iPods don't like washers and dryers!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Marc on the National Anthem
Whether or not Chicago fans are the greatest fans is questionable, but in regards to the National Anthem, this is copied directly from my Facebook page, posted at 10:43pm on 16 January:
Marc Baldwin
Marc Baldwin
Blackhawks singer leads Bears fans in rousing national anthem
sports.yahoo.com
Comprehensive National Football League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more
sports.yahoo.com
Comprehensive National Football League news, scores, standings, fantasy games, rumors, and more
The best fans in sports
Who has the best fans in the country? That is a difficult question for college sports because there are so many great venues. But for pro sports I can argue that Chicago has the best sports fans in the country. How could you not like the fans who support a team whose futile championship efforts are legendary (Cubs)?
And so, with this claim I give you a great article and video clip to watch. It is important to note that the exuberance of the crowd during the national anthem is not a sign of disrespect but just the opposite. That’s another issue for debate and although I wouldn’t do it, I’m also not offended by it because I don’t think the cheering is out of disrespect for the national anthem. I’ll be eager to see what Mr. Military has to say about national anthem protocol.
In any case, I’m becoming more interested in being a Bears/Blackhawks/Bulls/Cubs/White Sox fan every day!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Marc on Muscle Confusion
My muscles are confused every time I use them for something other than walking to my car!
Fitness, like anything else in America, is all about crazes… jazzercise, step aerobics, fitness bootcamp, P90X, buns of steel, spin classes, kettle bells, etc. I'm sure you can think of a few more. Here on the base at Fort Meade the "hippest" workout craze is Crossfit, and if your really into fitness, then you go to the Crossfit gym. Yes, they have their own gym, and it looks as rugged as the barn where Rocky trained for his fight in the Soviet Union. I think that if you are a male, you're not allowed to wear a shirt, and if you're a female, you can only wear spandex shorts and a sports bra. If you check out their website, you'll see the Crossfit slogan that doesn't even make sense to me: Forging Elite Fitness. What the hell does that mean?
I don't have much of a problem with fitness crazes, because if it motivates someone to get healthier, that's a good thing. What I DON'T like, is when the people wrapped up in whatever the current craze happens to be turn into disciples trying to make converts by telling everyone unless you're doing it their way you're wasting your time. That's when I get irritated.
Muscle confusion is just another in the long line of fitness crazes. It's a fancy way of saying, "vary your workouts". Muscle confusion sounds a lot cooler though.
A couple of years ago in Texas I was running a lot during the workouts we would do with the new Chief selectees. The runs were usually around 3 miles, but at a fairly slow pace. When you run in formation, you have to have road guards block traffic at intersections while the formation passes through. The road guards sprint ahead of the formation, jog in place while stopping traffic until the formation passes, and then sprint to catch up, then to the next intersection, etc. I always volunteered for road guard duty. I didn't know it was happening, but my running that fall was stronger than it's ever been in my life. Everyone told me it was because of the sprints, which I had never put much stock in before. "They" say that you shouldn't just go run three miles every day at a steady pace, but that you should do sprints sometimes. I think it would qualify as muscle confusion, and I must admit that it worked.
I think more importantly, changing things up keeps you from getting bored out of your mind. I read an article once about a guy who ran the same route from his house every day for like 28 years. I can't imagine that. I would get pretty tired of it. But in the end, everybody is different, so everybody needs to find what works for them. Joe Kurmaskie might need to ride his bike across Canada to push himself, but someone else might find incredible accomplishment in making it from Oelwein to Fairbank.
Lucky for me, since I'm so inconsistent at any kind of exercise, my muscles will always be confused!
Fitness, like anything else in America, is all about crazes… jazzercise, step aerobics, fitness bootcamp, P90X, buns of steel, spin classes, kettle bells, etc. I'm sure you can think of a few more. Here on the base at Fort Meade the "hippest" workout craze is Crossfit, and if your really into fitness, then you go to the Crossfit gym. Yes, they have their own gym, and it looks as rugged as the barn where Rocky trained for his fight in the Soviet Union. I think that if you are a male, you're not allowed to wear a shirt, and if you're a female, you can only wear spandex shorts and a sports bra. If you check out their website, you'll see the Crossfit slogan that doesn't even make sense to me: Forging Elite Fitness. What the hell does that mean?
I don't have much of a problem with fitness crazes, because if it motivates someone to get healthier, that's a good thing. What I DON'T like, is when the people wrapped up in whatever the current craze happens to be turn into disciples trying to make converts by telling everyone unless you're doing it their way you're wasting your time. That's when I get irritated.
Muscle confusion is just another in the long line of fitness crazes. It's a fancy way of saying, "vary your workouts". Muscle confusion sounds a lot cooler though.
A couple of years ago in Texas I was running a lot during the workouts we would do with the new Chief selectees. The runs were usually around 3 miles, but at a fairly slow pace. When you run in formation, you have to have road guards block traffic at intersections while the formation passes through. The road guards sprint ahead of the formation, jog in place while stopping traffic until the formation passes, and then sprint to catch up, then to the next intersection, etc. I always volunteered for road guard duty. I didn't know it was happening, but my running that fall was stronger than it's ever been in my life. Everyone told me it was because of the sprints, which I had never put much stock in before. "They" say that you shouldn't just go run three miles every day at a steady pace, but that you should do sprints sometimes. I think it would qualify as muscle confusion, and I must admit that it worked.
I think more importantly, changing things up keeps you from getting bored out of your mind. I read an article once about a guy who ran the same route from his house every day for like 28 years. I can't imagine that. I would get pretty tired of it. But in the end, everybody is different, so everybody needs to find what works for them. Joe Kurmaskie might need to ride his bike across Canada to push himself, but someone else might find incredible accomplishment in making it from Oelwein to Fairbank.
Lucky for me, since I'm so inconsistent at any kind of exercise, my muscles will always be confused!
Muscle Confusion on a different level
So does muscle confusion really work? The article I've attached (did I do it right?) suggests there is "no shortcut to success" and that view is very hard to argue. Because if there was a shortcut to success, everyone would be taking it right?
So, at Brad's prompting the three of us brothers have engaged in a little fitness challenge. Nothing crazy, just some good old fashioned exercise regimen. I'm really pleased with the motivation it has given me ... so far. Still a long way to go to feeling (and wanting) to work out on a regular basis. But one interesting element of exercise is how much it has changed, and yet, how much it has stayed the same.
Every imaginable (and some imaginable) piece of exercise equipment exists today. You have bikes, treadmills, row machines, weight machines, ellipticals and every possible alteration and combination of the above. You have various prescribed suggestions for maximizing workout results with minimal time spent. Is there no end to trying to find that perfect way of staying in shape, looking good, and doing so with minimal effort?
Muscle confusion seems to be the latest fad. Is it for real? It certainly helps keep you from being bored in your workout routine, but does it do anything more than that? Depending on what non-credible source you read, probably not. To take the concept to an extreme and to test the theories validity, I'm proposing muscle confusion for one of my most utilized muscles - my stomach! I've been putting it through muscle confusion for the better part of 4 decades! Donuts one day and football shaped Oreo cookies the next. Then to mix it up lets throw an hot fudge and caramel ice cream sundae at it followed by hot tamales. Yeah, that should shake it up! But seriously,
I'm curious what my brothers (and the other readers of the blog) have to say about muscle confusion. I'm mixing up my workouts mostly to vary my routine and feel like I'm getting a full body workout. And mixing up cardio, lifting, legs and arms workouts has been enjoyable - as enjoyable as working out can be. I'm pleased to have kept pace with our little fitness challenge and I hope I can sustain it through and beyond the month of January.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Football Oreos? Girl, please!
I had an incredibly productive day today for a Saturday (oil change, washed the truck, haircut, took down outdoor Christmas lights, etc.).
After coming home from the movies at 10:15pm, I was faced with a decision knowing that I already took an off-day this week and had not worked out yet today. So what did I do?
Well, at 10:30pm I sat down in front of the TV and ate nearly an entire piece of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and finished it off with two glasses of milk.
Now here I sit watching football and typing on a computer. I guess I'm down $2!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Dumb things we do...part 3
Last night I was in the office late with 2 guys working on installation of our sound management ("white noise") system. That isn't the dumb part. The dumb part is my dinner (in order consumed):
1 english muffin with cream cheese
2 gulps of orange juice
1 large mocha (made by barista Brad Baldwin himself)
2 Shinerbock beers
10-12 Oreo football shape cookies
Large quantity of life savers
Dinner of champions!
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