Maid of Muscle

I was recently emailing back and forth with a friend of mine who wants to build up some muscle mass, but is already very thin. She said that she’s planning on starting the P90X workout program, so we emailed back and forth, and since I spent some time on this last email to her, I thought I would just copy and paste it here since it might be useful to other people looking to start the program. This gist of it, is that for muscle mass on a very thin person, I’d recommend a higher calorie, heavy weight regiment, over the P90X which is designed to put on a little mass and help lose weight… something that my friend doesn’t need to do.

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With the economy is a rut, almost all services are hurting, including gyms, so this might be a good time for you to get that gym membership, or switch to the gym you really want to be going to. Even though it’s still January (typically the WORST time to sign up for memberships since everyone else is), I’ve found lots of great deals out there.

First of all, everyone is now offering month-to-month contracts at affordable prices. 24 Hour Fitness has a $29.99 (there’s a $10 off coupon floating around the web, and if you can’t find it, tell them your friend got it and they’ll give it to you) initiation fee and then $29.99 month-to-month. They used to force you into a 3 year contract if you wanted to get that monthly rate.

If you used to be a member of a gym and you let your membership expire, call up customer service and see if they have any discounts for previous members. Bally’s called me the other day (I was a member there 2 years ago) and offered me $99 for the rest of 2009 and then $9/month after that! I’m not a fan of Bally’s but that’s a great deal. I think I was paying $29.99 or more back when I was with them.

Finally, try to negotiate out those “intiation” and “processing” fees. I checked out th Spectrum Sports club a couple of weeks ago and was told that there was a $199 initiation fee, $55 processing fee and then $94 month-to-month (corporate rate). After a couple of days the representative emailed me and said they could waive the initiation fee. I didn’t respond and a few days later she said she could also waive the processing fee, so it seems they have lots of wiggle room (especially now) with those stupid fees, so do your best to get around them. and get to the gym!!!

In honor of our new president, Today’s Diet & Nutrition Magazined is offering a free 3 year subscription to their magazine.

Get your free subscription here:

https://www.gvpub.com/subscribe/tdninaug09.shtml

I have to admit, it’s quite flattering to have a guy check me out, especially when I’m feeling good about myself, got my hair in place, strutting around in my cutest outfit, with my makeup all fresh and dewy. Having said this when I’m sweaty , my hair is a frizz-aster, and when I’m in a t-shirt from Senior Trip 96′ , I can safely say, not so much!

I feel bad for anyone who has to see me in that state at the gym.  I am not one of those girls that make an effort to dress cute at the gym.  I save the matching work-out clothes for when it really counts, on my trips to Target or Loehmanns, holding my Starbucks in one hand, with my big oversized sunglasses.    It makes the  statement that ‘ yeah I may go to the gym… eventually, but right now I got some serious shopping to take care of.

When I’m on the elliptical or treadmill, and spacing out to music from my shuffle, I make this weird face, where my lips are pursed and my eyes are squinting.  I’ve always done it, since the days  where my gym was called Family Fitness Center.  I travel to my own world for those 20-30 minutes on the elliptical, where I got the music going, daydreaming , and basically zoning out.   It’s not the best feeling when my fantasyland comes to a screeching halt when I realize someone is checking out my chest bouncing around and I mean BOUNCING around.  I really can’t understand it. In fact I begin to wonder if they are checking me out, or just amazed that I actually left the house looking like that.  There are those elite group of girls, that look flawless in their skintight gym clothes, where even their sweat looks perfect.

Maybe one day I’ll figure out their secret, but until then I’m all about keeping a low profile, and just getting in and out.  To clarify:  cute gym clothes for shopping,  and my old beat-up t-shirts and shorts for the gym.

Up until recently, I had always gone to gyms that were near the beach in fancier areas that had a pretty even balance of men and women. However for the last while, I’ve been working out at a gym where the majority of the patrons are muscular, scarrier looking guys who pretty much just lift weights. At the gyms I used to go to,  towards the end of the year the gym had always been empty, with fatties giving up on their effort, to eat and start with a new resolution in January. This had always been my favorite time to go since parking was easy and machines were always available. But yeh, back to the new place that I go to, this last week has been busier than ever! There does seem to be even less women lately, save for the regulars, and I guess it makes sense that if the men are lifting weights this isn’t something that they give up like some women do at this time of year, but I want my empty gym! And if this gym is as busy as it is now in November, I’m scared to see what it’ll be like on January 1st!

Speaking of funky smells at the gym, today I was at 24 hour fitness and as soon as I walked in, it smelled like chili! I figured it must just be some funky b.o., but then I noticed a dude with a crock pot serving chili samples, with a full bar of toppings! WTF?

It turns out it’s some healthy chili that I guess 24 hour fitness is somehow tied to, but serving it in the gym, right next to the cardio equipment is disgusting. It didn’t bother me when I was working out with the weights, but when I came back towards the entrance to do my cardio it was bothering me the whole time. Cross promotion is one thing, but c’mon 24 fitness, use your head!

Body odor is bad and can be distracting and disturbing to the people that are working out around you. Too much perfume, or any at all can be just as bad though. Personally, I find body odor (as long as it’s not too bad) to be less offensive to my nostrils while working out than a strong perfume.

Today I stopped by the gym on my way home from work to do some cardio. There was one machine available so I jumped on and started my workout. I noticed a very nice perfume and at first it didn’t bother me, but as I started to work out harder, and breath more rapidly, it got bad really quickly. The lady next to me had so much perfume on that even if i only breathed through my mouth, I could still smell it. Needless to say, I only stayed on that machine for a few minutes before I let the next sucker take it. All the other machines were full so I decided to give up, come home, and rant about it on my blog.

At the time, she says she was so “emotionally shut down” she refused to talk to anyone about what was happening. The weight was also taking a physical toll on her health and she frequently battled infections and illness.

Stokes says living her everyday life became a challenge.

My mobility was quite restricted … I was unwilling to participate in things from cutting my toenails to going on a walk with my friends. I tried to give this impression that I felt fine about everything, but inside I was in a lot of pain a lot of the time.

Two summers after she reached her heaviest weight, Stokes was working at a greenhouse in Iceland, when a friend lent her a copy of a book about the health benefits of eating raw foods. Stokes, who had never been interested in dieting, says she was completely “absorbed” by the approach.

She started eating raw the very next day.

Everything in my life completely shifted. It was like a light bulb moment to be like … ‘this is what I was waiting for to reclaim my health”

She went cold turkey or “cold cucumber,” as Stokes often jokes. She stopped eating meat, animal products and processed foods and instead switched to a diet that consisted of uncooked and unprocessed vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

To me, the thing with raw food is that it just makes sense. It’s simple and natural, eating food straight from the earth. There’s no rocket science, no mystery. Once you understand the simple principle that no other animal in the wild eats cooked or processed foods. That’s it.

Stokes, who now weighs 138 pounds, has kept the weight off for four years and authored several books on “raw foodism” lifestyle.

What tips does she have for people considering a raw vegan lifestyle? First, start slowly.

I recommend people start out being at least 50 percent raw and go from there. Maybe it ends up at some point you are completely raw, maybe not. As long as the majority of the stuff or at least 50 percent is fresh raw food … then you’re tipping the balance in your favor.

Stokes also advises people to start eating things they like such as peaches, plums or spinach and then slowly incorporate more fresh raw foods. She admits the lifestyle can be socially challenging and she encourages people to connect with other “raw foodists.”

It’s great to get support. If you look on the Internet and around you, you may find pot lucks. Read books to inspire you to keep going on this journey.

The gym can be an absolute cesspool of germs that can spread viruses and bacteria. With so much skin exposed and constant sweating, every machine or piece of equipment you come into contact with can be another opportunity to spread disease. Unfortunately this is something that those of us that don’t have a home gym have to deal with, but there are ways to reduce the risk of spreading and contracting germs.

Microbiologist, Dr. Phillip Tierno:

You’re not using that one machine exclusively for yourself. You’re leaving that machine, and someone else follows you and your germs that you leave behind. 80% of all infectious disease is transmitted by contact.”

The most common germs found at the gym include: staph aureus, klebsiella, enterobacter and E. coli, which can cause various ailments. All machines can transfer germs, however the ones that have the most frequent turnover, such as dumbells, or exercise bicycles and elliptical machines are more likely to have contractible germs because of how quickly the next person uses it after the last person leaves.

Studies show that in gym, the worst place for contracting germs in locker room and shower floors.

Unfortunately, germs do survive in the shower, on walls, and on the floor. I found it in hordes — unbelievable quantities. We use the word ‘innumerable.’ Innumerable.

Here are some tips to prevent contracting (and spreading) germs at the gym:

1. Wear clothes that cover the parts of your body that will be contacting gym equipment. Tank tops leave the upper back and shoulders exposed to benches and short shorts can leave leg exposed to bicycle seats. The less skin that touches the equipment, the less likely you are to contact these germs.
2. Bring 2 towels with you to the gym. Use one towel only to dry off your own sweat from your body, and a second towel to wipe off gym equipment before and after use. Bringing different colored towels can be helpful in not confusing the two.
3. Do not touch your eyes or mouth while at the gym. Most of these germs that come into contact with your hand, can only be contracted into your body through mucous membranes such as the eyes and mouth. Thoroughly wash your hands before eating or touching your face after using gym equipment.
4. Hang your gym towel over your shoulder, or on parts of the machine that rarely are touched. If you drop your towel on the floor, refrain from using it to dry off your own sweat.
5. When using the gym shower, be sure to bring slippers so that your feet don’t come into direct contact with the shower floor. The shower floor has shown to contain the largest amount of contactable germs in the gym.

According to a recent study, doctors are not prescribing women an adequate level of pain relief. Women are more prone to long-term, agonizing conditions such as arthritis, migraines and irritable bowel syndrome. It has often been assumed that a woman’s body can genetically sustain a higher level of pain than men, to help them deal with the pain of childbirth, but according to researchers, the opposite may be true.

Women typically experience recurring pains such as migraines that last longer than the opposite sex. Women also feel pain in different ways, with different symptoms for similar conditions as men. Hormones, body composition and central nervous systems means women are more susceptible to a range of painful conditions, according to experts at a conference for the International Association for the Study of Pain.

IASP President, Dr Troels Jensen:

Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of women than men, but unfortunately they are also less likely to receive treatment compared to men due to various cultural, economic and political barriers. IASP hopes to provide a voice to these women by drawing attention to this global issue as a first step towards reducing pain and suffering of women around the world.

Scientists speaking at the IASP conference in Glasgow, stated that their findings could be used to prevent thousands of sick days each year, saving the country millions of dollars. Even widely used, over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol have less of an effect on women, it has been found. The research also indicates that many doctors fail to take women patients as seriously as men, often brushing off their symptoms as ‘psychological’.