Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 10:26PM I like free stuff. Most people do. So who are we to NOT indulge mankind's desire to get a little something for nothing?
Entering is easy - just leave a comment (or two, or three) and you give yourself a chance (or two, or three) to win this month's drawing.
Take a look at the Giveaway Page for more details.
Be well!
Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 08:45PM We decided early this morning to go ahead and take in some of the last weekend of the State Fair. We ate a good breakfast (an omelet with mushrooms, leaf spinach, and feta cheese) and hit the road for the hour and a half drive to Raleigh.
One thing that immediately strikes me about the fair is that there are a LOT of food vendors there, and almost ALL of them have lines of people in front of them. Here's a short rundown of the offerings at this year's fair:
This isn't exactly fare fit for human consumption. Anything deep-fried should be avoided, but start throwing high-glucose items into a deep-fat fryer isn't heart healthy or belly friendly. Turkey legs are the fatty part of the turkey, and the ones at the fair looked like they weighed at least a pound each.
Regarding that last item: the last time I had funnel cake, I had a serious sugar reaction that made me shake like a leaf, and I literally had a sugar hangover the following morning. I told my wife that if she ever saw me standing in line for another funnel cake, she has permission hit me in the face a few times to remind me of just how stupid eating funnel cake is.
The good news is that the fair only comes once a year for a week and a half, so people aren't eating this kind of stuff year-round. The bad new is that it doesn't appear to matter how often the fair comes to town - there were a LOT of big people ambling around the fairgrounds. Business runs on supply and demand; if people didn't 'demand' the kind of food (in such abundance, no less) that is found at the fair, there wouldn't be so many food vendors there to provide it. People are obviously anxious for this kind of food, evidenced by the fact that they wait in long lines to spend obscene amounts of money for food that could literally kill them.
After surviving the food vendors intact, we wandered into the commercial vendors building. There were many interesting things to see in this area, including many "weight loss" pills and drinks that will "melt off fat" without exercise. I even had one overweight vendor tell me that he's "lazy" and doesn't want to exercise (but he can do 5oz curls of his energy supplement). He proudly unbuckled his belt and showed me just how many notches he's changed on his belt since August. His also-overweight wife has "lost 32 pounds since June."
My thoughts on all this are simple: got pictures? I'll believe what you SHOW me not what you tell me. (Check out my pictures!) I told the friendly smiling girl in the booth that I'd check out their website (and I will). However, I opted not to spend $3.50 for a 5-hour energy supplement. I can go for a run and eat some decent food to achieve a better (and less expensive) result.
While we were in the vending area, I talked to a lady who told us she had just taken up running and had signed up for her first run for charity. I offered her my card (for this website, of course) and she appeared excited to receive it. I also saw an old college dorm-mate (he lived across the hall from me in college). I gave him my card, too. Just doing what I can to help people.
During a break in the rain, I attacked the pullup bar at the Marine Corps tent. It appears that I've been doing my pullups a bit wrong. They want lock-out at the bottom; I've been leaving my arms bent slightly at the bottom of the exercise. I did 10 pullups total with the last 7 being full-range. Full-range pullups require a bit more effort than anticipated, so I didn't pull as many reps as I wanted. No biggie. I'll just do better next year. The nice part (for me, anyway) is that there aren't a lot of 40-year-old people who can do 7 full-range pullups. Next year I will do more.
Overall, it was a fun day for us all. We saw a lot, enjoyed the sights (while dodging raindrops), and did some fun stuff. It's too bad we didn't have more time - we had to get back before Alice had to run off to work - or we would have done a lot more.
Now it's on to the next goal - single-digit body fat by me anniversary, which falls on December 18. I've got some work to do, but it's not an impossible goal. Tomorrow's workout is lower body: supersets of walking lunges and Belgian squats followed by leg presses and extensions. Killer!
Be well!
Friday, October 2, 2009 at 02:55PM Hello, readers! I'm just here to make you aware of a few things. Over in the recipes section, Alice has added a couple new recipes: one for Easy Turkey Chili and one for Easy Homemade Granola. There are also new entries in the Womens' blog, so give those a look as well!
I've written a blog on Sex, Libido and Training that extolls the virtues of keeping your self fit for the sake of sexual health. And with the cool fall weather in the air, it's nice to be able to start training in the great outdoors.
Give us a read. There's a TON of great information here that is all designed to help you be the best you ever!
Be well!
Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 08:20PM I've hit that improbable place where I know that I'm losing ground but feel like I'm unable to do what needs to be done. Lemme explain...
I love weight training. I love what it does for my body, I love the way it makes me feel, and I love what my muscles look like right after a hard training session. Just LOVE it! Problem is, I haven't been to the gym for weight training in just short of 2 weeks.
Don't get me wrong: I still work out 5 or so times a week, just now my workouts include long sessions in the karate dojo and morning runs (and the latter are fewer and further between than I'd like). The problem really boils down to time. I just don't have any. Monday through Friday sees me going non-stop from 7:50 (when I get to work) until 9:00-9:30 (after karate or teaching my night class). My gym barely opens early enough for me to do 25 minutes of cardio in the morning without being late for work, so I can't really do weight training in the morning (not that I prefer to do morning weights anyway, but that's another blog post). The hour between getting home from work and going to class/karate is filled with eating dinner and actually engaging in face-to-face communication with my wife.
I'm a victim of my own success!
There's a light on the horizon, however. In less than 2 weeks, I will take up a new job that cuts my commute down to about 5 minutes versus the 25-30 minutes I endure right now. The new job is literally around the corner from my gym, so it looks like I'll be able to leave work at about 3:30, arrive at the gym by 3:35, and be on my way home by 4:30. I can do that on Tuesdays and Thursdays with no problems.
So I've got to be patient a bit longer as I ride out the job-transition period. Then it's back to the iron!
Speaking of which, if you haven't read my latest blog entry, 5 Exercises for Fatastic Quads, you might want to give it a look. Your physique will thank you.
Be well!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 11:22PM Visitors might look at the blog counter next to recent months and conclude that there's nothing going on around here. Nothing could be further from the truth!!
Alice has posted several new articles:
I've just posted an article on High-intensity interval training - HIIT Workouts for Every Fitness Level. And if you haven't read my article on setting goals - well, you are just missing out on some life-changing stuff!
There will be more recipes, product reviews, and features coming in the weeks ahead - and very little of that content shows up in the blog counter! Don't let a number on the page be a deterrant to reading some fantastic information that will have you speeding down the road to great health!
Be well!