Friday Five

I'm making up my own rules. :) This is just my Friday Five as in half of a Tuesday Ten.

1. I'm still lusting after Kettlebells. Think I might get some for Christmas? I found a very reasonable place to buy them - The Fitness Factory Outlet. I think that if I got a 15 lb one and a 30 lb one that I would be quite happy for a while.

2. Of course, then I'd have to buy Kettlebelle Body which Skwigg reviewed on her blog so that I would know what the heck to do with the things.

3. I got my father $200 on Tuesday afternoon. He doesn't go anywhere, yet he only had $40 left this morning when we went out for his blood work. Someone, obviously, is taking money from him. They are not supposed to. He offers it all the time - trying to bribe people into giving him extra care. He is at an expensive assisted living, so it shouldn't be necessary. I'm afraid he may have found some unscrupulous person who is willing to give favors of a more sensual nature... I reported it.

4. I went for a nice run last night and still have to either go to the gym or lift weights at home today. The workout I have planned I could do either home or at the gym. It is also beautiful outside which tempts me to say, "Forget that! Time for a track workout!" I guess I ought to make up my mind soon.

5. This song came on the radio this morning and now it has fully taken over my brain. Well, a couple of parts of it have. Particularly,
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum
Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum

Thursday Thinker

turned around

Blogged today's workout here: Sweat Report

I almost wrote a cranky, complaining blog about stuff that annoys me. It was going around in my head this morning while I was working out ... and then I had an attitude adjustment. It's not that anything particular happened. It's was just one of those nudges from God where He reminds you gently, "Rejoice always!" and "Who are you to judge?", 'Be completely humble and gentle," etc. You get the idea.

Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me." That verse came to my mind and I thought about what direction I'd like to see my day go. A downward spiral that starts with crabby judgmentalism, disgust with the weather, being annoyed, etc... OR an upward gaze that is grateful for all the blessings of this new day.

So, I'm just going to make a random list of things I'm grateful for right now:

Being safe and warm.

Having a husband who loves me & didn't give up when I wanted to.

Beautiful, kind, creative, intelligent, utterly wonderful daughters.

A cat that wants to sit on my lap.

Dogs that adore me.

Being able to stay home and homeschool my children, cook healthy meals for my family and be a traditional wife/mom.

A good hair day.

My cold may be slightly better.

That gas is $1.97 in Cleveland.

For Layla liking to sleep in my arms.

That God blessed Wendy & Jenna with good husbands.

The new Super Wal-mart nearby that will give Giant Eagle competition.

Oh - that Rhianna has gotten a modeling job with Giant Eagle and will s
oon appear in print ads all over OH & western PA.

That God got my attention with a nudge this time instead of having to use disaster. I hate when it takes big, bad things to get my attention.

A great workout this morning.

That He created me with a desire to do things that are good for me, even when I don't like them (instead of giving up). I would hate to be a slacker or a quitter.

For the concert my dh is taking me to next month.

For my dad's doctor telling me yesterday that he thought I was dad's granddaughter. That always feels good. :)

For hot chocolate with a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder post workout.

That God really does make things new. That His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is GREAT, even when ours sucks.


That's just a random sampling, not in any particular order.

A favorite Rich Mullin's song of mine - "Sometimes by Step". I rock and sing babies to sleep with this song. In fact, Layla has had it sung to her a few times already. I love, love, LOVE this line: "And on this road to righteousness, Sometimes the climb can be so steep, I may falter in my steps, But never beyond Your reach"



Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close
You could touch it but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so much work left to do
But so much You'd already done

CHORUS:
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek You in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

CHORUS

And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
(Sometimes the night was beautiful)
And I will follow You all of my days

The events of the day so far...

I woke up at 3:30am and could not go back to sleep. I know it is because I slept a good bit on Sunday, slept in late on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday and went to bed early last night. My body simply did not want to sleep anymore.

I got up and paid bills. Had a cup of decaf tea. Spent time with Pat when he got up. ;) Let the dogs out. I finally tried to go back to sleep and it just wasn't happening, so I went to the gym bright and early. When I walked there the temperature was only 32F.

Lo & behold, He Who Wears Regular Pants to workout came in WITH a workout buddy. The love-interest does not come in on Thursdays, so the soap opera didn't unfold any more. However, this guy actually did a DIFFERENT workout. This amazed me. I felt like history was being made.

I had a good workout and then walked home...it was still cold. I actually had to scrape ice off the back window of the van.

Got cleaned up, rushed to pick Dad up for fasting lab work and...drum roll...the idiots gave him breakfast. This is after they called and woke me up yesterday morning, getting him ready on the wrong day. They had assured me that not only were they sorry for screwing up, but that he would be ready today. He was not. Not only was he not ready and had eaten, but he had to use the bathroom which is *not* a speedy task for him. I did not know he hadn't eaten until we were out in the car and on the way. He then told me that he had had scrambled eggs. I had to call them, make sure he wasn't dreaming it, go to the VA anyway to cancel and make a new appointment. GRRRRR. And we pay $750 extra month for special "Level 4" care. Ha ha.

He still wanted to go out to Cracker Barrel, so we picked up Jenna & the baby. That turned out nice. I was using that for my post workout feeding but I didn't reallyuntil I got home. My cold makes it impossible to taste anything, so I was holding Layla so her mommy could eat and I had more fun. :) I did eat it at home and couldn't taste a darn thing.

We were busy doing school and such when I made this impulsive decision to get my hair trimmed. I was starting to look very triangle-headed and we're having company for the weekend. I didn't want to be the walking example of a wedge. So I decided to run up to the cheapo hair place nearby. I then ended up freaking out as she instantly began to cut it shorter than I told her to. Shorter and short the back went and I was flipping and freaking - inside, because I still felt compelled to carry on polite conversation. I'm already pale and ghostly white, but I think I became almost translucent in fear. I wouldn't let her dry it because I don't blow dry this curly hair to avoid frizz. I rushed home to deal with it, whined to the kids who told me it looked fine. Jenna whooshed the back up for me to show me how it should go. About an hour into it, I calmed down and realized it looks just like it did when I first got it cut. HOWEVER, I *was* trying to have it a longer version of the same cut. I guess that is not to be.

I took a picture and sent it to Pat for his opinion. It's my icon picture now. He assured me it was fine. We'll see. I'll probably be okay as long as I don't look in a mirror or touch the back of my head. There will be no stubby little ponytails now.

So now it is mid-afternoon. I've got to get dinner started, run some errands and then finish cleaning the house like a crazy woman. Wendy, Dan and little Chase & Nyla will be here for the weekend. I need to pick up some "spoil the grandkids" odds and ends to keep them busy. Rhianna has to mail a package to College Boy. She baked cookies and bought his favorite candy.

~o~

I mentioned yesterday or not, but Erin was part of a living Ohio flag at the McCain/Palin rally yesterday. She was only 4 rows behind the podium and we got to see a glimpse of her, her friend & my friend who took them on the news today. She had a BLAST. Got to hear Gretchen Wilson & Lee Greenwood right up close & personal. She said that Sarah Palin is "paper thin" and the John McCain is a "teeny guy with skinny legs." She loved the whole thing, walked about 3 miles and cheered/screamed herself hoarse.

Blogged Tuesdays and today's workouts here: Sweat Report

I have a cold...

and it annoys me. I don't have time to get sick or stay sick. Things to do, places to go.

I did have a great workout yesterday - NROLW Stage 4, workout B. However, I didn't blog it yet. I eventually will.

I had great plans for today. I meant to go for a chilly run and then do some yoga. Somehow hanging upside down and doing vinyasa after vinyasa with a runny/stuffy nose doesn't seem very do-able. Neither does sneezing my way through Wheel and Plough. Perhaps I should just listen to my body and do nothing.

Nothing involves neglected housework. I cleaned out the cabinet in the pantry and the fridge. There are other things waiting to be done, but I guess they can wait.

~o~

Watched the Biggest Loser last night. I've decided that Vicky & Heba must go. Both are Not Nice Women. I think it is possible to "play the game" and still be a decent human being. Vicky is a lazy whiner. Heba is pushy and obnoxious. I want Phil to kick their *sses. And I hope that come finale time that his very sweet wife Amy P. has lost much more than they do and looks way better. Looking good can be the best revenge.

~o~

Yesterday Rhianna and I had a weird experience. Two young 20-ish guys were watching us as we left the NY Style Grill & Deli with Grandpa's veal parmigaiana. They watched us cross the street and approach the van. As we were about to get in, one yelled in a crazy, deep scream-o voice, "I SEE BEANS!!!!" We jumped into the car and Rhianna had the doors locked before I could even find the button.

It left us wondering: Were there beans lurking just out of our vision? Is this a code for something we don't understand like "perfect mugging victims"? OR perhaps they are like Hannibal Lechter and have a craving for beans. Didn't he eat someone's liver with fava beans and a nice chianti? (I did not watch that movie; I stay away from horror movies).

~o~

Erin was part of a living Ohio flag at the McCain/Palin rally today. Homeschoolers from all over the state came to be a part of it. She was only 4 rows behind the podium - and got to see them up close. She also had a great seat for Gretchen Wilson's performance. I'm not sure if John Rich was there, but I'm sure she'll tell me when she gets home.

In defense of variety

I spent the whole day yesterday lounging around and being sick. I watched a bit of Band of Brothers (an all-time favorite) and still cried at the end when all the real people whose clips have been shown all along are revealed with their names. I then watched two or three episodes of House. Yep, that's me when I'm sick. I did manage to get up and make a huge pot of homemade chicken soup because that's the only thing that sounded appealing and the family still had to eat. For some reason I assumed that since Pat slept all day that he would be the one to put the soup away. I was wrong. No one did. I woke up to 1/2 a pot of good homemade soup wasted, sitting on the stove. Yuk.

Now it's time for... my mini-soapbox. More than just annoyed about being sick and missing the great workout I had planned for today.

In Defense of Variety.

I do like Craig Ballantyne and his Turbulence Training, but it's not the be-all, end-all of fitness to me. He advertises it like this, " Lose fat and gain muscle without cardio. Discover the cardio free fat loss workouts using weight training exercise and interval training to burn fat, get rid of stubborn belly fat, and build muscle. " He's all about having 3 short 45 minute workouts a week. (Although if you follow him on iSweat you will see that he works out more than 3X per week to get the ripped body he is showing you on his page). He also makes great videos and shares them on YouTube.

I have Turbulence Training and there are many, many workouts. But - I quickly lost interest because it was boring to me. Very guy-like in nature. Deadlifts, squats, pushups. Nothing flashy and crazy. I like flashy and crazy, that spices things up. I felt the same way about Afterburn by Cosgrove. Guys who just want to get-it-done will love these plans, women who don't like variety would probably do well. I can imagine anyone would do well...but love it? I like to love my workouts...even by adding stuff I hate, it makes me love them more.

So yesterday on Craig's blog he wrote out about working out at the YMCA and then got catty about some of the things he saw there. One that he didn't like was a "40 yo girl doing cable chest flyes on a stability ball." He said "Seriously, you can't find a better exercise to do? You've been reading too much Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine."

I ended up commenting reminding him of how when she did that exercise she was not only working out her chest but working out her core and her body's proprioception. He dismissed my defense of her. Oh well... I still think he's wrong. His defense was wrong, too. He said that lower body strength is what you need not to be fumbling/stumbling in your old age. I beg to differ. You need to work on balance. You also need upper body strength because if you are stooped and leaning that will still make you tipsy. The body is a full package - got to take care of the whole thing. I decided not to argue with him any further. Why bother?

But in defense of her some more... her exercise sounded way more fun than doing just another round of pushups or dumbbell flys! Yep, it sounded *much* better than doing the same ol' same ol' all the time.

He also said about another patron he saw, " Another fit young girl was doing lying cable biceps curls on the seated row bench. And again I say, couldn't you find something better to do? Do a set of chinups for more results in less time."

Who says we want "more results in less time"? Who says we hate being in the gym and want to get out speedily? Maybe we want muscle confusion, maybe we are addicted to feeling our bodies move and *like* spending an hour or two in the gym. Maybe variety IS the spice of life. It's not inconceivable.

I believe everyone should exercise and care for their bodies. But I do realize that there are some people who just want to get it over with - and I say, "Thank God! At least they are doing something!" I like the fact that people like Craig have made compact programs that will get the fitness job done for them. I applaud that.

However, there are also others (like myself) who love the act of being active. We like variety. Programs like Jillian Michael's "Making the Cut" are up our alley. Or, one that I love, love, LOVE...Tony Horton's P90X. (Somehow I cannot imagine Tony Horton & Craig Ballantyne getting along. I think that would be an interesting meeting). Both of these programs have an ever-changing variety of moves. They are boredom-busting sweat fests!

There are women who like being active but don't want to be "too muscular" - for them there are workouts like Valerie Water's Red Carpet Ready. She keeps the variety going, but the weights low.

I think before I'd send a woman to Turbulence Training, I'd send her to Marci Lall. He has so much information on his blog - and puts up some great workout videos with lots of variety. You get the picture - I like variety.

Another thing that Craig Ballantyne is against is lots of cardio. He wrote the report "The Dark Side of Cardio." Some people happen to like their cardio. I do. I like a long, long run. I like a killer interval workout that is *more*than 15 - 20 minutes long. Even the great Tom Venuto has conceded that some people *need* more cardio in order to lose weight. (His Burn the Fat Blog is great). Every body is different. And some of us need more cardio just because it makes us feel alive.

As for me, one of my all time greatest heroes is John Bingham, you know, the guy with the "courage to start." He's a columnist from Runner's World, aka the Penguin. Once upon a time he was an overweight, cigarette smoking couch potato. He got up off that couch and started running. He's competed in more than 40 marathons and countless smaller races. He is the author of numerous *real* books, not just eBooks (okay, that was a stab at a certain someone just selling their program in 'e' format). He's got a new one , "Running for Mortals." I followed "Marathoning for Mortals" when I ran my marathon to celebrate turning 40. (Unfortunately, my immunologist says that marathons are no longer in my future, because it does a whammy to my whacked out hyper-active immune system. Makes my body feel like attacking itself). He also is the author of "The Courage to Start" and "No Need for Speed." This guy is a REAL inspiration.

Okay, I'm stepping off now.

Research news

Ick. I woke up sick. Sore throat, stuffy head, feeling blah. Playing hooky from church as it is not nice to spread my germs about.

Great strides in the science of boobs and abdominal fat loss!

First off, a tweet from theDailyblonde led me to a Swedish study which has shown that drinking coffee can make women's breasts smaller. Now I wonder, who funds these things?? It apparently doesn't work in my family of busty women who drink copious amounts of coffee, but according to the study only 1/2 of all women have the gene that links the two. Does it matter if it is regular or decaf? Does it matter when you start drinking it? I would think that drinking it during puberty would have the great effect. What about obese women who gain weight in "the girls" as part of the distribution of excess fat - do they gain less in the boob department due to coffee? What a silly waste of research dollars! Must be a bunch of bored men funding this one.

Second, HA HA! I always get sick when I hear people still believe that low intensity cardio is the way to go to lose weight. Well, Alwyn Cosgrove reviews a study on his blog which yet again dispells that myths. Here is what Alwyn reports:

"The researchers split the subjects into three groups - a control group (no exercise), a low intensity cardio group (performed five days per week), and a high intensity group (performed high intensity three times per week and low intensity twice a week). The study was 16 weeks in length. The only difference between the exercising grops was the three high intensity sessions per week.

The interesting thing was the researchers controlled the groups for total calories burned -- so they adjusted the duration of the high intensity group's workouts so that they didn't burn any more calories than the lower intensity group. So both groups burned the exact same number of calories (400 calories per session) - and obviously the higher intensity group exercised for a shorter period of time on those days.

This is where the results are interesting. Despite burning the exact same amount of calories over the sixteen weeks - the low intensity group did not see any changes in abdominal fat. The exercise program did not do anything. However the high intensity group saw a significant reduction in abdominal fat.

Why? They burned the same calories in training - so they should see the same results.
Because something happens in the post workout period following high intensity exercise that doesn't happen after low intensity exercise. Is it an increase in metabolism, an increase in fat burning enzymes or simply a decrease in appetite as a result of the exercise?"


A thought for the day:

Philippians 4:6-7 (New American Standard Bible)

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.