Food Fit for a...? Factory??

Ok, my FIT FRIENDS, I'm usually quite the positive one, but this evening I have a bit of a gripe...so sit yourself down!

 As the child of a wholesale produce distributor, I grew up not with Mom buying fruits and vegetables at the store, but with Dad bringing home lugs of produce direct from the farms. It was FRESH, WHOLESOME, and, best of all, IT TASTED GOOD! And I don't mean good like that term is used today, but I mean REALLY, REALLY GOOD! A Tomato tasted like a Tomato, not like some mealy cardboard that could, perhaps, in fact be a pear if you ate it blindfolded. If it weren't for texture, I'm not sure I could distinguish one food type for another today half the time. And what's with that big white thing in the middle of the ginormous strawberries that may be big and red and last forever on the shelf, but leave your taste buds questioning if you've developed a sinus infection because there's NO fragrance at all, so no wonder there's no taste!! WHY IS THIS? Kids today don't even know what good food is. Not their fault! They haven't tried it! And why, pray tell? GMOs!

Yes, friends, you no longer eat the fresh, unadulterated gifts of the universe and its maker. Nope. Instead, we dine daily on the science experiments of sterile factories trying with all their might to maximize profits with increased shelf life and fattened up cattle that produce more milk than they were ever intended to.

So, what's the repercussions for us consumers?

Are we healthier for it all? Do we enjoy our food more? Let's just say, this stuff can't be good for you! And it doesn't taste all that great either!

Have we improved on Mother Nature? HARDLY! .... Being fit means being your best, inside and out. I can't see where these lab-created versions of food "fit" into the picture. My mother's been crying foul on this for years..to her credit. But I revisited the info, thanks to my good friend, Waltzing Mathilda.

So, Mathilda, whenever you're ready, the train for Oregon is at the station...Either that, or we could try breaking out the time warp machine...

http://www.naturalnews.com/035734_GMOs_foods_dangers.html

POWER WORD of the DAY: NATURAL

POWER QUOTE of the DAY:

I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

E. B. White

CHECK US OUT!

Good Morning Fitness Peeps,

Please check out our current adverts running in this month's FLEX and MUSCLE MAG Magazines on sale now!

As always, thank you for following, and have a Strong and Healthy day!

SPRING SALE IS HERE!!

HBB's Spring Sale is here and lasts through May 31st! Right now, buy ANY 2 ITEMS in the store and receive 33% OFF your entire order. Plus when your order totals $99 or more, you get FREE Standard Shipping -- ALWAYS! Check out the Women's, Men's and Kids' sections for a peek at the AWESOME sports watches for Spring, and check back frequently to see the new styles we'll be showcasing which are currently under production!

So, why not indulge on that perfect Easter or Passover gift? Or just treat yourself to some Stylish Motivation!

http://www.hardbodybling.com/category_s/1827.htm?searching=Y&sort=13&cat=1827&show=10&page=2

Have a Strong and Healthy Day!!

POWER WORD of the DAY: ENJOY

QUOTE of the DAY:  Enjoy Every Moment Life Brings You!

Who is Friedric Muller??

As HBB prepares something very special for the NPC Emerald Cup this year, it takes me back to days of previous NPC expo participations. Back to when my gracious friend, Debbie Dobbins, was still alive and at the top of her game. To the days when HBB, then M&G Manufacturing, created special charms and rings for the likes of then IFBB pro, Flex Wheeler. (Ok, I'm dating myself now.) It feels good to be back... and it made me start wondering...

Where exactly did the modern fitness craze emerge and how did it develop? Ok, admittedly, this must be the History major in me, but I just had to probe a bit. And in doing so, I stumbled upon an historical figure, perhaps well known to some, but previously not to me I dare say. I'm talking about one Friedric Muller? Ok, I can hear you now... Who is this guy? Or better yet, WHO CARES? (For those of you who DO know, bravo!)

Well if you are a bodybuilder, or into strength training and figure sculpting at any level, you might know him better as Eugene Sandow... or not. Eugene, fitness peeps, is considered the father of bodybuilding as we know it today.While he started out in Europe as a professional strongman, Sandow exercised his mind as well as his body. He is credited with starting the first bodybuilding magazine, Physical Culture, and with developing some of the first bodybuilding equipment. For Sandow, strength alone was not important; aesthetic symmetry was also valued in the tradition of the ancient Greeks. Our friend, Eugene's, legacy endures with his image represented on the Mr. Olympia statuette.

So there you have it. An interesting and important human being who left his mark on the fitness world over a hundred years ago. He had a passion, and he made a difference.

What will bloggers say about you, or me, a hundred years from now??

 QUOTE OF THE DAY:  Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
                                                        Steve Jobbs


POWER WORD OF THE DAY: INNOVATE! 

Resolve Daily - Not Just Once a Year...

Ok, so today I was reflecting on my New Year's resolutions from this past year, and the year before that, and dare I say, the year before that. I was thinking about what had stayed the same, what had changed and how much closer I was today to actualizing my dreams than 1, 2 or 3 years ago. I started wondering about the benefits of making such resolutions in the first place, and wondered what do other people resolve and how good a job do most people do in keeping those resolutions.

I think it's probably fair - and not too extremely cynical - to speculate that most people repeat some of the same resolutions year after year, but I think it's not the unfulfilled resolutions that we should focus on. Rather, it's the ones fulfilled. For every 5 lost dreams or unfulfilled wishes, resolve each day to make one goal a reality. Yes, I said each day. Not just once a year. Not that New Year's resolutions are useless or superfluous; quite the contrary. I think taking stock of your life each year is a worthwhile and productive tradition. It's like setting aside a specific place and time to work or eat or think or play or pray. It gives some form to your abstractions. And besides all that philosophical gunk, it's just plain fun to dream!

But, let's face it, the hard work of living purposefully comes with the resolutions we form each day and each minute, with every choice we make and every turn we take. These daily resolutions are what shape the New Year's resolutions of the future.

Not too surprisingly, 4 out of the top 10 New Year's resolutions people make according to a recent poll involve health and wellness: "Fit in fitness", Tame the Bulge", "Quit Smoking", "Quit Drinking." The remaining resolutions focused on mental and emotional well being issues. So, overall, taken as a package, most of us, it seems, are striving to improve our whole being wellness. To transform those goals from dream to reality, it's like that baby learning to walk - one step at a time. Falling down doesn't mean we should stay down; it means, get up and try again and this time your balance may just be that much improved. "Two steps forward, one step back" is a cliche because it's so true.

This may be disappointing news for some since we seem to be an "instant" society. We want it all and we want it now.  But your dreams, your goals, your life aren't realized by magic; they are realized by your choices, your work, your sweat and your courage.

So take stock of your lives, dear friends (and self!), and keep taking those baby steps daily toward those goals you have set for yourself. Come December 31st, let's vow to have to dream up some NEW ideas and aspirations -- for the old ones have already been realized!
http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/holidays/tp/resolutions.htm 

QUOTE of the DAY:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

POWER WORD of the DAY:

Resolve  

 

Enough Said... Now Hit the Gym!

When I ran my first half Marathon in San Diego two years ago, I trained decently for it and performed time-wise better than I had anticipated. I was elated at the finish and felt like a veritable superhero. About an hour later, Clark Kent's cape flew off and glasses went back on, as my very un-heroic knee gave way. I blew my IT band pretty badly and my knee swelled to a point where I was left sitting in a Chinese restaurant with an elevated leg while my running partner, turned RN/Physical Therapist,  ran (figuratively) to the nearest grocery store for tape! Hobbling back two blocks to my hotel, after running 13.1 miles with no apparent trouble, just didn't seem fair. This was celebration time and I was crippled! I learned then and there the absolute necessity of strength training. In all of my training for the America's Finest, my emphasis had always been on the run: farther, faster... but never stronger. And I paid the price.

Came across an interesting article highlighting all the benefits of weight lifting. Some of the top ones are:

* Weight training tones your muscles which looks great and raises your basal metabolism... which causes you to burn more calories 24 hours-a-day. You'll even burn more calories while you're sleeping.

* Weight training can *reverse* the natural decline in your metabolism which begins around age 30.

* Weight training energizes you.

* Weight training strengthens your bones reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.
 
* Weight training improves your muscular endurance.
 
* Weight training makes you strong. Strength gives you confidence and makes daily activities easier.

* Weight training makes you less prone to low-back injuries.

* Weight training decreases your resting blood pressure.
 
* Weight training decreases your risk of developing adult onset diabetes.

* Weight training decreases your gastrointestinal transit time, reducing your risk for developing colon cancer.

And from a Runner's Resource I hear:


* You'll Be More Efficient: Strength training can help you run faster, longer, and more efficiently.

AND, perhaps most significantly:

* You'll Be Less Injury-Prone: The author in this resource goes on to say: " Leg exercises are particularly important when it comes to reducing injury: These exercises strengthen muscles around the knees and hips—two areas that often cause problems for runners. "

You Don't Say!!!

Lesson: Whatever your taste, get your game on. But don't forget to hit the gym. Enough said.

Power Word of the Day: LIFT

Quote of the Day:

We do not stop exercising because we grow old - we grow old because we stop exercising.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, Cooper Institute.

 

WHAT or WHO is ICAAN?

UPDATE:

Well, that, dear friends, would be the International Corporation for assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN for short. And while I've never met an ICANN person, I CAN tell you, they've met me. ICAAN types are the reason we haven't cracked open the bubbly yet... but, no worries, fitness friends, I CAN assure you that this wee glitch of a waiting game will be overcome and HBB will debut the new site as soon as I CAN!!

Meanwhile, the champagne remains chillin...

POWER WORD of the DAY: Patience