Although I've been applying the my Best Anti-Tick Solution for Dogs in powder form for quite sometime, I've been toying the idea of applying Sevin powder to my dog while bathing her. That means being able to bathe the dog while at the same time applying an anti-tick treatment.
I hesitated with the idea though because I was thinking that slowly pouring the Sevin mixed with water on the dog would be wasteful. Imagine the Sevin mixture just dripping off from the dog's fur and then going down the drain, not to mention that which the dog shakes off after getting wet.
Removing Dog Ticks and Fleas
Ever since I posted my tip on the Best Anti-Tick Solution for Dogs, I have to admit, I've been remiss in actually practicing this method. This year, when summer was about to end, I discovered a heavy infestation of ticks AND fleas on my pooch's coat. Even her eyelids were not spared from dog ticks. The fleas were almost everywhere but more especially in the dog's snout and face. In this area, the fleas are deep and difficult to find.
Best Anti-Tick Solution for Dogs
When you have a garden lawn, one of the disadvantages of having a pet dog is the risk of having ticks and fleas getting on the dog. This is especially if the dog isn't tied or caged and is allowed to roam the yard. I'm an avid gardener and we have front and back yards with gardens and lawns planted to grass. Our dog isn't tied or caged. She's very much active and loves to rest, lie and romp around the garden. I think ticks will always be a problem if the dog is in constant contact with ground soil.
Tips for Buying a Cheap Camera Bag for the Digicam
So after making digicam comparisons and finally buying your digital camera, what now? Well, unless your brand new digital camera comes with a freebie camera bag, it's now time to be hunting for that carrying case that will protect your new point-and-shoot digital camera. But then again, if you had a free camera bag that came with the digicam like I did, you may STILL want to look even further.
Tips When Buying a Point-and-Shoot Digicam
Point-and-shoot cameras (PNS) nowadays are becoming much cheaper compared to their price levels around 5 years ago. This is a very competitive niche with camera manufacturers. Unlike the the bigger and more expensive DSLR's, PNS cameras are practical, very affordable and highly popular.
Benefits in Using a Sports Towel
After finding out what sports towels are and their advantages, I wonder why I hadn't discovered them sooner. Maybe sports towel use has been limited to just the athletic types who casually bring them like ordinary gear. I don't know.
When I go to various swimming outings in beaches or resorts, I don't see people using them. What I see people bring are the usual bathroom cotton towels. So you could say that, in spite of their advantages, their widespread use hasn't really caught on.
Homemade Deodorant for High Intensity Gym Workouts - Part 2
(This is the continuation of Part 1)
Procedure
Procedure
- Pour equal amounts of cornstarch and baking soda powder on a sheet of paper as shown below. No need to be extra accurate here. An estimated equal amount would still be fine.
Homemade Deodorant for High Intensity Gym Workouts
Of course, you might counter that you can't avoid sweating in the gym, especially if it's hot and humid. But surely, you must have heard of "deodorants".
I recently discovered a recipe for a homemade deodorant. It's a simple DIY (do-it-yourself) thing. And for the past couple of weeks, I've been applying this deodorant.
I have to conclude that it's the best deodorant that you can possibly use. Yes, that even includes all you sweaty gym rats out there.
The Famous Orient (D' Original) Buko Pie in Los Banos, Laguna
Many decades ago, when we went to field trips to Laguna, I've heard of this famous buko pie store. I didn't know its name other than it was called Original.
I thought it was a bit funny at that time to have the name "D' Original Buko Pie". After all, "D' Original" sounds so 70's! Besides, is it really THE original?
I do remember though that even at that time, there was always some sort of a queue at that store. The roadside store I remember a long time ago seemed a bit rustic.
Actually, it seemed to me that the whole place then was very rural. It looked like a small barrio (wow, is the word "barrio" even used nowadays?), with plenty of trees and hardly any establishments or buildings.
I thought it was a bit funny at that time to have the name "D' Original Buko Pie". After all, "D' Original" sounds so 70's! Besides, is it really THE original?
I do remember though that even at that time, there was always some sort of a queue at that store. The roadside store I remember a long time ago seemed a bit rustic.
Actually, it seemed to me that the whole place then was very rural. It looked like a small barrio (wow, is the word "barrio" even used nowadays?), with plenty of trees and hardly any establishments or buildings.
Alternative Instant Oatmeal with Asian Flavor
In a couple of previous posts, I espoused the benefits of adding oatmeal for a healthy diet. Instant oatmeal, specifically, is convenient to prepare and cooks quickly.
And who says you only take it for breakfast? Given its health benefits, I've learned to take oatmeal twice a day. It's very filling and you won't need to snack often.
I suppose there are dozens of ways to prepare instant oatmeal. There have to be. Plain old instant oatmeal gets bland fast and you quickly grow tired of it. Oatmeal manufacturers recognize this and put out several flavors out in the market.
And who says you only take it for breakfast? Given its health benefits, I've learned to take oatmeal twice a day. It's very filling and you won't need to snack often.
I suppose there are dozens of ways to prepare instant oatmeal. There have to be. Plain old instant oatmeal gets bland fast and you quickly grow tired of it. Oatmeal manufacturers recognize this and put out several flavors out in the market.
My Neti Pot Solution to Prevent H1N1
Ever since I've watched the Neti pot episode in the Oprah Winfrey show, I knew the device's purpose for nasal irrigation made sense.
A brief look around on the internet revealed how such a simple device can be so overpriced! And so I quickly thought of improvising one. There are actually plenty of improvisations you can find around the internet ranging from real ceramic teapots to stainless steel kettles even!
A brief look around on the internet revealed how such a simple device can be so overpriced! And so I quickly thought of improvising one. There are actually plenty of improvisations you can find around the internet ranging from real ceramic teapots to stainless steel kettles even!
Slow 6-Beat Kicking
For me to perform the drills for bilateral breathing, I have to do 6-beat kicks.
Maybe it's just me.
But because the one armed drills and fist drills are a bit restrictive on body movement, I tend to sink easily. So by keeping the legs kicking constantly via the 6-beat kick, I'm able to keep myself afloat and more stable.
Here's how the 6-beat kick in freestyle looks like:
However, I've become accustomed to a quick rhythm when kicking 6-beats. I'm in no way fast, but it's just something I did. So when I attempted to swim slow using 6-beat kicks, it threw me off. It felt very odd since I only did 2-beats (if at all) when swimming freestyle. I had to do several laps and then finally got the groove of it.
I learned that when swimming slow, a 6-beat kick with a bigger amplitude helps. I just need to be aware of body alignment though so as not to fishtail.
Maybe it's just me.
But because the one armed drills and fist drills are a bit restrictive on body movement, I tend to sink easily. So by keeping the legs kicking constantly via the 6-beat kick, I'm able to keep myself afloat and more stable.
Here's how the 6-beat kick in freestyle looks like:
However, I've become accustomed to a quick rhythm when kicking 6-beats. I'm in no way fast, but it's just something I did. So when I attempted to swim slow using 6-beat kicks, it threw me off. It felt very odd since I only did 2-beats (if at all) when swimming freestyle. I had to do several laps and then finally got the groove of it.
I learned that when swimming slow, a 6-beat kick with a bigger amplitude helps. I just need to be aware of body alignment though so as not to fishtail.
Grip Exercise while Walking
Today, I saw my Chinese-style hand gripper/ massager. And I thought of using it on my way out of the house. Since I've been walking almost everyday to get from our house to our service bus, why not use it while walking. That way, I get another thing done.
Bilateral breathing feels so much faster
pc1/90.5/80-110
After the 2 kickboard drills, which was about 70% of my session today, I breathed on the left using normal freestyle. And then I also breathed bilaterally.
Wow, I felt like I was going so much faster. Or was that the after effect of previously going so slow with the kickboard drills? At any rate, I thought I was riding high on the water.
It felt good. There were still some awkward left breaths but that will eventually go away after more of the drills.
I think I'll be bringing the trusty kickboard on the weeks to come. The white sealant on the kickboard has been holding up so far. Gosh I'm so excited.
It's that excitement one feels when one gets into a milestone in a journey. I think I'll be more confident and efficient once I'll do it naturally and flawlessly. Something more to feel proud of.
After the 2 kickboard drills, which was about 70% of my session today, I breathed on the left using normal freestyle. And then I also breathed bilaterally.
Wow, I felt like I was going so much faster. Or was that the after effect of previously going so slow with the kickboard drills? At any rate, I thought I was riding high on the water.
It felt good. There were still some awkward left breaths but that will eventually go away after more of the drills.
I think I'll be bringing the trusty kickboard on the weeks to come. The white sealant on the kickboard has been holding up so far. Gosh I'm so excited.
It's that excitement one feels when one gets into a milestone in a journey. I think I'll be more confident and efficient once I'll do it naturally and flawlessly. Something more to feel proud of.
Beat Up Kickboard
Today I put in white sealant on the cracks on the "family" kick board. I call it "family" because I never really used it as I generally disdain the use of pool toys.
So, it became a toy for the kids whenever we went swimming. And since it was made of styro foam it eventually had cracks and dents everywhere. This, after being tossed to who who knows where every time we bring it.
So, it became a toy for the kids whenever we went swimming. And since it was made of styro foam it eventually had cracks and dents everywhere. This, after being tossed to who who knows where every time we bring it.
Left Side Breathing
pc1/89/80-130
Today I started left-side breathing with drills I learned from the Korean swim videos. And for these initial 2 exercises, I used a kickboard.
The drills were very good. I didn't feel pain while doing the exercises. Even though the water was cool, the 6-beat kick kept my heart-rate and temp up.
Over the past weekends, I bought 3 books, used but very cheap. And I must say I'm learning a lot (techniques and factoids). The first book is Swim for the Health of It by Ernest Maglischo and Cathy Brennan.
And the second is Swim Swim: A Complete Handbook for Fitness Swimmers by Katherine Vaz and Chip Zempel. Both for Php70, dirt cheap, although Magishcho's books is more useful.
And just last weekend I bought for Php95 an old hard-bound book Exercising for Fitness by Time-Life publications. Nice. Thank God for BookSale and the mall by my doorstep.
Today I started left-side breathing with drills I learned from the Korean swim videos. And for these initial 2 exercises, I used a kickboard.
- Stationary left-side breathing with kickboard. The right arm holds the kickboard and is extended forward. The tip of the kickboard can touch the wall.
With the left arm at the side, breath in at the left side and exhale down. This is essentially stationary coz no stroking is done. The kicking is just to balance the body horizontally.
- Left-side stroking with kickboard. Hold the kickboard with both hands and push off. Stroke with the left arm only and breath to the left.
Be sure the left hand's thumb brushes the thigh on exit. This ensures the palm is facing inward. It may be tough at first because a 6-beat kick may be required to be balanced.
Upon reaching the "T" of the lane line, slow down and raise the kickboard so it doesn't slam onto the wall.
The drills were very good. I didn't feel pain while doing the exercises. Even though the water was cool, the 6-beat kick kept my heart-rate and temp up.
Over the past weekends, I bought 3 books, used but very cheap. And I must say I'm learning a lot (techniques and factoids). The first book is Swim for the Health of It by Ernest Maglischo and Cathy Brennan.
And the second is Swim Swim: A Complete Handbook for Fitness Swimmers by Katherine Vaz and Chip Zempel. Both for Php70, dirt cheap, although Magishcho's books is more useful.
And just last weekend I bought for Php95 an old hard-bound book Exercising for Fitness by Time-Life publications. Nice. Thank God for BookSale and the mall by my doorstep.
Meridian Stretching
I became fascinated with an American swimmer's (Dara Torres) training techniques which includes a lot of stretching. The lady's 40 years old and presently trains for the Beijing Olympics!
Stretching takes her 90 minutes with 2 people stretching her whole body. After my shoulder therapy with a physical therapist, I can appreciate the value of physical therapy stretching.
Stretching takes her 90 minutes with 2 people stretching her whole body. After my shoulder therapy with a physical therapist, I can appreciate the value of physical therapy stretching.
My Right-handedness
While I was using the hacksaw to prepare firewood today, it became clear to me how so much stronger my right arm is compared to my left arm.
I'm right-handed, yes, but when my right shoulder gets much stronger, the left shoulder gets compromised in a sport like swimming.
This results in muscle imbalance and the left-shoulder overworks and overstretches without the needed strength. And I'm thinking that's the reason it got injured from overuse.
I'm right-handed, yes, but when my right shoulder gets much stronger, the left shoulder gets compromised in a sport like swimming.
This results in muscle imbalance and the left-shoulder overworks and overstretches without the needed strength. And I'm thinking that's the reason it got injured from overuse.
Physical Therapy Update
It was muscle strengthening time once again today for my left shoulder (bicipital tendinitis). We started with the usual: hot gel packs for 20 minutes and ultrasound for 5 minutes. Then it was stretching and exercises.
The basic stretching was composed of shoulder mobilization. Martin the therapist would take the arm and stretch it GENTLY outwards towards him while I'm lying.
He moves the shoulder around the socket, up and down and then left to right. He would also put his hand under the shoulder blade to aid in the mobilization.
The basic stretching was composed of shoulder mobilization. Martin the therapist would take the arm and stretch it GENTLY outwards towards him while I'm lying.
He moves the shoulder around the socket, up and down and then left to right. He would also put his hand under the shoulder blade to aid in the mobilization.
Shoulder Feels Better
Guess I was wrong coz there were still PE studes today. Funny though but until now so many were not familiar faces. One guy, Aldrin, was exhilarated to complete a lap after seeking advice from me. He was shouting!
Apparently, he became my 'poster boy' that the rest, mostly girls asked for my help. It was all good though. I got the rest I needed. I felt that I had a good workout given my sore left shoulder.
Apparently, he became my 'poster boy' that the rest, mostly girls asked for my help. It was all good though. I got the rest I needed. I felt that I had a good workout given my sore left shoulder.
