Reality Flashback: Crystal Bowersox At Age 13 - Reality Rocks

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Today's entry: Reality Flashback: Crystal Bowersox At Age 13 - Reality Rocks

Posted Fri May 21, 2010 11:48am PDT by Lyndsey Parker in Reality Rocks Blog

Crystal Bowersox seems to have come out of nowhere, transforming from unknown single mom/subway busker to "American Idol" front-runner in a matter of weeks. But she's been performing for years, and a recently unearthed video of a then-13-year-old Crystal singing in 1999 indicates that this raw talent was always destined for greatness.

The clip above was shot at the annual Huron Boat Basin Show in Huron, Ohio, where event organizer Cathy Black traditionally invited young, undiscovered talent to perform. Despite being barely old enough to get into a PG-13 movie, the prepubescent Crystal (playing an original song) comes across as incredibly mature, very Jewel-like, and remarkably poised--hardly your typical tween. Really, all the tweens voting for "Idol" this season should look up to Crystal.

Whether Crystal wins "American Idol" next week or not, it's obvious from this video that music has always been her calling, and that she has a wonderful musical career ahead of her.

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10 Unhleathy "Healthy" Foods

hursday, 10 June 2010

• 10 Unhealthy "Healthy" Foods

  
  In these days of dieting, cutting calories, and smaller portion sizes, people are trying their best to be skinnier. But certain foods are trying to trick you into thinking that they are healthy choices when they really aren't. And by just looking at them, it's easy to think that they are good for you. In fact, they tricked me for many a year! But I'm here to show you 10 foods that seem healthy, but actually aren't.
  
  1. Diet Soda
  People know that drinking regular soda is bad for them, so they switch to diet because it doesn't have any sugar. That's only half right, it doesn't have any REAL sugar. It's full of artificial sweeteners which, if you drink an abundance of, can cause terrible things like type 2 diabetes and makes you more likely to be obese. Diet soda=bad.
  
  
  2. Dried Fruit
  Ok, this is one that fooled me. I always thought that dried fruit was good for you all of these years! But alas, no. It has a lot of sugar and trans fats because the majority of us buy our dried fruit from the store in a bag, and by adding all of those bad things is how the dried fruit keeps shelf life. Unless you are drying your own fruit, the stuff from the store is no bueno.
  
  
  
  3. Muffins
  Muffins are sugar mines. When people tell you, "Oh boy this is low fat and has no calories!" that's fine and all, but how much sugar does it have? Because sugar just turns to fat like THAT when you digest it. So don't let them trick you, always check for sugar content! Muffins are made with white flour, sugar and butter, all recipes for disaster! Specifically bran muffins, that's the biggest surprise of all! They have about 420 calories a muffin. Trust me, I'm disappointed that my friend bran muffin tricked me. That fiend.
  
  He may look cute, but he's really evil!
  
  4. Turkey Burgers
  Most people (including myself...well before I found this out) think that eating a turkey burger is better for you than a regular beef burger. Incorrect. My boyfriend works in our college cafeteria at the grill and he has told me that the regular beef burger has about 150 calories LESS than a turkey burger. At my school they have the caloric intake for pretty much every food sitting out (trying to keep us fit as a fiddle) and I even read myself that the regular burger at school has 150 calories and the turkey burger has about 300. And they were both the same size! Still unconvinced? Medicinenet.com claims that turkey burgers are hidden uhealthy foods in that they are full of fat. I'm personally appalled. Here's the website if you'd like to look for yourself.
  http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56301
  
  
  
  5. Certain Salads
  I'm not saying salads are bad for you, I'm just saying that you have to be careful with what you put on your salads. Let's take the ceasar salad. Personally, it's one of my favorites. And when we think of salad, we automatically think of a healthy choice, it's lettuce and stuff, right? Well a ceasar salad is full of all that dressing and cheese and (if you want) chicken. So the average ceasar salad has about 600 calories. Which is outrageous, because salads are thought of to be healthy!
  
  
  
  6. Smoothies
  I love smoothies, they are nice and fruity and delicious. But full of sugar. And I mean FULL of sugar. Ever heard of Jamba Juice? Well a 16oz Aloha Pineapple smoothie from Jamba Juice has a staggering 290 calories and 63g of sugar. Think it's a fluke? Well the majority of the smoothies at Jamba Juice at that size have about 60g of sugar and over 200 calories. And most smoothie chains in America are the same. Beware of smoothies unless you make it yourself with fresh (not frozen. it's full of sugar and syrup) fruit.
  
  
  7. Whole Milk
  Yes, milk is a dairy product and dairy is important in our diets, but it depends on what kind of dairy you consume. Whole milk is swimming with sugar, cholesterol and saturated fat. Try skim if you want less calories, although it clearly is not as sweet as whole milk. I'll admit, whole milk is sweet and delicious but it has too much sugar. Personally I drink soy milk which has it's own problems, I know. But if you want to drink soy milk it is definitely an acquired taste, like a fine wine. Except it's made with beans.
  
  
  
  8. Ketchup
  Ketchup is basically red sugar. Although it tastes wonderful with fries and on burgers and things of that nature, it's just sugar. That's mostly because it's made with far more than just tomatoes. It has high fructose corn syrup, which is just another word for sugar. Rule of thumb, if you are reading the nutrition labels in anything, things that end in -ose are just another word for sugar. So unless you are making your own ketchup, it isn't really healthy.
  
  
  
  9. Juice
  This really only pertains to juice that is on the shelf. It's just packed with sugar. Take orange juice for example. Sometimes my friend, Kara, and I get Tropicana orange juice from the cafe at college. It tastes pretty good, but 8oz of juice has about 20g of sugar. Yikes. If you want juice I recommend investing in a juicer. The juice tastes WAY better when it is squeezed fresh and it has less calories. Win win situation.
  
  
  
  10. Vitamin Water
  I like Vitamin Water, it's wonderful. My personal favorites are Dragonfruit and Endurance (the mango one). But once again, they are swimming with sugar, which is bad. Although I'm proud of Vitamin Water because they are making new healthy versions with less calories and sugar. Kudos, Vitamin Water!
  
  
  Do you know any other foods that seem healthy but actually aren't? What do you think of these 10 foods?
  
  

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Are You Stretching the Right Way?

Are You Stretching the Right Way?

At end of the day, how does your body feel? Does your back ache or your neck feel stiff and sore? Do you notice little twinges when you do something as simple as bend to tie your shoes? Be honest — when was the last time you felt flexible rather than stiff? Unless you stretch or do yoga regularly, you've probably noticed that you're not as flexible as you used to be. While most of us neglect stretching, doing it regularly can help you prevent injury, promote your flexibility, and maintain your range of motion; stretching also serves as a great relaxation tool. This week, make time in your fitness routine for stretching.

As we grow older, we tend to lose some flexibility, which makes us more likely to suffer an injury — 80 percent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. A stretching program can help prevent common injuries and improve overall flexibility; one study showed that people who stretched for 30 seconds per muscle group each day increased their range of motion significantly in just a few weeks.

Taking just a few minutes to stretch several times a week can pay off in the way you feel throughout the day. Perform simple stretches for the various muscle groups in your arms (triceps, biceps, shoulders), legs (hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, inner thighs), and even your chest and neck.

It's best to stretch after you warm up or after you've finished your exercise — it's easier and more effective to stretch with warmed, loose muscles. Stretching when your muscles are cold and stiff, however, may make an injury more likely. One easy way to incorporate stretching into your routine is to make it part of your cooldown.

Mountain Wings: Not Just Another Mother

MountainWings       A MountainWings Moment
#2015          Wings Over The Mountains of Life
------------------------------

Not Just Another Mother
========================

A few months ago when I was picking up the children at school, another mother I knew well rushed up to me. Emily was fuming with indignation.

"Do you know what you and I are?" she demanded.

Before I could answer, and I didn't really have one handy, she blurted out the reason for her question.

It seemed she had just returned from renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office.  Asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation, Emily had hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "Do you have a job, or are you just a .....?"

"Of course I have a job," snapped Emily.

"I'm a mother."

"We don't list 'mother' as an occupation...'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall.

The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient, and possessed of a high-sounding title like official Interrogator or Town Registrar.

"And what is your occupation?" she probed.

What made me say it, I don't know.  The words simply popped out.

"I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."

The clerk paused, ball-point pen frozen in midair, and looked up as though she had not heard right.

I repeated the title slowly, emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pompous pronouncement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.

"Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?"

Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't) in the laboratory and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out).

I'm working for my Masters (the whole darned family) and already have four credits (all daughters)."

"Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?) and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it).  But the job is more challenging than most run-of-the-mill careers and the rewards are in satisfaction rather than just money."

There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door.

As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants - ages 13, 7, and 3.

Upstairs, I could hear our new experimental model (6 months) in the child-development program testing out a new vocal pattern.

I felt triumphant!

I had scored a beat on bureaucracy!  I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mother."

Motherhood...what a glorious career. Especially when there's a title on the door.

Send this to another Mother you know. Whether a stay-at-home Mom or a career Mom, we should all carry this title.


~Author Unknown~

Thank you for inviting MountainWings in your mailbox.
See you tomorrow.

Send this to a mother today:
http://www.mountainwings.com/past/2015.htm

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