A New Year, A “Nu” You

Happy New Year!!!! Have you written any resolutions for the New Year? Several of my friends are committing to losing weight through improved diets and adding exercise this year. Personally, I am back on track with my pre-holiday diet consisting of small meals and snacks of veggies, a handful of nuts and fresh fruit 5 or 6 times a day. Every night I drink 2 tablespoons of unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. Combined with 3 to 4 days of fairly strenuous weights and conditioning exercise, this system has worked really well for me. I lost 13 pounds before the holidays following this regimen. Now, I never stopped drinking my apple cider at night but my meals became irregular in size and time. Snacks were gone all together or consisted of holiday cookies and yummy, high calorie, holiday snacks. I expected my skinny jeans to get a little tighter. But, what I did not expect was to feel so tired between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Now, I only gained about 5 pounds and I was still mourning the loss of my grandmother, but I felt about 20 years older!!!! That just goes to show how diet directly affects physical energy.

Here is an interesting fact I got on Monday, January 2nd, from a local gym: “60-percent of all new health club memberships come in January and February and as many as 50 people joined one local gym on January 2nd”. How many of these new members remain throughout the year? About 50-percent of them continue their journey to better health through exercise or at least they think they will so they don’t cancel their membership. Gyms get their money whether people go or not so my advice is find an accountability partner. For me, I have to schedule an appointment to exercise with someone. It ensures I make it to the gym even when I might be tired. I’m always glad because I feel better afterwards.

Health Tip: Steroids: Side Effects Not Worth It!
Often referred to colloquially as just “steroids”, Anabolic steroids are synthetic hormones similar to the male hormone testosterone. While there are many types of anabolic steroids – each with their own effects – anabolic steroids generally stimulate muscle growth and tissue regeneration, and amongst their many uses they can be used to build size, strength, and explosive power. However, used improperly they can also carry a number of harmful short and long-term side effects. Two common steroids used to gain muscle strength and reduce body fat are Dianabol and Winstrol. See below for a list of their individual side effects.

Dianabol Side Effects
Strain On Liver
As a 17-aa steroid, Dianabol can cause liver damage if high doses are taken over an extended period of time.
Gynecomastia
Because Dianabol converts quite easily into Estrogen, another potential side effect of the drug is the condition known as Gynecomastia. Gynecomastia is when males develop mammary glands and grow female breasts due to various reasons related to hormonal imbalances.
Fluid Retention
Also related to Dianabol’s tendency to convert to estrogen is the Dianabol side effect of increased fluid retention as well as fat storage.
Winstrol Side Effects
Liver Toxicity
Like Dbol, Winstrol is a 17aa compound, which allows it to be taken orally, but also renders it toxic to the liver. Winstrol is quite hepatoxic, thus it’s extremely important to limit its use and avoid abuse.
Negative Effects On Cholesterol Levels
Tests have shown that Winstrol may have results on Cholesterol that are less than desirable, including lowering HDL (good) cholesterol while increasing LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Effects On Joints and Connective Tissue
Winstrol has been said to cause joints to feel less lubricated, likely due to its negative effect on fluid retention
This is just a small list of the negative side effects from only (2) of the anabolic steroids available. It certainly makes it understandable as to why professional sports ban their usage. These listed side effects make me wonder about other drugs used to enhance physical performance and/or physical appearance. Stick to reducing the number of caloric intake and make them the most nutritious calories you possible can for the sake of your health and beauty.

Here We Come!!!

This is the time of year when life has quieted down a bit as we glide into New Year’s Eve. I used to take my mother and three daughters out of town during this time of year to experience New Year’s Eve in another city because our city of Sacramento always seemed so boring to me. The best New Year’s Eve was 2009. My eldest daughter didn’t want to go that year because we were headed for New York City! She does not like big cities. I arranged for us to have dinner at a restaurant in Times Square at 10:00 pm so that we would be right there to in Times Square to see the ball drop, sing, feel the confetti; experience the whole thing like we’d seen it on TV. It was difficult to get to our restaurant since they close off the streets with police and barricades. It took us an hour of running in our evening dresses, evening shoes, and fur coats from barricaded street to barricaded street until we were finally able to get through to where our restaurant was located. It was worth every moment because when it was time for the count down we ran out into Times Square and searched for “the ball”. Turns out we were to close to see it, ha! It didn’t matter because once it dropped the confetti flew and the crowd sang to a recording of John Lennon’s “Imagine”. People were crying, hugging and kissing. It was truly one of the most amazing things I ever had or ever have participated in. You could feel the eternal hope of the universe envelope the humanity in the streets of New York City.
This year I will be with my husband and our children in Sacramento. We will have a sedate New Year’s Eve. When I wake up on January 1st, I will once again feel the eternal hope and excitement for the coming year. I’ve included a list of ideas from which you can choose for your New Year’s Resolution, complete with link for more information.
Be safe on New Year’s Eve and begin to “imagine” all the possibilities for your 2012!

Here is the list of the 12 Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions: Click on the link to get information about each of the following resolutions.
• Drink Less Alcohol
• Get a Better Education
• Get a Better Job
• Get Fit
• Lose Weight
• Manage Debt
• Manage Stress
• Quit Smoking
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
• Save Money
• Take a Trip
• Volunteer to Help Others

What Is Your New Year’s Resolution? Goals for 2012?

Christmas, the holiday with inflexible deadlines has come and gone. Whew! I know a lot of you are thinking, “I made it.” However, now we look at the bringing in of 2012, a whole new year. This idea brings with it a lot of hope that aspirations unmet in the year just passed will somehow now be attained. How seriously each of us take this mark of time’s passage is individual. For me, as I close in on my 50th year on the planet, I take it seriously. I realize I have places to go, people to see, and social changes to help make happen. Therefore, I write down my goals with the understanding that they are dynamic in nature, meaning they will change as life affords me opportunities. Even if my goals are subject to change, they still need to be written down and shared with someone I respect. Unwritten and unshared, goals have no power, no substance.

For example, when I was first starting to walk again after my first really bad episode with Multiple Sclerosis in 1999 I told my entire family I was going to run again. At the time, I couldn’t really write so I verbally committed to my goal of running. It took me about 7 years to finally be able to run again. I had many set backs over those 7 years but I just kept trying. If something wasn’t working to help me get to my goal, I’d try something else. I sought out the help of professionals when I needed assistance. I read about nutrition and the brain. I read about physical training methods. I also recognized when I needed a break and took it until I felt strong enough to try again.
I look forward to making and reaching new goals every year. In my next newsletter on January 2, 2012 I talk more about goals, how to reach them and what mine are for 2012.

Health Tip: Enjoy Life More: Increase The Quality of Life

Given the hectic, stressful lifestyles of millions of Americans, it is no wonder that “enjoying life more” has become a popular resolution in recent years. It’s an important step to a happier and healthier you! Consider establishing a daily nutritional supplement habit with a product with a money back guarantee so you can feel healthier and more energized everyday as a step toward a balanced life. The better you feel the easier it will be to make healthy choices when it comes to managing your time. The better you are able to manage your time and be involved in activities you enjoy the more fulfilled you feel. Here’s to enjoying life in 2012!