I'm Back

I took a few days off from blogging. We had a very nice few days off. Of course, I wish it were more. Another week would be nice. I have been reading a lot. Great books by Steig Larsson translated from the Swedish. A teacher at school told me about them. They are in the murder mystery genre, something I usually read in the summer. They are real page turners. They have been translated to over 30 countries and apparently are a sensation. Larsson was Swedish. He died in 2004 of a heart attack at 52. Yikes! That's young. I think he was planning to write 10 books in the series, but he completed only three.

Anyhoo... we made it through the holidays in not too bad a shape. We're back on the trail this week, the trail of health, that is. I have done my workouts. Weights yesterday for the first time in 2 weeks and I'm sore. You loose it so fast it's pathetic. I did some baking, but all the cookies are gone, given away to the neighbors. We had a little party inviting the neighbors over this week. We are so lucky as we have some fantastic neighbors that we really like. It was a soup and salad party. Very nice. I did the planning and preparation up front, and was able to just enjoy the folks. Kids came too. Bob got a taste of my days - hee, hee!

Sorry I haven't been blogging. I've saved up some good health tips that I'll be passing along.

Happy New Year!
Sue

Coming Down

Nice evening, warm fire in the fireplace, decent movie, martinis, pasta with tomato sauce, Essi next to me with the afgan, Bob napping nearby on the sofa. My head was still ringing with kid energy, noise, and Nutcracker music. Feeling more peace and looking forward to a nice few days of vacation and rest. Cards are out, gifts sent, just a little baking to do.

Warm thoughts to you,
Sue

Good Show

Well, when the snow plows went by scraping the street at 4 am I thought, ok here goes the delay and no show. But the call for delay didn't come. School started on time and we had our show. It went ok. Kind of frenetic, but successful. We had Penderesky for recorders and carols sung by the entire student body. Rudolph with body movements, very cool. There was extra worry due to the weather, but it all turned out. Teachers stopped me all day with good words. One of the school's harshest critics thought it was a good show. The gym teacher said, "Well, Saari, you pulled it off." Ha, good one.

One more day and it's time off for good behavior, for 10 anyway. Bob fixed me a nice hamburger with vegies. We watched "It's a Wonderful Life." Good classic.

Sue

Two More Days

until the big break. I am ready. Tomorrow we may have an ice storm. If we have a two hour delay, then our show is probably off. The kids could care less. They're ready for the break too I guess.

Until tomorrow then,
Sue

Checking in

So now we have another sick dog, Essi. She is strong though and will fight off whatever this is. Same thing as Otto, only he was too weak to fight it off.

Snow/freezing rain due for Tuesday. My show is scheduled for 9:30 in the morning. It just might have to be called off afterall. It was fun preparing for it anyway.

Doing some baking. Plan to give them all away. I haven't baked for maybe 4 years. I really enjoy it. Played the piano a bit today too, some Christmas carols.

And now, some sleep,
Sue

Snow Day

We had another snow day today. We got about 6 inches I'd say. It makes it kind of tough preparing for our show when I can't rehearse some of them enough. I am going to cut a few things.

We had a pleasant day. I worked on the annual Christmas letter. It's kind of different, but we're both happy with it. We also both had appointments at the foot doctor. Tomorrow we sell all the homemade ornaments for our little Music Room Community Service project. The kids have been making them and putting them on the Music room tree. We're going to give the proceeds to the Warrior Backpack program (kids that need food, take a backpack of food home for the weekends - good program). I think it's good to think about others sometimes, the people who don't have as much as you do. The kids get this too.

Sue

Otto

We lost our beloved Otto today. All his systems shut down, and he died peacefully at our vet, Dave's, office this morning. He was a wonderful companion for 19 and a half years. Essi, B, and I are sad, but spent some time this evening fondly remembering all the neat things he did. I have just recently blogged about him in his older days, but in his younger days he walked as "lead dog." He occasionally enjoyed rotten tomatoes and chipmunk heads. He enjoyed planking (lying prone) in front of the heating vent, getting his head to 100 degrees. He was very athletic, jumping from the back of the sofa when he felt like it. We think we had him so long partially due to the fact that he lost his sight. He was blind for almost 7 years. It saved his back. He especially loved napping with us by our sides. He was a good little guy. We'll really miss him. However, tonight Essi went immediately to the "primo spot" beside me on the chair where Otto always sat in the evening. We think she knows not only that he is gone, but that he won't come back. Otto, RIP, you sweet curmudgeon.

Sue

Lifting Weights

If you have time to read the following, it is excellent. Another fitness friends sent it to me. FYI. Enjoy,

Sue



Reference Guide to Strength Training

An In-Depth Look

-- By Jen Mueller and Nicole Nichols, Fitness Experts


SparkPeople’s Exercise Reference Guides offer an in-depth look at the principles of fitness.

Every movement we make—from walking to driving—involves our muscles. Muscles are unique. They have the ability to relax, contract, and produce force. They are metabolically active, meaning that the more muscle you have, the more calories your body uses at rest and during exercise. Your muscles are highly responsive to strength training, which helps them to become larger and stronger.

But if you don’t know anything about strength training, where do you start? Right here! This guide will tell you everything you need to know to begin and even offer a few tips for experienced exercisers as well.

What is Strength Training?
Strength training is the process of exercising with progressively heavier resistance for the purpose of strengthening the musculoskeletal system. It is also referred to as weight lifting, weight training, body sculpting, toning, body building, and resistance training.

What are the Benefits of Strength Training?
Regular strength training increases the size and strength of the muscle fibers. It also strengthens the tendons, ligaments, and bones. All of these changes have a positive impact on your physical fitness, appearance, and metabolism, while reducing the risk of injury and decreasing joint and muscle pain.

Muscle is metabolically-active tissue. This means that the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism is while at rest. So, strength training is an important component of weight loss and weight maintenance.

Without consistent strength training, muscle size and strength decline with age. An inactive person loses half a pound of muscle every year after age 20. After age 60, this rate of loss doubles. But, muscle loss is not inevitable. With regular strength training, muscle mass can be preserved throughout the lifespan, and the muscle lost can also be rebuilt.

4 Principles of Strength Training
The four principles of strength training are guidelines that will help you strength train safely and effectively to reach your goals.

1. The Tension Principle: The key to developing strength is creating tension within a muscle (or group of muscles). Tension is created by resistance. Resistance can come from weights (like dumbbells), specially-designed strength training machines, resistance bands, or the weight of your own body. There are three methods of resistance:
Calisthenics (your own body weight): You can use the weight of your own body to develop muscle, but using body weight alone is less effective for developing larger muscles and greater strength. However, calisthenics adequately improve general muscular fitness and are sufficient to improve muscle tone and maintain one’s current level of muscular strength. Examples include: pushups, crunches, dips, pull ups, lunges, and squats, just to name a few.

Fixed Resistance: This method of resistance provides a constant amount of resistance throughout the full range of motion (ROM) of a strength training exercise. This means that the amount of resistance/weight you are lifting does not change during the movement. For example, during a 10-pound curl, you are lifting 10 pounds throughout the motion. Fixed resistance helps to strengthen all the major muscle groups in the body. Examples include: Exercises that use dumbbells (free weights), resistance bands and tubes, and some machines.

Variable Resistance: During exercises with variable resistance, the amount of resistance changes as you move through the range of motion. This creates a more consistent effort of exertion throughout the entire exercise. For example, when lifting weights, it is harder to lift up against gravity and easier to lower the weight down with gravity. Specially-designed machines (like Nautilus and Hammer Strength brands) take the angle, movement, and gravity into account so that the release of a biceps curl feels just as hard as the lifting phase of the curl.
2. The Overload Principle: In order to build strength, your muscles must work harder than they are accustomed to. This “overload” will result in increased strength as the body adapts to the stress placed upon it. Everyone begins at a certain level of strength. To become stronger, you must regularly increase the tension (weight or resistance) that your muscles work against, causing them to adapt to a new level. As the muscles respond to an overload, they will grow in size and strength. There are two types of strength overloads:
Isometric means “same length.” This is a high-intensity contraction of the muscle with no change in the length of the muscle. In other words, your muscles are working hard but the muscle itself remains static. Isometric exercises are good for variety and some strength maintenance, but they don’t challenge your body enough to build much strength. Learn more about isometric exercise here.

Isotonic means “same tension.” When you lift weights or use resistance bands, your muscles are shortening and lengthening against the resistance. This challenges your muscles throughout the entire range of motion. However, the amount of force the muscle generates will change throughout the movement (Force is greater at full contraction/shortening of the muscle). Unlike isometric exercises, this type of contraction does help build strength.
3. The Specificity of Training Principle: This refers to the fact that only the muscle or muscle group you exercise will respond to the demands placed upon it. By regularly doing bicep curls, for example, the muscles involved (biceps) will become larger and stronger, but curls will have no effect on the muscles that are not being trained (such as your legs). Therefore, when strength training, it is important to strengthen all of the major muscle groups.

4. The Detraining Principle: After consistent strength training stops, you will eventually lose the strength that you built up. Without overload or maintenance, muscles will weaken in two weeks or less! This is the basis behind why individuals lose muscle mass as they age—because they are detraining by exercising less frequently.

How Much Strength Training Should You Do?
When considering the guidelines for aerobic exercise, keep the FITT principles in mind (Frequency, (Intensity, Time and Type).
Frequency: Number of strength training sessions per week Aim to train each muscle group at least two times per week, and up to three if you have the time or are more advanced. One day per week may help you maintain your current level of strength, but in most cases, it will not be enough to build muscle. It is important to rest 1-2 days in between working the same muscle(s) again. Rest days give the muscles time to repair themselves from small tears that occur during strength training, and this is how you get stronger. For example, if you do a full body routine on Monday, do not lift again until Wednesday or Thursday (1-2 days). If you decide to split up your strength training (due to time, schedule or personal preference), and do upper body exercises on Monday and lower body exercises on Tuesday, it’s okay to lift two days in a row—because you are working different muscles. You wouldn’t lift upper body again until Wednesday or Thursday, or lower body again until Thursday or Friday.

Intensity: How much weight or resistance you should lift This is a tricky one—and if you’re new to exercise, it will take some trial and error. The intensity of the resistance you lift should challenge you. It should be high enough that as you approach your last repetition, you feel muscle exhaustion. Exhaustion means your muscle is so tired that you can’t do another full repetition in good form. Many people do not lift to exhaustion, mostly because they don’t know that they are supposed to. They tend to just lift the number of reps that they have subscribed to and stop.

For example, if you are going to do 10 reps of biceps curls, don’t merely stop on that 10th rep if you haven’t reached muscle exhaustion. You could either continue doing reps until you do reach exhaustion, or take this as a sign that the weight you are lifting is too light. Increase your weight until you do feel exhausted on the 10th rep. How much weight/resistance you lift will work hand in hand with the number of reps you do (see Time below).

Time: Number of reps and sets you should do Going from the starting position, through the action and back to the starting position counts as one rep. Most people lift somewhere between 8 and 15 reps, which equals one set. Most people do 1-3 sets with rest in between each set.

How many reps should you do? Most experts recommend between 8 and 15 reps per set. If your goal is to build strength and muscle size, then aim for fewer reps (like 8-10). Because you are doing fewer reps, you will need a heavier weight to reach muscle exhaustion in each set, so that’s where the words “heavy weight, low reps” come from. If your goal is general fitness or endurance, then aim for more reps (like 10-15). Because you are doing so many, you’ll need a lighter weight.

No matter what your goal, be sure to lift resistance that is heavy enough to exhaust you at the end of your set. So, while you may be able to curl 20 pounds and feel exhaustion in 8 reps, you may only be able to lift 12 or 15 pounds if you are doing 15 reps.

The ideal number of sets has been debated about for years. A good rule of thumb is 1-3 sets. Research studies have shown that performing 2 sets is not significantly better than one. And performing 3 sets is not significantly better than doing 2. The only significant difference is between 1 and 3 sets. As long as you are working to the point of exhaustion, you can maintain and even build strength by doing only 1 set. But unless you are crunched for time, most beginners start with 2 sets of each exercise.

Make sure you rest 30-90 seconds between sets. You can use this time to stretch the muscle you are working and catch your breath or get a drink of water. The longer you rest, the more strength you will have to finish out your next set just as strongly as the previous one—which will aid in your strength development.

Type: Activities that count as strength training Perform exercises to target every major muscle group when strength training: your arms (biceps and triceps), shoulders, chest, back, core (abs, obliques and lower back), and legs (quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves). Make sure you work opposing muscles, not just the ones you see when you look in the mirror (biceps, chest, abs, quads). The opposing muscles are the ones that work in opposition to those (in this case, the triceps, back, lower back, and hamstrings). Also be sure to work the sides of your body: obliques, hips, abductors and adductors (outer and inner thigh). The idea is to achieve balance. The same goes for the upper and lower body. Don’t neglect one or the other just because one is more important to you. This can create imbalance and set you up for injury and pain.

Strength training can be done with a variety of equipment such as resistance bands, stability ball, hand weights, machines, or body weight. The Fitness Resource Center has numerous examples of exercises and workouts for you to choose from.
Get the Most Out of Your Strength Training Workouts
These tips will help you get started on the right foot!
Check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Get more about exercise safety tips for beginners.
Always warm up for at least 5-10 minutes before strength training.
Proper form is essential for safety and effectiveness. Start with light weights as you perfect your form and get accustomed to strength training. Gradually increase the amount of weight you lift over time, by no more than 10% each week.
Always cool down at least 5-10 minutes at the end of your workout.
Vary your exercise program to avoid boredom and plateaus. Changing your routine every 6-8 weeks is crucial to keeping your body/muscles surprised and constantly adapting. They'll have to work harder, you'll be challenged, and you'll burn more calories and build more lean muscle in the process. Learn how to change your exercise routine to avoid plateaus.
Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise to stay hydrated.

Machines are best for beginners. They usually have detailed instructions and a picture on them, plus they show which muscles you are working. They are set up to put your body in proper form and isolate the right muscles. They are usually grouped together (upper body, chest, arms, legs, etc) in a weight room, so that you can easily move through them and target every major muscle group.

Free weights are more advanced. After you’ve had a good foundation with machines (or body weight exercises) you can move into free weights. When using free weights, form becomes even more important because there is nothing to support you or make you do it properly. Lift in front of a mirror and use the proper benches for support. Always watch the alignment of the joints and their relationships: shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles should be aligned. Your back should remain flat and your abs should be contracted to help support the lower back. Have a trainer assist you and have someone there to spot you if you are lifting heavy weights. Use tools such as the Exercise Demos to help you achieve proper form.

Don’t hold your breath, which can be dangerous (it increases blood pressure and can cause lightheadedness, for example). Exhale fully and forcefully on the exertion phase—usually the phase where you are lifting the weight. Inhale deeply on the easier phase—usually when returning to the starting position. Try to keep this rhythm throughout every set. In the beginning, it will take some concentration, but after a while, it will become habit.

Winter Wonderland

We've gotten about 5 inches with more on the way. They have not called our delay or snow day yet. They'd rather wake us up at 5:30. It is a gorgeous snow, wet and flakey, clinging to all the branches and brown plants. It might even be a white Christmas.
I did more decorating today. Both inside trees are really pretty. We have an outside tree that in on our front porch. It shows up really nice from the street with the lights reflected by the front window by the door.

I got a bunch of citrus fruit from a student sale. We had a grapefruit this morning. Yum. One more full week. Next week's my show. We moved it to Tuesday 9:30. I can't wait to hear 350 recorders played at once.

This will be a week of normal workouts and healthy eating. Keep on keeping on with a pinch of holiday cheer,
Sue

Discouraged

Well, I did many things right. I gained .4 lbs. I got up in 8 degree weather and went to the Y to do my workouts. We had smaller portions at dinner, ate our rice and beans dinner and our pasta only (low servings) dinner. I had salads for lunch. I still had a gain. I was so disappointed on the scale this morning that I had tears. Winter is the pits for being healthy. Big day at school, very tired. More tomorrow,
Sue

Not to Bonk

When I used to ride my bicycle seriously, I used to do some charity rides. I participated in 3 MS 150s (all different years) where you ride 75 miles on Saturday and 75 on Sunday. You stay overnight at college in a dorm and return to where you started on Sunday. They always have stops every 10-20 miles or so with plenty of snacks to keep you going. I never came close to bonking on any of those rides. Bonking is when you ride hard enough or long enough to the point where you just cannot go another pedal stroke. You collapse and it takes quite a while for your body to recover enough to continue. The only time I came close to bonking was one time when I took a ride on the Fourth of July. It was an organized ride with rest stops and snacks. Only I missed one stop. I was out by myself and I did not see the sign to go into the rest stop to get fuel. It was over 90 degrees that day and I was running out of water. Fortunately I had a power bar in my bike pack in back of my seat that I kept for emergencies. I stopped, ate that, and felt much better. I was able to make it to the next rest stop ok and was able to finish. I rode about 85 miles that day. It was supposed to be 75, but I took a wrong turn near the end and had to backtrack. Some organized rides are better than others. I could feel that I was close to bonking though.

Anyhow... I think it's important to keep your metabolism on an even keel, not to even almost bonk. Since it's cold I find I don't want to drink as much water. But I think this is bad. I think you still need water and snacks even when it's cold. I also find I want to sleep more in the winter when it's cold. It sure was difficult to get up this morning, even though I had had 8 hours of sleep. Good for me, I went to the Y to ride the bike even when it was 8 degrees, cold and dark. Tomorrow is my day off and weigh in day. Oh joy! We'll see if my efforts helped.

Sue

Cold & Blood Sugar

This has been a heck of a weather year, especially the last six months. First we get no rain, now we get record cold. It's going down into the single digits tonight. Yeeeeesh!

I totally went blah during my last class today. I just felt like my energy was totally gone, like I just couldn't make it a second longer. Somehow I went on and the day ended. It must have something to do with blood sugar. Does anybody else notice being more susceptible to crashing blood sugar in the fifths versus earlier in life?

I had a snack and I felt better. It's difficult to keep my metabolism steady teaching straight through like I do. On Wednesdays I don't even have a minute between classes. They just keep on a'comin' Any suggestions out there?

Sue

A Delightful Christmas Day

I took a personal day and had a Christmas Day today: decorated, listened to Christmas music, made a big bow, shopped for presents, had lunch with my husband, watched a Christmas movie. Yeah. Good stuff. I wanted to work on the Christmas letter. Didn't get to do that.

My Christmas wish is that more people would read my blog. It's enjoyable to read the responses. It's very cold here, unseasonably so, down in the teens. And we've had snow - very early for us.

I hope you're enjoying the preparations too.
Sue

Holiday Health Hints

Give yourself permission to indulge, but pick a limited amount of times (once a week only).
If you like to bake, bake healthier items.
Make a contract with yourself about what you're going to do.
Be sure to drink your water, even when it's cold.
Take vitamin D supplements to make up for less light.
Fill up your pleasure basket with good stuff and use it.
Take deep breathes; yoga is really good for practicing deep breathing.
Take the day off (that's what I'm doing tomorrow - taking a personal day)

Cheers,
Sue

PS These mostly come from my guru nutrionist health advisor. She is terrific!!

L, to the Rescue

I have my nutritionist meeting tomorrow. Good thing! I need some holiday tail kicks to get back with it.

We had such a nice day today. I went to church this morning to hear one of my students sing a solo. She did very well. The church looked beautiful and the music was nice. I'll have to try that place again. This afternoon I decorated the music tree while Bob relaxed with Otto. It really looks beautiful, ornaments all related to music. They are crystal, gold and some red balls. I didn't decorate this one last year, so it's very nice to see it. The nutcrackers are all out. It's looking very Christmasy around here. I'm taking a Christmas personal day tuesday to shop, decorate, and work on the annual letter. Very cold tonight.

Buona notte,
Sue

Decorations

Bob was yelping big time today. I had him helping me with some decorations. My nutcrackers are out. We have a spot in the front hall that is up high where they sit for the holidays. They look good. Plus we have some snow, about an inch or so. Our Horse Parade is today, kind of what makes Lebanon famous in these parts. We have 125 carriages/wagons/carts pulled by horses, minis, mules, donkeys. My favorites are the minis. It's our annual tradition. Talk about Christmas spirit! Now I'm going to fix a nice dinner.

Sue

Vitamin D and School Lunches

Do you need a supplement? New studies say no, but my doctor says yes, especially in the winter. You get less sun then. It can help with the immune system to fight off colds and flu. I take some every day.

Also, check out the new law going to Obama's desk to improve school lunches. All I can say is that it's about time. I sure don't like what we serve our kids most days. We had an inspector in this week. They had a wonderful lunch that day: tomato soup, toasted cheese sandwich, fresh carrots, canned pears or peaches, and milk. The only thing is that most days they get warmed up convenience food that they unfreeze and warm up. Not so good. The last line of the article in the USAToday said they are encouraging school gardens. I wonder if there will be real money offered that actually makes it to the school systems, or just a bunch of words.

Buona sera
Sue

Atta Girls

OK, I think I deserve some atta girls this week, especially for staying today and doing Zumba from 4:15 to 5:15. Now, THAT was hard... and fun. There was a whole lot of wiggling goin' on in there.

Tomorrow morning's the moment of truth at the scale, though. We might have to get out the violins for that one, or perhaps just a good yelp will do.

I'm getting some shut eye right now,
Sue

Missing the Good Sweats

Picture a green marsh with a stream running through it that eventually empties into the ocean. There are pine trees on the edges of the marsh. The smell is pungent, like salty mud. You can hear water running by and sea birds squawking. It's warm and humid. Compare that to 32 degrees, dry cold, that cuts right through your coat. There are snowflakes falling on your head and face that melt when they hit the ground. Everything is muted in color, even the sky. Which do you like best? You can probably guess what gets me vote. The cold makes me want to sleep and eat, an urge I must constantly fight. I can see why the Scandinavians like their saunas. In the winter you miss the good sweats.

I helped wrap some presents for our family that the school faculty adopted for Christmas. There were clothes and toys for all four children. Kind of neat.

Good night and sleep tight,
Sue