Abortion does NOT cause psychological distress, or “post-abortion syndrome.” Efforts to show it does occur appear to be politically motivated, according to U.S. researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. “The best quality studies indicate no significant differences in long-term mental health between women in the United States who choose to terminate a pregnancy and those who do not,” they wrote. From fwhc.org (more links below)

This is just a random video I felt compelled to make after the last article I posted. People put their lives at risk, go out of their way, give up their time; all to help other human beings, other women, get through what society tries to make them feel guilty over: Abortion.

Thank you… to the doctors, to the fundraisers, to the donators, to the true friend(s), to the staff, to the volunteers, to those who stay up all night to answer phone calls of nervous women who know the right answer and just need a bit of reassurance and kindness.

So, here is my video of gratitude, I suppose… With me giving what I hope will stand as reminders to any and all other women who have had or are going to have an abortion that they are not evil, or bad. I know the likelihood the woman I spoke to the night before mine will see this is pretty slim… But I do hope that if you are any of the things listed above, anyone who offers love and support to women during, before, and/or after the abortion… This thank you is to you as well. It’s not much but, it is from the bottom of my heart…

Some Resources (I will Add to This):

Hmm… Do you… need to talk to someone who won’t judge you? Click HERE

http://www.afterabortion.com/crisis.html This is the main webpage for the above link as well as the first site you will visit to access the next link lol, this place is so very special to me because the women there make it that way. This site isn’t the message boards, but has tons of information and definitely is an excellent resource

http://www.passboards.org – The absolute best place for women who’ve had abortion. Safe, no politics, no religion, no anti-choicers, and it’s about you! You and what YOU have been through; about HEALING- and for those who don’t need healing but simply are just looking for people who understand and to network with others who have had abortions this place is PERFECT.

I love this website, the women here are amazing, you will get nothing but kindness, not one mean word no matter what your situation or how bad or how good you feel; you will be met with others who have been there, and you will be welcomed with KINDNESS.

This one is excellent in general, but on this site you can look and see if your state covers abortion. If not, do not fear, hope is not lost. Check out below links and make connections It will work out.

CAIR Project – Community Abortion Information and Resources – call this 800 number to find a clinic or find money to help pay for an abortion. 888-644-CAIR (800-644-2247)

National Abortion Federation – clinics in the USA and Canada abiding by standards governing quality of care. National Abortion Federation operates a toll free hotline at 800-772-9100 in the US and 800-424-2280 in Canada.

National Network of Abortion Funds – A national network of local groups who help women pay for and travel to abortion services in the USA.

find more feminist abortion clinics

IamDrTiller.com is living testimony to the courageous lives of abortion providers, activists and the women who have experienced abortion first-hand.

Feminist Abortion Network – feminist clinics across the USA

Watch out for Fake Abortion Clinics – Beware! Learn the difference between a real clinic and a religious group offering free pregnancy tests and counseling. Fake clinics are named Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Birthright, and Pregnancy Aid.

Some of the writing and sites taken from a list on THIS site -They provide MANY more resources that are helpful, I highly suggest checking the site out

Donations for Abortions

Call 1-800-Abortion to speak with one of our “Live” Hotline Representatives, who are available 24 hours a day. She will be able to assist you with questions regarding the procedure, help you locate a private physician or clinic in your area and can schedule an appointment with a provider near you.

If there are any that have helped you that I’ve not added, please share in a comment

A lot of girls will have an “exercise routine” that revolves entirely around running, the elliptical, and some ab exercises. This sounds great, but there is a tiny problem: none of these exercises really build muscle. Sure, running builds up calves and hip flexors, but they are small muscles. The elliptical definitely stresses many of the leg muscles, and even the arms (if you want to consider the arm handles on the machine), but it is such low resistance that it won’t build hardly any muscle at all. Finally, the ab workouts most women do are super high rep cardio-fests that don’t build any muscle size either.

I know what you’re thinking: “I don’t want to get big bulky muscles”. Now let’s forget that, and think some things through. Firstly, what happens when you do these cardio workouts? Well, you burn some calories. Yes, I have heard that cardio boosts your metabolism, blah blah blah. But let’s also consider the common idea in the bodybuilding world to be careful of doing too much running, because it burns muscle mass. See where I’m getting at? When a girl does cardio, without any muscle building activities, she loses muscle mass, causing her metabolism to decline even further.

Fat does not burn fat. Bones do not burn fat. Muscles burn fat! Therefore, the more muscle mass you have, the more fat you’ll be burning when you’re sitting on the couch and thinking how much you hate running.

Bulky Muscles?

You simply can not look like this by accident. It takes decades of focused effort; stop worrying that it will happen to you “by accident”.  Source: bodybuilding.com

Well, ladies, I promise you that you won’t have huge muscles when you start doing strength training. You won’t start to look like Iris Kyle. How do I know this? I know this because it is very well known that top-level female bodybuilders use huge amounts of steroids. There is no denying it. Google it if you don’t believe me. The female figure simply doesn’t look like that naturally; it doesn’t have the hormone capacity to carry that much muscle mass with that level of leanness.

Let’s pretend that, for a moment, females have the potential to look like Iris without steroids. Let’s assume that males and female have the same hormonal profile. How many guys do you see on a daily basis that actually are big and muscular? Not many. There are countless guys in gyms that are desperately trying to not be scrawny and small, and that have huge amounts of trouble gaining muscle mass. So as a girl, stop worrying that you will suddenly get huge and bulky. You won’t. Unless you want to.

The wonderful (and sometimes horrible) thing about muscles is that they don’t just start growing by magic and continue to grow out of control. If you decide that your legs are getting bigger than you want, all you have to do is lift less weight or do fewer total reps. That’s it. Yes, if you start squatting, with the goal of squatting as heavy as possible, your legs will start to get bigger. But if you want them smaller, all you have to do is to squat with lighter weights, or do lower repetition sets.

Marzia Prince, IFBB bikini pro, fitness competitor, fitness supermodel. Yes, she lifts weights. But no, she doesn’t have bulky muscles. Source: gasparinutrition.com

Marzia Prince, professional bikini competitor who weighs in at 127 (contest)-137 (offseason) at a height of 5 feet, 9 inches, describes her favorite exercises as “squats, deadlifts, sprints, and bicep curls” (source). She even states on the bio section of her website: “Specializing in women’s training, she women overcome many common training myths. One popular training myth is that they will get “big” if they train with weights. She helps them understand how to train, use the right supplements, and eat the proper nutrition to get their best body ever.”  Moral of the story: stop worrying about getting huge because you lift.

Where to start

Honestly, if you are a woman who hasn’t strength trained before, you are very lucky, because you don’t need much equipment to start. You can start with basic bodyweight exercises and a light (10-50 pound) dumbbell, which will last you for quite a while if you hate the idea of getting a gym membership. You can even go a long way without a dumbbell. Don’t waste your time with isolation movements like dumbbell curls and tricep extensions. Start with big, compound exercises:

Pushups*-start pushing against a wall, progress to leaning against a counter, then progress to pushing on your knees, then start doing full pushups. When you can do 3 sets of 20-40, you can move to the next progression.

Chinups-start with negatives, where you jump up and lower yourself as slowly as you can. When you can do 3 sets of 20 negatives, start doing full pull-ups.

Leg raises*-start lying on the ground, and progress to hanging on a bar.

Squats*-Do them. Try to progress towards doing one legged-ones. If you have a dumbbell, do goblet squats.

Back Extensions-the easiest way to do these is called the “superman”. Lay down on your stomach, and raise your arms and legs at the same time. Hold for a second, and lower. Do lots of these.

Rows: If you have a dumbbell, do these, one arm at a time, the other arm leaning against a chair or low object.

*See the book called Convict Conditioning for more detailed progressions of these.

Once you are used to the back extensions and bodyweight squats, you are ready to learn to do weighted (barbell) squats and deadlifts, if you want. You can stay with the bodyweight versions, and probably look pretty good, if you keep doing them and progressing to harder variations, or even maintaining what you’ve been doing. If you do decide to do the weighted deadlifts and squats, they will be your backbone of lower-body work. You can also do lunges instead of squats if you want. While almost any rep and set scheme will work, start with higher (12-15+) reps so you’ll use a weight that isn’t too heavy.

Don’t worry about the pull-ups; they will get easier as you practice them. Especially if you are like most women, and just want to have arms that are “toned” and “firm”, pull-ups and pushups will probably be all you need to do that. However, if you want more than that, don’t be afraid to try bench pressing. I simply didn’t put it in there because many girls are loathe to do it.

I’m not going into a detailed explanation of form, but I will say that it is very important. You might as well not lift if you’re doing it wrong. To learn form, your best bet is to have a strength coach teach you the right way (not a gym personal trainer, but an actual strength coach for an athletics team). If that isn’t available, watch youtube videos that demonstrate the form. Read about the form. Practice with light weights, making sure your form is perfect before you put on more weights. I recommended the back extensions because they will teach you to properly arch your back on deadlifts, which will prevent injury. Form and longevity are key.

Last Words:

Remember, this is just a general guide to starting, and an effort to explain why strength training can be beneficial for women. It is, by no means, an exhaustive end-all-be-all expert program for women. If you are looking for women that know their stuff and look great, you’d be pretty safe looking for the routines of most fitness competitors and bikini pros. However, your best bet would be checking out the blogs of women who do it. A few that I’d recommend are:

Tae Rae’s Fitness and Nutrition: http://tayraesfitnessandhealth.blogspot.com

Munchies, Muscles, and Mischief: http://fortheloveofcookies.wordpress.com/

Alli McKee Fitness, Exercise and Nutrition Blog: http://allimckee.com/

Gubernatrix: The Joy of Strength Training: http://gubernatrix.co.uk/

Cassandra Forsythe: Female Fitness and Nutrition Scientist:http://cassandraforsythe.com/

Ladies, I hope this helped. Get out there and get awesome!

Source: simplyshredded.com

http://littlepinkbook.com/little-pink-book/career/dont-ask-tell

http://littlepinkbook.com/little-pink-book/career/what-sets-you-free

Enjoy!

http://littlepinkbook.com/little-pink-book/career/women-not-on-boards

http://www.littlepinkbook.com

What is your profession?

How long have you been a member of the Center for Women? Two years.

What inspired you to become a member? It’s a great way to connect with other women in the Charleston area and have access to resources.

What kind of impact has the Center for Women had on you? It’s been a great referral source for me.  I have friends who have either been looking for jobs or who benefit from the various support groups available.  I’m glad I have a place to refer them.

How has living day-to-day as a woman affected you? A challenge is occasionally finding myself in a “good-old-boys” environment when the “girl” is good for taking notes and getting coffee.  Fortunately, I can generally let that go because I know what I’m capable of doing and what my accomplishments are.

What kind of message would you like to send out to women who are trying to succeed in today’s economy? Don’t give up.  If you’re having trouble finding a job, consider volunteering or look for a position outside of your field.  You may discover a new passion in the process and you’ll make connections that can lead to something more.

1. Write a proposal for replicating a bag-making business.
2. Reformatting the data entry system and data entry process.
3. Develop new materials to track staff performance.
4. Identify new board members and make recommendations for developing the Board of Directors.
5. Write a packet for next year’s Sandbox fellow.
6. Help with fund raising.
7. Etc.

Proudly, I can state that every item is either completed, or nearly completed. With the help of others, somehow, my work over the last few months has defied odds and moved quickly, in an inherently slow-paced environment.

-  Board member is using the bag proposal to obtain seed funding.

-  I created 4 new forms: (1) application form, (2) house visit form, (3) approval form and (4) follow-up form. All of which received praise from the Board’s secretary and are currently being tested for final revisions. I am also overseeing the consultant we hired to create a data base that works with these new forms. I just saw the first draft and it looks great!

-  The staff tracking form I created will work hand-in-hand with the new data base and allow staff to easily gather numbers on key indicators on a monthly basis. Management will now be able to monitor staff’s performance and progress.

-  Earlier this week I worked with the Board’s secretary and we are transitioning 4 members off the Board and yesterday, we invited one new member on. I also wrote a Recruitment Policy and Recruitment Packet that includes template documents to make inviting new members an easy process.

-  5 Northeastern University students who volunteered at RAPID a few months back have agreed to do a fund raiser for RAPID on their college campus. I am also applying for a $5,000 award, the proceeds of which would be given to RAPID. I also wrote a proposal to fund the printing costs of the Directory/Manual of Resources for Women that I started writing about 8 months back. In total, I received Rs. 7,000/- (thanks to Canara Bank and KVG Bank) that will cover about 50% of the cost.

-  Last, but not least, the Manual/Directory of Resources for Women that I began oh-so-long ago, is in the final stages of being translated. And, minutes ago, I received the much-anticipated forward letter that I requested the District Commissioner to write. He agreed, and wrote a lovely letter that will be on the first page of the directory.

~Mari

One thing you should know about me is that I am a faithful list maker.  I make a daily list every day and keep a short-term list and a long-term list.  I have lists for my business AND my personal life.  Sometimes the personal and business lists get combined in to one daily master list but the short-term and long-term lists don’t often co-mingle.  Of course there are always exceptions.   

I usually get through about 1/3-1/2 of my daily list so subsequently things get pushed to the list for the next day.  Naturally, new things get added every day which shift things from my daily list to my short-term list or eventually my long-term list. 

What I find rather mind-blowing is that despite feeling behind most of the time the things on my long-term list somehow get done.  They not only get done, but they get done by the target point without me really being conscious of it along the way.  I became aware of this phenomenon recently when reviewing my 5-year long-term list.  I was surprised to see that I’ve accomplished most of the things on the list within the target year.   

I’m very organized and task oriented by nature which is odd (generally speaking) for an artistic person.  Despite my task oriented and rather compulsive manner, I’ve learned that I simply can not get everything done immediately.  This used to drive me nuts!!!  I’ve recently come to realize that getting stressed out does not help.  What helps is to let go of that frantic feeling and go with the flow knowing everything will get done eventually.  

So what if I don’t get through my list today - there is always tomorrow.   Don’t get me wrong, I work hard (always have) but I just don’t let myself get all worked up over things that I can’t control like being interrupted throughout the day by my little boy, my puppy, unexpected phone calls, little emergencies, etc. 

What brought me to this particular topic of “new directions” is my new puppy Riley.  For some reason I feel the need to craft a beautiful beaded show collar for little Riley.  Did I ever expect to make dog necklaces/show collars?  No.  Do I expect that anyone else will want one for their pet once they see mine?  Who knows.   In any case, this is a new direction for me and I put it on my short-term list. 

This new direction is a good example of having to go with the flow.  I already have a sizeable short-term list of things I want and need to do for my business so for now Riley’s collar will have to wait. 

To sum up, new ideas and new directions are good things.  They keep your mind exercised and your days filled with great possibilities.  Don’t get caught up in the how and when.  Just relax and make note if you don’t have time to get to it right away and know you will eventually get to it.  

For today, dog collars are NOT on my daily list.  Spring is here and ankle bracelets ARE so I’m off to create some new pieces.  I’m excited about the warm weather and the new directions the change of season will bring me.

The ankle bracelets below were created last season as a result of client requests.  Check my website www.makanajewelry.com frequently over the next few months to see tons of new pieces.

SCORE “Counselors to America’s Small Business” is a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide.  SCORE offers free and confidential advice to small businesses through face-to-face counseling, online counseling, workshops and more.  SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).  http://www.score.org/index.html 

Ladies Who Launch – Entrepreneurship & creativity as a lifestyle.  Ladies Who Launch is the first new media company to provide resources and connections for women entrepreneurs.  The Ladies Who Launch mission is to make entrepreneurship accessible to any woman with a project, dream or aspiration to start her own business and be successful.  It is our hope that women will come to Ladies Who Launch and take advantage of our trusted community, tools, resources and success stories and live their dreams. http://www.ladieswholaunch.com/

NJAWBO – New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners. ”Money, Power, Position…Women changing the landscape of business.”  NJAWBO is the oldest statewide women business owners’ organization in the United States.  Its primary objective is to support and encourage business ownership by women.  Since 1978, NJAWBO has helped women achieve their business visions by providing them with the tools to develop and grow their enterprises.  http://www.njawbo.org/site/c.8nJDKONuFqG/b.1045035/