midlifejourney.com

Driving is always an adventure. Especially when you are surrounded by whackos determined to beat the light, the traffic, the drawbridge, whatever is in their way.

This morning I was cut off by a nutter who raced through one stop sign, a red light and two work zones to get where? To the traffic jam a mile down the road. I could only feel satisfaction when I pulled up behind him. For all his illegal maneuvering, this guy did not achieve anything but lousy gas mileage. I suppose he felt smug, beating the rest of the world down the road. But for what. Nothing.

Too many times people take outrageous chances to try a make a fast time. What do they gain for their effort? Two minutes? Five minutes? Causing chaos on the roads, destroying property and lives is not worth it. The time saved, is just not worth it.

As we in the Northern Hemisphere move into the heat of summer, it’s worth paying more attention to the sun. Warm weather encourages a lot of outside activities. Protection against damaging UV rays is becoming increasingly important. Here is a great article guaranteed to help.

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Ward Off the Sunrays With Sun Protective Clothing and UV Protective Clothing
Author: Vikram kuamr

The sun is getting fiercer and hotter everyday. The whole family needs protection from its harmful ultraviolet rays. To ensure sun protection for the family the whole day sun protective clothing was created. A refreshingly new weave structure woven into the fabric may produce sun protective features. Nozone has gone one notch better. It is producing chlorine-resistant swim fabrics and technical leisure fabrics.

Nozone is aware of the damaging effects of sun’s rays. The harsh reality is the sun penetrating ultraviolet rays can cause cancer. It can prematurely cause wrinkles and age spots as well as other diseases specifically affecting the skin. But we cannot do away with the sun. It gives life here on earth. Instead man has outsmarted the sun by weaving UV protective clothing.

You can never avoid the sun. The next best thing to do is put on sun protective clothing. Nozone has a wide array of selection for whatever activity to thwart the adverse effects of the sun. Whether you want to go swimming, just walking around, playing golf, traveling and other outdoor activities, you can be sure of a shield from the dreaded UV rays.

The UV protective clothing became popular as an option or adjunct to sunscreen lotions and sun block creams. Unlike the sunscreen lotions the protective clothing can protect you from the sun the whole day. Sun block creams can do so for certain number of hours. Then you have to do retouch.

The time when the sun is most harsh is around 10 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon. Avoid the stinging rays at all cost.

• Wear clothing with a high UPF factor.
• Hide your arms, legs and wear hats to cover your eyes.
• The squinting of the eyes can cause wrinkling around it. Even on cloudy skies the sun can still burn your skin. So take heed.
• Get all the necessary protection you can for you and your family. Being forewarned is half the battle won.

Children should be the first ones to get the right protection. Too much sun exposure at a young age can lead to a high risk of skin cancer or other sun related diseases in adulthood. Babies’ skin should not be touched by sunscreen lotion since the lotion can contain harsh chemicals. Sun protective clothing would do well for very young and delicate skin.

Nozone is the trusted name when it comes to UV protective clothing. The firm has a galore of clothing to protect you and your family from the damaging effects of the sun’s rays. They are woven fashionably with varied colors to choose from. It is comfortable to wear and provides ease of movement for the whole family to enjoy.

Never before has sun protective clothing been maximized to its optimal performance. Only Nozone has the capability and dedication to offer superb UV protective clothing to stop the abuse of active kids from the sun’s scorching heat.

There is really no alternative to getting the right protection for you and your family from skin diseases brought about exposure to the sun. You need sun protection clothing to get on.

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Here in the northeast of the U.S. it’s that time of year again, when winter white skin meets the sun again for the first time in months. I have fair skin and it takes me no time to burn. When I was a kid I used to slather myself with Baby Oil hoping for a quick and beautiful tan. Now, years later, my skin reveals the results of my foolhardy attempts at summer beauty.

Here are some tips to consider as we move into the summer season… (Thanks to my blogcatalog contact: Lulubelle- her blog is http://lulu-haiku.blogspot.com)

Early Detection Saves Lives

GOT SKIN? LEARN THESE FACTS

• Melanoma is serious and lethal
• In the U.S. one person dies from melanoma every hour
• People of all skin tones can develop melanoma
• If you’ve got skin there, you can get melanoma there

PROTECT YOURSELF & YOUR FAMILY

• Do not burn - Do not tan
• Use sunscreen – the more the better
• Wear protective clothing including hats with wide brims
• Avoid strong sunlight, especially 10am-3pm

SEE YOUR DOCTOR FOR A SKIN CANCER SCREENING ONCE A YEAR
Report suspicious moles or skin changes immediately

Need more info?
www.melanomaresource.org
www.cancer.org/docroot/lrn/lrn_0.asp
www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/melanoma
www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/default.htm

I have a meeting scheduled for 11 am today. It’s an important meeting that I don’t want to miss… but there’s this niggling little voice that keeps telling me to check with the client to be sure I’ve got the date right.

Of course, I’m wrong. Right time, wrong date. Client sent me back an email confirming the meeting is in two weeks!!! Not today.

I can blame it on my electronic calendar not keeping up with reality, or blame it on my memory not keeping up at all. Now that I am in midlife, I find my mind plays such tricks more often than not. So I am searching for, and slowly discovering ways to keep my mind— my memory— at maximum capacity, humming along, working smoothly.

Learning to play an instrument has helped, though I do not practice as well as I should. Sudoku puzzles have become addictive and that keeps my mind buzzing, and I found a couple of websites that have memory games. (See below.)

If you have ideas, or feedback re: memory issues, please share. Thanks.

Memory game sites:

• http://www.youramazingbrain.org/yourmemory/default.htm
• http://www.zefrank.com/memory/

Here in New England we have to deal with driving in the snow. And this winter morning is no exception. I headed out early, just after the snow began to fall. No traffic, no snowplows yet, no sanding. The most dangerous time to drive. With just the first 1/4″ of the white stuff on the ground, there was nothing but “slick” for my tires to grab. I spun out three times before deciding to head home and stay safe.

Going slow and steady is one way to deal with slick roadways. It may annoy the people following along behind, but it’s important to not let that get to you. Being careful saves both your life and theirs. Spinning out only brings disaster, not to mention the heart in your throat as you totally lose control.

A metaphor for life!

Author: Kathy Ekdahl, CSCS, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Personal Best Personal Training

Looking for a fun effective way to enhance your workout? Interval training may just be the way. Interval training is defined as alternating bouts of work and rest. Unlike a sustained bout of cardiovascular exercise where the participant deliberately maintains a steady pace, intervals are about working at high intensity for short periods of time. Alternating very hard work and rest periods will expend significant calories while also increasing your cardiovascular work capacity, and the workout is doable because of the mandated rest period.

There are various types of intervals some of which use time as the determining factor, for example: work 1 minute, rest one minute, or work 2 minutes, rest one minute. You can also use a heart rate monitor to assist in knowing how much work is enough, and when to rest. If you are familiar with using a heart rate monitor, you can determine a desired exercise heart rate (usually 85% of max), and then try and achieve that heart rate during the work interval, without time dependency. If it takes you one minute to achieve the desired heart rate, that’s fine! If it takes two minutes, that’s fine too- it just means you are fitter. The rest period is merely as long as it takes to get your heart rate below 60% of your training zone max. Of course, these heart rate numbers and percentages are approximate, as very few people have exercise heart rates that actually concur with predicted values. Intervals that use heart rate monitoring as the interval parameter are tough, but the percentages can be accommodated to any fitness level. I also do an interval workout that alternates intense cardio activity with strength training exercises. The “rest” is the strength work- not a true rest, but a lot easier than intense cardio!

If you are new to interval training, please contact a certified fitness professional to help you create a safe and effective program. Intervals are fun and challenging, but you will need advice on how to proceed.

Author: Editor

Recently I came across a TV show out of Britain that caused me to really stop and think. It’s one of those reality shows. “You Are What You Eat.” (Click here to check it out on the internet.) It’s really worth a look. Each episode follows the same formula.

Overweight person(s) ask for help from this nutritionist to get a handle on their bad eating habits. She goes through their cupboards, tossing whatever isn’t healthy and commenting on all the junk food they have. Did you know that white bread is actually another name for glue? (I only consume multi-grain, thankyou very much.) The obese person then keeps a diary of all the food consumed in a week. Then comes the confrontation when all the glop and fat they’ve eaten is presented all at once. Spread out on one long table, it’s disgusting to look at. It’s awful, ugleeee and usually stops them in their tracks.

Advice, cooking lessons and recipes follow and for the next 8 weeks- a total transformation occurs. The obese person learns to eat vegetables and avoid pizza, they lose a lot of weight and everybody is happy.

I would like to go back and visit these people in a year and see if miso soup is still on the menu! Still it is an eye opener. I’ve been thinking about my intake. Must ponder this.

- Kathy Ekdahl, CSCS, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Personal Best Personal Training

In one of the most comprehensive and rigorous analysis of 31 long term diet research studies, UCLA researchers undenyingly concluded that diets don’t work. While diets may help you lose 5 to 10% of your weight initially, this comprehensive analysis showed that most people gain all of their weight back AND MORE within several years.

Furthermore, the UCLA study concluded:

1. Most people would’ve been better off not dieting at all. Their weight would’ve remained the same, and their bodies would not have suffered from the rapid weight loss and weight gain.
2. Although this study paints a terrible picture of dieting, the actual effectiveness of diets is probably much worse, as many of the diet studies examined biased the diets to look more effective than they actually were.
3. Most remarkably, one study of over 19,000 men showed that one of the best predictors of weight gain over the years of the study was having lost weight on a previous diet. Another study showed that both men and women who participated in a formal weight loss program gained significantly more weight over a two year period than those who had not participated in a weight loss program.
4. Even when followed for four years, dieters continued to regain the weight lost on the initial diet.

Need any more reasons to stop dieting, start exercising and eating well?
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Author: Kathy Ekdahl, CSCS, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Personal Best Personal Training

Winter is upon us, and this has been a particularly wicked winter for ice and snow. Perhaps you have already had some falls or slips, or near misses, if you are lucky? While this seems like a hazard of the season, it is not a foregone conclusion. With some consistency and dedication, you could improve your balance and stability within just several weeks of time! When most of us think of fitness, we may not think of balance as something we can train, but rest assured, it is very trainable! Balance can be improved with simple practice and some core stability training.

For example: Take a few minutes every day to practice standing on one leg to begin with. Challenge yourself- if you start with only 10 seconds- continue to practice until you reach 20 seconds, or 30 seconds. Once you can stand on one leg for 30 seconds or more, try doing this with your eyes closed. This is quite a challenge! For the next stage, I recommend practicing standing balance on unstable surfaces such as an “airex pad”, or inflatable disc, but using a pillow from your home will work just as well. These techniques will “fire up” your neuromuscular system, and begin to get your muscles thinking and reacting more easily to unstable surfaces- whether they are a pillow, or the ice in your driveway. Supplement this balance work with some core training such as bridges for your glutes, “Birddog” for you spinal muscles and plank holds for your abdominal and back muscles. I also recommend training the lateral hip muscles- which are important stabilizers for the hip joint and for balance. Something as simple as standing side leg lifts can work, as well as the “clamshell” exercise- a side lying exercise, sometimes using an exercise band, in which you rotate the hip open like a “clamshell”.

Lack of balance is a major risk factor for falls, fractures and serious injuries. Just think, if you start training your balance today, by the end of January your risk of falls and injuries will be much less! If this is not an essential reason to exercise, I don’t know what is!

Visit the Personal Best Personal Training web site.

READ NEW ARTICLE ON CAREER PAGE: HOW TO MAKE A CAREER MOVE

Author: Kathy Ekdahl, CSCS, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
Personal Best Personal Training

A recent research study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise proved once again that walking can be an excellent way for many of us to stay in shape and reduce our risk of deadly diseases like diabetes and heart disease. 80 women between the ages of 40 and 66 participated in the study, which looked at the correlation between obesity and daily walking and activity measured by using a pedometer. The study showed that middle aged women who took at least 10,000 steps a day averaged 26% body fat, an admirably low measurement, compared to inactive women who took less than 6000 steps a day and had, on average, 44% body fat- placing them in the very obese category. The study classified those participants who took less than 6000 steps as inactive, 6000-9999 as somewhat active, and 10,000 and more as active.

Where do you think you fall in these categories? The only way to tell is to purchase a pedometer and measure the total number of steps you take in a day by wearing the pedometer all day. Using a pedometer can be fun and rewarding, and setting a goal to increase daily steps as you become fitter and more active is a great way to keep your fitness regimen fresh and exciting. Even McDonalds has jumped on the bandwagon, offering “Stepometers” with their Happy Meals for adults.

Pedometers are easy to use and inexpensive to buy. Some pedometers also calculate calories burned and total distance traveled, but there are limitations to their accuracy- so read the directions carefully prior to use. I purchased an Omron pedometer which was judged “best on the market” and it is quite accurate compared to many of the less expensive models.

We know that the vast majority of the calories we expend each day are spent not in exercise, but in overall activity such as shopping, walking up stairs, walking at work and more, so taking as many opportunities to walk additional steps each day makes sense! This study, as well as others previously published, suggests that taking over 10,000 steps a day is a goal we should all strive for!
Visit the Personal Best Personal Training web site.