Streak-free glass cleaner

Alright, I was super excited about finding a recipe for a tub and shower cleaner that didn't leave me gasping for breath. This new recipe that I've found is for a glass cleaner that leaves glass streak free and costs pennies. Here is the recipe:

1/4 Cup of White Vinegar
1/4 Cup of Rubbing Alcohol
2 Cups Water
1 TBSP Cornstarch

Put ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Shake well each time you use it to keep cornstarch from clogging the spray nozzle. I used this by spraying the (truly dirty, pollen covered) window. I then wiped with a fresh, wet terry-cloth rag. Then I used a squee-gee to remove the liquid and finished by rubbing the damp areas with a peice of newspaper. The newspaper will get the streaks out best. Wear rubber gloves to keep from getting newsprint-blackened fingers. Oh, your windows and mirrors are going to be so happy!

Now, if you are observant, you will notice that this recipe and my recipe for the tub and shower cleaner both use white vinegar. I have found that a cup of white vinegar in the washer when I add the liquid soap will keep my kitchen wash clothes and towels as well as my bath towels sweet smelling without the use of perfumes to mask nasty scents. The woman who owns the salon where I took my mother to have her toenails trimmed told us that soaking your toes in white vinegar each night will get rid of toenail fungus. I'm starting to really like this stuff!

Staying hydrated

    I'm terrible about staying hydrated. I don't get thirsty. And I just don't like the taste of water. It's so......watery. I find I gain weight on the days when I don't drink enough. Does that happen to anyone else. Weird, huh?

    Well, over the years I have found various ways to get myself to drink.One of the easiest is to add a drop or two of SweetLeaf lemon clear liquid stevia. It does not add calories and does not spike my blood sugar, but tastes just sweet enough to make me want to drink it. 

    We were visiting dear friends in Mexico this past March and were offered refrescos de melon. I watched as Diosselyne cut up a cantaloupe into one inch chunks and put 2 cups of these chunks into the blender. She then added sugar and filled the blender with water. She strained the resulting foamy, creamy goodness and served it with ice. Oh, heaven! I could have downed the entire pitcher by myself. 

    The next day I tried making this myself with mango. Here is the beautiful and delicious result:

    I have since been hooked on this wonderful way to hydrate. I make it a bit differently than dear Diosselyne. To 2 cups of fruit chunks I add 2 scoops of KAL powdered stevia. I then fill the blender with water and whirl til the fruit is well pureed. I do not strain this as I like having the fruit added to my day and not having to bother with all that chewing. Hydration AND fruit fiber in one swell foop. Can life get any better? I submit to you that it cannot!

    I have tried this with mango, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. My favorite so far is the cantaloupe. It gets frothy and creamy and tastes amazing. Yum.

Speaking of Magic Eraser Sponges.....

    I found this regarding those wonderful cleaning sponges known as magic erasers: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/eraser.asp

    Magic eraser sponges are nothing more than melamine foam! So you can rest assured that even if you use the cheaper store brand of these sponges, you are not only saving moohlah for the same product, you also are not harming your health. Unless you decide to use it as a bath sponge. They are abrasive. That's why they work. Don't use as a bath sponge.

Best Cleaning Solution Ever!!!!

    I can't wait to tell you what I discovered yesterday. I read somewhere on the net about using Dawn dish washing liquid and vinegar as a cleaning solution. I wish I could give credit where credit is due, but I can't find where I saw this. My apologies to the brilliant person who I am unable to name, who came up with this idea.

    This makes a fume free and safe cleaning solution. Heat 8 oz. of white vinegar in the microwave til hot, like you were reheating coffee. Pour in a spray bottle (recycled, of course!) with 8 oz. blue Dawn dish washing liquid. Gently mix together so you don't create suds - just tip back and forth til mixed. Spray on surface of sink, tub, anything you want to clean that you can also rinse. Wipe with cloth or sponge, and rinse.

    I used this with a "magic eraser" type sponge to clean my tub and surround. I sprayed this on and the dirt and soap scum wiped right off. Did you catch that?! "Soap scum wiped right off!" Do I sound happy? Yes, it does not take much to make me happy. I could not believe how well it worked! I was buying expensive, crunchy granola cleaner at Whole Foods. It was expensive and the fumes still made me choke. I don't think it was as crunchy granola as I thought. This is dirt cheap, healthier to use and does a better job than any cleaner I've ever used. You gotta try this!

    I'm off to see what other amazing things I can find to do with Dawn dish washing liquid. I mean besides washing dishes. I've heard it pre-treats wash well for stains.........

Continuing with Lotte Berk

Okay Monday I did the Hip Hugger Abs DVD again. I'm really feeling the results of completing this workout. The slightly sore muscles feel good and strong. On Tuesday, the High Round Assets DVD came in at the library so I went to pick it up. My daughter and I did both High Round Assets and Muscle Eats Fat when I got home from the library.

Oh my! Our derrieres were kicked by this DVD. As I do these each day, I find more and more that I really like this series. I'm getting results and long, lean muscles. It's funny, at first I wasn't looney about the instructor in Muscle Eats Fat, but Barbara is the best instructor in the series. Her directions and explanations are the best and she's growing on me.I am realizing that one of the reasons that DVDs work so well over books (at least for me) is that you connect more with a real person rather than a book of instructions. When I put the DVD in now, I feel like, "Hey Babs! What's happening?" Like I know Barbara. Like she's a friend.

I'm hooked and waiting for the final DVD in the set from the library, Basic Essentials. I will continue rotating these for now.

Physique 57 Book vs The Lotte Berk Method DVDs

    Day 3 of Physique 57 and I'm still too sore to work my thighs using Physique 57 book techniques. I like being sore, knowing that I have worked my muscles, but I'm wondering if it is also because of poor form on my part. It's hard to say because the book is not clear enough in photos or description to be positive I'm in correct form. Physique 57 says at the beginning of the book that it is based on the Lotte Berk method. In fact the authors started as Lotte Berk students, and then opened their own studio when the one they attended in NYC closed. After reading that, I remembered that I bought Lotte Berk DVDs years ago and never got around to really trying them.

    All that given, I pulled my Lotte Berk method DVDs off the shelf this morning, blew the dust off, and started with "Muscle Eats Fat".

    The instructor, Barbara, can be chatty. I did my level best to look beyond that and keep with the program. I'm glad I did! I needed the instruction to start, but the DVD has the option of doing the workout with music only, no chat. Hallelujah! Once I have this workout down, I will be doing music only. Dear Barbara may be chatty, but she gives terrific directions on form. This is so important when doing this or any new exercise technique. Despite my still sore thighs from doing Physique 57 days ago, I managed to complete the whole video. I have no clue how long that was, perhaps 30 minutes.  I looked everywhere for the length of the DVD, but to no avail. I will time it the next time I do it, so I can let you know.

    Muscle Eats Fat has most of the exercises that Physique 57 has. That makes sense since Physique 57 is based on Lotte Berk. BUT, the instruction is SO much clearer. Physique 57 did more sets of each exercise, and in time, I will need more sets as I start to get stronger. I can achieve that with Muscle Eats Fat by simply going back and repeating sets or doing the bonus workout. I do like the seated work on the bum that P 57 does, but I can add that in myself to M.E.F. I did not compare the Lotte Berk DVDs to Physique 57 DVDs because the Lotte Berk DVDs cost around $6 new on Amazon while the P57 DVDs cost about $50 for a 3 DVD set. To get the same technique at a $44 savings, I don't think I'll be trying the P57 DVDs anytime soon.

    I also did the Lotte Berk "Hip Hugger Abs" DVD this morning, right after Muscle Eats Fat.

    There is a huge difference between this and P57's ab techniques. P57 concentrates quite a bit more on curl type exercises with repeated sets. It is my understanding that this type of exercise will BUILD muscle, particularly in the center front abs. I already have that. My abs and back are my strongest body parts. My belly has a strong belly pooch. Some people like that. I'm finding I don't. I would rather have a flat belly. The Lotte Berk method ab exercises are designed to strengthen the abs AND give you a flat tummy. Just what I'm looking for. The instructor on this DVD is not quite as chatty as Barbara on Muscle Eats Fat, but still I like being able to work to music only, once I have the techniques down.

    My daughter and I did this together and I had a hard time completing the stretches at the end of the workout because I was laughing so hard. There is one stretch where you sit on the floor and holding your ankles out in front with bent knees, slowly straiten the legs and balance on your bum. I'm was really concentrating on doing this move when next to me I hear Gwen saying. "Oh, oh, whoa, ooooooh....." Then crazy laughter as she rolled around on the floor on her back with legs in the air still being held at the ankles. Now how are you going to keep balance with THAT going on next to you!? I would up in the same position she was in. She's SO much fun to exercise with. I may not get in shape as fast, but I'm healthier for hanging out with her since "A cheerful heart is good medicine."

    Oh, my goodness, the bonus workout on this gives us something to really strive for! Gwen and I just watched most of it, trying a bit here and there. I'm determined to someday do this portion!

    You can read my pros and cons of Physique 57 on my previous post. Here are my pros and cons of Lotte Berk Method DVDs.

    Pros: DVD format - no flipping pages and checking print to see where you go next. To be fair to P57, they do have prohibitively expensive DVDs available so you don't have to rely only on the book.

Excellent cuing on form. 3 different levels of difficulty makes this good for anyone to use.

Option to use with music only and no talking. LOVE that!

    Excellent, proven method of exercise that has been around 30 plus years.The instructors are all good examples of what you can expect if you use this method of workout alone. Barbara, who has been using the Lotte Berk method for 20+ years, looks fabulous for nearing 50!

I could complete the DVD and still walk. Walking is nice.

    Lengthening and stretching of muscles more concentrated than P57. Stretching is done after each movement, not at the end of sets. We are told that this is to elongate muscles, not relax them. But we get both in the long run! Not bunchy, "I lift weights and forget to stretch" muscles. As I posted previously, this is what I'm trying to overcome. I'm terrible about stretching.

    Cons: The somewhat chatty instructors. Some folks may not find this a con, but I like just music to exercise to and minimal instruction, once I know what I'm doing. However, the chattiness can be eliminated, once you have form down, by using the music only function on the DVDs. Thank you, Lotte Berk method.

    The stretches are not held 20 seconds each or longer. It's my understanding that stretches need to be held this long to be effective. I could be wrong. Tell me if I am. There are a LOT of stretches, but it may be quantity over quality. You can ignore when the instructor switches sides and continue with the stretch for 20 seconds. This is what I do.

    All in all, I find the Lotte Berk DVDs better and easier to use than P57 and, fickle me, I am switching to these DVDs. It's all the same method, so I feel I am still giving this method a fair try. I'll let you know how I'm doing.

Physique 57~day 2

Whoo-hoo! That was some kind of tough! Last night I could not get down the stairs without holding on to the banister for dear life. My legs were THAT wobbly. And I thought I was in pretty good shape. This is a great workout. This hits muscles that I didn't know were not being hit. I could not even get through the whole workout. Okay, part of that was because I had to stop and get dinner going, but I doubt I could have done the whole thing anyway. Today I did the second half of yesterday's workout and that was plenty for today as well. I'm sure I will work up to doing the whole workout, but it will take a week or 2 to build the muscles to sustain that kind of workout. I do intend to try this for the full 2 weeks since it's a 2 week plan.


Observations so far.....
Pros:This is based on a proven system of workout, the Lotte Berk method.

This workout hits the muscles from every angle, working the target muscles as well as the ancillary muscles.

Primarily using body weight means less wasted time as you would picking up and putting down free weights. 

The stretches are generally held for 30 seconds, so the stretches are given a  long enough chance to work.

The diet advice included is comprehensive.

Each exercise is timed, so you have an end in view. (Just one minute more...I can do this!)

Cons: My biggest problem I found is the lack of enough large, clear pictures to show the movements. The written instructions are not very clear as well, on the standing seat work in particular. While I can figure much of it out, it would be nice to know I'm in correct form and doing what I should be doing. I don't like going by,  "Well, it feels like I'm working the area intended." From a marketing viewpoint this is brilliant. You get just enough to know this will work, but realize that the DVDs would make it so much easier. Trouble is, the DVDs cost more than this cash poor girl can cough up for something other than necesseties.

While some of the stretches are good, there are not enough, and others are impossible for me to execute. "Anatomically Correct Split". Hah! That's not going to happen anytime soon, anatomically correct or no. I couldn't do this when I was 12, never mind now that I'm......well.....not now. When they list these difficult stretches, there are no alternatives for the rest of us "anotomically incorrect types".
Stretches fall at the end of sets rather than at the end of each movement. This may be enough for some folks, but I'm looking to elongate the muscles and this may not be enough to achieve that.