Tag: health

Maximize Your Life: Jillian Michaels

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photo 2(Note: pardon the stream of consciousness tonight .. mind is reeling!)

Tonight I had the opportunity to see the firecracker that is Jillian Michaels LIVE here in good old Kalamazoo, one stop on her Maximize Your Life tour.

To be honest I had no clue what to expect. Most people know Jillian as the motivating trainer that barks at her team members on The Biggest Loser, or warns us not to “phone it in” during her fitness DVDs.

But behind the drill sergeant facade is an absolutely adorable, lovable, funny as hell — and, yes, fit and beautiful — woman.

Someone I’d totally want to be friends with … provided she wouldn’t kick my ass to Texas! Continue reading “Maximize Your Life: Jillian Michaels” →

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Sad Stat of the Day: Only 10% of American Kids Have PE In School

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This was the take-away I got from an interview between First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Oz today:

While plugging her Let’s Move Active Schools initiative, Mrs. Obama shared a pathetic stat that a mere ten percent of American kids [in public school] have PE in school.

My jaw dropped. Only TEN PERCENT?! No wonder American kids are so obese; our kids are chained to desks all day, play video games by night, and we can’t even build physical fitness into the school day?! Insane. Continue reading “Sad Stat of the Day: Only 10% of American Kids Have PE In School” →

The scale can suck it

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Today was a great reminder that thin does not necessarily equal healthy.

After a tough personal training session this morning, I went to Luis’s company’s annual biometric screening — which we’ve done for the past six years. It’s a comprehensive, incentive-based wellness program and I think it’s great. Of course, I also love my own company’s … but that screening isn’t until February. Anyway …  though I feel I could afford to lose 10-15 lbs and still be fine, no one told me that and the verdict is I’m in really awesome shape on the inside: blood pressure, cholesterol (LDL, HDL and the ratio — all optimal), blood sugar …. Huzzah! Continue reading “The scale can suck it” →

Polar F6: My Enabler Way Back When

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I own a fabulous Polar F6 heart rate monitor (HRM), but I don’t wear it anymore.

There’s nothing wrong with the watch or the strap – both are in perfect condition.  But my HRM is a reminder of a bad time in my life, when lived at the gym and I was obsessed with exercise. Back then, my HRM was my everything: my personal trainer, my motivator, my drill sergeant. I was one of those people that had to burn X calories. I couldn’t stop at any odd numbers and would always need to round up … 430 calories wasn’t good enough; I’d pump out a few more minutes for 500.

Continue reading “Polar F6: My Enabler Way Back When” →

Who Needs Sleep? I do, I do!

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I’m reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child and it’s one of the best sleep books I’ve read so far. Written by a prominent pediatrician (Dr. Marc Weissbluth), the basic premise of the book is that sleep yields sleep; i.e.,  more daytime sleep = more night-time sleep. And that, my friends, = a well-rested family.

I’m not going to do a formal review of the book — I’m only like an eighth of the way through — but I wanted to talk about it today because the book is relevant to EVERYONE … not just people with babies or small children.

I’ve always been the type of person to choose everything over sleep. I just couldn’t be bothered! Continue reading “Who Needs Sleep? I do, I do!” →

If It Feels So Good … It Can’t Be Bad, Right? WRONG.

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Two of my favorite bloggers, Clare and Holly, have both recently addressed exercise addiction on their blogs recently, which got my wheels spinning about my own past obsession with exercise.

Remember that taunt on the playground, “I know you are, but what am I?” or the retort, “Yea, it takes one to know one!”??

Well, I’m a former exercise addict, and I know them when I see them. And I’m not sure which is more disturbing: the fact that I was one, or the fact that I so easily can spot them. Either way, I’m glad that destructive relationship is over.

I’m the first to admit, it was not an easy break-up to make … perhaps the hardest in my life! I mean, chewing and spitting I knew was inherently bad, wrong, disgusting, gross, you name it. Quitting it was a no-brainer. But an addiction to exercise—something so good for you … just was not an easy concept to grasp. Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that even things that are good for you can be abused.

And this was a very hard lesson to learn. Continue reading “If It Feels So Good … It Can’t Be Bad, Right? WRONG.” →

Numbers and Numbers

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Today I had my wellness exam at work and I concluded one thing that should be obvious but, given my track record, isn’t glaringly so:

Sometimes what’s going on inside our bodies matters much more than how they look on the outside.

I’ve apparently been doing something right, even if I’m not losing any of the weight I’d like to lose, as my wellness exam went incredibly well.

All my numbers were excellent:  a super-low resting heart rate, *awesome* cholesterol, super-low blood pressure, super-low blood sugar, and my waist-to-hip ratio is under 0.8 (i.e., desirable!).

Interestingly, my weight was actually the same as last year … which kinda surprised me since I keep saying “I’ve gained” but really, I’ve been this weight range for a while now. Continue reading “Numbers and Numbers” →

Jennifer Hudson: Focusing on HEALTH, not weight … for Weight Watchers

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This is a cross-post at WeAretheRealDeal.com today. You can read it here or after the jump.

Continue reading “Jennifer Hudson: Focusing on HEALTH, not weight … for Weight Watchers” →

Miscellaneous March

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Last night I wasn’t feeling a ton of inspiration to blog. I had a great night at home with my hubby, and then went for a workout while he was studying.

When I was trying to think of a good topic to blog about, I just drew a blank. I’m still riled up about this post about my university’s newest “spokesman”/TOOL OF THE CENTURY and have been thinking a lot about my role in community management, since that’s what I have been doing lately for the American Heart Association at work. Continue reading “Miscellaneous March” →

“No Gym for You!”

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I love my husband to death, but he got me sick and we’re leaving for Korea in FOUR DAYS!

Sure, he’s feeling better (the boy literally keeps Tropicana and Florida’s Natural in business) … but now I’m sick. –> NOT HAPPY.

I started feeling the sniffles toward the end of the weekend and tried to ignore it.

Then yesterday my head started pounding, my glands were swollen and my throat started hurting when I swallowed.

By last night at the gym, I was really struggling and feeling it in my chest, too … and I knew I needed to see a doctor and get some drugs. Continue reading ““No Gym for You!”” →