Opinions

I have to STOP caring what other people think. Do you?

Some would say I am a little bold when it comes to being edgy and doing certain things. I have tattoos and body piercings, I change my hair color a few times a year or more, I wear clothing some would never consider, I don’t act my age, and I let words fly right out my mouth, without a second thought. (Not always on purpose, just a little A.D.D is all). From the outside, it would appear I don’t care what others think. But sadly, I do! When someone gives me their “opinion” on what I have said or done, it stings a little. I have even heard I am now too skinny. Also, why would I want to put on muscle because it will only make me look tough and manly.

As a society, why do we have to disapprove when someone changes their physical appearance? Isn't it their body to do with what they want? As long as it doesn’t hurt others, then what difference does it really make?

The public in general accepts it if someone loses a little weight, wears acrylic nails, changes their hair style only a few times, tans only a little, wears makeup, bleaches their teeth, gets braces, grows facial hair or shaves it off, receives laser hair removal, waxes their legs or chest, wears a push-up bra with padding, has moles removed, chemical peels or any other minor changes. But according to whose measure is “minor”?

They then disapprove of nose jobs, face lifts, tummy tucks, breast augmentation, lifts or reduction, liposuction, tattoos, body piercings, etc. Some of these I may not agree with but my opinion does not matter when talking about someone else's body. How would you know if a woman’s stomach wasn’t destroyed after giving birth or her breasts are disfigured for one reason or another? Is it even your place to know this information? Do they need to justify it to you? What if a man just simply wants a hair transplant? Or is this one OK? These procedures are judged as wrong, unnecessary and vane. I have an imperfect ear. Is it alright to have it fixed because I was born this way?

Most give an opinion when it’s not wanted. How does another person’s choice in body appearance affect your life? This year for me personally, and I hope for you too, is going to be a year of mental change. Do what makes us (me) happy and don’t worry what others think. Everyone has their opinion and so what!

Now stop worrying what grandma thinks about your new clothes, hair color, crazy workout routines and new muscles. Workout, lose weight, and drink those protein shakes with confidence. Maybe fix a few other things if you chose. Who am I to judge?

Fitter First Wobble Board Review

Wobble boards. Ever hear of them? I hadn't until I did a Google search for crazy fitness stuff. Come to find out, this isn't so crazy. Fitter First is a great website for all your fitness equipment needs. From exercise balls, to foam rollers and bands to help you stretch, and even chairs to keep you active while you're working at your desk. Wobble boards, weeble boards, and balance boards. I was most intrigued with the wobble board.

This is harder than it looks. With something to be learned in the balance department, I slowly stepped onto my new 16" wobble board one foot at a time. Trying to balance on this is one thing, then to start rocking it forward and back, side to side, is another. Once this is done with ease, try adding a squat. Balancing moves are great for your entire body. Engaging your core. All the smaller muscles in your body work together to keep you stable. The ball underneath is adjustable making balance easier or harder depending on your experience level. You can also place your hands on either side and use for extreme pushups. I must say after being on it for a while the first time, I had a funny feeling when getting off. Much like stepping off a treadmill after a good long walk or run. It was for sure challenging. I have had several friends try it out. Some, it makes for a good laugh, others got the hang of it right away. I recommend trying it for the first time close to a wall or kitchen counter, in case you need to quickly grab a hold of something for stability. I really like placing it under my desk as a foot rest. Keeps me active as well and blood flowing through my legs as I sit.

I could go on and on about this product, but thought it be easier to have the founder Louis Stack explain it himself:


So check out the Fitter First site today. There are so many products to choose from, I could not possibly fit it all into this review. As always, comments are always welcome. Let me know what you think or if you have used a wobble board or other Fitter First products.

Workout on a Budget #6 and #7

#6 ~ This is an awesome ab move. Are you ready? Lay on the floor, flat on your back. Stretch your arms above your head, holding your balance ball firmly between your hands. With straight arms and legs, bring them together up above your core and pass the ball from your hands to your feet. In a slow smooth motion, take the ball down, but not touching the floor. Continue to pass the ball between your feet and your hands until your abs just can't take it anymore.


#7 ~ Lunges are one of the best workouts for your glutes, hamstrings, thighs, and calves. You can do these with or without weights, depending on your fitness level. Start in a standing position. Step out with your right leg and squat down. Again, look down and make sure your knee is not extended out over your foot and your knee is directly above your toes. Don't let your left knee touch the ground. Then step back into a standing position. Continue on one side (right) for 10 reps. Switch to your left leg and do another 10 reps. Do this series three times. If you need to make it more difficult, add weights, size depending on your experience. You can also step out into the lunges and go up and down with out taking a full step back. This will really go deep into your glutes.

*Lunge photo taken from About.com

Workout on a Budget - Moves #4 & 5

First, YHH would like to introduce our new look! Yes, we have mixed things up yet again. You can be assured content and posts will remain the same and continue to only be more excellent in helping you with your fitness journey. We were sad to see a drop in male subscribers, so in response to this, YHH has decided to do away with the pink. (I can hear the cheers from the men now). Advertising buttons have been added to help men locate more support for their weight loss journey as well. Check out the new beach look to go with your new beach body. As always, leave us comments and let us know what you think.

Now let's get on with moves #4 and #5:

#4 ~ Plank Twists are fantastic not only for your abs but your entire body. Place your palms directly under your shoulders and shoulder width apart. Hold in your abs in tight and concentrate on a flat back. Dropping in the core will be too harsh on your lower back and spine. Once you are in a stable strong position, bring your left knee in and twist over to your right elbow. Go as far as comfortable, it is not necessary to touch. Do this motion slow and steady. Twist your right knee to your left elbow. Continue with the twist back and forth until you feel a good burn in your abs and your upper body. A great alternative to this move is to come down on your elbows, hands out in front of you. Twist through as fast as you can as if you are leaning into a bike and peddling up hill.

#5 ~Mountain Climbers are one of my favorites and most hated moves of all. Stay in your plank position. This time bring your knee directly into the center of your chest, just between your elbows. Then switch feet with a jumping action. Switch, switch, switch, switch. An alternative to this, for those who can't jump, is to simply step in and out switching feet. But, as soon as you can take it up a notch, start to jump through. This will crank your heart rate and give you an all over body workout.

Footnote: A subscriber responded, regarding the exercise ball, which I mentioned from Wal-mart. They just purchased a ball at Sears for only $5.99 and stated they carry three different sizes. So now there's really no excuse not to have this in your home gym!

*Photos taken from Health.com and Free Workouts Guide.com

Workout on a Budget - Moves #1, 2, & 3

#1 ~ Let's start with hard core leg squats. For those just starting out, getting good form on a squat is very important. You never want to look down and see your knees are overextending your feet. You want a nice straight line with your knees directly above your feet. Using an exercise ball can help with form and support the legs and back if you don't have leg strength to do the move free standing and/or with weights.

Place the ball on your lower back and lean up against a wall. Move your feet out in front of you, hip width apart, so you are now leaning on the ball. Squat (like sitting down) a few times to check position. Make sure your feet don't overextend the toes. Once you find your position, roll up and down the wall until your legs burn and start to give out or shake. This is when you know you have reached your max. DON'T rest your palms on your legs for support. Make sure your sitting up straight with arms at your sides, hands on your hips, or extended out in front. To make this move more difficult, add weights in your hands. Either hang the weights at your sides or add in some bicep curls while you squat.

#2 ~ Here's a great move for abs. Place the ball under your lower legs in a push up position, (this takes practice to balance) and simply hold this move. Learning to balance will engage muscles throughout your body. Remember to hold in your abs nice and tight.

To make this move more challenging, slowly bend your knees rolling the ball into your core. Hold for a second and roll the ball back out. Adding even more difficulty, when you have the ball rolled into your core, push your butt into the air up with your feet and get your backside as high in the air as you can, hold, release down and roll the ball back out. Do these moves until your abs are on fire.

#3 ~ Let's workout the arms with some tricep kickbacks. You can do this two ways; with or without your stability ball. I like to do it with so I can keep the abs engaged. Sit on your ball and slowly roll down to a lying position, with the ball between your shoulder blades. Keep your butt up, don't droop, and concentrate on holding in the core. This will also engage your hamstrings. Hold your weights above your shoulders, not directly above your head, and slowly lower your arms down onto either side of your face. If you are using a ball you can take this move a little lower as you are not restricted by the floor. Slowly move your arms back up to the starting position. All moves must be slow and controlled. Concentrate on the flex of your muscles. Don't drop the weights down as you can cause injury. If the movement is slow, you are working the muscle harder. Start with small weights and work your way up to something heavier. Always make it a challenge.

*Photos from Critical Bench.com and Good Housekeeping Magazine.

Working Out on a Budget

I am so fortunate to have a gym in my home. Although it's not completely built yet, with stud/cement walls and no ceiling, heating the gym in the winter can be a challenge. If a home gym is too cold, it's not good on your muscles. Make sure it's an adequate temperature and your staying warm. Don't just measure this on your ability to sweat but touch your skin on your arms or legs and make sure they are warm as well. If your skin remains cool during the workout, then the gym temp needs to come up.

I was reminded of how simple a workout can be when my gym was too cold the other night. Grabbing only a few essential things, I headed up to my office to get in an amazing workout.

As much fun as an elliptical, wobble board, jump snap, perfect pull-up, perfect pushup, hoola hoop, and dvd's are, they are not necessary for weight loss. They will no doubt aid in your weight loss, and I do recommend some of these items (all links provided). I also believe you only need two simple things.

An exercise ball, some free weights and/or a kettlebell. That's it! You could even get in a great workout without the ball, but I believe it can be a huge assistance. After a wide search of different makes and distributors the one shown here from Wal-mart is only $17.

Another must are free weights. It's a general "rule" that weights are priced per pound. Example: If you were buying a five pound weight it should cost around five dollars. I recommend starting with a set of fives, eights, and tens. If you believe that you are going to progress past those, or wish too, then look into the weight alternative of Power Blocks.

This is going to be a more expensive choice initially then only purchasing a set of five or ten pound weights, as that would only be around $30.00. But, in the long run, if you were to add 10's, 12's, 15's, etc., this is a less expensive way to go. Paying a dollar per pound when topping out around 50 pounds, plus a full rack, is not only pricey but takes up a lot of room. The Power Block has all your weights in one. This is the set I have and use daily. (My husband also has his own set. Mine top out at 24 pounds, his 45.) I bought the floor model with stand and got a great deal. So don't be afraid to ask about that as well.

Another weight alternative is the Kettlebell. Although you can purchase these anywhere, I am a huge fan of the Kettle Worx program. It's a series of DVD's and the bell comes free. Once you have worked the program or watched enough DVD's, you can grab this little miracle worker and do your own routine. (Power Block also makes an interchangeable kettlebell if you wish to have more than one size.)

This week I am going to highlight workouts you can do with simply your weights and exercise ball. If you don't have these items, go out and grab a few. With the ball at $17 and a few weights around $20 you should be good to go without reaching too far in your wallet.

Look for workouts coming soon and get ripped sooner than later!

Pepsi Throwback or Pepsi Wants YOU Back

After the introduction of High Fructose Corn Syrup in the 1970's, America accepted HFCS, made from corn, as simply a new sugar. The food manufacturers were all for switching to HFCS as it was cheaper to produce and had other benefits as well. (It makes your food "taste" fresh instead of just being fresh!)

If you read the HFCS website they tell you it's "nearly identical" to regular sugar:
High fructose corn syrup is composed of either 42 percent or 55 percent fructose, with the remaining sugars being primarily glucose and higher sugars. In terms of composition, high fructose corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar (sucrose), which is composed of 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. Glucose is one of the simplest forms of sugar that serves as a building block for most carbohydrates. Fructose is a simple sugar commonly found in fruits and honey.

High fructose corn syrup is used in foods and beverages because of the many benefits it offers. In addition to providing sweetness at a level equivalent to sugar, High fructose corn syrup enhances fruit and spice flavors in foods such as yogurt and spaghetti sauces, gives chewy breakfast bars their soft texture and also protects freshness. High fructose corn syrup keeps products fresh by maintaining consistent moisture.

So what's the real problem? HFCS "tricks" your body into releasing Leptin and Insulin; two hormones your body releases when you are done eating. Unlike regular sugar, HFCS does NOT dampen your Ghrelin, which tells the body it's full. Leptin, Insulin, and Ghrelin all have to work together. If your Ghrelin continues to rise and not slow, it demands your body to eat more, and confuses the Leptin and Insulin levels. Simply put, HFCS is not processed by your body the way table sugar is. By drinking or eating HFCS you will consume more calories, even up to 24 hours later, and end up craving yet again more HFCS. It's an endless cycle which adds to America's rising obesity.

As the awareness rises on HFCS and America's entertainment turns to shows such as The Biggest Loser, we are more aware of the scares of weight gain associated with HFCS. Thus, soda sales are dropping. Did you know that Mexico's production of Pepsi and Coke are made without HFCS? Drinkers have even tried to bring it back because of this fact. Store chains like Wal-mart and Costco, do carry the Mexican made product with real sugar. So with all of that said, Pepsi finally stood up, took notice of their emptying wallets, and have now introduced their "limited time only" Throwback.

They are advertising it to be the soda of the 80's. The only way to make it an "authentic" throwback is to remove the HFCS and replace it with sugar as it changes the flavor back to that of the 80's. You may have seen the commercials already where the last thing they tell you is "Made with real sugar". Thus in my mind, the REAL reason for the throwback. Not just because they thought it would be "cute" to re-release the old designed glass bottles.

So if we jump on this bandwagon we are telling the food and drink industry we are tired of HFCS.

Although I am not a soda drinker myself, for those of you who are or just can't give it up, send a message and buy the Throwback!

Video of the Week

Injuries from working out can be a serious issue. Always do proper form and take care of yourself outside of the gym. Drink lots of water, watch what you are eating, and make sure you are getting the rest which is needed for muscle repair.

I have mentioned, in the past, my husband injured his shoulder while bench pressing. Although he was doing proper form and being cautious when working out, his left shoulder still gave out on a heavy press. After being misdiagnosed all those years ago, (told it was just sprained), we finally got a second opinion. With one tendon totally ripped off the bone, it was time to have it fixed through surgery. 6-8 weeks of this shoulder contraption, lots of physical therapy and soon he will be hitting the gym again. For this I can't wait. I love my workout partner and appreciate his hard work and dedication even more now that I am in the gym alone. But I must say, after the holidays and now playing nurse, my gym days have been far and few between. Making the right food choices has become very important.

I wanted to share a video workout with you, which will get you moving and motivated for an upcoming week. The instructor is very up beat and easy to workout with. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you for the prayer of healing for my husband. In no time at all he will be bench pressing, pushups and pullups, and in the best shape of his life.

Week = Weak

Taking time off does do your body good. Giving your muscles a chance to relax can be helpful in the muscle growth and rebuilding stages. It can even freshen your brain and help you prepare mentally for the next step in your fitness journey.

The negative side is taking too much time off. This will weaken your muscles fast. Too much time will cause you to back slide in your progress and fall far from your original goals.

I know this from experience. After a much needed break for my back and shoulder muscles, I am so much weaker than I was just two weeks ago. It's amazing how much strength you can lose in such a short amount of time. More importantly is the mental change. I am fighting the lazy side of me who wants to do nothing but sit and knit or read a book. I know in the long run, I am doing my body good by working out and making healthier food choices. I also know once I am back into the groove of working out I will feel awesome. Mentally and physically.

So if you need a break, make it only a few days and no more. Don't go for weeks on end without some kind of physical activities. Before you know it 20-10 will be over and you will be wondering why you didn't finish the commitment the you planned for this year.

Set a new plan or continue with the path you are on and only rest for two-three days at a time. No More!

P.S. Ladies - don't forget to check out YHH's new sister site: The Purse Paradise.com Get registered today for awesome purse giveaways!

Getting Started Again

The start of the year seems to be everyone's new beginning. If you didn't do it last year, you are going to do it this year. You have held off every weight loss program, every "I won't eat that after the 1st", till this moment. The turning of the calendar.

Well, it's January. Remember not to set yourself up with unrealistic goals. If you are extremely overweight, take ten pounds at a time. If you want to build muscle, slowly incline your weights and changes will happen.

With January, comes injury. People who haven't been in the gym all year want to pick up where they left off a year ago. Take a moment to plan out your new workout routine, what you are going to be doing when, and start slow. 20 minutes a day is all you need when first starting out.

If you took a break over the holidays, the same applies to you. Start with some cardio or light weights and get your brain back into the routine. Once your mind is set, there will be no stopping you.

This is your year. It's all up to you. No one can achieve physical change for you ~ but you. So do it with pride, make things happen for yourself, and take the credit.

As always, let me know how you are doing. I love hearing from you. You inspire me as well. Keep up the great work!