Update & Wishing You A Happy New Year

Just a quick update. We're very busy in Bardelli (Barzarro) World. My husband moved his home office out of the room he shared with our son and onto one wall of our bedroom. All his stored stuff he didn't use much or at all got moved outside into storage sheds. Bruno is a happy little camper in his "new" unshared room. And I loll in bed watching tv while Jerry plays with his Linux and Windows computers.

On the weight and fitness front I'm down to 112 pounds. One hundred and twelve pounds! That's two pounds from goal! Woo Hoo! Although my scale weight is down my body fat crept up to 20.4 percent and 23 pounds. I don't know if the scale shift downward was water loss, muscle loss, fat loss or a combination. Frankly right now I could care less. My break ends on the 7th and by then my new Power 90X Plus will be here! I was invited to pre-order as I'm a Power 90Xer. Yeah!

And I haven't been doing conventional workouts - think Power 90X - but I've been active including horse wrangling. I'll tell that tale later. Talk about high excitement. I've been enjoying holiday fare including champagne, chocolates, chips, dips, crackers, cheese, and beef stick snacks. I have to conclude this three week break from Power 90X hasn't hurt me. I'm rested up and raring to go. Bring it!

Who Started This Christmas Stuff?

Who Started This Christmas Stuff?

A woman was Christmas shopping with her two children. After many hours of looking at row after row of toys and everything else imaginable; and after hours of hearing both children asking for everything they saw, she finally made it to the elevator with her two kids.

She was feeling what so many of us feel during the holiday time of the year - overwhelming pressure to go to every party, taste all the holiday food, get that perfect gift for every person on our shopping list, make sure we don't forget anyone on our card list, and so on.

The elevator was very crowded as she pushed her way in, dragging her two kids and all the bags of stuff. When the doors closed she couldn't take it anymore and said, "Whoever started this whole Christmas thing should be strung up and shot."

From the back of the elevator a quiet, calm voice respond, "Don't worry, we already crucified Him."

For the rest of the elevator ride, it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

This year, don't forget to keep "the One who started this whole Christmas thing" in your every thought, deed, purchase and words. If we all did, just think how different this world would be.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Merry Christmas!!!

THE PACKING MISTAKE

About a week before Christmas, our family bought a new nativity scene. When we unpacked it, we found two figures of the Baby Jesus. "Someone must have packed this wrong," mother said, counting out the figures. "We have one Joseph, one Mary, three wise men, three shepherds, two lambs, a donkey, a cow, an angel and two babies. Oh, dear! I suppose some set down at the store is missing a Baby Jesus because we
have two."

"You two run back down to the store and tell the manager that we have an extra Jesus. Tell him to put a sign on the remaining boxes saying that if a set is missing a Baby Jesus, call 7126. Put on your warm coats, it's freezing cold out there."

The manager of the store copied down mother's message and the next time they were in the store they saw the cardboard sign that read, "If you're missing Baby Jesus, call 7126."

All week long we waited for someone to call. Surely, we thought, someone was missing that important figurine. Each time the phone rang, mother would say, "I'll bet that's about Jesus," but it never was.

Father tried to explain, there are thousands of these scattered over the country and the figurine could be missing from a set in Florida or Texas or California. Those packing mistakes happen all the time. He suggested we just put the extra Jesus back in the box and forget about it.

"Put Baby Jesus back in the box! What a terrible thing to do" we children said. "Surely someone will call," mother said. "We'll just keep the two of them together in the manger until someone calls."

When no call had come by 5:00 on Christmas Eve, mother insisted that father just run down to the store to see if there were any sets left.

"You can see them right through the window, over on the counter," she said. "If they are all gone, I'll know someone is bound to call tonight."

"Run down to the store?" father thundered. "It's 15 below zero out there!"

"Oh, Daddy, we'll go with you," Tommy and Mary began to put on their coats. Father gave a long sigh and headed for the front closet. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.

Tommy and Mary ran ahead as father reluctantly walked out in the cold. Mary got to the store first and pressed her nose up to the store window.

"They're all gone, Daddy," she shouted. "Every set must be sold."

"Hooray," Tommy said, "The mystery will now be solved tonight!" Father heard the news still a half block away and immediately turned on his heel and headed back home.

When we got back into the house we noticed that mother was gone and so was the extra Baby Jesus figurine. "Someone must have called and she went out to deliver the figurine," my father reasoned, pulling off his boots.

"You kids get ready for bed while I wrap mother's present."

Then the phone rang. Father yelled, "Answer the phone and tell 'em we found a home for Jesus." But it was mother calling with instructions for us to come to 205 Chestnut Street immediately, and bring three blankets, a box of cookies and some milk.

"Now what has she gotten us into?" my father groaned as we bundled up again. "205 Chestnut. Why, that's across town. Wrap that milk up good in the blankets or it will turn to ice before we get there. Why can't we all just get on with Christmas? It's probably 20 below out there now. And the wind is picking up. Of all the crazy things to do on a night like this."

When we got to the house at 205 Chestnut Street it was the darkest one on the block. Only one tiny light burned in the living room, and the moment we set foot on the porch steps, my mother opened the door and shouted, "They're here, oh thank God you got here, Ray! You kids take those blankets into the living room and wrap up the little ones on the couch. I'll take the milk and cookies."

"Would you mind telling me what is going on, Ethel?" my father asked. "We have just walked through below zero weather with the wind in our faces all the way."

"Never mind all that now," my mother interrupted. "There is no heat in this house and this young mother is so upset she doesn't know what to do. Her husband walked out on her and those poor little children will have a very bleak Christmas, so don't you complain. I told her you could fix that oil furnace in a jiffy."

My mother strode off to the kitchen to warm the milk while my brother and I wrapped up the five little children who were huddled together on the couch. The children's mother explained to my father that her husband had run off, taking bedding, clothing and almost every piece of furniture, but she had been doing all right until the furnace broke down. "I been doin' washin' and ironin' for people and cleanin' the five and dime," she said. "I saw your number every day there on those boxes
on the counter.

When the furnace went out, that number kept goin' through my mind -- 7162, 7162. Said on the box that if a person was missin' Jesus, they should call you. That's how I knew you were good Christian people, willin' to help folks. I figured that maybe you would help me, too. So I stopped at the grocery store tonight and I called your missus. I'm not missin' Jesus, mister, because I sure love the Lord. But I am missin' heat. I have no money to fix that furnace."

"Okay, Okay," said father. "You've come to the right place. Now let's see. You've got a little oil burner over there in the dining room. Shouldn't be too hard to fix. Probably just a clogged flue. I'll look it over, see what it needs."

Mother came into the living room carrying a plate of cookies and warm milk. As she set the cups down on the coffee table, I noticed the figure of Baby Jesus lying in the center of the table. It was the only sign of Christmas in the house. The children stared wide-eyed with wonder at the plate of cookies my mother set before them.

Father finally got the oil burner working but said, "You need more oil. I'll make a few calls tonight and get some oil. Yes ma'am, you came to the right place," father grinned.

On the way home father did not complain about the cold weather and had barely set foot inside the door when he was on the phone. "Ed, hey, how are ya, Ed? Yes, Merry Christmas to you, too. Say Ed, we have kind of an unusual situation here, I know you've got that pick-up truck. Do you still have some oil in that barrel on your truck? You do?"

By this time the rest of the family were pulling clothes out of their closets and toys off of their shelves. It was long after our bedtime when we were wrapping gifts.

The pickup came. On it were chairs, three lamps, blankets and gifts. Even though it was 30 below, father let us ride along in the back of the truck.

No one ever did call about the missing figure in the nativity set, but as I grow older, I realize that it wasn't a packing mistake at all.

Jesus saves, that's what He does and He works in mysterious ways to do it!!

Become as a little child...

I just had to share this. It's an excerpt from the Worthy Brief newsletter I get daily. This is touching and apt for the season. All of us should be as these children, loving, non-judgmental, unconpetitive, and kind.

"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3

Worthy Brief - 12/21/2007

Worthy Ministries to me

Carol, love one another!

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

A friend sent us this story about the Seattle Special Olympics. It touched our hearts and we thought we’d share it with all of you.

Nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back -- every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said," This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.

Oh, that we believers would have this kind of love, compassion and concern for one another. In this day and age, it seems we only look out for ourselves! When we see a brother or sister in the Lord struggling, many times our first instinct is to compare and criticize. We’re quick to rebuke and run for the winning finish line alone! But I think we can take a lesson from these “disabled” kids -- it makes me wonder who’s more disabled -- them or us?

Carol, let’s take a look at our actions. Perhaps we can show more love than we have. If we see someone falling, let’s turn around, pick him up and help him to the finish line. May God pour out His great love out upon us as we pour it upon others today.

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Rivka, Elianna & Baby Obi

Carol, help spread WORTHY NEWS, now reaching 119 countries daily! Please forward this brief to a friend!

IMPORTANT NOTE: To ensure delivery of your Worthy Brief please add worthynewsbrief@worthymailing.com to your address book or approved senders list.

Falling Once, Falling Twice

Falling Once, Falling Twice,

Falling Chicken Soup with Rice...

(Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak was a favorite book of mine as a child. I still have a copy).

Anyhow, I took two falls in the last two weeks and have been too stove up for Power 90X, let alone any workout more rigorous than an encounter with my Homedic Shiatsu massager and Light Relief - both which I highly recommend. I use the Light Relief regularly for lower back arthritis and shoulder tendonitis also. Not to go into the boring details, I'd love to report I fell twice on the nearby slopes of Diamond Peak or Heavenly but I managed a nasty encounter with a large dresser because of a dip in our bedroom floor and another one with a very hard treadmill. I've reached the heights of soreness!

As of now, I'm not planning to attempt working out until the kid is back in school after the holidays. We shall see if my newly acquired muscle mass can make up for a lack of exercise combined with Holiday indulgences for 3 or 4 weeks. So far I've gone 10 days without a workout, had 4 days over 2000 calories with 6 around 1600 calories, and still eeked my way down from 116 to 113 pounds (likely it was water weight). Without effort. Wow. This extra muscle thing may be just the ticket.

Y'all have a Merry Merry. I'll update again soon. During the long holiday (December 22nd through January 7th) we'll be doing videos and photo shoots for sure, always good blog fodder.

Christmas Videos & Links

Wow. I got an early Christmas gift. The scale was back down to 113 this morning WITH my oversize sleep shirt still on. Body fat percent stayed roughly the same, still in the 17 percent range. I probably dropped some water weight. Still, it’s a nice number to see.

I’m done Christmas shopping but still have a lot on my to do list. My cousin Debby said to me yesterday, “I'll bet you're all ready for Christmas, aren't you? Darned little overachiever!!!” Ha, ha, I told her I was done, put a fork in me. You have to shop ahead when you have a seven year old with precise demands like a 661 piece lego set like this one.

And my best news is my husband is taking the whole Christmas week off! Yeah! Nine straight days of Jerry! Ho, ho, ho! Tis the season to be jolly, after all.

Here’s a variety of Christmas and Holiday videos and links you might enjoy.

Psycho Cat Christmas



Tacky Christmas Yards

The North Pole

The History of Christmas




Christmas on the Net


Hanukkah / Chanukkah The Festival of Lights


The Official Kwanzaa Website

Do They Know It’s Christmas?



Jesus 2020


Santa Claus.com

Christian.com

Charlie Brown Christmas - Performed by the Cast of Scrubs




Worthy Ministries Their Daily Worthy Brief is Great!


Santas.net

Jesus Freak Network – Proud and Happy To Be One!

12 Days of Christmas Parody

Merry Christmas Story

Kissing The Face of God






















The First Ride

It was the day after Christmas. The pastor of a church was looking
over their Nativity scene when he noticed the baby Jesus was
missing from among the figures.

Immediately he turned and went outside and saw a little boy with
a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the little infant,
Jesus.

So he walked up to the boy and said, "Well, where did you get Him,
my fine friend?"

The little boy replied, "I got him from the church."

"And why did you take him?"

The boy said, "Well, about a week before Christmas, I prayed to
the little Lord Jesus and I told him if he would bring me a red
wagon for Christmas, I would give him the first ride in it."

(Aaaah...the innocence and faith of a child!)

Holiday Fun

From: Barbie
c/o Mattel, Inc.
El Segundo, CA 90245

To: Santa Claus
North Pole, North Pole
December 23, 1996

Dear Santa:

Listen you ugly little troll, I've been helping you out every year, playing at being the perfect Christmas Present, wearing skimpy bathing suits in frigid weather, and drowning in fake tea from one too many tea parties, and I hate to break it to ya Santa, but IT'S DEFINITELY PAYBACK TIME!

There had better be some changes around here this Christmas, or I'm gonna call for a nationwide meltdown (and trust me, you won't wanna be around to smell it). So, here's my holiday wish list for this year:

1. A nice, comfy pair of sweat pants and a frumpy, oversized sweatshirt. I'm sick of looking like a hooker.
How much smaller are these bathing suits gonna get? Do you have any idea what it feels
like to have nylon and velcro crawling up your butt?

2. Real underwear that can be pulled on and off. Preferably white. What bonehead at Mattel decided to
cheap out and MOLD imitation underwear to my skin?!? It looks like cellulite!

3. A REAL man...maybe GI Joe. Hell, I'd take Tickle-Me Elmo over that wimped-out excuse for a boytoy Ken. And what's with that earring anyway? If I'm gonna have to suffer with him, at least make him (and me) anatomically correct.

4. Arms that actually bend so I can push the aforementioned Ken-wimp away once he is anatomically correct.

5. Breast reduction surgery. I don't care whose arm you have to twist, get it done.

6. A jogbra. To wear until I get the surgery.

7. A new career. Pet doctor and school teacher just don't cut it. How about a systems analyst? Or better yet,
a public relations senior account exec!

8. A new, more 90s persona. Maybe "PMS Barbie", complete with a miniature container of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and a bag of chips; "Animal Rights Barbie", with my very own paint gun,
outfitted with a fake fur coat, bottle of spray on blood and handcuffs; or "Stop Smoking Barbie," sporting a removable Nicotrol patch and equipped with several packs of gum.

9. No more McDonald's endorsements. The grease is wrecking my vinyl.

10. Mattel stock options. It's been 37 years--I think I deserve it.
Ok, Santa, that's it. Considering my valuable contribution to society, I don't think these requests are out of line.

If you disagree, then you can find yourself a new bitch for next Christmas.
It's that simple.

Yours truly,
Barbie

Comments Turned Off For The Holidays

Tony Horton Eats Up To 60 Percent of His Food From Good Carbohydrates.














Now tell me he's wrong because he's fat and sick.

As a gift to myself I’ve disabled commenting on this blog until the new year.

I’ve had quite a few people – namely low carbohydrate dieters / carbohydrate phobics – comment on some of my posts on my views that moderate carbohydrate intake is the way to go if you’re engaging in intense workouts, particularly resistance training. Seems I’m not too popular because of this stance despite many reliable sources to back it up. See 'How Many Carbs Does A Bodybuilder Really Need' by Expert Chris Aceto. And apparently several of these carbohydrate phobics don’t actually read the whole of anything I post before deciding to snap at me because of their skewed or misinformed views.

A low carbohydrate diet (20 to 150 grams depending on the program) may be appropriate for people who are overweight, obese, diabetic, sedentary, bodybuilders in the 'get ripped' stage, or moderately active people (yeah, youse guys on the exercise bike and elliptical machine! Try a few sessions of Power 90X, ya sissies!)

But healthy people of normal weight who are seeking to build muscle mass through intense resistance training (like ME busting ass on Power 90X) need more carbohydrates to support muscle growth, glycogen stores, increased fuel needs, maintaining energy for performance, and because we earned it with the ass busting workout. ;)




















I’ve had comment moderating on so I’ve been able to reject most or all of the offensive comments. Lately I find myself rejecting all comments from known low carbers to try to discourage them. Unfortunately they find their way here because of my address and the fact most people who link here haven’t changed the name of the blog from Kudos For Low Carb. I’m seriously considering a move to another address after the holidays.















And for goodness sake, it is the holiday season. Why these people are so mean spirited and ill tempered this close to the Lord’s birthday is beyond me. Perhaps they’re missing out on some vital nutrients from foregoing carbohydrates for so long.

Maybe that's why they're mad at me, I'm actually getting around 80 to 150 grams of unrefined and refined carbs a day (with appropriate nutrient timing) and have loads of energy to perform Power 90X extreme workouts and do all the other things I need to - like shop all day on Saturday.

That can't sit well with somebody passing on every seasonal treat except turkey, ham, nuts, and celery sticks. But sedentary and moderately active low carbers who insist on coming here are going to have to come to terms with the fact that the pursuit of serious athletics and bodybuilding - both amateur and pro - requires a different fuel mix than the rest of you. I'm not backing down from what I know is fact. Anabolic nutrient timing is a scientifically proven method.

If you want to eat a low or no carbohydrate diet for whatever reason that's fine with me. Frankly I don't give a fig what you do or do not do or why. It's your life, it's your right to do as you see fit. And it's my right to do the very same and write about it without suffering idiots and fools who don't even bother to do the research
on bodybuilding nutrition. Spouting off on a totally unrelated subject - namely dieting for weight loss - has nothing to do with what I am doing and writing about now - namely building muscle mass and not persuing fat loss. Maybe next year I'll decide to nudge down my body fat percentage. Maybe I'll cut a few carbs to do it and write about it.

But right now I'd be doing myself a grave disservice to cut way back on good fuel sources sanctioned on the Power 90X nutrition plan like apples, pears, grapes, brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, beans, and more.

Yum, Yum!


















So as a gift to myself I’ve disabled commenting for now. Who needs that kind of annoying behavior? I’ve got a lot going on in my life right now and don’t have time for this nonsense and negativity. Unfortunately the civil and clear thinking folks will be left out too. Sometimes a few bad apples do spoil it for everyone.




















After the holidays I’ll decide whether to stay put and chance the nuttiness from those people deep into carbohydrate withdrawal (or just lacking a life or a know how for engaging in polite exchange) or move my blog altogether. Yes, they could follow me to the new site but they won’t be stumbling onto me from old links.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL! And have a Blessed New Year!

(Even the ill tempered and argumentative. Maybe it’s time to add a bit of liquid cheer to your low carb hot cocoa and chill out).

Now pardon me, I have gifts to wrap and a hot buttered rum to sip.

5 Top Fitness & Nutrition Articles and 5 Top Fitness & Nutrition Websites

We all know dieting alone is rarely successful in the long run. Just peruse the myriad of dieters blogs – including both low carbohydrate and low fat - to witness how many never reach goal nor manage to stay at goal. Even casual exercise is not always enough to help some maintain. After all it’s very easy in one meal alone to out eat the meager calorie deficit created by a single aerobics session.

If you take a different approach and seek out those who are successful at weight management and achieving their physique goals you’ll find a very different story. Success is not achieved through dieting alone nor is casual exercise the answer. The answer is a diligent resistance training program that includes aerobics and careful nutrition.

Below are five articles and five websites that demonstrate the path to success in your fitness and physique goals is a balanced approach that encompassed resistance training, informed nutrition, and aerobics.

Best Recent Articles:

Build and Burn – Cycling caloric surplus and deficit.

Debunking Nutrition Myths – Carbs are evil? Low fat diets are good? Debunking common nutrition myths.


Too Much of a Good Thing – The Drawbacks of Overtraining

6 Bodybuilding Diet Mistakes


Best Sites:

T-Nation

Bodybuilding.com

Dave Draper’s Iron Online

Lee LaBrada


The Elite Physique

This is by no means a comprehensive list. It's just a few I recently read and wanted to share.

Remember you get what you put into something and this is doubly true of fitness and nutrition. Avoid simplistic or incomplete approaches like dieting alone or having an affair with the elliptical machine while ignoring the weight room so long it cries itself to sleep. Finding balance is a worthy goal that will get you better results than half-arsed approaches.

Low carb diets may stress body too much, studies find

Low carb diets may stress body too much, studies find

Thursday, December 6, 2007

MESA, Ariz. — For most of the past decade, there was much hubbub about the Atkins and Zone diets. Both focus on quick, effective ways to lose weight through high protein and low carbohydrate foods. Today, many still swear by them.

However, research on these diets has been limited if nonexistent, until now. Arizona State University scientists from the departments of Nutrition and Exercise and Wellness along with other colleagues have been studying the diets since 2005, and find many biomarkers being negatively impacted by the severely low carbohydrate intake.

The ASU researchers Carol Johnston and Pamela Swan, along with collaborators Sherrie Tjonn and Andrea White, both registered dieticians, and Barry Sears, of the Inflammation Research Foundation and creator of the Zone diet, have published three papers during the last two years, appearing in Osteoporosis International, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and most recently in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

The biggest difference in these types of diets is the amount of carbohydrate prescribed. The Atkins diet entails very low carbohydrate, less than 20 grams daily, whereas the Zone promotes a more moderate intake of carbohydrates, up to 180 grams daily.

“The downside of severely low carbohydrate intake is that dieters go in to what’s called ketosis or the inefficiency of the body to oxidize fat,” said Johnston, chair and professor in the Department of Nutrition, School of Applied Arts and Sciences.

The term used to describe diets that produce this biological effect is ketogenic; hence, Atkins is a ketogenic, low carbohydrate (KLC) diet and the Zone diet is considered a nonketogenic low carbohydrate (NLC) diet.

With these studies, their research uncovered that the ketogenic diet may increase bone loss because of an increase in acid in the body and not enough intake of alkalizing minerals like potassium to neutralize this effect. In addition, a higher percentage of calcium was found in the urine of those on the KLC diet, leading the researchers to believe that the bones are “leaching” calcium.

“The public should realize that these diets have differing effects on biomarkers,” said Johnston. “Diets that severely restrict carbohydrates, particularly potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, may have deleterious effects on bones.”
Read More.

Snow Day!

We enjoyed a snow day although Bruno still made it to school. Our area (Northern Nevada and close to the Sierra ski resorts) is well prepared for snow so the school buses were running on time. But before he left to catch the bus at 7:45 am we enjoyed almost an hour of fun playing in the snow after feeding the horse. I'm sure Junior the dog and Fury the horse thought we were crazy. "Silly humans out playing in the cold!"

Click To Enlarge Any Photo

Bardelli Family Christmas Video 2007

We decided to make a Christmas video this year instead of writing a Christmas letter. And as always with the Bardelli Family things got out of hand at the end. We pretty much kept it PG but some kissing happened between consenting married adults. And this was after we lectured Bruno that there would be no cussing or potty mouth talk allowed. Oh well.

Happy Holidays!

Integrity In Blogging Award

Lady Rose at Incredible Shrinking Ladies wrote: "Thank you Honi for this very prestigious award.

All the ladies here at Incredible Shrinking Ladies, please feel free to post this awesome award on your blogs as well since you all contribute awesome writing here.

You can read all about this award and pick up your award badge at Shameless Lions Writing Circle. (Badge comes in three colors.)"

And I get to post the award here because I'm a 'Shrinking Ladies' contributor.

Yeah! A blog award!

Yippee I Oh Ki Ay!

Use It Or Lose It

I'm too busy using it to do more than a brief update here. Seems the minute Thanksgiving was over I was in the midst of Christmas preparations. Lots of shopping, decorating and list making going on. And I'm excitedly awaiting the December release of Power 90X Plus! I can't wait! Talk about a kid excited about Christmas.

If you're curious about my current nutrition and fitness check out "My Program This Month" on the sidebar. I update it daily. I'm visualizing my muscles growing even as I hang the lights and holly.

I should be updating again soon. We're planning on making a video this weekend.
Happy Holidays, Carol

Use It Or Lose It: Physical Activity In Middle Age

ScienceDaily (Nov. 29, 2007) — Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, have concluded a study that proves a direct link between levels of physical activity in middle age and physical ability later in life -- regardless of body weight.

Dr. Iain Lang headed the research team from the Epidemiology and Public Health Group at the Peninsula Medical School. The team found that middle-aged people who maintained a reasonable level of physical activity were less likely to become unable to walk distances, climb stairs, maintain their sense of balance, stand from a seated position with their arms folded, or sustain their hand grip as they get older.

Research showed that, among men and women aged 50 to 69 years and across all weight ranges, the rate of decreased physical ability later in life was twice as high among those who were less physically active.

The research team studied 8,702 participants in the US Health and Retirement Study and 1,507 people taking part in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Each subject was followed for up to six years.

Findings showed that being overweight or obese was associated with an overall increased risk of physical impairment but that, regardless of weight, people who engaged in heavy housework or gardening, who played sport or who had a physically active job, were more likely to remain mobile later in life. Read More.

New All-Time Low Body Fat Percent!

My numbers this morning are 116 pounds, 17.1 percent body fat and 20 pounds body fat. This puts my lean mass at 96 pounds! That's a gain of 4 pounds of lean mass! (I started my second 12 week round of Power 90X in October).

That's a total of 13 pounds of muscle mass gained since April. And down from 29 percent body fat to 17.1 percent is 12 percent body fat lost.

WOO HOO! Power 90X and Tony Horton Rock! And so do I. If this isn't a glowing testimonial to the effectiveness of Power 90X and eating properly for performance (approximately 40-35-25 or 40-30-30 protein - carb - fat on most days) I don't know what is.

I'll add this food for thought; when choosing a fitness or nutrition approach judge it on the results others achieved. Closely examine it and ask yourself if you can truly adopt it as a LIFESTYLE, not some temporary fix that you'll quit. And look at people who use that approach. Do they look the way YOU want to look? If someone hawks an approach but they never reach their goals (including goal weight, body fat percent, and appearance) why would you follow them? Many diets leave you a "skinny fat person". Is that what you want? How many people who follow a certain diet or exercise program you're doing or considering actually get the results you want?

"Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Unknown



Want REAL Results? Buy Power 90X and BRING IT!

Other Power 90X Links:

Power 90X Fitness Infomercial.com Reviews

Raven's Body Blog

Watch P90X Demonstrated

Exercise and Low Carb Diets Make Poor Partners - Fat Loss Coach Speaks Out by Charles Remington

In The News

Exercise can't compensate for sitting

COLUMBIA, Mo. (UPI) -- Even exercising for an hour a day isn't sufficient to reverse the effects of sitting the rest of the day, U.S. researchers found.

University of Missouri-Columbia researchers Marc Hamilton and Theodore Zderic found evidence that sitting had negative effects on fat and cholesterol metabolism and that physical inactivity throughout the day stimulated disease-promoting processes.

Hamilton said that there is a misconception that actively exercising is the only way to make a healthy difference in an otherwise sedentary lifestyle but his studies found that standing and other non-exercise activities burn many calories in most adults even if they don't otherwise exercise.

"The enzymes in blood vessels of muscles responsible for 'fat burning' are shut off within hours of not standing," Hamilton said in a statement. "Standing and moving lightly will re-engage the enzymes, and it stands to reason that when people sit much of that time they are losing the opportunity for optimal metabolism throughout the day."

Common non-exercise physical activities include: household chores, shopping, fidgeting and standing while watching a ball game, watching TV or talking on the telephone.

The findings are published in Diabetes and are to be presented at the Second International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health in the Netherlands.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Slim pickings for the women who are starving to look good
More magazine's latest offering serves up a depressing hotch-potch of information about dieting, resulting from interviews with 2,000 women across the UK. The headlines go like this: over a lifetime women spend, on average, more than £150,000 on diet products including books and dvds, gym membership, specialist foods and supplements. In spite of this, average weight loss is three pounds in any one year – most of which is put back on – so every pound lost costs £807.

The average length of time a woman tries to diet before a big event is four weeks, and young women now have a much more "short, sharp burst" attitude to weight loss than their mothers and grandmothers ever did.

Research says that women (the average age of the sample was 23) tend not to believe female celebrities whose bleating explanation for sudden dramatic weight loss is often either, "I just can't to keep weight on, no matter how much I eat..." or "It just dropped off after I had the baby...it must be down to breastfeeding."

Apparently 67 per cent of those surveyed thought the likes of Lily Allen, Paris Hilton, Victoria Beckham and her Spice Girls colleague Geri Halliwell actually achieve their wafer-thinness by opting for the "No Food Diet".

And thinking seems to go that if these suspected drastically slim pickings are okay for the celebs, that's where ordinary young women follow. Maybe this accounts in part for the fact that, although women in general have got bigger since the Second World War, the shops are selling clothes in ever-tinier sizes. We have a generation of younger women now who either gorge themselves or starve to be fashionable and emulate their icons.

Ninety per cent of women have gone at least one day without eating to lose weight, 30 per cent have starved themselves for two or more days, and seven per cent have fasted for four days.

Nearly half of those questioned said they eat only one meal a day, and that they started on this regime at the age of 15. A fifth follow a day of eating by a day of not eating, in order to lose weight or maintain weight loss.

Some of these will be seriously threatening their health, and some will be those who consume hardly any food on a Thursday to mitigate the calories they'll take on board on Friday night from a pizza and eight or 10 glasses of wine.

More's target audience isn't the older woman who knows better than to follow fad diets. The younger women who are probably the core of its readership will read the figures on diet provided by this survey and devour them – they are, after all, calorie-free.

The magazine's editor, Lisa Smosarski, says : "A whole generation of women have a dysfunctional eating pattern of endless mini starvation diets... It's very a very unhealthy, short-term approach to food, and means one day nothing will pass a girl's lips so that she can look 'hot' for a party..." Read More.

The Skinny on Carbohydrates (And don't leave me snotty or know it all comments because you're anti-all-carbs or only eat crescent rolls during a blue moon or pass on the apples and bananas because Jupiter is in the wrong alignment with your treadmill's model number. I don't give a snot).

Melina Jampolis, M.D.

Carbohydrates have been making a comeback lately. In the late '90s, the bun-less double bacon cheeseburger was considered health food, but in the past year or two, with even more research emerging on the importance of whole grains in disease prevention, we have been forced to rethink our boycott of the bread basket. Nevertheless, the average person is still confused about the role of carbohydrates for optimal health and weight loss. When it comes to carbohydrates, it is important to understand that quality and quantity matter.

Carbohydrate Quality: When we think of carbohydrates, we think of bread, pasta, rice, cereal, baked goods and potatoes, but they are also present in fruits, vegetables and dairy. All carbohydrates (except fiber) are eventually broken down into simple sugars, your body's favorite source of fuel. How quickly foods are absorbed and broken down into simple sugars (and therefore raise blood sugar), a value known as the glycemic index (GI), is an important criterion for evaluating carbohydrate quality. Whole, non-processed carbohydrates (vegetables, low-fat dairy) and carbohydrates that are high in fiber (whole grains) tend to be low glycemic while refined, processed and sugary carbohydrates like baked goods, juice, soda, white bread, white rice and white potatoes are generally high glycemic.

Why does the glycemic index of food matter? High-GI foods increase blood sugar very quickly, causing an exaggerated release of insulin. This leads to a subsequent crash in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling tired and hungry - neither of which is good for your waistline or your general well-being. In addition, having too much insulin in your bloodstream regularly can cause dangerous fat to accumulate around your midsection, significantly increasing your risk of heart disease. While studies on GI and weight loss have shown mixed results, in my practice, I find that a low-GI diet helps control hunger and keep energy levels stable throughout the day. And studies suggest it may decrease your risk of heart disease, age-related macular degeneration, breast cancer and diabetes, so even if you don't lose weight, a low-GI diet wins.

Carbohydrate Quantity: When it comes to weight loss, low=carbohydrate diets outperform the rest, in the short term. But most, if not all of the weight loss, is generally regained within a year because it is difficult, if not impossible, to stay on these diets long term. If you tend to carry your weight around your midsection, the so-called apple-shaped body type, studies suggest that you will lose more weight, particularly around your waist, by reducing carbohydrates. But rather than cut them completely, focus on cutting back and eating mainly fruits, vegetables (except potatoes) and whole-grain carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, brown rice, barley and high-fiber cereal. In my book, "The No Time to Lose Diet," I developed a carbohydrate calculator (click here) to help customize the number of starchy carbohydrates you should consume for weight loss. Studies show that eating at least 3 servings of whole grains per day is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. And for athletes (even weekend warriors), you need carbohydrates to fuel your muscles, otherwise you will run out of steam quickly or worse, burn muscle for fuel.

So as you can see, there is no need to fear the carbohydrate. The right carbs can help you become (or stay) healthier and slimmer.

Dr. Melina B. Jampolis is a board-certified physician nutrition specialist. She is the host of Fit TV's "Diet Doctor" and author of "The No Time to Lose Diet" (Nelson Books, 2007). She is in private practice in San Francisco focusing on nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention.

This article appeared on page P - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle

What We're Thankful For...A Bardelli Thanksgiving List

This was Bruno's idea. He started making us list what we are thankful for before I had loaded the coffee pot. So we decided to post our list and repost as it grows.

Bruno is thankful for:

My LEGOS.

Myself. (? Kids.)

My computers Samantha and Rita.

My Family.

Thanksgiving holiday.

Christmas.

My cousins.

My teacher Mrs. Mills.

My classmates.

My best friends Freddie, Justin, Junior, and Bret.

My principal who's nice.

My collector cards.

My big box of arts and crafts stuff.

My cars.

My pets.

Chocolate milk.

Pokemon themes.

Puppet shows I put on myself.

Carol is thankful for:

My wonderful husband.

My healthy happy son.

My friend Jesus.

My good health.

No mortgage! No bills besides utilities. (We paid everything off in 1999 before Bruno was born).

Doing things I'm not supposed to be able to do like Power 90X and 55 push ups in one set and 8 sets of 8-12 different exercises in one workout.

Still groping and making out with my husband all the time.

My horse Fury.

My sweet natured cats and dog.

My oldest friends Julie and Jackie. We've known each other since we were five.

My warm and cozy home on a cold morning.

My big brother John.

My aunts and uncles and cousins (88 first cousins on one side!)

Enough exercise equipment to furnish a gym.

A husband who'll drive 75 miles one way to buy me a treadmill. Or a siamese cat. Or pretty much anything I want.

The wisdom of others who I learn from. Like today from Dave Draper who said: "LIFT, EAT, REST AND GROW. I left out the details as they are boring and no one seems to agree upon them. I figure the less said, the fewer the disagreements. It is
the holiday season, after all."

Eating out with my family occasionally. (The less you do it the more special it is).

Music. All kinds including Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Montgomery Gentry, Brook & Dun, Trace Atkins, The Eagles, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty, I could go on and on and list my whole Napster list but I won't.

My husband's seemingly endless handyman and computer skills.

Yeah, football! McNabb is yummy.

TIVO.

Fond memories of my parents who passed in 1980 and 1995.

All the horses I've ridden or owned over the years (Rode borrowed equestrian friends Lucy, Margie, Star, Smoky and Pete (Narzpetar). Owned Candy, Oly, Margo, Margo II, Buckshot, Chantilly, Ginger, Roxanne, and last but not least Fury!)

A warm soft bed draped with satin and fur (fake you PETA loons).

Calcium chews that taste like chocolate and caramel.

Real Belgium chocolates whenever I want.

Champagne! Caviar and Brie! iGourmet.com! Luxuries!

Shopping.

Books. Lots and lots of Books.

Jerry is thankful for:

My hot wife.

My son who got his Mom's brain and looks.

A great job and a great boss.

All the free stuff my boss gives us.

Good health.

Being able to work at a physically demanding job at my age (58).

Yeah, no mortgage and no debt!

Cats to kick.

My wife's extraordinary stuffing.

Turkey AND ham.

All the fixings.

Tums and baking soda.

Football.

Two TV's in the living room to watch two football games at the same time.

Four running vans.

A project truck.

No in-laws.

Oh yeah, my brother-in-law who rarely visits.

Napster blasting on the surround sound.

Craig's List and eBay.

A wife and boss who buy me the best tools. (DeWalt, Craftsman)

Linux.

Money in my wallet and in the bank.

A wife who manages finances so I don't have to.

Buying what I need.

My wife saying what I'm thinking before I say it.

The delete button.

Give Me The Gift of Muscle Part Two

Post Power 90X Workout & Post Shower Recovery Protein Shake






































The Happy Holidays, Give Me The Gift of Muscle, High Protein Moderate Fat Moderate Carbohydrate Muscle Building Diet and Weight Training Plan

I based this nutrition and fitness approach on years of reading, research, trial and error, correction, and finally results. Not just mine but the trials and results of many other amateur and professional athletes, fitness buffs, bodybuilders, and backyard workout warriors. Below (at the end of this entry) is a list of links to a few good bodybuilding, nutrition, and fitness sources if you wish to read more.

My ratios of macronutrients (protein-carbohydrate-fat) differ day to day but stay within a boundary of roughly 40 percent protein 30 percent carbohydrates 30 percent fat on intense workout days to 50-25-25 on off days. A 2000 calorie day would approximately look like this: 800 calories protein (200 grams), 600 calories carbohydrates (150 grams) 600 calories fat (150 grams).

This approach is not intended to lead to measurable weight loss as I’m aiming for muscle gain and these two approaches don’t always dovetail well with each other. They’re certainly achievable together – I did just that this Summer and Autumn with Power 90X - but this round is for muscle gain.

The reasoning behind moderate carbohydrates versus low carbohydrates is based on sound science (one such study is even discussed in Gary Taubes’ Good Calories, Bad Calories) and anecdotal evidence from the bodybuilding world. You can not achieve the OPTIMAL results on an intense weight training program without the quick fuel carbohydrates provide.

On some days, I cycle calories lower and eat a diet more moderate fats and carbohydrates meaning out of 1800 calories roughly 100 grams of carbs and 100 grams of fat a day to support hormones vital to anabolism while lowering calories. And the protein remains around 1000 calories because high protein is like, duh? We’re aiming for muscle building here and that’s what they’re made of.

As for Power 90X, Tony Horton says these aren’t your momma’s workouts. Right now, I’m limiting aerobics to the integrated cardio in Power 90X and walking. No Power 90X Doubles cardio-licious, ass busting, body fat kicking for 60-90 minutes in the afternoon after a demanding P 90X morning session like I did all summer. Muscle building resistance workouts are KING right now. I want muscle.

Here’s an actual (not sample) line up of my present plan of action with my goal being to gain as much muscle mass as possible in 12 weeks (maximum goal of 2.2 pounds gained).

Holiday Muscle Mass Gain Plan

Day One – Thanksgiving

6 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories, 25 grams Protein

9:00 :am – Meal Two: Homemade egg salad, 2 ounces ham, whole wheat toast, Smart Balance margarine, 400 Calories, 38 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates

12 pm - Workout – P90X Shoulders & Arms

1:30 pm – Meal Three: Recovery shake, 200 calories, 25 grams protein, 25 grams carbohydrates

4:30 pm – Meal Four: 2 ounces ham, 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 12 ounces wine - 590 calories

9 pm – Meal Five: Repeat of 4 pm - 590 calories

Day Two – Friday 11/23

7 am – Meal One: Coffee, ham, eggs – Calories 235, 33 grams protein, 2 grams carbs

8 am – Shopping In Town (No Workout)

11 am – Meal Two – Subway Roast Beef and Cheese Sandwich with water - 290 calories, 18 grams protein, 39 carbs

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein shake 130 calories, 25 grams protein

5 pm – One bottle of wine sipped through the evening – calories below

9 pm – Meal Four: 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 1 bottle wine over the evening - 975 calories, 34 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Day Three – Saturday 11/24

7:30 am – Meal One: Coffee ham and eggs, whole wheat toast, Smart Balance margarine, 400 Calories, 38 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates

10:30 am – Meal Two: Protein shake, fruit 204 calories, 25 grams protein, 19 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – P90X Back & Legs

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein shake, fruit 224 calories, 25 grams protein, 24 grams carbs

6 pm – Meal Four: ½ bottle wine sipped over the evening

10 pm – Meal Five: 2 ounces turkey, ½ cup sausage stuffing, ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Heinz turkey gravy, Crescent roll with butter, 1/2 bottle wine over the evening - 975 calories, 34 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Day Four – Sunday 11/25

8 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories

10:am – Meal Two: 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

2 pm - Workout – P90X Chest, Shoulders, Triceps

3:45 pm – Meal Three: Recovery shake, 250 calories, 25 grams protein, 37 grams carbs

5 pm – bottle of wine sipped over the evening – 510 calories

9 pm – Meal Four: : 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

Day Five – Monday 11/26

7 am – Meal One: Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories

10:am – Meal Two: 2 ounces ham, 2 eggs, 1 whole wheat toast with SB Margarine -318
calories, 24 grams protein, 12 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – Power Half Hour Thighs & Buns (1 Hour Total)

3 pm – Meal Three: Protein recovery shake 200 calories, 25 grams protein, 25 grams carbs

5 pm – bottle of wine sipped over the evening – 510 calories

9 pm – Meal Four: : 2 ounce Ham, 2 ounce Turkey, ½ cup Potatoes, ½ cup Stuffing, gravy – 431 calories, 42 grams protein, 49 grams carbs

Day Six

Rest Day – approximately 1800 Calories, 150 grams protein, 150 grams carbs in four meals

Day Seven

7 am –Coffee and Protein Powder 130 Calories, 25 grams protein

10:am – Turkey sandwich 275 calories, 30 grams protein, 12 grams carbs

1 pm - Workout – P90X Back & Chest

3 pm – Protein recovery shake with fruit 220 calories, 30 grams protein, 25 grams carbs

6 pm – Beer, cheese & olives – 283 calories, 9 grams protein, 16 grams carb

9 pm – Pizza (ham & pineapple) & Beer – 590 calories 30 grams protein, 57 grams carbs

Bodybuilding & Muscle Mass Links To Check Out

I'm Pissed Off by The Angry Trainer

In a society where we're led to believe that eating under 1000 calories per day will lead to the best weight loss, or where "working out" for only 20 minutes three times per week will result in a body resembling a fitness model's, or where Ben Affleck is considered to be a good actor, it's no wonder people aren't making the progress they'd hoped for. And that pisses me off.

Day in and day out, people start a diet or head to the gym on a mission to get a lean, strong, and healthy looking body. More often than not, their efforts are sabotaged by false information from mainstream magazines, books, television shows, infomercials, and "experts" in the fitness industry.

People are very eager to follow training/nutritional advice from the most obscure and random sources. As a result, many end up fatter, slower, weaker, and unfortunately, hurt. I'm not a know-it-all, but I have a fair idea of what works and what doesn't.

Carbohydrates & Bodybuilding

If you ask any bodybuilder to tell you about protein’s role in muscle building you’ll get an in-depth response about the way muscle builds, hypotrophy, anabolic rates and more! But what about if you asked the same bodybuilder about the role of carbohydrates and building muscle? I doubt you’d get a very lengthy response.

Carbohydrates are often overlooked when planning a muscle building diet. This is because a lot of people are not aware of the importance of carbohydrates and the role they play in muscle development. The truth is what type of carbohydrates you eat, when you eat them and how much you eat can have a great effect on the muscle building process.

Using Both Protein and Carbs

Dietitians and nutritionists too often look at the percentage of total energy intake for proteins and carbohydrates. It would be better to look at actual intake levels. Both protein and carbs are needed in high amounts in order to gain muscle for all the reasons discussed above.

The problem in giving general advice is that we are individuals and therefore our requirements for different nutrients vary. If you are trying to gain muscle at the same time as trying to lose body fat, your carbohydrate intake will need to be reduced. If you are a beginner bodybuilder who is very skinny, your protein intake will need to be high and you will need to consume high carb foods regularly to gain weight.


Anabolic Nutrition

Lots of times I will open my e-mails and find tons of questions from people who want to know what supplements work as good or nearly as good as steroids. If there was such a supplement, there is no way the FDA would approve it. There is something you can take though that is more anabolic than the strongest steroid. Most people call it food. Nothing packs on lean mass like a load of food


Carbohydrates Are Back

When you restrict carbohydrate intake, your body responds by converting proteins into sugar; too much = fat. That is sweet's revenge. Fight back: rules to consider the next time you think about leaving out carbs.

A Profile In Courage - The Story of A Nine Year Old's True Bravery

If you have a normal healthy body give thanks and remember it's a privilege to be able to move normally without physical challenges. Take care of this precious God-given gift of a healthy body and nurture it with proper nutrition and balanced fitness.

Meet Nick Nelson











NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams today picked up the amazing story--from local affiliate KARE-11--of Nick Nelson, a nine-year-old boy who requested that his leg be amputated.

Nelson was born with a rare inherited condition called Popliteal Pterygium Syndrome that caused a web of skin to connect the back of his leg to his heel. Because of that webbing, Nelson was not able to straighten his leg and was confined to a wheelchair.

Nick still races his friends around the track at school with a special wheelchair outfitted with handheld pedals and often "smokes them."

So he made a decision no young boy should ever face: He asked to have his leg amputated so that he could be fitted with a prosthesis.

"Sometimes you have to make hard choices in your life," Nick told KARE-11 reporter Joe Fryer. "And that's one of them."

NBC Nightly News isn't the end of the national exposure for this inspiring local story--tomorrow morning, Nick will appear on the Today show.

Watch Video of Nick on NBC Nightly News and to read more of his amazing story.

More about the advances in prosthesis design.

The next generation of prosthetic limbs will incorporate technology that provides a more natural gait and greater comfort and efficiency, and may restore certain sensory functions.

Prosthesis.com

Advances In Prosthesis Design For Paralyzed

Flipping The Holiday Calorie Equation In Our Favor

Or Putting The Happy Back In Happy Holidays or Give Me The Gift of Muscle.
















The majority of dieters, weight watchers, and casual exercisers view the holidays and feasting that accompanies them as a minefield. Each get-together or party is a potential calorie-laden bomb to be feared, viewed with suspicion, and pussy footed around. If I had a penny for every stressed out dieter who resented the Holiday season I could buy out Gold's Gym.

This is wrong thinking on two points (not the part about buying Gold's Gym, I could happily live in one). For one creating stress over your diet or anything is a bad influence on the hormones necessary for fat burning and can actually make you fatter. And two it overlooks the opportunity to put those extra calories to work for us by fueling a ramped up workout schedule. (Which by the way is a great way to cope with the holiday stress you can’t avoid).

Am I saying we should abandon all dietary reason and fall face first into the pumpkin pie and gravy soaked potatoes? No, of course not! But relaxing and enjoying the opportunities to eat luscious foods that can aid in changing your body composition is a wonderful thing.

Making judicious food choices like portion controlling calorie disasters like pecan pie and switching the full fat gravy for a lower calorie version are still essential for mitigating damage to your waistline. I am saying an extra serving of lean protein like turkey or ham (many delicious low fat versions are available) and a few extra carbohydrates like potatoes and stuffing can actually be beneficial to a well planned and well executed workout schedule.

To make this work forget about fat loss until after New Years Day and aim for muscle gain. If you gain a few pounds of body fat along with muscle so what. You can burn it off later and the extra muscle gained will help with that. How much muscle you actually gain will depend on your sex, protein intake, adequate rest, stress avoidance, and how intense you make your resistance training workouts.

With six weeks until New Years Day how much muscle could one expect to gain in this short period of time? The opinion on that varies but one informed source states “…know that beginner and intermediate trainers who train hard and train intelligently towards mass gain can and often do receive gains of 20 or 30 pounds over a 10-12 week period.”

Okay, for a little female squirt like me at five foot even and 115.9 pounds, and with little natural testosterone, this may be an unreasonable goal. But my numbers on Power 90X for two 12 week rounds was 9 pounds of muscle gained. That’s 0.375 pounds of muscle a week or almost 4 ounces. This is a very acceptable goal to me especially since I can eat more now and not gain body fat. I WANT MORE MUSCLE! So over six weeks I could expect to gain 2.25 pounds of muscle. That means I can expect to burn roughly 100 calories more a day from adding that much muscle.

Just think if you’re bigger than me, and particularly male, you can beat that number. How much will depend on the factors listed above.

So I’m game. Bring on the turkey, the free weights, and a butt load of Power 90X workouts.

My starting stats: 115.9 pounds (fluctuates between 116 and 114 in a week), 24 pounds body fat, 20.9 percent body fat, and 92 pounds lean mass. Bust 33.5 - Waist 27.5 – Hips 35.8 – Thighs both 19 – Biceps 11.5.

I’ll report on my progress here including what I ate and my workouts.

* Title: blogsticker
* Post: 5b64b6bb651f3f210870787a6cab5810

Thanksgiving Vacation, Mooning Over My Hammy, & Links To Get Fit and Healthy

Autumn In Mills Park, Carson City, Nevada















Thanksgiving looms and I’m about to get really busy. I finish up my shopping tomorrow and start cooking on Monsday to get a head start on the whole process. We’ll have turkey and ham as well as all our favorite fixings.




















Check out this delicious imported gourmet ham we bought last year and again this year, and at 99 percent fat free – a 2 ounce serving has 50 calories, 0.5 grams fat, > 1 gram carbs, and 10 grams protein - you get a good dose of delicious protein for less calories. And this ain’t your momma’s store bought ham, it’s oh so delic-i-o-so.

iGourmet.com Le Cochon d'Or Smoked Ham

This premium Canadian ham is prepared in the classic French tradition in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, a small town that lies between Quebec City and Montreal. The hogs in Cap-de-la-Madeleine are naturally raised with no growth hormones or steroids, which is a rare occurrence these days.

Their premium-quality hams are hard-carved from the leanest, most tender part of the animal and are 99% fat free. They are delicately coated with unique blends of herbed and spiced marinades and slow cured to develop a full rich flavor and uniform pink color. We offer three popular flavors - Baked Black Forest, Honey, and Cracked Black Pepper. Each ham weighs approximately seven pounds, making one perfect for a Sunday dinner for the whole family, a party on the weekend, or a team picnic. Varieties sold separately.

Price: $34.99
Size: 7 pounds

Assuming I don’t find time to blog in the coming week I’m leaving you with this super sized list of links chock full of information on fitness, nutrition, and a reminder to check out the website Wellness For Nancy and donate if you can.

Giving Thanks for All Our Blessings and Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving! Carol



7 Fat Loss Strategies For Busy Moms
Michael Jordan
November 16, 2007
Would you like to "jump start" your metabolism and lose your ‘mommy belly' once and for all? If so, the following seven tips are exactly what you need to improve your workouts and ignite your metabolism. Try some or all of these tips, but beware, the result may be a number of admiring second glances and the need to pull your ‘skinny jeans' out of the closet.

Bodybuilding Fat Loss Tips for Women
From Hugo Rivera

Lose Fat With IFBB Figure Pro Pauline Nordin
Everyone knows what to do to lose fat, right? Then how come so few reach their goals and achieve that lean look if it's so damn easy to get ripped?

I could tell you the very same things as everybody else does, but I definitely won't. It's not only about the perfect diet plan and the right amount of exercise, the best supplements and so on; the most important part of a fat-loss strategy is your mental approach to it.

That's what I'm going to tell you about. Basically, what you've got to do is stick to your plan. Period.

The Most Unusual Way To Build Muscle
By Mark McManus

Can you build muscle without touching a weight?

Imagine the possibility of using your mind to reshape your body size and strength!
Strange? Indeed.

I recently remembered reading about a study a few years ago in Men’s Health in which the subjects increased the size and strength of selected muscle groups by simply ‘thinking‘ about working them out.

They simply visualized the process and their bodies responded in the same manner as if they’d actually hit the iron!

It’s well known by a lot of people in psychology and exercise physiology that the brain cannot distinguish the difference between a ‘real’ event i.e. one that is observed objectively, and a vividly imagined one i.e. one that is created subjectively. The implications of this could be quite exciting for bodybuilders.


Tony Horton’s 11 Laws For Lifetime Fitness

4 Tips To Fat Loss by Gregg Gillies

“Can You Burn Fat And Build Muscle At The Same Time?”

How To Lose Weight By Eating More


Holiday Weight Management Survival Guide
From Paige Waehner


Holiday Pounds Forever - Consistent Eating for Long-Term Weight Control


7 Day Fat Loss Meal Plan


Fat Loss For Beginners-8 Tips For Getting Started

The No Weight Gain Holiday Guide

Harvard School of Public Health On Fruits & Vegetables

Increase Your Metabolism and Curb Your Appetite With This Fat Burning Food Group


99 Tips For Family Fitness Fun

The Season of Thanksgiving and Giving

" I will bless you; and you will be a blessing." Genesis 12:2

Please visit Wellness For Nancy

This is the season of giving thanks and counting our blessings, one of the most precious of which is good health. And it’s also a time of wonderful opportunity to share our good fortune with others who are less fortunate. Our traditional ways of sharing are giving time, money, or food to food banks and soup kitchens, or donating toys or cash to Toys For Tots. All of these are worthy charities.

This year I’d like to suggest another worthy cause we can all support. Many of our friends and neighbors are going through hard times of another kind. They find themselves facing a serious or life threatening illness without adequate resources or health insurance to get the treatment they need. Why not donate a little of your disposable income to these worthy people in need?

Below is the letter I received from my cousin about a friend of hers, a loving woman who is in just such a situation. Please take the time to read Nancy’s story, visit her website, include her in your prayers, and donate what you can to help her get the care she needs to live.

Hey Carol,

I have a friend who is in treatment for a virulent strain of cancer. Follicular Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. She worked for (Big Corporation, Name Deleted By Me) when she was in her 20''s in the "clean room". Her body was polluted by the chemicals that she was told were completely safe. She has had numerous bouts of cancer over the 30 years, but this one is going to take her life if she doesn't get treatment. She doesn't have medical insurance. The only income she has is the residual income from a MLM she sells products for. The treatment is going to take many months and cost her nearly $100,000. Her daughters are trying to raise money for her.

Is there a possibility that you could include her website somewhere in your website so that your audience could read about her and become part of the fundraising effort?

Her website is: www.wellnessfornancy.com There you can see all the information about her.

I met Nancy a year ago in August attending an essential oil boot camp in Salt lake. She was a phenomenal woman and a "healer". I find it horribly ironic that life has taken this turn for her.

If this is way too far off topic for your websites, I understand. No pressure from me at all, I'm just trying to find ways to spread the word about the great financial need she has.

Love,
Linda

Best Links of the Week

This Week’s Best Links

You knew I was going to do it. Cop out on really thinking, researching and writing a blog article because I have a new toy – my ProForm Treadmill. Now that Bruno’s back in school all day I have time to experiment with different treadmill workouts. Today’s goal is to log as many 15 minute sessions as I can throughout the day. And I have a date with Tony Horton. Well, a DVD Power 90X workout date anyway.

So here’s some great reads to check out. Click on the links to read more.


Never Hit A Bodybuilding Plateau Again

by Shawn C. Lebrun
Personal Trainer/Bodybuilder

Hitting a training plateau is much like meeting your significant others' parents for the first time. You know that sooner or later it is going to come, but you will do anything to avoid it. Seriously though, your workouts should be very demanding. They should be intense and very focused. With this intensity comes the need to rest to allow your muscles to fully recuperate from the demand that you have placed on them.

Muscle growth is achieved by progressively overloading the muscles and then allowing them to recover before working them again. This forces them to adapt by adding new muscle to handle future demands placed upon them. However, if you never allow your muscles to fully recuperate, they will not be able to handle any new demands placed upon them. They will start getting weaker from less rest. That is how plateaus happen.

We are going to take necessary steps to combat this problem. We are going to systematically wipe out long-lasting plateaus, forever. We do this by training smarter, not just harder. Proper rest and recovery from working out is so important, it literally is the deciding force behind results and no results. We need an in-depth look as to how to fully recuperate and ensure max recovery. Here are some steps you can use immediately to avoid over training and hitting a plateau.

Metabolism Mistakes

Experts discuss the TOP metabolism mistakes, how they affect your progress or overall health, and why people keep falling into these traps.

Are You Lifting Enough Weight?

If you lift weights, have you ever wondered whether you're doing it right? Specifically, are you lifting enough weight? According to a study done by the University of Michigan, many of us aren't. Researchers took beginners (both men and women) through a series of moves, allowing them to choose their own weight. After assessing their 1 rep max (the general standard for choosing weight), they determined that most chose a weight well below what was needed to stimulate muscle growth.

Are you guilty of going too light? If so, you may not be seeing the results you'd like. Learn more about why lifting heavier weights could change your entire body.

The Low Carb Craze and Other Dieting Mistakes By: Bill Belfert

Low carb this and low carb that’s that's all you hear nowadays. Kinda reminds me of something that was the craze a few years ago. The Low or No Fat Craze. Can you remember where that got us? Still Fat!

Well my friends this Low Carb Craze is going to bring us to the same exact place. Yep. Still Fat!

Listen, anyone who tries Low carb dieting will experience some short term successful but it's only short term. I know some of you are tired of hearing me repeat myself but any diet or exercise machine in and of itself will not work!

A Successful Fitness Program Must Incorporate 5 Strategies:
1. A Compelling Reason to Change
2. Proper Nutrition
3. Progressive Resistance Training
4. Moderate Aerobic Exercise
5. Consistency

If you're missing any one of these strategies you will not experience the success that you crave.

Why the low carb diets without progressive resistance training will not work in the long run.

We need to build lean muscle on our bodies. Why do we need to build lean muscle on our bodies? Building lean muscle will boost metabolism and that is what we want to achieve. You'll even start burning more calories even while you rest. Right now I'm going to let you in on one of the biggest secrets on burning fat ever revealed:
Lean Muscle Burns Fat!

The Muscle Confusion Training Principle

One of the most basic, and most important of the training principles, is the muscle confusion training principle. This principle is all about ensuring you have a variety in your workouts. This will be a variety of sets, reps, exercises, rest periods, etc.

It is also important to train the muscle from the most efficient position, in which it has the greatest mechanical advantage / stress. It remains critically important to supplement those exercises with others utilizing various angles for certain exercises. Muscles should never be allowed to accommodate to an exercise to the point where the exercise is ineffective and doesn’t result in hypertrophy or the goal you were looking for. This variety will improve your motivation, keep you mentally fresh, and keep your muscles growing

The Biggest Dieting Mistakes

If you can avoid the biggest dieting mistakes you will have a much better chance of succeeding in your quest to lose weight and experience a lot less frustration along the way.

Weight Loss Plateaus and Pitfalls

It's kind of like running into a wall - that feeling you get when, after a few months on a weight-loss program, you suddenly stop seeing results.

This is called hitting a plateau and it is not uncommon. In fact, unless you continually update your program to reflect the changes your body has already experienced, you can almost be guaranteed to plateau at some point along your journey toward reaching your goal weight.


The association between exercise participation and well-being

Exercise participation is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness. This association is non-causal and appears to be mediated by genetic factors that influence both exercise behavior and well-being.