thgirlnxtdr

     I am pretty "connected" to myself; very aware of how I am feeling and why I am feeling a certain way (good or bad although, I am almost always feeling good ).  Someone once said to me, "You know yourself so well."   I

     The reason doesn’t really matter why, however, I think one of the reasons is because I pay attention and truly "absorb" what is being said.  I really listen to myself and to others whether it be words, body language, what have you. 

      Anyhow, I have been very annoyed with myself lately for not making the progress I want.   I have had some difficulty with my diet lately - nothing too terrible (long story) and although my workouts and cardio are consistant, my head is just not there.  Regardless, I think about my diet, fitness and working out constantly.  The desire to improve is ALWAYS there - even in my dreams!!!

      I was just telling a friend here that I don’t remember any of my dreams from last night but a line from the movie  "Miss Congeniality" came to mind….."SEE the change, FEEL the change, BE the change.  You ARE the change."

     I have been thinking SO MUCH lately about how VERY MUCH I want to be better that it even enters my sleep!  lol. 

     Just a real quick blog about a thought/question I had.

     My legs and glutes are very stubborn and seeminly resistant to develop.  I train them 2x/wk but am unable to do squats b/c of a shoulder/delt/neck problem.  Instead, I do LOTS of leg extensions, walking lunges, ball squats with weights and lying leg curls (but with an attachment - kind of awkward, clumsy and difficult to do).

      Anyhow, I have noticed some improvement in my quads, hammies and glutes lately and was wondering if all the cardio I do (35 mins 7 or 8x/wk on an incline) could be helping in the progress of those muscles. 

      I’m sure it IS helping but it seems that lately they have improved moreso than usual.  Wish I knew what I was doing that seems to be working….I would do it MORE!!!!!  lol

Well I’m still here, still alive and WITHOUT PAIN!  The magic potion of 1 Tylenol and 1 Advil REALLY DID work!  Even a cortizone shot and Naproxen didn’t alleviate or ease the pain from my shoulder bursitis but this mix of meds really did the trick! 

     My real life gf just told me to take one (1) Tylenol and one (1) Advil for my shoulder pain.  She is a nurse and I am hoping she knows what she is talking about and that I haven’t mixed a toxic potion of meds!!!  I guess if you still see me around the site you will know that I am still alive!  lol.  I will keep you posted on the efficacy of same (wow, I sound so official and professional!  Must be the medication talking.  Like in the Wizard of Oz when Scarecrow gets his certificate/diploma saying he has a brain!  lol).

     On the other hand, if I don’t show up, someone call 911 for me?   Thanks    lol

This photograph is currently printed in the March, 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine.   

According to notes accompanying this photograph, "Baboon mother tries to make Fluffy sit up like a good monkey baby.  But the kitten always falls back on her four legs.  It seems like such a hopeless case."  The baboon, named Helen, was an attraction at Ross Allen’s Reptile Institute, a roadside zoo founded in 1929 in Silver Springs, Florida.  She may have been a holdover from the days when Tarzan movies were filmed in the region and Allen provided animal actors for visiting Hollywood productions.

I LOVE photography and a picture is worth a thousand words.  It just reminded me of how we all (well, a lot of us) here on BB.com hold each other’s hands and try to help each other.  Yes, I know, kind of corny but nevertheless, that’s what I thought 

     With the NY Giants having won the Super Bowl yesterday, there’s been a lot of talk about underdog triumphs and successes and the ability to persevere and rise above what others think you can and cannot do.

     See if you can watch this moving vid without tears of joy for this man that was bullied as a boy.  Opera was his inspiration and salvation and, ultimately, his ovation.

     Btw, he went on to win the entire competition!  Way to go Paul!!!!!!!!  You ROCK!!!

     "Judge not, lest YE be judged"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8&feature=related    

     I’m wondering if anyone has any first-hand experience with Montel Williams’ newest book "Living Well".  Has anyone implemented or tried his diet/food plan?  It seems like such a great idea.

     I’d love your input and would like to hear about your experience with and your opinion concerning it (although, the book may be too new to have had any noticeable, long-term benefit).

     Thanks! 

I found this article on Yahoo! News and thought it might be of interest.  The link  is    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080118/hl_nm/diets_dc  should you care to visit the site yourself.
 Chicago (Reuters) - Diets high in protein may be the best way to keep hunger in check, U.S. researchers said on Thursday in a study that offers insight into how diets work.

They found that protein does the best job at keeping a hunger hormone in check, while carbohydrates and fats may well deserve their current nasty reputation.

The study, which will appear in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, looked at the effectiveness of different nutrients at suppressing ghrelin, a hormone secreted by the stomach that stimulates appetite.

“Suppression of ghrelin is one of the ways that you lose your appetite as you begin to eat and become sated,” said Dr. David Cummings of the University of Washington in Seattle, who worked on the study.

The researchers gave 16 people three different beverages, each with varying levels of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They took blood samples before the first beverage, then every 20 minutes for six hours afterward, measuring ghrelin levels in each sample.

"The interesting findings were that fats suppress ghrelin quite poorly," Cummings said in a telephone interview. They fared the poorest overall.

"Proteins were the best suppressor of ghrelin in terms of the combination of the depth and duration of suppression," he said. "That is truly satisfying because high proteins are essentially common to almost all of the popular diets."

They also found that eating carbohydrates resulted in a strong ghrelin suppression at first, but ghrelin levels rebounded with a vengeance, rising to an even higher level.

Basically, the carbohydrates eventually made people even hungrier than before they had eaten.

Cummings said the findings may aid in future research on the effectiveness of different diets.

And the study likely means that nightly bowl of ice cream is out. "That is a bad idea no matter what," he said.

     thgirlnxtdr on AOL IM and thgirlnxtdr@aol.com is NOT me!!!

     A ‘friend’ from BB.com asked me why I had blocked them on AOL IM.  I told them that I have Yahoo IM (I’m hardly ever on) but no AOL IM.   

     So I went to AOL IM and AOL.com to create an account for myself and my screen name (thgirlnxtdr - a name that I made up) has been taken by someone else!!  I don’t know who it is or why but it’s NOT ME!!!!!  I don’t know if someone has been passing themselves off as being me and if so, I don’t know what’s being said or discussed but, once again, it’s NOT ME!!!!!

      So, if you’re trying or wanting to get in touch with me for whatever reason, PM me here or click on "Send Email" on my profile front page.  

      Thanks