I found an online YOGA workout that I find very helpful.

A great stretch and release for back hips legs and spine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQNqZMv1V0&feature=share

Robert Kennedy 1938-2012

Sadly, Robert Kennedy publisher, significant contributor to the fitness and body building world and husband of Tosca Reno died April 12th 2012. My deepest sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues. His legacy will live on. http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2012/04/13/robert-kennedy-1938-2012-health-and-lifestyle-publisher/ http://www.rkpubs.com/bob/ Christine

Power lunch

Tips: I often hear fitness nutritionalists advising that you should always consume protein with carbs (to modulate the effect on blood sugar especially in insulin sensitive individuals).

On the program Body Fuel episode 107 Dr. John Berardi advises in order to get the muscle building benefits of protein while avoiding the risk of being too acidic consume protein with at least two servings of fruit or vegetables.

Recipe for a five minute power lunch (my version of spinach salad)
1-2 cups spinach steamed
1 medium tomato thinly sliced.
2 slices avocado
1 whole hard boiled egg sliced
3 hard boiled egg whites chopped or sliced
1 tbsp chopped walnuts
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Spread spinach over plate
Top with sliced tomatoes and avocado
Top with egg
Sprinkle walnut
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar

You can leave the spinach raw if you prefer!

Refreshing and nutritious with plenty of fiber
Calories 319
Carb 20 gm
Protein 24 gm
Fat 16 gm
Fiber 8.4 gm
Sodium 360 mg

40% protein 33.3% carb 26.7% fat

COMPETITION - SANDRA WICKHAM FALL CLASSIC NOVEMBER 13TH 2010

If you are planning on competing in body building try and watch as many competitions as you can. Sandra Wickham's Fall Classic is coming up November 13th 2010 in Vancouver.

Here is a link for tickets

To her Web Site


The Western Canadians is generally in Kelowna in May - I will post once the date is confirmed.

ANOTHER GOOD REASON TO EAT 6 SMALL MEALS A DAY

Many years ago a coworker had a gastric (stomach) stappling because of obesity. I believe they use 'bands' now. She could only eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time and felt very full. Remarkably, she soon boasted she could eat a whole burger- guess she worked hard at stretching it again .......but I digress.

One good reason to eat six small meals a day is that your stomach will shrink and it will reduce the amount of food you will be comfortable eating. And of course...it keeps insulin levels and other hormones more balanced.

YOUR BEST BODY NOW - IS HERE! TOSCA RENO'S BOOK IS WORTH THE READ

I stopped by the book store today and was exicted to find Tosca Reno's new book on the shelves. I bought three copies. I am sure I will buy more to give at Christmas.

It is $22.95 and worth every penny. She looks great as always. It has great information and great motivational stories. It is easy to read and....you may even see someone you know in it.....

I have already designed my next workout from her book. I think I have them all...keep on writing Tosca.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN. Take it easy on the candy.

I have been away from the blog for a LONG period..I have never been so busy in my life. But the blog keeps me fitness focused...so I have quite a few articles in progress and hope to post not too long from now.

I have been travelling to really interesting places..working full time, commuting, running a business and going to school. Like I have said before - getting fit gives me a lot of energy. I have to let some things go though. I came home to 595 emails. I did not want to delete them because I love learning and I often learn new things from the mail sites I have signed up for. Sadly I had to delete them but have made a commitment to keep up to date both in my blog and my email.

It is Halloween. Usually by now we have had many dozens of kids but so far only a few. It isn't raining either. I am hoping parents have educated their kids to eat clean :) but it is probably another reason they are not coming. People in our neighbourhood tend to live here for years - so maybe the kids are grown up.

The bad part is my husband insists on full size chocolate bars. The driveway is long and I guess he figures to walk all that way, the kids should get more than a tiny bar.

Left over chocolate is bad bad bad - I love chocolate but I can 'eat a square a day' and be satisfied. Unfortunately he can eat a box a day and then eat more. I am glad he is getting back to working out with his best friend tomorrow.

Long as he knows that to burn off ONE Caramilk or Peanut Butter Cup pack or pack of Smarties he would have to:

cycle at 8 mph for 1 hour
walk at 3 mph for 1 hour
run at 5 mph for 1/2 hour or 2 1/2 miles
bowl for 1 1/2 hours
hike uphill for 3/4 hour
jump rope for 2 hours
weight train medium intensity 1 1/4 hours

FOR EACH BAR or package!!!

KAYLEA CROSS WINS ROMANTIC SUSPENSE!

Both first and second for the Romantic Suspense category in the Heart of Excellent Award!!!!

Even her blog is entertaining reading

Yeah Kari! I mean Kaylea

7 day belly fat blast

Roasted Chicken Breast with Spinach and Walnuts Stuffing A Free Anabolic Cooking Recipe - DELICIOUS

I promote eating simply when starting out with a weight loss program, especially if you are eating differently than other family members. After awhile though you may miss cooking and tasting new recipes.



I finally got to that stage of boredom with my diet. But, I had come too far to go back to my former lifestyle.



I research a lot of fitness sites. Recently I found this great E book



Click here for Anabolic Cooking



Here is a sample of a delicious recipe.

Roasted Chicken Breast with Spinach and Walnuts Stuffing

Makes 4 Servings


Ingredients

- 4 large fresh chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (average 8oz per breast)
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 2 Tbsp of garlic
- 1/4 cup walnuts crushed
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Olive oil (not extra virgin)

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Butterfly Chicken Breasts (cut along side and lay out flat leaving attached at one end like a book) and lay out flat on cutting board. You can pound it slightly to flatten a bit if you want.
2. Rub both sides with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Lightly wilt spinach in non-stick pan, or if using frozen just thaw.
4. Spread roasted garlic paste onto one half on inside of chicken breasts.
5. Sprinkle with crushed walnuts.
6. Place spinach on top of walnuts.
7. Fold top over and place on a rack fitted inside a sheet pan or roasting pan.
8. Place chicken in oven and bake for 20 minutes on 400. Then reduce heat to 325 and roast for an additional 30 minutes, or until inside stuffing reaches 145 degrees.
9. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Nutritional Facts
(Per Serving)

Calories: 407
Protein: 55g
Carbohydrates: 4g
Fat: 19g

TIP

A female non body builder likely won't be eating a whole large breast - so the above recipe may be more like 8 servings. Serve with a salad or vegetable such as asparagus or broccoli if you are eating late in the day. If you are having it as a lunch meal you could add a carb such as brown rice pilaf and broccoli or yam and aspargus.

PS

DONT PANIC - ANABOLIC IS A GOOD WORD!

We often hear the word in association with the word 'steroid' a bad thing.

What does anabolic mean? A set of metabolic pathways that constructs tissues, organs etc from smaller units, a reaction which requires energy. Increasing muscle mass is an example. You need a good anabolic diet to build lean muscle.

The opposite of anabolism is 'catabolism' the breaking down of tissues.. if you starve you will waste away which is not a good thing - basically your body is digesting itself. You will lose good tissues as well as fat and create a huge chemical imbalance which can lead to death.

AWESOME FREE WORKOUT FOR TERRIFIC ARMS

I am always on the lookout for really good free workouts to share on this blog. This one works biceps, triceps, chest, shoulders and works core stability with minimal equipment.
Click on printable format for a made to take with you workout.

http://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/toned_arms

CALORIE COUNTING? IS IT NECESSARY FOR FAT LOSS?

YES

WHY? Because we grossly underestimate the quantity AND caloric values of what we eat.

Try a test. Write down every single thing you eat. (Better still - if you can remember - write down what you ate yesterday-everything including condiments and particularly beverages). Guess at how many calories you ate. Then look it up and being honest with the amounts/volumes you ate list the ACTUAL number of calories.

I'll bet you ate double the calories you estimated.

Measuring calories when we first try to get fit gives us the knowledge about the fat, carb, protein and caloric content of the foods we eat as well as the huge amount of 'empty' calories most of us consume. It helps us to make much healthier choices.

Is it exact? Certainly not. You would have to weigh and micromeasure to be certain. The most important thing is you get a good 'ballpark' idea of what you are eating. Most of all you will acknowlege THAT you are eating. How many times have you said 'I hardly eat a thing and I still gained weight" ? Until we write things down or follow a food plan we often eat without even thinking and have no idea what we have consumed.

Once you have things under control and you are maintaining a healthy weight, unless you are doing serious competition training, you should be able to more accurately estimate your intake without micromanaging it.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 11 STOP FAKING IT

Ok. So you stick to a clean diet, sort of. You are working out, sort of. Sometimes we half heartedly go through the motions of what we do. We aren't really into it and just sort of do it - well we eat right some of the time. We work out but don't enjoy it or just get through it. Is this true for you? If it is - take time off - perhaps a week.

Keep active doing something fun. Enjoy food but don't go crazy. Then remember why you want to eat healthy and get fit. Find a way to love eating great healthy food. Explore new foods.

Shorten but intensify your workout. Give it your all.

Bonus? Exercise and clean eating can cure depression! Improved mood can lead to healthier living habits.

So stop faking it and succeed.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 10 - ATTITUDE - IF YOU THINK YOU CAN OR YOU THINK YOU CAN'T - YOU ARE RIGHT

Maybe I should have put this post first. I love the quote because it is so accurate. Attitude is everything in success.You have not failed. Why? Because you are here and you must be here because you have not given up.

You can hear about the people who failed on my site at my Natural Beauty blog post. The people who failed and became bed ridden at 1000 lb. The people who failed themselves and whose family, friends and health care professionals failed them too. That is not you. What you need to do differently this time, is realize that it is your mind not your body letting you down.

You can choose and condition yourself mentally to love or to hate exercise and nutrition.Think about the things you have done in your life that made you feel really successful and gave you a sense of accomplishment. They were the things that took dedication, commitment and effort. Didn't it make you feel great?

You can make this into a wonderful journey. Think of all the positives:

• Time just for you
• Motivating music
• Watch your cellulite reduce and disappear
• Find your clothes loose
• Wear things you have not worn in a long time
• See your muscles appear
• Watch your skin and hair glow
• Experience strong nails, full thick fast growing hair
• Feel incredible energy
• Feel and look sexy
• Improve your mood

You are the one capable of changing how you feel about absolutely anything. You can change your attitude about exercise and good nutrition and instead of dreading it embrace the journey.

Challenge yourself to find the best nutritional choices in a restaurant. Think about how to make your delicious recipes healthier. Write a cook book! Develop and groom your taste buds to enjoy the enormous choices of healthy foods. Enjoy shopping at farmers markets and food places that stimulate your creativity with healthy food prep.

Challenge yourself every day to do better than the day before even if you only make a 10 second change in your cardio, it will add up quickly until you enjoy the exhilaration and look forward to it every day. Visualize yourself enjoying every minute of the workout before the workout and soon you will train yourself to love fitness activities just as easily as you taught yourself to dislike them. Your mind is a powerful tool. Change your attitude, change your body.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 9 MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE

You need to measure just about everything. At one point I got sloppy with my body building training thinking I would remember the last weight I did - I didn't. I had no idea if I had progressed. I was guestimating serving sizes for meals. Soon as I realized I was not seeing much change in my muscle development, not increasing my weights nor getting body fat loss. I got back on track.

We almost always overestimate how much water we drink and how much exercise we get. We underestimate what we eat. That's why you should not eat at food buffets. Or graze and snack. Just eat your six meals/day and be done.I bought a small digital food weight scale. Interestingly I think I was guestimating my protein serving in my head using liquid measure because I was sure underestimating how much 2.5 oz of chicken or steak was. Believe it or not, it is a fair bit. Especially when you are eating 6 times/day.

Food safety tip: wipe down the scale with a mild bleach solution to prevent cross contamination of raw meat to other foods.

Write down every single thing you eat - it will help to sort out any problems later as well as make you pay attention to what you are eating and when. Measure your food. If you are eating 1/2 c rice - measure it.

Pre-pour your water for the day in a jug. Drinking glass by glass you will lose track and will also forget and then try and drink it all at once - not a good idea.

Always write down the weights you used in your workout. If you could squeeze out more than the required reps - put an up arrow next to it to increase the weight the next time. If you could not do all the intervals up in your cardio, write down how many and try to beat it by 10-20 sec or by adding another interval the next time. If you are using landmarks in the street - try to get to the next house or the next pole next time.

You will underestimate your working heart rate. Try to get a monitor. Take all your measurements as instructed as well as your weight. Weight alone does not give sufficient information to map your progress. If you are spending the time doing this, it makes sense to get it right so a) you succeed and b) you don't waste your time.

Keeping track serves another useful purpose. If for some reason you plateau, and you recorded honestly, you'll know exactly why. Week to week you will see progressive changes which will keep you motivated. I have posted a link for a body fat calculation. It will not be exact. It is just an estimate. The main thing is to use it as a comparative tool. To see if there are changes from week to week. CLICK FOR BODY FAT ESTIMATE In case you are tempted to go to some of the places below I have posted a link to their nutritional information. Most well known franchises have links to nutritional information - just use a search engine with the name of the place and "nutrition" e.g "Wendy's nutrition"Example:
Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad Cal 540, Fat 25 Carb 50, Protein 31 - remove the dressing and noodles and you can reduce it but best to make your own. You would have to do one hour of high intensity aerobics to burn that many calories.
Skinny Cow
Arby's
MacDonald's USA
Wendy's
Starbuck's

Sorry to spoil it for you but a mocha frappuccino blended is 380 cal, Fat 15, Sat fat 9 Protein 6 - and that is just a beverage.
Tim Horton's A Breakfast BELT is 440 cal Fat 14 Carb 59 Protein 21
My favourite a cinnamon raisin bagel is 270 cal Fat 1 Carb 55 Protein 10 but I believe that is without butter. Yikes.

EXERCISE A WONDERFUL JOURNEY

I can barely remember the process I went through for weight loss and fitness anymore because exercise and good nutrition have become so natural to me. I have had so many programs by this point, over the past 1 1/2 years mostly self designed because I made it a point of learning as much as I could to be self sufficient.


For success you have to change it up every 4-6 weeks. I learned you don't have to work out for hours a day as well as how important it is to practice progressive resistance training. I remembered from a prior experience how weight training was incredible for my mind body and spirit. Right from the first work out you get a sense of strength and accomplishment. Hard bodies are healthy bodies. It improves your self esteem with every work out. It is the best stress release around and is more durable than a vacation, a spa treatment or tv. The important thing is to savour the time, the feeling, and most importantly embrace the chance to be alone with YOU and make this a wonderful enjoyable journey not a chore. Feel your muscles working and pointing out to you that you are a strong and vibrant human being.


Whether following a nutrition plan or a work out plan your mind is the most potent part of the process. Dont be in a rush. It took you years to get this way - obese and unhealthy. You can get healthy faster than you took to get unhealthy but be patient. Make changes, a bit at a time, follow your PT advice and learn that there is not much that can sideline you from working out - if you have an injury or disability you will be told how to work around it - there is very little excuse to stop. You will also find that you can be creative in your exercises when away from home and the familiar workout environment. I am 61 and if I can do it you certainly can!


How many women - do everything for everyone and if there is time left over they do something for themselves? How often do we make sure the house and garden are all in order before we do something for us? Well your personal house, your body deserves as much if not more attention. You have to put this journey and you first within reason. Then work other things around it. It is your time. You will find you will give up unimportant things and make time for your work outs and incorporate it ingeniously into your every day activites. Soon along with your nutrition changes and weight/resistance training, you will feel better, look better and find that continuing your journey is non negotiable. Be selfish for a short period. Once you achieve your goals your nutrition and exercise will be so ingrained as part of your life, it will no longer need to be 'fit' in to your life.



WORKOUT PARTNERS - NOT! You heard me - NOT. You only should have a work out partner if you are a body builder and need a partner to spot you so you don't drop excessively heavy weights on your head, chest etc. and crush yourself. It is fine to have a partner to blog with, email, phone or have a coffee with to share fitness goals and info. Trust me it can't possibly work very well to need a partner to work out with for a number of reasons. Two people (or more) generally aren't at the same level, have the same program requirements, have the same motivation, the same motivators, the same knowlege, or the same barriers, like the same music or be motivated to work out at the exact right time. You will find that either the person(s) hold you back because you are more advanced and motivated or you will feel defeated because they are more advanced and you can't keep up. it is not a competition. If it is not the best time for you to work out, you won't give it your best. Not to mention, this time should be for YOU. How can you focus on the muscle you are working if you are chatting about your troubles at work or elsewhere. If you must go to a gym, say quick hellos, put on your IPOD and get focused and make it clear you are not there to chat. Get in, enjoy and savour the experience and get out. Make this about YOUR time. You see people all day long at home, at work, in the stores, on the street. Learn to enjoy yourself and alone time. Completely emerse yourself in the experience.

I don't like commerical gyms. You can work out at home or neighbourhood with a minimum of equipment. Use the savings from not joining a gym to purchase some equipment. Discuss your goals and experience with your PT and the PT will assist you in buying appropriate stuff to start with. This way - you can work out in the privacy of your own home, when you are motivated not just when the gym might be open. You won't have to wait for equipment, have other strangers sweat their body fluids all over it, get athletes foot from the shower room, go out in a cold car after sweating or showering at a gym, and you will cut down on wasted time commuting. You also don't have to expose yourself in public - right now your body composition is your own business, pretty soon it will be worth strutting around a coed gym but you probably won't want to because you will enjoy working out at home.


When I was visiting Toronto I attended a coed gym because the place where I was staying did not have the room to work out. It was 50,000 sq ft. It was beautiful but I hated it. I really did not need to see some male body parts poking out of shorts or see wedgies or watch the strutting around or strain myself because some ass left his 100 lb weight on top of the ones I needed to get at. I also did not enjoy the ogling. I am a little too old and too married to enjoy having strangers with too much testosterone undress me with their eyes or look at me with morbid curiosity. It is just plain creepy. Interestingly the women were considerate and more focused on being there to work out. If you are going to take my advice and work out at home, just ask the family to respect your time and let you get through it in peace - and have your dinner ready because you don't want to eat carbs too late in the day :)


MOTIVATION - the biggest motivator (and thus one more reason to work out alone) is MUSIC. Research indicates people are more motivated and work out harder with upbeat music. It helps you zone out and really enjoy and concentrate on what you are doing. I have a satellite radio to hear the top 20, I write down the ones I like then I download them on Itunes and into my IPOD. Although the top 20 can be considered mindless songs - the music itself is great to workout to. I put the songs in sets of 13-18 to get me through an entire workout with cardio and weights. By downloading from Itunes - I fill my moral obligation to pay for the song but don't have to buy an entire album of unwanted songs. If your music will bother someone - get a good set of runners' type headphones and put those on - just remember when you sing along you will sound weird and probably out of key ;) Watch the audience on Ellen De Generes show - music is ingrained in her show and it motivates the audience to dance in the aisles.


CARDIO OPTIONS - I walk the dogs but because they are Yorkies it is really not a cardio session. On occasion I do add Nordic poles to intensify the walk and have not skewered a dog yet. I walk/run (interval run) after the dogs are walked.


Most trainers promote interval training these days. For example, one minute of intense and two minutes medium intensity five times -total 17 minute work out WITH WARM UP AND COOL DOWN. Your trainer will shown you how to figure out your working heart rate. You should invest in a heart rate monitor and if you don't wear it every time you work out - wear it once in awhile to check your effort - you may find you have dropped off on your effort and rate - common for me - so I always check and pick up the pace. Many E programs include the calculation methods.


DANCE I have always loved dancing. Problem is JFK has two left feet. I gave up on him after he failed the 4th set of ballroom dancing lessons. Really - he flunked. I thought and thought - how can I dance and not have a partner. I thought at first I would find a gay guy - I know a little bit of sterotyping but I felt that way people would not accuse me of having an affair. I came up with pole dancing and belly dancing. I got PO'd at my one and only pole dancing lesson with probably a 19 year old. During the lesson she instructed that we were going to be doing a squat down the pole - watch her first - then she says 'you'd better be careful and not squat as deep as me' (like maybe I would rupture a knee or have a stroke or something)- those were fighting words - I had already been working out and had quads and hams of steel - I not only squatted lower than she did but did not have to use the pole to get back up - I was offended at the sterotyping - she should have noticed with what I was wearing I was fit. So after a lot of research I took up belly dancing. It is not simply jiggling and rolling your belly. It is an artistic athletic dance. It is absolutely fantastic for mind body connection and cardio and self esteem. I love it and was going to 3 classes (including one double class per week). I went a long way for the best instructor, with that and road construction I stopped for a bit. When I return I will keep it at one double class per week. I have to balance all I have to do.

With at least 4 months of a sound nutrition plan and weight training and some cardio - you will really notice the difference and so will others. You will have discarded a number of sizes of clothing. You will have gone from elastic waists to fitted clothing. BUT DON'T QUIT YET. DON'T QUIT EVER. This is a life style. You will really look forward to it! Once you start noticing the significant changes you will want to go further. Now get into more sculpting and watch your beautiful feminine muscles appear. Don't worry you don't have the body chemistry and male genetics to become a hulking muscle bound male type creature.

TESTIMONIALS. A CAUTION. COPYRIGHT/OWNERSHIP OF PICTURES

A Word About Testimonials

A testimonial is meant to be all positive information - different than an evaluation or a critical review which is supposed to be an objective review whether positive or negative.

Testimonials are frequently used in fitness advertising, particularly E books.

Testimonials are often solicited after you have had a positive experience. A very satisfied customer will give one without being asked but I do recognize that humans are more likely to write about a complaint rather than about a positive experience, so I admit sometimes a testimonial will have to be requested.

Testimonials solicited as a barter for some sort of reward makes it much less valid.

Be honest and factual in reporting the positive aspects of your experience. If you are expected to present a totally positive review, only put that which you actually felt positive about. Don't embelish or make up what is not true.

If you are having a great deal of trouble writing one, it may be because you either did not have a positive experience or that you did not benefit enough from it to support it and attach your name to it.

Before you provide a testimonial make sure you ask yourself truly if you would recommend this product and this person to your best friend or a family member. If the testimonial is in a public venue it will haunt you forever.

Ask how and where this information will be used. Ask if your privacy will be maintained. Be aware that often there is little to prevent others such as affiliates who get commissions for selling the product from copying your information or using it in their own ads - the internet provides free reign for all types of people - in some online sales sites ANYONE can be an affiliate without pemission of the author and the author of the product has little control on what the affiliate writes in their ads. This is true for clickbank. On a site I came across a while I was searching the net I found that an affiliate for a product had used an unflattering picture of a friend of mine with a less than flattering comment.

On the other hand there are internet E companies who allow authors to place restrictions such as requiring that affiliates be screened and approved. The affiliates often must have a professional background. They are expected to maintain standards and follow the author's rules. This is true of ShareASale.

Ask the trainer or promoter what type of site (s)he sells through and what steps have been taken to protect and monitor the information. A written and signed agreement about how the info will be used as well as your signature approving use of the info should protect you and the trainer. The agreement should include a timeline for how long the information will be used. Ask if the testimonial will be used solely for the product you are supporting or if it is going to be used for future products. Hopefully the answer is no. You can include that in the agreement - that it is to be used for the sole purpose of advertising the product you have used or reviewed. Even if the product is good you should be sure that the author or trainer is honest and ethical in the promotion and advertising of the product as well.

If your picture is being used, ask if your face will be blurred in the photos. Will your testimonial be printed as submitted or will it be edited or altered? Will your last name be left out? How specifically is your location identified - country, province or city? The more detailed the info the more valid the testimonial for the product however, you may want to really think about your privacy first.

You should be told how to access the ad so that you can review the information or monitor it if you wish. Ask if the information will be removed if you change your mind. How long will it take? Once you give the info and permission to use it and use your name you will have very little or no control over its use. It may be flattering to have your hard work and achievement acknowledged, but it often is really a sales promotion technique. There are so many products advertising the same benefits, it is hard to know what you are buying. An author who can secure testimonials, particularly unrestricted ones from people who are satisfied with the product has a better chance of attracting clients. But if you freely give permission to use your info without guidelines or restrictions, do so at your own risk.

If you have a profession, you really need to think twice before you give a testimonial or at least before you use your professional designation along with your name. You may have to consult with your professional licencing body before using a professional designation to support a product. In my profession I would consult with my organization before using R.N. However, there would be no problem using the term 'nurse' without the organizational input.

Pictures: In BC Canada a picture/image of a person belongs to the individual whose image it is. The "imagee" so to speak is the copyright owner. I believe that you can sign over copyright but I am not sure why you would want to. Generally, a professional site or venue will ask you who owns the copyright of a picture, make sure the copyright is noted, and ask that person's signed permission to use the picture (not ask you to sign over the copyright). They will generally ask you as well if you wish to have the photo credit (photographer's name) published. You don't have to put in the photo credit. If you wish to you should check with the photographer first letting them know where it will be published.

Generally there is less risk of problems when dealing with a professional publishing company that with an Internet product.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 8 DRINK GREEN TEA FOR A SMALLER TUMMY

Researchers report that catechins in green tea blast tummy fat by acting on enzymes that influence the body’s calorie and fat burning mechanism ..And catechins and caffeine together may boost the body’s metabolism.Green tea has 1/3 the caffeine of black tea but has the same level of effect on energy and attentiveness. It is known to have the highest content of polyphenols which have potent antioxidant properties. These polyphenols gobble up free radicals and improve artery function. Studies note that 16 oz per day can cut the risk of death due to cardiovascular disease by 26%. Although it benefits both men and women, the benefits to women are more pronounced (finally!). However, don't drink it with milk because the casein in milk inhibits the beneficial effect of the tea.

AND YOU STILL NEED TO DRINK ALL YOUR WATER! SEE PREVIOUS POST

IF MICHAEL JACKSON HAD LIVED TO OLD AGE....WATCH THIS

Too funny ---click here ..be patient

WARNING SIGNS THAT YOU HIRED THE WRONG PERSONAL TRAINER

If you do your homework (see previous post) you will not have the problems noted below:

WARNING SIGNS

• Your trainer is often late or a no show and has various excuses.
• The trainer spends time visiting with other clients and socializes at the gym during your session.
• The trainer looks bored and unenthusiastic during your sessions.
• The trainer does not respond to communication such as phone calls or emails on a timely basis.
• The trainer does poor follow up and shows little interest in monitoring your progress.
• The trainer pushes supplements, herbs or fitness items for which (s)he receives a commission.
• The trainer fails to adequately answer fitness and training questions.
• The trainer fails to acknowledge complaints about pain or injury.
• The trainer frequently takes phone calls or text messages during your session. The trainer should turn off the cell or blackberry or ask your permission to take an important call during a session. You are paying for the time.
• There are unexpected additional add on costs that were not listed in the quote (unless you have requested changes).
• The trainer fails to deliver the program promised.
• Your personal trainer makes you feel incompetent, inadequate or stupid.
• Your personal trainer promotes a fad fitness scheme.
• Your personal trainer has all the clients on the same program.
• Your personal trainer wears large baggy clothes and you have no idea if (s)he is fit or hiding an obesity secret - really though - your trainer should be the epitomy of fitness. Unless (s)he has a very ugly tatoo, you may wonder why you can't tell if the person is fit or not. It is quite possible they are not.
• The trainer is unreliable.
• The trainer has unethical business practices.
• The trainer is unable to validate testimonials or references. There should be at least a few clients who invite contact to confirm their support for the experience if the trainer is any good.
• Your trainer does not ask for feedback about what (s) he can do to improve service. No matter how excellent the service there is always something the trainer can improve to help clients. Requesting honest feedback about your experience, both positive and negative demonstrates interest in you and shows the trainer is interested in continuous improvement of the service.
• Your trainer constantly criticizes other trainers. Unprofessional.
• Your trainer picks and chooses anecdotal studies to support his/her fitness theories. An ethical and professional trainer will review studies from more than one source or perspective before reaching a conclusion and only use studies which have been validated.
• If the opposite sex (s)he is starting to look less cute (just kidding).

A word about arrogance. I find body building trainers in particular extremely arrogant and conceited. Perhaps because they have achieved such outstanding muscle development, a beautiful physique and have won competitions or they have worked hard to achieve their bodies and their knowledge. It reminds me of Ali Ali many years ago. I am from a generation where being modest is generally a positive attribute. To get the best, I have had to ignore this type of behaviour. I guess if you think you are beautiful these days it is fine to say so....just isn't how I was brought up.

• Coming soon. A word about testimonials - warnings.

WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 7 DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

I disagree that the world's most valuable commodity is oil.
It is water.

I won't give a rat's @$$ if I can drive my car if there is no potable (drinkable) water. I will be dead without it. Drinking plenty of water is always a great weight loss or general health tip. There is no truth to the rumour that it "removes fat from the body" but:

What water does for you

• Makes you feel full
• Assists the digestion, absorption and assimilation of food
• Helps regulate body temperature naturally through evaporation
• Acts as a natural appetite suppressant
• Hydrates skin
• Helps the kidneys and other organs and systems work better
• Reduces muscle fatigue
• Reduces headache
• Improves eyesight
• Reduces water retention

The body survival system causes us to store water for the coming drought because we rarely drink enough of it so, after drinking adequate water over time, your body will stop holding on to so much of it - that is likely why we have that sudden weight loss initially when we begin a plan that includes lots of veggies, fruits and water - we are dumping water weight. The body is starting to catch on that we have changed our habits and is letting go of the survival mode.

Our body apparently is not too bright and sometimes mistakes hunger for thirst so drinking several glasses of water before heading for food can serve several purposes, feed our body the liquids we need, help us feel fuller, perhaps defer the need to eat particularly if we are having our 6 snacks/meals per day already. Thirst is a late warning sign - you are already dry by the time you are thirsty. I think if we were a basic animal with low level brain we would hear earlier warning signs but we are so distracted with input/output and when busy with other things ignore any subtle warnings until too late. We need to be proactive.

There are some promising but preliminary studies which report that drinking plenty of water may assist increase the metobolism or the rate of burning calories by as much as 30%.

Signs of poor water intake/dehydration

• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Poor concentration
• Constipation
• Dark/concentrated urine output
• Poor skin turgor (poor elasticity)
• Furry tongue
• Bad breath

I am not sure of contraindications to drinking lots of water. I imagine they are very few - perhaps people with early kidney failure, congestive heart failure or hypertension. If you have a health condition of concern, see you doctor.

The situation in the news a while back, where someone died participating in a radio station water drinking contest was an extreme case involving many gallons which would likely cause a severe electrolyte disturbance.

What kind of water?

At home I have a double filtering system one in-line in my basement and one in-line in my fridge. However my tap water is perfectly drinkable. I drink whatever type of plain bottled water I can get when on the road - mainly because I find restaurant tap water highly chlorinated and I do not like the taste of bleach.

You can do you own research of your own area water. You can drink your own tap water, filter it, purchase bottled water system, buy bottled water - it is a personal choice and a personal taste. For goodness sake don't buy the stuff with fruit flavours added vitamins and minerals etc. JUST PLAIN WATER.

How Much is Enough?

The usual recommendation is to drink 8 - eight ounce glasses per day. However, this will depend on how much sweating you do with weather and exercise. You may need to add more. Check with your trainer.

The recommended intake does not include coffee, tea, pop, fruit juice etc we are talking JUST water so you may want to cut down on the other stuff - coffee particularly is a diuretic and causes you to lose water.

At first you may find it difficult and you may feel a bit nauseated. Sip at it and be persistent. Soon you will be able to drink it all without a problem. I found nothing sat well in my stomach first thing in the a.m. Now I have two glasses of water while putting on my makeup and getting ready. I am able to eat first thing as well.

Don't guestimate how much you drink - that is, keep filling up a glass over and over. Fill up a large container with the daily requirement and have it right in front of you. I am lucky to have good tasting filtered water at work. As soon as I arrive at work I fill up my container and have it on my desk right in front of me.

Should it be Hot or Cold?

I read somewhere that drinking ice water burns more calories because your body has to heat it. I would doubt it makes a significant enough difference to worry about it. I read somewhere else that cold water is bad for the digestion. I drink both. In the a.m. I have a hot glass with fresh squeezed lemon (ok - the only exception to fruit juice) and other times I liked it iced. I have had no problems with my digestion. So best to have it how you like it so that you get it into you.

When to drink it

A good way to get in the habit is to drink two glasses on getting up - I get at least one glass the night before and leave it on the bathroom counter for drinking first thing and then get my hot version when I reach the kitchen. Take two glasses before your workout, one during, one to two after. I have a glass or two while prepping meals. It prevents me from nibbling. Try to have water intake throughout the day instead of loading up all at once. If you commute you have to plan properly rather than trying to make up for lack of water near bedtime. You will be up all night and you won't get your beauty sleep.

One teeny problem. Ok. You are saying "I can't do this or I will have to pee all the time." Well, let me tell you what happened to me. I used to ration the water I drank because embarassingly I had stress incontinence. I later found it was a very common female complaint. I attributed it to remote childbirth and abdominal surgery, never to my fitness level. It was so restricting that I had considered a very painful and not particularly successful surgery. Glad I didn't. Several months into my fitness journey - it disappeared.

I noticed how religiously I drink water the other evening when I was dining with friends. I went to the powder room 3 times during our several hours there - no one else ever left the table. So who do you think was drinking the recommended water amount?

I commute a long way - I make sure I go before I leave the house - I dont drink anything further until I am about 30 minutes away from work. Same on the way home. At work drinking plenty gets me out of my chair for frequent stretch breaks. It may take planning on your part but your health, your weight loss and your skin among other things will thank you.

DRINK UP

WESTERN CANADIAN BODY BUILDING CHAMPIONSHPS

Are in Kelowna BC on May 22, 2010

HOW TO CHOOSE A PERSONAL TRAINER. WHY HIRE A PERSONAL TRAINER?

Why Hire A Personal Trainer?

Personal trainers are no longer just a fad for the stars or athletes. Today they are necessary for the average person. Obesity and lack of fitness is an epidemic. Hiring a personal trainer is a step in the right direction to losing weight, toning muscles and learning about nutrition and avoiding injury. A trainer provides coaching to keep you motivated and on track. A trainer can provide an individualized safe fitness plan.

But how do you know who you are hiring and what you are getting for your money?

Credentials

Personal trainers have a variety of backgrounds not limited to but including kinesiology, physical education, physiotherapy, nursing, psychology, body building etc. However, the industry has taken off and there are personal trainers galore. The backgrounds and credentials are very variable. There are winners and losers, the same as in any other profession.

Qualifications – although there are a variety of certifications out there – the certification should be from an accredited training facility. It is beneficial if in addition to the personal trainer and conditioning certification, that the trainer has a professional degree. With a professional degree regulated by a professional body, there is a requirement to maintain professional standards, professional ethics, accountability including continuous education to upgrade knowledge as well as to perform regular self-evaluation. If bodybuilding is your area of interest – you should pursue training with an experienced qualified trainer with a background in body building.

Cost

Face to face trainers

Is it expensive to hire the most qualified trainer? You will be surprised!Costs vary from $25 to $125 per hour. Some trainers offer program package deals tailored to your needs and your budget. I would not recommend judging the quality of the trainer by who charges the highest price. Sometimes an artificially high price is set to simply to screen out poorer clients in order to milk the rich. Often at a gym you may pay $80 per hour with the trainer getting $15-$20 per hour and the gym pocketing the rest. In a quote I received from a gym the cost was $80 per hour for single sessions or $70/hr when purchasing a minimum of 50 hourly sessions with extra charges for gym membership and a personalized training program. The trainer was certified but had no professional background. I declined.

The benefits of face to face training is observation of your form, effort etc – it is much harder to fool yourself or a trainer with face to face follow up. Heart rate, muscle recruitment and breathing, as well as progress or lack of progress are good indicators of effort or lack of effort.

Online training

Online training is a much more cost effective way of training. Demonstrations of exercises can be accomplished with photos, videos, audios etc. The down side is you can see the trainer has good form in the demos but (s)he cannot observe you. I would strongly recommend face to face for the first few sessions with periodic follow up after if you feel insecure with the online method. With the online training method or purchase of E programs, just be aware that some trainers supplement the low cost by volume or by promoting E products (their own or other trainers) for commissions. They offer a cost effective product but they do have to make a living. You may be deluged with emails. Some people are annoyed by impersonal mass emails but it has to be done this way for time efficiency and to reach more clients. This is particularly true of clickbank where the authors are also affiliates to sell and promote the books of other authors for a commission. The simple solution to frequent emails is to unsubscribe if you do not wish to receive them, or delete the ones you are not interested in. If you block or unsubscribe you may miss out on interesting free articles and fitness tips though. Your call.

Don't be turned off or be suspicious of some of the bargain online prices for personal trainers. Many are very good. As noted above they supplement their income with Ebook volumes, commissions or save on advertising by using free testimonials from their clients. Don’t forget about drop-out rates too (see below) - more time for you when others drop out.

There are some amazing trainers out there in the electronic world. Again just make sure their credentials are appropriate.

Other points for online programing is that the author sends you any changes and updates. If upgrades are made you may be offered the new bonus at a great rate and you will generally be sent a lot of good fitness articles if you remain on the mailing list. Some of the Ebook authors offer private online programs as well.

Caution: some E trainers have ‘assistants’ to respond to their emails. If you are signing up for an individual training program be sure to clarify that you expect a personal response to any training questions. Their assistants should only be answering non training questions, such as technical downloading support, payment or refund questions. Clarify if there is a direct email address to reach the trainer with training questions.

Money back guarantee.

Money back would not apply to you if you simply lost interest or for some personal reason you chose to drop out. It would not be fair to ask a trainer to return all the money for a package deal. Time went in to the development of your plan. It is now yours - you own it. However you might ask up front if there is a percentage of money back perhaps early in the process if you decide that you and the trainer do not fit. You may also wish to find out about any refund agreement if the trainer fails to deliver, for example if the trainer cancels a lot or does not fulfill the promise in the quote or contract. Generally though, if you simply have made a bad choice and have not done your research you can kiss your money goodbye. However most of the problems are client related – many Gyms and trainers expect a drop-out rate. It s not a reflection of the lack of a proper trainer but most often related to the client not being ready to make the commitment and not addressing and removing their barriers such as time management, motivation etc.

Prior to embarking on fitness training.I started out with a personal trainer, then an online trainer and now I mostly train myself. You will have to measure how much your health is worth to you. It was worth quite a bit to me. I worked overtime and gave up vacations to fund my journey.

Payment - often trainers will ask for the payment up front. This is really necessary. A great deal of time goes into the development of a program and many people do not pay their bills - even if they are successful. So expect that this is standard practice. The trainer may be willing to break it into several payments if you have established a rapport and a level of trust.

Compatibility/Personality and Business Style. You will want to find a trainer who fits your personality. You don’t have to find a friend but you will be spending time with this person. You need to like them as well as feel liked and respected by them.Working it out –the trainer should be as interested about you achieving your goals as you are. You and the trainer should be up front about goals and objectives. The trainer should counsel you if your goals are unreasonable and unrealistic. You should have a frank discussion about cost – the quote should be detailed and in writing. The program should be in writing. Both you and your trainer should clearly lay out expectations.

Variety/Individuality – the trainer should provide a personalized program based on your assessment and goals – beware of a cookie cutter - one program fits all. For E programs, there is usually one program but various levels of difficulty and clear instructions on how to determine where you should start and how you should progress. If the plan goes beyond 6 weeks or so (for beginners) or beyond 3-4 weeks (for advanced), or if you reach a plateau, the trainer should have provided a review, and program change in the plan.

Style - Do you want a trainer who pushes you boot camp style or someone who provides leadership but lets you decide how much follow up and coaching you require? Both are fine depending on what works for you.

Trainer Preferences - Some trainers prefer to train only fat loss clients, only women, only men, or only athletes or seniors. If your trainer seems bored silly – don’t take it personally - find a trainer more compatible and interested in your needs.

Male or female - in my opinion, it does not matter it is more important that the trainer seems truly interested in your goals and you are compatible. You may wish to discuss this with your significant other to make sure there are no issues with your gender choice.

Young or older – again – it does not matter – you are checking the credentials – that is the main point. In defense of younger qualified trainers – you may catch them when they are fresh and eager and want to please and give you the best service – and before they have family responsibilities to interfere - not to say a more experienced trainer won’t be as equally attentive – I am just advising you not to discount a younger inexperienced trainer.

Appearance-hopefully you won't choose the best looking trainer – go by compatibility and credentials. But what you do want to see in appearance is that the trainer keeps fit. It would be hard to have confidence in their training principles if it is not working for them. I was once sent to a dietician by my family doctor to find that the woman was over 300 lb. I did not feel confident taking nutrition and weight loss advice from a very obese individual.

Interview the trainer either by phone or in person for face to face training. Ask a lot of questions. See if they offer free consultations. Make sure they take a full health history prior to training you and that they have the ability, time and desire to adapt the program to avoid aggravation of any trouble areas. The trainer should be adaptable and be able to provide a program for use in the venue you choose whether it is a gym, at home with minimal equipment or partial equipment or on the road.

Interview E books. You should be able to have any questions cleared up by email. Generally there is a contact email. Usually there is a charge for telephone discussions/consultations. With most E programs there is email follow up for a specific period after purchase - so that should be incentive to get started right away.

References – don’t rely on impersonal testimonials with generic information and non identifying sources. Anyone can make up that sort of information. Ask the trainer for written references from former clients if possible or other information that can be validated or verified.

Coming soon – warning signs you have hired the wrong personal trainer.....more about testimonials (risks and pitfalls), ownership of photographs etc.

GLUTE AMNESIA...GIVES NEW MEANING TO: "YOU LAZY BUM!"

Or worse. You lazy ass.

Glutes are part of the posterior chain (linkage of muscles in the rear of your body) which play a role in posture, strength, performance, and injury prevention of the back and knees as well as giving a nice aesthetic appearance such as that sported by J-Lo or Tosca Reno.

The glute is supposed to be the largest and strongest muscle in the body.

The glutes are made up of the gluteus maxumus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The primary function (gluteus maximus) is hip extension - moving the thigh to the rear, that is extending the hip that is pushing you forward while your foot is on the ground; the primary function of the gluteus medius is leg abduction, that is moving it away from the centerline of the body. The mimimus like its name is not hugely significant. Functionally the glutes help push you up and out of a chair, get up from a squat.

When I started my fitness journey and shed my baggy clothes, I noticed ‘Yikes. No butt!

How fair is that. I was still obese but had a flat derriere. Why? Well I believe the same things that caused the obesity such as a sedentary job an inactive lifestyle, and habits that included a lot of time saving energy sparing actions contributed to muscle loss there and elsewhere.

I started to look about and noticed there was an epidemic of missing buns in the general population.

Though I was working out not much was going on there. Flat. Along with the aesthetic downside there is a health downside - injury.

There are controversial theories about glute amnesia. Some therapists feel that lack of use of this muscle leads to problems getting the muscle to fire etc. (sort of a neuro - brain/muscle response problem). Whatever. At the very least it is grossly underused muscle which leads to muscle wasting. In my opinion it is fueled by our lifestyles.

We sit a lot. We avoid stairs in favour of elevators and escalators. Even people who work out, often do not adequately recruit their glutes. They spend more time on upper body, or use machines that do not use adequate range of motion or machines in place of barbells and free weights losing the benefit of fuller range of motion and the recruitment of accessory muscles.

My day consisted of at least 3 hours in the car (sitting of course); at least 8 hours sitting at a desk and maybe some sitting time relaxing having meals or watching Tv along with some hobbies that require sitting for the most part. Hard to undo with exercise alone. Particularly with the wrong exercises or the wrong techniques. I noticed with surprise when attending body building competitions, that some of the competitors had awesome bodies until they turned around and walked off stage. All those muscles but a flat unattractive butt.

When glutes are not activated the muscles that step up to the plate are hamstrings and lumbar extensor muscles. When the glute muscle does not carry its fair share of the load during certain movements you could have knee pain or injury, hamstring injury and anterior hip pain just for starters. Weak glutes can lead to injury when doing deadlifts.

Can you get your butt back? Or as the amnesia proponents say 'reactivate the firing of your glutes' Yes. If you are young generally the response is faster. If you are older it will take longer and may not ever be to the J-Lo level, 'butt' you certainly can improve the aeasthetics as well as the function. In fact for health reasons, it is essential.

Reviewing advice from various trainers here are some tips:

Before embarking on heavy weighted squats and deadlifts try isometric and isolation exercises to learn to recruit your glutes. Examples:

• Contract your butt muscles sitting in the traffic in the car – vary with alternating contractions then simulataneous Left and Right. Go for 100 contractions.
• Waiting in a line up? Yep do more butt contractions. Try holding as long as you can and release. Each ‘workout’ try holding for a bit longer than last time.
• While watching TV lower yourself to the chair squeezing your glutes but stop just short of the destination and squeeze as you stand straight up again. Repeat 20-25 times.
• Take the stairs two at a time – using handrail for safety
• Try to actively use the glutes when walking - concentrate
• Incorporate hills in your walks or add inclines to your treadmill.
• Don’t use a hamstring curl machine if you have dominant hams – it will make the problem worse
• Don’t use the elliptical for cardio (too little range of motion, the stride is too short and there is not enough hip extension; it is more upper body workout than lower and contributes to other issues due to the stride not being appropriate distance for everyone) – so use it with caution and perhaps consult a personal trainer re adjustments to suit you.
• When doing squats favour barbells or free weights over machines
• When doing squats be sure to go down to at least to 90 degrees (thighs parallel to floor) to recruit the glutes – the lower the more recruitment.
• When squatting make sure the knee is not over the foot or it puts more emphasis on the quad. One trainer pointed out the only time this won’t be so is if it is a very deep squat. The lower you go beyond 90 degrees the more the glutes are involved.
• When squatting or doing deadlifts concentrate on contracting the glute muscles
• Some exercises to try one-legged glute bridges, kickbacks on bench using machine, split squats, lunges, squats, deadlifts, back step lunge, bent knee bridges on ball. There are plenty of exercises to chose from - using balls, body weight, bands, barbells and free weights.

Training Techniques to Call in the Glutes

Most exercise for the glutes are also for the thighs. Many of us have stronger attachments and muscles in the thighs so the quads do most of the work and take most of the benefit if we don't purposely use techniques to recruit the glutes. Some more tips from trainers:

1. Try pre-exhaust. First, use an exercise that works ONLY the target muscle. Then, immediately follow that with an exercise that works the target muscle and several other muscles. The technique virtually exhausts the target muscle first then is followed with one that utilizes other muscles (a compound exercise) to help push that already pre-exhausted target muscle harder.

Two isolation exercises: low pulley extension - a) attach ankle pulley, face machine, extend leg behind you - repeat and perform to muscle fatigue; 2) glute push ups - lay on floor knees bent 90 o , feet flat on floor - push hips toward ceiling squeezing butt hard - can do one leg at a time - cross non working leg over other - perform to muscle fatigue

After pre-exhaust - immediately go to compound exercise such as squat

2. When doing squats visualize sitting back - leaning forward puts more emphasis on quads

3. When doing squats raise your toes in your shoes (to place more weight on heels and subsequently the glutes)

4. When doing lunge push with heels rather than balls of feet.

5. Leg Press - if you place foot with heel at top edge of foot plate and the rest of the foot off the plate - puts more emphasis on glutes

If you don't believe squeezing the butt with exercise works, try this test. Climb a good sized hill squeezing your butt hard. Trust me you will know where your glutes are the next day!

If you have tried and can’t seem to isolate and contract the glutes – see a therapist or fitness trainer professional to help you sort out the problem.

One exercise I did that seemed to really get to the spot where the thigh meets the butt was a slightly bent knee deadlift with heavy weight – wow was I sore in the correct spot.

Don't do deadlifts especially with heavy weights unless you have training on correct form and are able to recruit your glutes.

Recently I have been doing metabolic resistance training involving high rep weights using supersets of upper/lower body – there are a lot of squats, lunges, deadlifts and my butt is burning.

It is working.

I am also doing lots of butt squeezes in boring line ups or in the car or at the office. Last year I got a sit/stand work station because of a hip issue. Sitting less helps my hip and my butt.

Sore? Now is the time to use your foam roller to release muscle tension and increase flexibility and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

Note: I am not a fitness instructor. This information is from my interpretation of research I have done and my personal experience as a fitness consumer. Any mistakes are mine alone. There is plenty information out there on perfecting the butt. My top picks are Nick Nillsons Gluteus to the Maximus, Tosca Renos The Butt Book, and Oxygen magazine which has special feature editions including butt workouts.

OH CANADA

What a hockey game - nail biting. It could have gone either way. I wondered what all the hype was about Crosby. Kept waiting for him to do something - he did not disappoint!

I know the U.S. is disappointed but they have nothing to be ashamed of. The prediction was that they would not be in the semifinals and they almost won the gold. So very close.

Congrats to Canada USA and Finland!

ALL ABOUT GLUTES

coming soon.....

EVERYTHING I KNOW ABOUT CHEATING I LEARNED FROM MY GRANDMAS

I was realizing the other day that many of the habits of body builders and fitness trainers which I now practice, I learned as a child.


I grew up in England in the care of my maternal grandmother for parts of my childhood. I remember that we had frequent smaller meals throughout the day. We had our bigger meal (carbohydrates) at noon.


We had planned 'cheat days'. But to us it was simply called Sunday. That is, each week on a Sunday, my grandma would bake a cake (usually coconut) and that is the only day we had that type of food. It was not made into a big deal - it was just part of our routine. On Sundays, we always visited her mother, my great grandmother.


Great grandma was in her 90s, blind and frail but..she knew my footsteps the second I arrived. Grandma would go visit with her sister in the kitchen. I would sit in the rocking chair by the fire with great grandma (there was no central heat). She would bring out our weekly treat. A Cadbury's chocolate bar. She would break off a square for herself and one for me and put the rest away for the next week. We would let it slowly melt in our mouths enjoying each other's company and the warm fire.


Eating the whole thing never occurred to us. One piece of sweet was plenty. Still..to this day, I buy a chocolate bar and have one square once in awhile. It is enough.


But I did lose my way during the days of my obesity.


It seems we have become nations of super sizing, pig fests and all you can eat bonazas destroying our bodies and our health.


It is a good habit to develop.....having treat foods as something rare and precious to savour and eat slowly, enjoy in small amounts and put away until the next time. And to treat food in general as a valuable fuel to be taken in as required and not as desired.

Olympic Joy

Ok now I have experienced joy. I screamed so loud I scared all my pets.

Our Canadian ice dancers just won the gold.

They are the youngest to ever win ice dance - 20, 22
They are the first North Americans to win ice dance gold.
They are from my birth Province - Ontario - near London.

Apparently Russia has not lost the gold since around 1966

Ice Dancing and Pairs used to be so full of politics and sleezy back room deals. All the skating so far has shown great judging. What a refreshing change!

I'd like to add - the Americans were awesome too!!!! And it just so happens they train with the Canadian champions - their coaches must be so proud. Athletes - so young - so disciplined - we can learn from them.

Plushenko (Russia) lost the men's figure skating gold to the USA. He felt he should have won simply because of the quad. He awarded himself platinum. Good grief. The rest of his skate in my opinion was clumsy no sign of artistry just continuous planning for the next technical move - he did not have the finesse of the USA athlete.

The medal was well deserved by the USA. As the interviewer said to Plushenko - it is called 'figure skating' not 'jumping' :) Plushenko replied they always won under the old system - he does not like the new system - really? You mean a fair and honest one where biased judges can't affect or influence others. I often wonder how many athletes were screwed out of medals before the judging underwent reform. It is a pair of our athletes that championed the reform - it took guts for them to do it - you might remember the year the gold was shared.

I had to laugh this morning listening to the morning mash up. One of the announcers hates olympics and said it is supposed to be amateurs - what are those professionals doing in the Olympics - and in the same breath said he bets Canada is embarassed about last night's hockey game.

Excuse me oh young one - aren't the hockey players NHL? Well we aren't embarrased. Probably most of them are or were Canadian :)

By the way the IOC changed the charter in 1986 to allow all athletes to compete including 'professionals. '

I wonder if that made it more fair. In the 'old days' communist countries dominated the medals. I am not sure why but I often wondered if their countries gave them a lot more financial support to train - ours sure didn't back then. Nice to see that all can be sponsored equally so they can concentrate on being the best. Why should our athletes give up years of earnings to represent their countries for the glory of us all? Sure the ones who medal might get endorsments but it is not a given.

I can't wait for the curling and hockey - tic toc. I'll bet it will be exciting although this is the only time that curling excites me - sorry. Yawn. Pushing a broom usually just doesn't do it for me. Too much like housework.

UPPER BODY EXERCISE PLATEAU IS OFTEN CAUSED BY WEAK HANDS, WRISTS AND FOREARMS

My upper body exercises were stalling. Some weeks I could not advance the weight at all. I had difficulty doing upper bodyweight exercises too. Even though I was recovering from a significant injury, my shoulder was solid and pain free. I knew it was not the cause.

I noticed that since my upper body injury I had been having trouble opening jars and even with turning door nobs. My rehab had been aimed at progressing the range of motion of my shoulder. I soon realized I had lost a lot of strength in my hands wrists and forearms. So my biceps, triceps, chest and shoulders were capable of much more weight - but I was restricted by the lack of strength in my lower arms.

I started targeting the hands, wrists and forearms and got incredible results in progressing my program. I am back to where I was and advancing with each workout.

Even if you don't lift weights, it is almost certain, unless you are a labourer that you have weakness in the hands, wrists and forearms - particularly if you are a woman. Yes , we use our hands constantly but we have developed so many labour aids, machines and tools to make everything easier that we no longer require the strength we used to.

Here are a few simple tools that are really inexpensive (and there are plenty of free exercise demos on the Internet for these body parts).

For beautiful younger hands click here for further TIPS:

MORE JOY

The Canadian Gold Medal winner for Skeleton. He has an infectious personality and is one of the most joyous people I have ever seen - even before he won!

Congrats Jon Montgomery

JOY

It was so invigorating to watch Shaun White (U.S. snowboarder) win his gold.

He is the picture of joy. Of someone who has chosen a path he loves; something which brings him happiness and joy not to forget a good living.

So many of us follow paths we don't enjoy and never take the risk of finding what makes us happy. I am one of them.

Sometimes I think obesity is just another feature of our joyless paths. We need to either stop complaining and find joy in what we are doing now or find what moves us, what motivates us and makes us happy and take steps to follow a different path.

My life is not bad - pretty good actually, but I would not say it is joyous. I am working on it.

IMAGINE

How do Olympians do what they do day after day, week after week, year after year? They imagine. They believe.

How do they pick themselves up after a fall, recover, and surpass their personal best? They imagine. They believe.

Not much different than losing weight.

Imagine. Pick your self up. Believe.

OLYMPICS - MOTIVATING OR WHAT!

I love watching the olympics but especially right now when it is in my home Province.

My cardinal rule to not watch TV while working out - is broken. But nothing is more motivating for me than to watch these athletes who may win or lose by a little as .1 of a point, by a centimetre or a few one hundreds of a second.

They work for years - get up at incredible hours and work incredible hours and most of us whine about not feeling motivated to work out a few times per week.

I cheer for all of them - I don't care if they are Canadian or not. While the Olympics are on - I'll bet I don't miss one workout or screw up on my nutrition plan even a bit. If they can do what they do with such passion, I can keep up my training - small challenge that it is - compared to theirs.

Cheer for your country! But workout while you are doing it! This type of motivation does not come along that often.

MY TRAINERS AND GUIDES

I have had significant weight loss, body toning, health improvements but I did not do it alone. All of the people listed on the side of this blog have trained me, given me knowledge and motivated me along the way.

I recovered from a very serious shoulder fracture and disclocation which happened April 2009. It was a long wait before I could start heavy lifting again and get my full range of motion but I did it. But, I got just so far and my numbers just weren't increasing. Except my legs of course which have always responded fairly quickly both in growth and higher weights.

I was a bit out of practice with trouble shooting in my training. So, I re-read everything I had from these trainers. I was able to trouble shoot again! I fixed quite a few things using their techniques anabolic windows, carb cycling, working on the muscles that were causing the 'weak link." For example my upper limb weight increases were limited by my forearm, wrist and hand grip strength - not my biceps, or triceps. I initially kept my shoulder exercises at 90 o or less and worked on ROM with bands and stretching with a rotator cuff routine before trying heavy weights above shoulder height. At first because of my loss of range I had a hard time putting the barbell on my shoulders because I could not get my arms far enough back so I had to resort to the leg press until I could use the barbell for decent squats - but now I can!!! I remembered how to better target my glutes as well. I can hardly believe it but the past few weeks I am getting the 5 ot 10 % increase in 'progressive overload' consistently. Such a satisfying feeling.

I really doubt I will compete. In fact the current training program I am doing has a fat loss/gain muscle transformation contest as well - but - although I am doing the program and it is working so well I am not participating in the transformation contest. I don't want prizes. I don't need the motivation. I don't want my before and after pictures posted on a trainer's site. I am doing it because I want to. I have no interest in competing against others. I am competing against me and it is working.

I change programs fairly often. They all work - the ones on this site. Right now I am working at a special program with Vince for the body building training and I am using Joel's Cheat Your Way Thin plan with Tosca's books and Oxygen Magazines tips to top it off.

I really love training. I love eating clean. It is a really good life. I feel strong and 'uncluttered' Now I just need to do the same with my life and my home :)

And I keep hoping the one I love will find the God of fitness soon too. He is so perfect in every other way.

PINK

Pink. Again. She was on Oprah the other day and was asked how she keeps fit. She uses the Tony Horton P90X when she is on the road. I have that program and although I have another training plan right now and have not done the whole 90 day program I frequently use pieces of it - the ab routine, the yoga, the stretch - there are many components and I enjoy them but work portions into my current training. He always shows various levels of doing a routine so that you can work at your current level. It is nice to see the improvement week to week.

Also fun for a cardio change (also from Beachbodies) is the Core Rhythm CDs.

KALEA CROSS AUTHOR - PERSONAL MESSAGE

Here is a personal message from Kalea with a teaser about her latest release. (ps I have 10 signed copies on their way to me!)

Hi everyone! It seems like forever since Out of Her League came out, but the sequel is finally here. Cover of Darkness features Bryn McAllister (I hope you remember her from the first book) in a romantic suspense that I hope will leave you breathless. If you liked the last one, then fasten your seatbelts and hold on when you read this book!


Targeted by a terrorist cell, Bryn McAllister survives a bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut only to be left to die in a desert cellar. When she is rescued by Navy SEAL Lieutenant Declan McCabe and his team, Bryn must rely on the handsome officer to get her to safety. But just when she thinks the nightmare is over, family friend and legendary CIA operative Luke Hutchinson recruits her and McCabe to help track down the terrorist mastermind responsible for the attack.

With Bryn determined to see the terrorist brought to justice, Dec joins up to protect her, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her safe during their dangerous mission. Battling the explosive attraction between them, Dec fights to keep his distance from her so he can do his job and keep her alive. But when plans falls apart and Bryn is captured, he must make the agonizing choice between his duty as a SEAL and the life of the woman he loves.

I hope this read will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you stay up late turning those pages. Here's the link for the paperback edition: http://kayleacross.blogspot.com/2010/02/cover-of-darkness-is-here-at-last.html

The next two books in the series will be out in May and July, and the final one should be out by the end of the year (we're just starting edits in the next few weeks). For those of you in the lower mainland, I'd be happy to order your copies and hold them here for you if you'd prefer that to ordering them online yourself. Plus then I'll get to see you! If you live too far away, I'm sending a great big hug with each book so you don't feel left out. I truly appreciate everyone's support; it means a lot to me.

Happy reading, and I look forward to hearing what you thought of the story!

Kaylea Cross

THE F WORD

FOOD just in case you thought I meant something else. When I thought about food I thought back to one of the theories we learned in nursing school.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

It is a lot more complicated and detailed than I am presenting here. In nursing they simply wanted to point out to us that the very basics of life such as air water and food (clear lungs, fluids and nutrition to put it more nursey) had to be met before a higher level of health or being could be achieved.

Well I read a great deal of fitness experts' material and the one thing I noticed about them and about extreme athletes is that food is fuel to their fine machine - their bodies. I suppose what it was meant to be. Sure they have cheat days when they indulge but for the most part food is a fuel and nutrition for their goals of health and fitness.

Basically this pyramid illustrates that food and water are needed for basic survival (before we can adequately satisfy the other levels of need). But we use food for almost anything but.....

If you read the last post about memes, then you will know that your food intake, cravings, etc are related to memes not the need to take in food as fuel. Otherwise how and why do we:

Incorporate food and drink feasts for just about any reason - birth, death, marriage, divorce, promotion, birthdays, anniversaries etc etc. (In past history perhaps celebrants had to travel many miles on foot to get to the celebration earning the 'feast.')

Eat when we are sad
Eat when we are glad
Eat when we are bored
Eat because it is there
Eat for comfort
Eat because it is free
Eat for almost any reason to celebrate or to mourn - food is always there

We rarely eat because we are hungry or because we need fuel.

Yet we would not take our expensive car and put just anything we felt like in the gas tank. We put in fuel - the right kind - the one that is recommended to keep the longevity of the car, keep it running smoothly and lower our maintenance costs. Similarly we would not continue to pump the gas into the car when the tank is full but we do that to our bodies all the time.

I wonder why we put so much less value on ourselves?

Sometimes learning about foods, caloric, protein and fat values might be boring but learning all you can about what you eat - what is in it - what it can do to help or harm your body - in other words how you are fueling all the fantastic complicated processes going on in your body awake or asleep can astound you.

Take the first step and try to think before you eat. Are you nourishing your body or your soul. Changing the way you think about food and recognizing why you are eating are the first steps to eating clean and getting healthy.

MEMES NOT GENES ARE KEEPING YOU FAT

A ‘meme ‘ (rhymes with cream from the Greek word mimema meaning “something initiated”), is an element of cultural ideas, symbols or practices transmitted from one mind to another usually with absolutely no foundation in truth. We learn these memes from our grandparents, parents and others. We all have them.

What is the harm? We allow them to influence our behavior and they restrict us from doing things and often they stop us from realizing our full potential. We often use them as excuses and begin a sentence “I can’t……………………….because it is in my genes.”

In writing this post I had an epiphany about a meme that I had been wrestling with some time ago. On April 30th 2009 I had an accident resulting in a significant injury. I had been berating myself and beating myself up trying to figure out just what bad thing I have done to deserve this "bad karma." Who had I crossed? Was I not generous enough or kind enough? You know the old adage "what goes around comes around."

An accident is a fortuituous event. Sometimes SH-T happens to put it bluntly. Whether I am Mother Teresa, a small innocent child, or a nasty serial killer - it does not matter. An accident is just something that happens in a nano second, maybe from a momentary lapse in judgment by self or others or a freak of nature. We do all we can to prevent the inevitable - we wear seat belts and helmets, we have rules and regulations to protect us - we have a weather watch - all signs that we need protection. There are lots of hazards. I know people who behave a lot worse than I and they have not had an accident so my meme is very flawed. My analysis of my meme is that accidents happen to all types of people. It is not punishment for somethimg I have done.

Suddenly that makes it a lot better. Trying to correct some flaw, particularly when I am not sure which one it is, is mind boggling and not conducive to recovery. Frankly worrying about getting hit by a bus if I yell at someone would make me neurotic. Point is, I learned this karma stuff from people I chummed with in my earlier years. So I adopted it and it became my meme.

Why is acknowledging and dealing with our memes important to achieving health and fitness? Because these beliefs, those without any foundation, (memes) we use as excuses to fail or worse still, to not even try.

Some common examples:

• My parents and grandparents died of heart disease before age 65. Early death is in my genes.
• Everyone in my family is big. We are big boned. Slim people are the unhealthy ones.
• People are meant to look old after 50.
• My mother and her mother smoked all their life and they did not get cancer.
• Drinking , smoking and eating whatever I want is how I grew up. I can’t change it now.
• There is nothing you can do to change how you are. You are born that way.
• I have always been difficult and I can’t change.
• People like us don't go to medical school. It is only for the rich.
• Cellulite is genetic.
• Being forgetful is a natural part of aging.
• Eat everything that is put in front of you ---there are people starving in the world
  (so my eating everything helps them how?................)

You get the idea.

How to deal with memes?

Acknowledge them, analyze them, overcome them.

What are the memes keeping you from getting fit?

My memes or beliefs for fitness were that I was too far gone and I was too old - there was no way I could get fit and healthy at my age. This worked against me making any progress with my health until I hired the right person to turn my beliefs upside down.

So keep the ones that do no harm or help you. You may have “inherited “ some fun ones or harmless ones such as how to dress, for example not wearing white after labour day and other cultural norms:)

For the more harmful ones that keep you from achieving your potential, acknowledge them, recognize they have no foundation in truth and that you have simply adopted them to use as excuses to stay the same.

This applies to getting fit as well.

So your MEMES are the barriers to getting fit NOT YOUR GENES.

Create a new cultural belief for your decendants - you are given a precious instrument to carry you through life. Take good care of it!
Now let's get fit and healthy!


Note: see the prior post 'weight of the world' to see some societal solutions to changing memes.

WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

I truly believe that the obesity epidemic is a sociological issue of grand proportions. It interests me more than what the latest exercise fad is for the fit and famous.

Some time ago I watched the program "Weight of the World" with Dr. David Suzuki as narrator. A Canadian production - yeah Canada. It was fascinating.

The problem is worse than I thought. But it put the blame in the right place - on society not the obese individual.

There are 300 million obese individuals including 100 million in developing nations. Mostly because we have passed on our technology and our fast food outlets.

That should keep personal trainers busy for quite a while.

I was heartened to see that there is recognition to start at the roots - by designing and building healthier communities, including experimental school programs and eliminating fast food. The plan is for counselling and educating in early school years to help drive social change.

The only way the epidemic can be stopped is to prevent it in the first place. We all know how hard it is to change habits that are rooted in us.

PINK

IF SHORT CUTS AND GIMMICKS WORKED, THE WHOLE WORLD COULD LOOK LIKE PINK

I really enjoyed the Grammys and Pink blew me away - not only with her great body but her acrobatic performance which took strength and stamina.

Recently I had an interesting email conversation with Dan Munday Aussie Fat Blast and DPM Performance

We both are often amazed that in spite of the information out there about what it takes to be fit, health and happy - there will be those who try bizarre passive machines, gimmick food plans and ridiculous supplements.

Well guess what - world obesity particularly in North America is getting worse not better. So there are thousands of products taking people's hard earned cash with false promises.

Dan points out that if it were that easy the health care system would not be under such a strain.

I was quite upset last night when I watched a plastic surgery 'disaster' show. I comment frequently on my other blog about some of the charlatans out there in the dog eat dog plastic surgery world (not to say there aren't a lot of great surgeons doing great work). But last night featured some pretty bad outcomes. I could hardly believe that one diabetic women who wanted liposuction and a tummy tuck, was told it would be perfectly safe and in fact - removal of abdominal fat would improve her diabetes.

Fact: removing subcutaneous abdominal fat through liposuction does not reduce cholesterol, diabetes or anything else internally - the fat is still around all your organs - e.g your liver, your arteries (plaque). It also does nothing to change the dietary habits or sedentary lifestyles which lead to the diseases.

Even those who exercise like mad and eat crap can remain unhealthy - one fitness trainer put it perfectly - "you can't out run a burger"

Back to the poor woman above - her bowel was perforated during the production line procedure - she ended up with a colostomy - then the infection spread and she got gangrene in both legs and both legs were amputated. A big price to pay for a flat tummy short cut.

There are plenty of good trainers out there who can guide you to a healthy outcome. The ones I know about and respect are featured on this site. They provide various methods of training including E-programs which are affordable. Their blogs give you support and access to all kinds of free information. Many have periodic fat loss competitions where you can benefit from free coaching as well as group support.

KAYLEA CROSS BOOK RELEASE DATES

RELEASE DATE AND LINKS

LINK TO PURCHASE

LINK TO KALEA'S BLOG

AVAILABLE NOW "OUT OF HER LEAGUE"



RELEASE DATE FEBRUARY 26TH 2010 "COVER OF DARKNESS"



RELEASE DATE MAY 28TH "NO TURNING BACK"



RELEASE DATE JULY 9TH 2010 "RELENTLESS"