While I was cutting the skin off a bunch of chicken legs DJ asked, "What are those?" Alexandria replied, "They're drumsticks." I said, "That's right. How did you know that's what they're called?" Alexandria answered, "Well, they're not legs because chickens don't have that many legs."
Build a Strong Foundation
Think of toned muscles as a raging fire. Toss on a log and it'll burn up pretty quickly. Similarly, put some calories in a toned body and they'll burn up, too. Muscle is a major energy consumer for your body. If you add more muscle, you'll use more energy (calories) and store less fat. By regularly doing strength training, you create more muscle mass that can help you burn fat. It doesn't take a lot just 30 minutes of strength training each week will help build muscle. You can do it in one 30-minute session, or split it up into two 15-minute sessions or three 10-minute sessions. Of course the more you do the more calories you'll burn. People tend to spend a lot of time working their peripheral muscles (like biceps or calves), but efficient strength training comes when you work the big muscles that make up the core of your body like your legs, butt, chest, back; and your abs. They're your foundation muscles -- the ones that tighten your stomach, improve your posture and make you fit into your clothes better. So go for the squats, lunges, push-ups and crunches. And for those of you who are in our ward or nearby, try coming to Yoga on Tuesdays. We do quite a few strengthing poses that count as weight bearing exercises.
Merry Christmas everyone! I wish I would have found this sooner but today it shows you where Santa is now. Alexandria is loving it check it out here.
While we were in Mexico the boys got to play a lot of ball with Papi. There was one day when AJ and Dionys played catch for about 4 hours! That boy never gets tired of it. Dionys let each one of them use one of his gloves and they would spend hours just throwing and catching. As you can see from the picture there were times (like while trying to get both of them to get dressed in the morning) when they were wearing nothing but their gloves! He's squatting because they both want to be catchers when they grow up. When they play catch they're always squatting like a catcher. Then at night, AJ would even sit still long enough to watch the games. They loved seeing Papi play and it was even more fun when he hit the ball. They didn't care if it was foul or fair, they clapped every time he hit a pitch.
Thank goodness for Fitness Friday. I wouldn't be blogging much without it. This month is always a busy one. On to the tip for Friday.
Generally, what’s harmful to your heart also is harmful to your brain. While fried potato skins are busting your buttons, there’s also a portion that gets shuttled up through your arteries to your brain. Saturated fats, for example, clog arteries that lead to your brain, putting you at risk of stroke, while omega-3 fatty acids -- the good fats found in fish -- are helpful for your brain because they help keep your arteries clear. They also alter your neurotransmitters and reduce depression. These are the best foods to keep your brain young and help you feel better: nuts, fish, soybeans, tomato juice and speghetti sauce, olive oil, flaxseed, avocado and real dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa). Some of these foods contain monounsaturated fats and omega 3 fatty acids to help keep your arteries clear and some of them contain important flavonoids to help keep you happy.
Isabel was not happy all evening. She wasn't grumpy, she just didn't want to play. We drove to Papi's game and she just sat on my lap at the game. I thought maybe she was getting sick. After we went to eat. She wasn't happy eating either. It wasn't until we got back to the hotel that I realized that she wasn't moving her left arm. I tried to get her to reach for things but she would not move her arm and everytime you moved it for her she would scream. I knew what it was, "Nursemaids Elbow".
It happened to Alexandria and AJ when they were about this same age. Everyone should know you should never swing your kids, usually younger than 6, around by their hands, wrists or forearms. It can pull their elbows just enough that it moves the joint out of alignment and it's very painful for the child. Fixing it is easy though. I watched the Dr. do it to Alexandria and within 5 minutes she was better. It looked like all the Dr. did was twist her arm.
When I showed Dionys that Isabel wasn't moving her arm he knew right away when it happened. He was swinging her around earlier this afternoon. We decided to take Isabel to a clinic here. It was 1am so there was only one clinic open. We went. We saw a doctor. He said she's fine maybe just her ligaments were streched or something. He told us to give her some ibuprofen and see how she does. I had already done that! And then we had to pay $20 for the consultation. Are you kidding me? He didn't do anything!
I was kind of annoyed because I knew what she had and I saw how easy it was to fix. If only we were in the States. So we came back to the hotel and I looked online right away. Thanks to Google, Wikipedia and a picture of supination of the forearm Dr. Mommy fixed her. Yup, $20 please. All it took was a little turn and feeling the click. Within 5 minutes she was happy and smiling and using her arm.
It may seem counterintuitive, but it's true. Salad dressing with fat is best if you're after the antioxidants in the salad. That's because some antioxidants, such as carotenoids found in carrots, tomatoes, spinach, and corn, need fat in order to be absorbed by your body. In one study, participants who added full-fat dressing to their salads absorbed more carotenoids than participants who used low-fat, fat-free, or no dressing. But that doesn't mean you should drench your veggies in high-fat, high-calorie dressings. Instead, make those calories count by pairing fresh salads with a bit of healthy fat. Choose salad dressings with exclusively heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. Ones with a base of olive oil, canola oil, or even avocado are best. I learned a great way to flavor salads in the DominicanRepublic. They use just a little olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Yum!
This is not good. I can't get my email here in Mexico anymore. Good thing we're not going to be here very much longer. But I am anxiously waiting for any news on Adam and I saw Dad texted me something but I can't see the message. So if any of you are trying to email please comment your email here. Thanks guys. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully, I'll be able to get my email again when I get home. I emailed yahoo about the problem. Thank goodness for blogs, huh?
Okay I know it's late but we're in Mexico. I'm just happy to be blogging. That said . . .
Quality of life is what we all want. Good health helps us achieve a high quality of life. Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kickboxing. But that's great when you're up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it!
"He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything." -Arabian Proverb
So I've been asked for my autograph a couple of times while we've been here. The first time I really laughed and asked the guy if he was really serious. I hope I didn't make him feel stupid. But, he said yes I have your husband's and I want yours too. Then he passed me his baseball hat to sign. Later, after the game I told Dionys and he said, "well they probably ask Victoria Beckham for her's too". Maybe, but we're not the Beckhams. Although it is a very strange feeling when we go out to eat and everyone is watching us because we're the Dionys Cesar family. It's so hard to look cool when you're shuffling four kids around.
Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
We walked out to the car this afternoon and it was covered in ashes. Dionys picks one up and says they're burning the sugar cane fields. I started to laugh because I thought there's no way he can know that from the ashes on the car. So he asks one of the workers at the hotel and they said yes it is sugar cane field burning season. Dionys just looked at me and said you think I don't remember how that stuff burns? I was amazed. I didn't even know they burned the fields but apparently they do because it make the sugar cane easier to cut down. Dionys filled me in on all the details of sugar cane field burning on the way to the stadium. His dad used to have to either start the fires or get in the fields to stop them. The things you learn in Mexico.
