Live Longer, Train for Immortality
It’s 2012 and the world is moving faster and faster every day. These days people have access to more products and information than they know what to do with.
Here’s my suggestion: Live longer.
Sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it? People are already doing this without even reading Athleticka; crazy right? Within my life time (so far) the life expectancy in the United States have gone up 6 years. It’s gone up another 1-1.5yrs in Europe and Canada as well, and it’s going to continue to climb.
Great for us, bad for anyone banking on social security. Start your own retirement fund, don’t trust SS to ‘make it rain’ for you when you’re no longer working.
So who’s with me?! If you are, read below for my plan to live for ever.
Eating Healthy
Yes, this is the most obvious. Eating fast food and binge drinking is no way to live a long, healthy life. We all know people that do this, sadly too many of us do. This is one change that can make a massive impact on the less informed. So if you know someone who fits this model, please pass this link/info along to them and you could be adding 5+yrs to their lives then you can sit back and reminisce on it over a nice cold glass of Ensure.
Giving your body the best foods, at the right times, will ensure proper function. Simple right? Yes, it is. Easy to do? Yes, it is. Though, for people who don’t do this right now, it can be a tough transitional situation, and I understand that. In today’s society there are so many options for quick, fast and easy-to-obtain foods that make life much easier. It makes life easier in that you don’t have to stop, think and prepare. So going from the all-too-normal “wake up, leave, stop at a drive thru for breakfast and coffee” to “wake up, cook breakfast” can be a bit jarring. Though, 90% of these foods are not nearly optimal for good health and some are down right bad for you.
There are a few ways you can deal with this switch in life. You can plan ahead (set the alarm for 10-15min earlier and give yourself that one hour on the weekend to plan/prep), Create quick healthy meals (this one hour prep-time comes in handy here, or some fast shakes-to-go) or you can just “nut up” and deal with it. To each their own. I personally take that weekend time to get the majority of my foods prepped but also opt for a breakfast shake almost every day.
My Fast Morning Shake
Whey Protein, Fruit (banana or blueberries), Flax Powder and Almond Milk. Blend with ice, done. Protein, Healthy Fats and Fruit. Prep Time: 2min.
Immortal Eating Habits and Tips:
- Eat Breakfast. Waking up from 6+hrs of sleep (not eating) and missing a meal can be detrimental to your body and this adds up over time.
- Eat a ‘colorful’ diet. This means lots of fruits and veggies.
- Strive to drink mainly 0 calories liquids. Water, tea and the occasional ‘diet’ beverage are the key drinks here. With coffee, limit the creamer and use a 0-calories sweetener.
- Eat plenty of healthy fats and don’t gravitate towards “Fat Free and Low Fat” items.
- Fat Free and Low Fat items typically are processed more and have more additives.
- Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated are the ones you want.
- Limit grain-source carbohydrates. Adopting a low-gluten or even a gluten-free diet would only benefit the populace. (The biggest thing I noticed when I made the switch was a boost in energy that I felt all day.)
- Plan your “cheat” meals. Immortal eating isn’t a diet, it isn’t something that’s going to limit you do meat and veggies. However, having a planned cheat meal isn’t the ‘go-ahead’ to ruin your progress. Having this meal should keep you focused all week so you can really enjoy it.
- Eat enough or often enough to keep your body happy. If you can, eat every 2-3hrs. If you can’t, make sure your meals are calorically dense enough to keep your body happy until you can eat again.
- Be consistent. Doing this for a week or so is a great start; but ditching it for your “old ways” is no good. Consistency is the key for all Immortals-in-Training.
Putting all this together should yield you a great leg-up on the rest of the world in the long run. Eating healthy will keep you from getting sick as much, it will allow you to perform (at work and at the gym) better, make your body look the way you will feel and give you a better outlook on life. Got questions? Let me know.
Strength and Overall Fitness.
This is yet another no-brainer. Getting to the gym (be it at an actual gym, or your living room) is one of the keystones of living longer. Getting bigger, faster and stronger through weight-training will ensure that you outlast the competition, hands down. Who is this ‘competition’ you speak of? It could be anyone, the game here is to get your body to last as long as you can, while remaining healthy.
Being healthy and fit will make your world a better one to live in. Having the strength to lift 3x your body weight is great, but holding onto this mentality and training throughout your life will keep you running at full capacity. Weight training keeps your bone density at better levels as you get older as well.
Sure, it takes time out of your day like everything else does. It comes down to what type of quality of life you want to have. When you and your body are in sync and you feel amazing, the quality of life you have increases tenfold.
Getting into a strength and fitness routine is only good if you can stick with it. So make it work for you and your lift and as always; be consistent. I won’t beat a dead horse here. Being strong and fit is an essential thing for anyone who want’s to have a long and healthy life. So get up and do something about it. Today.
Medicine and Medical Technology
Now, this isn’t anything I have boat loads of knowledge on. However, being that my whole life my mother was in the medical field and now my wife is; I have been privy to see and hear how far along things are moving.
Nowadays there is a pill for everything. That is good and bad. I’m one of those who thinks that eating healthy (see above) and keeping fit can help people steer clear of needing the majority of the ‘pills’ that your doctor can prescribe. But, it’s also great that there are some out there that can help people’s cholesterol (among other problems) in addition to a healthy diet and other medicine of that nature.
Not to forget, we have robots doing and assisting in surgeries these days! How cool is that?
Look Ma, no hands!
Being healthy and keeping in shape can keep you out of your Doctors office for a good amount of time, I am a testament of that. Though it’s good to know that while I’m not there, they are moving along and coming up with a myriad of ways to keep us alive and healthy when the time comes.
Mental Health
Keeping your noodle in shape is even more important than your body and diet. After all, if you have a hard time remembering things and using proper reasoning; what’s the point of getting to the gym and eating a salad?
Sure, when you are in your 20′s and 30′s and you say “I can’t remember, I must be having a Senior Citizen Moment LOL” may be laugh-worthy. I can only assume (being that I’m sub-30yrs old) that as the years go, those moments become less and less funny.
The control center needs regular upkeep too.
There are so many ways we can put our brain on cruise control and forget just how freakin’ smart we are and how amazing the brain is, thanks TV/Internet; that we have to break free and use our brains more so in order to keep it healthy.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it.” Comes to mind. I don’t plan on losing mine.
Since I’ve already covered ways to keep the brain happy and healthy I won’t go too much further, just click that link and you’ll see what you can do to keep the control center of your body in proper standings.
This goes much further than being mentally healthy for the sake of knowing how many times you deadlifted 315 the week prior. If your memory keeps slipping, you’ll have a harder time remembering people; even people you see quite often (family) so if you don’t want to do it for yourself, do it for your family. Doing puzzles and playing card games are fun and is also a great way to break the TV/Computer cycle.
Supplementation
This is a topic that I touch on with most any topic these days. This goes right along with the medical information above. As time goes by there are more and more trials and testing being done on chemical compounds and herbal remedies. These are coming back with results that allow us to use or discard certain products.
While a healthy diet can provide your body with the basis of nutrition, it can be very challenging to get everything you need from whole food sources. That’s where some of this can come into play. It’s also not as easy as grabbing a multi-vitamin and assuming you’re golden.
Nope, the proper way is to have a blood test and see just what your body is not getting enough of. Again, thanks to the testing that’s been done over and over throughout the recent years; there is a pretty common list of deficiencies the typical person has.
: Getting enough D is very important for bone health, assistance in inflammation and certain cancer prevention.The list goes on and on.
: Deficiency in this Vitamin commonly shows up as a lack of energy. Tired, maybe you don’t have enough B vitamins in you.
: If you get sick too easily or often you might be deficient in this.
: The typical diet does not provide enough zinc these days, even eating healthy. Zinc deficiencies can be read up on here.
: Mmm, it’s bacon …. let’s not kid ourselves here. It’s a requirement for all cheat meals.
This list can go on and on, but let’s just stay on topic here. Get a blood test, figure what your body needs and go from there.
There are a handful of other things that can help your body achieve better sleep, recover from workouts better/faster and even increase mental focus. These are great to use on occasion, but only if your diet and sleep routines are finely tuned.
Summing it up.
It’s an amazing world out there, be here for it.
So if you have hung in there and made it to the end, I appreciate it. I thought about breaking this up into a few weeks-worth of content but, wanted to share it all at once so you can get a complete plan in the works to help start your Training for Immortality.
So the basics you should pull from this are or the tl;dr version:
- Eat healthy
- Strength and Fitness is key
- Medical Technology is improving to aide us in times of need
- Mental health and function is paramount
- Vitamins and Minerals can fill out a well-rounded life plan
If you can strive to bring yourself up in only a few of these categories this year you will be in a much better position come this time next year; if there is a next year.
Jack Lalanne @ 71yrs old. He lived to 96. Not bad footsteps to follow.
Want to proudly display your new “Living Strong, Training for Immortality” mantra to the rest of the world today? Check out the new Living Strong Merchandise page.
Creighton Basketball: The Team To Beat In 2012?
On Saturday, January 28th, the Creighton University Bluejays savored their 20th win of the season against the Bradley University Braves with a score of 73-59 win. Creighton basketball has been on fire throughout the 2011-12 season, losing only twice all year. As it continues to dominate, Creighton is looking more and more like the team to beat in the Missouri Valley Conference.
“They’ve been doing really well,” says Dr. Roger Roubal, a TMJ dentist in Omaha. “They’ve been picked to win in the Missouri Valley Conference this year, they’ve got some new people in this year. We go down to the games when we can and we’re trying to find tickets for the Missouri Valley Conference in St. Louis in March.”
The Missouri Valley Conference includes colleges from all over the Midwest including some from Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. Creighton’s 10-1 record in conference play gives it a full one-game lead over second place Wichita State, and its 20-2 overall mark puts the team in a great position to potentially land a birth in the NCAA Tournament.
Experienced Weapons
McDermott looking fired up after a play.
The Creighton Bluejays can credit their amazing season to great coaching and key players – both new and old – that have made the team the current conference front-runner.
“The whole team is much better,” says Dr. Roubal. “Not only do they have new people, but the people that were on board have much more experience than before, like the coach’s son McDermott who played in a tournament team and gained a lot of good experience. Also Echenique from Venezuela who played for a team down there and has a lot of experience to contribute to the team.”
Doug McDermott is currently a sophomore at Creighton University and plays forward on the team. This past summer, he was one of twelve players representing USA Basketball at the U19 FIBA World Championships in Latvia and earned fifth place along with the rest of Team USA at 7-2. McDermott ranked third on the team in scoring and rebounding and started in all nine games of pool and tournament play. This tremendous experience may be a huge contributing factor to McDermott’s current success and Creighton’s winning streak. The coach’s son also wowed the MVC last season by scoring the most points as a freshman, as well as the most points as a newcomer in Creighton history.
Creighton’s Gregory Echenique battling for a board during the second half of Creighton’s win over Wichita State.
Creighton can also thank Gregory Echenique of Venezuela for its amazing success. Echenique spent this past summer as starting center for the Venezuelan national team. It placed fifth in the FIBA Americas tournament and the team will play in an Olympic qualifier this coming spring. Last season, Echenique was named to the MVC All-Newcomer team and the MVC All-Defensive team. His previous experience in Venezuela and last year’s run have certainly given him an edge this season and helped Creighton rack up win after win on its way to first place in its conference.
Although the Bluejays lean heavily on returning starters, they can also thank key contributions from some wonderful newcomers that make the team both diverse and experienced. Creighton welcomed Austin Chatman of Texas this year, whose high school resume includes being named UIL District 5-4A co-offensive player of the year and all-region as a junior. Sophomore Jahenns Manigat brings his game from his freshman year, when he was named to the MVC’s All-Freshman Team and All-Bench Team and ranked third in the league in MVC games in three point percentage at 47.5 percent. These college athletes are working hard and scoring big in each game and it’s a real possibility that they will win the Missouri Valley Conference in March and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament the following week.
Shanna Laub writes for Off-Topic Media. Photo by Techcollector. Special thanks to Dr. Roger Roubal for taking time to speak with us. Dr. Roubal can be reached at his practice in Omaha at:
Advanced Dentistry
11919 Grant St. Suite 140
Omaha, NE 68164
402.493.4175
How To Make Your Own Golf Clubs in 5 Steps
Often times, golf is labeled as the rich man’s game. From costs of country club memberships, private lessons, buying clubs, fresh Lacoste shirts and baggy plaid trousers and [insert other commonly stereotyped articles of golf clothing here], and the likes, a hobby can quickly turn from a favorable pastime into a burning hole in your pocket. So if there are any corners you can cut to save a little cash, why not do it?
If you’re going to play golf, the one thing you can’t be without, unless you plan on being promptly escorted from the premises (and possibly deported) are golf clubs and unfortunately, those can be the most costly investment in the game. The good news is you may not have to drop hundreds or even thousands of dollars on them; and even if you’re not MacGyver, you can make your own. Here’s how:
“This is what I ended up making by using this guide. But then again… I am MacGyver.
1. It’s Easier Than It Sounds
You should be able to get all the equipment you need from a pro golf shop in your area and a local hardware store. If in any doubt, someone at the golf shop should be able to help you with any questions you may have.
Making your own clubs has a few advantages compared to buying: it’s less expensive than buying brand new ones (or even used ones), and this will allow for a highly customized job that fits your personalized hitting style
2. Choosing the Parts
The first step you’ll want to make is to go shopping for grips, shafts and clubheads. Shafts that are a bit less expensive are made from steel. Though less expensive, they are still very durable and are a great choice. Clubs that are made from graphite are lighter. Many say it’s easier to hit the ball with graphite clubs, but as they are lighter, they’re also more expensive.
When choosing your grip and clubhead, you’ll want to customize them to your personal hitting style. These parts vary quite a bit in style and price.
3. Making the Driver
You should make your driver first since it is the easiest to make. The length of the club itself will depend on your comfort. Most novice golfers opt for a longer club, but many professionals would rather have a shorter club because they say the accuracy is much better without sacrificing much length.
4. The Shaft
The third step is to scuff up your shafts. (Stop giggling. Grow up.) They’ll need to be less smooth so that the epoxy will bond tightly when the shaft meets the clubhead. This goes for both steel and graphite shafts.
To rough up the shafts, all you need is some sandpaper. If you choose graphite, however, you’ll need to remove the outer coating first. For this, use a belt sander as graphite shafts a little easier to destroy. After that, you can use sandpaper or a file to rough up the rest of it.
5. Assembling the Pieces
Next, you’ll need to put the shaft in the hosel after applying the epoxy to both pieces. Make sure to apply a liberal amount to ensure the pieces stay together. And to make certain that that the shaft is completely inside the hosel, tab the grip part of the shaft against something hard, like the concrete ground.
After the epoxy has dried and hardened, shorten the shafts by sawing them with a hacksaw if they’re made from steel. For graphite shafts, you will need to wrap the area that you’re going to cut in a couple layers of tape before actually cutting them. This will keep them from shattering.
The final step is to install the grips by cleaning the area with grip solvent. After this step, apply double-sided tape to it. Soak the tape with the grip solvent, easing the process of sliding the grips onto the shafts. Now, make the final adjustments to the grips as the solvent dries. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes. The next day, you’ll be able to hit the course with your new, unique and handmade golf clubs.
“Someone from Athleticka is making me a golf club? HELLS YEAH!
Citations:
Michelle Brown is a writer working with Radical Golf Carts, a golf cart parts retailer selling parts and accessories for Yamaha, Club Car and EZ-GO golf carts.
Statuesque Stacy Keibler
She’s come a long way since her humble beginnings as the “Dutchess of Dudleyville,” or the woman whose Maxim spreads became the masturbatory dartboard for throngs of horny pro wrasslin’ fans the world over. You might also know her as “Dat Ass and Dem Legs babe,” “the only reason I ever watched Dancing with the Stars as a male with fully functioning genitalia,” and “Reason 6,969: I Hate George Clooney.”
The following are some of my favorite images of her:
(Click images to enlarge.)
Weight Loss Tips From the Woefully Out of Shape: Starting Out
As you can see from looking at any image containing even a facsimile of my likeness, I am not the picture of health. Happy Meals for dinner growing up was the rule, not the exception, and I was basically born with a bottle of Coca-Cola in my hand (not really. No need to get child services involved. Let’s just forget I said anything.) Growing up, it didn’t seem to matter, as I was actually active as a child, being extremely into sports, and I apparently had a nice, efficient metabolism that could sort out the heaps of utter garbage I threw into my stomach with impressive aplomb before the sludge seeped into my system and slowed it to a halt.
As a 26 year old who spends his work day sitting down in front of a computer only to come home and sit in front of a computer, however, my metabolism has basically just banged in sick for the last decade. It has seemingly adopted my Gen-X hopeless apathy and it just doesn’t care anymore. However, being the narcissist that I am, I can’t just let that fly. I’ve made efforts to get back into shape before, but they have always involved half-hearted trips to the gym where I watch episodes of Seinfeld while moving at a pace on the elliptical that would infuriate the elderly before congratulating myself on a job well done by stopping off on the way home for a nice Baconator. I earned it, right?!
Incredibly, this system didn’t work so well. So after about a six month long “fuck it, who cares” binge, I’m back on the fitness gravy train (gravy…god, I miss gravy) and this time it’s for real. I’m about a month into it so far, which makes me about as qualified to dispense fitness advice as the cast of Jersey Shore is to conduct a seminar on humility. But it’s working for me, and if I don’t think about it every moment of every day, I’m bound to screw up and go back to my old ways of dressing chicken tender sandwiches with Doritos. So humor me, will ya?!
In my journey, I’ve found out some things that I had never thought of before, dispelled some myths I had preconceived in my head, and have even came up with a trick or two myself. I bestow upon you, 5 weight loss tips from a sedentary, lazy jerk.
Turn it Into a Game
Being a product of my generation, I am all at once shamelessly self-involved, only motivated in a competitive sense when it comes to video games, and addicted to social networks. What better way to motivate myself to lose weight than to turn it into a game of sorts and share my progress on a social network, satiating my need to tell the world about every trite, minute detail of my life?
With this in mind, I’ve been using MyFitnessPal. It’s a calorie counter, but it also has an engaging community of people going through the exact same thing. A lot of my discouragement when dieting comes from the fact that seemingly everyone around me can basically have jovial contests to see how many McGriddles they can shove into their mouths at one time whereas I’m stuck picking mere fronds off of tomato vines and calling it dinner. So it’s good to have an entire forum of people trying to accomplish the same thing.
The other great thing about MyFitnessPal is that based on your weight, height, and target weight it formulates guide for you, with maximum limits for calories, fat, carbs, sugar, and everything else you find apropos to track. This not only makes it infinitely easier to track what I’m putting into my body, but also gives it that video game-esque, number-crunching, min-maxing aspect that I so solitarily excel at (my idea of math is staring at a spreadsheet explaining which gear in World of Warcraft will yield a decimal point more damage than another piece).
For a system like MyFitnessPal to work though, you need to track everything. For every time you’re proud to log that grilled chicken salad, there are going to be times you’re tempted to just pretend that that morning where you had pancakes and a chocolate milkshake for breakfast never happened (oh how I wish that never happened). Honestly though, you’re only hurting yourself. Instead of lying, you should be striving to truly eat better, so you can proudly display your digital award to your Facebook and Twitter friends.
Another aspect of this is exercise. With an app like Nike+, my iPhone logs how many calories I’ve burned running on the treadmill in many cases more accurately than the treadmill itself. You can also set your own playlists, and even receive a chorus of cheers and wild applause every time someone “Likes” or Retweets the fact that you’ve started a run. A little too self-aggrandizing for my likes, but a nifty features nonetheless.
You Don’t Have to Eat Nothing But Salad
As the international leader in morbid obesity (one of the few areas where we lead the rest of the world these days), the good ole’ US of A plays host to some interesting theories about what does or does not cause weight gain, which in turn spawns bizarre crash diets that may drop weight technically, but will leave you looking like Fat Bastard after Atkins:
You know, “carbs are the enemy”…
As a result, there are a lot of convoluted notions about how to actually lose weight. Does saturated fat make you gain weight? Do carbs? Does sodium?
The answer is that we’re making it a lot more difficult than it really is. The equation here is very simple, scientifically backed, and really just common sense. The magical equation that will make you drop pounds efficiently and reliably is as follows:
Calories Eaten – Calories Burned = Excess Calories
If you eat more calories than you burn off in any given day, you’re going to gain weight. It’s simple. It’s important to track things like fats, sodium and sugar, most definitely, but even if you ignore that completely and do nothing but stay under your calorie limit, you will lose weight.
Just like how women have smaller brains than men do. It’s science.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to strenuously jazzercise off every mere morsel, either. Your body burns plenty of calories just, well, existing. So, how many calories should I be eating in a day? Well, that requires a little more research. There are two major complex equations used to determine how many calories your body burns just doing normal body things, affected by your height, weight, sex, and age: The Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation, and the Harris-Benedict Equation. MyFitnessPal prefers the former for reasons I’ll leave to smarter people than I to disseminate, but I’m going to go with that one. Both equations are thought to be reasonable guides, and they may not be what you think.
For instance, according to the Mifflin-St. Jeor Equation, at my current height, weight and age, my body burns 2,200 calories a day doing normal, everyday body things like, I don’t know, blinking and taking dumps and stuff. So for now, if I consistently eat less than 2,200 calories a day, I will continue to lose weight until I’ve lost enough to where it changes the equation. If you keep in line with what the equation says, you should lose weight. I’ve been following this, while generally attempting to eat healthier foods, but not becoming discouraged if my friends are going out to eat and I grab a burger (so long as it fits within my calorie limit), and I’ve been shedding the pounds.
Nutrition is 85% of Weight Loss. Exercise is 15%
A lot of people seem to think that as long as they hit the gym for a couple hours every day, they can absolutely gorge themselves on whatever unholy concoction of death they can imagine afterward and still lose weight. Being the kind of person who skipped class constantly only to make up a mountain of homework the day before the semester ended, I truly wish that this sort of “meh, I’ll deal with my mistakes later” system worked when it comes to weight loss, but it doesn’t. The following sentence is unfortunately a fact of life you’re going to have to accept if you want to lose weight: You can’t out-exercise a shitty diet. Just hopped on the treadmill for a half hour? Congratulations, you’ve just worked off about two thirds of that large order of fries you had with your Big Mac for lunch. Not to say that if you go a little overboard exercising that little extra isn’t a good idea, because it is, but you just can’t keep that pace up forever.
If you’re lazy and resistant to change like I am and don’t have the time nor desire to exercise, take solace in the fact that you can and will lose weight if you trade the gym membership in for some actual decent food. Exercise definitely is important to the tone and shape of your body, though. If you only watch your eating habits and don’t give one single damn about physical exertion, you run the risk of turning into a “skinny fat person”; or, the aforementioned “Fat Bastard syndrome”.
Sugar & Liquid Calories = BAAAADDDDD
I have something of an addictive personality, which is another way of saying that I indulge every damn whim that I please. That’s how I got into this whole “needing to lose a bunch of weight” mess in the first place. I’ve spent my entire life convincing my body that Coke and Mountain Dew are analogous to water, and since I’m on a mental maturity timeline that’s about a decade before everyone else’s, I’ve just recently developed an affinity for partying and imbibing sweet, sweet alcohol. One of the hardest things to do in this whole mess was giving up soda, but once I did the pounds just came shedding off; I lost ten pounds my first two weeks, which can be mostly attributed to soda. Soda has an ungodly amount of sugar, which translates into an ungodly amount of carbs, on top of the 200 or so calories per 20 oz bottle. I didn’t even eat 200 calories for breakfast this morning; why would I want to throw 200 calories of pure sugar and carbs down my throat to wash down more calories? Especially when water is free, undeniably great for your body, and just feels great. And I don’t think I need to mention profuse ingestion of Little Debbie’s or Hostess variety snack cakes or cookies. Basically, sugar’s dangers to the body are multi-layered, and excepting natural sugar from fruits, should be avoided if at all possible.
Beer is very similar. While beer’s sugar content is nowhere near that of soda’s, it does contain plenty of carbs and calories in its own right. So if you’re looking to get drunk on a calorie budget, liquor is your best option (not mixed with soda or juice—don’t defeat the purpose!) I try not to drink very often, and when I do, I try to account for the calories by eating less during the day (unless my horrific, drunken alter ego comes out at a party. There’s really no stopping that guy. Dude’s a tank), so if you can fit it into your budget, go for it.
Keep Track of Your Progress
I spoke above about the importance of a calorie tracker like MyFitnessPal. It’s not only important to count calories though, it’s also important to keep track of your progress. Weigh yourself at least once a week. Note the difference (MFP can keep track of your weigh-ins and their fluctuations, as well as waist measurements if you’re so inclined.) Take a picture of that offensive, ungainly gut of yours every week and watch it disappear before your very eyes. That’s why you’re doing this, right? To get back into shape? There’s no better motivation than literally watching the pounds shed off your body.
Of course, you can always just use the same tired “A beer belly is just a fuel tank for a party machine” anecdote for the rest of your life.
So keep it up, stud. I know you can do it. Hell, if I’m doing it, being one of the most sedentary, lazy, unmotivated inhabitants of this very planet, anybody can.
If anything is factually incorrect in this article, feel free to castigate me, but I am no expert in the field. I am merely sharing what has been working for me, and my perceptions on the subject of weight loss.
Super Bowl XLVI: Every Stat You Ever Wanted to Know
Impress your friends this Super Bowl Sunday like a true pedant after memorizing these facts and they’ll be rightfully handing over their chicken wings and delivering beer bottles to you on shimmering platters. Don’t worry, we’re entirely altruistic; you don’t even have to tell them that Athleticka gave you the knowledge of the gods. You can just straight up Prometheus it for all to enjoy:
Who are the Greatest Cyclists of All Time?
Oh to be on two wheels zooming through nature without the trappings of the world buzzing around your ears. Cycling is a real passion of mine and one that I look forward to like a kid at Christmas every time I know I can pump up my tires, grease up my gears and strap on my lid. I have explored just about every square inch of my local area, including the mountains and have a cycling holiday in South Africa booked for next year.
The only thing I like as much as actually cycling, is watching cycling on television. I’m not fussy; any kind of cycling gets my blood pumping, be it the mad rush of watching those ‘downhill’ nutcases hurl themselves at every tree in the forest or the tension of watching the steely grit and determination of the road cyclists churning out eye watering mile after knee curdling mile. Simply bliss.
This made me think though; who are my all-time favourite cyclists? Here’s what I came up with, let me know what you think.
Eddy Merckx – Road
“Not Lance Armstrong!?” I hear some of you gasp. Eddy Merckx for those who don’t know (his full name is Edouard Louis Joseph Baron Merckx – how cool is that?) is a whole lot more successful. He won the Tour De France 5 times and every other classic cycle race at least twice. Plus he broke the world hour record. And a metro station is named after him in his homeland, Belgium.
Matt Hoffman – BMX
His is probably one of the most recognized names in BMX, not just because he has a couple of video games to his name or because he hangs out with the Jackass crew or because he tore his spleen at the X Games in 1993, but because he has been actively building the sport for years and made ‘vert’ riding what it is today.
Danny MacAskill – Trials
You probably saw him first on YouTube as his trials talents around Edinburgh made him shared extensively around the net. Since then he has been in adverts, music videos and television programs; hopping around, defying death and generally doing cool things on a bike for our pleasure.
Steve Peat – Downhill
I watch downhill races from behind the sofa. It’s such an exciting sport to watch and over the last decade Steve Peat has done it better than most. He has more wins in downhill than any other racer.
So who are your favorite cyclists of all time?
Jonny Kindle is a big fan of hybrid bikes, and in particular Raleigh bikes. He has been cycling to work for the last few years.
4 Tips For Riding Safely in Motocross
Whether you are new to motocross, are a seasonal campaigner on motocross tracks, or are well accustomed with the off road tracks, safety is always important. Safety means complete knowledge of your motocross gear as well as the bike you ride. Here are some tips regarding your bike and how to handle things while enjoying motocross.
1. Never ride alone
This is the most important and also the easiest tip to remember. However, people give the least importance to this factor. When riding off-road, it is very important to have some company with you. Accidents and injuries are unavoidable given the nature of the sport. When you have people with you they can assist you when an accident happens. A lot of injuries may leave you helpless, and on off road tracks, you may not get any help for a long time.
2. Do not emulate videos
You ain’t ready for this yet.
A lot of motocross enthusiasts watch videos of other motocross riders performing stunts and then try to emulate the same. You need to realize that these stunt riders are professionals and have spent a lot of time perfecting these moves. Also, you will not be able to assess the size of the gaps they jump over in the video. Jumping over a gap too large or too small often leads to people getting injured.
3. Do not move for the faster rider
A lot of times people hear the bike of a faster rider approaching them and try to change their line to give way to the rider. You should never do this as it can lead to a collision. The faster rider, when coming up behind you, will see you and adjust his/her line accordingly. If you make any last minute changes, it will only end up making matters worse. You should also remember that if you ride slower than other riders, then the best thing to do would be to keep on the right side of the track and keep a straight line.
4. Riding off-road
When you plan on doing off-road riding with your friends, it is advisable to stay on paths that are well marked or are used frequently. This will help you in avoiding unseen obstacles like fences holes and other debris.
If you are planning on doing some jumps, then make sure that you start with small jumps and then work your way up to bigger jumps. If you try to go too big too soon, you may find yourself in some trouble.
POA Racing are a popular Motocross shop who sell a wide range of Motocross gear and equipment including leading brand name products from Fox, Alpinestar, MSR, Answer and Gaerne Boots.
Preparing Your Body for Battle
So you wanna beat people up? You better know what you’re getting yourself into. There are multiple facets of fitness that are required of a martial arts practitioner in order to be competent and competitive.
So buckle up and listen closely or you’ll be one of the (I lost count) many people I’ve seen come into our training facility, gas out and never come back for seconds.
Look like fun? Keep reading.
Since there are so many boxes to check off when you are training for any martial art, it’s important to know your strengths & weaknesses. So take a peek below at the list below and ask yourself where you are at on a 1-10 scale:
Desired abilities of a martial arts practitioner:
Strength: How strong are you, really? Squat, Bench, Deadlift, Overhead Press, Olympic Lifts: Do them.
Speed: How quick can you move yourself, the barbell and possibly; another human being? Accommodating Resistance Work, Olympic Lifts, Box Jumps: Do them.
Flexibility: Is it painful to attempt a split? Can you lay on your back and put your feet on the ground behind your head without needing a trip to the ER after? Stretching, yoga, foam rolls and mobility work are all essentials.
Muscular Endurance: Does a “max rep” set scare you into a corner? Do a max rep set, and don’t wuss-out.
Cardiovascular Endurance: Does your 5min warm up on the hand-bike make you sweat? Push yourself harder on the cardio front. 30min at a fast pace shouldn’t be hard.
Fast Recovery: Can you train one day without needing a week to feel ready to do it again? Eat right, sleep more, do stretching and mobility work at home.
Now what you have a basic understanding of what you’ll need to work on, it’s time to put together a program. No, I’m not going to do it for you but I can give you a suggestion. Of the 5 categories up there, rank each from 1-5 with #1 being the one you need to work on the most. (Recovery isn’t something you do at the gym, it’s what you do at home). Make sure you work that #1 1-3x a week, and fill in the remainder of your training days with #2-5.
Nutritional Guide & Supplements:
A healthy diet that provides the right vitamins, nutrients and calories is very important for an aspiring fighter (or anyone really). Making sure your body has everything that it needs to perform and recover adequately will help you keep training, getting better and not have to stop for anything.
The first thing I noticed when I started doing my training was that, even though not overweight, getting leaner would help me in myriad ways:
• Overall health, duh.
• Faster movements: both offensive and defensive.
• Faster recovery, so you can get out there and do it again, and again.
• Better cardiovascular endurance. No way I wanted to stay that tired, sweaty guy in the corner. Game on treadmill, game on!
I was able to drop just shy of 50lbs, go from about 23%-10(or lower)% body fat and the benefits are real.
So when you are trying to put together a good overall diet for ass whoopin’, take these following points into consideration:
1. Eat mostly whole foods. Don’t rely too much on liquid meals.
2. Eat lots of fruits and veggies. The more “colorful” your diet, the better.
3. If you want to count calories: Aim for 13-18 calories for every pound of your desired weight.
4. Be realistic. If you are 250lbs and want to weigh 180lbs, take small steps.
5. Aim for 1-2g of protein for every pound of your desired weight
6. Don’t be afraid of fats, just make sure they are healthy fats from healthy sources; nuts, fish, meat, flax, Omegas, etc…
7. Time and limit your carbs: Taking in the appropriate amount of carbs before, during and after training is pretty much the only time(s) that I’d suggest taking carbs. Sure you get some residual carbs from other foods, but I say getting 75-80% of your carbs surrounding your training is a good percentage to shoot for.
8. Limit carbs from grains. If you must have bread or pasta; keep it under control.
As always, in addition to a healthy well thought-out diet; some supplements can aid you in your quest for greatness. With respect to martial arts and being an overall badass, there are a few things you should know.
When you are training for this sort of thing, you’re gonna have to push yourself to your limits…and then a little bit further. Doing this can really tire you our both physically and mentally. So a quick list of some things to help you out would look like this:
• BCAA’s for muscle mass
• Fish Oil/Omegas for recovery
• Vitamin D and Calcium for bone health
• Cissus Quadrangularis for an anti-inflammatory
• Probiotics to keep your insides efficient in order to take full advantage of your diet.
• ZMA for muscle strength and crazy dreams. Add some melatonin for sleep aid.
• Hydration, Hydration, Hydration. Be it at the gym or on the mat; you need to keep hydrated. Water, Gatorade, Advocare Rehydrate or something of that nature is key.
All in all, finding a proper balance with all of these topics can be a daunting process. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so try somethings out (give them time) and play around to see what works best for you. Everyone will have different requirements and abilities.
If you are able to sort through all this and find what works best for you, then you’ll be on your way to building that battle ready body! What you do with it is up to you.
