let's have some ME TIME

TODAY IS ABOUT WHAT JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE INSIDE ME HEAD.......

there are so many beautiful things in the world that i am yet to see

i have recently learned how excited i am to experience these unknown wonders

this past year has been filled with many things

mostly growth, pain, love, lessons & self realization

i am thankful for every second,

though i may not have appreciated them at that time

i work hard, so i can achieve what i have dreamt for myself

i have never been one to settle

i have never been a person that is conformable with mediocrity

but i am a person that works toward self fulfillment

to prove to myself, first and foremost that i can do anything

my family is my world

although they may not realize it daily

i am so thankful to have them

my parents have allowed me so many opportunities,

given me so many incredible gifts

and for that i am forever indebted

my sister: my polar opposite

reminds me that pretty regularly

she brings laughter and frustration to my life

two things one cannot & should not live without

you couldnt be frustrated with something you did not care deeply about

my brother: so god damn stubborn and extremely strong

i hope he knows how special he really is

how i admire him for being so brilliant,

you too, annoy the shit out of me

with your potential & witt

trust yourself and let what will be.....BE

my chuka: my daily project

always keeps me on my toes

she has helped me through some tremendous times

putting her head on the side of my bed

when all i could do was lay in a pile of tissues

this dog is my light and an incredible pain in my ass

in just one year

i have made friends, lost friends

experienced tragedy

loved unconditionally

moved house, build up my business

taken WAY TOO MANY CHANCES

made money, LOST MONEY

opened my heart, opened my mind

& WORKED ON my intuition

everyday is a work in progress

we are only dealt what we can handle

the same lesson will reappear until you acknowledge it

when the student is ready the teacher will appear

10 THINGS I MUST TO DO/LEARN ASAP

1. meditate properly

(story to follow)

2. volunteer

3. travel

weekend trips, camping, seeing the world near & far

4. shop more, spend less

5. figure out how to use a curling iron

6. take an ELDOA course

7. study more about different ethnic cooking staples

8. DANCE again

9. let go

10. fall in love.

are you meditating or just sleeping

(with your mouth open)?

on a short flight home from a trip i'd wish to forget

a passenger to my right puts on his headphones

as we are about to take off, he is asked politely to remove them

"they arent plugged in, i am just trying to meditate" he screams over 3 rows of people

gesturing wildly like he is in an in living color skit...."see" pointing to the cord.

the attendant nicely says, we need you to HEAR the announcements

after the announcements, she walks by to prep for take off

"i'll be meditating now so please dont bother me"

he yells over the same, now annoyed passengers to his left

during that 45 minute flight i watch his head bob n'weave

and i myself dodge the drool failing about the lower crevasse of his mouth

OH YA, the elbow slid off the armrest and there were a few whole body spazms

WE LAND

"wow i am really mastering my meditation practice,"

"i felt like i only had my eyes closed for a few minutes"

...............i am pretty sure you were sleeping

mental note

add this to the list of things i would like to forget he said this weekend

BUT i am sure i will never be able too.

you can be taught by anyone you are willing to learn from

with each kiss or flip of the bird

be open and appreciate each experience that you come across

thank you to those that have crossed my path

some of you are magical

some not worth mentioning

and others probably had no idea that you effected me the way you did

stay true to yourself

accept the things you cannot change,

have the courage to change the things that you can

& find the wisdom to know the difference

BEST protein powder?

Hydrolysis

It is the process of enzymatic breakdown of protein,

normally conducted in the GI tract.

Enzymatic hydrolysis can also be performed outside the human body,

and this is how whey protein hydrolysates are processed.

Food-grade enzymes are introduced to whey protein concentrate

or isolate thus reducing the size of the protein molecules, called peptides.

All dietary protein must be reduced (hydrolyzed)

to di and tripeptides, or free form aminos

in order to be absorbed by the body.

If you consume protein that is not hydrolyzed, like

isolates, concentrates, blends, caseins, soy and caseinates,

it must be hydrolyzed in your GI tract .

Whatever protein is not hydrolyzed down

it may not be transported into the blood

for distribution to your muscles and tissues.

It will then travel on into the colon

where it is not absorbed and becomes food for bacteria.

Value of (Proto Whey) Hydrolysates vs concentrate or isolate forms

it is absorbed much faster and more efficiently than whole proteins like casein, egg, collagen or soy.

Your digestive tract is able to absorb most of the protein consumed.

The highly increased levels of di & tripeptides that enter your system ready for immediate absorption may allow your body to retain more (called nitrogen retention) than would be possible if you were consuming dietary protein that required complete digestion.

protein utilization is higher with di and tripeptides because they are handled differently by the liver as well as other tissues, including brain, lung, and kidney.

Proto Whey

Generally athletes know they can't consume protein meals or supplements before training or competing due to the time involved in digestion and the energy it steals from muscles. With Proto Whey, you can load up with energy producing and sustaining protein immediately prior to your athletic activities without worrying about nausea, gas or other issues that may negatively affect your performance

What about individuals with allergies to milk products?

Proto Whey has virtually no allergenic response since the peptides are reduced to di and

tripeptides and micro peptides, which have no capacity to produce allergic response.

and as luck would have it Proto Whey happens to be in one of my favorite bars!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZKMKTlMLg0

look who's a fan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkL_X7xaFBc

Sickled Feet

as a dancer we refered to this 3rd foot positioning as being sickeled

to you non dancers out there

this positioning can lead to many painful problems

let's take another look

in the first image the ankles are rolling out.......caused by a tighter internal calf muscles

Supination is the opposite of pronation and refers to the outward roll of the foot during normal motion. A natural amount of supination occurs during the push-off phase of the running gait as the heel lifts off the ground and the forefoot and toes are used to propel the body forward. However, excessive supination (outward rolling) places a large strain on the muscles and tendons that stabilize the ankle, and can lead to the ankle rolling completely over, resulting in an ankle sprain or total ligament rupture.

the pronated picture

would be cause by

an under active inner

& over active outer

calf muscles

Pronation refers to the inward roll of the foot during normal motion and occurs as the outer edge of the heel strikes the ground and the foot rolls inward and flattens out. A moderate amount of pronation is required for the foot to function properly, however damage and injury can occur during excessive pronation. When excessive pronation does occur the foot arch flattens out and stretches the muscles, tendons and ligaments underneath the foot.

neutral

like switzerland

is what we all can strive for

depending on which diagram best portrays your footzies

there are certain foam rolling, stretching and exercise techniques

you can use to balance your stance

Firstly, a thorough and correct warm up will help to prepare the muscles and tendons for any activity or sport. Without a proper warm up the muscles and tendons around your feet, ankles and lower legs will be tight and stiff. There will be limited blood flow to the lower legs, which will result in a lack of oxygen and nutrients for those muscles

(jen:would prob cause numbness)

Oversupination causes an increased external (lateral) rotation force to be placed on the shin, knee and thigh which places additional stress on the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the lower limb.

FoamRolling is one of the best things you can do for your body.

The poor man's massage.

You can get into any muscle by using certain positioning and support from other parts of your body

Here are just a few examples:

Picture A: is a great warm up, calf roll

Picture B: gets into those shins, the front muscles of the lower leg

Picture C: will open up our outer calf or the gastrac lateral head (pronation)

anterior tibialis/extensor digitorum

*for those with supination, you would need to get into the soleus and gastrac medial head

a proper warm up will determine if you will develop this issues

if you are already experiencing some imbalance

open up the shortened, tighter, dominant side

by rolling/stretching

then work on strengthening the over extended, longer & weaker muscle

with exercise

Sciatica - ouchies

Sciatica refers to pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg.

It is caused by injury to or compression of the sciatic nerve.

It is a symptom of another medical problem, not a medical condition on its own.

The pain often starts slowly. Sciatica pain may get worse:

• After standing or sitting
• At night
• When bending backwards or walking more than a few yards

Some causes of this pain:

Piriformis syndrome

Slipped disk

Degenerative disk disease

Spinal stenosis

Pelvic injury or fracture

Tumors

Piriformis syndrome: basically a pain in the ass...caused by the muscle being pulled too tightly

The piriformis (or pyriformis) is a buttock muscle located behind the sciatic nerve,

the largest nerve of the human body

This occurs when part of the sciatic nerve becomes

entrapped, compressed, or irritated by this muscle.

Due to the close proximity of the sciatic nerve and piriformis muscle,

sciatica is very often part of the problem,

with pain in the buttock radiating to the back of the thigh,

sometimes with numbness and muscle weakness.

Slipped Disk: a herniated (slipped) disk occurs when all or part of a spinal disk is forced through a weakened part of the disk. This places pressure on nearby nerves

Degenerative disk disease: a natural part of aging

and over time all people will exhibit changes in their discs

consistent with a greater or lesser degree of degeneration.

However, not all people will develop symptoms.

In fact, degenerative disc disease is quite variable in its nature and severity.

MISNOMER "degenerative", applies to the disc degenerating, but does not apply to the symptoms. While the disc degenerates over time, the pain usually gets betterover time. "disease", is not really a disease at all, but rather a degenerative condition that at times can produce pain from a damaged disc.

Spinal stenosis: is a narrowing of areas in the lumbar (back) or cervical (neck) spine, which causes pressure on the spinal cord or one or more of the spinal nerves

I understand that I am not a doctor.....but here is what i have found in my research for treatments of Siatica:

• Apply heat or ice to the painful area. Try ice for the first 48 - 72 hours, then use heat after that.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
• While sleeping, try lying in a curled-up, fetal position with a pillow between your legs. If you usually sleep on your back, place a pillow or rolled towel under your knees to relieve pressure.

If at-home measures do not help, your doctor may recommend injections to reduce inflammation around the nerve. Other medicines may be prescribed to help reduce the stabbing pains associated with sciatica.

i understand that ice will help with the inflammation around the nerve.....

yes the inflammation around the nerve needs to be tended to BUT what about the underlying cause?

a tight piriformis, or disk pinching?

FIXING the underlying problem should top priority, not masking the symptoms

how about mentioning physical therapy?

maybe explaining why the problem exists?

it just seems strange to me that a doctor would recommend a cortisone shot before a pirifomis stretch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Z6jlBsgak0

but then again i also dont know why someone would let it go that long to the point where a shot is required to function

take care of your body

sit with proper posture

stretch if you must sit for extended periods of time

work on your core stabilizers

wear sunscreen

& LOVE THE ONE YOU'RE WITH:)

metabolic training

METABOLIC TRAINING

designed to enhance your body's energy systems

1 Aerobic system and 2 AnAerobic systems

Aerobic means in the presence of oxygen and anaerobic means without oxygen.

Aerobic Activities are low intensity exercises that are performed for 15 min or more.

EXAMPLES: Biking, Swimming and Jogging.

Anaerobic Activities are moderate to high in intensity.

They are performed anywhere from a few seconds to 2-3 minutes.

Best Example: Sprinting

Involves repetition & increases exertion

EPOC

which means:

(excess post-exercise oxygen consumption)

an elevated state of oxygen consumption after exercise

in an effort to bring the body back to its pre-exercise state.

Moderate jogging, the most common choice for cardio, does not burn enough fat.

Interval training done in a shorter time span, can burn more in 10-15 mins.

Anaerobic training will produce a EPOC effect in the body.

You will also continue to burn after your workout.

This type of training will increase your METABOLISM.

Higher metabolism for a longer period of time = increased fat burning power!

Timed Sets:

1 min of exercise followed by 15 – 30 seconds of rest

repeated for about 10 – 15 minutes

with the variables depending on your fitness levels

the amount of weight you can lift for 10 repetitions

should be what you would use for these exercises

work as hard & as fast as your can SAFELY

The exercises are total body, multi joint movements

EXAMPLES: Clean & Press or Burpies

keepin you on your toes

workouts should always be evolving

challenge yourself

push to the limits

always be willing to try something new