It doesn’t matter if you play(ed) basketball or just like to keep up with NCAA sports, the December edition of SI is a must read!
Out lining the accomplishments of the Lady Vols’ Pat Summitt and Duke’s Mike Krzyewski you will finish this issue feeling inspired and ready to hit the court for a few suicides.

During the past year I have grown use to rising at 5:45 am to get ready and head to campus to study before classes. However, this summer I have been lazy. I have put off my work outs and slept in. When I have made it to the pool it has been in the afternoons, when the lanes are crowded and the work outs are mediocre.

I made a decision yesterday to apply myself to my athletic goals this summer. So when that alarm went off this morning at 5:00 am I was confused and then I began to dread getting out of my cozy warm bed and putting on my cold swimsuit. Even worse, I was dreading that initial plunge into the pool. When the cold water shocks my body and all I want is a warm shower and my sweats.

Despite it all I got out of bed and made it to the pool.

My workout was mild, working more on endurance than speed. However, while doing six kick backstroke drill I saw the sun rise behind the marine layer that shelters Santa Monica. It was in this moment that I was reminded of why I feel in love with swimming, besides the competition.

There is an amazing amount of self exploration that takes places during a swimming workout. There is no interaction with team mates. No one to talk to and take my mind of how much my legs are burning. The only person there to push me to go faster is me. It is complete solitary. Once I accepted this self induced seclusion, I was surrounded by peace. The peaceful state that I had lost sight of for many years.

This morning my passion for swimming was renewed, but also my appreciation for how wonderful life truly is. I was able to witness the calmness that exists in the world at 5:00 am. Before the sound of kids screaming, cars honking, cell phones ringing, and the reminder of all the deadline left to meet.

I was reminded that no matter how busy life gets, we should all take a moment to appreciate all the beauty this world has to offer.

The study looked at 34,079 healthy U.S. women who consumed a usual diet from 1992-2007. The women in the study were all age 45 and older at the start. The average age of women in the study was 54.
The women were given a questionnaire about the amount of exercise or activity they engaged in per week at the study start and then at three-year intervals. Women’s exercise activity was tracked for an average of 13 years while weight changes were tracked over a three-year period.
Overall women gained an average of 5.7 pounds (2.6 kilograms) in the study. However, women who were normal weight, or those with body-mass index of less than 25, maintained their weight if they exercised for 60 minutes a day. Women who exercised less generally gained weight

-FoxLA

uh-oh ladies! It’s time to get out our walking shoes and jump on the treadmill.

While more study is needed, our research suggests that higher sodium and artificially sweetened beverages are associated with a greater rate of decline in kidney function, Dr. Julie Lin, a kidney specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said in a statement.

The analysis relied on data from a long-running project called the Nurses’ Health Study that gathered information on food consumption along with all sorts of other health information. The study shows an association over 11 years and doesn’t prove causation.

But the data were analyzed to account for other factors–such as high blood pressure, diabetes and physical activity–that could explain the difference. And consumption of sodas sweetened with sugar, juices, punch and iced tea wasn’t associated with any unusual decrease in kidney function.

-NPR

Keep in mind the average age of the participants was 56 years old and the lasted 11 years. The majority of the women in the study were white, which leave other variables to be discovered. This was also two diet sodas per day every day. There are a lot more questions to be answered, but having this data can help everyone make healthier choices. Especially at the rate teen-aged girls are drinking diet sodas. Most health care specialist recommend drinking no soda at all.
It has been proven that over half of Americans mistake the feeling of hunger for thirst. We need more water in our diets, not soda.

Defining jealous is almost impossible, however all of us have experienced it at some point in life. Many of perceive jealousy as a wholly negative emotion. But recent studies have proven quiet the opposite.
In fact jealousy can actually improve relationships if dealt with in the right way.

Psychology Today has addressed this complex and common emotion in their August issue.

Those in the grip of jealousy typically blame the discomfort on a partner for bestowing attention on others. But there are huge individual difference in the propensity of jealousy, and there is emerging evidence that elements of personality influence some of them. Those who are most insecure, in face, may be most unrealistic in perceiving threats and making accusations. But this same view of jealousy also suggests that the emotion need not be unleashed on a destructive path; it can instead serve a highly constructive purpose-as a valuable signal to look within and repair one’s own sense of self.

Jealousy consists of the emotions everyone hopes never to experience in a lifetime; from abandonment, to betrayal and everything else in between. Not to mention this one little emotion disables one’s ability to think logically, by disrupting cognitive processes.

According to University of Texas psychologist, David Buss, jealousy is a necessary emotion, a potential deterrent to infidelity that arises in both men and women when a threat materializes to intimate relationships. What is at stake is the survival of our most valued relationships and thus the future of our children-which is to say, the species.

It does not take a Ph.D in psychology to know that men and women experience jealousy differently, but the question that I am always asking, is why?

MEN and Jealousy

The treat of sexual infidelity that most stirs jealousy in men. The burden of manhood is uncertainty of paternity; jealousy serves to keep a mate from straying, upping a man’s confidence that he is the genetic father of his partner’s children. Jealousy arose to keep him from the reproductive dead-end of investing his finite resources in raising some other man’s children.

WOMEN and Jealousy

Women respond most to the possible loss of love to a rival female, away of protecting a partner’s needed commitment to home and kinds.

It is obvious the jealousy was more useful to our ancestors than it is to the modern day couple. There is a growing rate of women today who have no desire for children much less a committed relationship.

The lesson to be learned is that one should look at the facts objectively before starting out on a rampage. Most of the time it is one’s own insecurities that ignite the jealous rage!

Read the full article here at, Psychology Today

I had been noticing my beautiful babies’ breath smelling worse and worse by the day.
I did have the older one’s teeth cleaned when she was spayed, and I thought that was all she needed.
I rarely feed my dogs table scraps and their diet mostly consists of dry food in an effort to reduce tarter build up.
My little ones are not huge fans of doggy treats, they pretty much only eat Greenies. But with all the negative research about Greenies they do get those too often. If you have not read about the negative effects of greenies, click here.
I really only feed them Greenies because I thought that Greenies helped prevent tarter. But after years of eating Greenies there was little improvement.
I do brush their teeth from home but I could never manage to get rid of that tarter.

I did some research and I was extremely excited to finally find an anesthesia free teeth cleaning.
They offer this service every Thursday at Health Spot.

Today was my babies to get their teeth cleaned at Health Spot. I was anxious to have my chichis kiss my faces without that awful smell! I had no idea how much I was benefitting them.

While I was dropping off my little ones I met this really friendly lady and her adorable little dog.
It turns out she is the founder of Healthy Mouth!
Healthy Mouth is a product you put in your dog’s or cat’s water to reduce tarter build up. Genius! It makes the trips to get their teeth clean less and makes brushing their teeth at home easier.
Karen was so friendly and had was full of information that I needed.
I like to think of myself as a knowledgable pet owner. I felt like I knew information the average pet owners did not. That was until I met Karen and the Healthy Spot staff.
I had no idea that small dogs are prone to tarter build up and tooth decay. Not to mention the health problems associated with dental disease. Between the Healthy Spot staff and Karen I learned ways to improve my dogs’ health and more important their life span.

I do not remember the lady’s name who actually does the teeth cleaning, however she was amazing with my little ones. My tan baby is not so willing to go with strangers. When I got them back they were happy and their tails were wagging, I could tell my babies were well taken care of. This lady also had information on what are good treats for my chihuahuas to eat. What is easier for them to digest and tips to make brushing their teeth easier!

I think at the very least visit the Healthy Mouth website and learn more about your pets’ health.
I really do recommend getting your pets’ teeth cleaned at Health Spot and purchasingHealthy Mouth.
The teeth cleaning is really not that expensive, the price does depend upon the tarter build up.
It really is all about our babies being happy and living a long life. Through these resources you can make that happen.

Also on Thursday, Kellogg Co. said it will drop Phelps’ endorsement deal. The company said in a statement that it will not renew its contract with Phelps, which expires at the end of February. The company did not renew its deal with the US Olympic Team, which expired in December

Maybe this is more of Kelloggs not having the money to pay Phelps than Phelps actually do anything wrong.

Michael has also been suspended from any swimming competition for three months.

This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero.

Phelps voluntarily accepted his punishment.

There has been much controversy of Phelps and his weed smoking experience.
I feel it is sad when Americans can criticize a twenty-three year old man for doing what most of America has done and probably still does everyday. In every interview Phelps has given since winning EIGHT gold medals the public has seen his extreme work out regime since the age of eleven. Michael has accomplished more in twenty-three years than most will in a life time. Stop judging and let him be.