Sometimes things just don't go our way. I crashed on my bike, tore ligaments in my thumb and had to get surgery to reattach them. My cel phone broke and although i paid for insurance it took them 9 days to get me a phone. Meanwhile, all the contacts wouldn't transfer! My laptop was going on the blink so i bought another one. The new laptop broke in three weeks! Took the hardrive out so I could use it in an external hard drive case but it was the wrong kind. My original lap top died and had to be completely restored. Bought a sleeping bag and it tore the first time i used it. Sometimes you just think; Why Me?

  Then again, if those things didn't happen and everthing went your way, life would be boring. It's the challenges and obstacles that make us appreciate the good times. Overcoming these challenges is what makes us feel alive. In fact, the harder the challenge, the greater the obstacles, or as the Chinese say "the more you eat bitter," the greater the satisfaction or feeling of accomplishment as you emerge victorious. I just needed to readjust my attitude, take a deep breath, smile, put my head down and things just started to get better. If you start thinking "Why  me?" Feel lucky. Change your attitude, work hard and you'll reap the benefits. Go to http://www.ventanamonthly.com/ for the June issue and you'll see what i mean. Things have a way of coming around.

I watched the Today show on Feb. 6, 2009 and they reviewed four popular infomercial products.
 It was terrible
ARE THEY KIDDING?
I thought the Today show was supposed to be informative? In this case, they were borderline negligent when it comes to what they said.
 Their expert personal trainer didn''t have a clue. I don''t care how many degrees or certifications she has, what she doesn''t have is common sense.

Let me review the products:
1.      The swivel thing your run on.  The Rock and Roll stepper. Haven’t you ever seen a see saw? Duh! It’s a see saw. No different than a balance board. Your body is the axis with each leg teeter-tottering over the axis. It is not only precarious (as you could see as Al Roker and the other woman tried to balance on it), but the weight of one side of your body counteracts the other side, which means it does nothing other than cause an isometric contraction, provides no way of progressing other than moving quicker which becomes a balance act. Waste of money.
2.      The perfect pushup? What does that mean? These are circular pivoting handles that allow the wrist to move while performing the push-up. If the goal is to work the chest, then studies have shown it is better to place the hands closer than shoulder width because the fibers of the chest pull the arm inwards towards the midline of the body. Your expert trainer obviously doesn’t know that, or is aware the chest is a shoulder adductor. She stated it was easier on the shoulder. WHAT? The shoulder has no clue as to what the wrist is doing since the action of the wrist is occurring at the radio-ulnar joint (the elbow). Just look at the shoulder when they were performing the push-up. Nothing changed at all when the wrist swivelled. The action of those swiveling pads takes pressure of the wrist and has nothing to do with shoulder!!!!!! And she’s an expert?
3.      The pull-up bar piece. The Iron Gym. Fantastic, if you’re a leopard. Who can do pull-ups all day? If they could, they probably are already in shape. I gather no one on that stage could’ve done 2-4 sets of 10, which even if they could, might have taken a total of 60 seconds of total exercise. Not very much. This piece won’t get you in shape; you already have to be in shape!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4.      The bucking bronco. The Rock and Go. Give me a break? It moves the muscles of the core???? What if i just shake you for free. Here''s one better: How about you just stick your finger in a socket and fire all your muscles?
 The Today show needs a real expert who knows what they’re talking about, where to even look or examine a piece of the equipment, understands functional anatomy and is actually in shape.
Their trainer is not an expert and a Health editor, please……

Not trying to be mean, but it’s similar to getting financial advice from someone who edits financial news. They’re an editor not an expert.
This isn’t the first time they''ve  missed the entire picture when it comes to fitness or personal training.
Let me on there and I''ll give them a real review............

Although the literature and most all personal training manauls (including ours) suggest people should drink 64 ounces of water a day I disagree. There is no way an average person needs that much water in a day. Are they crossing a desert? I tried. I end getting up to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes. Really annoying. Lewis Black the comedian made a great observation. "When we were kids you drank when you were thirsty and you drank out of the tap. Now that you have to buy water, we''re supposed to drink 8, 8 oz bottles a day! I need a smally burro to carry around all my water for the week."

  It''s the same for the RDA for Vitamin C which is 60 milligrams. Not enough if you are training.

Any thoughts?

Your Last Day

    If tomorrow was to be your last day, what would you do? Would you sleep late or get up early? Who would you see? What would you say to them? Would you do a good deed or a bad deed? Would you work or just play?

    Maybe a little of both.

    Most people take life for granted and plod through life as though it was happening to them. They are the victims, and can’t change their jobs, the money they make, the shape they’re in, the relationships they have or don’t have, nor their current state of happiness. It’s everyone else’s fault. They don’t have the time, the money, the energy, the patience or the connections.

   I prefer not to live my life that way. I live each day as if it was my last.

   First of all, we all have the same amount of time; 24 hours a day. It’s how we spend that time is what makes us different.

   I enjoy family, friends, music, sports, education, business and helping people. Every day I try to have all these components for what could be my last day.

    My office is close to my house so I don’t have far to travel to work. If that’s a problem for you then perhaps move or change jobs. Life is too short to be sitting in a car three hours a day. I speak to a family member and friends every day. Cellular phones, e-mail and fax machines allow you to contact almost anyone, anywhere. Tell them you miss them or love them. This is so important. They’ll be gone before you know it.

   I’m a musician and an athlete. I start each day with exercise and include music everyday. Someone or something gave you that body. How could you disrespect yourself and that gift by not taking care of it? Exercise or movement is the drug of the 21^st Century. Without movement, the body shrivels up and dies.

  Help another living thing. Water your plants, take your dog for a walk, pet your cat, work out with someone, call just to say hi. You’ll feel so much better for it and you will leave the planet a much better place for it as well.

   I love to learn, so I read something daily and carry a dictionary in my car to research words I don’t understand.

   The mind is a terrible thing to waste. Stop watching so much TV. You’re watching someone else act someone else’s life. Not all television is without merit, but too much idle TV is a waste of the life you’ve been given.

  Study something, but remember, museums  maintain and hold records of man’s greatest achievements, but those men weren’t in a museum when they were achieving them. My point is, get out and make a life for yourself. It’s fairly easy. Just walk out your door, interact with people. If you want to learn how to skate then go to a skating rink. You’ll meet people who like to skate. Do you want hang out with rich people then join a country club. Can’t afford it? Get a job parking their cars.

    There is nothing you can’t do. You must show initiative though. Make the first move. See someone you like, ask them out. You have a 50 - 50 shot. The worst is, they could say no. At least you’re living. My Mother use to say, “God helps those who help themselves.” Well, you’ve been given a life, just one on this earth. Make the best of it.

    Just help yourself, it could be your last day.