Saturday, May 8, 2010

Buy Me a Slendertone!

Watching the Slendertone commercials make me laugh; I have seen this type of toning device since I was a kid. But this one...are you ready for this?.... is different! Yes, according to the research of the American Council on Exercise, the Slendertone does actually help tone the buttocks area. The pros of this contraption are:
-minimal effort
-a little tonal musculature is denoted after as little as a month
the cons are:
-there is no cardio benefit. Toning has to go along with fat loss for most people, or the benefits can not be seen, only felt.
-if you can take 30 minutes out of your day to shock your muscles, you can take 30 minutes a day to do that with a cardio workout and get the benefit of both
-it's expensive

However, if you really just want to feel your muscles down there and you are so lazy that you really can not walk around the block, the Slendertone will actually tone your muscles...you'll just have to search for them.

Healthcare Reform: The Reviews are Yet to Come

The arguing has lessened...for now, but the long term effects of this health care reform bill hopefully will be seen soon. The good news to all of us is that the term "preexisting condition" should no longer be a lame excuse of insurance companies to deny you and your family. Also, the "doughnut hole" for all the Medicaire folks is shrinking and will disappear in a few years. The waiting may seem endless, but breaking down the "brick wall" (as an attorney friend call it) of these monstrous insurance companies is a hard and long task.
From a personal standpoint, the time that it does take to break these ridiculous conditions and terms of insurance policies can not happen too soon. I am having to jump through major hoops and beg tons of doctors to attempt to have my insurance cover a major surgery that is important to my health. Sufferers of diastasis recti, I am fighting the fight. My doctors are folding under the insurance pressure, but I will continue knocking on doors and making appointments until some doctor is unafraid to write a simple letter that states the same thing that they don't mind telling me verbally: "you need this surgery, or you will have abdominal discomfort for the rest of your life."