Ok, I know I sound like a commercial. But I have a new obsession. It’s the United States Marine Corps Workout!

I was in Barnes and Noble last week picking up the 10th novel in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, The Hard Way. My sister got me started on this series of books and, like her, I couldn’t put them down. Then we both told a friend, Lori, about it and she read them all. So the release of the new book was much anticipated. So much so that I went to the bookstore once before it was actually out, having gotten the release date wrong, and then went back on the correct date to pick it up.

So why am I telling you all this when the topic of this post is so different? Well when I was at the store picking up The Hard Way, my husband Scott spotted a book in the discount bin called, you guessed it, The United States Marine Corps Workout. Anyone who knows me would know that this is not the sort of thing I can pass up. . .and certainly not for the $8 it was selling for. I spent the rest of the week studying this book and didn’t even touch the novel I went to get in the first place.

This is just the sort of thing I have always needed. A no-nonsense guide of exercises and workouts that are used to train new Marine Corps recruits. It even has the 64-day boot camp workout, an actual physical training schedule from a Marine Corps Recruit Basic Training Class.

If you’re looking for a step by step recipe of what workouts you should do on what days, this may not be the best thing (although there are some schedules for beginner and maintenance workouts included). However, there are endless exercises and tips you can use to formulate your own workouts. The principles that will guide you towards a lifetime of fitness are emphasized in this book.

About my 1 week guarantee: it was just to suck you in. But don’t be disappointed, it’s not that you won’t see results in a week. . it’s just that no matter what you do, if you change your exercise routine and step up the intensity to challenge yourself, you’re sure to see results in a short time–no matter what your methods and no matter what your level of fitness. For those of you who have lost weight and hit a “plateau”. .changing your routine and increasing the intensity is the best way to get over the hump. 
So, this is not so much an advertisement for the book/workout which I am now completely obsessed with, but it’s an advertisement for all of you who don’t feel like you’re staying in shape like you would like to. Get back to work! And change it up a bit; it’ll keep things interesting and you’ll see the results.

My personal goals for this new workout scheme:

-run faster for longer

-increase upper body strength

-be more disciplined in my overall health plan (for me, this has more to do with the eating healthy part, not about working out–the book also includes a chapter on nutrition).

Disclaimer: Of course for anyone with injuries or other health concerns, don’t forget to talk to your physician before beginning a training program.

We just got the Brother MFC-7820N 5-in-1 fax/laser printer/copier/scanner network _center_ courtesy of my mom and dad.  It’s great and we’re working on getting me hooked up to it wirelessly.  Thanks mom and dad! . .  and to Matt for the printer advice.  

Besides the running shoes, here are a few fitness related products I’ve been thinking about:

1) Omron HJ-112 Pedometer: After hearing about all the problems my parents were having with the pedometers I got them, I thought I’d find one that was known for its accuracy.  I held out for a long time on getting one of these because I thought I’d get obsessed with it like I have with my heart rate monitor (which I can no longer live without), but that’s kind of a stupid reason and if I got this, I might stop being such a sloth on the weekends.  This model even shifts to a separate mode for aerobic steps (more than 60 steps/min or for more than 10 minutes of continuous steps). 

2) A tanita body fat monitor:  I’m not sure which one of these I want yet.  But I don’t have a weight scale for the same reason I haven’t bought a pedometer until now, but body fat is a much better way to measure progress.  

It’s almost that time. . . 2 of my favorite weeks in the year.  Wimbledon is coming up (Monday, June 26 – Sunday, July 9)!  And just to whet our appetites, spaniard Rafael Nadal and #1 ranked Roger Federer played a spectacular marathon match in the Rome Masters finals.  On clay, Nadal seems to repeatedly accomplish what few others can against the tennis phenom with a 4-1 head-to-head record.  After a grueling 5 hours and 5 minutes, Nadal wins it 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6.  See the story here from SI.com. 

Here are a few things I’ve had my eye on.

1: Nike-free running shoes.  The last ones I bought were a gift to myself for my b-day last year.  Definitely time for a new pair.  I think I might get myself the same thing this year b/c I still have a $50 gift certificate to the Nike store that my sister gave me last Christmas.

2: A black and white laser printer.  Nothing fancy .. no scanner, no fax. . just a printer but one that has networking capabilities and prints relatively high pages per minute.

3: Clothes.  I’m thinking I should buy more casual skirts.  Something like these below:

and maybe more capris:

The Rising Tied by Fort Minor. .I love this album. Mike Shinoda from Linkin’ Park is in this new band. I’d heard a few great songs on my sister’s IPOD and heard a few others from clips played during the NBA playoffs. I’ve haven’t gotten to spend much time listening to it but some of my favorite tracks so far are

02: Remember the Name

06: Where’d You Go

10: Believe Me

11: Get Me Gone

12: High Road

There are 16 tracks on this CD. It was worth every penny.

If you’re like me, many of you have spent a lot of money trying tons of different facial cleansers. And usually, I’m of the opinion that you get what you pay for. Silly me, it turns out that I have finally hit gold–and for half the price of more impressively packaged counterparts. The product is St. Ives Medicated Apricot Scrub. See below.

You may think the exfoliating beads are a bit harsh at first. . .just be gentle when you use it and it should be fine for even sensitive skin.  My face felt noticeably smoother after just the first use.  

Next time those of you still in school worry about bad grades, just think you have it better than this guy. . .

One of Scott’s classmates was a teacher’s assistant for a very large undergraduate class. She had a student in the class that was from an east asian country. He had an average performance in the class but for some reason, unbeknownst to her, he was turning his homework into the section of the class that met at a different time (thinking that all the records were kept together). The grades were done separately, so when it came time to calculate the final grades, he received a “D.” He came into her office crying, saying that because of the poor grade, his parents were going to make him return to his home country and join the army! Now that is enough to make anyone study harder. This might be the first of this kind of plea the TA has heard from a student to reconsider the final grades. Luckily, it all got sorted out and his homework was factored into his final grade. Hopefully he’s safe from enlistment for now.

For those of you who have used Billy Blanks’ Tae-bo videos, remember his second in command, Shellie? She’s the completely ripped blond always on his left. With my most recent purchase of his Fat Burning Cardio DVD and visit to the website, I’ve learned that Shellie is actually his daughter!! Crazy, huh? Here’s a picture of the two of them.. you may see why I was surprised.  She looks a lot more like mom, Gayle.