Posted August 31, 2007 
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“The only way to create a physical effect is to have an internal cause great enough to institute change. Find that cause within you - once you do, you will see change.” - Maria Kang
Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(0) NO!
As a past instructor, I understand and empathize how it feels like when people either:
- don’t like the class
- don’t like you
- can’t coordinate themselves
- or can’t keep up
leave the class. You try not to take things too personally. Right?
For example, yesterday, I decided to take a ‘new’ dance class with an instructor I wasn’t familiar with. RIGHT OFF THE BAT I knew I would not like the class. There were several things that I observed *and I’m very observant* that kinda ticked at me from the beginning:
- It annoys me when instructors TALK too much
- It annoys me when they have a ‘teacher-like’ voice to them (almost like a kindergarten teacher talking to a bunch of little kids)
- I can’t stand instructors who wear really short shorts. I’m sorry, but it’s distracting, annoying and unprofessional.
So after I politely went through the warm up, she asked us to get in a line and start ‘jazz walking’ across the floor. Of course, I consider this class a cardio session, so I was definitely not pleased having to stop moving. I felt terrible because we had to partner up with someone…so I told the person next to me immediately that I was planning on leaving and that I apologize now for leaving her.
It was sad - but good. Bottom line: while we all want to be nice, cordial, and pleasing to everyone…and while it hurts feelings - if something is not going the way you want it, you’ve got to go! I’m sorry. I’ve left classes before…and if I sucked as an instructor, I hope other people leave my class too.
Why?
Because honesty is the best policy. As cliche as it sounds, the fact is, is that you can’t learn unless someone’s honest right?
So if you get stuck in the front row of a class and you absolutely cannot stand being there…LEAVE. And if you see the instructor outside the class, smile and give constructive feedback. If they really care about helping others, they will welcome the feedback.
Good instructors are priceless. Seriously, there is a shortage. If you are interested in becoming an instructor one day, check out:
Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(0) Well….at least she is in my book! I like Gwen Stefani for a few reasons:
- I love her music. Especially when she first came out with, “I’m just a girl”
- She hasn’t ‘yo-yo’d’ as most celebrities do. She was a bit chubby growing up (and was still confident) then found fitness and became a fit ambassador!
- She did get really skinny for the Vogue issue - as most people do, she publicly agrees that she took too far and now seems to be at a healthy weight.
- She has a outwardly great relationship with her husband (whom she’s been with for years) and has been publicly seen as a one woman, committed person. (sounds like me!)
- She just had a baby and she looks THIS good. WOW.
Take a peak at her pics and get inspired!!
Wow - look at her abs! This was taken the other day.
I love this shot - they are both a fit couple.
Back in the days…before she discovered weight training!
Her skinniest ever. This was around the time she was featured in Vogue and had a small role in “the Aviator”.
Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(0) 
Unfortunately, most media outlets are driven by a dangerous energy: THE ENERGY OF INSECURITY. Most often, articles, pictures, interviews, ads and then some…all focus on trying to make you focus less on yourself and more on a ‘need’ to fulfill who you are through ‘buying’ their stuff.
While I definitely read my fair share of fitness magazines, I definitely don’t read it too, too much. Why? Because firstly, it all says the same stuff. Secondly, the models all look the same (I do have to mention that I wish we had more ethnic models) and Lastly, I don’t read it because it makes me lose focus on myself.
When I start ‘coveting’ magazine models and gidgets and gadgets, I start losing reverence for what I already own. We are all born distinctly different. We all have genetic capabilities to allow us to do amazing things. Some of us can run ultra-marathons, some of us can have tons of babies or carry 4 men out of a burning building. Our bodies is something we can enjoy, challenge and revere as long as we KNOW who we are and what we are capable of achieving.
One of my biggest hopes for all of you is to:
- not focus so much on what you don’t have, look at the things you do have
- compare yourself with a positive role model
- revere and respect the body God gave you
- don’t seek happiness outside of yourself. Look within.
Here is an excerpt from my personal website discussing a recent personal battle with insecurity:
….Life is much simpler when you start realizing all the simple things that bring you happiness.
So Simple.
The best way to live is to live minimally. When you don’t have the urge to need, the desire to want, and the covetousness for objects displaying wealth…then you start to become free. Freedom is not a given, it is a conscious choice.
While on the treadmill the other morning, I borrowed my sister’s fashion magazine, and started desiring expensive and more fashionable clothes. It was a deep rooted desire that I had never felt before. Most media marketing targets people’s insecurities. They are tailored to make you feel uncomfortable, unsatisfied and imperfect. When you start becoming trapped by forces of desire – you start losing your freedom to be conscious of a life chosen by personal will.
It’s difficult to not be tempted when you exist in a world where everyone seems so drawn to the dark energy of pride, ego, insecurity – it is rare when you meet people who don’t live ‘in the flesh’ but instead, they live ‘in the spirit’. Living in the Spirit means true freedom. When you are able to not judge those regardless of physical beauty or belongings, when you are able to discipline earthly desires for objects satisfying the ego….when you are able to be happy when all is sad, be positive when all is negative, be free when all is imprisoned…then you are housing a powerful and eternal spirit.
I came back to my spirit this past week. I silenced a mind that was loud with insecurity.
Quite simply, I don’t need more stuff, I don’t need more clothes…I need more freedom to be me. Being who you are is what brings real happiness.
Each day is a battle to find that solace…but as I put that magazine down and felt beautiful wearing my favorite workout shoes and ten dollar t-shirt, I started feeling like I am starting to win.
Thanks for reading.
—–
Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(0) I receive updates on what’s happening locally by active.com. This site is on my top 3 favorite fitness sites in the whole wide world! And that says A LOT.
Not only do they focus on all things fitness: triathalons, marathons, basketball, tennis, traveling, cycling, etc. But it has an awesome community!
Check it out here!
Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(0) 
“The strength that wins is calm and has an exhaustless source in its passive depth.”
- Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher
Posted August 30, 2007 Comments(0)
Posted August 29, 2007 Comments(0) ITHACA, N.Y., Aug. 29 (UPI) — U.S. consumers choose relatively high-calorie beverages, side dishes and desserts to go with restaurant main dishes positioned as “healthy,” a study found.
Brian Wansink of Cornell University, in Ithaca, N.Y., and Pierre Chandon of Institut Europeen d’ Administration des Affaires in Fontainebleau, France, had consumers guess how many calories were in sandwiches from two restaurants. The consumers estimated that sandwiches from restaurants claiming to be healthy had 35 percent fewer calories than those from restaurants not making the claim.
The researchers found that the beverages, side dishes and desserts chosen by consumers eating a “healthy” main dish contained up to 131 percent more calories than similar offerings in other restaurants.
The finding helps explain why the success of fast-food restaurants serving lower-calorie foods has not led to the expected reduction in total calorie intake and in obesity rates, reported the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
The researchers suggest people examine whether a restaurant’s health claims actually apply to the particular food they ordered, to eliminate what they called the “health halo” effects.
“More generally, we need to think about food not just qualitatively, as in ‘good food — bad food,’ but also quantitatively, as in ‘how many calories are in this meal?’” the researchers said in a statement.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
Posted August 29, 2007 Comments(0) I’m sure by now you are well aware that an FDA approved weight loss aid, named Alli has made its presence on the market . What you may not be aware of is the potential treatment effects. Here’s what you need to know about Xenical’s little brother, Alli before you even consider purchasing this weight loss aid.
What is Alli?
Alli (pronounced ally) is the little 60mg brother of the 120mg Orlistat, better known as Xenical. Alli is an FDA approved over the counter weight loss aid that claims the user can lose up to 50% more weight than dieting alone. Alli is meant to be used in conjunction with a low calorie diet and exercise plan.
The “innovate” part of this weight loss drug is simply a custom tailed nutritional program that helps aid you in making the right food choices while taking the drug.
This is why it’s a weight loss aid and not a weight loss pill. In order for Alli to work its magic and for you to keep the weight off, you simply must change your diet and engage in some type of exercise program.
All is safe as the drug works in your digestive system and not in your heart or brain. So the jitters, racing heart and sleepless nights are a thing of the past with Alli, according to the manufacture.
How Does Alli Work?
Enzymes in your digestive system break down the foods you just ate. It breaks down the fats in those foods so they can be absorbed by the body. This is where Alli comes into play. Alli has an active ingredient in it that blocks around 25% of the fat from being absorbed. It prevents the enzymes from attaching to the fat and digesting them. Because they are undigested, the fat simply passes through your body undigested instead of turning into potential stored calories.
How Much Weight Could You Lose?
Many of the studies were done on the prescription strength, Xenical so it’s hard to tell for sure. The website literature makes a claim that on a reduced calorie, low fat diet, you can lose 50% more weight than diet and exercise alone. This means instead of 10 pounds, you would lose 15 pounds by using the Alli program.
What About Side Effects?
Side effects is such a scary word and a deterrent to taking some drugs so the makers of Alli have kindly labeled such side effects as ‘treatment effects’ because they are related to how the product works. The main ‘treatment effect’ happens when you eat a meal with too much fat in it. If so much fat is blocked that your stool cannot absorb it, you might get some treatment effects.
These treatment effects might include:
This excess fat isn’t harmful as it passes thru your digestive system. The makers of Alli give a visual representation of the fat passing thru as something you might recognized like the oil on top of a pizza.
A stern warning comes from the makers of Alli and is listed on the official website.
“You may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it’s probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work.”
A close second goes to the other official warning…
“You may not usually get gassy, but it’s a possibility when you take Alli. The bathroom is really the best place to go when that happens.”
One helpful suggestion was to use a food journal to track what foods cause these treatment effects. But really keeping a food journal is a good idea anyway as it’s going to be a necessity for the user to learn about good nutrition.
Of course all these treatment effects can be lessened if you stick to a reduced calorie diet that is lower in fat (average 15g of fat per meal).
One longer threads on Treatment Effects on the official MyAlli message forum seemed to average 2-9 days without any effects IF the person stuck with a low fat diet plan and kept their fat intakes to under 15g as suggested.
How Long Do You Take Alli?
According to the official website at myalli.com, the average cycle was six months when people noticed the majority of the changes. At the current prices, you might expect to pay around $260 to get rid of about 3 extra pounds.
However, if you don’t change your nutrition and stat an exercise plan and stick to it, when you stop taking Alli, research has proven time and time again, you’ll gain the weight back and maybe more of it! This means many people will continue to take the drug and make this a monthly expense and live with the treatment effects or they will eventually quit and chock it up to another failed weight loss plan.
What’s the Plan?
You take Alli and enroll in an online support community. It’s far easier to lose weight with a support group and some type of custom nutritional plan. Taking Alli and making no modifications to your diet or physical exercise regime doesn’t work. If you lose any weight, it’s from the fat being blocked. That’s just a temporary change and will quickly dissipate once you stop taking Alli. During the time you take Alli, you simply must learn how to eat correctly, make dietary modifications and engage in physical activity.
It might seem like Alli is marketed as a “eat whatever you want” type of pill but it’s simply a weight loss aid. Without making nutritional changes, the results will vary and won’t last for long.
The MyAlli online plan is something you need to enroll in to help educate yourself about basic nutrition while taking Alli. It’s pretty clear that Alli isn’t a miracle pill but to be used at the same time in helping you make lifestyle changes.
As a side note, this little fact that GlaxoSmithKline is making it imperative you enroll for your education on nutrition makes this weight loss supplement a bit more unique than the thousands of pills with one page sales pages that merely want to sell you a fat burner without any support or emphasis on customer education.
At last check, the Alli message boards had over 32,000 registered members with an active support community.
What You Can Expect:
You can expect you’ll need to change your lifestyle. For most, this is the hardest part. In fact, this is the #1 reason why most people cannot keep the weight off in the long term. They use the weight loss pill as the method of permanent weight loss. In fact, that will serve nothing to keep the weight off. In this respect, it is much smarter to learn how to eat properly from the start and use that as your method of weight loss because in the long run that is the only thing that will work permanently.
An amusing description of Alli was that of a late night security guard that keeps you from your late night cravings. If you have a few treatment effects, you’ll be more aware of your eating habits and be able to change them as Alli is on duty and watching you. In fact, that just means you are going to have issues late at night when eating too much fat. There’s nothing like losing sleep because you snacked too hard last night and ended up on the toilet or worse yet, soiled your sheets.
Is Alli the Solution to the Obesity Epidemic?
Most responsible fitness professionals will be bashing this weight loss aid as they have done with every other weight loss supplement. Make no mistake, GlaxoSmithKline are marketing Alli as an FDA approved ‘weight loss supplement’ that is meant to be used in conjunction with a healthy, reduced calorie, low fat diet that includes a sensible exercise plan. It’s meant to be a supplement to help speed along fat loss within the obese community.
But we all know that many people will use this as another dream pill in hopes it will burn off the fat with minimal side effects while they continue to eat the way they always have and continue their sedentary lifestyles.
A few ‘need’ these pills for motivation, for the push past the plateau and they have said they owe their lives to such drugs like Xenical.
There ARE drugs that have helped many people-but unfortunately, the drug companies have abused this. Also, I WAS doing diet and exercise, but the scale failed to move. How many people is this true for. Then I went on prescription Xenical and lost 35 lbs. I also maintained it for almost a year, mostly while NOT taking the Xenical (I did have brief periods where I went back on it). I owe my life to that drug. However I’m still 25lbs overweight and that’s why I chose to continue my journey with Alli.
It’s quite easy to imagine that if the scale doesn’t budge in a week and you simply don’t know what else to do, a drug looks like a good alternative. But as with stubborn calves that won’t grow, have you really tried ‘everything’ you can? Or have you just tried more of the same stuff (more cardio, less food, more exercise) until you simply are burnt out?
Those who lose the MOST weight and keep it off will have discovered the true secret to eating healthy and exercising and making a permanent lifestyle change.
Those who don’t, will probably experience temporary weight loss, some treatment effects and eventually stop taking Alli for various reasons. The weight will pile back on, their frustrations will mount and the next OTC weight loss supplement to come along will make another million plus dollars almost overnight.
Closing Thoughts:
Your money would be best spent with a $40 book and a solid commitment to making a lifestyle change. Once you have the knowledge of how to eat healthy, the proper portions, how to construct a low fat, reduced calorie diet, your potential for change is limitless. It’s important to understand that All is a supplement and that those who do not learn how to eat correctly and exercise during the time they take Alli, are marked for failure. Relying on any supplement as the foundation for your success is a mistake. Only an extreme small percentage will learn about nutrition and exercise if they supplement with Alli and continue to keep the weight off for years to come.
Many will use the drug as a crutch or the foundation of their program and will be forced to continue to take it or eventually stop taking it and scrambled around for the next quick fix.
Most are not concerned with the side effects but only if this pill will work. They will put up with some uncomfortable situations to obtain what they need quickly. Most have tried other things that have failed and so a new pill on the block is most welcome. It’s a fresh face, new promises and there’s the possibility this will work and be the only thing they need.
“I’m just willing to give it a try. There are side effects to a lot of things…. I work in an office and I sit all day. There’s a bathroom right there. We’ve all worked together a long time. If you have to go, you have to go.” - Monique B, Santa Monica
The solution to the obesity epidemic is for people to understand basic nutrition. It’s not common sense. Many people eat unhealthy, gain an enormous amount of weight and are extremely confused at how to go about getting rid of it. Growing up in a Western society, the solution has always been a pill over healing naturally.
Fat blockers, while they appear to work, are not the solution to your weight loss needs. It’s costly and carries disgusting side effects. The real solution is to sit down, spend 2 hours educating yourself on basic nutrition and you’ll quickly see past the smoke and mirrors and not fall prey to another overhyped, overpriced, supplement that will not build you the body of your dreams.
I know Alli, the weight loss supplement, has it’s fans but I’m curious to know from them if they think it’s worth it and why making dietary changes and adding in activity was not a workable option? Maybe I just don’t get it.
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