WOW!

Wow, I actually remember the password to post on this blog ... maybe I'll start posting again! Or maybe not ... gonna think about it. However, that seems to be my problem as I get older ... I think about things too much ... I believe it's called overthinking! But let me think about it ...

Speaking of getting older, do you know what the most amazing thing of getting older is? Knowing so many amazing people. SO MANY! For me, it comes from from working in so many health clubs ... watching so many people take control of their fitness, which leads to taking control of their life (it really does!) ... their dedication and their commitment ... it's very hard not to cry some days! Good thing I don't have tearducts. Haha.

Tonight I was teaching a barbell class to about 30 peeps and I was trying to be all tough and barbell like ... but I was looking out at them all and they all (all very different - some very fit, some totally new, and in between) looked so focused and determined - I almost lost my train of throught ... thinking ... all over the world there are people training at that exact moment .. and what an amazing amount of positive energy happening in the world! I am going to fall asleep relieved and happy tonight. Maybe it's just the endorphins talking, but ... a simple thing - yet an important thing. If you don't belong to a positive health-club community, it can change your life for the better. I wish everyone could experience and participate in a positve atmosphere like this on a regular basis .. just think what it could do ...

Awwwwkwaaarrd!

I haven't posted in like 8 months - this is a little awwwkward. OK, so here's what I am up to:

-I am pretty much living and breathing BODYPUMP since I got certified last year. Crazy - but I love it. Next week, I am getting BODYATTACK certified, too. I totally dig it! We have one instructor at my club who teaches it now and has gotten me hooked. Memorizing everything is tough, but it's a better hobby for me than anything. Incidentally, I picked up the cross-stitch I started and made 3 stitches before getting bored. I really want to finish it, but you can't really cross stitch unless you are sitting down. Blah.

-I am loving my current job at my club as the GGX coordinator. Here's my job description: Make friends and have fun working out! That's what I call a fun job. We just had an awesome Halloween event called Fright Fest. Saturday night "after hours" classes. We launched the new BODYPUMP 71, had ZUMBA, BODYATTACK, Yoga and Group cycling (spinning). It was wild! And fun! I love our members - they are sooooo committed to fitness and being healthy. And dang these people want to work hard. Also, more than 50 percent of our members are over 40 - and some did not grow up living in a gym environment. They made the choice as adults to do something new - join a club and take control of their fitness, OK, I am getting a little overklempt. More on that some other time.


-I am soooooooo much more positive about Minnesota winters than I was three years ago. Last year I got a little better and this year, I am actually even a LITTLE (just a little) excited about snow-shoeing. I keep looking at snow mobiles ... but let's not get too crazy.

-I haven't done any bodybuilding lately. I was going to do a show this fall. But I just haven't found a really good reason to do it. And lord know you need a damn good reason to live your life for a show 24/7. There is NO time off before a competition. None. I suppose that's the best part though! I still want to compete at least 1 time down in Rockford - like going back to my bodybuilding roots. I am a huge Kevin Noble fan. Maybe in the spring. I do feel some motivation for that. Actually, I feel a lot of motivation for that! I can't believe I will qualify as a master's now!

-Being in my 30s: I like being in my 30s! This is a great decade! I feel like everything is good here. I do wonder what is next though ...

OK, so I am going to start posting again. Stay tuned. I also have to get back to work on my Examiner.com site. I'm the Twin Cities "gym examiner" and haven't done much examining lately. I will.

Spring!

Thank goodness.

Junk Food/Peanut Butter Warning

No more excuses about avoiding spinach, tomatoes and other veggies for Salmonella risk. Unless you plan to skip the junk food, too.

January 18, 2009 -- McKee Foods Corporation today announced a voluntary recall of two varieties of peanut butter sandwich crackers because the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Specifically, consumers need to avoid cookies, crackers, ice cream, and the like; anything made with peanut butter.

So far, more than 470 people in 43 states have gotten ill, and at least 90 had to be hospitalized. At least six deaths are being attributed to the outbreak.

Full list of foods

Personally, I can accept e. coli on spinach and veggies more than I can on junk food anyway. Seeing as though e. coli on veggies may be from animals and e. coli from processed junk foods may come during processing by humans.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis. For more information on Salmonella, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Website at http://www.cdc.gov.

Shame on Coke

Coke is planning to release a new drink with a derivative of stevia, which is NOT FDA approved. It may very well be safe for some people, but what kind of renegade company is Coke anyway? Additionally, this raises the issue of herbal interactions:

1.) Stevia may have additive antihypertensive effects for those who take the high blood pressure drug verapamil.
2.) Stevia may also interfere with diabetes drugs - it may affect blood glucose level, so dosages may have to be adjusted.

Will there be a warning label on Coke's new drink to warn of possible herbal/drug interactions? What about the fact that pregnant women should not consume stevia?

Oh, and BTW, Coke is calling this a "diet drink," which unfortunately many people misconstrue to mean "it's good for you" and "it helps you lose weight," which are both unfounded statements. Here is the best "diet drink" ... water!

Shame on you, Coke! (And thanks Jodee for the update!)

Meantime, here are some ridiculous things that I can't believe came out of my mouth lately:

1.) Oh goody! It's going to be above zero tomorrow.
2.) I need bigger boots, I can only fit two pairs of socks with these.
3.) I'm tired today, I stayed up late making krumkake.

VOTE with your fork!

Everytime you eat, you are voting with your fork. What are you voting for?

"McDonald’s doesn’t make cheap hamburgers because laws require them to. They make cheap hamburgers because people buy them."

Hopefully Al will read this and realize that every time we go to a restaurant and have to leave because their menu SUCKS, that I am voting with my fork and not just giving the server a hard time. Actually, I never give servers hard times, unless they give me a hard time first.

For example, last weekend we went to a restaurant where I wanted a salad ... well, they had NO lo-calories and low-fat choices. OK, fine, they had one, which was some kind of oil crap, which I wasn't going to eat. Well, why would I want to put a bunch on fat on top of perfectly fine vegetables.

Oh, wait, that wasn't even the real reason we left ... it was because the whole salad bar was all carbs! No protein except for some sorry little pieces of ham. We ended up going to Subway because it's the only place that isn't trying to kill you 20years down the road with a heart attack.

One thing I haven't done, but I am GOING to do (so Al if you are reading this, consider yourself warned) is: If I order something and they give me WAY TOO MUCH, which is the case at like ... EVERY restaurant ... I am going to send it back and say, "Please give me a portion that is appropriate for a human being, as opposed to a horse!"

Nice try, McDonald's!

So, McDonald's is finally getting rid of its annoying "I'm lovin' it" slogan. I am loving that, BUT its new emphasis is on packaging. Why? "It will increase the perceptions about the quality of our food," says Global Chief Marketing Officer Mary Dillon.

For example, see the "big mac" box above. It features a picture of a tomato and lettuce. Gee, does that mean that big macs are healthy! Why, YES! Why not eat two or three of these healthburgers.

Nasty! Why don't they have a picture of that tan-colored slop they put on big macs, or how about the full-fat mayo they use! Mmmmmm, now that would make a very pretty package! That is very deceptive. Shame, shame, (Unfortunately) everyone knows your name.

Big Macs (withOUT) cheese have 576 calories - more than half from FAT - and more than 60% is SATURATED fat - the WORST KIND! They should be outlawed. There is a special place in hell for those who promote higher consumption of these death burgers.

AIDS pledge

The U.S. needs a plan to address HIV/AIDS here and abroad. Find out if the candidates you support agree or not. Several candidates have already signed the congressional pledge. You can sign the citizen's pledge, too.

As a citizen, I want to see the next US President present a bold plan to stop the AIDS crisis, fully funding universal access to services at home and abroad.

In the US, we need a comprehensive plan to reduce HIV infections and increase access to care, especially in hard-hit communities of color. Globally, the next President should provide no less than $50 billion over five years to fight AIDS, while also directing an additional 1% of the US budget to programs that work to eliminate poverty.

This will enable the US to at least double the number of people currently on AIDS treatment, support scientifically based, comprehensive prevention efforts, respond to the needs of orphans, and strengthen essential health systems. A bold plan to fight AIDS will help the next President renew America's ties to the global community and put our humanitarian values into practice.

Why should you care?