Nine ways to "Just do it!"

Finding that you’re dragging your feet to workouts? Tired of exercise? Suffering from “gymophobia?” Get over yourself and on to fitness with these tips today.

“Wait a minute!” you say. “Gymophobia isn’t even in the dictionary!” You’re right, it’s not. But we’re glad we made you look it up, even if pawing through a heavy book constitutes the only exercise you’ll do this week. Gymophobia is a term we used to describe a fear of the gym. Probably for Mr. Webster, fear of the gym should not exist or warrant a dictionary entry.

Of course, reluctance to go to the gym is real. In recent years, American adults have made no substantial progress towards achieving recommended levels of physical activity or strength straining. A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that while 71 percent of Americans agree that regular exercise is absolutely needed, 86 percent of the adult population say they fear trying out or even going near the gym.

We want you to face your gymophobia point blank. Realize the popular Nike tagline isn’t asking for the impossible – Just do it. Get to work and totally put the following nine self-defeating thoughts completely and entirely out of your mind.

“I will look silly. You already do. You carry extra inches around your waist; you’re out of breath climbing up a flight of stairs; and you’re eating way too much junk.

Now picture this: an overweight person on a treadmill, four times a week? That’s not silly. That’s inspiring. Read about Richard Hoyt and Richard Hoyt, Jr. no physical handicap kept them from winning marathons and triathlons around the world. And they did not look silly.

“I don’t know what to wear.”
You didn’t know what you were going to wear to your high school prom or your first date, but that wasn’t going to stop you from showing up. It’s not about what you wear as much as what you do. Remember, people do not go to the gym to make fun of other people’s clothes. They go to the gym because they want to focus on themselves.

“It’s grueling torture.”
It will be if you work out incorrectly. That’s why our online trainers are here 24 hours a day to help you perfect your form, as well as design a fitness program that best suits your personal goals. Don’t forget, gyms, have coaches too.

Remember, grueling torture is being 55, weighing twice as much as your ideal weight, and being unable to perform even the simplest of tasks – like bathing yourself, for example. Grueling torture is being very physically unfit.

“I’ll be alone at the gym.”
You don’t have to be. Bring your spouse, or your best friend. Bring someone who needs to lose a bit of weight herself. Be accountable to each other. If your gym buddy can’t get to the gym on your set day, agree on a better day within the week that will work for both of you.

This is not a competition, but a partnership. You both will get better, healthier, and more fit. Do it together.

“I wouldn’t know how to work the machines.”
Talk to your fitness trainer at the gym will quickly get you acquainted with the machines. No one is expected to know everything. You might also want to checkout online resources before you head out to the gym. Know that proper alignment and posture is key. When you have this knowledge with you, you can't go wrong, and you get positive results.

“Okay, so now I know how the machines work, but how will they work for me?”
We encourage you to get into a specific fitness program. You gym coach should not only show you how to use a machine, they will also create the best program for you to reach your fitness goals.

“I’ll look like a total newbie.”
Headliner on a tabloid: MUSCLE BABY BORN WITH WELL-DEFINED CHEST, ARMS AND ABS. Do you think people read this and go “Wow! That’s amazing!” Of course not. That’s because we don’t expect babies to be born with fully-developed bodies. So why should you expect yourself to have the perfect body before signing up for gym? Allow yourself the grace and the humility to be a beginner.

“I’m intimidated by the gym gorilla.”
He drops the weights on the floor with a loud thud and flexes his muscles whenever he gets the chance, prancing around the mirror-walled gym. When you look around, the first thing you notice is how his gargantuan arms protrude from his sleeveless shirts. With a booming voice he announces how he thought it was impossible to bench press 145 lbs, but now he has just done 5 sets.

You can ignore his antics and focus on your workout. Or, go right up to him and say, “Hey, you seem like an expert. I’m an absolute beginner. Can you help me out with this machine?” Tactic #2 can help you gain a friend—a very useful one.

“Such a long way to go! How old will I be when I finally get fit?”
The same age you will be when you don’t work out. If you do choose to start working out, you’ll feel and look younger in a matter of time. How long will depend on the effort you put in, and how soon you start.

So start today! No better day to kill that reluctance and just do it then TODAY! The better, more fit version of yourself has been itching to be let out…so do that inner self a favor!

Yoga your way to fitness and calm

For 5,000 years, people have stretched and breathed their way to well-being. It’s time for you to catch-up!

When you wake up in the morning, you stretch from head to foot. Then you succumb to a mighty yawn that flushes your system with oxygen that wakes up both body and mind. You may not realize it, but you have just practiced yoga. Yes, it’s that natural.

People think yoga is about turning into a human pretzel and mastering esoteric Eastern philosophies. But yoga is essentially about gently bringing your body and mind back in touch with each other. Yoga is about healing and restoration.

Why Yoga?
In our fast-paced, results-oriented world, a yoga session comes like a breath of fresh air. Yoga heals the body and improves your level of health.

“I really feel that the most powerful healer of all is deep relaxation,” says Yoga teacher Judith Lasater, P.T., Ph.D., author of Rest and Renew: Quiet Yoga Poses to Reduce Stress and Tension. “Yoga allows everything to relax. That aids your muscular system, your circulatory system and other parts of you that suffer from the effects of stress.”

Yoga poses also help cleanse organs. Dr. Lasater teaches that moving your body through the different poses forces blood out of vital organs, allowing fresh blood to take its place. This gives your organs more nutrients, making them stronger and more resistant to disease. Pranayama calms your mind, strengthens your lungs, and reduces disturbances and impurities in the body. Dr. Lasater and other experts have documented improvements in conditions such as infertility, arthritis, high cholesterol, back pain, asthma, and many more.

Yoga builds strength on so many levels. On a physical level, as you move and breathe through the poses, your lung capacity increases. The poses shape and build your arms, legs and abs.

But the benefits of yoga go beyond the physical. When you focus on your breath—when you find peace and stillness in a difficult pose—then your inner strength increases. Your self-awareness grows as learn your body’s physical limitations. In a yoga class, you never strive to outperform your classmates. Instead, you use your breath to relax into a pose. Ganga White, outstanding yoga teacher and founder of the White Lotus Foundation, teaches, “The most important purpose of Yoga is to bring about a deep transformation of the individual--an awakening of intelligence that is free of dependencies and romantic beliefs and ready to meet the accelerating challenges of the 21st century.”

No pain equals gain
“The old saying ‘No pain, no gain’ doesn’t apply to yoga,” says Lilias Folan, known as the First Lady of Yoga since her groundbreaking 1972 Yoga series Lilias! and Yoga and You. Go gently—never push your body until it hurts. “Yoga should make you feel good!” she adds. This is one of the reasons yoga is different from conventional exercise.

Ganga White gives these tips for beginners. Find a comfortable, warm place with a level floor. Breathe smoothly and continuously throughout the practice. Do not hold your breath. Wear exercise tights, shorts, or loose comfortable clothing, no shoes or socks. Please do not strain or force to hold or attain any position. Work within your own limits and abilities. Allow body heat to build during the practice.

“Start slowly and work up to any difficult poses,” says Nancy Ford-Kohne, founder-director of the Yoga and Health Studies Center in Alexandria, Virginia. If you were able to execute a difficult cobra or spine twist yesterday, you may not be able to do so today. Respect that each day, your body changes. If you can’t do a particular pose today, choose a simpler pose. Realize that you can try again at your next session. Most importantly, always wind down and relax after every session. End with the corpse pose for at least five to ten minutes.

Ford-Kohne shares her motto: “Inhale energy and healing, exhale fatigue and stress.”

Yoga Routine
Below is a Daily Routine of 10 recommended poses. Pick three or four poses per day and alternate them every day to give your body a complete workout.

1. Mountain Pose
2. Sun Salutation
3. Warrior Poses
4. Dancer Pose
5. Tree Pose
6. Corpse Pose
7. Spine Twist
8. Baby Pose
9. Boat Pose
10. Cobra Pose

Focus makes perfect

You have the power within you to achieve your own fitness success.

We all know the power of focus. Subject a piece of paper to focused sunlight under a magnifying lens and it burns up. Various manufacturing and fabrication industries use waterjets, squeezing and focusing water strong enough to cut through steel! Imagine if you can use the power of focus to achieve your fitness goals. Well guess what? You can!

From hazy to razor sharp
People usually quit altogether when their workout plateaus and stops yielding results. Often, the cause is not a lack of willpower, but a lack of focus.

To harness the power of focused energy, you have to be clear in exactly what you want to achieve. Celebrated artist Julia Cameron teaches, “The simple act of imagining a dream in concrete detail helps us to bring it into reality.”

Finding your “North Star”
Take pen in hand and clearly state to yourself exactly what it is you want to achieve. “In a perfect world, I am ten pounds lighter, centered, healthy and vibrant!”

Now name one concrete goal that signals to you its accomplishment. This is your North Star. “I am at my ideal weight, and have become vegetarian” may be your North Star. Or it could be “Win the gold medal in the Annual Triathlon.”

Next, name a role model. Walt Disney, Tiger Woods, Manny Pacquiao. This teaches you that in the real world, people have and do realize their dreams.

It is very important to know what you are focusing on and why. Cameron adds, “Think of your goal search as a preliminary architect’s drawing for the life you wish to have.”

Set small, manageable goals
Set small, gentle goals are exactly that: small, gentle, and doable. You first learn to jump over two feet and slowly increase your strength before you achieve that high jump.

Wanting to leap bounds right away without taking the necessary baby steps is suicide. Perfectionism tells you “If you can’t do it right the first time, quit trying.” Most people do end up quitting, but achievers don’t. Remember, as you meet these small goals one by one, you will gain an incredible boost of confidence, which in turn will make it easier to get started on the next goal.

Visualize!
Visualization is a major part in being able to focus. An excellent way to do this is to let it all down on paper! Just keep your mind free and your hand moving. Give it a good 30 minutes, then stop. Reread what you wrote. From this, create a to-do list for the day, or for the week, of activities that get you closer to your fitness goals. “Check out the Pilates class at the Y. Trim the lawn and paint my fences red. Sign up for gym membership.” Focus by setting and meeting your goals. Do this consistently and unforeseen solutions will reveal themselves to you as you let your mind work.

Focus and its twin: hard work
One succeeds by giving 100% focus and energy on these self-assigned tasks-at-hand. Don’t allow outside distractions to change your direction or pull you away from the project even for a short time. Work consistently and doggedly at each fitness goal until you have achieved them one after the other—which leads us to our next point…

Derailments and distractions
Squandered energy is the opposite of focused energy, and entertaining distractions is certainly squandering. So, never let past let-downs, unsolicited comments from other people or any negative thought use up the power you’ve stoked toward fulfilling your goal. This also entails focusing on your needs first before others’—it might mean saying no to your neighbor Fred’s request to help him box his books so you can go to the gym and do some boxing. Or saying no to another evening of babysitting for your sister so you can go out and take a yoga class.

Draw a sacred circle around your goal. Inside that circle, write the names of people who encourage and energize you. Outside, write the names of people whom you don’t need to be around right now. Trust your intuition.

What you focus on determines How You Live
Tony Award winning actress, Lea Salonga, knows the meaning of focus. Her stellar leap from Philippine kiddie actress to Tony award winner in New York was a result of her own focus. She says, "Professionalism is more than just being on time. It’s about being prepared, consistent, focused and hardworking."

If you want to see gains in your workout, or blast through that plateau, use the power to focus within you and achieve your goals in no time. Get tips from your online fitness trainer and dietitian on more effective strategies that will help you in goal setting and improving your focus.

Read any good ones lately? Allow me to share some titles that can be your fitness food for thought.

A healthy body is not just the result of your solid strength-training in the gym or your intense session on the treadmill. To build your fit and healthy body, you also need a good dose of inspiration. In fact, sometimes all that you need to blast through a workout plateau is to curl up on the couch with a good book that enriches your understanding of fitness and kicks off a renewed commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

Is your bookshelf full of selections on the latest diet craze or the workout “to end all workouts?” It’s time to throw out the quacks. Try this reading list. No, you won’t find another exercise fad, what you will find is food for your soul. Read the following and feel that fitness inspiration.

The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right-Size by Julia Cameron
Julia Cameron is most known for her extensive work in fiction, poetry, music, film, and her seminal books on creativity. For 25 years, Julia Cameron has taught thousands of artists how to unblock their creativity.

During this process, she noticed that as her students encounter their creative selves they also undergo a surprising physical transformation—invigorated by their work, they slim down. Cameron writes about the relationship between creativity and eating, revealing a crucial equation: Creativity can block overeating. This inspiring weight-loss program directs readers to count words instead of calories, to substitute their writing’s “food for thought” for actual food.

Her simple system promotes exercise, food journaling, and something called “morning pages” (3 pages of daily stream-of-consciousness writing accomplished as soon as you get out of bed). "A day at a time, a page at a time, we become mindful, acutely attuned to our personal feelings." There are also some exercise suggestions like “Buy five postcards glorifying the body type you've got,” and inspiring stories detailing chronic overeaters' paths to weight loss success.

“Before you eat, ask yourself: Am I hungry? Is this what I feel like eating? Is this what I feel like eating now? Is there something else that I could eat instead?” Forced to be honest, dieters understand their eating habits and establish a way out of overeating. The Writing Diet presents a brilliant plan for using one of the soul’s deepest and most abiding appetites—the desire to be creative—to lose weight and keep it off, forever.

How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier From America's Favorite Medical Examiner by Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Prevention is better than cure, we say, but who else can best advise us than Jan Garavaglia, M.D. or “Dr. G: Medical Examiner” of Discovery Health TV fame? And she does it best in this book.

Know your numbers. Your BMI (body mass index), blood sugar level, blood pressure, and lipid profile will have a huge impact on your health. Listen to your body. Seek medical attention early when you detect something amiss. Follow medical directions from your doctor and those on any medications. Practice good hygiene. Just say no to smoking, illegal drugs, and drinking too much. Simple advice, yes, but coming from a doctor who has seen countless deaths in the morgue that could have been prevented, her insights are vital to the living.

Garavaglia notes that a death certificate offers only five choices—homicide, suicide, natural, accident, and undetermined—but to that she'd like to add one more - stupidity. "Life is a series of choices," she writes. Make the right ones.

The author loves her work and it shows. Dr. G's chatty writing style is colorful, and the case studies she tackles are fascinating. Coupled with a compassionate attitude and insights into her own life, this makes her book entertaining, educational, and lively.

What Cancer Cannot Do: Stories of Hope and Encouragement by Phyllis Ten Elshof
Cancer - the mere mention of the word is enough to send shivers down one’s spine. You wake up with an unusual lump in your breast and your life is changed forever.

Much has been written about cancer from which treatment to take and which not to, to which doctor to go to and which not to. Amid all the confusion, a book arises, written by a survivor that has not only fought her battle against breast cancer once, but twice. In this book, she shares a dose of kindness and compassion for those dealing with the disease or with a loved one who is.

Most patients would avoid the subject, but Ten Elshof tells us to do just the opposite. She writes, “Research the dickens out of it. Find out as much as you can. And lean on the professionals. Know you are not alone. Lots of people want you to get better.” Writing from experience, the author shows you how to see cancer as a gift and to live like a winner. Filled with practical advice, she tells us it’s perfectly normal to cry. “But there's a time to stop mourning, too, and get back to life.”

These books are available online and at your local bookstore.

Make your own feel-good mantra

It’s ancient wisdom: your words have power. Harness it to achieve your fitness goals.

The Hopi believe that when the Sun God Tawa and the Earth Goddess Spider Woman joined their voices in song, the Universe was created. C.S. Lewis’s Great Lion, Aslan, sang the whole Narnia into being. The Old Testament book of Genesis says God simply spoke and everything sprang to life.

The words you speak and think are powerful keys to achieving the life you want. Tune into the chatter in your brain. Do you hear “You’re hopelessly fat. You’re too lazy to workout. No workout will work for you. Only the celebrities are truly slim. You are born fat and you will die fat, why try?” Ouch! This seemingly endless negative chatter clutters your mind and keeps you feeling defeated. Fit yourself with armor to defeat this internal foe. The armor is your Mantra.

Mantra Music: the soundtrack of your life
There’s an orchestra in your mind and you are the conductor. So if someone were to plug stereo speakers into your mind, what soundtrack would be heard? Is it doleful like when the Ryan O’Neal walked away to mourn the death of his wife in the movie Love Story? Is it full of imminent terror like the soundtrack of Jaws? Is your music ominous like The X-Files theme? Terminally tragic like when Tom Hanks lost his volleyball friend Wilson in Castaway?

It’s time to change tracks. Just as easy as pressing a few buttons on your jukebox you’ll love the celebrative music of Life is Beautiful. You’ll feel festive with Le Festin from Pixar's Rattatouille on your iPod. Or you might like Esthero’s Everyday is a Holiday. Or Billie Holiday’s Our Love is Here to Stay, for that matter! Change the soundtrack and it’s a whole different movie. Change the music in your mind and step—dance—into a whole new life.

Mantra Magic: your powerful ally
“Om-mani-padme-hum…” chant the Buddhists, but there’s more to mantras than just an eastern spiritual practice. A mantra can be a lullaby or a call to action. What would you say or sing to a child you love? Are you an expert in expressing kindness towards others but miserly with expressing kindness toward yourself? A mantra is a lullaby you say or sing to yourself.

As you fill your mind with “I can do it! I am getting stronger everyday!” and believe it, your body responds accordingly. You are then able to meet the fitness goals you make for yourself. Fifteen laps at the pool, a 30-minute walk after lunch, 3 sets of 15 reps at the Chest Press Machine.

Arnold Schwarzenegger started working out at the age of 15. In four years, he won Mr. Europe and went on to compete in and win many bodybuilding contests, including Mr. Universe. "I knew I was going to be a bodybuilder. It wasn't simply that either. I would be the best bodybuilder in the world, the greatest, the best-built man." He had tremendous belief in himself and refused to give in or waver from his goals. Schwarzenegger’s award-winning form is the result of focused training and a focused mind.

Make your own mantra
Here’s how. Say or write a positive statement describing your desired goal and express strong belief in it. Something like, “I am in perfect health!” Or “ I am burning fat, getting toned and losing weight every day.” This is your affirmation. At this point, that nasty soundtrack might pipe in, too. “You’re lazy! You binge on chocolate cake! How is that healthy? You’re too old for this fitness stuff,” the voice might say. Silence it.

Write your affirmation at least 10 times in a row. Write down the snide remarks that your mind blurts out, too. Turn your attention on these nasties. It’s time to disarm them. Notice that each nasty can be turned around into a positive statement. Write these down, too.

“I am in perfect health! I feel great when I work out.”
“I am in perfect health! I make healthy food choices.”
“I am in perfect health! I feel younger and vibrant!”

Use your customized mantra repeatedly, either written, spoken or sung to a tune. Remember, you are the conductor of the orchestra of your life. Your audience—your life and what lies ahead of you—is watching, expectantly. Do it with flourish!

How to budget your money wisely

It is almost half of the year. How is your saving and spending? Any time is a great time to take stock. While the local economy does feel gloomy, Filipinos are doing the best they can to eke out a living. I recently heard that employees brave death and high water, arriving at their offices wet after wading through floods, just to be able to punch in for work. Some have opted to start their own businesses hoping for better income.

Filipinos look into other means of gaining money as well. The lines for lotto tickets have never been longer than now. Some go to noontime shows and have their children gyrate to music for quick cash. Others turn to pyramid marketing schemes. Sometimes we think if we had more money, our problems will magically vanish.

More money is not always the answer,” cautions Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan, co-authors of Money Drunk Money Sober. “Better use of it is.” Here is their expert advice to do exactly that.

Nine Money-Wise Tools for 2009
1. Count your money. Beginning today, count all money spent and earned and record these in a notebook. Try to be as accurate as you can. The tool may seem too simple, but it is powerful. This helps give you a non-judgmental picture of how you spend, or mis-spend, your money. You will learn how much you earn each week and where the money goes.

2. Stop incurring debt. One day at a time, do not incur any new debt or use credit. This is the only way to stop the downward spiral of your finances. During this time, avoid big new expenses. Also, stop hiding! Call your creditors and inform them of your intent to pay at a future time.

3. Start a journal. Many times we spend to make up for insecurities we harbor inside. When we feel low, we feel the need to overspend to purchase self-worth. It is during these times that a journal may be crucial for financial support and recovery. Instead of blowing your cash at the casino or purchasing your 38th pink hat, take pen in hand and explore your thoughts and feelings on paper. Trust that small voice that tells you are worth more just as you are.

4. Draw a bottom line. Your bottom line is a list of behaviors that have affected you concerning your money. These can include borrowing from friends, using credit cards to the limit, not balancing your checkbook, not paying your taxes, spending more than you earn, etc. Simply put, these are behaviors that have caused you shame. Write them in your journal and never cross that line again.

5. Make a money map. After each month of counting your money, you are ready to make your money map. The money map is a financial overview created by tabulating your daily expenditures into weekly totals and then adding those up into monthly totals. Now you have a visual of where your money goes, where you are misspending it, and where you’d actually enjoy spending it. Can you cut down on cab costs and take mass transit or walk instead? Or you might be surprised to learn that you eat out a lot when you can save more and be better nourished by preparing your own sumptuous meals at home or bringing a packed lunch to work.

6. Reach out for support. If you’re having problems with debt, you may want to look up Debtors Anonymous in your area or on the Internet. Being among people who have tread the path towards financial sobriety can provide you with the necessary encouragement you need to keep on your own path.

7. Find a money buddy. Tell an intimate friend exactly what is going on with your money situation. Put an end to your secrets and shame about your misspending. Your money buddy can help you review your money map and brainstorm solutions to tricky situations. Be sure to choose someone with whom you can be totally honest.

8. Set aside. Ten percent of whatever you make should be saved for the future. This becomes your most important account. This practice enables you to earn more each month than you spend. Also, set aside some amount towards debt repayment. Contact your money buddy and your creditors to come up with a workable plan toward freedom from debt.

9. Make a prosperity plan. To do this, you need three things: a job (or steady source of legal income), a money map, and a money buddy. Examine your expenditures using your money map as a spring board and see where you might be able to use your money more effectively. Write down these choices on your prosperity plan. So you have your money map on the left, the actual record, and on your right, you have your prosperity plan, which is your goal. Show the goal to your money buddy for his opinion. When you see your money map change and merge with your prosperity plan, you are on your way to real solvency in handling your money!

Start counting, planning and saving!
The sooner you put these tools into consistent practice, the better prepared you are to face the year ahead! They are extremely do-able, and it’s not high-finance! And nope, you don’t need to wait till the beginning of the week. Today is good enough. This may be the day you walk out of fiscal frustration to financial freedom!

A nose for weight loss

Can sniffing scents curb certain cravings? Let us explore the depths of the olfactory. Turning our noses up at the frauds, I give you the facts.

Before you is your favorite macaroni and cheese with ham. Yum! You are about to bite a spoonful when suddenly, grandma passes gas. She really let it rip! One whiff and you've lost your appetite. Congratulations! You have just stumbled upon one of the most natural diet and weight-loss techniques. That is, if the reports widely proliferating in the internet are to be believed.

According to some experts, weight loss has become the marked territory of the nasute, or having an acute sense of smell. One of the most prominent proponents of this is Dr. Alan Hirsch, creator of the Sensa Weight-Loss System.

“Sensa uses your senses of smell and taste to help you get more satisfaction from eating less,” he explains. These crystals are added to food and purportedly have the power to trigger the release of hormones that suppress hunger and appetite by tricking your brain into thinking you have consumed much more than you really have.

From sprinkles to sprays to skin patches
Aromachologist (coined from the terms aroma and psychologist) Dr. Rachel Herz takes a not-so-different tack. Working on the same principle of scent-brain connection, she developed Scentology, a series of fragrances that promise to alter your behavior or mood. Citrus oils dispel bad moods, peppermint encourages endurance and vanilla controls cravings for chocolate.

Dr. Herz’s work takes off from the findings of Catherine Collins and her research team at St. George’s Hospital in London. Collins’ experiment had a group of people wear vanilla-scented patches on the back of their hand, lemon-scented patches for another group, and no patches for the third group. "The aroma patch significantly reduced sweet food intake and there was greater weight loss amongst those using the vanilla patch, compared to a lemon-scented dummy or no patch. The most interesting thing we found was that the chocolate score was halved for people wearing the vanilla patch."

What Dr. Hirsch and Dr. Herz might have missed in that report was that “the patches did not affect people's appetite for boiled sweets, savory snacks or alcohol.”

The effect of a whiff of vanilla lasts only as long as the next time you smell something else, like another chocolate bar or a scoop of ice cream. You would need to be continually sniffing at the patch on the back of your hand for it to work. Since your olfactory is the easiest sense to numb, these fragrant diversions may not work for you in the long run.

Putting the nose to the test
Can you really smell yourself slim? Let’s look at the science. Odors travel up the nose to your olfactory bulb, located at the back of the bridge of your nose. Receptors in your olfactory bulb send signals to the limbic system in your brain where they are interpreted as either pleasant or offensive. The limbic system is the seat of emotional memory in the brain. That’s why the smell of hotdogs brings us back to memories of Sunday afternoons in the park; the smell of popcorn makes us think of the movies; and the perfume of a lost lover is secretly cherished.

While odors and fragrances can alter one’s emotional state, there is as yet scant evidence linking appetite regulation by the limbic system. The smell of bread wafting from a bakery is more likely to arouse hunger than cause it to abate. Some people report losing their appetites after cooking for less than an hour, having been assaulted with the smell of food. Still, some people report their appetite actually grows because of cooking their own meals.

Fact: The Nose has it
Aromatherapists agree. The sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than any other of our senses and recognition of smell is immediate. Other senses like touch and taste must travel through the body via neurons and the spinal cord before reaching the brain whereas the olfactory response is immediate, extending directly to the brain. This is the only place where our central nervous system is directly exposed to the environment.

If you are like most people and tend to eat when you are stressed, you can try sniffing a few drops of lavender oil or sandalwood on your burner. The smell may just keep you from reaching for that snack. These scents will relieve stress and help you rethink your craving for extra calories. Rosemary and juniper can energize you, perfect when you’re “too tired” to go to the gym.

To be sure, certain smells may keep you from an unnecessary snack or perhaps even a binge. But your best bet for fitness is still a conscientiously applied exercise and diet regime. Get into one now!

Bliss Week: your escapade plan

Stress has been known to cause the body to store fat in unsightly places. We have just what you need…

A vacation! To quote Tennessee Williams, it’s “the long-delayed but always expected something that we live for.” It’s the best part of the year, the oasis of freedom in a desert of routine. It’s what summer is all about.

Days of endless bliss. White, powdery sands. A clear, blue ocean. The sun on our backs. No deadlines, no desk full of papers, no boss behind your back, no rush and no hurry. We all know we deserve it.

And to deserve it we… stress. We make sure we have prepared everything down to the last detail. Did we bring enough clothes? Do the kids have enough underwear and toothpaste? Did you remember to get a full tank? Did you make hotel reservations? Who will take care of the dogs? The plants? The fish? And oh! Watch the budget! Sometimes the planning and going on a vacation trip makes it not worth the effort. When you return, you feel like you need another vacation to get over it.

Give yourself a break! Here’s your escape plan. All you need is one hour every day. Note: going to the gym is not part of the Bliss Plan, unless you haven’t been there for months. Turn off that cell phone! This is twice the fun when undertaken alone.

Bliss Week: Your Escapade Plan

Monday Meandering Meditation: Take an afternoon stroll at the park. Pay attention to your breath. Breathe in deep and exhale completely. Go where your feet lead you. Watch the people, the clouds, the trees. Allow your thoughts to settle like the dried leaves on the pavement.

Tuesday Cha-Cha: Go ballroom dancing. Or go barefoot dancing in your living room. Roll down the blinds. Play some music, but dance to the beat of your own drum. Really flip out and just go crazy. It’s okay to laugh out loud.

Wednesday Walk in the Woods: Pretend your garden is a forest. Walk barefoot. Smell a flower, really sniffing deeply so its scent goes up your nose, the way a bloodhound does. Brush your cheek against the petals. Now go write a poem. And no, it doesn’t have to rhyme.

Thursday Detour: Drive to a part of town you’ve always been curious about but never taken the luxury of exploring. The museum, your old school’s playground, Chinatown… you know the place. Find somewhere you can write and pretend you just met a kind Storyteller who knows everything about the locale. Ask the Storyteller to tell you about its history, the people who live there, and anything else about the place you find interesting. Bring out your journal and jot down the story he narrates.

Friday Free Throws: Get on the court and shoot some hoops! Go solo or one-on-one with your gym buddy. Don’t keep score. Just have fun. Work out some sweat.

Saturday Self-loving Spa: Convert your bathroom into a spa. All you need are scented candles, some soothing music, and a bubble bath. Turn out all the lights and stay as long as you like. After that, wear your favorite underwear or lingerie and give your spouse a massage.

Sunday Sabbath Day: Do absolutely nothing. Turn off the TV, the iPod, the PC. Allow yourself to be totally bored for an hour. Enjoy the peace.

Just do one kind thing for yourself each day of the week. That’s all the escape you need. Enjoy and love yourself!

Fuel your fitness with affirmations

The path to losing weight and getting fit lies within you and what your mind can create. Learn to use your own positive energy to gain positive results.

It’s not a secret. Nor is it a new discovery. As a matter of fact, it may be as old as your old hat, and just as comfortable. For years, people have been using the pure and simple process of affirmations to achieve their personal and fitness goals and with great success. Anyone can do it, why not you?

What are Affirmations?
When a friend is sick, we speak a wish for them, “Get well soon.” When a loved one wrestles with self-doubt before his important presentation, we write them a note: You can do it! I believe in you. When you are about to embark on a difficult task, you think to yourself, “I can do this.” All these are affirmations.

“An affirmation is a strong, positive statement that something is already so,” says Shakti Gawain, best-selling author of Creative Visualization.

Affirmations communicate love, positive belief and good energy. These three ingredients are what you need to keep you on the path to losing weight and getting fit.

The Power of the Word
The Ancient Greeks – think Olympics and the movie “300” – were the first to recognize the power of the word. Logos (translated into English as “word”) was used to refer to “something said.” In Greek thought, logos also means “the inward intention underlying one’s speech.”

Take a look at that phrase “inward intention.” If your innermost desire is a healthier, fitter you, then you must express that intention with the power of the word. This releases tremendous power to realize your dreams. Affirmations give you access to that power.

Using Affirmations
There are three common ways of using affirmations. One is simply to speak it. The good thing about verbally declaring your affirmations is you can do it before eating a meal, before your workout at the gym, really anywhere. Try these affirmations now:

Everyday, in every way, I am getting healthier and fit!
I enjoy taking care of myself.
I am a fountain of youthful energy!

When you speak your affirmations, say them as if they have already happened. Notice how each affirmation is in the present tense. It touches your mind’s sense of the now, of the immediate moment. That’s what makes it powerful.

When you say, “I will lose ten pounds! I will exercise. I will quit overeating…” you are procrastinating. Worse, you are scolding yourself. Self-reproach is counterproductive. Speak positively and speak now.

I am losing weight.
I exercise and I love it.
I eat right.

Another way is to write a chosen affirmation 15 times in a row every day. This is a powerful process as the act of writing is the act of righting, making things right. Writing provides you a visual record of what you intend to achieve, written in your own penmanship.

Finally, you can listen to affirmations. It is best to use your own voice. Read the affirmations below into your digital or tape recorder, and set aside a time where you can be silent and focused. Listen to yourself speak loving, kind words.

Fitness Affirmations
I love my body and I take good care of it.
I eat healthy and right.
I feel great! I feel fabulous!
I look great! I am fabulous.
I am able to control my eating.
I am able to make wise decisions about my diet and my health.
I wake up each morning feeling younger and more vibrant.
As I eat more fruit and vegetables, I get healthier and stronger.
I drink water. Water is life.
I feel stronger. I am stronger.
I am able to face the day’s challenges.
As I take care of my body, my body takes care of me.
A long, healthy life is my gift.
I listen to my body. I treat myself right.
I am infused with health.

Trust and listen to your voice. You are your own best motivational coach. Affirm your fitness and get positive results!

"I can do it!" -- Marissa Jared Winokur

Read about Marissa’s journey to becoming Tracy Turnblad and allow her overflowing positive thinking to rub off on you.

Whenever we think about heroines, the picture of a beautiful woman with admirable achievements and qualities comes to mind. We see her fighting foes and overcoming hurdles. We think of long legs and a slim waist. We certainly don’t think of a chubby, five-foot girl whose big hair gives an illusion of height and probably adds a pound to the scale. We don’t think of Marissa Jaret Winokur. But she’s every inch a heroine, on stage and off.

Marissa is best known as the dancing and singing superstar Tracy Turnblad in the hit Broadway musical Hairspray.

“When Marissa walked up the stairs to audition for Hairspray, the first thing I saw was her hair. I thought to myself, ‘Wow. I think the first person through the door is going to be our Tracy,’“ says composer Marc Shaiman. But things weren’t going to be that easy for Marissa.

“They kept telling me: ‘You’re not going to be the one we use for the show, but until we find that girl, we’d love for you to work on the material,’” said Marissa with a laugh. “I would say, ‘Okay, but I am going to be doing the show. I absolutely am doing the show.’”

Marc Shaiman adds, “We tortured her—kept her auditioning, because we couldn’t believe that the first girl who auditioned would get the part.”

Staying Positive
“I knew I’d be on Broadway someday, singing and dancing!” At 19, she played the ingénue role, Jan in the long-running musical Grease. She calls it her first lucky break. “There are never many roles for girls like me on the Broadway stage.”

Marissa had her weight wake-up call came when she was appearing on the Fox sitcom Stacked. “I remember watching it and thinking, ‘Wow, I’m much heavier than I think I am.’”

Marissa embarked on a weight-loss journey, taking the old-fashioned route: with sweat and determination. “I hike, play tennis, swim laps and, of course, there's the theater."

The Plot Twists and Turns for “Turnblad”
“Every six months we’ll go back and do another workshop and every six months they would say ‘You are not going to be Tracy Turnblad. We are auditioning girls all the time. We’re being upfront with you.’”

Marissa would reply, “That’s great. You’re being honest. But I am doing the show.” She started training and really working hard. She wanted to prove that she could do the role and do it quite well.

“After the first year of going through all of this, I was diagnosed with cancer,” Marissa says. “All of a sudden, in the middle of my dream of being the Broadway star that I was going to be, I get cancer.

“I didn’t tell anyone because I knew if they learned I had cancer, they’d find another girl and re-cast me. I knew I was going to get better. I had to get better. This is it for me. Tracy is about life and happiness and there is nothing in this girl’s life that she couldn’t represent being the optimistic and wonderful person that she is.

“Hairspray completely carried me through my whole cancer thing. I remember driving through Malibu Canyon singing Good Morning, Baltimore over and over and over again. That was what I would sing on my way to surgery and on my way home.

“I never wanted the audience to look at Marissa and say ‘Oh my, she had cancer!’ So, probably three months before I did the last reading, I went for a check-up and my doctors told me I’m cured. Hell, yeah! I’m cured.

“I went to that reading and I was ready! I wasn’t sick anymore. I wasn’t scared. I did my best performance probably at that last reading.”

Box Office Success
Hairspray opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on August 15, 2002, with Marissa Jaret Winokur in the lead role. The show became an overnight success, going on to win 8 Tonys in 2003, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, and Best Leading Actor and Actress.

“I never thought I’d get a Tony for this performance. Tonys are for theatre, for Les Miserables¸ not for shows that make you feel good!” Marissa says. “But there I was, holding this award that I dreamt of my whole life. I believed in myself and it paid off.”

Hairspray ran for five years at the Neil Simon Theatre and closed on January 4, 2009, with 2,641 performances and is now on tour worldwide.

“There’s been a bazillion Tracies since I’ve left the show and I’m glad that there are girls like me growing up that are going to play Tracy,” says Marissa. “Tracy gives everybody hope and there’ll be a young girl in high school someday who may not be considered conventionally beautiful and she’s can step on the stage and be Tracy Turnblad and feel beautiful for two hours.”

Dancing and Dieting Her Way to Weight Loss
“It sounds so cliché, but you do not have to be a size 2 to love dancing and to look good doing it. I love to dance as much as possible. I have lost 45 pounds that way; it changed my body,” says Marissa, who hosts the hit NBC show Dance Your Ass Off.

“I count my calories, too. I have protein at every meal and lots of vegetables. It’s all about moderation, portions no bigger than my hand. That’s hard at restaurants, so I cut things in half and make them take the rest away!”

In Transit: National Leographic

Okay, I finally consented to posting this on my blog.

Same show... "tighter" shots from Miguel Dumaual's cameraman...

:p

Benefits of healthy sleep

Ever spent the night studying for an exam only to find it hard to concentrate and remember the answers the next day? Is worry keeping you awake like a snoring bedtime partner? The National Sleep Foundation reports that nearly two-thirds of the people in the United States are affected by some sleep problem. Forty million people suffer from chronic sleep disorders and an additional 20 to 30 million are affected by intermittent sleep-related problems. In spite of these alarming polls, few recognize the importance of getting enough sleep; fewer still are those who are aware of how to manage their sleep problems.

Healthy Sleep: Key to a Longer Life
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records show that approximately 100,000 crashes per year are related to drowsy drivers who drifted out of lane and into a few moments of sleep. The Fatal Accident Reporting System reports over 1,500 fatalities result from drowsiness related crashes.

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine shows that insufficient sleep adversely affects our battle against the bulge. Compared with those with 7 to 8 hours of total sleep time, individuals having only 5 hours or less of total sleep time had significantly increased odds of being obese. Insufficient sleep is also related to diabetes. Leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite, is lowered, while production of ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, is increased. This finding clearly shows that we must not sacrifice sleep time. The Archives of Internal Medicine closely relates chronic lack of sleep with diabetes. A 2005 study showed that people getting five or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic, while those with six hours or fewer were 1.7 times more likely.

Lack of sleep puts women especially at risk of experiencing heart problems. A 2003 study found that heart attacks were 45 percent more likely in women who slept for five or fewer hours per night than in those who got more.

A recent study among 430 adults in British Columbia showed that depression is common among those who have unhealthy sleeping habits and they are more likely to resort to alcohol abuse just to doze off.

Power for your Brain and Body
Few people will argue with the assertion that sleep is essential for good health, top mental performance and emotional function. We all have, at one time or another, felt great after a good long sleep. Even so, few of us actually stick to the healthy diet of eight hours.

The body rests during sleep; however the brain remains active, gets "recharged," and still controls many bodily functions including breathing. It is during sleep that the body performs many vital functions like muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. A good night’s sleep arms us with a greater ability to concentrate, make correct decisions, or engage fully in work or social activities.

Doctor Robert Stickgold from the Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, makes this suggestion when trying to learn a new skill or set of information: sleep on it! "If your brain is too tired it can't take information," he says. He emphasizes sandwiching your learning activity with sleep. Getting enough sleep before the day you are set to learn something and sleeping the same day after your learning activity seems to help consolidate memory in the brain and allows it easy access for later use. This explains how a good night’s sleep may be the best preparation you need for that all-important presentation before the boss.

How to get Healthy Sleep
Fussing over how to get healthy sleep could work against you: you may end up losing it. This is the same with any mental activity akin to worrying about the details of everyday life. The best way to get healthy sleep is as simple as taking a breath.

Doctor Sat Bir Khalsa, instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, discovered significant benefits of breathing techniques in the treatment of patients with insomnia. Lie down in a comfortable position. Begin to calmly observe your breath. Focus on every inhalation and exhalation. When the worries of the day begin to surface in your mind, gently and deliberately bring your focus back to your breath. This exercise effectively clears out your head and relaxes the mind. You’ll be asleep in no time.

Establish a ritual before bedtime. Turn off the TV and your e-mail. A warm shower or bath, or a warm glass of milk, melts stress and releases relaxation responses deep within the body and mind. Sticking to this routine may signal the brain and body to unwind.

Avoid caffeine at least four hours before your bedtime. Alcohol and nicotine have ill effects on your sleep patterns as well.

Create a sleep-conducive environment—dark, quiet, comfortable and cool. Make sure your beds and mattresses are comfortable for you. Take advantage of eye covers and curtains to shut out distracting lights. Use the bedroom only for two activities: sleep and sex. Bringing your work or any other mind-stimulating activity to the bed may just keep you awake and send the brain signals that it is okay to stay alert while in bed.

Finally, exercise and eat a balanced diet. A healthy lifestyle changes your life; make each moment count while awake and while asleep, you will feel better for it!

The law and the lawmaker

If you suddenly become president of the Philippines, what rules would you implement?

If you litter, you go to jail.
Protect and save women and children from abuse.
Absolutely zero illegal drugs.

Go ahead. Name your rule, or rules. Realize that whatever law you would wish to implement tells something about the kind of leader that you are.

Which makes me think of God, because He's given His Law in the Bible. I'm reading Leviticus right now. Animal blood, burnt offerings, bread without yeast. Symbols for a call to holiness and a life of worship and repentance, all made forever available to us by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.

I'm now thinking of His law on giving. It's a universal law. "Give, and it will come back to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over."

If God commanded us to give, He must be a Giver.

Last night, we bought a new sofa (much needed). We ate at the mall's food court. A girl, arms and legs covered with sores, was begging from the customers.

Several rationalizations to justify not giving money:

We're not teaching the parents to be responsible.
She just might buy rugby with it.
et al.

But I have a simple solution. I always bring crackers with me, so instead of having to give money, I give food.

I looked around and saw her eating leftovers. I came over to her and offered her the crackers. You know, I was actually worried she might not accept it! Does God ever feel hurt when we turn down His gifts to us?

I put the crackers on the table and left. I got back to our table and when I looked back, the guard was already escorting (scolding) her out of the mall.

The table she left was empty. No crackers on it. Maybe it's in her pocket.

Borrowed story: Law of the garbage truck

I was in a taxi and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, this black car just cut right in front of us. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes and we skidded, almost hitting the car in front of us. We missed it by just a few inches. After that, the guy in the black car stuck out his head, did a few hand signals, cursed and shouted at the taxi driver.

Do you know what the taxi driver did? He smiled and waved back at the guy.

I figured what an amazing response! How strange. I asked the taxi driver, “Why would you just smile and wave at that guy after he almost ruin your car and send us to the hospital?”

The taxi driver simply said, “Sir, I follow the Law of the Garbage Truck.”

“What is the Law of the Garbage Truck?”

“Very simple. Many people are like garbage trucks. They are full of garbage--anger, hate, envy, frustration, bitterness, disappointment, greed, etc. When their garbage truck fills up, they look for people to pile their garbage on. If you are not careful, people will pile their garbage on you. When someone pours his garbage on your life, do not take it personally. Just wave, wish them well and move on. Do not get involved. You will be happy that you didn’t get involved.”

What's been said about fatherhood

Just some of my favorites culled from the Net.

"It is admirable for a man to take his son fishing, but there is a special place in heaven for the father who takes his daughter shopping."--John Sinor

"Sherman made the terrible discovery that men make about their fathers sooner or later . . . that the man before him was not an aging father but a boy, a boy much like himself, a boy who grew up and had a child of his own and, as best he could . . . adopted a role called Being a Father so that his child would have something mythical and infinitely important: a Protector, who would keep a lid on all the chaotic and catastrophic possibilities of life." --Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities

"Whatever you are, be a good one."--Abraham Lincoln

"There must be many fathers around the country who have experienced the cruelest, most crushing rejection of all: Their children have ended up supporting the wrong team."--Nick Hornby

"My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, 'You're tearing up the grass.' 'We're not raising grass,' Dad would reply. 'We're raising boys.' " --Harmon Killebrew

"You don't put kids under surveillance: It might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze."--Garrison Keillor

"A man that doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man."--Marlon Brando as Don Corleone in The Godfather

"When I was a boy of 14 my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in only 7 years."--Mark Twain

"Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express."--Joseph Addison

CCF Couples Retreat 2009

I remember in April 2009, Veck and I packed for the Couples' Retreat scheduled early the next day. We were off to Caliraya to spend the weekend.

It's always a blessing to return to Caliraya. For one, that was where I asked Christ to become my Savior. Then, there's the buffet meals, the clean air, the horses, birds, trees. It is a wonderful place.

This was the first time Veck and I went to Caliraya together, and we brought Dana along. This CCF's Couples' Retreat's theme is Fireproof, and we had the chance to see the movie. We would listen to messages focusing on Biblical principles about married life. Then we would break out into groups and discuss what we've learned.

In the first pages of my Bible, there's a section dedicated to putting in one's fondest memories. Our recent trip to Caliraya makes the list:

Bonger and Bekya's Wedding, 27 December 2007, Bulacan, Bulacan.
Renewal of Wedding Vows, 27 September 2008, Antipolo. This was in our first CCF Couple's Retreat.
Dana Keziah is born, 07 March 2009, Malolos, Bulacan.
Second Renewal of Wedding Vows, 25 April 2009. Caliraya, Lumban Laguna.

What happens at a Renewal of Wedding Vows Ceremony?
First, there's a dinner, prepared for you. There's some singing. This time it was my friend, Joan Flores, who regaled us with a classy/jologs/romantic rendition of Grow Old With You from the musical The Wedding Singer. Mrs. Philippines 2009 Camilla Kim-Galvez sang The Nearness of You.

Then we were given a pair of rings. We would recite our wedding vows with Pastor Roy Felipe as officiating minister, give our spouse the rings, then kiss. Then there's wine and cake. It's an excellent reminder of my solemn word to God to love my wife through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, richer or poorer, for better or worse, till death do us part.

During this retreat, Veck and I met a lot of couples, but most memorably, we met Mark and Susan. Thirteen years into their marriage, they were on the verge of separation. They were cynical or in denial of their marriage's emotional health. It would seem that a palpable wall stood between them wherever they went. We saw this in their body language. Too, they never talked to each other, although individually, they were pretty talkative. They even missed Couples' Night on purpose. We missed them during the celebration.

Noticing this, I leaned over to Jess and Becca, who informed us that Susan wasn't feeling too well, hence their absence at the Renewal of Vows ceremony. It was sad that they would miss this opportunity. Then, I came up with an idea.

"Maybe we should hold a little ceremony tomorrow morning, just for them, for their Renewal of Vows," I said. Jess seemed to like the idea. Little did we know that in their room that night, Mark and Susan were already discussing their separation. They had their reasons, and at that moment, they saw that these reasons outweighed any other reason for them to stay together.

Sunday morning came. Jess approached us after the message on Handling Finances. He asked if we could be witnesses to Mark and Susan's Renewal of Vows. Veck and I of course said yes.

Mark and Susan recited their wedding vows. They gave each other rings. Then, after some moments of embarrassed hesitation, they kissed. It felt strained, the whole ceremony, but Veck and I hoped for the better for them.

At the end of the retreat, several couples came up to the open mic and gave their testimonies and thanks on how the retreat has sparked their loved for their respective spouses. There were several couples who took the mic. Finally, Mark stood up and told their story, how they were decided on leaving each other after the retreat; how they felt there would be no hope for them; and then...

It changed. By God's grace, when they went through the Renewal of Vows, they decided to give it one more chance to make their marriage work, to apply the Biblical principles they have learned, and ultimately, to truly forgive each other for past hurts. God is truly amazing! Mark would return to his seat after his testimony, putting an arm around his wife's shoulder.

Thank yous
Thank you to my Breakout Group, these couples who are years along the married life, for candidly sharing their experiences and encouraging Veck and I.

To Jess and Becca, praise God for your wisdom and patience!

To Mon and Bing, our indomitable, indefatigable dGroup leaders, who tirelessly meet and pray with us. You are an encouragement and have become true friends. You guys rock!

To Raffy and Joan, for being there, at the retreat, and anywhere, always.

Your first line of defense against disease

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the single most effective preventive action you can take to save yourself and those you love from swine flu—and most communicable diseases, for that matter —is proper hand washing.

Proper hand washing can protect you from other disease-causing germs as well, such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, salmonella, E. coli, hepatitis and the dangerous MSRA which is resistant to conventional antibiotic treatment.

What kills germs?
Heat, from 167 to 212°F, kills most germs. In addition, chemical germicides such as chlorine, hydrogen peroxide, iodine-based antiseptics, alcohols and soap detergents can be used. Alcohol is only effective if used in proper concentration and for a sufficient length of time. If you use rubbing alcohol or an alcohol-based gel sanitizer, make sure you rub it into your hands until the alcohol dries completely.

Clean hands throughout history
In Ancient Middle Eastern cultures, the washing of hands accompanied most religious activities. The Jews were known to wash their hands and feet before meals as a traditional practice.

It was less than 200 years ago, in 1843, when doctors took up the practice of washing their hands. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes advocated hand washing to prevent childbed fever, which he believed to be an infectious disease passed to pregnant women by the hands of doctors. His ideas were met with disdain by many physicians during that time.

Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis noted that the mortality rate in a delivery room staffed by medical students was up to three times higher than in a second delivery room staffed by midwives. During that time, medical students came from their lessons in autopsy and handling cadavers straight to maternity wards and delivery rooms. He ordered doctors and medical students alike to wash their hands with chlorinated solution before examining women in labor. The mortality rate in maternity wards dropped to less than 1 percent.

There’s the rub
When you rub your hands during hand washing, the soap molecules surround and lift germs and dirt; and water rinses them down the drain. Have you seen how doctors wash their hands before they engage in an operation? Make that your model. Make sure you build enough lather. Rub the entire surface of your skin, even between the fingers and under jewelry, like rings. Rub the lather as high up as your wrists for 20 seconds and rinse. Dry your hands thoroughly. Wet hands are twice as likely to pick up and transmit germs from your surroundings than dry hands.

Vicky, a pediatrician and mom, is conscientious of her two-year-old daughter, Dana’s health. Already, Vicky has taught her to wash her hands properly.

"To make sure she rubs long enough to meet the 20-second rule, I sing the ABC song to her. She sings along, and when we get to ‘Now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you sing with me,’ it’s time to rinse.”

When to wash?
Wash your hands before eating; after you use the bathroom; when you use public transportation (including elevators); after you use communal products like coffee machines, telephone booths, office computers, etc.; and after office meetings when you’ve shaken hands with your client. Wash your hands especially after you step out of the supermarket. Not only have you picked up one grocery item after another, you also handled cash.

Your worst enemy
The worst enemy to your health is not germs. It is laziness and neglect. People would rather “splash and dash” when in the restroom than take the time to wash their hands properly. Practice hand washing like a form of meditation. It’s a chance to take a minute or two to slow down and enjoy the flowing water and scented soap. In the long run, you’ll also enjoy a healthy, germ-free life.

Carve a six-pack with a pack of cards

I promised to get myself a six-pack by my birthday. Here's my game plan.

Here’s what I need to carve a six-pack: a pack of cards. Play a game of Six-Pack Solitaire!

Shuffle a standard deck of cards. Include the Jokers. Each Suit corresponds to a particular exercise, which is described below. You will do the same number of repetitions as indicated on the number of the card. If you get Face cards, you’ll do planks. Jokers mean 10 jumping jacks. Here’s the complete list to print out and use whenever you want to tone your abs while having fun!

King → Plank, 30 seconds
Queen → Plank, right obliques, 30 seconds
Jack → Plank, left obliques, 30 seconds
Joker → 10 Jumping Jacks
Aces → Six breaths in Down Dog Pose
Spades → Sit-ups
Hearts → Push-ups
Diamonds → Squats
Clubs → Squat Thrusts (Assume a Squat position, then drop your hands on the floor. Jump your feet as far back as you can to a Plank position. Hold for a second and jump your feet back between your hands. Go back to the starting squat. That’s one rep.)

Deal a row of four cards, face up. You will perform the exercises indicated by each card. After the fourth card, rest for 45 seconds. Then deal another row of four cards. Keep doing this until you work through the rest of the cards on the deck. That’s your workout for today.

For example, you get a King of Hearts, 5 of Diamonds, an Ace and 9 of Hearts. That means you’ll do a 30-second plank, Squats for 5 reps, six breaths in down Dog position, and 9 push-ups. Rest, and deal another four cards.

You won’t get bored with this challenging workout routine since you never know what four-card combination you’ll get. This keeps your body and mind working. Let the cards guide your fate into a perfect six-pack in no time. Have fun!

Don't have a deck of cards? Try this random card dealer online from Random.Org

Super charge with super sets

Find out how Super Sets double your gains in half the time.


Are you tired of doing the same workouts week after week? Do you find yourself moving through your usual menu of training sessions with less-than-optimal enthusiasm? Has your performance reached a plateau? If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, it's time to learn about Super Sets.

What are Super Sets?
A Super Set is a series of intervals or exercises which are carried out without any recovery. See if you can do two exercises back to back without any rest in between. This increases the intensity of work in a specific muscle group, making it develop faster. Super Sets also make your workouts time efficient.

Very few other forms of training can test your limits as much as Super Set training. When you carry out Super Sets, you challenge your boundaries. You begin to look forward to your workouts because they are so challenging - and so different from what you usually do. It basically requires you to keep working at your relative maximal intensity over the duration of your workout. You challenge your muscles to work as hard as they possibly can for an extended period and a maximum improvement in strength takes place.

Check out the different kinds of Super Sets you can do:

Single body part Super Sets let you perform back-to-back exercises for a particular body part. If you’re working your biceps, do Biceps Curls followed by Hammer Curls.

Antagonistic Super Sets work on opposing muscle groups. An example would be doing chest press and cable row for your chest.

Pre-exhaust Super Sets let you do an isolation exercise followed by a compound exercise. An isolation exercise works one muscle group while compound exercises move the body through more than one joint. Try cable rows followed by a deadlift to exercise your back.

Giant Sets are like doing back-to-back super sets, which means you do three or more exercises. Do a bench press, a dumbbell fly, push-ups and a cable crossover to work out your chest.

In-set Super Sets let you do two different exercises for a particular area, doing one after the other. For example, do one rep of front raises followed by one rep of lat raises, alternately. This combination works your shoulders.

A unique three-body part combination utilizes the in-set style for three different body parts, say your biceps, shoulder and triceps. A classic example would be doing one rep of bicep curl followed by a rep of Arnold press then progressing straight to a rep of triceps extension, and counting all this as one rep, starting again with the bicep curl for the next rep and so on.

Precautions
While you may combine any of the above Super Sets for a unique workout routine, be sure not to subject the same body part to two different kinds of Super Sets. If you do a Single Body Part Super Set for your biceps, be sure not to include it in an Antagonist Super Set with the triceps. This will avoid placing too much stress on the muscle and keep you from getting injured during your workout.

While Isolation Exercises have their benefits, our bodies are designed for our muscles to work together. It only makes sense that we exercise these muscle groups together. If you are interested in gaining serious muscle, chat with your online coach today and ask about Super Sets. Your body will never be the same again.

a little self-love

This is the sadness.
This is the writing
without the sugar rush
or the adrenaline.
This is the bedrock me.

Bedrock of who I am:
my person's Part and Parcel.

I embrace you, lonesome creature.

I hear you.
I listen to your voice of pain, of anger,
of resentment.

You are valued.

I shall wash you--
arising from ashes--
in a tub of tears.

I will pat you dry till
you are one with the sky.