Escape Your Shape....

Isn’t This Scary?

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:38:55 +0000

For people consumed with losing weight, surgery may seem like an easy option. Gastric bypass surgery has helped a number of people and has come to light in recent years due to a number of celebrities receiving this procedure. Although a gastric bypass surgery may seem like an easy way to shed unwanted pounds, it is actually a very serious weight loss method and is not for most people. You should only consider gastric bypass surgery if you are very significantly overweight and need to lose the weight for medical reasons rather than for cosmetic reasons.

Gastric bypass, which is also known as stapling one’s stomach, works by decreasing the amount of food that can be held in the stomach. You lose weight because the food bypasses a part of the small intestine and decreases stomach size, which means that you physically can’t eat as much without vomiting. You also don’t absorb calories as readily, allowing these foods to leave the body naturally instead.

I know you already read this—but go back and take another look at it. When I do I just see another portion of life where people do not take their own responsibilities! When a bank robber is caught he claims he was damaged as a child when his mother did not hug him enough! Or gang members fight/maim and kill because some portion of society did not enable them to do better.

NONSENSE!

America needs to grow up and take responsibility for all of their own actions. So when you take a peek into the mirror and see nothing but flab upon flab do something about it yourself! Nobody forced us to get fat and a surgeons knife will not skinny us up without a mental attitude.

So why not develop the mentality of “skinny” by ourselves. Get off that dead butt and start moving. Give up those candy bars and dive into a bowl of oatmeal. Drop the ice cream bowl and start licking on frozen fruit smoothies!—by the way Dreyers puts out some fantastic strawberry/tangerine/lemon and grape pops that are just as full of good stuff as they are of taste—give them a try!

So, this was an out of the blue rant—but bottom line is that we got fat by ourselves WITHOUT surgery and we damned sure can get back into some sort of healthy physical shape without that surgeons knife.

Nuff said—back to the kettle bell and diet cottage cheese!

Isn’t This Scary? is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Gladness is As Necessary as Glucose

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:35:09 +0000

Overweight, underweight, short or tall…and unhappy about it? We all have physical aspects of our bodies that we desire to change. Some we are able to alter and some are going to stay with us for our lifetime.

Sure, you can drop a bit of weight from your frame with a little bit of work and diet. And if you are nothing but skin and bones you can put some muscle (and fat) on that body with the same type of work and diet.

Too tall? Not a chance in the world that you are going to drop a few inches from your height. Not a chance. So if you are a woman over six feet tall—get used to it. Positive effect? At least most of your dates will “look up to you”. I know, I know…not funny but just could not pass it up.

And short? Sorry folks—you might be able to stretch a few centimeters by hanging from the doorway via a strap. Or maybe put a lift in your shoes for an inch or so. Bottom line is that you are always going to be a bit shorter than many people you meet in your life.

All of these factors do affect something about the human being that can be changed. Attitude! Spirit! Emotional well being! Call it what you will, your outlook on life is affected by how you look. So, again, sometimes we cannot change how we look on the outside…but we should ALWAYS be able to change how we look FROM the INSIDE!!

I say all of this because the last week or so I have been exceptionally “down” emotionally. And I have done nothing about it. So what have I gained? Exactly 5 pounds and a lousy outlook on each and every day.

My weights/kettlebell/exercise ball have all laid unused in their respective storage spots. Hours and hours of mindless computer “surfing” have replaced the 45 minutes per day that I have become accustomed to…and not to any great benefit I might ad.

What does this all lead up to? Well, if you desire to have a healthy body you must feed it properly. All of our food ends up as glucose to feed the cells and keep us going. Or if you do not go enough it ends up as fat to be stored for “later”.

Well… your mind and spirit also needs to be fed. And fed properly. Long detailed and drawn out posts could lead this into all sorts of mental/emotional well being information and “how-to-do’s” but it boils down to one simple factor…

YOU MUST LOOK FOR HAPPINESS AND EMOTIONAL WELL BEING JUST AS ACTIVELY AS YOU LOOK FOR A SIX-PACK ABDOMEN OR HUGE BICEPS.

So whether it takes prayer, companionship, sleep, or meditation. If you find yourself less than accepting of your life situation DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

Get yourself a

When you work on your spirit, feed it properly, then you will be able to continue on your journey to a healthy and better looking body!

So you might always be tall, you might always be short. But you do not need to be overweight or underweight. And you do not need to be sad unless you want to.

Again—step out first with your mind/spirit and then your body will follow!

Gladness is As Necessary as Glucose is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

ALL Food Groups Are Essential–If Only to Your Taste Buds!

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:28:17 +0000

The essential food groups

‘Food groups’ refers to a classification method for categorizing the
various foods that we consume on a daily basis based on the nutritional
properties of these types of foods. Eating a certain amount of food from
each of the categories is recommended as it is one of the most natural
ways in which you can begin to achieve a healthy lifestyle through diet.

Fats

The words ‘oil’, ‘fat’ and ‘lipids’ all refer to fats. ‘Oil’ refers to fats that
are liquid at room temperature, while ‘fats’ refer to fats that are solid at
normal room temperature. ‘Lipids’ refer to both ‘fats’ and ‘oils’. Despite
the poor image that fats generally have, they are nevertheless an
important part of the human diet. Fats and lipids are broken down in
our body by the enzyme lipase in the pancreas. Edible animal fats
include lard, fish oil, butter and ghee. These are obtained from the fats
in milk, meat or from the fats stored under the skin of animals.

Edible plant fats include peanut, Soya bean, sun flower, sesame,
coconut, olive and vegetable oils. Margarine and vegetable shortening
which are derived from these oils are nowadays generally used for
baking.

Meat

In the broadest definition, meat is animal tissue that is used as food,
although technically it could more accurately be described as skeletal
muscle and associated fat. It could also refer to non-muscle organs
such as the lungs, liver, skin, brains, bone marrow and kidneys.

Milk

>In almost all mammals, the young get their milk needs met through
breastfeeding. Humans keep consuming milk beyond infancy. They also
use the milk of other animals (cows in particular) as a food product. For
many thousands of years, cow’s milk has been processed into dairy
products such as cream, butter, yogurt, ice cream and cheese. With the
development of industrial science we now have casein, whey protein,
lactose, condensed milk and powdered milk products.

Vegetables

‘Vegetables’ is a generic term which generally refers to that part of a
wide range of plants which is edible. All parts of herbaceous plants
eaten by humans, whole or in part, are considered vegetables.

Bread and Grains

Bread is the staple food of millions across the world. It may be prepared
by baking, steaming or frying. The main ingredients are flour and water,
whilst salt, yeast and some form of fat are also commonly used. There
are many kinds of breads that contain things such as milk, sugar, egg,
spice, fruit, vegetables, nuts or even seeds. Grain is however the
principle ingredient of most kinds of bread.

The food guide pyramid

The bread, cereal, rice & pasta group

This group includes grain products and other foods derived from cereal crops. Cereals, breads, pastas, crackers, and rice fall under this food
category. Grains supply us with food energy by way of starch. They are
also a source of protein. Whole grains contain important dietary fiber,
essential fatty acids, and other important nutrients. Milled grains are
however generally more palatable but they also have many nutrients
removed in the milling process and are therefore not as highly recommended as whole grains. Whole grains can be found in oatmeal, brown rice, grits, corn tortillas and whole wheat bread.

Between six and eleven servings of grain products are recommended
per day to maintain a healthy diet.

The vegetable group

A vegetable is that part of a plant which is consumed by humans. It is generally savory (not sweet) and differentiated from grains, fruits, nuts,
spices and herbs. For example, the stem, root and flower parts of a
plant may also be eaten as vegetable. Vegetables contain many
vitamins and minerals. However, different vegetables contain different
kinds of vitamins and minerals, so it is crucial to eat a wide variety of
vegetables. For example, green vegetables typically contain a large
amount of vitamin C, dark orange and dark green vegetables are high
in vitamin A content, whereas bushy vegetables like broccoli and related
plants contain iron and calcium. Vegetables are very low in fat and
calories but the method of cooking can add fat and calories. Vegetables
may be consumed fresh, frozen, canned, or made into juices.

Between three and five servings of vegetables are recommended in our
daily dietary intake.

The fruit group

With reference to food, rather than the botanical term, fruits are the sweet-tasting seed-bearing parts of plants, or sometimes they are the
sweet parts of plants which do not bear seeds. The fruit group includes
oranges, apples, bananas, berries, grapes and plums, and the majority
of fruits are low in calories and fat as well as being a primary source of
natural sugars, fiber and vitamins. The processing of fruits for canning
or making into juices unfortunately often adds purified sugars and
removes essential nutrient. It is therefore more beneficial to consume
fresh fruit or canned fruit packed in juice rather than syrup. The fruit
food group is usually combined with the vegetable food group. The
fruits may be fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or made into juice.

It is recommended that we consume between eight and ten servings of
fruit in a day.

The milk, yogurt and cheese group

Dairy products are derived from the milk of mammals, most commonly
from the milk of cattle but not always. This group includes milk, cheese
and yogurt. Dairy products are the best source for the mineral calcium.
They also provide you with protein, phosphorus, vitamin A, and in the
case of fortified milk, vitamin D, as well. However, many dairy products
are very high in fat as well, and this is why skimmed products are
available as a healthier alternative.

I believe that all weekends should end on a high note. That way if you are heading for the dreaded work place early Monday morning you have something positive to carry you along. So…how about an e-Book?

This is a fairly nice one….touted as the best in a decade but we all know we can search for hours and find the same information many times.

HOWEVER!!! You do not have to search for hours….just click and you will be on your journey to this great book!

Wellness Fitness and You!

CLICK HERE

ALL Food Groups Are Essential–If Only to Your Taste Buds! is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

As If “Your” Diet Would Belong To Anybody ELSE!!!!

admin — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 04:42:26 +0000

You And Your Diet

What is the ideal diet?

A healthy diet should achieve all of the following objectives:

• It should have sufficient calories to maintain one’s metabolic
needs and to power you through whatever activities you
undertake. However, the number of calories should not be so high
that it causes your body to begin storing excess amounts of fat.
Stored fat should never be more than 30% of your body mass.

• A good diet should have sufficient quantities of fat including
monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fat. This should
be balanced by omega 6 and omega 3 lipids.

• It should also avoid saturated fats as much as possible, as well as
trans-fats or trans-fatty acids as they are sometimes known.

• A good diet should also include a significant amount of amino
acids (which are complete proteins). This provides replenishment
to your cells and transports proteins throughout your body. All the
essential amino acids are present in both animal and plant
protein.

• There must be complete avoidance of directly poisonous
substances such as heavy metals and carcinogenic substances.

One should also avoid high doses of certain foods that may be alright in
small doses but not in large doses, such as:

• Food or substances with directly toxic properties such as ethyl
alcohol.

• Foods that could exhaust the normal functions of the body such
as eating refined carbohydrates that need extra dietary fiber to be
digested.

• Foods that could interfere with other body processes, such as
refined table salt.

The checklist seems simple enough because a simple list is exactly what
it is. It is just a basic guide – a list of the dos and don’ts for your diet.
Your lifestyle is becoming increasingly complex as is the food we eat.
The optimal diet has to be more than just the basics. It must include
the basic food groups, as well making allowances for your specific
health issues and aims.

As If “Your” Diet Would Belong To Anybody ELSE!!!! is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Combine Exertion With Digestion For Max Results

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:07:58 +0000

It seems as if each time I think about making positive changes in my lifestyle, economics, physical or mental health I start back with the basics.

Sifting through my “loaded” hard drives (my body is probably not the only thing that could use a bit of trimming of its contents!) I found a short e-book that gets right to the point of things in a very short time.

This is an excerpt from the start:

Most of us consider ourselves ‘healthy’ individuals. We may, however,
just be blissfully unaware of the grim reality!

According to the World Health Organization, health is a ‘state of
complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity’.

Our health is not only maintained because of the advancement and
application of the health and medical sciences. We also need to make
intelligent lifestyle choices that will ultimately affect our health. It is our
responsibility to look after different aspects of our health. Of course,
advances in medical science and research can help us help ourselves in
our efforts to maintain health.

Food or nutrition is the primary source of energy and hence health for
our body. Nutrition is the science that studies what and how we eat and
the effects it has on our health, such as what food or food components
may cause disease or adversely affect health. It also studies food and
dietary supplements that can help us to improve our performance,
promote our health and help in the cure or prevention of disease. For
example, eating food that is rich in fiber can reduce the risk of colon
cancer. Also, supplementing daily food intake with vitamin C
strengthens your teeth and gums and improves the immune system of
your body.

There is a variety of diseased states that can be caused by and cured by
changes in diet or supplements. Imbalances in our diet, deficiencies of a
particular kind or the excess of a particular form can equally affect our
health negatively as they can lead to conditions such as scurvy, obesity
and osteoporosis.

In today’s polluted environment, the ingestion of elements that play no
role in maintaining or protecting your health such as lead and mercury
is also a major health hazard.

Exercise is crucial to maintaining physical fitness. It helps maintain a
healthy weight, promotes the building and maintenance of healthy
bones, joints and muscles, engenders physiological well being, reduces
surgical risks and strengthens the immune system. Proper nutrition is
no less important to good health than exercise and when you are
exercising regularly, it is even more important to have good nutrition.
This helps the body recover after strenuous exercise. On the other
hand, proper rest is also important.

We have established that proper diet and nutrition are crucial to
maintaining your health. Maintaining a healthy diet involves making
choices of what to eat and in what quantity, with the overall aim of
maintaining your best and most healthy condition. This involves the
intake of necessary nutrients by eating the right amount of food from all
the food groups and drinking the right amount of water. Often, we need
to consume these essential nutrients as additional supplements to
ensure that the body is at its best.

You might be surprised to learn that a lack of proper ‘nutrition’ can also
be responsible for weight gain. Our modern diet is unfortunately rich in
carbohydrates, fats and sugars but lacking in crucial nutrients such as
vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are responsible for ensuring that
your body performs at its best. They are the crucial ‘supplements’ that
your body needs to survive the stressed out, badly nourished life that
most of us lead.

As I said—not a bad book for its short length. So you can either wait, with bated breath, for me to continue to post the contents— or download it: HERE.

So take a rest from your “pumping” time, read the book and start getting your physical workouts in sync with your eating habits—-MAXIMUM GAIN is the result!

Combine Exertion With Digestion For Max Results is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Time For an Economics Lesson

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:55:39 +0000

I am not quite sure about the other 7,000,000,000 (billion) people in this upholstered sewer we call earth, but I am having quite a bit of economic troubles. Won’t go into the long and short of what happens to the $$$$$ that come to visit my home but they don’t stop by enough times, nor do they stay for any period at all!

And the government? Well, when the government has economic woes (and this goes for a local water services in a small community all the way up to the federal folks in Washington D.C.) all that is necessary is to pass another tax, find something else to license, or simply print more to spend via bonds sold to foreign governments. China probably owns about 1/2 of out national debt so guess where you are going to be sending your rent check?

So, ran across this “cute” little story the other day and found it to be quite interesting, saddening and truthful. All at the same time. SO—no health today…no kettlebells today…no situps, crunches or bench presses today. Simply read and weep for our government and all of the citizens who must abide by what qualifies as legislation these days.

“It is the month of August, on the shores of Lake Michigan. It is raining, and the little town looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.

Suddenly!…a rich tourist comes to town!

He enters the only hotel, lays a $100.00 bill on the reception counter, and goes to inspect his room upstairs in order to pick one.

The hotel proprietor takes the $100.00 bill and runs to pay his debt to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100.00 and quickly trots over to pay his debt to the pig grower.

The pig grower takes the $100.00 and gets himself over to the supplier of his feed and fuel.

The feed and fuel supplier takes the note and pays his debt to the town’s prostitute, that in these hard times gave her “services” on credit.

The hooker runs to the hotel and pays the hotel proprietor for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.

The hotel proprietor then lays the $100.00 bill back on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect anything.

At than moment, the rich tourist comes down after inspecting the rooms and takes his $100.00, after saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves town.

No one earned anything. However the entire town is now without debt, and is able to look at the future with lots of optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the United States Government is doing business today”.

Questions? Answers? Any HELP!!!!! at all?

Well, enough of this. Either I will come out of my debt trap or will not. All I know is that it will be through something that I do myself, and now with some of the $750 BILLIONS that our liberal government gave to the auto companies, the banks and wall street.

Have a wonderful day!

Time For an Economics Lesson is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Does Your Blood Have Enough FOOD?

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:34:07 +0000

I’ll admit that I made scores of quilts before I was introduced
to the notion of rules about borders. When I added borders to
my early quilts, I viewed the borders like a frame around a
picture.

Sometimes I used fabric that was darker than the fabric I used
in the blocks in the center of the quilt. Other times, I
wanted to make the quilt larger, so I pieced borders that used
some of the fabric in the center of the quilt while introducing
new fabric in the borders.

And I just kept adding borders until the quilt was the size I
wanted it to be.

In a couple of my quilts, I added blocks or partial blocks
using the same design as in the center of the quilt, but using
different colors than those I used in the center blocks.

Maybe you can imagine my surprise when I learned that I had
broken many of the special Quilt Border Rules.

One rule that I have broken many times is that the border
should be a little wider than the blocks in the center of your
quilt. That would mean that if your blocks in the center were
12 inches square, your border should be at least 12 inches wide.

I can’t even begin to count the number of quilts where I broke
that rule. Maybe I should be embarrassed. Or not.

What The ???????

So—are you wondering what information on how to make a quilt is doing on a fitness blog? Or did you just get tired of reading that and skipped down to see is something sensible was available here today? TIRED!

That is the operative word here today. Tired is when you become worn out in regards to something. You were tired of reading that drivel in the first few paragraphs. You get tired of your spouse nagging you to mow the lawn(guys) or cook a meal (gals). Or, to get back on track, you get tired of your workout time…and the synonym here is “fatigue”. And fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of over training and definitely something to look at.

Low blood sugar is a major cause of fatigue in a physical condition. So if you are feeling tired (fatigued) and this is keeping you from a good consistent daily workout you need to investigate the cause. So if you feel absolutely worn out BEFORE your workout take a look at your diet. Are you ingesting the proper food to get (and keep) you going? If you have spent any time at all in a workout program you should have studied nutrition and prepared a diet complementary to your goals. So if you are physically worn out take a look at that grocery shopping list. Vegetables (green), fruits (ripe!) and plenty of protein bearing foods should get that glucose level back up and let you grab those weights for the necessary hour or so!

Does Your Blood Have Enough FOOD? is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Hunger Can Be Your Friend!

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:31:50 +0000

With all of the weight loss products on the internet you would think “skinny” would be simplicity in itself. Not so, huh? Sure there are some minerals or compounds in most of the “fat burning” pills that will curb your appetite to some degree but there is only one thing that will absolutely guarantee weight loss. Again—that is ABSOLUTELY guarantee weight loss. That one thing does not come with a $4.95 trial period and shipping of $45.98 per month for ever after. It also does not come from the shelf at the local supermarket or Wal Mart. There is only one place that you can get this “thing” that will cut the fat from you like the proverbial “water off the ducks back”!

While you can recognize the need for this “thing” each and every time you glance into a mirror that is now where you get it. Each time you walk by a bunch of people in the mall and feel them staring at your fat ass you realize you need this “thing”, or start staying home twenty-four hours per day. When you have enough of these experiences to set you seeking this “thing” it is imperative that you recognize the only source from which it flows.

FROM WITHIN YOURSELF! That “thing” is commitment. Break open the “Daniel Manual” (that is the dictionary for you young ones–i.e.: Daniel Webster?) and you will find a varied assortment of single line definitions of commitment. Unless you have some sort of mental disorder and feel that the “commitment” you need is to be committed to an asylum for treatment there is only one definition that really fits our needs.

COMMITMENT: the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself. Read that again. The operative word is “oneself”. This totally excludes all others from your ability to lose weight. No spouse, nor personal trainer will get that stuff off your waistline. No staring mall crowd will reduce your rear end so it actually fits inside of your pants! Read that definition again—most importantly: “engaging oneself”. Within yourself is the ONLY place on this earth that commitment of any personal nature is available to you!

Of course there is a problem here. “Commitment” to lose weight is not a part time thing. You cannot commit to lose weight on the first Thursday of every other month. Won’t work. SIMPLY WILL NOT WORK! When you commit to yourself to reduce your reflection in that bathroom mirror is will be, and MUST be, a full time project. Well, it might be ok if you dream about Big Macs when you sleep but all other acquaintances with that part of society must be cut off—that is CUT OFF!

Of course of necessity you will need to renew this commitment more than one time in your quest for “skinny”. Each time you drive by that ugly place with the plastic playgrounds where you can buy all the Big Macs you want you will need to reinforce yourself. When you get bored with the vegetable aisle in your supermarket and want to stroll casually past the deli you will need to reinforce your commitment. Taking a stroll with your sweetie through the mall and smell those fresh baked cinnamon rolls just rolled out of that convection oven reinforcement will be a necessity. See a trend here???? Lets lay it out.

You are fat—you know it. You are fat—everyone who know you knows it. You are fat—everyone you pass by on the street or in the stores knows it. And of all of those people on this green planet that know you are fat there is still only one who can make that go away. Read between the lines here—-YOU!. Yep—one last time—YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN MAKE YOURSELF LOSE WEIGHT AND GET YOUR LIFE BACK INTO CONTROL!

So, what are you waiting for?

Hunger Can Be Your Friend! is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Does Time Fly or Do I Just Forget Stuff?

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:14:26 +0000

Nonsense…nonsense…I think everybody from Einstein to the park bench vagrant has made comments regarding time and keeping track of it. Mine is going to be the same (but different)—When you are a kid doing a time out in the corner a minute seems like a full day>>>when you are OLD and relaxing in your recliner in front of the tv a full day seems like a minute (or SECOND!).

Well, not so much relaxing in front of tv–I do have SOME desire to get hold of my goals. The last two weeks have been slipping by without a handle of any sort on them. I spent most of one week on a federal court system jury. WORD TO THE WISE—IF YOUR UNCLE IS RUNNING DOPE DO NOT (READ “DO NOT”) TAKE A TRIP ACROSS STATE LINES WITH HIM—YOU WILL GO TO JAIL!. Then catching up the yard work and other “stuff” and the second week just melted.

I am still attempting to verify the millions (read thousands) or emails on my mailing list for accuracy and am dumbfounded at those that have become inactive. Oh well, marketing is FUN. So this has been me for the last few days—

But what the heck–finally got my lazy arse up and grabbing hold of the cannonball and now my arms, legs and belly BURN–that is BURN BABY BURN type of burn. Knowing that I Will feel better about it this evening got me through that workout.

So a word to the wise–if you still have goals and want to GET THERE! you need to take time every day to workout and watch out for what you eat. And in your spare time—take a look at this for relaxation…

Does Time Fly or Do I Just Forget Stuff? is a post from: Escape Your Shape....

Monday Morning Coming Down!

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:37:08 +0000

Yea I know…not actually Monday is it? Not quite sure if I am in favor of long weekends—especially since my wife had Friday off as well as Monday so was very easy to think about something other than picking that darned cannonball off the floor.

And as usual this morning there was physical payment to be made! Only way to get motivated was thinking about those pounds that will go away when I slap them silly. So challenged myself and actually got a workout that lasted a bit under 45 minutes and felt as I accomplished something!

So I guess that is the thought of the day===at all times you must challenge yourself to make headway at anything. Doesn’t matter if you are working out with a gym full of muscle beach types or lifting a dumbbell in your living room. If you don’t have the emotional and mental gumption to get something done you won’t!

Last thought===vegetables are good for you. Or are they?????…..

Monday Morning Coming Down! is a post from: Escape Your Shape....