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Goals – World Cup Soccer edition

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One word comes to mind this time of year…

GOAL!!!!

That’s right! It’s World Cup Soccer time! Or should that be Futbol? I’m going with Soccer :)

ESPN’s ratings drop significantly this time of year in the South and if they would just say “up next in Futbol…” more American Football guys would stick around… Lots of reasons for the traditional drop:

  • Football, the American version, is still over two months away.
  • The Spurs took the title from the Heat
  • The Kings dominated the Rangers
  • The US Open (golf) is over
  • MLB is just boring to watch on TV
  • The World Cup is the best thing going….seriously!

Whatever your sport of choice, the World Cup draws more fans each year. And soccer continues to become more popular throughout the US. With soccer in mind, let’s talk about… GOALS!

Goal Setting

Like any project, break down any goal whether it is [Read more…]

Normal Sized

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So what is “Normal Sized” or “Average?”

Mekayla Diehl

Mekayla Diehl is “Normal”

No, you idiots, I’m talking about people’s body size / shape / figure / muscle / fitness here in the United States…

More specifically, I keep hearing about Mekayla Diehl and her recent beauty pageant ‘win…’, and trust me, it is a win!

There are only two times when I recall anyone talking about a beauty pageant:

  1. When Miss Teen South Carolina’s video went viral for her botched answer to “why 1/5 of Americans can’t locate the United States on a world map”.
  2. When Miss Indiana, Mekayla Diehl, sported a bikini in front of the world viewing audience with a less than perfect flattering figure by recent competition standards.

Despite being eliminated prior to the top 10, most mainstream media outlets including Twitter @RealMissINUSA @stephwatson_91, @terraj21 and others saw a frenzy of activity with overwhelming applause for Mekayla’s so called “normal” body. No doubt about it, she was confident in her own skin and owned the moment.

Most comments thank her for not being a bag of bones, loving the ‘healthy’ life and representing the “Average” or “Normal” woman.

Where I have a problem, and the newscaster agrees, is that [Read more…]

Visualize the Change

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When you look at a picture of yourself, what body part(s) do you need to work on the most?

Notice I mentioned viewing a picture, not looking in the mirror. Why?
Most guys can look in any mirror and think…heck yea! Looking good!

On the other hand, when we see a picture of ourselves we have quite the different opinion.
Ever heard the phrase that a camera adds 10 lbs? I think our brains actually remove 10 lbs when looking in a mirror.
When you view a photo or video of yourself perception leaves the room and reality steps in with a thundering slam!

Visualization tools for a great male body

Visualization tools for a great female body

Why not use that mind trick to get some results?

What if you could visualize yourself with a ripped 6 pack, massive chest, back, legs or arms?

Try these out and see what you think:

Arnold Schwarzenegger FaceInHole.com

Jay Cutler FaceInHole.com

Search “Strong Woman” on FaceInHole.com

Simply select a person who has achieved what you believe to be the ultimate [Read more…]

Getting Dirty and Fit

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You know you’re dirty minded… and fitness minded… admit it! :)

Everybody wants to get dirty and call it fitness!

In years past most of the 30 to 40-ish population were 5k weekend warriors. To satisfy the increasing number of people who wanted to participate there were 5k’s popping up everywhere. Schools, clubs, memorials, fundraisers, teams and more got in on the trend and you can run any number of 5k’s ANY Saturday you want.

Tough Mudder woman racingMore recently there have been little tweaks to the normal 5k and races to get people excited about participating and to separate one 5k from another. Very successful. Especially one type of race has set itself apart – who knows why… The fitness marketing gurus identified a potential for revenue in the market and we’ve all seen this trend explode in a few years…

Dirty Minded Fitness Freaks

I’m referring about Dirty Events!

Recipe for making ‘dirty’ money:

  1. Determine your desired level of fitness event
  2. Add friends, work groups, families…
  3. Sprinkle in some method of getting dirty (color, mud, foam)
  4. Add a bunch of photos that can be posted on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
  5. Charge $50-$100 to enter

Voila! A ‘new’, ‘fun’, ‘different’ way to do a 5k or half marathon… but it is more than that because now you pull in not only the cardio freaks, but the muscle heads and divergents like CrossFit and Extreme type people. This recipe has proven to be a [Read more…]

Easter Eggs – The Chicken or the Egg

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As we approach Easter weekend and what has become another huge “Candy Holiday”, take a few seconds to think about what you are going to consume…

The Chicken or the Egg

Did you immediately think of chicken eggs or one of the tasty Cadbury Creme Eggs versions or perhaps a huge chocolate egg shell?

Seriously?  If you thought about chicken eggs and the tragedy that is the wasted protein and GAINZ that are being lost in the grass and leaves you can stop reading now… You are good.

Otherwise, read on.

I have yet to meet an overweight person who [Read more…]

Give up Good and Go for Great

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Like most 40-ish guys, you work/live in an environment where there is always a random candy dish – at home, in a lobby, or possibly even on your desk.

It’s Just 1 tiny M&M

M&M candy jarAs I walked past the candy dish in our house last night, I reached in for an M&M just like hundreds of times before, maybe thousands. And like most ‘junk’ food, who can stop with just one tiny M&M? No thought or plan or even malicious intent – just habit.

After a few had “melted in my mouth and not my hands“, I saw an email from Not So Average Joe inquiring on tomorrow’s workout. I responded with the norm and then mentioned… oh yeah, need to start with a mile on the treadmill to burn off some chocolate candy.

That got me thinking… How far would I need to run to burn off those bad choices?

Imagine if you did eat just one…

What amount of exercise would it take to burn those calories?

After a little research, I will never look at some foods in the same way. Ever.

Warning!!!
If you enjoy junk food and don’t want [Read more…]

The World’s Smallest Violin

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Not sure if they still make these instruments

You have most likely heard the phrase, or perhaps seen someone make a gesture as if they are playing a tiny violin.

Well, I had to pull mine out and tune it up today!

In case you are not 40-ish and are too young to know what I am referring to, here is the standard situation you might use your tiny violin:

You have two people talking and one of them is not at all impressed with the other person’s story and really considers it whining or complaining. The listener begins rubbing his thumb and forefinger together near his ear and often asks “Do you hear that” or “do you know what I am doing? I’m playing the world’s tiniest violin and a sad song for you!”

There is a time for everything. Usually.

No, I am not referring to Ecclesiastes 3 which spells out a time and place for everything… that is for another post.

For the 40-ish crowd, if you don’t read the bible, you might recall Ecclesiastes 3 from Kevin Bacon’s plea to the schoolboard:

The gym is not the time and place to whine and complain about your life to others, especially guys. Even more specifically, your workout partners… No, not even if they are [Read more…]

Be the hammer and the nail?

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It’s not about the nail

For most guys, life’s little bumps seem easy… give us an issue, complaint, or obstacle and most of us will quickly change into “solution man“.

I’ve noticed that most guys can come up with a solution to just about any dilemma, and for some reason, most gals don’t always want that as you can see in this classic ‘That Guy’ video.

Be the Hammer?

What if we applied our solution generating powers to our own personal lives and fitness situations?

What if we looked at ourselves with the detached, objective perspective and analysis we have when solving problems for others?

Then, what if we actually listened to our internal hammer/self assessment and took the necessary steps to [Read more…]

How to Fight Gravity

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Gravity

While running on the hamster wheel in our gyms cardio theater, I was able to pass some time watching the movie Gravity.

I’m sure the movie won a bunch of Oscar awards… personally I don’t care.

40-ish Women Rock

I did notice that Sandra Bullock showed the world how a 40-ish female can alter her [Read more…]

Cross Fit Guy vs Power Lifter (or the Battle of the Bulge)

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Battle of the Bulge

Anyone who has spent time in the gym has heard the expression, “Go heavy or go home.“
After all, as any red blooded 40-ish knows, if a little is good for you then a lot must be great!

 

The Power Lifter

Years of heavy lifting has been awesome!  Stronger than most men regardless of age and what a great feeling when you throw around some weight and hit new goals…

After 20+ years of lifting and exercising and now that I am 40ish, I’m beginning to see a perspective change. Actually, it reminds me of a commercial we (Gym Rats) often laugh about. Maybe it hits too close to home…

If you could be anyone…?

Who garners respect in the gym? The massive power lifter or the cross fitter/runner guy?

Of course, the one who’s [Read more…]