Dynamic stretching is a type of stretching that moves a muscle in and out of a stretched position, as opposed to holding it in its stretch as you would in a static move. For example, a lunge is a dynamic stretch for your quadriceps and hips. Before you’re ready to play or weight train, you need to get your blood flowing to use your muscles. Dynamic stretches can help you greatly in athletic endeavors because they improve your “active” flexibility – that is, they work the muscles and joints in the same way that your sport will. In addition, dynamic stretches will increase your heart rate, helping you gear up for your workout. Jumping jacks, squats, lunges, and high knees are all examples of dynamic stretches. You can perform these moves as a circuit before any type of exercise to help you warm up and prevent injury. Complete one set of 10 repetitions per exercise, then move on to the next dynamic stretch. And make sure to do your static stretches after your workout or on days when you’re not gearing up for a workout but want to keep limber.

Hey there everyone! It has been some time since I posted a comment. I have been dieting for the Team U scheduled in NYC on July 15th. I am ready to go! I have some big shoes to fill as Deb Patton won last year with an amazingly lean/ripped physique. The Team U is all about conditioning so that is my goal this year.

I attended the Jr. nationals in Chicago a couple weeks ago. I am very happy for Tracy Mason as she took the overall. It was a fun weekend for me. I had some pictures taken and I will post them in the gallery section as soon as the CD's are available to me.

Last but certainly not least, I want to talk to you about pride. Ah, Pride! Pride has been considered one man's deadliest sins. It is through pride that the devil got his name. You might think I am exagerating this a bit, but let me show you a few things about pride...........the more pride one has, the more one dislikes pride in others. If you want to know how much pride you have, ask yourself how much you dislike it when others snub you or refuse to take notice of you, or show off. Sound familiar so far? The point here is that each persons pride is in competition with everyone else's pride.

Now, here is the kicker. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next person. Being rich, good looking, or clever is not enough for the prideful person. What they want is to be richer, better looking, and more clever than anyone else. They take pleasure in being better than the rest.

Pride is spiritual cancer. It eats up the very possibility of love. If you are feeling better than the rest, that you are above all, you can be sure you are being acted on by the devil and not God.

Where did I read this? Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis! Come down off your throne and let go of pride. It will only eat you up. It will make you miserable all the rest of your life. Let it go!

Since I am the doctor, I think it is prudent to discuss medical conditions every so often to keep you all up on the latest. Today I will review cholesterol and fiber. Fiber, as you know, can actually bring down the cholesterol in your blood, but it has to be a certain kind.

Psyllium is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated add-on therapy for elevated cholesterol. Psyllium is a soluble fiber supplement recommended to reduce levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This may seem complicated, but just be aware that studies have proven the success of soluble fiber in reducing cholesterol.

The guidelines recommend increased soluble fiber (10 - 25 g daily) as a therapeutic option to enhance LDL-C lowering. Soluble fibers such as psyllium have a stronger protective effect than insoluble fibers in reducing coronary mortality. In the United States, the typical diet is often deficient in soluble fiber.

The point of all this................take your metamucil, but make sure it is sugar free!

It's a beautiful Sunday even though some might disagree with me. The sun is not shining. It is mostly cloudy. It is not not hot and steamy. In fact, it is cool and breezy..........almost cold. But, still, it is a beautiful day.

I got up and worked out with Mark and Melissa today. WE all had a great chest workout. I know My pecs were dancing! I think Mark and Melissa felt the blood pumping in their pecs as well. I am 5 weeks out from the Team Universe so we have been sticking to machines a bit more, but still going heavy. I have not lost my strength. In fact, I am feeling pretty amazing! My diet is keeping me full and I am full force ahead. NO looking back!

Each day, you need to start fresh and anew. It can be so easy to stay focused on the pains or heartaches of the past.......past shows, past jobs, past relationships........whatever it may be. Don't let the past poison your future. Let it go and move on. Your best days are not behind you, but are in front of you. Keep the attitude in a positive direction. See sunny days every day. Get up each morning knowing and saying, "I feel good!" and let go of the disappointments of yesterday!

YOUR Ironladydoc

Fear is sometimes referred to as an inner hell. It can shake your whole body and send a chill up and down your spine. It can feel like a sense of alienation, despair, and even anger. You try to shrug it off, but it suddenly pulls you back into it's grip. You become immersed in a control drama and routine as a way to repress the insecurities of life.

This is all a reaction to fear. People find some way to ward it off and repress it below their consciousness and unfortunately continue to repeat the same drama over and over again. Let me give you an example. Drugs....................these present a euphoria like Love. The problem is that it is a false euphoria. The body learns to resist the chemicals and counteract them usually by making it increasingly harder to maintain the euphoria at the current dose. More and more drug is needed until it eventually destroys the body.

That's how it works! This is the self-imposed hell that I refer to as fear. But, a compulsive control drama always fails.........sooner or later. This is what is called "hitting rock bottom". This is the opportune time to wake up and handle the fear, but if you don't, then you go right back into the drama cycle. Then, an ugly thing happens, fearful people want to control others. They blame an outside force for everything bad and thus a way to avoid responsibility.

So, what do we do about this fear thing? Love! This is the answer. It is important for them to discern between love and fear. They cannot be dehumanized or invalidated because they are also in a growth process...........just the wrong way! They need to wake up! They need to come into the awarness and break free of the control drama.

You slowly wake up. The coldness will melt away and the blackness will descend. The only thing left is Light. Let your light lead the way!

Health of our body is determined to a great degree by our mental processes........what we think of life and especially of ourselves.

If you look back in time, Doctors of the past acted as the expert and healer. The patient was the passive recipient, hoping that the doctor would have all the answers. Today, we now know that the inner attitude of the patient is crucial. For example, if a patient has a fear or stress, they most times repress it..........they deny the problem, push it away, conjure up a heroic attitude, and dismiss it. This is when the fear eats us up unconsciously.

On the other side of the spectrum is adopting a positive outlook. Adopting this outlook, however, takes love, not machoism to be completely effective. What I am saying is this..........our unspoken fears can create blocks in our body's energy flow. These blocks result in problems. The fears will continue to manifest themselves in problems until we deal with them. Actually, physical problems are the last step in the process. Ideally, you want to deal with the blocks early so as to practice preventative medicine before the illness even develops.

I have often pondered the fact that each of us has an undiscovered ability to influence what happens to us in the future, including whether we are healthy or not. It lies in the patient. Often times, for example, I am asked my thoughts on the prognosis of an illness, whether it be a cold, or a cancer. Sometimes, I don't offer up an opinion. I have learned that my opinions need to be offered very carefully. Over the years, the public has developed almost a worship of doctors and what a physician says is taken totally to heart. So, if the doctor says the patient would get better, very often the patient would internalize this idea in his or her mind and actually defy all medical science. Now, with the realm of ethics on the line, doctors are prevented from distorting the medical prognosis and go with the cold, hard, scientific facts. Unfortunately, with all this "cold, hard evidence," the patient would die right there on the spot. As a result, we as doctors need to be very careful of our assessments...........for the mind is very powerful. We need to focus our power in the direction of positive energy.

If you have read the latest research on the power of prayer you will know that this kind of spiritual visualization is turning the medical community upside down. It is totally changing the way prognosis is interpreted. This is so powerful!

The next time, you are feeling sick or injured, go directly to the source of the pain. Find out what the origin of the insult is and unblock the fear. The fear is what is holding you back. Once the block is opened, you can focus positive energy to your source of insult. I am not telling you to give up on professional care by a doctor, but I do believe strongly that each person can affect their own health by focusing positive energy to the source of conflict.

Stay strong in mind, body, and spirit!