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Monday, March 24, 2008

Workouts ... Week beginning 24-Mar-2008

24-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:31:47
Time In Zone 0:24:38

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 142
KCal/Fat: 405 /35%

29-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:36:30
Time In Zone 0:26:50

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 146
KCal/Fat: 498 /35%

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Workouts ... Week beginning 17-Mar-2008

OK.. time to work my way back into a routine here..

18-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:20:49
Time In Zone 0:17:15

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 144
KCal/Fat: 276 /35%

19-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:44:31
Time In Zone 0:34:41

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 146
KCal/Fat: 602 /35%

21-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:47:49
Time In Zone 0:38:21

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 144
KCal/Fat: 632 /35%

Monday, March 10, 2008

Workouts ... Week beginning 10-Mar-2008

10-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:41:15
Time In Zone 0:37:55

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 136
KCal/Fat: 495 /40%

12-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:47:37
Time In Zone 0:36:23

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 145
KCal/Fat: 638 /35%

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

TLC, I can make you thin

Well, that was a fun little research roller coaster.. for anyone else who's been seeing advertisements or hearing about this new show on TLC, here's a little of what I have gathered. The star, Mr. Paul McKenna is one of the leading proponents of something called NLP or Neuro-Linguistic programming. Rather than giving advice on what to eat, or how to exercise, this show is going to concentrate on our minds, not our bodies.

I'll be putting this on my DVR, but I'll be watching with a skeptical preconception formed by the title.

I Can Make You Thin.

Mr. McKenna, You cannot Make me anything. I can and have made myself slimmer, trimmer and healthier. Those people who watch your show and are inspired to listen, take the advice given and that get slimmer, trimmer and healthier? You didn't Make them Thin either.. they did that themselves. Maybe with your help, maybe in spite of your help. But they will have done that themselves.

From The Futon Critic post of the TLC press release:
He changed the shape of the UK, and now weight-loss guru Paul McKenna is coming to America in the brand-new TLC series I CAN MAKE YOU THIN, premiering March 16 at 9 PM ET/PT. His anti-diet approach, a series of mental exercises delivered to the viewing audience through the television, could eliminate the need for counting calories, cutting out carbs, starving yourself, or enduring brutal workouts. Now for the first time ever you can learn the secret to losing weight just by watching TV.

From an Amazon customer review:
Negative
To start with, the book is very thin, and not only is double-spaced throughout, but there is a lot of blank space in the margins as well. If it had been done up properly it would only be about half the number of pages--not environmentally friendly at all.

As to content, well, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) has been around since the '70's and his four rules, which you can find looking up promo articles on the book on the internet aren't new either--they can also be found in the '85 book Thin Within by Judy Wardell (has since been republished under her married name, Halliday, and completely rewritten to appeal to a Christian audience, if that matters to you).

I listened to the CD a couple of times and the added reverb on his voice was just too irritating to listen to, as was the New Age music (which normally I like) and the left/right speaker stuff. Too, well, cheesy, like stage show-type hypnosis. If it were recorded again, with a normal spoken voice and soothing music, I would give it another try, as I think CDs can really help with reinforcing what you're reading.

and Positive
Paul McKenna is not a miracle worker when it comes to "making people thin", in fact it's not so much "him" making you t thin as yourself making yourself thin with the power of the mind.

The accompanying CD was a good idea too, easy to listen to and subliminal so that it can work on you on a subconscious and conscious level.

The book is a good read only seven short chapters long, with tips on how to control those "mad food cravings" you get now and again even when you're not dieting, and a good FAQ section to dip into when the need arises, so all in all it's a pretty good "self-help" book that won't go amiss on any bookshelf, even mine, and that is saying something as I am a jaded cynic when it comes any sort of book to do with weight loss.

From Mr. McKenna's Professional training section:
This is where Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) comes in. Using tried and tested techniques, NLP allows you to unlock the ‘secret code’ to your mind’s potential, giving you a degree of command over your feelings and control over your thoughts you may never have believed is possible.

From the Wikipedia article on NLP:
Paul McKenna

In 2005, celebrity hypnotist and television personality Paul McKenna was shown applying NLP and other techniques on his Sky One show, I Can Change Your Life to assist people with phobias, such as agoraphobia and addictions to gambling and shopping. In 2006, another Sky One programme, 'I Can Make You Thin', featured Richard Bandler and used NLP among other techniques including Thought Field Therapy to help people lose weight.[64]

Monday, March 3, 2008

Workouts ... Week beginning 03-Mar-2008

03-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 0:37:04
Time In Zone 0:34:53

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 136
KCal/Fat: 447 /40%

... Massive Lazy Week ...

.. And back to it ..

08-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 1:48:11
Time In Zone 1:20:05

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 143
KCal/Fat: 1410 /35%

09-Mar-2008
Time exercising.. 1:19:22
Time In Zone 1:12:34

Watch calculated limits: 119 - 152
Average Heart Rate: 142
KCal/Fat: 1036 /35%