Imagine coming in to work one day to be told you must report to the conference room down the hall for an important, mandatory procedure.  Or imagine being summoned to your town hall for a government mandated exam.  Imagine that both of these summonings required that you submit to having your waistline measured.

According to the New York Times, Japan has deemed that there are mandatory limits to the size of citizens waistlines and they are determined to ensure the population complies.  A male is allowed a waistline of no greater than 33.5 inches; a female is required to have a waistline of 35.4 inches of less.  Two months ago it became law in Japan that companies and local governments must measure the waistlines of citizens between the ages of 40 and 74.  The government will impose penalties on those companies and local governments who do not fall in the accepted range in order to reach the goal of reducing the overweight population by 10% in four years and 25% in seven years.  

The idea behind this legislation is to reduce health care costs related to metabolic syndrome.  The Japanese Ministry of Health believes that this campaign will keep diseases like diabetes and stroke from spreading among the aging population.

Should a citizen be found with a waistline that is too expansive for the government's tastes, they will be told to lose weight.  If within three months they have been unsuccessful, they will be given dietary guidance.  If necessary, more weight loss/nutrition education will be provided after six months.

In case you're wondering - the International Diabetes Foundation sets 40 inch waist threshold for men and a 34.6 inch threshold for women.  I wonder why the Japanese allow for women to have bigger waists than their male counterparts? Mmmmmm.

Their campaign is not call it a fight against obesity, which they feel has negative connotations.  Instead they're calling it "Metabo."  There is even an anti-metabo song:

“Goodbye, metabolic. Let’s get our checkups together. Go! Go! Go!

Goodbye, metabolic. Don’t wait till you get sick. No! No! No!”

I can't imagine Americans letting the government get involved that heavily with their waistlines and eating habits.  I can't imagine the big candy and cookie companies letting it happen!   I think the almighty dollar of capitalistic enterprise speaks louder than the dollar to be saved in the health care arena.

~o~

A while back one of those cheesy women's magazines that sit by the cash register proclaimed an amazing diet plan:  Kimkins.  It was billed as "Better than Gastric Bypass."  The founder, known as Kimmer, supposedly lost 198 lbs in 11 months on her "tweaked" version of the Atkins plan.  A flashy webpage soon followed.  One could have access to perhaps achieve the same "remarkable" results as Kimmer by paying $59 for a a lifetime membership.

Too bad Kimmer wasn't at all who she appeared to be...a weightloss success story, a caring foster mother, a beacon of hope.  Instead, it turns out that Kimmer has a lot of explaining to do.

Here is just ONE of many articles that exposes Kimmer,   Fake pictures, fake success stories, at least a million dollars raked in.  Here is a video expose by KTLA TV. 

The diet was low fat, low carb, low calories... it was basically a plan for anorexia.  Advice given on the site was to take laxatives and to lower calories down to even no more than 500 calories a day.  Dieters were even encouraged to get into a state of what they called SNAT - semi-naseaus all the time.  Some reported getting into a state where they didn't even feel hungry, but felt powerfully in control.  Welcome to eating disorder land!
 

 

The best way to lose weight is to eat a healthy diet - making sure not to eat too little - and to exercise regularly, remembering to change up your plan every 4 - 6 weeks. 

It just disgusts me to see yet another con committed against people, who in their desperation to lose weight, are willing to try anything.  Sure, starving yourself might work for a while - but there will be physical ramifications...and when you're body finally gets food, you can bet it'll pack it back on.  (And this woman was even running a scam regarding collecting money for her "foster kids").  Sad indeed.

There is a class action lawsuit.  Hopefully, that will become well known and more people will be come aware of this scary diet plan and not be suckered in.  Eating disorders are dangerous!  Paying to develop one is horrid.  My Aunt Stephanie was just four months older than me.  When we were 28 years old, she died from the effects of anorexia and bulema.  While she had "reformed" her ways after having children, the damage that had been done to her body was extensive.  At age 28, she had a stressful morning at work, sat down to drink a diet Coke...and had a heart attack, leaving behind her husband and two young girls. 

~o~

Today's workout:  7 min brisk walk. 55 minute circuit. 7 min. brisk walk, 30 min. elliptical.

the circuit -
decline dumbbell press 20/50, 20/55, 20/55
squats 30/24
step plyos 40, 10"
butt kicks to body bag
Repeat for 3 sets
--1 min sprint on elliptical
plyo pushups 10
dumbbell fly stability ball crunch 15/30
leg extension 20/60, 12/70
band side lunge 20
Repeat for 2 sets
--1 min sprint on treadmill
scorpion pushups 10
alternation dumbbell press on stability ball 12 ea/15ea
Bulgarian split squat 20
1-pt dumbbell row 12/30
Repeat for 2 sets
--1 min sprint on elliptical
Dips 20
lunge w/shoulder press 10/24
side step plyos 1 minute
Repeat for 2 sets
medicine ball transfer 10/10
crunch 1 knee in 20 each side
Repeat for 2 sets

Ever have those days when you are just plain haunted by the past?  The dumb things, the crazy things, the bad things....mistakes and regrets, looming specters that rise up like boogie men from the dark recesses of your consciousness. 

Whenever it happens that I'm plagued by those sorts of thoughts, I try to cling to these words:

Philippians 3: 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Many years ago I heard this song by Bob Bennett in which he expresses the essence of this sort of haunting along with that healing Hope ...  it is often my prayer.  Here is a nice cover of it.  (I'm so glad that this song hasn't long been forgotten, that someone found it worthy to keep alive).

LORD OF THE PAST Bob Bennett © 1989 Matters Of The Heart Music (ASCAP) Every harsh word spoken Every promise ever broken to me Total recall of data in the memory Every tear that has washed my face Every moment of disgrace that I have known Every time I've ever felt alone    Lord of the here and now    Lord of the come what may    I want to believe somehow    That you can heal these wounds of yesterday    (You can redeem these things so far away)    So now I'm asking you    To do what you want to do    Be the Lord of the Past    (Be the Lord of my Past)    Oh how I want you to    Be the Lord of the Past All the chances I let slip by All the dreams that I let die in vain Afraid of failure and afraid of pain Every tear that has washed my face Every moment of disgrace that I have known Every time I've ever felt alone Well I picked up all these pieces And I built a strong deception And I locked myself inside of it For my own protection And I sit alone inside myself And curse my company For this thing that has kept me alive for so long Is now killing me. And as sure as the sin rose this morning, The man in the moon hides his face tonight. And I lay myself down on my bed And I pray this prayer inside my head    Lord of the here and now    Lord of the come what may    I want to believe somehow    That you can heal these wounds of yesterday    So now I'm asking you    To do what you want to do    Be the Lord of my Past    You can do anything    Be the Lord of the Past    I know that you can find a way    To heal every yesterday of my life    Be the Lord of the Past

I am currently reading Marc Bekhoff's The Emotional Lives of Animals.  Fascinating book.  The foreward is by Jane Goodall.  Here is one editorial review of it:

From Publishers Weekly
Any dog owner knows that her own pet has feelings, but what evidence exists beyond the anecdotal, and what does this evidence teach us? Bekoff, professor emeritus of biology at the University of Colorado, pores through decades of animal research-behavioral, neurochemical, psychological and environmental-to answer that question, compelling readers to accept both the existence and significance of animal emotions. Seated in the most primitive structures of the brain (pleasure receptors, for example, are biologically correlative in all mammals), emotions have a long evolutionary history. Indeed, as vertebrates became more complex, they developed ever more complex emotional and social lives, "setting rules" that permit group living-a far better survival strategy than going solo. Along the way, Bekoff forces the reader to re-examine the nature of human beings; our species could not have persevered through the past 100,000 years without the evolution of strong and cohesive social relationships cemented with emotions, a conclusion contrary to contemporary pop sociology notions that prioritize individualism and competition. He also explores, painfully but honestly, the abuse animals regularly withstand in factory farms, research centers and elsewhere, and calls on fellow scientists to practice their discipline with "heart." Demonstrating the far-reaching implications for readers' relationships with any number of living beings, Bekoff's book is profound, thought-provoking and even touching.
----
I've been fascinated since the moment I flipped the first page and could barely put this book down.  I did, however, do just that... so I could run to the library to pick up a book mentioned within its pages.  That book is Beautiful Jim Key:  The Lost History of a Horse and a Man Who Changed the World by Mim Eichler Rivas.   This amazing horse could make change, spell, do arithmetic, and had a wild sense of humor.  His trainer, Dr. William Key, not only made great strides in promoting the ethical treatment of animals - he also broke down color barriers wherever he went.

Another great book that I read a while back is When Elephants Weep:  The Emotional Lives of Animals.  It explores fear, love, grief, joy...even an appreciation for beauty.  I couldn't stop talking about it for weeks after reading it.  My daughter ended up rushing out to get her own copy.

All of these books clearly do one thing:  they make mockery of the idea that it is more "scientific" to believe that recognizing the rich emotional lives of animals, to "anthropomorphize" them, is some how a grave error. (Actually called "pathetic fallacy").  The researchers show plainly through scientific and anecdotal evidence that non-human animals do indeed experience the joys, pains, and other emotions that make being alive so full.

In just observing my own dog companions, it is clear that they have moments of happiness, of despair, of worry, of concern, of expectation and excitement.  While dogs are easy enough to read, other animals show emotion that we might miss because of the communication barrier.  Apparently rats *love* to be tickled and find great pleasure in it.  Rats also can become depressed and even suicidal.    Which leads me to wonder, why is it then still acceptable to perform hideously cruel tests on these animals?

Fairly recently while at the gym, I saw a piece Oprah did on puppy mills.  HORRIFYING.  One thing of note was that many of them were run by the Amish.  The Amish, according to the report, refuse to believe that animals have any "feelings" and therefore, feel free to abuse them for their own benefit.  Here is a clip from that show:
 
Anyhow -- I want to get away from the depressing parts of this and just comment that I love the sense of awe and wonder I get when I read about the amazing emotional lives of the other sentient beings on this earth.  (And I do believe they are sentient... it has been proven repeatedly that many animals look to the future and are conscious of it).

I need to go hug my dogs.

~o~

Today's workout:  50 minutes stationary bike.  15 minutes doing Hell's Workout.  What heart-pounding fun that was!

Now I'm going to go run the bleachers with my daughter because she wants me to.  I really meant to do some yoga today, because I don't need more cardio.  However, by doing this, I can eat 500 or so extra calories and I'm going to make them fun ones. :)

When the average person tells you that they have begun a fitness program, they are likely to tell you that they have begun walking, or perhaps running or cycling.   In fact, if you ask someone who professes to be an active person what form of exercise they do, generally some form of cardio will be their answer.

Exercise shouldn’t be a temporary solution that you turn to in order to lose weight (and generally gain it back if you stop exercising).  Exercise is about good health; it’s about taking care of that one-and-only body that belongs to you.   It’s about improving the quality of your life. 

I’m here to tell you why you shouldn’t wait to use weights.   Aside from the aesthetics of it (making you look better), here are some very good reasons why you should make resistance training a non-negotiable, integral part of your fitness plan.

1)      It can lengthen your life.

2)    It increases your fat burning potential.

3)    It can reduce injuries and it strengthens your bones.

4)    It can make daily life easier.

 Starting with #1 on my list, how does resistance training lengthen your life?  When people die of “aging,” in reality they are more or less dying from inactivity.  The inability to fight disease can often be a factor weak muscle tissue.  Muscle tissue is active.  Energy producing mitochondria can be revitalized by weight training and the number of mitochondria in your muscle tissue can be increased.  Mitochondria are the “cell power plants.” They float around in the cell nucleus enabling us to use oxygen to convert fat, protein and carbs into energy. (Mitochondria produce a chemical called ATP.  ATP is used to fuel our body – from moving to thinking to breathing.  We need ATP.  The more mitochondria you have, the greater your ability to make ATP).

“There's accumulating evidence to show that mitochondria are involved in the aging process and if the mitochondria don't work very well, the energy, the endurance and the strength of muscles become diminished," says the co-author of a study published in 2007 in the Journal of the Public Library of Science (Canada),  Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of McMaster University.

Okay, #2 – weight training increases your fat burning potential.  Most people look at a standard calorie burn chart and see that “Wow!  I can burn 400 calories an hour jogging.  Ewww.  I will only burn 250 calories an hour weight training.”  So they choose the cardio.  BUT WAIT!!! There is more to it than that.  The weight training creates an AFTERBURN effect.  You may burn less calories while performing the activity, but you will burn more and more calories for hours after as the muscle goes through its repair/replenish cycle.  The cardio does *not* cause this afterburn effect.  (I won't bore you with the science of all of it, unless you want me to, lol).

Muscle is also more metabolically active than fat.  So if you have a greater percentage of lean muscle tissue, your body requires more energy to maintain that tissue.   The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn just by existing.

#3 – Strengthening muscles around your joints and strengthening opposing muscle groups can greatly reduce the risk of injury to those joints.  Strengthening the weaker muscle groups also improves your posture which helps your body function more efficiently.

Many joint replacement surgeries are brought on by disuse injuries.  You’ve heard “move it or lose it.”  In this case, the unused tendons, ligaments and muscles begin to atrophy and do not hold the joint as stable as it should be.  The joint begins to wear, damaging the tissues, leading to pain, inflammation and more disuse.  Al ot of people try to complain and make excuses that their knee and hip problems are genetic in nature - guess what?  When the doctors cut you open to replace things, they can TELL if it is from  just plain not using your body!  The deterioration of the tendons and ligaments have a clear story to tell 

Another problem that weight training can help you avoid is over-use injury – for instance, in cycling – your hip flexors tend to be shortened.  You need to also work the surrounding muscles that are neglected – in the case of cycling, stretching the hip flexors is a MUST as is strengthening the glute/hamstring complex.

About bone strengthening (this is an edit; I forgot to continue on this point earlier). As our bodies age, bone production slows.  Performing weight bearing exercises helps the bones to stay straong.  The more stress you place on the bone, the faster the rate at which new bone is deposited.

Osteosporosis usually shows up in two areas - the hip socket and the lumbar vertebrae.  How many of us know elderly people who have broken their hips? 

Swimming and cycling are not the best exercises for strengthening these bones as the water or the bike support the body.  If those are your activities of choice, then you will need to supplement your program with resistance training in order to give the bones the necessary stress.

To increase bone mass, you must ask the musculoskeletal system to move more weight than it would in every day life.  Varying the kinds of exercises you perform insures the musculoskeletal system is stimulated to produce new bone in many locations.  You want to work the full range of motion so that bone strengthening is balanced.

Making daily life easier is my #4 point.  By strengthening the muscles of your body, it’s nice to know that you can lug in that 40 lbs bag of kitty litter you got at deep discount – without asking for help.  It’s a great feeling to have stamina and endurance when the need for these is called upon.  Whether it is lifting heavy grocery bags,  rearranging your furniture,  or even fighting off bad guys - strong muscles will be your friends.

If you are not making resistance training a part of your exercise regime, you are doing your body a grave disservice.  Although aerobic exercise definitely has its place in all personal fitness programs, no amount or type of cardio will give you the numerous benefits that weight/resistance training affords.

What are you waiting for?

(And if you are doing it – or plan to start – I’ll be reminding you why variety is key and you’ll need to switch things up – but at a later date).

~o~
With that in mind, here’s my workout for the day.

5 minute warm up on the elliptical.  45 minutes circuit training.  20 minutes HIIT on the elliptical again.

Today’s circuit (those grouped together are supersets, performed one after the other, then repeated with no rest)

incline dumbbell press 15/40, 10/70, 8/90
3 pt dumbbell row 10/40 X 4

dumbbell deadlift 15/50, 12/90, 12/90, 12/90
stability ball crunch 20/25 X 4

step up, 14” step 12/30, 12/40, 12/40
medicine ball swing squat 12/10 X 3

tricep machine 12/55, 12/75, 12/80, 12/90
bicep machine 10/40, 10/55, 10/55, 10/55

thigh adduction and abduction 12/105 each side, each exercise, X 3

Butt blaster 12 each/60, 12 each/70, 12 each/75

shoulder press 12/45 X 3

Now I actually *like* to work out, so that's why I spend a longer amount of time on my daily exercise than some people might like.  You can reap the benefits of resistance training in much less time (as long as you make sure to change up your program frequently).  It's the quality that counts...well, balance matters, too  A balanced program is a necessity.

My daughter and her husband arrived this afternoon with ultrasound pictures in tow.  She has a beautiful baby girl in there.  We are so excited!  I thought we'd crack from anticipation waiting for them to get back from the doctor today. Everything is very healthy - both mommy and baby are in good shape.

Now the shopping can begin in earnest!  I have seen too many absolutely adorable frilly little girl things. :)  The girls are so wound up about being aunts.  And everyone is excited about being able to refer to the baby as "her" and "she" instead of "it."

~o~

I spent most of the day working on the castle float needed for the Memorial Day parade.  Since I got back I have been super busy, so I still have paint in my hair which everyone keeps pointing out to me.  We are assembled turrets that are made to look like they are tiled, but those had to dry before we could attempt attaching them to the castle walls.  That will be tomorrow - as will the making of penants to fly from them.

~o~

45 minutes HIIT on the stationary bike this morning. 

1.  Everything you could ever want to know about the benefits of flaxseed or flaxseed oil in your diet is over on the Precision Nutrtion Forum...here.

2.  If you read this, you probably already know I don't believe that man-made global warming is a scientifically sound theory.  Neither does Dr. William Gray, who once said that pro-global warming scientists are "brainwashing our children."  Dr. Gray heads the  Tropical Meteorology Project at the Colorado State University.  Until 2005 he made yearly hurricane predictions which are still carried on by his project, but are now made by one of his former students.   Grey believes, as does Dr. John Coleman (The Weather Channel), that global warming is a hoax created by scientists hungry for research funding.  Apparently the boys are getting nervous and want to shut him up and are cutting back on media support of his forecasts.  You can read the article in The Houston Chronicle. 

3.  I ran the bleachers today and noted that the Away team bleachers are much steeper than the Home team bleachers.  I took pictures so that I could compare the angle.  First picture is the home side, the second is the away side.

The home team steps are wider and make it very hard to go up them two-steps at a time.  The away team steps are narrower, making that easier...but very hard because the incline is greater.  I've been looking everywhere for a protractor in order to measure these angles.  I know we have some around here but I think they've gone through the wormhole to join the missing socks.

4.  Workout today:  I jogged a warm-up lap, ran each side twice, did a cooldown lap...and then it appeared that the gate I came in was locked. I saw the lock, but didn't test the gate.  I jogged the track again, looking for an open gate.  The groundskeeper laughed and told me that the wind had just shut it and it wasn't really locked.  Duh!   I got in an extra lap that way for a 50 minute workout.

5.  I want to try The Miracle Shirataki Noodle.  It is made mainly of soluable fiber and has 0 calories, 0 grams of anything and you can get 10 - 7 oz packages for $21.99 (but the shipping is a steep $8.95).  The angel hair pasta is the most popular.  Imagine saving 220 calories on a cup of pasta that you could use elsewhere...mmmm.

6.  Dr. Mercola has an article out "New Stealth Chemicals Hidden in Your Food."  According to Dr. Mercola's site:

"A relatively young company, Senomyx, may be responsible for the sodium and sugar levels falling in various grocery store items. They may be putting chemicals into your food right now, without telling you and without you even realizing. Under the law, they don’t have to.

Senomyx has contracted with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Campbell Soup to put a chemical in foods that masks bitter flavors by turning off bitter flavor receptors on your tongue. The companies can then reduce sugar and sodium levels by approximately half without affecting the flavor."

It's a fascinating bit of thought-food, I recommend reading Dr. Mercola's comments after the main piece.

7.  It is very chilly outside today.  Brrrrr!

8.  My formerly evil, demon-spawn cat has been slowly becoming sweet and almost cuddly.  She has started getting up under covers with me (something she formerly only did with Erin).  Snuggling, giving little nose kisses, etc...over the course of the last several months.  She's even almost nice to Rhianna (who she generally despises, but Rhianna instigates conflict with her). 

9.  Today is a good day for Keith Urban.
 

10.  I need to go visit my dad...and that is TEN.  I didn't think I was going to make it today.

First, the bad.  Actually, AWFUL.   Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Wheat-Free Baking Mix.  It has a recipe on the back for shortcakes.  I purchased it with the plan of making strawberry shortcake with it.  Upon opening the mix, it smelled strangely beany.  I read the label and a main ingredient was garbanzo bean flour.  That explained the smell.  I thought, "Hmmm, perhaps it won't taste of it once everything is all mixed together and it is baked."  WRONG!  ICK! YUK! EWWW!  The kitchen smelled horrid.  My daughter was brave enough to taste one and after a single bite she decided we might want to see if the birds or squirrels were interested in them.

Now some good.  Skwigg had wrote in her blog that the workouts in Valerie Water's Red Carpet Ready program were "fluffy."  She decided to give them a try and found out that the program kicked her butt.  Like a true lemming, I had to buy it and find out for myself.  I just finished six weeks of P90X and I have been starting to get worried about the excessive back work.  I know that guys want to work on their back/shoulders a lot but I was beginning to feel it was a bit much for this woman. I don't want to look like a quarterback.  I will go back to it after I spend some time doing RCR. 

Anyhow, I bought it and did the first workout today.  I didn't have the necessary Valslides so I had to modify a couple of exercises.  One I completely forgot what to do, so I substituted.  There is a series of warm-up movements followed by three circuits for a full body workout.  You are supposed to do 2 - 3 sets of each circuit.  I started with 15 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill and then began today's circuits.  Doing 2 sets of each circuit took 45 minutes and I was DRENCHED.  Definitely not fluffy.  Not in the least.  I even used lighter weights - although not as light as she suggests.

Target carries the Valslides for $24.99, cheaper than at her website and without needing to pay for shipping.  They are the same Valslides but they are packaged by GoFit.

When you are doing a traditional lunge, instead of stepping back you put your foot on the Valslide and slide it slowly back to the extended (lunge) position.  During that motion you are putting continuous tension on the muscle, not completely isometric, but almost.  So while you might think that sliding your foot back on something would make the exercise easier, it does not.  Mountain climbers feel different and have more tension because you are not bouncing.  It makes pushup flies also more difficult.  I can see using them to make many bodyweight exercises more difficult, but they are also useful along with dumbbells.

The Target-sold Valslides come with a video and a chart with many exercises which can be done with them.  They also come with covers to make them usable on hardwood floors and not just carpets.

I haven't heard this song in a long time - and I've always loved it:  Because the Night - Patti Smith

~o~
One more good.  In fact, this one is a GREAT.  Tony Horton wrote a new blog on Sunday called "Buzz Kill" about why he does not find it necessary to drink excessively.  Besides his inspiring discussion, he includes facts and figures about how alcohol effects fitness, as well as its other dangers.  It is a MUST READ. 


~o~
Today's workout:  15 minutes HITT treadmill.  45 minutes RCR Circuits (with my modifications for today).  10 minutes elliptical.

Movement Prep (leg swings, plie squat, squat, warrior lunge)

side step - 15 each way/30 lbs
single leg step - 15 reps each leg/30 lbs
reverse lunge 12 each leg/30 lbs
bent over rows 12 reps ea/20 lbs each
dumbbell chest press - 70 lbs/15 reps
Tony Horton's cross-legged sit up 20 reps
Do this circuit twice.

Forward lunge 12/30 lbs each side
lunge with kick, no weight, 12 each side
shoulder press 15/20 lbs
kickbacks  12 each side/10 lbs each
bicep curls  30 lbs/15
crunch pull one knee in - 20 reps each side
Do this circuit twice.

Super skaters 20 each leg
Romanian dead lifts 12/40
mountain climbers 20
fly pushup 10
Do this circuit twice.

Yesterday I thought it was a terrific idea to get up, head to the local stadium and run these bleachers.
 
And that's what I did.  This is just a small piece of them.  I jogged 1/4 mile for a warm up around the track, then I ran the home team side twice, the away side once and then jogged another 1/4 mile for a cool down.  For a woman my size, this is supposed to burn almost 950 calories an hour (at least the running UP part is).  I did it for 40 minutes.  I felt great!  My thighs were trembling for almost the next hour, but I didn't mind.  I went home and did a bit more than half of the P90X back & biceps DVD. 

Around 8pm, while cleaning up from Erin's birthday party (eight kids, two very rowdy and hard to settle down), my calves started to ache.  Again, I didn't mind - this was the sign that I'd worked hard.  When I woke up this morning, they didn't just ache...they were stiff, too.  And that would have been okay if this had been any other day.  But no, this wasn't any other day....this was Jenna & Josiah's moving day.

At 8 o'clock I head to head out to her place where I had to carry boxes and furniture up and down two flights of stairs.  They live on the SECOND floor of their apartment complex and have a two level apartment.  The  bedroom was in the loft.  So I had to carry things up and down these stairs:
 
as well as an outside set that was the same size, just much steeper.  Fun, fun.  It was down the stairs, down a 50 foot walkway, then down the next flight of stairs and then another 25 - 30 feet to the back of the U-Haul.  The kids forgot the cardinal rule about not packing big boxes full of books and we raised a prolific reader - there were plenty of those boxes.  By the time we got started actually moving things it was 9am.  I put my last box down in the duplex they are renting at 3pm.  No breaks except for the 30 minute drive between locations. 

They didn't ask anyone else to help.  It was me, Pat, Josiah, and his dad doing the lion's share of work.  (And I think men stop too often for breaks and to yak instead of JUST GETTING THE JOB DONE).  Jenna is in her 2nd trimester and we didn't want her doing any heavy lifting.  Erin is too small to help much.  And Rhianna...well that is another story.

Poor Rhianna.  They sent her strep culture out to a lab.  Instead of coming back full of strep it is WORSE.  She is highly infected with haemophilus influenzae.  The lab is running tests to see what antibiotic will kill it because it is very resistant to most antibiotics.  She won't get a prescription until Monday at least - meanwhile, her throat is terribly sore, her ears hurt, her body aches all over.  If her fever gets too high or too low, we are supposed to take her straight over to the hospital.  This morning her temp was 96.4F.  If it goes into the 95 range, that's the signal to get her to the ER. 

This germ is the one that the Hib vaccine is supposed to kill - if it is type b.  She had that as a baby and apparently, it didn't work (again, if it is type b, the doctor didn't say).  Hib is a killer of small children, causing pneumonia, menningitis and death in children under the age of 5.  She's 15.  Right now she's supposed to lay low, not exert herself, get lots of fluids, gargle with warm salt water and take OTC meds as-needed.  And we wait until Monday.  The doctor was willing to prescribe Bactrim if necessary today since we had to call in and say she was feeling worse.  However, she is terrified to take it because of my allergic reaction last December.  She is allergic to shellfish, nuts and penicillin already.  She fears that she would react the way I did...plus the side effects from Bactrim can be pretty bad.  As long as she is okay and can ride it out until Monday, that's the route we're on. 

Anyhow, praise God that the first part of the day was great for the move and the rain has not begun yet.  I'm battered and bruised, with calves that feel like fiery knots.  I sense that my arms are going to be aching by tomorrow because I was hauling some pretty hefty boxes.

Big shouts of praise, too, because now the kids are only 1.25 miles away and we can walk/run/bike there.  They figured out that they will be saving $260 a month on gasoline alone.  Jenna was also elated by the amount of time they will be saving by not having to drive so far to get here, to go to church, to go to their respective jobs.

Time for me to go chill out on the sofa!  Next week, I'm definitely running the bleachers again. :)

When your child asks you for a cute, fuzzy little hamster does it ever once occur to you that it might be carrying some sort of disease?  After all, with it's teddy bear-ish features and pouches stuffed with seeds, a hamster looks perfect harmless.  Usually the worst stress you get from one is the incessant wheel running in the middle of the night.  Imagine the horror of contracting a rare virus from your wee rodent chum? Lymphocytic choriomeningitis is a viral infection of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord and three people have died from it after receiving organs from the body of a woman infected...by a pet hamster.  An article at Fox News gives the details.  Never once have I purchased a hamster and been told that the rodents may possibly carry a virus that can be passed on to humans.  The wife of one of the deceased is suing Petsmart (who sold the infected hamster which infected the woman whose organs killed three people).

And thinking about viruses, the CDC said that this flu season was the worst in three years - partly due to the fact that the stinking vaccine I took didn't work.  Getting a flu vaccine is not something I would normally due, but with my daughter's wedding coming up last December I convinced myself it would be a good idea.  Instead, all hell broke loose in my body afterward...and I can't help but wondering if the thimerosol in the vaccine had at least a little something to do with it.  Thimerosol is nasty, toxic stuff.  This year the Type A Brisbane H3N2 was the main flu virus infecting us in the US; a Type B Florida strain was also not included -- and the vaccination was only 58% percent effective against the Brisbane strain and not at all effective against the Type B strain.  It ended up being approximately 44% effective.  I think that is a high estimate because most people I know, vaccinated or not, got a nasty flu bug this season.

Another article I read today said feral cats are on the brink of overrunning the country.  A while back there had been a lot in the media about the feral cat problem in Wisconsin -- because of the over abundance of free-roaming wild non-native cats, the song bird population in that state is being decimated.  "Estimates of the number of songbirds killed each year by feral cats in Wisconsin alone range from 8 million to 217 million, though the number is actually believed to be around 39 million, said Steven Oestreicher, the chairman of the congress."  Wisconsin voters backed a plan to hunt the cats but the governor vetoed the law.

In a blog that I read often, the writer told of a local park near her where packs of dogs run.  Unwanted dogs get abandoned in that area and end up adopting a pack behavior, making recreation in the area dangerous.  It's sad...very sad.  A bumper sticker I read the other day said, "Dogs don't dump people."  That's true - I've seen dogs remain loyal to the most idiotic and mean-spirited of owners.  I wish I could remember the name of a great little book I read where the neighbor's dog had a lousy life and slowly moved in with him.  (The dog went on from a barking, menacing sort of dog to become the most wonderful of best buddies, inspiring the author to make changes in his own life).  Wait!  Now I remember!  It's called "Mostly Bob" by Tom Corwin.

Here's the editorial review from Amazon:  "When Tom Corwin’s golden retriever, Bob, passed away unexpectedly, Tom decided to write a letter as a tribute to his life. The letter told Bob’s many human friends what they might not have known — the surprising story of how he was once a ferocious, untrusting dog named Red, and how through sheer determination he changed completely to become Tom’s best friend. Tom began receiving an outpouring of heartfelt responses to what he came to realize was actually a universal tale about the possibility of change and the transformational power of love. Friends and strangers urged him to bring the story to more people, and with a vision of how it might look, Tom designed this special book version of the letter. With a total of just more than one thousand words, this poignant story reads like a poem, underscored by flipbook illustrations of Tom's beloved Bob. Laid out with only one sentence per page, the book’s spare quality and unique design have a powerful impact and readers will return to its pages again and again."


Other great dog books - you will need a box of tissues:
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Hidden Lives of Dogs by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
The Social Lives of Dogs by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

and for kids... "Amos, The Story of an Old Dog and His Couch" by Susan Seligson and Howie Schneider

~o~
Today's workout:  55 minutes of cardio interval training.  I should've done yoga today, too, but cleaning the fridge out took longer than I thought.  Someone spilled pancake syrup and when I took out the crisper drawers to wipe I found a congealed gooey mess that was a pain in the neck to clean.

A while back I wrote about how studies have been done showing that the populations in poorer economic areas have a higher rate of obesity than the residents of more affluent zip codes.  This is because crappy food is cheaper.  An article in this week's Beach Body newsletter talks about this issue and how to eat healthily for less.  The article cites a study done by the University of Washington which found that "getting your average day's worth of 2,000 calories from the junk side cost $3.52 while getting your 2,000-calories worth from nutrient-dense cuisine would cost $36.32. Since the average American spends about $7.00 a day on food, you can see where the rise in obesity might come from."

I find that very, very sad.  There are so many people out there struggling to make ends meet and with junk being cheaper the choice is almost made for them.  We have a couple of budget supermarkets around here...Aldis and Save-a-Lot.  They are the bag-your-own, stripped down markets that carry very few name brands.  If you walk the aisles you will find that boxes of sodium-laden macaroni and cheese are 25C, that you can get boxes of faux Twinkies and cupcakes for under $2.00.  If it's over-processed, it's under priced.  People feel like they are getting a "deal" when they walk out with their carts overflowing with products.  Too bad there is very little nutrition headed into their cupboards.

Aldis does try to be different.  They have a line of products called "Fit and Active," featuring baked blue corn tortilla chips, frozen fruits, granolas, ground chicken patties, etc, etc.  A lot of it is your typical processed "diet" foods, so the sodium count is still up there...but  there is an attempt to carry good-for-you items like the frozen and dried fruits, non-fat plain yogurt, etc.

Watching the Biggest Loser last night I was thrilled that a woman finally won.  Alli lost 112 lbs, going from 234 lbs to 122 lbs.   One thing that she said in the little recap of her journey was that she got to that weight "five pounds at a time."  It crept up on her.  Poor choices - and I'm betting the affordability of junky food was a factor.  There is something so addicting about sugary processed carbs, almost narcotic.  If you watched this show at all, there were emotional issues involved -- and there you have it, cheap, easy access temporary comfort.  Well, it seems cheap until you pay the piper by way of obesity and health problems.

On another note entirely, I was thrilled that Bernie was the winner of the $100,000 for the contestant voted off who had lost the most.  I thought it was VERY appropriate that he beat Mark by just one pound.   Bernie was always a nice guy on the show.  I kind of got sick of the macho "pride on three, pride on three" junk from those other guys.  (Although I did like Dan, the stooges seemed to convert him into One of Them). 

~o~
My poor Rhianna.  She was supposed to take a figure skating freestyle test before judges.  She has worked and worked on her program to perfect it.  The test was to be tomorrow... and she has strep throat.  The doctor said, "No way" and wrote her a note excusing her.  She also was set to compete on Sunday in three events...and he said "No" to that as well. (I think that actually relieved her because if she didn't get to practice for the rest of the week and had to show up on Sunday to perform, she wouldn't be confident at all).  Anyhow - her two big events for the month are shot.  She's slated to test her first ice dances in May, so we'll have to tack that freestyle test on at that time -- and probably her next Moves in the Field test.

Her throat is killing her, but she was going stir crazy by the end of the day...until she felt the fever spike back up.  No trouble getting her to bed nice and early tonight.

~o~
Today's workout:  P90X Legs & Back, 60 minutes.  It's still tortuous but I've noticed that the two minutes of wall squats isn't quite as painful and the one-legged squats which last for over a minute are also easier.  Now, one minute, two minutes might seem "short"...until you do them.  Try them.  Expect pain.  I also did half of the Ab Ripper X (8 minutes worth) and 30 minutes on the elliptical.

~o~
My younger girls really love Miley Cyrus...and I like this song of hers, too.

Today was my appointment to go over the blood work from last week.  From my lab reports, there is not even a hint of the miserable condition I was in five months ago.  Praise God!

My blood pressure was 122/70...and that's with my usual white-coat anxiety.  My temperature was even right on target, 98.6F (it is usually running lower). 

When I had my blood drawn last week at 1:15pm, I had no idea that it was supposed to be a fasting blood test.  No one mentioned it - and really, who fasts until 1:15pm?  So I went there, definitely not fasting, and yet the test showed that my blood glucose level was only 95!  That's in the hurray "70 - 100" fasting zone, even though I'd eaten breakfast and lunch, done a crazy workout, etc. 

The  best thing was my free T4.  The last couple of blood tests showed my free T4 being just below the normal range.  It should really be in the upper one-third.  (The free T3 was and my TSH were fine).  Enter selenium.  I had read summaries of the Turkish study from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology as well as some other informative articles and decided to start taking 200 mcg of selenium.  The studies showed that selenium helped the thyroid to convert iodine to the needed T4 as well as blocked anti-thyroid antibodies from attaching themselves to thyroid cells to destroy them.   It has been two months of taking the selenium and... drum roll... my free T4 is up into the upper half of the reference range.  

I also have been giving my youngest daughter 100 mcg of selenium daily.  She had had an ultrasound that had showed thyroid disease and yet her blood hasn't show significant problems yet - however, she isn't growing as fast as her sisters and has other symptoms.  Since she started taking the selenium, she has had a major growth spurt and feels much less fatigued.

My eosinophils were slightly elevated and my lymphocytes were slightly down - welcome to northeast Ohio allergy season. To go with that my bilirubin was slightly up, too - that's because I have Gilbert's Syndrome and if ever I am sick or stressed out, my bilirubin rises.

I never did go from my anti-nuclear antibody blood test last week, I just kept procrastinating.  So, while Dr. K and I were chatting about L-carnitine and L-glutamine and how he wanted me to up my magnesium a bit and divide it into three doses, it somehow popped into conversation that I had to do that test for Dr. F.  I said that Brad, the phlebotomist, had now officially spoiled me with his needle skill....and before I knew it, Dr. K was offering Brad's services to draw the blood for Dr. F.  He asked if I had the order with me, I did because I've been carrying it around planning on going to the hospital lab and never quite getting there.  Before I left, Brad drew the blood for the ANA test quickly and painlessly.

He thinks the L-carnitine and L-glutamine are great ideas since I'm such a workout fanatic.  He wants me to break up my other things into at least two doses so my body utilizes them better. 

This Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum is working wonders because the very first thing I heard was about my hair!  He said there was something different, was it lighter, what was it?  I didn't tell him I had a new magic potion.  I got pats on the back for being such a model patient, always doing what's right for my body.  My ego is definitely boosted for the day. LOL.

~o~
Today's workout - 45 minutes on the stationary bike.  I'm going to do something else, I just don't know what.

I'm not really a big Madonna fan, but she is living proof that 50 is not what it used to be!

I read an interesting article today in On Fitness magazine about bras and breast cancer.  The opening line was pretty compelling:  "If 100 years ago, you went around announcing that smoking or sunlight causes cancer, you'd be laughed right out of the room - even by doctors."

The author interviewed Sydney Ross Singer, a medical anthropologist and director of the Institute for the Study of Culturogenic Disease in Hawaii.  Singer says that bras restrict the lymphatic system and this constriction inhibits the ability of that system to remove toxins from the body. (The lymphatic system has no internal pressure and the tiny vessels are known to be easily compressed).  Lymph blockage is known to cause some types of cancer.

Women tend to wear bras that don't fit right - if yours leaves red marks and indentations when you remove it, then you're constricting your lymphatic system in your breasts. 

Singer and a team studied bras and breast cancer in 1991-1993, with over 4,700 US women participating in the study.  Their results suggested that women who wear bras over 18 hours per day have 100 times greater risk of developing breast cancer than bra-free women.   Where did they find the bra-free women to compare them to?  Think National Geographic magazine!  Aboriginals in Australia who have not been westernized, therefore do not wear bras, seem to have no problem with breast cancer. Maori women of New Zealand, who were completely westernized DID have the same high breast cancer rates as white New Zealand women.   International statistics show that breast cancer is only a problem in cultures where there are bras. 

Why isn't this being studied more?  Apparently it is because the big pharmaceutical companies do a lot of the research funding - and there isn't money to be had in this.  It's not developing a drug to line the pockets.  What money is to be had in saying "don't wear your bra" even if it works?  Many government funding sources are controlled by the drug companies as well (think lobbyists), and since studying whether something as simple as NOT wearing a bra can prevent breast cancer isn't a money-maker, no one is interested in funding that research.

I immediately thought of John Adams' daughter, Abigail, who died of breast cancer in 1813.  Bras, as we know them, weren't invented yet - but here Nabby died of breast cancer.  Well then, does this discount the bra theory?  No - a small percentage of women (and even some men) do have a genetic predisposition to breast cancer.  It appears that breast cancer did not become the epidemic that it is until the use of 20th century lingerie.

Singer says that it took 30 years for experts to believe in the smoking/lung cancer link and that we probably have another 18 years or so before they will accept the bra/breast cancer link.

Dr. Kerry Bennett, a breast cancer surgeon from Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Boston agrees that bras compress the lymphatic system and that toxins build up in the breasts, that the lack of blood or lymph flow can increase that build up.  She recommends that women wear bras that fit properly, that we stop wearing underwires, that we only wear sports bras during a sport activity and that we have a bra-free time each day.

So do you burn your bra now... or do you, again, think of National Geographic and those saggy-boobed natives?  This is one of those things were vanity might just get the best of us!  Now, I'm sure a bit of that sag is because those bra-less women aren't doing chest presses, pec flys and pushups to hold the girls up - and they probably just don't have our western drive to keep them perky.  I'm leaning toward the vain side - the thought of sagging, bagging and bouncing un-neatly just isn't super appealing.  However, thinking back to Singer's research, it was the women who wore their bras 18 hours a day that had the greatest increase in risk.

If you want to help the fight against breast cancer, consider buying a T-shirt from Save the Tatas which gives a portion of their gross sales "to carefully researched cancer fighting organizations."


If you're not going to burn your bra,  Champion is having their semi-annual sports bra sale.  $19.99 - and they are GREAT.  Coupon code XC18BB will get you free shipping.

~o~
Today's workout:  1 hour 32 minutes P90X yoga.  It felt GREAT.

 

My friend's daughter, Sierra, has been completely taken in by the pharmaceutical advertising campaign of "One less, one less."  Her mother called me in aggravation after a trip to the pediatrician (who I had already told her was a complete jerk).  The pediatrician started pushing the Gardasil vaccine and Sierra jumped in and said, "Mom, the commercial says, 'One less' so you need to get that for me."  My friend (Julie) said, "No thanks.  I want to research this a bit better."  The doctor then got extremely snippy with her, her daughter got obnoxious...and she was forced to sign a release form...for NOT accepting the vaccine.

As it turns out "One less" might not be such a bad slogan.  If the side effect of possible infertility side effect turns out to be common place, Mereck just found the answer to population control.  By mandating this vaccine and forcing it on less-educated masses in urban areas, I'm sure some super-power somewhere has thought that this is a great way to "reduce the surplus population" - by doling out possible future heartache to millions of young girls.  As for mandating the vaccination, An early version of the Virginia house bill contained a clause addressing liability issues "if a female who is inoculated with the HPV vaccine becomes incapable of naturally conceiving a healthy child carried to live birth or experiences impaired fertility as a result of the HPV vaccine".

I see this becoming a possible racist issue - with minorities being courted for vaccination.  With pressure like my friend, Julie, was receiving, how will the less educated respond? 

Here are some facts about Garadsil:

1) Merck outsourced some of its Gardasil trials to Contract Research Organizations (CROs) in the developing world,including JayaJan Pharmaceutical Research in India. CROs are part of a $14 billion industry that recruits subjects and runs trials for BigPharma. Conflicts of interest can arise when CROs are paid royalties only after a drug is approved rather than getting a set fee independent of results, or when CROs believe favorable findings will lead to future contracts. Merck spokesperson Amy Rose refused to specify how, or even if, the company oversees CROs.
This information comes from the article HPV vaccine: Betting on a Mercky record by Terry J. Allen

2) Gardasil contains Polysorbate 80, which is linked to infertility in mice

3) Gardasil contains sodium borate (a common roach killer) In 2005 the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health noted that sodium borate “is now known to be a dangerous poison, it is no longer commonly used in medical preparations.”

4) Anyone receiving the full set of 3 vaccines would be receiving 675 mcg of aluminum. Aluminum is a toxic metal when injected into our bloodstreams and can adversely affect muscles, tissues, nerves and brain. There are also associations of Alzheimers with aluminum.

5)  The price of Garasil is roughly $360 for the series of shots.  Make this mandatory and Mereck's pockets will be lined with a few billion dollars fairly quickly.

6)  As of July 2007, there were over 1600 reports of adverse affects of the Gardasil vaccine including three deaths.

7)  Over 100 strains of the HPV virus have been described, approximately 30 of which can affect the human reproductive tract. The four strains targeted by Gardasil comprise:

• #16 and #18, the two strains out of more than 20 oncogenic (cancer-causing) types that are responsible for 60–70% of cervical cancer cases;
• plus #6 and #11, two of the many other strains associated with genital warts.

By the way, viruses are known for mutating.  So while Gardasil is promoted as giving protection against four high risk strains of HPV, could an opening arise for more virulent strains to emerge, should the vaccine succeed in decimating these particular four?

~o~
Happy news:  My daughter and her husband are moving just over a mile down the road.  Hurray!

~o~
Today's workout:  25 minutes HIIT on the treadmill.  25 minutes of circuit training.  25 minutes HIIT on the elliptical.  Finishing off with most of P90X Back & Biceps (35 minutes worth - I didn't need the warm-up, had no time for the cooldown...or the last 5 minutes of weight work). 

One thing negative about P90X... I feel that the focus is more male-oriented, even though there is at least one woman in every DVD working out along with the men.  And this is why I feel it is male-oriented:  lots of back and bicep work yet only ONE day of leg work (and it is combined with more back work).  We women like to work on our thighs and our butts.  If you're going for the perfect bubble butt, then one day of glute work is not enough.  You can keep your weights lower and your repetitions higher and therefore prevent over-muscling while working out the "glamour" muscles so much (biceps, triceps)...  Now perhaps he's thinking his Kenpo workout is enough on the legs.  I don't know, not for me.  I do know this:  squats and deadlifts are the BEST, so I've been squeezing in an extra round.   Also, on chest day he focuses on lots and lots of pushups.  I miss pec flys.  Women want to know the girls are going to get extra help resisting gravity and strong pecs give some security there. 

Other than that, I love P90X. :)

This has been a generally hectic week.  I got my van back...hurray...although I'll miss the happy box car and all the smiles directed towards it.

I've just been running from pillar to post, had some unpleasant drama, a wee bit of a stomach bug, some definitely stress-reducing conversations and laughter.

I passed a coding course that I was taking with a 92% on the final.  Kind of mad at myself for making a silly mistake.  I'm a perfectionist, so less than A+ irks me - but I think I'm almost over it. :)  I'm also plugging away at my personal trainer certification - and in that I have a perfect 100% average. Hopefully I'll be done with that by early to mid-summer. 

Wednesday, I had an awesome rough workout and then later felt wiped out by a bug.  Today I managed an hour of cardio and anything else I planned to do was neglected due to TOO MUCH ON MY PLATE.  I'm afraid next week might turn out chaotic, too, so I'm planning ahead that I will make every effort to get extra sleep and wake up bright and early.

My doctor has a steady phlebotomist now and wanted me to come in to the office for my blood draw instead of going to the lab I frequent. (Yes, I frequent labs...sad, isn't it?)  I was nervous because the girl at the lab is very good with my veins and in the past I've had sadistic maniacs brutalize both arms...it's hard to give up a place of safety.  WELL, I needn't have feared.  My doctor talked up his blood guy and he lived up to the reputation.  I didn't even feel a tiny pinch.  Nothing.  When he changed tubes, again...I felt nothing.

Too bad I can't go to him for my ANA test that I have to have tomorrow.  I have to go to the hospital lab for that one.  YUK.  This is the test that checks on lupus markers.  I tested positive back in January (low positive, speckled pattern).  Folks with autoimmune thyroiditis sometimes test positive for this, so it doesn't mean it has to be lupus but my allergist/immunologist wants to be sure.  So I'm praying the number stays low.

And that's it.  I have writer's block...sort of.  I have a lot of stuff on my mind but it's best kept back right now.

Let's see if I can pull up 10 things floating around my mind today...

1.  It's kind of gross to know that the FDA allows for 10 fruit fly eggs per cup of orange juice... but only two maggots.  Given that I'm allergic to cockroaches, I wonder what portion of cockroache parts is allowed?

2.  Gymnasium comes from the Greek word meaning "to exercise naked."  I'm glad no one takes that literally these days. 

3.  A gigantic John Deere tractor pulled out across the road in front of us yesterday and we spontaneously yelled, "We think your tractor's sexy!!!"  However, the windows weren't rolled down so our dignity is still somewhat intact.  I think that spring is in the air and addling our brains...that and Kenny Chesney has just made it impossible to look at tractors the same way since he first wrote that song.

4.  I'm thinking of adding a little glutamine supplementation to my diet.  Glutamine can become depleted when you are doing anaerobic exercise (i.e. weight training).  Not having enough can lead to a weakened immune system - and I'm all about perking mine up a bit, if at all possible.  Clinical trials have shown that glutamine aids in healing after surgery - without side effects.  According to a study published in the Annals of Surgery "patients on supplementation regimes containing glutamine have improved nitrogen balances, generation of cysteinyl-leukotrienes from polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocytes and improved lymphocyte recovery and intestinal permeability (in postoperative patients) in comparison to those who had no glutamine within their dietary regime."

5.  While I'm at it, I might add a little L-carnitine.  Studies published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition have shown that it is an important player in cellular energy production.  Subjects for an Italian study were recruited with a median age of 101.  These subjects showed signs of fatigue after only small amounts of physical activity - on supplementing with L-carnitine, the resulting decrease in fatigue was impressive.  Besides the greater energy, the subjects lost body fat and increased muscle mass.  Mental fatigue was greatly decreased as well and there was a cognitive performance boost of 4.1 points.  Placebo receivers only had a .6 point boost after exercise.  And think - these are the results in centenarians!  Imagine what benefits could occur in a younger body.

6.  Of course, taking all these supplements makes you feel a little kooky as you line up your bottles of tablets and capsules.  I already take:  calcium, magnesium, zinc, Vitamins D, E, C and flaxseed oil.  I keep forgetting to take my B-vitamin stress complex.  Eh!  What's a couple of more pills!

7.  I need to get my hair trimmed.  It's half-way down my back right now - that's not a problem.  The top is - it needs to be re-layered.  My friend broke her ankle and hasn't been able to stand on it, but she gets to go back to work on Wednesday.  She was so afraid that she might have lost clients during her 8 week down-time.  I think I'll pop in and surprise her and make her feel like she hasn't been abandoned.

8.  Today was a gorgeous day.  I've got Bob Marley on the brain....
 
9.  Yesterday's workout was GRUELING.  55 minutes of P90X Chest, Shoulders & Triceps.  It involved one-arm pushups.  Mine weren't pretty but I did 10 of them.  There were all sorts of other evil pushup variations...slow-motion ones that made you want to cry.  At least tomorrow is leg day.  I love leg day.  Squats and deadlifts are simply the best. :)

10.  Today's workout:  30 minutes HIIT on the stationary bike.  Later:  35 minutes HIIT on the Cybex +.  10 minutes on the treadmill, hills!  I still have to do the painful AbRipperX for 16 minutes. 

Bonus thought:  I over-caffeinated my daughter's boyfriend.  Poor kid!  He was being shy and wouldn't let me buy him something when we were at Seattle Coffee.  He finally caved and said I could get him a coffee.  I mean to order decaf, I really did.  I always order decaf... but somehow I didn't convey "decaf" to the coffee pour-er.  Poor Derrick ended up with this, as he puts it "enormous 72 ounce coffee."  He didn't put sugar in it, only a little cream.  WELL, he had a MAJOR caffeine rush and was tapping his feet, twitching his fingers and saying, "Wow!  I've never felt like this before!  Maybe I should drink this stuff before my next wrestling match."  Actually, he talked more than I've ever heard him talk...for the next two hours after drinking it.  He texted Rhianna and said that he barely slept last night.  I hope his mother doesn't want to clobber me.

I needed a song with some attitude today. :)  I especially love this line: "I hate that stupid old pick up truck you never let me drive..."

My daughter, Erin, was noticing lately that we girls here are always having second thoughts.  We head out the door and ask, "Did I turn off the coffee pot?"  We get out of the car and someone says, "Do these shoes look stupid with these jeans?"  Being in our usual little society of females, most of our second thoughts involve appearance... is my hair doing crazy things, does this match, is this skirt too short?  Other times it is "I wish I had said..." or "why didn't I say 'no'?"  or  "I hope they understood that I didn't mean that."

Herman Mellville mentions second thoughts in Moby Dick, "Possibly, too, Jonah might have ensconced himself in a hollow tooth; but, on second thoughts, the Right Whale is toothless."

To have second thoughts it means you either are in doubt about something or have changed your mind/opinion.  Sometimes a second thought comes about almost instantaneously...those are the ones that are usually born from doubt.  Sometimes, however, second thoughts come gradually...over time...as more of a situation becomes revealed to you.  Those later second thoughts have less to do with doubt than they do with whatever revelation educates.

An example of that is taking on a position that is vacant - something that needs to be done - and you wonder why no one else is doing it, it seems pretty cut and dry.  AND THEN, the second thoughts come - when you find out that no one wants it because of nit picky nasty dealings and monumental stressors that were hidden when you first agreed.

Or perhaps in a relationship where the initial high hopes and enthusiam are dashed after you realize that personalities don't mesh.

Anyhow, second thoughts.  I don't think they can be escaped.  While I love being confident of choices I make - even as simple as what shoes go with what skirt - one never knows what the day may bring and what might have seemed like a good choice may turn out all wrong.   .  Those great spikey heeled sandals looked great, but after walking in them for an hour...OUCH.


~o~

Yesterday:  an hour of cardio and 20 minutes of yoga.  I just couldn't bring myself to be quiet and breathe/balance and all that jazz.

Today:  Not a thing.  Too much to do.  Way too much to do. 

Tomorrow:  The P90X adventure continues with week 5 and some new workouts.

~o~
Last night I watched "I Am Legend" with Wil Smith.  While it was a good sci-fi movie, it was too scary for chicken-livered me.  I watched quite a bit of it through pillows.  I even left the room for one part.  I had gotten an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts a bit before the movie and it tasted suspiciously like regular and not decaf.  Sure enough, I got jittery and edgy...which didn't help much when watching a creepy movie.  Worst of all, the dog dies.  I cannot bear movies where the dog dies.  I ended up having a horrific, bloody nightmare about dying dogs, woke up in the middle of the night feeling extra creepy and anxious.  Not fun at all.