OUT SICK

I have a massive toothache...I mean mouth ache. I would post something, but I may tell you all anything due to being under the best meds my dollars can buy. Till Wednesday...right now I'm going back to sleep.

MY FAVORITE MJ SONG...SORTA

I can't really choose a fav MJ song, so I'm just going to play one my real all time favs in his memory (straight jacked from youtube)...SO, how are yall doing on those dance routines...yeah me too! lol

PART II- Learning Thriller!!

I think there are about 5 videos, but I'm posting 2...mostly because that's how far I've gotten-lol...I might have to changed this to learning the moves to "You Rock My World"...idk-lol

Michael Jackson...REMEMBERED!

Okay, so like most people, I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan and with tomorrow being...well tomorrow, I wanted to kick back and learn a few moves myself. Its great exercise AND YOU TOO can look like a BUTT in memory of MJ. This guy does a pretty good job of teaching the dance moves from THRILLER & I'm going to share with you what I learned when I stop laughing at myself, but until then...check this embed on youtube...

QUICK POST: MASSAGE UPDATE

I told you all that I'd let you know how my massage went. As I suspected, there was tightness all over my back and neck, and several of my pressure points were in dire need of release. I got a 30 minute therapeutic massage and it was MAGNIFICENT. I was a bit uncomfortable at first, but I quickly got over it. I have to tell you that everyone must get one of those per month or every other month in their life...pronto!! Skip a pedicure for a week and just do it at home or something...I'm not sure what you have to flex out, BUT please, don't deny yourself any longer. That massage was amazing, and my back was back in tip top shape afterwards (BTW, I paid $30 for my session).

TO WHEAT OR NOT TO WHEAT??? THAT IS THE QUESTION

I pose this question because I heard someone say that "white bread ain't nuthin' but flour, sugar, and water". That puzzled me because I wasn't really aware why I ate whole wheat bread over white bread. I was just eating it because everyone (media, friends) said that this is what you're supposed to do, so in effect, the purpose of this post is to tell you the differences I've researched.

Simply put... whole wheat flour has lots of nutrients and white flour has most of its nutrients stripped away. It may be better said that white flour isn't necessarily bad for you, and that wheat flour is simply better for you. According to A to Z Wellness:

"The two biggest differences between white bread and whole wheat are the processing and the nutritional value.

Flour is made from wheat berries. The wheat berry is made up of the bran, the germ and the endosperm. All parts are filled with nutrients and are used in whole wheat flour.

White bread on the other hand, uses only the endosperm - the starchy inner layer. There is a total of 30 nutrients missing in white bread."

However...please note that white flour has more iron and sometimes more calcium than wheat flour, as it is enhanced by the companies that make them. Also "WHITE WHOLE WHEAT" bread has some of the wheat germ added back into it after processing.

My preference is whole wheat because I like to eat with some purpose most of the time...i.e. butter pecan ice cream is packed with milk and nuts (like snickers)!! lol, just teasing, but I use some whole wheat baking flour for cakes, wheat pastas, and whole wheat bread. I eat the Arnold Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins all by itself because it is so good and only 50cal per slice (check the pic below). I made my son a tuna sandwich with it and he said "MOM, THIS IS THE BEST SANDWICH EVER!!" But then again he is my kid and can be slightly dramatic (have no clue where he gets it). Wheat is an acquired taste, but easily adaptable...try it out!

SUPER LEAN!!

These are some tasty looking energy drinks...sign me up!!!!

I've been looking for a post work out energy drink that's natural and healthy. I didn't want to take in a whole lot of sugar in the morning and I'm not a caffeine drinker. Oddly enough, a friend of mine sent me an article on a new study done on women who do weight lifting and resistance exercises within their workout. The study found that women who drink about 2 glasses of whole milk after their workout gain more lean muscle and lose more weight than women who drink a post workout energy drink.

ALSO, you know how women tend to gain weight after working out for about 2 weeks due to muscle gain? Well, this study showed that women in study group who drank whole milk didn't have that weight gain due to gaining lean muscle!! I mean...that's just wonderful. I, myself, refuse to weigh in for another month at least, because of this very same weight gain. I see the extra room in my pants and I see myself getting smaller in the waist -and to be honest- that's quite enough for me-lol

I'm going to try this milk thing for a week though, but 2 glasses is alot of milk, and may not sit to well with my calorie conscious diet (hmmmmm). But this makes sense because I did gain solid muscle mass while doing my P90x routines. I can fit in my clothes better, but I felt like a lil running back-lol

Let me know if you try this too...

DINGS, BANGS, SPRANGS, AND BRUISES...

I'm all battered and bruised this week. I have a bruise on my leg from softball, a pulled muscle in my upper back, bouts of fatigue, a knot on my other leg, soreness from squats, tension in my shoulders a stressful MONTH at work, and a knot below my knee... I'm all messed up. It seems like I've been wrestling lions all week as opposed to just exercising. I need to get myself back together, first, starting with this throbbing back muscle....

I went online to find out what was going on with me because if I breath fast or swallow a chunk of food, I get a sharp pain in my back. AHHH, best advice from what I found online....GO TO THE DOCTOR!!! I've also found that possible getting a massage could also help to relieve tension. This is my busy season at work, and I've been stressed to the max with several pending deadlines. I'm going to get a massage this afternoon, so I'll let you know how this goes. The most important advice is to STOP...don't try exercising a pain this bad, and if it persist after 2 or 3 days, again go to the doctor. I let you guys know how this one goes.

Then for bruises...try ICE! I was surprised too, but this honestly helped with the coloring of my bruise. Check the advice from the National Institutes of Health below (Hopefully, I'll heal up soon):


1. Place ice on the bruise to help it heal faster and to reduce swelling. Place the ice in a cloth -- DO NOT place ice directly on the skin. Apply the ice for up to 15 minutes per hour.
2. Keep the bruised area raised above the heart, if practical. This helps keep blood from pooling in the bruised tissue.
3. Try to rest the bruised body part by not overworking your muscles in that area.
4. If needed, take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to help reduce pain.

CHECK THE VIDEO BELOW THE PICS

Here are my post pics from my interval running:

The first one gives a clear expression of just how I felt immediately afterwards... notice the sweat and harsh glare

Here is of pic of me when thinking about the benefits of this kick butt routine....LOL

SQUATS...OUCH!!

The Part of MY Insanity Fit Test

This is the last part of my Insanity Fit Test....VERDICT: Not so fit :-(

Exercise 4: Insanity Fitness Test

I may have done about 14 of these exercises, but this is the last one for today's post. Funny thing...I'm missing one of the other videos, hmmmm....

Exercise 3: Insanity Fitness Test

I remember doing about 40 of these and watching them do the rest...smh!!

Exercise 2: Insanity Fitness Test

I think I did around 45-52 of these awkward jumping jacks. That loud clang you hear is my fan...close call!!

PRE-TEST?? Yeah Right...that's INSANITY

I have to apologize for the late post, but the morning just got away from me. I will post a series of videos detailing my exercises in the Insanity pretest (fitness test). I completely left the edited version of my pretest home, so I'll post four of the exercises today & four on Monday. BTW...I did not do good- at all!!

I only did about 53 of the first exercise if I remember correctly!

ALLI-OOP

So, as promised, I'm going to review some diet pills, as they are looked upon to help lose weight. My opinion...everything works with a good diet and exercise - so, the point is that GOOD DIET and EXERCISE are the true determinants to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. BUT I have seen some wonderful things with diet pills. Even I can attest to the Xenadrine (before they removed the harmful ephedra) was the BOMB!! I was in the gym 2 hours a day, 3 days a week, but I lost like 40 lbs in 2.5 months (probably not healthy, but I'm being honest).

I've also taken doctor prescribed appetite suppressants that frickin' rocked, but if you can't learn to control your diet, you'll be hooked on appetite suppressants for life. Essentially, that's the way I view diet pills...they are a temporary fix on an exacerbated problem. That is why I'm going through this process - learning to eat better - learning to control my diet - and learning how to exercise efficiently.

Now, back to Alli...the clinical trials are excellent!! Subjects who took Alli for six months lost 50 percent more weight — say, 45 pounds versus 30 — than those who only dieted, according to a study done by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Health care, the drug's manufacturer. "We found that 80 percent of Alli-takers really stuck to a reduced-fat diet, and 50 percent started exercising for longer periods of time," says Vidhu Bansal, Director of Medical Affairs at GSK Consumer Health care.

BUT...there is a downside!! If you don't eat right, you will get the stinkiest side effect that sends people running to the bathroom...or the STORE because they've pooped in their pants. Now, isn't that a funny little caveat to eating right - EAT RIGHT or POOP in your pants! If you ask me...that's exactly why the pill is successful-lol However, if you can keep your fat intake in line, you will not be prone to the losey gooseys (ain't nothing cute about a poop...but I'm trying to lighten it up-lol).

I think, with all that being said, I'm sold!

REJUVENAT-ED...ING...ION

So yesterday, in the mail, I received some rejuvenation...I received some craziness...I received some Insanity. That's right the Insanity Workout Program - in the mail - by one of my favorite clear people in the world- McCaskill!!!

I was so excited that I did the fit test this morning, but had some technical difficulties loading my cut version to the blog :-( Look for that on Monday!!! In the meantime, I found a video that shows you some of the moves from the workout. It looks very similar to P90x, except it's alot faster (which means burn baby burn...those calories).

I have to admit, it was hard for me, and I can't exactly get through most of the exercises even though they were only for one minute. HOWEVER, I'm going to set my own pace and incorporate this into my interval walking/jogging, dancing, and P90x. I'm going to get you guys some more "DANG SHE'S FINE" pics in a month. It would be an absolute shame if I looked the same as before....let's pray!! I'm going to try not to let you (myself) down. Peep the routine I jacked off youtube below:

THE PITS!!!

If it isn't one thing, it's quite another - I’ve been quite bogged down over the last couple of weeks and I feel as if I’m losing motivation to stay on the right track. I haven’t gained any weight, but I’m certainly not losing any. So what to do?? Well, to jump start my workout regimen, I only feel it’s right to complete what I started with P90x, even though I’m slightly bored with it. The routine isn’t boring, but I get bored doing the same thing over and over again for more than 45 days in a row, apparently. I only have about 45 days of the program left to complete and I need to do that.

In the meantime….I’m going to shift my workout around to make it more interesting for me. Lately, the ongoing issue is that I have not been going to sleep early at night and it prevents me from getting up in the morning….excuses, excuses!! THIS SUMMER, I’m joining a gym and utilizing the techniques I learned from P90x to further my exercise routine. SOOOOO, in the meantime, can someone take some jumper cables, attached them to my “noassitall” and pump my energy level back up?? I’m in the pits…wayyyyyyyyy, down, down, low pits! Hopefully, these new routines with my friends will get me back on track on to my 30lb goal.