"Nutritional" Fast Food Options

Two of my good friends complained to me that they don’t have enough time to cook food, so they end up eating out. Due to the fast paced society we live in, eating out has become the lifestyle of many people. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS), Americans now spend 48.9 percent of their food dollars away from home. This is the highest percentage currently on record. Thirty years ago, only about 37 percent of those food dollars were spent away from home. Fifty years ago, that figure was just 25 percent.

Things To Think About Before You Start Working Out

It has been almost five months since I began to develop what I call the assassin’s workout and about two months actually using my own workouts. While I have dropped my body fat percentage from 15% to 10%, I have a ways to go before I can truly call myself an ASSASSIN. Most of the changes are due to a strict nutrition plan and workouts that takes anywhere from 15 to 35 minutes a day, five times a week, with Saturday as either a bonus day with a specific challenge or a rest day and Sunday always resting. Here are some things to think about as you begin to workout.

First Time Flipping

“Just focus on the jump,” Coco said with determination. I looked at him unsure and I think he could tell I was a little nervous. He gave me a reassuring smile, and asked me what I was focusing on.

“The Jump,” I exclaimed.

“Good,” He said enthusiastically while grabbing the back of my shirt to spot me.

Coco, whose real name is Akram, had been doing flips for more than ten years, and runs a business teaching cheerleading teams how to do stunts and a whole lot more. However, he offered to teach me how to do flips when I told him about my assassin's workout guide. This was my first time ever trying a standing back flip and I was mentally petrified of landing on my neck.

Pain is usually a good deterrent to trying new things. A general rule that many of us follow is: If it hurts, don’t do it. I was ignoring that sage advice. I knew there were risks, but my determination to do back flips like Bruce Lee outweighed my fears… at least while Coco was spotting me. 

Waterfall Training in Your Shower: The Benefits of Cold Water

It was a week ago today that I began the uncomfortable habit of taking ten-minute cold showers. The first time was literally an eye opening experience. I turned on the shower, but only the frigid water flowed from the showerhead. This was intentional of course, but I really had no idea what I was getting into. Touching the water with my fingertips, a cold shiver ran down my body. I began to think that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. In this day and age, we obviously had water heaters for a reason, so why was I so insistent on trying this out?

In Japan and other places around the world, those who practice Shinto will travel to an icy cold waterfall and stand underneath it in order to cleanse the spirit. This ritual is known as Misogi. Knowing this, I tried to convince myself that I was a Shinto master and meditating under an ice cold shower was the same as a Japanese waterfall.

New York City Assassin from the Future!

While on the Subway in New York City I stared at a man who appeared to be from the future. I suppose it’s possible that most everyone looks somewhat out of place in New York City, but his appearance and style were similar to that of Kyle Reese from the Terminator movie. Now some of you may be thinking, “But Kyle Reese wasn't an assassin.” And you know what? Tomato Tomäto. The original Terminator franchise is about someone coming back to assassinate John Connor or someone related to him... So let's not get stuck on minutiae. Anyways, I concluded that my assumption was correct and he was in fact sent to find some unsuspecting future leader who somehow would change the world, maybe for the better.