Progene

Summer is the time to show off those curvaceous bodies and six pack abs.   Sometimes, we shy away from crowd who do nothing but parade before us just to flaunt their beautiful bodies.   Well, at the beach, they are a sight to behold but somehow we can’t help but feel inferior with men who were able to maintain a well built, trim and  tight muscled bodies.

I was just sidelined by a basketball injury last year and since then I was not able to practice and frequent the gym.   Unlike my other gym mates who religiously attended their work out.   My gym buddy Lyndon tried the talked about testosterone boosting supplement  progene wishing to keep up with the other boys who seemingly had built muscles faster than he is.  Some say, taking such have negative effects but for Lyndon, it give him the perks and boost he can’t explain.

He called last night encouraging me to come back and be his best gym buddy for life.   I know, he will endorse that progene supplement.   I’ll see..

Read more about diet pills

Lately, the girls in our office are understandably excited over the much talked about slimming coffee which was endorsed by a friend who just showed up surprisingly 6 kilos lighter.   We were amazed on how she did it that fast and after some time convincing to divulge her secret diet, she obligingly revealed that it was because of the miracle coffee diet which she accordingly took for 14 days.   It was far from our suspicion that she had liposuction or gastric bypass.

Most of my office mates has yet to find the elusive formula to lose weight, too desperate!  But the truth is,  it is discipline with food, exercise combined.   Alright, it is easy to say but definitely very difficult to follow, especially for us who works in the office and who sits before the computer for the most hours of our working days; eat heavy lunches and dinner and off to bed early.  Exercise is not in our system and it is a sad fact.  So, who would not grow bigger each day with that kind of lifestyle?

Although we were very much hyped up over the slimming coffee still, cautiously take time to read more about safe diet pills to be safe than sorry.   We’ve heard of countless sad experiences from friends and we, of course would like to avoid being part of the statistics.

A colleague already tried the coffee and I will try to track her progress before I will follow suit.  Good luck Merryll!

Pinoy Biggest loser

Followers of  Pinoy (Filipino) Biggest loser reality TV show winners got inspired with the Top 5 winners announced during the Grand finals night held in Ynares Stadium, Antipolo City.  It was 16 weeks journey for strong willed and hopeful 12 Biggest Loser contestants, joined the reality show that centered on losing the highest percentage of bod weight and accomplished that goal by going through challenges and temptations hoping to transform their lives, health and weight under direct supervision of professional trainers.   You will be amazed on how 12 overweight contestants successfully lost weight the natural way.   And their determination and self discipline inspired millions of people.   I bet, a lot  were inspired to enroll in gyms and to start the work out program that they had been contemplating before but are too lazy to do it.   Seeing the winners  surely had awakened the spirit and enthusiasm of most and I for one, who got so busy with my studies made excuses for not attending the gym and sadly my regular working stayed on the back seat.   I decided now to get moving  and hopefully my renewed interest will sustain the high feeling I have  right now.

Wish me luck!

The Biggest Loser contestants

The Biggest loser winners….before and after pictures

…overall winner Larry Martin

1st runner up- Art Mendoza

2nd runner up – Raffy Tan

3rd runner up- Angela Lupangco

4th runner up- Hazel Chua

Inspiring!

Office plants

I’ve been exchanging frequent emails with my overseas worker mom and our conversation tackle almost everything- her everyday life, social life, spiritual life, her work and how she misses us.   Mom told me that her work in the Administrative section of  Cardiovascular department is not easy and working with  Adult, Pediatric, Intensivist, Cardiac surgeons means  having a good stock of patience.  Knowing my mom,who for a fact is no superwoman and has her share of moods too, can deal with the stress.   Medical secretaries like her are  ready to assist physicians on  their leaves, exit reenty requests, meetings and recontracting . According to her, not all days are toxic in their  department… there are light and heavy days…. Heavy days are mostly days when surgeons are up on their toes doing cardiac surgeries for 5-8 hours duration giving them back, neck and leg pains which make them grumpy, temperamental and very moody.  Light days are usually when complicated surgeries are done successfully and celebration definitely ensue.  And physician’s receiving bonuses and step increases after their recontracting lighten up everybody’s day.   Happy pictures of them posted in a social networking site indicates light days.

Office work is dealt with on a day to day basis and flow of work oftentimes depend on what  mood of their physicians are for the day.    But in their  almost a decade serving the department, they are already used to the toxic and non toxic environment.   In fact, you will notice that  office plants surrounds them not only as a decorating tool but thankfully, Lindsay, their office manager knew well that plants perk up and brighten their every working day in the office.   Not only it liven up the workplace, it also bring a relaxing environment and affects their working attitude, efficiency and boost productivity.   I can relate to mom’s complaints of having strained eyes because of long hours spent before the computer and it was good that she had developed the habit of focusing on green  plants in the office to refresh tired eyes and mind.  It also effectively reduces stress even when at the back of their mind that  physicians are soon to come after the morning rounds.

One time, seeing pictures she posted, I can’t help  but to give my comments… their office seemed to be overwhelmed with office plants and looked more of a garden.   Maybe, there is increased toxicity in their workplace thus, they have to turn to green plants to draw positive vibes and effect on their stress level.

I wonder when is Mom and Dad are going home for good?

plants like these will surely brighten one’s day

Emergency roadside assistance

Traveling by far is what we considered one of the most enjoyable bonding time for our family and we go at great lengths on the road out on group tours.   On holidays that we are free from school and work, we always seize the opportunity to visit relatives by organizing convoys of 3-5 cars the most.  Because traveling in a group is fun and most enjoyable.

We plan ahead of time and it is a must to have our vehicles thoroughly checked; tires, oil, brakes,engine before we embark on a long journey.   Nonetheless, even how equip you are, there are still eventualities that sometimes happen beyond our control which causes delay, hassles and even frustrations especially to those with small children or elderly on board.

However, we always rest with the thought that there are  on stand- by emergency roadside assistance which is an invaluable program available to help us anytime.    We stood witness on how we were assisted when my cousin Jim had a seizure attack halfway our  trip to the coast and he received appropriate and timely medical intervention.

So, out of town trips still tops our priority list!  No worries, really!

Dancing the Zumba…

Finally my mom has found a healthy way to lose weight… gradually but surely!  She is into Zumba dancing and mighty proud she is as she credits Zumba for losing 10 lbs. already.   Well, as what I’ve heard from friends, Zumba is a Latin inspired fitness program and she swear to high heavens that she will stick to the dance routine forever because it promises to burn 500 calories per hour.   Actually, I believe that she can really sustain the enthusiasm because way back then she was already into ballroom dancing and it was only when she got  married and had a family that dancing took a back seat to taking care of us, tending the house and being a dutiful wife and mom.   Secondly, according to her my dad is a boring dance partner who can’t can’t keep up with the groove and moves that oftentimes her being impatient of teaching  him to dance leads to LQ’s (Lovers Quarrel).   However, dad would always accommodate request from my dancing mom to be his partner even though he jokes about having “two left foot”.

I am sure glad to hear that she is back to dancing but I am kinda worried that her bones might be getting a little stiff and brittle now that she has turned 51.   Just the other day, I had a little chit chat with her over the phone and she enthusiastically bragged about her dancing which she raved to be a fun workout which invigorates and makes her feel young.  She should have considered dancing long before if that is the case because work always stressed her which makes her grumpy all the time.  Now that she has been into fun and healthy activities, ageing will be delayed in some ways.   She said that even without dad in the class she never worry at all because Zumba routines requires no partner.   You just have to enjoy the music and love the dance.

Oh, I love to see my mom looking young and fit once again!   It would be goodbyes to her slimming pills, slimming coffee and teas, the fad diets as she embraced the world of Zumba dancing.   I hope mom will keep it up along with sensible diet.   I told her to encourage dad to join the class too because his latest pic showed him with a bulging belly.   That gives me an idea to order on line Zumba DVD’s as an ideal Christmas gift.   Perfect!

photo ad

E cig

Understandably, it is a struggle for my Uncle to completely forget about smoking after his recent heart attack.  It is already our habit to check from my cousin on how his Dad is coping with the total cigarette ban in their household.  Well, he recounted one time that his dad is having withdrawal symptoms because he had not lighted a cigarette for months now.   Another uncle who saw how miserable he was, recommended him to try e cig or electronic cigarette just like the traditional ones but it is without offensive smoke odor.  He can initially try it to minimize his cravings and until his coping abilities are strengthened.

This e cig is highly recommended also by other friends who swore that it is truly amazing to use an alternative cigarette which is smokeless and no smoke odor.  This surely is the best solution to avoid quite often petty fights in a relationship usually stemmed from smoking issues.

Good luck Uncle…

Dengue is fatal

Bumped into a crying lady on my way to school and she happened to be the mother of our housekeeper.  I found out that 2 of her children are confined in the hospital and was diagnosed with dengue and that she was really confused what to do.  Saddened by her situation, I managed to dig into my pocket and handed her my one week allowance.   I know that  what I gave will only tide her for a day’s meal and so I felt the guilt that I should have given her more.

Tonight to further understand what dengue is, I will check Mr. Wiki and will post about my it.

Sitting comfortably?

Admittedly I am a certified computer network addict because I spent most of my time infront of my work station and sadly, lately, I am experiencing backaches and pains which persist for quite some time now.   I know that it is attributed to my regular or should I say overused computer time so I sought the help of friend’s aunt who happened to be an Occupational Health Nurse.  When I had the chance to talk to her, first thing she asked was “Are you sitting comfortably enough”? She also visited my condo unit to check the type of computer chair I am using.  True to her suspicion, my workstation is not properly set up and that I am exposed to common computer use risks like eye fatigue, pain, stress and musculoskeletal discomfort.

The hand out she gave me is worth sharing so I thought of posting it here because I know that a lot of people also regularly use computers in extended sessions.  I’ve found the rules simple and yet sometimes, I myself tend to overlook such simple rules to follow like adopting comfortable posture to avoid unnecessary back , neck and wrist pain.   We all have a responsibility to work safely and enjoy every minute of our time in our work station.

Here is the information contained in the document given by Aunt Carol:

Simple but effective rules to follow:

1. Adjust the chair height so that your forearms are horizontal when using the keyboard
2. Ensure there is room between the tops of your leg and the work-surface
3. Move any obstacles such as boxes or equipment if this is restricting movement of legs under the work-surface
4. If feet is dangling off the floor when the chair has been adjusted to the correct height then use a footrest to take the pressure off the back of the legs
5. Adjust chair back to ensure an upright posture is maintained.  Good lumbar support is essential.
6. Avoid flexing wrists too much when using keyboard or mouse.  Use a wrist rest if this helps.
7. The top of the display screen should be roughly in line with your eyes.  Without excessive tilting of the monitor.  Raise the monitor if necessary.  If you are not a “touch typist”, you may benefit by positioning the display screen below eye level to avoid repeated shifting of focus and bending of the neck
8. Keep the mouse and keyboard within easy reach.  Avoid using with arms outstretched.
9. Keep a clear area of 2 to 4 inches ( 5-10 cm) in front of the keyboard to rest the wrists when not typing.

 Gee, I know that this would be a great help to both you and me!

My kind of soap

I don’t really mind  if some says sulfur soap smells like a rotten egg but as far as I am concern, it is  the most effective bar soap that clears away unwelcome guests on my face.   I am no different like other boys and girls who during their puberty  suffered clogged pores resulting to acne.  It was a nightmarish phase of my growing up years and the traces markedly serves as remembrance. Since then, I became cautious with the onset of acne but lately, due to my busy schedule, I seemingly had lost my guard especially in with cleaning my face at night.   Sometimes, I will throw all my cares away especially if I am dead tired with too many school activities.  This bad habit of putting off my cleaning ritual, resulted to a big pimple on my forehead that greeted me early morning before I go to school.

And so before it will all appear and invade my already clear face, I bought sulfur soap which is  proven effective everytime break outs happens.   It has antiseptic, antimicrobial properties and definitely suits my skin type.  Others experience dryness after initial use but not with me so it is my favorite bar soap. 

Alright then, I will stocked up now.