Oh to have that hair!

“Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen
Give me down to there, hair, shoulder length or longer”

“Let it fly in the breeze and get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas, in my hair
A home for fleas, a hive for the buzzing bees
A nest for birds, there ain’t no words
For the beauty, splendor, the wonder of my hair”

Head & Shoulders® has announced that they are taking out a $1 million dollar insurance policy on Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu’s trademark hair. Now tell me how does he fit all that hair in his helmet?

Oh I want hair like that…maybe I’ll start using Head and Shoulders. What do you think?

It looks like this floating aquatic bicycle has been around for quite a few years. They used to call them pedal boats. Thanks to technology (isn’t it wonderful!) the surf bike, seacycle, hydro bike, water cycle… whatever you want to name it…is really taking off and offering fun and adventure for all you cyclists who love being out there on the water.

Check these out –

Hey – I’ve owned a surfbike for years – Get out there and try one!

Yes siree – Kick ass cardio dance with all the moves, music and magic of MTV and VH1 – You’ll feel like you are in a music video while you chisel, tone, sculpt and work that body. Once you get your flirtification you can start teaching, preaching and reaching for the stars. As a bonus you’ll be a member of the FAB Club with great discounts on fabulous flirty girl active wear and accessories.

It’s all the rage and one of the hottest new women’s fitness programs – hey, I heard the men were signing on too! So get the Booty Beat and get moving!

www.flirtygirlfitness.com

I confess…I’m a thinker, a planner, and a doer. I’ve got more ideas careening about in my head than I will ever be able to corral, saddle and ride to completion. And I’m not just talking about work stuff – there’s all that personal and life stuff too. So you sift, synthesize, prioritize and attempt to ferret out the most viable and meaningful thoughts and ideas to birth forth. Once the idea begins to crystalize, a plan formulates and real life action is generated. But sometimes things don’t always go according to plan. Maybe it was a flawed idea, miscommunicated, poorly implemented, bad timing, faulty judgement, under financed, or shit happened that just flushed everything down the toilet.

When life doesn’t go as planned let go of the map, get off the designated trail, and follow the terrain. Course correct, cut your losses, learn from your errors, re-evaluate and select a new path.

Red skies at night
Sailors delight
Red skies in morn
Sailors take warn

An electrifying storm and frenzied rain left my morning stroll through the forest with puddles on the path. Meeting this cold, muddy water might cause some to turn around and declare, just not going to attempt it. While others decide to come back later or look for an alternative route. Then there are those who proceed, knowing their feet will get wet and eventually dry. The light-hearted will splash gleefully forward savoring the joy and the surprise of the puddles. Others might logically work to find a way to cross without getting wet…sometimes successful, sometimes not.

When your day presents puddles in you path…what will you do?

Wanting adventure, having adventures, experiencing life as an adventure, is not luck. It’s a choice.

Those who fail to make that choice; invariably make something else instead: Excuses
Thanks gapingvoid for the graphic

Loyal, protective, friendly, playful, content, always happy to see me. Loves to run and swim. A great companion that likes being with me, thinks everything I do is wonderful, and never an argument. Gotta love her!

And may I be the person my dog thinks I am.

Sculpt your legs, burn more calories and improve muscle strength while wearing the innovative new toning shoe — it all sounds great, but appears to be mostly hype and hoopla according to a recent study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The shoe companies are all touting the toning shoe as the next great fitness innovation. The shoes are designed with a uniquely shaped and unstable sole with extra cushioning to alter the normal walking gait and purportedly make the leg muscles work harder.

Not so, reports ACE. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin monitored oxygen consumption, heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), caloric expenditure, and muscle activation in subject’s who wore three different brands of toning shoes on a treadmill (MBT: Masai Barefoot Technology, Sketchers Shape-ups, Reebok Easytone).

“None of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation during any of the treadmill trials as compared to wearing running shoes. There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone,” reports ACE.

Yes, they do alter gait patterns which may be why wearer’s often report that it feels like their muscles are working harder when they are just working the muscles differently due to the change in biomechanics. Also when you take a non-exerciser and place them in a new shoe and then initiate any type of exercise there will be measurable physiologic improvements.

The bottom line – it’s the exercise, not the shoe that improves fitness! Want a good workout for the legs- try walking or running in sand.

OK – I confess…I am one of those missionaries who wants to change the world…even in some minute way. My vision is to create a healthier world and I am here to to propose we begin by being more physically active. Yes, there are many additional ways to a healthy vital life – eating well, not smoking, staying mentally active and socially engaged, wearing your seatbelt, and flossing your teeth to mention a few.

But my passion and heartfelt commitment is to the thing that matters most to me – living a vital and physically active and engaged lifestyle. And this spills over to the relationships with my family, friends, staff, collegues, at work, travel and play. Being passionate is contagious.

I will not dwell on the multitude of health benefits derived from a physically active lifestyle. I think you know what they are. I will ask “what physical activity have you done today?” And I don’t expect excuses or perceived barriers. “I should”, “I’d like to”, I’m trying to find time” are common responses that carry little weight and indicate there is little or no commitment to healthy behavior change. Physical acitivity is just not a priority. It’s about making exercise an important event in your day.

Your task this week – Schedule in your activity each day – make it a priority – hey, just do it! No excuses.

Thanks Gapingvoid for the graphic!