Do you have “zombie” bowels?

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Okay, it’s time to get personal. Good health starts with good insides, right? The results might show up on the outside, but it’s all for naught if things are not right within.

Last year we took a cruise to the Western Caribbean. On one of the Days at Sea we signed up for a lecture with the ship’s personal trainer/fitness guru.

He had the whole room squirming and twittering with nervous giggles when he asked, “How many times a day do you go? And by “go,” just to be sure there’s no misunderstanding what I mean, I do mean number two.”

Of course no one volunteered the info. So he made it easier for us to answer. He offered us options.

  • Once a day?
  • A couple of times a day?
  • Once every couple of days?
  • Less than once every couple of days?

For me it depends. I’m going to get really personal and admit that during certain times of the month, it seems I can’t stop going. I definitely go about every time I eat…and then some!

But then there are the times I go once a day. Thankfully I mostly always seem to manage that. When I had cancer, my meds constipated me something fierce. I was lucky to go once a week. Then again, I also wasn’t eating much during that time. All I know was that not going was disconcerting. I’d much rather go too much than not enough!

Still, having a week’s worth of food rotting in your bowels, no matter how small an amount, is not good.

Did you notice that word I used? “Rotting” That was the word the guy on the cruise ship used. That sure made me think.

Basically, if you don’t poop as many times a day as you eat, guess what that food’s doing? It’s sitting rotting in your intestines. Zombie bowels. That’s what it really boils down to.

So the moral of the story is you don’t want that. You want to eat foods that encourage you to cleanse your system regularly. Fruits, veggies, fiber, etc. In other words, foods that fight zombie bowels naturally.

Here’s to not rotting from the inside out!

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Nothing Says I Love You on Valentine’s Day Like Zombies

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I’m straying a little off-topic today. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. For whatever reason, zombies (and aliens, but for this post we’ll focus on zombies) make my heart go pitter pat.

Apparently I’m not alone. This year I’ve seen something I don’t remember seeing in Valentine’s Days past: zombie-themed items. One that I thought was the coolest (and which rapidly sold out) was the Chocolate Zombie Head Bon Bons with Cherry Brains from ThinkGeek.

But here’s some other cool zombie-themed merchandise sure to make any sweetheart moan.

Zombie Brain Besties Heart Necklace

I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ZOMBIES LOVE BRAINS 1.25″ Pinback Button Badge / Pin

Zombie Cameo Locket Pendant Red

White Zombie Cameo Pendant in Spade Frame

Mark Grace ZOMBIE SURVIVORS Zombies – ZOMBIES white zombie 2 on black – Coffee Gift Baskets – Coffee Gift Basket

 

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Can a pedometer help you survive an alien invasion or zombie apocalypse?

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Yes, I’m back. It’s been a while, I know. January 1st has long since come and gone. It’s well past when most people make their New Year’s Resolutions to get healthy. But I’m finally able to get back on track with my survival goal: which is to be fit enough to survive an alien invasion or zombie apocalypse.

One of the ways I’ve decided to get in shape is with a pedometer like the one pictured above. Even though I’m a big girl, I know I move quite a bit. Inactivity really isn’t my problem. Eating is.

However, I didn’t know just how much I was, or wasn’t (as the case might have turned out to be), moving on a daily basis. So I invested in a reasonably priced pedometer to find out.

As I suspected, I log in above 10,000 steps on an average day. Average for me is one that includes tennis, walking my dog, and doing my usual routine. I put in anywhere from 15,000-17,000 steps.

On days I don’t play tennis, I try to squeeze in a 30-40 minute walk on the treadmill. Although, some days I do something different than walk, like either take a rest day or focus on doing a strength training workout or yoga. On these days, I have to admit hitting 10,000 steps is more of a challenge.

However, I have more average days than not. (I’m fortunate enough to play tennis a minimum of three days a week. Usually it’s more like 5 or 6.)

At any rate, whereas in times past I’ve used a pedometer to try and motivate me to move more in a quest to reach 10,000 steps, now I’m thinking of new ways to use it. For instance:

  • Measuring steps to the nearest exit. Think about it. What if I’m in a theater or somewhere else confined when an apocalypse or invasion happens? What if all the lights go out and no emergency generator kicks in? Knowing how many steps to the nearest exit might come in handy. (That is, if I can figure out which way the exit even is and it’s not blocked!)
  • Seeing if I can reach 20,000 steps. I figure if I move more, it’ll only benefit my overall health even more, right?
  • How early in the day I can reach 10,000 steps. Can I do it before noon? Or around noon? Yesterday I did it by 2 p.m. That felt good knowing whatever other steps I logged in were gravy. Plus, it made me want to walk more to see how many more I could get in. My dog liked that. He got an extra long walk last night.

So will a pedometer help me survive chaos and doom? I don’t know. But it’s one of the tools I’m testing out to see if it helps gets me in fighting shape.

PEDOMETERS

Do you use one? There’s a variety on the market in all price ranges and styles. Here’s a sampling of some of them:

 

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We Will Return After a Short Break

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When I started this blog I had every intention of posting more frequently. I still do, but several things have cropped up. This has effectively reduced my time for posting on this blog at present.

I hope to return to a more frequent posting schedule after the middle of next month. If not, it will be the first of the year. Which might work out better as everyone’s minds are on fitness and getting in shape then.

At any rate, thanks for bearing with me until I can get some things settled and back into a groove.

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Zombie Survival Training Workout Review: Petra Kolber’s Cardio Sport

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This morning I tried a new workout that I DVRd back when XFINITY still had Fit Tv and the All Star Workouts series: Cardio Sport with Petra Kolber.

The YMCA offers Cardio Sport programs. I’ve never talked to anyone who’s taken one before, though. Everyone always raves about Zumba, Body Sculpt, and Body Pump. I plan on trying those, which I’ll also review, but today Cardio Sport called to me. (Mainly because in her introduction, Petra mentioned it’s a good one if you want to improve your tennis game.  I can use all the help I can get improving my endurance and agility as it is, but tomorrow I’m playing for a trophy. Maybe the workout today will help me on the court tomorrow.)

Also, I’m a bit of a klutz. Rather than putting a room full of strangers at risk, I figured I’d give Cardio Sport a go from the safety of my own home. That way I can determine if it’s even something I’d dare do in a room full of others, who me and my two left feet might have the potential of injuring. The only thing in danger in my house is the furniture (poor coffee table got whacked a couple of times) and my pets (who wisely stay away when they see me bouncing around in front of the TV).

HOW WAS THE INSTRUCTOR?

I liked Petra A LOT. I can see why she’s so popular. (I had never done any of her workouts before this.)

She’s very upbeat and positive. I liked the energy she was sending.

I did find it hard to follow some of her instructions. I wasn’t always clear about what she meant, but then she would demonstrate and I’d get it. (Well, I’d understand. I was struggling to keep up throughout most of the workout.)

HOW WAS THE WORKOUT?

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being super easy, barely worked up a sweat and 5 being super hard, was absolutely drenched with sweat, out of breath, dying at the end, I’d give this Cardio Sport workout a 3.5.

I was sweating, I was winded, but I didn’t feel as if I’d spent all my energy and would struggle to make it through the rest of the day. I felt like I’d gotten a good workout and was actually pumped up to go about the rest of my day.

WOULD THIS BE USEFUL IN TRAINING TO SURVIVE AN ALIEN INVASION OR ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE?

That’s the real question isn’t it? How practical would this be to getting you in shape to survive an invasion or apocalypse?

If you’re looking to become a little faster on your feet, perhaps improve your reaction times and stay on your toes, this workout would help with that.

I can also see it helping with control, stealth, and balance. All things that might come in handy when dodging zombies or aliens.

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