Archive for the ‘Life Skills’ Category

Welcome Erin Hornback!

Congratulations Ash!!!

Ash says,”thanks everyone!” We do the same as the adults in a hot warehouse not some Bally’s BS! Hardcore!

Welcome Kimberly Jones to our little fitness family!

Father’s Day is the perfect time to connect with dad.

Now that Mother’s Day has come and gone, it is time to honor the fathers in your life.  The third Sunday in June is set aside to do just that. What better time than Father’s Day to express your gratitude and love to your dad? It’s a day to thank your father for the important role he has played in helping you become the person you are today. But don’t think you only get to celebrate with your biological father. Perhaps there is another father figure in your life, such as a step-father, father-in-law, grandfather, uncle, mentor, or friend who deserves to be honored.

Good Beginnings

It was 1910 when Father’s Day was first celebrated. And contrary to what many believe, it wasn’t instituted as another money-making ploy by greeting card companies. Rather, Father’s Day was originated by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was motivated by a Mother’s Day sermon.  Along with her five siblings, Sonora was raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran, following the death of her mother.  Not having a mother, Sonora was inspired to begin a day that honored fathers. Since her father’s birthday was in June, Sonora decided Father’s Day should be celebrated in that month.

Sonora tirelessly worked to bring about such a holiday and soon the idea of Father’s Day was popular all over the country. President Coolidge recommended Father’s Day as a national holiday in 1924, but it wasn’t until 1972 that President Nixon officially created Father’s Day as a national holiday.

The Nitty Gritty

So what is a good way to honor the fathers in your life? What would show dad how thankful you are for him? What would your dad appreciate most from you as a sign of love? Many families have their own traditions for Father’s Day. Some give cards, some make dad breakfast in bed, some go out to eat at dad’s favorite restaurant, some send him to the golf course for the day. One of the best and easiest ways to show dad you love him is to give him your time. Below are a few creative ways to do just that.

Play Ball! What father wouldn’t enjoy a day at the ballpark? A baseball game is the perfect summer outing. It doesn’t have to be a major league game. All that matters is that you’re out there together, rooting on the home team.

Eat Up! Another great way to spend time with dad and the whole family is to go on a picnic. Find a local park and pack dad’s favorite summer foods or pick up fried chicken on the way. Don’t forget to take the frisbee or whiffle balls.

Pedal to the Metal! When the weather outside is nice, a great, economical family outing that everyone enjoys is a bike ride through a scenic national park or your neighborhood. You could even bring a picnic lunch with you or stop for food on your route. If bikes aren’t available, slide on the hiking boots and go for a walk in the mountains.

Hook, Line, Sinker! Many fathers enjoy fishing and would probably enjoy some company for an afternoon on the lake or river. Even if it’s not everyone’s favorite activity, it shows dad you care enough to spend time doing what he enjoys.

Game Time! If the weather isn’t ideal, you don’t have to sit around apologizing. Improvise with a day of board games or movies. Have everyone choose a favorite and be sure to bring out the popcorn and drinks. For many families whose lives are way too busy, an evening to just rest and relax in the family room is just what they may need. Just don’t forget to play dad’s favorite games first.

However your family chooses to celebrate dad this year, make sure that when the day is over, dad has been reminded of how much he is loved and cherished by all.

Are You Prepared?

Even though there was a nationwide decrease, there were specific increases in certain areas of this country. Small town and medium-sized cities’ murder rate increased. Burglaries in the South increased. Rapes in cities with populations over 1,000,000 increased. And property crimes increased in the Northeast.

So, this applies to everyone, even if you live in a safe community. Maybe the thrilling conquest of burglarizing or invading your home in that safe neighborhood would be more enticing to a criminal to prove that a reputation for being safe and secure just doesn’t apply anymore. Just pick up your local paper and read the police reports section to see that burglaries are happening everywhere.

By the way, a home invasion is a burglary that takes place when you are at home! A scary thought. A burglary occurs in this country every 16 seconds, according to the FBI.

Since unprotected homes have a 60% greater chance of being violated, it is a wise investment to use a home security system. You can usually save up to 20% on home owners insurance because the risk of your property being damaged or lost dramatically decreases with properly installed and monitored systems. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on your security system or pay monitoring fees when you can just do it yourself for much cheaper. After all, you want to be in control, don’t you?

10 Things You can do Today to Decrease the Chances for Being a Burglary Target:

• Keep your entrance ways visible from the street. Don’t allow landscaping to obstruct the view – burglars like to work in seclusion so they don’t have to worry about nosy neighbors or passersby.

• Use solid core or metal doors with deadbolt locks for all entrances, even the door leading from the garage into the house. Re-key the locks when you move into the house.

• Use a locking device on glass sliding doors. Install anti-lift devices.

• Keep your windows closed and locked, unless you’re right there in that room.

• Get to know your neighbors and look out for each others homes, especially when someone is out of town.

• Make use of exterior lighting, especially by the doors. Motion-sensor lights are essential.

• Use timers inside so that even if you’re not home, it appears that you are.

• Keep valuable documents and personal papers inside of a locked, fire-proof safe. Lock up your weapons.

• Keep an inventory of your property. (photographs or video, accompanied by notes or audio.)

• Install and use a home security system. I recommend the Mace Wireless because it has a quick & easy set-up with fun interactive features.

Secure!

For more information on home safety and the Self Defense Black Belt Program, contact Jim at 254-247-3668

For your cheat day!

Much like Chicken Saltimbocca, this is chicken smothered in Parmesan cheese and rolled with mozzarella and prosciutto and baked in white wine.

Categories: Lunch, Dinner, Low Carb, High Protein

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4 teaspoons butter
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 10 ounces sliced whole milk mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Pound chicken breasts flat, and lay them on work surface.
3. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese on both sides.
4. Place a pinch of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon butter in the center of each breast.
5. Cover each breast with a layer of prosciutto and mozzarella cheese.
6. Reserve some of the prosciutto to place on top of the chicken.
7. Roll up each chicken breast, and secure with toothpicks.
8. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine white wine and olive oil.
9. Arrange chicken rolls in dish.
10. Place a small piece of prosciutto on top of each roll, and sprinkle with pepper.
11. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink, an juices run clear.

An insider’s guide to the most potent brain foods available at your local supermarket.

Learning and growing smarter and more aware isn’t always easy. It takes hard work, studying the latest findings of whatever piques your interest, and a third ingredient that makes the other two possible: food. But if you think all food is equal when it comes to powering up your gray matter, think again. If you’re feeding your belly the wrong foods, your brain may be paying the price.

How It Works

“Input, output, what goes in is what comes out.” The old children’s song holds many truths, including the fact that what foods go in your body affect what goes on in your brain and ultimately comes out of you. Just like your heart, your brain requires lots of oxygen to function properly. When oxygen-rich blood has a hard time getting to your brain for one reason or another, it becomes difficult to process information and remember events.

Other problems can also arise in the brain due to your diet. One is the build up of free radicals. Free radicals are damaged cells that roam free in your body and harm surrounding healthy cells. The best protection against excessive free radicals is eating plenty of antioxidants. If you don’t provide this protection, your brain can suffer as a result.

Brain Food No-Nos

As if they weren’t seen in a bad enough light, research has found trans-fats and saturated fats to have a bad effect on your ability to think. So avoiding foods high in these fats will help your heart stay healthy and your brain strong and ready to think for years to come. Other foods to avoid for a stronger brain include fast food of all kinds and anything that falls into the “junk food” category. In case you’re wondering, that includes greasy potato chips and just about anything you’ll see in the checkout aisle at the store.

On top of watching certain foods, you should avoid eating too much of anything – good or bad. By eating extra calories, the synapses in your brain that help you think can become less flexible, reducing your ability to learn at your maximum potential. It can also result in damage to damaged cells in your body, forming free radicals that have no regard for what cells it damages, whether they’re located in your arm or your brain.

Powered Up for Success

If you’re ready to beef up your brain, eating the right foods is essential. By including the proper foods in your diet, you enable yourself to learn better and enjoy better memory.

Foods that boost your brain’s potential include the following:

• salmon
• walnuts
• kiwi
• blueberries
• spinach
• orange juice
• strawberries
• other foods with omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, and vitamin B

In addition to helping your brainpower today, researchers have found that eating the right foods can also help you ward off many frightening conditions, including dementia, schizophrenia, depression, and mood disorders. Don’t eat these foods, and you could actually be increasing your risk for these conditions and others. For the most effective brain-boosting diet, try eating smaller food portions at each meal, even if that means you have to consume more meals than the usual three a day.

Written by Crystal Haynes of CrossFit Milford

When you first walk in, it’s just a gym.

The multi-colored, circular things stacked in the corner; those are just weights.

The room smells like rubber. The rhythmic hum of the row machines provide a quiet, and melodic, white noise; a background to the actual noise of the gym. Music fills the parts air and chatter, maybe a little smack talk, fills the other parts.

It’s just a gym.

Until it’s not.

2 years ago I almost died. A fever of 1-hundred-something degrees, an immune system not worth a damn; and a body battered from years of asthma, respiratory infections, and countless servings of Chef Boyardee and Easy Mac. And when I was well, I made a promise to myself.

1 and a half years ago I had made a change. I started eating better and went to the globo-gym 4 times a week. I ran my first mile at 25 years old.

One year ago I walked into CrossFit on assignment.

Two days later, I made THE change of my life.

The first workout is the hardest; you’re a mess with nervous anticipation; a sense of not knowing what your body will do.

In time, you will. The workouts never get easier, but they do get less intimidating and then fun.

When I hit the door, I was on three different inhalers; could barley do a jumping pull-up (on a box,) and always finished last in the workouts.

One year out — 1 inhaler, chest to bar pull-ups…and I only finish last about 50% of the time.

But it didn’t strike me how far I’ve come in a year, until one really sweaty day last week.

After collapsing on the floor; my central nervous system shaken up; my shins talking to me, saying. “no means no to box jumps,” I heard a voice behind me.

“Good job, Crystal.” I had heard this before (We are the most welcoming CrossFit in the Northeast. No, really. I checked,) “You make this all look so easy.”

You can imagine my surprise, given that I have never been good at anything athletic in my entire life. I used to convinced my gym teachers to let me write papers to get out of having to participate in class in high school.

The next day at CF, I worked with someone fresh out of the “On Ramp” class. I found myself giving them tips and slight corrections; not thinking anything of it. But at the end of class they smiled at me, thanking me for my help.

Thanking *me.*

The geek who used to play chess and spent entire Saturdays at the library helping the librarians stock shelves; getting a sneak peak at the new arrivals.

While I believed it before, I believe it more than ever now. CrossFit is not just a gym.

There are weights. There is loud music. There are even muscle heads.

But there are moms. There are dads. There are kids. There are coaches. There are friends. There are cheerleaders. There are warriors. There are dozens of people who get up every day (or three days, one off) and make a choice to *be* the change. And they change all who touch them.

So it isn’t just a gym. It can’t be.

So I can’t just be some woman who works out. I’m an athlete. I can’t be anything else.

“We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.” –Mother Teresa

Rangers Lead The Way!

“Lives fought for life and left the air singed with honor”. Remember them…

Don’t think it can be done? You’re about to be very surprised.

When you walk into the labor and delivery room, your belly is bulging. If the baby stays inside you one more day, you fear your stomach will simply explode. And when the contractions are over and your new little one has arrived, you look down and realize a shocking fact: your baby didn’t take all the extra weight from your body.

You can lose the weight!

Want to shave off 40 weeks of weight gain? Read on to get a few tried-and-true methods to get you back on the road to light.

Breastfeed. You may plan to have your baby feed on a bottle when you go back to work, but if you really want to see pounds fall by the wayside, nothing works as well as breastfeeding. Okay – so the jury is still out about whether breastfeeding will really get rid of those pregnancy pounds, but it’s definitely worth a try. Even if it doesn’t work, it won’t cause you to gain weight, and you’ll boost your newborn’s immunity and reduce your likelihood for breast cancer in the future in the process.

Eat. Before you got pregnant, you had to watch what you ate to maintain a healthy weight. Now that you’ve had baby, the same watchfulness is needed to lose pregnancy weight. If you’re breastfeeding your baby, do not cut back on your calorie intake. Regardless of whether you’re breastfeeding or using the bottle, don’t eat high-calorie or high-fat foods. Rather, go for anything stuffed with lots of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. Need more information on nutrition? Check out our Killeen Fitness Boot Camp Nutrition page.

Sleep. Though sleeping doesn’t sound like something that is going to help you shed pounds, not getting good sleep is a sure way to hang onto pregnancy pounds. According to research, insufficient sleep increases stress levels, which can in turn increase your weight. On top of the stress-induced weight gain, feeling sleepy also makes you less likely to feel like exercising – a major way you can help your body fend off the weight that doesn’t look quite as cute now that it isn’t accompanied by a pregnant belly.

Exercise. Though you don’t want to jump headfirst into an intense workout regiment immediately after giving birth, you should begin implementing exercise into your daily routine as soon as possible. During the first few days after giving birth, go for a short walk. If it hurts of you get tired, stop and take a rest. Giving birth is a traumatic event on your body, and it can take a while to recover. Allow your body to recover in its own time, but don’t stop trying to help it along. 6 weeks after baby comes, jump back into working out at the boot camp.

Exercise Some More. Even if you breastfeed, eat right, get nine hours of sleep each night, and take a walk around the block each day, you may still a few pounds that cling on for dear life. If this happens to you, you will need to increase the amount and intensity of your exercises. For fun ways to exercise, check into “Mommy and Me” exercise classes that allow you to spend time with your child and get fit at the same time. You may also want to make your way back into the gym as soon as possible for some weight training. To make sure your routine isn’t putting you at risk, talk with your physician before beginning anything strenuous.

When type 1 diabetes strikes, everything changes. Here’s what you can do to help your child stay balanced.

At first, it seems your child is invincible. There is no tree he won’t climb, no bug she won’t pick up, no child he won’t befriend. And then comes the scariest day of your child’s life, when the doctor says your child has type 1 diabetes. Suddenly, your world comes crashing down and fear sets in.

Visions of glucose injections and difficult diet swarm your brain and you break out in a cold sweat. Then you notice your child is just as worried. What can you do to help your child cope with type 1 diabetes? Use these tips to get started.

Know the Condition

Understanding diabetes goes a long way toward easing your child’s fears of the condition. A few years ago, type 1 diabetes was known as adolescent diabetes because of its frequency in children. With type 1 diabetes, your child’s body doesn’t produce insulin, a natural hormone that works to turn food into energy.
As kids often do, your son may feel guilty for getting type 1 diabetes, thinking he did something wrong. As his parent, be sure to assure him that he did nothing wrong. In fact, it is currently unknown what makes kids get type 1 diabetes, so there is no way to know who will get it and who won’t.

Know what to Expect

Yes, your son or daughter will need to take insulin. When your child first learns that she will have to stick herself with a small needle each day for her good health, she will probably cringe at the thought. After all, no one likes needles.
Fortunately, children adapt the regular needle sticks quickly – especially when they see how much better it makes them feel. Let your daughter know how great she does with each needle stick and point out the difference it makes in her attitude and overall health. Getting shots each day will certainly make your daughter seem different, but the difference can be positive!

Know the Downsides

Unfortunately, type 1 diabetes is not a condition that can be overcome in a night. Once your child is diagnosed with the condition, your child will spend the rest of his or her life battling it. If you and your child don’t work diligently, the end result could be disastrous later in life.

Diabetes that is not managed properly can eventually lead to heart disease, stroke, skin disorders, vision problems, gum disease, and other dangerous and deadly diseases. If your son starts smoking or drinking as an adult, and he puts himself at an even greater risk for these conditions.

Know the Doctor

For the best chance at a healthy childhood, adolescence, and adulthood with type 1 diabetes, it is vital that you and your child have a strong relationship with your child’s physician. Having complete trust in your child’s pediatrician from day one will help your child feel comfortable following doctor’s orders consistently.

In addition to your son’s regular pediatrician, he will probably need to see a pediatric endocrinologist, a physician who specializes in diseases such as diabetes. By getting specialist support from the endocrinologist, your child will be equipped with tools to survive and thrive with diabetes!

Painless insight into the various types of headache coming to a skull near you.

Inside your head sits one of your most important body parts. Your head is also a center of potentially debilitating pain. What kind of headache are you dealing with? What is the best way to treat it? Use this chart to get a handle on your headaches.

Acute Headache

Symptoms: The most common type of headache, acute headaches cause pain the head that is usually short-lived and mild in intensity.

Causes: Causes of acute headaches are wide-ranging. A few include illness, infection, and skipping meals.

Treatment: Many acute headaches can be taken care of with over-the-counter pain medication, eating, drinking water, or waiting it out.

Prevention: Recognize triggers that cause you to suffer an acute headache and avoid them.

Cluster Headache

Symptoms: A group of extremely painful headaches that occur multiple times in a single day on a regular basis over a period of weeks or months without warning, cluster headaches typically affect only one side of the head behind the eye or near the eye. They usually last 30 to 45 minutes at a time, though the pain can stick around for a few hours and cause the sufferer to not be able to sit still.

Causes: It is unclear what causes cluster headaches, but most people who suffer from cluster headaches regularly smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol.

Treatment: Treating cluster headaches requires prescription pain medication

Prevention: Since it is unclear what causes cluster headaches, it is impossible to create a foolproof prevention plan. However, not smoking or drinking alcohol excessively will reduce your chance of a cluster headache.

Migraine Headache

Symptoms: Occasionally moderate, often severe, migraine pain can last a few hours or a few days. In some instances, the sufferer also experiences abdominal pain; loss of appetite; nausea or vomiting; blurred vision; dizziness; and extreme sensitivity to light, noise, or odors. They can come a few times a month or only one or two times a year.

Causes: It’s unclear exactly what causes migraines. What is known is that they have to do with changes in the brain, inherited brain abnormalities, and the contraction of blood vessels in the brain.

Treatment: Typical treatment for migraines includes a strong prescription medication and lifestyle changes to reduce your likelihood of future migraines

Prevention: Though you cannot always keep migraines at bay, you can reduce your likelihood of a migraine by reducing the stresses in your life, getting an appropriate amount of sleep (not too much or too little), avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and not missing meals.

Sinus Headache

Symptoms: Causing a deep, constant pain in the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, or forehead, sinus headaches usually grow worse when you move your head quickly and are usually experienced with other symptoms of a sinus infection, such as facial swelling, nasal discharge, fever, and feelings that your ears are full of fluid.

Causes: One of the sinus cavities (located in the cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and forehead) becomes infected, causing inflammation that prevents mucous from flowing past the sinuses.

Treatment: In order to overcome a sinus headache, you will need to beat your sinus infection using antibiotics. You may also find symptomatic relief by using over-the-counter antihistamines and pain medication.

Prevention: Avoiding sinus headaches requires you to avoid sinus infections. To do that, wash your hands regularly, stay away from people with cold symptoms, drink plenty of water, eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, and don’t smoke.

Tension Headache

Symptoms: The muscles located between your head and neck seem to contract for hours or even days at a time, causing a continuous, pulling pain that is focused in the temples, forehead, or back of the head or neck.

Causes: Stress; fatigue; psychological problems; arthritis; bad posture; abnormalities in the neck muscles, bones, or discs; grief; or depression can all bring on tension headaches.

Treatment: Beat tension headaches by taking medications to reduce inflammation and pain or relax the neck muscles. You should also work with your physician to determine the underlying cause of the headache and receive appropriate care for that condition.

Prevention: Regular use of pain or other medication can help prevent tension headaches, as can stress reduction techniques and improved posture.