My advice to people over 40 years old would be to learn
everything you can about eating clean and then do it.  Body fat is controlled by what we eat. Period. Regarding training, it will take more work to change your physique. This means that you should work the same
muscle group multiple times each week, at least three times. For example: the first day you could use a low rep, high weight scheme for strength,
the second day would be mid range such as 8-10 reps for muscle building, and
then the third day would be endurance reps 13-15. You
can even blend all of these different schemes into one workout and then repeat
it later in the week in a different order to change things up. There are training programs like Venus Index and
Adonis Index that will provide these types of workouts for you…for a small fee. With this type of training you are seriously
antagonizing the muscle and forcing it to change. Cardio should be used for conditioning the
heart and lungs which enables us to do more work and continue to progress
forward in our fitness life. Studies
have also shown that short, high intensity interval sessions can also increase
your insulin resistance which means better blood sugar control. I’m no fitness expert, but I have
dramatically changed my physique and improved my mind/body/spirit connection
over the past few years. All of the
things I mentioned here are part of a permanent fitness strategy and I enjoy
doing them. I’ve reached a point now
that I can spend less time and energy fussing over food and training. It’s simple, it gets done on a schedule, and
then I spend the rest of my time and energy living my life with people I love.

I just thought of something. Back when I started training and eating right, I was going through an extremely rough period in my life. My daughter (who I raised completely on my own) moved away and was barely taking my phone calls, my boyfriend of six years had just told me he didn't love me and would never marry me, my doctor told me I was pre-diabetic, and I was going through the process of quitting cigarettes after 25 years of smoking. So.........looking back I can see that all of these things "fueled" my fire. I alternated between being pissed off and being very sad. I actually remember crying at the gym one night after everyone else had left. If not for a glimmer of hope and the faith that God would bless me for trying to do what was right, I can't imagine how much different my life would be today. I'm so glad that even when I cried that night at the gym I kept pushing through...and pushing iron. I didn't just grab my bag and go home. Now when I have a bad day, I almost instinctively think about how much better I'd feel if I was at the gym.

New Fave Dessert

1/2 scoop Dymatize Elite Fusion Gourmet Vanilla

1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt

Optional: Mixed berries

Optional: Crushed almonds or walnuts optional.

That Fusion vanilla smells and tastes like cake batter.  I've been using it in my pumpkin pancakes too.  Unbelievable!

Eating protein with your carbs slows down the digestion rate of the carbs.  This means less of an insulin spike and that means less fat-making hormone.  See what happens after just a few weeks with this one change.

I've recently gotten fed up with women looking at the veggies on my plate and saying "Ewww!  Why do you eat that?"  So the last time it happened I said "Because it makes me look good naked" and then I just stood there looking at her waiting for a response.  She gave me the visual once-over and then turned around and walked off.

 ENOUGH SAID!!!

I'm at 21-22% bf right now and 150 pounds.  I've been able to cut fat and gain lean tissue, so I'm going to keep it up.  Although I still have fat to lose in my abdomen and back, the real problem area for me is the fat pockets below my butt cheeks.  I have a very good training plan in general, and I'm working legs twice a week and really trying to build the hamstrings and glutes to smooth this out.  But I'm definitely not ready to post any booty pics.  Oh well...it won't be long.  LOL

I smoked cigarettes for 25 years and then quit a little over 3 years ago.  One event happened that sent me to the doctor’s office immediately to find a way to quit.  The man I’d been dating for a few years said to me “I hope you don’t think I’m going to help you push your oxygen tank around.  I’m NOT going to do that.�  He then said that if I thought he was going to commit to someone long term who was headed for serious trouble, then I was out of my mind.

This statement really hit me hard.  He told me this one afternoon and later that night I tossed and turned and just could not stop thinking about it.  I was actually doing something “on purpose� that was more than likely going to kill me or seriously disable me.  How did this happen to me?  And he was right about the oxygen tank.  I definitely wouldn’t want to spend my golden years helping him to push his tank around, when I knew he could have prevented it.  I made an appointment and saw my physician the next day.

Thankfully the doctor I saw was experienced using Chantix to help patients cure their nicotine addictions.  He told me just to take the prescribed amounts, follow the directions, and I would be able to let go of cigarettes with very little stress in just a matter of a few months.  It sounded great, so I tried it and then was able to quit after the 5^th week using this drug.

While on Chantix I did a lot of reading about my “condition�.  I learned that my lungs were, in fact, damaged from years of abuse.  It bothered me that on regular doctor visits my physician never told me I was “sick�.  Because I was a smoker, there was no attention paid to the rattling in my chest.  I guess this is because they figure that a smoke r is causing this condition deliberately, so why bother.  I mean, if my kidneys suffered a comparable amount of damage, I’m sure it would get some attention.  I’m not blaming anyone but myself for the damage to my lungs, but I think it’s important to note that a person is always worth saving.  So I’d rather know that doctors are explaining the damage in detail with the patient.  And the patient should be told that “you’re sick�.  When I realized that I was “sick�, I was a lot more focused on healing the damage and less focused on the addictive behavior.  I just wanted to not be “sick�.  If those in the medical profession go “soft� on this, it’s only going to help to continue the problem.

Not only have I been able to begin healing my lungs, but I’ve also lost 31 pounds and began sculpting my body into the physique I’ve always wanted.  So I’m definitely not “sick� anymore.   And when I catch a “whiff� of cigarette smoke now, I think about how thankful I am to be well.  If you’re a smoker….and you’re reading this…I pray for your health...because in truth…you are sick…and you need to begin to heal.  Once you’ve quit, you’ll have renewed strength and power and you’ll be able to accomplish so much more and probably have more years too.

Oh no she didn’t!!!...........So I was doing my cool-down one night last week on the elliptical at my gym, when two ladies I’d met before began speaking to me from the other side of the lady next to me.  I kinda had to lean forward to see who was speaking.  We exchange a few niceties and then it happened…[it really did!]….The lady between us says to me “Why don’t you just take your skinny little @ss and shut the hell up!�.  Oh yes she did!!!

I was taken quite by surprise, but I was polite.  I just said that I’d lost over 20 pounds since I started working out, but I appreciated her saying that I was skinny.  Even when she winces and turns her nose up to me at the gym, I continue to tell myself that’s she’s just insecure.  When she gets in better shape she’ll lose some of that attitude.  Why not?  Sounds good.

Maybe I should have asked her if she wanted to work out with me sometime.  Or I could have said that she’s doing great and someday soon she’ll be turning heads in the gym and on the beach.  Could I have missed an opportunity to brighten the day of a lovely young person?  I don’t know.

But maybe I should have just knocked her big, fat @ss off the eliptical and called it a day.……..hmmmm  not sure…

Just eight short weeks ago, I decided to face a fear that I've carried with me for several years.  It was the fear of seeing my own @ss in the mirror.  It may sound silly to you, but I took precautions and made sure I never ACTUALLY looked at it.

When I decided to start the twelve-week training program I'm doing, it occurred to me that I would have to confront my body issues head-on in order to truly transform.  In other words, I'd have to look at my @ss, be honest about it's (then) present condition, and then set to work on fixing it.

So......reluctantly....... I...putonathongandlooked!  OMG!!! I was a little light-headed at first, probably from the nausea that developed from the horrible sight in the mirror.  The poor little black thong ran like a highway through the flat lands.

Now....I assure you....at this point, it was difficult to find the hope that I would be able to change this situation.  Not only would I now have to work on it diligently in my workouts, but I'd actually have to look at it again...and again...and again.

 OK...here's where I make my case for weight training...and then I think I'll "rest my case"...  For the past seven weeks I've done hundreds of lunges, squats, deadlifts....I've walked miles uphill on the stairmaster....and last night!!!!!  OMG!!!  Last night.....the little black thong was more like a highway running through a more scenic, and yet "hilly" countryside.  No mountains for sure......but there were hills.

 It's my hope that this message reaches others who suffer from a fear of their own @ass.  We can cure this problem.....one @ss at a time. 

Yesterday I completed my 5th week of Kris Gethin's 2010 Daily Video Trainer Series.  So far the results have amazed me.

In the first week, I faced my fear of gyms, got in there, and got it done.  By that first Friday I was hooked.  The next few weeks brought about questions regarding supplements and diet.  So, I did some research, started eating "clean" and added some good protein and a fat burner to my stack.

The fourth week was a time of celebration.  At my weigh-in, I learned that I'd lost 2.4% body fat, 2.5 inches on my waist, and 4 pounds of weight.  At this point, I'm completely amazed.  And mentally, I feel much more "tuned in" lately.  It's an incredible feeling.  I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm very happy to report that "getting there" is a lot of fun.