Archive for the ‘Life Skills’ Category

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

A dangerous and even deadly combination.

ZZZAP!

During the early days of energy drinks, there was some skepticism that they were not safe for regular consumption. As more energy drink companies began promoting their products and regular people began safely drinking them on a regular basis, the public has become less wary. Now, the energy-boosting beverages are treated like ordinary soft drinks. Unfortunately, not handling these caffeinated cans with care can lead to some serious issues. Especially when mixed with alcohol.

A Collegiate Conundrum

College students and college-aged individuals are at the highest risk for chasing energy drinks with alcohol, a phenomenon known as AMED (alcohol mixed with energy drinks). In fact, it has become commonplace for these youngsters to mix energy drinks and alcohol into a caffeinated, alcoholic cocktail. To the drinkers, the mixture seems heaven-sent. The desired alcoholic buzz is achieved, but the energy drink keeps them from growing tired.

What many of these AMED drinkers don’t know is that while they’re not getting tired, the other effects of alcohol remain the same. That means that while downing an energy drink and a beer may leave the drinker wide awake, the alcohol still results in impaired judgment, lapses in social graces, vision problems, and slowed reflexes. And surprisingly, though the caffeine in energy drinks keeps folks drinking longer and stronger, it actually increases intoxication.

Dangers Abound

When these regular effects of alcohol are ignored and the drinker decides to depend on the energy drink for good judgment and reflexes, the results can be catastrophic. AMED cocktail drinkers are more likely to leave a bar with high levels of alcohol in their system, putting them at risk for serious automobile accidents that result in injury or even death.

During a small study, it was found that people who drank AMED cocktails or who drank energy drinks and alcohol separately consumed more alcohol and drank for longer time periods. But the dangers don’t stop there.

Sipping on an AMED also puts you at increased risk for heart problems. As an energy drink and alcoholic beverage each do different things to your heart (one slows it down, while the other speeds it up), these mixed messages confuse the heart and can result in dangerous heart palpitations. These drinks also increased the likelihood of becoming dangerously dehydrated, as alcohol causes dehydration and caffeine is a diuretic – a.k.a. a dehydration-causing factory.

Still considering chasing a few beers with an energy drink? Remember this: those who drink AMED cocktails are more likely to attempt to take advantage of someone else or be taken advantage of in a sexual manner.

Dealing with some of the most common issues that affect your toenails.

One of the smallest visible parts of your body, your toenails can cause some major pain and embarrassment. While they may not seem to serve any immediate purpose, treating them as unimportant is a mistake that could cause lasting issues.
What do you need to protect your toenails from?

Bacterial Infections

Usually caused by damage to the nail or the skin surrounding the nail, bacterial infections result in swelling, redness, and pain around the nails. Occasionally, the infection is accompanied by a green discoloration of the nail. Treatment often includes antibiotic medication and medical draining of the swollen area surrounding the nail. Not treating the infection will allow it to grow and potentially spread to other toenails.

Fungus

More common than bacterial infections, fungal infections are frequently inherited and cause abnormal nail growth and discoloration. The best treatment for fungal infection is oral medication. However, nail fungus occasionally responds to topical lotions, gels, or creams. Untreated fungal infection can also result in damage to other toenails over time.

Ingrown Toenails

An ingrown toenail is easy to diagnose. When the edge of a toenail angles down into the surrounding skin, it’s an ingrown toenail. Sometimes painful, sometimes inducing infection, ingrown toenails can be avoided by cutting your toenails properly (straight across instead of at an angle), wearing properly fitting shoes, and standing on your feet correctly. Quick medical treatment can prevent long-term complications.

Splinters

They look like red or reddish-brown splinters under the nail, and they appear when damage occurs to the blood vessels housed in the nail bed. Known as splinter hemorrhages, these toenail problems are usually caused by nail trauma, though certain diseases and medications can bring them on. If you’re unsure what the cause of your splinter hemorrhage is, contact your physician to get to the root of your problem.

Warts

Found in any and all areas of the nail, toenail warts can result in the toenail plate becoming disfigured. In the event the wart begins to grow so much that it prevents natural nail growth, the toenail can be completely destroyed.

Treatment of toenail warts typically requires freezing the wart, using chemicals to destroy the wart, or surgical intervention to remove the wart.

White Spots

Jam your toe on a door or drop a heavy box on your foot and you may wind up with small white spots on your toenails. For the most part, these white spots resolve themselves in a matter of days. But if white spots begin showing up on your feet and you don’t recall injuring your toenails, the spots may be an indication of a medical condition, such as an infection. Proper screening by your physician can ensure your condition doesn’t worsen.

We Welcome These Fine Folks!

Tahani Matthews

Matthew Parker

A Free Gift For Ya!

Gym Members – Did you get a text from me tonight? If not, either your number is wrong on our list or we don’t have it!!! Tonight’s message was for something FREE! Worth over $500. Hmm…

Smoothies are supposed to be healthy. Here’s how to make sure they stay that way.

Yummo, Coach like!

Ever since you first heard of smoothies, your mouth has been watering. When you’re sipping on a smoothie, your mouth is in taste heaven. When there’s no smoothie in your hand, all you can think of are strawberries, bananas, and blueberries. But if you’re not careful, your smoothies can turn into nothing more than an average dessert.

To make sure your smoothie is as healthy as it is cold and delicious, you’ve got to have more than a good blender. You’ve got to have the right building blocks as well.

Building Block: Fruit

In a healthy smoothie, the most basic building block is fruit. Ideally, you want to go with fresh fruits that aren’t sitting in sugar water or have been made unhealthy in some other way. Rather, you want fruit straight off the vine or tree. Raw fruit that hasn’t been tampered with will ensure you the most powerful smoothie punch.

Some of the most common fruits found in smoothies include bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. But don’t let this keep you from getting creative. No matter what your favorite fruit is, you can toss it in the blender for a delightful, flavorful smoothie. From cantaloupe and mango to pineapple, raspberry, and melon, you can include any fruit you can find in your smoothie concoction.

Building Block: Juice

Once you’ve got your fruits picked out, you’ll need to find a complementary juice. As with the fruit choices, there is one juice that is picked much more often than the others: orange juice. However, you can toss in whatever type of juice you want to spice up your smoothie.

For variations on your favorite smoothie, give apple juice, grape juice, or cranberry juice a shot. Each different juice will affect the consistency, thickness, and flavor of your smoothie, so keep trying out juices until you find the perfect flavor for your pallet.

Building Block: Yogurt

When you have lots of different fruits and flavors, you’ll probably want something to pull them all together into one cohesive whole. Enter stage left: yogurt. Low-fat or fat-free is the best choice, and since most yogurt falls into one of these categories, it is also an easy choice to find.

With the right amount of yogurt in the mix, your smoothie will go from a yummy treat to a must-have each and every day. While you’ll probably rely on vanilla yogurt for most of your smoothies, using strawberry, strawberry banana, blueberry, or other flavors will enhance your smoothie instantly!

Tired of feeling tired? You’ve got to get to the root of your problem.

Must have sleep...

When you work and play hard, you’re going to get tired. It’s only natural. However, if you feel out of energy and unmotivated on a daily basis, it may be more than a little bit of tiredness. You may be suffering from fatigue. Instead of ignoring the problem and learning to live with it, figure out what’s causing this tiring condition so you can regain the energy you need to live life to the fullest!

Here are a few of the most common causes of fatigue.

Depression

Everything is hard to do when you’re depressed – including getting up and going to work. Whether you’re clinically depressed (depression that lasts two weeks or longer) or are just going through a brief rough spot, overcoming your depression is vital to recovering energy. As difficult as it may be, a great way to beat both depression and fatigue is to force yourself to get some fresh air and exercise.

Sleeplessness

In case you’ve not figured it out yet, your entire life depends on getting enough sleep. When sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia set in, it is virtually impossible to get the quantity and quality of sleep you need for good health. The result is an initial tiredness that turns into lack of productivity or motivation, a.k.a. fatigue. Beat it by undergoing a sleep study to figure out what you can do to improve your sleep habits.

Anemia

If you feel yourself running low on energy, look under your eyelids. If they’re almost white, your energy problem is likely due to anemia. Fortunately, overcoming mild iron-related anemia is relatively easy, as all you need is to get some iron in your body as soon as possible. Any leafy vegetable that is dark green will do. You can also grab some iron with almost any meat you can get your iron-hungry hands on.

Thyroid

Along with a variety of other problematic and dangerous complications, fatigue is yet another common side effect of thyroid problems. Whether you’ve got hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, your body’s response is to grow weary. As thyroid conditions will stick with you for life, you’ll need to work hand in hand with your physician to keep the condition under control and keep your fatigue at a minimum.

Pain

As if the constant throbbing in your back weren’t troublesome enough, it may also be at the root of your fatigue. In fact, any long-term pain can result in fatigue. To beat pain-induced fatigue, you need to receive appropriate treatment, which may include oral or intravenous medications, physical therapy, surgery, acupuncture, or lifestyle modifications.

Use

They may make you feel better at the time, but alcohol and illegal drugs can both contribute to fatigue, especially if you do either with excess. Though both of these causes of fatigue are voluntary, they can be difficult to kick on your own. In the event you don’t feel able to say goodbye to drinking or drugs on your own, seek professional help. It will help you overcome fatigue and protect your overall good health for years to come.

Hey Morning Boot Campers!!! Welcome Tankaline Roberson to the family!

The truth will set you free…to exercise better!

Breathe!

Everyone falls prey to lies and myths on occasion. But if you buy into one of these and your exercise routine is affected by it, you could be in a world of danger. What lies may be affecting your ability to work out safely and with maximum results? Read on to find out.

Lie 1: Big Size = Big Strength

Okay, so the big guys are often rather strong (you won’t see a lot of skinny folks lifting cars), but you don’t have to be super beefy to be strong. Actually, too much muscle mass can make it difficult to perform certain activities. Instead of focusing on getting bigger, bigger, bigger, go for exercises that help you get in good shape, have good muscle definition, and retain your ability to move quickly. Remember we train for the unknown and unknowable.

Lie 2: Muscle Becomes Fat

Ever wished you could transform all of the fat around your midsection into rock-hard muscle? Of course you have. Unfortunately, you know you have to burn off the fat in order to make room for muscle. Likewise, the muscle you build up won’t turn into fat when you stop working out. You just think it did, because any time you stop working out, you see unwanted pounds show up with such speed. You need to make your eating habits match your workout habits. Make sure you are at our next nutritional seminar to learn about the Paleo lifestyle.

Lie 3: You’ll Get His or Her Results

At every gym there are people with great bodies. Everything is where it should be and every muscle is well defined and shapely. To get the same results, you ask one of these model-looking individuals for the secrets to their picture-perfect bodies. You take careful notes and then attempt to mimic their every move in the gym. Unfortunately, what works for one person may not work for you. Every body is different and responds differently to various exercises. Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to exercise, try plenty of different workouts to find out what works best for you.

Lie 4: Tons of Gym Time, Awesome Results

If spending an hour or two in the gym five days a week is good for you, then spending five hours every day pushing your body to the max is even better – right? Wrong. Overtraining your muscles and not giving them any chance to rest can actually cause your muscles to begin breaking down and going away. On top of this, you also put your muscles at risk for some serious injuries if you spend too much time exercising – especially if you’re doing the same movements over and over again. With our boot camp workout programming, you will get a great workout inside of 45 minutes.

Lie 5: Slow Is Safe

Commercials that feature outdoor groups of people enjoying a relaxing class of yoga can be misleading. While yoga and pilates can be relaxing and slow-moving ways to get exercise, they can put your body at risk for some of the same injuries other exercises pose. So before hopping into an advanced yoga class without understanding what you’re getting into, start at the beginner’s level and gradually work your way up to the more advanced, demanding classes.

Lie 6: Form Doesn’t Matter

Back when you were first starting to lift weights, you worried about keeping perfect form for each rep. But over time, you began to realize that form wasn’t as important as just getting out there and lifting. Unfortunately, your epiphany isn’t based in truth, because if you lift weights or perform other exercises without using the right form, the negative results are two-fold. First, you aren’t actually targeting the muscle you think you are unless you maintain good form. Second, improper form puts you at great risk for a variety of severe injuries. We are super strict on form here at the gym. Proper posture while lifting can save you pain and suffering and supercharge your workout!

Lie 7: Genetics Are Everything

If your parents and grandparents are overweight and out of shape, it can be easy for you to expect the same fate for yourself. But don’t let your genetics get in the way of exercise. Instead, understand that you may have to make some modifications (including what you eat) to get the results you want in the gym. You may even have to change your goals to better meet your body’s abilities.

So, there are a few of the biggest lies in exercise. Ready to commit and get fit? Call 254-247-4999 or come by the gym and start today!

Hey! We would like to welcome Regina Hill to our Fitness Family!

We welcome new folks to our morning boot camp family!

Bettina Cochran

Kaitlyn Knotson

Brenda, Jack and Josh Whitaker

We welcome these fine folks to our little family!

Lirio Navarro

David and Whitney Braun