PRAYER TO ST. FRANCIS
FOR OUR PETS

Good St. Francis, you loved all of God's creatures.
To you they were your brothers and sisters.
Help us to follow your example
of treating every living thing with kindness.
St. Francis, Patron Saint of animals,
watch over my pet
and keep my companion safe and healthy.
Amen.


It's a rough time, pet-wise, in my family. My dog, Maerlyn, experiences occasional seizures, and had one over the weekend. While they do not seem to leave any lasting effects, they are frightening and upsetting. My brother's Dobie, Ginger, has an exploded disk in her back and underwent surgery for it today. And then the really bad news came in. My sister-in-law's Sheltie, Lady, is inexplicably in renal failure. I do not know all the details, as the news was relayed to me through my husband who got it from his parents who got it from his sister, but apparently they told my sister-in-law that she could last two weeks or two years. We're pretty upset. Lady is only ten, and she is the kindest and sweetest dog on the planet. She's very friendly, loyal, smart, obedient...pretty much everything a dog is supposed to be. My dog absolutely worships her. Ever since he was a puppy, he has wanted to do what Lady was doing. We'll be crushed if anything happens to her. So please, if you can spare a moment, some prayers for the pets in my family would be greatly appreciated.

Finally made it to the gym several times this week. Already that's a positive sign. It hasn't made a huge difference in the weight so far (187 this morning), but as I get into more of a routine I should start seeing more results.

Also, I am hoping to see more positive results when swim season starts. I plan to make sure I go to practice early and swim as often as possible. My eating habits also tend to be better during swim season, maybe because I'm on the move and don't really have time to sit down and graze in front of the TV as I do the rest of the year.

I've also decided I need to try and utilize some of my planning time during the day for exercise. I procrastinate badly when it comes to my grading, and I really should use my planning periods for that, but with the beginning of swim season I gain some time in the evenings when I can sit down and grade. I often take papers with me to practice and sit and grade on the pool deck. So hopefully I can use some of my other down time during the day to exercise. I won't be doing cardio or anything, but I have hand weights in my classroom and I found a website showing some leg exercises that are mainly just lunges and squats. If I can get a yoga mat, I can incorporate some ab work too. That would be really helpful.

Anyway, I'm hoping to see positive changes soon...

Went camping the other weekend, and I swear that's where we stayed. It was a state park, but I really think it was Mosquito Falls. I've never seen so many mosquitos in my life. There was a lake there, and it hadn't rained much in a while, which made it perfect conditions for evil bugs. The surface of the lake was covered in larvae. I really can't believe the fish weren't gorging on them. Must not have been enough fish. Or maybe the mosquitos ate them.

Anyway, I'm thankful my father-in-law was there, because the mosquitos went for him over me. Usually I'm the one the bugs go for; they tap on my windows and ask if I can come out and play. But they just tore him up. I didn't do great; I probably had 30+ bites by the end of the weekend, but he had that many on EACH LEG. It was horrible. We went through at least five bottles of bug spray between nine of us, and we had to buy Cortaid spray and Benadryl gel when we got home. I still itch.

We took the dog camping. Our dog is not really a "roughing it" kind of dog; he sleeps on a pile of comforters and blankets in my closet and spends most of his days indoors. He gets walked 2-3 times a day. So this was an adventure. We wanted to try to it see if he could survive and do well; since we camp so frequently it is a real pain to have to find a dog-sitter every weekend--maybe if he did well we could take him along more often. Sadly, this is not to be. The first night he was OK, although he didn't really understand the whole concept of the tent. He didn't sleep on the bed prepared for him in the tent. Instead, after circling the tent five or ten times, he laid on my clean clothes and got hair all over them. The next day he started out having a great day. We took a walk around the lake and he got to pee on every plant in the state park. Very exciting. But then we gathered our stuff and headed for the swimming beach on the other side of the campground. This necessitated putting two adults, two small children (4 and 6), and two non-water dogs (our Shiba Inu and my sister-in-law's Sheltie) in a raft and paddling that raft around a small point of land. My husband, my brother-in-law, and I all paddled our kayaks next to the raft. The dogs contemplated their potential escape the entire journey, hanging over the sides of the raft and patting the water with their paws. I think they were estimating the depth and their chances. When we got to the beach, my husband climbed out of his boat and waded out to the raft, in about chest-deep water. He then called to our dog, who wiggled a moment on the wale of the raft and then leapt into the water. Well, it didn't go as well as he hoped--he came up frantically paddling and sputtering and made his way to my husband. He tried to climb my husband to get out of the water, so my husband tossed him back in the raft. He stayed in the raft until the boat got close enough to the shore to jump to the beach without hitting any water. That was pretty much the turning point of his day. We stayed at the beach for several hours, but a storm blew up. We headed back to the campsites (this time by truck instead of by boat, because we thought the storm was going to make the paddle back ugly) and started on dinner. Then, it began to pour. And pour. And thunder. And lightning. It was a heck of a storm. With a little camp creativity (a tarp draped between two big storage boxes and held up with a kayak paddle and some rope, all over our fire pit with a dutch oven in it) we managed to get dinner cooked and eaten, but the rain made for a early night for everyone. It rained off and on the entire night. This second night did not go well for the dog. We thought at the time it might be bugs (which he hates), but on reflection may have just been the noise of the rain hitting the tent, but the dog would not settle down all night. He whined and cried, and fussed around, and would lay down for half an hour or so and then get up and circle the tent again. We didn't get much sleep since he was so active. Little did we realize, he was searching for a way out. He found it at about five in the morning. He discovered that the two zipper pulls on one of the tent doors were not quite touching. He put his nose in the fresh air between them and pushed. He managed to work them open enough to fit between them, and made a break for it. We were both dozing at that point and didn't realize he was on his way out until it was too late. The dog was loose in a state park 200 miles from home in the pitch black pouring rain. Great. There was nothing we could do; we certainly couldn't chase him down. My husband went back into the tent to wait until it was light. I stayed out under the dining fly; I figured if the dog knew I was there he would be less likely to run away in terror if the thunder rumbled. Sure enough, I was only outside for about five minutes before he came sidling up. Clearly running loose in the dark rain wasn't nearly as much fun as he thought it would be. I walked over to the cooler as if I was going to get something out, and the dog came right up and sat down, hoping for a handout. Instead, I grabbed him by the collar and threw him back in the tent. He circled the tent a few more times, checking for weaknesses, and then gave up for the night. The next day, he was so tired, he just laid around the campsite until we were packed and ready to leave, and then he fell asleep on my lap on the drive home (something he NEVER does--he's not a lap dog in any way).

So, we left some blood at the state park, and learned a valuable lesson about our dog: until we have a camper/trailer that has a locking door, he should be left at home.

I've been tired ever since. Could be because I'm so horribly out of shape (made it to the gym today for the first time in forever; hooray for me!), but I think it's because of the anemia. Or the West Nile virus.

Horrible couple of days. Started yesterday when I was so tired I was mentally incapable of turning off my alarm. Then I left my school bag at home, the bag that contains all my work that I was grading and needed to put into the computer. Then I poured whiteout all over my black pants and one of my favorite sweaters. And I had major cramps. Just made it one of those days. Thought it was over, but this morning as I was walking the dog I stepped in some mud with my Crocs, one of which zipped out from under me and dropped me on my butt in the mud at 5:30 in the morning. And when I weighed in, it was the worst weigh in I've had in over a year and a half (191). I haven't been working out, I've been eating horribly, and I've basically done everything I can to sabotage myself.

So here's what I need to do to fix it:

20 Ways to Stick to Your Workout
By Adam Campbell
Men's Health

You have the right to remain fat. Or skinny. Or weak. But you should know that every workout you miss can and will be used against you to make your belly bigger, your muscles smaller and weaker, and your life shorter. Unfortunately, most Americans are exercising their right not to exercise.

A recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics found that only 19 percent of the population regularly engages in "high levels of physical activity." (That's defined as three intense 20-minute workouts per week.)

Another 63 percent—about the same percentage as that of Americans who are overweight—believe that exercising would make them healthier, leaner, and less stressed, but they don't do it. At the root of this problem is motivation, or the lack thereof.

It's the difference between wanting to exercise and actually doing it. That's why the advice you're about to read is priceless. We've filled these pages with the favorite motivational strategies of the top personal trainers in the country. Their livelihoods, in fact, depend on the effectiveness of their tips to inspire their clients to exercise—and to stick with it. After all, statistics don't pay by the hour.

1. Sign up for a distant race

That is, one that's at least 500 miles away. The extra incentive of paying for airfare and a hotel room will add to your motivation to follow your training plan, says Carolyn Ross-Toren, chairwoman of the Mayor's Fitness Council in San Antonio.

2. Make a 'friendly' bet

Challenge your nemesis—that idea-stealing coworker or a non-mowing neighbor—to a contest. The first guy to drop 15 pounds, run a 6-minute mile, or bench- press 250 pounds wins. The key: "Make sure it's someone you don't particularly like," says Michael Mejia, C.S.C.S., Men's Health exercise advisor. (It's okay if your rival thinks you're best friends.)

3. Tie exercise to your health

Check your cholesterol. Then set a goal of lowering your LDL cholesterol by 20 points and increasing your HDL cholesterol by 5 points. "You'll decrease your risk of heart disease while providing yourself with a very important, concrete goal," says John Thyfault, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., an exercise researcher at East Carolina University. Ask your doctor to write a prescription for new blood work in a month. You'll just have to go to the lab, and the doctor will call you with the results.

4. Switch your training partners

Working out with a partner who will hold you accountable for showing up at the gym works well—for a while. But the more familiar you are with the partner, the easier it becomes to back out of workout plans. "Close friends and family members don't always make the best training partners because they may allow you to slack off or cancel workouts," says Jacqueline Wagner, C.S.C.S., a trainer in New York City. To keep this from happening, find a new, less forgiving workout partner every few months.

5. Compete

Find a sport or event that you enjoy, and train to compete in it. "It adds a greater meaning to each workout," says Alex Koch, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., an exercise researcher (and competitive weight lifter) at Truman State University. Consider training for the World Master's games in 2009 (www.2009worldmasters.com), an Olympics-like competition for regular guys. Events include basketball, rowing, golf, triathlon, and weight lifting.

6. Think about fat

Your body is storing and burning fat simultaneously, but it's always doing one faster than the other. "Understanding that you're getting either fatter or leaner at any one time will keep you body-conscious so you won't overeat or underexercise," says Alwyn Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., owner of Results Fitness Training in Santa Clarita, California.

7. Do a daily gut check

Place your fingers on your belly and inhale deeply so that it expands. As you exhale, contract your abdominal muscles and push your fingertips against your hard abdominal wall. Now pinch. "You're holding pure fat between your fingers," says Tom Seabourne, Ph.D., author of Athletic Abs. Do this every day, 30 minutes before your workout, and you'll find that you'll rarely decide to skip it.


8. Join a fitness message board

It'll be full of inspiration from men who have accomplished their goals and are working toward new ones. Our particular favorite: the 52-Day Challenge. Created by a Men's Health Belly-Off Club Forum member with the username "Determined," it's designed to foster encouragement, discipline, and accountability. "Each participant posts and tracks his goals for a 52-day period so that everyone is accountable to the other members," says Determined. To sign up, click here.

9. Strike an agreement with your wife and kids

The rule: You get 1 hour to yourself every day, provided that you use it for exercise (and reciprocate the favor). So there's no pressure to do household chores, play marathon games of Monopoly, or be a doting husband (a fat, doting husband). "Since it's for your health, it's a contract they can't refuse. And that will allow you to exercise guilt-free while acting as a role model for your children," says Darren Steeves, C.S.C.S., a trainer in Canada.

10. Burn a workout CD

Studies have shown that men who pedal stationary cycles while listening to their favorite music will do so longer and more intensely than men who exercise without music. So burn a disc with your favorite adrenaline-boosting songs (maybe something by Limp Bizkit or—if you're over 40—Hot Tuna).

11. Plan your workouts in advance

At the start of each month, schedule all of your workouts at once, and cross them off as they're completed. For an average month, you might try for a total of 16 workouts. If any are left undone at the end of the month, tack them on to the following month. And make sure you have a contingency plan for bad weather and unscheduled meetings. "You're about 40 percent more likely to work out if you have strategies to help you overcome these obstacles," says Rod Dishman, Ph.D., an exercise scientist at the University of Georgia.


12. Squat first

If you have trouble finishing your weight workout, start with the exercises you dread. "You'll look forward to your favorite exercises at the end of your workout, which will encourage you to complete the entire session," says John Williams, C.S.C.S., co-owner of Spectrum Conditioning in Port Washington, New York.

13. Schedule a body-composition test every 2 months

It'll provide you with a clear end date for the simple goal of losing body fat or gaining muscle. "Tangible results are the best motivator," says Tim Kuebler, C.S.C.S., a trainer in Kansas City, Missouri. Your gym probably offers the service for a small fee—just make sure the same trainer performs the test each time.

14. Don't do what you hate

"Whenever you start to dread your workout, do what appeals to you instead," says John Raglin, Ph.D., an exercise psychologist at Indiana University. If you loathe going to a gym, try working out at home. (Check the Men's Health Home Workout Bible for ideas.) If you despise the treadmill, then jump rope, lift weights, or find a basketball court. Bottom line: If you're sick of your routine, find a new one.

15. Go through the motions

On days when you don't feel like working out, make the only requirement of your exercise session a single set of your favorite exercise. "It's likely that once you've started, you'll finish," says Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S. If you still don't feel like being in the gym, go home. This way, you never actually stop exercising; you just have some gaps in your training log.

16. Start a streak

There's nothing like a winning streak to attract fans to the ballpark. Do the same for your workout by trying to set a new record for consecutive workouts without a miss. "Every time your streak ends, strive to set a longer mark in your next attempt," says Williams.


17. Make your goals attractive

"To stay motivated, frame your goals so that they drive you to achieve them," says Charles Staley, owner of Edtsecrets.com. For example, if you're a 200-pound guy, decide whether you'd rather bench "over 200 pounds," "the bar with two 45-pound plates on each side," or "your body weight." They're all different ways of saying the same thing, but one is probably more motivating to you than the others.

18. See your body through her eyes

Ask your wife to make like Howard Stern and identify your most displeasing physical characteristic. "It's instant motivation," says Mejia. If she's hesitant, make a list for her—abs, love handles, upper arms, and so on—and have her rank them from best to worst. Make the most-hated body part your workout focus for 4 weeks, then repeat the quiz for more motivation.

19. Buy a year's worth of protein

"If a guy believes that a supplement will help him achieve better results, he'll be more inclined to keep up his workouts in order to reap the full benefits and avoid wasting his money," says Kuebler. Stick with the stuff that really does help: protein and creatine, from major brands like MuscleTech, EAS, and Biotest.

20. Blackmail yourself

Take a picture of yourself shirtless, holding a sign that shows your e-mail address. Then e-mail it to a trusted but sadistic friend, with the following instructions: "If I don't send you a new picture that shows serious improvement in 12 weeks, post this photo at hotornot.com and send the link to the addresses listed below... " (Include as many e-mail addresses—especially of female acquaintances—as possible.) "It's nasty, but extremely effective," says Alwyn Cosgrove.