Irene Pastore

Cafe Chihuahua

November 5, 2015

Thanks to his owner, this little dog made one too many trips to Cafe Chihuahua, an imaginary name for humans who overfeed their dogs.

Overweight dogs are not healthy animals, and neither are people who overeat. Feeding your dog too much food may result in serious, and life-threatening health problems. Neither you or your dog enjoy veterinary visits. Take better care of your furry friend by feeding him properly.

The life expectancy of this breed is 15 or more years. Healthy Chihuahuas weigh between 4 to 6 pounds. When overfed, they balloon up to as much as 13 pounds.

Obesity causes problems to humans and animals alike. An overweight Chihuahua may develop arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and shortened lifespan.

Read more about the rise in animal obesity at these posts, Obesity Up In Cats, Dogs and Horses, and Doggie Calories.

National Oatmeal Day

October 29, 2015

No joke. I thought I was hearing things when I heard someone mention this. So I looked it up online, and there really is a National Oatmeal Day. It’s today, Thursday, October 29.

ONE MILLION BOWLS OF OATMEAL GIVEAWAY

National Oatmeal Day is promoted by Quaker Oats, the 140 year-old American company located in Chicago, Illinois. To celebrate the day, they’ll be giving away up to one million bowls of oatmeal throughout the country.

Aside from corporate brands, you can get oatmeal from your local health food market either packaged or bulk. A natural, packaged brand is Bob’s Red Mill. If you live near a Whole Foods Market, you can find oatmeal in the bulk section.

HOW TO USE OATMEAL

Oatmeal is used to make, pancakes, breads, cereals, cookies, cakes, breakfast squares, and smoothies.

Oatmeal is compatible with cinnamon, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges, apples, coconut, raisins, dates, maple syrup, honey, agave, cashews, almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, nut milks, whip cream, and whipped vegan cream.

World’s Most Dangerous Path Open for Hiking

April 13, 2015

***Known as the world’s most dangerous path, El Caminito del Rey, is newly restored and now open to the public.***

The King’s Little Pathway, is a walkway, located along the walls of a narrow gorge, in the village of El Chorro, near Malaga Spain. The path rises 328 feet above the river below, and is the site where 5 hikers plunged to their death between 1999 and 2000.

Comprised of board walks, forest paths, and walkways, and characterized by long distance, and steep slopes, the estimated time for the full 7.7 km (4.7 miles) length of the linear hike, is between 4 and 5 hours. In some sections the path is no more than a yard wide. El Caminito del Rey reopened in March 2015.

If you’re venturing out on this path, better be sure you know what you’re doing. Wear proper clothing and footwear, know the upcoming weather conditions, bring plenty of water, food, and first aid. And, never hike alone.

For more information on planning a trip to El Caminito, go to: www.caminitodelrey.info.

A Pilates Primer

April 2, 2015

A PILATES PRIMER A must-have for Pilates teachers, and practitioners. The Millennium Edition, is the complete works of Joseph H. Pilates.

This edition includes two books: Return To Life Through Contrology, originally published in 1945, and Your Health, first published in 1934.

Return To Life includes black and white photographs of Joseph Pilates at sixty years old, performing his entire original set of 34 mat exercises.

This book makes available in one volume all of his early 20th Century philosophies, principles, and theories about health and fitness. Each exercise is fully described, with Pilates original instructions.

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883, and died in New York City in 1967. He invented, and promoted his method of physical fitness, which he called Contrology.

Essentially teaching the Contrology method to dancers in his studio in New York, his method is now taught and practised worldwide, and is known as Pilates. The Millennium Edition is available in Kindle at Amazon, and in paperback at Barnes & Noble.

Everyday Athletes

March 21, 2015

You’re not the athletic type. You never went out for high school sports, don’t carry a tennis racquet, or Yoga mat. You may be under 35, or over 50. Weight rooms are not your thing, nor trampolines, or swinging a baseball bat. But yet, you qualify for the title “Everyday Athlete”. How is that?

You may need to rush to a meeting in a snowstorm, or hop over urban puddles on your way to catch a taxi. You may be carrying a cord of wood to fire up your wood burning stove. The activities of daily living, we take for granted, require strength, agility, fortitude, and stamina. Congratulations, you’ve earned the title, “Everyday Athlete”.

THE PROFILE OF AN EVERYDAY ATHLETE

– Stays slim. Knows that gluttony isn’t cool.

– Climbs stairs at work, instead of taking the elevator.

– Abides by the less driving rule.

– Rides a bicycle, or walks to work.

– Grabs an umbrella, and strides through the rain.

– Unafraid to slog through snow.

– Stays strong through blustery winds.

– Tackles tire changing, and wiping down a snowy windshield.

WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?

The Everyday Athlete knows the importance of strengthening the core muscles. That’s why they can fly over puddles, tackle snowstorms, zip up a flight of stairs, and never shrink from life’s difficult moments.

Copyright Irene Pastore and Tour de Core Personal Training

It Started With A Meatball

March 13, 2015

A Canine Adventure Story for For Animal Lovers

Team Peak Members and Arthur the Homeless Dog

A lonely, homeless, dog, followed a Swedish race team through water, rough terrain, and muck, after they took pity on him, and fed him Swedish meatballs, while on an endurance race in Ecuador.

The story received international attention, appearing in the Washington Post, NPR, The Daily Mail, The Telegraph, and the BBC, to name a few. The team named the dog Arthur, who is now a global celebrity.

The team traveled 430 miles in six days and six nights, using maps as their only guide. After two-thirds of their journey, they were adopted by Arthur.

Known as Team Peak Performance, they walked through Amazon rain forests, and kayaked through rivers. At first they hesitated about having the dog travel in a kayak, and decided to leave him. But the dog prevailed, after jumping into the water after them. They took him on board, where Arthur rode in one of the kayaks. The team came in 12th in the Adventure Racing World Championship.

Long story short. Happy ending. Arthur was adopted by one of the team members, Mikael Lindnord, and now lives in Sweden. Read more on the Team Peak Performance Facebook page, where there are plenty of photographs of the team, and their mascot, Arthur. A lucky dog.

Irene Pastore Fitness.com

Live Streaming Classes & Personal Training For Active Agers 55+

Author: Irene Pastore