Healthy Way of Getting in Shape

I have noticed that one of the most talked about subjects aside from sex and money is how to look good and gain/lose weight.  With so many fads out there about dieting it’s no wonder the general population is confused.  The most interesting fact that is always over looked is the fact that each individual knows exactly what needs to be done to attain their desired weight.  The culprit is the fact that they are either too lazy, or just don’t have the time to do the needed research.  If it’s the latter, then I totally understand and that is why I think it’s important for those people to pay trainers to come up with the best program for their goals and needs and see dietitians who have the know how about what foods should be consumed and how often.

Many know that eating right and exercising provides the lasting results.  What many do not realize is that it’s a commitment.  Just like we commit everyday of our lives to eat three to five meals a day, we must do the same with exercise.  Yet since people like to cut corners, what we as a general public do is eat much and exercise not so much.  A really bad combination as we already know.  Starving yourself is not a good option as it results in fat being stored away when you actually do eat (your body assumes it will be in the starvation period and therefore converts as much as possible into fat for later use).

So what is the healthy way of getting into shape?

Body Image

While working in retail I learned how obsessive women are about their bodies and self-image.  No matter how beautiful a woman looked in my eyes (aside from being a photographer, I’m always keen to a female body, they are just beautiful) I would hear her complain about her body image.  Its astonishing how insecure women are about their self-image.  Out of 100 women that walked into my store, I would say only 5 % were comfortable with their bodies and had no problem with how they looked.

As much as I love America, I have to say that American’s tend to put too much pressure on their women to look and act like heartless mannequins.  I don’t understand why women pay attention to magazines, celebrities, and other mass media outlets, rather than men.  I have heard over and over and over from men that they love women with curves.  If almost all male sources say the same thing, then why do women insist on starving themselves and hating their natural beauty?

Hanging Out, Going Out, Dating

I’ve been going out like crazy lately, three or four nights a week.  Going out with my friends, colleagues and guys.  Right now I’m doing my best juggling three guys.  I have to say it is getting demanding.  I am at times sleep deprived and when that happens I don’t remember what comes out of my mouth.  I have managed to call one of my guy friends by another name.  That was bad till I realized that he didn’t hear me.  Feeew, that was a nice dodge.

If I don’t change things soon enough I might have to drop all three of them.  My head hasn’t been in the right place for a long time.  I have things piling up because every spare second I have I spend sleeping.  I have to give props to girls and guys out there who date more then one person at a time, it’s  tough and fun all at the same time.  Enjoy while it lasts.

Nap time!

Is hand sanitizing causing you to be sick?

(fyi… it’s just my opinion, I am by no means a doctor)

Remember the old saying, a little bit of everything is good.  A lot of one thing could be poisonous?  Have you ever noticed that doctors almost never get sick?  That’s because they are exposed to germs on a daily basis.  Granted they wash their hands with soap after every patient they see to minimize their chance of getting sick.

That said here is why I believe that hand sanitizers are not for every day use.  When we eliminate 99.9% of germs (as the hand sanitizer label claims) we eliminate our body’s ability to be top of the line immune system.

While working in the retail industry I used to get sick on a weekly basis.  I couldn’t understand why.  My diet, stress level and sleeping patters where the same, yet I would get sick for no apparent reason.  I started drinking vitamins to help my immunity system.  That helped out tremendously.  At that time I didn’t realize that because I was exposed to so many different people my body’s immune system was going haywire trying to beat everything I came in contact with. That’s why I got sick so often, and that’s why vitamins helped.  They worked internally to fix what was happening to me externally.

Keep Your New Year Resolutions

With a new year come new responsibilities.  Keeping new year resolutions is one of them.  It seems that instead of enjoying a fresh new start, we tend to bombard ourselves with the useless nonsense.  For example, if during the year you refuse to follow a diet and exercise plan what make you think that this year would be any different than the last?  Many tend to make harsh and “written in stone” decisions only to have them broken a month or two later.  Setting yourself up to failure so early on in the year doesn’t give you much hope to continue with the rest of the year in a festive mode.

The best thing to do is to give yourself realistic goals, ones that can be tweaked as the days progress.  Where falling off the horse doesn’t mean that it would be hard to get back on it.  Creating resolutions that are fun and exciting would allow you to feel in control and the rest would fall into place in time.  The best and most easiest resolutions to follow are those that require the least, like spending more time with friends and family.  Doing something good for yourself, which could be anything – going to a spa, or taking a hike on your favorite trail.  Once you see that you are having fun and enjoying life, everything else tends to fall into the right place as well.

What are your resolutions for this year?  Choose the ones you want to do the most and highlight them.  Enjoy doing them and have fun this year!

Everything is New right now

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!

May it be filled with love, joy, hapiness, and health

May everything you wish for yourself and your loved ones come true!

And let 2009 be better than 2008!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!!!!

Should you buy Expensive Gifts or Gifts from the Heart?

This post is not late.  It’s for all those Soviets that still exchange gift on New Years eve .  For us this is the time of buying gifts and raking in the extra sales at the same time.  As I wonder from store to store one thought comes to mind: Should I buy expensive gifts or should I buy something that has meaning to the person receiving it?

When you know someone who has anything and everything they can possibly want, buying them just another gift is pointless, it will end up in the reject pile.  Typically people in this category are better off being treated to a night out, like opera, ballet, jazz or any other venue where you can spend time with them.  I personally love gifts of this nature, because I get to spend time with people and I be entertained at the same time.

Then there are those people who are more about the thought process that goes into the gift rather than the price tag.  Those people are hard to shop for, yet when you find what they like the feeling is very rewarding.  Knowing that you found something that they will enjoy immensely makes the present more valuable and appreciated.

The last type (but not the least) are the money grabbing, most expensive gift is the best gift type of mind set.  Those kind of friends you need to steer clear from.

At the end of the day, it’s really up to each and every one of us to decide how much effort we want to put into a gift.  The easiest gift has always been a gift card.  They are appreciated but overrated.  I think that giving a prepaid Amex or Visa card is better because it allows the person the freedom to shop wherever they choose.

And for all you folks out there who just give unwanted gifts…keep your money and face up to the fact that you don’t know how to listen.

Happy Giving & Receiving !!!

Bodies…The Exhibition

Since I started studying to become a personal trainer I have to memorize many cool things that involve the human body.  Reading text books and seeing the drawings is great but I wanted to really see all the muscles bones, nerves and arteries/veins live.

When the Bodies Exhibit first opened up, I was very much against it.  Displaying bodies in my eyes was very disrespectful to the diseased.  Plus the thought of being next to the bodies that once lived gave me the creeps.  At the same time, the thought of seeing a body in all of its glory was fascinating.  It took me a year to come to a decision of whether or not I should attend.

My first trip to the exhibit was a mixture of excitement and fear.  When I came out I was in awe.  I don’t know how the bodies were handled during the preparation process, but the exhibit does a wonderful job of being respectful to the diseased.  I loved every minute of it. It was educational and mind boggling.

Yesterday I went to see the Bodies Exhibit again, this time to study.  I have to say, this trip wasn’t enough and I’ll be going back again.  If you haven’t seen it, I suggest you do.  From an educational standpoint it’s phenomenal.  Plus its good to know what our bodies are like.

How to Deal with being Exhausted

It seems that I can never catch a break.  Ever since I started working at the gym I’m constantly fighting off fatigue and it’s not like i do a lot.  Most of the time it’s just walking around and making sure people are doing their exercises correctly.  I feel that I preach more than I actually do.  I have stopped eating on a regular schedule and instead eat sporadically.  Which results in constant headaches, stomachaches and bunch of other aches.  No matter how hard I try (or maybe I don’t try hard enough) I can’t seem to get enough food/water in my system.  On top of that I seem to stress the dumbest things ever.

Let’s try to come up with a way to cope with stress and exhaustion:

Sleep for eight hours straight – without drinking or smoking

Eat every three to four hours- instead of binging every six hours

Drink at least two liters a day – instead of just 16 oz.

Seems like an easy plan to keep, but I can’t seem to stick to it.  I give myself two weeks to get my routine in order and I’ll keep the progress on this post.

On top of being exhausted all the time, I miss bloging and can’t wait to get back to it, so maybe this will help me in more than one way: bloging about my progress and actually committing to the program.

Tis the Time of Gift Buying, Gift Giving and Gift Receiving

For those of you late shoppers who still haven’t finished there Christmas shopping – Hahaha – you’ll need to hurry up, get creative and start shopping.  As for the rest of us who don’t celebrate Christmas our shopping begins the day after all the mayhem is over,  after Christmas.

Being that I’m always picky and do not like to receive gifts that will clutter my apartment anymore than it already is, I tend to make wish lists and then send them out to my friends.  This way, I know I’ll get something that I want yet I have no idea what it would be (well sort of).

It seems that the best way for anyone to enjoy gift giving and receiving is the ability to communicate what each person wants.  Instead of hoping, wishing and preying for a gift that they dropped a hint once, nine months ago, one should take charge.  Bottom line is if you want to enjoy gift receiving, you need to step it up and open up.  Nobody mind reads and nobody likes to see their gift being exchanged or never used.

I think that as long as people have low expectations and are open about what they want, this time of year could go smoothly and happily.

Happy Shopping!!!!!