PSA for Today!

So picture it: You're sitting in your recliner. You're rocking back and forth. You have a 2 year old grandson at your feet playing with his Hot Wheel Cars on the floor. Oh how you desperately want to get down there and play cars with him but your body just won't let you do it. If you were to get on the floor you feel you would never be able to get back up w/o someone's help. Let's face it, from the time we are born we age. Starting now with a good workout routine will help to slow down the effects of aging on our body.

Studies have shown that daily exercise can:

Decrease your chances for Heart Disease later in life.
Help prevent Cancer.
Keep your bones and muscles strong.
Help provide better circulation.
Help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
Help Prevent Diabetes
Prevent Common Colds.


Don't be the old woman/man in the recliner that can't get out of it. You may think you have plenty of time before old age hits, but it's never to early to start. So stay healthy for your children and grandchildren, maybe even your great grandchildren.

Passing along some info.

I thought I would pass along some web sites I use. Some of these have great articles on fitness and some are great recipe websites where you can find some really healthy food. One is a website with some workout tunes on it. I'm going to add more soon, these were the ones off the top of my head I use.

Sparkpeople.com

Calorie-Count.com

Tasteofhome.com

Foodnetwork.com

Inthegym.net

Top 6 Fitness Myths and Truths

I'm still around. I'm still doing the ChaLean Extreme Lean circuit and Turbo Kick every day. I just love the Lean circuit so much. Last night I did Lean intervals, so yeah I'm just a little sore today. Found this article in my email and it is so true so I'm posting it for all to view. :)


Don't Believe These Tall Tales!
-- By Jen Mueller, Certified Personal Trainer

Would your friends lie to you? They just might be...

This time of year is all about starting fresh—new goals, solid plans, better habits. You probably have a new exercise routine to help you reach your weight loss and fitness goals. Along the way, whether in the gym, reading the latest books, or talking with your friends, you’ll hear a lot of advice about exercise—not all of which is true.

There are several common misconceptions about exercise and weight loss, but don’t let yourself be fooled! Here are the Top 6 Fitness Myths and the Truths that debunk them:

Myth #1: You can take weight off of specific body parts by doing exercises that target those areas.

Truth: This concept is called "spot training" and unfortunately, it doesn’t burn fat. When you lose weight, you are unable to choose the area in which the reduction will occur. Your body predetermines which fat stores it will use. For example, doing sit-ups will strengthen you abs but will not take the fat off of your stomach. Similarly, an activity like running burns fat all over your body, not just your legs. You can, however, compliment a balanced exercise program with a selection of weight training exercises to gradually lose weight and tone the body.

Myth #2: Women who lift weights will bulk up. ( I know for a fact this one isn't true by using the ChaLean Extreme system)

Truth: While on a weight lifting program, the right hormones (testosterone) are necessary in order to bulk up. Women’s testosterone levels are much lower than men’s, so in most cases, they are not capable of building large muscles. In fact, since muscle takes up less room than fat, women tend to lose inches when they strength train. So in addition to the physical benefits (increased metabolism, decreased risk of osteoporosis, increased strength), strength training will help you slim down too!

Myth #3: If you can’t exercise hard and often, there’s really no point.

Truth: Even moderate activity is shown to reduce your risk for heart disease and stroke. If you don’t have 30 minutes in your day to exercise, try splitting it up into 10-minute segments instead. Everyone can find 10 minutes to spare sometime during the day! There are simple things you can do to increase your activity without having to go to the gym: take the stairs instead of the elevator, jump rope or do body weight exercises (push ups, crunches) at commercial breaks, take a short walk after lunch. Remember that any exercise is better than none!

Myth #4: Performing abdominal exercises will give you a flat stomach.

Truth: This is similar to Myth #1 above. The fact is, the only way to get a flat stomach is to strip away the fat around the midsection. This is accomplished by doing cardio/aerobic exercise (to burn calories), strength training (to increase metabolism) and following a proper diet. Abdominal exercises will help to build muscle in your midsection, but you will never see the muscle definition unless the fat in this area is stripped away.

Myth #5: You will burn more fat if you exercise longer at a lower intensity.

Truth: The most important factor in exercise and weight control is not the percentage of fat calories burned, but the total calories burned during the activity. The faster you walk, bike or swim, for example, the more calories you use per minute. Although you will be burning fewer "fat calories", you will be burning more total calories, and in turn, will lose more weight.

Myth #6: No pain, no gain!

Truth: Exercise should not be painful! At the height of your workout, you should be sweating and breathing hard. You should not be so out of breath that you cannot answer a question, but should not be so comfortable that you can carry on a full conversation. That’s how you know you are working at a good level. It’s important to distinguish between muscle fatigue (feeling "the burn") and muscle/joint pain (sharp and uncomfortable pain during movement). Pain is your body’s way of telling you that you’re doing something wrong. Listen to your body. If it’s painful, stop!


There’s a lot of fitness information out there- some reliable, some not. The important thing is to ask questions. If you don’t understand something or question the source, ask a qualified fitness professional for their advice. Sticking to the truths of these myths will keep you healthy, injury-free, and on track to meeting your fitness goals.

Wanna Coke?

In Foods that Hurt

Don’t drink cola if you want to be healthy. Consuming soft drinks is bad for so many reasons that science cannot even state all the consequences. But one thing we know for sure is that drinking Coke, as a representative of soft drinks, wreaks havoc on the human organism. What happens? Writer Wade Meredith has shown the quick progression of Coke’s assault.

The main problem is sugar. It’s an evil that the processed food industry and sugar growers don’t want people to know about. Even dietitians, financially supported by sugar growers and sugary product manufacturers, are loathe to tell us the truth.

When somebody drinks a Coke watch what happens…

• In The First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don’t immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor allowing you to keep it down.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.
• 45 minutes: Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.
• >60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.
• >60 Minutes: The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.
• >60 minutes: As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like even having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

So there you have it, an avalanche of destruction in a single can. Imagine drinking this day after day, week after week. Stick to water, real juice from fresh squeezed fruit, and tea without sweetener.
Primary Source: by Wade Meredith

Just Say No to Fad dieting!

(I am shocked this was considered a diet)

Fad Diet du Jour

By Mary_RD on Nov 03, 2009 12:00 PM in Dieting & You

At the risk of sounding unprofessional, I think fad diets are a hoot - in a cynical way. A book, a plan, a pill, a drink, whatever.... Fad diets provide (false) hope for a quick fix, not lasting change. They involve the complete suspension of normal life for as long as they last. Many are dangerous when extended, but who can make it past the first few days? And, what's more, they give people something to talk about. And so, without further ado, meet the Fad Diet du Jour.

The Cookie Diet

For two days in October, the Cookie Diet ranked in Google’s Top 20 Search Terms. (It even beat out the Balloon Boy.) For whatever reason, including a good PR team, Dr. Siegel, inventor of the Cookie Diet, appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America with Josie Raper, a woman who lost 120 pounds on The Cookie Diet was on the cover of People. And then next day, the Cookie Diet was mentioned in the New York Times. Suddenly, everybody had to have The Cookie Diet!

To follow The Cookie Diet, an individual eats six hulking, earthy cookies and one “real” meal a day. One cookie has 90 calories, and total daily calorie intake ends up being around 1000 - too low for good nutrition. The cookies are designed to control hunger and provide some missing nutrients (but not all). The diet guarantees a 10-pound loss in 30-days. And who doesn’t like to eat cookies?

But, really, would you think that cookies the answer to the problem of obesity? Fad diets take people further from, not closer to their lifelong goals. This might be a good time to review How to Spot a Fad Diet. If you answer YES to any of these questions, assume you have spotted a fad:

• Does the diet emphasize a fast weight loss instead of realistic expectations?
• Does the diet prescribe specific food combinations, rigid menus or limiting food choices?
• Does the diet promise success for everyone instead of tailoring the program to individual needs?
• Does the diet rely heavily on meal substitutes or miracle foods?
• Does the diet say you don't have to exercise or make lifestyle changes?
• Does the diet make indiscriminate use of supplements?
• Does the diet author or provider have dubious credentials?
• Does the diet have bizarre quantities?

Unfortunately, The Cookie Diet failed. But then, The Cookie Diet has already fallen off the radar screen. Healthy cookies are fine - just not six a day, everyday.

Still here!

I'm still here. I'm still following the Lean circuit. I've also been incorporating Turbo Kick as well. I can't give that up. lol There was a sale on TK rounds last week so I got some new ones to do and have been doing them. So lots of cardio been coming my way lately. I'm doing my best to do it every day. I am succeeding! At least I better, I have a really pretty gown to fit into Friday for the Marine Corps Ball. I'll be updating soon with more pics and hopefully video!