Health and Safety Tips from Fire Station No. 33

Health and Safety Tips from Fire Station No. 33 — Sat Jan 01 04:04:00 UTC 2011 The firefighters at Station No. 33 in Rancho Bernardo have provided a number of health and safety tips for the community this year, shown in the weekly Firefighter Fridays column

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Health and Safety Tips from Fire Station No. 33

Tips For Understanding the Difference Between Detox Symptoms and Sickness

This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni’s Renegade Roundtable, which can be found at http://www.RenegadeRoundtable.com. In this excerpt, Nomi Shannon shares on understanding cleansing and the differences between detox symptoms and sickness.

Renegade Water Secrets with Nomi Shannon, raw food chef and author of The Raw Gourmet and a new book, Raw Food Celebrations.

Kevin: Today let’s just briefly start very, very quickly, because I know some people on this call have heard of who you are and know who you are, but very briefly just explain a little bit about your background, about the Hippocrates Institute and your book.

Nomi: Okey-doke, you already kind of talked a little bit about “The Raw Gourmet” which has been out for a few years. It’s considered the best first book to buy, it’s kind of like the raw food bible. I wanted it to be like that, I wasn’t sure, even when I was done, that it would be like that, but it turned out to be like that and I’m very, very happy. “The Raw Gourmet” in particular, is based on the program at Hippocrates Health Institute, which is a truly wonderful, wonderful place, it’s in West Palm Beach, Florida. It’s not an inexpensive program, there are others similar to it that are more budget. For example, Optimum Health Institute, in both San Diego and Texas, and a few other places, most of them are listed in the back of my book, where you can go for a three week all raw retreat.

And all of these programs follow the protocols, more or less, started by a lady by the name of Ann Wigmore. And she is the one who developed the use of wheat grass as a cleansing and healing product and also growing sprouts, soil grown sprouts, such as sunflower and buckwheat and the other kinds of sprouts that you are more familiar with like alfalfa.

I already was raw for probably a year or so, when through serendipity, and it would take an hour to even explain how it all came about, as a girl who was living in California wound up working in West Palm Beach Florida at Hippocrates Health Institute. It was a truly profound learning experience for me. I had absolutely no idea at all that I would ever wind up writing a book. It couldn’t have been further from my personal radar screen. But I learned so much there, not only the program itself, I did run the nine-week health educator course — I didn’t teach it, I ran it — and I was able to take everything that Hippocrates had to offer. I think the most enriching experience there was getting to know all the people that stayed. Everyone would come and most people would stay for three weeks. So it would go through a three-week cycle, three-week cycle, three-week cycle. It was a very interesting experience because you started to see trends.

I don’t remember if I mentioned it when we were in person, it was only a week ago Sunday Kevin, about how, on the fifth day, everybody would become all angry and hated their roommate and all that stuff. I don’t know if we talked about that, but that was the detox symptoms. So I learned a great deal there and I kept in touch with a lot of people.

And then when, in ’95 I left there and moved back to California, I couldn’t find any books that had delicious food in them. They were all the real basic kind of energy soup. Ann Wigmore was just wonderful, but it’s a little hard to live on that day in and day out. So I decided to write one, and thus “The Raw Gourmet” was born. And then just about two weeks ago my new book came out and that’s called “Raw Food Celebrations.” It’s a very different book to “The Raw Gourmet.” I co-wrote it with my friend Sheryl Duruz, who at the time was running a very vibrant raw food business called rawpleasure.com.au, which is in Australia. That company still exists, but Sheryl and her husband Peers have moved to Canada. And we decided to co-write a book. And it’s wonderful recipes. Most of them are make ahead, but they’re more like, I would say party food, but I don’t want anybody to think, “Oh, I’m not going to get that because it’s really complex stuff.” Each thing is broken down into tiny little steps and most of the recipes are very make ahead. So, for example, I created a new lasagna, and yes it’s about eight other things that are served in that suggested meal, it’s a theme book, Thai, Italian, that kind of thing, bunch, cocktails. So in the Italian section there are all kinds of other things, a divine chocolate cheesecake and things like that. Or you could just go in and make lasagna for a wonderful weekend dinner or something like that. So that was a lot of fun because it was different. I guess I’ve talked to you about myself enough. I bore myself when I talk about myself too much.

Kevin: [laughs] Well let’s talk about these over 400 questions that we’ve gotten here. I think I want to start with cleansing because I think people think that they’re so uniquely different. And when you mentioned if someone goes through a three- week program, that on the fifth day everyone seems to have the detox symptoms, that seems to me that everyone is somewhat similar. Not completely similar, but somewhat similar. One of the biggest question that we got from this call is where do you start with cleansing, what do you do first?

Nomi: I think the most important thing with cleansing is to understand it. On the one hand we could talk about it for three hours and not be done and on the other hand it’s rather divinely simple. So I think the first thing you need to understand is that your body was created, and you can choose how it was created, if god plunked you down in the garden or if you evolved from one cell, it doesn’t matter to me. I mean, I think it’s a combination of everything. However, we are quite divine in that our body is made to be a self-healing and self-cleansing unit.

The thing is, we, in today’s times, live in a very complex–or eat, let’s just say–in a very complex way so that we’re barely giving it a chance to do this healing and cleansing. I wasn’t around at the beginning, but I think that in the beginning food wasn’t that easy to come by. So, we were hunter/gatherers; we often went hungry. And no one was thinking about, “I think I’m going to stop eating for awhile so that my body can rest and cleanse.”

Everything’s changed now. I mean, I’m bombarded with information. There are like these, like news magazine, talking about you know in 1970, you know everybody ate a quarter of a cup of high-fructose corn syrup and now everybody eats 60 pounds of it and that’s why we’re obese. And, I mean, this is a very big… I stumble over my words because it’s such a big subject.

But for more than 99% of human history, the major problem in life was food- deficiency. And you know caloric deficiency has been and continues to be one of the most pressing problems of human life in third world countries. But in this developed society, the opposite is true and we’re eating food with filler, artificial chemicals and really high calories and we’re eating constantly. The typical SAD diet, standard American diet, is non-stop food. I mean, we’ve barely digested the one meal of food and we’re on to the next. Well, the body can’t, in its infinite wisdom, do what it’s supposed to do when we’re giving ourselves so much food.

This is the breakdown of health. And, you know, very significant of what’s been going on the last whatever, 40 or 50 years with the 48 in longevity and health in the world. There’s a reason for that and all you have to do is go to the supermarket.

So now we’ve come up with this rather artificial notion called cleansing. And it’s, in many ways, just a cessation of overeating. And how to cleanse, there’s a gazillion ways to do it. I know some of the questions are, “How should I do it? How long will it take?” Very simply, if you don’t want to think about it a lot, just by eating a very high amount of raw food, your body will gradually, over time, cleanse because it’s counter-intuitive to think about this, but your body digests, assimilates and eliminates raw far more easily, once it gets used to it, than it does all the cooked, process food.

Now, when you first eat a salad… I remember trying to convince my dad many years ago to–I know what it was, I made a soup, it wasn’t even raw, I wasn’t raw yet but it was filled with vegetables, many, many, 20 or 30 different vegetables. And, he said, “I can’t eat that it gives me a stomach ache,” which was his way of saying it gave him diarrhea. And the reason it did is the man never ate anything that resembled a vegetable. And so he thought, it’s making me sick. But what it immediately started to do was cleanse, that’s what that diarrhea was.

And, so, when I say you need to understand cleansing, it’s because it’s so easy to think you’re sick when you alter your diet and start to eat more healthy. But it’s really your body is like, “Oh, wow, she’s letting me eat a salad. Good, I’m going to get rid of some of these toxins.” And it manifests as you know various symptoms.

Kevin: What’s the difference between detox symptoms and sickness?

Nomi: Yeah, well, sometimes they feel, well, they always almost feel identical. And that’s why it’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into. And sometimes it’s not always the smartest thing to jump right into it. Now, say you’re very ill. You know, say you just got a very dire diagnosis. Well, it will probably be a really good idea to go to one of the places, scrape up the money and go to one of the places and be guided and be immersed in the program. And allow yourself to go through this, and some of it will be a little uncomfortable.

Like the people at Hippocrates, a lot of it was irritability, headache, nausea, lightheadedness, sometimes diarrhea, gas, that kind of thing. And symptoms can be much more serious.

I was just speaking with a lady today who might be on a call tonight. We got cut off, we couldn’t finish, but we’re going to have a consultation next week. And she was mentioning a lot of things that sounded like detoxification, but they were going on for a long time for her. And she felt like she was sick; like her skin broke out. So, then she went to the doctor and the doctor gave her some medication for it. Well, you know it’s a little hard to be able to discern and it’s really good to have some good books and some good guidance so that you can tell, because if you interrupt the cleansing process, you’re kind of setting yourself back. And there are ways to sort of regulate or modulate. If you’re not terribly ill and so you can take your time, so that you don’t get to the point where you have to stay home from work, kind of thing.

Boot Camp for New Dads Offer Tips for Keeping Your Baby Safe around the Holidays

                                

DATELINE:  IRVINE, CA …

              

 One of the most important concepts they teach new dads is how to provide a safe environment and keep the baby safe.  The holidays are busy and it’s more challenging than ever to keep the baby away from choking hazards and other dangers.

                                                                       

Greg Bishop, founder of Boot Camp for New Dads and author of two fatherhood books, shares tips from his second book, Crash Course for New Dads – Tools, Checklists and Cheat-Sheets for keeping your baby safe around the holidays:

                                                        

Toxins.   Sprucing up the house before the holidays?  Giving yourself a manicure before heading out to that holiday party?  Paints and lacquers, even nail polish and remover should not be used in the vicinity of your baby.  A newborn’s immune system is not fully developed, and these substances can be harmful even in small doses.

 

Smoking.  Though you and your spouse may not smoke, visiting relatives may not have a problem with lighting up around your baby.  Unlike you, your baby can’t move out of harm’s way.  Ask visiting smokers to take it outside or to the garage, far away from your baby’s lungs.

 

Pockets.  It’s always merry with a houseful of family and friends at the holidays.  But, with so many people moving around; sitting down and standing up – be aware that things can fall out of your guests’ pockets without anyone noticing.  You’re may grab hold of a small item and have it in her mouth before you know it.  Even swallowing a single penny might require your baby to go through surgery.  Stay aware and don’t be afraid to ask your guests to empty their pockets before holding your baby.

 

Salt and Honey.  Though you know the rules about not feeding salt and honey to your baby; family and friends may not.  Although you can’t keep sodium out of your baby’s food, excess salt is detrimental to his kidneys and blood pressure.  And, up until your baby turns one year old, babies should NEVER be fed honey.  Honey can cause infant botulism, which could lead to death.  Be sure that well-meaning relatives who may not be aware of the rules don’t allow your baby to sample even a bite of holiday cuisine without checking with you first. 

                                                                                            

Decorations.  Holiday decorations are a feast for the eyes.  Unfortunately, they are also a choking hazard to babies and toddlers who may find small pieces and put them in their mouths.  When decorating your home, use the “slide-and-hide” technique.  Take a toilet-paper tube and use it as a measuring device.  If an object can slide down the tube, it can also slide down your baby’s breathing passage.  Put those decorations that don’t pass this test away until your baby is much older.  And, of course keep a watchful eye on your baby when visiting relatives or friends with older children who may have decorations and small toys around their home.

 

About the Boot Camp for New Dads Program

Boot Camp for New Dads has worked with more than 200,000 new dads at their workshops held over the past 19 years.  After attending a Boot Camp for New Dads “hands on” educational workshop, dads-to-be are better equipped to face the challenges and opportunities of fatherhood.  Men attend the class when they are expecting their first baby, and are joined in the workshop by “veterans” who had previously attended and have returned with their two to four-month-old baby in tow.  They are able to give the dads-to-be a realistic idea of what to do and what to expect when their first baby comes.  For many men attending, it’s their first time holding a baby.

 

Boot Camp for New Dads        

Now celebrating their 19th year, Boot Camp for New Dads is nationally acclaimed as the “Best Practice” for preparing men to be fathers and has been named a U.S. Navy Model Program.  Boot Camp for New Dads has prepared more than 200,000 men for fatherhood over the years. 

           

With more than 4.1 million births (National Center for Health Statistics), and approximately 1.5 million men becoming new dads every year, it’s more important than ever for fathers to realize that being a “good provider” is only part of the very central role they have in their children’s lives. 

 

For more information about Boot Camp for New Dads, visit www.bcnd.org.  To arrange an interview with Greg Bishop, please contact sdubin@prworkzone.com, (781) 582-1061.

                                                                                 

National and International Locations

Boot Camp For New Dads locations include ALASKA (Anchorage); ARIZONA (Chandler, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sun City); ARKANSAS (Jonesboro, Paragould, Springdale); CALIFORNIA (Apple Valley, Bakersfield, , Fresno, Garden Grove, Irvine, Laguna Hills, Madera, Merced, Mission Hills, , Oakland, Orange, Pomona, Port Hueneme, San Diego, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, , S. Lake Tahoe, Travis, Valley Springs); COLORADO (Aurora, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Denver, Durango, Fort Collins, Fort Carson, Greeley, Longmont, Thornton, Wheat Ridge); CONNECTICUT (Bristol, Danbury, New London); FLORIDA (Brandon, Clearwater, Hollywood, Jacksonville, North Palm Beach, Orlando, St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, Sarasota, Tampa); GEORGIA (Atlanta, Elberton, Gainesville, Marietta, Savannah); HAWAII (Pearl Harbor, Schofield); ILLINOIS (Aurora, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago, East St. Louis, Evanston, Freeport, Geneva, Great Lakes, Highland Park, Libertyville, Moline, Oak Park, Rockford, Springfield, Urbana, Winfield); INDIANA (Anderson, Bluffton, Hammond, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, Kokomo); IOWA (Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Jefferson, Sioux City); KANSAS (Junction City, Topeka); KENTUCKY (Paducah); LOUISIANA (Covington); MAINE (Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, Ellsworth, Waterville); MARYLAND (Annapolis) MASSACHUSETTS (Beverly, Ipswich, Lowell, Nantucket, Plymouth, Weymouth, Springfield); MICHIGAN (, Ann Arbor, Bay City, Centreville, Iron Mountain, Ithaca, Kalamazoo, Niles, St Joseph, Ypsilanti); MINNESOTA (Brainerd, Duluth, Robbinsdale); MISSISSIPPI (Tupelo); MISSOURI (Jefferson City) MONTANA (Billings, Helena, Miles City); NEBRASKA (Kearney, Lincoln, Omaha); NEVADA (Las Vegas) NEW HAMPSHIRE (Manchester, Portsmouth); NEW JERSEY (Princeton) NEW YORK (Glens Falls, Little Falls, Mineola, Rome, Utica); NORTH CAROLINA (Burlington, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Concord, Ft. Bragg, Greensboro, Monroe, Raleigh, Shelby); NORTH DAKOTA (Grand Forks); OHIO (Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, East Cleveland, East Liverpool, Garfield Heights, Lima, Lorain, Mayfield Heights, Middleburg Heights, Orange Village, Portsmouth, Toledo, Warren, Westlake, Youngstown); OKLAHOMA (Claremore, Oklahoma City, Tulsa); OREGON (Corvalis, McMinnville, Salem, Silverton); SOUTH CAROLINA (Columbia, Pickens, Walhalla); TENNESSEE (Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis); TEXAS (Amarillo, Dallas, Fort Hood, Longview, Lubbock, Plano, San Antonio, Texarkana, Waco, Webster); VERMONT (Barre, Brattleboro, Middlebury); VIRGINIA (Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Hampton, Richmond) WASHINGTON (Everett, Fairchild AFB, Longview, Olympia, Puyallup, Yakima); WEST VIRGINIA (Wheeling); WISCONSIN (Florence, Green Bay, Madison, Oshkosh, Watertown, Wausau); JAPAN (Atsugi, Yokosuka), ITALY (Sicily); UNITED KINGDOM [a.k.a. Hit the Ground Crawling] (Birmingham, Liverpool)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Tips For Making A Home Energy Efficient

Today’s home buyers increasingly prefer energy efficient homes and condos. An energy efficient home or condo not only contributes toward cutting your utility bill, but can also increase the value of your property.

Many features go into making a home energy efficient. Energy efficient products are available for almost every part of a house such as the plumbing system, water heating system, appliances, air conditioning, electrical system, roofing materials, windows, insulation, etc.

So where do you start to learn about ways to make your home or condo more energy efficient? Start with an Internet search. There are numerous web-based tools for home owners to help you calculate the power consumed by the various appliances and systems in a home. Armed with information from these sites, you will know exactly the steps to take in order to make your home more energy efficient.

Here are a few things you can implement now to make your home more energy efficient.

1. Improve insulation of attic, exterior and basement walls, ceilings, floors and heating ducts.

2. Use energy recovery ventilators.

3. Install solar power systems.

4. Block air leaks from holes or cracks in walls, doors, windows, etc.

5. Use lighting control systems such as occupancy sensors, timers and dimmers.

6. Keep the fireplace damper closed when not in use.

7. Install a programmable thermostat to change the settings automatically.

8. Test your ducts for air leakage.

9. Provide shading for the air conditioning condenser.

10. Wrap the water heater with a thermal blanket.

An Engery efficient home helps almost everyone. Prospective home buyers benefit from buying properties that have lower utility costs. Sellers may be able to charge a premium for homes that are energy efficient. And society benefits because there is less utilization of scarce energy resources.

If you are considering buying a home, condo, or any other type of real estate, seek out the services of a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about energy efficient homes. This agent should be able to help you find a home that not only meets your housing needs, but also offers the benefits of energy-efficiency.

Tips on a Memorable Trip to Legoland California

Everyone plays with Legos from adults to kids so this will be an adventure that you and your children will really enjoy. Carlsbad, California is home to Legoland. This is where you and your family get to see giant Lego sculptures and enjoy various rides and attractions.

As the only amusement park of its kind in the United States, LegoLand offers more than 15,000 Lego creations made from more than 35 million interlocking bricks. Within the park you’ll find thrilling rides, restaurants, gift shops, and much more. There are also several themed locations, including the Land Of Adventure, Knights Kingdom and the Pharaoh’s Revenge.

One fun ride children often enjoy is the Volvo Driving School. Your kids will get a chance to take a driving “test” and receive a driver’s license of their very own. Get the card laminated and purchase a lanyard for wearing so they can show off their driving expertise. There are two tracks, so even little ones can participate.

Of course, the fun doesn’t end there. Lost Kingdom is waiting for you to ride through. This ancient temple is the scene for treasures which you need to find and the bad guys made of Lego need to be taken care of with your laser gun. In other parts of the park, kids can ride a Lego horse and enjoy a jousting tournament or wear themselves out climbing the rope climbs at The Hideaways.

For any kid who ever dreamed of living on the high seas, check out the Pirate Shores. Sail on the Splash Battle fleet and soak other riders with this attraction’s many water cannons. Smaller children will enjoy a place called Swabbie’s Deck, as it’s a great place to get cooled off without worrying about going overboard.

One of the cool things that everyone will enjoy is Mini Land USA. This is a reproduction of different aspects of the U. S. and it is made entirely of Legos. Besides famous American sites, keep your eyes open for the funny things going on within the scenes, like a Lego man being arrested. Finding the hidden secrets is part of the adventure.

Competitions between families is another aspect of the park as well as 3-D and 4-D racing and the world of sorcerers and knights.

Lots of extra events and attractions are being added to celebrate Legoland’s recent 10th anniversary. Highlights include a fireworks show every Saturday during the summer of 2009 and the 2009 Master Model Builder Competition, where you can take your love of Legos just a little farther.

This is a building contest that will allow you to enter your own artistic work. The judges will choose a winner each month and those winners will attend the final build off. Monthly winners also receive four tickets to visit Legoland again.

Even those people who aren’t big fans of Legos will enjoy this park, though the park is especially geared toward kids twelve and younger. It’s small enough to explore in one day, with parking close to the entrance and access just off a major freeway.

Fitness and Nutritional Tips for the Perpetual Business Traveler

It has become more evident than ever, that the weekly jet setting business person is more apt to fall off the health and fitness regimen, when compared to non traveling business person. This can be extremely frustrating for them, as in most cases, the intention and desire to keep up with their fitness program is good, but the conscientious desires are often sabotaged by the last minute unexpected business meeting and late evening networking dinner.

My company Somagenesis Health and Fitness has earned the reputation in the San Diego business community as the “business persons” personal training company of choice”. As president of Somagenesis, I personally manage the health and fitness lifestyles of 25 upper echelon businessmen and women. Approximately 50% of them travel weekly, and struggle with eating healthy, and/or getting in a simple maintenance workout. Here are some great and interesting solutions to these common problems.

1. Nutrition: Stocking up of healthy pre-assembled meal entrees is an easy solution. Companies like Susan’s Healthy Gourmet, or Nutra-System can create tasty healthy foods based on your dietary and caloric needs. A small carry on refrigerator lunch box can easily store 3 full meals and several quality protein bars. These food items, can save you time, money and the frustration involved in trying to locate healthy eating establishments. I have personally checked with many of the local commuter airlines, and their are no restrictions to carrying on personal foods or snacks.

2. Eating out: If you are in a situation where you must attend an important business dinner, be smart and make the right choices. Stick to red wines at 70 calories a glass versus the Apple Martini or Dewar’s Scotch on the rocks, which can easily amount to 450 calories. Alcohol carbohydrate calories are always converted to fat calories by the liver. Don’t drink yourself fat with alcohol calories. With meal entree’s always stick to roasted lean meats, fish and poultry entrees. Skinless chicken, roast beef, and halibut are always good low fat, low calorie choices. If in doubt about the healthiness of the food, always ask the waiter how the food is prepared. Don’t be reserved and shy, your associates will be impressed by your healthy mindset.

As a precursor to your main entree’, always indulge in a healthy high fiber garden salad with low caloric, low fat dressing. The fiber will create a gastronomical sense of satiety before you get to your main entree. Always beware of the bread basket that sits before you. A single slice of French, Italian or Sourdough bread can cost you 200 non nutritious calories, and you know, it is impossible to eat just one! Just say no.

3. Eating and drinking during boring conference room meetings: Keep your eyes and hands off the sugar glazed danish with the raspberry jelly in the center, bear claws and coffee cake. On average, eating one of these belly bombers will cost you 500 calories of junk, gut bloating calories. Ask any New York City Cop sitting in his squad car about the ramifications of just sitting and indulging in Dunkin Doughnuts. Just say no!

Instead, bring some of your favorite energy bars, trail mix medley or snack on the fruit that is commonly available at most conferences. Both Medical and business conferences are notorious for monotone speakers and a head bobbing audience, so coffee, tea, orange juice and and water are always in abundance. Coffee, tea and water are always your best choices, especially if staying awake is a problem. These drink items are low in sugar, and caffeine can rev up your adrenal gland and your metabolism. Conversely, orange juice and other fruit juices only jack up your blood sugars, which result in a post hypoglycemic reaction and secondary drop in insulin level. The end result sleepiness and hunger pangs. Remember, the secondary function of insulin is abdominal fat storage.

4. Getting in that workout: Be sure not to forget to pack your workout cloths and shoes. The good news is many hotels have a small workout center and/or a swimming pool. Hotels like Marriott and Double Tree now have a treadmill, Swiss ball and dumb bells in your personal hotel room. This is a plus for the time management challenged businessman. The best time to begin your workout is first thing in the morning. If you meeting is at 8:00AM , get to the gym by 6:00AM for a 1 hour workout. Split your workout into 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of resistance training. You will feel more alive and alert for your meeting. Planning a post meeting workout is possible, but the chances of not getting in your workout, are seriously reduced. Too often unexpected business meetings and dinners sabotage the best intended plans.

5. Motivation: Your attitude for success can make or break your ability to eat health and get in your workout. My mantra to all my clients is” if you put as much energy into your health and fitness as you have your career, you could easily be another Arnold Schwarzenegger. So get chronic with the program”

In summary, the 21st century business persona lives a crazy unpredictable lifestyle that can be disastrous to overall health. I have numerous clients who had or currently live with morbid obesity, hypertension, diabetes, fatty liver disease, had strokes, chronic depression, anxiety disorders and have had heart attacks in their 40’s and 50’s. Why does this happen? There are numerous explanations, however the more common reasons are, lack of life-style balance, devotion to competition and the lure of the all mighty dollar. The remedy is so simple, but often overlooked. Exercise, proper nutrition and stress management. This has been proven over and over again, by the medical community as the most effective approach to improve health and longevity. The question is how bad do you want this, and are you willing to acquiesce and get help from the experts?

Should you decide to take the first step to improve the quality of your life, consider consulting the health, fitness and lifestyle management experts at Somagenesis. Log into our award winning web site at www.somagenesis.com and peruse the testimonials of fellow San Diego businessmen who have made the life changing transition into health and fitness.

16 Tips for Getting Maximum Weight Loss and Fitness Results in Minimum Time

San Diego’s Top Certified Personal Fitness Trainer Reveals the essential strategies for lasting weight loss and lifelong fitnessby oksanapet16 Tips for getting maximum Weight Loss and Fitness results in minimum time *Do you want to improve the quality of your life? *Do you want to look and feel better than you have in years – maybe better than you ever have before? *Do you want to protect yourself from disease and injury? And do you want to live a longer, more vital life? I’m confident that you answered “YES!” to each of those questions, just as have the hundreds of individuals I’ve counseled, coached, and trained in my career as a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer and Health Expert. Right now I’m going to reveal to you the 16 essential strategies that have enabled my clients to achieve these important goals. These simple strategies can be immediately implemented into your lifestyle with little sacrifice on your part (okay, if not eating artery clogging fast food burgers and fries is a big thing for you, then maybe you won’t look at that sacrifice as “easy,” but I guarantee you it will add quality years to your life). Why believe me? Because I have been training people for 14 years. Because I’ve seen people fail and others succeed. Because I’m the only person in San Diego who has 15 years of solid medical training, a NSCA CPT, and I am also a Certified Master Fitness Instructor through the Prestigious Coopers Institute. Because all of my Personal Training Clients are happy and getting good results. I am giving you this information because I’m tired of seeing people getting ripped off and wasting their time and energy on the latest “Miracle” diet or device. I’m tired of seeing slick marketers make a lot of money by selling people lies that won’t help them. So let’s get right into it. Read on to discover… 1. How to Stay Motivated.One of the biggest problems most people have is that they work out great for a couple of weeks, then just fade away. The people who stick with it are those who have these two things in common: * They don’t follow a set routine. Routines always become boring. They also set you up for repetitive stress injuries. They don’t work either. Your body quickly adapts to any routine and doesn’t need to change any more to keep up. * They get on an effective exercise program, so they get good results. The people who lose their motivation are the people who get frustrated because they are not getting good results. When you are getting good results, you will be so pumped that it’s actually hard to quit. A good fitness instructor will help you with both of these items. 2. Don’t make it so hard.Most people think of exercise as torture. They imagine that you must sweat and groan for hours every day to get in good shape. Not so, my friend! Two days per week of 30-minute low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, biking, swimming); and two days per week of 30-minute light resistance training (using weights or resistance machines) is adequate in the beginning. As you become acclimated to the lifestyle shift, you can add more days and get improved results. But beware: if you try to do too much too fast, you may end up quitting altogether. If you’ve tried and failed doing it alone, then I suggest you get a training partner or personal trainer who will help you sustain your motivation. 3. Your exercise program needs only three things. If you skip any one of these three, your results will suffer. * Resistance Exercise. This will raise your metabolism and cause you to burn more calories all day, even when you are asleep at night. * Cardiovascular Exercise. Your heart rate during cardio exercise should be 60% to 80% of your maximum heart rate. The simple formula for calculating your 100% maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. If the intensity of your exercise increases your heart rate beyond 80%, slow it down a bit. If your heart rate isn’t at least 60%, quit loafing. Your personal trainer can supply you with a simple heart rate monitor you can wear during exercise so you always stay in your peak fat-burning range. * Proper Nutrition. A good, hard workout can burn maybe 300-500 calories in 30-45 minutes. It only takes one Big Mac to flush your entire workout down the toilet. 4. Don’t waste your time working small muscles with isolated movements.If you don’t enjoy doing resistance training or are pressed for time, concentrate on working the largest muscle groups with compound resistance movements. When I see overweight people doing wrist curls or lateral raises, I wonder why. It’s generally just a lack of understanding of how their bodies work. Most people want to lose fat and tone and firm their bodies. The way to do that is to use resistance (weights or machines) to train the large muscle groups. Men should be concentrating on legs, chest and back. Women should concentrate more on their legs and back. The best exercises for legs are lunges or squats (your personal trainer will show you the proper form and then monitor you during the exercise) and leg press. The best chest exercise is bench press, and the best back exercise is the seated row. All of these are compound movements, which means they incorporate multiple muscle groups. 5. Always, always, always stretch.Stretching improves flexibility, blood flow, muscle recovery, low back pain and a host of other things. Additionally, stretching can prevent injury, make you sleep better and improve your performance in all sports. Always stretch, but be certain not to stretch cold muscles. You should always warm up before stretching. However, it is very important that you know how to stretch. Never bounce! Your personal trainer will show you the proper execution and timing of your stretches. 6. Don’t do traditional sit-ups. Unless you are super athlete with an incredibly well-developed midsection, sit-ups can lead to a strained lower back and possibly lumbar injuries. But it gets worse. Rather than hitting your abdominal section, sit-ups can shift exercise tension to your hip flexors – which defeats the purpose. There is so much misinformation about how to strengthen, tone, and firm the midsection, it’s almost frightening. It is very difficult to learn proper abdominal exercise technique by reading about it or watching it demonstrated on a video. You need to do it with supervision and get feedback about your form from a knowledgeable source. And keep in mind that you use your abdominal muscles in almost every single movement you make. Strengthening your abdominal region is the single most effective way to prevent, or recover from, low back pain. 7. Set realistic, attainable goals.You must have tangible, quantifiable, short-term, and long-term goals for your fitness program so you can gauge your progress. It’s crucial to have a “baseline” before you begin, so you can measure success. Your personal trainer can give you a complete fitness analysis (you need this!) that will aid you and your trainer in developing a personalized fitness program, which addresses your particular needs. Having goals, particularly short-term goals, allows you to track your progress and keep motivated when times are tough and you don’t feel like exercising. Keeping a journal of your cardio and resistance training workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success secret. Just remember that your goals should be realistic and attainable. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you is to talk to a fitness professional – not to buy into the “hype” of infomercial’s, diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead. 8. Set exercise appointments with yourself.Use your day-timer to set appointments for exercise – and then stick to them. You wouldn’t miss a business meeting or client appointment, would you? So don’t miss your exercise appointment with yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. Nothing. Everything else will crumble around you if your health goes south. So make your exercise appointments a priority. If you find it difficult to keep these appointments, then consider hiring a personal trainer who will hold you to your commitment. When you have money invested, and someone waiting for you to show up – you are much more likely to actually show up! 9. Remember the benefits of exercise.Remember that feeling of euphoria you experienced after a particularly good work-out? You experienced that feeling because the most powerful “feel good” drug in the world – endorphins – were coursing through your veins. If there is a panacea, it’s exercise. Nothing feels better than the post-work-out high you experience after exercising. Revel in that feeling. Let it wash over you and truly experience it. Etch that feeling in your brain. It will fuel your motivation on those inevitable days when you just don’t feel like exercising. Being physically fit affects every single aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better, and live better! 10. Exercise correctly.So much time is wasted doing, at best, unproductive exercise, or at worst, dangerous exercise. Get educated on how to exercise correctly. And the absolute best way to do that is to hire a personal trainer to develop a program for you and then teach you what to do and how to do it right. Personal training does not have to be an ongoing process. You can hire a personal trainer for whatever length of time you need to learn the ropes. It could be five sessions, or it could be fifteen sessions. It’s completely up to you. But statistics prove that those who understand how to exercise correctly, get better, faster results. And that’s what you want, right? Results! 11. Enjoy yourself.The most difficult thing is actually getting into your running shoes or going to the gym. But once you begin your work-out, relax and enjoy the process. Don’t fight it. Make exercise your personal time. When you are exercising you can focus completely on yourself. Yes, exercising can and should be somewhat rigorous (depending on your level of fitness), but it is just that investment which makes it supremely rewarding. As with anything, if you are in the moment, you can fully appreciate the experience and truly enjoy the process. 12. Americans eat too many carbohydrates for our lifestyles.I’m not advocating the high protein, high saturated fat diet that you hear so much about (frankly, its dangerous). But I am advocating minimizing your intake of bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and, of course, all sugary drinks. We are no longer an agrarian society participating in manual labor. Most of us are fairly sedentary throughout the day and therefore do not need the high levels of carbohydrates to sustain our energy. Additionally, carbohydrates are addictive. The more donuts you eat, the more you want. The bulk of your carbohydrates should come from vegetables and fruit. And those with high water content, such as cucumbers, grapefruit, tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries and even vegetable soups (watch out for high sodium), will fill you up nicely. By the way, numerous studies have conclusively proven that the quarter of the population eating the most vegetables get half the cancer of the quarter eating the least! 13. Deep-fried food has no nutritional value – none!Almost every food, whether it’s steak, chocolate or red wine, has some nutrients to contribute. But one thing is absolute: fried foods are garbage. Potato chips, French fries, onion rings, breaded chicken strips and all the rest of the deep-fried junk are pregnant with saturated fat and calories, and they contain almost zero nutritional value. If you’re trying to lose weight and/or reduce fat, simply eliminate fried foods completely from your diet. Yikes! That stuff is scary. 14. Never, ever skip breakfast.If you want to maximize your fitness results or fat-loss efforts, you’ve got to eat breakfast. Even if you don’t exercise at all – breakfast remains the most important meal of the day. Your breakfast should contain complete proteins and complex carbohydrates (if you’re trying to lose weight, you should eat the bulk of your complex carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch and only have vegetable carbohydrates at dinner). A great breakfast is oatmeal (not the pre-packaged, pre-sweetened kind) with a little honey and banana and a protein drink. Or try scrambled egg whites with Healthy Choice turkey sausage. 15. Drink plenty of fresh, clean water.Yes, I know that you’ve heard this over and over again. But there’s a reason for that – it’s the gospel truth! The recommended amount is approximately eight glasses, or 64 ounces, of water every day. When you are exercising, you need to drink even more. Over 75% of your body is water (even bone is more than 20% water). When you don’t drink enough water, and substitute diuretics like coffee, tea and caffeinated sodas, you dehydrate your body, your blood doesn’t flow properly, and your digestive system doesn’t operate smoothly (among other problems). Even a small deficit of water can radically affect how your body performs. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if you’re urine is a dark yellow and/or has a strong odor, you’re not drinking enough water. Drink up! 16. Eat regularly throughout the day.Fasting or overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run, because the weight you lose is primarily water weight and lean muscle mass. In the long run, it has exactly the opposite effect you want. When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by storing fat. Energy expenditures are fueled by your lean muscles. Therefore your body fat remains essentially the same and you lose vital fluids and muscle instead. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism becomes, and the less fat you burn. Instead of eating three big meals (or worse yet, one HUGE meal) eat five or six nutritionally balanced “snack/meals” each day. This keeps your metabolic furnace stoked, so you burn more at a faster rate. I know, it’s counter-intuitive, but it’s true!There you have it. 16 essential strategies for an effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you looking and feeling better than you have in years – maybe ever! I realize that starting (or re-starting) a productive and effective health and fitness program is not easy. That’s why I encourage you to get help. If you’re sick, you go to the doctor. If you’ve got a tax problem, you see an accountant (or an attorney!). Have a toothache? You’re off to the dentist. So why is it that so many people attempt to solve their health and fitness problems without consulting an expert? I don’t know exactly, but I encourage you to make the investment in yourself – in your quality of life – by hiring a certified personal fitness trainer to educate you and help you get started (because the hardest part is just getting started and sustaining your motivation until fitness becomes habitual). Once you develop the habit, which can take as little as thirty days, your whole life will change for the better. If I can be of any assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to call me. I’m happy to speak with you and give you my recommendations without any sales pressure (I hate it when people try to “sell” me, so I wouldn’t try that on you). Please E-mail me to obtain any additional information you may need. Thank you. Best in Health,Rivak E. Hoffmanhttp://www.somagenesis.com

About the AuthorExperience: 12 years and counting.

I’m not just your average trainer. Some trainers don’t look like trainers. Many lack the medical aptitude and experience to design and implement a safe and effective exercise program, and that’s a bad sign from the start. Some train their clients exactly as they train themselves. Many hurt their clients and send them back to their sedentary lifestyles.

Myself, I think “outside the box” and bring life to others. I don’t duplicate fitness programs and my training programs are constructive, not destructive. Each and every client I train has a unique experience. With the overwhelming, conflicting advertising and marketing campaigns in the health and fitness industry, the average consumer becomes confused and disoriented in their eating habits and exercise programs. I find it a personal challenge and responsibility to weed out the fact from the fiction. A hypothesis is only a guess until proven with real statistically proven hardcore research with large sampling. Solid facts also come from anecdotal experience and documented evidence over time.

Moreover, I have trained my mind and body for sports competition since age 13. I have learned how to incorporate my vast levels of knowledge in nutrition, resistance training, and sports-specific training techniques towards further achieving new goals and winning races.

18 years tenure as a board certified medical professional in General Medicine and Neuro-Ophthalmology gives me the expertise to analyze and evaluate metabolic and systemic medical factors that often complicate weight loss, weight gain, and metabolic problems. These factors seriously complicate the ability to lose weight, and most trainers do not have the knowledge to solve these dilemmas.

With my diverse background in both medicine and as a personal trainer, I can create a healthy, strong, high performance body, which will look awesome and perform to higher levels. My unique style as a fitness instructor coupled with my medical knowledge allows me to methodically design a safe, effective, and productive exercise program to suit your goals.

Here’s an overview of my experience and credentials:

National Strength and Conditioning Assoc.

Certified Personal Trainer Credential of Distinction

Coopers Institute of Aerobic Research

Master Fitness Specialist

American Academy of Health Fitness and Rehabilitation Professionals Medical Exercise Specialist

American Academy of Health Fitness and Rehabilitation Professionals Post Rehabilitation Conditioning Specialist

Member American Academy of Sports Medicine

Member National Strength and Conditioning Association

Member American Academy of Ophthalmology

Member Joint Commission of Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology

BS Biology University of Connecticut

Graduate Physician’s Asst Program

US Army Academy of Health Sciences Fort Sam Houston, TX
Article Source: OnlineEarnings Article Board

Cardio Training Tips For The Great Outdoors

Summer is always around one corner or another; even when it feels like it’s the dead of winter. After all, summer is only ever 8 months away at the most. But perhaps we should qualify that by saying that becoming prepared for summer and its many outdoor opportunities and fun-filled days, is something that pays off rapidly, no matter what the season. Before you know it, the preparations that you make for summer in crisp weather, are soon leading into hot, sunny days with zero cloud cover. Each year, we find ourselves asking, “Where did the time go?”

It’s never too early – or too late – to get in touch with summer’s many activities, or in shape for them. Many activities that we can enjoy as a part of a season of sun shining for 12 + hours daily can be enjoyed in one form or another all year long. And that isn’t only for those lucky enough to live in hot climates, such as L.A. or San Diego, that’s for just about everyone! In fact, the time we spend training in these activities during seasons outside of summer, only make our participation in them during the summer months, all the more rewarding. The key is, that it may take us folks with four definite seasons a little extra creativity to come up with the perfect training tool or activity to both enjoy in the moment and prepare us for summer fun!

So what does everyone like to do in summer? Well, if you’re an active person, hiking or trail running is high on the list, as is biking and swimming. These take a certain amount of strength, but mostly they require endurance, which makes them a great way to get outside and get some sun and cardio at the same time.

You may not be able to do all of these exercises where you live, but go ahead and pick one that you may be able to do and run (no pun intended) with it. Trust us, exercising outdoors beats the panties off doing cardio in some sweaty gym next to a 300lb. housewife.

Outdoor Cardiovascular Activities

Many of you who are out of shape may consider the simple act of pounding tent poles into the ground at a campsite a cardiovascular activity, but we can assure you it isn’t! However, if you’re anything like us, you have to start someplace, and maybe pounding tent poles is all you’ve been motivated to do for the past 5 years. Just think if you brought along a pair of hiking boots or a bicycle… life might become even more exciting!

Cycling

Since cycling can encompass more than one type, we broke this category in half and devoted equal time to mountain biking and road cycling. Each requires different equipment. People engage in them for very different reasons, but choosing either can provide innumerable benefits to those seeking cardiovascular fitness.

Mountain Biking

The mountain bike is the weekend warrior’s finest tool. Mountain bikes can run anywhere from $149 for a basic model (purchased at a membership warehouse) that includes no front fork shocks, and a heavier steel frame, all the way to $2,500 for a model imported from Europe that highlights a lightweight aluminum frame, shocks, a suspension seat for position and comfort and the highest quality gears and sprockets. It’s the difference between hideous tasting margarine and triple cream gourmet butter, and it all depends upon your budget and how intensely you want to focus on the sport.

Does each do the job of taking you from garage to trail? You bet. Though, you might require carpel tunnel surgery for your wrists after riding the model without suspension over a period of years and miles.

Places to Go: The great thing is, mountain biking offers something for just about everyone from the youngest rider to the grayest of seniors. For the adventurous, many ski areas in the central part of the U.S. and some on the East and West coasts will offer summer programs and passes for mountain biking along the many trails within a ski area. Snowboard terrain parks, complete with half pipes, are opened up to adventurous (read: young and fearless) folks who want to ride mountain bikes and BMX cycles down a course of rails and obstacles. For those more cerebrally adventurous folks, portions of Lewis and Clark Trails from North Dakota across into Oregon are opened up in the summer for those wanting sane, leisurely, historic rides across gentle hills and valleys.

Equipment needed:

Mountain bike, helmet, and cycling shoes if you forgo toe baskets. A good flat kit,

Calories burned:

Recreational riding ~ between 10-15 calories per minute

Hardcore trail riding ~ between 15-22 calories per minute

Advantage:

Anyone can get on a mountain bike and ride without instruction, the ability to commune with nature, by engaging physically, mentally and emotionally.

Disadvantages:

Bone, soft tissue and internal injuries at one time or another are likely. Death on trails with trees and rocks is always a possibility, even with good equipment. Ride according to ability at all times.

Benefits:

Burns body fat, strengthens leg muscles, improves balance and dexterity

THINK: Circuit training on wheels

Mountain Biking Capital of the U.S.: Moab, Utah

Most Intriguing Mountain Biking Trip:

206 mile, week long, Hut-to-Hut travel from Telluride, Colorado to Moab, Utah, for more information: www.sanjuanhuts.com

Road Cycling

Touring bikes are the antithesis of the mountain bike. They are much lighter in total weight, typically feature an aluminum frame these days, and are much more expensive to own and maintain because of the quality of gearing. Whereas most people would probably just store their mountain bikes in the garage all year, without having cleaned the mud off, touring bikes specifically designed for road cycling require maintenance and up-keep; the least of which is cleaning dirt off a frame! Road cycling, however, provides the purest of cardio advantages, whereas mountain biking can often make heart rates fluctuate too severely during actual trail riding to provide consistent fat burning benefits.

Prices for adequate touring cycles start at around $350 for a very basic, heavier model with no bells and whistles, an uncomfortable “saddle” and gears that will eventually break without too much prompting, all the way up to $5000 for an entry level world class cycle. If you plan on cycling religiously, it pays to pay in the upper range. That range would likely start at $1000 for a reliable road bike you can take out and ride between 50 and 100 miles, 5 days per week.

Equipment needed:

A good quality road bike, a flat kit, helmet, biker shorts with butt padding for long rides, a quality saddle that doesn’t compromise genitalia, a map or GPS device, and a heart rate monitor.

Calories burned:

20-25 per minute on extended rides, depending upon speed.

Advantages:

Because you’re riding on pavement, the need to worry about changes in terrain is usually non-existent. You can keep a steady pace and burn fat at a rate set by you on your heart rate monitor. Road access is much easier to come by than trail access, so you can literally ride anywhere.

Disadvantages:

The initial investment is high for those who aren’t sure. Not investing in a good bike can cause you to formulate an opinion of road cycling you might not otherwise form with superior equipment. You run the risk of getting hit by a car, or the injuries you sustain from constant strain can require rehab.

Benefits:

Burns fat, allows the person to see the world from a bike, builds great quads, hamstrings and calves because feet are attached and part of pedal. Can produce elite cardiovascular conditioning with half the stress of running.

Cycling Capital of North America:

Montreal, Canada

Most Intriguing Cycling Event:

Montreal Bike Fest’s “Tour de I’lle” and “Un Tour la Nuit” in Montreal, Canada – a carnival of cyclery held in early June each year, where 45,000 folks peddle through the streets of Montreal; both during the day and on night rides through the city. For more information, contact either:

www.tourisme-montreal.org

OR

www.velo.qc.ca

Hiking/Trail Running

We lumped these together because they are, after all, the total package of logical progression from sometime weekend warrior to elite athletic runner. Start with hiking and if you want more than beautiful scenery and gently inclined trails, pick up the pace and start running.

Hiking

The great thing about hiking is that you can do it anywhere. And the best part is, it usually costs nothing. You can hike across the K-Mart parking lot over to the local A&P or you can hike a famous national forest trail in search of mountain goats and shortness of breath. Dizzying and exhilarating is how anyone might describe serious hiking, however. And there is a difference. Walking is walking and hiking is hiking. The difference is, there is usually a trail involved in hiking, and the terrain can change on a moment’s notice. That’s the excitement and unknown element inherent in hiking that makes it so appealing to well over 1 million people in the U.S. each year. And while that’s still a lot of sedentary folk left behind, more and more people are getting into hiking as a way of life – either seasonally or year ‘round – in order to improve their level of fitness and to help them commune with nature.

The great thing is, there’s a hike for practically anyone of any age and physical condition. There are flat trails that are one mile or less – something along the lines of the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Gardens – to Glacier National Park just outside of Kalispell, Montana, where trails can lead hikers for hundreds of miles, to the HardCore outback of Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness where it’s wild and wooly and a man could get lost for an eternity without supplies and a good GPS device. Any way you choose to go, hiking can provide you with exercise, and plenty of exposure to the wonders of nature.

Equipment needed:

Your two good legs, comfortable clothes (such as pants w/ zip off legs), a pair of wool socks, hiking boots (broken in), as much water as you can carry

Calories burned:

10-18 per minute, depending upon the trail pitch and pace of hiker.

Advantages:

Anyone can put one foot in front of the other. It usually costs nothing apart from the initial investment into quality gear. Can stop and take photographs of wildlife that might never come into your own backyard. Brings families closer together.

Disadvantages:

You must always carry at least water, along with survival food, a good First-aid kit, and something for cover and additional warmth. A navigational device is always advised.

Benefits:

Burns fat in a steady stream, and put less stress on joints than running or cycling. Has been known to calm jangled nerves from stressful jobs.

America’s Most Intriguing Hikes:

Glacier National Park (Be Grizzly Bear aware prior to endeavoring this area) anyplace in the Colorado Rockies.

Trail Running

Trail running is the next step after hiking. Other than the initial investment in gear, it too costs nothing to engage in. However, because it is a move toward taking fitness just a little more seriously and nature a little less seriously, the costs can be seen in other areas, such as injury.

By nature of the activity itself, trail running doesn’t allow for leisurely hours of loping across trails because it can be quickly brutal on joints, winding, a stress on the heart muscle (unless you’re in fantastic shape to start), and tedious for overall balance. But trail running can take you through an area much more rapidly and can help you increase your cardiovascular health ten-fold compared to the occasional weekend leisure hike.

So what if you live in an area where hills and valleys and mountaintops are hard to come by? Don’t worry, there are plenty of forested trails, bloom-speckled meadows, or trails that run alongside a lake or river in almost any city, that make trail running possible for anyone. But if you want the challenges of the Rocky Mountains in Minnesota, for example, you may want to strap on a pack full of rocks to give yourself the added resistance of extra weight to take the place of inclines and steeps. Get your balance long before you choose that option though. For those in totally urban areas, run streets, hills, stairs and across railroad yards or something more industrial to give yourself the thrill of ever-changing terrain. Make sure you condition yourself with regular runs first, and then work on lateral strength in the gym to ensure knee and ankle safety out on the trail.

Equipment needed:

A good pair of trail-specific shoes, made by Nike, New Balance, Saucony or a host of other reliable manufacturers. Comfortable, breathable clothes.

In the off-season, use balance disks to improve your proprioception and balance on trail.

Calories burned:

18-25 calories per minute, depending upon pace and difficulty of trail.

Advantages:

Anyone can do it – well almost anyone. Just equip yourself well and prepare with strength training and endurance work in the gym during the winter. Burn an incredible number of calories – more than normal jogging – and improves muscular condition in lower body rapidly.

Disadvantages:

Can open person up to severe lateral joint injuries, can cause severe injury, or in some cases, death, depending upon fall. No helmets, armor or padding are worn as in rollerblading or other high-speed sports performed on changing terrain.

Benefits:

Can improve cardiovascular fitness rapidly.

Best Trail Running Terrain:

The Golden Triangle (along the California coast) between Monterey and San Francisco; flanked inland by the Silicon Valley.

Swimming

The great thing about swimming is, it is a versatile sport at the very least. If you live in an urban area anywhere east of Arizona, and west of Florida, you can swim, indoors, all year long and train for the day when you can leave the city on weekends and go swim in a natural body of water. If you’re lucky enough to live in southern California, or sunny Florida, you rarely have to wait because you can dive into the ocean between Malibu and San Diego or Fort Lauderdale and the Keys, almost any time of the year (okay, maybe with a few wetsuit days in there) and paddle on top of the waves to your heart’s content.

Usually, it’s easier to learn to swim and build endurance in a pool. The water’s not murky, it’s calm, it’s set up into lanes, and there’s a clock on the wall to tell you how far you’ve swum in a certain amount of time. With training, it’s the way to go. But when summer hits, it’s time to test your swimming acumen in open waters, so to speak, by taking your game on the road and diving into a lake, river or ocean. Open water can be frightening to some people, but just as you built a certain comfort level in a chlorinated pool, so too can you build your comfort level in an open body of natural water.

If you’re interested in eventually competing in either triathlons or mini-triathlons, you’ll have to take your act out of the pool and plunge into a lake or ocean sooner or later anyhow, so summer is a great time to get used to that. Besides, becoming a strong, confident swimmer is an invaluable resource for many reasons, including if you go boating, water skiing or surfing. Taking a life-saving course is a great way to test your abilities in the water and a good way to ensure that you can protect yourself and others in a pinch.

Life Saving Course:

$50-$75 at the local YMCA

Cost of Pool membership:

$30-$60/ month; lake swimming: free

Calories burned:

25 per minute

Equipment needed:

Swim trunks ($15), goggles ($15) if you need them, swim cap ($7) for pool. Optional: Heart rate monitor

Advantages:

It’s a free activity if you swim in rivers, lakes, or the ocean. It’s a great way to shrug off stress and get into great cardiovascular condition.

Disadvantages:

You can drown if you don’t know what you’re doing in natural bodies of water, such as oceans or rivers. Know current or tidal patterns prior to getting feet wet. Chlorine is hard on skin and hair.

Benefits:

You can improve your heart’s condition and lose body fat rapidly once you develop the ability to pace yourself in a swim. It provides a lot of fun and escape from extremely hot temperatures in the summer. It allows you to endeavor water sports with confidence.

Tips for Perfect Wedding Destination/location!

There are many things to be considered when you make that big decision to tie the knot.

One of the important aspects is choosing PERFECT WEDDING DESTINATION / LOCATION.

Choosing the perfect location is an important step because it not only sets the scene and ambiance,

but it also affects cost and convenience.

Important aspect for perfect wedding destination/location..

1:Location

Weddings location says something important about a couple, in what context they are pledging their

undying love and who has a stake in the success of their marriage. Place Conveniently located in the ideal climate zone.

2:Planning

Planning is important for wedding to keep you stress free and enjoy your wedding and make it memorable.

They should help you for perfect planning to begin your new life together.

3:Ceremony

Your Wedding Ceremony is the reason behind the big party, and it should be just as memorable.

Here, you will officially become hus band and wife. They should help you plan your wedding ceremony with

careful consideration; to make it uniquely special insuring all the worry and complications are removed.

This leaves you free to truly enjoy the experience and make your wedding dreams come true.

4:Reception

The wedding reception is the first major event hosted by you and your new spouse.

It’s a function that celebrates your marriage and invites all of your family and friends to celebrate alongside you.

5:Cuisine

As part of your Reception, they should provide wide variety of menus to please even the most

discriminating palate. They should invite you to have a complimentary food tasting for assurance of food and quality.

6:Floral Design/Decoration

Your wedding flowers are more than eye candy; they set the ambiance for your entire event. With so many

decisions to make, they should provide Floral Designer to help providing you quality and convenience at a fair price.

7:Accommodations

For the ultimate Wedding experience, they should provide accommodations. They should offer

you and a select number of guests accommodations. Accommodations should be like you can enjoy relaxing after

the Wedding festivities in your luxury Bridal Suite complete with champagne, fresh flowers and monogrammed robes.

8: Other Tips

- Only one event is scheduled per day to ensure your privacy and provide the utmost quality of service.

- Scheduled Wedding Rehearsal with your Coordinator who will be present the day of your Wedding.

- Guest Parking in our private lot

- Professional Event Security

- Refreshing beverages will be served to your guests upon their arrival

- Just Married Champagne Cruise for the new Mr. and Mrs.

- Exquisite Bride’s Dressing room and room for the Groom, complete with tasty Treats and Chilled Champagne,

Beer or Sodas for the Wedding Party

Cathy Ransom

Owner: Los Willows (www.loswillows.com)

Tips for Squeezing More Miles Out of Each Tank of Gas, Which Translates Directly Into Money Saved

Last week I was driving around San Diego and found gas prices to be as high as $4.46 per gallon. While this price is still considerably less than what most other people in the world pay, it is hard to deny the price shock Americans have endured over the last few years. I remember back in 2001 when gas was $0.99 a gallon; twenty dollars was all it took to fill up my Ford F-150’s tank. Now that gas costs over 400% more, squeezing more mileage out of every tank of gas is proving to be a concern for the masses. Some people are choosing to buy new cars that offer much improved fuel economy. Diesel engines are a popular choice as they offer MPG’s in the mid-forties range for cars and the low-twenties range for trucks. Gas-Electric hybrid vehicles are another option for those seeking the most bang for their buck, which can get 60 miles per gallon or more with the proper driving techniques. But the economy is slowing and now is not the right time for many to be buying new cars and trucks. If that is the dilemma you face and want to get more out of your gas money, here is a small list of suggestions and tips for getting better MPG’s out of your car or truck.

1. Keep your vehicle well maintained and tuned up. A vehicle that runs poorly is going to have to work harder to keep running, which means more fuel will be burned for the same output. This doesn’t just mean mechanically sound; you should also stay on top of the required maintenance. Change your oil regularly (every 3,000 miles or 3 months), keep your tires inflated to the tire manufacturer’s specifications and ensure the vehicle has a good alignment. Do the spark plugs or air filter need to be changed? All these things can have a dramatic effect on how many miles per gallon you get from your vehicle, so stay on top of it and enjoy the extra MPG’s.

2. Purchasing a handheld programmer is a particularly good option for people who drive cars or trucks that have a turbocharged or supercharged engine. This applies for both gas and diesel varieties. Although it requires a modest investment, it is an investment that will pay off in the long-term. For example, the Hypertech Econ Power Programmer costs around $350. It works for a variety of domestic vehicles, improves both horsepower and torque output, and can increase fuel economy by as much as 6 MPG! Even if only a 3 MPG increase was gained, that translates into sixty more miles out of a twenty gallon tank. If the average car gets 20 MPG, the econ power programmer can save the average driver between $12 and $24 per tank. Depending on how much you drive, the HyperTech e con can pay for itself in as little as eight months. If you own a truck and do a lot of towing, the HyperTech Max Energy power programmer is another great option as it focuses on increasing power and torque for better towing capacity while still improving fuel economy.

3. Remove anything in the vehicle you know you won’t need. Extra weight in your vehicle is extra work the engine has to do to haul everything around. This translates into lower MPG’s if you are regularly hauling around extra stuff.

4. Reduce drag by removing aftermarket components like a luggage rack or ski/bike rack. Removing things like this can have a dramatic improvement on fuel economy, as much as 3-4 MPG.

5. Drive at a constant speed and/or use cruise control. You’ll burn more fuel by accelerating and braking than if you are able to keep a constant RPM/speed. Go with the flow of traffic, maybe even 1 or 2 MPH less than everyone else, to keep your foot off the brake. Obviously, safety takes precedence over fuel economy so make sure you aren’t causing problems in freeway situations when following this tip.

6. Know where the stop signs and traffic lights are. Many people have a beaten path they follow to get to work. If you can time your commute and get in sync with traffic lights, you won’t have to stop as often. This will lead to better fuel economy because you’re maintaining a more constant speed and not accelerating as much.

Resources:

You can click on the following links for more information about Power Programmers, Hypertech econ, or the Hypertech Max Energy fuel saving options.

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