Post Mortem

So I wanted to let you guys know I’m not dead (yet)! My first post since the holidays is just an update of what’s going on.

I went into a mini-hibernation mode because the holidays made me lazy (hey, it’s about honesty, right?) and then I started school again around Jan. 20th. I wanted to make sure I could balance all things and that I wasn’t homicidal like last semester.

I have acquired the Holy Grail (aka; the new bodybugg) and I must say it is very nice. Mini-sleek and much, much more comfortable. I absolutely love it. Anyone that was thinking of getting it, just go do it. It’s worth every penny.

As for my trainer, I have a sad story. We broke up But it’s not what you think! Lorenzo is and always will be my first love (haha!) but I moved. Not only to a new house but to a new campus. Getting to him at that gym was just not something I could do. It was actually rather depressing and I felt like we were “breaking up”. Anyone that has a trainer that they love is totally feeling me, right now. I didn’t even -dare- step into another club and browse. I mean, what kind of slutty client would I be then, right!?

So finally, I realized I was holding myself back and that I had to break the news to Lorenzo, who took it rather well. And alas, I have moved on to a new “love” (aka; trainer) who is just as awesome.

Chad was actually my Asst Manager at the Fry/Saums location when I worked there. So he already has an idea of how I work and who I am, which makes the training that much easier. He’s a plethora of knowledge and he’s probably one of the most creative trainers I’ve ever met. One thing we have in common, is the ability to look at a machine/piece of equipment and think, “How many different ways can I use this?” and we try to abuse it til there’s nothing more it can give. hahah!

My first session with him was with the “peanut”. Brutal little thing. As Chad says, it gives you greater extension on the crunches. Yes…yes it does. *wince*

Anyway, that’s it for now. Serial Trainer is back in action and will be doing more updates. Post questions. Because that’s what I’m here for. It’s easy to get dormant when you think you’re always talking to yourself!

 

EDIT: Oh yeah!  I started a new job.  Working for Houston Grand Opera, now.  It’s an awesome job and I have kick ass co-workers. So HI! to Rebecca, Scott, Stephanie, Greg, Melissa, Brian, Richard, Debra, Cynthia, Ezell, Angie, Jamie and even Heikki (who probably never reads this).

Thanksgiving, 2008!

I wanted to take this time, during the digestion of all the wonderful food I had today, to give you all my warm wishes this Thanksgiving. For everyone who visits and keeps this site so active, old and new, thank you! It means a lot that you are watching.

In addition to those that read my blog daily, I wish to thank Lorenzo, my trainer for kicking my ass extra hard yesterday. I have a lot of fun (even though he hurts me…on purpose) working with him which keeps me motivated to come in for more beatings, every week.

My family, for being supportive as well. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am, today.

My best friends for not allowing me to talk myself out of things I really want.

And..even though he’s one of my best friends, I wanted to thank Ron for faithfully reading these and commenting so I don’t feel like I’m talking to myself. =)

Much love to everyone! Happy Thanksgiving.

Bodybugg Results: Sunday, November 23, 2008

Bodybugg Results: Saturday, November 22, 2008

Bodybugg Results: Friday, November 21, 2008

Bodybugg Results: Thursday, November 20, 2008

This night, the serialtrainer got to go see Metallica at the Toyota Center.  It was purely kick ass.  Kudos to Down also, they rocked hard. I’ll post pics later keep checking for ‘em.

Bodybugg Results: Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Bodybugg Results: Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Antioxidants: Superman of the Immune System

What the heck are antioxidants anyway?

To understand what they are and why there’s so much hype about them right now, we need to break down what goes on in our system.

In order for the many processes of our body to function, we need oxygen. Unfortunately for us, the oxygen in our atmosphere right now is full of pollution. In addition to the pollution, we also add things in like stress, alcohol, cigarette smoke and ..well..some peole add even more things to their body. Our bodies also have permeable skin and tissues so imagine all of the things we allow in everday.

The free-radicals in the air attack our healthy cells which leads to big scary things such as cancer, and can also be the cause of much less talked about health issues such as cataracts, heart disease and some forms of chronic diseases.

Antioxidants are the super heroes of our immune system because they fight off these oxidants (or free radicals) and help keep  our healthy cells from harmful mutations.

Antioxidants can be found in tea, however, I’m reading studies now that adding milk to your tea can break down the antioxidants so try to have at least one cup a day without milk. Other sources for antioxidants are: grapes, wines, teas, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, red peppers, carrots..anything high in vitamin A and containing beta-carotenes.

If you’re not one to eat your veggies, you should look into finding a supplement that will give you a boost (is it any surprise I’ll toss out that APEX carries one? =D).

Leading a healthy lifestyle means protecting what you have now and possibly future generations if you are thinking of having children. It is a known fact that parents pass on their genetics to their children. Outside of avoiding drug and alchohol use, be sure that if you’re thinking about having children, you give them the best possible start..and that means healthy parents.

Some helpful links:
Healthcastle
WEBMD

Many of you already know that I am a huge advocate of MyApex.com.  There are many reasons for this.  Firstly, having worked for 24 Hour Fitness, I was exposed to them a lot and the one thing that stood out to me was that they do a lot of research. But more importantly…they will give you their research!  Not that many of us can understand it but if you had it in your hand, you could take it to a doctor. This is actually something I challenge you to do with everything.  Have you ever taken the chemical breakdown and research that you found on a medicine and brought it to the doctor and grilled him on how much he -really- knew about the medicine he/she was prescribing you?  Doesn’t it seem silly that we will blindly follow what our doctors tell us without question and they never even have to hand you supporting research to back the claim? 

I definitely take all my prescriptions home and do research before I ever stop at the pharmacy which is why I make some of the decisions I do.  So I guess my challenge to all of you is that you re-evaluate your view on that.  It’s why I’m here, partially.  I’ve been offered to try many different products (which by the way! I never received my Labrada products. I know I told you guys I would try it and get back to you but the person that was supposed to send it has not yet so when that happens I’ll get back to you, I promise) and I try them because with all the media hype and the billions of dollars being made off of  people trying to lose weight or get in shape, someone’s gotta be the voice of reality.  If it tastes like crap and doesn’t work, I’m going to let  you know.

I also wanted to post something else. I got a little side tracked.  I started talking about APEX because I was reading something on their site.  Here’s the original post [http://my.apexfitness.com/vip/content/q_a_detail.php?story=94].  I had to laugh because of a few things.

1. It’s nice to see that with the bodybugg the wool is pulled off of many peoples’ eyes.

2. It’s sad to see that the simple equation for being healthy eludes many people for many reasons.

3. I’m glad to see people who learn how easy it is, will now find more, creative ways to be active.

What is this all about?  To paraphrase the article, someone wrote into Apex and said “Hey!  I’m burning as many calories doing housework as I do when I workout!”  and Apex was like, “duhhhh?” in a nice way. And no I don’t mean it in a demeaning way HAHA!  I’m purely being comedic about it but think about it!  How many times do you have to say BURN more than you EAT?  People will NOT believe you until you strap them into the bodybugg and show them PROOF. 

Prove it to them. And they did. I love it. 

So people are strapping on the bodybugg and proof!  They don’t move as much as they think they do.  And proof!  They are eating more than they think they do.  And proof!  If they just stand instead of sit down for an hour a day, they will burn extra calories.

No one’s saying train for a triatholon!  If you’re lazy, OK! Just stand there instead of sit. If you’re allergic to sweating? OK! Turn on the radio and sweep your kitchen…briskly.  It’s all a matter of finding things to do and getting away from not doing anything.

Look, we’re all tired.  We all have long days of work or school or whatever is going on in our lives.  The fact remains that if you’re tired to the point that you have no energy left at the end of the day, you need this more than anyone and I’m going to tell you from personal experience.

When I get home, the first thing I think of at 6pm is my bed, not the damned elliptical.  I want to curl under my awesome, soft blanket and sink into my amazing mattress and fade away until the next morning.  But I don’t do it. I have done it. I fall off the bandwagon, pick myself up, and then I remember that it’s only a 1/2 hour.  A 1/2 hour on my elliptical will give me my calorie burning goal for the day.  And then something amazing happens…

I feel great.  I’m still tired, but I feel better.  I’ve hit my goal, I’ve done something for myself, I’ve given myself some energy. It’s enough to get me through dinner or to the hot bubble bath that will help lull me to sleep.

Take this to heart:  I’m a mom of four boys and a student full time. My job as mother is one job that I take more seriously than anything else in the world. Trust me, nothing else will come above it. But if I don’t take care of me, what am I doing for them? The answer is nothing. If you don’t take care of you, you are taking the chance of not being there to take care of anyone else. You are taking the chance of having someone obligated to take care of you and hopefully that doesn’t sit well in your mind.

I want my quality of life to be one of quality, not full of doctor visits, medication, etc.  The best “preventitive” medicine you can give yourself is 30-60 mins of health. I feel the worst when I’ve gone two weeks without a good, ass-kickin workout.  People around me tell me to go workout because I’m crabby and depressed. Working out takes the stress out of my life, gives me the endorphins I need and keeps me out of a horrible, monotonous routine.

Don’t wait until January 1 to make your resolution, make it now and shoot for the New Year as a checkpoint on your way to that goal =)