The Gauntlet of Links

Vacation week in Maine has been hectic to say the least. When you work at a ski mountain, the action is non-stop all week. Every morning I was fitting rental skis to guest. In the after noon I would take the guest on the ziplines. Finally at night, I sold tickets. 12 hour days all week.

Today is my day of rest so I caught up on all my favorite blogs and I am going to share the best with you.

Kuwait Karate Journal wants you to know how fit you really are. Take the US Army fitness test twice a year to gauge your fitness.

Over at ExploringKarate, Steve will take you through his planned workout with a free standing bag. He says, "You can feel and see when a technique connects well and work to improve it."

At the Knockdown Fighter board, join the discussion of you most favorite and least favorite techniques. My most favorite (today) is inside leg kick, my most hated, spinning hook kick. I just can't seem to get it.

Want a new workout gadget but don't want to spend the cash? How about a new TRX suspension trainer? the guys at Homemade Gym Stuff will show you how.

My favorite topic, food. So how does a fighter gain weight and build muscle? Mark Sisson will tell you how without all the white carbs that does your body no good.

The Top 10 Fitness and Health Trends of 2010

Who doesn't love a trend? When it comes to fitness and health, I love to be the first of my friends to try something new. Being a child of the 80's, I wore leg-warmers over my acid-wash jean while getting frustrated with my Rubik cube in between turns on my Atari.  I remember gyms filled with beautiful people wearing full make-up, spandex, leotards, and sweatbands. My mom did chronic cardio in the form of aerobics with Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda. She ate lots of grapefruit, sometimes only cabbage soup, and dealt out ultra low fat Deal-A-Meal cards.

"This is Why You're Fat" ~ Jackie Warner Review

Jackie Warner's This is Why You're Fat (and How You can get Thin Forever)

I got this book while looking for a new healthy cookbook. I got drawn away from the soups and cakes to the fitness shelf, like I always do. I usually flip through the pages of diet and workout books first. I can usually tell if it is a book for me or not, by the equipment that they use and their ingredients. I really don't like to use much equipment or search some specialty store for ingredients I never heard of. Jackie's book only had free weights, so I gave it a chance.

Q&A Rock Bottom

I belong to many 'groups', and most I have left behind. This particular group, wannabeabigloser I joined as it started and then I faded away. Recently I found it again in my quest to help people that used to try to help me.

Q:     Well, I have finally reached a weight that I have been dreading for a long time. Ugh. I am so sick of my bad eating habits. But every time that I try to change them, I eventually go back to the the old ways again. And every time I go back to the old ways, I end up heavier than I have ever been before.

How do I break the cycle?

- S