I decided to try out for a semi-pro football team. What makes this so odd? I was told by the college coach of a small 3-7 football team that I was too old, at 29, and I would just get in their way. On the day I turned 31, January the 22, I made a semi-pro team.

To really understand the path I chose, we really need to go back to the beginning because this is not really a story of how I made it as much as it is a story of how anyone can achieve their goals no matter their age or physical fitness level. All you have to do is get real and stick with it. I must first say that before anyone takes the advice in this article you should go to your doctor and get a complete physical because the advise in this article is real world and very intense.

I woke up, at 28 years old, on the day of my 10 year reunion from high school and noticed that I was fat and out of shape. At around 5′8″, I weighed around 220 or so and it wasn’t much muscle. With my build, I wasn’t exactly obese, but I didn’t feel good. I was starting to have problems with my blood pressure, I couldn’t run half a mile without stopping and when I saw pictures, oh brother, I was embarrassed.

I decided that I needed to get back in shape and nothing was going to stop me, right after my next pizza. For the first couple of months, that is exactly how I did it. I was always going to start tomorrow until one day I decided that this was the day.

I have always loved lifting weights so that was how I started, eventually I added a mile run to the end of a 30-minute workout and all-in-all, I lost about five pounds.

I started to give up when I remembered a saying I had heard years before when I was competing in bodybuilding, “if you want to look extreme, you have to be extreme.” I took this saying to heart and started training extreme and somehow, contrary to popular ideas about training, it worked and it worked pretty fast. I must once again urge that anyone starting a program like this should get the OK from a doctor first.

Are you ready? Here it goes!

The first thing I did was set down and formulate a program that incorporated aerobic fitness and muscle strength along with a pretty well-balanced diet. I set down a few “laws” and started working toward them knowing that I had set them so high, I couldn’t help but be in great shape when I hit them. I wanted to be able to run five miles, squat 405 pounds, bench 315 pounds and comfortable fit into 32 waist jeans. I knew that if I hit all four of these goals, I would be where I wanted to be.

First of all, lets start with the diet. I believe it to be the base from which all the others factors hinge. I knew I needed enough calories, but not too much so I set a base line of 2,500 to start with. I only ate four meals per day because in the real world, it is very hard to fit in the six that are typically recommended. I decided to go high-protein since protein is the least likely micro nutrient to be turned to fat, about 350-400 grams or 1,400-1,600 calories per day.

Although this worked for me, you need to experiment for yourself. The rest of the calories were pretty evenly divided between carbs and fats. A typical breakfast consisted of a 60 gram whey protein shake blended with a cup of oatmeal, six egg whites and three whole eggs made into an omelet with a little bit of cheese.

I tried to be creative with the other three meals, but you have to face the facts that you can only be so creative with protein shakes, chicken breast and eggs. Like it or leave it.

There were about six days per week that I didn’t want to stay on this diet but I made myself and oddly enough, every time I used a little self-discipline, I grew stronger.

The next area of my training I want to talk about was aerobics. I was so out of shape when I ran I would get dizzy. I would always stop when I got dizzy until I decide I would rather fall out and die than stay fat and out of shape and somehow the dizziness stopped.

As I stated before, I knew that when I was able to run five miles, I wouldn’t have to worry about being too fat and out of shape. Guess what. It took much longer than I had planned to get to the five-mile mark. I was so heavy for my build that I kept getting shin splints and sore ankles so I started doing my aerobics on the Stairmaster, 45 minutes six days per week. I also started on some jumping and sprinting exercises to increase my vertical jump and 40-yard dash time, but these were sport-specific exercises you would only really need if you were going to be graded on them. You may have to adjust your training too and this is OK as long as you really need to adjust and your not just doing it to make it easier.

The last part of my training was the weight lifting. I decided to go a little crazy. I worked into supersetting antagonistic body parts for 20 sets (really 40) for anywhere from five reps to 20. For example, I would pick one exercise for each body part and do them back to back with no rest. I supersetted thighs/hamstrings, chest/back, shoulder/traps, abs/low back, bis/tris. This is one area where you can pretty much use your own favorites.

I was able to used this intense work out to get in the shape of my life and accomplish a dream. The main thing someone really needs to realize is that it took me over a year to achieve the goals I mentioned before and get into great shape. I first came down to a very lean 182 pounds and then built up to around 198 – 200 while still wearing my 32-waist jeans.

There is nothing special about me that would make me accomplish this while someone else could not. I tend to think just the opposite, if I can do it, anyone can. I see so many people, men and women, in the gym just going through the motions and not pushing to get to the next level. I think it is actually a fear of something, maybe getting hurt. If you do fear getting hurt, just do safe exercises and use machines but above all push, push, push. I feel confident that anyone could use this type of program of intensity and attain just about any goal he or she set for themselves but first you need to do one thing, start.

These benefits include the fact soy has zero cholesterol so it helps to reduce the risk of heart disease and many types of cancer – specifically colon, prostate, and breast. Since cancer and heart disease combined cause over a million deaths per year in the United States this is powerful and beneficial knowledge to know.

The link between diet and health problems such as cancer and heart disease has been well-documented and researched. Now there are other factors that can contribute to health problems, but what you eat is generally a factor that you can take control.

Soy also helps to keep you healthy because it provides a complete protein. This means it provides all of the amino acids for our needs. Great news for vegetarians and vegans, but it is also important for people who eat meat to know that they can get the proper amount and kind of protein they need without the harmful side effects that can come from eating too much meat.

While the health benefits of soy have been well-known and understood in other countries, particularly Asian, soy has gained a major foothold in the U.S not only because the western world has slowly awakened to the health benefits of soy but also because more soy food companies have introduced tasty soy products.

There is not a thing wrong with solid cubes of plain tofu, (a good cook can turn out zesty, wonderful meals with it) now you can also get soy products such as soy flour, soy flakes, and soy grits. On the market are also different brands of soy burgers, soy ‘hot dogs’, soy ‘chicken’ patties, and even soy ‘bacon’ and imitation bacon bits.

Although many vegetarians and vegans sneer at these imitation foods, I view them as a good thing because they are a great way to ease meat-eaters more soy. This in turn can aid in keeping them healthy.

If you’re like most people, even the fairest of the fair, it’s less likely that you are concerned with wearing sunscreen on an average day as compared to spending a day at the beach. But guess what? Everyone should be concerned on every day that the sun rises. Even though some skin types are not prone to burning, they, too, are at risk for skin cancer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a new campaign entitled, “Choose Your Cover,” to promote awareness of UV danger, especially in our youngsters. We all need awareness in UV protection, but you need to be aware that our risks start at an early age. Your risks of developing skin cancerous conditions increase with every sunburn we obtain in our lifetime.

There are five ways for you to “cover up” that are recommended by the CDC. We had better listen up and good, considering that “UV exposure appears to be the most important environmental factor in the development of cancer.”

1. Seek Shade – Don’t wait until it is too late to seek shade from the sun. If need to be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time, take breaks and seek shade wherever you can find it.

2. Rub it On – Be sure your sunscreen blocks both UVA and UVB rays with a SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. The higher the number, the more protection.

3. Cover up – Darker colored, loose fitting, tightly woven fabric is recommended.

4. Get a Hat – Find a hat made from tightly woven fabric that has a wide brim to shade face, ears, and the back of your neck. Straw hats are not recommended, as they let sunlight in between the fibers.

5. Grab Shades – Sunglasses can reduce your risk of cataracts, as well as, protect your eyes from UV rays. Find a pair that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

Don’t forget, UV rays can penetrate cloud cover, essentially making overcast and cloudy days as much a threat as bright and sunny days. UV rays can also reflect off of snow, driveways,  sand, sidewalks, and water. Also be aware, now that day light savings time is over, the UV rays are at their strongest between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. standard time.

Guys may not like the idea of having a skin “regimen” or prancing around as happy as the Noxzema girl, but I believe they want healthy skin as much as any girl. It’s just that no one has ever told them the best way to go about getting it. This leaves them to draw their own frightening conclusions. So boys, pay attention because you are about to get a crash course in Clear Skin 101.

First of all, get it out of your head that you’re not manly if you use something other than soap on your skin. As long as you don’t go overboard, women find a man who cares about his appearance to be very attractive. It saves us the effort of dropping hints of what you should be doing. Remember, this is personal hygiene and nothing to be ashamed of.

The next, and probably most crucial step is to memorize this rule: there are two types of soap, one kind for your body and one kind for your face. Never use body soap on your face! It’s too strong and it will cause you to break out. So keep the Irish Spring in your shower and your face will probably start improving already.

The three most important products you absolutely need are daily are a: cleanser, astringent and moisturizer. Before you buy these things, you should first determine what kind of skin you have. Lightly run your fingers over your forehead, nose, cheeks and chin. If the skin feels sticky, then it’s oily. If the skin feels tight and itchy, then it’s dry. If it’s sticky on your nose and chin, but itchy on your cheeks, then you have combination skin, which is both oily and dry. Try to make sure your products are in synch with your skin type because if you’re using an astringent for dry skin on your oily skin, it won’t work and you just wasted time and money.

Since skin care products are geared toward women, most guys feel the same embarrassment of handing them to a cashier they feel when sent to buy their girlfriend’s tampons. This is unnecessary because plenty of these products are gender neutral. Go for traditional Noxzema in it’s comforting ocean blue jar, or Neutrogena with it’s strong yellow color. These are products any man can be proud to have rest by his sink.

Now comes the toughest purchase — astringent. A lot of you guys are probably thinking of the Oxy pads you used when you were 14, but unless your face is still gushing the oil of puberty, stay as far away from that product as you possibly can. You wouldn’t stick your face in battery acid, would you? Your face needs to keep some of it’s oil or else it will get dry and start producing even more oil to make up for what you just removed.
Look for an every-day astringent specially made for the type of skin you have.

The final product you need to buy is moisturizer. You’ll need to swallow your pride for this one, but don’t put this off because the moisturizer is essential, especially if you have dry skin. The reason for this is because water dries out the skin. This is a hard fact for most guys to accept, because you believe that since water is wet it obviously must hydrate the skin, but that’s just not true. If you don’t believe me, try licking your lips when they’re chapped. Do they feel better or worse? Moisturizer is like Chapstick for your skin so look for the blandest bottle and don’t worry if it smells feminine because it’s not cologne, the scent will go away.

Now that you’ve finished shopping, it’s time to put these products to the test. Apply the cleanser to your fingertips and gently rub it onto your skin in upward, circular motions. Lean over your sink and splash lukewarm water onto your face at least three times to get all the soap off your skin. Pat your face dry with a clean towel.

Now take your astringent and pour a little bit onto a cotton ball. Wipe this all over your face, especially your nose because this tends to get the most oily. Your skin will feel cool and tingly so brush your teeth or comb your hair while it dries.

Now put a little moisturizer on your fingertips and rub it into your skin the same way you did with the cleanser. Your skin should feel soft and comfortable now, which means it’s clean. Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?

Now that you have mastered basic skin care, you might want to experiment with techniques such as facial masks and maybe even a little makeup. If you would really like to try a few new things without crossing the “wuss” line, here are a few tips of what is normal and what is going overboard.

And by overboard, I don’t mean being perceived as gay. Gay men always look damn good. Just observe the female heads that turn as one walks down the street. I’m talking about the guys who turn looking good into an obsession. The pretty-boys with long, glossy hair who wear bronzer and too much cologne who refer to themselves as “chick magnets.” These men are evil and must be stopped.

Facial masks are a great way to clean out the pores of your skin, and since you only need to leave them on for 15 minutes they’re actually a pretty convenient way to deep clean your face. Just make sure you go for the masks that have strong, primary colors like blue or green or white. The bottle should advertise the use of seaweed, almonds or even mint. Stay away from anything flowery or fruity — no girl wants her man to smell like peaches.

If your face has broken out and you’d like to cover up all the red spots, there is nothing wrong with a guy using a little concealer. Even if your girlfriend catches you, it will make her feel closer to you from knowing that you have insecurities, too. Just don’t start rummaging through her purse to steal her base coat or translucent powder because a guy who worries about a couple of zits is one thing, but a guy who doesn’t want to look “shiny” is just scary.

No matter what kind of strange product you buy for your skin, it’s okay as long as you made your purchase in a respectable drugstore. The girl who rings you up will probably even be checking you out because there are few things sexier than a straight guy who knows the importance of moisturizer.

However, if you find yourself hanging out at the Clinique counter in Lord & Taylor or getting a bi-monthly facial at a ritzy salon, it’s time to start re-examining yourself. I don’t want to create any pretty-boy monsters.

In addition, vitamin A is critical for hair growth. You should ingest fatty acids to obtain a good amount of vitamin A. Flaxseed oil, primrose, and salmon oil are some good sources. Consuming these fatty acids will provide you with vitamin A, which is necessary to improve hair growth. If hair loss is a concern, you should make sure that you are getting enough vitamin A and B.

Critical for hair growth also is vitamin E, which enhances your oxygen absorption as well as aids in the improvement your blood circulation. If you have good circulation, then hair growth will be enhanced. Good circulation is critical for hair growth, since blood circulating helps provide the vitamins needed to help hair grow.

Biotin is another vitamin needed for the growth of hair. This important vitamin is contained in many foods: green peas, oats, rice, soybeans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, and yeast. It is present as well in certain kinds of shampoos. It will get into your root tips quicker if you are using a shampoo with biotin, which will help to stimulate your hair to grow. While using a shampoo that contains biotin is helpful, you must still take the necessary vitamins and supplements too.

You should always consult with your physician and get his recommendation prior to trying any vitamins or supplements. There may be vitamins or supplements you should not be taking, which is why you should always talk to your physician before you make any decision. Your physician will be able to conduct tests, go over your history, and discuss with you  what you can and cannot take. That way you can select your vitamin supplements in accordance with his recommendations and you can feel confident that you will not suffer any long term side effects or problems.

When our son was very young, probably 2-3 years old, we did a lot of hand holding in order to get where we wanted without losing him. My sister taught him that if she squeezed his hand three times it meant “I Love You.” Whenever she did it, he always squeezed her hand back three times. Every once in a while (now that he’s a teenager) we’ll be out and about. I reach over for his hand and give it three quick squeezes. He always turns and smiles at me and squeezes my hand back.

Every so often, my husband will be out driving in my car instead of his. Whenever he does, I can almost always count on my gas tank being filled up the next time I get in to drive. He’s so thoughtful and it shows me he loves me!

When Andrew was about nine or ten, I discovered the time-honored tradition of family scrap-booking in photo albums. I decided to start with one for my son. I worked on it whenever he was playing outside, putting it away as a surprise. One day I forgot and left it out. When he came home, he spied it, grabbed it up and started reading through his book. When he was done, he looked up at me and said, “Wow! Thanks for making this book. I don’t remember seeing these pictures before. What you wrote makes me feel really loved.” I just sat that there with tears in my eyes. I have to keep his book up-to-date, it shows him I care.

My husband, Greg, and Andrew have a habit of finding just the right thing for my Christmas present. It’s usually not the one that they thought. We have a magnetic poetry set and one of the boxes is full of holiday phrases, words and pictures. Andrew wrote a wonderful poem about holiday spirit one Christmas. I was obsessing over how I’d keep this lovely sentiment. In my Christmas stocking that year, I found a rolled up scroll on which he had carefully lettered his poem. That meant more to me than all the other gifts combined.

Another year, they bought an inexpensive picture frame that has a microchip on which you can record a message. Andrew practiced for hours until he could say his message in the allotted time. I carry that little picture with me everywhere I go.

Take time to let your family know how much you love them by word and deed.

The top 5 signs of mineral deficiency follow:

1. White, Gray, or Silver Hair: (Copper Deficiency)
2. Age Spots, Liver Spot: (Trans-Fatty Acid: ie Hydrogenated Oils)
3. Cracked Cuticles, Hang-nails, Cracks on sides of fingers and thumbs: (Lack of Essential Fatty Acids)
4. Noisy Joints, Muscle Twitches, Muscle Spasms, Ringing Ears, Loose Teeth, and Receeding Gums: (Lack of Calcium)
5. Pica: (Food Cravings, binge eating behavior): Your body is trying to tell you that it needs something it is not getting).

If you have any of these symptoms, according to Dr. Joel Wallach, you should not take them lightly. These are all early warning signs of more serious health issues taking place in your body, like cancer, stroke, and heart disease, which may take many healthy years off your life.

Our diets play a major role in our health. Fried foods, sugar, caffiene, margarine (hydrogenated oils), carbonated drinks, and too many carbohydrates inhibit mineral absorption or deplete minerals and are major contributors of the early warning signs listed above.

Dr. Wallach, after much research and many years of practical application, has come up with the products to help get and keep you in excellent health. Along with the proper diet, plenty of rest and mild to moderate exercise, we can add years to our life expectancy, and not only years, but most importantly, quality of life. I don’t know about you, but I want to be healthy and feel good as long as I am here!

Isn’t it worth the time and effort to try? Give the body the 90+ nutrients it needs, and you will be surprised at the way you begin to feel! The way we should feel, but have forgotten because of our bad diets and habits. Take the time, put forth the effort. After all, you can’t be all you want to be without your health!

This bonfire night menu is simplicity itself and much of the preparation can be done the day before. As a busy student, I like to keep all recipes to the minimum of ingredients and effort, and I enjoy cheating with good-quality, ready-made foods, too. Around the bonfire, you’re sure to enjoy the hot roasted potatoes eaten out of newspaper cones, while a large jug of hot, fragrant apple juice will help keep the chill out of the evening air. Later a hotpot of garlicky sausages and beans will entice your hungry guests inside. You will find this bonfire feast is even easier to make and a lot more fun if you encourage your friends to help out with the toffee apple cakes and the fudge custard–no food fights allowed. Cook’s Timeplan up to 1 day ahead: Toss the potatoes in the oil and seasoning ready to roast. Cover and place to one side. Prepare the newspaper and greaseproof cones by taking a double sheet from a newspaper and folding it in half. Using the middle of the crease as your centre, curl the left-hand bottom corner in and up towards the top left to form a funnel shape, and then curl the right-hand corner around it. Curl a sheet of greaseproof paper and use it to line the newspaper. To make sure the cones don’t uncurl, fold the tip of the cone over and flatten slightly. Make all the dips and dressings. Cover and place in the fridge. Make the sausage and bean pot, but cook only 15 minutes. Put in a cool place, then, once cold, cover and place in the fridge. Make the toffee apple cakes. Cool, cover and set aside. Make the fudge custard, then cool, cover and place in the fridge. To serve at 7pm 5pm: preheat the oven to 220^(o)C. Heat apple cider
6pm: put the potatoes in the oven to roast. 6.30pm: bring the sausage mixture to the boil on the hob, then uncover and finish cooking in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the sausages are heated through. When ready, turn the oven temperature down to 170°C and keep warm. Place the covered parsnips in the hot oven beside the sausage and bean pot for 20 minutes to reheat. Keep warm in the low oven. Stir well before serving. 6.50pm: toss the salad ingredients just before serving the sausage and bean pot. 7pm: spoon the hot potatoes into the paper cones and serve. Place a sheet of foil loosely over the toffee apple cakes and put them in the turned-off oven when you take the sausage and bean pot out to serve it. Put the fudge custard into a small saucepan and warm through gently just before serving or, alternatively, serve the custard cold over the warm cakes.

Salt ‘n’ Peppa taters
1.New Potatoes, rinsed or wiped 6 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons each coarse salt and coarsely ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400F/200C. Halve any large potatoes. The pieces should be big enough for just one or two mouthfuls. Put potatoes in an even layer in one large or two small roasting tins. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Shake the pan to make sure all the potatoes are coated with oil and seasoning. Place the tin in the oven and roast the potatoes for 35-40 minutes or until they are golden brown and tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Shake the tin once or twice during cooking to brown the potatoes evenly. Serve immediately or turn down the oven to 170°C, and keep warm for up to 30 minutes. If time is short, then cheat and use frozen potato bites such as McCain’s, cooking according to package instructions, and add rosemary and garlic, served with a selection of the dips and dressings below.

Our Recommended Teeth Whitening & Cleaning Regimen:
To reiterate – it is best to perform this routine first in the morning after breakfast, and later after you have finished eating for the day, just before bed. The process takes up to twenty more minutes, so plan accordingly. Once you get it down, it will be so easy and your results will happen fast.

1. Begin with a home teeth whitening kit and use it for at least 10 to 15 minutes. We advise using this to start which lets you brush away any extra whitener remaining on your teeth or gum area. (Following will be a complete review of the teeth whitening system we strongly advise, so keep tuned.)
2. After this, follow up with a battery powered toothbrush to thoroughly cleanse your teeth. Remember to get the front, back and underneath areas. Make sure to really scour and scrub your tongue as well.
3. Take a flossing tool – far more manageable than standard floss – and make the effort to clean in-between each of your teeth. Due to this being an area where food and debris accumulate, this is a prime place for staining as well as cavities.
4. To finish up, use a mouth rinse to further protect and maintain your cleaned teeth till you brush again. And, this provides you with minty, fresh smelling breath – a great advantage.

Which Teeth Whitening Products Are the Most Efficient?
To get an extra boost of whitening, we really advise daily use of a teeth whitening system when you brush. This lets you increase the whitening effect for your smile to a greater extent. Since we have actually tried just about all the products available, we are familiar with the newest technology, which is much more effective than the older, less effective whiteners it is replacing.

WHITE LIGHT™ Home Tooth Whitening System
One of the newest, most effective teeth whitening products we have discovered on the Internet is known as WHITE LIGHT™ Home Tooth Whitening System. Following use of this product for a bit more than a week, the remarkable outcome was very impressive and readily apparent. This person had already been using a different teeth whitening system before making the change, so the difference was even more surprising.

We suggest strongly: whiten your teeth in no time with light technology!

This is great news for anyone seeking an effective whitening kit at home. General health is actually impacted by dental hygiene, which has been evidenced over the past few decades. It has been found that using proper brushing and flossing daily can lead to fewer general health issues. When you see someone with a gleaming set of teeth you can be sure they put in the time to clean them often. One of the most vital factors of wearing a brilliant white smile is sticking to a constant routine and using the proper techniques to really make your teeth glow. You shouldn’t expect to have a flawless smile without putting some work into it each day.

Following, we will educate you on how to care for your teeth, inform you about what makes up a daily routine, and instruct you on how to get a shining smile with the proper whitener.

Your Teeth:
In order to completely comprehend the ideal method for teeth care, we should examine teeth from the beginning of life. When we are young, our teeth are entirely covered with a durable enamel resembling porcelain which serves a protective function. Because of the stresses placed on teeth every day, the enamel gradually erodes and turns transparent. This allows the yellowish dentin or tooth material to become more visible, yielding a dull and unattractive appearance. You will get millions of micro-cracks in your teeth over the years from chewing. These crevices are targets for trapped food, which lets stains develop and can lead to cavities forming. With good oral hygiene, along with the correct teeth whitening methods, you can diminish the build-up of plaque as well as stains produced by the foods and drinks you ingest each day.

Think of everything you put in your mouth in just one day. On a typical day, you will have 3, maybe even 5, meals along with beverages and snacks too. How often do you find yourself too exhausted in the evening to drag yourself to the mirror to clean your teeth? This is something universal; however to get a whiter and more healthy smile, we need to change this habit and make brushing a routine.

On this we need to be perfectly clear – teeth care is a continuing process. This is a practice you need to do each day, like showering or shaving, to get a flawless and sparkling white smile. This is a change that you will have to make in your lifestyle. We are not stating that you will be obligated to be in the bathroom brushing every minute, or punish yourself if you skip a day or two, but an ongoing effort is essential.

For the best possible hygiene, you should perform your teeth care after you eat breakfast and before going to bed, at a minimum. This means your teeth will be clean most of the day and while you’re asleep, two huge portions of the average person’s life.

…see next post..