Wordless Wednesday

Why don't we be honest and call it "Lazy Wednesday" or "Too Busy To Write a Real Post" Wednesday...

Here's the photos of my "Redneck Tack Room" and Bruno and I grooming Fury. Bruno coaxed her into the corral from pasture with his carrot-colored Tigger jump rope. She was humoring him, she has a good sense of smell and knew darn well it wasn't edible. She's the only horse I've ever had you could groom without haltering. She's shedding her winter coat and needs A LOT of grooming.

What Does Your Body Fat Percentage Mean?

Someone stumbled onto my blog yesterday because it turned up on a search for “What does 30.6 percent body fat mean?” The blunt and accurate answer is “It means you have too much body fat.”

Or put another way, 30 percent body fat means you are one third fat. That's a lot of body fat.

(Site Statistics show me where readers come from and what they click on. The reader above went here: “Tracking and Attacking Body Fat” in which I discuss my personal body fat struggles).

Body Fat Guidelines from American Council on Exercise
Classification Women (% Fat) Men (% Fat)
Essential Fat 10-12 percent 2-4 percent
Athletes 14-20 percent 6-13 percent
Fitness 21-24 percent 14-17 percent
Acceptable 25-31 percent 18-25 percent

Recommended body fat amounts Women 20-25%, Men 8–14%.
Adults in United States averages women 22-25% men 15–19%
Obese is defined as Women 30%+, Men 25%+

This is a very common problem today. Many people struggle with weight and figures show about 65 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Next time you’re in a public place look around and take note of how many people are visibly overweight. There are so many overweight people around us on a daily basis our perception of what is normal has become skewed. We are so used to seeing overweight people we only notice the obese among us when they are morbidly obese or super obese.

While many see others who are overweight as normal, many see themselves as bigger than really they are. But more commonly, there’s a growing group known as “skinny fat people”. Although they appear to be a normal weight they have too much body fat and too little lean mass – particularly muscle mass. This can be dangerous to health, especially when their excess fat is abdominal or ‘viseral’ fat that is linked to greater risk of diabetes, heart disease, and metabolic disorder.

On the flip side, many athletes and fit people weigh more but have a low body fat due to high levels of muscle mass (this is good). This is why BMI or body mass index is not the best way to measure body composition or body fat for some people. And the good old fashioned basic weight scale is also a poor way to measure your body composition. It only tells you your overall body weight not your all important fat to lean mass ratio.

The most accurate way to measure body fat is by Bod Pod or water immersion, both of which can be expensive, hard to access, and unnecessary. Other body fat percentage tests. The cheapest method is by use of calipers and best done by a trained professional - else a medical professional or a personal trainer. Another relatively affordable method is by bio-impedance and can be done in some doctors' offices or with a home meter. I personally use an Omron hand held and a Taylor scale model.

But you can easily estimate body fat percentage with a measuring tape. Waist size is the biggest indicator of being fit or over fat. Below are links to several online body fat percentage estimators.

Knowing your body fat percentage is an important key to health. Your body fat percentage – and your lean mass percentage – tell you how fit or unfit you are and indicate where you need to improve. People with high body fat percentages need to lose body fat and gain lean muscle mass. That sounds so obvious. So why are people Googling questions that indicate we really do not know this basic health information?

The Hidden Dangers of Excess Abdominal Fat

US Naval Circumference Method


Home Body Fat Test (Online Fill In Form)


Understanding Your Body Fat Percentage

Guide To Body Fat Percent

Muscle Definition & Wacky Weekend

Momma Got Muscle












Jerry said I should post this photo because it shows off my hard work. Over a decade of bicep, tricep, and shoulder workouts got me some decent guns.

Anyhow, we had one of those wacky weekends where Jerry says he's ready to go back to work so he can get some rest. (This is funny because he's in construction / remodeling and his work is physically demanding). We never got any rest this weekend, it was go, go, go.

Loading Up Our Two New Storage Shed Frames (One is still in boxes)













I even had a weight workout planned for Sunday afternoon but had to postpone because we went out gallavanting because we got a deal on two huge 10 x 20 foot storage shed frames. We have seven out buildings now - not including our myriad 'storage' vans - but they're not enough.














Back in 2003 we bought the contents of a ceramic shop including four kilns, a potters wheel, twenty 5 gallon buckets of slip (liquid clay), a large lot of mosaic supplies, and over 2000 ceramic molds. Right now our ceramic studio is in dire need of cleaning because Jerry moved out of his 'office' so Bruno could have his own bedroom. Most of his office - which was crammed full to the rafters - ended up in the studio. (I'll take a photo of this chaos before he moves it into the new sheds).

Bruno and I also took over sixty photos this weekend and I'll post some here this week. Here's a few... Now excuse me, I have to try to empty my endless laundry basket. Every time I empty it, it magically fills back up.

I Is Cute!

These are our three and four week old kittens...named Sugar, Pepper, Lightning McQueen, Tijuana, Bijou, Chaos, Willsee, and Thunder. (Yes, one looks Siamese. Momma Karma is half Siamese and Grand Daddy Jay is full blood).

Guess What I Bought & Win A Prize

Win a Sealed Denise Austin's Wellness Workout on VHS,
a Sealed Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds on DVD,
and Sealed Cellulite Get Fit Stay Trim Workout on VHS.
















I'm having too freaky a Friday. I'm in the mood to give something away.

I got up early enough, 6:30 am, but can't seem to find enough time to do everything I need to...people, namely my husband and son, keep throwing new things on my to-do list.

The good news is that I checked my bank balance and gasped. Our tax return was deposited today. Yeah! "Going shopping, I'm going shopping." ...does a little happy dance.

I went online and bought a piece of fitness equipment I've coveted since I first saw one of the first consumer models at (High End Retail Store Name Here.) But the original model sold at a price I'd never pay. I would not pay that much for a vehicle or a horse, for heaven's sake. Keep in mind I'm a cheap son of a shop-a-holic. (Other good news...we got two free pasture gates off of Craig's List today. We're expanding our fenced area in the front yard because of midget marauders but that's another story).

After about a year passed I found an affordable version of this coveted exercise equipment made by a brand I know and trust. Found by accident, this exercise Holy Grail was eligible for a discount I received by email. The online store who had it is one I trust and deal with often, but I held off buying it until I could research the technology to my satisfaction. After the verdict was in, all I could think was "I WANT THAT!"

So when the tax money came I pounced. I got a deal on this with a $200 markdown on the retail price AND I had a 15 percent off coupon AND I got FREE shipping at a retailer that doesn't offer free shipping often. Am I a wheeler-dealer bargain hunting shop-a-holic or what.

Here's the deal. If you read my ramblings this far you qualify to win a prize. IF you can guess what I bought. The prize package is all three of the sealed exercise videos and DVD pictured above. If you win I'll need a mailing address to send them to.

Here's your 10 clues:

Elite

Madonna

Brookstone

Home Shopping Network

Marked Down $200

Vibration

Proform

Jane Fonda

Today Show

Video Demonstration

If nobody guesses the right answer I'll default to saving the prize for another contest. Contest ends as soon as somebody answers correctly by email or commenting or I receive my new equipment and post a review about it.

I've Been Tagged! See Who I Tagged...

I’ve been tagged by Housewife At Work

Housewife at Work, the Work at Home Mommy who writes A Mother’s Stuff has tagged me for a Life is Full of Gratitude.

Thank you Work at Home Mommy for sharing all the gratitude you have had in your life and remembering me for this tag.

Like Work at Home Mommy there are lot of things in my life to be thankful for… but the important things are:

My relationship with God and Jesus and the blessings and guidance my spiritual life bestows on me.

My handsome, loving and supportive husband who is my best friend, and my handsome, funny, loving, and smart son Bruno.

Having a supportive and loving childhood and parents who encouraged me to pursue anything I wanted despite my physical challenges.

My friends who continue to have confidence in my abilities and who support my pursuits.

And now it’s time to pass this to other bloggers I consider friends and let them share the things they are thankful for in their lives.

Amy at Healthy Low Carb Lifestyle

Lady Rose at The Diet Pulpit

Melting Mama

Fat Doctor

Cleochatra at The Lighter Side of Low Carb

From original text:

In order to be able to achieve and maintain happiness we need to, actively, be able to do two things: Complain and then let go (Dump the baggage, the roadblocks to happiness.) Express Gratitude (The open expression of gratitude promotes happiness.) After all everyone has something to be grateful for and/or something to complain about. If you would like to share, please follow the appropriate link and do so: “Are You Grateful?”

Add your name to the current List of Contributors: 1-Attitude, the Ultimate Power 2-Max 3-DianaCA’s Metamorphoses 4-Mental Poo 5-My Thoughts 6-Baba Doodlius 7-Wake Up America 8-Life is a Roller Coaster 9-Life is beautiful 10-Pinay Mommy Online 11-Nelle-LucidCreativity 12- Juliana of PinayWahm 13-Allen’s sweetheart 14. Dexie-Loving living and laughing 15. Housewife @ Work 16. A Mother’s Stuff 17. Kudos For Balanced Fitness & Lifestyle

My Improvements In Body Composition

It seems I've managed to build some muscle mass.

And lose a modicum of body fat. Woo! Hoo!

My stats in January 2008 were as such:

Scale weight: 115 pounds

Body Fat: 23 percent (24 pounds of body fat and 91 pounds of lean mass)

This morning's stats:

Scale weight: 120 pounds (this has held steady for about a week now)

Body Fat: 20.9 percent (23 pounds of body fat and 97 pounds of lean mass)

That's a gain of 6 pounds of lean mass! Some may be glycogen and fluids but I'm betting a good percentage is solid muscle tissue. I also lost roughly 1 pound of body fat. Not a lot but I'll take it. (Measurements by an Omron bio-impedance meter I've used for about a decade so it's fairly accurate).

My bust, waist, hip, and thigh measurements have gone down about an inch or so each since January.

I had about 4 weeks in the middle of those 4 months when I did very little in the workout department due to a bout with the flu and a sinus infection. But the rest of the time I hit the weights and I hit them hard. And I've worked at eating as much protein as I could stand and getting at least 9 hours a night of quality sleep (this is when your body builds muscle).

For about six weeks my scale weight bounced around between 115 and 119, not a big fluxuation but not steady. For about two weeks now it's been 118 to 120. And now a solid week of 120 and I'm not pre-menstrual. It seems to be real mass.

I've noticed in the last several weeks that my muscles are harder (I'm not presently taking creatine as I cycle it). And they are visably bigger! Yesterday I was leaning on my left arm looking at my kittens when a momma cat came up beside me. I looked down and caught a glimpse of my flexed tricep and went, "Holy." I'm getting nice definition and triceps have long been a weak spot for me. But man, they're shaping up.

I did some research on how much muscle mass you can gain in that period of time. Of course, you get different answers from different sources. One guy swears he can't build more than 5 pounds of muscle mass in a YEAR so there's no way anyone can. (If this were true few of us would ever achieve enough muscle mass or definition to keep us motivated to keep going. We'd give up due to diminishing results).

Another swears with a well designed weight training program, a careful diet, proper rest, and stress management "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."

Common sense says we're all going to build mass at different rates depending on genetics, differences in the sexes due to hormone profiles, program design, workout intensity, diet, stress, and sleep habits. And frankly, the first guy probably doesn't train seriously, eat optimally, nor have a genetic propensity to build mass.

Luckily, I seem to have dialed into a weight training program and diet (cycling carbs and calories via The Cheat To Lose Diet) that are working for me (the body fat isn't exactly falling off, but at 20 percent body fat and a 6 pound gain in lean mass I won't whine too much). And though I'm short at 5 feet and 0.5 inches, I got my Dad's genetics. He was solid and stocky at 5' 10" and had a lot of muscle. (He never weight trained. He came by it through farm work in his youth and later being a furniture moving trucker).

Now pardon me, I have a chest and back workout to blast out before tonight - it's pizza night. Yeah!

Happy Training!

Links

Ten Quick Tips For Building Muscle

Building Muscle Mass

Excerpt:

"There is a lot of bad information out there on the subject building muscle and how to stay fit. We're being told over and over again about how difficult it is for women to gain some muscle mass due to our hormonal setup. Male trainers convince the majority of female trainers to go for the high reps method, thus burning fat and get "toned". Does that lead you to any results? Well, maybe, if you're totally new to training! Otherwise this will get you nowhere, but it will absolutely bore you out until you drop…

I tell you, and I know I'm right, that anyone can reach their fitness goals. That's it. The only things you need is Discipline, motivation, patience and perseverance and remember, practice makes perfect even regarding having these characteristics. Here I will go through some major things you need to know so you're reach your goals."

Intensity - The Most Important Factor In Bodybuilding

Tasty Tuesday & Too Much Ado About Doing Too Much

Calories burned per hour cleaning house: 148-266 depending on intensity.

Calories burned per hour weight training: 338 - 518 depending on intensity.

This is sort of a 'cheat' post as it's an excerpt from the recipes section of the book I'm working on (rewrites). I'm just too beat to do a proper entry. Saturday we did a lot of shopping at Walmart, then at a new thrift shop in our area, and then at our local favorite FISH Thrift store.

Then Sunday I did a leg workout and set a new record for me - 10 sets each of squats, lunges, and calf raises! Most of the sets were 25 reps. On top of that I used the BOSU and the uSurf to make them more challenging. It took me roughly an hour to complete with 2 minute breaks between sets.

I also did 5 sets of leg magic for 90 reps per set. And then in the evening I did 45 minutes of the Rock N Roll stepper. My glutes and leg muscles are sore, but not nearly as sore as they used to get on way less sets. My muscles are getting stronger and it takes a lot more work to get them to react.

I spent most of yesterday cleaning Bruno's room. The kid is smart, athletic, handsome, humorous, and sweet natured. His only big fault is he's a slob. I had cleaned his room three weeks ago but you'd never know to look. Can you say pigsty?

I vacuumed with the hose attachment for at least an hour, down on my hands and knees picking up enough ramen noodles to feed a small third world country (Bruno and his friends recently discovered the dubious charms of eating RAW noodles. Yuck.)

I found part of a petrified sandwich. And I sorted his ten bi-zillion LEGOS, cars, collectible cards, and assorted other toys into bins. It took half an hour just to put his CDs and DVDs and videotapes into their proper cases. New rules are about to ensue (rule one - no food or drink allowed) and hopefully he'll be a bit neater and organized.

Yes, he's totally spoiled. But Daddy and Mommy can't talk as I have a zillion books, exercise DVDs, and pieces of exercise equipment. And Daddy has more versions of LINUX and books on LINUX than God. We are the ultimate pack rats.

Someday I'll take photos of our half dozen storage sheds and out building and parked vans that double as storage sheds to show you what kind of serious pack rats we are. (And yes, we're proper REDNECKS - my tack room is a Dodge Van with no engine that Jerry bought as a parts car. Do we recycle or what?!)

After finishing all that cleaning, I immediately developed a flare (with flair?) of sciatica and lower back osteo-arthritis from the workload. That's on top of sore muslces from working out. I first got sciatica in the last trimester of my pregnancy with Bruno and it rarely comes back. Amazingly he can still make it flare by giving me a major case of cleaning! I should call it cleaning-itis.

So...these recipes are from one of my books "Weight Loss That Works" that I first published in 2003. I'm in the process of rewriting it and will be releasing the updated version as an eBook later this year.

From the updated book:

Easy Elegance Spinach Salad

1/8 cup olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon green pepper, chopped
2 cups torn fresh spinach
1 hard-cooked egg, sliced
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the first 6 ingredients and shake well. Divide spinach between two serving bowls or plates; top with egg and bacon. Drizzle with dressing.

Serves 2. Calories 373, Fat 38 grams, Protein 7 grams, Carbs 1 gram.

From the original book (before I counted carbs or protein:

Lean and Green Pasta Salad

1 - 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried basil,
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cooked corkscrew pasta (use Dreamfields if you're counting carbs)
1 cup spinach, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup scallions, diced
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup (about 1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Combine 1/2 of the artichoke hearts with olive oil, water, lemon juice, basil, oregano, pepper and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Chop remaining artichoke hearts and toss with pasta, spinach, celery, scallions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour artichoke mixture over pasta mixture and toss well. Cover and chill 2 hours. Before serving sprinkle with feta cheese.

Makes 6 servings. 1 serving equals 1 cup.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 155 Fat: 4 grams.

Full of Red Beef Pitas

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
2 whole wheat pita, cut in half (substitute lettuce leaves if you're counting carbs)
12 ounces cooked round steak, cubed
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped

Combine mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish in a small bowl. Spread mayonnaise mixture inside each pita half. Stuff pita halves with ¼ each of the remaining ingredients and serve. Makes 4 pita pocket sandwiches.

Serving Size: 1 half stuffed pita
Nutritional Information: Calories: 350 Fat: 14 grams

Meet Your Hormones Part Two - Cortisol

Reminder to House M.D. and Hugh Laurie fans, the show has a new episode premiering tonight at 8 pm pacific on FOX.













Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal cortex located in the adrenal gland. It’s involved in the following physiological functions: proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, insulin release for blood sugar maintenance, immune function, and inflammatory response.

A vital hormone, cotisol is often called the "stress hormone" as it is produced in response to stress and increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and has an immunosuppressive action. This action has great value in certain situations including the treatment of anaphylaxis and inflammation.

A synthetic form of cortisol, hydrocortisone, is used in the treatment of allergies and inflammation. Cortisol was first introduced as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, it was referred to as Compound E.

Cortisol is metabolized by the 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase system (11-beta HSD), which consists of two enzymes. An alteration in the 11-beta HSD1 enzyme is hypothesized to play a role in the development obesity, hypertension, and insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome.

Cortisol is secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Where cortisol goes wrong is when someone is in a constant state of stress. Chronic stress leads to higher levels of cortisol which can lead to greater fat storage and a shutdown of fat burning. The result can be obesity, blood sugar irregularities, high blood pressure, impaired cognitive performance, suppressed thyroid function, decreased immunity, increased abdominal fat, decreased bone density, and decreased muscle tissue.

Studies reveal that people’s responses to stress differ and not everyone secretes the same levels of cortisol in response to stress. Those individuals who secreted higher levels of cortisol in response to stress also tended to eat more food, and food that was higher in carbohydrates than people who secrete less cortisol.

The drug and supplement industries are aggressively marketing anti-cortisol and cortisol controlling ‘drugs’ in response to the obesity epidemic. Most if not all of these over-the-counter solutions are ineffective. The best way to regulate your cortisol levels is with stress reduction and lifestyle change.

Links:

Cortisol Definition

The Human Brain - Stress

Cortisol & Weight Gain

Cortisol - The "Uncontrollable" Hormone

Which Is Higher? The Cost of Imported Cheese, Protein Or Gas?

Bargain Whey Protein - Karma Cat Approved













If you read this blog regularly you probably know I have an unnatural affection for English cheese, particularly Cotswold, a spicy pub cheese that runs about $16 a pound. At roughly $1 per ounce I'm only getting about 5-7 grams of protein per one ounce serving at 100 calories. I don't buy or eat it often, mostly on holidays. Nor do I eat any full fat cheese often for that matter as the fat to protein ratio is not very good. Even if store bought cheese is way cheaper (and mostly tastes like crap) it’s still an iffy deal at roughly $7 a pound and for 5 grams of protein an ounce.

The big issue with cheese, if you’re trying to build muscle mass and not gain a lot of body fat in the process, is that you have to eat too much of it calories-wise to get your protein quota. Cheese is really a fat source and not such a good protein source. I’m not saying fat is bad. I’m saying consuming the quality protein needed to build mass should be delivered in less calories to prevent the wrong kind of weight gain – body fat. Not to mention it should be consumed at an affordable price. (Except for Cotswold cheese which is worth its weight in gold).

Sedentary or lightly active people who do low carbohydrate diets for weight loss don’t have to factor in a protein versus fat ratio. Their goal is weight loss not mass building. Building muscle is a whole different territory to navigate.

My main goal is to build muscle mass. When you're a female natural bodybuilder, have a small frame, and have naturally low testosterone levels (despite the fact my husband says I have the biggest balls he's ever seen), you tend to be protein greedy.

And when gas is $3.66 a gallon and groceries are skyrocketing you tend to look for a deal on the muscle building food stuff.

I ended up at Amazon on Thursday because I was Entrecard dropping and stumbled on a site on bargains (sorry, I forget which site). Amazon is my biggest weakness anyway after Jerry and cheese. And I landed a huge deal on smoked salmon (an infrequent treat) thanks to this tip. I saved $46.00 on 2 pounds of gourmet smoked salmon! First the salmon was a brand I like and was marked down $13.46 per 1 pound unit over retail price, a not uncommon Amazon ploy. Then the items were on a discontinued products list with an additional $10 discount code if you bought two items. Then I got free shipping because my total was over $25. That was another $9 saved. My final total was $23 and change.

That’s about $1 an ounce and 21 grams of protein per 4 ounce serving of salmon at 100 calories. At roughly $3.85 per serving that's higher than the price of gas even after discounts. Well, gas is cheaper for now anyway.

Now to put that into perspective, I could have saved more money to get the same protein fix. And I did at WalMart yesterday. Even with WalMart's usually thrifty options food prices are on the rise. (What happened to their famous ‘Falling Prices’ huh?) And it takes a fairly decent bump in cost for me to notice. I eat a lot of cottage cheese because it’s tasty (doctored with herbs and spices) and packs a protein punch with 26 grams per 120 calories. And at around $2 for a 16 ounce package it’s been affordable. Yesterday it was up to $3.79 a package! Holy Pope-mobile!

That was nothing, the Greek version which is in a smaller container was over $5! At 22 grams of protein per serving the cost was roughly $2.75. Can anyone say highway robbery?

Milk, cheese, eggs, yogurt, meat, fish, fowl, and other sources of protein are up in price. Not to mention it’s cheaper to buy garden seeds and grow your own than to hit the produce aisle. But oddly enough, WalMart had a killer deal on protein powder. At $12.95 I got a big jar of vanilla flavored whey protein with 30 servings. That’s less than $1 per 25 grams of protein and a steal. Not to mention it tastes better than cottage cheese.

Super Slow - The Ultimate Exercise Protocol? - A Review

If your dumbbells weigh less than a 10 pound bag of groceries you're not weight training...you're doing weighted aerobics.



















Women really should lift heavy like a man...



















Super Slow The Ultimate Exercise Protocol Review

You’ve probably seen them, the weight lifting crowd who pick up a set of relatively light weights and toss them back and forth like hot potatoes they can’t wait to put down. Many people – particularly women who believe the myth that lifting heavy weights will make them bulky – make the classic weight training mistake of lifting weights that are too light. The other classic mistake is they perform repetitions too rapidly. Both of these mistakes mean they are engaging less muscle fiber. This means little or no muscle growth.

What’s the answer? Isn’t it obvious, lift heavier (while performing a set of 8 to 12 repetitions you should barely be able to complete the last few reps) and lift slower to engage as much muscle fiber as possible. Try the Super Slow technique for better results in your muscle building program.

“Super Slow: The Ultimate Exercise Protocol” by Ken Hutchins is not a new fad or a big secret in serious bodybuilding circles. The book was published in 1984 and this technique, simply put, involves performing each repetition very slowly, taking from 8 seconds up to 15 seconds to perform both the concentric movement (contraction), then eccentric movement (extension) of a single rep. (Concentric contraction occurs when a muscle shortens in length and develops tension e.g. the upward movement of a dumbbell in a biceps curl. Eccentric contraction involves the development of tension whilst the muscle is being lengthened e.g. the downward movement of a dumbbell in a biceps curl).

I cherish my copy of Super Slow and at $45.00 for a used copy at Amazon I plan to hang onto it. If you’re not up to the high price of the (rather technical and tedious) book, there are DVDs for $20.00 plus shipping at the Super Slow website and workshops available at some gyms for the hardcore trainer.

And this technique can be applied on your own by simply SLOWING DOWN. Don’t sling those weights around, don’t set the weight on machines so light you can push or pull at a fast pace (a sign you’re lifting too light), and don’t use resistance bands that offer little resistance. Effective weight or resistance training should be hard to perform, done with strict form, and done slow enough to stimulate muscles.

Research shows that this simple and effective weight training technique can have dramatic effects on muscle gains. Simply lifting a weight slowly and steadily and taking 8 to 15 seconds to perform both concentric and eccentric movements will drastically improve muscle recruitment during exercise and lead to better gains in muscle (assuming your diet, stress control, and sleep habits support maximum muscle growth. Weight lifting will accomplish nothing if the rest of your lifestyle does not support anabolism).

Super Slow effectively exhausts muscles by taking them to momentary failure in fewer repetitions, as low as 5 repetitions per set. The results of studies show up to 50% more muscle and strength gains in 8-10 weeks for both men and women.


I’ve owned my copy of ‘Super Slow’ since the late 1990’s and have applied the principles from time to time but not as often as I should have, although the principle is always in the back of my mind swirling in my sub-conscious. This has caused me to slow down my repetitions and pay attention to effective muscle contraction even when I wasn’t going ‘super slow’. Since I recently resurrected my super slow training I’m experiencing harder muscles, I’m lifting heavier, and my lean mass has gone up (measured by bio-impedance meter).

Is this technique harder to apply than your typical toss ‘em around and rack ‘em workouts? You bet. But if you’re going to take the time and energy and expense to bother to go to the gym and train, why not make your training as effective as possible.

Performing Super Slow on a regular basis or as a stand alone program may not be an optimal approach to weight training. Like all exercise regimens it should not be regarded as the only approach to muscle building or fitness. The true ultimate approach to fitness is keeping variety in your workouts and preventing adaptation and plateau. But Super Slow is certainly a valuable method that should belong in your fitness repertoire.

More information:

Super Slow Training: Destroying the Dogma by David Barr

If someone promised you that you could make the most dramatic gains in muscle size and strength by using a particular training method, you’d do it, right? No, you’re too smart to fall for such common false claims… But what if this technique were rooted in scientific theory, and was actually supported by scientific studies? Would you do it then? Bet your ass you would! Well I can tell you now that Super Slow Training has both a scientific foundation and scientific literature supporting its effectiveness!

How Much Muscle Can You Really Expect To Gain?

Super Slow Zone

Super Slow Resistance Training by Jeff Nelson, M.Ed. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D.

Super Slow Wiki

Tempo and Tension Maximization by Tom Venuto

Meet Your Hormones Part One - Insulin

How much do we really know about our hormones? Do we understand what they do and how we can work with them to our advantage? For most of us, we probably do not know much about hormones and particularly ones involved in digestion and metabolism. So I decided to do a little research and find out more. And why not share what I found? Here’s the first part of my mini course on hormones.

Meet Insulin

Insulin is a hormone made of protein (according to Endocrine Web most hormones are made of protein). Insulin is produced by our pancreas, a gland of the digestive and endocrine systems. The pancreas secrets pancreatic juice containing digestive enzymes and produces important hormones, including insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin.

The insulin hormone influences blood glucose levels, and can cause our bodies to store fat, particularly if you eat refined carbohydrates regularly and cause constant insulin and blood sugar spikes throughout the day. By keeping your consumption of simple carbohydrates low, and eating more protein, fats, and complex carbohydrates, you can control insulin levels, as well as surges in blood sugar.

Insulin can be a ‘bad’ actor in some situations like shuttling excess carbohydrates from the bloodstream into fat cells. But it plays a vital role in other ways including supporting muscle preservation, repair, and synthesis.

Insulin signals amino acids and creatine to be stored in muscle cells. This promotes protein synthesis. Without this mechanism of anabolic support which does not involve fat storage, you cannot repair muscle damage (micro tearing caused by weight training) or build muscle mass. You want to actually cause insulin spikes and time these spikes at key times of the day in order to support muscle. One key time is first thing in the morning when you’re muscle glycogen is low, and just before and after a weight training work out.

In order to take advantage of the anabolic actions of insulin at these critical times, you should eat or drink a protein and carbohydrate meal with ratios of roughly 1.5 to 1. Consuming a protein and carbohydrate shake shuttles these nutrients into the bloodstream rapidly, taking advantage of your after workout window when muscle recovery and growth begin. The same nutrient timing influences muscle grow by replenishing your muscle glycogen stores in the morning. Research shows an overnight fast while sleeping creates an anabolic window and if you want to preserve and gain muscle mass you should take advantage of this window with a meal that triggers an insulin spike. All of your other meals should be high in protein and include slowly digested high fiber complex carbohydrates to prevent insulin spikes.

Insulin resistance and Type II Diabetes

Obesity affects the way insulin works. Excess fat can make your body resistant to the action of insulin. This leads to insulin resistance and type II diabetes. Weight reduction, exercise, and drug therapy can help treat and control both diseases.

Type I Diabetes

Type I diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes, is caused by damage to or disease of the pancreas leaving it with the inability to produce adequate insulin. People with type I diabetes must inject insulin to survive.

Links

Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes

Definition of Insulin

The Glycemic Index, Insulin, and Bodybuilding

Cheat Day # 2

Cheat Day!

Today is my second cheat day on The Cheat To Lose Diet.

Here’s a reminder of how the program goes: Week 1 – Low Carbohydrate, Week 2 – Lower Glycemic Index / Lower Glycemic Load, Week 3 – Higher GI / GL, Day 22 – Cheat Day (unlimited choice of foods and no calorie counting necessary. My first cheat day was just over 2500 calories. Most other days were between 1400 to 1800 calories). Week 4 and so on – 2 days of low carbohydrate, 2 days of Lower GI / GL, 2 days of Higher GI / GL, day 7 is cheat day.

My menu today is..oh, oooo, la, la, Ghirardelli dark 60 % chocolate with Caramel Truffle coffee before breakfast, Bellagio Holiday Spice Gourmet hot cocoa with whole wheat toast and peanut butter and jam for breakfast, Chicken Alfredo with pasta for lunch, Chicken Enchilada Suiza with rice, beans, red peppers and corn as an afternoon snack (or tea for you Anglophiles), and Ultimate Supreme Pepperoni pizza with Chianti wine for dinner! (Portion control is still practiced but I eat higher calorie and higher carbohydrate foods. The point isn't to eat the whole contents of the kitchen but to enjoy foods normally off limits in reasonable amounts).

The premise behind The Cheat To Lose Diet is based on science. The book has over 300 scientific references to the studies that support its efficacy. Some chapters have as many pages of references as they do information about how to do the diet. At the end of each chapter the author lists pertinent references - sometimes 8-10 pages worth – but if you want the whole enchilada on the research you’ll have to go find it yourself. It's not included in the book in full or even abstracts.

The main premise of The Cheat To Lose Diet is that our bodies adapt relatively quickly to a low calorie or low carbohydrate diet, or even a steady amount of calories and macro-nutrients consumed regularly. (You know those dieters who never vary their calories by more than a few hundred and eat between 1250 and 1450 calories day in and day out). Remaining on a strict diet reduces key hormones including leptin. Leptin is a key hunger hormone and when it drops due to dieting your body goes into starvation mode and holds onto fat stores – even if you’re eating above your BMR. By manipulating calories and macro-nutrients on different days you can fool your body into thinking it’s not on a diet and avoid lowering leptin levels thus making way for greater fat loss.

Author Joel Marion was doing the Body For Life Challenge when he discovered that his weight losses were greater after an occasional cheat day than when he stuck to a strict eating program. (I’ve experienced this same phenomenon in the past after enjoying pizza and beer after 7-14 days of eating a strictly clean diet. The day after a pig out I'd get a whoosh and lose a few pounds). The Cheat To Lose diet structures in “cheating” or simply put a higher calorie and carbohydrate intake day into your weekly diet to manipulate leptin levels and encourage greater fat loss.

Will this diet work for everyone? Does any diet work for everyone? No. But the main reason diets “fail” is people go off of them, cheat, feel guilty and quit. This main fault of most diets - never being able to "cheat" - is why these diets don't translate into a livable or sustainable lifestyle. This roadblock is removed from the equation on The Cheat To Lose Diet. You are SUPPOSED to cheat, although on a specific day with a specific purpose. Knowing you have that cheat day to look forward to when you can eat anything and everything makes it easier to stick to the other six days of stricter eating.

I’m still on the fence whether I’d recommend this plan. I’m not having the glowing results it claims to provide - yet. But several personal factors are at play; I have only about seven pounds of cosmetic body fat I want to lose before bikini season, and I’m not doing the prescribed '18 minute cardio workout' he recommends. I’m doing a much more demanding exercise regimen with heavy weight training 4 to 5 days a week, and a minimum of 45 minutes of cardio a day. This might lead to muscle gain – which I want – and offset any fat loss on the scale. I plan to stay on this program at least until May 1st then reassess my results and decide what I can change to improve it to fit my lifestyle and goals.

Until then, I’m going to enjoy my cheat day…

Today's also a rest day as I'm sore all over from my weight training and aerobics over the past several days. I did eight (count them 8!) sessions of circuit training mixing weight training and cardio in the last 11 Days! Woo Hoo! By alternating a three day circuit of a chest & back training day, then a leg day, followed by a bicep / tricep / shoulder training day, then on day four another leg day, repeat. (Not working the same muscle groups two days in a row allows them to rest although you're hitting another muscle group the next day). I can get at least 4 days of weight training into a week, and on an ambitious week I get six weight training days. Cardio was done six days a week for 45-60 minutes. I'm thrilled to get back into a full workout schedule again (I have had great results in the past using a similar training split). After my lengthy battle with the flu and then a sinus infection it took several weeks to build back up to full speed.

Today's Kitten Photos - Four are 16 Days Old and Four are 9 Days Old

Tax Day

No, not that kind of tax day. This kind...















I've had seven hard driven, physically taxing workouts in the last ten days. And my muscles feel hard. Way harder than they did this time last year. Woo Hoo!

Yesterday I did a two hour lower body workout, 50 minutes was on the Rock N Roll Stepper, and the rest was six sets of squats, lunges, calf raises, and several of those sets were done on the uSurf. Doing squats, lunges, and calf raises on a shaking board makes them very challenging and effective.

I was planning a chest and back day today on The Bitch Sisters but it started snowing this morning. Most of yesterday and last night we had high winds with gusts past 60 mph. No, that's not unusual here in the high desert. Our winds are called Washoe Zephyrs and we also get dust devils which resemble small tornadoes. The spring like weather we enjoyed on the weekend has flown the coop and it's bitterly cold outside. I'll do an indoor chest and back instead. Time to pull out the BOSU.

A quick update on my The Cheat To Lose Diet adventures; I'm on week four and tomorrow is cheat day. Yeah! On the negative side I went down to 114.5 pounds earlier this week and now I'm back to 117 pounds this morning. So as of today, 28 days on Cheat To Lose has netted me a loss of 2.7 pounds since March 17th when I weighed in at 119.7 pounds. Not great, not fab, no big whoosh. But, oh how I love cheat days!

I'm aiming for 112 pounds by June 1st. We shall see...

Wayward Weekend

My Guys


















It was one of those weekend's when nothing went as planned. You know, the kind of weekend that makes Monday morning look good.

It started out innocently enough. The weather was warm and Spring time made itself known with growing grass, buds on our apple tree, and wild flowers popping up in the desert. Saturday rolled by sweetly enough, I got all the laundry done, and even managed some reading. The evening came quietly enough.

Then Jerry went on Craig's List.

We've had good luck with Craig's List in the past. Bargains we found included my horse, our dog Dee Dee, and my Ford Club Wagon. Well, Jerry finally uncovered one of the flakes lurking out there in the choppy waters of the web. Some guy listed a play gym on Craig's List for free. It was big, all wood, included a climbing wall, and almost new but had blown over in one of our big windstorms and received minor damage. The people collected insurance money for a replacement and wanted someone to take the old one away. Jerry called and set up a pick up time on Sunday. We researched the gym online (it was a Costco model) and showed it to Bruno. Big mistake. Never let the kid in on anything until it's a sure thing.

Jerry hooked our horse trailer up to his work van and off we went happily looking forward to our little outing and conquest. Well, while we were parked in front of the flakes' house waiting, the party in question calls on our cell phone and says they changed their minds. Apparently they had a big fight the night before (we had a way better Saturday night than they did!) and the wife refused to get rid of it. Looks like she wanted to pocket the insurance money and make the husband fix the broken gym. Thoughtless to say the least.

Of course Bruno burst into tears when he found out he wasn't getting the gym.

An ice cream sandwich and promises of something better after our tax return arrives helped. Jerry promised to build him a rock climbing wall better than the one on the play gym we didn't get. I spent an hour researching plans for building one and materials for a small one look like a $50 investment. And Bruno already has a swing set and play house so he's happy to just get a climbing wall.

Whew. That wasn't all that happened to make me welcome a Monday but it was certainly enough.

Change It Up! Maximizing Your Workout & Diet Results

One of Bruno's Photoshop Creations
















Outsmarting Your Body’s Adaptation Response

I love to change up my exercise regimen often. Sometimes I’ll do a different workout everyday. Monday may be Turbo Jam, Tuesday may be Yoga Booty Ballet, then Wednesday will be a classic upper body workout on machines and with free weights, followed by an hour of horseback riding on Thursday, and Power 90X Legs & Back on Friday.

Other weeks I only change up every week and not everyday. I’ll do one week of Power 90X (a different P90X workout every day), a second week of a different daily Bosu training workout, a third week I'll alternate Power 90X Plus workouts mixed up with 10 Minute Trainer workouts. And this week I’m mixing classic step aerobics with classic weight training workouts on weight machines and with free weights using Super Slow, an exercise protocol invented by Ken Hutchins (review of Super Slow to come).

The main reason I change my workouts around is the body adapts rapidly to exercise. If you do the same routine or set of routines over and over your results slow to a snail’s pace or even grind to a halt as your body adapts. (Note that Power 90X and the 12 workouts in the system are designed specifically to avoid adaptation and plateau, but after 9 months of mostly Power 90X I felt it was time to mix it up more than I had been).

Ever wonder why you see some people at the gym or on the running path day after day, week after week, and month after month, yet their bodies rarely change? Ask them how long they’ve been riding the elliptical or treadmill every day, or how long they’ve done the same weight lifting regimen. The less their bodies change, the longer they’ve been doing the same old thing over and over again.

Someone once said doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. If what you’re doing or the way you’re doing it is not yielding the results you want why keep doing it?

Trying new recreational sports and exercise routines serves a second important function. You prevent boredom . Boredom - like a lack of results - leads to slacking off of exercising and even quitting altogether. Not only is variety the spice of life, it’s a valuable tool for getting in shape and staying there.

If a tight budget makes you feel limited in pursuing variety in your workouts try buying used exercise videos and equipment. Most public libraries have exercise videos you can check out for free. Start a neighborhood or online exercise exchange so you and others can share DVDs and equipment you’re tired of. (This can be done on Craig's List and other online community bulletin boards, or through local free ad newspapers). Try an outdoor workout like hiking or jogging on new trails that offer new challenges. Many parks have exercise courses with stations that include instructions. If you have a gym membership, ask other members or a personal trainer to give you new workout ideas. Check out low cost exercise classes, swimming pools, and gyms at community centers, colleges, churches, hospitals, and recreation centers.

If you’re limited to working out at home try changing between a calisthenics or isometric workout one day, a march in place workout like Leslie Sansone’s “Walk Away The Pounds’ another day, gardening for an hour a third day - which can burn up to 350 calories an hour, and doing a resistance workouts with a band another fews days a week (never do resistance training of the same body parts two days in a row, this leads to over-training and even muscle loss). Resistance bands can be purchased for a minimal cost both new and used. I even gave away a set of bands with two workout tapes on my blog a few months ago.

Your only barrier to better fitness is you. Instead of making excuses about how time, budget, and / or lack of space prevent you from working out or changing your present workout routine, get creative! This can be as simple as walking uphill instead of taking your usual flat walking route, or doing less repetitions and sets with heavier weights. If you’ve been using weight machines exclusively switch to free weights and bands or do calisthenics and isometrics for a change. If you’ve been running on the treadmill for weeks switch to the rowing machine or take a spinning class.

This same adaptation rule applies to nutrition and dieting. Your body will adapt to an intake of a relatively stable amount of calories and macro-nutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrates). Research supports the success of a diet in which calories and macro-nutrients (particularly carbohydrates) are cycled. Occasionally raising calorie and carbohydrate intake – whether one day a week or rotating the macro-nutrient make up of your diet every third day – “fools” your body into believing you’re not in starvation mode, a common phenomenon of dieting.

(For an example of a rotation diet check out this update on my The Cheat To Lose Diet adventures. The Cheat To Lose Diet rotates carbohydrate and calorie content every week during the first three weeks (priming phase) and every two days on the core phase culminating in a cheat day without restrictions).

Change is a vital key to getting fit and staying that way. Change, particularly in fitness, fat loss, and muscle gain, rarely comes if you fail to outwit your body’s ability to adapt. If you want to prevent a plateau in fat loss, getting fit, or gaining muscle change it up!

Cool & Informative Links

Can You Spot All Ten Cats? There's Two Moms and Eight Kittens In This Photo























Check out Lee Doyle's interview with Lady Rose of The Diet Pulpit. She even lists Kudos For Balanced Fitness & Lifestyle as a blog she reads regularly...that's too cool.

Also check out these cool links...

20 Strategies For Bodybuilding Success

Burning Fat - "How you can use these proven fat loss strategies to lose those unwanted pounds of body fat!"

The Science of Fat Loss: Why a Calorie Isn't Always a Calorie

Blueprint Your Success

Spring Shape Up - 4 Weeks to a Healthier You

Wordless Wednesday

Bruno's Garden And His Greenhouses...I don't know how to do wordless, but this post has less words than usual.

Visit Wellsphere For Expert Health, Nutrition & Fitness Advice

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Isn't it time for you to start down your own path to feeling good? Join Wellsphere today and begin your own journey to indulge in healthier living! Get on your path to feeling good. It's free!

Frugal Shop-a-rama

"Say what? Cheese? How about tuna."
















Every 3 or 4 months our local Smiths grocery store has a case sale. Buying in bulk saves a lot of money and right now just about everyone I know is cutting corners someplace. Well, by stocking up on non-perishables like tuna, peanut butter, chili, and soup, we saved $158.30 today! We bought a case of Bumblebee tuna, a case of JIF, a case of chicken noodle soup, a case of tomato soup, and two cases of Hormel chili. See photos of my plunder below.

Gasoline was $3.52 a gallon this morning. Groceries are higher than even a few months ago. The price of hay cubes went up, and so did our satellite television and water bills. Amazingly we're not feeling it too badly. We've made minor adjustments like we eat out less (yeah for my waist line!) Instead of once every weekend we eat out once every three or four weeks. (Partly because the last time we ate out Bruno pouted most of the time and didn't eat his food. We can watch him pout and waste food just as easily at home. Not to mention the food and atmosphere is almost always better at home).

I've started using coupons again - mostly because Smiths prints them out and shoves them at you and they're tailored to our usual purchases. I saved another $5.50 today alone from they're targeted coupons on stuff I buy anyway. And I'm buying less unnecessary items like magazines, books, and DVDs.


But I refuse to cut corners when it comes to cheese!

And of course after purchasing all that food Bruno demanded the one case sale item I passed on - macaroni and cheese. Luckily we had nearly a case in storage.

Eeeeuh! It's not even real cheese! It says "real cheese" on the package, but it looks like orange powder. Soylent green, Soylent orange...Soylent GROSS. Soylent Green was my favorite movie in junior high. (Not to mention Charlton Heston was hot back then).

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My cats don't even like tuna flavored cat food, let alone tuna despite oggling the cans. But, do not regularly feed your cats canned tuna intended for humans. It can cause a vitamin B1 deficiency and even death.