Doris's blog

Say Hello to the Big Guns - The Ultimate Arm Workout

2008-09-21T14:26:55-05:00

Have you ever looked at a drop dead gorgeous shirt and really wanted it, only to have your arms stop you from getting it?

Not
that your arms could not reach and pick up the top, but that the waving
triceps stopped you from trying it on. Hello! Not to mention your back,
you'd never want people seeing your back right now!

I sat at one
of my son's football games last year. Sitting in the bleachers I heard
several children snickering. When I looked over, I could see them
looking at the arms of a mom sitting in front of them. This was an
otherwise beautiful woman, with flabby arms.

The dreaded arm flab! In the world of horrible things that can
happen to you, well it's low on the list. But who has not snickered at the
woman on the football field who wore the backless/sleeveless shirt!

To
rid oneself of the dreaded arm flab one thing has to happen. You have
to make sure you are not overweight. Fat will hang, and while it's
possible to tone the muscle under it, you can't tone it. If your body
fat percentage is within a normal range then you can see results very
quickly. If you are trying to loose weight, you'll still want to do the
workout to help tone and build lean muscle to help turn your body into
a fat burning machine!

Toning your arms can look difficult if
you read some of the workout books, but I've found that some of the
things I do everyday are a great help. Picking up kids and vacuuming
can work those muscles, but if you want to try an extra boost of muscle
power I've found a good arm workout that is easy to do at home, but it
works.

Realwomensfitnes.com has several great workouts I love. This arm workout
really helps me feel my arms getting tighter! It starts with jumping
rope for cardio. I love this as it makes me feel like a little girl.
After the cardio I use weights.

Bicep curls
Tricep dips
Tricep kickbacks
Hammer curls
Cable pressdowns
Push ups

I
started easy, with three pound weights. I've graduated up in weight
overtime, but remember it's slow and steady progress that counts. I
finsih this workout with 20 minutes of jump roping! (more little girl
stuff)

I only do this workout once a week. (Fridays) The rest of
the week I let the pilates or yoga tone my arms. For an extra kick,
this workout has really worked for me! I know I'm toning my arms and
building stonger bones while I'm working out!

Doris

Fit, Fab and Forty

Fitness tips for women approaching the second half of their lives

Family Fitness

2008-09-06T21:34:14-05:00

One of the hard things about being a family is finding things all of us
can do that we all enjoy. Sure we could go out to eat, but ya know it's
nice to make fitness a family affair, and with three boys ranging in
ages from 15 - 20, it's increasingly hard to do.

I'm blessed
with three kids who love sports. I've got two basketball players and
one soccer player, so most sports tend to be competition, we have to
work at something we all love.

Last year my husband came home and told me he bought us five kayaks. Normally I'm all for family fitness and fun, but HELLO kayaking is hard work, and the kayaks are pricey!

The
following Sunday we headed out on our newly bought kayaks, and what I
found is that rowing was a great arm, chest and back workout, and we
all loved it. The first day we started small, we took the kayaks for an
hour. We explored parts of our local creek that we can't normally see
in our power boat.

Now kayaking has become a regular Sunday
routine. We head out to find some undiscovered place, normally we fish
a little and we eat a picnic lunch. We also enjoy a few hours of quiet
in nature with our three boys. Moments like this are great for keeping
me healthy, but even more important, it's one of those great family
traditions that keep us all healthy and bring us closer as a family.

Remember part of being fit is sharing in the habit with those you love!

Doris

Fit Fabulous and Forty

Why did I teach him to walk?

2008-08-10T15:08:48-05:00

Friday the 15th quickly approaches in my home. Last year it happened on the 13th (which seemed appropriate) but this year it's the 15th.

It's ironic really, from the moment you find out you are pregnant you can't wait for you babies next milestone. They are born, learn to smile, sit up, crawl and walk. Then it's potty training, Kindergarten, friends, sleep overs, camp, learners permit, driver's license, graduation and now, it's almost Friday the 15th.

Last year he was a freshman, so I was (stupidly) excited for him to go off to his first year of college. He's attending the university that is part of both our families' heritage. It was all good. Then - as I drove off, IT HIT! Oh my god - my baby can't be living on his own, away from me, who is going to cook, clean, kiss his bobos, all those things that mommies do? I mean, last year he suffered from heat exhaustion and the hosptial called us AFTER they'd treated him, he broke his arm and we got the call AFTER it had been set. Hello - this is my baby people! He put a paper plate in the over to cook pizza! He forgets to put his clothes in the dryer for days and has to buy new ones, and he believed that when the vacum cleaner ran out of bags you bought a new vacum! He can't be an adult! I'm not ready for this!

And I have two more babies left. Does it get easier?

This year, I know what it is like, I've done it before. (no more stupidly thinking I'm excited for him!) I've been through the year of being a visitor in my son's life. Yes, we saw him every six weeks or so, and he does come home for the holidays, but it's not the same. I mean he met a GIRL and I didn't get to meet her for months. (she's awesome, but it's not the same) I mean, who decided that going away to school was the thing to do? Can I home school him now?

Of course he's ready to enter his next year, looking forward to new friends and old ones as well. I am still excited for him, but wondering what I'll do to make the next 9 months before summer vacation go by quickly.

9 months - the irony!

Any suggestions, besides getting a job teaching at his univeristy? I checked, they don't have any openings!

The Leaky Cauldron
Everything Harry Potter.

Fit, Fabulous and Forty the Natural Way! Fitness for women in their forties

Weightlifting: No longer boys only!

2008-08-06T22:15:15-05:00

When you say the words "weight lifter" do you see big men with muscles bulging out of their necks? If so, the next time you say it, look in the mirror. You my friend, need to start lifting weights to help you maintain lifelong fitness.

According to SportsMedicineAbout.com lifting weights helps keep our metabolism running at full speed. According to the article...

Studies performed by Wayne Westcott, PhD, from the South Shore YMCA in
Quincy, Massachusetts, found that the average woman who strength trains
two to three times a week for two months will gain nearly two pounds of
muscle and will lose 3.5 pounds of fat.

I can lift a few weights for that benefit!

naturalnews.com tells us that women who lift weights help increase their bone density. Even everyday house work like pushing the vacum can help women stay fit and increase bone density.

Other excerisces that might help increase bone denisty that can be done at home are ...

Fast Walking (walking with weights around your ankles or in your hands also provide resistance)

Jogging (jogging or running on concrete is not recommended)
Running
Jumping
Jumping Jacks
Step Aerobics
Dancing
Weight Lifting
Hiking
Stair Climbing
Push Ups

Remember that a little weight lifting will help improve both your metabolism and your bone density. So, when you think of a weight lifter, make sure you think of yourself.

Doris

The Leaky Cauldron
Everything Harry Potter.

Fit, Fabulous and Forty the Natural Way! Myfitness journey now that I'm in my forties.

Fiber and Fitness

2008-08-04T21:47:22-05:00

Fiber brings about cringes and looks of disdain from many of us when the word is mentioned. Recently I decided to look at the benefits of fiber, and why we need to make sure we eat enough of it.

First, when most of us think of fiber we think of those tablets or chalky powders you add to your food. None of those thoughts make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

After doing a little investigating I found there were several wonderful menu choices that would add fiber into my diet without sending the rest of my family running for the local fast food stop.

According to the Mayo Clinic, fiber is essential in our diets. To understand why fiber is important to our body we must first understand what it does and what types of fiber there is. Lowcarbdiets/about.com tells us that there are two types of fiber, soluable and insoluable.

Soluable fiber absorbs water and is important to help stabilize blood sugar and it helps lower choloesterol. Insoluable fiber is bulky and helps keep our body regular. Both types of fiber are important to hep us maintain lifelong health and fitness.

Now that we know why it's important, how do we add it to our diets? I found that many of the high fiber choices found in this chart were already in my diet. Foods that are high in fiber that we already eat are ...

Baked Beans (16 grams per seving)

Bran Muffins (2.5 grams per serving)

Bran Cereal (10.6 grams)

Broccoli (5.1 grms)

Whole Wheat Noodles (6 grams)

Peas and Carrots (6.2 grams)

Tortillas (4 grams)

Catsup (.2 grams)

Romaine Lettuce (.8 grams)

cucumber (.7 grams )

brown rice (3.5 grams)

black ollives (1.2 Grams)

blackberries (4.4 grams)

With a little preplanning and creative thinking, fiber can easily be added into your diet to help you maintain life long fitness!

Doris

The Leaky Cauldron
Everything Harry Potter.

Fit, Fabulous and Forty the Natural Way!

Fitness for the forty year old woman.

Kicking the Stress Habit

2008-08-01T16:23:47-05:00

Life can be stressful! Even the things that normally bring us great pleasure can cause us stress at time. Take for example a coversation I had recently with my oldest son.

"Mom, I hate my car and want a new one!"

"Umm, honey that car is two years old, what is wrong?"

"The door is all bent and doesn't close and I can't pick up girls in this one!"

"Ummm, ok we'll get back to the girls, but what is wrong with the door?"

"I don't know, I opened it really fast and it hit this pole and now it's bent and won't close."

"So, you bent the door frame and now the door is broken and we need to take it to the body shop?"

"Yes, and I want a car to pick up girls in!"

"Honey, when you are out of college then you can buy a car for that!"

"But, I'll be too old then"

Yep, I hung up the phone at that comment!

The stress of the pending body shop bill, the reality that my
19-year-old wants a car to pick up girls and the whole "age" thing get
to me! I could eat my way through Hostess Twinkies, or I could go hit
something. (preferably not my 19-year-old.)

Instead of picking up the box of Twinkies I choose the option to hit something. I grabbed my gym bag and headed to my favorite kickboxing class.

According to HealthyMe, cardio kickboxing is a great total body workout.

You may find that planting your heel in the torso of a phantom foe 10 or 20 times leaves you feeling wonderfully tranquil

I know I've found that a few good punches really changes my outlook on life.

Actually, all aerobic exercise can help us reduce stress. According to this study at Texas A&M Univeristy undergraduate women who were able topartcipate in regular aerobic activities had less stress and did better academically then their counterparts.

Aerobic actiivty is a great way to reduce stress and help us keep our bodies fit the natural way!

Doris

The Leaky Cauldron
Everything Harry Potter.

Fit, Fabulous and Forty the Natural Way! My fitness journey through my forties.

Books vs Movies - Why do kids prefer movies?

2008-07-29T21:16:38-05:00

Recently I spent some time with a few great friends talking about how much we prefer books over the movies made from them. This came to pass after the recent trailer release for the movie Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Since we are a group of avid readers, and well to be honest huge Harry Potter fans, we decided we preferred books over movies. This was actually a no-brainer. I knew this would be the result of this discussion since most of us are teachers, most read daily and most don't like the changes made in the movies to help sale the movie.

It is interesting that when I dicuss this topic with a classroom full of 13-year-olds, they all prefer movies over books. Since I am the reading teacher, I thought I'd ask why. These were some of their responses ...

It's faster
If I don't "get" the book I can see it in the movie and it makes sense
I can't see the character 'till I've seen the movie
The words don't flow for me unless I hear them from someone else
I can't picture the book, but the movie gives it to me.

I found these ideas interesting. Why is so easy for my friends and I to love the book and dislike the movies, yet for people one generation younger it's much easier to love the movies.

I find that as a lover of the written word, I just love all the subtlety of language and the joy of learning the depth of the character, yet for my students I see something much different. I see them wanting the visual image given to them and that they rely on another person's intrepretation of the written word.

Time magazine had a great article on this subject...

... readers of a novel have already made their own perfect movie version.

Yes, I admit in my head I have the perfect movie playing and I don't need a wonderful director to do it for me.

Which do you prefer, movies or books? Do you think that readers get something out of books that movie goers miss?

I admit, that if a movie is made from one of my favorite books, I will go see it. I'll be that little old lady eating her popcorn and pickles griping about the things that were done wrong!

Doris

The Leaky Cauldron
Everything Harry Potter.

Fit, Fabulous and Forty the Natural Way! My journey and thoughts on staying fit now that I'm in my forites!

Setting Fitness Goals

2008-07-29T11:04:32-05:00

I've recently started the habit of fitness blogging. It's something I never thought I would do, but it's something I've found I really enjoy. My friends talked me into this endeavor one night over dinner as they grew tired of me telling them how I stayed fit, especially since this normally occured after they'd realized something they were doing wasn't working for them.

One of the reasons my buddies wanted me to blog was to talk about my
usual routine. I've never considered myself a "gymaholic" I just "Fit it in." (borrowing Melissa Anelli's term here!)

As I started my fitness routine I realized I needed a partner. Keeper (the family dog), was in serious need of a fitness intervention. He had
learned to live off the scraps John and the boys feed him, so he was convinced that dog food is beneath him. (not good scraps, but pizza
crusts, old cookies and such) One summer, I've banned people food from
his diet, so in protest he decided to puke up dog food regularly. I
found the right food and the right routine and he finally became a good running partner for me.

Keeper and I had to start slowly. He was a very active dog, but not for long runs. We
decided to start with a quick and easy routine and move a little more
each day. A few blocks became a few more blocks, and his legs look
stronger and he's lost some of his "gut!" Everyday we'd run longer and
longer, distances, and everyday we push his legs to the brink of exhaustion and
stop. He gained muscle, I gain a running partner; it's a win-win for
both of us. Keeper and I had to set goals for his fitness routine. We started with something small and managable knowing that our goal was a great run!

If
you are new to fitness, and you are just looking at how to start, this
is what you do. Set yourself fitness goals along the way. You start
small, walk up and down the block for a few days. Walk in the morning
when it's cool, and then add to your walk every week or so. Drink
plenty of water while you are doing this. If you look at fitness as a
long term project, not as a short term blast you'll see that these
short walks are the start of something good.

Have a fit day everyone!

Doris

Fit, Fabulous and Forty the Natural Way!
A blog about my journey to a lifetime of health and fitness.

The Leaky Cauldron
Everything Harry Potter.

Book Review: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris

2007-11-11T11:45:36-06:00

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

by Michael Dorris is an intriguing novel that tells the stories of three Native American women. These three women, the daughter, mother and grandmother have their own unique perspectives of each other, and by hearing all three stories, the reader gets a unique perspective on the family.

I found the organization of this novel to be quite unique. The story starts in the present, but we move back in time to allow us to hear the stories of the mother and grandmother. When we finish we learn the uniqueness of each women, and the commonality shared by all three of the women. The story is much like a puzzle that you pull apart, turn over and put together. It's more beautiful on the other side.

I think anyone would love this book, but it's most suited for women of all ages. I think it's a great way to help women understand the common bond we have with our female family members, and how deeply interwoven our lives truly are.

Holiday Book Ideas

2007-11-06T11:27:54-06:00

Every year my friends ask me the same question. What do I get my kid's teachers for the holidays?

Holiday themed gifts
It's important to remember that not all teachers celebrate the same holidays that your family might celebrate. I have teacher friends who don't celebrate Christmas, but they might put snowmen in their class for the children. They will often get candy, or decorations that they simply put in the trash later. Gifts that are holiday themed are generally not a good idea unless you know the teacher celebrates.

Baked Goods
This seems like such a thoughtful gift. Sending your child's teacher a gift from your kitchen just makes parents feel all warm inside. To be totally honest with you, I don't think I've ever eaten anything a child has brought me. The holidays are filled with cookies, sweets, and pies. Parents should always remember that the teacher can't leave these things in a classroom and well, there is only so much room in your thighs for more cookies.

Candles/Perfume/Ties/Pins
I lump these together because so many kids want to buy their teacher something special. I admit that I have gotten a couple of candles over the years that I've used and enjoyed. If you know your teacher loves candles, and you know the scent they prefer, then by all means go for it! This is the same for the other gifts.

What is tough as a teacher is when the child asks why you don't wear the perfume or pin. It's hard to know a teacher's personal taste.

Items for the classroom
Most parents don't realize that the teacher purchases the personal items in the class. Those adorable stickers, the great stamps, the reward bookmarks, all of those are normally purchased from the teachers pocket. One of the best gifts a teacher can receive is a gift certificate to the local teacher supply warehouse. New teachers need ooks, so donations to a class library, posters or colored pencils make very thoughtful gifts.

A teacher will be thankful for any gift they are given. The item is not as important as the hug that normally comes with it!

My thoughts on Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

2007-11-05T20:47:23-06:00

My friends and I had planned on reading Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love for quite a while. When we finally sat down to read the book and share a bottle of wine, this is how the conversation went.

"I've lived through nights on the bathroom floor!"

"Will you read the next page?"

"I'm getting more wine!

What followed was a wonderful week of reading Gilbert's year of discovery. Her travels from one end of the world to the next helped her find the thing she missed most. Herself! This is an awesome read for any women wishing to share a moment of personal reflection, or just wanting to enjoy reading about another's journey from the depths of despair to true peace.

Gilbert's delightful writing style, coupled with the incredibly well organized book make this a fun read!

Has anyone else read this book, and if so did you love it or leave it?

Books, Books and more Books

2007-11-05T20:12:55-06:00

Why do we need another blog about books? This is what I think - and if you care what I think please read on!

Books are like people, we all see things in a book that others miss. I might love the characters, you might love the setting. You get the idea! Anyway, I'll write about the books or series I'm reading, and if you like please just comment on it! Maybe we'll share a common literary genre', maybe we'll fight like cats, either way we'll be entertained and learn something along the way!

First Question of the week?

What is your favorite book or series?