Is Your Relationship Doomed Too?

On September 21, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

Bringing the 2016 tally to 43 celebrity relationships that have ended, yesterday Angelina Jolie shocked the world and filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. Damn real life intrudes on the wealth and the seemingly carefree lives of a beautiful high-profile couple yet again! Hmmm

If you read the headlines on the covers of the magazines that line the check out lanes at the grocery store, you’d think every relationship, celebrity or every day Jane & Joe, ends up doomed to failure.

Today the Huffington Post ran an article warning women to watch out for signs that their husband has become “emotionally disconnected,” but you can search the internet and find similar headlines in one women’s magazine or another nearly every month. I just googled, “have you lost interest in your relationship?” and Google returned 9,230,000 results! Headlines on these articles range from blaming, “What you can do to fix your broken relationship,” to therapeutic, “Signs you (or your spouse) are losing interest,” but all circle back to the same things:

Relationships are hard
Day-to-day stresses of life wear equally on both parties in a relationship
To make a relationship last takes work, love and understanding

So, because I love all of my loyal Extreme Blonde Moments followers, I’ll summarize the latest articles so you can:

Troubleshoot your own relationship
Figure out if problems you have are minor or deal breakers
Decide if you’re in a relationship worth salvaging and either: A) Cut through the bullshit and get back on track; or B) Stop the bleeding and get out

First, there are some universally agreed to signs that you or your partner have disengaged from your relationship:

Do you dread spending time together, prefer time with friends instead of time with your significant other, feel like it’s an obligation, feel exhausted or mentally drained after a day together? Do you start fights to avoid plans together, do you fight more often than not?
Does your relationship lack intimacy? Hugs and kisses, casual touches, hand holding, and other small intimacies are the first thing to go when a relationship is dying, the absence of these things is a big warning sign.
Does your relationship lack sex? This is a huge problem! Dry spells of a week or two, even a month happen with the everyday stresses of life, work separations, illness, etc., but when you go months at a time without one (or both) of you desiring the most vital of intimacies, you have a serious issue. If the thought of making love to your spouse stirs NOTHING in you, and you don’t miss or desire an immediate change (as in take steps to change the status quo) then your relationship has very little hope of survival. This is especially true if it is only one partner that is disinterested in maintaining the sexual relationship.
Are you withholding everyday stuff, sharing conversations, concerns, stresses with someone else, seeking someone else’s opinions instead of your significant other’s? That’s a death blow for your relationship.
Do you not care what your significant other is doing? If hearing the details of their day, their opinions, stories, or even their voice is of no interest to you….I think you get the picture. Doomed
Are you losing your self esteem? If you have become unhappy, feel unwanted, undesired, and so unimportant that deep inside you know you should get out of the relationship, you can start feeling trapped, angry with yourself that you’re still there, and wondering how you ended up with this person. This can lead you to start questioning your own judgement which leads to increasingly negative feelings about yourself.
Do you hate coming home, spend extra time at work, at the gym, in other activities, anything to avoid being in the same place as your significant other? Do you complain about unimportant things, are you passive aggressive, or have you become verbally or physically aggressive toward your significant other? Get Out
Are you fantasizing about others or acting like you’re single when you are not with your significant other? Do you daydream about what life would be like without your significant other, are you reaching out to old flames, do you use “I” statements instead of “We“: “I am going to Costa Rica next week” vs “We are going to Costa Rica next week.” You are testing the waters to see what the response would be (and how it would feel) to you being single.

The Huffington Post article pointed out gender specific indicators that a spouse has checked out of a marriage:

Men:

Hypercritical of everything his spouse does, less generous of mistakes
He stone walls or is in constant “Silent Treatment” mode: closed off body language (crossed arms, pursed lips, turned back) and/or zero verbal feedback or engagement, even when a response would be appropriate and expected.
Visibly angry when tasks aren’t done, impatient and short
No playfulness, not visibly happy hanging out with spouse, appears distant or to be just going through the motions, or to be putting on a show of attentiveness when others are present
He confides in others or has more intimate talks with others than he has with his spouse

Women:

Men complain to therapists that “she seems to have changed overnight.” He fails to recognize warning signs like requests to improve the relationship have been ignored or belittled and she’s finally become fed up, stopped seeing him in a romantic light and become disillusioned with the marriage.
He starts hearing “Nothing” or “I don’t want to talk about it,” when he notices she has withdrawn or changed her behavior. She’s tired of tying and given up hoping for change.
You barely touch anymore.
It feels like you are living two separate lives.
All you talk about is the kids and household logistics (or jobs, etc.).
Your wife speaks brutal truths instead of being kind, considerate and accepting of your quirks and idiosyncracies.

If you feel a kinship to any of the behaviors you have two choices, talk about them and reolve them, or resolve to move on. None of the behaviors are healthy for any romantic relationship, especially if it’s a marriage and there are children involved. Children observe and learn what you are living, so give them the best chance of having healthy, loving adult relationships by living them yourself.

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Um, Yuck!

On September 12, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

rumpledimages I’m not sure about you, but now that I am a grown up, I really appreciate crawling into clean, fresh-smelling sheets. When I was young, my mom used to threaten us with the teenage horror of getting acne if we kept going to bed without showering and not washing our sheets weekly. It didn’t always result in us getting them to the hamper every week, but at least I remember her threat. Hmmm

I have heard the nightly news headlines about how gross hotel bedding can be, but never really thought much about it in terms of my own bedding because I assumed the problems that happen in hotels had a lot more to do with the large number of people staying there than anything else. From what I’ve been learning, apparently I was very, very wrong.

sweat When we sleep most of us sweat, I know I do! Think about the kinds of things that we leave behind on our sheets & pillow cases when we’ve been sweating, tossing and turning all night:

hair, skin cells, body oil, saliva, bodily fluids (if you aren’t wearing any clothing), lotions, deodorants, perfumes, hairspray, makeup, dirt, anything chemical you might have encountered during the day (especially if you didn’t shower before bed), etc.
pets in/on your bed are leaving behind much of the same plus traces of fecal matter (their own plus that of any other animals their faces, paws, and coats picked up from sidewalks, grass and other places they were during the day), urine, fur, dander, pollen, etc. Hmmm

A very unscientific poll was conducted by a Colorado radio personality, just in his office, and his results were about what I’d expect to find if I conducted the same poll among a random group of people. He shared that, ” It was funny to see their reactions as they looked at me and said, after giving me their answer, is that bad? I found it funny how many people had similar looks on their faces and how one, who will remain unnamed, really had to think about the chore and when the last time it was done.” For the record, I wash mine once a week.

bed_sheets_chart-630x424

Things that might cause me to wash them more frequently:

I am having frequent overnight visitors and my guest room is getting a lot of use;
A visiting child spills juice or some other icky stuff on the comforter;
Said visiting child has an unfortunate accident on the bed;
A pet (or 3) sleeping with us, comes in from the outside with muddy paws;
One of said pets has an unfortunate accident (grr!) on the bed;
It’s shedding season and I can’t keep up with the daily fur attack;
One or both of us has been sick, feverish and/or sweating at night;
Close your ears and eyes boys, “Aunt Flo” comes calling in the middle of the night; or
Action starts heating up more frequently in the bedroom. 😉

Otherwise, I generally stick to a weekly machine washing of the sheets, blanket & comforter, but, because I allow my labs and cat on the bed, I also maintain a pretty strict daily routine of:

Shaking and thoroughly pounding together of the decorative bed pillows, then using my Shark Pet Perfect II to suck out as much dust as possible;
Vacuuming the fitted and top sheets (I recommend the Shark Rocket Deluxe Pro);
Shaking off the comforter;
Brushing the comforter (The Evriholder Fur Remover is a GODSEND!) to remove as much remaining dog & cat hair, dander & dust as I can before also giving it a quick vacuum;
After all of that is done, and the bed has been remade, I then sweep the hardwood floors of the bedroom where I can reach, and run our Roomba at least once before mopping our hardwood floors to grab anything I might have missed.

Doing all of that generally keeps the fur, dust, and dander under control in our bedroom, as well as the rest of the house, and helps to keep my allergies and asthma from flaring up. Speaking of “Dander,” did you know that dander is the primary food source for dust mites? Oh wait, we haven’t talked about dust mites yet, have we?

Here’s a quick Dust Mite Primer:

House dust mites are microscopic bugs (Not Bed Bugs) that live primarily on dead skin cells that regularly shed from people and household pets;
Dust mites are generally harmless to most people;
Dust mites don’t carry diseases, but they can cause allergic reactions in asthmatics and others who are allergic to their feces; Um yeah, their poop. When they eat our cast off skin they naturally poop it out, and that gets left behind in your sheets, on your pillow cases, on decorative throw pillows, blankets, and anything else that gathers fur, hair, dust and other environmental cast off in your house. DISGUSTING!

In addition to dust mites, www.diply.com highlighted a couple of other gross things that can gather on your pillowcases if you don’t wash them frequently:

Mold: Most household pillows contain mold spores. Mold exposure can cause a potentially fatal lung infection called chronic pulmonary aspergillosis;
Bacteria: Bacteria on your pillowcase can result from leaving it unwashed and can lead to…yep, ACNE!

The best way to avoid mold, bacteria and dust mites on your bed linens is to avoid spikes in humidity. If you keep your room cool you will reduce the likelihood that you will sweat while you are sleeping. Wash your face (and your entire body when you can) before you go to bed, to remove the bacteria and dead skin from your face and lessen the chances that you’ll be sleeping in the day’s accumulation of environmental contaminants, microscopic bacteria, along with a big build up of sloughed off skin cells, vacuum your mattress when you change your sheets every week, invest in good zippered pillow protectors to keep dust mites, mold and bacteria from getting into your pillows, and keep your room as dust free as possible by sweeping, vacuuming and dusting your bedroom every day or two.

A Few Reasons to Skip Your Workout

On August 31, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde Moments, SafetyLeave a comment

teenybikini Nobody with a serious fitness goal in mind, or who’s just days away from having to wear that TEENY TINY BIKINI on vacation, likes skipping a workout, but there are a few times that skipping it is exactly what you should do.

otc This is especially the case if you have taken some specific over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for routine ailments. Hmmm….

Did you take any type of decongestant or “cold and flu” medication? I’m talking about a very broad range of OTC here: Zicam, Theraflu, Mucinex, Sudafed, Tylenol Cold-Max, etc. Because the entire class of cold and flu remedies has some sort of sedating effect, there is a risk of injuring yourself while exercising due to a foggy feeling from that sedation or, at the other end of the spectrum, the decongestant can increase your blood pressure and heart rate, putting you at a slightly elevated risk for stroke if you work out when taking some decongestants. In both cases, it’s better to just ride the treatment out and take a few days off to recover.
Did you need to take a pill to get some shut eye last night? If you took a sleeping pill after tossing and turning most of the night, it’s better to a) not try and work out while the effects of the sleeping pill could still be retarding your muscles response and, b) not try to work out unless you got a full 8 hours of sleep after taking the pill.
Are you an allergy sufferer? If you plan to work out, take a non-drowsy allergy relief pill like loratadine (Claritin), fexofenadine (Allegra), or cetirizine (Zyrtec).
If you’re hacking like you’ve just gotten off of a subway train full of smokers and need to take a swig from your handy bottle of cough medicine, you might need to consider a couple of things before you jump into your workout clothes and take off for the gym: Does your cough medicine have a decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine or dextromethorphine in it? If it does, it can make you groggy and could increase your injury risk when working out. Cough medications without dextromethorphine should be safe to workout after taking, but if you are coughing enough to need to take it regularly, you could be suffering from some other ailment, like asthma, and should see a doctor to make sure that you are healthy enough to continue with your current exercise routine.

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Why Aren’t You Having More Sex?

On August 8, 2016December 3, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

toes Here’s a scary statistic: It’s estimated that 40 Million Americans have what experts call a “Sexless Marriage.” In this case, they are defining a sexless marriage as one in which you are having sex less than 10 times a year.

When you were first committed to each other you were literally joined at the hip. 😉 Anytime, anyplace, multiple times a day and everyday. Rabbits had nothing on you. You wanted each other all the time!

Somewhere down the line that became a little less frequent and it wasn’t necessarily kids or life that got in the way, you and/or your spouse started making excuses and your sex life just disappeared. We’ve all heard the jokes about the famous women’s line, “Not tonight honey, I’ve got a headache,” but it wasn’t just women giving the excuses anymore, men began telling their partners, “not tonight” as well. WTF? Men used to complain about their wives holding out and all of the sudden girls night out became a gab fest comparing notes about the excuses their men were giving in the bedroom!

Anita H. Clayton, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Virginia and author of Satisfaction: Women, Sex, and the Quest for Intimacy says, “A regular sex life is good for your health. It can satisfy all sorts of emotional- and physical-intimacy needs and help partners stay close.”

Babble.com compiled 20 excuses for not wanting to have sex given by both men and women. Mind you, Babble.com is owned by Disney, so it’s pretty tame and not all induced a response:

I’m mad at you – Reasonable, but try and get your spouse to look at this another way. The best way to patch things up is…Make up Sex!
I don’t feel well – Okay, no one wants snot dripping on them, coughing, or (gasp!) intestinal upsets welling up in the middle of getting busy, so definitely a pass should be given for this one.
The kids are still awake – Hmmm… They should have their own rooms and there should be a rule about knocking when a door is closed, so this one is really LAME!
I hurt my back today – Okay, maybe you did hurt your back today. Nobody said that sex was the only way to be intimate. Offer a back rub and maybe things might heat up in another way that might not need to involve a lot of movement of the back…
I ate too much dairy and now I’m bloated – Yeah, I’d stay away from this one, as well as Mexican food excuses. Gas really isn’t fun or sexy.
I just do not feel sexy – That one is hard. Self confidence is a hard thing to get past. As a partner we can say we find our lover attractive but until they believe it it’s a hurdle that’s hard to get over. Maybe joining the gym or just working out together might make them feel sexy after the endorphins are flowing.
I think I forgot to take my birth control – that’s a deal breaker for most men. If it’s a routine excuse take the control out of her hands and buy condoms.
I have to finish this video game level/tv episode/movie, etc. – Wow! How far down do I rate in your items of importance?

If laughing together over the lame Disney media excuses doesn’t ignite a few sparks and encourage your partner to drag you into the nearest bedroom and grab a quickie, you may want to move on to the chart below and check out all of the great health reasons for increasing the amount of sex you are having. health benefits

Some other things that may be interfering with your sex drive, are things you may not even realize. Some of the fixes are as easy as changing your evening routine, getting a lock for your bedroom door or even changing your method of birth control!

The prescriptions you take: Oral birth control contains estrogen which can trap testosterone and, in turn zap your sex drive. Anti-Depressants, pills to lower Blood Pressure, Acid-Reflux, and Anti-Anxiety medicines can also kill your desire. FIX: Discuss potential sexual side effects of any drug you are prescribed and alternatives.

Some problems and solutions don’t require a lot of effort and could easily rekindle your desire to have sex with your partner.

Declare the master bedroom a technology free zone! With all of the distractions in our busy lives, the last place we need to have our partner’s attention focused away from us and directed to their phone, video game or other device is the bedroom. Turn it off and you just may find something else to turn on!

Some problems in the bedroom stem from very serious relationship issues. Maybe there has been infidelity, in which case you are likely struggling with mending your relationship from the ground up. If that is the case, all I can say is there are always good days and bad when you decide that the relationship is worth staying for.

Or, maybe you beg for sex and he just says no? “Perhaps he’s emotionally withdrawing,” says Bob Berkowitz, PhD, co-author of He’s Just Not Up for It Anymore: Why Men Stop Having Sex, and What You Can Do About It. “The usual problems between husbands and wives can play out in the bedroom,” he says, “especially if your partner has a hard time expressing his feelings properly.” This is a hard one. If your partner is not someone who will open up and tell you the truth about what is going on, won’t tell you why he’s withdrawn from you physically, (and it sounds like emotionally) your only route is likely counseling. I don’t see a lot of hope for a relationship that lacks physical intimacy when one side is withholding it.

If you happen to be one of the “lucky” partners who has a partner who “just” makes the occasional excuse and hasn’t cut you off completely, here are some other suggestions for getting past the “not tonight” or “I’ll be in as soon as my show is over” excuses and getting back to an active and healthy regular sex life:

Quit asking permission
Quit waiting for the perfect moment
Quit relegating sex to a bedtime only activity
If you’re going to wait for bedtime, run a scented bath for your partner and wait for him/her in the bed
Be spontaneous (anytime-anyplace like when you were first together)
Have a real date night and end the date like you used to! Hmmm

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They Will Literally Be Swimming in Human Crap!

On August 1, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde Moments, Pisses Me Off, SafetyLeave a comment

I feel really sorry for the athletes from around the world, who have spent years busting their asses to master their sports and make their countries’ Olympic teams, only to have to go to, what can only be described as, a gigantic cesspool, (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) to showcase them. filthrdj

Dead fish, dead animals, and even rotting corpses & body parts can be seen along the, what used to be picturesque, shorelines of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Even the most posh areas (Ipanema and Leblon Beaches) with steel and glass high rises cannot escape the filth. The lagoons that snake around them (and also around the nearby Olympic Village), “regularly sees massive pollution-related fish die-offs and emits an eye-watering sulfuric stench.”

Fisherman Jose Rubens told how he watched children haul a dismembered woman’s body from the waves of Guanabara Bay. Standing beside a gaping pipe spewing raw sewage straight into the bay, Jose, 56, unflinchingly shared, “They found a woman’s severed buttocks and upper legs three months ago. She was already starting to decompose. We didn’t tell the police. It’s not what people do here. We just pushed the remains back into the water.” (Source: Oliver Harvey, The Sun) These are the very waters that Olympic yachtsmen and wind-surfers will soon be competing for their countries in!

bodyrdjwaters — A decomposing corpse found floating in the waters where some Olympic competitions will be held.

In 2009, Brazil used the awarding of the 2016 games as the motivation needed to “regenerate Rio’s magnificent waterways.” They pledged a billion-dollar investment meant to cleanup the tar-black Rivers; the lagoons near the Olympic Park with fluorescent green algae thriving amid sewage; the Guanabara Bay teeming with thick sludge that nearly swallows fishermen’s wooden boats; and to eliminate the giant brown stain that surfers must paddle out through to reach the beautiful blue surrounding waters.

copacabana — This is where the elite Athletes of the World thought they would be competing when they heard they were coming to Rio de Janeiro

Open water swimmers could very well have the worst of it though. Rio medic Dr. Daniel Becker said, “Foreign athletes will literally be swimming in human crap, and they risk getting sick from micro-organisms.”

Biologist Mario Moscatelli has spent the last 20 years studying Brazil’s polluted waterways. Every month he has flown over them by helicopter to note changes good or bad. “It’s been decades and I see no improvement,” laments Moscatelli. “The Guanabara Bay has been transformed into a latrine … and unfortunately Rio de Janeiro missed the opportunity, maybe the last big opportunity” to clean it up. (Source: Jenny Barchfield; AP)

Opening Ceremonies for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games are just 4 days away.

300,000-500,000 foreigners are expected to descend on Rio for the Olympics. They are likely in nowhere near the physical conditioning of the world class athletes they are coming to cheer on, and are much more likely to succumb to the viral illnesses that are the result of off the charts contamination of the most popular Rio de Janeiro beaches. Testing at several of the city’s world-famous beaches has shown that in addition to persistently high viral loads, the beaches often have levels of bacterial markers for sewage pollution that would be cause for concern abroad.

In June 2016, Copocabana and Ipanema Beaches both had alarming readings for rotavirus, the main cause of gastroenteritis globally, with 7.22 million rotaviruses per liter detected in the waters of Copacabana, while 32.7 million rotaviruses per liter were found in the waters of Ipanema Beach.
The testing also revealed alarming spikes in fecal coliform levels — the very measure the state government uses to determine the safety of Rio’s recreational waters.

“If these were the reported values in the United States, let’s say in California, there is definitely an indication of a problem,” said Dr. Kristina Mena, a waterborne virus expert at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

According to California’s bacterial tests standards, 400 fecal coliforms per 100 milliliters is the upper limit for a beach to be considered safe for swimming. AP’s tests revealed that Copacabana Beach, where the marathon and triathlon swimming are to be held and thousands of tourists are likely to take a dip, exceeded California’s limit five times over 13 months of testing.
Nearby Ipanema Beach, which is not playing host to any Olympic sports but is among the city’s most popular tourist spots, exceeded California standards five times over 12 months, once spiking to nearly 50 times what would be permitted in California. One of two testing spots along the beach in the Olympic hub neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca once hit more than 60 times that limit over the five months testing was conducted there.

The beaches even violate Rio state’s own standards, which are much less stringent than those in California. In California these beaches would be closed to the public until the source of the contamination was found and fixed and the water treated until tests came back with the water testing safe for the public to be in it again.

If you are a Tourist planning to attend the Olympic games in Rio beware: Water quality warning signs used to dot showcase beaches, but they’re no longer there. The water may not look infected but it is. Remember that the water flows across, carries, and deposits sand along the shoreline, so the sand is contaminated too…HMMM

The World Press has been paying close attention and has already reported a number of troubling things that the Athletes, Media, and those Tourists who may decide to travel abroad to witness the games, may encounter when they visit Brazil:

A broken main caused untreated raw sewage and human waste to pour into the Olympic Village, where the World’s athletes are being housed and fed, over the weekend;
Rotting corpses have been spotted floating at the rat-infested sailing and wind-surfing venue of Guanabara Bay;
Athletes competing in events in the polluted Guanabara Bay are being told to ‘close their mouths’ for fear of contracting viral infections from waters poisoned by human excrement;
Athletes have been robbed at gunpoint on the streets of Rio;
Gun-toting thugs robbed Australian Paralympic sailor Liesl Tesch and team official Sarah Ross of their bikes while they were cycling in a Rio park;
Between January and April of this year, there were 1,715 homicides in the city, a 15 per cent increase on the same period last year;
A fire in the basement of the Australian team barracks overnight, forced all to evacuate the building. The alarms had been disabled and the only alert to the team was the smell of smoke! While they were out laptops and protective long sleeved anti-Zika clothing were reported stolen.
Around 300 tons of trash are dumped in Guanabara bay every month — including condoms, discarded syringes, used toilet paper, old fishing nets, mangled furniture and other household trash;
The spread of the Zika virus (now officially reported as having spread from infected male to female) has resulted in the top 4 golfers in the world, as well as many tennis players and other athletes, pulling out of the games;
Body parts were found strewn on Copacabana Beach, right below the Olympic Beach Volleyball Venue.

As if threats to the health of athletes, media and tourists from the environment wasn’t enough, there are the threats of violence from the drug gangs and other thugs that rule the streets of Rio de Janeiro and now some scary threats reportedly coming from ISIS:

After the Paris attacks in November a jihadi sent a tweet saying: “Brazil, you are our next target.”
In May, ISIS launched a new social Portuguese-speaking media channel in a bid to attract new recruits.
Brazil, used to dealing with armed drug gangs, has no experience in dealing with ISIS assaults.
On July 15 Brazilian authorities deported a French-Algerian professor who had been convicted in France in 2012 of providing logistical advice to terrorist groups.
Last week dozens of alleged IS sympathizers were held after claims they had discussed an attack on the Games.

When awarded the games, officials pledged to treat 80% of the raw sewage pumped into Rio’s Guanabara Bay, promised only to use the very cleanest sections of the Bay for competitions, and that there would be only minimal risk to sailors and other athletes. Now that the Opening Ceremonies are less than a week away and the proof of their inability to live up to their promises is being seen, smelled and reported worldwide, officials have had to admit that they have only been able to reach a sewage treatment percentage of 40%. That is obviously not acceptable for a city with a population of more than 12 Million, let alone one that is putting itself under the world wide microscope by hosting the Olympic games.

Additionally, Rio officials pledged that the athletes and visitors to their country would be safe, based on the reports of robberies within the village and in the surrounding areas, they are already failing on that front as well. It remains to be seen how Brazil is going to remedy the situation with just 4 days left before Opening Ceremonies, but I know one thing, the ravenous world press will not pull any punches in letting the rest of the world know just how deplorable conditions are. HMMM Indeed!

A 30 Minute Full Body Workout That May NOT Kill Me!

On July 17, 2016July 17, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

I bought a set of TRX straps as well as a TRX Rip Trainer earlier this year and, to be perfectly honest, I have barely used them since March…

I just came across a workout using the straps in Shape Magazine that looks like it may not kill me (LOL) and says it works the entire body in about 30 minutes. There is even video demonstration included! Hmmm.

There’s nothing better than a full-body workout on days you just want to kick your own butt. And the TRX Suspension Trainer is the perfect tool, as it allows you to perform over 300 (!) exercises using just its straps and your own bodyweight. Plus, it can be found in most commercial gyms across the U.S. (so you don’t have to string it up from your rafters).

We tapped Erin Bulvanoski, trainer at KORE in New York City, for her best tone-all-over, TRX workout you can do wherever you can strap in. For the best results, perform each for 45 seconds, rest for 15 seconds then repeat before moving to the next exercise.

1. TRX Jump Squats

A Face the midpoint of the TRX, one handle in each hand. Pushing glutes back and knees out, squat down until butt goes passes knees, arms raised above your head still holding handles.
B Jump up into the air, land and repeat.

“This is a real calorie scorcher because it gets the heart rate going and works the largest muscles in the body—the legs and glutes,” says Bulvanoski.

2. TRX Single Leg Lunge

A Face the midpoint and grab both handles with slight bend in elbow. Step right leg behind you and lunge down so right hip is directly over right knee, left knee stacked over left ankle.
B Using legs, push back up to standing. Do 45 seconds, then switch legs.

Bulvanoski reminds you to be sure to use your legs to propel yourself up from the lunge so you really work the quads rather than relying too much on your arms to help you.

3. TRX Bicep Curl

A Face the midpoint, one handle in each hand, palms facing up, arms fully extended in front of you. Lean body back on a diagonal, keeping straight arms and straight legs still.
B Keeping core tight, bend at the elbows and curl hands towards shoulders. Lower back down.

“Keep your elbows in the same place the entire time—don’t let them flare out,” says Bulvanoski. “It makes for more of a challenge and will help to isolate the biceps.”

4. TRX Tricep Curl

A Face away from the midpoint, one handle in each hand, arms extended overhead, palms facing down and body tilted toward the floor on a diagonal. Without moving the rest of your body, bend elbows and bring hands towards forehead.
B Without moving elbow position, straighten arms again.

“Try not to let the TRX bands sway,” says Bulvanoski. “Only move your arms to really feel the work in those triceps.”

5. TRX Chest Press

A Face away from the midpoint, one handle in each hand, arms extended forward, walk your feet back until your in a high plank position, body in line from head to toe. Bend at the elbows and lower into a push-up, bringing the chest down to the same level as your hands.
B Push back up until arms are fully extended.

Again, it’s important to keep your core tight and body in a straight line. “This will ensure you’re isolating the chest, arms and back,” says Bulvanoski.

6. TRX Plank

Sit on the ground facing the midpoint and place both feet in the bottom loops of the TRX bands. Flip over so you’re facing away from the midpoint. Place your hands on the ground shoulder width apart, and using your arms and legs, push your body off the ground so you’re in an elevated plank, body in line from head to toe and hold.

“For an added challenge, lower down to your forearms, then back up to your hands while trying to keep your hips as still as possible,” says Bulvanoski. You’ll feel it in your abs!

7. TRX Atomic Pushup

A Start in elevated plank position. Keeping legs together, raise your hips, bringing knees towards your face.
B Return to plank position, perform a push-up, then repeat.

“This move works the entire body, with special emphasis on the abdominals,” says Bulvanoski.

The Questions People Ask Google

On July 15, 2016July 14, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

googleweedquestions I had some time to kill this morning and saw a headline that teased answers to the 10 answers people ask most about marijuana on google. Of course that meant I had to click on the link to www.herb.co (thank God I have no plans to run for office and the contents of my internet searches wouldn’t be of interest to anyone). While funny, intriguing and certainly worthy of someone’s consideration, I have to admit that reading them led me to a few other questions of a more journalistic nature.

But to get to those, I guess we first should look at some of the things enquiring minds just have to know, so they seek out the always helpful Google. Just for fun, I’ve added some snark in red:

Will I get higher if I hold in my hit longer? A real head scratcher I know, but, disappointing though it may be, the answer is NO. More than 95% of the THC is absorbed into the system within seconds of inhaling.
If I smoke before exercising, will I increase my endurance? Hmmm, I’ve never known any of my weed smoking compatriots to be bundles of unspent energy… To hear Google describe it, exercising while high is just “capital.” Wink and nod to Curly Bill Brocius of Tombstone fame. Science says Cannabis raises metabolism, helps with muscle recovery after the workout and helps increase endurance. Cannabinoid receptors in our brain are calmed by the THC, reducing anxiety and increasing stamina. All that fun stuff about endurance and stamina, but I don’t see anything about giving you more energy or motivation to perform the workout…
Is weed stronger now than it was in the 1970’s? Well, DUH! Since people had to sneak around dark alleys to find the crap smuggled in from Columbia and smoke it down to the stems and other woody parts then vs. today, when it’s not so hard to come by, OF COURSE IT IS! Who needs Google for that answer?
Is there a way to reduce my high quickly? UM, what’s the point of getting high if you just want to get it over with? For the newbies or scardy cats (who really have nothing but a mad snack attack to fear) drink icy cold water, eat super spicy food or eat citrus fruit and you’ll be back to your boring self in no time.
Can I make dabs at home? This one stumped me. Not being a connoisseur of any type of edible nor an afficienado of the herb as smoked, I don’t even know what a dab is. The weed blog tells me that it is butane hash oil smoked to get “as high as you possibly can.” Ooookay. I digressed. Google’s answer was that some expert home users have used a hair straightening iron and some parchment paper. My guess would be that some more internet research would need to be done on this topic.
What is the difference between Indica and Sativa? Again, WHAT? This one apparently even stumped some users. This is a recreational drug discussion here people, you’re getting way too technical… For those who just must know all of the proper names for the strains, Google says Indica strains are meant to calm, relax and reduce anxiety – great for nighttime tokers, while Sativa strains induce creativity and heighten energy for daytime smokers.

That does however lead to some more of my questions:

How many states, as of today, allow legal recreational use of marijuana? Right now there are only 4. Washington & Colorado since 2012 and Alaska, Oregon, & the District of Columbia since 2014. Maine & Nevada have initiatives for recreational use on the ballot in 2016. There are 16 states where use/possession of minimal amounts of marijuana have been decriminalized and 25 states that have passed medical marijuana laws. It is absolutely amazing how many cases of anxiety, chronic depression, glaucoma, and other ailments that only respond to treatment by cannabis prescription have been written since those laws have passed 😉

To that end, other questions asked of Google are the semi-obligatory:

Where do I find a doctor to write me a prescription for marijuana? Can these people walk and chew gum at the same time? Google the area OF COURSE! Check the ratings and reviews and you’ll find dozens upon dozens of doctors more than willing to write you a prescription for weed to smoke, to eat, to drink as tea, and God knows what else…
Can I become addicted to cannabis? PEOPLE, how many times does Google have to tell you NO? Weed isn’t physically addicting. Mentally is a whole nother discussion…; and the giant pink elephant in the room of all marijuana discussions…
Why is cannabis still not legal in the United States as a whole when alcohol and cigarettes, which are physically addicting, are legal? Google didn’t have any good answer, except to say that the Federal Government hasn’t figured out how to exploit it for the maximum financial benefit OF the government.

Legends Never Die, Their Words and Deeds Live On

On June 28, 2016June 28, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

I am really sad to hear about Pat Summitt passing away today. She was only 64 and her last five years were marred by Alzheimer’s, but nothing can erase the memories the rest of us have of her 38 years earning:

The most wins in NCAA Division 1 history.
She NEVER had a losing season in her 38 years at Tennessee.
But I think an even greater achievement was her UNPRECEDENTED 100% Player graduation rate in every one of her 38 years at The University of Tennessee.

She was a great role model for me and my fellow female players when there weren’t many women coaches achieving the same success as men. In “Reach for the Summit,” Pat said, “Discipline helps you finish a job, and finishing is what separates excellent work from average work.” Powerful words that are true in life AND sports.

Coach Bobby Knight was a friend and fan of Pat Summit and was once quoted as giving her his biggest compliment, “She could have coached at any level, men’s or women’s.”

If you haven’t seen the ESPN Nine for IX about Pat Summit and how she brought women’s basketball to the place where it is today, do yourself a favor and go get it on iTunes or Amazon – both have it. You can also view it on the ESPN Sports Programming page by following this link. She also co-wrote 3 books with Sally Jenkins telling her history and giving her perspective on coaching: “Reach for the Summit,” “Raise the Roof” and “Sum It Up.” They are a few of the books I didn’t get as eBooks – they are actual real books on my shelf.

In the simple obituary there is a great quote: “This is one simple statement that Patricia Sue Head Summitt embodied, lived by and passed on to so many throughout her 64 years of life. She ‘won’ every day of her life because of the relationships she developed, nurtured and cherished. Relationships with her family and friends. Relationships with players, coaches, and fans. And most importantly, a strong relationship with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Alzheimer’s Disease is a brutal disease that robs people of their memories, their relationships and their dignity. I lost my Grandmother to early onset Alzheimer’s / Dementia, the same disease that Pat Summitt died from. I hope there is a cure in my lifetime. Hmmm

Time to Repent

On June 27, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde MomentsLeave a comment

I love to travel and have plans to do a lot of it this summer, to places that will be hot and mean wearing a lot of these:

So I’ll be spending my next two days detoxing with these:
Ug! The price I pay for fun…hmmm.

10 Signs of Skin Cancer

On June 8, 2016June 7, 2016 By ls1228In Extreme Blonde Moments, SafetyLeave a comment

This article comes courtesy of Self Magazine. Skin Cancer is far too important and potentially deadly to ignore the signs and symptoms.

Along with outdoor happy hours and weekends at the beach, summertime calls for an important reminder of skin cancer risk. Since you’re probably spending more time in the sun wearing less clothes, it’s important to take note of any new or different growths on your skin.

“Most skin cancers really are not symptomatic,” Aleksandar Sekulic, M.D., principal for Stand Up To Cancer’s Melanoma Research Alliance Dream Team and Mayo Clinic dermatologist, tells SELF. That means a cancerous spot won’t hurt, or even itch most of the time. “Occasionally people will say a red and scaly spot has become more red and tender, but most true cancers are asymptomatic.”

So how can you tell if a spot is suspicious? “What to look for depends on which skin cancer,” Sekulic says. Here, he lays out the biggest signs, so you can be wary of any potential red flags.

Melanoma

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is usually pigmented and will resemble a mole. “What we really look for is change, that’s the most appreciable thing,” Sekulic says. The American Academy of Dermatology uses the acronym ABCDE for how to recognize a melanoma—any time you notice a new mole or that an old mole looks different, look for these signs:

1. Asymmetry: If you cut it down the middle and one side looks different from the other, it’s asymmetrical.

2. Border: In a normal mole, the border should be smooth. If it is irregular, scalloped, or ragged? “That may be a warning sign,” Sekulic says.

3. Color: If the mole is three or four different colors instead of one uniform color, you should be suspicious.

4. Diameter: “If it’s larger than 6 millimeters, basically the size of a pencil eraser, we tend to look at it a little closer,” because melanoma is found disproportionately in larger moles.

5. Evolution: “Any change in an existing spot or mole is something that should be looked at further,” Sekulic says. That includes a change in size, shape, color, or if the mole bleeds without being provoked. “Sometimes the spot may even start disappearing.” The rate of change is very relative, so it’s important to know what’s normal on your skin and when things change.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer; SCC is the second most common. “Many start as small, unsuspicious spots, and if they’re not treated they get bigger,” Sekulic says. Luckily, they’re both very curable and can be removed with surgery, though removals can cause scarring. In rare cases, they can grow deeper and spread. Though some signs are more typical of one or the other, the general symptoms are the same. Keep an eye out for:

1. A red scaly patch: A red, itchy spot of skin that doesn’t resolve in a few weeks with moisturization is most likely SCC. These might itch, but oftentimes do not, and can be easily confused for eczema.

2. A bump that won’t stop bleeding: This can look like a little bump or pimple that begins to ulcerate. A sore that continually bleeds, heals, and splits open again, is a common sign of BCC but could also be SCC.

3. A shiny bump: This nodule is usually pink, red, or white, but can also be tan, black, or brown and look like a regular mole.

4. A pink growth: The border will likely be slightly elevated and the center indented and maybe even crusty.

5. A scar-like spot: This can be a sign of an aggressive form of BCC, so if you notice a white or yellow scar-like spot that appears shiny, see your derm ASAP.

Be proactive about your skin health by visiting your doctor for regular skin checks. Many dermatologists recommend getting a full body scan once a year or more frequently if you have certain risk factors or a family history of skin cancer. If you ever see anything suspicious, go get checked out sooner rather than later. Early detection is key.

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Melanoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

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