weight-loss Blog: November 2009

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Crampin' My Style

Sorry for the lack of detailed posts, dudes/ladies; I’ve been plowing through end-of-the-semester papers, and honestly the last thing I felt like doing the last couple of days after writing analys … es? … z? I have no idea what the plural of “analysis” is. Yes, I am an English major. Shut up. BUT, I DIGRESS. The last thing I felt like doing the last couple of days after spending all day working on an essay was spending more time at my computer, especially since my computer is being such a d-bag; it runs Windows Vista, so the operating system has never been stellar, but the hardware has been going lately, too. Ugh. I’d shell out for a Netbook to finish out college, but I don’t want to waste money when I’m going to be graduating soon and looking at a new set of computing needs.

Anyway, it wasn’t terrible being up at school for Thanksgiving, just mildly depressing. Christmas is my favorite holiday, anyway, and Thanksgiving is all the way down at #4 on my list of “Best Holidays EVA,” but I still missed ye olde traditional cranberry/stuffing/family chillaxin’. Regardless, Christmas is the big “get together” holiday in my family, so I didn’t really miss anything that won’t be repeated in a few weeks. However, my time spent at school has been very productive, except for that hour I spent locked out of my suite on Thanksgiving Day. Which was followed by me crying in front of the police officer who was trying to make conversation when I went to the station to be let back into my dorm. Alas. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who gets horrendously emotional when they’re stressed out.

But, while my ego was bruised as a result of stress, my waistline has not been (yet, at least); there have been several times over the last few days where I’ve just wanted to cave and binge, but I know that with every day that I don’t binge, the urge will be lessened. Ity definitely helps not having any trigger foods in the dorm, though; it’s much easier to prevent a binge when you can’t reach out and snag a pack of cookies right when the urge strikes.

Anyway, right now, as much as I would love to be losing weight and such, I really think I need to conquer binge eating first. And, I know if I can beat this, then it’ll make for a much easier time when I do get around to losing/maintaining. I really think that binge eating has just become a bad habit, and my automatic response to stress. So, I just need to replace that response with a different one and white knuckle it, I reckon.

But, I HAVE A PLAN!

From now through Dec. 23, I’m going to count calories as best I can. But, if a special event comes up, I’m going to partake. BUT, there is also a “No non-Holiday Specific Treats” ban in place, which sounds weird, but for me it makes sense; you see, my problem isn’t so much with bingeing at special events at such. Rather, its in the aftermath of those events when I think “Oh, the day is already ruined, let’s go get a pint of ice cream/random sugar from the grocery store!” So, I’ve come to associate special events/holidays with binge eating. BAD. Thus, at the moment, I’m just focusing on learning to enjoy a solitary indulgence. If I get more specific, my goal is to stay under 3,000 calories per day from now until Dec. 23. Come Dec. 24, I’m going to give myself three days of intuitive eating, during which time I’ll hopefully be able to apply the binge-restriction eating habits I’ve developed between now and then. I’m hoping that over that three day span, I’ll have lost the desire to binge and will just eat my normal meals with some holiday-specific indulgences. NO CUPBOARD DIVING*/TRIPS TO THE GROCERY STORE, SELF. Then, Dec. 27, I’ll start my full weight loss program.

I told you I was a planner.

Blergh, I should get back to work. I’m pretty pleased, though, that I’ve succesfully added some extra excercise to my schedule; the past two days, I’ve hit the elliptical for an extra 30 minutes per day and done some upper body weight lifting. NEAT. I’m really starting to feel a difference in my fitness level, too; I’m hoping that by getting stronger now, it’ll make for an easier weight loss quest post-holidays.

*Cupboard Diving (noun): The act of eating entirely random things (i.e., slices of bread, cheese, etc.) while bingeing that usually are not particularly tasty and are eaten just because the chomper feels like eating more.

[Via http://awomansintuition.wordpress.com]

Intro and my goals

Hello,

My name is Gavin. I am 35 years old, a husband, father, and overweight. According to Wii Fit, I am at xxx lbs. I know that Wii Fit isn’t known to be the most accurate tool to measure, but for this project I am going to use it throughout. If I manage to get a more accurate scale, I will list them both. My goal for this blog is simple.

Accountability.

I have been heavy for most of my life. I have Asthma, and rather severe sleep apnea. My knees hurt when I try to run and I do not have a six pack. I have the whole fucking liquor store. I am tired of the limitations I have when it comes to everything from keeping up with my son, to the clothes I wear. I am not looking to be a model, but losing weight is needed.
I know I am insane on most counts for challenging myself at this time of year (right after Thanksgiving). My job is sedentary; I am a IT Support Tech for a large organization. What does that mean? I sit in a cube and answer phones. Not much activity there. I also love food, I enjoy baking and have a massive sweet tooth. I know cutting them cold turkey won’t do for me… so I will need to wean it down to a manageable portion and make sure to stick to it.
My amazing wife (A’mee), has done an amazing job so far and losing approximately 50lbs so far. I joined the Weight Watchers online program and was eating the same foods and my main exercise was walking and Wii Fit. I would fluctuate up and down in about a 3lb range. Budget got tight, so I dropped and went up to where I am now.
This morning we had breakfast out and I couldn’t get into the booth comfortably. That hurt. That was a wake-up call and I am starting to take action now. So what you can expect from this blog is simple….

Complete Food Log posted Daily
Exercise updates posted when they are done
Measurements for Arm, Chest, Waist, and hips (once a week)
Weight Check (Once a Week on Monday)

This project begins on Nov. 28. It is Time for a change!!!

[Via http://gavinschallenge.wordpress.com]

10 Tips for Women to Stay Healthy and Fit.

Without women there would have been no world. There would have been no existence. It is the women who rears up the family, teaches the first words to the child and looks after them till they become adults. Therefore, it is essential that women stay healthy, fit and fine.

Women may follow the following 10 tips for staying healthy and fit:

1. Staying fit and healthy starts with a balanced diet. Know and monitor the right weight for your age. Consult your doctor to learn what food you should avoid and follow your eating discipline routines. If you are trying to lose some weight, foods with high calories should be omitted from your meals. Food with high fiber and low fat should be included a priority in your grocery list instead of red meat, sugars and fats.

2. Drink plenty of water. Drinking at least eight glasses of water everyday. This cleanses the body from impurities. It is also advised for lactating women to increase water intake to keep the body hydrated.

3. Take Vitamins and Supplements. Do not forget your Calcium supplement. Sufficient Calcium intake is beneficial for women of all ages. This has been proven to prevent having cramps and Pre-Menstrual Period (PMS) Symptoms. It also prevents Osteoporosis especially for menopausal women. Vitamin E boosts strong immune system. Women who undergo menopausal period should take Vitamin E-400 as it stops night sweats and hot flashes. Also, Vitamin E is said to be best in avoiding wrinkles when aging.

4. Quit smoking. If you are smoking, stop. It is also a big “NO” for pregnant women, as this will affect the health of the baby. Pregnant women who smoke may pass the harmful content of cigarettes to babies through the bloodstream. Recent studies have shown that women smokers are more prone to diseases than men smokers. Women who smoke have a high risk of getting breast cancer. Also limit your alcohol intake.

5. Incorporate exercises in your daily routine. Take a walk after work, use stairs instead of elevator or play with your kids when you are at home. Home exercises are also effective especially when you do not have time to go to the gym and would like to lose some weight. Yoga and Pilates are only a few of the many effective exercises you can do at home. Exercises help in limiting the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

6. Avoid stress. Many women are prone to too much stress. Stress has been known as cause to many sicknesses. As much as possible take time to relax. Read a good book, hang out with friends and engage into sports. Pamper yourself by going to parlors or you can do some shopping. And do not forget to get enough sleep to revive your energy.

7. Use sunscreen to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun. Wear hats when under the sun to protect your skin. Too much sun is bad for your skin. The skin is prone to cancer when exposed to too much sunlight. It also speeds up the aging of skin cells, which causes wrinkles to women.

8. Make sure to visit your dentist to keep that beautiful smile. Always have it cleaned to prevent cavities and bad breath.

9. Visit your Gynecologist. Women who are eighteen and above should have their Physical Examination annually especially for the Pap Smear test. Women who are forty and up should have their mammograms and the Breast self-exam is encouraged once puberty has been reached and should be a habit as they mature.

10. Safe sex is strongly recommended. Use condoms to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

[Via http://fitnessandu.wordpress.com]

Carol Alt’s Diet

At just three years away from 50, Carol Alt posed in Playboy and the magazine called her “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”. Who would cry for more when you have two Sports Illustrated covers, lucrative contracts with Cover Girl Cosmetics and Hanes and countless fashion magazine covers pleading for your face?
Don’t be quick to dedicate her lifelong career to the wonders of what Life Magazine dubbed as “Million Dollar Face”, Carol’s rock-hard abs are what kept her body a diamond to scramble for. Should you wonder how she has managed to stay curvaceous for decades and resemble the looks of 20-something at the age of 48…

To read more click here…
http://www.sevafrica.com/HealthWellness/Carol-AltsDiet.shtml

[Via http://sevafrica.wordpress.com]

Is this for real?

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, America’s paean to personal overconsumption.

It’s an ideal day to search for another way of life. And that’s what I did.

Many years ago, a friend — an outsider, who had lived large — told me that one of the problems folks in our small town created for themselves was that they thought too small. He was speaking about economic development (and his large-think gave the city some great infrastructure), but I got to thinking that concept could be applied personally to attributes other than finances.

Why not health? I’m indeed a 56-year-old male and I’m overweight. Okay. I’m technically obese. But rather than just losing a few pounds, or quite a few pounds, I’m going to attempt a more difficult feat — I want six-pack abs!

I was once athletic, playing high school football and basketball and doing them quite well. But that’s also where I injured myself, getting triple-teamed in football practice and getting my knee torn up. I lived with it for a while and kept playing at sports until college, when I tore it so much that I couldn’t straighten my leg. That led to surgery and to what should have been a more docile lifestyle. My doctor said I should take up poker.

But I didn’t stop, kept hurting myself and eventually got to the point where there wasn’t much I could do, athletically. Unfortunately, I kept eating as if I were physically active. That put the weight on faster. At 6′3″, with “big bones,” I surpassed 200 pounds at age 13, much to the joy of my football coach. By the end of high school, I was at about 230 and stayed at under 250 till I was well into my 30s. But that kept edging upward, to about 275 in my mid-40s to some 325 today.

Any physical act is difficult

At that weight, with bad knees (and as an extension, bad ankles), it’s difficult to do much at all physically today. The energy isn’t there. The blood pressure is too high and even walking very far is difficult.

The good news is that when I take off even 10 pounds, I can tell it in the way I walk up stairs or through Wal-mart. That means I feel even better, physically, if I took off 20 pounds. Imagine the freedom of movement if I lost 30 pounds! And on and on.

But that won’t be the case if I delay weight loss a few more years. Not only will it become more difficult to lose weight, but my health will be less should I finally do so. So, if I want to hike down the Grand Canyon, I need to start losing weight now, and significant amounts.

Not all at once, to be sure. But steadily, maybe a pound or so a week. It took several decades to put it on, so it can take several years to lose it. That’s okay, especially since each pound lost make the next one somewhat easier.

More than just losing weight

But I want to go beyond losing weight. I want to gain something that I’ve never had before — six-pack abdominals! Though I was quite powerful as a young man, I always had that layer of fat over my abs. Now it’s more like a bear getting ready for hibernation. So to achieve what I want, I’ll need not just to take off fat, but build the muscle under that fat as well.

I searched through numerous programs and concepts until I found one that had a) an exercise program that sounded logical, could be done by someone so out of shape and wouldn’t require untold hours, and b) had a nutritional component that fit well into what I knew was based on good science and wouldn’t be oppressive.

The changes for me will be immense, without a doubt. But I know there’s no such thing as a magic pill or a magical device that’s going to do it for me. Acquiring the weight required decades and, truth be told, hundreds of thousands of dollars. So I should be willing to invest a few years in deaccessioning it. The plan will require that most of my meals be at home, so I’ll actually spend less on eating really good food than eating really bad food out. And that will be good for the rest of the family as well. (It’s fortunate that I’m the cook.)

And no expensive lotions, potions or devices are needed. Not even a health club membership and the concomitant time, which can be even more expensive. Obviously, there will be a lot to learn, but I can take it a bit at a time, sort of on-the-job training, because each step will be in the right direction and will be of some help, regardless of whether it’s perfect.

So here I go. You’ll get to watch the progress, and lack thereof. Comments will be welcome, whether ideas, encouragement or simply kibbitzing.

[Via http://56overweightwanting6packabs.wordpress.com]

A 'Fantastic' Wednesday

Good evening! Ready for Turkey (or Tofurkey) day??

I just got back from another movie night! (We tend to see a lot of movies during holiday vacations– I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do!) Tonight, we saw Fantastic Mr. Fox:

I loved it!! It’s an entertaining story for both adults and children, with great actors performing the voices (George Clooney and Meryl Streep), and fun claymation!! It was a perfect, light-hearted Thanksgiving movie.

Here’s a recap of today’s eats:

Breakfast was another green red juice:

Head of Romaine, 3 stems of kale, 1 green apple, 1 beet and 1/2 a lemon. This was my best tasting juice yet! I could seriously drink this version every single day. Yum.

Lunch was a HUGE salad:

Followed by some raw brownie batter:

This is the kind of “raw” brownie batter that you don’t have to feel guilty about!! (you can even lick the spoon!)

Raw Brownie Batter

2 Tablespoons raw almond butter
1 teaspoon coconut butter (or coconut oil)
1 teaspoon cocoa powder (or cacao)
1/2 to 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (adjust to taste)
dash of vanilla extract
dash of salt

This is one of those recipes where measurements don’t really matter– I always adjust the measurements to taste. The key to making this really taste like brownie batter, is the salt! The combo of sweet and salty chocolate really does the trick for me! If you don’t want to eat it out of a bowl with a spoon, you can always scoop this mixture out and roll into balls, like raw truffles:

And you don’t have to feel guilty if you eat them all!

That is one HUGE benefit I enjoy from eating so much raw food– big portions! I find it’s almost impossible to “binge” on health food, so you can truly eat to satisfaction, and your body will let you know when it’s full. I try not to go too overboard with dense, nut-based treats, but I’ve found that I can eat 2-4 tablespoons of nut butter a day and still lose weight consistently. That’s a lot of nut butter, my friends!! More than enough to satisfy my cravings.

Dinner is getting a little monotonous:

Steamed broccoli and zucchini, and…

More sweet potato home fries! Sorry to be so boring, but I’ve got to use up all these sweet potatoes in my house! I’m leaving on Sunday for a week-long business trip, so I don’t want to waste any food. I’ve got lots of broccoli, zucchini and sweet potatoes in the house right now, if you can’t tell…

My workout today was a 3 mile run, in some perfect California weather. I love clearing my head with outdoor runs. In fact, I’ve got a big run in store for me tomorrow! My friend, Heidi, and I are running 5 miles in honor of Thanksgiving feasting– so we can munch guilt-free for the rest of the day!! I love running the morning of big, potentially stressful events– I actually ran the morning of my wedding, and it was awesome!! It really helped relieve some of my anxiety that day!!!!

The rest of my day tomorrow is going to be filled with cookie baking and holiday cooking! Fun fun!! (I really do LOVE baking, so this is totally up my alley). I’ll be back with pictures of our festivities soon!

Hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!!

[Via http://healthyhoggin.wordpress.com]

Hormones Affecting Weight Loss

A person’s reasons for choosing breast augmentation surgery differ from another. Some people simply want to increase the bust size and others seek to reverse the toll that weight loss, pregnancy and nursing have taken.

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This curbs excess caloric consumption in the patient treated with acupuncture and is a great help in the patients weight loss program. Enhances Fertility TCM practitioner will carefully determine the state of the imbalances and prescribe an individualized program of herbs, acupuncture and diet to help humans create the correct environment for fertility and pregnancy. How To Heal the Life Quickly What maximum people do not realize is that emotions are real things. Acupuncture is one of the most widely recognized and successful methods of alternative treatment in the world. Its effectiveness in treating a wide variety of disorders has been clinically proven by many distinguished researchers. Grateful that the ailments have been alleviated without any side effects, have graciously written testimonials found throughout the website. The study investigates the efficacy of acupuncture for childhood asthma. Researchers try 17 children between the ages of 6 and 12 in a randomized, placebo-controlled.

Indication of Source
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001

Related external Links
Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss
Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss
Weight Loss Help

Tags: weight loss program weight loss weight los the ages side effects side effect childhood asthma alternative treatment

[Via http://mistletoemint.wordpress.com]

Don't Miss the Premiere!!!

“Wired to Win, hosted by Marco Girgenti will be heard on the radio
beginning Wed. Nov 25th”. Hear how Marco lost 150 lbs and has kept it off
for nearly ten years!! So watch out people of Birmingham Alabama, in the USA! The show
will be aired on the radio WAYE 1220 AM every Wednesday 1:00 p.m. to 1:30
p.m. central standard time, (2 pm E.S.T Toronto) for an initial run of 2 months, And what’s
more? People around the world can listen to it online by visiting
http://www.themusicinsider.com/about_us.html, and clicking LISTEN TO WAYE
RADIO NOW. The program will launch in your default music player:
RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.

Happy listening!”

[Via http://starvingtobefat.wordpress.com]

Raw 'til Dinner

Hey everyone!! Happy Monday evening!!!

My evening got here WAY faster than I would have liked… I ended up taking a two-hour nap after work today! I woke up and it was dark outside. Darn you, daylight savings!! Looks like maybe I should have a cup of coffee tomorrow morning… I seem to be more productive when I drink it!

Besides the whole sleeping-for-the-whole-afternoon thing, I actually had a pretty good day. In an effort to prevent any holiday weight gain, and hopefully LOSE my extra post-wedding pounds, I decided to go back to an eating method that has worked really well for me in the past: eating Raw ’til Dinner. (RTD, for short) It’s a pretty easy concept: eat only raw food until dinner time! Eating this way ensures that I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, getting lots of nutrients and enzymes in my body, but it also keeps me mentally satisfied– knowing that I can eat a piping hot dinner each evening!

I have eaten an all-raw diet in the past, and while I was pretty content eating that way, I did find myself missing certain cooked foods… (That was back in the day where I wouldn’t let myself “cheat” on my diet! Now I wish I would have said to myself, “Hello?! You’re craving steamed broccoli!! Eat it, dummy!” ) Ha ha. Hind-sight is 20/20, right?

My green juice this morning kicked-off my RTD plan, and then I moved onto a mini-green-monster around noon:

This little monster had 1 frozen banana, 1 1/2 cups spinach, juice of 1/2 a small lemon, and 3/4 cup almond milk. It was surprisingly tasty! I didn’t even need a straw to suck it down!!

About 30 minutes later I snacked on an organic bosc pear (I love their brown-paper-bag-like skin!)

And after that, I made some super-tasty coconut chia pudding:

Topped with a scoop of almond butter, a dash of cinnamon, and a drizzle of maple syrup. Holy yum.

Coconut Chia Pudding
makes 2 servings

1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup almond milk (I like Pacific brand)
generous dash of pumpkin pie spice
dash of sea salt
5 drops liquid stevia, or to taste

Simply mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl, adjust seasonings to your liking, then refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until the pudding is set. Then devour!!

I’m excited that I still have another serving of my chia pudding leftover for tomorrow!

Since I napped away the rest of my daylight hours, there was no mid-afternoon snack, and no workout. Bummer. I’ll do better tomorrow, I promise!! I think my body was just exhausted from all the Dawsonsgiving hosting we did yesterday… I’ve done 3 full loads of dishes, and it’s still not all done yet!! Hopefully everything will feel back-to-normal tomorrow.

Dinner was pretty simple tonight, since I didn’t wake up in time to make anything too gourmet:

Steamed broccoli and zucchini, topped with organic marinara sauce.

And a side of sweet potato home fries! (served with organic ketchup, since I try to avoid HFCS like the plague!!)

These homefries were so easy to make! I simply chopped up one white sweet potato into bite-sized chunks, and tossed them in a tablespoon of olive oil with a generous dash of garlic powder, paprika, dried minced onions and sea salt. Spread them out into a single layer on a cookie sheet, and bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping them half-way through. Easy peasy!

For dessert, I made my favorite Clean Limeade:

Juice of 1/2 a lime, a few drops of liquid stevia (to taste), and half a glass of sparkling water. I top it off with ice, and it’s perfection! I never miss real soda when I have this around.

I’m off to read in bed! Good night!!

[Via http://healthyhoggin.wordpress.com]

How to choose a weight loss program in 5 easy steps

A motivational checklist when you embark on weight loss program. Key is to have understanding and awareness of goals in weight loss efforts.

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Individuals that were previously considered overweight and obese individuals are encouraged to capture 60 to 90 minutes of exercise a day to sustain weight loss. Choosing a secure and Successful Weight-loss Program. Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Across the Lifespan. Better Health and You. Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. National Task compel on Prevention and Treatment of Obesity.

Bibliography
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001

Related external Links
Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss
Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss
Weight Loss Help

Tags: weight loss program weight loss weight los healthy eating

[Via http://xumberland.wordpress.com]

Getting started

I am going to try this one more time – I have started blogs several times and never carried through however I think this time is different. Of course, in a month from now this is an updated piece of the webospehere we will know I didn’t follow through yet again.

The reason why I think it is different this time is things are changing for me. I am taking some things more seriously and there is positive change and growth on the horizon for me. I also think I have some unique perspectives which while I am not willing to put it out there who I really I am I still want to share them.

On Sept. 10th of this year, I weighed 306lbs and had just been rejected as harshly as ever in my life. It was a low point – a new low point in a life with many others. In that moment I made a decision that was the day I decided it was a good to make a change. All right I guess I should come clean about the rejection – I went on a date with a woman and I really liked her. Now, I have dated women well out of my league my entire life and this one wasn’t really all the special. However, a few days later she informs me of the following: “I am attracted to you emotionally and intellectually but I am not attracted to you physically. I don’t know if that can change.” It was like being kicked in the balls, slapped in the face and having hairs pulled one by one from your leg – all together not my best moment.

Since that date I have lost 24lbs and now weigh 282lbs. This morning I ran the better part of 2 miles which would not have been possible when I started this process. I am hoping to lose another 10lbs by the end of the calendar year. I cannot stop – it is time for me to grow.

I have struggled with binge eating my entire life (with no purging mind you). It is a common story among fat people. I eat when I am happy, I eat when I am lonely, I eat when I am sad, I eat when I am mad, I eat when I fart – we get it people…we eat. I have been this way my entire life. I am 33 years old and single.

However, I need to make sure you understand I am not the sad dejected fat kid who is hiding in his basement playing video games stifling his emotions with Cheetos and soda. I am exceptionally successful in my career, I have a ludicrous salary, I have dated many women – more than I typically admit. I am outgoing and nearly always at the certain of the chaos. This has been an exceptionally enjoyable life but it can be better and I can be happier with myself and my situation. The happiness I seek won’t come from possessions or money or getting a woman who is entirely out of my league to come home with me. My happiness is entirely reliant on me being happy with me.

This is where we are. I am re-discovering my passion for truly connecting with people. I am discovering my passion for being a healthy and happy man. I am realizing the focus of my life has been skewed – too much career, too much success, too much on climbing the ladder. I want to refocus my life on doing good and helping others. Teaching and learning willingly. Living up to the potential of who I am.

No regrets. No hesitation. Forward motion.

[Via http://iheariseeisay.wordpress.com]

Weight Loss and Appetite Control with Hoodia

A Day in the Life of a lady that used the Medifast products and programs to promote rapid weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Free Weightloss Weight Loss EBook

Related external Links
Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss
Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss
Weight Loss Help

Tags: weight loss program weight loss weight los the ages side effects side effect rapid weight loss childhood asthma alternative treatment

[Via http://xumberland.wordpress.com]

Upon Hypnotic Weight Loss people can Combat the Sweet Tooth and Stop the Damaging Snacking For Good

A Day in the Life of a lady that used the Medifast products and programs to promote rapid weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Free Weightloss Weight Loss EBook

Health care professionals generally agree that people that have a BMI of 30 or greater can improve the health through weight loss. It is especially true for people with a BMI of 40 or greater, that are considered extremely obese. A weight loss of 5 to 10 percent of the initial body weight can do much to improve health by lowering blood pressure and other risk factors for obesity-related diseases. The method of treatment depends on the level of obesity, and readiness to lose weight. Weight dominate is a life-long effort, and having realistic expectations about weight loss is an central consideration. Individuals that were previously considered overweight and obese individuals are encouraged to capture 60 to 90 minutes of exercise a day to sustain weight loss.

Prior printed Publication
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001

Suggested Links
Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss
Fatty Weight Loss BlogLoss
Weight Loss Help

Tags: weight loss weight los risk factors rapid weight loss lowering blood pressure lose weight health care body weight blood pressure

[Via http://runningjack.wordpress.com]

Fitness update 2009 #17, frustration

I wish I had some exciting news this week, but no. My monthly didn’t come a few weeks ago. I tested today and it was negative. Not sure what’s up with that.

My weight has stayed the same the past few weeks. Up from this summer but lower than last winter. I haven’t done much real exercise, which is probably why. Also, we started eating out again, especially this month with the kitchen all taken apart in my house. Last night we put the stove back in place so we were able to cook again even if we do have all the pots, cookware, and even pantry stuff in the living room still.

I’ve been extra tired this week. We all had the stomach flu last weekend. I’m still a little down from that. Then the stress of getting the kitchen ready for the new floor. Well, that went in on Thursday with no problems. Now we just need to get everything put back together. Plus, the uncertainty over missing my monthly didn’t help. Mid-November means we’re having only 5 and a half hours of daylight assuming it’s clear. That’s enough to make anyone tired.

Combine the darkness with nearly record sub-zero temperatures this week to keep everyone inside. I could use the Turbo Jam exercise videos if my kitchen wasn’t all in the living room. So until then (hopefully by the end of the week), I don’t have a good place at home to work out.

I really need to start doing something regularly. I haven’t even been splitting wood since we stated working on the kitchen floor. We bought heating oil because there was no place to put the wood inside. There’s literally 2 paths in the living room with tools, kitchen stuff, and cabinets everywhere else.

So in a nutshell, my fitness is on hold until the kitchen is all back where it belongs so I can use the living room again. Rather frustrating, but probably worth it in the long run. This kitchen floor is something we’ve been looking forward to for years.

[Via http://akhomeschoolfun.wordpress.com]

Tips On Fast Weight Loss For Special Occasions

A lot of weight loss supplements are available in the market but most of them prove to be ineffective.

Free Weightloss Weight Loss EBook

List of Literature
100 Days of Weight Loss, Linda Spangle, 2006
Daily Word for Weight Loss, Colleen Zuck, Elaine Meyer, Janie Wright, 2001
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss Shopper’s Guide, Howard M. Shapiro, 2001

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Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss
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Week 1

Hi Everyone!

This post is two days late because of craziness and procrastination, so I I’ll just get to the weigh-in.

This week I gained 2 pounds. Not exactly the best way to start off a weight loss journey. I’ll have to admit though despite my 30 minutes of hoop dancing every day I ate horribly and I didn’t keep my food log like I was supposed to.

Which makes me realize that weight loss is not as easy as I thought it’d be. In someway I may have subconsciously thought that starting a weight loss blog would make the pounds melt off .I am clearly mistaken and I have learned that you only get out what you put in.

To end on a positive note I did something I never thought I would be able to do.

I WENT TO THE MALL BY MYSELF!!!!

I just went in and walked around for an hour with my headphones on. The only place I went into was Barns & Nobel, but I am proud of myself. I didn’t have any major problems except my heart rate went up a couple times, but overall I did pretty well.
One of the major parts of my shyness is that I have this irrational thought that anyone and everyone is judging me. Once I overcome that, conquering shyness will get much easier.

Well that is all for this week folks. Maybe I have better news next week.

No More Holiday Havoc.

For most of my life the holidays were an excuse to cut loose. I’d eat as much as I wanted, as often as I wanted—and it was okay because I was doing it all in the name of celebration. Have you ever eaten so much that you’ve had to go and lay down? I’ll be completely honest saying that I sure have.

These days, however, things are different. As I look ahead to a week from now, I see myself sitting at Thanksgiving dinner with my family, surrounded by people who love me and are proud of what I’ve accomplished. I see myself with a heart full of passion for the road ahead and the journey I’ve traveled, and a mind full of hope because I’ve learned that what I’m doing for myself is worth every second.

Some of you may know that I am an avid Biggest Loser fan. It’s the only night in the week I’m sitting in front of the television for more than an hour – but I love watching these people experience the things I’ve experienced, and I’m often motivated to stay the course on my own journey through their compassion and words. This season, my favorite contestant has been Abby Rike. She is a beautiful, inspiring woman with an incredible story. The night she was sent home she said this:

“I’ve proven to myself that I am the
things I want to be.”

As I heard her say that I instantly ran to write it down. The truth is, that no matter what my past was like and no matter what is ahead of me – I have proven to myself that I am exactly who I want to be. I might not be the fastest runner who can run a half marathon tomorrow – but I am a man who has learned that I can run, that I can run in a race – and that I will finish that race if I set my mind to it.

This Holiday Season, I’m thankful for my health. I’m thankful that even if I overeat and gain a pound (or two) that I know exactly how to lose it. I’m thankful that I’m in control of my eating habits, and that I’m surrounded by friends and family who support my decision to take care of myself by providing healthy options amidst the sea of alternative choices.

While this has been my reality, I understand some may not even know where to start in their pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. If you’re attempting to embrace a healthy lifestyle and truly integrate it into your life, it’s my opinion you should do three things:

Be honest with yourself and make the choice to pursue this lifestyle about you.
Be honest with your friends and family and tell them that this is something that matters to you (in hopes that they won’t enable you to derail your efforts).
Surround yourself with people who will both support and celebrate you as you go through this journey, and keep you accountable when you ask them for it.

Living a healthy lifestyle can be difficult (some say it’s the most difficult thing they’ve ever done), but it doesn’t have to be impossible—and it shouldn’t be a chore. The changes you choose to make should be attainable, trackable and realistic. So start small, make a list and be honest with yourself when you’re ready to make a change for you.

We are about to enter the 2009 holiday season – but that doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy. Don’t let this be another year of being out of control, if you’re ready to make the decision for to be healthier for yourself, do it. There couldn’t be a better time to make a change. I wish you all the best as you work towards a better you.

keep moving,
dane.

Exercise should be a skill, not a weight-loss pill

Right now I’m participating in a November 200-swing challenge on a fitness forum, where you do 200 kettlebell swings per day all month. I’ve missed a couple of days due to a fall chest cold, but otherwise, I’ve taken this opportunity to bone up on the kettlebell technique I learned last summer. I’d also like to get better at one-handed swinging, and as luck would have it, the guys at Jersey Kettlebell just put up a great video on one-handed swings (I can’t embed it for some reason).

Now that I know how to do them right, I can’t believe how easy and fun one-handed swinging is. It’s so cool to learn something new and even cooler to get better at it with practice

And what do you get when you subtract the work from your workout, and add fun? Any kid can tell you: it’s called PLAY! Sadly, too many folks view the joy of movement as a form of punishment and purgatory. They’re trying to transform into a bikini babe, an action hero, or warrior physique. Or the gym is “cardio confessional” where (after fighting for a parking spot closest to the door) you try to cleanse away last night’s cheeseburger with the most boring, tedious exercises you can think of.

Instead of flogging your sinful self or chasing some Hollywood mirage (created by drugs, nicotine, surgeons, starvation and Photoshop), use your workout time to actually achieve something. Do a pull-up, a set of pushups on your toes, a Turkish get-up, run as far as you can in 15 minutes or pass a DDR song on Expert. Whatever it is, if you can’t do it yet, then work on doing it. Then do a victory dance when you’re done! It’ll seem more like play than work, and you’ll end up with a healthy habit and a feeling of achievement that no scale can give you.

Busy as a bee!

I’d like to say the reason I haven’t really been writing much is because I’ve been coming up with this super duper absolutely ass kicking new piece. But the truth is, I’ve just been busy.

In the last few weeks I’ve had guys competing all over the world in BJJ tournaments. For starters, a friend of mine, Sophie McDermott, won the No Gi World Championship!

Sophia McDermott winning the world champs

Sophie has been on the scene for about 8 years in BJJ. She has been training with the best in the world and is the first female to ever be accepted to train at Rickson Gracie’s. Look out for my interview with her to be featured in an upcoming Oxygen magazine where we go over her competition career, diet and training.

On top of that we have just had the ADCC Gi trials here. With only 7 spots up for grabs – 2 female and 5 male – the guys from Dominance Mixed Martial Arts won 2 of them! With two other competitors making the final the results of dedicated competition practice are already showing themselves. Next year will see some massive changes in the way our academy approaches tournaments based on the success we have already had in the last few months.

I am also hard at work getting Dragon Door Australia up and running. Starting any new business is never easy, but I believe in the products having used them with such great results both personally and with my clients. To read the kind of thing people say about working with an RKC go here: http://www.dragondoor.com/instructor/1720

The new website for all Dragon Door products will be located here: www.dragondooraustralia.com Our first order of books and dvd’s will be available soon and we expect our kettlebells before Christmas.

The new HQ for Dragon Door Australia

Obviously I am also busy training my clients, performing my own training (can barely walk thanks to a new squat specialisation program) and fitting out my new space which will be the HQ of Dragon Door Australia. It is located upstairs at 555 Victoria Street, Richmond. From here I will be able to train people and house all the books, DVD’s and kettlebells required.

Next year is going to be very exciting. With a new business – both PT and retail – along with two trips to the US to attend various courses I’ll barely have time to scratch myself. But just to make things a bit more complicated I plan to bring one of the best kettlebell instructors in the world, Senior RKC Shaun Cairns, to Australia to host a series of HKC’s. (For information on the HKC go here: http://www.dragondoor.com/hkc/hkc015.html). The HKC is a one day, 3 lift instructor certification. It is not a watered down RKC rather an eye opener for people who may be hesitant to commit to the rigours of RKC training – its nr everyone – but see the value in a shorter course to learn the principles of safe, hardstyle training and want to learn from the best kettlebell instructors in the world.

So everything is just great, sorry for not getting more words down sooner, but life has been hectic. I am hoping that now my office is set up I will have time during the day again to work on various online projects such as this.

With Christmas just around the corner I urge everyone to keep up their training, don’t get sloppy over the holidays and ruin all your good work. For anyone who wants a kick in the butt check this out: fat loss redux 2

November 16, 2009

Weight: Didn’t check

8:50 a.m. It took my 30 minutes longer to get to work today. I wanted to stay home because I don’t feel well and didn’t want to fight the snow but we had a team meeting.

Breakfast: Raisin Bran cereal and water with a one-a-day vitamin

Water: Eight cups

Bowel Movement Barometer: Movement at 10:50 a.m.

11:00 a.m. Naturally, the team meeting was cancelled.

11:57 a.m. I am half way through my day and I feel like crap. I want to go to sleep. I may take a nap at lunch time.

Lunch: Ham sandwich, cherry yogurt, grapes, wheat thins, chips and tea

Bowel Movement Barometer: Second movement at 12:40 p.m.

Bowel Movement Barometer: Third movement at 1:41 p.m. I must be sick because I am having too many bowel movements.

Dinner: Chicken-noodle soup and some water

EXERCISE: I decided to go have my personal training despite not feeling well. I figured it would help boost my immune system! My trainer tried to kill me, but I pay her to do that every four weeks.

Snack: Starbucks coffee

Bowel Movement Barometer: Fourth movement at 8:42 p.m. I think my bowels decided to do a four-part marathon today.

Days without soda: 36

Days without candy: 3

Days without energy drinks: 2

For The Love Of...Nutritional Yeast?

So I’ve been doing some recipe research recently, trying to find new and innovative ideas for cooking, trying to make my food more exciting and everything that I seem to have come accross recently contains nutritional yeast. Now I’m still relatively new to the vegan world but every time I read it i found myself asking “what the…what is it?” I only ever new nutritional yeast to be included in the beer making process, so I thought it was about time to expand my knowledge base and I thought I would share my findings with you, hoping you are as much of a novice vegan as I am, and if not, then hopefully it would provide you with some inside knowledge you didn’t have before!

So here is what I found. I found that I was wrong about nutritional yeast being included in the beer making process, in fact it is very similar to that which is used, but nutritional yeast is made out of yeast which is cultured with sugar cane and beet molasses. This is then harvested, washed, dried and packaged.

Nutritional yeast is a protein, and a source of B vitamins. This doesn’t fill me with any kind of confidence whatsoever, I have memories of having to take multivitamins with added B12 in them – honestly it smelled revolting and tasted even worse.

I also know that nutritional yeast is used as a cheese substitute, but is it really worth it? And is it really better than the soy cheeses out on the market?

I’m really not convinced I want to try it, the thought of any of my food smelling anywhere near B12 does not exactly appeal to me. However I am eager to hear any comments you might have regarding nutritional yeast, so please feel free to comment!

Review: Burn The Fat Feed The Muscle

Burning fat is not easy, for most of us, yet it is very much necessary for good health. Many methods are available, promising good results. Here is a new book, BURN THE FAT, FEED THE MUSCLE, that offers losing fat permanently, without taking medications, etc.

But how is that possible? I mean to lose fat permanently, without the usual techniques. Well, famous bodybuilder, Tom Venuto presents a new method, with guaranteed results, by 90 days.

He states that he has tried everything, from different diets to supplements, and wasted money. I think that his technique is worth looking at.

It's Not About How to Lose Weight

I have dropped a few pounds of body fat since I turned 50 three months ago. While being a bit leaner certainly makes me feel good, it’s the lesson behind the lost inches that means the most.

How I Lost the Weight

I created a new habit. One evening my abs were feeling particularly flabby so I added some weights to my routine. I was actually more focused on how my body felt than how it looked, so as I discovered the weight work felt good, I moved the weights out of the closest and next to my desk where I began to use them daily. I wasn’t really aware of the physical effects the weights were having until I put on a new tank top on my birthday, about 3 weeks after I started my new routine. Realizing that I felt and looked stronger at 50 than the years leading up to it made me happy and inspired me to want to keep it up.
I became more aware of the control I have over what I become. I started asking myself if I was hungry before popping food into my mouth or if I was still enjoying the food as I continued to eat. As I began to look at my eating as a direct cause and effect of my body weight, I lost a bit more fat.

It’s funny, but losing just these 8 or 10 pounds reminds me of what I learned after successfully losing 40 extra pounds at age 19. Having been an overweight kid my entire life and a failure at numerous diet attempts, I never thought I would be anything but overweight. There’s no doubt in my mind that my life would have been very different had I not made the commitment to change my eating habits.

It’s Not About the Weight

The lesson at 19–
Your history does not dictate what is possible for your future.

The lesson at 50–
The actions you take every day shape what you become.

Fight For Your Life! Getting Closer Or Further Away From Your Goals!

We are always doing thinks that are either getting us closer to our goals or further away from our goals. Eating too much carbs is getting us away from our goals. We need something that will remind us that we are moving further away from our goals. Get a red marker. On the palm of your dominant hand draw a big red circle. When you see that red circle it means “Stop!” This is what I say to myself “ Juan, this is the kind of thinking that made me fat, what are you thinking or are you!” If it sounds kind of harsh it is, I am fighting for my life. Try bandages on your finger tips if you like for an even strong reminder throughout the day( If someone asks you about the bandages just tell them you smashed you hand). When you are at McDonald’s getting your burger without the bun and you are temped to eat that apple pie you bought see the red dot or bandages and mentality think “stop!” Say, “(your name) this is the kind of thinking that made me fat, what are you thinking or are you!’ then open the window and throw it out hopefully it won’t go into the next car by you. Stopping yourself gets you off automatic pilot. It helps you make conscious choices, choices that are consistent with your goals. It even works with other habits you want to change like smoking, spending too much, etc. Eating too much carbs is a habit too, just like smoking, overspending, underearning. Take weight loss, smoking, underearning any bad habits you have very seriously because literally you are fighting for your life! More to come…………..

Weight loss- Get a Jump on the New Year

In about a month all across this fine country people are going to start making special plans to lose weight and get fit. Unfortunately, 99.9% of those who have these thoughts will fail to reach their goals. Does it have to be this way? I guess the real question is, do you have to eat that pastry? Do you have to have two helpings? Is it really that painful to go for a walk? Do you want to live out the full number of your days or die out early? I know this sounds pretty confronting and may even hurt some peoples feelings but why? You walk around in the finest suit on the planet. Your body is so magnificent. The intricacies of your body are light years beyond today’s science.

Use it, see what you can get it to do. Did you know your body can run, jump rope, skip, squat, twist, swim, dance, ride a bike, walk on its hands and do flips?

Love your body!!!! You only get one and though some people do get organ transplants, trust me on this one you would rather not have to do that.

I understand, the taste buds are very convincing, the couch is comfortable and the TV is enticing. But lets be serious can you genuinely tell me, you would rather spend the first quarter of your life listening to your couch, watching TV or surfing the internet and eating without a thought of what it is doing to you internally, while spending the last three quarters seeing doctors, being diagnosed with diseases, and looking forward to your next blood test.

I want to inform you of one thing, this year could be totally different. News FLASH, you don’t have to wait until January 1, 2010. You can actually start this very second! You don’t need to read a book, talk to your doctor or devise an elaborate plan (not that these are bad).

Are you ready? This is all you need. When you go to the grocery store, walk straight to the produce area and refuse to go down the middle aisles. Yes, I said refuse! If you don’t go down the aisle it makes it very difficult to buy it. If you don’t buy it, it won’t be sitting in your cupboard and if it’s not in your cupboard, it makes it very difficult to get it into your tummy. When it comes to activity, all you need to do is do more today then you did yesterday and do this everyday. So if you walked from the fridge to the couch 10 times yesterday, then today you need to either walk 11 times or better yet you could take a lap around your house instead of to the fridge.

I dare you to go 1 week without walking down the middle aisles of the grocery store and simply stay on the exterior. If you take the dare please inform me how it went for you. Step out of your comfort zone today, so you can live in comfort tomorrow.

Stuffed & bloated?

It’s really easy to eat too much during your evening meal – especially if you’ve tried to be ‘good’ throughout the day and arrive home really hungry.

One simple way to control your portion sizes is to downsize your crockery. The trend for new crockery at the moment is big – huge plates and enormous mugs so it’s easy to fill these up and eat all that is in front of you. Swapping to ‘normal’ sized crockery will encourage you to put less on your plate (or in your mug) but will trick the mind into thinking it’s getting more than if you half filled a big plate. Buy crockery with a wide edge to it too and only fill the centre portion.

You shouldn’t feel stuffed or bloated from any of your meals if you control your portion sizes.

The Perfect Gift-Giving Scenario This Holiday Season

Just as fitness is all about results, giving a gift is about results too…and in the case of holiday gifts that means having a satisfied customer. So, below is some sample dialogue that’s likely to take place in a post-gift-opening conversation where you (the Gifter) present a TRX to a friend, workout partner, employee or family member (the Giftee).

Gifter: “So, I got you something (hands a geometricaly-funky shaped giftwraped box to Giftee)”

Giftee: “(Giftee rips open the package, then flashes a curious look) Oh, my gosh what is this thing?”

Gifter: “That’s a TRX, it’s a fitness tool with origins in the Navy SEAL teams and I’m addicted to it…and now it’s your new workout partner and gym, all in one”

Giftee: “Okaaaay, what does that mean exactly”

Gifter: “It means with the TRX at your disposal you can workout just about anywhere, anytime because TRX leverages your own bodyweight against gravity as resistance – so it’s safe to do and there are no excuses for missing workouts anymore.”

Giftee: “That’s great and all but I don’t want to have a workout routine that’s limited”

Gifter: “Limited? (Gifter rolls on the ground laughing, then composes him/herself) TRX is empowering; not a 3-exercise wonder…there are over 300 exercises you can do with the TRX, including movements through all three planes of motion for training that’s truly functional and can help with sports. All of this within a single station. Plus, whether your feeling weak or strong on any given day you can make simple self-adjustments to make your workout as easy or hard as you want.”

Giftee: “Sounds like I can pretty much train when and however I like with the TRX”

Gifter: “Pop the champagne! I think you’ve got it!!!”

Giftee: “Thanks for the gift – truly appreciated. Now let’s try this out together…maybe you can show me your favorite 5 exercises?!?”

Gifter: “Sounds good, I need to work off some holiday treats anyway! Let’s do this!”

Is that the perfect gift giving scenario or what?

Seriously speaking, I want those I care about to live long and healthy lives and firmly believe in the TRX as one of the most effective and efficient ways to ensure that. Regular exercise can go a long long way. I can’t make anyone workout or follow a program but if they have the tools to be successful and I’m able to help the cause, then I’m all for it. That’s why I created some workout videos to guide people through my favorite exercises and workouts.

If you decide to invest in a TRX for yourself or someone you care about this holiday season, using the affiliate code “GIFT” at checkout will give you a thank you gift of your own. Thanks for reading…and feel free to leave a comment to let me know what kind of workouts you’d like to see me do in my next videos.

Happy and Healthy Holidays!

Surprising Information on Your Ideal Weight!

What is your ideal weight based on your height?

I found this convenient site that calculates your ideal weight and also Body Mass Index (BMI) www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm. You simply type in your weight, height, age and gender. It immediately returns various metrics, such as People’s Choice Ideal Weight and Medical Recommendation Weight.

People’s Choice Ideal Weight shows the average weight that other people of your Age, Height, Weight and Gender would describe as their ideal weight. Medical Recommendation is the weight recommended based on a Body Mass Index (BMI) range of 19-25.

What are the pros of figuring your ideal weight in the above manner?

1) It gives you a direction in which to head.

2) Perhaps it gives you comfort in how you compare to others.

3) It’s reasonably accurate and very simple.

What other factors should you consider?

1) This measurement is not specific to you personally, and the results can be misleading.

2) It does not take into consideration your bone structure (small, medium or large).

3) It does not consider that muscle weighs more than fat.

Have you ever wondered what the average woman and man weigh? See below for the statistics. This information was posted on 9/11/08 by FatFighter. The data is for adults ages 20 and over in the U.S. from 1999-2002.

The average female is 5’4” tall or 163 centimeters, and she weighs 163 pounds. I expected the average height was around 5’4”, but the average weight of 163 really surprised me! It’s a little on the higher side than what I expected. What do you think of these statistics?

Average height, weight, and waist circumference

Women:
Height: 63.8 (or about 5′4″) or 163 cm
Weight: 163 lbs or 74 kilos
Waist circumference: 36.5 inches or 93 cm

Men:
Height: 69.3 (or about 5′9″) or 186 cm
Weight: 190 lbs or 86 kilos
Waist circumference: 39.0 inches or 99 cm

Even though I like this quick little calculation of your “ideal” weight, I believe so much more goes into figuring this “magic” number. For many people, especially women, the number on the scale determines their self-esteem, their mood. This topic will be continued next week.

Love from your Soul-ution Coach,

Angie Monko

PS: If you’re really serious about doing something different about your weight and body image issues, see the attached qualifying form. http://www.harmonyharbor.com/qual.html

PSS: Do you have friends and family that are also interested in creating their own destinies of joy and freedom? Send them to www.harmonyharbor.com/squeeze.html

Interval Training for Maximum Calorie Burn

Ok, so how many of you out there have had this happen to you? You hop on the treadmill, elliptical, bike, or whatever piece of cardio equipment you prefer, you set a speed and just go, and go, and go. You don’t touch the incline, change the speed, or even the type of cardio you’re doing, you just drone on for hours on end to no avail. You do this for weeks, maybe even months and you ask yourself, “Why am I not losing weight? Why am I not seeing results?” Sound familiar? This pretty much sums up what the term “cardio” has come to mean. People get the misconception that in order to lose weight, you have to do mass amounts of cardio for hours on end. Not true! And plus, who can honestly say they have the time for that? If you could, wouldn’t you like to put in just half the time of your normal “cardio” and get twice the result?

In comes high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is a type of physical training that involves bursts of high intensity work. This high intensity work is alternated with periods of rest or low activity. The term can refer to any cardiovascular workout (e.g. cycling, running, rowing, etc.) that involves brief bouts at near-maximum exertion interspersed with periods of lower-intensity activity. For instance, you may be on the treadmill at a recovery (lower effort) speed of 5 mph for 2 mins. Following that 2 mins you increase the speed to 8 mph for 45 seconds. You may repeat this for a total of say 30 mins or you could perform a certain number of repetitions of that interval group.

The reason that HIIT is so much more effective is due to the fact that you are working at a much higher intensity/heart rate than you would during regular steady state cardio. As a result, this causes a greater increase in calorie burn and metabolism function. Typically, with conventional cardio, once you finish, your metabolism returns rather quickly to it’s near resting state. With HIIT, however, since you were at a much higher HR/intensity, your metabolism remains elevated for even hours after you are finished!! So not only are you burning more calories during your workout (in a shorter time than you’re used to mind you), but you’re even burning more calories after!!! Talk about more bang for your buck!

Let’s take a look at some of the tremendous benefits of HIIT:

You’ll burn more calories. The more vigorously you exercise, the more calories you’ll burn — even if you increase intensity for just a few minutes at a time.
You’ll improve your aerobic capacity. As your cardiovascular fitness improves, you’ll be able to exercise longer or with more intensity. Imagine finishing your 60-minute walk in 45 minutes — or the additional calories you’ll burn by keeping up the pace for the full 60 minutes.
You’ll keep boredom at bay. Turning up your intensity in short intervals can add variety to your exercise routine.
You don’t need special equipment. You can simply modify your current routine.

Here are 3 sample HIIT routines you can try on your own!

Week 1 Cardio:

1. 2 minute warm-up

2. 1 minute as hard as you can go

3. 2 minutes at a moderate pace

4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 six times

5. 2 minute cool-down

Week 2 Cardio:

1. 2 minute warm-up

2. 1 minute as hard as you can go

3. 2 minutes at a moderate pace

4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 five more times

5. 2 minute cool-down

Week 3 Cardio:

1. 2 minutes at a moderate pace

2. 5 minutes at the highest effort you can sustain for 5 minutes

3. Repeat steps 1 & 2 two more times

4. 2 minute cool-down

So keep in mind when doing HIIT workouts that it IS supposed to be a challenge. If, after the first time trying one of these routines, you feel as though you could’ve gone harder, now you know for next time that you can speed it up a little bit or add a bit of incline into the mix!! Enjoy and GOOD LUCK!!!

Lose 10-20 lbs during the holidays?!

Read what Sherry Brescia, author of GREAT TASTE NO PAIN has to say about a common problem of weight gain during the holiday season...

Take off 10-20 pounds during holidays November is here, and that means the holiday season is
fast approaching.

It's a time to show caring, charity, generosity, and
kindness to our fellow humans.

It's also a time for FOOD, glorious food! All those get-
togethers, dinners and parties with all that delicious
food...

...and for many people, that means packing on the pounds.

Sadly, I've heard scores of people say they dread the
approach of the holidays because they know they'll put on
weight and have trouble taking it off.

Know what?

It doesn't have to be that way.

It IS possible to maintain a consistent weight even
through the holidays.

You see, when you have doable standards for eating that
you will not break and live every day feeding your body the
way it was designed to be fed, excess pounds are never,
ever an issue.

Here's why:

Your body is alkaline by design. All of your organs and
systems work their best (perfectly, actually) in an
alkaline environment.

When your body is too acidic, it doesn't function properly
and it begins to literally break down and fall apart. And
you get pain, sickness, disease and...obesity.

So if you are hurting, sick or overweight, you are acidic.

Period.

Eating 50-70+% alkaline foods and combining your foods in
the way that keeps digestive acid low is the key to
holidays (and every day) without extra poundage.

When you eat foods that are digested with complimentary
enzymes in the stomach, digestion is a snap and your food
glides through the intestines smoothly.

No more toxic waste build-up.

No constipation

No bloating.

This means a trimmer, sexier you.

Plus, when you don't have overproduction of acid in your
stomach, you'll absorb more of the nutrients from your
foods, so you'll only feel hungry when you need more
nutrients, not when your stomach is empty.

In Great Taste No Pain, I'll show you the foods to eat and
the combinations to eat them in so you can feel good at
your ideal weight. You can get it here:

http://www.greattastenopain.com/cmdt.asp?id=943215

=====================================
Hear remarkable success stories where people have lost so
many inches off their entire bodies it's just astounding:

http://www.greattastenopain.com/cmdt.asp?id=943215

===================================== When correctly combining your foods is your way of life,
you CAN indulge in a dessert, some eggnog or other pleasure
and not worry about packing on pounds.

I NEVER deprive myself on special occasions or holidays.
I’m looking forward to the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie and
Christmas cookies already.

But because it’s a once in a while thing, not an every day
thing, I’ll weight the same on January 1st as I do now.

Treat your body right 12 months a year and it will return
the favor with health, energy and forgiveness for your
indulgences.

Get Great Taste No Pain now–just in time for the holidays-
-at:
-http://www.greattastenopain.com/cmdt.asp?id=943215

To your health, Sherry Brescia

A New Update

I know, I know, scold me all you will, I’m dreadfully sorry that it has been so very long since I last updated my blog. And, of course, it’s no excuse but I have been dreadfully sick and trying to start over living on campus and working out what classes still have work and figuring out my schedule for next semester etc. So, I’ve been really stressed out which means I haven’t exactly stuck to my new big plan of quitting bulimia and putting on weight, I’m sorry. Thankfully, however, I have been doing pretty good about keeping weight on. I’m happy to announce that I’ve been at a very stable and healthy 109 pounds for the past week. I do realize that that’s not terribly healthy looking, you can still see my bones too much and the black under my eyes is still quite apparent but, I’m working on it.

As you may recall, in my last post I’d given all of you an e-mail address in which you could send me questions or comments regarding bulimia or whatever you chose. I did get a little bit of feedback and I appreciate those of you who had nice things to say. However, I did get some nasty mail from a few individuals who shall remain anonymous. I do want to address what they have accused me of though, so the topic of this post will be the subject of bulimia and me being okay with you going ahead and doing it.

Like I have said in many a posts in this blog, I am a struggling bulimic. I was unhappy with my body, I hated every thing about it. I’m Polish so I have those baby giving hips and sharp curves, I’m a woman who really is not meant to weigh less than 130 pounds. But, I was heavy, not obese. It made me depressed, because it wasn’t just me who took notice. And it’s normal to be picked on at school by all of the skinny stick bitches who have the sexy football playing boyfriends, and it’s normal to go home and cry about it and look in the mirror and hate yourself. But that’s where the problems lie; we look at ourselves in the mirror and plot a change that doesn’t happen. We lay in bed and tell ourselves that we will take the initiative and lose weight by eating better and exercising. But, we don’t keep to it. Sadly, this is what I’d come to realize. I noticed that whenever I made a promise to myself it was ruined by a delicious platter of food. Beautifully crafted food that was so accessible and so easy to feast upon without realizing what I truly was eating. I was eating the fat that I hated on my body. I was condoning it, I hated myself but I condoned it. And then, it hit me, like a bolt of lightning to the forehead, I could eat all of this and I could just vomit it all up. I could feel the satisfaction and joy of eating those delicious things and also get rid of the guilty feeling I’d always felt afterwards.

Now, bulimia is not something to be taken lightly, I want you all to know that. It’s not something I approve of, but it’s not something I can’t speak well of. True, it may have gotten me sick a few times, it may have caused my hair to fall out a little bit, or my teeth to slightly yellow. But, I got the outcome I desired. I got a body to die for. That was some of the confusion in the e-mails, that I was approving of bulimia. I don’t, not at all. But I do believe that it’s something of choice, it’s all up to you! Like I’ve said before, if you want to be bulimic I really and truly will help you. I will give you advice and guidance so that you don’t end up as one of the normal bulimic people, you will be able to hold back and know the tricks of the trade. I don’t want you to be bulimic, but if you choose to be, I want you to do it right and treat it right. Because, one wrong move and you could end up in a lot of places you don’t want to be. So keep your friends close, and me closer, because I will help.

Bottom line is I know what it’s like to look in the mirror and hate who you are, but I also know what it’s like to look in the mirror and love who you are. And I’ve got to tell you, loving who you are is a hell of a lot better. The thrill of literally seeing weight fall off of you is like a high, to go into your favorite store and buy clothes 4 sizes smaller and catch the eyes of the cutest guy at the supermarket or a restaurant is exhilarating. I’ll admit, the first thing I did when I hit 110 pounds was run out to my favorite clothing store and buy the shortest, cutest dress there. It’s a white sun dress, to my mid-thigh, maybe shorter, and it haltered and x’d in the back, simple and white. I paired it with a cute strappy flat sandal and went to the summer carnival in my town. I straightened my long red hair and put on some light make up, just enough to catch and eye, and let me tell you…I caught a lot of eyes. Up until that moment I had no idea what it was like to be stared at, or to feel lust being thrown in your direction and it feels amazing. Maybe all of this sounds vain, but, if you only knew…

All my love,
American Girl

P.S. Don’t forget to e-mail me at reallifebulimia@yahoo.com

Day 5 - Breakfast and Lunch (and the worst lunch ever)

This morning I woke up in a panic. I was late! It was already 10am and my alarm hadn’t gone off! Church starts in 30 minutes! I frantically tried to find something to wear, but then realized that I hadn’t changed my bedroom clock for daylight savings time. Joke’s on me! Duuuuh. But the church I was going to was a long way away, and I had to stop by the store before I got there, so I left the house without breakfast. The dog didn’t get breakfast either.

Once I got back, I made myself a tuna sandwich. Boring? A little. But I dressed it up with some dry Taco Bell seasoning. It was pretty tasty. Since I told you yesterday about the best lunch I ever had, today I’ll tell you about the worst.

I was on low carb, and used the George Foreman grill to heat up 3 sausages, two regular, one cheddarwurst. Now, if you’ve never had cheddarwurst, you might think that it sounds good. I’m sure some people love it. It is sausage with cheddar incorporated. The cheddar melts as the sausage cooks, so when you bite into it, it oozes cheddar. At least it’s supposed to. Mine usually just dripped out and looked more like movie theatre popcorn butter than cheese. Well this particular day, I had made those three sausages, and I think I put some condiment on them–horseradish maybe–and I tried to eat it. For the first few bites it was ok, but then it began to taste like the smell of roadkill. Ever had that? When something tastes like the smell of something else? Anyway, I only got through half of one before I gave up.

Now that I’m thinking about it, the real worst lunch I ever had was at a restaurant called El Paso. It seemed fine, until about 5 minutes after I finished and had to run to the bathroom in the restaurant and puked my guts out. It was one of those restaurants where you had to go to the front to pay, and I should have said, “I’m not taking anything with me, so I won’t be paying.” Sorry, I know that’s a gross story, but it was the worst lunch I’ve ever had. I think you’ll agree.

-Breakfast and Lunch-

1 can tuna –114

1 T. light mayo –50

Taco Bell dry seasoning –5

2 pieces of white wheat bread –100

1 c. home made tomato soup –198

Total for lunch –467

Remaining calories –1,341

Should I have a Chinese soup feast tonight? Eh? Eh?

Also, comment if you’re feeling saucy!

Boyfriends, boredom and bulging stomachs

I just popped three laxies. I weighed myself this morning with mu underwear on. 52 kilos. Well, morning might be a bit off, it was one in the afternoon, but I had gotten up around twelve and had already eaten breakfast. The boyfriend was staying over. He knows about the eating issues, so it’s important I eat in front of him. I didn’t want him to see me on the scale, so I had to shoo him out of the bedroom and almost instigated yet another fight …

He’s not the worst boyfriend in the world. Not at all. He even tries to be the best. He is very loving and caring, funny and smart. All the things I want in a man. It just pisses me off immensely that I try to look my best for him almost all the time, and he hasn’t even gotten a haircut in six months! And now he has like half green, half brown hair that sticks out over his ears and curls around his neck. Ugh. I care for him, very much so, but I cannot have sex with a man that doesn’t turn me on … A sneaking suspicion tells me that the lack of sex (=exercise) could be what has brought this undue weight gain on.

Tomorrow I head out to see my therapist. The day after that I have a preliminary exam at a clinic for eating disorders. It’s so stupid, but I hate myself so much fpr gaining weight right before going to see a doctor for this condition. No one takes me seriously about my mental health issues, and I jusst wanted them to look at me and understand that I am not well. But I’m also pleased about it, you know. ‘Cause maybe now I’ll be able to continue on and lose again. I won’t have to maintain a higher weight than 49, a number I am more than comfortable with, and no one will check up on me. That would be pretty sweet.

I’m ambivalent. As in all aspects of life.

I have a major problem with eating when I’m bored. I have nothing to do right now and I keep thinking about all the different meals I could make for myself … I’m not really hungry, just I’ve come to think of eating as a pastime. I really need to shape up and start reading more or just exercising whenever I’m bored. I have tons of motivation (like the aforementioned doctor’s appointment), but little to no energy at the moment. I’ve never been into exercising. No one in my family plays any sports, except my dad who’s a soccer referee a couple of months every summer. I played a little badminton when I was younger, which I remember as being really fun … I was born with a heart condition which wasn’t diagnosed until I was seventeen. My mother thinks that’s the reason I never liked sports and always skipped gym classes. That my body made my mind think sports were boring, because I couldn’t participate. It makes sense somewhere deep down, where the hippie woman who drinks green tea and lights incense in me lives.

What’s your favourite sport? Do you prefer exercising alone or with others? What the hell motivates people, perhaps you, to get out of bed or off the couch and over to the gym?

I’m heading off to my boyfriend’s soon. Gonna drop and do some crunches before then though. Or else my conscience won’t let me leave this apartment. I’m also bringing some of the food bf bought for me today; generosity is a great way to cover for wanting to get rid of food.

Exercise is Not for Weight Loss

Read time: 1.5 minutes

There are two categories of exercise literature. One is based on athletic development, like competitive sports and bodybuilding. The other is based on getting sick people to become healthy, or (more popularly) on preserving health in a population that’s slowly killing itself.

As personal fitness trainers, we tell our clients and the public that exercise prevents obesity, insulin-resistance, diabetes, bone loss, and cardiac disease — as if those who don’t exercise will automatically get fat, become diabetic, and die of heart disease. Before Gold’s Gym and 24-Hour Nautilus, how in the hell did people manage? How do people in cultures that don’t exercise live to be 100, without suffering obesity and degenerative diseases?

Folks like the Okinawans, Sardinians, people of the Nikoya Peninsula, and the Seventh-day Adventists live long lives free of degenerative diseases, yet they never lift a dumbbell. Instead they eat wholesome food and participate in natural, relatively gentle activities like gardening and gathering food. Of course there are other factors to the good health, longevity and overall leanness seen in these populations, but formal exercise isn’t one of them. These people are void of the modern diseases seen regularly in populations whose diet comprises heavily of grain-based processed foods and who must rely desperately on formal exercise to preserve their volatile state of health.

According to data presented in Good Calories Bad Calories, inactivity might not be the cause of overweight. Rather, inactivity and overweight might both be symptoms of the same cause. And the cause, as overwhelming evidence shows, might be the consumption of refined sugar and grain-based carbohydrates, which retards our ability to burn calories for fuel, resulting in the propensity for not just overweight but also inactivity.

This may explain why in most people exercise is very difficult and fails at producing weight loss. Inactivity might not be the problem. Instead, the problem might be that grain-based processed carbohydrates is damaging the body’s ability to utilize calories and thus depressing its propensity for activity.

When No One's Looking...

Happy Weekend ya’ll,

Okay so I’ve figured out when there’s no one in the house but me and Cam, I tend to gorge myself on food. It’s almost a feeling of, well since no one sees it, it doesn’t count. I went crazy last night for some reason! Went I got home I had a bowl of frosted flakes, I had a stuffed enchilada bun for dinner, a piece of boston cream pie for desert… followed up with a chocolate milk night-cap! Don’t really have an excuse either. I got good news on a test, parents were out of the house so that stress wasn’t there and I was getting to watch the 3rd season of Dexter.

I wasn’t hungry, but for some reason I was craving junk! And no I’m not on my period. So I know when I fall off the wagon, I get right back on. I got up this morning, did a 30 minute Wii excercise and had a bowl of cream of wheat. But I’m falling off the wagon a little more than I’d like to. It seems that I either eat right and don’t exercise, or I exercise and don’t eat right. Any one got any ideas on how I can do both without feeling overwhelmed? Thankfully the exercise seems to be keeping me from gaining when I pig out. But I want to lose… not maintain.

I really need to get back to tracking my calories. The Wii has a cool thing on how many calories you want to burn a day and it updates you on what you have left after every game. I set it to 255 calories a day. That takes me about an hour and that’s just keeping me from gaining when I decide to do the whole bottomless stomach thing. I really haven’t been paying attention to points like I said I would. What I need to do is go through the fridge and pantry and point everything out. That way when I grab for something to eat, I already know how much it will cost me. I also need to cut down on the food I eat at the campus cafe. Although I think I’m making the best choices, I can’t know for sure how much fat or calories are in those choices. For all I know they could be marinating their turkey breast in oil and butter before they cook it!

Example:

Turkey Pita Wrap with humus.

Although it sounds pretty healthy, I have no idea how they prepare the turkey breast, that’s a whole pita bread and I don’t know the ingredients to the humus. It was delicious. I love humus! I chose humus over the cucumber sauce because the sauce was a mayonnaise and yogurt base which = a lot of fat. BUT depending on the brand of humus, there could be a lot of oil and fat used in it as well. So I have no idea which really was the better choice.

Obviously the best way to ensure what’s going in your food is to make it yourself. But on those times you can’t you should really ask detailed questions (which I did not). Even though you think it is the healthy choice you’re making, veggies could be sauted in butter, same with chicken breast, things could have hidden fats that they don’t list on the description. The biggest misconception is thinking salads are safe. Salad dressings can be full of fat and calories. And depending on the salad, it could have eggs, meats and cheeses that can be just as bad as eating a burger.

Well I think I’m going to go do some calorie crunching and plan out my meals for the rest of the day! I hope the info was insightful for some of you!

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

-Christy

Day 4 - Lunch

After discovering a stowaway box of Thursday’s lo mein in the fridge, I popped that in the microwave and made a turkey sandwich to go with it. It wasn’t the best lunch I’ve ever had, but certainly not the worst. Incidently, the best lunch I ever had was at a place in Harrisonburg, Va. called Mrs. Hardesty’s Tea Room. We sat outside, and I had a piece of quiche, bacon and cheese, I think, along with a cheese scone and “mango mist” tea. Even though I felt a little phoney and European, it was absurdly good. Besides, the spoonbread with lemon curd totally took away all my shame in the end.

-Lunch-

1 c. vegetable lo mein –299

2 slices Nature’s Own white wheat bread –100

3 slices turkey –90

Hummus –50

Total for lunch: 539 calories

Remaining calories: 1,035

Weigh-In Week #7

Happy Thursday everyone!

I actually don’t have much of anything new to inform you of as far as working out or eating goes. Last night I did the monthly grocery shopping and since it’s November that means Thanksgiving food! We are also having a birthday party for Cameron next week (he’s a Christmas Eve baby so it’s hard to do a party for him then). One of the biggest complaints of eating healthier is the price of the food. Fresh Fruits and Veggies can get pricey. Not to mention whole wheat and whole grain products are a bit expensive as well. Many experts contribute Americas increasing waistlines to the cheap cost of junk food. I’m not sure I totally agree with that theory but the price of healthier items are definitely noticable. So what do you do when you’re on a strict budget (like I am) and don’t want to eat crappy food? I’m proud to say that I did Thanksgiving, Cameron’s party food and our normal monthly foods for 4 people on less than $300.

I was really excited about that. I personally shop at Win-Co. Sometimes their produce isn’t the greatest, but if you stick with the things that are in season they’re really good. Braeburn apples for only .78 a pound! 8 lean cut pork chops for $5. Since fruits and veggies are usually what we spend most of the money on, I mix it up. I buy fresh fruits and veggies that are in season and you can’t get frozen. Then I buy lots of frozen veggies. Since they are flash frozen when they are at their peak of freshness they maintain their nutrients. Not to mention when prepared properly taste just as good as fresh. I look for deals on certain meats and fish. In general chicken is always a cheap choice and tilapia was on sale. And my favorite way to save money is to buy generic. For the most part there really is no difference, cept for mayo lol.

Alright time to reveal my weight for the week…

11/5/09 – 153 lbs.

Wooohooo! I’m excited! I’m hoping in the next couple weeks I’ll reach the 10 pound mark. It’s really exciting to me that I seem to be inspiring some of you to get active. I love hearing that my friend started working out again because I got her motivated. This is a whole lot more than getting skinny to me. This is a way of gaining control of my life again and helping other people in the process. And although I focus on losing weight, I’m more excited about the journey I’m taking. To not give up and get discouraged when I get off track is a big deal for me. I’m honored that people come and not only read my story but get inspired to start their own journey.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

-Christy

3 Principles For Overcoming Fitness Obstacles

If you’re like me, the quest to be in shape and manage weight feels overwhelming. And, as if the quest to be fit isn’t hard enough, there’s often other obstacles to overcome: health issues, time management, mustering up courage or energy. Even if you’ve been exercising for a long time, there’s always new barriers to be broken. So, how to put all of this into perspective?

According to Tom Turner, executive liaison for the Spina Bifida Association that’s exactly it: Perspective. And also, according to him, there’s no mountain too high to climb. Tom would know. Paralyzed from the waist down since birth he’s now 35 and trains about three times a week. In fact, he tells me, he just couldn’t get along without exercise.

So in my quest for the last word on overcoming barriers in fitness, Tom sat down with me and together we came up with 3 basic principles that will help break-down fears and intimidations when striving to reach fitness goals. (After all, if he can exercise on a regular basis, shouldn’t that be encouragement enough for anyone to give it a shot?)

Principle #1 Move Into The Fear.

“Train you mind to believe no mountain is too high or any goal is too difficult to attain,” Tom tells me. Basically, it’s all about meeting your fears and facing them head-on. In this principle, aim to recognize your fears, acknowledge them and then move through them. Ask yourself what is it that makes you uncomfortable? Have you let yourself get out of shape and are afraid you’ll never get back? Do you have an injury that’s caused you to be afraid of your body? If you can visualize creatively, then you can put your fears in check. See your self as you’d like to be. Remember: your body loves you and has the potential to heal itself to perfection. Your only job is to trust it and listen.

Q: What is your body saying to you?

Principle #2 Trust Your Intuition.

It is important when overcoming obstacles and learning to break through barriers that you begin to listen to the still small voice of your body. In most cases, we all want the comfort of having someone telling us what we can and cannot do. However, our highest truth lies within us. This is not to say that the good opinion of others is not important, but ultimately the decision making comes from within.

When facing a challenge or an obstacle look to how you feel. What are your instincts telling you? Often it is simply your instinct that will move you into a new mindset and raise your consciousness. “I wasn’t about to let the wheelchair stand in my way,” Tom tells me. In fact, he says he had to merely change his perspective about it. He says he first had to learn about what his restrictions were then, create a boundary for himself. “We all have boundaries,” he tells me. “Regardless if a person can walk or not, obstacles are as unique as people themselves. Therefore, it’s first best to know your boundaries.”

Next, Tom tells me he aims to meet those boundaries. “I first reach as high as I can within the confines of what I am able to do. Whether it be more sets, reps or greater endurance, I allow myself as much time as necessary to accomplish my small goals. It always surprises me, with small steps, how quickly I can reach a Big goal.”

Principle #3 Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night.

What then, about fear? I wanted to know. If we move into the fear and meet it eye to eye what if fear meets us there? “So,” I asked Tom: “are you ever afraid? “After 19 operations in my life, I’ve really come to terms with fear,” he says. “It really comes down to our most primal fear; fear of death. Once you realize that death is all part of the divine plan, it’s liberating, you can let it go and, instead, choose how to live. So instead of being afraid of death I decided to choose how to live.”

So what’s the take away message? Talking to Tom, I’m reminded of the poem by Dylan Thomas who said: “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.” It seems appropriate here. The bottom line: Staying afraid often keeps us from truly living. Tom reminds me that a positive attitude is key, “Life is all about attitude.” He also says he could let fear beat him down, yet he doesn’t. “I wouldn’t want to miss being part of tomorrow,” he concludes. That said, what fears are getting in your way? Make today the right time to face them.

In conclusion: Life Beyond The Boundaries.

When you’ve faced your fears and pushed your boundaries to the edges, what then? I wanted to know. Tom smiles. “Find a new mountain to climb,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s what makes life fun. I know I have considerations. I know that there will be days that I’ll need to stay in bed and rest while my braces are getting tuned up. It’s those times when I am with my thoughts that I decide what I am going to set my sights on.”

Author’s Note: In my personal quest to live beyond the boundaries I’ve chosen Tom as my role model (lucky for me, he’s my brother). We so often look to the media for these sources and so often they are illusory. There are “real” people everywhere doing great things…look around you; angels are everywhere! Learn from them. Choose someone you look up to, admire or of whom you appreciate their values. Set goals, climb mountains! Set intention in motion and enjoy the healthy process.
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Sunday, November 29, 2009

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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Thursday, November 19, 2009

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