Princess Leia Wants To Have Her Star Wars Cake — And Eat It Too.

Fisher Before               Fisher After

As the rest of us struggle to pay our bills or attain a bit of recognition for our creative endeavors, let us ponder the exquisite specialness of Ms. Carrie Fisher.

When the lifelong wealthy person, substance abuser, and daughter of legendary movie star Debbie Reynolds was provided the incredibly fortuitous opportunity to reprise her one and only iconic movie role from four decades back, she had nothing but complaints and bitching concerning this veritable Gift From Heaven, and the world-wide attention and sizeable paycheck that came with it.

To play the role of the mature and powerful General Leia in the latest Star Wars saga, Fisher was asked — her word was “pressured” — to lose the flab — 35 pounds worth, and to tone up her muscles.

This of course irked the entitled Hollywood brat no end. Why can’t she remain her fat limping geriatric self and STILL play an ass-kicking General? — she asked with all the hubris characteristic of the wealthy overindulged. Never mind that male actors are required to go through a much more lengthy, challenging and demanding transformation to play the roles of superheroes, strippers and Spartans with nary a whimper about the "unfairness" of it all.

"Nothing changes,” she said in a snit in Good Housekeeping Magazine. “It’s an appearance-driven thing. I'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say 'Get younger,' because that's how easy it is."

Her well-publicized mental health issues and addiction problems aside, the elderly crybaby should have been down on her knees kissing the feet of those who made such a lucky break possible for her instead of whining about how hard it is for someone accustomed to having no boundaries whatsoever being assigned a few in order to take part in such a life-enriching project. 

She went on to say something quite jaw-dropping:

 “I have a harder time eating properly than I do exercising… and when I do lose the weight, I don't like that it makes me feel good about myself. It's not who I am.”

I had to go over that twice to make sure I had read it properly: “when I do lose the weight, I don't like that it makes me feel good about myself.”

Feeling good about herself is not who she is? Carrie Fisher really is from another planet.

Niagen / NA Supplements — The Jury’s Out.

A fascinating article in Scientific American provides a laymen’s rundown on the supplement-of-the-moment, NA. The makers claim miraculous results for older people, but few users agree experiencing similarly outstanding results. Reading the reviews for the various brand names on Amazon will leave you confused, as many people reporting positive results describe these in the most modest of terms, making me personally wonder if the Placebo Effect is in play here. However, a few of these Amazon reviewers are older males who go to the gym, and they report more energy and stamina, longer workout times, and quick recovery even after pushing beyond the normal limits of their workout routine.

I thought I might try it, expecting nothing, so as to report my opinion to you, but I am daunted by the $300 price tag for a 90 day supply. If I change my mind I will announce that here.

CVS has what initially appears the best pricing, but their capsule contains a much smaller dosage than other sellers, 75mg vs. 250mg, actually making the "discount" CVS version the most expensive on the market. Take a few minutes to read the Scientific American article here.

In the past I felt I was getting great results from the popular bodybuilder supplement NO2, but frankly at that time I was doing everything strictly correct - eating, sleeping, fantastic workouts, high protein intake, creatine supplementation. I was making good money, had few worries and was enjoying rewarding relationships both social and romantic. So considering this, with everything going my way, it is challenging to be able to claim that any one thing, such as a supplement, made a significantly positive difference.

I continue to believe it is the combination of as many positive things, especially optimum nutrition, sleeping and challenging frequent workouts, that make up 95% of what is required to get results. Face it: everyone wants a magic pill, but going by the reports of the 350+ Amazon reviews, this expensive supplement’s benefits remain elusive.

Obesity: The Achilles Heel Of Our First Defenders.

No, these are not people in costume.

A short time ago I was vacationing in Honolulu. For whatever reason there were a lot of military in Waikiki dressed in fatigues but obviously not on duty — they were having fun like any tourist. The shock for me was how obese and out of shape many of these military personnel, both male and female, were.

Watching news videos of cops in action reveals the same thing: grotesquely fat cops physically incapable of chasing suspects on foot giving up after running a few yards, and in some cases, resorting to shooting at them with guns instead.

It is twisted beyond all explanation that there is no physical fitness requirement for those who we the public employ and expect to act as first responders to public threats. The flowering of so-called political correctness and the internet screaming and wailing about so-called “fat shaming” are part and parcel, if not the very embodiment of this dangerous new policy of the lack of even the most basic physical fitness requirement for highly physical occupations.

As citizens and taxpayers we have every right to expect that these “elite” forces look the part and are physically capable of performing at a high level.

Don’t Volunteer For Ageist Prejudice

With Zeke on my 52nd birthday.

As a 9 year old kid I had some issues that presented as physical aches and pains. My grandmother, then in her late 60s, talked about her own aches and pains, attributing them entirely to “getting old.” I replied that I had my share of aches and pains as well, so why were hers due to getting old, yet mine were not? I remember her laughing at my conclusion because I had said something important. I had made her realize that she had known various aches and pains ever since she was kid, so why at this stage in her life did she so willingly buy into the popular notion that these were suddenly age-related, as opposed to previously being simply life-related?

This ageist conceit applies to many things that are life-related and that can and do happen at any age from our youth to our later years. When I was a kid and forgot things, I may have been mocked for it, but not in the same way younger people dismiss older people for the identical thing. When you’re young, you forget stuff and that’s perfectly normal. But when you’re approaching your later years and you forget stuff, instantly people assume this is entirely age-related, or worse, conclude you have Alzheimer’s.

Unlike other prejudices, such as those related to religion, race or national origin, everybody who doesn’t die young is going to get old. Although true, there’s little comfort in knowing that these youthful people dismissive of their “olds” will themselves experience the very same prejudices down the road.

We can’t change the human race, but we can refuse to sign up for others’ prejudices, ageist and otherwise. More importantly, we can, like my grandmother, filter what we ourselves say and how we phrase things to others so as not to add to the problem.

By concluding that the very same issues we had as younger people, such as tripping and falling, forgetting someone’s name, or having an aching back are nowadays due entirely to our getting older, we reinforce others’ ageist attitudes and plant the idea in our own heads that maybe we should “slow down” and begin restricting ourselves. Nothing will make us older faster than adopting uncalled-for or fear based limitations.

The following is great advice no matter what age you are, from preschool to your centennial year: don’t limit yourself by allowing others to limit you. Don’t give your power, and thus your freedom, away.

Live A Little: The Holidays Are No Time For A Punishing Diet

When I see the proliferation of online articles at this time of year warning people against the dangers of all those calories in the Thanksgiving turkey stuffing or the amount of fat in the Christmas eggnog, I have to laugh. It’s admirable to stick to our diets or our workout eating regimens 360 days out of the year, but really, the other 5? Uh…no.

Don’t be the fool who has your calorie calculator out at the dinner table so you don’t “over-do.” That right there borders on an eating disorder. First of all, people will think you’re nuts, and secondly, your hosts will regard you as a real party pooper — so don’t be surprised if they forget to mail you an invitation next year.

Thanksgiving is for feasting, and Christmas is for even more feasting, as well as a few Christmas parties where cookies, rum eggnog and other scrumptious goodies represent what the Holidays are supposed to be all about: Celebrating. That’s why we don’t have bodybuilding and fitness contests scheduled for this time of year. What could be more dismal than a “celebration” where people fail to celebrate?

Personally, I do keep to my eating regimen during the holidays — but I don’t go on a six week-long eating binge. But on the other had I surely don’t show restraint at parties or get-togethers. I eat. So this holiday season, enjoy yourself. Celebrate.

Taking An Antibiotic? Eat Yogurt.

A painful and ongoing reaction to the antibiotic Clindamycin had me doubled over with cramps. My intestines felt like they were on fire, and that was 12 days after I had finished its prescribed course. The severe side effects that were spelled out in the pharmaceutical's insert really surprised me — diarrhea and cramping could be expected anytime for MONTHS after taking it!

 The infection I originally took this pharmaceutical to cure was a picnic in comparison. My doctor was out of town. The physician taking his place didn’t respond right away and ultimately turned out to be clueless, so I googled. Not surprisingly there were scores of hits, all saying the same thing: take a probiotic, such as acidophilus, and eat a spoonful of yogurt every couple of hours. I did this, and felt like a new person within 24 hours.

Come to find out from a French friend, in France when doctors prescribe any antibiotic it is always ordered to be accompanied by a probiotic twice a day and yogurt every few hours. The antibiotics kill off all bacteria including the beneficial gut bacteria, so replacing that is essential. A name brand or chain store brand of acidophilus such as CVS should do the trick, and the yogurt should NOT be some Yoplait dessert yogurt, but rather an unflavored plain version from an ethnic Greek/Middle eastern store, or your local health food store, a brand like Brown Cow or similar.

How Much Do You Bench Press?

This question has been asked of me so many times I can’t possibly count. My answer has always been, “I never bench press.” This statement would invariably be followed by an incredulous look. “Are you kidding?” my questioner would ask just to be sure he heard right. Bench press tonnage is supposed to be some benchmark for guys who work out at the gym. At the top of my form, looking contest-ready, questioners who looked like they’d never seen the inside of a gym before would then lecture me on my mistake of not bench pressing. Few wanted to hear that the bench press is the number one exercise responsible for injuries that put an end to countless guys’ attempts to get in shape. Or that challenging yourself with extreme poundages is called Power Lifting, not Bodybuilding.

I’m a bodybuilder. My goal is to sculpt and hone and strengthen my muscles into an esthetically pleasing form, safely. I still want to be doing this on my 100th birthday. Power Lifters challenge themselves to move the greatest amount of weight possible, and then some.

Knowing the difference will not only keep you safe, but will bring a better result. The two are not interchangeable.

 Choose one or the other, because trying to combine the two means cheating yourself out of reaching your ultimate goal.

Hands-On Trainers

Having been a trainer for almost 25 years I absorbed a lot on the job, especially observing other trainers. Watching videos of trainers on YouTube just reiterates one interesting behavior that you need to be cautious of when working with, and evaluating, your trainer.

No trainer should be “helping” you perform the exercise. A psychological technique many trainers employ is to help/guide/steer you physically through all your sets by keeping their hands on you at all times and actually driving you as you perform the exercise. 

Obviously you must do the exercise yourself to get the benefit — to build up stamina, balance and strength. Someone physically manipulating you every step of the way is saying “You can’t do this without me. You need me.”

Everyone wants to stay employed. Everyone wants to keep their clients, and giving you the idea that you can’t do it without them by habitually engaging you physically creates a psychological reliance.

A trainer guiding you now and then in order to demonstrate proper form is perfectly acceptable, but performing your set along with you as a matter of course certainly is not.

Dirty Hot Dogs And More: Vegans Beware

I probably buy less than one package of hot dogs a year, even though I love them, because I know what’s in them is the stuff that dog food makers reject :-) Nathan’s and Hebrew National are my favorites. Because Hebrew National is kosher I figure if I’m going buy a package of hot dogs I want the cleanest possible version. Recently a fascinating study by Clear Food geonomically analyzed 345 samples and 75 brands of hot dogs and sausages, and the findings were not what you might expect. Bizarrely the study found HUMAN DNA in 2% (6 samples) of the samples (!), but 2/3 of those samples were in VEGETARIAN products. Does this mean somebody lost a finger in the grinder? Spit in the mix? They didn’t elaborate on this oddity. Another bombshell for Vegetablearians is most of the POOR HYGIENE issues were found in a whopping 20% of the vegetarian products. Also 10% of the vegetarian products contained MEAT. The ingredients on the label may or may not not be accurate; labels of some vegetarian products exaggerated the amount of protein in the item by as much as 2.5 times. Holy cow! Vegans/Vegetarians who believe they are eating healthy need to know that they are being had, big time. Blind faith is exactly that: Blind. Visit this fascinating and entertaining webpage: http://www.clearfood.com/food_reports/2015/the_hotdog_report

Clear Food - The Hot Dog Report from Clear Labs on Vimeo.

Stronger Than Ever at Age 73: Jacinto Bonilla

Stronger Than Ever at Age 73: Jacinto Bonilla

Posture —Play It Straight

No matter how young, or how great one's plastic surgeon is, people of all ages who shuffle rather than stride, or take baby steps, or are bent over as they stand or walk out of sheer laziness, or sit slouched in a chair are broadcasting "I'm Gettin' Old" to all those within view. Looking younger and healthier isn’t just about from the neck up — your entire body telegraphs your "apparent" age.

 Proper posture is a painless way to immediately make an instant and dramatic change in your appearance and demeanor. It can take years off your body’s appearance and add years, or even decades, to the viability of your spine. Most back pain and low back spasms are caused by weak back and core muscles and are only exacerbated by poor sitting and standing posture.

Good posture will completely transform you. Who among us hasn’t been taken aback at some point to realize that reflection they see in a store window of that older person is actually their own? 

Stand tall, with your chest out, shoulders back, and stomach in. Stand relaxed, not stiff. 

Good posture makes your chest bigger, your tummy smaller and your butt tighter. Holding your head high pulls the facial muscles taut and lessens the volume of a double chin. You grow taller instantly and appear more confident and focused. Your body language says, “Respect me”. Your internal organs say “Thank you”.

Walking reveals your age by the length of your stride. As we age we take smaller, more hesitant steps. As you walk, concentrate on stretching each leg further, widening your stride: this is how younger people walk.

The Online Lunacy Never Ends: Fattening Vegetables?

The beginning of October 2015 brought an onslaught of articles seemingly everywhere online warning against “fattening” vegetables. Hopefully you rolled your eyes at this absurdity. Yes! It’s because of veggies that obesity is out of control on this planet! Let’s keep shoving fast food down our gullets washed down with plenty of sodas and frappacinos, followed by a toaster strudel “Now with 30% more frosting!” for dessert — but keep away from those fresh peas!

The internet is all about provoking a response so that the reader will click through, which makes for some pretty manipulative click baiting — and nobody likes being manipulated.

Second Thoughts: Use Your Own Habits, Good & Bad, To Lose Weight

Take advantage of your habitual behaviors to lose weight, get healthy, and be inspired to workout.
I have the habit that once I’m home, I stay home. I hate battling traffic and will avoid it at all costs. This habit works to my advantage because no matter what, I will not get in my car and go in search of food, no matter how bad the craving. That means I don’t eat junk food just to satisfy a fleeting craving. 
Even though I don’t hate to cook, I will avoid it whenever I can. It takes time. It leaves me with pots and pans I have to wash. I admit it. I’m habitually lazy. When I have a favorite cereal in the house, such as granola, I will not only eat that for breakfast, but when hunger hits anytime of day I will grab a bowl of cereal for a quick meal instead of preparing something more appropriate to reaching my goals. Granola = carbs, sugar, fat.
When I don’t have granola or some other favorite grab-and-go waiting in the cupboard, I am forced to cook oatmeal. I love oatmeal, but don’t want to wait, or in summer to eat something hot on a hot morning, or wash the pan. But when there’s no granola, etc., due to hunger and my cravings for carbs I buckle down and cook the oatmeal. No Fat, no sugar. I can’t eat what isn’t readily available to me. Oatmeal tastes good but not good enough to work for me as a quick snack food like granola does. My lazy habits work to my advantage.
Your habits may be quite different. For example I never order take out delivered to my door. Never in my life have I done this, partly because I don’t so easily part with a penny :-) —more importantly though, I worked in a restaurant for years and I know what goes on behind the scenes. I don't trust takeout, for good reason.
Yet another habit is I rarely buy snacks foods (candy/chips/cookies, etc.) at the supermarket. 80% of the time I can resist because I don’t go to the market hungry, and also because in my head I know I am sabotaging myself. It helps that I have developed the habit of going to the gym right before grocery shopping, so I’m pumped both mentally and physically to do what’s best for the goal I’ve set. I won’t help negate the great workout I just had by buying that big bag of Snickers Minis.
I realize everyone is different. At my local Safeway they have a BIG Deli department, and at 10 a.m. the other day it was off-putting to see the line of people waiting to order sandwiches and macaroni salad, all of whom were extremely overweight. The fact that no one of optimal size was waiting in that Deli line, yet plenty of optimal-weight people were there shopping, was telling of people's habits.
Figure out what habits of yours can work to your advantage, or are working against you, to keep yourself from eating. Some people, like those at the Deli, have no constraints/self-control at all, and will eat anything at any time of day when the mood strikes without a second thought. They’re the same people who at the doctor’s/insurance agent/hair-salon will grab the free snacks in the candy bowl without a second thought. 
Begin changing your eating habits by developing the habit of having second thoughts.

Get Cut With (Charles) Glass

The best trainer ever is on youtube and bodybuilding.com. 

Charles Glass is a bottomless pit of fantastic training tips and sage advice. Paying close attention to the details of his wise counsel will transform your workout. In my own observations at the gym it is disconcerting how many people “work out” mindlessly, basically wasting their time at the gym by their inattention to detail and by utilizing terrible form. Everyone can use some guidance, including me — and I’ve been working out since I was thirteen years old.

Here’s a great video on a safe shoulder workout:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Mxns_JJTk

Search for all “Charles Glass” videos on youtube and elsewhere, and pay attention to the details therein, and your progress will zoom forward as your injuries subside.

Dear Anti-Vaxxers: Mosquitos And Ticks Are Right Now Vaccinating Your Child

by Richard Sullivan

Illogical parents who don’t give a whit about their child or yours have been enlisting their own precious offspring to work out their personal conspiracy issues as they relate to vaccinations against deadly crippling pandemics.

These parents are somehow unaware that all summer long their kids are being vaccinated — daily.

Mosquitos, flies, bees, wasps, ticks, mites, fleas, bedbugs and other stinging, biting, chewing, blood-sucking organisms are having at us wholesale. The common backyard mosquito needles deep into our blood vessels, injecting bacteria, viruses and assorted filth, leading to West Nile virus disease, malaria and other horrors. Ticks inject us with Lyme disease. Both insects have historically proven to be deadly little bastards, yet anti-vaxxers seem to be fine with this.

I see no organized effort by these parents to rid our environment of any of these trillions of living pests despite the death and damage they have caused to millions of humans. Why aren't these concerned parents wrapping their children in mosquito netting and dunking them in 55 gallon barrels of insect repellant?

Interestingly, this week news of a malaria vaccine approved for use in Europe presents a conundrum for anti-vaxxers: should you vaccinate your child against a disease that is itself caused by entomological vaccination?

It's Easier The Second (or Third) Time Around

Since I’m not unlike other people, life does get in the way of goals and good intentions. I had an extended layoff from the gym and during that time I worked out at home with disappointing results. Of course a good gym has a shitload of machines, handles, weights, etc., and what I had at home was very basic, some free weights and bands. Recently I re-joined the gym and I was very happy to verify something I have long told my clients and friends: once you build muscle, even if you take a long break from a challenging workout routine, your muscles do not forget.

We don’t forget what we’ve learned, in the case of those who have years of experience at the gym, and our muscles react far more quickly than they did the first time. That is, the positive changes you’ll see in your body will occur much faster than they occurred the first time you built muscle.

In my case I didn’t expect to be able to use as much weight as I am, and I also thought I’d be sore and hurting the first month. But neither of those happened. Like riding a bike, it was all second nature, and even though I am more fatigued as I wrap up the day’s workout, my progress has been surprisingly fast.


So if one of the things that has been holding you back from re-upping your gym membership is that you’ll be starting from scratch with memories of limping out of the gym and a long recovery, you should be pleasantly surprised that this is not the case. Once you build muscle, you are much quicker to gain it back even after a prolonged layoff.

Oprah's WingNut Posse Gains A New Member

Jim Carrey, whose credentials certainly reflect that he is an expert in such things, has come out as an anti-vaxxer. Which is sadder? — goofy actors spreading misinformation that is a threat to society’s health, or the internet morons who accept celebrities' views as scientifically valid and adopt them as their own?

Oprah’s wingnut brigade keeps on expanding. In recent years she has perpetrated  some of the most god-awful fakes and loonies on her adoring public. At one time Oprah seemed quite grounded, actually. But the long line of creeps and crazies, such as areyoukiddingme? “fitness expert” Bob Green, snake oil carney barker “Dr.” Oz, AIDS death coach (as opposed to life coach) Marianne Williamson, that black preacher who is suddenly the new Dr. Phil, the old Dr. Phil, bat-shit crazy Suzanne Sommers. The list goes on and on.

You can search on youtube for the Jim Carrey appearance on Oprah where she celebrates him solely for his story of writing himself a check for a zillion dollars and carrying it around in his wallet before he became successful and then voilà it really happened and then he cashed it.

We want our old Oprah back.

Pain In Hands Or Feet

I have stated what a mistake it is to "work through the pain” when exercising. Whether running, strength training, swimming laps or whatever, when it hurts, STOP. Stop and think and reevaluate. Most people can’t tell the difference between a temporary pain and an actual injury, so it’s best to take a breather while you figure it out.

However, with us Geezers, certain issues such as arthritis or rheumatism come in to play. Discomfort or pain in hands or feet for example keep many from exercising when in fact the exercise will help alleviate the pain.The trick is to know that this is the problem. For those who experience these pains or discomfort who have not been diagnosed with early arthritis, for example, it’s wise to get a doctor’s analysis. 

Warming up no matter what our age, or how often we exercise, is crucial.

“Use It Or Lose It” applies here. If you stop exercising, or hand off opening stuck lids on jars to somebody else, or curtail playing tug with your dog because of pain in your hands, this problem will only snowball. Keep activities in low gear until you warm up, then push yourself gently past the discomfort or pain as best you can. 

Aerobic Weight Training

Photo: Age 48, Papaohaku. Hawaii

The Internet, having proven there is no shortage in today’s world of self-appointed “experts”, continues to spit out garbage information and manufactured controversies. For some long time now there has been a stupid argument over which is better, aerobic exercise such as jogging, stair-stepping, spinning, etc., or good old fashioned body-sculpting strength training with weights. You know, as if these are mutually exclusive.

People will jog, step and spin to exhaustion for the sake of an aerobic high but for some reason never thought to apply the same principal to weight training.

Watching people at the gym carry on 10-minute conversations between "sets" complaining how little progress they are making is just is par for the course.

Crybabies.

So here’s the deal: shut up. The gym isn’t for socializing. Get your abs out of the way first: begin your workout with a warm up stretch, proceed to hanging leg raises, planking, crunches, you know mixing it up, keeping your ab muscles from getting accustomed to a routine workout, then move on to your arms, legs, whatever you had on your workout agenda that day. Your ultimate goal is to rest no more than 30 seconds between sets, or two minutes between exercise changes. Go, go, go.

Weight training aerobically gets your heart and lungs pumping, your veins whooshing, and your head cleared up from all the useless crap you think about as you sit on the preacher bench for five minutes daydreaming.

Keep going, Don’t stop.

Limp, do not walk, out of the gym.

Crybabies need not apply.

HOT OATMEAL COOKIES IN A BOWL

Hot Oatmeal shows up on everybody's health-conscious-heart-healthy-bodybuilding-power-food list. I’m not talking about the horrific crap pedaled by Quaker as “Instant Oatmeal”, so overloaded with sugar and artificial flavors and other unpronounceables as to be unfit for human consumption. Nor am I referencing the typical restaurant bowl of glue that has sullied hot oatmeal’s reputation - no wonder that so many people are turned off to what should be a delicious treat!
Make it at home using the naked one-minute variety and many of the same ingredients you’d put in Oatmeal Cookies, and a healthy beneficial breakfast will never sound boring again.
Put water in a saucepan.
Turn on the heat.
Add:
a handful of chopped walnuts or almonds
a dash of vanilla flavoring and/or almond emulsion
a teaspoon of cinnamon.
toss in a handful of raisins or dried cranberries
and/or a mashed banana.
and/or chopped apple.
Simmer a couple of minutes.
Add the one-minute quick-cook dry oatmeal. (Buy it in bulk at a health food store and save as much as half off the supermarket pretty-packaged stuff.)
Cook for a minute or more.
Pour into your bowl.
Add dark chocolate chips and mix to melt.
Then add your milk and sweetener: Sugar, Stevia, Splenda, maple syrup, honey, whatever.
Experiment to get the balance of your favorite ingredients to your own taste and there’ll be no reason for you to eat commercial CandyCereal for breakfast ever again.

Online Idiocy

Misleading headlines and uneducated “experts” are two of my pet peeves about the internet. Huffington Post is infamous for both. This so-called author’s crazily absurd counsel originally appeared in DETAILS magazine, which the Advocate hilariously described as “the official magazine for men who don’t know they’re gay yet,” but I digress.
Not only are online surfers exposed to these ignorant people convinced about their superiority over all others via their questionable knowledge and experience, despite their often being  barely out of their teens, but then we have the additional and troubling problem of those who believe anything they read.
There are no bad machines at the gym, just people who don’t know how to properly exercise. The gist of her article is that the machines are bad when in fact the author is herself in complete ignorance of the basics of proper workout form, period. And there she is, writing for a national magazine. God help us.

Veggies — Frozen or Fresh?

I eat frozen veggies for a number of reasons. They’re cheaper than “fresh” — in my local supermarkets it’s almost impossible to find any vegetable that costs less than $2.50 a pound. On sale I can load up on frozen for less than $2 a pound. But that’s not all that’s good about frozen. With frozen there is no prep work, no washing, no trimming, no cutting out questionable bits, no waste. And speaking of waste, when you cut stems, discard outer leaves, etc. you are throwing away parts of a vegetable that you just spent a good deal of money on, so that vegetable becomes even more expensive by virtue of you throwing some of it away. Because frozen are ready to use, and in many if not all cases fresher when they were frozen than the so-called “fresh” veggies you paid a small fortune for at the supermarket, I am more apt to eat vegetables, something few of us consume enough of. Having worked in restaurants I also am not as enthusiastic about allowing other people to decide what goes into my dinner, so I cook at home  — easy fast stuff like stir-fry or fried noodles or soups. When I see others spend a crazy percentage of their income on eating out for virtually every meal, I not only am disturbed by the waste of money, but by what is being added to their food that they themselves would never add if they were cooking at home. Also, people who can’t even feed themselves because they don’t see the importance of learning how to cook a few dishes are nuts. And don’t get me started on women who want to get married and have children who laughingly admit they don’t know how to cook and don’t intend to learn. What kind of idiot thinks it’s smart to brag about the fact that they can’t perform even the most basic task essential for their own and their children’s survival? What kind of irresponsible mother does not teach her own kids how to cook? Apparently, millions of ‘em, including my own.

What’s Behind The Obsession Of “Getting Huge”?

Quite a few guys I have known that had what I considered a spectacular physique ruined it, in my opinion, because of an obsession with size.
One friend, who weighed 145 lbs. when I first met him, became obsessed with weighing 250 lbs. I asked what was that all about, that “magic number” of 250. He couldn’t explain it, but he was totally jazzed as the scale went up. As a smaller bodybuilder eventually weighing 175 lbs., he was enviably cut, hard, healthy-looking and proportionate and all agreed he looked great. However as he neared his goal of 250 lbs. he was puffy, smooth and ungainly-looking. A good portion of his gains was comprised of fat weight in contrast to his previous lean muscle weight. He also decided he needed a few thousand dollars’ worth of really bad tattoos to enhance the ugliness, but that’s another discussion altogether. He ruined his once-beautiful body. I saw his obsession as being not much different from people addicted to plastic surgery; they were never satisfied.
I pointed out, in an attept to point out how pointless his magic number of 250 was, that if he was using the metric system as 95% of the world does, that he would not be aiming for the 250 lb. number, but rather some other number. "250 lbs. equals 114 kilos," I said. “There’s no way you’d be all excited about an ideal goal weight of 114 kilos; instead your goal would be rounded off, most likely to 100 kilos, which is 220 lbs.” This argument went over his head. He thought he looked great at 250 lbs. He was blind to his water retention, bloat and complete lack of definition, but to each his own as they say. He seemed to think he looked like the guys in the film 300 and in fact used that film as his inspiration for his workouts despite his transforming into someone bearing no resemblance to the actors.
One of my former workout partners laughingly referred to this phenomenon as Magic Mirror Syndrome.