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The folks over at PomWonderful are at it again and have been kind enough to send me some samples of POMx, their new iced coffee. No it is not pomegranate and coffee blended! This chilled treat I am tasting is a delightfully refreshing and energizing iced coffee from PomWonderful. This drink is very healthy, containing a special pomegranate extract full of antioxidants. It is also low in fat and cholesterol free.
My favorite is the chocolate iced coffee, offering a balanced blend between chocolate, coffee, and milk, resulting in a wonderful mocha flavor. It’s a more chocolate smooth feel than an icy coffee feel if that makes sense.
I actually blended it with some protein, ice and plain yogurt to make a smoothie. I hear there is a vanilla flavor. I don’t even know if these are available at your local grocer but if it is go get it!
I have 2 left over, subscribe, link or respond to this blog and I’ll send you what I have.
Ryan Howardshowed up for a commercial shoot earlier this year and his clothes didn’t fit. The producers knew he was a certain size, bought his wardrobe accordingly and didn’t understand what happened. The tags were right. Just Howard knew how to explain why everything looked so baggy, how a leviathan had become trim, fit and healthy – and not forgotten how to hit a home run better than anyone in the world.
“It’s survival,” Howard said last week, one day after hisPhiladelphia Philliesclinched their second straight National League pennant and began preparation for their World Series showdown against New York starting Wednesday night. Survival instincts course through Howard. He has spent his career fighting negative impressions. He was too old to still be in the minor leagues, or he struck out too much to succeed, or he wouldn’t ever touch breaking balls. One by one he swatted aside the stigmas, only to run into another this year that posed a legitimate threat to his future.
Howard was getting fat. Not just a wee plump, either. Between the long 2008 season and the celebrations for Philadelphia’s championship, Howard was carrying around 275 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame. He knew the history of fat hitters, too. Mo Vaughn and Cecil Fielder and countless others faded in their early 30s, waistlines expanding and hitting zones contracting. Howard turns 30 in November. He refused to peter out like the others. So Ryan Howard, the one legitimate threat to the single-season home run record, the man who hit 200 faster than anyone in history, did something drastic.
I stop by the local grocery store at least 3 times a week …during my escapades, I ususally give the magazine section a quick glance. This months issue of oxygen magazine features Leigh Hickombottom, a black fitness model. As much as I like Alicia Maireit’s kinda nice to see someone else make the cover. She’s hot and it kills time while I’m waiting in line to pay for these groceries.
LEIGH TALKS TRAINING
“Right now my workouts consist of a four or five day split,” says Leigh, a busy mom of two girls and personal trainer who rotates her workouts between the gym, home and the outdoors (which she loves). She says it helps keep things varied and flexible.
HER WORKOUT Monday:40 minutes upper body exercises followed by 20 minutes cardio Tuesday: 40 minutes cardio and abs training Wednesday:40 minutes lower body exercises followed by 20 minutes cardio Friday:30 minutes high intensity cardio and abs training
EATING CLEAN
Leigh eats small meals throughout her day, including one to two protein shakes consisting of fruit, milk and protein powder. Staples in her kitchen at any given time include fish, chicken, oatmeal, eggs, brown rice, green beans, spinach, watermelon, bananas and raspberries.
HER ADDICTION
“Sushi. Salmon or yellowtail made with brown rice,” she says.
Awesome article by Tara Parker-Popeof the New York Times. Oddly enough I talked about this last year around his time WTF? Cookie Diet?
Can you really lose weight by eating cookies?
Many would-be weight losers are counting on it. As Abby Ellin is reporting in this week’s ThursdayStyles section, the cookie diet business is booming, endorsed by celebrities like Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. The cookie diet plans consist of several cookies and one meal a day totaling 1,000 calories or less. Ms. Ellin writes:
The popularity of cookie diets is hardly surprising in this culture of quick fixes. Who wouldn’t want to exert the minimal effort to get long-lasting results? “The Cookie Diet is very appealing, because it legalizes a food — the cookie — that is banned from most weight-loss programs,” said Jenni Schaefer, author of “Goodbye Ed, Hello Me: Recover from Your Eating Disorder and Fall in Love With Life.” “The diet gives people a false sense of control, simplifying balanced nutrition into one food: the cookie.”
But what is really in those cookies? How much do they cost? And if you lose weight on the cookie diet, will the pounds stay off? To find those answers and more, read the full story — “A Few Cookies a Day to Keep the Pounds Away?” — and then join the discussion below. Have you tried the cookie diet?
We all know the best way to lose weight is stick to a healthy diet, work out, and eat in moderation, but that certainly doesn’t stop the public from trying the fads. As far as I’m concerned the best cookie diet is the one where you don’t eat them!
I didn’t get to do sundried tomatoes nor did I make that creamy tomato soup I promised my wife. (we did make a low carb pizza from scratch…mmm..good)
What I did do was learn that growing things can be a beautiful experience. Although I didn’t take very good care of my tomatoes full time, I did do some thing at least 3 times a week. I mean for the most part you got to let mother nature do her thing. I don’t believe in luck so there was some work…trust me. I do know that I don’t have the best soil and these bad boys grew in spite of that. Tomatoes deplete the soil pretty extensively and they are subject to all kinds of maladies and diseases. So next year I’ll be working on a compost bin and turn this soil over a couple of times during the winter.
These are not mine but what a cool shot
They grew pretty big and wild I am going to have to find new ways to support the vines and hand out tomatoes like crazy to anyone who expresses even a passing interest in them. So for the time being Farmer Mike is taking a break and planning for next year. This is a great way to incorporate healthy living and eating. I don’t care if you live in the hood or the burbs its can be done. So hello Brooklyn Mike until I become Papa Mike.
When you first purchase a house. What are some of the thing that you do after. Buy furniture, to beautify it. Maybe start some remodeling and minor renovations. And even lawn and yard maintenance. We do these things simply because purchasing a home is an investment in your future. And after all that time and money you spent, searching for homes, getting mortgage approvals, and fighting litigations, you will do anything to protect your investment.
So why is it, that many people, after spending hours, days, weeks, months in the gym, decide to throw it all away to indulge in something that will regress their already achieved results. i can’t imagine why anyone would succumb to self-sabotage. (trust me i can say this cause i just did it to myself)
The holidays are approaching. And you will received numerous gifts, which you will be very thankful for. You will be offered cake, sweets and food over and over again. “Come on, It’s the holidays. You can have one piece.” Will you say “No, I can’t. Because all that will do is negate everything i worked to achieve.” Don’t try to convince me that eating crap on my birthday will not effect me. Maybe it won’t. But i will not allow that gilded pleasure enter the temple that i worked so hard to create.
I work hard everyday to get to where i am now. And I will deny anything that will ruin my investment. I know that the holidays are just around the corner, so that means we will all be tried and tested even more. But remember this. The strong mind will always triumph over the weak. Which one will you be?
Great post by a fellow bodybuilder check kizz at bodybuilding.com
I was going to do an article on this but Rusty from Black Book Fitness beat me to the punch. With the baby on the way I’ve decided to built a little something something in the basement (there is NO WAY wifey is going to let me take that trip to the gym). This also allows me to save 40 bucks on that gym membership…but the sad thing is the inspiration and intensity I get from watching others and wanting to show off. Anyway here is the article Rusty sums it up well, give him some love and leave a comment.
I am doing an intense exercise routine in my apartment this winter. One of the days is such a pain in the butt that I really have to psych myself up to mentally prepare for it. The big challenge I have found with doing exercise at home is the ability to go easy on myself or finding an excuse to cut my workout short. It is much harder to justify cutting a workout short, when you drive to a gym. I’d like to discuss this a bit as well as get your comments and tips that you may have regarding exercising at home.
[The benefits of working out at home is the time you save. The downside is that you are the only person holding yourself accountable. It is so easy to simply find an excuse to cut your workout short, skip sets, etc.]
Character = How You Behave When No One is Looking
My lungs are on fire, my skin is hot and I am already dripping with sweat. I am doing the last exercise of a 4 exercise circuit. My legs are shaking and my form sucks as I finish the last rep of 20 “pillow twists”. I am done…for now…I am going to rest for 60 seconds and begin the 4 exercise circuit again. Rough!
“How Am I Going to Be Able to Do 2 More Circuits?”
The questions and doubts enter my mind…”I probably don’t need to do the last 2 circuits since I am already lean”…”I might be over-trained”…”I can do a tougher workout tomorrow to make this up”…”Nobody will know the difference if I just skip this part of the workout”. My mind is racing and working quickly to find the perfect excuse for me to skip the rest of my workout.
Your Mind Will Find a Suitable Excuse…Every Time!
The human mind works in mysterious ways. If you present a problem to your subconscious mind (like finding a suitable reason for not finishing your workout) it will deliver! Your mind is so good at finding a suitable excuse that you can skip your workout (or any action that will move you closer to any goal) and you will feel great about it. You have to gain the mental toughness to not listen to this part of your brain to get extraordinarily fit.
An Inspiring Video Made by the Guys Over At Gym Junkies
You just have to watch this. It shows my buddy Vic over at Gym Junkies failing time after time attempting to do high level advanced exercises. It has some great music with Nine Inch Nails (thanks by the way…usually the guys making fitness vids use Heavy Metal…not a big fan). Vic has majorly transformed his body over the past 6-9 months…he doesn’t even look like the same person. Watching how hard he trains, it isn’t a mystery how he got in such solid shape.
[Justin and Vic produce some of the highest quality fitness content online. They have a slightly different workout philosophy than me, but they give away so much good value for free that I have no problem giving them my full endorsement on my site. These are two guys who are "adding value" to the internet…and their site is growing quickly because of it. Good job guys!]
How Do You Push Hard When There Is No One is Watching?
The only thing that really keeps me going is that I believe this:
1) Most people quit when things get tough
2) I want better results than most people
So the logical thing is to not quit, to get better results than most people! It is that simple for me, but I don’t think this way of thinking will work for everyone. What are some things you guys think about to keep going when things get rough? Your comments are greatly appreciated, so “thanks” ahead of time!
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