10 account afore accomplishing any active training. A 20-minute airing every added day is a abundant alpha for those not acclimated to exercise.
Work up to added accomplishment slowly. Most of those new to exercise get beat and abdicate too anon because they try too harder at first. This produces anguish and sometimes injury. That reduces the motivation.
Instead, alpha with some ablaze weight training, using 5lb, 10lb, again 20lb weights. Curls, squats and added contest are simple and you’ll anon graduate.
Then add a 10-minute jog, a 20-minute jog, again 30-minutes. Once you hit an hour-long run, you’re into the austere conditioning category.
If you can, advance in accessories that may advice you get motivated. Others will charge the amusing bang of a gym to accumulate their discipline up. But in either case, don’t let your money go to waste.
Make a charge to approved workouts, whether at home or away. If you do accompany a gym, don’t be shy. Take advantage of the ability of added accomplished exercise enthusiasts and the staff.
In adjustment to lose weight, you wish to be abiding to cover some cardiovascular contest in your routine.
That can be running, cycling or any amount of alternatives. To accent anatomy and bind the baggy derma that will aftereffect from above, lose 20Lbs in 28 Days
, physique fat reduction, you’ll charge to add attrition and weightlifting exercises.
You can use stretchers, braiding and caster or added accessories to accumulation the resistance. Weight machines are abundant for appropriation exercises.
As you get into the routine, you may or may not in fact lose weight. If you’re not adipose but alone overweight, you may not see abundant loss.
As you abate fat deposits the aberration can be fabricated up by assets in beef mass. Don’t pay abundant absorption to aboriginal losses, they may able-bodied be due as abundant to baptize accident as annihilation else.
But as you abate balance physique fat and accent anatomy you’ll acquaintance abounding ancillary allowances above a added adorable body. You’ll feel bigger overall, be added active and should acquaintance a acute mood.
Feel acceptable about it. You formed harder for the results.
As the debate over President Obama’s healthcare proposal rages on, Taco Bell continues to give Americans exactly what they crave….melty, crunchy, spicy and heart attack inducing.
I especially love the tagline at the end…
Of course, I would change it just a little bit.
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If you like what you see here, click here for updates
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Guest contributor Emily Rannebarger on her newfound love and passion for being and feeling fit and healthy… She’s a great friend of mine and I’m going to do my best to get her to chronicle her new successes with fitness and health on the blog.. She’s inspired me, as she is beautiful, both inside and out…
Quest for Fit
My love for working out began at age 16; I credit this to Cindy Crawford and her fitness trainer at the time, Radu. I wanted to lose weight and had no idea how to do it, except to starve myself and watch and do fitness videos. Soon, these means got old and I knew deep down I wanted to take my body to the next level. “Get Fit” in Arlington, TX would be the first of many gyms I would belong to, in my quest for “fit”.
I have worked with some amazing trainers over the years, and have had some great results with the genes that I inherited. I have always had to work for it. I could never eat fries, and do an hour of cardio, and fit into my jeans. In my teens, I was obsessed with working out and doing cardio.
When I moved into my 20’s, I starting working at gyms and really moving into the gym “lifestyle”. I made myself readily available to those who wanted to lift and train in a serious manner. My trainer Mike, really got me into lifting; you know, the kind that makes you cry after a workout! I couldn’t get enough! I would scrimp and save all of my extra money so I could train with him. He kicked my butt (literally) twice a week for years. My body was amazing; the diet was grueling, and the workouts were devastatingly hard. I loved this man for it – I would have married him, just be trained daily! He took no crap from me, and pushed me in a way that no one ever has to get the results he knew my body was capable of.
As time moved on, mid-20’s were knocking, and I moved to Valley Ranch, where I met and worked with some wonderful people. My passion was there, but was starting to dwindle. I needed Mike, but he was nowhere to be found. At “The Ranch”, I trained with some great trainers with wonderful expertise. I never found the connection I had with Mike with any of them. I had to muster up my own dedication to the lifestyle and push myself. That is where my love affair with running began (thanks to friends Patty and Kelli), and I met Tracy, who was just starting her love of fitness. My time ended there, and I moved to Fort Worth, with no gym in site. Things started to change for me.
My body was not responding to workouts like it used to, and I had a laundry list of ailments to boot. I was diagnosed with PCOS. One effect of this is gaining weight. You become insulin resistant, get fat, and in general, don’t feel too great. I will assure you, none of these things are comfortable or attractive. For a while, I just gave up. I was working out at home and running, but had no commitment or love for the gym anymore. I was discouraged with this disease, and had no hope of a beautiful body again. I gave up chicken and rice to become a vegan, to help limit calories. I was not happy with my body or myself for losing my dedication to the gym.
My husband and I don’t have the same style of workouts, and frankly he isn’t familiar with the fitness fanatic I used to be. In my quest to find who I am in my 30’s and how to be happy with what God gave me, I found this blog! Who knew that the newbie to The Ranch, would fall so deeply in love with working out and fitness. Her blog has turned a light on in me, finally, someone who understands workouts are tough, and fitness is a way of life! Thank you, Tracy! You are a blessing to me and my waist line!
Each yoga class ends with what our instructors call the most important pose in our practice: savasana or corpse pose. It is exactly what it sounds like. You lay on your mat like a dead body. If it happened to be a particularly grueling class, you may actually feel like a dead body.
You are supposed to clear your mind and give yourself that moment of free of thought. I find this to be the most difficult pose to actually master since my mind continues to race. There are those few rare classes where I’ll actually fall asleep in savasana. But most times I don’t even close my eyes. I’m working on it.
I went running this morning. It was a great run. The weather was perfect, my legs felt great, my breathing was controlled and consistent and when I finished my 3-mile run, I knew I still had my running mojo.
I say “still had it” because I have this weird phenomenon that happens to me after a race or even after a few days off from running. And I had a few days off this week, five to be exact. After my race on Sunday, I didn’t get any exercise at all for the rest of the week. My schedule was just nuts last week.
I knew had to get back out there no later than today. After races, because they are tougher, and a few days away from running, I start to develop this irrational fear that I won’t be able to do it again. Somehow, after a few days off, the fitness level I’ve worked so hard to achieve will just disappear. Does this happen to anyone else?
The longer I wait, the more apprehensive I get. So today when I got up, got dressed and got ready to head out the door, I was armed with my arsenal of choices. I could go for a longer run (3.2 miles), a shorter run (2.5 miles) or I could walk. I can always walk.
I procrastinated a bit this morning. I tried to set RunKeeper on my iPhone but that just didn’t seem to want to work, so I walked back home and left it there. Now I was going to just run for running’s sake.
I set back out, starting with my walking warmup and a funny thing happened. Maybe it was the crisp morning air, or even just the week’s rest, but I almost felt like my legs were saying, “Now? Can we go now?”
When I started running, it felt like I’d been doing it all of my life. No nagging knees and I felt like I had more push than I’d had even before the race. I opted for the 3.2-mile loop because it would have been a shame to waste feeling that good on a shorter run. Maybe rest periods aren’t so bad after all.
Today’s was possibly the best run I’ve ever had. Maybe it was the chill in the air. Today though, I felt strong the whole way and I was reminded that I really do like this running thing. And I’m not even training for a race right now, although I do plan to tackle a 5K or two before the weather turns too cold.
On a side note, thanks to Jill from Finishing Is Winning for putting me in the spotlight on her blog as this week’s Props Wednesday! I was so honored.
From CNN.com, Can Eating A Big Breakfast Help You Lose Weight?
Overview:
Research suggests that having a big breakfast with carbohydrates and lean protein, and even a piece of chocolate, will help keep your appetite in check all day and help you lose weight.
The study compared sedentary, obese women eating a big breakfast containing carbs with sedentary, obese women eating a low-carbohydrate breakfast. Results showed that at the end of the eight-month trial, women eating the big breakfast lost an average of almost 40 pounds, while the low-carb breakfast group lost only nine pounds on average. Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, led by Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., of the Hospital de Clinicas, Caracas, Venzezuela, conducted the study, released in June 2008.
For the past three days I have been waking up at 5 AM to get on the Elliptical for 30 minutes. I am not a morning person, so it has been very hard for me to wake up in the AM to work out. But once I am on it and I have a movie of some sort to keep me entertained, it has not been so bad.
The first day I was on the Elliptical I was able to do just one mile in the 30 minute work out. Yesterday I did a mile and a quarter by the end of the 30 minutes and today I did a mile and a quarter in 20 minutes!
The thing I love most about working out on the Elliptical is that I am not sore later. Since it is all just cardio and no strain on my muscles, I get a great work out with out the pain later. I sweat like crazy but at the end I feel good. My body feels great and I get a huge boost of energy from it.
Which brings me to my next topic, FOOD. My god am I getting hungry faster! I normally do not eat breakfast in the morning before going to work. But since I started in the plan I have started to eat right after my work out. A bowl of cereal with fruit and coffee. May not sound like a lot but for a person that does not eat breakfast it is a lot of food.
The funny thing is that a couple of hours later I am STARVING!! Has my metabolism really jump started that quick?
It almost does not feel normal. By 9 AM I am already looking around for something to eat. The thing is that since I just started WW, we have not had the chance to go grocery shopping so I have not been able to get snack foods. Luckily one of my co-workers brought me a huge bag of grapes and every time I feel hungry I eat a cup of grapes. At least I am fulfilling the fruits and veggies requirement that WW has.
I will definitely be buying snacks to keep at work for when I get hunger attacks.
As for the required foods that I must eat daily. So far the only trouble I am having is fulfilling the amount of dairy servings that I have to get in. I am going to have to buy some calcium supplements to help out in the department. The funny thing is that I thought that I would have difficulty with the water requirement but I have been doing fantastic on that.
Well, tomorrow is the day that I go in for my first meeting and weigh in. I am excited it is the official first day to a healthier me, though I started on this journey a few days ago.
India is working overtime to come out with a swine flu vaccine and will soon produce the raw material used in the anti-flu drug, the government said Thursday as eight more people died of the influenza A (H1N1) virus, taking the toll to 220.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said ‘India is taking prompt and proactive measures to delay and limit the spread of the diseases and also to build capacity to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.’
He said India was among the first few countries to stake claim to produce the vaccine.
‘Three companies – Serum Institute, Panaxea Bio-Tech and Bhatat Biotech are working on this and the government has given Rs.100 million each to these institutes,’ he told reporters here.
‘The vaccine is likely to be available by April next year,’ he added.
He said the ministry is also in touch with multinational companies working on producing the swine flu vaccine. ‘We are in touch with them and will import the vaccine if they prepare it first,’ he added.
Azad said presently there are 53 laboratories – 31 government and 22 private – that are conducting the H1N1 tests, as compared to two when the flu was first reported in India on May 16.
Of these, 34 labs – 22 government and 12 private – are operational.
The government has also increased its medicine stockpile with 10 million Oseltamivir capsules, one of the anti-influenza drugs, to 40 million capsules, and 450,000 bottles of Oseltamivir syrup.
‘We have also permitted regulated sale and distribution of Oseltamivir and Zanamivir. Both these drugs will be available in retail markets against proper medical prescription from chemists having a license,’ he said.
He said India will soon produce raw material for Oseltamivir, one of the drugs used in treatment of Influenza A (H1N1) virus. This will help bring down the cost of the drug.
‘We have decided to allow indigenous production of shikimic acid,’ Azad said.
Shikimic acid, a white crystalline compound of nonnitrogenous acid found in various plants naturally, is needed to produce Oseltamivir. India is currently importing it.
Azad said an expert group has been constituted at the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to oversee the process.
He said proposals were received from various Indian institutions and the ministry has given approval to four of them.
ICMR Director General V.M. Katoch said the council has approved proposals from four institutes, including Delhi University, and Indian Institutes of Technology at Delhi and Mumbai.
He said China is also working on producing the natural source for the antivirals that can combat the H1N1 influenza virus.
‘Our prices will of course be cheaper. We will be competing,’ he added.
Currently, a 10-tablet strip of the drug costs Rs.280 in the open market.
On Thursday, health authorities said six people died of swine flu in Hyderabad. They had died between Sep 13 to 15. But it was confirmed only on Thursday.
Two deaths were reported from Karnataka, taking the total number of deaths due to H1N1 virus to 73. While one patient died in Bangalore, the other death was registered in Bijapur.
A 35-year old-man admitted to a private hospital in Bangalore on Sep 9 died on Sep 15, and a 40-year-old woman admitted on Sep 11 to a private hospital in Bijapur succumbed the next day. However, the report confirming that they died of flu was received on Sep 16.
‘Till date, samples from 31,517 people have been tested for influenza A (H1N1) in government laboratories and a few private labs across the country and 7,008 of them have been found poisitive,’ a statement issued here said.
Meanwhile, 208 fresh cases were reported in the country, taking the total number of affected people to 7,008.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 277,607 confirmed swine flu cases have been reported globally, while there have been 3,205 deaths in 190
Exciting news about my Body By Vi Challenge!!! Yes indeed!
I decided to weigh myself after putting on a pair of pants this morning that felt a bit loser than usual. Stepped on the scale and it told me that I weighed 141.5! That’s 3 lbs since I started on August 13th and only on the Balance Kit! Wonder what my progress will be on the Transformation Kit that I will start on Wednesday. That reminds me got to log in to Vi-Net and check on my order to make sure it is still on schedule.
Transform your life starting today!
For Anybody, and Any BODY – this challenge is customized for YOU. Take the challenge to Save money, save time, and reshape your body!!
Just want to learn more?
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Originally posted by Agnes Vigh at: 90 Day Challenge
A big blog day, two posts! Okay, mostly because i can’t do much else. Yesterday afternoon i did my ankle in again. Halfway up Mount Vic it flipped over. I actually screamed the pain was so bad. I still continued my run up the mountain (but i did cut my run short – just 50 minutes). Usually i can run most things off. Just not this one i guess….so i’ve intensively RICE’ed and am hoping for the best. But today there is no ankle but a baseball lurking where my ankle once was.
Can anyone recommend a good physiotherapist specifically for runners in Wellington?
New Sync gym website
Onto other things….i’d like to note that Sync gym have a grand new website and it certainly is up to standard.
It’s a personalised WordPress template and it looks great. (I thought about not saying that their designer just copied his own personal WordPress theme for their site but i can’t resist being smart. I’m sorry.)
I’ve previously complained on this blog about gym websites – so i’m really happy to see their website looking so good. However they always had good information on their website, it just didn’t look so smart. (read my Sync gym review).
Protein/nutrition bars
Yet again my limited diet has thrown me asunder – The Zone nutrition bars are not currently being supplied to NZ. Damn them! I live off those bars and pink oatmeal. This morning i limped out and bought up the last ones from a health food store. I’m trying to replace them with Go Slim bars. Which aren’t the same (but are cheaper) as i’m more interested in the extra vitamins/minerals The Zone bars had rather than the s.it that appears in most protein bars.
Do you have a favorite protein bar or nutrition bar? Know of anywhere where i can find my beloved Zone bars? Mint is my favorite.
Far from it. I have only expounded upon it’s wonderfulness as a snack.
This was perfect for today, because I had my new Tuesday worship with my small group from church at 7, so I needed something that would last until I got home around 9:30.
I loved my new worship! God is really blessing me with a great job, a great church and wonderful friends. I ran into a few people at service that I had not seen in awhile, so that was really nice.
The speaker, Todd Phillips, was amazing and gave a wonderful sermon on getting through the storms of life. I believe the live stream will be posted soon; I will link to it when it is. I would love for you guys to hear it as well, because it was so powerful. I found myself just nodding in agreement the whole time. Don’t you love that?
If you have a second, check out the movement that is going on at CharlotteOne online here. This group of people is amazing, with a great love of Christ. It’s so beautiful.
After I left the church, I did some crackberry checking, like any good crack addict does. I was so glad to see an e-mail from everyone’s favorite homegirl saying she got her college care package! I have renewed faith in our Postal Service. I just sent that package Friday, and it made it to Vermont by Tuesday. Ally, be on the lookout for your cupcakes. The way my post office runs, they might be there tomorrow!
When I got home around 9:30, I made a very snacky snack plate for dinner.
Almond butter and hummus dippers.
Kiwi, dates and Kashi cracks.
Blue corn chips.
Do me a favor. Dip these in almond butter. You won’t be sorry. You’ll probably thank me.
Orange tinted apples.
These apples weren’t really orange, but for some reason my camera kept insisting they were. Whatev, I’ll roll with it.
Pretty, pretty snack plate.
After consuming all that was delicious in my life, I proceeded to moan and groan until all those chips settled in my tum.
Then I swore sweated through Level 2 of the shred.
Great health and great sex go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. Too often though, this vital link gets overlooked—until now. In
THE HARDNESS FACTOR: How to Achieve Your Best Health and Sexual Fitness at Any Age (HarperCollins Publishers; May 31, 2005; Hardcover; $25.95) Dr. Steven Lamm, a leading contributing doctor on ABC-TV’s
The View,
in collaboration with Gerald Secor Couzens, offers an invaluable guide to enhance your sex life with a win-win premise: enhanced virility equals improved well being. A harder penis means a healthier man.
In his private practice, internist Dr. Lamm has helped hundreds of men get harder and healthier. Through his years of pioneering work with the Digital Inflection Rigidometer, an innovative diagnostic tool used to measure erection quality, Dr. Lamm knows how to achieve optimal results. Now he brings his findings to a wider audience in
THE HARDNESS
FACTOR,
as the proponent of a new kind of sexual revolution.
Unfortunately, too many men avoid doctor visits. Dr. Lamm wants to change that. As he notes in his preface to
THE HARDNESS FACTOR, “It has always been very clear to me that men need some kind of motivating force to bring about positive health changes. And when you think of men and think of motivation, I think of one thing only: sex….Once men start to connect the dots, once they fully understand that good health and a hard erection are synonymous, they will begin to take better care of themselves. ”
Dr Lamm asserts that changes in erection are not only sexually frustrating, but can also be a red flag for more serious underlying health problems. Heart disease, diabetes, prostate and colon conditions can all contribute to a diminished erection. Depression and sleep disorders can also cause performance problems. That is why, according to Dr. Lamm, it is so critical for men to be proactive about their health, even if it takes a nudge from a partner to do so.
THE HARDNESS FACTOR
is designed to steer couples in the right direction, towards better mental and physical health and a richer, more pleasurable sex life. It proposes an action plan even the most reluctant patient will have no trouble following, especially when he sees its many tangible rewards: looking and feeling younger, a more vigorous sex life, enhanced selfconfidence, increased intimacy and stronger relationships.
Based on clinical research performed with Dr. Mariano Rosselló’s innovative Digital Inflection Rigidometer, the first measuring device able to record the firmness of a man’s erection
, THE HARDNESS FACTOR offers two maintenance and enhancement plans designed to maximize every man’s sexual, physical and psychological well being at any age.
The Six-Week Hardness Factor Program is a detailed step-by step road map to better habits and healthier living through a plan of diet, exercises and supplements, while The Four-Day Insurance Policy provides an immediate, accelerated boost. Both programs rely on the same foundation: easy to follow lifestyle modifications that yield some eye-popping results. Dr. Lamm offers simple changes that can fend off cardiovascular disease and preserve sexual health. He suggests eating many prosexual foods like bananas, chocolate, grapes and honey that increase hardness by upping the blood flow. The program also calls for supplements like Prelox™ (a combination of L-arginine and Pycnogenol), niacin, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids to enhance vascular health, which is directly linked to harder erections. To bolster libido, Dr. Lamm recommends the Chinese herb, horny goat weed. The plans also encourage walking and strengthening exercises to improve overall conditioning.
A thorough lifestyle manual,
THE HARDNESS FACTOR even includes fun, sexy menus designed by acclaimed New York chef and restaurateur Waldy Malouf. Mouth-watering seasonal dishes like Shrimp with Tomato Horseradish Salsa, Chili Rubbed Chicken Fingers with Molasses and Brandy Sauce and Caramelized Bananas with Blood Oranges, Rum, and Spices are certain to tantalize the palate and send the sexual appetite into overdrive.
Success stories featured throughout the book show just how well
THE HARDNESS FACTOR can work. Easy to follow and stick with, Dr. Lamm’s program offers the promise of unimaginable sexual satisfaction and improved overall health. With THE HARDNESS FACTOR, Dr. Lamm issues a wake up call to men everywhere that cannot be ignored: get healthier to stay harder longer.
About the Author:
A graduate of Columbia University and New York University School of Medicine, Dr. Steven Lamm is an internist with a private medical practice in New York City. Recognizable to millions of television viewers from his frequent appearances on ABC-TV’s
The View, he is active in clinical research and is in great demand as a lecturer. He lives in New York City with his wife and five children. Dr. Lamm has written, in collaboration with Gerald Secor Couzens, several previous books including the The Virility Solution, Younger At Last and the bestseller Thinner at Last. THE HARDNESS FACTOR: How to Achieve Your Best Health and Sexual Fitness at Any Age By Dr. Steven Lamm with Gerald Secor Couzens
HarperCollins Publishers
368 pages
Publication Date: May 31, 2005
For all you apprehensive runners, or anyone bored with their everyday routine, a type of run called Fartlek (haha, yes the name is funny) can be incorporated into your fitness routine. The term Fartlek means “speed play” in Sweden. “Oh no…SPEED,” you must be thinking…yes, a Fartlek run involves speed but it also involves jogging!!! This type of exercise puts less stress on the aerobic system because it is continuous and varies speed. This type of training is GREAT because you can fix it to fit your level of fitness and your favorite type of training. An example of a typical Fartlek run involves warming up with a 5-10 min jog, then a steady and challenging speed for 1.5-2 km, then fast walking for 5 minutes. Next continue with 50-60 m sprints until fatigued. Next do some easy running with some quick steps in order to simulate sports play. Furthermore do a speed run uphill for 175-200 m followed by a fast paced run for 1 minute. This whole routine should be repeated for the desired amount of time.
Ok…..sounds crazy…but this can be modified! You can walk a nice warm up for 5 minutes, then some steady jogging, maybe a little short sprint if you are feeling adventurous. The key is variation in speed. This eliminates boredom with your run. If you aren’t the runner-type, then you can still vary some jogging, fast walking, and maybe a steady run for a small amount of time.
If you still aren’t convinced and insist on a nice walk as cardio- make sure you get your heart rate up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A stroll is not cardio… a slow dog walk is not cardio… shopping is not cardio. If your heart rate is not up you won’t receive the aerobic benefits for your heart- and that is the goal! Heart needs to be happy too!!!
Well of course there are many other fine areas in the cardio spectrum, such as biking, swimming, and using machines such as the elliptical. Find the one that is right for you and try new things! But try some variation on the Fartlek- try a walk, power-walk, and SLOW jog, if you are an apprehensive runner-maybe you’ll like it!
For the past decade, sport specialization has become one of the worst trends to infect youth and high school athletes. Recent statistics show a vast decline in the production of multi-sport athletes prior to reaching high school. Not only does this hinder the overall athleticism and coordination of a child, but it also neglects the child of gaining valuable opportunities and life experiences. There are many excuses why more and more young athletes fall victim to this epidemic, however after assessing all the pros and cons, you may find yourself wondering why this is even a problem to begin with. The benefit of playing more than one sport will positively increase your physical and psychological long-term development as an athlete and individual.
Coaches and parents are two of the main scapegoats for the succession of sports specialization. Many parents become so enmeshed in their child’s athletic performance; they become blinded for what is best for the long-term development of their child. This can lead to parents pressuring their child to choose one sport in pursuit of future rewards. Most often these plans back-fire and the child ends up quitting all sports due to the constant pressure, stress, and training that go along with concentrating on excelling in one sport. Disturbing cases occur when children are forced to make decisions before they have the chance to fully develop and realize their potential in all sports. Being that every sport has different skills and mindsets, the developmental stages significantly differ from sport to sport. This means, that if an athlete peaks early in one sport and decides to quit their involvement in other sports, they are missing the opportunity to develop in a sport that could be more fitted for them in the long run. Because many young athletes are geared to play one sport, they often get physically and mentally drained from being forced into a rigorous and monotonous routine at too early of an age. In fear of disappointing their parents and coaches, these young athletes stick with the sport even when they begin to resent the sport, along with their parents. In turn, athletes who play more than one sport receive a break both mentally and physically and have a better chance of attaining optimal potential. More and more coaches have also been advocates for single sport athletes. These coaches fear athletes will injure themselves while participating in other sports. Statistics show, however, there are more injuries that occur when playing one sport due to the repeated stress on the same joints, muscles, and bones, resulting in higher risk of injury.
Every sport requires different disciplines, skills, and overall team dynamics. When young athletes abandon the opportunity to play multiple sports it affects every domain of their growth and development. Multi-sport athletes enhance motor skills, physical coordination, perceptual abilities, and valuable life lessons. Youth sports help create relationships and strong bonds amongst teammates that go far beyond the athletic field or arena. Parents and coaches should be encouraged to create as many options for their child to grow and prosper. “Throwing all your eggs in one basket” at too early of an age often leads to a sense of failure, stress, and pressure.
I attended a seminar this past Saturday at ZombieRunner in Palo Alto. The presenters were Barefoot Ted McDonald, and Christopher McDougall. Ted is a longtime barefoot running, and minimalist-footwear expert. Chris is the author of the book Born To Run.
Ted Transmitting the Know-How
The seminar was great! Ted covered the three foundational elements for a good barefoot running practice:
1. Land Gently/Silently
2. Have a fast foot turnover cadence – it should be around 180bpm
3. Have a relaxed and upright upper body posture
Another great idea that Ted shared was holding sticks or other straight objects in each hand when you run, to make sure your arms are swinging as directly forward/backward as possible, and not across the midline of your torso (creating torque, wasting energy).
If you’re just getting into barefoot running or running with minimalist footwear (Vibram Fivefingers, Vivo Barefoot shoes, or Feelmax shoes), try the tips above. For cadence training, it’s helpful to buy a metronome, or download one that you can play on your MP4 player, or iPod/iPhone touch (there are a couple).
Here are a few great quotes from Ted:
For safety, tie together your eyeballs, your brain, and your feet.
You perceive unfamiliar signals [such as pointy rocks that you're stepping on barefoot] as emergency information. That starts a feedback loop. You have to learn to recognize the difference between true emergency information and just uncomfortable sensation again.
Extend the imaginary boundaries of what you believe to be possible for yourself. Iti’s only by practice that you learn what your capacities are…
It has been a very long debate and different opinions if there are indeed “negative calorie foods“. It simply means food that burns more calories in the effort eating it as well as its thermic effect than the calorie contained in the food itself. Celery and Grapefruit are such examples.
The answer is really yes and no. Technically, all foods contain calories, so the term “Negative Calorie Foods” itself is misleading. So no, there is no foods that has “negative calories” in a manner of speaking but yes it can be however because for 2 reasons: (1) It takes more calories to chew and digest than the calories it contain. (2) The space it fills up and helps gives you a sense of fullness that you makes you eat less of other higher calorie stuff.
So in a nutshell, its just good practice and sense to eat vegetables as they tend to be low in calories. They also have fiber content which can make you more satiated. So if you’re on a diet and looking to reduce in calorie intake, take in some celery. Whether or not its negative calories, it is sure to help you keep your calorie intake down.
Lastly, of course all this talk is considering you don’t take sauces or stuff like that. Eating a few stalks for celery dipped in cream cheese defeats the point. Until then, I hope this little knowledge helps you out next time your shopping for vegetables to eat.
A few years ago I was living in Santa Monica, loving the warm, sunny days, long walks on the beach, hiking and being in the great outdoors. That Brentwood park on the cliff was one of my favorite places to go! But when I moved to Boston, I quickly realized that it was cold, no not just cold, freezing! out there in the gray, never ending winter.
My mom had been taking these new fitness classes at her local gym in Maryland, where I grew up, and she was just raving about them. Oh, you have to try this! It’s the best and most exciting class I’ve ever taken! And I trust my Mom when she says she likes something (I always know when she doenst too…we are good and honest like that with each other ).
I decided to try one of these mind-blowing classes in my local area…and well, to be honest, my mind wasn’t blown. But oh, you just have to try it again! my mom says. Really, it’s the best! In fact, I’ve signed us up for the Instructor Training in Virgina with Azuka. Say what? Instructor Training? I didn’t even like the class that much. But all that was about to change.
Azuka’s class in Virginia changed my life. Seriously. That was the most amazing, incredible and fun workout I have ever had in my life! So thanks Mom for dragging my little booty to the training. After that 9 hour training I was hooked. I couldn’t get enough class and practice time in to prepare for one day teaching my own class. The music just made you want to move! And it was fun to listen to as well. I just remember walking to the T on a cold March morning to the latin beats of zumba kumbia and come on and dance. What wouldn’t make you want to come on and dance with those kind of latin flavors?
After I moved back to the West Coast in search of warmer weather and the spectacular Golden Gate Bridge, I finally got my “break” teaching at 24 Hour Fitness thanks to Miss Carlie, the best GroupX Manager the world has ever seen. And it has been a thrilling, sweaty, latin-inspired cardio workout for me ever since.
This Hatha-style Yoga class is designed for regular guys and gals who want to get stronger, improve flexibility, play their sport more competitively, or just feel better.
No experience but a reasonable level of fitness is recommended. This 60 minute class focuses on balance, functional stability, shoulder and hip as well as quad and hamstring opening. Level will progress over time so regular attendance is encouraged.
Instructor:
Lisa Freedman earned her teaching certificate through the Chicago Yoga Center. She has trained in a variety of yoga styles, including classical Hatha, Iyengar, Ashthanga Vinyasa, Anusara, and Yin, and incorporates all of these styles into her practice.
Check out these MMA fighters TRY to play some golf.
MMA is a very political industry with its fair share of cliques. However, there is a cause that never fails to bring unity to the MMA community, and that is the memory of the late Ryan Bennett. He was professional sportscaster who worked for several local NBC affiliates and hosted talks shows on sports radio stations such as ESPN 1280 and Sports Radio 570, Bennett is most familiar to MMA fans as the co-founder of MMAWeekly.com and as a former UFC announcer.
Bennett died tragically in a car accident on May 31, 2006 at the age of 36, leaving wife Tonya and four children behind.
25 fighters + a golf course= tons of fun!
MMA Agents presents their first Annual Golf Tournament to benefit Ryan Bennett’s Family at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Ontario, CA. Tuesday was a beautiful day and everyone started checking in at 9am. The teams which included one fighter on each hit the course for the next five hours for some golf, fun, and drinking. This included keg stands on the 10th hole with the hooter’s ladies serving as well as various sponsors scattered on different holes across the course. All in all it was a fantastic day and a ton of fun! Tanya Bennett, her daughter and sister were on hand to oversee the activities.
If you think all you can do is walk or run on a treadmill, think again. Although a treadmill can transform six feet of space into a three-mile track, you don’t have to limit your activity to traditional treadmill exercises. A treadmill can literally be your own personal trainer, transforming a boring walk in to so much more.
Think about it. What’s stopping you from doing walking lunges on a treadmill? Nothing! How about skipping or jumping? You guessed it, nothing. Just because it’s not in the owner’s manual doesn’t mean it can’t be done – and there’s no better time to try something new than now.
It’s time to think outside the box. In this economy, we need to make the most of what we have. If you have access to a treadmill at your home, community club or gym, it’s time to make the most out of your treadmill workout.
A treadmill offers many benefits, like setting a pace you have to follow – unless you want to fly off the back. Another perk to a treadmill is it keeps time. This allows you to set goals based on time, like doing exercises for a number of seconds or minutes. Next, a treadmill keeps you moving. Even if you are resting between sprints or exercises, resting on a treadmill should still be a walk. Lastly, treadmills are safe. Some of the best treadmill exercises are performed at a pace less than one mile an hour.
Here are 5 great exercises to spice up your treadmill workout.
High Marches – This simple exercise not only helps prevent trip and falls, but it is a great warm-up too. Begin walking at a slow pace, stretching your hands straight out in front of you. Lift your knees high toward your hands with each big step. This exercise strengthens weak hip flexors, the muscles responsible for lifting your feet up off the ground while toning your shoulders. Do 3 sets of 30 steps.
Walking Lunges – There is no other exercise that lifts and firms the buttocks like a walking lunge. Walking at one mile an hour, take big steps forward, lunging deeply with each stride. Grab some dumbbells and you will be training like a pro. Complete 3 sets of 30 steps.
Jump Squats – This exercise builds leg strength and also works the rump too. Standing on the ground behind the treadmill, jump up on to the slow-moving treadmill (set at between .5-1 mile an hour) into a deep squat, jump back on the ground and repeat. Do 3 sets of 15.
Hand Walking - Hand walking builds arm strength while strengthening the core. Start by getting in push-up position, with your feet on the ground behind the treadmill and hands on the side rails facing the front of the treadmill. Begin walking with your hands while stabilizing your body, engaging your back and ab muscles. Beginners can modify the exercise by moving to the knees. The body should be completely straight from the knees (or feet) to the head for proper form. Start by doing 3 sets of 15, working up as you get stronger.
Mountain Climbers – This exercise is also great for your upper body and core. Flip around from the hand walking position, placing your hands on the ground in push-up position and your feet behind you on the side rails of the treadmill. Begin the exercise by alternating your feet back and forth with a quick hopping motion. These can be done fast or slow depending on the speed. Do 3 sets of 30.
Add variety to your training by incorporating these alternative treadmill exercises in your normal training routine and never have another boring treadmill workout again.
Visit: www.longevityclubs.com to get more treadmill exercises and training ideas.
*For your safety, caution should be taken when attempting any new exercise. Refer to your equipment manual for additional safety tips and information.
Long-term care specialists—including consumer advocates, providers, public officials, and policy experts—who participated in a national survey generally agreed on the need for long-term care reform. Despite some differences, key constituent groups supported the establishment of government-sponsored financing strategies, a shift toward home- and community-based care, offering payment incentives to improve quality, and more effective regulation of nursing homes, home health care agencies, and assisted living facilities.
An estimated 10 million older Americans with moderate to severe disabilities have long-term care needs, accounting for a large proportion of health care spending. Furthermore, demand for long-term care services is only expected to increase as the population ages. There is a growing consensus that some type of reform is needed to meet this demand. Giving voice to key stakeholder groups allows those with specialized knowledge of the long-term care system to communicate the importance of this issue to policymakers and the public, say the authors. Long Term Report
It was dark this morning when it was time to go work out. It was also kind of rainy. School started today in my neighborhood, and that combined with the dark signal that summer is definitely coming to a close. Kind of sad. I enjoyed this summer because I’ve spent lots of time outside.
I have come to love running in the morning outside. Long runs, short runs… even though my route is the same most days, there’s always interesting stuff to see and having a destination somehow gives each run a purpose, even if it’s just to get home again. Outside, there are hills and changing weather and trees and other runners and it just breezes by, even on slow running days.
Today though, since I needed to do my last brick workout before next Sunday’s race, I had to go to the gym. I actually prefer the stationary bike because I don’t have to worry about cars, but even though I don’t know what I would have done without it in the beginning, I now understand the nickname I see so often for the treadmill – the dreadmill.
Running after biking is just not my favorite thing to do, under any circumstances. But doing it outside is a whole lot easier than jumping on the treadmill after a 10-mile bike. The treadmill doesn’t really allow for those points where I need to go slower or faster and because I don’t see my landmarks, it’s just me and the minutes.
Don’t get me wrong. The treadmill has its purpose and I’m sure as the weather gets colder I will be spending more and more time getting to know it and admire it again.
Without the treadmill, I never would have made it through Couch25K. Without the treadmill, I never would have become a runner. When I was interval training, those seconds, then minutes, ticking by made building up to running possible. It gave me the confidence that I could do this. The first couple of times that I took my new legs out on the road, I thought I might die and wished that I could do a triathlon in the pool, on the stationary bike and on the treadmill. But they don’t let you do triathlons in the gym, so I sucked it up and got better at running outside, never in the beginning thinking I’d ever trade the treadmill for the road in my heart. But I have.
This morning, I ran 2 miles after a 10-mile stationary bike training. I had to throw my towel over the readout so I couldn’t watch the minutes ticking by. It felt like an eternity. I tried playing with intervals, going faster, raising the incline. It still felt like an eternity, and it was only 23 minutes. I tried concentrating only on the music piping into my ears. I tried focusing on other people in the gym (there aren’t too many to focus on at 6:30 am). Maybe I was just tired, but the run felt long this morning and it was a short one.
Maybe I just wasn’t prepared for the transition back to running on the treadmill again. I certainly wasn’t ready when I transitioned to running on the road. I’m sure I will come up with ways to make the treadmill interesting again as I know I will be spending more time with it as the days get shorter and the air gets colder. Maybe by next Spring, I’ll be faster!
At least now I know that to mirror resistance on the road, I need to keep the treadmill at an incline of 1. That will make transitioning back to the road a whole lot easier. That and that I plan to run outdoors any chance I get during daylight hours.
Well, hope you had a great Labor Day weekend and wore all the white in your closet just one last time LOL I actually got confused by the holiday yesterday and was thinking today was Monday, and therefore am just now getting this post up at 7:45 pm Tuesday. Sorry, I’m a bit late but at least it’s up!
Lately I have been researching all different kinds of diets, and philosophies because I have been very aware of the importance in eating the right foods for my individual body. One persons food is another persons poison. Also, certain diets such as Macrobiotic or Raw, as amazing as they are and as much as I recommend them, are just not good to do year round, for most people. I find that cycling these different theories based on bio-individuality, is the best solution for health and vigor.
For me, I am intuitively able to tell when my body needs me to be eating more protein, or when I am requiring lots of fruit or none at all. I go through phases of being really hungry all the time, and then there are times when I barely think of food. So it has been very helpful for me to learn how to keep a healthy diet throughout every phase my body’s cycle is in.
I am also becoming more and more aware of the quality of food I put into my system, and the energetic difference it makes on my daily life. Whole and/or Organic foods have a lasting effect on how good I feel overall, where foods that are somewhat processed can make me feel good for a little while, but eventually begin to drain me of my positive energy. For the most part I avoid eating meat because it is hard on the digestive system and it is a very low energy food. Let’s face it, meat is something that is DEAD, so you take on that DEAD ENERGY when you eat it. It’s not that I never eat it, just rarely. I choose to eat fish for my animal protein when I do, because it’s a little easier to process, but it tends to be high in mercury. It’s best to eat as much live foods (from sprouted grains, raw fruit, veggies, nuts, etc) as you can each meal, and we all need a certain amount of protein to sustain our strength, but again, the combination of these foods considered to be beneficial, vary for the individual. Every body has different needs.
I still eat a big steak every now and then, when my body tells me to. I have gotten my instrument so clean, that I am able to tell what my body needs and when, based on the cravings I am having. I also have learned to pay close attention to my cravings in order to differentiate from the things I think I’m craving vs. what I am actually craving.
The bottom line is, eat food to feel good. If you want to feel good for a few minutes or and hour or so, and that’s it…well, then go for the foods that do that for you. I personally like to feel good all day every day, and therefore choose to eat the foods that do that for me. Of course I am not perfect and therefore basically stick to a 90/10 rule, eating good energy foods 90% of the time and whatever I want for the other 10% :) Luckily for me I typically WANT to eat what make me feel good!
I know learning how to eat better can feel very overwhelming, but if you want a better life, you gotta start somewhere. Why not start with what you eat??? Eating clean will lead to an overall better life! I am happy to help you on your journey. Please leave all your questions and comments here for me on the blog. Here’s To Your Health!!!
How did I end up naked in front of these people? It was like some horrifying nightmare where you’re giving a speech without any clothes on, only this is much worse – I was awake and this was really happening.
Erik, my husband, and I had gotten to know Gunther, Elsa, Stephen, and Tibalt last fall while my stepson, Henry, was enrolled in soccer, and Stephen and Henry were on the same team. Only being in America for two months, their German accents were thick and melodious, and we struggled along with them as Gunther, Elsa and Erik conversed about everything under the sun, and I shyly voiced my opinion here and there.
Our first get together came shortly prior to the end of soccer season; we gathered in their beautiful house that sat upon Lake Sawyer, and dined on a truly wonderful meal Elsa prepared for us. As we drank our strong coffee, she happily answered my million questions of Germany and their life, then brought out a few photo albums to show me the life the temporarily left behind. Breathtaking mountains, fields of flowers, and waterfalls with…naked people in front. Not just naked people, but Elsa, Gunther and baby Stephen naked. Oh my God! I’ve just seen everything! Elsa is a true blonde and it may have been a bit chilly that day.
Elsa sensing my discomfort, she turned to me and said matter of factly, ‘Everybody is naked, it is natural in Europe. But I do not wish to offend you.’ Trying desperately to regain my composure, I sputtered, ‘No, no, it’s fine. We’ve all got the same equipment, I was just caught by surprise,’ and smiled, trying hard not to stare at the photo still on my lap. What else can you say or do in that situation? Think I may have missed that part in etiquette class. Elsa smiled back at me, apparently pleased with my response, which was the truth, and continued to show me the majority of Europe through their eyes. On our way home, I gushed to Erik, ‘I saw them naked! In a photo! I saw everything! Thank God they’ve never seen me naked! Elsa is very athletic and I’m, well, not.”
Erik laughed and said, “You look great, you’re just too hard on yourself. So is she hot?” Typical guy response, but let’s face it, if women were honest, it’d also be a typical girl response.
As time continued on, we saw more and more of them and our friendship naturally deepened, yet I still remained shy. Then, with both of our schedules being as hectic as they are, we weren’t able to meet up for several weeks, until the weekend of the World Cup Finals. It was Germany vs. Spain in a battle for the championship and our friends invited us, as well as another family, over to help cheer the team to victory.
With dinner long past and the temperature still hovering around 90 degrees, Elsa suggested we all cool off in the lake. The other family, Erik, and I exchanged uncomfortable glances as Elsa said, “We have swimming gear for everyone. It will be nice,” then decidedly set out to retrieve said gear. Erik, dressed in dark shorts and t-shirt, opted to just swim in his clothes, reasoning that after a swim, he’ll remain nice and cool under the hot sun. Even though I was wearing my bikini top (a choice I was about to regret), I only had on a pair of white cotton shorts, white collard shirt, and undies. Not exactly suitable ‘swimming gear,’ unless you enjoy showing God and country everything you have to offer.
“Tara, which do you prefer?” Elsa asked me as she held out my last two options – a Speedo bottom that would surely only cover one of my ass cheeks, or a pair of khaki shorts that might fit. Both would expose my vast expanse of cellulite, but I had better coverage with the shorts. Without thought or hesitation, I snagged the shorts and thanked her.
Once changed, together we padded down to the dock and with effortless precision, Elsa dove in and surfaced with a beautiful smile, encouraging each of us to do the same. Her heart and kindness knows no bounds and her enthusiasm for life automatically encourages whoever is in her presence to join in the fun, despite their athletic ability. Looking more like a drunken sailor than an athlete, I ‘dove’ into the water and surfaced, sputtering and clearing my eyes. With a kind, yet sheepish laugh, Elsa swam near me, bringing my wayward bikini top along with her and offered to help me secure it back in place. Feeling little embarrassed, I again thanked her and questioned why I didn’t feel more than just a little embarrassed. I reasoned it was because of Elsa herself and her ability to make any faux paux seem like nothing at all. Pushing my humiliation from my mind, I joined the rest of the group and played in the water, all the while keeping a close eye on my top.
The men swam back to shore and Gunther asked us to stand on one of the floating docks, preparing to dive in while he took our photo. Happily, we all agreed and did as we were asked. For the life of me, though, I couldn’t figure out why Erik was gesturing like a mad man behind Gunther. Clearly he wanted to tell me something, but I had no idea what. I checked my top – all was secure and the girls were nicely hidden. What else could it be? I was wearing shorts and I could feel the cool fabric stick to my thighs, so they hadn’t gone A.W.O.L., as my top had earlier done. Before being able to check anything else, the time to say ‘dive!’ was here and we got our picture taken. Elsa then suggested we go back to the house to enjoy dessert, which was readily accepted by both the kids and adults.
Erik met me on the dock with towel in hand and I beamed at him, feeling sublimely happy from the swim, as well as the loving gesture my husband had made of doting over me. Just barely out of the water and in a movement quicker than Flash Gordon himself, Erik wrapped the towel around my waist and whispered in my ear, ‘Those shorts are see through. We can see everything; thought you should know.’ Suddenly sick to my stomach, my mind raced back to the first night with them and the naked photo. Near tears, I pulled myself together and walked with Erik back to the house and quickly changed. Planning on making a fast exit so I may rehash every moment spent with these people in private, we began to say our goodbyes when Gunther insisted we have dessert first. Rationalizing that we’re all adults, I set to mind putting my, yet another embarrassing moment, behind me for now and to simply enjoy dessert, then get the hell out of there.
Shortly after dessert, the other family left and ‘being raised right,’ I helped Elsa clean up while the men discussed ‘football.’ We walked out onto the deck and there lay my khaki shorts and towel that I had placed there, along with all the others. Picking it up, I decided to say something. “I didn’t realize khaki was see through when it was wet.”
“Mmm, yes it seems it is.” Elsa replied with little acknowledgement. Damn! They had seen everything!
“I feel rather embarrassed.” I said not looking at her.
“Why?” She stopped what she was doing, turning toward me as she asked this.
“I guess because in America, nudity is typically frowned upon and a person is judged not only by their physical appearance, but by their morals as well. Appearing naked in public is seriously frowned upon here.” I said looking her in the eye and with a hint of a smile.
“We’re German. Nudity is a part of life and is accepted. You said we all have the same equipment, you do not believe that now?”
“No, I still believe that, I am just embarrassed; I’m not in great shape like you are.” I said as I shrugged and smiled.
“There is nothing to be embarrassed about; we do not judge, we are your friends and we like you very much for who you are.” And it was with that statement that I let go of all of my failures and flaws and accepted myself for who I am, cellulite and all. After cleaning up the deck, we walked back inside and chatted with the men, me unabashedly speaking my mind, until the weekend became the weekday.
As we began to say our goodbyes for real this time, they both gave us an invitation to come by anytime and use their kayak, fishing poles, and dock as well as anything in their home; it was German for ‘You are family.’
Looking back at the events of that past weekend, I can’t help but shake my head and laugh at the fact that baring all helped me to strut my stuff; cellulite and all.
In my clinic I always recommend ice for temporary relief of pain. Pain is our bodies way of letting us know something is not right. Pain is caused by a number of chemical and physical reactions after an injury, which I wont bore you with. The major reaction is inflammation. Inflammation is a protective mechanism that our bodies produce. It is like a natural cast that the body produces in order to limit further injury. This inflammation is a major cause of pain and reduced range of motion. To reduce the amount of inflammation it is important to ice the affected area 20 minutes at a time every 2 waking hours. Why not heat it feels good? Because, heat causes an influx of fluids resulting in an increase in inflammation and more pain. Yes heat feels good, but in the long run it slows healing and causes more pain. The ice causes fluids to flee/flush from the area resulting in less inflammation and less pain. Think of ice as a natural anesthetic. If you do not have an ice pack a simple bag of frozen peas or other veggies works great. Just place a damp towel on the area, then place the ice pack on top of that, and finally cover everything with a dry towel to lock in the cold. This performed for 20 minutes will result in a marked decrease in pain.
