Dancing is a great way to get moving and get fit! Get a group of friends or go solo and make your own workout video.

 Then go to www.empowerme2b.org to upload the video for a chance to win autographed copies of Sabrina Bryan’s newest BYOU DVD. 

I miss that hot bod.

SO. I have now adhered to the following workout regime, taken from my water polo practices:

• 3 x 75 crunches
• 2 x 60 supermans
• 2 x 50 obliques (ea. side)
• 3 x 25 push-ups
• 50 elbow-know crunches
• 1 or2 minutes of bridges
• 2 x 25 chair dips

This may not be the most efficient workout schedule, but it is effective for me. I don’t have a workout ball nor any weights nor pull-up bars, so this truely is the best plan.

I plan to do this workout 3 times a week. If things get easier, I have some 3lb and 5lb weights I can grab onto to increase the difficulty.

Yet, this workout is not the entire story. It is merely in addition to my true goal.

Recently, I was talking to my dad about his experiences in high school. It surprised me to find out that he was an avid bicyclist, riding several hundred miles each month. He said to me that he was in such good shape that he could ride all the way from his hometown (Stockton) to Sacramento and back with ease. That is roughly 50 miles of mind-numbing nonethingness at a crusing speed of 16 miles an hour.

He then proceeded to call me weak. I would not take that.

I swore to him that by the end of this Summer, I will be able to do as he did and conquer the pathway to the home of the Gonvernator.

This summer, I will train at least thrice a week. I plan to ride 20 miles continuously at 16 miles an hour. In addition to riding, I will be maintaining a balanced meal to ensure that I have enough protein (to build muscle) and carbs (to suply energy).

Wish me luck! Hot bod here I come!

How much junk food is marketed to youth? Is there a tendency of fast food places to be located near school campuses?

Are there a lot of options or places to eat out for someone looking for healthier options?

The three projects to choose from are:

(1) Community Garden   (2) Healthy Food Drive at Local Food Bank   (3) empowerME @school or empowerME @ life tool education to youth

Personally, I have chosen to go with the Community Garden project. The benefits of community gardens is that it can provide healthy, accessible food for many in a community; help in the movement to “go green” and conserve the environment; make people more self-sufficient; strenghten community bonds; and are an opportunity to promote awareness of environmental and health issues through education.

Currently, I am trying to implement a program through the El Dorado Elementary garden where volunteers can help plant more variety of crops, expand out the garden, provide educational lessons about environmental sustainability and healthy living, and also to teach the students how to prepare healthy and nutritious meals from the crops that they have grown.

- High Cholesterol (blocks the arteries and blood cannot move through)

- High Blood Pressure (can lead to stroke or heart attack)

- Type 2 Diabetes (body cannot take in insulin and is prevented from generating enough energy)

- Apnea (trouble breathing when sleeping)

In the long term, it can even kill you by a heart attack or by a stroke. These two are listed as top killers of people in the United States. An unhealthy lifestyle is dangerous to your health. Really think twice before choosing to go to a fast-food restaurant of eat junk food.

The topics are as follows:

December- Food For Thought 1 (Grocery Shopping and Food Labels); January – Food for Thought 2 (Creative Exercise and Smart Snacks); February- How Health Conscious is Your Route to School (Advertisements); March – How Health Conscious is Your Route to School 2 (Creative Ways to Make Your Route Healthy and Fun); April and May – Your Story (Personal Story on How You Live a Healthy Life)

I am currently working on getting the December video up. However, I do have the January video.

Many kids are currently on Winter Vacation. While it is a time that you should relax, don’t make that an excuse to sleep ALL day, and to play video games/watch television non-stop.

Even though I say this a lot, it is interesting how many kids do just that, including many of my friends.

Winter break is a great time to try to change your lifestyle to a more healthier one. Go outside and walk around. Go and meet your friends someone to play instead of talking to them on the phone on online.

Watch out how many chocolates/candy canes/cupcakes/cookies that you are eating. Actually count them and limit yourself to one or two cookies a day.

At those many holiday parties, limit the amount of food that you put on your plate. Many times you won’t even end up eating everything on it. Eat a little, and if your still hungry come back and put a little bit more on your plate.

Some options are better than others: pick the turkey over the honey ham, the pumpkin pie over the pecan pie, and also eat the dishes that contain a lot of vegetables and fruits.

Try to stay away from that screen: television, computer, video games. Instead, why not try some jumping jacks, push-ups, or sit-ups. It will get your blood pumping and soon you will be generating your own warmth.

Try not to eat to many snacks. The thing about winter is that often you may get so bored that eating helps keeps you occupied. Also, some people like to eat in the winter because it makes them feel warm. Instead of eating junk foods, maybe try to drink some organic apple cider or having some granola bites?