This week has definitely been one in the history books.  As the entire world huddled around their TVs or streamed online video nervously at work, behind the boss’ back, we watched Barack Obama become the first black president of the United States.  Just as what his campaign has long promised, he’ll be bringing change to the White House, and hope to millions of Americans.  You might be thinking politically when you read this, but think again.  Obama is bringing a whole new mentality and image to people over 40 and the stereotypical politician in general.

The other day I came across Telegraph’s article,  “Barack Obama: redefining the male physique”, and thought that it was rather amazing read.

Obama is now a man that is just beginning his uphill battle with trying to solve the economic crisis in America and is the most powerful man in the Western world, but he still works out 45 minutes each day!  This is just simply amazing.  To see that this is a man who conscientiously will take time from his day, sometimes even sacrificing sleep time to keep his workout routine on track is surely a lesson to us all.  We all know that getting out for a run or visiting the gym a couple times each week is demanding enough, but we should try and take a lead from Obama and his dedication.  I’m not giving all of my hands-down support for him solely based off of his workout regiment, but this is impressive.  Looking back at Bill Clinton many years ago when he would take a leisurely jog from time to time, but we all knew that he was never in shape.  Obama is a complete transformation from those past years.  He is a man who will, and should, give us hope, in the sense of motivation to begin a workout routine and actually be able to stick to it.

If he could stick to his jogging and weight resistance six-days a week and still become insanely successful, I sure hope he could do the same for our struggling economy…

Photo credit: Telegraph

Hey all. It’s Saturday and coming up to crunch time for shopping for the holidays. If you’re starting to feel the pressure, don’t worry, you still have a little bit of time to get that perfect gift. Check out some places online if you’re running out of ideas. See what Matt, over at HowIWillBeRich suggested for some great gifts that won’t break the bank. You can still get those babies shipped quick, so act now!

I know I’m a little off topic for this site, but I’m in the mood to do some relaxing this weekend and taking a breather for the stresses of the past few weeks for me. I’ve been meaning to post this great excerpt from great old TV show, “Cheers” for a long time, more as a joke than anything. I would like to say it’s an awesome theory, but only if it were true. If you’re not a beer drinker, I’m sure you can get creative and apply this to something else in your life.

Ahh, the Buffalo Theory…

“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this… A herd of buffalo can only move as
fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the
slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural
selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and
health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the
weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate
as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we
know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest
brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates
the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient
machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”

Well there you have it. Don’t get too crazy out there this weekend, but have some fun. Have a good one!

Photo credit: mandj98

We all run into slumps when it comes with our exercising patterns. Never think you are the only one that feels guilty for taking a day, a week, or months off from burning off those extra calories. I run into this problem quite often when it comes to keeping a consistent schedule to workout. If you ever feel like you’re losing the spark that you had when you first began, maybe it’s time to take a step back and see what motivates you so you can continue with your exercising. Check out these ideas to get you going when you need a good kick in the butt!

1. Find a partner. Professional athletes do it, and so should you! Everything becomes easier when there’s a buddy to help push you along the way.
2. Set a daily goal. If you’re running, set a daily, and then weekly goal of how many miles you’d want to cover. This should help pace yourself towards the end number. You can set a goal for any type of workout, but start out slow, if need be.
3. Try something new. Doing the same routine and workout daily can become a burden on your mind. Take the time to think of a new idea and method to accomplish your workout. If it’s running or biking, look for a new trail or road to travel.
4. Exercise at lunch. Of course this depends on your work schedule, but squeezing a workout in this time will force you to complete it then and there. This would also be a great way to keep a daily exercising routine.
5. Listen to music. Buy yourself a cheap mp3 or CD player and go nuts! Music will definitely take your mind off the effort of working out and should make you feel much more comfortable.
6. Create a blog. This is exactly what I did. Blogs allow you to express how you feel to an endless amount of people around the world. Document what you’ve accomplished and what you plan to do, and then stick with them! And if you don’t, everyone will know.
7. Read other blogs. There are a ton of blogs and sites scattered throughout the web relating to exercising and motivation. Check out some of my favorite sites here.
8. Keep a log. This would be very similar to a blog, but you should also keep a record of the time, type of activities, and other qualities of your exercise on record.
9. Head start on resolutions. Since the holidays are in full force, beat your next New Year’s resolutions and start working out. Get ahead and stay ahead!
10. Read this book. Ultra Marathon Man, by Dean Karnazes. This is a man that tells his story of constantly pushing himself to his body’s extremes. A VERY influential read for anyone!
11. Race results. If you compete in any race, remember that most results are available to anyone online. There’s no escaping Google anymore!
12. Remember this. After any strenuous exercise, you’ll always feel much better when you’re finished. There’s no skipping workouts to get to this feeling.
13. Looking ahead. Don’t you want that nice and trimmed body for the upcoming year? Here’s your chance to start working out and getting into a great routine!
14. Save your money. Pay yourself a certain amount after you reach your weekly goals. Sooner than you know it, you’ll have enough money to buy yourself brand new workout gear.
15. Find time. It’s easy to try and fill up your day’s time with useless tasks. Allow a one hour space each day for a good all-around workout.
16. Be realistic. Don’t try to be a superstar athlete on the first day or if you feel it’s out of reach right now. Build up with baby steps and soon enough you’ll be much further than you ever thought.
17. Buy new shoes. If you haven’t checked out my post, Why You Might Need A New Pair Of Shoes, then do it! Purchase two pairs of shoes so you can rotate and feel fresh each day.
18. Purchase the good stuff. Some people may be content with buying their workout gear at Target. For others, paying a little more and purchasing some top of the line gear might put more pep in people’s steps.
19. Hangout. Spend time and surround yourself around people that enjoy doing that same exercise. Much can be learned and taught about any type of workout.
20. Just do it! Nike said it best the first time. This is when you stop thinking about what could happen or what else you could be doing. Instead, throw on your workout clothes and start exercising. You’ll feel much better that you did.

Photo credit: ben matthews :::

I found this great article over at lifehack.org that gives tips on getting back to the gym and staying with it. A lot of people buy gym memberships or workout equipment with the absolute best intentions to get back in to shape. You get in to it for a while and then, all of the sudden, you get sidetracked. Work becomes too hectic, school is to overwhelming, you get sick and take some time off… What ever the reason, you stop going. Then what happens? All of the sudden working out or getting the gym is a huge burden in your life. A month ago, you made time for it and now all of the sudden you can’t squeeze it in anywhere. Your life didn’t get crazier. You just lost the motivation.

This article is a great article that gives 15 tips to keep that motivation. One of the tips that I find extremely beneficial is to work with a partner. When you work with someone else, the two of you are constantly motivating each other to get back on track.

You can read the full article here.

We all aspire to see ourselves somewhere, doing something in the future that we haven’t done in the past. Or maybe we would like to relive something in the past that we never thought we’d see ourselves do again. Whatever the occasion may be, setting personal goals is like laying the foundation to a skyscraper or mapping out a business plan for a future venture. Everything starts out with a plan; without this plan the future is unclear, allowing you to steer away from the path that you should be taking. I often catch myself beginning to write a paper for school, going on a 50-mile bike ride, or going on a date with my girlfriend without a definite plan. All of these can lead you to a destination that we don’t want to be at, so I’ve learned to set some goals, but also follow a plan to achieve them. Just always remember that goals are meaningless, unless they are achieved.

Running is a very important part of my life because it opens so many doors and allows me to get a feeling like none other. Going for that early morning jog or that evening, after-work de-stressing run always does the trick of freeing my mind. For a couple of years I had a very lackadaisical attitude for keeping a running schedule under my belt. I always had the urge to hit the pavement and get as many miles I could under my belt, but the difficult part was leaving the house. Finally, I had enough of it all and felt like I needed a good kick in the butt to keep me running on a routine basis. To do this, I decided to sign up for my first half-marathon, three months down the line. With this goal in the seemingly distant future, I found myself a decent 12-week training program online that was to keep me pounding pavement on a 6-day-a-week schedule. For once, it worked!

After successfully running for 12 weeks and completing my first half-marathon, I craved for more. After realizing this, I noticed that I needed a goal, such as the half-marathon, to keep me on the path that I’ve always wanted to be on. This mighty race, along with the training program, gave me the motivation to keep trekking ahead.

After completing three half-marathons this year, I am now setting my sights on a full marathon in January. This is a distance that I have never thought I would attempt, but now I have full confidence that I can achieve it. I begin my 18-week training schedule tomorrow, and can’t wait! Through all of this I have become a much better runner, have set many personal record times, and covered distances that I never thought my legs could handle at one time. The only way I could achieve this was to clearly set my goals and use the tools to keep me along the right path.