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If you do something temporarily your results will be temporary. Fitness is a lifestyle – not a phase
”A good plan violently executed today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” General Patton
How to Begin
Tips for Better Workouts
How Hard Should You Work?
When doing cardio, you should learn how to monitor your intensity to make sure you’re working effectively. One way to do this is to make sure you’re working within your target heart rate (THR) zone. This target heart rate calculator helps you determine your THR or keep track of how you feel with a perceived exertion chart. Always be aware of how you feel when you exercise. If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, stop immediately and rest or call your doctor. If you’re not breaking a sweat, speed it up.
Variety will keep your body and your mind challenged, so after the initial conditioning period (about 6 weeks of consistent workouts), vary your workout intensity and time. Each week, do a long, slow workout–45-60 minutes at the lower end of your THR and one short one–20-30 minutes at the higher end of your THR. Your other workouts can be between 30-45 minutes, in the middle of your THR.
Even against the greatest of odds, there is something ingrained into the human spirit. A magic blend of skill, faith, and valor that can lift your certain defeat to an incredible victory. Keep away from people who try to belittle your highest ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you can become great too and facilitate joy. Delete negative people from your life & enjoy
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.” Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer
Be a great example if not for yourself be one for your kids!… your Friends! ……….Your co-workers!! Fill in the Blanks!
Have a great Day everyone as we begin the first session of the day!
By Kittredge, Betsy Miller
on June 10, 2010 9:47 AM
Improving Meal Quality, Expanding Access and Filling Nutritional Gaps
For millions of families, the meals their children receive at school or in child care are their only chance at a healthy meal all day. In 2008, more than 16 million children lived in homes without access to enough nutritious food. America’s children should not have to go hungry – they should have access to healthy foods year round that will help them thrive physically and academically.
We expect children to come to school prepared to learn but hunger and poor nutrition can present major barriers to their success in the classroom. And, since hunger does not take a summer vacation, providing children with year round access to healthier, nutritious foods means children won’t go hungry just because school is out.
The Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act will dramatically improve children’s access to nutritious meals, enhance the quality of meals children eat both in and out of school and in child care settings, implement new school food safety guidelines and, for the first time, establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.
This new legislation will answer President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s call to reduce childhood hunger and support school and community efforts to reduce childhood obesity.
Specifically, these new investments in child nutrition will:
Improve Access to School Meal Programs
* Increase the number of eligible children enrolled in the school lunch programs by using Medicaid/SCHIP data to directly certify children who meet income requirements without requiring individual applications and requiring states to establish and execute a plan to increase rates of direct certification.
* Provide enhanced universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities by eliminating paper applications and using census data to determine school wide income eligibility.
* Increase children’s access to healthy school breakfasts by providing competitive grants to school districts to start up or improve their program.
Improve Access to Out of School Meal Programs
* Ensure fewer children go hungry year round by providing meals for over 225,000 children through seamless meal service for children in school based and community based summer and after-school programs, and in low income rural areas.
* Improve access for children in home-based child care by reducing administrative costs for sponsors of child care meal programs.
Help Schools and Child Care Improve the Quality of Meals
* Assist schools in meeting meal requirements proposed by the Institute of Medicine by increasing the reimbursement rate for lunch by 6 cents per meal — the first real increase in over 30 years.
* Enhance funding for nutrition education in schools to support healthy eating and school wellness.
* Promote stronger collaboration and sharing of nutrition education between child care programs and WIC programs.
Encourage Public/Partnerships in Communities
* Connect more children to healthy produce from local farms by helping communities establish local farm to school networks, establish school gardens and use more local foods in school cafeterias.
* Leverage public and private partnerships to help reduce childhood hunger and promote community-wide strategies to improve child nutrition and wellness.
Improve Food Safety Requirements for School Meals Programs
* Ensure school meals are safe for all students by extending food safety requirements to all areas in which school food is stored, prepared, and served.
* Support improved communication to speed notification of recalled school foods consistent with GAO recommendations.
* Ensures all foodservice employees have access to food safety training to prevent and identify food borne illness such as through web-based training.
Streamline Program Administration and Support Program Integrity
* Increase efficiency, improve program administration, support services and program access and modernize the WIC program by extending period of certification for children, increasing support for breastfeeding, and transitioning from paper food vouchers to an electronic benefit program.
* Strengthen School Meal program integrity and remove program silos in after school meal programs by simplifying program rules and affording schools greater flexibility for addressing program costs.
Supporters of the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act
Here’s some good news for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: A February report from the National Cancer Institute and three other organizations says the tide may be turning for this type of cancer, with “significant” decreases seen in incidences and death between 1975 and 2006.
The reasons: more people are getting screened, so colorectal cancer or its warning signs are detected and treated earlier with more success. Also, people can make healthier living choices to reduce their risk (see below).
“We know everything we need to know to stop this disease,” says David S. Alberts, MD, director of the Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona in Tucson.
Roughly 20 percent of colorectal cancer patients have a family history of the disease. But daily habits like diet, physical activity, weight and smoking play an even bigger role.
45 Percent of Colon Cancer is Preventable
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death and the third most common type of cancer diagnosed in the U.S. An estimated 147,000 Americans were diagnosed with the disease in 2009 and approximately 50,000 died from it.
Yet 45% – nearly half – of colon cancer is preventable, according to a 2009 report from AICR. And the new NCI report says if Americans practice healthier habits — avoiding “physical inactivity, being overweight and obese and a diet high in red and processed meats” — colorectal cancer rates could decrease even more.
What can you do to prevent colorectal cancer? AICR’s expert report — based on convincing evidence from many scientific studies — advises:
•Limiting red meat to 18 oz. (cooked weight) or less per week
•Avoiding processed meats
•Limiting alcohol to 2 alcoholic beverages for men and 1 for women daily, if you drink at all
•Being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day, and
•Staying at a healthy weight and avoiding abdominal fat.
Awareness of possible symptoms like ongoing pain or rectal bleeding is also important. Although many illnesses or conditions can upset your digestion — like stress or the flu — check with your doctor if symptoms last or are severe. It is also possible to have colon cancer and not have any symptoms, making regular screenings very important.
Many of you know that “I don’t get sick!” Fact: I have been “sick” 5 days since I was 11 years old. One of the things that many people ask me is how I remain so positive. Now don’t get me wrong, I definitely have my moments of spiraling negative thoughts, but overall I do my best to trust God and everything that comes my way HE has a purpose for good and His Glory. After years of practice, I’ve learned to almost always spin the so-called “bad moments” into positive learning experiences. It’s definitely not an easy task, but it continues to amaze me how maintaining this mindset, even in the most challenging moments, has kept me healthy, strong and moving forward with a smile no matter what.
When I decided to write about this topic, I was delighted to find that research was being done in this area all over the world. Although no one can pinpoint why, a positive or optimistic outlook on life is believed to ward off colds and other viruses, increase life span, improve psychological and physical wellbeing, and even help tackle more serious diseases. Although there are many genetic, biological and environmental influences that impact how one person responds to illness versus another, there are many theories linking cellular and hormonal response in positive individuals to better health and overall disease reaction.
So what can one do to remain positive? For me, the best thing you can do is to try to surround yourself with positive people. This doesn’t mean that you should give up on those who choose to remain pessimistic. I’ve often found that by being positive myself, others start to follow suit which is always fun to witness. Another great practice is to read books that nourish your inner-self and help you focus on the bigger picture rather than getting caught up in the circumstances of the moment. There are many books with daily quotes or reflections that can help you begin your day on a positive foot. My favorite is the Book of Proverbs in the Bible it has a chapter for every day of the month. I like to use www.BibleGatway.com Becasue today is the 18th I read chapter 18 Here is what it says. http://tinyurl.com/ye9×4wf
It’s also valuable to begin noticing when negative thoughts come into your mind and to start to find ways to redirect them to something positive. Remember that it ALL begins with a thought then turns into a belief and later into a behavior either positive or negatively. (We will revisit this in a couple weeks with more resources for coaches to help you. Email me if you are interested OK!) 
Do you know the importance of being grateful and how spending just a few minutes a day remembering what you’re thankful for can be tremendously beneficial to your experience of life? Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger!
Of course positive thinking, nutruring your spirit, along with a healthy diet and exercise plan will increase your chances of good health and overcoming disease even more so. However don’t underestimate the important role of your thoughts in conquering both physical and emotional imbalances.
The result will be less stress and a more enjoyable life regardless of the challenges you face, which will help you make the best of the life journey you’re on no matter where it takes you.
Living the Abundant Life …..Mark 
Today I was reminded by my daughter Katerra how precious life is and how my life is not my life but how I manage it. “My Time, My Money, My Business, My Talents and MY Choices” [sounds like a selfish 2 yr old huh] Please read the email she sent me and feel free to comment.
Thank you Katerra!
Two Choices
What would you do?….you make the choice.. Don’t look for a punch line, there isn’t one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?
At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question:
‘When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.
Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is the natural order of things in my son?’
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. ‘I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.’
Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, ‘Do you think they’ll let me play?’ I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, ‘We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.’
Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay’s team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?
Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn’t even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.
Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman’s head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, ‘Shay, run to first!
Run to first!’
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.
He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyone yelled, ‘Run to second, run to second!’
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
B y the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, ‘Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay’
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, ‘Run to third!
Shay, run to third!’
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, ‘Shay, run home! Run home!’
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team
‘That day’, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, ‘the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world’.
Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you’re thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you’re probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren’t the ‘appropriate’ ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.
We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the ‘natural order of things.’
So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:
Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?
A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it’s least fortunate amongst them.
You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward copy this url and paste it in your email. http://www.personalizedfitness.com/489/
May your day, be a Shay Day.
4 Easy Exercises for Building Washboard Abs
Building washboard abs seems like a very difficult undertaking, but, really, it’s not. Before branding it as an impossible task, take on the challenge and discover for yourself how simple it truly is.
I remember when I got started with this whole six pack abs thing; I didn’t really buy it right away. After much reading, however, I realized ANYONE who had determination and dedication can get totally ripped abs and found some good, no nonsense 6-pack abs information.
It’s a fact that targeted abs exercises can only speed things up for you. Combined with a low-fat diet and regular cardio training, targeted abs exercises will get rid of that undesirable flab and sculpt your ab muscles.
Try to get in your targeted abs exercises 3 to 4 times a week and perform cardio in between those days. Building washboard abs can be easy as pie if you follow these simple exercises:
Weighted Sit Ups
You won’t need a lot for this exercise except for small weights. You don’t have to buy dumbbells because anything that can simulate weight like a small bag of flour or two water bottles will do.
1. Lie on the ground and bring up your knees so your feet are flat on the floor.
2. Place the weights on your chest and secure them with your hands.
3. Without moving your lower body, lift your shoulders off the floor slowly.
4. Go up to a 45-degree angle and hold that position for as long as you can.
5. Go back down to the floor gradually to assume your starting position and repeat all the steps.
Full Body Crunches
Building washboard abs with full body crunches can help you get to your goal faster because it works your obliques, upper abs, and lower abs.
1. Position yourself on the floor again and begin doing your crunches.
2. Lift your legs off the ground the same time you come in for that stomach crunch.
3. Slowly lower your legs and upper body to the floor and assume your starting position.
Ball Crunches
An exercise ball will come in handy for this drill and many others so I suggest you invest in one.
1. Place the ball in the center of the room and sit on it, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
2. Roll your back against the ball without moving your feet. Stop when your thighs and upper body are parallel to the floor.
3. Perform regular crunches while keeping your balance.
4. Remember to keep those muscles tight.
5. Go back down to your original position and repeat the exercise.
Bicycle
1. Again, lie flat on the floor.
2. Put your hands behind your ears and lift your legs off the ground.
3. Begin a cycling motion with your legs, alternately bringing in each leg closer to your pelvis.
4. As your right knee comes up, twist your torso so your left elbow touches it. Then, do the same with the other side.
To guarantee a great workout, do 3 sets of each exercise at 20-25 reps per set. Remember to keep your abdominal muscles tight and drink plenty of water. You’ll soon find out that building washboard abs quickly with these 4 great exercises is easy as pie.
Rock Wants to teach YOU!
Amateur boxer, USA Boxing (Golden Gloves) Brooklyn, New York
Licensed instructor, coach, & trainer since 1994
4th Degree Black Belt – American Tae Kwon Do Association
2nd Degree Black Belt – Midwest Hapkido Federation
5 Time Nebraska State Champion
Middleweight, Light Heavy, Heavyweight & Super Heavyweight Muay Thai Champion (PKA, USMTA, ATA)
PPCT Instructor (Pressure Point Control Tactics)
SHARP Instructor (Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention)
Civilian Advisor USMC teaching CQC (Close Quarter Combat)
(State Board Pending) Licensed Practical Nurse
1. Boxing/Kick Boxing/ Muay Thai SMALL Group Classes
3 days a week 1 hour
Monday Wednesday & Saturday
630 and 730pm M & W .. Saturday’s at Noon & 1pm
Cost $15 per session paid monthly EFT
CLASS LIMIT… 6 later to grow to 10 with more space.
Fee’s Are Temporarily Rolled Back 20 years to just $55/hour
Tuesdays, Thursdays at 630, 730 & 830 pm Saturday’s 8, 9 & 11am
Sorry ONLY 3 people will be able to work with Rock!
(SEXUAL HARRASSMENT AND RAPE PREVENTION)
This is a 6 week course at 2 pm Saturdays for 90 minutes
Cost $150 or $25 per session! Great Value!
10–Available Spots Per Class!
If you don’t get in this first class… Another Class will begin!
Please Call or Email me to reserve your Spot!!
445-0033 or Click Here to Email Me
(NaturalNews) Scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have revealed results from a study outlining some of the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body. Conducted on a group of 3,000 women, the results indicated that those who drank two or more artificially-sweetened beverages a day doubled their risk of more-rapid-than-normal kidney function decline.
The study accounted for various other risk factors including the woman’s age, her blood pressure, if she smoked, and if she had any other pre-existing conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. The 11-year study evaluated the effects of all sweetened drinks on progressive kidney decline and discovered that two or more diet drinks leads to a two-fold increase in rapid kidney decline incidences.
Though study results did not show any correlation between sugar- or corn syrup-sweetened drinks and the onset of rapid kidney decline, these ingredients are implicated in causing diabetes and obesity and should not be perceived as safe merely because they did not have a direct correlation in this particular study topic.
High sodium intake was also implicated in the study as promoting progressive kidney decline. Since diet soda contains excessive amounts of sodium, higher than sugar soda, it is no surprise that diet sodas were the primary offenders in the study. However it is unclear from this particular study which ingredient plays the larger role in progressive kidney decline, the artificial sweeteners or the sodium content.
Studies on aspartame
When aspartame was first approved in the 1970s under the name “NutraSweet”, studies were submitted as supposed proof that the artificial chemical was safe. The FDA initially approved the chemical in 1974 for use in a limited number of foods based upon the studies submitted by G.D. Searle Co., the company that invented aspartame.
Following a discovery made shortly thereafter by a research psychiatrist who found that aspartic acid, a primary ingredient in aspartame, caused holes to form in the brains of mice, the FDA decided to form its own internal task force to investigate the initial claims made by the Searle Co.
What the agency discovered was a series of falsified claims, compromised study results, and missing information. The claims made in favor of aspartame were so dubious and the evidence so faulty that the FDA decreed that a grand jury should investigate Searle Co.’s claims. Unfortunately, the case failed to move forward when U.S. Attorney Thomas Sullivan and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Conlon failed to initiate any legal action. Conlon was later hired by the law firm that represented Searle Co.
Investigation revealed that aspartame had caused tumors, seizures, brain holes, and death in many of the studies. All negative findings had been altered or scrubbed from the final reports delivered to the FDA when aspartame was first reviewed.
Time and time again the question over whether aspartame is safe has led to investigations that never go anywhere. Studies are continually released in support of the chemical’s safety even though they fail to address the results of other studies that show it to be harmful.
Other artificial sweeteners
A study published in the January, 2008 issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health revealed that the newer artificial sweetener, sucralose, alters gut microflora and inhibits the assimilation of dietary nutrients.
Commonly marketed as being “made from sugar”, sucralose had undergone no long-term human studies to verify its safety in humans. Like aspartame, initial studies revealed negative reactions by lab animals on whom it was tested, indicating that there could be the same potential problems in humans.
The EU Food Commission, Canadian health officials, and the U.S. FDA all rejected the initial studies submitted by McNeil Nutritionals, the marketers of sucralose, because of the negative results. However they encouraged the company to continue researching until they “got it right”. McNeil simply lowered the levels of sucralose used in their studies until an acceptable limit was found. After several tries, sucralose was finally approved.
Stevia, a safe alternative
A great many varieties of artificial sweeteners have been approved, many scandalously, despite the fact that safe, natural alternatives exist. Stevia, for instance, is a sweet herb from South America that is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Claiming inadequate safety research, the FDA has long refused the herb from being included on the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) list.
Up until last year, all forms of stevia could only be sold as dietary supplements. The extract could not be labeled as a “sweetener” and it could not be included in any food items.
Once the parent companies of both Pepsi and Coca-Cola discovered how to manipulate and patent a segment of stevia, however, it suddenly became safe to use as a sweetener and is now sold on grocery store shelves in packets similar to the artificial sweeteners. The FDA reluctantly added the natural stevia extract to the GRAS list as well.
Stick with natural and unprocessed
When it comes to health, a person’s best bet is to avoid artificial sweeteners altogether. There are plenty of preferable, safe alternatives such as stevia which will allow for a little extra sweetness without all the harmful side effects.
Sources for this story include
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a…
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009…
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/co…