I am an action DVD junkie. Seriously so, and if they have humor as well then so much the better. Now, I've been told to shed 40 pounds for my health and have already gotten off 10 (though I am in a plateau currently). Because our chain smoking condo neighbor moved out I can exercise decently again. YAY! I had missed moving iron around. (Having my asthma reduced and no longer having daily asthma attacks also means that I am able to use an additional glaucoma med which is so far working and hopefully will work long term for me.) Breathing is so good... How does this all fit in? Well, one of the best ways to shed fat is to exercise. It may well be the best way. So, I am keeping a food and exercise diary, watching my calories eaten, calories expended in exercise, and what I eat in fat grams, and protein grams. If I don't keep my protein grams high enough I won't add muscle mass and I tend to get sick then, too. I do know now that an assertion that the weight training magazines I read in the 1990s was wrong. Those repeatedly said that muscle is 8 times heavier than fat for the same volume. Nope. It is 15% heavier for the same volume according to some density numbers I found in reputable texts. 0.92 g/cm cubed for fat vs 1.056 g/cm cubed for muscle Steve has cracked two great jokes about me being naive on that score: He said that iron is about 8 times heavier than water (which is 1 in density) so that must be where the term "Iron Man" competition comes from. Then a little later he said, "It brings new meaning to calling someone "statuesque". Now I have embarrassed blushes for just accepting that for about a dozen years! Recently, I added the full series of Xena to my DVD collection. When I have trouble getting started exercising the things that always get me going are Conan (the original movie), Buffy (both the movie and the series), Cleopatra 2525, and of course Xena. HILBERT LOVES XENA! Hubble likes he show quite a bit, too, and some of the others also watch, but if he is out Hilbert will hear the theme music, come into the bedroom, and sit on the bed watching, so some of the time that is playing I have to avoid certain exercises until he is back in the ferret room behind the barrier for his safety's sake. Today I had that running while i went to use the bathroom. What did I find on my return? Hilbert had tucked his trunk under the covers and had his head on my pillow intently -- but in complete comfort -- watching the show. That ferret knows what he likes! Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html http://www.miamiferret.org/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html [Posted in FML 6322]