Stay Fit – Become a Ninja

Have you gained some unsightly holiday pounds after all the office parties and family gatherings?  Will you pay for yet another high priced gym membership, go consistently for the month of January, but forget about it by the middle of February?  If franchise gyms or health clubs haven’t been your thing in the past, it may be time to stop the insanity.  Luckily, there are other options to consider that are more exciting than the old Nautilus machine.  Not only will you get a great workout, you may also learn something that will help save your life.

  • Brazilian Jiu Jitsu – Jiu Jitsu, which means gentle art in Japanese, is an ancient form that was adapted by the Gracie family in Brazil.  From Brazilian Jiu Jitsu you will become more flexible as you will work on a lot of stretching, you will increase your endurance as you will do a lot of callisthenic exercises.  You will also learn different joint locks and chokes which may one day help you defend against a bigger opponent.

 

  • Cross-Fit or Seal Fit –  CrossFit (which some have started using the name SealFit) was adapted by US Navy Seals in order to do a variety of workouts that do not require any special type of machinery.  Each workout combines a variety of movements that are to be done in either a short amount of time in order to stress and confuse many different muscles.  One workout may have you do as many rounds of pull ups, 200 meter runs, and jumping on a box for 20 minute.  The combinations are put in place to work out every muscle group and work your strength, endurance, and agility.

 

  • Krav Maga – Krav Maga is a system of martial arts that was developed by Israel Defense forces.  Through this the participant will work with grappling, wrestling, and striking techniques in a very safe environment.  You will also learn such valuable techniques as weapon disarmament if the need ever arises.

 

  • Kick boxing – Another martial art that will give you a great workout and teach you self defense as well.  With kick boxing you will work on cardio, stretching, and calisthenics.  You will also work on your hand eye coordination with the different combinations punching and kicking combinations.  In just a 45 minute class, one can burn up to 1000 calories!

 

  • Parkour – Parkour is a combination of gymnastics and Ninja Warrior obstacle course running, but it’s all simply amazing!  With parkour you will get great cardio as you run, tumble, and climb your way to different obstacles.  Parkour will work your strength, flexibility, and endurance all in one sitting
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My Wish List. Call Me Crazy!

When I watched Back to the Future Part II (or any futuristic movie really) when I was a kid, I was excited about the future and what exciting gadgets we were going to have.  From flying cars, hoverboards, and robot butlers, the future looked promising.  Save the hoverboard, many of these cool things now exist; but unfortunately they also cost a lot of money.  A LOT…of money!  But that won’t stop me from dreaming about having these gadgets.  Or keep begging for a very huge raise.  Or keep playing the lottery. These are some of the things are on my wish list:

  1.  Flying Car – This is something out of Transformers.   This Flying Car can convert from a street-legal automobile to a light sport aircraft in 30 seconds.  The 100 hp, four cylinder engine can power the three=bladed propeller for a maximum airspeed of 115 mph and power the rear-wheel drive above 65 mph on the road.  Where this car is going, you may not need roads, but you will definitely need a pilot’s license.   This all for a retail price: $350,000.  (http://www.hammacher.com/Product/11812)

 

  1. Interactive Pool Table- A pool table that has been updated to the modern digital times.  Every movement of the pool balls is tracked in high definition real time.  You can even select the themes which leaves many possibilities.  It has been featured in such places as the Paradise Tower Penthouse, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and the Esquire SoHo apartment.  This all for a mere $25,000.  (http://www.obscuradigital.com/products/detail/cuelight/)

 

  1. Waterjet – Did you ever dream of flying?  Now you can have that dream come true!  The water Jet pack can lift you up over 20 feet high and thrust forward at 22 miles per hour.  You will be like the Rocketeer!  All of this for a price of $130,000. (http://www.jetlev-flyer.com/en/62868-Where-to-buy)

 

 

  1. Self controlled tow boat – You won’t have to get a boating license, you don’t even have to a boat!  If you want to water ski, you can go anywhere!  You can water ski anywhere with the unmanned water skiing boat that is entirely controlled by you.  The unmanned skier boat holds up to six gallons of gas.  It also automatically shuts off if the skier lets go of the handle.  Retail price: $17,000.  (http://www.hammacher.com/Product/11838)

 

  1. Dolphin powered boat-   Ditch that waterjet!  You can enjoy and see the ocean just like the dolphins do, by constantly submerging and launching at a high speed.    This just for a mere price of $65,000.  (http://seabreacher.com/)
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Work Off the Holiday Weight

The end of the holiday is coming up soon.  With that, the 24 hour holiday stations will soon go back into playing Soft Rock hits.  The gift wrap, unwrapped presents, and holiday decorations will also be taken down.  One thing that will remain though, are those unsightly pounds you have gained from all of the holiday parties you attended.  From the office party, the various family gatherings, you gained countless weight from the holiday cookies, Christmas Ham and Egg Nog.  But now it is time to work it off.  Here are some inexpensive ideas that will help you do it.

#1  Vibram Five Fingers These shoes may look weird, but they will allow you to return to an old form of running.  Studies have shown that when using these shoes on a regular basis, runners experience less injury because of the reduced impact than when they use other shoes.  When worn for such activities as weightlifting and CrossFit, the user will have better form since the average sneaker is padded around the ankle area, which is beneficial to prevent running injuries, but decreases the efficiency and power when performing lifting exercises and certain movements.  (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com)

#2  Your Shape Fitness Evolved (Xbox360 and Kinect)- You won’t even have to leave your house to workout with this option.  You can design your own workout based on your fitness level, schedule and goals.  The Your Shape Fitness Evolved has an enhanced motion tracking system that provides feedback specific to your body.  You can also participate in a program that has over 90 hours of activities which includes Cardio Boxing, Boot Camp, and Jump Rope. (http://yourshapegame.ubi.com/fitness-evolved-2012/en-us/index.aspx)

#3 George St. Pierre RushFit – Yet another option in which you won’t have to leave home.  Not only are you exercising as if you were about to enter a cage match, you will also look like a cage match fighter.  Modeled after the exercise program that the famous UFC fighter uses, the DVD set targets many different groups.  The beauty of this DVD program, you won’t have to purchase additional equipment. (http://www.gsprushfit.com/)

#4  Map My Run App – Whether you want to track the distance, pace, and calories you walk on any given day, or if you are training for a particular race and you want to see the different mile split times, you can download this app to any smartphone for free (though there are more features with the paid option).  You can also find running communities for a great support group or a fun run.  (http://www.mapmyrun.com/)

#5   3-in-1 Chin Up/Pull Up/Sit Up Bar- For a great workout that targets your upper body and abs, get your hands on a 3-in-1 chin up/pull up/sit up bar.  These are easy to install and are portable so you can bring them on business trips and have a portable gym on the go.  (find on http://www.amazon.com/)

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Best “Guy” Movies of 2011

There were many great films released this year, yet some of the best films failed to register a blip on the public radar.  You can even say that 2011 is the year of the underrated and overlooked movies.  Hopefully these quality movies will find second life in Blu-Ray or DVD rentals.

  1.  X-Men First Class:  Some may say it’s a reboot, some say it’s a complete mulligan.  Whatever it was, it certainly distinguished itself from the Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand, which obliterated a once-promising franchise.  Setting the stage decades before the first X-Men started, First Class is a combined element of humor, Cold-War thriller, James Bond espionage styleaction, and the X-Men brand of special effects that we have grown accustomed to.

 

  1. Captain America: The First Avenger- another Marvel offering directed by Joe Johnston.  Captain America: The First Avenger painted a nostalgic hue and combined an old Raiders of The Lost Ark with a futuristic Star Wars touch.  While the movie had less action than I expected it to, it was definitely an enjoyable one.  It also sets the stage for next year’s Avenger’s movie.

 

  1. Moneyball – Dubbed the  Social Network of Major League baseball, Moneyball is based on the book Moneyball: the Art of Winning an Unfair Game  by Micheal Lewis.  The movie paired Brad Pitt as general manager, Billy Beane of the Oakland A’s with Jonah Hill as his assistant GM.  It details the out of the box thinking that Beane’s Oakland A’s must overcome from MLB’s cellar dwellers to contenders by using the power of statistics in order to compete with bigger markets teams that have more money to spend.   Brad Pitt also had one of his finest performances as he displayed the vulnerability one must when taking a risk in order to reach a successful level.

 

  1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – Despite a flat performance by the main actor James Franco, Director Rupert Wyatt has resurrected a once great franchise (still recovering from Tim Burton’s remake Planet of the Apes).  While Rise of the Planet of the Apes had some big actors such as James Franco and John Lithgow, the main star was Caesar, the main primate that eventually lead an uprising and wrecked havoc on all of humanity.  Damn Them Dirty Apes!

 

  1. Drive – Superficially, Drive looks like another Fast & Furious knockoff.  But once you got deeper into the movie, it seemed more like an action movie with soul.  From the credits in the beginning to the 80’s style soundtrack throughout the movie, we are introduced into a seedy underwold world where Ryan Gosling’s unnamed character is a stunt driver by day and get-away driver by night.  Even though the set-up has some of the artificial tropes of any clichéd action movie,  Drive may set the tone for action movies in the future.
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The Man’s Book Blog

caveman

Nothing can stand in the way of a man and his words! Actually that’s not really true, but I still think its worth saying what I think needs to be said; Hence, “the Man’s Book” blog!

This blog is written by a man for men. Consider all the possible topics under the sun, throw them into a sea of opposing opinions and shed a males perspective on all of them. I will be discussing, business, technology, money, shopping, maybe even women. Imagine that my Man’s Book blog discussing women. Well what greater topic could there be for men.

Keep in mind – that this blog will not be used as a platform for gender stereotyping, that’s not the point – but I’m sure it may be one of the results (so apologies in advance). Ultimately, I would like provide a Man’s perspective without coming off as a total caveman – we’ll see how successful I am!

 

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