TRX Suspension Training

I've been so busy that we were in December already and I had not created a December workout. I don't think I will follow any scheduled workout this month because I have so much going on. My husband gave me his training session with this trainer last week because he wasn't feeling well and he wanted me to try out this new workout that his trainer has him doing. This training is called TRX Suspension Training and I really like it. It really focuses on core training and it appears to be less stressful on your joints. It's basically your body working against gravity using suspension. It was voted the best Total-Body Tool by Men's Health magazine. I think I am going to start doing TRX Training once a week. This month I will not follow any scheduled workout, I will just do whatever I feel and starting January set a 2010 fitness goal. Come January the gyms will be filled with all those people who created New Years Resolutions and by March the gyms will be empty again. Sad but true!Here is what the TRX Training looks like:

Pull-up Chin-ups Anyone?

Attached is a video of me doing pull-ups and it seems like I amaze everyone whenever I do these? So I do know that most women can't do pull-ups/chin-ups and when I first tried to do a pull up I was only able to do 1 but I kept to it, and now I could do between 8 and 10 reps. This past week this lady saw me working out (mainly bodyweight exercise) and said to me "you are so strong and you don't look it, you don't look that muscular". I am not sure what to say about that! I was also told by someone who I work with that I don't look like I weight more than 50 pounds. This I hope, was a joke, and if it wasn't it was just a stupid thing to say. I don't think I will every get used to the ignorant comments I get about my size. It's often the assumption that I don't eat and that because I am small that I am not strong. My response to the person who said that I don't look like I weight 50 pounds nethertheless lift 50 pounds was that I can bench press at least 100 pounds, squat at least 150 pounds and dead lift at least 160 pounds.

I have said it and I will say it again: 1. Lifting more than 10 pounds does not make you big and muscular. 2. Assuming that I am small therefore I don't eat is as dumb as saying that overweight people are fat because they eat too much.
3. Eating several times a day does not make you fat (eating crappy, junky food makes you fat). Someone said to me this week that if they ate as much as me they would be huge. She also went on to say that she has to starve herself to say at her present weight. The said part is that she was overweight so obviously not eating was not the solution!
4. Eat breakfast. So many people skip breakfast, this is unbelievable to me. I normally wake up with a growling belly, so I know I have to eat breakfast. People often tell me that they can't eat that early. I most admit, a long, long time ago I didn't eat breakfast and would say the same thing but not anymore. I forced myself to eat and now I have to eat breakfast each and everyday!

Still Here Keeping Busy & Working Out!

I am still here but have not posted for quite some time. I have been extremely busy with a number of things, some of which include: starting a new job, I've been working on a few orders for Bernee's Naturals orders, my hair products are doing well (people with curly hair seem to like my products the most), I am also creating new products, of course getting my training in and working out at least 5 days a week. Recently, I've only been weight training 3 days a week and I've been doing other things like bodyweight exercises and some cardio. My favourite warmup before working out is now jumping rope/skipping to warm up before working out, I find that it takes warms me up quickly. It is so much fun and now I am jumping rope backwards (the rope turns from front to back, I am not actually jumping backwards). The next 6 weeks will be extremely busy for me but I am going to post more frequently!

Fruit Loops is a smart choice?

There is a labeling program called Smart Choices, which is suppose to help shoppers identify smarter food and beverage choices. Products can now display the Smart Choice label on the front of the packages. This symbol is suppose to help you make smarter food and beverage choices.The concept of this program could be a great idea if used properly, but foods such as Fruit Loops have the Smart Choices label? Since when is Fruit Loops a smart choice? Are you suppose to get your daily requirements of fruit by eating Fruit Loops? Or maybe it's all the "natural" grain and fiber in the cereal?

My solution is just read the ingredient labels on foods to see what it actually contains instead of relying on a company's marketing campaign to have people believe that they are making "smart choices"! Fruit Loops is not a Smart Choice in my opinion!

Importance of vitamin D

This year's cold and flu season is supposed to be more risky than usual and I am already stocking up on supplements. I am a bit of a germophobe, so I already have the disinfecting and hand washing part covered. I have the regular preventative supplements including Echinacea and Air Borne, but this year I am including zinc tablets and vitamin D. I don't usually take extra vitamin D supplements (except for what's already in my multivitamin), but I have been reading a lot about vitamin D lately and how beneficial it is to overall health.

Vitamin D is known as the "sunshine vitamin" and is critical to keeping your immune system functioning. The immune system contains vitamin D receptors. If there is not sufficient vitamin D present to bind these receptors, immune cells become weak and cannot protect the body from infection. I used to think that I would be able to get all of my vitamin D from the sun (it is produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis). There are not too many foods that contain vitamin D so it's difficult to get it from food (most foods that contain vitamin D have it added, such as milk). I read recently that in the winter, it's impossible to produce vitamin D from the sun if you live north of Atlanta because the sun never gets high enough in the sky for its ultraviolet B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. So now I am supplementing with extra vitamin D!

7 Benefits of Exercise

If you wanted some more reasons to exercise here they are:

Daily exercise, just 20 minutes a day will help you:

1. Sleep better: The more active your body is during the day, the more likely you are able to relax fully at night and fall asleep easily.

2. Better mood: A study was reported recently, in which an exercise program was equal in benefit to routine doses of Zoloft, a common antidepressant (I am sure you have all seen the commercials).

3. Reduced risk of breast cancer: A USC study found that women exercising for five or more hours per week experienced greater decrease in risk of developing invasive breast cancer compared to less active women. Remember, this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

4. Less cellulite: Exercise can reduce or eliminate cellulite by toning and firming the skin.

5. Live longer: The three-year survival rate was about three times higher for active 85-year-olds compared with those who were inactive.

6. Builds self confidence: In a recent magazine poll, women stated they felt the most sexy after exercising.

7. Reduce bad cholesterol: Studies have shown that regular exercise can help reduce cholesterol. One of the best exercises to reduce cholesterol is to simply walk for 30minutes.

Just Do It!

Men's Health Magazine

President Obama is on the cover of the October Men's Health magazine. My husband purchased this issue and there are a lot of interesting articles in this magazine. I was quite surprised by all the content. It is definitely worth getting a subscription.

Some idiot wrote that President Obama should not be on the cover because he isn't healthy. Their belief is that since he smokes he cannot be healthy. As if smoking is the only method of measuring someone's healthy!