Category: Exercise

Reviews of Shawn’s Hip Hop Abs

Morning,

One of the most popular infomercials out there today is Shawn T’s Hip Hop Abs. The question is, of course…..does it work?

Well, I’m a firm believer in, if something gets you up and moving with consistency, of course it will probably work. But researching it for yourself is a very good idea as well!

Here are some great resources:

I think you’ll be able to get lots of great answers for any of your questions.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – you can get some great hip hop abs over at:

Graduated to a cane, healing going well

Morning!

Well, yesterday saw me graduate to using a cane for my hobbling about. I’m pleased to say it appears that I’m healing relatively well, but of course, I’m making darned sure I don’t push it!!

Yesterday was spent being actually quiet (ha ha! Yes! It did happen! I was quiet!) and resting and designing graphical banners for The Safe and Smart Internet Weight Loss Edge and …well, you know, that sorta stuff. Today I have to write a few ezine issues and then start promoting it to the waiting world. The fun never stops!

Speaking of canes, did you know you can use a cane for self-defense? It’s really quite an extraordinary weapon (especially in the hands of a master). Here are some neat sites about that:

I had the pleasure of taking a cane class from my karate dojo awhile back, and wow, it was great! I hope to attend it again.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – More canes!

Looking for The Biggest Loser resources online?

Morning,

One of the most popular shows on TV these days is the reality show The Biggest Loser – the TV show in which lots of overweight people compete to lose the most weight possible.

It’s quickly developed its own cult following and is extremely popular online. I really have to give credit to the marketers behind the scenes – you can buy Biggest Loser membership access, the Biggest Loser cookbook, the Biggest Loser DVD, the Biggest Loser apparel and much much more. It must be an awesome moneymaker for the investors!

That being said, here are some great resources if you want to commune with other Biggest Loser fans.

These links above, btw, are part of the 900+ categorized resources I offer in the Safe and Smart Internet Weight Loss Edge. Cool, eh?

Enjoy!

Barbara

ps – more BL goodies are:

5 Days and Counting – The Gift of a Day

Morning,

Well! 5 days and counting until the slicing and dicing. And it just can’t come a moment too soon!

But in other good news, today is a positive day for me leg-wise; I woke up feeling rather refreshed and capable. After designing my FabFitMom affiliate tutorial, I went off on my beloved circle walk. It wasn’t too cold but you could tell rain was in the air with lots of gusting wind that buffeted my body while walking.

Oh, it was glorious! It so reminded me of those days in college when I’d sneak out during any rainstorms or hurricanes or what have you and experience the elements. And I realized….this morning was the Gift of a Day for me. In 5 days, I’ll be on crutches and not able to walk for the foreseeable future; I’m extremely grateful to the universe for having experienced this one adventure before I go to the hospital.

Life is never stagnant! Just because you might today possess the body shape of an overgrown eggplant and have the flexibility of a chuck of concrete…that doesn’t mean tomorrow will see you the same way.

The future is yours and what you choose to make of it. So honor yourself…and make it well.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Barbara

ps – want Thanksgiving goodies? Consider:

Self-defense and being knocked flat on your rear

Morning,

Yesterday I had my last class in women’s self-defense, and let me tell you, it was utterly eye-opening to the extreme.

I’d like to urge everyone reading (men and women alike!) to take a self-defense class (mine was given by our local police); the common-sense taught on how NOT to become a victim in the first place is worth its weight in gold. And the striking techniques are also extremely useful as well, in that they show you you ARE capable of hitting strongly and with focus. ‘course, in a real life situation, things will be starkly different…but at least you’ll have a glimpse of what options are out there.

My last class had our two instructors take us one by one in a darkened room and attack us for what seemed like 5 minutes. I did decently until the last minute; when one of the guys grabbed me to trip me up, I hung on…and then was neatly flung to the ground and pinned. Talk about astonishment – this guy weighed 200 pounds and I simply could not move whatsoever. I was neutralized in the blink of an eye.

In hindsight, it happened so quickly I didn’t have the chance to react. But that can’t be right either – I had the chance alright, but I didn’t recognize that fact and make use of it! Afterwards, I thanked the instructor – it was really an eyeopening experience. I need to get better with my techniques.

Thus, I’ve been researching lots of self-defense sites online, and have come across the following great resources:

Do yourself a favor and check them out – what you learn today could be the difference between survival and not tomorrow.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – here are some more self-defense goodies:

How to get Flat Sexy Abs and a Flat Stomach and a ….

Good morning,

Flat abs. Flat abs. Flat ABS!

Turn on any TV infomercial in creation and chances are, you’ll see ads for gizmos that guarantee “flat abs” if you use it religiously (and of course, add in diet and exercise and all those goodies too).

The thing is, however, you already HAVE flat abs. Abs, by their nature, are flat muscles. Your abs, however, are probably simply covered with fat.

To get a flat stomach, you need to lose weight all around. You simply cannot decree, I shall drop the 44 pounds that are currently glomping onto my waist! Spot reduction is a myth – you cannot say from where you’ll begin to lose.

Flat AbsI wrote a free report on the ultimate Abs exercise – simply click on that picture and sign up for free to receive it! You’ll find lots of resources for other abs exercises as well…not to mention, the key trick towards successfully losing weight and keeping it off.

Remember, sellers of infomercials and other quick-fix products are often simply selling you the dream. Become a smart consumer instead – you’ll uncover the weight loss and exercise program that works best for you.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Still want abs stuff? Consider:

When your body tells you NO WAY IN HECK!!

Morning,

Well.

Well well.

Well.

I’m due for surgery now in 12 days (that’s the good news!).

The bad news is that my leg problems are increasing daily. I started my beloved circle walk….and after 100 feet, realized…it would be utter insanity to continue it.

So I came back home.

I’m at a crossroads yet again in my life. I want to continue exercising…and at the same time, I know I must give my leg a rest. Thus, perhaps I’ll simply lift weights later on today. But what a personal shock it was for me to realize my current state.

In the interim, I reviewed our dojo’s sword demo, and was able to transcribe all 106 moves. I will bring this paper with me to the hospital; might as well teach myself something while I’m in recovery.

I find myself wanting to be several people at once. I want to run away and hide…yet I want to continue with my karate/self defense until the last possible moment. I want to be by myself so I can drop the confident facade….and at the same time, I want to be in front of my colleagues and conquer all my fear and pain and overcome my current worries. I want to prove to myself that no matter what happens in my life, I will not only survive…but thrive.

12 more days and counting.

And life goes on,

Barbara

ps – Pedometers are great for walking, did you know that?

The fear has disappeared – fighting past your little voice

Morning,

About 1.5 months ago or so, I experienced an amazing array of emotions during one of my Kendo (Japanese swords) classes. It was the first time I had really sparred, and I had been put face to face with utter, blinding fear. You can read about it over at this post.

Well…yesterday I had my beloved kendo practice again, and I was debating about taking it easy (what with surgery scheduled in 12 or 5 days). But hey, knowing me, I threw myself into it with quite a lot of enjoyment…and then it happened.

I realized something most neat!

I have no fear anymore when doing kendo sparring.

True, I’m still quite incompetent in it (although I am learning to block vaguely decently!!). But when I faced off against my opponent, all of that “eeek I’m gonna DIE!” feelings….were simply not in existence.

This experience has shown me that life is never static…what you fear today might be conquered by tomorrow. You should never give into the little voice that bleats, you will fail, you cannot do this, you’re better off not even trying….instead, you should honor your inherent greatness.

It was a very good class indeed. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – a good award for breaking past fear can be:

Taking back control and refusing to yield

You know, I really adore my martial arts and self defense classes – the information and knowledge I’m learning there is just plain gold.

I had a very interesting discussion with a sensei yesterday about fighting and how not to panic when the stress levels are high. When you’re in the heat of the moment, it’s natural to let emotions overcome you…but that’s the path to utter conquest and failure to boot.

A knife or a stick by itself is of no threat to you. It’s the opponent’s skill level/commitment that makes them dangerous…but it’s also much more than that as well.

Disagreements, fights, etc., take place between two people…and it’s often the mental outlook that will tip the scales over in one direction or another. You need to refuse to give over control of yourself to another person…you need to proactively CHOOSE NOT to be passive victim.

This means…when you’re in a stressful situation, you have to mentally distance yourself and say, okay, here’s what’s happening, I will remain calm and in control and I will deal with it to the best of my abilities. Verbalize! This helps you breathe and keeps panic down – tell the other person they will NOT do whatever and this problem ends NOW. True, that might not halt the escalation, but you’re already gaining an edge by showing you’re not a passive victim, you’re not going down without a fight.

I want to urge all readers to look up self-defense online…and contact your police department and see if any self-defense/womens self defense classes are offered. Getting stressed out and experiencing danger in a controlled situation is extremely useful in helping you internalize how you can retain control during altercations and confrontations…and it might give you the skills you’ll need to survive and escape.

Here are some great resources:

Women’s Self Defense

Safety for Women

Kids Self Defense

No Nonsense Self Defense

The truth is, we do live in a scary world sometimes…and it’s up to each person to learn techniques for dealing with scary situations. When you’re in a life/death situation, the only person upon whom you can count…is yourself. So make it worth counting.

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Some great self-defense resources are:

When your body says no to exercise, introduce it to 300 pushups…

Morning,

Today’s workout in the gym was most unique. I had planned on doing my usual 53 minutes on the treadmill (today was supposed to be cardio day!) but fate instructed otherwise. It seems that the massive physical exertions I’ve been doing in self-defense, karate, teaching my kids, etc.etc.etc…..have finally caught up to me. I didn’t feel anything on Saturday, nor on Sunday, nor on Monday, nor on Tuesday, but today, simply artistic bruising magically appeared on my hips/back and shoulder blades. My gosh, do I ache! I must have bashed deep-muscle tissue last week, and it took this long to come to the surface.

So! There I was, faced with a treadmill and legs that started laughing at me at the mere notion of working out. Cardio was definitely a no-go today!

But that didn’t mean I had to forgo exercising completely. Just because one part of my body was begging to collapse in a heap doesn’t mean I can’t turn on a dime and work out something else!

After considering all options, I decided that walking the track and doing pushups would be an acceptable alternative. Thus, after every 3 or 4 laps, I’d do 50 pushups. I ended up completing 300 pushups in batches of 50 and lost count of my laps.

End result? I did get a workout….and did protect my legs in the process. It goes to show when the going gets tough, you don’t simply stop and say, wah wah, I had better take it easy…you simply change directions and work out to the very best of your limited abilities.

I’m feeling pretty good now, indeed. :)

Enjoy,

Barbara

ps – Treadmills are still lots of fun, of course….