Happy Holidays

I've been crazy busy, and once I get a break, I'll be sure to stop by and catch up on everyone's blogs. I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful holiday. Make sure to reach out and make that call, or send that email to someone you haven't talked to in a while. Let them know they are loved and thought about. Tis the season.

May the joy of this holiday season be with you year round! See you in the new year!!

Planks for the Memories!!

Abdominal muscles are the key and core muscles of the body. Those of you ladies that have had a C-section, or anyone who's had any type of surgery where the abdominal muscles where gone through realize how important those muscles are. Their strength affects every movement, turn, adjustment we make, so it's in our best interest to keep those muscles strong. Even if you don't have a six pack, these plank exercises are a great way to get started on keeping that core strong!! Of course, these exercises are from my girl Jillian!!

Get Killer Abs - Jillian Michaels

Everybody wants defined abs. Good thing there are so many different abdominal exercises to choose from — you'll never get bored as you work your way toward washboard abs!

Here are three versions of the plank, a move that works the lower back, chest, and shoulders in addition to the rectus abdominis.

Basic Plank
(beginner)
Start in a push-up position, but keep your hands directly under your shoulders instead of outside your chest. Legs are extended straight behind you, with feet together. You are balancing on your palms and the balls of your feet. Hold this position for as long as you can, working your way up to 1 minute. It's a lot harder than it sounds!

Plank Twists
(intermediate)
Start in plank position. Maintaining this position, exhale and rotate your torso by bringing your right knee in toward your left armpit. Return to the starting position, then repeat, bringing the left knee toward the right armpit. Plank twists work not only the rectus abdominis but also the internal obliques.

Extended Plank
(advanced)
Start in a basic plank position, but instead of placing your hands under your shoulders, bring your hands together and place them on the floor in front of you (about 3 inches in front of your head). This variation places much greater emphasis and concentration on the rectus abdominis because you're not able to use your arms as pillars to support your body weight.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
A Note on Form

Before trying any type of plank exercise, review these tips on performance:
- Be sure to focus on keeping your spine neutral (straight).
- Keep your eyes focused on the ground in front of you.
- Don't arch your back. Imagine that you are pulling your belly button up toward the ceiling.
- Until you've mastered them, do these exercises in front of a mirror to check your form. You don't have to watch yourself the entire time — just check in, particularly toward the end of the interval or set, when your muscles start to fatigue.

Biggest Loser Finale & Trainer Kim

Well, Danny did it. Start out at 430 lbs and ended at 191 lbs!!! What an inspiration!! And how about Shay? Subway is going to pay her $10K for every pound she loses by next season finale!! Now there's a paycheck!! Heck, I'd settle for $10 a lb I had to lose!! LOL. It was a great season, and they look absolutely amazing, and so energized and focused. Next couples season starts January 5th, so you know I'll be there!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DANNY WIN!!

On another Biggest Loser note, I came across an interview with trainer, Kim Lyons. Remember her? She replaced Jillian for a bit on the show. Check out the positive things she's doing for the diabetic community with her workouts and educational approach to fitness. Click her picture to check out Fit Bottom Girl's interview with Kim.



Have a great day folks!!!

Our Stories...

There are so many blogs out there, and I'm inspired daily by these women (and men) that blog about their personal struggles and about their successes. One blogger caught my eye today, and I wanted to share her blog link and story with you.

Her name is Michelle and her blog is called The Garlic Chronicles. I would love for those that read mine, whether you comment here or not, to go check her out, and give her all the love and support you can.

Michelle, you're a beautiful, inspiring woman, and there are those that are out here in cyberspace that support you and cheer for you!

Have a super Monday everyone!!!

A Busy Holiday

Liam left at 8am this morning to head back to Chicago with my parents and Hannah. What a great fun filled holiday weekend! There are so many things to be thankful for in my life that I cannot even get it all down in one journal entry. Liam got in Thanksgiving Day, and OMG is he TALL!!! LOL. He can almost look at me eye to eye, and the kid is in a size 9-10 men's shoe! Guess I'll have to stick to borrowing his clothes, because I haven't been able to fit in his shoes since last year when he was a men's 6-7.. lol. Hannah is growing as well, and it's just insane how quickly time passes us.

Dinner at the Ramada was just unbelievable. Every meat, fish, side dish and dessert imaginable. The food was incredible, and we left there all at least a pant size bigger. We walked around the hotel to look at all the mini trees the different local area companies decorated for Toys For Tots, and then in their courtyard was the biggest decorated tree I've personally ever seen!! Sure I've seen them on tv, but this was HUGE. It was donated from a local family farm. I barely got a picture of it!!



We headed back to the house for some Guitar Hero competition, and then my parents and Hannah left because Ry and Crusher were heading to bed, both having to get up for work btwn 1-3am. Sucks I know. After they went to bed Liam and I headed out to grab some stuff and went out to BB and rented some movies. I ended up crashing out because it had been a long day. Moreso for him and my family due to the 10 hr drive from Chicago.

My parents woke up Black Friday and headed to a few stores. I heard the lines for Best Buy, Kohl's and Toys R Us were insane. I'm not a Black Friday shopper, and usually do everything online, since it's the same deals, and free shipping.. lol. They came to the house and we headed out to Tyrone to Gardner's Candies to check out the Candy Museum and Ice Cream Shoppe. I just bought a little piece of almond bark, but Liam, Hannah and my Dad got these HUGE ice cream cones.




My mom had to get some stamps, so we took a stroll through Tyrone down to the post office, so they could eat their ice cream, and she could get her stamps. We then headed back to the house, and played a card/chip game called "Sequence" that my parents brought with them. I baked some lasagna and made a simple romaine salad, and then we bundled up and headed to downtown Hollidaysburg for their "Light Up Night".

It was cold and windy, but we had fun. We browsed through the local stores, moreso to keep warm than to shop.. hahaha. They had a man doing ice sculptures with a chainsaw. The kids saw Santa, and they had a petting farm. We headed over to check out the soup tasting contest, where the local restaurants competed for the best soup. Each line had about 50 people waiting so we just grabbed a few goodies and hot cocoa. They had bands there playing seasonal tunes, but the best was the Junior High School that have a percussion group called "Can It". With overturned plastic blue bins and old metal garbage cans, these kids rocked! The beats were contagious, and we danced to the drums as they did thei drumming, along with choreographed moves. They were unbelievable!! So talented! I was bummed because my camera battery went dead, and didn't get a very good picture of them, or later for the lighting of the tree. The kids got wacky balloon hats and after the towns tree and streets were lit up, we headed back home to relax. The kids watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Liam passed out. My parents and Hannah said their good nights.



Saturday morning I made a huge breakfast for everyone... eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, pancakes, the works. We then got ready and headed out to the Slinky Action zone to meet up with Ry's nephew Aidan and they had a blast running around, playing games, winning tickets, and they went on the bumper cars. I took the kids over for cake, ice cream and presents for Aidan's birthday, and my parents took that time to relax and do whatever they wanted, just the two of them. We then went and took Ry's mom with all of us to Lakemont Park for "Holiday Lights on the Lake". You drive through the park and all the local businesses have lighting displays. They were really nice. Lived here 9 years and never went through it. Leave it to my parents for getting my butt out there.. lol.



We headed back for some homemade chili and pumpkin pie that Ry made and the kids watched a movie while I uploaded the pictures from the weekend, and the parents bs'ed in the kitchen. We said our good nights, and I curled up with Liam on the couch. My dad picked him up this morning and it's been a very quiet day since then. I miss all the activity, giggles, running around and smiles.

I have a great family and feel very blessed. I'll see them all again come Christmas time when I head out to Chicago. Now it's time to go relax in a big bubble bath, and then get ready for work. Back to the grind tonight. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday with family and friends.

Girls Nite Out! - Thankful

Got to have a little fun this weekend with the girls. I love when we all actually have time off and can get together, just the girls!! No men allowed! LOL. We had a blast dancing the night away, and getting in some crazy karaoke, and the only one missing was Wendy, who ended up getting sick earlier in the day. We missed you!!

All in all it was a great time, and even though the Steelers AND the Bears lost last night, it was a good weekend. Just wanted to touch base, as it's been so crazy with the cleaning and preparing for my parents and my son and neice coming in for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

The 3 things I'm most thankful for are:

1. The love of the best, handsomest, smartest lil man on the planet, my son Liam.

2. The fortune of having the most wonderful, loving, caring friends and family EVER!

3. Having not only one, but three jobs that I love, and people I love working with in this crazy economy.

I am very fortunate and very thankful for all that I have in my life and wouldn't have it any other way!

Doubt I'll be back on here til after the holidays, but I'll twitter when I can! Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, and if you ever need something to make you smile, and make you be thankful for what you have, all you gotta do is look around!! *hugs* Love ya! Take care!!

The "Fat Burning Zone" - Outdated Myth

Great article for those that like to get on their treadmills and ellipticals and just do the "fat burning zone" workouts..

The Rule of the Game: Intensity

If you're looking to shed stubborn pounds, the rule of the game is to increase the intensity of your workouts. I want you to be working out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR). However, you may have heard the "fat-burning zone" theory that encourages you to work out at just 70 to 75 percent of your MHR. The outdated assumption is that your body is drawing predominately on fat calories for energy — WRONG! It's completely misleading and it's time to lay the "fat-burning zone" myth to rest.

During physical training, your body has three possible sources of energy: carbs, fat, and protein. Protein is a last resort — of the three energy sources, your body is the most reluctant to draw on your protein stores.

Whether your body takes energy from glucose, which it gets from the breakdown of carbs, or fat depends on the intensity of your workout. Training at a high level of intensity forces your body to draw on carb calories for energy — they are a more efficient source of energy, and your body goes for its premium fuel when you're working hard. If you are training at a low level of intensity, your body doesn't need to be as efficient, so it will draw on a higher percentage of fat calories for fuel.

Sounds like low-intensity training would be more effective when it comes to losing fat, right? Wrong. These physiological facts are the ones that spawned the mistaken belief that low-intensity activity is better than high-intensity activity when it comes to burning fat and losing weight. These days we know that even though the ratio of fat-to-carb calories might be higher during low-intensity exercise, fewer calories are used up overall. High-intensity exercise burns the biggest number of calories.

http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fitness-and-diet-tips/Fat-Burning-Zone-Myth

The Holidays are Approaching!

There are so many articles out there about how to stay fit and healthy over the holidays. I have to be honest. When it comes to the food, I've never been one for "pigging out" at holiday feasts, because most of the foods I just don't like! I don't like ham, I can't stomach sweet potato anything. Usually my guilty pleasure is green bean casserole. I'm such a rebel right?

My problem has always been the sweets. I'm not talking the candy, because unless it's Reese's, it's usually never an issue. I'm talking the cookies, or more importantly, my mother's sugar balls. They are just a no bake receipe of oatmeal, cocoa powder, butter, vanilla extract, rolled into little one inch balls and rolled through powdered sugar. UGH!!! These things are addictive!!!

Over the years I've become more disciplined in my choices and I think for me that has been because of knowledge and information I've acquired over the years through maintaining a food journal for my dietician because of my diabetes. Do I want to eat X-amount of calories in cookies and feel unsatisfied in a half hour, or eat X-amount of the healthier dishes at a meal that will keep me satisfied longer, and I won't crave those sugar balls because I'm FULL! I've tried to do that, because in knowing MYSELF, I can't eat sweets on a full stomach. It literally makes me ill just thinking about it.

We all know what works and doesn't work with our own self and body, and if not, we need to recognize the patterns we set for ourselves. If we know that we can't stop at just one, then don't take one at all. If we know eating this will lead to us craving that, have something else that will keep you from indulging too much. I also know that working out the morning of or the night before a party or gathering will leave you feeling less likely to want to "ruin" that workout you did. It's all about choices, and there are tons of suggestions out there on how to do this. There are a few links below. Pick and choose for yourself. They just might work!!

Keeping Fit Throughout the Holidays - Personal Fit Coach

Healthy Holiday Eating Tips

Eat Healthy Over the Holidays

Have a great week!!

Total Burnout!!

With all that's been going on with my life, this article came to my attention, and I wanted to share. Remember to take care of ourselves first!

Recognize the Early Signs of Burnout
Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman

Most of us are trying to balance work, home, and a family life. We tend not to accept the early symptoms of burnout and carry on our daily lives. In my opinion, living your life isn’t supposed to be that way. If you ignore the red flags, you’ll become gravely ill and your life could come to a complete halt.

To add to the normal day-to-day stresses, what about the poor economy and the war on terrorism? How many of us watch the news and all of a sudden, you get a headache? As much as I find the news to be a source of information, I try not to watch it everyday.


Here are some strategies that I put together that might help you right now:


- Eat well and exercise. Take vitamins and drink plenty of water

- Get your rest. Slow down

- Ask for help. Some of us are so self-reliant that we won’t ask for help from our family members or close friends. You can’t do it all, all the time, by yourself

- Take care of yourself first before you commit to others

- Don’t wait until the weekend to take that long, hot bubble bath. When you get home from work, (temporarily) turn off the ringer on your phone, shutdown the lights, and light a scented candle while sipping on a cup of tea. If you have children, find a babysitter for a few hours

- If you haven’t read a good book lately, start today. Go to the nearest bookstore (Barnes & Noble or Border’s) and order a latte then enjoy yourself

- Don’t skip your vacations and breaks. Spend your breaks meditating, praying or reading. Don’t bring work or your laptop with you on vacation

- Use technology to your advantage. Let the voicemail pick up your messages. Ask those who have email access to send their responses to your email account. That way, you won’t have to respond immediately

- Meet for brunch or dinner, at least once a month, with a group of close friends who share your common goals

Remember, take care of your body because it is yours to cherish. If you don’t, life will be hard to manage, and every little incident, small or large, that happens will become a huge risk towards a sound, healthy life.


Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman, Lifestyle Entrepreneur Coach and owner of The Brownstone Workshop in Cary, NC http://www.thebrownstoneworkshop.bigstep.com/ , or call for a free consultation. This article could be reproduced. Please include the authors credentials. . Article on early, burnout, finding balance, stress by Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman

Read more: http://www.zeromillion.com/personaldev/early-burnout.html#ixzz0VkwHmmNQ

Can't to Won't to WORK IT OUT!!

A great blogger I follow is FitJerk. He couldn't have achieved a better name. He's an in your face, no apologies kind of guy when it comes to health and fitness and his latest blog really hit home. It's called The Real Reason Why You Cant Get Shit Done! It's brutal honesty at it's best people! If you can't handle the truth, then don't read it.

The main point in his blog is changing your excuses from "I can't" to "I won't" because when it comes to health and fitness, in the end it's a CHOICE, so make sure you're being truthful as to WHY it is you're not achieving what you want to achieve. So basically it's not that you CAN'T do or achieve something, it's because your lazy butt just WON'T get up and do the things you need to do to get there. I know for a fact I fall into that category when it comes to fitness. It's definitely fallen by the wayside since starting my second job, and it's getting worse.

I'm always thinking I can't make it to the gym to do what I need to do, when in the end, that's a choice. Here's MY can'ts changed into won'ts. I can't make it to the gym because... I won't make it to the gym, because I won't schedule time, I won't get to bed on time, I won't get up early, I won't use my time off for fitness, I won't miss this tv show, I won't pass up relaxing on my ass to workout. HELLO!?!?! See what I'm getting at.

When it comes to fitness, I know I'm my own worst enemy. A lot of us are. The excuses are just that. Excuses. Sure there are days I work 14 hours, but then again, if my days that long anyway, what's an extra 20-40 minutes of weights, yoga, pilates, kickboxing or just plain walking?

I'm sure I'll get slack for this, but I hear the biggest excuses from people with kids. Do you not realize the extra workouts you can get just by running around the yard or at the park? Riding bikes, skating, heck, even wrestling with them in the living room? It's about motion and getting the heart rate up! Heck, my son used to go to the gym WITH me, and be right there doing things with me and my trainer Eric. He thought it was FUN! Never occurred to him it was a "workout".

In the end, it's about making choices for ourselves, and making the right ones. As a diabetic, I need to exercise and workout even moreso to keep my glucose levels in check, ESPECIALLY with the extra hours of work I put in and my stress levels being through the roof. Exercise helps me sleep better, and I know this from past experience. It's amazing that we are a society that has all the information we need to live healthy, positive, longer lives and can recite what's healthy, and what's not, and yet all we seem to do is talk. That's it. It's all talk. Time to make that knowledge power!

I need to get back on the path, and turn those can't/won'ts into can do's!!! I have so much coming up in the next two months, and I'll need to focus and get things done, and I can't do that if I'm sitting on my ass, making my jobs the excuses for not staying in shape, exercising and working out. I found out this weekend, not only are my mom, dad and son coming in for Thanksgiving, but they are bringing my late brother's daughter Hannah with them. I'm so excited!!!

I want to thank FitJerk. His blog is brutual, but inspiring. I seem to be empowered more through tough love. It's maybe why I'm such a fan of Jillian. Not that I'm comparing Jillian and FJ.. hehehe. *muah* I just like things told to me flat out. Just like FJ has on his blog... No Diets, No Excuses, No Whining, JUST RESULTS!! He kicks people's asses so they are adored by the masses!! Have a great week everyone!!

Hungry for Change - Food Inc

If there is one documentary you MUST see it's FOOD INC. The hubby and I watched it over the weekend, and let me tell you what a wake up call it was. Sure we know fast food is bad for us. We all know it, yet we are drawn to it any way. But what about the food in your local supermarket? If this film doesn't get you to think twice at the supermarket, nothing will. Some people "don't want to know", and that's their choice. But it truly helps explain the epidemic growths of not only obesity and diabetes, but things like ADHD, autism, and other disorders.

Excerpt from the website about the movie: "In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that has been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation's food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, herbicide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of E. coli—the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield's Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms' Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking truths—about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here."

Fast Food Nation is also one to check out before you scarf down the dollar menu. It will definitely make you think twice. Same with Super Size Me and other documentaries that show the ugly truth about what all this crap food is doing to us, and what's worse, how the government's control, or lack there of, for the standards in the food industry is enough to make you sick.

These aren't "conspiracy" movies, but if the other side doesn't start talking, to me it's just further proof that the almighty dollar is worth more than any human life to our elected officials, and it's sickening. Rent it today, or check your cable on-demand for it!!!

A VERY Happy Halloween!!

I got a call from my dad yesterday morning. Seems they are picking up Liam and heading out to PA for Thanksgiving. I was so suprised, overwhelmed and brought to tears knowing I'll be able to see not only them, but MY BABY BOY! I called to thank his dad and stepmom. It's amazing the things that can happen when you get along so great with your "baby daddy". He's the best and I hope he knows how much I love him, his wife and all the kids. They are the bestest! *hugs*

Well, Halloween night was my first gig playing DJ and Karaoke hostess at the Kettle Inn here in town. What a blast! Of course it took some time for people to get up the liquid courage to sing, but what a great time had by all. I just wanted to thank all of Ry's family for coming out, and Kerrie and Jim, and to Milyssa, Rachel and Crusher for stopping by. Stacy and Ashley showed up right in time for the costume contest, and Ashley won first prize (for the 2nd time that night, as she won at Aldo's too) with the Hummer Transformers costume Stacy made in a WEEK! I want to thank my hubby Ryan for helping me at the DJ booth with the door prizes, songs, requests and everything, and for dealing with the whiney drunks that wanted everything about them.. LOL. All in all, it was a blash, and was so wonderful to have everyone's support and love there. Thanks to Chris and Lori of the Underground for thinking of me, and giving me a call!

I hope you all had a great weekend and didn't eat TOO much candy. Stay out of the kids stash!! LOL. Love ya!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

I just wanted to take the time to wish my dad, Leroy, a very happy birthday today! He's really not one for celebrating his birthday, but TOO BAD! Mom, sis and my bro-in-law are taking him out bowling and just have some fun together with the family. Things have been hard on him since my brother's passing, but he's got a great wife in my mom, and they've been together for 33 years, and my sister, all their grandkids, and of course ME!!!

Celebrate life today Paps! I love you!!

National Cat Day!

Yes, that's right! Today, Thursday, October 29th, is National Cat Day! I had to post this pic because it reminded me of my own lil puss-puss Shamrock.

As always, have a wonderful day and give that special lil kitten, or any pet of yours that extra attention and luvin' that they so demand from you!

Things are looking up!

Well, it's been a hectic week, but a good one. My husband has been offered a temp job with UPS that's twice what he's been bringing home with UC, but it's good that we'll have the extra money for the holidays. I'm determined to make it "home for the holidays" and travel to my folks in Illinois so I can see my baby boy and family. The job is only through the holiday season, but it gets his foot in the door, and hopefully in the driver pool come their annual hiring in March.

Along with that, I was offered a DJ/Karaoke hosting job for Halloween night at a local pub, which should turn out to be fun as hell, as well as bring in some extra cash. If you already didn't know, I'm the karaoke queen, and have loved singing in front of people since I was little. My proudest, yet most nerve-racking moment was being able to sing the National Anthem at the Blair County Ballpark for an Altoona Curve baseball game. As far as the pub is concerned, I've never been inside this place, but I'm told it's small, but so with the friends and family that are saying they'll come out, as well as the regular patrons, I'm sure the house will be packed! It should be a total blast, and I'm really excited, and hope it goes well enough for a regular "gig".

Today we head out to the athletic club, because the hubby has finally decided he's had enough with being overweight, and wants to do something about it. I've always tried to encourage him to go with me, but never wanted to actually add him to my membership, because I wasn't going to pay for him to slack off. I really think working out will do wonders for his self esteem, as well as his health and wellbeing. We all have to make the choice for ourselves. People can try to motivate us all they want, but it's up to US to actually make the commitment to OURSELVES!! I just hope that he sticks with it. We have an appointment at 6pm tonight so we can go over everything at the club. I have to find the time to hit it as much as possible too, because although I've lost 10 of the 20 lbs I gained after giong back on insulin, I still have 20 lbs to go to where my doc wants me at and another 10 to get to where I would like to be personally. Sometimes I wish I would have just joined the 24 hr gym here by our house, but I'm locked into a 2 yr contract at the athletic club, but between the hours I work and the hours they are open, it's difficult to make it out there.

Things are going ok with both my full time and part time jobs. Crazy hectic at the day job, and with the holidays around the corner, I have a feeling it's going to get that way at the night/weekend job too. Sleep has been screwed up, but hopefully I can get on a schedule that doesn't hurt my health. Last night I got a good night sleep (for me, anyway) which was about 6 hours straight. Usually it's 2-4 hrs here, 2-4 hrs there, up and down all night. This morning, I got up ran a bath in the jacuzzi, and did a lil pampering this morning, and now it's almost time to get ready for work. If my life wasn't so crazy, I'd probably be bored out of my skull, so I'm thankful to have so many things to do to keep me busy and entertained.

Hope everyone's week is going great! I'm still not sure what I'm going to dress up as for Halloween, and probably won't know until that day! I have a wedding before my gig, so it will have to be something that's a quick-change thing, so I don't have to have too much time to prep. It should be fun! Anyone going out and dressing up for Halloween? What are you going as? I'd love to know!! Or better yet.. send me pics!! LOL Have a great hump day folks!!

I <3 Jillian!!

I'm so excited! Just found out that Jillian has been given her own tv show, a companion show to TBL. "The network has picked up eight episodes of “Losing It With Jillian” from Reveille in association with Empowered Media. Michaels will travel the country showing weight-challenged Americans that they can get the same results as contestants on “The Biggest Loser” without attending the show’s immersive fitness boot camp." - read full article here.

They are also doing a casting call for the show. Click the picture for more details!!! Can't wait!!

Dead Snow & Other Flicks

Well, with the weather drastically changing this week, and getting snow right before Halloween, I find it a great time to introduce you to a horror movie that is sure to tickle your horror fancy. The Norwegian film "Dead Snow". A group of eight friends drives to a cabin in northern Norway where German troops where slaughtered by angry locals living there in 1945. Now the undead zombie Nazi soldiers feast on whoever comes there way. Yes.. that's right. ZOMBIE NAZIS!!! LOL. This movie was a favorite at the Sundance Festival, and if you're a fan of movies like The Evil Dead, or Shaun of the Dead, this is right up your alley. The film has everything, horror, suspense, drama, comedy and even about 30 seconds of sex. Course, we all know if you fornicate in a horror movie, you're as good as dead. Besides the barely visible sex scene, there are some extreme moments of gore and blood and violence, but on the whole, if your teen likes horror flicks, I'd say it should be a PG-13, borderlining on R because of the violence and a set of boobs. It comes out on DVD this Tuesday, October 20th (got to see it early, my job has it's lil perks)and, yes, it's a Norwegian film, but you can go to the options, turn off the subtitles and set the audio to English. I was impressed with the dubbing, because it really doesn't distract you or is as bad as some Chinese or Japanese films. Definitely one to check out!!!



Other horror movie to check out is "Drag Me To Hell", by director Sam Raimi (Spiderman and The Evil Dead trilogy). Again, it has everything. Loved it. Slasher movies are ok, but I like this formula. They are all "far out there" anyway, so why not tackle the comical side to it and make it outrageous anyway. I really enjoyed this, and the story was pretty good too. Nothing can ruin your day like a good ole fashioned gypsy curse!

I wasn't too impressed with "Trick r Treat", although there were some I talked to that enjoyed it, so guess it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

In the comedy department, "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds was a pleasant surprise. I'll admit, I went into thinking it was going to be dry and boring, but I actually enjoyed it. These movies aren't made for Oscar nominations anyway, but to just entertain, and that it did. That's already out on disc.

Well, time for me to get cleaning. Fun fun!! Hope ya'll have a great weekend!! *hugs*

Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis

Action Alert - DSM Petition 10/15/09
Action Alert

Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis

Help make history by signing the DSM Revision Petition now! The diagnoses in the DSM-IV-TR still subject people who practice BDSM, fetishes and cross-dressing to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis.

We need 3,000 signatures, but we only have 2,200 now. If you don't speak up and call on the American Psychiatric Association to adhere to empirical research when revising the diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V), then the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group won't make a meaningful change.

To sign, go to: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/DSMrevisionpetition

You can make your signature anonymous on this secure petition site so it doesn't appear on the Internet or when the petition is delivered to the APA.

Petition:
"We, the undersigned, support the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) own goal of making
its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) a scientific document, based on empirical research and devoid of cultural bias. A diagnosis of a mental disorder can have a severe adverse impact on employment opportunities, child custody determinations, an individual's well-being, and other areas of functioning.

Therefore we urge the APA to remove all diagnoses that are not based upon peer-reviewed, empirical research, demonstrating distress or dysfunction, from the DSM. The APA specifically should not promote current social norms or values as a basis for clinical judgments."

To find out more about the DSM and the Paraphilias section, read the NCSF & ITCR: The Foundation for NCSF's "White Paper on the DSM Revision" at www.ncsfreedom.org

For more information, email: susanw@ncsfreedom.org

Help spread the word - please distribute this call for signatures!

October 15, 2009

Bitch Rant: Texting

Since when did texting become such a life necessity to some people? I, myself, dread texting on my cell phone. I'm sorry, but I enjoy human interaction whether getting together with friends, or talking and hearing/seeing the joy, laughter, sadness, expressions of the other party's voice. Sure I use chat programs online, but that's while multitasking, and not taking away my attention from something like DRIVING! Conversations for me on a cell phone if they take longer than one text to me and one return text, it's a phone call. I don't mind the silly pics or jokes, but I'd much rather talk on the phone to make plans for the weekend, or get directions to someone's house, because if I have questions, I'll be damned if I'm going to squeeze them into 10 different 150 character text messages.

Yes, I've fallen into the category on occasion of texting while at a stop light in my, but I just don't see anything that pressing or important that you have to diddle on a 10-key or qwerty pad the size of a deck of cards while actually IN motion on the road! It's insane!

Besides, the "text etiquette" of today is just plain awful. While out with friends, you're trying to have a conversation with someone that is texting away, not looking you in the eye, as they nod "uh huh". How friggin' rude is that? Hello? I'm standing right here thank you very much! If your conversation with that person is so important, than maybe that's where you should be, or they should be HERE! I just think it's inconsiderate to those that have chosen to spent their time with you and are there and present.

All I'm saying it, I'm not opposed to all this new technology, but somewhere along the lines people have lost common courtesy, respect and have somehow made this into some type of acceptable rudeness. Sorry, I just find it all just plain rude!

Thanks for letting this bitch rant! LOL Have a great hump day!

Happy 54th Birthday Mom!

Just a quick entry to wish my mom a very happy birthday! She's an amazing woman and someone to look up to. I know it can be hard to celebrate 3 days after what would have been my brother's, her son's, birthday on Friday, but she's strong and beautiful, and I'm so proud and lucky to have her as a mom! Love you!! Hoping you have a great day off, and enjoy that shrimp dinner tonight! LOL

Thursday Chuckle

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California. When suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud
of dust.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you Give me a calf?"

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg , Germany

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government", says Bud.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and You don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter.

and THIS is a herd of sheep.

Now give me back my dog."

Give 'Em Hell! LOL

Facebook has all sorts of silly/crazy quizzes, but today's lil one I took on a break cracked me up. There's a certain someone that this is TOTALLY dedicated too... kinda like my "Stronger" song last week :)

Cher took the What 2009 Song are you? quiz and got the result: Gives You Hell by All American Rejects..

It seems like you are kind of upset at the moment. Something happened to you where you just want to & "Give someone hell". You can overcome this issue, but for now you just want to be left alone!

Sometimes those lil quizzes are right on the money! Freaky huh?

Last night we went to see "Paranormal Activity" in State College. OMFG! It rocked!! It's been a long time since a horror movie plagued my mind and made me jump in my seat. It was totally worth the drive. If you get the chance to see it.. do it! There's only midnight showings.

This weekend should be fun. I'm heading out to Monroeville for training, and then on to meet a good Friend for a late lunch. Back home, and I'm heading out with the boys, since Scott will be heading back to Idaho soon. Last few weekends have been a blast. Have I said lately how much my friends rock!?!?

Sadly our friend Stacy's dad passed away yesterday. My heart goes out to him and his family for their loss. Love you man!! *big CherBear hugs*

Have a great weekend everyone, and if you're not working out.. WORK IT OUT!! cheers!!

Reach For Your Star...

Do not take anything as being forever,
because forever is only as long as today.

Know that the people who are the richest are not those who have the most,
but those who need the least.

That we are at our strongest when life is at its worst,
and at our weakest when life no longer offers a challenge.

That it is wiser not to expect, but to hope,
for in expecting you ask for disappointment,
whereas in hoping you invite surprise.

That unhappiness doesn’t come from not having something you want,
but from the lack of something inside that you need.

That there are things to hold and things to let go,
and letting go doesn’t mean you lose,
but that you acquire that which has been waiting around the corner.

Most of all…
Remember to use your dreams as a way of knowing yourself better,
and as an inspiration to reach for your star.

~ Nancy Sims

Just a Tad Off

Well, this weekend, I headed to a benefit for AIP = AIDS Intervention Project. I saw my buddy Johnny and a couple other friends, and the drag show was fun per usual. I just love watching them sing, lipsync, dance, and get down with their bad selves! What a riot! They raised over $1300 which for the tiny little establishment it was held in, is simply AWESOME!! I'm so proud of all the performers, the bartenders and everyone at Escapade. Their combined effort made it possible... KUDOS!!



I then headed out for a lil karaoke action at Fatty's, and if you follow my Twitter.. I got carded! Crusher says, "He needs to see your ID", and I laughed, "whatever" and continued to talked to another friend of mine. Then I hear, "Excuse me!" and I look over, and it's the bartender glaring at me with a stern look. "I need to see your ID",he says, to which I reply "are you serious?!?!", and he looks all serious at me and says "yes". I handed him my license and told him how much I loved him and that he made my night! He saw my age, and raised his eyebrow, and smiled and says, "NICE!" I thanked him, and tweeted about it. LOL. Hey, when you get past 30-something and someone cards you, it makes you feel great!! Was me, Barno, Crusher, Paul, Dan, and then finally Rachel showed up. We took a few pics, listened to Barno belt out "99 Red Balloons" and headed back to the house.



The hubby and his friend Scott, who's in from Idaho, had just got back from Bubbapalooza in Greensburg. If anyone listens to Sirius Radio, a guy that calls himself Bubba the Love Sponge, he's a shockjock that started off on Howard Stern and now has his own station. He had a comedy show that Ry and Scott went to, and since they went to high school with Barno, we all headed back to hang out and bullshit. Of course, after Barno left, and Crusher went to bed, Scott, Ry and I were wired, and played friggin' Guitar Hero til 5am! yes... FIVE! hahaha. It's all good. Scott's only here another week or so, and then it's back to Idaho for who knows how long. Last time I saw him was 5 yrs ago, because last time he was in town, we were in Chicago.



I've been doing crunches and trying to consciously walk more, and it's paid off just a tad. I've lost 5 lbs. Only 10 more and I'll be back to what I was spring 2008, and I'll keep it going until I reach my goal. At 5'7" I'd like to be at 150, but if I get to 135-140, then I will feel accomplished. I'm glad to get the stress out of my life, and things have just been going fabulously for me, at work, at home, everything.

On a sadder note, I did find out that a great friend I grew up with passed away last night. Geoff Kemetick was the best friend of MY best friend Wendy's brother John. We were always hanging out at their house. Hell, he was one of the first people to let me drive his car when I was a teenager and let me grind the gears learning stick shift! LOL. Gawd will he be missed. I guess him and some friends headed out to the Vikings game, and on the long drive back, they just thought he fell asleep, and when they stopped for food/gas.. realized, he had passed away in his sleep. How awful is that? 38 years old. I can't believe the amount of people I've lost in the past 2-3 years under 40, and even a handful under 30! It's crazy! My prayers go out to his wife, Lisa, who he just married this past May. She's got to be hurting so bad, and I can't even imagine the pain she's going through right now. Rest In Peace Geoff!



Have a great week everyone!!

A Thank You ... *smiles*

After all You put me through
You'd think I'd despise You
But in the end I want to thank You
Because You made me that much stronger

When I, thought I knew You
Thinking, that You were true
I guess I, I couldnt trust
Called Your bluff, time is up
cause I've had enough
You were, there by my side
Always, down for the ride
But Your joy ride just came down in flames
cause Your greed sold me out of shame, mmhmm

After all of the stealing and cheating
You probably think that I hold resentment for You
But, uh uh, oh no, Youre wrong
cause if it wasnt for all that You tried to do
I wanna know just how capable I am to pull through
So I wanna say thank You

cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohhhh, ohh-yeah ah uhhhuh

Never, saw it coming
All of, Your backstabbing
Just so, You could cash in
On a good thing before I realized Your game
I heard, You're going around
Playing the victim now
But dont, even begin
Feeling I'm the one to blame
cause You dug Your own grave

After all of the fights and the lies
Yes You wanted to harm me but that wont work anymore
Uh, no more, oh no, its over
cause if it wasnt for all of Your torture
I wouldnt know how to be this way now, and never back down
So I wanna say thank You

cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
It makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

How could this man I thought I knew
Turn out to be unjust, so cruel
Could only see the good in You
Pretended not to see the truth
You tried to hide Your lies, disguise Yourself
Through living in denial
But in the end You'll see
You wont stop me

I am a fighter and I
I ain't goin stop
There is no turning back
Ive had enough

cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
It makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

cause it makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
It makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter

- Fighter by Christina Aguilera :)

You know who You are :) *smooch*

Fixing the Negative Self-Talk

Yes, that's right folks, below is another entry with tips and advice from my favorite trainer and girl crush - Jillian Michaels! I know a lot of us suffer from this, and it's so great when we are reminded that we need to keep ourselves positive. Another great post came from my fellow online blogger Jody this week on Raw Emotions-Better Body Image.

I can't wait to blog about this weekend! We have a get together with friends, and then I'm heading to the AIDS Intervention Project for Home Nursing Benefit Saturday night, and will get to see a bunch of great people and friends I haven't had the opportunity to see in a while. Should be such fun!

Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and keep it positive!! Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------
From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Friday, September 25, 2009

Fixing the Negative Self-Talk

Is your inner voice a trash-talker? If you've tried and failed to reach your fitness goals in the past, negative thoughts might have held you back. Want to succeed this time? Get your journal (or log on to your Fitness Diary). It's time to get some of those thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have a negative self-image?
Do you constantly say things like "I'm fat" or "I'm ugly"? Do you pick yourself apart and beat yourself up when you look in the mirror?

2. Do you lack self-confidence?
Do you doubt your ability to achieve your goals, weight related or otherwise? Do you dwell on your perceived limits or fears? Do you doubt your ability to accomplish the things you want to accomplish?

3. Do you feel powerless?
Do you feel as if you have no control over your life, or do you rely on excuses like "I'm genetically predisposed to being overweight"?

4. Do you label yourself in self-deprecating ways?
Do you think and talk about your failure to lose weight as a foregone conclusion? Do you refer to yourself mockingly (or not!) as a stereotype — the happy/funny fat person in the room? Is your e-mail address "fatso@blank.com"?

Now think about your responses to these questions. How would you describe their tone? Are they affirming and constructive, or downbeat and destructive? If you want to turn your thinking around, ask yourself one more question:
How is this negativity serving you? Answering this question will help you understand why you have been perpetuating these destructive thoughts and behaviors so that you can cut them out at the root. Is what you say about yourself really the truth? Or is it a defense mechanism? And if so, against what? Are you just making complicated excuses? How does this kind of negativity help you achieve your goals?

Here's the last step: Go back and answer the above questions again, and force yourself to use only positive terms. It can be hard to let go of negative thought patterns. Often, they're the result of years of self-loathing and your internalizing of the negative opinions and judgments of others, but you can do it. Remember, knowledge is power. The next time one of these negative thoughts crops up, you'll have the awareness to cut it down.

Expect and Do!

Direct, focus and sustain your actions with your expectations. Make your expectations come to life with your actions.

Your efforts are more effective when they're driven by positive expectations. Your expectations exert the most powerful influence when they're backed up by consistent action.

Expectations without actions amount to little more than empty wishes. Actions without specific, positive expectations will fail to achieve the desired result.

Expect the best of yourself and others. Then do what it takes to actually achieve the best.

Let your expectations be the driving, directing force behind your actions. And take the committed, persistent actions that will achieve what you expect to achieve.

-- Ralph Marston

_______________________________________

Use this in your life, your lifestyle, workouts, career, family, goals, and just do it! Have a great day everyone! *hugs*

Fun-Filled Packed Days!

I had a great weekend with Ryan and all my friends. Saturday was packed full with 3 events. First, we went to the 4th Annual Roar in the Mountains, which is a motorcycle rally at the Legion Park in Hollidaysburg, PA. Lots of fun, as a lot of our friends were working boths, and the Underground was there organizing the entertainment, so our friends Chris and Lori were there, along with Milyssa and Adam. We saw Ashley and Stacy there, along with their daughter, and our friend Travis. Later, we headed to the Hair Force One reunion show. They are an 80's "hair band" cover band. They are so good, and such fun. After THAT, we headed over to Aldo's to celebrate birthdays with Milyssa and Barno. I left early, cuz I was my friend Chell's DD, but it was a great day.

Sunday was relaxing, up until the Bears/Steelers game. I'm surrounded by Steeler fans, but it was a sweet win for the Bears. So that left the weekend on a good.. no a GREAT note!

Monday & Tuesday, back to work per usual. Last night on TBL, I was so proud of all of the contestants putting a damper on the Week 2 curse. Normally they either don't lose a lot, and some even gain weight, but they proved the curse wrong and 15 contestants lost over 150 lbs. It was a great finish. I love that show!! (ya think?)

Today, it's back to the grind again, and back to the night job as well. MJ's coming out to drop me off a power cord for the laptop he gave me because our lil Bear puppy we had decided to use it as a chew toy when we had him, and I've just been so busy, I haven't had time to meet up with Him.

Well, hope all's well in your world peoples! Love ya! I'm hoping to get around to catch up on everyone's blogs today and tomorrow! Ciao for now! *smooches*

TBL 8 & Goalsetting

Well, last night, the 8th season of The Biggest Loser premiered. I don't know about you, but man are Bob and Jillian swearing a lot in the gym or what? LOL. Not sure how motivating swearing at contestants is, but I guess it makes good tv. This season has the heaviest people to ever be on the show. The heaviest tops out at 476 lbs. They busted butt, and lost amazing numbers this first week, and Alexandra was the first to be booted off. The background and stories of some of these people really tug at your heartstrings. They are referring to this season as "A Second Chance", and that's exactly what it is. A second chance at life, health and happiness. I really encourage you to watch it for inspiration more than anything. Tuesday nights on NBC 8-10pm ET.

Just a little bit ago I read the new blog post from one of my online inspirations, Lauren, called "Be A Finisher!". It really struck me about how far off track I've become in regards to my health and wellbeing. When I went home for lunch today, I had received a letter from the fitness club about how they notice I haven't been utilizing my membership and were concerned, and offered a free consultation again. Between that, TBL starting up again, and Lauren's post about goals, it all hit home. I need to make those goals for myself again. I need to quit commenting on my weight, and pudge, and get back on track so I can feel the way I felt 2 years again when I dropped 30 lbs. I need to get to my weightloss goal. I need to feel good about myself again. I'm back to the old Cher that use to just criticize herself but never did a damn thing about it. I need to get back into the groove, start watching what I eat and exercising like I use to. I have to utilize the few days I DO have off work, and get to the gym, take a class when I can, and get that part back into the routine that is my life.

Just like Jillian says all the time about playing the victim. It's not an excuse anymore. I was playing the victim, using all the chaos in my life that was going on as an excuse for not taking care of myself, and that did was cause my health to suffer. There is nothing holding me back but me. I need to back to feeling good about myself. And like the TBL theme song says.. "What have you done today to make you feel proud?" Lately I really haven't, but I'm going to start feeling proud of myself again, and do what I set out to do.

Men, Movies and Maroons!

Some close to me know that the hubby and I are trying to work out our differences. We've had several heart-to-hearts the past few weeks, and it's looking more and more positive. Everyone has their opinion, and they are entitled to them. I guess for me, my marriage is worth fighting for, because this isn't someone I'm just living with or dating... he's my husband. Lot of people don't know the underlying story of us, so the surface is all they see, so it's hard to really take anyone's opinion seriously since they truly do NOT know the whole story. Marriage means taking the good with the bad, and this summer has been BAD on many, MANY levels, but in the course of events, sometimes it takes something to hit total rock bottom before you realize what you had. If you haven't seen the move "Why Did I Get Married", you should, because it's based on the 80/20 rule. You don't ruin your marriage over the 20% you feel you're missing or not getting because you'll desperately miss that 80%. Anyway, that's all I really have to say about that. We went out to dinner last Thursday, and it was the first time we had been out, just the two of us, together, alone, in almost 2 years. We had a really nice time. Great dinner, did a little shopping at the mall, came home and relaxed.

Saturday was movie night at Jim's. Crusher, Ryan and I headed out around 4pm. We had Wolverine and Crank 2 showing on his awesome 96 inch HD projection tv. Great food and munchies, and lots of conversation, laughs and good times. It was nice to get out, and hell, we didn't even pull back up to our house til past 1am. I haven't seen Jim in over a year, because our schedules clash, and working on and off on weekends never gave us much time to hook up and hang out, so it was great to get out there. Hopefully we'll do it again real soon. Crank 2 rocked... and although Wolverine was "good", it didn't stick to the story of the X-Men series, so in that sense I was disappointed.

Sunday was Lyndsey's bridal shower. Seemed everyone was sick, or getting over something. Poor things. She got some really nice gifts. One I just loved! It was a piggy bank that said "Sex Pig" on the side, and the note attached said starting on their wedding night, for the next year, every night they have sex, but a minimum of $1 or more into the "Sex Pig" and then on their 1st anniversary, open it up and check out how much they saved, and use it for vacation. What a great idea! I won one of the prizes, and it was a cute lil fall/autumn basket filled with spiced sprays, candle, gadgets and such, and it was really nice. The wedding is on Halloween, so I look forward to that as well.

Of course my Sunday evening was ruined by the Bears game. Stuckey came over and we both watched in disgust as Ryan giggled on the couch. (Thanks babe! lol) I'm so distraught over my "future hubby", Brian Urlacher's, injury that is going to keep him out this year. I think I'm going to need vacation time to go *cough* tend to him *cough*.. hehehehe. Hopefully Cutler squeezed out his last turd play and will look better next Sunday. And I'll need the patience to deal with all the snob Stiller fans here. If we win, we win, if we lose, we lose.. but oh MAN would it be great to upset the Superbowl Champs.. LOL. A girl can dream :-D

Of course yesterday we found out Patrick Swayze died. Triple talent treat.. actor, dancer, singer. He will be missed. I worked last night, so I didn't find out until I got home. So many amazing movies, and just a great man all-around.

Both jobs are going ok. I enjoy my regular job, because this is my job, my way, etc. The other place, I'm not going to even go into, because... well.. LOL.. CAUSE! It's fine, it's money in my pocket, so whatever. And I get free movies right? So there, bonus.

This morning I had to deal with the friggin maroons on the road. Guess I didn't get the memo that it was "No Turn Signal Tuesday". They need to retest people every so often, cuz some of them get pretty bad, and one was even an AmTran bus driver. Yes maroons.. not morons, MAROOOOONS!!!

Well, ya'll have a killer week, and for those that know how much I love my Jillian... BIGGEST LOSER PREMIERE TONIGHT!! Watch it!! hahaha. *hugs*

Patrick Swayze Mini-YouTube Tribute

Friday Quote

"Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

--------------------------------------

Have a great weekend everyone!!! *muah*

Metabolic Syndrome

The Syndrome That Affects One in Four Americans

Nearly one-quarter of Americans have a syndrome that dramatically raises their risk of developing other serious health conditions. It's called metabolic syndrome, and you have it if you meet three or more of the qualifying criteria:

• A waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men, and greater than 35 inches in women
• High triglycerides: 150 mg/dl or higher
• Low HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind): less than 40 mg/dl in men; less than 50 mg/dl in women
• High blood pressure, defined as a reading of 130 mm Hg or higher for systolic pressure (the top number), or 85 mm Hg or higher for diastolic pressure (the bottom number)
• High blood sugar: a reading of 100 mg/dl or higher for a fasting blood glucose test

Why does metabolic syndrome matter? If you have it, your risk of developing heart disease doubles, and you're five times more likely to develop diabetes. You also have a higher chance of developing fatty liver disease or polycystic ovary syndrome.

The good news is that there are ways to fight metabolic syndrome and lower your risk for its related conditions. Metabolic syndrome is linked to insulin resistance, and many of the strategies for combating insulin resistance are helpful for people with metabolic syndrome. For example, if you're overweight, losing 10 percent of your body weight can cut your risk of diabetes and heart disease and raise your life expectancy. Eating four small meals a day, without going longer than four hours between meals, can help you stabilize your blood sugar and insulin levels. And one of the most important changes you can make is to get more exercise, which can increase your cells' ability to use insulin.

If you think you might have metabolic syndrome, talk to your doctor. While it's a dangerous condition, the consequences are not a foregone conclusion — with diet and exercise you can take control of your metabolism and get healthier!

Managing Stress Is Key

Stress can actually contribute to your risk of metabolic syndrome by increasing your body fat. When you're under stress, your body produces the hormone cortisol, which encourages the body to pack on fat, particularly around the abdomen. Manage your stress levels by cutting back on your responsibilities where you can, learning relaxation techniques and healthy ways to blow off steam, and making time for yourself to unwind. Getting at least seven hours of sleep a night will also go a long way toward relieving stress.

JM

What does "Toning" Really Mean?

By Jillian Michaels

All of us want to "tone" our muscles to achieve a cut, fit look. But what exactly is "toning"? Let me clarify a little: The word "toning" has nothing to do with the size of a particular muscle; it refers rather to making a muscle lean by burning intramuscular fat, and conditioning the muscle for better performance.

You can't actually build muscle mass unless you're eating more calories than you're burning, but you can tone a muscle to make it leaner. To tone your muscles, you should weight-train four days a week, working each muscle group twice a week. After you work a particular muscle group, you should give it two days of rest before you focus on it again.

Here's a sample toning program that works each muscle group without overdoing it:

Monday: Work the chest, shoulders, triceps, quads, upper abs, obliques.
Tuesday: Work the back, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, lower abs.
Wednesday: Rest.
Thursday: Work the chest, shoulders, triceps, quads, upper abs, obliques.
Friday: Work the back, biceps, hamstrings, glutes, lower abs.
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: Do a cardio-only workout.

Remember: Exercise is the architect, but recovery is the builder. You have to give your body adequate recovery time to heal itself and grow stronger. If you work out too often without resting, you'll just break your muscles down.

JILLIAN'S TIP OF THE DAY
Afraid of Bulk?

Women always tell me that they feel hesitant about toning exercises that require weights because they're afraid of building bulky muscles. Hear me out, ladies: It's extremely difficult for women to gain muscle mass simply by doing toning exercises — we don't have the testosterone that guys do that lets them build mass. Using weights to tone your muscles will make you look trim and terrific, not big and bulky.

Is there a Fat Acceptance Movement?

I found this post, and wanted to share. I'm sure there will be both sides to the arguement, and I have my own personal opinions as well, but it is definitely interesting, and makes you think. I definitely think he has numerous valid points, especially how certain industries are geared. Anywho, enjoy and have a great weekend!!!
---------------------------------

Are we being FAM-ished?
Let us pause to consider the Fat Acceptance Movement, or FAM. There doesn’t actually appear to be any all-encompassing association by that exact name, but there certainly are a lot of smaller groups and organizations popping up lately, devoted to the principle that overweight and obese people should be given the respect and acceptance accorded to any other citizens.

With names ranging from "Big is Beautiful" to "Fat!So?", these present themselves as simple grassroots enterprises begun by ordinary folks of extraordinary weight in order to counter what they see as the increasing, unjust, mean-spirited and discriminatory notion that being overweight or obese is not good for the nation’s overall health or economy.

But all all of these suddenly proliferating groups legitimately “grassroots”? The fact is, whenever there is a national debate over any issue or principle, the outcome of which could affect corporate profits of any kind, the field suddenly becomes littered with dozens of “grassroots” groups that turn out to be “astroturf” front groups funded and directed by industries and companies with a financial stake in the matter.

For example, note the numerous “outraged citizen” protest groups springing up in opposition to the Obama administration’s health care reform: it turns out that an awful lot of them are underwritten by Big Pharma or Big Insurance or Big HMO or some other Big Interest Group out of fear that reform might make it smaller. Shouldn’t we be wary of similar special interests possibly creating and using “grassroots” fat-is-fine organizations to essentially argue that obesity is no problem and the more fat people, the better?

It’s not hard to imagine who these special interests might be.

The fast food, snack food and soft drink industries

Are you kidding? he prospect of a health-and-calorie-conscious American public actually makes them physically ill. To experience their grateful generosity, just write and tell them you’re starting a group called Justice for the Jumbo and could use a bit of seed money.

Ronald McDonald might deliver the check personally.

The auto industry


Big people need big wheels, your SUVs and vans, the kind of king-sized vehicles that also deliver king-sized profit margins, as opposed to subcompacts and mini-coupes you can hardly make a buck off of.

The pharmaceutical industry

A leaner and trimmer America would perforce be a healthier America, which means an America requiring less medication. Diabetes drugs alone would take a multi-million dollar hit in sales.

The very idea is enough to get Pfizer and Bristol-Myers writing checks to The Large Liberation League.

The diet and weight loss industries

Surprised? Don’t be. Oh sure, an America dedicated to becoming slim would be a boon to these enterprises over the short term, but in the long run, the fewer fat people, the fewer customers, a notion they find appalling.

The list of possible fat acceptance “angels” goes on and on, from the Sugar Cane Growers’ Association to hundreds of Big & Tall clothing stores. This is all hypothetical, of course, and doesn’t necessarily mean that fat acceptance activists are fronting for special interests and promoting pudginess for profit.

But if the head of, say, Give Fat a Chance has a press agent and personally weighs less than 200 pounds, be very skeptical.

(By Robert S. Wieder for CalorieLab Calorie Counter News)

Checking In

Hello my lovelies!! I know I've been bad at getting around and checking out everyone's new posts and blogs, and I apologize. Life has been crazy busy as you can imagine. The new night/weekend job is going good. it's the polar opposite of my day job. It's relaxing, not to demanding, and I get to work with some great people that make it fun. The insurance office, the main/day job, has been insane the last month or two, and it's great that business is booming, but at the same time, with all the new business, it's hard to keep up the maintenance and regular day-to-day followup with all the existing business. Especially the filing (which I HATE! LOL). I'm hoping to get some extra before and after work hours in to clean it up a bit. It's driving me nuts!!

With working so much, it's been hard to keep up with what Liam's been up to. I've called on my breaks, and the internet is down at home, so I can't "Skype" with him, but they're starting up school soon, and I can't wait to hear about all his classes, and his club that his stepmom signed him up for called The Builders Club, in which they build little robots, and then compete in an age appropriate "Robot Wars" type setting. I think he'll enjoy it. I'm trying to get together a little care package together for him and his siblings, but I haven't had time to shop, and hopefully I can get it done this weekend and mailed off!!!

Today I dropped off our puppy Bear to a friend. With all the hours I'm working, I can't take care of him. I can't keep him out of his cage because he destroys and goes to the bathroom everywhere in the house, and I certainly don't want to keep him locked up in his cage all damn day, so it's a good fit. She has an older daughter, and two younger kids that have the time and energy to play with him. We still have Maddie dog and Shamrock, my kitty, and I'll still be able to visit Bear.

I don't have to work tonight (thank gawd!), so I'm gonna just settle in and watch "Sunshine Cleaning". I have a 15 hr day tomorrow, and then I work Saturday and Sunday night. Hopefully I'll get outta work on time Saturday, so I can head over to Crusher's parents for the little bonfire they're doing for his sister and dad's birthdays. I have Tues, Wed, Thurs nights off next week, so I might even be able to get a little karaoke in! Haven't been out in weeks. Haven't had time for the gym either, which I've been trying to figure out a schedule to that around my hours. It's been difficult, because when I DO have time off, there's so much to get done, and that gym is on the other side of town. Not sure what I'm going to do. Guess I'll have to figure that out.

I know I got the 2nd job for the money, but I think in a lot of ways I got it so I don't have to be home. Some days it's good, others, I just want to break down and cry. But it's all good. I'm moving on, and feeling better about myself again. It's amazing how events in your life make you change your views, how you look at things, and help you prioritize, while you watch others stay the same course, never put forth any effort, or that little extra, and know they are only setting themselves up for the same ol, same ol. That won't be me.

Tomorrow marks two years since my brother Mark took his own life. I've thought about him so much these past few weeks. I actually ASKED to work tomorrow night, because my thoughts are definitely not something I want to go out and drink with. Nothing bad... just not wanting to intoxicate my sorrow and make it 100x's worse, ya know? I love you Mark, and I just know you're out there somewhere, seeing how beautiful and all grown up Hannah looks. She's amazing Mark. Love and miss you bro.

Anywho, I'll try to get on and catch up with everyone when time allows. Have a kick ass weekend!!