Hi, my name is Tucker.

I want to confess that I was naughty today.

First, however, I want to thank those who recently sent me all the emails asking why I did not get to go to the spa with my brother and sister. I was not naughty that day! Mommy said she wanted to spend some time with me and she said I didn't need my hair cut till Thanksgiving.

Anyway, back to my confession. I was naughty. This morning, I caught, and ate, a baby bunny. I know it sounds really bad, but mommy always yells at them to get out of her yard anyway. How bad could it be to eat one??

Well, if that isn't enough, this afternoon, I smelled the savory aroma of BEEF. It was 2 blocks away. It was drifting through the air like a butterfly. I lifted my nose in the air and followed the scent. You won't believe what someone left me.........T-bones! Yea, all in a pile. I brought one home! Delicious! Unfortunately, I left crumbs on the ottoman. Whoa, mommy was not happy! I heard her say I might not get dinner tonight. Thus, the sad eyes in the above picture!

I am thinking she will forget all about my naughtiness by dinner time. I am just crossing my paws that she goes out to mow. She loves that crazy stuff! I don't mind it either. One of these times, I am going to catch all the grass clippings in my mouth!! I guess I love grass too!

Have a good night everyone!

Hi! My name is Squirt.

And this is my brother, Nitro.

Today, mommy took us to the "spa". That's what she calls it, anyway. I knew something was up when she took us for a walk back and forth on our block waiting for Nitro to poop. He's is so stubborn sometimes.

We have been to the spa before and usually the same lady takes care of us. Her name is Melissa. At first, it is quite scary when we get there because mommy leaves us and we have to go into this room where a bunch of other dogs are in cages. My brother and I get to be in the same cage. Then, one at a time, we both get real wet and soapy, then dried, and then the scary part starts.

In case mommy never told you, I think you should know, I am very "sensitive." I really do not like loud noises, especially ones that buzz all over my body. Melissa is really great though. She talks to me while she buzzes all my hair off. Apparently, mommy calls this the "smoothe daschund" look. I am ok with it because it is really hot outside and my hair is HOT! Anyway, Melissa is very gentle with me. I think mommy told her I was "sensitive." Melissa does a really nice job. I look like a princess....a little naked looking, but a princess nonetheless! And, I guess she does really good work with my brother as well. Mommy always says, "Nitro, you look so handsome," when she picks us up.

Today, I was so happy to see mommy. She was right on time....a little sweaty (I think she just got done working out), but right on time. I feel really great now that my brother and I are done. The spa was an experience, but we got through it. Mommy wants to take pictures of my brother and I, but I am kinda thinking I look naked. I am really very "sensitive" you know. Mommy is too! We are so much alike!

My brother takes care of me. He is a proud brother. And, he is handsome. Check him out!

And, here I am. Mommy caught me looking sad, but I am really VERY happy to be home!

Hello Blogstars!! I have so much to talk about, but none of which I am going to tell you! Good one, eh?

I can talk about your life, though...only because you ask me. I get questions all time. I ask questions all the time. It's my job. And like all of you, I have stressors. It's life. One thing that helps me is exercise.

I am fully aware of the of the terrible state of our economy and although the recession may impact how many times you go out to eat or enjoy a movie, I hope that it does not affect your fitness routine. If there is one area of your life that needs to be resistant to the volatility of the economy, it is exercise!

There are many good reasons why you should continue working out even when times are tough. Exercise can alter your mood, increasing the production of endorphins that are natural mood elevators.

Additionally, working out makes you fitter and stronger, AND, helps you look better. When you look and feel better, you are more confident in your abilities and less likely to undergo the severe mood swings that financial stress can cause.

Potential clients often ask: How many days a week should I train? How much cardio do I need to be doing? How many days per week do I need to be doing something active?

The answers to these questions, while they may differ for some, are generally the same for everyone. Ideally, you should be working out with your trainer 3 days per week. Two times a week is the absolute minimum you need to see any kind of results. In fact, a simple equation goes like this: The bigger the weight loss or fitness goal, the more often you should be training with your trainer.

Let’s face it, no trainer can perform miracles. The real miracle is the transformation that the client is able to make within themselves. The more often you train, the easier it is to transform you body and most importantly your way of thinking.

On the days that you are not working with your trainer, you should be doing something active for at least 30 minutes a day. This can be anything from a brisk walk to a jog on the walking path. You could also try taking a class at your local gym or save money by working out on your own on your days off from your trainer.

I suggest doing something active 6 days per week. If you are not doing the work on your own, you are wasting your money on a trainer.

Also, do yourself a favor…don’t cancel sessions with your trainer. The more you cancel, the easier it is to fall off the wagon. If your trainer is periodizing your workout plan, canceling sessions can really mess up the current training cycle you are on. If you are canceling frequently, your fitness goals are not going to improve and each session is going to be like the first training session all over again. Remember how hard the first session felt?

I totally get that exercise cannot fix all of life's worries. I am only reminding you that even though the temptation may be strong to abandon things in your life that seem expensive or time consuming, do not give up on the one thing that you can totally invest in and always get a solid return!

Until next time, train hard and smart.

~Your Ironladydoc

Which is better, machines or free weights, for building muscle and strength?

Free weights definitely have their advantages. One factor is that they require the use of more stabilizer muscles to balance the weight. Strong stabilizers equates to stronger muscles and stronger muscles lead to bigger muscles.

Free weights have also been shown to burn more calories than machines. The difference may be that a greater number of stabilizer muscles are used during multijoint exercises, i.e. free-weight squats versus machine leg press.

With all the talk about free weights, are there advantages to using machines? YES! Machines are of benefit because they help you focus more on the target muscle. For example, because the machine is on a fixed path, the shoulders (in this case, stabilizer muscles) do not need to help the chest muscles when performing machine chest presses as they would during the barbell bench press. Less involvement from the delts means you can place more focus on the pecs for greater muscle growth.

The verdict? Do not avoid machine exercises. Always include as many training tools as possible to maximize your gains. This means, use both machines and free weights. In doing so, you may want to perform your free weight exercises early in your workout and then finish with machines as your stabilizer muscles are fatigued and you can put all your focus on the target muscle.

Until next time, keep training hard and eating smart!

~Your ironladydoc

Yesterday was the first day of SUMMER! June 20-21 is start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere but simultaneously the start of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. It's also the longest day of sunlight for places in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day for cities south of the equator. However, June 20-21 is not the day when the sun rises earliest in the morning nor when it sets latest at night. And, even though the Northern Hemisphere receives more sunlight than on any other day of the year, that doesn't mean the first day of summer is also the hottest day of summer. In fact, so far, it is the second day of  the year!! Today, it is 92 degrees. I'm inside. I went outside to check the temp. Yup, 92. I'm thinking about being at the pool.

And, since we are on the subject of the pool......is there any bodypart that is more impressive than seeing six-pack abs? I really don't think so. Carving up the abs is probably one of the most sought after goals of most fitness enthusiasts, and more probable, the most difficult to carve up! No matter how many ab crunches you do, or how many minutes you spend on the treadmill, there is nothing better for a well-defined midsection than proper nutrition. Remember, "YOU are what you eat!"

Friends are awesome!! I received these pics and I wanted to share them with all of you. I don't know the exact dates of the pics, but they are not too terribly old. These pics bring back some super duper memories. Thanks buddy!

Monday's.........ugh! Well, I guess they are not so bad. I thought since I like to do legs so well, I would hit them on the hardest day of the week.

I warmed up doing some leg extensions then went straight into walking lunges. I did 5 sets of 20 steps increasing in weight each set. I ended with 45# db's in my hands. I finished with 5 sets of leg press and 4 more sets of leg extensions alternating with lying leg curls.

I usually do cardio on one of the machines following my weight workout. My cardio is usually steady state training--meaning, I set the machine for 30 minutes and stay at the same pace the whole time. Today, I got a wild hair and did HIIT......High Intensity Interval Training. I was walking on the treadmill and this girl next to me asked if I wanted to do it with her. Of course, I took the challenge, not knowing what to expect.

Actually, I needed the change. I realize that I need to get after a different type of training for a while to burn some more fat. The reason that High Intensity Interval Training works better for fat loss is this: When you do a cardio session at the same pace the whole time, your body goes into what is called steady state. This means that your body has adjusted itself to the speed you are going and tries hard to conserve energy (calories). You will be able to avoid this and burn more calories and FAT by doing the interval training.

The easiest way to do HIIT is to start off at a good pace for 5 minutes. Then take up the intensity on the machine and go as hard and as fast as you possibly can for a 30 seconds and then bring it back down for a minute or two — however long it takes for you to recover enough to do it again. ANY cardio machine will work — I did the treadmill today and will probably do the elliptical trainer on Thursday.

If you are not up to killing yourself the first time out, you could simply keep changing your speed and intensity level every two minutes or so — go up and down — challenge yourself. This will "trick" your body into burning more calories since it does not achieve steady state.

HIIT it hard bloggers!!

Wednesday, Mittwoch, literally means middle of the week. It's the day between Tuesday and Thursday. It's also my day off from work--YAHOO! I worked the Memorial Day holiday. DoctorsNow West opened at 9am and after 23 people strolled through the door and 1pm arrived, I was outta there and home to enjoy the afternoon. What a fantabulous Memorial Day. I remember one Memorial Day about 12 years ago, it was only 40 degrees. I was home to see my dad and I made him take me up to Okoboji......just so I could say I was there on Memorial Day. Burr, it was cold on the dock! This year, a welcome 85 degrees and not a cloud in the sky!

So, I thought Tuesday, the day AFTER Memorial Day was going to be a little slower...not true...58 sick people needed the doctor. I was dead tired at 8pm, but it's all worth it if all 58 patients are feeling better today!

I haven't gone to the gym yet this morning. It's only 10:30, but I have to decide soon if I'm going to get in there. I really haven't taken a day off for a while, but I am also not feeling worn out. Maybe I will hit some quads today. That sounds good, eh? I might nail some calves while I am at it.

The training thought for today...Functional training. It's definitely the training trend the past few years. I am going to give you a twist to this hot button term. Many people believe that the most effective way to recruit the core stabilizing muscles is to execute "traditional" exercises on an unstable surface. However, physical activity is rarely performed with a stable load on an unstable surface.....usually the surface is stable and the external resistance is not. In other words, if you want your exercises to have the most real-world functionality, keep the surface (bench, floor, chair) stable, and the resistance, in the form of dumbbells, kettlebells, or even a less stable piece of equipment such as a water filled pipe or balance ball, unstable.

Until next time, enjoy your Mittwoch, and train hard and smart!