Go Ahead and Take a Nap (Just for the Ladies)

Feminine fatigue is on the rise today and I don't know a woman today who isn't sleep-deprived and threadbare. In fact, we're not just sleep-deprived, we're sleep-abused. It is not just physical fatigue but most women are victims of emotional fatigue. No amount of sleep seems to relieve us of our tiredness. We just continue on with all of the emotional and physical demands. There is a solution but most women would rather admit to maxing out the credit card in one day to their spouse than to succumb to their desire for a afternoon nap. Adult napping has such a weak connotation and our strong female character would never let us waste time laying around, afterall don't most think we just sit on the couch eating bon-bons while watching afternoon soaps.

I remember once I had a friend who would call me lazy if I mentioned that I took a nap in the afternoon. I felt that I had to live up to her expectations. Later I realized that it took a large amount of courage just to admit to myself I needed a nap and it really didn't matter what others thought. It was my friend's loss and she herself was wearing herself to exhaustion.

William C. Dement, M.D., a pioneer in sleep medicine, explains in The Promise of Sleep. "Naps can make you smarter, faster and safer than you would be without them. They should be widely recognized as a powerful tool in battling fatigue, and the person who chooses to nap should be regarded as heroic." So ladies ... take a nap cause it won't make you weaker just courageous.

King David

One of my favorite people in the Bible is David. He was nobody and God made him somebody. And David gave God all the credit. But David was still a man and he made mistakes. The biggest one was with Bathsheba. How could someone who had it all still want more? AND want so much more he would kill for it. If you are not sure of the story let me refresh your memory. Here is David the King of Israel, with a big palace and all the women he could ever want. But one night he is looking out over his kingdom and he sees the beautiful woman, Bathsheba. He has to have her. So David inquires to who and what? She is married to Uriah the Hittite, and is his only wife.

Oh well, David moves on to someone else right?

Not so … He commits adultery and to cover it up, he sends Uriah to fight in the front lines of the war. A not to safe place and as you might have guessed he dies. David then takes Bathsheba as his wife and they live happily ever after … right?

Not so … David’s family falls apart and he loses a child.

The shining moment in all this is that when his mentor, Nathan confronts David about his sin, he confesses and God forgives him. But the damage is already done. Uriah is dead, David has lost a child and his children are rebelling against him. I love the way Nathan does it too. He doesn’t come right out and say David you messed up, you made a big mistake but instead tells him a story about a man and his only sheep. David wanting to help out the little guy immediately wants to bring this offender to justice. Only to find out “he is that man.” It is great story and I know I left out lots of details so you might want to read it for yourself. You will find it in 2 Samuel 11 & 12.

So why am I writing this in a blog about fitness. We all have our own Bathshebas. They just take different forms sometimes. That piece of cake is not something you need … pass it by and become all God wants you to be.

Cardio!!!!

Well, we have had a new addition to our family! Sophia! Just look at her isn't she cute. But I am walking her at least once a day ... sometimes twice a day. I had slacked off since our older dog Shelby who is now 13, didn't need walked as much. Now even she is complaining about all the walking. My husband and I take a late night walk around 9:30 and Shelby whines the whole way. She says things like,"That puppy came along and my pack leaders think I need to walk more. Don't they realize I'm in my 80's?" (Of course we are the only ones that can hear her.)
Now you may ask what does that have to do with Cardio? Well, lots. I have been walking so much more and I think I'm losing weight. My clothes are fitting better and my legs are looking smoother. As much weight lifting and aerobics I do, one wouldn't think that a little walking the dog would truly improve my fitness, but it has.
So what do I say?
Do it all and you need it all! You need cardio, strength training, pilates/core training, balance training, relaxation (yoga, etc ..) and then of course add some walking in to your daily routine; your house might be a mess but you'll have a great body.

Walking Everywhere

Well, it has been a great and restful week .... I even think I lost a little weight. I really think what did it was all the walking. I must have walked to and from the beach three to four times a day. That is about 250 steps one way. We also took walks on the beach in the morning and at night. We didn't get the time alone as much as we thought we would but that what happens when you have kids.
When we get back we will be getting a puppy so my husband and I decided that we will be doing more walking ... where and when ... still has yet to be decided. I think what I love the most about the beach is the time to walk so I am hoping that when we do get home we will make more time for walking.
Thanks to God for the wonderful week of rest and connection to Him and my husband.

Life is Slow

Dial up. How did we ever live through it? Back before high speed internet we would sit and wait while the page would load. And then we would be amazed at what would appear before our eyes. Good thing that here at the beach I have the time to just sit and wait for my email to load because that is about all I can view since the internet is so advanced, the bandwidth of dial up isn't sufficient enough.

You know something ... dial up reminds me of losing weight. You have wait ... you exercise, cut calories and nothing ... and then you wait some more. But just like a page on the internet while using dial up, eventually you see results. Slowly your clothes are a little loser and you are feeling a little lighter on your feet. I wish losing weight was more like high speed.

Beautiful Boring Day

The sun is shining and I am just getting ready to go for my walk on the beach. I walk so much more here than at home. I think I really love the openness of the beach and not the tree coverage of the trail. Also I have no real fear of getting run over by a bike. Although there are plenty of bikes on the beach but there is so much room at low tide. I do miss taking my dog for walks and I think that Shelby would love the beach.

We are having a good time here ... we are bored but it is a good thing. Our son is having a good time too although he is coming in a little early ... I never thought I would say that! His girifriend has a curfew and so he is happy to spend time with mom and dad. And what makes this worse is we have no high speed internet. So he has really nothing to do! Well, I will just have to tell my husband that we need another trip and it will be just the two of us.

The Pains

Wow it feels great to finally rest. That's right we managed to somehow take a vacation. It is the 25th year of marital bliss for us and so we were going to take this romantic vacation to some secluded island alone. But because of government red tape we didn't think our passports would arrive in time so we opted for Hilton Head Island ... Not the most exotic place but at least we would be alone. We prayed and searched the internet for a place and found the pickins slim. So out of panic we booked a place ... nice .... perfect for two. Then the surprise ...our oldest son's girlfriend would be at Hilton Head at the same time. Well who could resist those big blue eyes so he is sleeping on our couch ... and eating dinner with us and lunch, and did I mention his girlfriend is eating with too. So much for being alone. Happy 25th honey .... I think we will get some time alone if we give them some money for a movie.

What In the World Have I Been Doing

It is still winter here in the "burg!" We had another snow storm today with area school delays. AGAIN! Anyway you would think I would have more time to keep up with my blog being stuck in, but unfortunately keeping up with my kids takes all my mental processes! But I'm back .... I think! I feel I new sense of writing ... new purpose .... yada yada yada ... So much for excuses ... Don't you just love when people give you excuses and you can always tell it is just that they are lazy.

Well really now ... here is an exciting opportunity for you that I have been working on ... Chums Improv Comedy Troupe. That is really where my mind as been and so check us on the web at
http://www.chumsimprov.com/

The Facts

My mom died at age 62. That was almost 30 years ago. I was only 19 and my father worked at the local funeral home so no autopsy was done. Today we can only speculate what caused her death. She had high blood pressure and was very high strung. So her death certificate stated that she died of a heart attack. Back then we thought she didn't have any symptoms of heart failure but really maybe she did. Recently a friend of mine told me that her friend, who was only 62 just died of a heart attack and her symptoms were not the classic type either. She thought she had the flu.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American women. It is even more dangerous than cancer. With the latest medical information coming out it is easy to see why heart attacks in women are so easily missed. In the initial stages symptoms show up differently in women than in men. In fact, the top four symptoms are often misdiagnosed. Immediate intervention can mean life or death, so it’s a good idea for all women to be aware of the warning signs of heart attacks.

Symptoms Of Heart Attack In Women
Most heart attacks start slowly with mild pain or discomfort. Here are the symptoms of heart attack in women.

Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.
Nausea and light-headedness
Flu-like symptoms, including chills and cold sweats
Heart palpitations
Chest discomfort (angina): pain, tightness or pressure in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back
Discomfort in other areas, including pain or discomfort in: one or both arms (especially the left arm), the back, between the shoulder blades, neck, jaw or stomach
Heartburn or indigestion
Extreme fatigue

Before I recieved the news of this friend's death I read this in my daily devotion from Phil Ware:

Each day we are to begin with God. Each breath we take is a powerful reminder that he has granted us another day of life to serve him. Each heartbeat is God's drumbeat of love, reminding us that we are blessed with another minute to offer him our best. This blessing is so easily forgotten. We best remember when we teach it, show it, and live it with and before our children.

Know your facts and remember God is the giver of life.

I'll be back

I am here and alive and well. My new calendar is at my Cross Training Aerobics site. A link is on the left side of my page. Stay tuned for an updated blog!
Sue

That is the Question!

To Class or not to class!

Can you get as good of a workout at home as you can at a class?

Well, I think everyone is different. I personally need a class. If I workout at home I have the temptation not to work as hard. My muscles start to burn and I quit, but when I'm at class I keep going. I know there has been times when I thought, "I can't do anymore!" (especially hydrants with weights) But I knew I had four more to que and I kept going. So for me I would say I need a class. I would workout at home if I had too, but I prefer a class.

Now I have a friend who can workout at home or in a class and get the same intensity. She is one highly motivated lady and she looks great. So for someone like her, it would be, whatever fits in to their schedule.

Classes can be fun or they can be boring. I think that is up to the instructor. She or he needs to interject humor at times. It helps us to forget the pain. My ladies threaten me when they are really in pain and I love it cause everyone gets a good laugh.

Since I teach a class, I guess I might be partial to attending a group fitness class. I personally think you can get a better workout at a class than at home and here are a few reasons:

You Have A Motivator ... the instructor will keep you going even if you want to quit

Camaraderie With Others ... chances for building friendships

Variety Of Experiences ... more challenging exercises with new ideas

More Room ... not confined to a small livingroom

Continuous 60 Minute Intensity ... no interruptions, no kids, no phones, no doorbells, no food temptations, no computer, ... I could go on & on & on

Get Out Of The House ... you get out, sometimes just getting out of the house can give a sense of well-being

Seems To Go Quick ... when you are with a group, the time seems to go quicker and just is more enjoyable to be with people

Fellowship ... in the class I teach we pray and share encouraging stories

There are eight good reasons to attend a class ...

Ok if I must, I can think of a few to exercise at home ...

Convenience ... sometimes we can't get to a class or it just doesn't fit our schedule

Privacy ... we just aren't ready to venture out to a class full of women who have been exercising for years together

Do What You Prefer ... You pick the tape or the music

That's It ... I can't think of anymore reasons to exercise at home

Clearly (according to this blog) the best place to exercise in a group setting. At least there is more drama there and you might get a laugh or two!

God's Leading

It is a great day!

I have been considering ending my evening classes. The numbers have been dwindling. Most classes I have about two ladies. Now I am a full believer that numbers do not matter but I'm not so sure that the facilities in which I teach believe that. Last night I was praying on the way to my class that the Lord would confirm to me of what I should do. I truly thought that maybe it was time to teach only mornings. I made the decision that if no one attended this particular evening and then the rest of the week (which was a true possibility) I would, beginning in November, only teach five mornings a week. Well, at 6:02pm the room was set up for class and I waited alone. A feeling of relief came over me since I knew that God was in complete control. I walked over to open the doors to allow some air in so I could work on new routines, and much to my unbelief six ladies were walking towards the building. Now what is the possibility that all ladies would be late. I don't know! But what I do know I'm continuing my evening classes until God changes my mind.

What does this have to do with weight loss?

I guess it could be a nice story of how great and personal our God is!

And it is...

But more important is ...

He cares about every little aspect of our lives. He cares about you and the daily struggles that you go through.

With weight, exercise, body image ... the list goes on forever.

God is a personal God and wants to be your God. He wants you to know who much He loves you. That's right He loves you just the way you are.

Thank Him right now for being there with you at any time and caring about the smallest things in your life.

John 3:16

Who sang that song anyway?

Feelings .... Feelings... nothing more than feelings. That old song brings back so many memories. It was one of my favorite songs in junior high. I think because I needed to hear the truth in the lyrics of the song. Because most of the time that is all they are ... just feelings.

I am so tired and I have just worked out. I feel so fat! Now my mind knows that I am not fat but I feel fat. Why do we women feel fat all the time. Ok some days I feel good. I wish I could feel good everyday. I wish I never felt fat. Fortuntely I did not eat chips tonight. That would make me feel guilty.

Sometimes we have to tell ourselves that our feelings are false. Feelings can cause us to do things that we really don't want to do. When I feel fat I tend to eat more than I need.

Feelings ...

Feelings cause us to think things about other people. If someone is having a bad day and maybe they don't look us the right way we might feel like, "wow that person must be mad at me." Really no one is mad, it is just they are having a bad day.

Feelings can fool us. Fool us into believing that certain people don't like us or fool us to think that we can eat anything we want. Sometimes feelings tell us that we shouldn't eat and then we don't eat only to starve and then over-eat later.

You know I try to do everything I can to be healthy and look good as I age. Talking myself out of bad feelings is a chore but it is so needed. We need to talk to ourselves and think on good things. I try to remember the good things I do for myself. Like eating healthy, exercising and getting enough rest.

In Philippians, Paul exhorts us to think about good things. Check this out!

"Finally, friends, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Push those bad feelings away. They are only there because we have invited them to stay awhile.

They are just feelings...

A Good Workout

I have mentioned a good workout in previous posts. So what is a "good" workout? I can't say a good workout is one that you sweat like crazy because I know many who workout hard but don't sweat much.

Now I believe that sweating is important. It is the way our bodies cool down. Kinda like a built in "air conditioning." I did some researching on why people do not sweat and found there are several reasons:

• Neurologic disorders such as Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Skin diseases that block sweat glands
• Congenital disorders including as ectodermal dysplasia
• Some drugs
• Trauma to sweat glands
• Burns
• Dehydration

As I looked at these different reasons, the one that most intrigued me was the last one, dehydration. I believe that most of us never drink enough water. Most of us are running on near empty. Now I know that some don't think that to be true, after all snops.com has an article on how we really don't need 8-10 glasses a day. I weigh 150 and my doctor said I need to drink at least half my body weight in ounces of water a day. That would make about 75 ounces so that equals a little more than 9 glasses a day. Pretty close to the rule of 8-10 glasses a day.

The purpose of normal sweating is to help the body maintain its fluid balance. Fluid intake is provided by the liquids we drink and from the food we eat.
Sweating helps the body to get rid of a variety of waste products and minerals--the most noticeable being salt.

Humm … I think I got a little carried away with the art of sweating!

Back to a good workout. There are many ways that you can get a good workout, it all depends on what you what kind of workout you want. I go to a Pilates class and the instructor is great. I leave there feeling taller, like I know that my muscles have been stretched and challenged. I sweat some but not much. So I believe that a good workout is measured by how you feel when you leave not always how wet you are from sweat. You should feel like you have used your muscles, refreshed and not wore out.

One more thing to get a good workout. Pay attention to your body while you are working out. Don’t daydream or talk continuously to a friend in class. It is important that you concentrate on what muscles you are using. Most workouts can be good ones when you remember that the effort you put into it will pay off in feeling healthier.

Bed Is Better Than A Workout?? REALLY!

This past Saturday I didn’t feel like exercising. I didn’t want to go to class. It was foggy and raining outside. Bed looked and felt like a much better choice. I knew that really I did not have a choice. I had to get up, get dressed in spandex and drive off to class. Now I know that the main reason I had to go to class was that it wasn’t happening unless I was present but there were other reasons to move me in the direction of exercise class.

Friends! Friends are good reason to go to class. If you are not part of a regular class you may not have that motivation and so that is a good reason to check out a class.

Clear Thinking! After a good workout your head is clear and you feel de-stressed.

Adrenalin Rush! After you get past those first 10 minutes exercise becomes self-motivating. Your adrenalin begins to flow and you say to yourself, “I feel better.”

Less Guilt! You have just worked out so you feel good about yourself and you know that you have kept to the disciplines of living healthier.

So if you feeling like … I really don’t want to workout today, make a list of the benefits you will experience if you workout and the benefits (if any) if you stay at home.

One more thing ... Check out the links I have added to my sidebar ... to the left of the page!

Go Steelers

I know it has been almost a whole month since I have written and I have only one excuse. It is that it is football season. I love football! I love my Stillers! (Steelers to those who have never been to the western Pennsylvania area) I started out the season this year on the first Thursday night watching the game after my class eating! Yes eating. Not good. Well, I felt good after the game because we pulled out a win but I didn’t feel good about all the chips and salsa I had eaten. The win over-rode my over eating feelings and the next game on a Monday night we lost. Terribly I might add. I had also eaten the same amount of chips and salsa. I felt terrible! I was depressed since we had lost, Ben had played bad and I had overeaten. Ok so I learned my lesson. No more eating during games. Last week I didn’t eat and we still lost. But at least I just yelled at the TV and stomped out after the fumbles and interceptions. Probably burned extra calories. So just because it is football season I still need to live up to my disciplines and continue working at my healthy diet. Watching TV can be a passive activity if you let it be but it can be active if you really get into what you are watching. Remember eating during your favorite show isn’t going to make it a active activity. But if it isn’t a sporting event you are watching then you can make any show active by sitting on a stability ball and crunching. In fact just sitting on the ball will give you some extra core work.

Loving the body God gave you.

First let me say I'm not giving anyone a pass here just to do what you want and eat whatever because ... that is the body you were given at birth.

We are all born with a body that will grow up to be different in bone structure, shape and muscular frames. Some of us can work hard eating right and exercising several times a week while still finding it hard to look like we do anything healthy.

So what do we do? How do we live with the body we inherited from our moms and dads? And love it?

The first thing I do is to do the best I can do to stay healthy with eating right and exercise. The next thing is to realize that aging is a process that we all experience. I accept where I am while taking care of my skin. I stay out of the sun as much as possible and I use lots of wrinkle cream for my face and body cream for the rest of me. Then I go to the Word of God. When I read verses in Psalm 139 I know that the Father made me carefully and wonderfully. I am made this way for a purpose ... His purpose. Right there in that Psalm are enough reasons to learn to love my body. I have found that if I can see myself the way the Lord does then I will find it easier to love myself inside and out. The Lord cares more about what my inside than the outside because my soul is the eternal part. But I still think that the outside is important because my appearance is the world's first impression of a believer in Christ and I want to be a good witness for Him.

So do what you can to take care of what God has given you cause you only have one body. Then work on the inside by loving God and those around you. Serve those who need your help and even those whom you don’t think need your help or deserve it. Believe it or not if you serve others lovingly you will find that you like, maybe even love yourself a whole lot more.

Syndromes for everything?

I can’t believe what I am reading …

Nighttime Eating Syndrome? This might be a new eating disorder that you have if you do most of your eating at night. Or you might wake up in the middle of the night hungry.

Let’s face it most of us eat at night. Only a few very disciplined people do not sit in front of the TV with a bag of chips. I do know a few and yes they do not have a weight issue but they eat 3 meals plus snacks a day.

I eat at night. I even wake up at night and eat. Last night I was up at 3am starved. I ate a banana, drank some water and went back to bed and fell fast asleep.

In college I wanted to lose weight so I ate my last meal at 3:00 in the afternoon. That worked great until I started swimming at night. I would swim fifty laps of the pool in the evening and study before going to bed. I would wake up starved. So starved that I began eating more junk in my room. I still lost weight but I wanted to eat healthier. I realized that I needed something before going to sleep. So I had a cup hot chocolate and a piece of fruit. It worked. I began sleeping like a baby. I went back to eating dinner at a normal time and I still lost weight. I know I was in college so losing weight was easier, but there is a principle in all this.

It is called having a calorie deficit. I was burning more than I was taking in, no matter when I was eating. Some of us have other deficits … in our check books; we spend more money then we are taking in. So we have to borrow from some other money source to pay the bills.

Light bulb!



Losing weight is the same. Food is our energy source. If we take in more then we burn, we store it as fat for another day. And I might add it is harder to use that stored energy. Kinda like when you were a kid and you asked mom to hold on to your money. She didn’t want to give it to you to spend on worthless stuff, so she regulated your spending. Your body holds onto fat tightly. Especially the older you get. (I think it says you will need this when you are really old, so you can’t use it!)

So the key to all this is eat less then you burn. If you are going to eat more because of a special occasion then add extra cardio to your workout schedule. If you aren’t exercising you won’t lose weight unless you cut back on what you are eating daily. Sure you need food for energy just to survive. But the more active you are the more energy you need. Everyone is different in the amount of calories our bodies need because our activity levels.

If you are going to eat at night first of all make it healthy, like fruit or veggies. Or find a good protein bar. Yogurt with ground flax seed is a great choice. It fills you up, has calcium, tastes great, aids in digestion and the flax seed is great for you heart. If you find eating healthy something that you must ease into, try chips and salsa. I know it can be hard to stop eating at night but the best thing to do is after having a snack is to drink a big glass of water then wait 15 minutes. This trick usually helps to curb the hunger panges.

Here are some things to remember as you strive to achieve more disciplined eating habits.

* Never skip breakfast. Even a light breakfast of a protein bar and fruit will help you not overeat at night.

* Have an afternoon snack that includes carbohydrate and protein. Something like a handful of almonds with raisins or a slice of cheese and some pretzels will provide staying power.

AND FINALLY:

* If you must have an after-dinner snack, keep it to 200 calories or less. Choose something with lots of fiber like an apple with the skin, so that you will feel full and eat less.

Just Keep Moving

"Defeat should never be a source of discouragement but rather a fresh stimulus." Robert South

Discouragement is a funny thing … funny? There is nothing funny about it!

Discouragement can make us crawl back in to bed and give up the ship. We all experience it whether we are princesses or moms. Discouragement can’t be avoided. But what to do about it? Now that is the question for someone who knows the answer. I not sure I do. So why am I writing this … I’m not sure why, but I am.

Lets see how I do!

This topic has been on my mind for awhile. I think because I see discouragement in my line of work all the time. Everyone wants to see results right away. Or they are consistent for weeks and their body doesn’t change much, worse yet they gain weight because now they have added muscle. I know what that feels like I’ve been there. This is one of the main causes of discouragement and it is frustration.

The cure? Focus on the positive and find out where we have made progress.

We can’t see the inside of our body and major improvements have already been made the first day one starts an exercise program.

One of my ladies has high blood pressure and she saw immediate results in the numbers coming down during the first week of consistent exercise. Another one of my ladies wrote me a note to tell me that she has had more energy since she had been exercising. And still another one told me that she could tackle a Pilates class since she had been exercising for years with me.
These are stories that belong to people like you and me that didn’t let discouragement run their life. They didn’t crawl back into bed and give up the ship. They became the captain of their lives and “Just kept moving.”

That is my motto …"Just keep moving" ... as long as you are moving you are doing something good for your body. Don’t let the monster of discouragement force you to hide under the covers, behind the TV or in front of the computer. Remember it is the inside that counts because that keeps us alive. So exercise for the improvements on the inside and learn to love the outside.

Hummm … loving the outside of our bodies! A topic for another day!

Exercise Myths

If You Eat Healthy and Exercise Consistently, You Will Never Gain Weight

This is not true! I can tell you from personal experience that age does something to your body’s metabolism. Other changes in your body can cause weight gain too. I have hypothyroidism. This is a condition that causes me to have weight gain, fatigue, constantly feeling cold, plus many other symptoms. It took five years for me to convince my family doctor that I couldn’t lose weight. His standard answer to me was always, “You are getting older and so your metabolism is slowing down.”
I didn’t just accept his standard answer. I found a doctor who would listen to me and investigate other possibilities to why I was gaining weight and the many other symptoms that plagued me at the time. One thing though, I still had to change my eating and exercise regime. I could not eat popcorn with gobs of butter every night. I also added more cardio. So even though I have an age related condition that medication can help I still find that age is my worst enemy. If you fighting the battle of time you need to be willing to make lifestyle changes and dietary adjustments. The fact is, your metabolism slows down as you age. As a result, you often have to either eat less or exercise more to avoid gaining weight.

The biggest change in your metabolism usually occurs around the age of 40. So always keep your food and exercise plan flexible. Chart any other symptoms you might have. Some doctors love an informed patient while others find it threating. I have found that I know my body better because of all the research I have done and it helps to have a doctor who is willing to listen to my thoughts. One thing to remember if you are exercising and gaining weight you might find that you are not eating enough of the right stuff. You muscles cannot work efficiently without the proper energy. A balanced diet is one of the most important tools of any physically active person.