Sheri’s Rants #40: A Mobile Life

I recently made a major lifestyle change.  I’ve been hanging out with an older, faster crowd.

Let me break it down for you:

Week 1:  David and I reach a decision to take our relationship up a notch, and actually RESIDE in the SAME STATE.  Then we figure out that we could probably live together, since we’ll be in the same state and all.  My lease is up at the end of June and we’d move into a larger house.

Week 2:  David starts tidying up business and doing closure in New Mexico.  I start planning for the Level 2 Coach Training in Montana.  My daughter decides I need to be in Montana by June 5, my grandson’s birthday.  I note that I have about 10 days.  I let David know.

Week 3:  David, just back from a spectacular mosey through the Gila Wilderness, makes a lot of noise about bailing on another wilderness trip, this one involving fish, just to make it to Montana in time for a 5 year old’s cake fest.  Somehow he works it out in his head and is not only polite but kind as I ramp up frenetic travel plans.  I set some things into motion to find a larger house to lease in CA.   He stores his household goods, moves out of his home in NM, and flies to CA, where we quickly pile 2 dogs and gear into my Honda CRV and spend the next 3 days driving to Montana.  I point out interesting fun places to get coffee on the way.  He thinks I should cut down on it.  I consider this but allow that travel time is not the right time for caffeine withdrawal.

Week 4: Arriving in Whitefish Montana,  we settle into a spacious 3 bdrm townhouse.   David meets my mother in Bigfork and attend Parker’s birthday smash (I made the grain-free, sugar-free train cake).  We hang on to the grandkidlets for a few days, and prep for the Level 2 training.  Also, we become involved in an elaborate plan wherein we agree to rescue a rottweiler in New Mexico.  We attend a flurry of ‘long term business planning’ meetings with the Team and Snowdog and we set up a photo shoot.

Week 5: Level 2 Coach Training.  A total blast.  We get word that the reality show is a ‘go’.  I promise Samantha I’ll be back up in Montana in August for the show gig.   After the training, we spend a day decompressing.  In this decompression, something vital happens.  I wake up in the morning with the strong and irrefutable realization that rather than haul our collective butts back to CA,  move into a larger home, then scoot back to MT for who knows how long and where else etc etc – that we could buy a large motorhome; embracing our already mobile lifestyle.   I lay this inspiration out to David.  He stares at me for awhile, and then says he thinks it’s best to go with it because he believes it would be somehow dangerous to get in the way.  Or something to that effect.  I collect RV books/magazines/websites and spend time doing research.  My ma and the grandkids come to hang out with us some more.  David’s got a glaze to his eyes but is still ambulatory and responding well with appropriate speech patterns.

Week 6: The Team has a fun and successful photo shoot out in Bigfork, thanks to photographer Noah Clayton.  David and I decide on a used 35-40 foot diesel pusher for our new home.  We collect our funds in one pile, continue researching brands and dealers, and decide to buy in Montana if at all possible.  David becomes a Montana resident by acquiring his MT driver’s license and starts whinging about a primal need to go fishing.  We send money to help out Mya, the rescue rottie.  We drive to Missoula and hook up with an affable salesman we like at Bretz RV.  Finding our perfect rig with all of our requirements (diesel, office, separate toilet, slides, inverter, generator, oven, large fridge, basement storage, etc) took less than 2 hours.  The paperwork took a day and a half.

Week 7: The proud owners of a lightly used 40 ft self contained 2001 Holiday Rambler Endeavor with a Cummins turbo diesel engine and towing the Honda CRV, we carefully work our way through MT, ID, UT and finally the mountains of the Roaring Fork Valley in CO to spend a few days in my  son’s driveway.  My kids call us every day to check on our progress.  David’s comfort with driving the big rig increases hourly.  He stops giving me that (only slightly accusatory) whelmed look after the second day.  Son Graham, salivating, gets behind the wheel to see what-all the turbo Cummins can do.  He approves and spends some time educating us on engine details.  Then we partied for a couple days and celebrated.

Week 8: Drove down into New Mexico to Silver City where David finished sorting through his effects and loaded his worldly goods onto the rig.  We hung out with my brother Lennie and assorted old friends; went on some hikes and enjoyed the monsoons.   Hosted a couple parties in the new rig.  Picked up Mya, who is about 20 lbs bigger than my other rottie, BabyDoll.  Mya is not leash trained.  Mya is what Rottweiler John referred to as ‘a Princess’ accustomed to being an only dog.  Mya was also quite surprised when the ‘house’ began to move.  She quickly figured out that David’s foot on the accelerator was responsible for the untoward lurching and focused her laser rottweiler attention on removing the offending foot.  That was exciting.   Saturday afternoon we left Silver City with promises to return in the fall.  We traveled across the hot desert – so hot that the dogs couldn’t pee because the ground was burning their feets! – and arrived in CA yesterday afternoon.  David’s driving skills are impressive.  He’s making it look so fun and easy that I’m ready to start driving, too…

***

We’ll be in CA another couple weeks or so and then we’ll head back up to Montana.

RV parks are a new experience, and like I said – an older, faster crowd.  This mobile lifestyle is feeling more and more alluring to me and I’ve not had time to reflect yet on how that’s going to look.  I don’t know yet how long I’m going to do it for.  My guess is ‘as long as it’s fun’.

I do know that my previous immobile lifestyle was too restrictive and far too complicated of a lifestyle for what is currently on my plate.  I  know that the process of simplification is quite enjoyable.  I know that I like waking up in the same bed looking out the window at new views.  I love watching the peacocks strutting outside my kitchen window right now, and that I equally enjoyed the antelope out that same window a couple days ago.  I like knowing exactly how much energy I am consuming in this fully self contained system I live in.  I like that I can get my mail no matter where I am thanks to a trustworthy mail service.  I also like that I’ve hiked my ‘fun and excitement’ meter waaaaay up.  I truly thrive on all this change.

Oh, and I love that I have a patient, understanding, intelligent partner who trusts my instincts.  MWAH!

Sheri’s Workouts: Old School Strength Training

This set is for advanced exercisers with weight room experience -  it’s assumed you know the basics.  Talk to your coach, get a good book on weight training or hire a trainer if any of this doesn’t make sense to you, okay? This is serious stuff, weight training, and you don’t want to get hurt.

Cleans, Push-presses, Squats, Bench presses, and Deadlifts are some of the moves of ‘old school’, or Olympic lifting.  Strength training using Olympic lifts is the classic way to gain muscle strength and endurance. Olympic lifting requires a coach or trainer who is well-versed in the proper form necessary to execute these moves safely and effectively.  Many personal trainers today do not know or ‘get’ the compound, old school moves.  They are not in fashion, do not sell cool equipment, and require a great deal of skill that many trainers today do not spend the time to learn (most trainers today do not have backgrounds in bodybuilding).

These five exercises are OLD SCHOOL, Olympic moves – this means they are large, compound moves that direct your body to build strength, muscle and endurance.  Nothing – but nothing! – puts strength and muscle into your body faster than these old, die hard compound moves that the entire fitness industry has built on (most bodybuilding moves are actual components of these big old school Olympic moves).

IF YOU DON’T KNOW THESE MOVES GET SOME QUALIFIED HELP! IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOUR CORE IS ENGAGED AND YOUR ALIGNMENT IS PERFECT.   Your posture must be perfect for these moves to be effective and safe.  Using lighter weights until you have the moves ‘down’ will serve your body best.

Warm up with some light cardio (walking recommended) for at least 20 minutes for this routine.

OLD SCHOOL STRENGTH TRAINING (all body routine)

EXERCISE 1: (do three sets with 90 sec rests )

FARMERS WALK   (heavy dumbbells, 20 ft distance, walk SLOWLY with short steps and stay aligned; chest up!)  This move also works with your hand grip strength, which many women especially need to build for lifting.

EXERCISE 2: (do four sets of 8-12 reps with 90 sec rests )

SQUATS  (barbell at free standing squat rack.  Put a bench behind you so that when you come down, your butt touches it so you know you’re coming low enough.)

EXERCISE 3: (four sets to failure with 90 sec rests )

WIDE GRIP CHINS  (nothing builds a strong back faster.  practice.)

EXERCISE 4: (three sets of 6-10 reps)

BENCH PRESS  (heavy dumbells)

EXERCISE 5: (two to three sets of 6-10 reps)

DEADLIFTS  (barbell, med to heavy.  you won’t have much energy left by the time you get here.  use all you have left.  then go eat and take a nap.)

Body/Mind Perspective – Seated Side Stretch

This side stretch will increase the flexibility of your spine, arms, and rib cage as it stimulates the liver, kidney, and spleen functions. Furthermore, the Yoga Pose will also help realign your spinal column and will aid the lungs to take in more oxygen.

Seated Side Stretch

1)  Start in a cross-legged seated position.  Give yourself some padding (if needed) to lift your hips above your knees.

2)  Remove the flesh from under your sit bones (we all have it!).  Roll your shoulders back and down. Lengthen your spine from the sit bones up through the top of the head.  Bring your spine to neutral.

3)  Inhale both arms up overhead.  Exhale, bring your left hand out about 10-12 inches in line with your left hip.  Reach through your right fingertips.  Keep your right sit bone rooted into the ground.

4)  Take full deep breaths.  Allow your breath to expand the right lung and right side of the ribcage.  Take 5-10 deep breaths.

5)  Change sides and repeat.

Beginner’s Workout #8: Tracey Gridley

The following  set is great for both the beginner and those moving into a more intermediate level workout as the set includes options for regressing the exercises (making them less challenging) and progressing the exercises (making them more challenging).

Prior to starting make sure you warm-up for 10 minutes: walking is an easy way to warm up. The set works on strength while also challenging your balance. The set requires very little equipment which means it can be done at home or at a gym.

NOTE: Make sure you are engaging your core throughout all of the exercises. Always inhaling through you nose and exhaling forcefully through your mouth: the forceful exhale assists you in keeping your core engaged.

Do 12 to 15 repetitions 3-4 times through, depending on your level of ability.

Knee plank: Start out on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders: core engaged. Neutral spine.  Walk you knees back far enough so that you body, from your knees to the top of you head, mimics a plank (all in the same plane).  Feet up off the floor.  Hold for 30 seconds (working up to 1 minute) breathing in through your nose and forceful breaths out through your mouth.

NOTE: To regress this exercise  place you feet on the floor/shorten the time; to progress curl you toes under and bring your knees up off the floor – full plank.

Knee Plank

Supine chest press with legs in tabletop: Start supine (on your back), having weights close by. Bring your legs up to 90 degrees – creating a tabletop.  Imprint your back and engage your core.  Arms straight out from your shoulders creating a 90 degree angle – palms facing your feet. Inhale through your nose as you exhale bring the weights up and over your chest – bringing the weights together at the top. 12 – 15 repetitions

NOTES: Make sure  you keep your spine imprinted and core engaged the whole time.  Upon completing the repetitions you should be feeling your core as much or more than your chest.

Supine Chest Press, bottom

To regress this exercise bring you feet to the floor and hold spine in neutral; to progress place block between your knees and gently squeezing the block, while still engaging your core and keeping your spine imprinted. You can also increase the weights.

Stationary lunge: Standing with your feet hip width apart, shoulders back and away from your ears and core engaged. Take a giant step back. Inhale as you lower the back knee towards the floor, exhale as you rise up.  Making sure to NOT lean your upper body forward as you lower. In other words, keep your shoulders over your hips throughout the movement.  Also make sure your  front knee stays over your ankle. 12 – 15 repetitions each leg.

NOTES: To regress – don’t go all the way to the floor with your back knee or start out with no weights; to progress – add weights or increase the weights.

Stationary Lunge, bottom

Incline biceps curl on a stability ball: Start out sitting on a SB, feet hip distance, core engaged, neutral spine. With the weights resting on your thighs, walk your feet out bringing your butt low enough so that your body is supported from your tail bone to the middle of your back. Bring your arms to your sides – upper arms will be resting on the ball. Inhale and as you exhale raise your palms up to your shoulder – upper arms remain resting on the SB throughout the movement. 12 – 15 repetitions.

NOTES: To regress this exercise do the biceps curl from the seated position; to progress add more weight.

Incline Bicep Curls

Client Story: Michele J.

Fat Loss and Weight Loss are Independent of Each Other!

I have been with Sheri as my coach since March of this year.  I have heard her say in both my consultations with her on the phone, and again in our coaches training, about fat loss and how “it” is really different than weight loss.  I have probably heard her say that 15 times so far.  Well, I just wanted to give you my version of just how different fat loss is compared to weight loss.

I am one of those crazy people who sometimes can’t pass up a “great deal”.  A little over four years ago, a company that I have bought numerous pairs of dress pants from had a clearance sale.  I soon became the proud owner of four pairs of new pants at the bargain basement price of $12.00 each.  I take my little size 14 (ok, maybe not so little) pants out of the box and go to put them on and to my shock and horror all four pair barely go over my hips and back side.  All of my other size 14s from that company fit, so I was wildly disappointed at these “too small pants” until I decided to make them my “goal” pants for the mere fact that while the label said size 14, they are actually a size 12.  Over the course of the last four years I have “dieted” down to 195 lbs.  When I hit that number I knew for sure that I would be sporting my “goal” pants finally!  Needless to say, I put them on and I was able to button them, however, the fact that they looked like a sausage casing on me topped off by some “super sweet muffin top waist action”, I would sadly hang my pants back up in the closet.   While technically they were on me, pride would not let me wear them, not to mention the fact that if I had sat in them or tried to get my leg up in my SUV they would have split in two.  I told myself…ten more pounds and I will be wearing these pants for sure!

That was in October, 2009.  I was part of the Jenny Craig diet world and on my 1,700 calories per day “diet” I began to gain weight and crave sugar like a crazy woman not to mention the fact that I was exercising like a mad woman.  My hopes of being in my goal pants were now long gone!

I began GT in March, 2009 and started at 201 lbs.  Over the course of fueling I put on a couple of pounds by the end of it, but I was not panicked as the measurements on body, which I have taken every couple of weeks, were decreasing.   Now here is where it gets good.  Last week I needed to go to court and I was likely going to be testifying so I wanted to look nice.  None of my size 16 suits fit (hallelujah) and my size 14’s are loose, wearable, but loose.  I look over at my stacking hanger of “goal pants” and go…what the heck…give them a try.  I pulled on the first pair, cream colored linen trousers and they go on nicely.  I begin to button them and notice no struggle in that effort.  As a matter of fact, the waist has a gap in it.  I run from the closet to the bathroom to check it out in the mirror.  Wow, ok, they are loose in the waist, fit nice in the hips and I can sit, get in my car, and the best part is they are really comfortable.  I wore them, along with a blouse that I have to say, would normally require a camisole under it because I could not button the top button without having it pull across the chest.  That day, not only was I wearing my goal pants (let’s just say I was wearing my now OLD GOAL pants) and my blouse buttoned up without a camisole under it because it fit beautifully.

Now I am not bragging, because I am still about 45 lbs of fat away from my real, healthy, vibrant goal.  But the fact that I can weigh five more pounds than when I was on Jenny Craig and fit into clothes that I could not at that weight (195) speaks volumes to me about the difference of fat loss versus weight loss.  While I was lighter on the scale, I was also losing muscle.  To top it all off, I was puffy and full of inflammation compared to where I am now, with fully nourished muscles and an inflammation-free body!   Viva la fat loss!

EAT THIS! On the Grill

We’re into the heart of summer now – and my favorite mode of cooking in the summer is taking it outside: i.e. the grill.  The grill is an art form in itself!   I’ve learned the most by hanging around grill masters (the folks who hover around the grills at cook outs and BBQ’s) and asking questions.  You can also peruse books on grilling – and I’d recommend not letting it be too hard.  Just learn the fundamentals and get to it!

Remember, eating clean doesn’t mean ‘boring food’ – it means going on a culinary adventure with new ways of prepping food!

Ginger-Lime Marinade

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp – ground ginger

2 tsp – honey

.25 tsp lime juice

1 tbsp – extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp – brown rice vinegar

Description:

Perfect for fish or chicken. Marinate for at least an hour, in the refrigerator.

Instructions:

You can use fresh ginger root, freshly grated, instead of powdered. Mince the garlic. Whisk all of the ingredients until combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Enough for 2 large chicken breasts or fish filets.

Mojito Grilled Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

1 tsp – honey

1.5 cup – green cabbage

1 pound – halibut

3 tbsp – lime juice

4 tbsp – dried mint

2 tbsp – extra virgin olive oil

.25 cup – veganaise

Description:

Makes 4 servings of 2 tacos each.Use fresh mint. Use ezekiel sprouted corn or wheat tortillas or just wrap it all in a big lettuce leaf.

Instructions:

Combine veganaise, 2 TBSP mint and 1 TBSP lime juice and cabbage for lime slaw. Combine all other ingredients for marinade. Add fish to marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes turning once. Remove fish from marinade, discard remaining marinade. Prepare grill for high heat cooking. Place fish directly over heat, grill until firm and opaque and lightly browned, about 7 minutes, top with 1/3 cup slaw.

Profound Patty’s Chicken

Ingredients:

6 ounce – chicken breast

.5 cup – lemon juice

3 tbsp – lemon peel

.75 tsp – dried marjoram

1.5 tsp – minced garlic

6 tbsp – extra virgin olive oil

.25 cup – parsley

.75 tsp – black pepper

.75 tsp – dried thyme

Description:

A Profound marinade for grilled chicken. The lemon provides a nice spring/summer flavor and is great alone or cut up in a salad. I think rosemary would also be tasty too.

Instructions:

In a small bowl combine the all ingredients except for the chicken. Pour 1/3 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for up to 1 hour. Cover & refrigerate remaining marinade. Drain & discard marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees, basting occasionally with reserved marinade.

Tarragon Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

2 – eggs

1 pound – ground turkey breast

2 tsp – dijon mustard

.25 cup – chopped onions

.25 tsp – spike, no salt

1 tbsp – dried tarragon

.5 – zucchini, shredded

Description:

Easy – cook them on a George Foreman grill, or an outdoor grill, or broil in oven. Nice paired with steamed green beans (or served regular-burger style with all the fixin’s – you can use a large lettuce leaf for a ‘bun’ if you’re not eating flour products).  Also try the ‘Tender Turkey Burgers’ in the Genesis recipe file.  Wow.

Instructions:

Preheat broiler or grill. In bowl, combine everything and mix throughly. Add: 1 TBS dried tarragon, 1/2 tsp sodium-free Spike or Mrs Dash, and 3 grinds of fresh black pepper. Shape into 4 patties, and cook using desired method.

Grilled Asparagus

.5 cup – balsamic vinegar

1 – clove garlic

.25 cup – extra virgin olive oil

Description:

A great way to enjoy asparagus!

Instructions:

Whisk together the dressing (olive oil, balsamic, and garlic) and set aside. Place the asparagus on a clean hot grill, brush with a little olive oil and turn until slightly browned on all around. Asparagus should still be somewhat crisp. Place the asparagus on a platter and drizzle with the dressing. Season with a twist of pepper.

Grilled Kebobs

Ingredients:

2 tbsp – balsamic vinegar

1.5 pound – chicken breast, raw

2 cups – mushrooms

6 1 tsp. – Stoneground Mustard

2 tbsp – extra virgin olive oil

2 each –  sweet red peppers

2 each –  yellow sweet peppers

Description:

Yummy Summertime Kebobs!

Instructions:

Make 6 kebobs with chicken, mushrooms, yellow peppers, and red peppers. Combine 2 tbsp. of Olive Oil, 2 tbsp. stone ground organic mustard (ground mustard seed would probably work well too), and 2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar for the dressing. Coat each kebob and then put them in the oven at 400 for 20-25 minutes, or on the grill.

Grilled Pineapple

Ingredients:

3 tbsp – raw honey

1 tbsp – lemon juice

.25 tsp – black pepper

4 pound – whole pineapple

Description:

This very simple and elegant dessert is the perfect ending to a heavy barbecue. The pepper brings out the “grilled” flavor and adds some spiciness.

Instructions:

Trim, core, and peel pineapple. Cut into quarters from top to bottom. Slice out the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter slice into four pieces (two pieces lengthwise and two crosswise). You should now have 12 wedges of pineapple (about 3-inch by 1-inch each). In a small bowl, combine honey, lemon or lime juice, and black pepper. Brush the glaze onto each slice of pineapple, coating completely. Preheat barbecue grill. Either oil or spray the grill rack with non-stick cooking spray. Place pineapple wedges on the grill and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side (turning so that grill marks are on all sides) until the pineapple becomes fragrant and starts to dry out on the surface. NOTE: Don’t overcook, or they’ll turn mushy. Remove from the grill and brush with any additional glaze one more time. Serve and enjoy! Makes 6 servings.

Jan’s Journey – July 2010

After 8 months, I have on average lost 4 lbs a month.  Progress is much slower
than I wanted but I understand that I can only  lose 1- 1 1/2 lb of fat per week
and I am averaging 1 lb, so I am making average progress.

It is just hard for a type A personality like me who mostly got straight As in school to accept being
average.   I guess I didn’t have that much “inflammation” to lose so that is why
my weight loss has been less than others.  I know…”every body is different!”.
I have known that fact all my life since my brother out ate me two to one and
never has been overweight.  Why didn’t I get his metabolism?

After attending the Support Group meeting in June, I realized that I do have an attitude problem
because my outlook each day is dependent on the dumb scale.   When I lose
weight, I am happy and think I can do this.  When I don’t get the
result I expected on the scale,  I don’t feel happy.  And when I gain weight, I am very unhappy.  .  I
realize I have turned over my happiness to a dumb scale! That seems stupid to
me now that I have put it down in writing.  It is just that it is the main
indicator of my success or failure.    I just have to get over it and find other
ways to delight in my success…like buying smaller size clothes.  I wonder
sometimes if I should stop weighing everyday.  I don’t think that is a good idea
because then I would miss the feedback of what my body does when I eat different
foods.  So I will just have to resign myself to have a sunny attitude every day
even when the scale doesn’t do what I want.  Any suggestions are most welcome.

Sheri’s Rants #39: Random Musings

-All Good Mayonnaise is delicious! Prior to making my own mayonnaise, my favorite mayo was the Vegannaise with Grapeseed oil.  But it has several suspicious ingredients for my picky, sensitive body.  David put me on mayo rations of a tablespoon a week, and that was not tolerable.  So I made my own and I LOVE it!  I add some ground mustard and black pepper to the recipe (it’s here in the Blog under EAT THIS Summer Condiments).  Best part?  I get to eat much more mayo this way…yum!

-This last week I was cruising the local grocery store, checking out trends in ‘Gluten Free’ products.  Disturbingly, I found many of them LOADED with corn flour and other corn products.  The research is already out (a couple years old) that folks who start eating ‘gluten free’ generally gain MORE weight – due to the ingestion of all the baked products, commercial mixes, and frozen products that gluten-intolerant folks turn to in lieu of wheat products.  The reality is that if your body has become sensitized to ‘gluten’, then it will also become sensitized to OTHER processed grains as well.  As well, those mixes are full of sugar, sodium, and other random additives.  DON’T DO IT!  Learn to eat whole food, okay?

-For the guys, there’s a great blog called ‘Mark’s Daily Apple’ where Mark Sisson daily muses on health, nutrition, fitness, the health industry and the Paleo (grain free) Primal lifestyle.   It’s full of guy talk about how to eat and take care of yourself.  Guy-type recipes too.  My son-in-law Jeremy discovered the site and is having a great time with it. (Mark sells vitamins on his blog, which seems a bit incongruous, so I’m adding a caveat here…)

-I was recently in a local health food store and appalled at all the sugar infested crap on the counter when I paid for my food.  I am remembering when ‘health food store’ meant there wasn’t any sugar in the place.  I guess now there is so much crap in food that sugar is somehow acceptable.  Heads up: it’s not.  Sugar is still the beast it always was.  It is still listed with the FDA as an addictive drug – not a food.

-I’m in the middle of a dog rescue - this time another rottweiler in New Mexico.  John, a  rescue -minded rottie lover, saved Mya within a day of her death at the shelter.  It’s taken 6 of us working together to figure this whole thing out.  Mya is in sad physical shape but once I get my hands on her and straighten out her nutrition (yes, yes, dog transformation…) she’ll be rockin’ it.  By all accounts she’s a sweetheart.

-PJK, a GT friend from Wyoming, checked in with me the other day.  Her doctor had taken her ‘cold turkey’ off hormones.  I asked her how she feeling. ‘ Well,’ she said, ‘my sister says I’m more cranky.  But I don’t feel cranky.  I have, however, noticed an extremely high level of incompetence in the people around me…’

-S.O., from the University of Washington, sent me a research paper to read stating that young women who drink skim milk gain more muscle than young women who eat carbs before/after working out.  The ‘carb’ in question was a sugar and maltodextrin (corn by-product) drink.  After reading the research, I’d suggest that pure WATER would stack up as a muscle builder against sugar and maltodextrin…and I still can’t find the part about who funded the research…

-Do you need to just flat out feel better? Did you know that is also under the umbrella of ‘Transformation’?  We frequently work with people who just flat out don’t know how to get from their current dietary habits into an eating plan that works for them.  It doesn’t have to be about ‘fat loss’.  Sometimes it’s just about ‘saving your ass’.

-My five year old grandson Parker is doing much better after a recent hospitalization resulting from being fed some cookies at a birthday party.  His little (‘accidentally’) over-vaccinated  and sensitive body reached a critical point and about cashed in.  We’re grateful for his returning vibrancy and health.

Mya, minutes after her rescue from Death Row

Sheri’s Workouts: The Power of Six – Butt and Small Parts

When weight lifting, the first 2-3 sets are really just about blood distribution.  When you’re a beginner (in your first couple years of lifting) then this is good – you’ll build muscle at this level, you’ll regenerate tissue, and you’ll recover fast enough to keep you enjoying what you’re doing.  Increased blood circulation is really at the ‘heart’ of all things healthy when it comes to the body.  In this stage, it’s good to do a lot of different types of exercises because you are, really, waking things up and teaching your body to move as a cohesive unit.  This works great for fat loss as well – you’re giving your body a strong message that you need every single little muscle you’ve dredged up from the depths of wherever you have been with yourself.  You strengthen your core and restore some balance and generally wake things up.

Now, when you’re more experienced and you understand what a premium health item that muscle IS, as well as the value of muscle when it comes to lookin’ GOOD – then you want to move on from there.  There are many ways to do that!

The Science:  because the first couple-few sets are just about getting blood to the muscle, it’s the sets that come AFTER that that will really challenge your body and promote growth.  I pick four exercises – 2 primary sets for the body part I’m working, and I super-set with 2 easier sets for another body part (the ‘rest’ stage of the workout).  In this workout, we’re training the large muscles of the behind, along with smaller body parts:

POWER OF SIX:   BUTT and SMALL PARTS (the BUTT muscles are the primary work, here)

Set 1: (do six times with short 60 sec rests between supersets if needed)

WALKING LUNGES, WEIGHTED (medium to heavy dumbbells, 30 steps or 15 each leg – lunge SLOWLY and stay aligned!)

BICEP CURL TO OVERHEAD PRESS ( medium dumbells in each hand, 12 – 15 reps.  Do this standing in alignment, and keep your core tight.)

Set 2: (do six times with short 60 sec rests between supersets and yes, you’ll need it now)

LOW SQUATS (use medium to heavy dumbbells on each shoulder, OR a barbell, OR a smith machine;  15 reps each set.  In this careful movement use a medium stance, complete alignment and bring your butt BELOW your knees to just 6 inches or so from the ground.  These are otherwise known in bodybuilding as ‘ass to the grass’ squats)

TRICEP DIPS between 2 benches (hands on one bench, feet on the other.  if you’re feeling perky, have someone lay a weight plate in your lap around 20-25 lbs and go to town.)  15 reps or to failure, each set.

Body/Mind Perspective: Downward Dog

Samantha Ray

Downward Dog

Adho Mukha Svanasana

The benefits of Downward Dog include :

* Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression

* Energizes the body

* Stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands

* Strengthens the arms and legs

* Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause

* Helps prevent osteoporosis

* Improves digestion

* Relieves headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue

Instruction:

1.  Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your hands slightly forward of your shoulders. Spread your palms engaging all 4 corners, index fingers parallel, and turn your toes under.

2.  Exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your spine and lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles engage the inner legs up into the groins.

3.  Then with an exhalation, push your top thighs back and stretch your heels onto or down toward the floor. Straighten your knees but be sure not to lock them. Firm the outer thighs and roll the upper thighs inward slightly. Narrow the front of the pelvis.

4.  Engage the outer arms and press the all four corners of the hands actively into the floor.   Shoulder blades are together and down in your back pockets.  Keep the head between the upper arms; don’t let it hang.

Stay in this pose 1-3 mins and then relax into Child’s Pose.

Downward Dog