A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.
~ Charles F. Kettering

• To laugh is
• to risk appearing the fool.
• To weep is
• to risk appearing sentimental.
• To reach out for another is
• to risk involvement.
• To expose feelings is
• to risk exposing your true self.
• To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is
• to risk their loss.
• To love is
• to risk not being loved in return.
• To live is
• to risk dying.
• To hope is
• to risk despair.
• To try is
• to risk failure.

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM

If you read this without laughing out loud, there is something wrong with
you. This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular
workout routine.

Dear Diary,
For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of
personal training at the local health club for me.

Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football
cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and
give it a try.

I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named
Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and
model for athletic clothing and swim wear.

My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club
encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress.

MONDAY:
Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well
worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me.
She is something of a Greek goddess -- with blonde hair, dancing eyes and a
dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the
machines. I enjoyed watching the skilful way in which she conducted her
aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was
encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from
holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC
week!

TUESDAY:
I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door.

Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then
she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I
made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel
GREAT! It's a whole new life for me.

WEDNESDAY:
The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter
and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in
both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I
parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot.

Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club
members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning and when
she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt
when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the
Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete
by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life.
She said some other shit too.

THURSDAY:
Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin,
cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an
hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes.

Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran
and hid in the restroom. She sent another skinny bitch to find me

Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank.

FRIDAY:
I hate that bitch Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other
human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic
little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without
unbearable pain, I would beat her with it.

Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if
you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the damned barbells or
anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I
landed on a health and nutrition teacher.

Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir
director?

SATURDAY:
Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice
wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to
smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even
use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather
Channel.

SUNDAY:
I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and
thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my
daughter (the little shit) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a
root canal or a hysterectomy.

I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the
floor with diamonds!!!

Love is action. It's clear, it's kind, it's effortless, and it's irresistible. ~Bryron Katie

New Dietary Guidelines

Patience is not inherited. It is an art, an attitude, a way of dealing with the world that is available to all of us. What do you need to do to become a patient person? How will you know when you have gotten there? What benefits will you realize? ~Twyman Towery

Recently the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans were announced. The Dietary Guidelines are revised every five years and these most recent recommendations are the healthiest yet! 

The Dietary Guidelines are jointly published by the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The guidelines provide advice on how to eat in order to achieve good health and avoid chronic diseases. Many health professionals take part in developing these guidelines, including dietitians.
The Guidelines for 2010 can be viewed in full at: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/

A few frightening statistics they share in the report are:

• 37% of the population has cardiovascular (heart) disease
• 16% of the population has high cholesterol
• 34% of the population has high blood pressure
•  Another 36% has pre-hypertension (the step before hypertension / high blood pressure)
• 11% has diabetes, most of which is Type 2 diabetes
• 35% has pre-diabetes
• About 1/3 of our country is considered obese and more than double that are considered overweight

We all can eat healthier and we all should eat healthier. We should do it for ourselves and we should do it for those around us. We know what is good for us and what is not - it's time to start choosing the right foods and exercising our bodies to achieve good health throughout our lifespan.
Below are some changes that you can implement based on The 2010 Dietary Guidelines:

• Reduce daily sodium intake to <2,300 milligrams per day for those age <51 years
• Reduce daily sodium intake to <1,500 milligrams per day for those age >51 years
• Consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fat
• Consume less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol per day
• Keep trans fat intake as low as possible (ideally none)
• Reduce calorie intake from solid fats and added sugars
• Limit the consumption of refined grains
• Consume alcohol in moderation (1 drink/day for women, 2 drinks/day for men)
• Increase fruit and vegetable intake; increase variety of produce intake
• Consume at least half your grains as whole grains
• Increase intake of fat-free and low-fat dairy products
• Choose a variety of protein foods (seafood, lean beef, poultry, eggs, beans, soy, nuts/seeds)
• Increase amount and variety of seafood intake
• Replace solid fats with oils
• Eat more foods rich in potassium, fiber, calcium, and vitamin D

We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.~Maya Angelou

Imagery Program for Enhancing Performance

Big Ideas rarely happen overnight. They usually evolve from curious minds willing to take risks.~Mac Anderson

Imagery Program for Enhancing Performance

Visualization can be a valuable tool in improving sports or exercise performance. For visualization to work, participants must be well practiced in the particular skill. Visualization will not be that effective for participants who are not familiar with the specific motor skills necessary for proper execution of the activity.

Participants will begin by practicing relaxation before their visualization exercises. The first few days, participants are brought through steps 1-5. The next few days, steps 1-7 are practiced, and finally steps 1-10.

Participants are asked to:

1. Lie down in a comfortable position.
2. Breath deep steady breaths
3. Visualize inhaling relaxation and exhaling tension
4. Visualize your feet, imagine the muscles relaxing, as they get lighter and lighter
5. Gradually progress upward to each body part, individually visualizing each body part as it losses all tension and grows warm and light.
6. Imagine yourself in at your event...
7. Try see, hear, feel, and smell your environment
8. Imagine yourself performing your your skill perfectly
9. Imagine how _______ (invigorating, strong, relaxed, focused, etc.) you feel...
10. Awake feeling refreshed and energetic.

After the relaxation and visualization session, participants will be asked to perform the relaxation and visualization exercise at specified times, at least daily. The length of the relaxation and visualization session will become progressively shorter as the participant becomes more proficient in placing them selves in this mental state.

Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction.
~Harry Truman

 

reason you're not working out

Guidelines, rules, and principles to live by are just words – unless you actually live by them. To be the trusted and respected leader whom others will want to follow, you must…practice what you preach.~Eric Harvey

Is this the Reason You're Not Working Out?

Did you know that in the US 85% of the population doesn't exercise?

When you look at a statistic like that it's no wonder 66% of the population is overweight. And although at times it may seem like there's no hope in combating these staggering numbers there is something we can do about.

It's been stated that the #1 reason people don't exercise is due to time. Most people say that they just "don't have the time to workout." Personally, I believe it's not that they don't have the time to exercise, but that's it's just too far down on their priority list. You see it's easy not to exercise or just keep putting it off, and therefore, it doesn't always get done.

Most people start only after they've put on far too much weight or they encounter a health problem like high cholesterol. This doesn't have to be you and you really can get started easily.

For instance you can derive serious health benefits from just 30 minutes of walking a day. Surely you can make time for 30 minutes first thing in the morning, during lunch, or after dinner... can't you (you can even do three10 minute walks)? Later on once you've gotten into a consistent exercise groove, you can then create a more formal workout schedule that has you completing some resistance training 2-3 times per week with additional cardio days where applicable.

The important point to keep in mind is that your workouts don't have to be long to be effective and they can even be done right at home. 20-30 minutes of intense exercise done most days per week is enough to get you out of that unhealthy 85% statistic!

I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there can be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.~William Penn

Waist to Hip Ratio Measurements

Obsessing about any problem exaggerates it. It doesn't resolve it. Resolution generally comes when we put our attention elsewhere, on helping others perhaps, and give our Higher Power time to nudge us in the direction we need to go.~Karen Casey

How to Take Your Waist to Hip Ratio Measurements

 

  One of the fitness measurement that looks at your overall health in terms of body composition is your waist to hip ratio. In order to calculate this measurement you should measure the circumference of the widest part of your waist and the widest part of your hips (around your glutes). You can either use a soft measuring tape or a piece of string (you can then measure the length of the string against a yard stick or hard tape measure).

After you get both numbers you will divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Ideally, men should be below .95 and women should fall under .8. Any number higher than that puts you at risk for type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gallstones, and other health risks. Just like with the BMI and body fat percentage assessments finding out your waist to hip ratio will give you a great baseline statistic that you can then improve upon.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.~Hans Hofmann

My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.

Abraham Lincoln

Stop Stress Eating

You can end emotional overeating once and for all. But first you'll have to figure out what's eating you.

Stress sucks. It keeps us up at night, holds our moods hostage and wrecks our sex life. But mostly? It makes us want chocolate. We're only human, and we're hardwired to want junk. When you're stressed, you release the hormone cortisol, which pushes you to crave fatty, sugary foods.
Yet there's no real relief in Reese's Pieces. The oral sensation of eating delicious food cuts off all other brain circuits, so pleasure overwhelms every other sensation. But that's ephemeral. The moment you stop eating, you feel all the old emotions again.
Not only are chronically stressed women the most likely to eat high-fat treats, but they also have the highest rates of disordered eating habits such as skipping meals and banning foods, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found last year. Women start off using food to cope with work, money, family. The sad irony is that, especially when women overeat, food itself becomes a stressor and a vicious cycle can ensue.
Dieting only worsens the cycle: Studies show restricting food increases levels of cortisol (in part because counting calories is stressful) and makes you gain rather than lose weight.

Should I eat the cookie? The 10-second cure for stress eating

Fending off a snack attack can be as simple as asking, Am I hungry? When a craving doesn't come from hunger, food will never satisfy it. Treat your body like your car: Check your fuel gauge before you fill up. Imagine 10 is starving and 1 is full, and aim to eat at a 6, when your stomach feels fairly empty but not clanging with hunger pangs. To prevent bingeing, eat before you feel signals such as irritability, light-headedness or headaches.
Retrain your brain. If 10 seconds of contemplation reveals that you're not truly hungry, there are ways to lower your cortisol without calories. Do anything that lets you take a breath: Chat with a friend, watch a soap opera, or hang from the monkey bars. Change your routine and your brain will begin to crave your brand of fun instead of gooey treats.

Some people want it to happen, some wish it to happen, others make it happen.

Michael Jordan

Choose your Food by Color

YOU DON’T GET TO CHOOSE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. OR WHEN. YOU CAN ONLY DECIDE HOW YOU ARE GOING TO LIVE. NOW!

Joan Baez, singer

Think about it! This might sound extreme, but replace “die” by any other circumstances you can’t control.

A big part of your health CAN be controlled by your choices. On a daily basis you will decide how you are going to live. Are you making healthy choices, such as exercise, nutrition, rest etc., or do you decide to neglect your body and all the information we have given you?

And remember, you’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to bed with satisfaction!

Make the right choices and feel good about yourself!!!

• What if I told you that you could take a pill that was absolutely guaranteed to boost your immune system, to decrease your risk of heart attack or stroke, help prevent cancer, decrease your blood pressure in four weeks, and would also help you lose weight? You would probably run to buy this pill, and maybe even try to buy stock in the company that produces it, right?

• Well there is such a substance and it is available now, backed by hundreds of scientifically controlled studies on thousands of people over many decades, and it doesn’t even cost much money.  What is it you ask?  Drum roll, please… The magical substance is none other than produce…. fruits and vegetables, some of the most potent disease fighters available!!  Produce is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, has little or no fat, tastes great, and is widely available. 

• All plants are loaded with thousands of ‘phytochemicals,’ which act to defend the plant against disease and will do the same for you when you eat these foods. Your nutrition mission this week is to count up the number of fruit and vegetable servings you are eating and see if you can do better. Aim for 5 – 9 servings of fruits and veggies daily and choose a rainbow of different colors to maximize your phytochemical intake. A serving of fruit is 1 medium piece of fruit or 1 cup of cut up fruit or berries, and a vegetable serving is 1 cup of raw veggies or ½ cup of cooked.

Eat by Color
Red and orange, green and blue, shiny yellow, purple too, all the colors that we know…should be on your plate!
Nearly all fruits and vegetables are low in fat and contain healthy components called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are natural plant compounds that provide a variety of health benefits, such as protecting against heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. These phytochemicals are what give produce their vibrant colors. The goal then, is to consume our “5 a Day” while varying the types and colors of fruits and vegetables.
According to Dr. David Heber, author of “What Color is Your Diet?”, there are seven color categories of produce, each providing their own array of phytochemicals and health benefits.

Red Group
Examples: tomatoes, watermelon, red grapes, radishes, pomegranates, and pink grapefruit.

Specific phytochemicals in red fruits and vegetables such as lycopene and anthocyanins are important because they help rid the body of free radicals that damage genes. Research indicates that lycopene protects against prostate cancer, as well as heart and lung disease. In addition, anthocyanins help to reduce the effect of sun damage on the skin from free radicals as well as assist in circulatory issues. There is also evidence that these phytochemicals help with memory function, urinary tract health, heart health, and by lowering the risk of certain cancers.

Yellow/Green Group
Examples: spinach, collard greens, yellow corn, peas, avocado, and honeydew.

This group is a great source of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. Both of these components are believed to reduce the risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Orange Group
Examples: carrots, mangoes, apricots, cantaloupe, pumpkin, acorn squash, and sweet potatoes.

The orange fruits and vegetables contain carotenoids and bioflavonoids that may help prevent cancer by repairing DNA. The beta-carotene in this group, which converts to vitamin A, is also good for night vision.

Orange/Yellow Group
Includes oranges, pineapple, peaches, papaya, and nectarines.

This group contains beta cryptoxanthin, a strong antioxidant that protects against free radicals that can damage your cells and DNA. Research has shown that beta-cryptoxanthin is protective against lung and colon cancer. In addition, it may reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. This group is also high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect cells.

Red/Purple Group
Examples: figs, beets, eggplant, purple grapes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples, and red wine.

Red/purple fruits and vegetables contain health promoting phytochemicals such as anthocyanins and phenolics, which protect against heart disease and blood clots. These phytochemicals may also delay the aging of cells in the body and help in healthy aging. In addition, there is some evidence they may help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and help with memory function. Of this group, blueberries have the highest antioxidant activity because of a large anthocyanin concentration.

Green Group
Examples: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, and kale.

This group contains the chemicals sulforaphane and isocyanate, and they also contain indoles. Each of these substances helps to protect against cancer by inhibiting the action of carcinogens.

White/Green Group
Examples: leeks, scallions, garlic, onions, celery, pears, white wine, cauliflower, endive, green grapes, and chives.
White fruits and vegetables contain a variety of phytochemicals such as allicin, which is found not only in garlic and onions but in an array of brown and tan foods as well. This particular phytochemical has some antibiotic properties, similar to anti-bacterials and anti-fungals, in addition to having antitumor properties. Other foods in this group also contain quercetin and kaempferol. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine properties. It may also be protective against prostate cancer. Kaempferol is also an antioxidant and may prevent arteriosclerosis. In addition, quercetin and kaempferol work synergistically to reduce cell proliferation of cancer cells.

A colorful variety of fruits and vegetables, healthfully prepared can make a significant contribution to a diet that will assist in promoting good health. In addition, focusing on fruits and vegetables will help you to fill up on low-calorie foods, thus helping to lower your overall caloric intake. So, consider this a challenge, and start to count the number of colorful fruits and veggies that you get each day!

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. 

Muhammed Ali