Online personal training ? a review - Diet Schmiet

Just over a month ago I was contacted by Amino Z and offered one month of free online personal training.

I?ve just finished the month-long trial and have to say:

IT COULDN?T HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME!!!

Although I?ve done programs like Michelle Bridges 12WBT, I really had no idea what to expect from an online personal trainer (PT). But? as I?m not one for Rah-Rah PTs or Commando-like PTs (unless they look like the one on Aussie TV, and they?re not actually training me!) online training was hugely beneficial.

Amino Z assigned me a trainer and I completed a questionnaire and then had the opportunity to do some toing and froing before my program started. Anyone who reads this blog knows I can be fairly blunt and I know what I do and don?t like. Not only did I have to provide details of my current training and fitness regime (which was basically non-existent following my seachange and subsequent illness) but also my diet (as in what I eat). It also allowed me to be honest about my bingeing behaviour and the fact I?m trying to not-diet.

I really appreciated that my trainer listened to all of that and ? as I mentioned in an earlier post ? the strength program he set for me was VERY doable. He was happy for me to continue with Zumba and walking and very zen about ?just doing SOMETHING?. Diet-wise, he gave me suggestions about the amounts of carbohydrates I should be eating and recommended I reduce my consumption of diet coke and wine.

My only hiccup with the program came just after a week or so when my original trainer left the company and I was allocated someone new. My new trainer was actually the PT boss, so knew what he was doing, but I struggled a little with the changeover. My new trainer, Jay, also asked me to re-weigh myself and ? as I?d actually gained a bit of weight ? I teetered on the edge of the wagon for a little while. (I did have to confess that I?d had a lot of diet coke and weighed myself later in the day. I KNEW I shouldn?t have gotten on the scale at that point? and it was almost my undoing!)

However? at that time I?d lost centimetres from my waist and when I explained my ?issue with the scale? to Jay, he was fine with me sticking to waist measurements.

After being given an initial exercise regime and suggested meal plan (based on the one I provided) all I had to do was check-in twice weekly providing a food log and exercise log. Jay then offered suggestions and tweaked my program each week. Personalised private forums also meant that I could ?share? stuff with my trainer about how I was tracking or what I was struggling with.

For me? the positives of online training include:
1. No dread factor. Years ago I had a PT who expected me to train like The Biggest Loser contestants and be capable of climbing 500 steps and run from Day 1. Needless to say I didn?t last long.

2. The buck stops with me. Ultimately I?m accountable only to myself. There?s no point in fibbing in my exercise or food logs cos it?s me I?m harming. But most importantly, I cannot rely on someone else to motivate me to train hard or address my health and fitness. To be sustainable, the impetus has to come from me. Ultimately I?m harder on myself that anyone else could be and so ? within my fitness parameters ? I will push myself as much as I can.

3. If the PT is good they will recognise your strengths and weaknesses and work with them. It wasn?t long before something I already knew was reaffirmed ? I hate exercising by myself. I don?t mind walking but when it comes to other stuff I?m a class-going girl. I very quickly struggled with the weight sessions I was supposed to do and recognised that I needed a Pump / weights class or similar.

4. It?s more personalised than a large program without an allocated PT. As I?ve done other programs, I can recognise that ?checking-in? with someone who tweaks your program each week and offers encouragement, is hugely beneficial.

5. It?s more flexible than having to see a in-real-life PT at a set time each week. You can fit your exercise into your schedule, making it more sustainable.

Of course there are negatives:
1. If you?re not able to self-motivate you will struggle.

2. You can lie. To yourself and your trainer. If you like.

3. Keeping food and exercise logs can be difficult or time-consuming.

4. Any online program or PT needs to know what they?re talking about. The Amino Z trainers were great: very professional and knew their stuff; but as importantly they were encouraging, flexible and realistic. I was very open about the fact that I probably couldn?t afford to continue the training but my PT ensured that I finished my month with a strategy to move forward.

I?ve come a long way in the last four weeks.

• I?m Zumba-ing twice weekly, including one ?normal? (harder) session.
• I?ve cut back on my alcohol consumption and (again) completely cut out diet coke (it?s day 5!).
• I?ve agreed to incorporate ?fruit? into my diet and am aiming for an apple each day. (And occasionally a small amount of diluted OJ, which has replaced my morning diet coke!)
• I?ve reduced the amount of carbohydrates I?m eating.
• I?m drinking more water (something at which I once excelled but diminished as my diet coke intake increased).
• When I can afford it, getting to Pump classes will be a priority.
• I?ve started yoga (but more on that in another post!).
• I?m feeling ?better? ? more supple and agile ? and slowly getting fitter. Again.
• I?ve lost 6cm from my waist!

All in all, an excellent month. Thanks to Amino Z and my trainers, Paul and Jay!

Do you have a PT?
Have you tried online personal training, or an online fitness program?

Disclaimer:
I was provided with a month of free personal training by Amino Z. There has been no compensation or other incentive offered to write a favorable review. All opinions expressed in this space are mine, written with the objective of giving readers my personal opinion of the program.

Tagged as: Amino Z, dieting, exercise, fitness, health, online personal training, overweight, personal trainer, personal training, PT, strength, weight, weightloss, Zumba

Source: http://www.dietschmiet.me/personal-training-virtually-a-review/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=personal-training-virtually-a-review

space shuttle enterprise ryan leaf ryan leaf luke kuechly brad miller chandler jones peyton hillis

Laser guided codes advance single pixel terahertz imaging

June 25, 2013 ? The universe is awash in terahertz (THz) waves, as harmless as they are abundant. But unlike other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, THz has proven to be extremely difficult to manipulate in order to capture novel images of objects and materials with which these light waves interact.

Most existing THz imaging devices employ prohibitively expensive technology or require several hours and cumbersome manual controls in order to generate a viable image, according to Boston College Professor of Physics Willie J. Padilla.

Padilla and researchers in his lab recently reported a breakthrough in efforts to create accessible and effective THz imaging. Using both optical and electronic controls, the team developed a single-pixel imaging technique that uses a coded aperture to quickly and efficiently manipulate stubborn THz waves, according to a recent report in the journal Optics Express.

In the so-called terahertz gap, a region of wavelengths that falls between microwave and infrared frequencies, conventional electronic sensors and semiconductor devices are ineffective. Some systems capture only a fraction of a scene and the means to tune these THz waves are inefficient. This has fueled the search for new imaging technologies in order to manipulate THz waves.

Efforts to overcome the challenges of mechanics, cost and image clarity are viewed as a crucial step in efforts to tame the THz gap since imaging and sensing at this frequency holds the potential for advances in areas as divergent as chemical fingerprinting, security imaging of hidden weapons, even real-time skin imaging to promote simple detection of skin cancer.

Central to this challenge is the development of a technology to create efficient masks -- similar to the aperture of a camera -- capable of tuning THz radiation in order to produce clear images in just a few seconds.

Padilla and graduate students David Shrekenhamer and Claire M. Watts report their new single pixel imaging method centers on what they describe as a "coded aperture multiplex technique" where a laser beam and electronic signals are used to send a set of instructions to a semiconductor so it can guide the reproduction of the image of an object after THz waves have passed through it.

A digital micro-mirror device encodes the laser beam with instructions that direct certain segments of the silicon mask to react and allow a selected sample of the THz waves to pass freely through, consistent with the image pattern. The combination of optical instructions and the reaction of the semiconductor create a THz spatial light modulator, the team reports. Functioning like the aperture of a conventional camera, the modulator then guides the digital reconstruction of the entire image based on a broad sampling of THz waves that have passed through the object.

The team's experiments found the method could produce masks of varying resolutions, ranging from 63 to 1023 pixels and acquire images at speeds up to .5 Hz, or about 2 seconds. The early findings "demonstrate the viability of obtaining real-time and high-fidelity THz images using an optically controlled SLM with a single pixel detector," the team concluded.

Padilla said the findings have spurred additional research by his lab into ways to further control THz waves, such as by using the intricate patterns of an engineered metamaterial to further manipulate terahertz waves to create images faster and with increased efficiency.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/~3/KpntEshym90/130625141221.htm

acm passover recipes 2012 kids choice awards kansas ohio state wrestlemania results womens final four josh hutcherson

Jodie Sweetin Files for Legal Separation | TMZ.com

Jodie Sweetin
Files for Legal Separation
Wants the Tot and the Toyota

Exclusive

Jodie Sweetin has filed for legal separation? ... TMZ has learned, and a Toyota is on the line.

The "Full House" star filed legal docs in L.A. County, citing irreconcilable differences.? She married Morty Coyle in March, 2012.

Jodie and Morty have a daughter, Beatrix, who is 2.? Jodie wants full custody.?

Jodie is also asking the judge to award her their 2000 Toyota Avalon.? Jodie wants the judge to make her and Morty split their $200 Kohl's credit card balance.

It's Jodie's 3rd marriage. ??

Jodie has had her struggles.? She's struggled with addiction -- in particular, meth, ecstasy and coke.

?

Get TMZ Breaking News alerts to your inbox

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2013/06/24/jodie-sweetin-files-for-legal-separation/

tahiti chris bosh Chris Andersen Xbox Kawhi Leonard Shailene Woodley Kim Kardashian baby name

Would anyone care if 'Mad Men's' Don died?

TV

Drusilla Moorhouse TODAY contributor

2 hours ago

AMC

Falling man from opening of AMC's "Mad Men."

We have a perfect ending for "Mad Men's" season finale: Don Draper jumping out the window.

Obviously there's no chance of that happening. He's the star of the show, and besides, two season-ending suicides in a row (RIP, Lane Pryce) would be awfully repetitive. (Like juggling two juice accounts. RIP, Ocean Spray.)

But nothing is more redundant than Don Draper himself. Other than his brief interlude as a faithful newlywed, you just can't teach this dog new tricks.

Even a year ago, the thought of losing Don would have been inconceivable -- even though the businessman's freefall in the opening title sequence seems to imply that is his ultimate fate. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a metaphor, we get it. But the wretched ad exec has become so dull, predictable and dislikable that we really wouldn't miss him if he took a shortcut down to Madison Ave.

Everyone with sense agrees that Jon Hamm is a nearly perfect human creature, but we'd much rather see him in another role -- like his hilarious bubble boy Drew on "30 Rock." And you know what? "Mad Men's" ensemble cast would be just fine without him -- especially Roger Sterling and Sally Draper, who could easily front their own spin-off series.

Here are all the reasons we're over Don Draper:

Serial cheating: He's not unique among his colleagues at Sterling Cooper & Partners, but at least infidelity isn't a full-time hobby for Roger, Pete, Ted (maybe) and the gang. And yes, we know it's a manifestation of Dick Whitman's childhood in a whorehouse, but the backstory doesn't make his adultery any less boring.

Alcoholism: Another snoozer story line. But would Don be more interesting if he were sober? Doubtful. Another Roger acid trip, on the other hand ...

The sads: He wept on Peggy's shoulder and curled up in a fetal position on his disgusted daughter's bed, but we have lost all sympathy for depressed Don. In fact, our reaction is the same as his: Wah, wah, wah.

Tyranny: Don really is a monster, as Peggy called him after he humiliated her and Ted in the season's penultimate episode. He's spiteful, insensitive and downright cruel. So is Pete Campbell -- but at least we love to hate the snarky stair-tumbler. Don we just hate.

Impostor: Once upon a time, Don's identify theft was a thrilling narrative. Now nearly everyone knows the truth, and no one seems to care. Sterling Cooper's creative director works about five minutes a day, is trashed or asleep the rest of the time, insults his clients and colleagues and betrays his family. So why haven't they publicly outed him? Not that we'd really care. Bob Benson's fraud is so much more fascinating now.

Grim Reaper: Don isn't directly to blame for all the show's deaths, but they sure do seem to follow him like Pig Pen's cloud of dirt. And speculation is rampant that Megan might be the next to go, thanks to a number of clues connecting her to Charles Manson victim Sharon Tate. (Megan's obsession with "Rosemary's Baby" -- directed by Tate's husband, Roman Polanski -- only added fuel to the fire.) Her murder would paradoxically breathe new life into "Mad Men" -- but not if it means we'll be subjected to a final season devoted to her widow's grief.

Are you ready for Don to take a flying leap (literally or figuratively)? What do you hope to see in the season finale? Click on "Talk about it" below and share your thoughts!

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/if-don-draper-died-mad-men-finale-would-anyone-care-6C10382406

audacious pollen count mexico city mexico earthquake aziz ansari aziz ansari katherine jenkins

Judge: Calif. must move inmates because of fungus

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) ? A federal judge on Monday ordered the state to move several thousand inmates out of two California prisons because they are at a high risk of contracting a potentially deadly airborne fungus.

U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson instructed corrections officials to transfer most black, Filipino and medically at-risk inmates because they are more vulnerable to health problems from valley fever. The fungal infection originates in the soil of the San Joaquin Valley, where Avenal and Pleasant Valley state prisons are located.

He gave the state 90 days to fully comply.

About 3,250 of the two prisons' 8,100 inmates fall into the categories covered by the judge's ruling. But Henderson said inmates among those groups who already have had the disease do not have to be moved.

He also altered the recommendation from the court-appointed official who oversees prison medical care to exclude inmates over age 55, although that category of inmates could be included at a later date.

It is not immediately clear how many of the inmates will actually have to be transferred based on the judge's revised criteria, said Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for federal receiver J. Clark Kelso, who made the recommendations to Henderson.

Hayhoe said it makes sense for the judge to exclude inmates who previously contracted the infection because they can't get the illness twice.

Henderson criticized Gov. Jerry Brown's administration for delaying significant response to the problem for years and for its recent proposal to delay action for several months until the U.S. Centers for Disease Control can complete health studies at the prisons.

Prison officials are moving about 600 vulnerable inmates by August, but "are unwilling to exclude other inmates whom they know are at an increased risk of severe disease, which may lead to death," the judge wrote. "Defendants have therefore clearly demonstrated their unwillingness to respond adequately to the health care needs of California's inmate population."

Henderson gave the state seven days to begin moving the inmates from the two prisons located about 10 miles apart and 175 miles southeast of San Francisco.

Deborah Hoffman, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said the state is reviewing Henderson's order.

The ruling is the latest legal setback for the Democratic governor, who is trying to persuade federal judges that the state has improved prison medical and mental health care enough to meet constitutional standards. A three-judge panel that includes Henderson last week gave the state until year's end to reduce the prison population by nearly 10,000 inmates as the best way to improve conditions.

Brown filed a one-paragraph notice on Monday that the state will appeal the order to reduce prison populations to the U.S. Supreme Court, as it previously announced.

Henderson's valley fever order came a week after a hearing in his San Francisco courtroom in which attorneys representing inmates said 18 prisoners died in 2012 and January 2013 from complications relating to the fungus.

"The order is absolutely necessary to preserve people's lives and health because state officials have been simply unwilling to take appropriate action when there's a clear and imminent danger to prisoners' lives. It's the most recent example of the state's inability to protect the health of prisoners," said Don Specter, director of the nonprofit Prison Law Office that successfully sought both the valley fever and prison crowding orders.

Brown's administration has said it would have difficulty moving so many inmates while the state also tries to reduce prison crowding statewide.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/bbd825583c8542898e6fa7d440b9febc/Article_2013-06-24-California%20Prisons/id-990a2cd23295425b8bd9f998596aa07a

747 crash Kentucky Derby 2013 Barcelona celtics harry connick jr Marc Maron amanda knox

Mac Game Store having a Summer Sizzling Sale, huge number of reductions now on

If you're looking for some new Mac games to get you through the summer months, the Mac Game Store's Summer Sizzling Sale might be able to help. The popular source of games for the Mac has literally stacks and stacks of titles reduced in price, including Borderlands 2 which can be had for just $10.

Other notable reductions include Assassins Creed: Brotherhood which will run you for $14.98 for the regular version and $5 more for the deluxe pack. Batman: Arkham City, a bunch of Civilisation titles and add-ons, as well as a host of the Lego games are also included, and much more besides. There's far to much too mention in one post, so if you're on the hunt for some new games to play, drop into the Mac Game Store and take a look.

Source: Mac Game Store

Thanks John for the tip!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/Kjeh2Bj89pI/story01.htm

Veronica Mars Pope John Paul II Galaxy S4 google reader carnival cruise nfl nfl

Brazil protesters vent rage at govt corruption

A protester trying to open a barrier, left, is kicked by another protester asking for peace near a police line as they protest outside Minerao stadium where a Confederations Cup soccer match takes place between Japan and Mexico in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 22, 2013. Demonstrators once again took to the streets of Brazil on Saturday, continuing a wave of protests that have shaken the nation and pushed the government to promise a crackdown on corruption and greater spending on social services. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A protester trying to open a barrier, left, is kicked by another protester asking for peace near a police line as they protest outside Minerao stadium where a Confederations Cup soccer match takes place between Japan and Mexico in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 22, 2013. Demonstrators once again took to the streets of Brazil on Saturday, continuing a wave of protests that have shaken the nation and pushed the government to promise a crackdown on corruption and greater spending on social services. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A man holds a brazilian flag near a burning barricade during a protest outside the Minerao stadium during a soccer Confederations Cup match between Japan and Mexico in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 22, 2013. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators again took to streets in several Brazilian cities Saturday after the president broke a long silence to promise reforms, but the early protests were smaller than those of recent days and with only scattered reports of violence.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

People shout anti-government slogans during a protest in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 22, 2013. Demonstrators once again took to the streets of Brazil on Saturday, continuing a wave of protests that have shaken the nation and pushed the government to promise a crackdown on corruption and greater spending on social services. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A sound grenade explodes next to a man who was already laying on the ground injured during a protest outside the Minerao stadium during a match between Japan and Mexico in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 22, 2013. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators again took to streets in several Brazilian cities Saturday after the president broke a long silence to promise reforms.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A man hit with a projectile fired by police during a protest is taken away by a military policeman and fellow demonstrators outside the Minerao stadium during a soccer Confederations Cup match between Japan and Mexico in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Saturday, June 22, 2013. Thousands of anti-government demonstrators again took to streets in several Brazilian cities Saturday after the president broke a long silence to promise reforms.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

SAO PAULO (AP) ? A quarter-million Brazilians took to the streets in the latest a wave of sometimes-violent protests that are increasingly focusing on corruption and reforming a government system in which people have lost faith. A new poll shows that 75 percent of citizens support the demonstrations.

The turnout in Saturday's protests was lower than the 1 million participants seen on Thursday and there was less violence. But in the city of Belo Horizonte police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who tried to pass through a barrier and hurled rocks at a car dealership. The city of Salvador also saw demonstrations turn violent.

The protests have become the largest public demonstrations Latin America's biggest nation has seen in two decades. They began as opposition to transportation fare hikes, then became a laundry list of causes including anger at high taxes, poor services and World Cup spending, before coalescing around the issue of rampant government corruption.

Many protesters were not appeased by a prime-time television address Friday night by President Dilma Rousseff, who said that peaceful protests were welcome and emphasized that she would not condone corruption. She also said she would meet with movement leaders and create a plan to improve urban transportation and use oil royalties for investments in education.

"Dilma is underestimating the resolve of the people on the corruption issue," said Mayara Fernandes, a medical student who took part in a march in Sao Paulo. "She talked and talked and said nothing. Nobody can take the corruption of this country anymore."

A new poll published Saturday in the weekly magazine Epoca showed that three-quarters of Brazilians support the protests. The poll was carried out by the respected Ibope institute. It interviewed 1,008 people across Brazil June 16-20 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

On Saturday, protesters denounced congressional legislation, known as PEC 37, that would limit the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes - which many fear would hinder attempts to jail corrupt politicians.

Federal prosecutors were behind the investigation into the biggest corruption case in Brazil's history, the so-called "mensalao" cash-for-votes scheme that came to light in 2005 and involved top aides of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva buying off members of congress to vote for their legislation.

Last year, the supreme court condemned two dozen people in connection to the case, which was hailed as a watershed moment in Brazil's fight against corruption. However, those condemned have yet to be jailed because of appeals, a delay that has enraged Brazilians.

"It was good Dilma spoke, but this movement has moved too far, there was not much she could really say," said Victoria Villela, a 21-year-old university student in the Sao Paulo protest. "All my friends were talking on Facebook about how she said nothing that satisfied them. I think the protests are going to continue for a long time and the crowds will still be huge."

Across Brazil, police estimated that about 60,000 demonstrators gathered in a central square in Belo Horizonte, 30,000 shut down a main business avenue in Sao Paulo, and another 30,000 gathered in the city in southern Brazil where a nightclub fire killed over 240 mostly university students, deaths many argued could have been avoided with better government oversight of fire laws.

Tens of thousands more protested in more than 100 Brazilian cities, bringing the nationwide total on Saturday to 250,000, according to a police count published on the website of the Globo TV network, Brazil's largest.

In the northeastern city of Salvador, where Brazil's national football team played Italy and won 4-2 in a Confederations Cup match, some 5,000 protesters gathered about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the stadium, shouting demands for better schools and transportation and denouncing heavy spending on next year's World Cup.

They blocked a main road and clashed with riot police who moved in to clear the street. Protesters said police used rubber bullets and even tossed tear gas canisters from a helicopter hovering overhead. The protesters scattered and fled to a nearby shopping mall, where they tried to take shelter in an underground parking garage.

"We sat down and the police came and asked us to free up one lane for traffic. As we were organizing our group to do just that, the police lost their patience and began to shoot at us and throw (tear gas) canisters," said protester Rodrigo Dorado.

That was exactly the type of conflict Rousseff said needed to end, not just so Brazilians could begin a peaceful national discussion but because much of the violence is taking place in cities hosting foreign tourists attending the Confederations Cup.

Brazil's news media, which had blasted Rousseff in recent days for her lack of response to the protests, seemed largely unimpressed with her careful speech, but noted the difficult situation facing a government trying to understand a mass movement with no central leaders and a flood of demands.

With "no objective information about the nature of the organization of the protests," wrote Igor Gielow in a column for Brazil's biggest newspaper, Folha de S. Paulo, "Dilma resorted to an innocuous speech to cool down spirits."

Outside the stadium in Belo Horizonte where Mexico and Japan met in a Confederations Cup game, Dadiana Gamaleliel, a 32-year-old physiotherapist, held up a banner that read: "Not against the games, in favor of the nation."

"I am protesting on behalf of the whole nation because this must be a nation where people have a voice ... we don't have a voice anymore," she said.

She said Rousseff's speech wouldn't "change anything."

"She spoke in a general way and didn't say what she would do," she said. "We will continue this until we are heard."

___

Associated press writers Tales Azzoni and Ricardo Zuniga in Salvador, Stan Lehman in Sao Paulo and Rob Harris in Belo Horizonte contributed to this report

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-06-23-Brazil-Protests/id-a095c198493244a090a7d94d59eeba4d

bo jackson hanukkah justin tv justin tv Sarah Savage Jaimie Alexander Army Navy Game