Slim Down Plans Plus Physical Activity Can Actually Get The Job Done

Weight loss is one of the biggest passions that exist in today's world. The important part about achieving this mission is that it should be infused with dedication, determination and motivation.

One should be in the groove and remind themselves everyday that fitness is essential and important. An interesting way of doing this is by maintaining a journal which will help one track their progress. This will be more like a report of your sincerity level and steadiness in the short and the long run.

Dieting is an essential part of losing weight. In fact, it has become a part of people's lifestyle across the world. However, there are some foolish ones out there who diet to the point of starving themselves. This is the unhealthiest form of losing weight. Instead of ignoring food altogether, one should aim at making fitness a part of their daily regime.

Health consciousness helps one live a longer life and most importantly, lead a disease and illness free existence. Losing weight the healthy way and maintaining it should be one's goal rather than starvation and the like.

While the importance of a healthy diet cannot be undermined, there are several other activities which one needs to undertake in order to achieve one's goals. One's weight loss diet should concentrate on the following pointers:

- Cardio workouts are essential since they help tone up one's body. They add suppleness and firmness to one's body and make them look young! |

- Strength and muscle training is as crucial since it burns the excess fat and converts it into muscle.

- Stretching and floor exercises should be included in one's exercise regime as well. This helps in making the body flexible and at the same time, increases the innate strength of one's body. The agility which one can gain through stretching is unimaginable.

- There are certain daily nutritional goals which one should keep in mind. This will help in developing a lifestyle of healthy eating. Moreover, one will be conscious of their calorie count and eat as per their dietary needs and not over-eat unnecessarily.

- One should be motivated and determined at every step of the way.

Taking on strenuous exercises and a regular exercise regime is a way of healthy and good living. However the following are some considerations which one should keep in mind. Be sure to consult your doctor before undertaking any form of strict diet or exercise. Decide on such a time for your workout that will make it easier for you to incorporate the exercise regime into your daily life.

Take your weight and measurements once in every 2-3 weeks. It is crucial to track progress and also works well as a motivation tool. Lastly, be sure to reward yourself at the end of each week if you have followed your weight loss workout and diet without cheating!

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A Proven Way To Lose Fat Without Exercising

Can you lose weight without dieting? That's probably the most common question that every dieter asks.. In today's fast-paced world people are looking for quick and easy solutions to their daily issues. The majority of dieters want two things: First, they don't want to diet. Second, they don't want to have to exercise. In other words, just give me something to help me to lose weight.

In one of the largest clinical studies ever performed on a non-prescription weight-loss product, 1436 people lost an average of 30.5 lbs in just 6 months with SENSA®. Based on 25 years of research and testing, SENSA® was designed to help stimulate the natural satiety process and promote portion control while eating. Basically, you lose weight by controlling your appetite. Appetite suppressants have been around for a long time. In fact, millions of people are taking them today. However, there are big differences between SENSA® and the other diet supplements you are more familiar with. One big difference is that it is not a pill which is really good news. Some of the other major differences are that it is a natural diet supplement that does not contain any stimulants or diuretics. This means that you have no crazy mood swings or intense food cravings.

It's easy to use. You simply sprinkle it on your food. You get to eat what you love and lose weight without exercising, dieting or counting calories. That's all there is to it. This is the easiest weight-loss system available and it really works! No other weight-loss product has had such extraordinary results. Although you can lose wait without exercising, moderately exercising will speed up the weight loss process and help you reach your weight goal sooner. This doesn't mean that you need to join a gym or run around the block. Simply walking for a few minutes a week is a good start. The main thing is that you will be on your way to reaching your desired weight loss goals.

Are you ready to say goodbye to diets forever and hello to a new, happier you?

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Lowering Carbohydrates Down With Low Carb Meals

Consumption of low carb meals is the best way you can start a routine towards healthy living. Recently, medical researchers were able to come up with a couple of low-carbohydrate foods by carrying out different scientific studies. Nutritionists have also promoted diet regimens like Zone Diet, The Southbeach Diet, Atkins, The Primal Blueprint and many others but define low-quantities of carbohydrates differently. Despite the names, a person should ensure that he or she take foods low in carbohydrates, as this is a good step towards healthy eating. Eating a healthy diet will not only help reduce insulin production but will also helps in ketosis, which is the process of creating ketones as an alternative for energy source apart from glucose.

Choosing the right level of carbohydrates

The United States Institute of Medicine suggests at least 130 grams of carbohydrates a day similar to what the FAO and WHO has recommended. This is sharply in contrast with low-carb diet advisors who advocate less than 20 grams of nutritive carbohydrates per day. What this means is sharp reduction of desserts, pastas, potatoes, and similar carbohydrate-containing foods on the plate. The most reasonable restrictive diet is the one recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians who defined low-carbohydrate diet as diets that contain 20 to 60 grams per day. Although there are variations in the recommended amount of carbohydrates per day from various nutrition groups, elimination of processed sugar if not greatly reduced is a common recommendation. Grains processed heavily such as white bread are also discouraged.

Eggs, meats, cheeses, and some variant of nuts that are protein-rich may be consumed more than carbohydrate-rich foods. Fiber-rich vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, turnips, and asparagus help maintain a diet with less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. Different people may need different amounts of carbohydrates. By self-observation, if one has achieved his ideal weight and is no longer gaining or losing weight, then the amount of carbohydrates presently consumed must be maintained.

Sugar-free and similarly misleading campaigns

Diet experts meet on the common ground that sugar-containing foods must be reduced if not entirely eliminated from one's diet. However, other sugars not commonly known like fructose, sucrose, dextrose, and others are often disregarded in most foods. Sugar-free labels on food products do not imply that they are low in carbohydrates because these may contain natural sugars that can be found in food starch and white flour. Other foods that contain sugar-alcohols, while may not contain sugar, increases the person's cravings for carbohydrates.

Health benefits

Low carb meals promise the most effective weight loss strategy. The desire for losing weight is often fueled by pressure from the society towards fat and unfit people. Having less fat in the body and more muscles is how the society defines sexy. But beyond these aesthetic benefits, the most important effect is on the inside. Low-carbohydrate diets are proven to mitigate sugar-related diseases like diabetes. It is a common observation that the rise in carbohydrate consumption within a certain society is to be blamed for different diseases to reach epidemic levels.

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Dan Jacobs interviewed Leigh Smith, owner of http://www.101lowcarbmeals.com for this article on healthy low carb meals. Both authors have incorporated low carb meals into their lives for years. To learn more and find recipes visit http://www.101lowcarbmeals.com

Should I Start A New Workout Routine? EZ Tips To Follow

There can be found many websites which offer hugely detailed routines on the best workout routine; regardless if it's rapid muscle gain, fast weight loss, or how to lose fat and gain muscle at once! Tons of people are searching for instruction on how to realize these goals, and there are many online vendors willing to give it over. The detailed programs touted predictably have a number of things shared between them. Just as with programs for folks who need to drop weight, where typically fat loss is the object, there are a few solid precepts that dictate just how successful you can be. And, predictably, three words can also sum up the most successful muscle mass gaining workouts, when typically how to gain muscle is the objective.

1. Diet

2. Exercise

3. Commitment

The implementation will adapt to the desired objective.

When you strive to gain muscle fast, say your goal is to gain 10 pounds of muscle, then you need to up your caloric intake. When you eat all you can at three meals a day but that is not working, then try consuming more often. Eating more meals a day promotes keeping a persistent flow of nutrients to the body immediately when they are needed. Look to discover your major snack between lunch and breakfast. :-) To calculate if you're consuming sufficient calories, multiply your body weight in lbs by 20. When you weigh a hundred pounds, that's 2000 calories a day to keep constant at your weight. Next, to that figure you are required to take in more calories to provide your body the necessary foods it wants to increase in strength and size.

Doing muscle gaining exercises demands protein, as protein contains the amino acids used to build up muscle tissue. You will want take steps to assure yourself you get adequate amounts of protein. One formula recommends one gram of protein every day for every pound of your weight. Carbohydrates are significant too, as you use them for the vigor needed to exercise your body. It's also a significant point not to abstain from fats absolutely, as your body has to have fats for hormone creation, and hormones (like testosterone) are essential for the strength and size gains that you are looking to achieve.

Diet is a major topic and one that should be studied with any muscle gain workout plan. A diet to build muscle must think about the food to build muscle as important as any piece of bodybuilding apparatus. Find the foods that aid the metabolism deal with muscle gain workouts and the natural demainds it places on your body. If not nourished suitably, everything else is pointless.

Guarantee you maintain hydration by downing lots of water, as it is a must for cleaning your tissues of the waste material bodybuilding causes. All manner of natural supplements are available; protein, vitamins, weight gain mixtures, creatine, etc. Please avoid anabolic steroids of any type; the immediate increases are quickly replaced by long term issues. Always go for proven all natural supplements.

Muscle mass increases when muscle cells are strained as a result of exercise and rebuilt. The rebuilding is done by the body naturally at times of rest. That is why it is absolutely essential to rest sufficiently. Resting permits the body to heal and rebuild subsequent to the exercise induced stress. Exercise workout sessions can in reality reduce, as results increase.

There are quite a few fitness routines that are readily offered if you opt not to invent your own. If you can easily find a bodybuilder or fitness personality whose program suits you, why not use it? Sports physiolgy has scored a number of advances in the past 20 years, and increasingly more is recognised about how the body reacts to the demands that muscle gain workouts put on it. There is little need to reinvent the wheel. Bodybuilding is an excellent explanation for the process. Get the raw materials. Do the work. Take a rest.

Typically, the most problematical sticking spot is always commitment. Motivation for these regimens is basically inherent. No one else is threatening you with a whip. If you desire to achieve your goals, you are answerable for making sure that reliability is a component of your regimen. Success is measured by the result when you stick to the plan day in and day out. It is essential to pick a routine which is right for you, and constant with your needs.

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Chris Hardenbrook is a health and fitness expert based on the Big Island

of Hawai'i. There is more information on mass gaining workouts,

plus healthy diet and all natural exercise plans at

http://www.SuperiorMuscles.com where you can also instantly download a

free 29-page health and fitness eBook for yourself.

Establish a Healthy Relationship with Food

Your relationship with food starts from childhood so it is vital to set your kids on the right road to healthy eating.

Research by Slimming World revealed that parents who reward their child's good behaviour with sugary snacks will distort their relationship with food which can then result in a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits.

The slimming organisation discovered that people who were rewarded with food in childhood were more likely to suffer from weight problems and be obese as they used snacks to fill an emotional void.

Perceiving food as a reward from an early age will encourage people to snack when they are experiencing low self-esteem or feel unhappy and this will then lead to feelings of guilt and shame.

Eating when feeling depressed creates an emotionally crippling vicious cycle as people eat because they are unhappy but they are unhappy because they eat and this can result in serious psychological and physical illness.

One way to beat this cycle is to re-establish your relationship with food in order to see food as a means of nourishment instead of a special reward or a treat that helps to banish the blues.

Dr James Stubbs said that the key to losing weight is to mentally disconnect food from feelings of shame as this is emotionally damaging and can lead to health issues.

He said: "For those of us who struggle with the emotional side of being overweight, the key to losing weight and keeping it off in the long term is not just about changing what we eat.

"We also need to work through the long held emotional connections that we have with food so we can see that we don't need to feel ashamed or guilty."

Sharing your feelings about food with friends and family can help you combat your problems as you will push issues into public that you were previously keeping secret which is a better way of dealing with them.

People who want to give their weight loss programme a boost can benefit from taking slimming supplements as research by scientists at Liverpool University revealed that these products are proven to work when combined with a healthy diet and exercise.

Taking slimming supplements without eating well and exercising regularly will not produce positive results as you will not have faced up to your negative relationship with food.

People with underlying health issues should consult their doctor if they are concerned about the effects of slimming supplements.

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Let The Mauling Begin

Running away is laborious, and yet…it burns no calories. That’s too bad considering I’ve done more running away than exercise the last eight months. As a blogger of personal things, it’s often difficult to know what to keep and what to give away. I offer, as personally as I can, the following as a way of explaining my infrequent postings. I framed it within the lyrics of the song “We All Need Saving” by Jon McLaughlin. Thanks for sticking with me.------------------------------------------

Come on, come on. You have got to move on. This is not the you I know.

Last week found me sitting on the deck of my former house with my former dog gazing at my former gardens. A me I don’t know very well yet started crying. She was missing her gardens between her fingers; she was missing her life.

This isn't real. It's just all you can feel. And that's the way that feelings go.

A friend told me months ago that until I learn to live within the space of my new life with the same strength and determination with which I lost weight, I would be forever grasping for and holding on to bogus and temporary securities.

That pissed me off.

“I haven’t lived alone in 30 years!” I argued. “I’m doing the best I can. What more is there to it?”

“You have to let it maul you,” he said.

“Well I’m sorry Mr. I’ve Been Alone for Four Years, but I don’t want to be mauled by loneliness,” I retorted. “It hurts and it’s scary.”

“Exactly,” he sighed. “But in time, the mauling becomes a scratching, and that scratching a gentle touch, and it won’t hurt as much and you’ll be stronger.”

While I didn’t have a definitive “Ah ha!” moment that led me to lose weight, I definitely danced around the idea for a few months until that One Thing happened: the photo of 300-pound me with my daughter on her 20th birthday. It opened my eyes to see the real me, inside and out…the “you” I got to know.

Last week on the deck was the One Thing necessary to “start the mauling.” After the first round of tears, I got up, went to the garage, found a pot and shovel, walked to the end of the garden, and dug up one of the chives. I put the pot in the Jeep, gathered my things, and started driving home.

When the cloud in the sky starts to pour and your life is just a storm you're braving, don't tell yourself you can't lean on someone else, cause we all need saving sometimes.

I cried for 20 miles before calling Mr. I’ve Been Alone for Four Years.

“This sucks!”

“Yup. But you’re not alone. And you will be OK.”

I don't know why it has to be this way and I don't know the cure. But please believe someone has felt this before.

I’ve been around this block. I remember trying to be “OK” in a new life and failing miserably. It was 1983, after my husband died. Following the funeral, friends and family returned to their homes while I had to move out of mine. The farm was my in-law’s business, and without Bruce, I didn’t belong there.

One week after the funeral, I sold our livestock and grain.

Two weeks after the funeral, I gave away Bruce’s clothes.

Three weeks after the funeral, I moved in with my parents.

Four weeks after the funeral, my breasts dried up like an old cow’s, and I nursed our 1-month-old daughter for the last time.

I weighed 200 pounds and I felt as big as it looked when its two large zeros glared back at me from the Diet Center scale three months later. My friend Lisa was marrying Bruce’s best friend in the fall and I was in the wedding. As an incentive to lose weight, I ordered my dress a size smaller. Diet Center promised fast weight loss, which was perfect since I didn’t want to spend all summer on a diet. The faster I looked normal, the faster life would be normal.

Fifteen minutes at Diet Center, I was stripped of a week’s pay and put on an 800-calorie per day “meal plan.” I met with a “counselor” every day who weighed me, gave me a pep talk, and sent me home with vitamins. It didn’t matter that after one week I was dizzy all the time or that I was constipated and my skin was dry. I lost 20 pounds in 4 weeks and my bridesmaid dress zipped up like skates on ice. I quit Diet Center and celebrated with a Dominos pizza.

I spent the rest of the summer trying to get back the life I knew before 200 pounds, to shed grief like a snake sheds its skin. But the more I searched for Bruce in every man’s eyes, a thin body in every sandwich without mayo, and some peace in a bottle of 80-proof something, the less normal life felt and the more weight I gained. A month before Lisa’s wedding, the zipper of my bridesmaid’s dress wouldn’t move past my waist.

Back at 200 and too ashamed to admit it, I told Lisa I couldn’t be in her wedding because it would be too hard without Bruce. Sitting in the back pew in the same church I was married, I realized I hadn’t lied. It was hard without Bruce. All of it – the wedding, losing weight, raising a baby, living alone. As the bridesmaids walked down the aisle, I was crushed by jealousy. They were smiling, which I couldn’t do, and wearing the dress I couldn’t wear. I knew if I cried I’d draw attention to myself and then I’d be “Poor Lynn” all over again. I hated sympathy almost as much as weighing 200 pounds. Once everyone was safely up front, I did the only thing I knew to do. I left.

Remembering all of this 28 years later…that’s how I know this time – like the last time I lost weight – has to be different. I can’t leave. And no diet, no man, no distraction, no amount of lying to myself is going to save me, either.

I write this not for sympathy, but rather to say that no matter what we lose – weight, love, gardens, sanity, money, friends, knowledge – running away cheats us out of the mauling, which in time – I truly believe – becomes a scratch and then a gentle touch until finally, we become who we are meant to be.

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LA Weight Loss Recipes - The Best Fruit Recipes

If you eat healthy then you'll lose weight. LA weight loss recipes are the most popular and the most proven weight loss technique. And it's fun too!

LA weight loss recipes work due to a simple truth - they are healthy for you and are so easy to make. And what's more LA weight loss recipes are proven to work for millions and it they will work for you too.

Here are 3 of my favorite fruity LA weight loss recipes that will not only make your mouth water but will also help you lose weight naturally.

LA weight loss recipe #1 - Orange and Mango Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh mango cut into little cubes. Make sure you peel the mango.
1 cup of crushed ice
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon of honey
1/2 a lime or lemon

Instructions:

This is the most easiest of the three because it just takes 2 steps.
Step 1: Add all the ingredients, except the lime or lemon, into your blender and mix it until the ice, mango, milk, orange juice, and honey is nicely blended into a smooth mixture.
Step 2: Once all the ingredients are mixed well squeeze in the lime or lemon by hand. Make sure you squeeze in at least 1/2 a teaspoon worth. And then blend it one more time.

Enjoy it by in a chilled glass for extra benefit.

LA weight loss recipe #2 - Apple and Berry Crumb Cobbler

Ingredients:

1 red gala apple
6 medium strawberries
1/2 cup fresh raspberries - whole
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup of reduced fat graham cracker crust, crumble well
2 packets of sugar substitute
1 tablespoon of softened margarine

Instructions:

First wash the apple well. Then peel it and take the core out. Next slice it into even slices. Now rinse the strawberries and slice them very thin. Wash the raspberries well.
Next preheat oven to 345 degrees. Spray a 8 by 8 inch baking pan with light Pam or cooking spray. Mix all of the fruits together and toss with sugar a substitute. Next arrange it in the baking pan. Now, in bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually blend in softened margarine while you use a fork to combine. Sprinkle this mixture over the fruits in pan.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until done. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

LA weight loss recipe #3 - Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:

A dozen small strawberries
1 rice cake
1 Vanilla LA Drink Mix
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Instructions:

Put the rice cake in a small bowl. Next prepare LA Drink Mix with 4 ounces water. Add lemon juice to it. Add the strawberries on top of rice cake and pour the drink mixture over the strawberries. Lastly garnish with a few strawberry on top for good measure.

The above 3 fruity LA weight loss recipes are some of the best to lose weight and keep fit. And they taste good too.

Always remember that exercise, diet and other methods are only good if you manage them properly. Managing your diet and exercises will help you keep focus and aid you in controlling what you eat and will ultimately help you lose those pounds.

Would you like to Manager Your Weight Loss online for FREE? Would you like a FREE resource to help you make healthy food and lifestyle choices for you and your family?

If you said "Yes!" then visit http://manage-your-weight-loss.weebly.com/

You'll find topics that will help improve your overall health and sense of well-being related to weight loss, relationships, diet, exercises, nutrition, vitamins, prevention, and more!

Hurry go to http://manage-your-weight-loss.weebly.com/ right now.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Dillan

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1518925

Vacuums and Bodies Work Better When You Consult the Owner’s Manual

I bought a Dirt Devil canister vacuum when I moved to Da’burgh 8 months ago. It’s not quite the dog-hair-sucker upright Kenmore – with what seemed like 382 settings and attachments – that I left behind, but it is more portable and gets the job done.

The double D came with an owner’s manual, which I promptly put in the junk drawer along with the microwave manual and the toaster oven manual and the range manual and the Cuisinart manual and Harrison Township’s 2011 garbage and recycling schedule. (I know it’s garbage day when I look out the window. If the neighbors have their garbage out in the morning, I slap on my sandals and roll the can to the curb.)
Last Saturday, Cooper the Wookie came to visit for the weekend. The boy is a very hairy Flat-Coated Retriever you can groom and groom and groom again and still leaves a silhouette every time he gets up off the floor or couch. When he went home yesterday, he left behind enough fur to stuff several accent pillows.
After he left, I took out DD and started to vacuum. I’d noticed a few months ago (yes…a few months ago…*hanging my head in shame*) that it wasn’t picking up as much as it used to, but I lived with what it could do because I wasn’t curious enough to find out why it wasn’t working at her highest potential. But yesterday, when it was merely moving Cooper hair around and not sucking it up, I gave it the attention it needed months ago.
Of course by “attention” I mean I assumed I knew what was wrong. First I checked the hose for a clog. That wasn’t the problem. I cleaned out the dirt cup, which – surprise, surprise – wasn’t very full. That wasn’t the problem, either. Finally, I disassembled part of the canister and gave it a shake – a vacuum version of a smack on the TV when the screen goes wonky. But when I reassembled the canister and turned on the power, it still had little suction.
That’s when I reluctantly walked to the junk drawer and dug out DD’s owner’s manual buried under the batteries, the loose-change bag, the matches, the box of birthday candles, an extension cords, a Clorox bleach wand, a bag of thread, a first-aid kit, an address book and a hot water bottle. I turned to page 9 and began reading the troubleshooting guide.
Problem: Cleaner tools won’t pick-up. Possible reason: 1. Hose clogged (“Nope.”); 2. Dirt container full (*eyeroll* “Duh…no.”); 3. One or both filters are clogged (*sigh* “I clean the filter all the…wait… BOTH filters? There’s a second?”
(For some reason, at that moment, I started hearing Darth Vader in my head, “So, you have a twin sister... Obi-Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete. If you will not turn to the dark side, then perhaps she will!” Mental note: rent “Return of the Jedi” this weekend.)
I flipped back to page 2 and the diagram of the vacuum. Sure enough, there is a second filter located inside the first filter inside the dirt cup. I unscrewed the filter and took out the most gawdawful dirty filter I’ve ever seen. I mean, that baby was filthy. I brought it to the kitchen, and it took 15 minutes of brush scrubbing and butter-knife-poking to get all the dirt out of the folds. Once it was dry, I reassembled the filter and put it back in the dirt cup, sealed up DD and pressed the power button. Holy suction, Batman! My DD was alive again.
Understanding the functionality of a vacuum or a microwave or a car isn’t innate, even though we like to think so. The whole point of an owner’s manual is to educate us on the use and care of whatever it is we bought. However, it’s often easier to assume we know what’s wrong, even though it takes us into a frustrating maze of “you have no idea what you’re doing, you idiot.”
The same thing’s true for our bodies. We weren’t born with personal owner’s manuals, but by virtue of our experiences we write our own owner’s manuals every day. Yet how many times do we hesitate to take out that manual and learn from our experiences for how best to correct whatever’s wrong? It’s easier to assume.
God knows I’ve been making a lot of assumptions lately about my body. I get caught in that perpetual cycle of thinking, ‘I know what’s wrong,’ and not stepping back and analyzing what works for me to stay fit.
For instance, the muffin top thing I’m sporting. I was looking at it the other day while eating a fistful of melba, wondering – even though the melba was in my calorie allotment for the day – where it came from.
“Um…duh, Lynn. Carbs like that cause you to gain in your belly,” said the voice in my head.
But here’s the deal. I wanted those melba in the moment. They sounded good, looked good and so I ate them, despite copious amounts of evidence in my food journals that, to the contrary, they’re not a good choice for me. You all know I’m all about living in the moment, but eating in the moment? Not so much. That’s not what being mindful is about.
My owner’s manual, when I stop being complacent and assuming I know everything about everything, teaches me to “clean the filter,” so to speak; to remember that when I eat a smoothie before a workout, I perform better, or when I lay off a few workouts to give a sore joint a chance to heal, I don’t hurt later.
Too often I am content to work with what my body can do in the moment, even when it throws out warning signs that its filters are dirty. So my goal? To be less reluctant to consult the past and instead, work with my experience to help my body perform at its peak. Complacency and assumptions can have no place in maintaining my weight loss.

View the original article here

If It Rains, You Can Only Hope and Pray It Doesn’t Pour

A few minutes after I posted my last blog about my rainy bike ride, my younger brother Matthew called to tell me that my older brother Marty had had the mother of all grand mal seizures. It happened as he was getting ready for work around 6:30 or 7 that morning, but living alone, no one found him until noon. Marty will be 58 on August 14, the same day I turn 48. I always tell him I was the best gift he got that day. He tells me it was the transistor radio. In 1971, when he was 18, Marty was on a missions trip in Puerto Rico when the van he and his fellow missionaries were in crashed. Marty was thrown from the van and knocked unconscious. He was in a coma for 3 days.

A few years later, Marty started to experience these vacant moments in which you could wave your hand in front of his face and he would be completely unaware. The look in his eyes was cold and robotic, like he was dead with his eyes open. We know now that he was having petit mal seizures, but at the time he didn’t seek medical help. He just called them his “ghosts.” And they scared the hell out of him.

Then came the Des Moines flood of 1993. My brother and his kind heart ventured down to help the good folks of Iowa bag sand and clean the debris left by the flood waters. When all was said and done, he went back to Minneapolis, worked a few days, then wound up in the hospital with meningitis, which almost killed him.

A year later, he had his first grand mal seizure. It took several months and seizures for his doctors to fine-tune his medications, but once they did, Marty was able to drive again and enjoy a fairly normal life, despite chronic headaches.

? Matthew helping Marty cut up his hamburger.? Thursday’s seizure wasn’t like the others. The post-ictal period (the time during which the brain recovers from a seizure) lasted several hours, and it was the next day before he recognized anyone. Five days later, he has no sense of time and yesterday couldn’t remember the words “blue jeans” when Matthew asked him what he wanted him to bring him from his house.

Marty is aware, however, of his feelings, and the feeling he’s experiencing most is sadness.

“I feel so low,” he told Matthew and my sister-in-law, Tracy.

My family, taken at Dad's 80th birthday in MarchMarty is one of the most positive people I know. In nearly 40 years, he’s never let his epilepsy or headaches get him down. To know he’s sad makes it that much harder for me living 1,000 miles away from him. I can’t hug him. I can’t even call him. I can only hear about him through my family.

I went on another bike ride today and wouldn’t you know it? It began to rain. When I got back to the car, wouldn’t you know it? There was a message from Matthew. Marty’s doctors found a shadow on the part of his brain that affects memory. They’re going to do a spinal tap this afternoon to find out if the shadow is due to an infection. The doctors are hoping for an infection, Matthew said, because an infection can be cured.

Right now, it’s raining in Marty’s world. I hope and pray it doesn’t pour.

My brother needs all the positive thoughts the world can send him. No need to comment because it’s enough that you are reading this and have Marty, even for a moment, in your thoughts. I promise to update you on his prognosis and progress. Thank you for your help.
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Marty began writing essays several years ago after a little encouragement from yours truly. To hear his voice and get the essence of the kind of guy he is, I’m posting the essay he wrote in 2007 about his friend Leila who passed away.

“I Cried This Morning”
By Marty Haraldson

That may sound a bit unusual as a title for a personal essay, but this was an unusual day.

My Tuesday morning started out in the same way as most of my weekday, workday mornings. The short drive to the office through residential neighborhoods was pleasant, yet uneventful.

I made my usual stop at the corner Shell station for my cup of hot cocoa. Then, it was over the bridge, a right on Computer Av, and a left hand turn into our parking lot. Routine is a comfort to me. It helps me to be organized. Upset to that routine can be annoying.

After walking into my office, I set about my “routine” of getting things turned on and set up in preparation for the day of sales ahead. I moved my wireless mouse across my desk to rouse my slumbering computer. New emails had arrived overnight. The customary emails and spam dotted the screen. I was soon highlighting one email after another, then sending them all to the kingdom of “DeleteAll”.

One particular email stood out. The subject line contained one word only. It was a name
actually. It read, “Leila”. Even before I clicked to read it’s contents, I was certain what it would say. It was sent from Vesta, one of Leila’s daughters in Maine. I cried as I read it.
Back in October of 1991, I bought a small house in a quiet neighborhood in St Louis Park. My neighbor in the house directly to the south was a widowed elderly woman named Leila. I expect she was around 80 years old back then. Her daughters lived out of state. Leila did not drive. She depended on a volunteer agency in our city called “S.T.E.P.” to bring her groceries or give her a ride when requested. They would also send a volunteer over when a light duty repair was needed or to cut her grass.

I introduced myself to Leila one day while she was re-painting her front door trim. It wasn’t long before I began taking care of her yard, trees, and house. In the winter, I made sure the snow was cleared from her sidewalks and driveway. Eventually, I won Leila’s trust and favor.

The big event for both of us was our once a week trip to the big new “Rainbow Foods” store in Eden Prairie. Leila looked forward to that. She’d be waiting by the door, dressed up, purse in hand, ready for me to help her “up” into my big truck for our shopping adventure. It was a slow journey through the aisles of the stores. She had to look at everything while carefully selecting the items she wanted. One of the cashiers “adopted” us as her customers. She looked forward to seeing Leila each week as much as I delighted in bringing her by.

Years ago, an ambulance was sent to Leila’s house. She had fallen and had no idea where she was. After a stay in the hospital, her daughter Vesta thought it best to move her out to Maine to be close to her. There was a very pleasant senior care center in the country near Vesta’s house. Leila was moved to Maine. I never had the chance to say goodbye to her.
While her family was getting things in order to sell her house, I was invited in to select an oil painting that Leila had painted in her younger years. I did not know how talented she was. The picture I selected is a magnificent portrait of a mountain with trees and a lake. The frame is equally magnificent, made of carved and painted wood. In the corner of the painting, Leila signed her name. I was honored to receive such a generous keepsake.
I kept in touch with Leila and Vesta these past years. Although Leila’s eyesight had deteriorated badly she kept a photograph of me and my lawn mower near her bedside. Leila continued to believe that one day, I would drive out to Maine in my truck and take her back home to her little house in St Louis Park.

The email was short and meaningful. It read – “Hi, Marty. Leila died this afternoon. I think Leila’s body and spirit finally just wore out. She died very peacefully – just went to sleep and didn’t wake up. Thank you again for your friendship to us through the years. It meant a great deal to Leila, who adored you. It meant a great deal to all of us who were not able to be close to her to know that you were next door, keeping an eye on her and helping with the things she was too frail to do on her own. Best wishes as you make your next life decisions.” Vesta

That closing remark about “next life decisions” albeit rather odd, really hit home with me. After 28 years in sales here with the same company, I have been wondering lately if what I am doing really matters? Perhaps I should consider partnering with a missions agency to do some “good work” overseas, whatever that may be.
Then, an email like this one comes along to remind me that my life has not been a series of haphazard accidents. No matter where I have been, I have had the opportunity of helping someone. That someone can be a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, or total stranger. I need not think that there is some “better” place for me to be or people elsewhere more deserving of my time and talents. I am where I am meant to be.

I did cry this morning. I liked Leila. And, to hear someone tell me how much I meant to this elderly woman, was a bit emotional. It’s time for me to once again to look for the opportunities in “my world” where I can help to improve the life of someone else. I encourage everyone to look around them to see how they can help another. You’ll never know how much of an impact you can have in someone’s life unless you try.

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Weight Loss Recipes - Learn Healthy Recipes That Promote Natural Weight Loss

If you are looking for weight loss recipes that not only will have you losing those unwanted pounds but promote greater health all by following easy to prepare meals built upon the consumption of natural foods then pay close attention.

Many people all over the world are taking some pretty extreme measures to get rid of that unwanted weight. Weight reduction surgeries are very popular and yet they are expensive and very risky. Weight loss recipes are not rocket science but rather it is educating oneself on the foods you should and should not eat. Most people just need to learn the advantages of eating natural foods over mass-produced processed foods.

It all comes down to the foods we eat. Effective weight loss recipes contain natural foods that are free from preservatives and unhealthy additives. Many feel such recipes are difficult to follow or that they contain foods that don't have any real taste or flavor. The truth is many easy to follow weight loss recipes exist. They do contain common foods that most people do like and you can find these foods in your local market.

By eating foods prepared from weight loss recipes means that you will need to stop visiting the local fast food restaurants. These places serve some of the unhealthiest foods around. One reason is the fatty processed foods they serve are very inexpensive. Weight loss recipes contain foods that usually are not the cheapest food found. They are not mass-produced so the prices are higher and that is why you need weight loss recipes so you can learn how to prepare you own healthy meals to lose weight easily.

Now, when you start following a diet composed of natural foods not only will you lose body fat and feel better but there are many more positives you will notice. Most people after following a meal plan of natural foods see an increase in their daily energy. Their skin begins to clear and they even experience an increased sex drive. Becoming free from preservatives does the body much good but the best one of all is you will greatly decrease the chances of obtaining a deadly chronic disease. I am talking about diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and colon cancer. These diseases are very common with people who follow a diet of processed fatty foods. Eating natural foods from weight loss recipes is the best defense from getting one of these deadly diseases.

To wrap things up the best way to lose weight and improve your health is to follow a diet of weight loss recipes that emphasizes natural foods. This is simple to do as many recipes plan already exist it is just up to you discipline yourself and stick to the recipes

Want to learn more about weight loss recipes composed of natural foods then you need to familiarize yourself with the Paleo Diet. Troy Powers is a follower of the Paleo Diet and recommends that you learn about Paleo Diet Recipes as they a great way to start losing weight.

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5 Mouth Watering Weight Loss Recipes

If you are overweight you really need to follow good weight loss recipes that assure you not consuming extra calories in your body. As a new comer you might be worried as you need to skip certain foods that you like most. But don't worry there are many mouth watering recipes that can replace your favorite foods!

If you like fish then try this pan fried salmon with vegetable rice weight loss recipe. Salmon is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids that help to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. You can choose basmati rice instead of white rice as basmati rice has low glycemic index than white rice. The preparation is quite simple, first cook onions in the oil for at least 5 minutes, and then add garlic, peppers and sugar snap peas. Add the basmati rice and stir for 2-3 minutes. Cook the rice for 20-30 minutes and serve with pan fried salmon.

Pumpkin soup is the best weight loss recipe when it comes to the soup department. It contains fewer amounts of cholesterol and fat. It tastes really good and is the best replacement for any other soup you liked most. Take a large saucepan and pour one cup of water in it. Mix onion slices in the water and boil it till it becomes warm. Add pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, and some water in the saucepan. Again boil it and add milk in it. Cook it and garnish it using pepper and green onion, the dish is ready to serve.

Baked sweet potato with Thai prawn is another mouth watering weight loss recipe. A sweet potato is a rich source of beta-carotene which is known to be powerful anti cancer nutrient. Prawns are high in protein and very low in fat. Well, to start cooking, preheat the oven and place the sweet potatoes on a baking tray and cook for at lease 45 minutes. Then mix together the lime juice, oil, Thai paste, sugar, and seasoning. Mix in the prawns and leave it for another 10 minutes. Serve the prawns onto a foil lined grill pan and cook under hot grill for 3-4 minutes. Finally split open the sweet potatoes and fill them with the prawns.

For a vegetarian dieters, butternut squash can be the best alternative weight loss recipe. Butternut squash is rich in beta carotene and has powerful antioxidant properties. They are rich in vitamin A, C, and E and foliate. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add onion and cook for few minutes. Mix the spices and cook for another few minutes. Then mix the rice and slowly stir hot vegetable stock for about 10 minutes. Add the butternut squash and continue cooking for few minutes. Add the peas and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed. Spoon the risotto into serving dish, spread over the almonds and serve immediately.

Chicken burgers are healthy burgers and can replace the hamburgers. Start this weight loss recipe by cooking the onion, celery and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes. Meanwhile finely chop the chicken in a food processor. Then combine the onion mixture, chicken, parsley and breadcrumbs in a bowl, add salt and pepper and bind the mixture together with the egg yolk. Roll the burger in a little flour and dry fry in a non-stick pan until golden. Place the burger in between whole meal rolls and serve. Whole meal roll is high in fiber content, also the normal burgers out there are made with beef but this healthy burger is made from chicken breast meat and hence a much healthier weight loss recipe.

Many more weight loss recipes to state but these 5 recipes are just an example for you. As a new comer you can realize now that there are many mouth watering weight loss recipes that can replace your favorite foods.

Tony Leong reveals his 5 secrets to losing weight in his Weight Loss system. He is giving it away for free for a limited time only. Go to http://www.tonyleongweightloss.com/weightlosssecrets to download it now. Click here to get your free stuff.

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Nothing Like A Good Apple

Sometimes my arthritis gives me a snit, like a grounded teenager, and I need to grab an apple and sit in the sunshine. It works for all kinds of pain. Try it and see. Because even when the world feels sucky, an apple will taste good. And while you eat, birds will still sing, the sun will warm you deep into your joints, the breeze will move your hair into and out of your eyes, and the dog laying at your feet will wait patiently for you to be done eating so he can have the core.

Just make sure you pick a good apple, firm and crisp and brightly colored. Your time’s too precious to waste on a mushy one.

Never settle for bad apples. Or wilted lettuce. Because sometimes sorting through pain is like picking a piece of eggshell out of a bowl of egg whites. The little slivers slips through your fingers the first and second and third time you try to get them out, and you’re left with sticky fingers and swear words on the tip of your tongue. But in the end, a good apple will give you respite.

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Congratulations to Gayle and Amy who won the latest workout DVD giveaways! Lots of email entries this time...thank you! It's always so good to hear from you guys. More giveaways in the upcoming weeks, including a visit from my favorite misfit!

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Juice Weight Loss Recipes - A Sweet Way Towards a Perfect Body

Today, losing weight can now be done in a very juicy way. Unlike other weight loss methods, juice weight loss recipes do not oblige you to eat boring food and to indulge in tiring exercises. Before, the perfect juice for losing weight is a glass of water with a splash of lemon. However, there are a lot of other more exciting juice recipes that can help men and women to be perfectly fit today.

What is good about these juice recipes is that they give natural vitamins to your body that are of no question great for your health. Fruit and vegetable juices can make the stomach feel full considering the fact that it actually is not a full meal. This is actually fine since weight loss juices can give you the nutrients you can get from a full meal.

Diet juices can be made in a lot of variations, from a single fruit to a combination of two or more. It can also be a mix of a fruit and a vegetable. Whatever you wish to combine, that is fine as long as you get to enjoy it. Here are some juice weight loss recipes that can become your exciting weight loss buddy daily:

• Flying Orange Juice. This is made out of two pears, three grapefruits plus one sweet potato. Indeed, this is a sweet and refreshing drink, without any hangover.


• Papaya Passion. To have this, you must prepare a combination of one medium-sized papaya, one red apple, and five pitted dates on it.


• Strawberry Delight. This includes a refreshing blend of around four to eight strawberries, one to two bananas, and about eight to 10 dates.


• Potassium Drink. This juice differs in any other weight loss juice recipes because it is richer in vitamins and it contains potassium. This is a blend of one celery stalk, a handful of spinach, a handful of parsley, four carrots, and half a lemon.


• Joggers' Paradise.  This is another healthy juice made from a combination of one small yam, three oranges, and two pears. This juice is commonly known as muscle-blasting and power-pushing juice drink.


• Calcium Drink. A glass of calcium drink can be accomplished with a combination of three carrots, an apple, half a cup of broccoli, a handful of parsley, and half a lemon.

Moreover, these combinations of fruits and vegetables are helpful keys in detoxifying your body and are proven to be useful in internal cleansing. They also increase the vitamin intake of the body. Basically, a glass of juice done in a combination of fruits and vegetables also provides a package of vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and photochemical that is helpful for the health of your body.

So if you no longer want to suffer from your tiring exercise workouts and from your boring food diet, you can take a glass of juice and get the same results. For sure, if you have a regular intake of any of these juice weight loss recipes, you will never have to lose with your weight problem. One sip of a refreshing and sweet juice can definitely give you a sweet result.

Ronald Yip is a weight loss consultant. For free mini course on weight loss, great tips and advice on Juice Weight Loss Recipes, visit http://www.weightloss-recipes.com.

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In Memory of Sgt. Joseph Garrison, Whom I Never Met, But I Owe

I hated someone once. The feeling was so deep and raw that it threatened to incinerate my heart and leave it in ashes just above my belly button. The feeling lasted for a moment, no longer, because it was so heavy and difficult to hang on to that if I’d surrendered to the pain, it would have left a scar so deep that plastic surgery couldn’t have fixed my heart to the way it was before.

The gift within that moment of burning clarity was the knowledge that the pain was my own damn fault.

Not God’s.

I never met Marine Sgt. Joseph Garrison, but on Thursday I stood outside the church in which his funeral was held, ready as best I could to make sure hate didn’t permeate the walls of the stone structure in which his family and friends mourned in the way we all deserve to mourn: in peace.

Garrison, 27, died June 6 when a road-side bomb went off near his vehicle in Helmend, Afghanistan. He was a local boy, the friend of a friend of my daughter’s, and the son of parents I knew remotely through this connection and that. Western Pennsylvania, like all the other parts of this county, raises up some mighty compassionate, dedicated children. The kind who wake us up to what’s really important.

The folks at Westboro Baptist Church threatened to bring their cardboard signs of hate to Joey Garrison’s funeral Thursday. They wanted to use his death to forward their message that God hates homosexuals and therefore kills those who serve in the military in defense of our homosexual-tolerating country…or at least that’s what I’ve been able to cull from their convoluted postings on their website.

I grew up Lutheran. Went to a Lutheran grade school, and graduated from a Lutheran college with a minor in theology. While I’m not a practicing Lutheran right now, I know Lutherans make the best church coffee ever AND they know the Bible. Individual Lutherans might not always interpret the scriptures the same, but we’re usually in the same theological boat. God’s cool, he’s mellowed with age, and while he created us in all our messiness, we still believe (yes, even me, despite my spiritual meandering the last 15 years) he loves us just the same.

There are many instances in the Bible in which God got mad. Really mad. He threw a LOT of tantrums. Flood, anyone? And while I’m pretty sure surging water wasn’t the best solution to his problem at that moment, God's anger personifies real feelings we all experience at some point in our lives. God knows mad. But he also knows tolerance. That’s in the Bible, too.
There was an undercurrent of apprehension, volatility, anger, incomprehensiveness, sorrow, tolerance and genuine love at Joey Garrison’s funeral. The feelings were there in the counter protestors' signs, in the flags held by the veterans – young and old – and in the hearts of the Patriot Guard Riders, who stood ready to defend against anyone who got in the way of Joey Garrison’s ride from church to cemetery.

I was at the funeral in Distant, PA, with friends; one who knew Joey and one whose son wants more than anything to be in the Air Force. Her niece was there, too. She stood quiet and alone much of the time, pondering, no doubt, the fact that her husband is in the military, training in California for what will most likely be a tour to a war zone.

We’ve not, as a nation, been asked to sacrifice much except our military personnel to the wars we’ve been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s not like World War II when citizens bought war bonds and planted victory gardens and collected steel and rubber and asked its women to work in factories dominated by a male work force but who were now fighting a war. We are disconnected in so many ways, living these wars through reports that we can ignore simply by muting the TV or turning the page of our newspapers and magazines.

But attending a military funeral – even if it’s to stand outside ready to deny access to someone who wants to disrupt mourning with hate – is something every American citizen should do. We should all listen to the bagpipes and watch as a soldier’s casket is lowered into the hearse by pall bearers dressed in their uniforms, knowing it could be them being buried that day. We should all feel the weight of the grief of the families and hear, through the looks in everyone’s eyes, the burning question, “Why?”

I've never felt as connected to my citizenship as I did last week. I didn’t realize how the gravity of the responsibility of our citizenship is so often lost in the very freedoms in which we move.

I am sorry for the folks at WBC who harbor, cling to and profess such hatred and anger. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live with a yolk of cement tied to my heart every day.

But more than sorrow, I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. And I thank God – the very God who I’m sure still rolls his eyes and wonders what the heck this world is doing to itself – that there are folks like Joey Garrison who work every day to defend me and my sorry ass views.

Thank you, all of you, who serve and have served our country in the military and as civilians. We might not always have our crap together, but I refuse to believe we are forsaken by hate.

Peace. Namaste.

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Watching and Waiting and Falling in Love

Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and prayers for my family as we wait for news about my brother’s diagnosis and treatment following his severe grand mal seizure last week.
Marty’s short-term memory is still pretty messed up, but he’s made more than a few people smile with his phone calls. For instance, he called his boss yesterday to tell him he wouldn’t be in to work because he was in the hospital. His boss is who found Marty unconscious in his house last Thursday. Marty also called my parents to tell them (they’ve obviously been to the hospital several times) and he attempted to call my brother, Matthew, only he inadvertently called my son-in-law Matt. Matt was surprised to hear from Marty, but he let him know who he was and Marty seemed to remember.

I’m trying not to bug Matthew too much for news. I got the hint the other night when he said to me, a little exasperated, “I’ll call you, Lynn. I promise. You know I keep you in the loop.” Yes, I know, but as the person who’d always taken care of family issues in the past, it’s not easy to A) live so far away from it; B) trust someone else to do it; and C) wait. As you know, I’m not the most patient person in the world.

But as I wait, I’ve done some intense biking and walking and falling in love…with Pittsburgh. I moved here 8 months ago, and although I’d been to the city many, many times in the last 20 years, living here is different because I get to explore it anytime I want and not just during a special trip from the Flannel Curtain.

A few things I’ve learned this year: I love the free concerts at Hartwood Acres. Beechwood Nature Reserve offers great hiking and bird watching (and it’s less than a mile from Greek Stop…yum!). And the Strip District is a must every other Saturday morning.

I wandered around Market Square for the first time yesterday and had a glass of wine at NOLA on the Square. One of these Sunday mornings, I will check out Bach, Beethoven and Brunch in Mellon Park, and before winter I will get to a concert at Heinz Hall. I really love the Pittsburgh Symphony.

For someone who is afraid of bridges and claustrophobic in tunnels, Pittsburgh can be a challenge for me. But I look straight ahead and not into the Allegheny when I cross the bridge in New Kensington to get to the nearest Giant Eagle or the Hulton Bridge when I take my grandkids to the library and bakery in Oakmont or the Highland Park Bridge to get to Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods or to visit my friend Colton in Penn Hills.

Last weekend, Colton, Cooper and I walked across the Smithfield Bridge, which spans the Monongahela. I can’t wait for the 31st Street Bridge to open again because I’m tired of the detour via the 40th Street Bridge. And today, I finally figured out how to get to the 16th Street Bridge, something I’ve screwed up at least three times since moving here. I have to remind myself that what Carlene calls the Jose Clemente bridge is really the Roberto Clemente bridge (believe me, we’ll never let her live that down), and that it’s easier to get to the Southside Works from the east if I cross the Hot Metal Bridge, a scary looking truss bridge.

As for tunnels, I’ve pretty much conquered that fear, particularly since this is the view you get coming out of the Fort Pitt tunnel from the southwest:

Today, I checked out the Heritage Trail for the first time, although I did walk part of the Eliza Furnace Trail (also known as the Jail Trail since it weaves around the Allegheny County Jail) on Saturday, which is part of the Heritage Trail, I think. Anyway, I hoofed it today as part of my 5K-in-36-minutes training, but I’ll definitely go back next week with my bike so I can explore more than the 5 miles I covered today. I didn’t take these photos, but here are a few views from the part of the trail I was on today:

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city with its share of eyesores, but its grit and contrast is why anyone who’s anyone in Hollywood has shot a movie or TV show here. (Click here for the list. "The Mothman Prophecies" was one of my favorites.).

I don’t totally hate the Steelers anymore, I adore the Penguins, and although I’m an American League girl, I like the Pirates…a lot. But if they ever someday fulfill my wildest dream of playing the Twins in the World Series (don’t laugh…it could happen!), I’m totally digging out my homer hankie. While Pittsburgh is my adopted hometown, I’m still a Minnesotan at heart, don’t ya know.

So as I await for news from Minnesota, I will continue to explore da ’Burgh. It feels like home, even though I don’t say “yinz” or drop my “to be”s when I speak. (For instance, I don’t ask my dinner guests, “Yinz want coffee?” or say “My hair needs washed.”). I also order my salads without French fries and my sandwiches without coleslaw on top, but the native Pittsburghers I’ve met so far don’t seem to mind. Besides, this is where my grandkids live, so that makes Pittsburgh the best place I could ever live. Besides maybe Florida in the winter…

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Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance

“Like those in the valley behind us, most people stand in sight of the spiritual mountains all their lives and never enter them, being content to listen to others who have been there and thus avoid the hardships.” From Zen and the Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance Biking is a “spiritual mountain” to me, but I’m not content, as the quote above contends, to merely stand in the sight of that mountain. I understand the importance of listening to others who’ve been there to learn how I might avoid some of the hardships. It occurred to me while riding the last leg of the Butler-Freeport Trail alone last week – having ridden six miles more than I planned and being very hungry but having no food with me and still nine miles from my car when I ran over a rock that I thought punctured my tire but didn’t – that perhaps…perhaps…I should learn something about bike maintenance.

Lori (whom many of you know from Finding Radiance) is an avid biker and is my go-to guru with all things biking. I asked her recently what she takes along with her when she rides and how I might go about seeking advice on bicycle maintenance.

“First off, if you are by yourself the one thing you should do is tell someone where you are going – or at least close to the general vicinity. (Note from Lynn: I always text a friend or my daughter when I start and let them know my ETA from the trailhead back to the Jeep. They know if they don’t hear from me within 20 minutes of that ETA to come find me.)

“I have a bike bag on the back of my bike. I always take:

“Cell phone; spare tube; small hand pump (or CO2 cartridge inflaters); tire lifters (small plastic wedges to remove tires); something like hard candy in case I am out too long; water. For long rides, I also include: a bike lock; food; sunscreen; anti-chafing cream; hand sanitizer; chain lube.

“I would also practice taking off your tire at home so that if it happens in the field, it won't be the first time. Most bike shops will have free classes on tire changing and maintenance, so definitely check them out!

I Googled bike shops in my area and found Michael’s Cycles: “Independent shop on the outskirts of town… We are a small, family-run business that treats everyone to courteous service. One of the biggest complaints we hear about bike shops is that if you aren't wearing spandex, you get ignored. Well, not here.” I knew this was a place I wanted to check out, so after a sweaty 2-mile hike in 88-degree heat through horse- and deer-fly infested woods, I went to Michael’s Cycles. A good sweat makes me more confident, and I knew that I needed all the confidence I could muster because whenever I set out to do this kind of thing alone, my FFG (former fat girl) comes along for the ride, keeping me just off balance enough that I feel a nagging sense of self-doubt.
It was just my luck that when I pulled into the parking lot, a young man was putting a bike rack on the top of a male customer’s car. I like men, but their Y chromosome makes me nervous. It’s one of those self-instilled FFG reactions/assumptions I fight all the time: I’ll be judged/stared at/laughed at/ignored.
The customer was sweaty, like he'd just been on a ride. He was about my age and, of course, nice looking. But I bucked up and walked across the lot. ‘I am responsible for how I allow myself to be treated,’ I told myself. ‘You are a woman who bikes, not a woman with baggage.’
As I approached them, the young man looked down from the bike rack and smiled. “Hi! What can I help you with?”
“Well,” I said. “I used to bike with someone but I don’t anymore. I need to know some things about bike maintenance. Do you guys do that kind of thing?”
“Oh heck, yeah!” he said. “I’m Kyle. If you’ve got some time right now, I’ll show you how to change your tire when I’m done here.”
“I have an appointment this afternoon, but are you around tomorrow?” I asked.
“Yeah, after 12,” he said, jumping off the top of the customer’s car. “I’ll get you a card.”
As he walked into the shop, I turned to the customer and apologized for taking Kyle away from his bike rack installation. The man smiled and said it was no problem and asked if I’d heard of the Butler-Freeport Trail. ‘Yay!’ I thought. ‘Common ground!’ Any insecurities I had melted away as he talked to me as a person who bikes, not a person who was formerly overweight or even who had sweaty gross hair. I felt on equal ground. That hasn’t happened very often in my obese or even in my formerly obese life. It’s not because of other people; it’s because of me and how I allow my FFG to throw me off balance.
The next day, I took my bike to the shop and Kyle showed me how to change a tube and gave me tips on maintenance. I am now the proud owner of a 700 x 35-40 inner tube, 3 tire levers, a portable air pump (which Kyle mounted on my bike) and a primo pressure gauge that works with both Schrader and Presta valves (and I know what each of them is…*grin*).
"In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. On a cycle the frame is gone. You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming."
I’ve spent too much time avoiding that which scares me. Moving forward in spite of my fears and not waiting for them to dissolve, I’ve discovered the beauty of self-empowerment. Not only do I learn something – a concrete skill or something about myself – I change something about myself. Not a bad way to spend a life. In what ways are you “in the scene” and not “just watching it anymore”?  

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