Lovin' my new toy!

My new heavy punching bag is finally installed and I love, love, love it! It is the funnest thing to just beat the crud out of it. Stress be gone for sure baby! Thanks to my beloved Joe for installing it and trust me it ain't going' nowhere.

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Welcome to my new addiction!

I did my first triathlon this weekend and I am totally in love with this sport. It was a mix of everything that I love all wrapped up in one. The beauty of the tri is that when you start getting sick of one element it is usually time to switch to the next element.

The first section is the swim and it was a distance of 250 meters. I was not excited about this at all as I just learned to swim 8 weeks ago. I managed to do 25 meters freestyle and then I rolled on to my back and did the back stroke the rest of the way. Better to be warmed up when you get out of the pool than dead tired. I didn't drown and I think I might have passed a couple of people. Thanks go to my friend Tanna who followed me lane by lane and kept me focused.

The next was the bike and it was a beating for me. Lots of hills and a cold north wind in my face all the way for the first 8 miles. Did I mention that I just got out of the pool and jumped on my bike and was still wet. It was 45 degrees no less! Not fun!

The final leg was the run and it was tough getting my legs going from being on the bike. I did a combo walk/run and by this time I had totally checked out mentally. I was just ready to get done. Thanks to my sweet friend Erin who taught me to swim and ended up running with me for the last 200 yards or so.

All in all this was a wonderful experience. I am pumped and can't wait for the spring so that I can tackle another one. I will train harder because I know in my heart that I didn't train as I should have for this one. I know that I can get to where I can swim freestyle the entire distance, I know that I can get that bike moving faster, and I know that I can run faster. Some things you just know and I know I can do better.

I would like to thank my sweet beloved Joe for getting up with me at 4 AM and for lugging my stuff uphill and for videoing and photographing this special day. He was such a sport and I know that he could so train and so do one of these events as well.

I only had one negative thing and I feel the need to write about it. I arrived at 5:30 and was the 3rd person in the transition area racking my bike. I wanted to be on the end so that I could have plenty of room to change shoes, etc. So I wanted to give a shout out to the jerk jacka** rider number 186 who moved my bike over and planted his bike and back wheel right in the middle of my gear. You know buddy I could so totally report your cocky a**, but I won't because I believe what comes around goes around. If you chose to treat people with disrespect like that then you deserve what you get in life. Just walking around acting like that is punishment enough. Just be glad my big redneck husband wasn't able to get in the transition area near your bike, because trust me you would not have been able to recognize it when he was done with it! Just sayin'!!!

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No longer afraid of the monster

Completed my first triathlon and this is the video at the finish. My beloved Joe somehow magically made me go really fast. For those of you who know me well you know that this is trick editing, but I will take it. Thanks Joe for being such a great photographer and videographer. I love you dearly!

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7 Minutes 49 Seconds

I went to the pool yesterday for one last swim before the Monster Triathlon tomorrow. It was a great day to go because I was totally inspired by one of the other swimmers there. No it wasn't the lady that was obviously training for her next Iron Man event or the guy who swims like a fish wearing his Speedo. What inspired me most was this little old man. I swear this guy had to be in his late 80's. He shuffled up to the pool with assistance from both his nurse and the LISD supervisor and an additional lifeguard. He wasn't able to jump in the pool or lower himself in by using the ladder. No this guy had to be lowered into the water using the automated chair lift. With tremendous effort he was loaded into the chair, strapped in and lowered into the pool. He was then unstrapped and assisted to the side of the pool. He started his pool work-out from the side complete with his 1972 flippers. No he didn't swim a million laps, he just did his work-out by staying on the side of the pool. His work-out was just the simple act of getting INTO the pool and moving. Plain and simple.

I had one of those moments in life where you just have to get a grip and suck it up. I thought to myself if this little old man can go to that much trouble just to get into the pool then I can most certainly suck it up tomorrow. I will admit that I am totally doubtful about tomorrow and the triathlon. I so want to just finish and not be dying along the way. I hate the pool with a passion. I am dreading getting in the water with lots of other swimmers who are going to be swimming over me. I am totally dreading getting out of that pool and hopping on that bike, cold and wet and riding in the cold wind for 16 miles. Then I still have to run for 3 more miles. I feel totally in over my head. I am fearful of being the last one finished. I am fearful of drowning in the pool, wreaking on my bike and tripping on the run. People who know me KNOW that all of these are possible if not probable. I am fearful that my hamstrings will bunch up and that my lower back will be killing me.

I am fearful of all of these things, but I keep thinking of that little old man. He went to all of that effort, just to get INTO the pool. I am going to go tomorrow and participate in this triathlon for HIM not me.

By the way, I did get into the pool yesterday and managed to swim the 250 meters in 7 minutes and 49 seconds. You can do anything for 7 minutes and 49 seconds!

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Just a numbers game

I continue to struggle with the whole numbers game again this week. I have decided that I could just live my life without having to deal with numbers in any form or fashion. Here is a lists of numbers that just seem to be getting and staying on my last nerve!

1. The Dirty Dozen total reps numbers in Keller. We did the dirty dozen on Monday. It consists of 6 exercises done twice for one minute each time doing as many reps as possible. My goal for the day was 700 reps and I got 698!!! 2 tiny reps short! Ugh!!!
2. Quantitative math numbers...I will just say I hate this math class. I could care less how to put numbers in scientific notation or how to scale a map. Geez! Just give me the GPS and Carly Jo to run it and I don't need no stinkin' map scaling. Duh!
3. 25 pound weight plates versus 2 10's and a 5. You put the 25 pounders on each side of my bench press bar and I freak. You put 2 10's and a 5 and I can jack the thing in the air no problem. Go figure!
4. The five pound difference I see on the scale from this time last year. 130 or 135 ain't now big deal when you consider you once were 194!
5. Test scores: 64, 68, or 96. Is the world going to end if I fail math! No!!!
6. 5K time of 34 minutes and 41 seconds. Yes I can run it in under 30 minutes, but that was a knee surgery ago so get over it Cindy.
7. Anticipating that it is going take me over 2 hours to finish my first triathlon. I just need to show up and finish. My dear friend Tanna is running the dang triathlon anyway so I know she ain't leavin' til I am done anyway!

Anyway, I am obsessed with numbers today and so need to get over it. One more important number is the amount I love my dear children and my Beloved Joe. You can't even measure it!

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Will run for wine

Today was a great day as I was able to run with my most favorite running buddies in the whole world Runner Susan and Deana the Rabbit. We did the Grapevine Vineyard Run and it was awesome. It was a cool crisp morning which is for perfect for running, on purpose, no less!

I was a little concerned when we came around the corner of mile 2 and realized that a majority of mile 3 was UPHILL! That is just wrong on so many levels. The payoff was a dixie cup full of Merlot from Delany Vineyards so it wasn't all that bad.

My dear friend Runner Susan took some wonderful photos of us as well. I think we might have spent just as much time taking pictures of ourselves as we did running! I finished in 34 minutes 41 seconds which is slooooow, but it was a great run!

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Finally a 9 before a 6

Well peeps I would like to report that I have finally gotten a 9 before a 6 and I don't mean anything dirty. I know what you are thinkin'. Anyway, I am happy to report that after the chemistry exam (score 64) and the math exam (score 68) I finally got the 9 as the starting number. I managed to pull off a 96 on the food prep exam. Hey I know my food and I have enough junk in my trunk to prove it.

I am hopeful that I just might be able to recover in the math class as our professor really seems to care and is doing everything she can to help us recover from this first exam. I love her for that kind gesture. It is a good thing she is young and THINKS she can possibly save me from me! I am going to hang tough with math and just let the chips fall where they may fall!

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No Chemistry with Chemistry

It has been a long 24 days to say the least. Yes it has been 24 days since I first walked in to my chemistry class at TWU and I am glad to say my tenure with this class is over. You see peeps we took our first exam yesterday and out of 80+ students over half of us failed the exam or at least almost failed it. I managed to pull off a 64 and it was through blood, sweat and tears (literally) that I was able to do that much. I studied harder for that one test than I can remember ever studying for any other test. It was a brutal weekend of hour after hour of chemistry. I am no longer feeling the love for chemistry. I can honestly say that I have no chemistry with chemistry. I tearfully called my beloved Joe, who just happens to be 1,000 miles away from home on his motorcycle none the less, and has been for over a week now and we decided that chemistry class and the lab must come to an end for me. I will be dropping the course on Tuesday! Hallelujah! I found this decision to be really difficult, but I felt I needed to drop out of love with chemistry in order to stay in love with my other 3 classes at TWU.

Lessons learned from this experience are listed below in no particular order.

1. Don't take chemistry and chemistry lab and a math class all at the same time when you have been out of school for almost 20 years.
2. Recognize that you are not super woman and you must pace yourself.
3. Recognize that you did the best you could and move on from here.
4. Recognize that it is better to have tried and failed miserably than to have not tried at all.
5. Recognize that family is first.
6. Be prepared that your child will get sick and you will have to leave them home with 102 degree fever just to take a flippin' chemistry test that you just might fail and you still must be Ok with that because your child feels better today!
7. Recognize that you actually love your math class and your food lab and your food prep course and are actually doing well in them. Go figure!
8. Recognize that you have a wonderful husband who is totally OK with you blowing $1,000.00 on a course that you drop 24 days later. Thank you for that my beloved Joe.
9. Recognize that your sweet Carly and most mature 12 year-old of the world Alex love you and just want you to STOP crying over chemistry already!!!
10. Recognize that you are successful just because you are a loving mother and wife and that is the most important job in the world anyway.
11. Recognize that you have until December 17th to finish what you have started at TWU and then you can get a new game plan from there.
12. Recognize that just because you suck at chemistry you can swim 250 meters really well after only 1 month of training.

I have learned a lot in the past month...yes sir I have for sure! Another list I have come up with is the list of the things I have missed most over the past month.

1. I have missed talking with my sweet Carly about whatever. I have missed you Carly and I am sorry for being so consumed with Chemistry.
2. I have missed helping my lovely Alex with her school work. I have basically let her sink in that department. I apologize to you my sweet Alex.
3. I have missed my kitchen floor as I can no longer tell you what it looks like because it has not been swept in a month.
4. I have missed my little kid bike. I do plan on riding it again really soon as I want to do my first triathlon on it. I will be back on it tomorrow.
5. I have missed my blog. I am making up for that today.
6. I have missed just sitting and reading other things than chemistry.
7. I have missed my beloved Joe. Please come home soon.
8. I have missed training with some type of intensity. I am sure Denny will make up for that in the morning or on Monday.

I wanted to share this experience with you peeps so that you will understand that some of the most valuable lessons learned come through failure instead of through success.

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The Science Project Update 3

It has been a long and trying summer, but I am glad to report that things are a turnin' around peeps. The psychomones are stabilizing and I am feeling less postal. I have gone from wanting to cut you deep with a switch blade knife to just maybe wanting to cut you deep with a butter knife. Ask my beloved Joe and he will tell you that I have been down right pleasant. Thanks honey for hangin' with me when you should have just told me to go pound sand. Not just sand, but wet sand!

I am in month two of using the Emerita Progest cream and I will tell you this...it is the BEST! My dear friend Leigh Ann who told me of Dr. Block and got me going on this whole hormonal journey refers to her cream as CRACK! I get it Leigh Ann yes I get it! I am sleeping better, not totally great, but better. I am not wanting to kill people and my brain feels less foggy. Denny even mentioned that I looked fresh during one of my work-outs. Denny is a hard ass and you can never work hard enough in his gym and for him to say that...well...enough said as far as I am concerned. Thanks Denny! You know you feel better when you are training and you have to leave early and you miss the running part of the work-out. I was actually sad that I was not able to stay and run 6 more 80 yard runs and 6 more 60 yard runs. I guess Doug and I will be finishing up that work-out this weekend sometime. Sorry Douglas it is for the good of the peeps, especially this peep. Anyway, I can't speak more highly of this Emerita Progest cream. I find myself just wanting to order a truckload of it in case the end times come and it is no longer available.

Dr. Block also recommended that I take 15mg of DHEA every morning. DHEA has had some good press and some bad press so you have to take it or leave it. I think it is helping me come out of this funk I have been in for the last 7 months. You might read about it and talk to your doctor and then make an informed decision for yourself. All I know is I feel like a different person in just a period of 6 to 8 weeks. I feel like with both the DHEA and the Emerita Progest Cream I am feeling dramatic improvements. I have a crush on working out again when for the longest time working out just felt like a bad blind date that just would not end. One of the ladies in Keller said to me "Cindy you really love training" yes I do really love it AGAIN!

I have also noticed that my skin is like way better. I had totally given up on the whole make-up thing. I know alot of my reason for not using it was that I am constantly working out and sweaty and it just wasn't worth the effort. Well with this new skin of mine I have actually worn mascara and blush and a little lip gloss for the last two days. Go me! I am thinking that the hormone balance of the cream and the added Omega Plex has really helped my skin. I asked my beloved Joe if he had noticed a change in my skin and he readily said yes. I think he has been sick and damn tired of being married to Ms. Pizza face already. Thanks again Joe for hanging with me as my face has been more broken out than most of the high school kids I train and train with at the gym. I am trying to grow up I promise.

All in all I feel like a rock star. I feel like the Angus kind of rock star. I feel like I could go on tour with him and still be the mama, the wife, the maid, the trainer, the athlete, the pool boy, the accountant...well you get it. I know there is still room for improvement. I know that this journey is long from over, but hey you have to start at the beginning and I am so glad that I did. It has been a long 7 months. I have had to let a few training goals be put on the back burner, but I feel like the turbo Cindy I used to know is back. I say we run some sprints and do some deadlifts just to make sure!

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Vitamin C is Cool

OK so I have been a big slacker with my vitamin blogging, but I am going to redeem myself.

The next one on the list is Vitamin C. Vitamin C is like totally cool man as it is one of the most important vitamins of the whole vitamin world. Why you ask is Vitamin C so important? Well let me tell you. It is like a turbo antioxidant which will keep the air off your apple and the free radicals stabilized in your body. If you don't know what I am talking about then go back through this blog and read up my friend.

Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin so you must consume it daily. The RDA is around 60 mg which is just enough to keep us from getting the dreaded scurvy. Many experts believe that 500 mg a day is a more optimum dosage split 250 mg in the morning and 250 mg in the afternoon. The body can only absorb so much at a time and hey you don't want to just tinkle it all out so split up the dosage people. Some wonderful food sources of Vitamin C are oranges, cantaloupe, mangoes, grapefruit, raspberries, tangerines, strawberries, lemons, kohlrabi (what?) and cauliflower.

Vitamin C has so many benefits that I thought I would split them up over several blog posts.

I will start with its anti-oxidant power. You know how you can rub an orange across the top of a sliced apple and the apple stays nice and doesn't get brown from the air hitting it. The same thing happens within the body. Vitamin C protects your innards the same way. My understanding is that it defends your body from oxidative stress and keeps the air off your internal apple. This oxidative stress or free radicals are caused by irritants such as cigarette smoke, pesticides (on our food), air pollution (in our air), ultraviolet light (no sun bathing?) and basic daily stress! Free radicals are just a part of our daily life my friends. Growing evidence states that free radical damage is an underlying cause of aging. Vitamin C will go in and kick some free radical butt.

There will be more to come on Vitamin C so keep checking back.

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The battle of the psychomones continues

My journey to better hormone health continues and I wanted to share some additional information with you.

In my last blog post on the science project update I mentioned the Emerita progesterone cream that I purchased at Sprouts. I got online and found a screaming good deal on this particular cream. I paid about $30 for a 2 oz tube of this cream at Sprouts. I was surfing the web and found a wonderful online company called Vitacost.com. You can purchase the Emerita cream in a 4 oz tube for $27 bucks. This includes shipping which brings it right to your front door. I am thinking this is a great big freakin' deal. You are basically getting double the cream for less moula and it is being delivered straight to your door. I ordered it on Friday and received it today (Tuesday). I love a good deal. I love even more that it is progesterone cream that will potentially keep me from going postal on someone. See I get my cream for a great price and no one dies! Awesomeness!

Next up is a wonderful website that I came across regarding women's hormone health. It is called women in balance. The best part about this group and their website is that they are non-profit. I am thinking this is a big deal as they are working for the good of the women folk and they don't even care if they are making a killing off of us. I looked at the entire site and found it very informative. Check it out when you get a minute.

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The Science Project Update 2

I finally finished all of the spittin' on the saliva hormone panel and I received the results back from Dr. Block. I am definitely estrogen dominate which means that my estrogen and progesterone stay pretty balanced for the first 2 weeks of my cycle every month. This is when I feel pretty calm, happy, energetic and just in a better frame of mind.

What is happening during the last 2 weeks of my cycle every month is what has been tripping me up so much lately. It seems that my progesterone falls below optimum levels to balance out with my estrogen. This progesterone decline is believed to be what is making me feel so exhausted, wimpy, bitchy, chubby, irritated, cry babyish and just down right hard to get along with for those two weeks. My understanding is that your progesterone levels should be about 200 to 1 over the estrogen levels. Dr. Block explained to me that my hormones where basically just all over the board with estrogen being dominant and progesterone just trying to hang tough. I explained to her that my beloved Joe could have told her that I was estrogen dominant without any of those tests. Which might have saved me the couple thousand bucks I have spent on all of this dang testing. Trust me the boy knows estrogen dominance when he sees it and he has been a seein' it alot lately. I apologize to you my beloved Joe.

Anywho...let me get on with the treatment plan because I am all about getting me fixed and back going so that I can actually get on with my life. The first thing Dr. Block suggested is that I start using an over the counter natural progesterone cream. She suggested that I apply it once a day during the first 2 weeks of my cycle and then twice a day both morning and night for the last two weeks of my cycle. I started using Emerita Pro Gest Natural Progesterone Cream. You can find it at Sprouts. I chose this one because of some reading I had been doing on the product. Dr. Christiane Northrup who is the author of The Wisdom of Menopause suggested it in her book. Dr. Northrup has written several books on women's health issues so I have grown to trust her judgement. Dr. Block also has progesterone cream available that she knows to be a good product. I am sure I will try her type as well.

The next thing Dr. Block suggested that I do is start taking 15mg of DHEA. DHEA is dehydroepiandrosterone which is a natural steroid and precursor hormone produced by the adrenals. Go here for a great article about DHEA. Please take the time to read this article as it is very informative and goes into alot of detail. Again, I found DHEA at Sprouts in the men's health section of the store.

All in all I am pumped about all of the things that I have learned from Dr. Block. This has been an interesting journey for sure. I am optimistic that I am on the right track with the creams and the supplements. I really wanted to try and solve my hormonal problems in the most natural way possible. I think I am off to a great start. I will keep you posted on my progress. I am going to follow this regimen for 2 months and check back in with Dr. Block.

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Keep your air off my apple!

I have been doing a lot of reading lately about anti-oxidants and free radicals and thought I might do a quick lesson on just what all of this means. As you read this post you will better understand the title of this blog.

You know when you cut an apple and you leave it sitting on the counter for a few minutes it immediately starts to turn brown. The air/oxygen attack the apple and start to break it down. If you left that apple on the counter for several days it would start to rot. The air or oxygen acts as free radicals to the apple. The apple has no way to preserve its freshness once it is cut and open to the oxygen. The neat thing is that if you take that same apple slice and rub the juice of an orange across the exposed surface it will stay nice and fresh for some time. The citrus juice of the orange acts as an anti-oxidant to the apple. It serves as a protector or an anti-oxidant of the free radicals of the air.

Stay with me here...your body has the same thing going on inside of it. If you eat overly processed food, smoke, drink heavily or breath unclean air you are taking in tons of potential free radicals. They are having a party in your body and unfortunately you are not invited.

The good thing here is that you can control the number of free radicals roaming around in your body by taking in good healthy food that contains plenty of anti-oxidants. That same orange that kept your apple from turning brown can also help your body from turning brown on the inside as well.

There are many anti-oxidants and it just so happens that one of the most well known is Vitamin C. I will be blogging about it next.

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The Science Project Update 2

I went to see Dr. Block yesterday to look over some of the results of my tests. The most important one to me is the female hormone panel, but unfortunately I am a still a spittin' so I will update later on that one.

I do have a couple of new words that my sweet husband and the Devil have come up with to describe my hormonal state. The first is from my beloved Joe who has fondly phrased my state of going postal at any minute the last 14 days of the month as in a state of "Psychomones". Hey the guy lives with me and watches me go from sweet Cindy to I will cut you deep if only I had a knife all in a split second. He can call me "Psychomone" as much as he wants and I am good with it.

The next new word came from the Devil as we were talking of all of the injuries and obstacles that I have been through over the last few years. The Devil's new word was "hornomenal"! A spin off of the words hormones and phenomenal. We decided that this word has way too many possible open ended meanings so we haven't discussed it any further. Too funny just the same though.

First up on the lab work was my blood work. It looked good with cholesterol being 132. The good cholesterol or HDL was 66 and the not so good cholesterol being 55. Dr. B said it was so low I just might need some cholesterol. Could she not have said I need more chocolate, margaritas, chips and queso? No, no, no more cholesteral. Go figure. My triglycerides were 53.

The allergy tests came back with a few surprises. I am pretty much sensitive to all dairy and eggs as well as baker's yeast, oysters, pecans and tomatoes. My main outdoor allergy is Bermuda grass. Just my luck that I have an acre and a half of it at my house. Lucky me! Doug asked me today about the whole allergy test thing and just what it means as I have been eating eggs and drinking milk for 42 years. My beloved Joe had the same thought as well. I will admit it never once occurred to me that I might be allergic to either of these things. I am thinking that my allergies to these things may be milder than most people, but I am curious as to how I will feel once I give them up. They may be just the thing that has been dragging me down. I might JUST might give up dairy and eggs and turn in to like super turbo girl. Hey I am willing to give it a shot!

The next test was the test for all of the poop collecting I was doing. For the most part I do have great guts. There is just one little small gut bacteria (see I knew I liked that word) called proteus mirabilis that is hanging out in there. I am going after it with some natural remedies of grapefruit seed extract and Uva Ursi.

The last test result has me a little concerned as it was the estrogen metabolism assessment test. My layman's understanding of this test was to give me an idea of how my body metabolizes estrogen. It can either metabolize it towards a more cancerous future or a less cancerous future. The places that these cancers show up would be in the uterus (I don't have one), the cervix (I don't have one of those either), the ovaries (I do still have two of these, but they are not in good shape), and the breast tissue (I do have boobs you just can't see them)!

I am concerned on this test because my numbers are totally leaning towards a cancerous future. The first number of concern is an 88 and should be like 400. This test was the 2-Hydroxyestrone. The second number is a 468 and should be like 88. This test was the 16alpha-Hydroxyestrone. I am totally flipped on the numbers on this test. Dr. Block has asked me to take a couple of supplements one called DIM and the other would be more Omega Plex. When she says more Omega Plex she means more...like 6 times a day.

I feel a little overwhelmed by all of this and I am sure that as soon as I learn more about each thing I will be blogging about it.

So with that I am going to go and eat a papaya, some red snapper, a beet and some buckwheat as I sit in the rough pigweed weeds and have a picnic. Hey it is totally OK because I am not allergic to any of these things.

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No more B's I promise...Pantothenic Acid

B5 also known as pantothenic acid is the last of the b vitas. It gets its name from the greek word "panto" which means "everywhere". This is because pantothenic acid is found in a wide variety of foods.

These food groups include such things as YES, YES, YES, beef liver! I am so thrilled that it is found in beef liver. I never ever in a million years would have guessed that it would be in beef liver! Thank you baby Jesus! It is also in avocado, chicken, mushrooms, trout, peanuts, pink salmon, lima beans, milk, tomato sauce, almonds and oranges.

The daily amount of pantothenic acid is 5mg per day. It is available in oral supplements as calcium pantothenate.

Pantothenic acid supports adrenal function, can alleviate the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, to promote weight loss, to boost immunity and to speed up wound healing. To all of you sportos out there it has also been reported to enhance athletic performance by improving endurance and aerobic capacity. And we thought acid just made us see a purple haze! No sir!

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One more b in Biotin

Back to the vitamins today and it is biotin. Biotin is essential for protein metabolism, the release of energy from food, to manufacture genetic material and for a healthy immune system and healthy hair.

The recommended dose of Biotin is 30 mcg per day and 35 mcg per day if breastfeeding.

Biotin is absorbed from food and from intestinal bacteria. An interesting thing about Biotin is that it is absorbed in the small intestines. Any excess is excreted in the urine. The amount of Biotin excreted in your urine and poop is 6 times greater than what is taken in by food. Why you ask? Well let me tell you! Large quantities of biotin are produced by our gut bacteria. Gut bacteria isn't that just a neat sounding combo of words. I can just hear the conversation now.

"Hey Billy Bob what you been up to lately?" "Well Beau Don I just been producin' Biotin with my gut bacteria!" Yee haw!!!

Anyway, you guessed it Biotin can be found in beef liver, peanuts, eggs, chocolate, molasses, corn, milk and chicken.

I am cutting it short tonight as my broken finger is screaming from typing.

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Pull My Finger

I am taking a "break" from the vitamins today to show you a new kind of "break". While playing prison rules frisbee yesterday I managed to break myself once again. Yes, it is broken and yes I am bummed. I am bummed for two reasons. Reason number one is that we still have two more weeks of prison rules frisbee left and then we are done until the fall. I will miss those two weeks. Ugh!!! Reason number two is that this is my shifter finger for my bike and I really need this finger to work so I can continue to ride my bike. I guess I will have to either not shift or use another finger or fingers to shift. I am still a rookie on the bike and these kinds of complications are cause for more wrecks which could lead to more breaks.

On a positive note I know that this will heal and it will be ready for more prison rules Frisbee in the fall. Also, every time I get injured it causes me to have to learn how to keep training around that injury. This my peeps makes me able to train you around your injuries. You see where I am going with this! It is all about you peeps all about you. I am sweet like that you know.

Below is a short list of how I can continue to train with this minor set back:

1. I can still run outside with the rabbit Deana and Runner Susan or gassers or shuttles or sprints with the Devil.
2. I can still do push-ups.
3. I can still do ab and core work.
4. I can still lift upper body weights just maybe a little lighter on my right hand side.
5. I can do the leg press machine and the jam n squat machine with the Devil.
6. I can still work with resistance bands, dumbbells, and body weight only resistance.
7. I can lunge, squat and hold planks till the cows come home.
8. I can always use a smaller splint to hold my finger in place while I ride my bike.
9. I have already purchased such splint and will try it out tomorrow. See I am on it peeps.
   

It looks to me like I can still train just as hard just with a broken finger! Cool!

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B12

The next B vitamin on the list is B12. Guess what? It helps release the energy from our food and the metabolism of amino acids and fatty acids. It promotes healthy growth and development of our bodies and helps to give us healthy nerves, blood cells, skin and hair. These B vitamins B good to us!

This B vitamin is water soluble. It also requires a compound known as intrinsic factor which is secreted from the cells in the lining of the stomach to enable it to achieve proper absorption.

B12 is found guess where? It is found in liver and organ meats. No way! Yes way! Liver once again! It is also is shellfish, milk, most dairy products and eggs.

The recommended dietary allowance for B12 is about 2.4 mcg per day. One fillet of haddock and you almost have your B12 for the day.

B12 is used therapeutically with those with HIV/AIDS as it helps increase their immune system effectiveness. It also is used to help individuals achieve better sleep. B12 injections are also used by some folks as a general tonic of sorts. After the B12 injection these individuals report feelings of increased energy and overall feelings of improved health. Bring on the B12!

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Folate or Folic Acid or Foliage

Any compound that has vitamin like activity similar to folic acid may be referred to as folate as well. Folic acid is from the latin word foliage as folic acid was originally found in green leafy veggies.

Folic acid is essential for DNA and RNA synthesis. DNA and RNA are the genetic material in cells of the body. Folic acid or folate is vital in the growth and reproduction of all body cells, maintenance of the genetic code and regulating the division of cells in the body. It also contributes in the transferring of inherited characteristics from one cell to another.

Most mother's are familiar with folic acid and folate as it is drilled in to our heads from day one of pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy to take those big giant horse pill pre-natal vitamins. There is nothing better than trying to swallow one of those beasts when all you really want to do is hurl from morning sickness! UGH!! Just the same though folic acid helps support a healthy pregnancy. It also helps prevent birth defects such as spina bifida (failure of the spinal column to close) and anencephaly (failure of the brain to develop). I say bring on the horse pills!

Folate and/or folic acid can be found in chicken, those damned ol' black eyed peas (inside joke), beef liver, spinach, navy beans, lima beans, peas, cos lettuce , OJ and papaya.

The recommended daily allowances are 400 mcg and 600 mcg for pregos! Folic acid is the type of folate usually found in supplement form and fortified foods. The most active form of folate is folinic acid and is also found is some supplements.

One other thing of interest is folic acid is best absorbed in the area of the intestine just beyond the stomach. If your multi-vitamin doesn't dissolve in about an hour after you take it the folic acid absorbed may be inadequate as it might just pass on through!

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Lean in 13 from Advocare

I have been following a plan call the Lean in 13 from Advocare. It consists of eating a clean diet of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and lean protein. You also include Advocare Muscle Gain, Advocare Meal Replacement Shakes and Advocare Post Work-out Recovery Shakes. I found that I was having difficulty getting the shakes to mix up smoothly. I found this great little hand held mixer from Wal Mart. It was around 10 bucks and works like a champ. It is really easy to clean and very easy to use. If you need any additional information about Advocare go here.

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Skipping to B6

The next vitamin on our journey of learning is B6. What happened to B4 and B5 you ask? I am not sure. I guess these scientist people just forgot those two. Anyway, on with B6. Vitamin B6 is also a water soluble vitamin so you must take it daily as any extra is excreted in your tinkle once again!

B6 is also needed to help release energy from food we consume. Peeps if you only get one thing out of the B vitamin set it is this: Take these vitamins as they help you burn what you eat. This is no scientific statement just an observation from Cindy Lou Who. Let me repeat myself here. If these B vitamins are doing one thing for you it is releasing the energy from your food. We need that to happen so get your B's in daily! You will thank me for it later.

Also, B6 helps us maintain a healthy cardiovascular, nervous and immune system. It helps with protein metabolism and hormone production as well. There are many, many other things that B6 will do for you as well.

The sources of B6 are meat, fish, eggs, milk and whole grains. Things like wheatgerm, bananas, ham, avocado, raisins, mackerel and brown rice. B6 is a little like Vitamin A as it is part of a family of chemically related compounds. The pyridoxamine and pyridoxal compounds of B6 are found in animal food sources. The pyridoxine compounds are found in plant sources.

The daily recommended intake of B6 is 1.3 to 1.7 mg daily. If you are looking for a supplement for B6 you may find it in Advocare's Coreplex.

B3 is next

The third vitamin of the B's is B3 or Niacin. Niacin is used therapeutically to treat diabetes, mental problems, high cholesterol, digestive problems, headaches, skin ailments and fatigue. I got tired just typing all of that information. I guess I need some niacin!

It also is essential for the release of energy from food. There seems to be a pattern with these B's and their releasing of energy. I would say make sure and get your B's in daily as B3 is again water soluble. Niacin is a white powder and is more resistant to destruction in the body than other B complex vitamins. The body is also able to convert the amino acid tryptophan into niacin. Cool! It also plays a role in keeping our skin, blood cells and digestive systems healthy as well as our brain and nervous system. It assists in hormone production and the repair of genetic material. Again this B vitamin helps with normal growth and development of our bodies. This niacin is good stuff man!

Niacin can be found in food sources such as tuna, salmon, Special K cereal, lamb liver (liver again), peanuts, pork sausage, corn and spaghetti.

The recommended daily allowances for Niacin are around 14 to 16 mg. And guess what? You can find Niacin in Advocare's Coreplex. I would say that Coreplex is some good stuff too man!

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What in the Sam Hill is Riboflavin?

In honor of my friend Runner Susan and her new favorite word "Sam Hill" we will learn about Riboflavin today. Riboflavin or Vitamin B2 was the second B vitamin to be discovered. It is water soluble as well and when the excess is excreted from your body your tinkle will be really yellow! For some reason that sentence just makes me laugh. It must be all of this collecting I have been doing for the "Science Project".


Stay with me here...Riboflavin is part of 2 coenzymes called flavin adenine dinucleotide or FAD and flavin mononucleotide or FMN. These are essential for tissue respiration and to generate energy from carbohydrates, amino acids and fats. Again we need this to keep our systems running. It is also important for reproduction, growth, repair and development of our body tissues. These tissues include our skin, hair, nails, connective tissue and immune systems.


Riboflavin has also been used to effectively treat migraine headaches. A 1998 study done in Belgium on 55 people showed that 59% of those given the Riboflavin instead of the placebo reported less headache pain. Interesting!


Riboflavin can be found in organ meats such as liver, kidney and heart. That just seems wrong peeps! It can also be found in almonds, spinach, pink salmon, boiled eggs, oats and soy milk. The best source for a girl like me is milk chocolate. Now that beats kidney and heart anyday!


The recommended dietary intakes is around 1.2 mg. Again you may find this in Advocare's Coreplex and Advocare's Spark.


Now go and eat that milk chocolate and be glad you did it!


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B comes after A

The next vitamin on the list is Vitamin B. I have learned there are many B vitamins. Vitamin B is a complex of 8 water soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins must be replaced daily as any extra is excreted in your urine. Here we go potty talking again! Anyway, we will start with B1 otherwise known as Thiamine.

Thiamine and the other B vitamins are necessary to help metabolize carbohydrates, fats and protein so that the body may grow. They maintain the health of our hair, skin, nerves, blood cells, immune system, hormone-producing glands and our digestive system.


Thiamine is found in oatmeal, whole grains, pork, fish, poultry, nuts, dried peas and beans and avocado. Also in veggies such as spinach and cauliflower. Magnesium is necessary to convert Thiamine to its active form. A shot of Vitamin C helps improve its absorption as well.


Coreplex from Advocare provides 4.5 mg in caplet form if you are looking for a supplement. The recommended daily allowance of Thiamine is around 1.1 to 1.2 mg a day.


See this whole time you thought bees just made honey! Duh!

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Tami's Special Request

I have received my first special request from my dear friend Tami. She would like to know more about Fenugreek and Thistle and/or Milk Thistle.

I will start with Fenugreek. It is a culinary herb which has been used as a medicine. It has been known to lower blood pressure and act as a anti-inflammatory and an anti-spasmodic. Since Tami is a new mother it might come in handy to her since it is known to increase the flow of mother's milk.

It is used to treat sore throats, bronchitis and to improve digestion. For all you hormonal women out there it is also recommended for menopausal women. It is NOT recommended for use by pregnant women.

Tami's next request was Thistle and/or Milk Thistle. It is native to Europe and some parts of the USA and has liver-protecting properties. It is also called its botanical name Silybum marianum. It is used to treat liver disease caused from both cirrhosis and hepatitis. It is used to treat gallstones and psoriasis as well.


There you go Tami...you learn something new everyday! Thanks for the request!

Vitamin A is A OK

Here we go on our journey starting from the top with Vitamin A. It was first identified in 1913 by two American scientists and they called this substance "fat soluble A." So we now know that Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. This means that fat from our food is necessary for this vitamin to be absorbed in the body.

So just what have you done for me lately Mr. Vitamin A? We need Vitamin A for many reasons. It is essential for healthy eyes and vision, the growth and repair of our cells and protection against infection. These are just a few of things it will do.

What types of Vitamin A are there? There are two types of Vitamin A. The first being Pre-formed Vitamin A which is often in the form of retinol or retinal. The second form of Vitamin A is Provitamin A which is the name given to some 50 compounds in a group of plant pigments known as carotenes or carotenoids. You might have heard of beta carotene most often.

What types of food have this Vitamin A in them? Well now we are getting to the good stuff! Food! Preformed Vitamin A is found in foods of animal origin such as liver (yum!), eggs and butter. Provitamin A is found in yellow, orange and dark green fruits and veggies such as sweet tators, carrots and broccoli.

Just how much Vitamin A do I need to be super turbo healthy? The recommended daily intake for Preformed Vitamin A is around 3ooo IU. Although Provitamin A doesn't have a recommended daily allowance some experts agree that 10 to 30 mg is a great start.

Where might I locate this wonderful Vitamin A in supplement form? I currently use Advocare's CorePlex caplets and it provides 5000 IU of Vitamin A as beta-carotene. You may check out CorePlex here.

Well there you go! One down and like 10 million vitamins and minerals to go. I hope you learned something.

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A to Zinc to TWU

I might have mentioned to some of you peeps that I am planning on going back to school in the fall. I have applied to TWU and I am hopeful that they will let me in just because I am old. I am hoping they will accept my application out of pure sympathy or that they just need my cold hard cash bad enough and will take me. Either way the application has been submitted and I am waiting to hear from them.

My plan is to study nutrition and become a registered dietitian. I love this stuff so I got to thinking. My brain is realllllly old and my dendrites just don't hold on to information like they used to so I need to write about what I will be learning. Something about writing makes it stick in my brain. So peeps I am going to be writing about the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. I hope to cover them all. A little ambitious I know, but hey as I always say...set your goals lofty and you just might reach them.

I will start at the beginning with Vitamin A and move on down the line to Zinc. If you have an unusual vitamin, mineral or herb that you are interested in knowing more about just send me the name and I am on it.

I will give you the goods on why we need these things, how much of it we need, what type of foods will provide it, and what type of supplement will provide it and some ideas on Advocare products you might want to try. Check back daily as my goal is to add a new vitamin or mineral every day in May!

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The Science Project Update 1

I thought I would send an update on the science project. I did finish the collection of the urine for the magnesium challenge test. I know one thing for sure. I was ready to be done with this part because I felt like I couldn't get 2 feet from the house without having to go to the potty. Also, it is extremely difficult to pee in a cup in the middle of the night without completely waking up. I of course had to pee alot during the night during those 48 hours. Go figure!

Anyway, I submitted my specimen and Jackie, the sweetest nurse ever, gave me two big ol' injections of Magnesium. At first I felt great. Almost as great as I felt back in 1984. Remember 1984 with big hair and parachute pants. Things were so simple then! Anyway, I managed to drive myself back home and CRASH I was asleep. I think the double dose of magnesium was a little much for me. I then proceeded to be sick at my stomach for the next 36 hours which made it impossible to eat. Again, I think the double shot did me in. I noticed on the paperwork that they usually administer one shot to those aged 12 and under. I have decided that I must be a 12 and under magnesium girl. Anyway, I made my way back to the Quest clinic on Thursday morning and turned in my jug of "Lemonade" and guess what? They wanted more blood. Lucky me! I thought for a split second that I could just make a run for it and bail on the blood givin', but then I remembered I am not that fast. As Beau says, "Cindy the only thing that changes when you go from a jog to a sprint in the expression on your face!" I am slow I know so I let them poke my arm once more and then I got the heck out of there. I am now waiting for results.
I start collecting spit on the 5th of May for the female hormone panel. I will keep you posted on that as well.
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The Science Project

The last 3 months have been a very trying experience for me. I have started my training for the Hotter Than You Know What bike race in August. I am now on the bike up to 5 days a week. That is a lot my peeps... a whole lot! I have also started to experience what can only be described as perimenopausal symptoms. I am not sleeping well and have managed to gain more weight. I am having some hot flashes and am sweating like a pig in the middle of the night. I am totally exhausted about 10 days out of the month and when you train as hard as I do then you can not be tired for 10 days out of the month. I have the overwhelming desire to go postal on people about 10 days out of the month. When I found myself wanting to go postal on my precious daughter Carly Jo, who by the way her only desire in life is to make her mama happy, I knew I needed to get this hormone thing checked out. Finally I have what I have fondly started calling cotton brain. I repeat myself and tell the same story over and over and over. I apologize to all of you who keep hearing the same story over and over. Did I already say that? Anyway, on Tuesday the science project began.
I visited Dr. Block at the Block Center in Hurst. She is a doctor of Osteopathic medicine and I think she is really cool. Dr. Block did an extensive overview of my health history. This included going over my current diet, exercise and vitamin and mineral supplement programs. She then proceeded to collect what felt like 1o million gallons of blood from me.
The blood will be tested for 16 different things ranging from total cholesterol to total iron and lots of stuff in between.
She sent me home with a box and asked me to collect my fecal matter for 3 days. This my peeps was not fun. I was so glad to see the Fed Ex guy come and take that box away. This test will verify up to 22 different things. And this whole time I just thought poop was poop. Anyway enough said about that project.
The next test is the magnesium challenge which entails collecting urine for 24 hours and taking that jug back to her. She will then give me 2 magnesium shots and then give me a new jug to fill with urine. Fun, Fun! This test will show me how I absorb the magnesium. Magnesium my peeps is a good thing. More on why when I learn more about it.
The final test that I must do is the saliva hormone panel. You got it right peeps. I have pooped, peeded and now I am gonna be a spittin'. My understanding is that I am gonna be a spittin' ALOT. A whole month's worth of spittin'! Yee Haw! This saliva test will verify the hormone levels in my body throughout the entire month. It seems that women like me become estrogen dominate during this perimenopausal span of time. My hope is that I can figure out when my estrogen dominates and my progesterone gets so low during the month and then supplement it with bioidentical hormones versus synthetic hormones. Progesterone is the feel good hormone and I am a needin' some of that!
Anyway, I will keep you posted on the science project.
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How do I measure my chubby?

Today's blog came to be from a conversation I had with my adult fitness client Missy. We were discussing the different ways to measure body fat aka chubby. I thought I would explain some of the different ways to do it.

The first and most simple is the bioelectrical impedance test. These are those scales that you can buy at places like Wal-Mart or Target. They will measure your weight, body fat % and % of water in the body. You simply step on the scale and it will display your results on the screen of the scale. These probably are not the most accurate, but are a great place to start. Check out the Tanita scale by clicking here.


The pinch test or skinfold measurement is another way to get an estimation of body fat. You take a set of skin calibers and measure in three separate places. On women you measure behind the back of the upper arm in the tricep area, the belly area in between your love handles and your belly button and the upper thigh. On men you would measure the chest area, the belly and the upper thigh. You take all three numbers and add them together to come up with a grand total. Then take this total and find your age on a predetermined sheet of calculations such as the Jackson and Pollack scale formula and just like magic you have an estimate of your body fat. Check out the skin calibers by clicking here.


Another way is to submerge yourself in water and take the hydrostatic weighing test. The test involves suspending a client in a tank of water. Body density is calculated from the relationship of normal body weight to underwater weight. For additional information on this procedure click here.


Also, you can do a BMI test. The short explanation of BMI is adjusting weight for height or stature and calculating a height-normalized index. Blah, blah, blah...just go here and punch in your numbers and see what you get.


The last and most accurate way to measure body fat to me is JUST LOOK IN THE MIRROR! The mirror has a way of being really honest. It will not lie to you. The scales and BMI again are just numbers. You know when you need to adjust your eating or pick up the intensity of your work-outs! Look in the mirror!


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Just A Number

I am writing today in response to my own frustration and to the frustration of my dear friend and training partner and client RunnerSusan. You see we both are in a battle with numbers today. She is in a battle with the scale and I am in a battle with the growing size of my thighs. RunnerSusan in at that point where you go from say 130 to 129 on the scale and she is just about to scream about it. I am at the point that if my quads continue to grow at the pace they are growing I should be close to the incredible hulk by the time my bike race gets here in August. If you look at the big picture neither one of us should be concerned about either of our issues. You see RunnerSusan almost doubled in size when she was prego with her daughter all those years ago. Now she is a svelte, muscular and strong runner and in excellent health. I too weighed in at a whopping 194 when I delivered my sweet daughter. I have overcome lots of obstacles on my way to better health. I am now in the best shape of my life. I had major knee surgery and was released from my doctor and physical therapist 6 weeks after surgery. I ran a 5K just 3 months after that knee surgery.

Why am I reminding myself of all of this you ask? The reason is just as RunnerSusan shouldn't be concerned with 1/2 of a pound is the same reason I shouldn't be concerned that I need a size larger shorts this summer to hold these massive thighs of mine. I think we both need to take a chill pill and realize that we are healthy and yes we have a little junk in our trunks and our thighs are a little thunderous not due to fat, but due to MUSCLE!!! So to all of you ladies or gents out there that are struggling with the number on the scale or the size of your clothing...just forget about it! It ain't worth the trouble. If you are eating well and exercising just go with it and fear not! Thanks for listening!

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Get Slim with Advocare Slim

Advocare has come out with a new product and I really think they are on to something with this item. As most of you know I am a distributor of Advocare products and I use several of their products on a daily basis. I am not really pushy to sale this stuff to my peeps, but I think this particular item is really cool. It is called Slim and comes in a two ounce bottle as shown in the photo above. This little bottle contains ingredients for appetite management and provides support for long-lasting energy. You may use this product along with your current vitamin and mineral supplements as well. I like it because it is so convenient and portable.

Slim contains two key ingredients Svetol and Super Citrimax. My understanding is that Svetol is a decaffeinated green coffee bean extract that helps you simultaneously lose weight and improve your body's form. You may learn more about Svetol by clicking here. Super Citrimax has ingredients that support weight loss and fat reduction as well. You may learn more about Super Citrimax by clicking here.

I have been using Slim for the past 2 weeks and I have seen a decrease in appetite and an increase in energy. The kicker of all of this is I am only using 1/2 of a bottle a day. The instructions state that you may drink up to 2 full bottles a day. This would be one 30 minutes before breakfast and one around 2 in the afternoon. I think you have to try it and see what works for you and your body. 1/2 a bottle is plenty for me. I have also noticed an increase in concentration. Hey we all could use a little more focus. Another benefit is that it is helping me sustain some of my long bike work-outs. Gotta love that!

Anyway, if you have any questions or would like to order some Slim you may order by clicking here. You may also call me or drop me an e-mail and I could order it for you.

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6 Weeks In

It is about 6 weeks in from the New Year and I wondering where you are with the goals that you set for the New Year? Six weeks is long enough to know whether you are on track or fell off of the track and were run over by a truck full of chocolate covered DISTRACTIONS!!!

Think about it and see where you are on those goals. Have you lost any weight? Have you worked out at least 3 times a week? Have you started to tone up? Have you eaten well 80 to 90% of the time? Have you been sweeter to your husband? (I guess you would have to ask Joe).

If you answered yes then way to go...I would say that you are on track. If you answered no then get back on track. You can always start over at the beginning. Find your beginning and get started starting over already!

I was talking with my dear friend, training partner, and client Deana and she told me of a statement from Dr. Phil. Dr. Phil said that when trying to decide on making a change for better health and weight loss you have to decide where you want to be 1 year from now. He stated that in 1 year from now one of two things will have happened. You will have either LOST weight or you will have GAINED weight. Those are the choices for us women folk especially.

So I ask you where do you want to be 1 year from today?

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Priceless

Pair of new Asics Running shoes: $79.00

Pair of new socks: $3.50

New work-out shorts: $24.99

New work-out top: $24.99

10 - 1 on 1 Personal Training Sessions with Cindy: $550.00

or

10 Adult Fitness Class sessions with Cindy: $165.00


LESS JUNK IN THE TRUNK or LESS HANDLES TO LOVE!

PRICELESS!!!!!!!

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Good Old Fashioned Oatmeal

The post today is about food. I really love food and one item that I have grown to love alot lately is Oatmeal. I admit that this was not always the case. I had to work my way to loving oatmeal. I took baby steps with oatmeal, but now I am singing it's praises. At 150 calories a serving and 5 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber to boot it is a winner with me.

As I mentioned I did take baby steps with oatmeal. I started out eating packets of oatmeal. I used the Quaker Oats Weight Control Oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon and then I moved to Quaker Oats Quick Oats. Now I have gone hardcore with the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats Oatmeal. I love this oatmeal because it sticks with you alot longer than a quick breakfast of cold cereal or fruit with whole grain bread. I would suggest you give oatmeal a try. You may be like me and decide that the world is suddenly at peace when you have a hot bowl of oatmeal to eat!

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Change is uncomfortable...

I have found that the phrase "Change is Uncomfortable" has been on my mind alot lately. I think this is true for anything you do in life. I remember as I walked down the isle on my wedding day it was somewhat hard to let go of my dad's arm as he placed my hand into my beloved Joe's hand. I knew in my heart that I wanted to be married, but for a slight moment the change of hands was overwhelming. Change seemed a little uncomfortable that day.

As I look back on this journey of better health there have been moments when change was extremely uncomfortable. It was hard to eat well everyday. I thought I couldn't possibly work out any harder with Denny and Beau. Change was extremely uncomfortable then and still is today. I continue to struggle this week with changes in my work-out routine as I deeply miss training with Doug and Denny. I know that I want to train for other things that require a change in what I am doing, but it is still uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable even when it means growth in my training. Change is also uncomfortable as I attempt to grow my fitness business on my own. My confidence is rattled and the change is uncomfortable.

What I am getting at here is that anything worth doing is worth doing well and is worth the changes that might have to occur. I see some of you struggle with weight loss, stress from work, stress from home, or just trying to show up another day for another whipping in the gym. I see you struggle with the number on the scales or the pants that are just a little snug. I see you struggle as you come back from an injury or as you try to lose that same 20 pounds again! Please remember that change is hard. Change is uncomfortable. You might not see results right away, but keep at it and it will come your way.

You all continue to inspire me in so many ways. Thanks for the opportunity to be on this journey of change with each and every one of you.

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Bare Foot and Running

The post today is thanks to my dear friend and training partner Runner Susan. Susan purchased some new shoes and they are called Newtons. The angle that the company uses to set their shoes apart from other running shoes is that they are designed to keep you running on your forefoot versus your heels. Check out this page of the Newton Running website and you will see what I am talking about. Scroll down so that you can see the stick figures running. I tried to think of it in terms of how you run with your shoes off. You will naturally run on your forefoot and more in a tip toe position instead of with the heel striking first.

I tried this whole stick figure running idea this morning. I was running on the Dreadmill treadmill and I started out running my usual way with lots of heel striking and pain in my knees. I then started to just try to come up more on my toes and the front of my foot and a magical thing happened! NO pain in the knees. I immediately felt less stress in my legs from the heel up to my hip! Hallelujah! I could not believe what was happening. I was running and had no pain in my knees. Let me add that I don't have any of the fancy pants Newton Running shoes. I just adjusted my run in my trusty ol' ASICS. The down side to all of this is that with any adjustments like these will come a little discomfort in the form of soreness. I am already feeling a little pain in both of my calf muscles. My arches and the balls of my feet feel a little sore as well. I am hopeful though that this just might be what was needed to get me back running without so much pain!

I know that some of you run and I wanted to share this information with you. You might give it a try and just see how it feels. I would love to hear your feedback as well.

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Top 10 List Kinda

I made a wonderful discovery today and that discovery was if you are ever at a loss as to what to blog about talk to my client Kathy. She always makes me think about different topics. Then I really try to find a way to help my peeps begin the journey to better health.

So Kathy...thanks...once again for inspiring me to write!

I wanted to come up with a top 10 list, and it really isn't 10 things it's more like 9 on one list and 3 items on the other. By the time I finish this post it may be more or less. Anyway, my conversation with Kathy was about diet, exercise, losing weight, gaining weight and feeling a whole lot of frustration along the way. The only frame of reference that I have is my own story and journey, so I thought I would come up with a list of what has helped me along the way.

First list up is eating and what I have done over the past 3 years that has helped me first lose the weight and now sustain my weight loss.

1. Eat healthy foods 90% of the time. If this is too much at first then go 75%, then 80% and so on.
2. Enjoy treats or splurges the other 10% of the time in moderation. Have a freaking Margarita or piece of cake or dip of ice cream in MODERATION!!!
3. Be mindful of what you are eating not OBSESSIVE! You know what is healthy and what is not...make good choices and move on with your day.
4. It's not all or nothing! All of this low carb, no carb, no fat, half fat is for the birds. If you eat a nutritious diet of whole grains, lean cuts of meat, chicken, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables and low fat dairy then you are eating healthy things so RELAX!!
5. It must be doable and sustainable. If it is hard to make recipes or boxed food that is costing you an arm and a leg each month and you are so sick of it you can't eat another bite then it is NOT doable and sustainable. Figure out what types of healthy food you like and stock up on it and eat it!
6. Eat like you are a new born...every 3 to 4 hours. Don't get so hungry that you are going to trade your firstborn for a burger!
7. This brings up #7! Be prepared! If you need to cook a lot of food on Sunday afternoon so that you have it cut up, prepared and ready to go for the week JUST DO IT! YOU are WORTH the time it takes to eat well!
8. Know your weaknesses! If you are a stress eater then go for a walk or call a friend or read a book! Don't walk in to the kitchen or pull through the drive thru of McDonalds when you have just had a smack down with your husband! If you eat at night then have something that is healthy to pick up instead of that gallon of Rocky Road ice cream.
9. Try eating clean and healthy for 21 days! If you can make it 3 weeks doing something then you have GOT IT!
10. Modify as you go! You will get better the longer you eat well!

The next list is exercise! This is my favorite area and it can be your favorite as well! I can hear Kenda right now!

1. Do something you totally don't HATE doing! Try different exercises until you find one that you at least enjoy a little and then DO IT!
2. Schedule your exercise just like any other appointment. Take a pencil and mark it on the calendar and then it is on the books. Don't let other things take up this appointment time. It must be a priority as well.
3. SHOW UP AND MAKE IT COUNT! Be consistent. If you work out once a week it will do nothing, but make you sore and piss you off. Three times a week should be your minimum for better health!
4. Take baby steps with exercise! Don't jump in full force if it has been awhile since you have trained.
5. Enlist a friend that will SHOW UP! I know that Deana will come and run with me no matter what! Be accountable to them and them to you!
6. Try it for 21 days...it works with exercise as well.
7. Modify as you go...it works with exercise as well.
8. Be prepared...it works with exercise as well.

There you have it! As I stated before, I only know what works for me and this works for me! I don't take any magic pills or do a whole lot of 5 hour work-outs to maintain the weight loss. I know that the only person or thing that can take this weight loss away from me is ME! If I screw this up it is my own fault. I follow the above ideas and it works for me! I hope this helps!

Show up and make it count!

Stretch It Out

I get lots of questions about different aches and pains and what type of stretching would be good to do for that particular part of the body that is hurting. I wanted to come up with some type of video that you could watch that might help you get through that particular ache or pain. I found a wonderful group of video's at the Runner's World website. They have an extensive video library. You may check out the section on injury prevention by clicking here. They also have videos for training, nutrition and weight loss, motivation and shoes and gear.

Another item that I love and use on a daily basis is my foam roller. I bought mine at RunOn in Coppell or you can get one at Target. They are awesome and are a wonderful way to roll out the pain of your back, hamstrings, glutes, quads or even your shins, IT bands and calf muscles. It is the closest thing to a deep tissue massage. They are wonderful and have gotten me through several leg work-outs when my back gets really bound up. Basically you just roll the muscle group that you want to massage over the foam roller. I would be happy to go over the use of the foam roller if you are interested.

Show up and make it count!

Tone Endurance Strength

This blog entry was inspired by my adult fitness client Lorrie. Her question to me is do I lift heavier weight with less reps or lighter weight with more reps? I will attempt to answer this questions as it comes up time and time again.
I have referenced my trainers manual from ACE. The following information is a cliff notes version of what I read from this particular journal. This is my understanding of the information. Basically to get overall tone and build muscle endurance (get in better shape all the way around) you can best achieve this from doing lower weights and higher reps. This would be where you could complete 10 to 12 reps of that weight with fatigue setting in at the end of the last two or three reps. I think this type of lifting is really beneficial to most of my peeps. This is what we do during the adult fitness group classes. This type of exercise gets you toned.
To build strength in a particular muscle group it is best to do fewer reps with more weight. An example of this would be the bench press exercise where a person would do 3 sets of 3 reps with a few minutes rest in between each set. You would increase the weight for each set and it would be within your one rep max range. The one rep max is the amount of weight you could do for only one rep. My one rep max for the bench press is currently 125 so I would do the first three reps at 95, then 105 and finish with 110 or so.
I have to add that I have benefited from all types of reps and weight ranges when working out. I have lifted lighter with more reps and worked my way to low reps with the most weight I can handle.
The best advice I can give for this is to always keep yourself challenged. If the 10 pound dumbbells feel light to you then you need to move up to the 12 pounders. Your body will adapt to a certain work load and you will stop seeing results from your work-out. It is up to you to recognize that and work harder. I can usually tell right away if you are selling yourself short and need to use more weight.
It is the same with conditioning and cardio exercise. Your body will adapt to the work load of the heart and it is up to you to move faster or jump higher. If you are walking go farther or jog some of the way if able. You can add the incline factor in to your work-out as well. If you are not breaking a sweat during the work-out then you probably need to work harder.

Show up and make it count!

Chubby Girl Meeting

As most of you know I lost weight through diet and exercise. I totally believe that you have to do both to win this game of weight loss. I continue to believe that you have do to both to keep weight off. The photo just above is one that I carried around in my gym bag so that I could remember where I had been. I believe this photo was taken around May of 2002 and my weight was probably over 170! The photo at the very top was taken this month and my weight was 133 that morning. I have fluctuated from a low of 123 right after knee surgery (muscle atrophy) to a high of 135 (too much holiday stuffing and heavy squat work).

I continue to go to the Chubby Girl Meetings as I fondly call them at least once a month in order to maintain my Life Time membership with Weight Watchers aka Chubby Girl Meetings. I went to my monthly meeting last Thursday and wanted to share some thoughts with you. I noticed that the meeting consisted of alot of talk about food. The other members talked as though they were living to eat instead of eating to live. I have never heard so many suggestion on how to use cream cheese spread. I had one thought for the rest of the day and it was this...it is not about the food when it comes to losing weight. I feel like you have to separate yourself from the food and not let it have so much power over you. I thought to myself to just let it be fuel instead of trying to figure out how to manipulate it so that you could have more. I found myself wanting to stand up and say "Do any of you people exercise"? I know that there must have been a point where I was all about the food and wanted to figure out a way to get more of it and not gain weight, but I am happy to say that I am past that feeling. My goals now are to use it to fuel my body and my activities and to contribute not contaminate by eating nutricious things instead of cream cheese.

I am happy to say that Weight Watchers has jumped on the healthy eating band wagon and are suggesting that all of us Chubby Girls of the world pick healthy filling foods instead of contaminating ourselves until we are just content for the moment. I applaud this move my Weight Watchers.

Please don't get me wrong...I think Weight Watchers is the best program if you want to lose weight and keep it off. I will always remember who I came to the dance with as far as weight loss is concerned. The meetings are always informative and I am always inspired by someone there. I always feel welcome and I always feel like I am not alone in my weight loss journey. If you are looking for a way to jump start your weight loss then I think you should at least attend one meeting and check it out for yourself. I would be happy to go with you if you are ever interested in going to a meeting. They also offer their program online if you can not attend the meetings.

Show up and make it count!