Soo….a little bit of an update on the weight loss front.

Figure I haven’t done one of those in awhile. Sara and I started doing daily walks in the morning, to attempt to jump start my weight loss from this prolonged plateau, but so far no luck. Still 515 pounds, but I’m still having people tell me I’m slimming. So it’s not all bad, just annoying.

I have been seeing some Training Mask around the internet recently, and seeing how fat is expelled from the body as carbon dioxide, I thought I’d check it out.

I’ve only had the thing one day, but I can tell you that I think it works and very effectively. Being a bigger guy, I have tons of people that try to talk to me about losing weight. They all say the same thing, Walk! And while I completely agree it is the best method to lose weight, when you’re a quarter ton and struggling with each step, not the best advice to give. I don’t have a problem walking, (other than it’s boring to me) but when I do, I struggle to breathe. The pain hurts, and is a major part of why I continue to struggle, but when I’m gasping for air it’s hard to keep walking even when I want to.

I struggled for a way to explain this before, but once I opened their instruction booklet and started to read, I found a passage that explains it perfectly.

The booklet says “The best example of this is a person running for the first time in three years. They start off fine, their breathing isn’t labored. But, before long, they start breathing deeper and faster, and for a short time this works. Once they get halfway down the block, they notice they are breathing faster and shallower, and despite the fact they are breathing faster, they notice they are short of air, winded so to speak. Their legs start to burn, their back gets tight, they start to slow down, and then those beloved side cramps kick in.”

Now, I don’t know about you, but this explains my excistence. I go to take a walk, and before I reach the end of the block, I’m just find myself falling apart. I’m hoping to keep a running update on this, as I use it longer, and continue to walk with Sara. Hopefully I won’t forget about updating it. (Like I did with the Kombucha! Love that stuff, but it’s not an everyday thing anymore. Maybe once a week.)

ADDED BONUS: Something I didn’t consider when I purchased it though, it is a breathing trainer. I meditate on a regular basis, and have for years, but even to this day I struggle sometimes to master my breathing. This helps with that. It forces you to slow down your breathing, making for a nice even inhale and a nice smooth exhale. I used it when I meditated this morning, and now my stomach burns like I’ve been doing sit ups. So not only will it help strengthen your lungs and diaphragm, it will teach you how to breath properly for meditation.

I know I’ve only had it a day, but so far I would happily recommend it to people looking to improve their breathing capabilities. You WILL notice it the first day.

Cruisin through books ’cause books make life worth livin’ with Aly #RileyAmosReviews, 5/7/2015 ARC part!

Bruja by Aileen Erin

Well, I have not read any other books from this series.  I can say I liked this book.  I will check into the rest of the books in this series.  I like the characters Cloud and Lucas and I like the story line.  Being that I have not read the series and this was my first book from this author, in the beginning I was a little lost but once I caught on it was a good book.  I love to read about witches!  * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*  4/5

#SupportIndieAuthors, #SupportOurTroops edition!

My new friend today is a man with some military time under his belt. Hope he’s raising his kids right, teaching them the discipline and training that I ignored from my own father(Except for how to be a smartass…that lesson stuck.) Anyways guys, I give to you Tom Mykytiuk.

The Beaten Zone:

“In May of 1943, German paratroops attack the small Bosnian town of Drvar, hunting the Yugoslav general, Josep Brez Tito.  But, as leutnant Willie Moltke discovers, there is more hidden in Drvar than the partisan commander. 54 years later, Rena Moore, the granddaughter of British secret agent Captain Simon Moore is on a quest to fulfill her dying grandfather’s wish to return a religious artifact, looted by the Nazis during WWII, toits rightful guardians. Rena enlists the aid of marine salvage operator and part time security consultant Cole Samson.  They become trapped in a deadly mix of political and criminal intrigue orchestrated by themysterious Tibor. Old enemies clash when Moltke returns to claim the prize that slipped through his fingers during the battle for Drvar.”

Bio. Tom Mykytiuk has been a career infantry officer in the Canadian Army for the past 25 years. In December 2014, he swapped his “sword” for a “pen” and took up writing full time. He includes John Le Carre, Steven King, and Nikos Kazantikus among his literary influences. He enjoys writing about his favorite people-soldiers and ex soldiers, and his personal experiences often find their way into his novels. He admits to dabbling in short stories, but his major works are thrillers with a historical theme. He currently lives on the outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria, with his family.

http://tnmmykytiukwriter.blogspot.ca/

https://www.amazon.com/author/tommykytiuk

https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NJSEJ6G

1. What do you do to keep your spirits up after a bad review? I am still wating for one. It sounds presumptuous but I have only got about 4 reviews so far and they have been good. If I get a bad one, I’ll just shake it off.  If the reviews are consistently poor, then it indicates a real problem with the story that needs to be fixed.
2. What has been your greatest inspiration for writing your story? My experiences in the military and a desire to write that I have had since elementary school. As well, I have received so much satisfaction from reading  good authors, I wanted to pay it forward as best I can with a story that people will enjoy.
3. Any people deserve a shout out for supporting you? My family ( my wife Brenda and kids Veronica(12) and Michael (10)) for giving me the mental and emotional space to do this and  my friend and  fellow author Rick Turner who has mentored me along the self-publishing route.
4. Has self-publishing taught you any lessons that you feel will help you in life? Just keep pounding away.  Book sales are as much about marketing as writng and even if your work is not a best seller, doesn’t mean its trash.
5. What’s your favorite color? Green.

Remember, if you’d like to be featured in the #SupportIndieAuthor series, please drop me a line at RileyAmosReviews (@) Gmail (Dot) com. Until next week, keep writing!

And don’t forget to check out my Breath Of the Titans: The False Titanbriger series.
*FREE* Little Black Stormcloud
A Mother’s Love
War of the Chiefs

A Space to Write

I need to get one of these.

Myths of the Mirror

Spring has arrived in the mountains. It’s always a couple weeks later than down in the valley, and though the mornings are still frosty, the leaves have unfurled, and the dogwood wears its white petals. I’ve filled the hummingbird feeders and opened the windows to capture the afternoon sun.

And my writer’s room beckons.

In 1929, Virginia Woolf wrote that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.”

Well, that money thing would be convenient, wouldn’t it? Yet, it’s not a prerequisite for writing in my mind. Time strikes me as the rarer commodity.

But what about that room of her (or his) own, that “must” for the imagination to bloom?  A sacred space of quiet and solitude without the common daily distractions of television, movies, and videogames? A space where a writer can shut the door?

When I moved to…

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