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Happiness.

Sound cheesy? Hear this out first. Positivity generally affects everything we do in life. If we’re happy, we’re more focused, we’re more excited, and we find it easier to get through the day. Just think about it; if you’re unhappy with your workout, then are you going to continue doing it? Absolutely not! People want to feel like they have accomplished something at the end of an exercise session, or they want someone to tell them they’re doing a good job with a diet. As humans, we love to have feedback on the things we do, and if someone tells us we’re making progress, then all the better.

Finding a reason for your weight loss goals

Why do you want to lose weight? Is it because you don’t find yourself attractive, is it because some recent visits to the doctor have revealed you’re obese and unhealthy, or do you simply want to get in shape for the summer? Everything you do has some motive behind it, and weight loss should be no different. Don’t subject yourself to a diet or an exercise plan if you have no intention to stick to it in order to achieve your goals. The aim of your weight loss should be to make you happy in some way. Maybe you’ll find it easier to meet a partner if you looked healthier, you’ll live longer if you practice healthy habits, and you want to have confidence in your body.

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Get the right help to assist you

There are obviously many sources of help that can assist you. First, it’s recommended to hire a dietician or a personal trainer. If you don’t have the money or time to dedicate to this, then do the research on your own. The science behind weight loss is that you have to lose more calories than you eat, but you also need to take the right supplements in order to maintain a healthy body. If you skip too much protein, you’ll lose muscle and become weak. If you don’t take vitamins, your health and immune system will start to falter. The backbone of any successful weight loss plan is a supplement such as Caruso’s weight loss supplements. Since you eat fewer calories, you have to find nutritious sources of food such as fruits and vegetables, but to assist you, supplements can provide the necessary nutrients you need while adjusting to a healthier diet.

Final words

Though this article was brief, hopefully it highlighted the importance of happiness and positive vibes when losing weight. Set a goal, make it something you can be proud of, and try your best to overcome those bad habits.

Don’t Focus On Your Weight

Firstly, don’t focus on your actual weight. Numbers on a screen are just that – only numbers – and the most important thing is the way that you feel. Maybe your jeans are looser or you’ve noticed that your balance is better when you’re standing up on the train on your commute or you no longer get as out of breath when you run up a flight of stairs. These are all signs that your body is starting to work better and you’re beginning to get more fit and healthy – focus on them instead of how many pounds you’ve lost.

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Make Working Out Fun

As much as you can, try to make working out fun. Dragging yourself to the gym every day if you hate it is never going to work out in the long term so try looking for other solutions as you try to get healthy. Go walking in your local beauty spots, take yoga classes with your best friend and go for healthy smoothies afterwards, go to zumba classes and focus on dancing and the incredible music. Finding the fitness activity that works for you is absolutely key.

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Enjoy Your Healthy Cooking

Let’s face it – healthy food doesn’t have to be bland. If you’re dreading giving up your favourite foods, it’s time to start experimenting until you find new favourites. You don’t have to eat a huge gooey chocolate cake – try to make it with aubergines instead. Check out www.proteinguide.com to figure out how to add more protein to your diet instead of carbs. Sorbet is just as delicious as ice cream, and sweet potato fries are a way to pig out without eating real fries. Invest in a spice rack with a good range of spices on so that you can experiment and jazz up your cooking with Asian influences.

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Speak Positively About Yourself

Make sure that the way you talk about yourself is with love and positivity – don’t say anything about yourself that you wouldn’t say about a friend. Losing weight is an accomplishment that you should be proud of, so don’t be ashamed of it, and remember to cut yourself some slack. If you’re doing it healthily, getting in shape will take a little time. Crash diets will never work – it’s all about finding and maintaining a good and healthy lifestyle.

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Remember: Moderation Is Key

Finally, remember that anything is okay in moderation. Go out for dinner with your friends and drink wine, eat ice cream and cake – just make sure that you don’t do it all the time and that you don’t go for huge portions. You need a lot less food than you think you do to feed your body. Don’t forbid yourself from eating anything or you’ll just end up craving it even more.

Women who are brought up under the same strictures may also show this stunted emotional development. And, of course, not all men have had childhoods where certain emotions were discouraged. Additionally, today’s generation of millennial men are shifting toward more openness to counseling. With 42 percent of those surveyed saying that mens counseling is an essential aspect of mental health.

Benefits to counseling and therapy sessions

Counseling is a means for men to reevaluate negative thought patterns that might be holding them back in work or in a relationship. Often, individuals are unaware of what triggers negative thought patterns. Counseling provides an objective perspective to help people find a way to more productive viewpoints.

Being able to discuss work issues in a safe space, without fear of negative feedback can reduce work anxiety. While coworkers may be sympathetic and know what a fellow coworker may be experiencing, in the long term this may be harmful to one’s career. Alternatively, friends and family may be a source of comfort. But too much reliance on venting to a friend or a sibling may negatively impact that relationship.

Approaching therapy as a means of stress reduction and other common therapy topics

In one study, millennials were asked what were the three largest sources of stress and how they ranked them. Work ranked highest, money second, and self-esteem third. Other common topics that men seek

help for include the following:

•  Rectifying marriage disputes
•  Achieving better understanding of their partners
• Counseling to help end damaging patterns, such as a desire or propensity toward affairs
•  Addiction related counseling
•  Feeling stuck at work
• Not knowing how to achieve a work / life balance
•  Desire for greater achievements in work
•  Finding meaning after one has achieved milestone career goals
•  Finding meaning during a mid-life crisis
•  Finding new meaning after retirement

Men are often initially hesitant to discuss problems for which they are not able to provide a solution. So some therapists approach the subject in terms of goals to be achieved through counseling sessions. For example, setting a goal of getting “unstuck” is an effective way of looking at issues. And helps men understand that counseling is simply a way of developing strategies for life.

Untreated depression and anxiety

Anxiety that is untreated can lead to addictions and compulsive behaviors. Furthermore, depression that is untreated can lead to clinical depression. Clinical depression affects almost all aspects of one’s life, including eating and sleeping patterns. The danger arises for men when they are unable to evaluate whether they are depressed. And what begins as depression turns into clinical depression with severe physical repercussions.

Men should be encouraged to connect with feelings of sadness. For men, learning to better connect with and manage their emotions will help them find success in work and in relationships.

Counseling relationships are the most beneficial when the person feels free to open up about themselves. So men should be encouraged to find a counselor or therapist they feel comfortable with. It may take a couple of sessions with a therapist before all feel comfortable. So they should be encouraged to keep trying, even if the first session was difficult. Working on one’s mental health is worth the initial hurdles one faces and will go far to enhance one’s quality of life and relationships with others.

Total Beginner

If you’ve never set foot in a gym and the thought of dusting off your trainers for a run fills you with dread, this section is for you. Being active can not only make us look great, but it can improve the way we feel too. If you haven’t taken fitness seriously before now it could be for a whole variety of reasons. Some people don’t have the time, others lack the motivation, and some seriously despise the gym! Whichever category you fall into there is a way to make fitness work for you.

Motivation

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For those lacking motivation, it’s best to put the gym on hold, to begin with. Instead get involved in exercises that put fitness first. The idea is to almost trick yourself into beginning to exercise. Cycling is a great example of an activity you can do which is social and sporty. The key for beginners is to make their exercise social. Having a friend or partner to exercise with you will boost your confidence. It could also change the negative opinions you have of fitness. A cycle to your local park or to work is a great way to implement fitness into your plans. This way you don’t have the excuse that you don’t have enough time to fit it in! Dancing is another great way to get fit without realizing it. The emphasis is placed on learning a new skill, meeting people, and having fun. It’s just an amazing byproduct that you get fit whilst doing it. Dancing can also increase your flexibility and coordination, so a win-win.

Confidence

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For those lacking the confidence to workout with a friend or in public, there are alternatives to getting started. Firstly you absolutely don’t need to feel intimidated by working out outdoors. However, if this is the reason you’re reluctant to start exercising begin by doing some home workouts first. Home workouts are great because you can do them in complete privacy and you need very little in terms of equipment. Make sure you start off small and build up the time and amount of reps you do over time.

Start by perfecting the ski sit. All you need for this exercise is a wall! They are so simple to do but just make sure you nail your form before moving on to harder exercises. You should form a right angle at your hips and knees, have your back flat against the wall and feet flat on the ground. Start with your back on the wall and feet shoulder width apart. Slide down the wall until you are at a right angle. Hold this position for 30 seconds to start with and increase until you reach a minute. This exercise is great for working out your quads and building strength. Mountain climbers, lunges, and planks are all exercises you can do at home too. Check out some online plans and guides to get you started.

Absolute Expert

If you frequent the gym and take fitness seriously you’re probably looking for new ways to keep fit all the time. Our bodies can become used to the exercise we do and very quickly you can find yourself hitting a ceiling. It’s frustrating when we feel our bodies are plateauing rather than continuing to get better. Whilst people who are new to fitness often see changes very quickly, it can be the opposite for experts.

It’s All About Endurance

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If you’re looking for a challenge, and are fit and capable of undertaking one, there are plenty of arm boosting workouts out there. Designed to push the fittest of the fittest, these workouts are hugely grueling and can be dangerous if you aren’t in peak physical condition. An AreTheyonSteroids.com article outlines one of these arm challenges, the 8-hour arm workout. The idea is to spend a whole day in the gym taking part in a testing session, and, within 24-hours your arms could be a ½ inch more muscular. Breaking the workout up into 2-hour stints with 30 min breaks in between, this is not for the faint-hearted, or those in a rush! Ensure you are absolutely capable of completing this challenge before undertaking it. It’s also important to eat and stay hydrated throughout the day.

Crossfit and Ironman challenges are also considered some of the most trying out there. Athletes at the top of their game compete across a variety of disciplines to prove their expert fitness levels. The Ironman Triathlon is an endurance event which involves swimming, cycling, and finally, running. The quickest time to complete the Ironman Triathlon is just over 8-hours, so it really is an event where stamina is key. What makes this so challenging is the distances covered, but also the fact that you have to excel at three completely different disciplines. People spend years training for this event and it’s easy to see why.

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Oh, it’ the worst. Everything had been going so well. You’d discovered a new found motivation, had started going to the gym regularly, eating healthily and getting into good habits, when all of a sudden you are stopped in your tracks. Life throws you an injury; a sprained ankle, a torn ligament, a slipped disc.

Your hard-fought for momentum has been crippled. But don’t despair. While it may feel like the end of the world and that everything you had achieved, and hoped to achieve, was slipping away from you, there is a hope to be found. There is a road to recovery. It is just a matter of knowing what the right steps to take are.

Step 1: Breath Nice And Slow

The worst thing you can do is freak out, get annoyed or start crying over spilled milk. What has happened has happened, and there is nothing you can do except limit the damage and maximize your efforts to recover. This starts with a positive attitude. You can’t recover without wanting too, so you need to dig deep and show some resilience. Yes, it is annoying, but it is just a challenge you need to come. We all face them, and what makes them easier is our perspective.

Step 2: The Diagnosis

We’re not talking about asking your friends what they think may be the problem and what they would do. No. We mean you should locate a walk-in clinic and get a proper diagnosis from a medical expert that will be able to clarify exactly what has happened and how to best go about recovering in a safe and secure manner. The sooner you can get an expert opinion the better. It could be nothing, and all that is required is you take it steady for the next few days and weeks. However, there could be a far bigger problem, such as fused vertebrae which require a very specific route in order to get you back to full health. So make sure you know exactly what damage has been done and listen to the recommendations.

Step 3: Stay Active

Certain injuries can prevent any rigorous exercise of any kind, but that doesn’t mean you should remain completely inactive and not workout at all. If you have done yourself a back injury, then speak to your doctor about hydrotherapy exercises, or swimming. If it is a shoulder problem, then why not get on an exercise bike in your living room and stay fit that way. The important thing is to find ways in which you can safely maintain some form of exercise routine.

Step 4: Eat Right

Yes, eat right. Always eat right, but now more than ever. That means a balanced diet with minimum liquid calories. What we feed our bodies is crucial to how effective our exercise routines become, and how well we keep our muscles fed. So make sure you work out a good diet plan that will help your body recover and resist the temptation to fall off the wagon and land in a diet that consists of chocolate, sweets and chocolate milk.

Drink plenty of water

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Our bodies are made up of mostly water, which is why it’s so important that when we’re working out and losing fluid through sweat that we’re drinking plenty of water to ensure that we don’t become dehydrated. On average, it’s recommended that we drink around two liters of water a day, but when you’re working out, you need to drink more than that. However, knowing how much water to drink can be difficult, which is where smart water bottles come in. If you’re wondering what is a smart water bottle, then the chances are you don’t already have one. A smart water bottle is a water bottle that connects to a smartphone or sports watch and measures exactly how much water you need depending on the amount of physical activity you do. By using a smart water bottle, you can ensure that you’re getting all of the water that your body needs to stay healthy.

Fill up before workouts

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Don’t make the mistake of thinking that it’s best not to eat before workouts because actually, that’s not true. Before working out, it’s important to eat so that your body has the fuel that it needs. That being said, it’s not just a case of eating any old thing, you need to be fueling your body with the right foods, foods that will give you the energy that you need for your workout. The best foods to eat before a workout are healthy carbs, so whole wheat pasta, rice and other grains, or whole wheat bread. Fruits and vegetables also make good fuel for workouts. The foods that you want to avoid are saturated fats and protein packed foods as they digest more slowly, causing you to feel sluggish.

Refuel afterwards

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Post workout it’s important to ensure that you are refueling your body as the chances are that you’ve used a lot of energy while working out. The best foods to eat post workout are carbs – you lose a lot of carbs while you workout and protein packed foods. By eating foods high in protein you can give your muscles what they need to repair from your workout well and grow in strength – the best protein packed foods to eat post workout include chicken, steak, eggs, and nuts and seeds.

There you have it, a guide to what it takes to feed those muscles and keep your body fueled up.

those children are born. But, parents approach this goal in many different ways because they

need a style that is consistent with their views and values. Some people treat their children as

tiny adults who can be approached rationally. Other parents turn to discipline to socialize unruly

kids. And still others let their children run the show.

As soon as you find out you are going to be a parent, you begin researching and trying to gain

enough knowledge so that you feel like you have some level of control. But, the amount of

parenting advice is overwhelming. How are you supposed to choose a method? You might try

some trial and error. Don’t be afraid to try something or to change your approach if the previous

one doesn’t feel like a good fit for your family.

One popular parenting approach is attachment parenting, which focuses on the nurturing link

parents create with their children. Proponents argue that this connection is the best way to raise

children who are empathetic, secure, and independent. As they see it, a trusting, safe attachment

to parents during childhood is the foundation for independence and secure relationships as adults.

According to Attachment Parenting International—a global educational association for this

parenting approach—there are eight principles of attachment parenting. Parents are encouraged

to interpret these principles and put them into action as they choose.

Prepare Physically and Emotionally for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting

By researching all of the options and learning about stages of development, parents can set

realistic expectations and remain adaptable in their responses to these situations.

Feed Your Child with Love and Respect

Ideally, babies should be breastfed, but “bottle nursing” can also help begin a secure attachment.

Infants and children will give feeding cues that parents should respond to, encouraging their

children to eat when they are hungry and stop when they feel full. Also, parents should model

healthy eating behavior and healthy food choices.

Respond to Your Child with Sensitivity

Parents need to pay attention to what their children are communicating and answer appropriately

and consistently. Babies can’t calm themselves, so they need parents to help them regulate their

feelings.

Use a Nurturing Touch

Babies need affection, physical contact, stimulation, security, and movement. These are all

satisfied through touch, and skin-to- skin contact is recommended. Older children need hugs,

physical play, and snuggling.

Ensure Your Child Sleeps Safely, Both Emotionally and Physically

Sleep training routines are detrimental to children, so parents are encouraged to co-sleep with

their children. This allows parents to respond to their children’s needs and to help soothe them

when their emotions become intense.

Provide Your Child with Loving and Consistent Care

Children need the physical presence of a caregiver who is loving, consistent, and responsive. If

parents must be absent, they should choose another caregiver to help strengthen attachment. To

remain present, parents should have flexible schedules and help to diminish fear and stress

during small separations.

Practice Positive Discipline with Your Child

A child should develop a conscience that is led by his or her own inner discipline and empathy

for others. Instead of reacting to a child’s actions, parents need to discover what caused them.

Parents and children work together to create a solution that allows everyone’s dignity to remain

intact.

Endeavor for Balance in Your Family and Personal Life

Parents can best be responsive when they are stable. They need to meet the needs of their family

without compromising their own wellbeing. Ways of doing this include putting people before

things, creating a support system, being willing to say “no,” and setting realistic goals.

Obviously, there will be times when circumstances don’t allow parents to adhere to the

attachment principles, like in stressful situations resulting from things like a death or an opiate

addiction in the family. But, they can all be modified to meet the needs of the individual family.

Opiate addiction treatment can help you get your life back on track and

reverse many of the damaging effects that the addiction has had on your values, your family and

your life.

Ruck. Train. Eat. Sleep. Repeat

That was my method to getting ready for the HHH.

No, I did not wake up 7 days a week at 4 AM to do “x” miles of rucks (or runs).
No, I did not train 7 days a week.
No, I did not restrict or cut calories (I actually added calories and I am happy I did!)
No, I did not deprive myself from sleep (other than the usual hectic work week sleep deprecation or the sleep that was surrendered while doing other GORUCK EVENTS)

What I did do: make a plan. I am a personal trainer so creating training plans is something that is second nature for me. I live in a small rural town. If I had time I loaded up my ruck/sand bag and I walked to work (and back home). Nice days = a date with my pup, ruck, and sand bag on the trails for trail rucks. If there was a day that was super busy ( most days I have clients staring at 4 am and don’t make it home until 9 pm) and I did not have the time nor energy to fit in a workout I didn’t. AND I didn’t feel guilty about it. I did not want my training for this event to add more stress to my life. I wanted training to parallel with the other things I had going on in my life. I wanted to create a positive and healthy method of preparing for this event (as I do with all events I do). I did not want to set myself up to get hurt or to get burned out.  I also used HCLs (GORUCK Heavy, Challenge, and Light events… 48 ish hours of Consecutive GORUCK events in one weekend) as a resource to get in heavy miles, cadre lead PT, log carries, and unpredictable obstacles to help get ready for the event. I immediately found HCLs that would fit into my schedule (and budget) and tried to spread them out over the months leading up to the HHH.

Why I did so many HCL’s:

With the first HCL of 2016 I nailed down exactly what I HAD TO HAVE in my ruck. The less you need the less you have to carry (other than the required weight). My ruck handle was also adopted along with a few other GORUCK hacks that helped me be more efficient and organized.

• My Ruck handle can be found ————>CLICK HERE
• My typical event packing list ——->CLICK HERE
• All of the contents of my ruck were separated into separate dry bags (food in one small dry bag, first aid/foot care kit in one bag, jacket and other clothes in another bigger bag). This made it easy to know what to grab when I needed it AND kept everything organized, separated, and dry.
• Food was all prepackaged food. This make it easy to grab and eat on the go, if for some reason my dry bag leaked water my food would not get wet.

I also used the HCL’s to mentally get ready for the HHH. Not getting upset or annoyed when I got tired, cold, and hungry. Figuring out my own strengths and weaknesses.  Figuring out what I can do to help my team more. Learning how to communicate with new/different people to help bridge the gap between trying to understand and respect how different people understand and perceive obstacle that arise during events.

• Getting mentally ready is by far just as important as physically training for this event. It is VERY easy to get discouraged and want to quit.  Your will power to continue has to be as strong (if not stronger) than your body.
• Getting mentally ready is something that YOU have to figure out how to do. My methods are something that I use to get me through all events.
• You may frequently hear “Find your WHY”.  Your “WHY” is your reason you signed up for the event.   Your “WHY” is what gets you out and training for this kind of event. Your “WHY” can help to push you through the hard, cold, and hungry times. Your ‘WHY” is what helps you complete the event.

Not really changing socks/shoes to gauge how my feet would hold up with the abuse and miles that happen during events. Figuring out how far I can push myself until my body NEEDED food and what food was nourishing and delicious.

Gear Check:  ***MY METHODS OR CLOTHING/SHOES CHOICES  MAY  NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE***

• Footwear… the number one question that I get asked. To be honest I trained in my Nike Frees (running shoes) OR my converse.  For the HHH I had both my Nike Frees and Merrell hiking shoes. I have done ALL of my events in my Nike Frees. When it comes to footwear try different types of shoes. Figure out what will work best for you and your body.
• I wore Injinji socks ( I had one extra pair packed in my ruck but I am pretty sure I wore the same pair for the entire HHH). I found this helped TREMENDOUSLY with limiting the friction from my toes rubbing together and helped to limit hot spots and blisters.
• Clothing: I wore GORUCK pants (check out my product review for the pants by CLICKING HERE) and a plain t-shirt. I did have on compression shorts under the pants (to help limit chafing) .

Getting ready for the event as a team:  

As a team we were allowed to have drop bags.  We all figured out how to equally split things up in those drop bags and what all was needed. We figured out what would be important to have (such as extra bladders, rucks, and other miscellaneous  items) and things that would be a nice luxury to have (candy, caffeine, etc).

Confession: I DISLIKE THE GORUCK EVENT PAGES ON FACEBOOK
People’s fears and insecurities seemed to creep into my own subconsciousness and that was causing me to take progressive steps backwards instead of forward.  When I was super active on those pages, I realized that I spending more time trying to get mentally balanced instead of focusing on the important things for the event. I have my own training method. I have my own way to get ready for events. Such as most athletes have pregame rituals, I have preruck rituals and adapted those rituals to help me mentally get “in the game and ready to play”. I purposely told several people that I was in the group but muted the group notifications. If there was something that needed my input to tag me or have someone text/message me to tell me to check the group. Don’t get me wrong, I would periodically scroll through the group but I was not apart of the regular group banter.

The HHH: 24 started, 8 finished 

Heavy #1: 24 started, 18 finished 
We all arrive and instantly clicked. We all have been communicating about the event for months and most of us had already done several events together over the year(s). We checked drop bags, stretched, mentally checked in with each other and got ready. Cadre show up and immediately start the torture. Ruck run… Fast paced… In the dead of the heat… For a undisclosed distance. AWESOME! Heat immediately announced itself as the primary obstacle for this portion of the event. After the initial evolution we had the traditional Heavy 12 miler (around Fiesta Island)… More PT fun… More miles and less smiles.

Oh yeah cadre are not your friends. I have done countless events with both Danny and Flash. My typical event banter and jokes awarded myself and the team extra PT.

I would say that the heat was the main mental factor to start off Heavy #1.  It was a stagnant heat that made it difficult to ignore. The first Heavy included A LOT of miles. It was for sure not a easy Heavy and the Cadre showed no mercy (not only for the 1st Heavy but for any of the Heavies).

 

Upon conclusion of heavy #1  no one was allowed to leave. As a team we had to rest and repair ourselves to get ready for heavy #2. If you wanted to drop out of the events it had to be done at the start of heavy #2.

Heavy #2: 18 started, 15 finished
Welcome party was a wicked WOD in honor of Kirk Deligiannis. I finished 5th overall and I was the 2nd female to finish.

I am not a Cross Fit person (as in I do not regularly do Cross Fit, but I have done it a few times with friends when I travel). The WOD was DIFFICULT and constantly challenged you.  It was a great Welcome Party/PT test to start off the 2nd Heavy.

My only thoughts during the WOD: It pays to be a winner. Put more effort into getting done as fast as you can.  Not only to get the additional rest, but I know that pushing 100% is something Kirk would do. For this WOD I did not want to be mediocre and complete the WOD just to finish it. I wanted to put all of my efforts into making sure that every rep, every step, and every second was done to my fullest effort.

I finished the first WOD with full effort only to complete it and realize that we had ANOTHER WOD to do. Yeah… two WODs back to back, after doing a full heavy. But, in reality I compared it to other things they could have us do. So I did not complain, I tightened my shoes laces, and I kept going.

After both WODs we of course had more miles, less smiles, and endured some great GORUCK good living. At this point, people were starting to drop or get dropped from the event due to medical/health reasons. Cadre made it VERY clear that our health was a priority.  It was not worth risking life long health problems to earn a patch. Bleeding and draining foot blisters, wicked ruck rash (and rub rashes in other disclosed areas), cramping and dehydration were a huge factor on the team.  When this started happening it was clear and evident of the importance of the medical support staff that followed us.  They were very diligent about making sure we stayed hydrated and did not push ourselves past our health limits.

I remember mostly having guest cadre (Shredder, Brett & Patrick), sprints and low crawls on the beach, water PT, meeting up with the challenge classes, chasing the challenge class because they stole our supplies, and sleep deprivation finally getting the best of some of our team mates. Trying to get them to understand directions and quickly execute cadre orders  (because at this point I was TL) was a challenging task.  Being the TL 36ish hours into this event was one of the hardest things for me (personally). I HATE BEING THE TL. No matter what kind of event I am doing. I would much rather be enduring the pain with my team than running around trying to tell them what to do.

***TL = Team Leader***

Being TL at this point was hard because it was dark, the challenge class stole our supplies, we had to do bounding movements while catching them.  And, if we got caught by the challenge classes “we would get in trouble”. The plan that I had issued to the team was given to me by the cadre.  But, my team felt as if we should do something else. Sleep deprivation and hallucinations started setting in.  This made it hard to focus AND successfully complete the mission. Yes, we eventually caught up to the challenge class and unsuccessfully infiltrated their class to steal our supplies back. Of course we paid for this but earned another break/med check. One awesome aspect of the 2nd heavy was being able to learn the depths and details of Mogadishu from a veteran and a survivor who was actually there and apart of Mogadishu.

Upon conclusion of heavy #2 we lost more team mates but they were able to leave at the conclusion of heavy #2. Heavy #3 required us to drive really far into the desert so if you committed to start Heavy #3 you were all in.

Heavy #2 was hard because your body was already tired, but your mind was even more tired.  At this point you were fighting a lot of physical and mental barriers.  For those that have done an HCL, imagine how you feel after completing an HCL and double that feeling. Getting rest and repairing your body (both physically and mentally) was mandatory for those who wanted to attempt the 3rd heavy.

Heavy #3: 12 started, 8 finished
The desert. We got some rest, had time to heal our wounds, and had time to get some food/fluids into our systems. We started this event in chaos. Car horns blaring, lights flashing, cadre yelling, and a dead ruck sprint up a trail (yes we were going up a steady inclined hill = more difficult) for over a mile. We stopped to take a SHORT breather (as a few team mates at this time were also dropped from the event from failing to keep up with the group)and then we continued a speedy ruck march up that same trail for miles into the darkness, mountains and dessert. At the conclusion of this movement we did another med check and we also got IV’s which were a LIFE SAVER! During this break we got some more fluid,  ate some grub, checked in with the remaining teammates that were left, and started the next evolution.  At this time we were then given a decent size log with only 8 people to continue the 3rd heavy.  The final 8. Super Ocho.

We rotated off/on the log for a distance and crushed the time hack. Traveled more miles into the darkness (and even had the chance to step onto the Pacific Coast Trail per my request since it was something I had dreamed of doing). Day broke and we headed to another location to survey, map, and infiltrate a park.

Onto the next evolution, more weight was added to our team and at last the final log. Oddly shaped, heavy, and small numbers to carry it along with everything else we had. By this time thinking clearly was DIFFICULT. Just grasping and understanding what was going on took a few seconds longer than usual. Hallucination were a regular thing that was happening, and the smell that we had created over three days was pretty unbearable at this point. Cadre purposely misinformed the current TL of our extraction point. It was at this point our team somewhat got divided and started to unravel. But, our team did a great job at stepping up and correcting the troubling situation allowing us to move forward. Flag brushed the ground = PT smoke session. When this happened my heart stopped. We were already tired, and in my mind I had lost track of time so I assumed we had A LOT of time until we were close to being done.  At this point doing almost anything is not an easy task. It takes more effort (and caution to avoid a careless/tired injury) to do anything. But, we embraced our punishment, came together as a team, and completed the assigned PT. We have made it this far, why would we give up?

Cadre then made us evaluate each member on the team. We had to rank each team mate and write a brief description about their performance during the HHH. This was indeed one of the best things we could have done at that point in the event.  I was ranked #3 on my team of 8. Got some great feed back as to my progress and performance during the HHH from both the team AND the cadre. This was very valuable information because it allowed you to realize and understand how our teammates really appreciated (or did not appreciate) things we did during the events. Being peer evaluated helped to allow a better understanding of what more you can do as a teammate in future events as well as in life.

We race to our next extraction point, which was unknown to us as being our end point. In my mind I thought we had several hours and miles left before we would be done. But, we turned the corner and beneath the USS Midway we saw and heard a crowd of familiar faces, beer, and food. It was at that moment I knew I had done it. I knew that WE HAD DONE IT.  With tears streaming down my face I collected my patches, hugged my team mates, and cracked open a bud heavy. HHH… My 2016 goal was complete.

What I learned…My final thoughts:

Who is on your team is so important.  It allows you to know the strengthens and weaknesses of those that are around you. Like I said before, I had done a lot of events with most of the people on my team. So working together came naturally.  It is comforting to be able to look over and see your friends and teammates there to help you. Your team can see if you were being pushed to your limit and were able to let you rest or ask for more help because they knew what you were capable of doing.  The screening process at that point was GREATLY appreciated. Having a team of HCL finishers helps to know that the people that have showed up are prepared and know what it takes to attempt to make it to the next event.  I was happy I packed such a variety of food for the event.  Having done HCL’s I knew that I would get sick of just one type of snack, protein bar, candy if that was all I had to eat for a few days. The SUPPORT CREW WERE LIFE SAVERS! Without them we would not have safely made it to the end of the event.

Would I do it again? I will not say yes and I will not say no. But looking back I embraced and enjoyed every painful moment and I am happy I did it.

While this can be an effective way to get back into shape, it may also be difficult for busy moms to

find the time to go jogging. Fortunately, a number of great apps are available that help active

parents schedule the right time and place for a healthful outdoor excursion. Here are a few of our

favorites, and why.

Apps to know about

Marathon runners and sidewalk sprinters find plenty to love about free Android apps like

iSmoothRun, Map My Run and Runkeeper. With its built-in pedometer and GPS capability,

iSmoothRun helps active moms set fitness goals and track their progress as they achieve them. This

amazing app also comes with a metronome that propels joggers along at a determined pace, says

Healthline magazine.

Map My Run helps joggers find recommended routes and provides elevation and running speed, too.

Moms who enjoy a certain jogging route can provide reviews to other local runners with this

portable smartphone app. When visiting a new city, jogging mommies can learn about great jogging

paths and routes with Map My Run. Runkeeper offers a range of running information, including

distance traveled, steps taken, and calories burned. Runkeeper comes with preset training programs

that can help new moms get fit and stay that way. Enable the audio feedback setting to get periodic

progress reports without taking your phone out of your pocket.

Thermal jogging suit or shorts?

Moms who jog are sure to appreciate a weather app for Android phones. With a handy smartphone

app such as the Weather Live Free app from Apalon, busy mommies can take a quick peek at the

weather before jumping into appropriate running garb and hitting the sidewalk for some healthy

exercise. This cool little app can help moms plan ahead for a timely jog as well as provide local

temperature for a right-now run. Weather maps and radar rain info make this handy app just right

for jogging moms who run with smartphones or don Android Wear when they head out to door for

their daily exercise.

Healthy mom, healthy heart

If you’re a mom, you probably spend a good deal of your day chasing kids around the house.

Remember the importance of having some good outdoor fun, as well. The clean, user-friendly

interface of Cardio Trainer offers jogging moms a super simple way to map outdoor routes and stay

motivated. Available at Google Play, this fitness technology app offers a robust music feature, says

Lifewire magazine. Another free Android app they recommend is Runtastic. Although is has no music

player, and it doesn’t show your route until you’re done with your run, Runtastic is a favorite free

tool for all sorts of heart-healthy activities.

If you’re a mom who’s looking to make time to jog and stay in shape, we heartily commend your

efforts. With a bit of luck and motivation, 21st century fitness technology can act as your very own

personal trainer.

Sophia Cooper writes articles which appear on a range of women's lifestyle blogs. She talks about

parenting, careers, food and fitness!

Currently, the  fitness industry is worth billions of dollars. In America alone new products come to the market every few weeks, while store shelves are bursting with celebrity endorsed fitness trends, exercise equipment, and even bespoke diet plans you can do at home. However, you don’t need to spend lots of money on getting fit; there are numerous free resources including online tutorials, fitness blogs and even health shows. Gym membership discounts are available especially if you’re a student or on low income and payment plans are exceedingly popular. Staff are hugely passionate about helping people reach their full potential. They are also there to assist those who’ve fallen for faddy fitness trends, diet pills, waist trainers, expensive smoothie machines and bespoke athletic clothing. While a few of these products are positive, others are often a waste of money while some can even cause serious damage to our health.

Waist Trainers

Back in mid-2016 these odd, corset like contraptions were being seen on everyone from Kim Kardashian to Ariana Grande. Products that are essentially throwbacks to old fashioned girdles were rebranded, produced in modern brightly colored material and sold on every second, or third fitness website as waist trainers. They work, if you can say that, by helping to reduce the size of your waist, accentuating any curves you do have to create the once popular 50s style hourglass silhouette. While Instagram feeds became flooded with the Kardashian sisters posing in their gear health experts soon gave their opinions, and the verdicts weren’t good. Wearing a tight corset for prolonged periods of time in the hopes that it’ll replace a workout is a bad idea for a start, these constricting garments are incredibly hard to breathe in so you could end up feeling quite ill. Not only that, but historians have shown just how dangerous corsets were they squashed organs, broke ribs and compressed the lungs. Spot weight loss i.e. targeting one area of fat very rarely works, and doctors have often stated what you believe is a reduction may just be temporary as fat tends to shift anyway.

Exercise Chairs

One of the strangest ever fitness trends has to be the Hawaii, or hula chair. Users buy a plastic folding chair like one you’d use for camping that promises to tone muscles. The amazing chair also comes with a book of workout exercises that can be done sitting down, but the problem with this is that unless you have mobility issues that hinder you from standing, the whole point of exercising is to move around. At the time the chair’s manufacturers made a lot of noise about the ‘special swivel base’ meaning that it promised to help you slide, rock and twist pounds away but you’re doing very little strenuous exercise whatsoever.

Vibrating Weights

We’re not saying that weight training isn’t good for you. In fact, if you’re looking for a sport that’ll help you tone, not bulk up, get fit and lose weight as well as reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis when you’re older then weight, or strength training is what you’ve been looking for. Men and women swear by this sport and this year women only weight lifting classes are becoming more and more popular. No the problem here lies with home fitness equipment, first made popular in the early eighties that can still be bought today. Vibrating weights, dumbbells, belts and even thigh trainers are often far more expensive than their non vibrating counterparts, and apart from making your teeth chatter or feel like a phone that’s been ringing non-stop, they don’t do that much.

Toning Shoes

These ‘incredible’ high performance trainers retail for hundreds of dollars and promise to transform your workout entirely. Toning shoes sculpt themselves to your feet, supposedly changing the way you walk, improving your balance and helping you run for longer. Celebrities like Kelly Brook also claim that they help tone your legs, lengthen your stride and help you melt away those extra calories. Sounds promising right? According to several medical bodies including the American Council On Exercise these trainers are still just shoes, simply putting them on isn’t going to magically transform your body. In reality, you’re better off spending the money on an extra gym session, using data to learn more about piyo, taking a swimming class or even stocking up on healthy foods.

Weight Loss Pills

Stocked prominently in drugstores, and more than a little unfairly, beside women’s health tablets, sanitary products, and even birth control is a sign that says weight loss products. Now, these can mean anything from expensive meal replacement shakes, health bars and snack packs to pills and potions that promise to aid weight loss. Even though products do state ‘results dependent on diet and exercise’ many consumers are lured in by the promise of exotic ingredients like hydroxycitric acid, chromium picolinate, or ephedra. Unfortunately, at best these’ll do nothing whatsoever but in rare cases, it’s possible to develop serious health problems from taking too many weight loss pills as they can, over time, put severe strain on your heart.

Celebrity Fitness DVDs

Every year we’re inundated by new celebrity, and online personality fitness plans, workouts and exercise DVDs. Normally released in January, to coincide with post-Christmas guilt, these shiny, colorful and spray tanned individuals show pictures of how unflattering they looked before. However, it’s all ok now, because having done the DVD they look toned, tanned and in full hair and makeup. They ‘promise’ that with this ‘amazing’ plan you can lose x amount of weight while still being able to eat what you like. This is the first sign that you should look elsewhere for a good fitness guide because nobody, not even Beyonce, can eat what they like and not gain any weight.

Secondly, they’ll introduce the, slightly cheesy, fitness instructor and despite treating them like they’re their best friend, it’s clear that the instructor thinks the idea’s utter garbage too. A great way to tell if a celebrity, or online personality is serious about fitness is if they still look the same twelve months to twenty months after the DVD’s been released.
Flickr Image From: Kevin Wu