Remember the song, ''Not last night but the night before, twenty-four robbers came knockin' on my door?''
Those were the days when playing hopscotch, jumping rope and hanging on the monkey bars were our primary occupations.
While hopscotch and swinging from the jungle gym may no longer be a part of our leisure time, jumping rope could be. Not only is it a great cardiovascular alternative to your usual aerobic workout, jumping rope can increase body awareness and develop better hand and foot coordination.
Roping essentials
One of the greatest things about jumping rope is how little it takes to get started. All you really need are some comfortable shoes and a good rope. The best shoes for jumping rope are either aerobic shoes or cross-trainers. Be sure your shoes have a reinforced toe and provide a lot of cushioning for the ball of the foot.
Jump ropes have come a long way since most of us were skipping around the playground. Today, they are made from a variety of materials and feature various grip styles.
Some ropes are weighted or have heavy handles. These ropes are usually too cumbersome and are not recommended. Instead, choose a light-weight rope with foam grips so it won't slip away from you even if your palms get sweaty.
Here's how to choose the right length rope for you: step one foot on the center of the rope and bring both handles up to the chest. The handles should reach about chest-high.
Learning the basics
Here is a breakdown of the do's and don'ts of jumping rope:
Lightly grip the handles near the end closest to the rope.
Keep your shoulders relaxed and your elbows close to your body.
Your knees should be bent slightly.
Turn the rope from the wrist and aim to keep a smooth arc in the rope as it passes over your head.
Never hunch over. Keep your back straight and head up.
Jump low to keep the impact on your knees and ankles to a minimum.
Jumping rope - '90s style
If it's been a while since you've swung a rope, you can rest easy - the essentials are still the same. And the essentials are all you really need to know to get a good workout. But if you want to create a fun and exciting workout, you'll have to add an extra element: a little pizzazz.
The easiest way to do this is to turn on some upbeat music to get you motivated. Fun, exciting music is the best way to keep your energy up during your workout.
Once you have mastered basic jumping, try getting a little creative. Jump backwards or vary your foot patterns. Try bringing your knees up or scissoring your legs. If you find yourself needing a break but you don't want to stop completely, twirl the rope from side to side.
If you're finding it difficult to come up with new moves, head to the video or bookstore. There are several new tapes and books on the market to help you add some variety to your workout.
The point is to stick with it. You're sure to notice a marked improvement in your endurance level, which will help any other sports or activities you may do. And who knows? Jumping rope might even make you feel like a kid again.
Introduce current and new customes to the Shaklee AutoShip Program and help them take advantage of another great promotion as outlined below:
Start with the Essential Foundation and pick the Health Solution Pack for your specific needs. To be eligible, all new and existing monthly AutoShip orders that contain both an Essential Foundationplus one of the following Health Solution packs: Antioxidant Solutions; Heart Health Solutions; Digestive Solutions; Men's Health or Women's Health Solutions Pack for three consecutive monthly AutoShip orders will receive a special offer with a total value of $65. Savings are based on Member Price. Your first qualifying AutoShip order must be placed between December 29, 2004 and March 15, 2005.
You'll save $15 off your fourth month's order, AND Shaklee will send a FREE Shaklee Sport Bag ($50 value). Free Sport Bag and discount will be applied automatically to your fourth AutoShip order. Limit one per customer.
AutoShip Signup is so simple - the new AutoShip Pick a Pack guides you through the choice of picking the right Essential Foundation item and a Health Solutions pack all on a single page. You simply click whether you are creating a new AutoShip, or if you want to add to an existing order, and in just two steps you are done! We're sure you'll agree that it's the easiest way yet to try AutoShip and start saving. Click here for further details.
Apparently, stretching before exercise does not reduce the risk of leg injury during workouts. Australian researchers recruited 1,538 men in the army and randomly assigned them to stretch or non-stretch groups. Over the course of 40 sessions of physical training in 12 weeks, both groups started with warm-up exercises, but the stretch group also did additional 20-second stretches of the main leg muscles for a total of five minutes of stretching. The researchers did not find a significant difference in the number of leg injuries reported between the stretch and non-stretch groups. What did make a difference was the men's level of fitness and age. The five-minute stretching time used in this study may have been too short to result in benefits; still, the best way to prevent injury of any kind is to exercise consistently enough to stay fit. Source: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, February 2000
By:Derek Bemis'- Crohn's Story I was diagnosed with Crohns disease in 1992. Although looking back I believe I had it most of my life but never made the connection.
I had always been on the thin side, and as a child I was prone to stomach aches and such. The doctor would shrug it off as cramps - the pains were short and would go away as quickly as they came, so that is what we thought they were. They always seemed to occur at times of stress however particularly around Christmas time when we would be anticipating the arrival of Santa. Later in life at the high school level, and more so at the college level, finals would be a real time of pain for me. I would have problems, but I would push them aside as cramps and tell myself to quit being such a baby and push on. I remember going through Basic Training at Ft. Knox in 1983. Now this is an atmosphere ripe with stress, in fact that is its soul purpose, to induce stress.
I began Basic at a comfortable 160 lbs. In fact that was the heaviest I had ever been. A year of dorm life and consuming the beverage of choice, Point Beer, had definitely cushioned me. After six weeks of training I had dropped almost 40 lbs. I would stuff my face with food, or as the Drill Sergeant would say shove it in your mouth and chew it as you leave meals were short and very stressful, not a good combo for someone at the onset of full blown Crohn's. There were many days I could not keep the food down, and doing that amount of work on little food is very conducive to weight loss. My clothes were falling off of me, and even with a belt I was having a hard time keeping my pants up. After Basic and back at College the pains were slightly more frequent and definitely more severe. I continued my training in R.O.T.C. and Majored in Forestry. At this time I believe I was anemic, but didn't know it at the time.
I was having trouble keeping up with the R.O.T.C. training program and was struggling to pass my Physical Fitness test that we needed to pass twice a year. I thought that it was the good life that I was leading being back at college and decided I needed to put in some more training time.
So I took on extra physical training put on by the Dept. of the Army. Even with all that I felt my strength slipping. I passed all my tests however, and once again told myself to suck it up and pushed on.
I met my future wife Christy about this time, and things changed for the better. I didn't realize at the time what a calming effect she had on me, and how much it helped to calm my cramps. Little did she know, that she was in for quite a ride, I would not have wanted anyone else there with me, she was, and is, truly a blessing.
The cramps were pretty scarce or easily handled until starting my new job. They came back with more frequency and intensity, and I finally went to the doctor. The initial diagnosis was that I had a stomach ulcer. I was treated accordingly and given a regiment of medicine. It helped slightly and allowed me to carry on for some time, but after awhile the pain was back and getting worse.
Then came 1992 the year that I will never forget, I had a bad horse accident that put me in ICU at the Stoughton Hospital. I was training a trotting horse that we had purchased, and one thing led to another and before I knew it I was rolling down the road in a cart behind a runaway horse and nothing I could do would stop him.
Many things run through your head at a moment like this and the one that kept entering my head was GET OFF. I decided to jump for it, I planned on a soft spot up ahead, but about that time the horse broke the other way and my soft spot became the hard pavement at about 40mph. I got back to my feet, how I don't know, but adrenalin is a powerful thing, and started walking home. I was going to go home to lay down for awhile because at the time I didn't believe I was that hurt, but none of my limbs were working quite the way they were suppose to, and my knee kept buckling backwards.
Christy was following in the truck and stopped to help, but my main concern at that point was the horse. I told her to get the horse and I would start walking back. I made it about a quarter of a mile and saw the horse coming at me at a dead run dragging the mangled cart behind it.
I tried to raise my arms to slow him down but realized that only one arm was working. The horse, fortunately for us, ran directly back to his stall, he was scared and sweating, but none the worse for wear.
I, on the other hand, had a class III separated shoulder, torn ACL ligament in my right knee, a concussion, a puncture wound that went completely through my ankle and a major road rash on my back, not to mention numerous deep cuts to my head; what kept me on my feet and walking only the Lord knows.
After several surgeries and lengthy rehab I was back on my feet, but my cramps were much worse after all this, and were coming back with more frequency.
I continued to push on trying to ignore the pain in my abdomen convinced that the medicine needed time to work. It was then that I had a major GI bleed that landed me back in ICU at the Stoughton Hospital, a place I had come to know so well.
I was at first incredibly tired, I had just finished some work in the barn and could not figure out why I would be this tired. I had laid down for a few minutes then I felt that I needed to go to the bathroom. Not an unusual occurrence for me since I had been dealing with severe diarrhea for about a year now, something that I also had medicine for. Only this time it was blood, about 2 pints of it.
Christy took me to the hospital, where I was immediately admitted to ICU. I went through a battery of tests in the days to come, with the final diagnosis Crohn's. I had no idea what it was, and with the world wide web still in itsinfancy, information was not as easy to come by. The doctors did their best to explain it, and a few books from the library filled in the rest. I came to find out that it wasn't curable, but was treatable, for the most part.
I was given a regiment of medicine from painkillers to steroids. I had such a hard time with cramps on the steroids that it was getting hard to do much of anything. The pain was almost constant at this point and many days I would come home from work, curl up in a fetal position and try to sleep, but even sleep was rare at that point. I came across a book entitled Eating Right for a Bad Gut, by Dr. James Scala. This was another major turning point in my battle against the Crohn's. It was the game plan for my new attack against it. Through the book I started eating better and was introduced to supplements as a means of treating it, my search for the supplements led me to Shaklee products and specifically Margaret Trost and Barb Lagoni. Margaret and Barb's visit was the beginning of the end to a long and tiring battle.
Barb set up some meal plans which consisted mainly of homemade soups and steamed vegetables. Light meats such as fish and chicken, and light on the dairy products. Yogurt became one of my main sources of calcium, and was very easy on the intestines. The start of my supplement regiment was taken with each meal and was as follows: 2 tps. Liqui-Lea 4 Calcium 1 Vitamin E 2 B-Complex 5 Alfalfa 3 EPA 1 Vita-C 3 tbs. Soy Protein 2 tbs. Meal Shakes
I started slowly to allow my system to become accustomed to the supplements and continued to add until I was up to amount listed previously. I was eating very little at this time, because the pain was so bad the thought of putting food in my mouth and aggravating the cramps more was not an appealing thought.
I was skeptical at first, I have to admit, but I took the supplements and the medicines that the doctors had given me. After about a week the pain was lessening and I could function fairly well. I felt some strength returning, and by the end of the first month, I was convinced that they were really helping.
I went to the doctor on my regular visits and even he noticed an improvement. Further test revealed that the irritation from the Crohn's was lessening, and the pain I was feeling was mainly the scars that had narrowed my intestines to the point that food was having a hard time passing through.
The doctors decided that surgery was my best option at this point. Something that I did not want, but knew that I needed. So at 107 lbs I entered the hospital on December 1, 1993.
I will spare you the details of the surgery, that is another story in and of itself. I will say this much, they removed about a foot of my small intestine and about 6 inches of my large. This area of the small intestine is what regulates the amount of water into the large and is also the part that absorbs the B vitamins into the body.
I was treated as if I were a recovering POW as my doctor put it, because I had been eating so little my body was beginning to feed on its own organs. I was in all practical terms starving. With zero percent body fat, and still anemic, I was definitely a sight. They started a feed line in my neck and gave me 6,000 calories a day along with a intravenous container of lipids (fat) a day.
As soon as I was able, I started back on my supplements and the diet that Barb had laid out, but this time I put the medicine aside. I started regaining my strength, and I could tell on almost a daily basis that I was getting stronger. I was eating better and putting on weight.
I continued on the supplements, and never took any more medicine after the surgery. I am convinced that the vitamin E and the other supplements helped reduce my scarring and kept my intestine supple after the surgery. I tripled the amount of B complex after the surgery and added daily fiber mix as well.
The doctors told me that I would always have trouble with diarrhea and that I would need monthly B12 injections. I have had neither. My B12 levels are always well into the normal range, and at one point I was high on the B12, which I think really amazed them.
It has been 12 years since my surgery, and I have had very few problems. I still have some trouble with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), but it is manageable. Over the years I have cut back slightly on the supplements, and my diet has slipped slightly.
I can eat anything that I want. A few things such as nuts and very fibrous things can cause some problems, but anything in moderation. My supplement plan today is: 1 Vita-Lea 1 Vita-C Sustained Release 4 B-Complex 4 Calcium 1 Vita-E Complex 1 Zinc Complex 2 Immune Building complex 2 Lecithin 3 EPA 10 Alfalfa 3 tbs. Soy Protein 4-8 tbs. Daily Fiber (Both a.m. and at bed time) 1 Optiflora
The Optiflora has been a huge help to me, and I wish it had been available when this all started. I also use the EZ Gest particularly when I know that I may be eating something other than my normal diet, which by the way, is almost exclusively Thai food at this point. I think after not being able to eat or wanting to eat all that time. I wanted to experiment with different cuisines, try it all as you would say, and have always come back to Thai food. It is light, and the combination of tastes is unbelievable.
So it has been almost 12 years now that I have been in remission. I had a colonoscopy about 2 years ago, and although there was a little redness near the staples that connect my small intestine to my large, the doctor saw no signs of the Crohn's.
About a year ago I began running and biking, and have dreams of being in the Madison Ironman one day. I workout 5 days a week and logged more miles than I care to think about, and not once have I felt that I couldn't do it. I know that if I am to reach that dream, Shaklee products will be with me every step of the way. I am now almost 41 and I am probably in the best shape of my life. My current weight is 150 lbs. which is right were it should be.
The Lord has truly blessed me with a loving wife to see me through this and allowed me to find the help I needed through Margaret and Barb and Shaklee Products. I do not like to think of where I would be now without them. Buy Shaklee Online
In a recent study of 52 obese men with an average body mass index (BMI) of 31, Canadian researchers demonstrated the power of exercise as a weight loss tool. One group of men dieted, consuming 700 calories per day less than they needed to maintain their weight. Another group walked or jogged on a treadmill at 80 percent of heart rate maximum for about an hour each day, long enough to burn off 700 calories. After three months, both dieters and exercisers lost the same amount of weight - about 16.5 lbs, or eight percent of their body weight.
Exercisers, however, lost more abdominal fat (4.2 lbs) than dieters (3.3 lbs). Exercisers also did not lose muscle mass the way dieters did, and got the added benefit of improved cardiovascular fitness.
A third study group kept their weight stable by burning off 700 calories per day with exercise, but making up for it with an extra 700 calories of food. Although these men did not lose weight, they did lose visceral abdominal fat, which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine, July 18, 2000; 133, 2, 92-103
Bernice wrote this in a email group that I am a part of... I know there amny people who suffer with terrible headaches so I thought I would pass her information on.
In response to the question regarding cluster headaches. For years (since I was 10 years old) I had major migraine headaches every day of my life...until I started using Shaklee products.
I had frequent constipation (among other problems) and ordered my first Shaklee product...Herb-Lax.
Lo and behold, it certainly helped with the constipation but it also got rid of my headaches for a few days. At that time I didn't know that toxins built up in the body with constipation.
My diet was lousy...very little fiber and very little water intake. Through the years, I added more and more Shaklee products (i.e. all of them) and improved my diet.
Eating raw (organic, if possible) fruits and veggies every day, at least 1/2 gallon water, protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, and all of the Shaklee supplements has made a significant difference in my health.
It is very rare for me to get a headache these days...only when I've been eating junk food at work (holiday parties) or on vacation.
It doesn't matter what ailment a person has. With Shaklee and an improved diet, everyone can improve their health.
What do hopelessness, helplessness and stress have to do with rats, astronauts and you?
Did you know that right after splashdown, one of the most difficult phases of space flight, NASA doctors found significant changes in the Apollo astronauts' immune systems?
Researchers have also found that rats, given electric shocks from which they can't escape, give up and become helpless.
When placed in a box where they can escape the shocks just by moving to the other side, these rats don't even try. They also develop stomach ulcers and abnormal brain chemistry. And, it's not because of the shocks.
Another group of rats received the same amount of electricity, but they could turn the current off by pressing a bar. They remained healthy.
There is no longer any question about it. Many, many studies have verified that the health of our immune systems is linked to our stress levels and our attitudes about life in general.
Now a certain amount of stress is good for us and can give us more energy and greater concentration. But too much stress causes it to break down.
When my wife, Diane, was battling cancer nearly 20 years ago, she put a lot of energy into building up her immune system. She monitored her thoughts as carefully as she controlled her diet. If you're concerned about living a long and healthy life, or if you're fighting a serious illness, developing a sense of control about your life can be as important as anything else you do.
Some say you are what you eat. But it looks more and more like you are also what you think and feel.
I have great news for anyone who suffers from heartburn or acid reflux. HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., recently sent an eye-opening article from the Boston Globe Magazine with an overview of the marketing of the prescription heartburn drug,
Prilosec. Here's a quote from the article:
"That drug stripped misery from the lives of millions and became the world's best-selling prescription drug - and the number one medication prescribed for seniors - taking in $6 billion a year. Prilosec is so good, and patients so attached to it, that doctors jokingly call it 'purple crack.' It's an expensive habit, about $4 for each daily pill, or $1,500 a year." (But there is a much better, less expensive and safer solution.)
Here's Dr. Spreen...
The solution is ridiculously simple (and cheap). Using readily available acidophilus and digestive enzymes I stop over 2/3 of all cases. The more difficult cases (that may include overt ulcers, etc.) may involve a more aggressive approach, but omitting really serious GI illness the results are nearly always extremely positive.
'Reflux' (or any of the other scary sounding names) is nothing more than acid slipping past the junction of the stomach and esophagus. The stomach is designed for it, the esophagus is not...hence a trap door (sphincter) at the intersection (called the GE, or GastroEsophageal junction) set in place to keep the two areas separated.
Acid essentials
People act like (from propaganda on TV) stomach acid is some kind of mistake on mother nature's part. How many times in my practice have I had to repeat that ACID IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOWN THERE...WE NEED IT! Here's the kicker: if you 'kill it off' (using antacids, acid blockers, etc.) the body, in its wisdom, saves the energy required to protect the esophagus from the stomach's (normally) more acid environment and weakens the GE sphincter. This allows any remaining acid to sometimes slip past and irritate the esophagus. So, you take an antacid (or whatever...we have so many choices these days) and you feel better, because you lessen even more what little acid remains that has been irritating your already sensitive esophagus. The above association reinforces that you need more antacid next time, since it helps in the short term. So look what's happening - the short term 'fix' assures that the problem will continue (and even worsen).
Is that not the most beautiful trick? The 'cure' assures its own increasing necessity...it's positively brilliant (and diabolical).
Acidophilus & enzymes
Acidophilus supplements protect the esophagus without killing acid (while killing the pain almost immediately). The hassle is, you have to keep it handy and take it often if you don't solve the whole problem, which involves tightening the GE sphincter. That can be done using the English herbs (Potter's Acidosis) or by improving the environment of the stomach, which then tightens the junction on its own but requires a bit more effort.
When the stomach is low on acid it tends to also be low on digestive enzymes. Believe it or not, the solution (along with acidophilus protection) is to ADD acid (drinking apple cider vinegar and water works very well) and digestive enzymes at the same time. Remember, it isn't acid that's the problem (you need it desperately for digestion); it's acid reaching the esophagus. Proper digestion allows for higher concentration of acid while tightening the GE junction and protecting the esophagus. A trick with acidophilus capsules is that, with reflux, you must open the capsule and let the saliva carry it down the throat to the stomach. Dose is no problem, as the supplement represents a sample of the billions of 'good guy' bacteria that you want in the GI (gastrointestinal) tract (and in which most people are woefully deficient (-PEOPLE USING our Secret Acidopholus Prebiotic and Probiotic, DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS -)
Licorice stick
Occasionally the combo of acidophilus and digestive enzymes isn't enough (that's uncommon), or there is actual stomach trouble from low acid (the stomach's defenses weaken over time, too, with decreased acid, such that irritation there can form and progress to an ulcer...see how these things are connected?). Then, I add DGL, a form of licorice that has one component removed (DGL means e-Glycerrhizinated Licorice). I use Enzymatic Therapy brand but there are other good ones. Chewing or sucking on one 20 minutes before eating can be very helpful in difficult cases. Avoiding refined sugar and white flour products also seems to help.
The Potter's solution can be very effective; just bear in mind that it is a 'fix' that does not repair the altered state of the gastric environment.
Killing off acid, however it's done, is a serious mistake with long term consequences if pursued over time. Poor digestion is the genesis of all sorts of problems, in my opinion...but that's just me.
This testimony was written by: Kandy My father, who was 73 at the time, had chronic bronchitis for about a year. When he moved from Michigan to Florida, where I live, I found out about it. He said he needed to find a doctor down here fast.
I put him on 9 Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) daily (3 with each meal) and after about 10 days he didn't care if he found a doctor. He had continued taking his Multivitamins, Alfalfa and Vitamin C and perhaps some other supplements, not as much as I'd like him to use.
The "itis" at the end of a condition means inflammation. Pain Relief Complex gets rid of inflammation, so I would highly recommend Pain Relief Complex for bronchitis. Omega-3 and GLA also help with inflammation.
Essentially, ALL ailments are inflammation. Their name only indicates where the inflammation is.
bronchitis - bronchial arthritis - joint bursitis - bursa neuritis - nerves laryngitis - larynx endocarditis - heart diverticulitis - intestines colitis - colon tendonitis - tendon diabetes - pancreas alzheimer's - brain on fire parkinson's - brain on fire
You get the idea. I believe Pain Relief Complex could be one of the most important products we have. At the beginning of or throughout the disease process, there is inflammation. If we block the inflammation, we block the swelling, the pain and the disease process.
Buy Products Online Here The information in this Powercat Blog has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Rather the statements made are what some folks have experienced personally.
Do you know who the Quiet Leader in Sports Nutrition is?
We say quiet because Shaklee doesn’t pay athletes to hawk their products.
They don’t run crazy ads in muscle magazines. Instead they’ve worked with U.S. Olympic teams to increase performance. Professional and Olympic athletes from every sport have used Shaklee nutrition products to help them achieve better results.
They don’t take the product because someone pays them to they take the products but simply because of the results they get. When the difference between winning and losing can be measured in tenths of a second, getting an edge through Shaklee sports nutrition can make a world of difference.
If you have connections in the fitness or sports-related industries or are physically fit and active yourself, marketing Shaklee’s sports nutrition line to athletes and/or teams from high school to the pro ranks can be a very lucrative market. Not to mention weekend warriors, private health clubs, personal trainers, yoga studios, and other fitness related businesses.
Shaklee’s Physique both builds muscle and repairs muscle allowing athletes to get stronger and recover more quickly from workouts or injuries. Shaklee’s Performance Sports Drink dramatically increases endurance.
Shaklee’s Carbo Crunch bars provide quick energy and actually taste good. Shaklee has other products beyond the sports nutrition line that are very beneficial to athletes including Energizing Protein, Joint Health Complex to rebuild cartilage and increase range of motion, Super Cal Mag Plus for bones, Shaklee Basics for critical nutrient and mineral needs to name a few.
In "The Greatest Adventures of all Time," published by Time-Life Books, more than one-quarter of the world's greatest adventures of the 20th century were sponsored the manufacture of the products we market.
From the Land Explorers in the 1980 Everest expedition, 1986 North Pole Expedition, the 1989 Trans Antartic Expedition, and the 1995 International Artic Project relied upon nutritional products and special diets designed by our manufacturer's Health Sciences Team.
To the Sea Our Manufacturer provided H All Purpose Cleaner, Water Purification ( which purified over 12,000liters of water), nutritional, and personal care productsto the two Cousteau Society research vessels, Acyon and Calypso. Our full product line was critical to the health and well-being of these expedition crew members.
To the Air Our Maximum Endurance Sports Drink was developed for the Greek world class cyclist, Kanellos Kanellopoulos, who provided the pedal pwoer for the Daedalus aircraft. Daedalus flew from Crete to Santorini and set the world record for human powered flight, a feat exuivalent to tow back-to-back marathons.
Covering over 25,000 miles in nine days, the Voyager was the only aircraft to fly around the world nonstop without refueling or landing. For pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, nutritional needs were as critical as their fuel efficiency. Our Manufacturer's Health Sciences Team, working with NASA, developed a special regimen for the flight, which launched our meal replacement shakes.
Our Products make the Difference No matter what your health and fitness objectives, we have the winning product line-up to help you acheive your goals and dreams. Buy Products Online Here www.mcaseyenterprises.com
