Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Lifting Essentials: A note about stimulants

In my last post, I commented on diet pills and that the drugs they used to possess are not allowed in diet pills anymore. I went on to say that you can still get them, just not together. I would like to give some warning about them from personal experience.

When I am taking Bronkaid and Caffeine, I find that I have no appetite, increased body temperature, and I constantly feel nauseous. I am not even taking the full daily dose (1 of each pill 3 times a day for 2 weeks) and I feel twitchy (and not in some kind of fun way) and like my heart is going to explode!

Now, I don't mean to scare anybody with this note. I am only saying that this is how I feel. My boyfriend also takes these pills (and he does the full dose) and feels no different than how he normally does. I would not recommend this if you are sensitive to stimulants.

Remember, my lifting posts are only for the purposes of informing, not scaring. I am sorry if I scare anybody with these posts.

More lifting information soon! My next article is on lifting attire!

<3
~Mag-elicious~

Monday, September 28, 2009

Lifting Essentials 2: Myths and Facts of Weight Loss

OK, so many people (including myself) have at one point suffered from believing myths. I am going to set some of them straight!

Myth: Magazine diets actually work!
Fact: Magazine diets induce loosing muscle and water weight. It does nothing for fat loss and the second you stop the diet, you WILL gain every ounce back. Sorry, but fad diets don't work. Rule of thumb - If it sounds like it won't work (cereal diet, coffee and peanuts, etc.) it probably won't.

Myth: Diet pills actually induce fat loss!
Fact: This was at one point a true statement. The drugs used in diet pills that made them work before are banned because they actually worked (I still think its stupid that they were banned from diet pills). You can, however, still get your hands on these drugs. Caffeine and Ephedrine are still highly available in most drug stores and grocery stores (that have a pharmacy). Ephedrine must be purchased at the pharmacy section. It is under the name of Bronkaid. It is also helpful if you have some breathing problems (it is actually used for asthma). Don't worry about needing a prescription. It is the same kind of deal for getting sudafed.

Myth: you can target fat loss by working only the muscles in that area.
Fact: Fat is gained evenly all over your body. Fat is lost in t he same way. You don't want to end up with one part of your body REALLY strong, and the rest pathetically weak, do you?

Myth: I'm a girl, so I need to lift low weights on high reps so I don't get bulky.
Fact: Girls gain muscle at a much slower rate and don't have the risk of becoming body builder bulky. Most women in body building competitions take testosterone supplements to become that bulky. Lift like a guy and see the amazing results. I am a girl who lifts like this, and I can already see the difference! I don't see bulk, I see a natural, sexy tone!

Myth: Machine lifts are just as good as free weights!
Fact: Machine lifts actually don't allow the same amount of motion. You really are cheating yourself by only doing machine lifts. Free weights are more intimidating, but most people in gyms are more than happy to help you out with form and as being a spotter. You always want to do research on your form so that you don't end up hurting yourself (I used to do hyper extentions by arching my back ALL the way up and ended up with a lot of back pain. I started going high enough to make my back even and the pain stopped).

Myth: Running is a good way to loose weight!
Fact: This gets exagerated so much. Running is a good aid to weight loss. There are many different kinds of running you can do (ex: distance training, interval training, etc.) Running is more effective, however, if paired with wight lifting.
Tips for running: Don't run on tredmills, concrete or other very hard surfaces, sand and other extremely soft surfaces. Cushioned tracks and grass are the best places to run as they won't induce knee injury (take my word for this, I learned this the hard way...)


Stay tuned for the next Lifting Essentials. Sorry for the delay between the first and this edition. I didnt feel qualified to write on a topic I wasn't taking part in (I stopped lifting over the summer)

<3
~Mag-elicious~

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Things I Love Thursday!

Ok, so despite a lot of frustration, I have still managed to pull together some form of a TILT this week. YAY! Also, I have decided to combine TILT and Youtube game together! YAY LAZY!!! So, here it is!



Big bunnies: I LOVE large breeds of rabbits. It's like "my bunny can beat up your dog"! IT'S HILARIOUS! Not to mention adorable!

Shoes: Specifically, a pair of teal and purple pumps I got over the summer. The last time I wore them was in July when I went to see Les Miserables. Well, the nubby on one of the heels came off and I have been afraid of wearing them ever since. I think you would agree with me that not breaking a neck is a good thing. I found out recently that if you take it back to where you bought it from, they SHOULD be able to fix it for you. More on this as it develops...

Reuniting with friends: So my boyfriend is going to a career fair tomorrow at RMU. I have friends that go there that I haven't seen in such a long time. I am going to see if I can hang out with them. If yes, YAY! if not, I will go to a mall that is close by and get a manicure or something...

Boxata: moldy parfait + empty sofa box + a piece of tape + a stick + a stairwell. Confused? My brother is the one who endorsed this video.


Now, some things you may notice:
~the arcade game: My brother goes to RIT which is a school for the tech savvy. Many people who go there enjoy video games. So, in the dorms, it makes sense for them to have it. They also have SOAP (a shower-radio system) and I believe a vending machine that you have to go online to use(?)
~multiple odor eliminators: because that is what you need when cleaning up moldy parfait bits that get smacked everywhere...Some of the faces my brother makes in this are really funny (especially the ones that involve the stench).

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Things I Love Thursday! (With Pictures!!!)

Although I don't feel well, I am feeling oddly festive. I also think visual stimulation will help me out. I am going to mostly let the pictures do the talking and let you, the awesome readers, decode the meaning! Note: Some may have multiple meanings, many that I haven't thought about.

I couldn't help myself with the Japanese Hello Kitty flag! TOO CUTE!



SOO much fluffy! who could NOT love this?



I didn't want to add too much stuff on top of the back ground out of its sheer awesomeness!



Because Oolong the bunny will be (and has been for years) missed.

I made all but the Oolong collage. All images were found in Google image search. I do not own these and I borrowed (without asking...sorry). If the owners find the images here and want picture credit, let me know and it shall be done.

have fun untangling (or not) my tilt list!

Monday, September 14, 2009

An Explaination as to My Absence

Alrighty now, So I haven't posted in almost 2 whole weeks. EEEK!!! Why is that you say? Well, as I said in my first post, this blog is about my transformation into being a better me. I felt myself slipping back into some old patterns (being grumpy and unmotivated) and felt that that wasn't much to be posting about. It was me taking a few steps backwards and that just doesn't make any sense. However, I want to show that I have been feeling love (if only recently), so here is a belated TILT and Youtube Game!

Upcoming Concert: I have been a huge Styx fan since I was 8. My parents would take me to so many concerts without me even knowing. The biggest thrill of all was back in 2003 When Styx was touring with Journey and REO Speedwagon. I love them all and it was an amazing time. I haven't been to a Styx concert (or any concert in fact) since 2003. My boyfriend took pity on this and we went to STYX World to see if there was any upcoming concerts. It turns out that in early November, they will be in Youngstown, Ohio (Only about an hour from where I am)!!! My boyfriend and I got tickets and we will be going. I got the tickets in the mail and didn't open them until a few days after (I only saw that it was addressed to Garrett, and thought I shouldn't open it). When I looked at the ticket, I was surprised to see REO on there. I am so excited that anybody who walks by can feel it!

Garrett is on my lease: So the people I lease my apartment from are complete scum bags! My boyfriend only has a semester to go before graduation. The only way he can lease for a semester is if he lives with somebody who is leasing for a year. I have a bit yet before I can graduate, so I am staying for the year. They found out that Garrett was staying with me and were going to turn us into the magistrate...not too pleasant. My mom (co-signer) actually consented to having him put on the lease. YAY!!!

Prospect of dying my hair: So, because I have a job, I can only do things that they "approve of". I can't have any visible piercings except for in my ears (and there are restrictions for that too...), and I only recently asked about hair colors. I was told by one manager I can have no more than 2 colors (and I am talking unnatural hair coloring here...who would know if my hair was dyed if I went with 4 or 5 different natural colors that looked nice all together). I tried confirming it with my GM and she was unsure, so she is finding out for me today. YAY!!! However, I have to wait until I go in (the soonest might be Wednesday). BOO!!!

Bangles: I love the skinny bangle braceletes, but I am very picky about my colors. I was suprised to see the colors I wanted in Walmart. 20 braceletes (in 8 silver, 6 teal, and 6 purple) for $6! Who can beat that??? I wear them all the time!

Working out again: So over the summer, because of work and limited summer hours for my gym, I had very little opportunity to work out. Not that I minded because I don't like the act of working out. I do, however, LOVE the fact that my older brother is intimidated by me. I did end up gaining back some weight in the months that I haven't worked out. However, I dropped almost all of the weight I gained back in almost 2 weeks. It took me months to loose that weight before. I am well on my way to getting to my goal weight! That is what I love!





Because who doesn't love cats being silly?