Apr
28

5 reasons men should drink beer

I used to be a big fan of beer – the darker, the better.

There’s nothing quite like having an ice cold beer after mowing the lawn or sometimes even while mowing the lawn.  Or maybe even a six pack on the front porch on a Sunday afternoon.

At one point, I used to keep my outdoor fridge stocked full of beer.  I was never one to drink cheap beer and would typically keep several varieties of micro brews.

So from where did beer originate?

After doing some research and reading various theories, it appears that no one is really sure.

Everyone seems to agree that beer is old, though.  Looks like some scientists got together and ran some chemical tests on some pottery jars they found in present day Iran that tested positive for beer residue.  This would seem to indicate that beer is at least 7,000 years old.

A lot of the details on the origins of beer are sketchy at best and if you were to ask me I think the truth is being hidden.

Honestly this smells like a conspiracy to me.

Let me tell you where I think beer originated.

Monks.

Yes, monks.

These are the same guys who devoted their entire lives to studying religious texts and took vows of celibacy.  They are also the same guys that needed to suppress any sexual urges or desires in order to fulfill their monastic duties.

Ever see a picture of a monk?  They have that distinctive pear shape with male-pattern baldness.

Being a monk was tough.  Being cooped up in a dreary monastery with no access to females day in and day out was a recipe for disaster.

What was the solution?  The monks created beer.

Here are the 5 reasons you should be drinking beer:

  • It lowers your testosterone – this helps keep you emasculated so THEY can walk all over you
  • It helps you maintain your estrogen levels which is great for maintaining that pear shape (beer gut).
  • It gets you drunk and impairs judgement
  • It makes you docile (so THEY can take away more of your rights without you caring)
  • It makes watching sports more interesting (so THEY can keep you distracted from what’s really happening)

Is there anything wrong with enjoying an occasional beer?  Not really.

But if you want to lower your testosterone, impair your decision making process, and if you don’t particulary care if your rights are taken away from you while you are busy watching football, drinking beer, and eating a bowl of pretzels then keep knocking those brews back.

 

Apr
07

Why gyms suck (and what to do about it) Part II

Truck tires and sledgehammerThis is part II of a series on Why gyms suck (and what to do about it).  You can read part one here.

Whether your goals include weight loss, building some muscle, or just getting into shape exercising is an important part of making them happen.

Working out should be fun and enjoyable.  Once it becomes a chore, it most likely won’t last long.

In all honesty, gyms aren’t all bad.  Some people excel in this type of setting and might find that working out with others motivates them.

Not me.

So if you can’t afford a gym membership, can’t find one close by, or just simply can’t stand working out next to a sweaty senior citizen (no offense) here are some ideas on what to do about it.  From your home.

Cardio
Cardio is an important part of any fitness plan.  Personally I go for a walk every morning for about 45 minutes.  To me there’s nothing worse than slogging away on a treadmill for 45 minutes watching a rerun of Bones on the flat screen.

Get outside.  Get some sun and fresh air.

Strength Training
Now let’s talk about getting stronger.

Another very important part of any fitness plan is getting stronger.  That means lifting heavy things.

Trust me.  We aren’t going for the bulky body builder look.  What I’m suggesting is building some functional strength.

Building your core muscles and strengthening your back will pay dividends when you get a bit older.

One approach I currently use is kettle bells.

These things are so incredibly versatile and actually fun to work out with.  Not only do you get the benefits of some functional strength training, you will also get a decent amount of cardio training from using them.

Resistance bands are another great option.  They are inexpensive and very portable.  I have a couple of sets of the ones made by Rubberbanditz.

And let us not forget about good old fashioned body weight exercises like pushups and squats.

What else?
Aside from the things I mentioned above that would probably work well for someone without a lot of extra space, you could consider dedicating an area in your garage or basement to a home gym.

Currently I have a inexpensive weight bench, a few dumbbells, an Olympic bar, and plate weights for the more traditional weight-lifting exercises.  I love doing deadlifts which is something I always found difficult to do in most globogyms.

To accommodate the functional strength side of things, I have several kettle bells and I constructed a pullup bar.  I also added a few pieces of unconventional equipment such as tires and a sledgehammer.  And of course, what home gym is complete without a heavy bag?

So my typical workout consists of alternating sets of pullups with pushups.  I then move on to doing a few sets of deadlifts.

Depending on my mood, I then might hit the heavybag for about 15 minutes and finish out with beating a tire with a sledgehammer.

On occasion, I will do farmer’s walks with the 5 gallon bottled waters that I happen to store in my garage.

This type of workout builds functional strength and is also really good for letting out some aggression.  Which nowadays I seem to have an endless supply of.

Hopefully I’ve sparked an idea or two.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Mar
31

Rubberbanditz

I’ve been given an opportunity to contribute to the blog at Rubberbanditz.com and I’m pretty excited.  You can check out my first contribution here.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Rubberbanditz, they sell resistance bands of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Resistance Bands

These guys are based out of the Durham, North Carolina area and not only do I really like their products, I love that they actually give back to the community.  They donate bands and are actively involved in getting people of all ages into exercising.

Resistance bands are cheap and versatile.  You can use them by themselves or to add resistance to other types of exercises.

Personally I use them on my homemade pullup bar to actually decrease resistance (I’m a big guy).  I also have another set I take when I travel.

Be sure to check out their site and my post.

Have you used resistance bands?  Let me know in the comments section below.

Feb
28

Why gyms suck (and what to do about it)

thCA6OUQC1I belong to a well known globo gym and it sucks.

It caters to people that aren’t fit and probably never will be.

It has a pizza day every second Tuesday of the month.

You drop a weight on the floor or dress like a body-builder and they set off what they call the “lunker” alarm.

I think their business model is to keep you unfit so you keep paying your membership each month and chasing the fitness carrot.  It prides itself on being against judging others yet the staff walks around with a clipboard picking random people to “teach” them how to use the machines and work their “core”.

Why did you walk up to me?  Do I look like I need help? WTF?

I’ve been lifting weights for around ten years now.  I mountain bike about 30-40 miles a week during the non-winter months.  I also walk about 5 miles a day.  You’d think I would look lean and mean (well I do look mean) but I’m probably struggling with bad genetics.

Many join gyms as a New Year’s resolution, get serious about fitness for a few months, and then ultimately quit going to the gym.

I’ve never found myself being uncomfortable in a gym.  I know how to lift and what equipment to use (and not use).

However there are many things that I simply cannot stand that drive me crazy:

  • People not wiping their sweat and funk off the equipment after using it
  • Watching a person that has no clue how to lift use a piece of equipment wrong
  • Someone staring at me when I’m using the SuperSlow method
  • People using the eliptical machines backwards
  • People loitering
  • People in jeans on the treadmills
  • Young guys lifting way too much weight
  • People trying to do Crossfit in the globo gym
  • People on exercise bikes
  • People on treadmills
  • People using light-weights and lifting really quickly
  • People in the circuit area not doing circuit training
  • People that ask to “cut in” when you are in the middle of a set
  • People that stop and stare at the TV’s
  • People working out

After writing that list, I began to see a trend – I don’t like people.

So what is one to do?

Don’t get me wrong I love what the gym has to offer.  I get access to equipment that I don’t have at home.  But when you throw in the people and the things above, it quickly loses its luster.

Unfortunately we don’t have what I call a real gym in my town.  I don’t mean Crossfit.  I mean something along the lines of an extreme gym – ropes, chains,  tires, sledgehammers, etc.  A place to get strong with like minded people.  I think that’s how the Crossfit craze got started but it seems to me that it’s very competitive and way too trendy.

I’ve belonged to the following gyms – Gold’s Gym, Answer is Fitness, Forecourt, YMCA, Jet Fitness, Snap Fitness, and everything in between.  Not a single one satisfied my expectation of what a real gym should be.

Maybe I have seen Pumping Iron too many times.

So if you are like me and can’t stand going to the gym, why not consider creating a home gym?  Something entirely different.  Something very functional and extremely fun.

In a future post, I’ll talk about my home gym and how you might be able to create something similar.

Feb
21

Get Bald and Angry gear

I just opened a CafePress shop stocked with Bald and Angry gear.

Check it out here.

Feb
13

Not everything is a conspiracy but most things are.

thCAX56I5QIn doing some research on conspiracies for an upcoming post, I recently came across an interesting blog post that talks about conspiracies and how many have turned out to be hoaxes.

The article concludes with a hint that a forthcoming post will actually show one how to write conspiracy theories.  This is indeed interesting but also disturbing in a way.

This is the comment I left after reading the post: ** Please login or register to view this content. **Even the authorities don’t know what really happened.

 

 

Feb
12

Illuminati: New World Order

Back in the mid 90′s, a card game was produced by a game company based out of Austin,Texas called Steve Jackson games.

Yes, Austin, Texas the same place that Alex Jones suddenly appeared in 1994.

I encourage you to do your own research on the origins of the game which is pretty interesting.  It’s not too surprising that almost every card reads like a page out of the NWO’s playbook.

Out of the hundreds of cards in the game, there are three that particularly intrigued me.

 

SMOF Card (Secret Masters of Fandom).  Hands down this has to be Alex Jones and Ron Paul (I’m just saying):

smof Alex Jones portraitRep. Ron Paul of Texas participates

And then we have the 9/11 WTC (Twin Towers) and Pentagon cards. This card depicts two of the events that occurred on 9/11:

911 WTC Pentagon

9/11 WTC and Pentagon cards

The card game is obviously real and even won the Origins Award for Best New Card Game in 1997.  Interestingly enough, the offices of Steve Jackson Games were raided by the Secret Service at one point back in 1990.  What were they after?

The early nineties is also when I first heard about the NWO after shopping in a Whole Foods Market.  There were actually flyers in the store “announcing” it’s existence.

A year or two later, I happened to be given a book to read called the Illuminati by Larry Burkett which really opened my eyes.

Granted this was a purely fictional account of things to come but still very disturbing considering when it was written.

Believe what you want to believe but I think the NWO has been operating under our noses for many, many years.

You just have to know where to look to find their breadcrumbs.

 

Feb
10

Good guys finish last

I came to a realization a long time ago – Good Guys finish last.  They do.  In anything that involves competition if you follow the rules chances are you are going to come in less than first place.

That sounds like something a loser would say, right?  Or a sore loser…

Good or bad, life is based on rules.  Case in point when it comes to sports (which I’m not a big fan off), performance enhancing drugs are not just frowned up – they will get you banned from a sport.

A certain well known cyclist is experiencing this situation right now.  He’s been made out to be a bad guy for doing what he did – breaking the rules.  That’s what “bad guys” do they break the rules and they fight dirty.

So what?  So what he “won” all those races by enhancing his performance? Who really cares that he took drugs to do it?   What if he had done it naturally?  Should he have lied about it?  No.  On the flip-side of the coin, maybe he shouldn’t have felt that he had to lie about it.

It strikes me as odd with all of the issues with see with health in this day and age and a pill to cure every ill that anyone would take issue with an athlete taking a drug to do better.

There are countless drugs prescribed every day for things from mental disorders to weight-loss.  I don’t see the medical and pharmaceutical industries telling people – “No.  You need to get better on your own, naturally.”  A double-standard at it’s best.

Are all winners “bad guys”?  I guess it depends on the situation.

But winners are risk taskers and sometimes taking a risk means breaking the rules.  If you break the rules and others don’t, are you a bad guy?

I would like to think that almost all of the most wealthy and influential people in the world got to where they are by being honest people.

They didn’t.

They just simply think differently than most of us.  Maybe to be a true winner, this is what it takes.

Feb
08

Other blogs

Do I read other people’s blogs?  Sure I do.  Maybe not often enough, however.

There’s some really great information out in the blogosphere.  It’s funny because I wonder sometimes if these people are real.

Fortunately I know some bloggers personally but these I’m not so sure about:

Victor Pride who blogs on Bold and Determined

judgybitch who blogs on www.judgybitch.com

Both of these bloggers have some really great posts and in fact they have inspired me on several occasions.  I particulary like this post by Mr. Pride and this one by judgybitch.

The interesting thing is that they have “photos” of themselves in various places on their sites with their faces partially hidden under a graphic or just blurred out.  I get it, anonymity.  Say what you want and no one is going to recognize you in the grocery store to tell you how they feel about what you said.

I had considered doing something similar by posting a different picture on my About page, blurring what’s there,  or even using a pseudonym.  Then I asked myself why?  If I have something to say and I’m willing to write it down and share it with the world why hide my identity?

I’m not meaning to criticize anyone, I’m simply intrigued.  Masked, real or fake – keep up the good work.

Now that I think about it, how do you know I am who I say I am?

 

Feb
02

Visualization

If you can believe it, you can achieve it.

ThinkerHave you ever heard that saying?

If you think hard enough about something and experience it in terms of emotions, it will manifest itself.  This is the basic tenant of the Law of Attraction.  If you visualize something and experience it in your mind, it will happen.

Visualization is an interesting concept and one that I use in my current Steak and Eggs eBook.  There have been a few studies conducted on the subject and even a documentary called ‘The Secret” made on it.

From a practical standpoint, I think the concept deserves some merit.  I’m experimenting with The Gabriel Method and 50% of this weight loss strategy uses visualization.

The interesting addition to what Jon Gabriel does with visualization is the addition of binaural beats with spoken queues to guide you through this process.

Think about how a bad experience can set the tone for a bad day.

Let’s say you go to bed upset and angry.  You toss and turn.  You have trouble sleeping.  The next morning your alarm goes off and you are so tired that you shut it off.  Now you’ve overslept.  You wake up with barely enough time to get ready.  Already upset from the night before and now late for work, you stumble out of bed and stub your toe.  Now you are really pissed.

This is a lot of negativity.  From here, you’ve set the tone for the rest of your day and will most likely react negatively to every other situation that comes your way.  Again this could be considered cause and effect.

Negative cause equals negative effect.

I guess my point here is don’t be negative.  You know the sayings:

“Look on the bright side of things.”

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

I think there is real power in thinking positively about things and looking for the good.

Do I think that we can exert some type of control over the universe and can make anything we “dream up” appear before us?

The short answer is no.  That would be magic and I don’t believe in that stuff.

It is interesting though that most magical things like voodoo are based on the power of suggestion.  I do believe you can make yourself sick just by thinking about it.  Why couldn’t you think yourself well?

Let’s do an experiment together.  I am visualizing everyone who is reading this post is clicking this —-> link and donating a $1.00.

I’ll do a follow up post in a month and let you know how many people donated.

 

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