Thanks folks for the conversation, ideas and comments on my blog.

This was a journal writing and target marketing exercise.
(I’ll probably earned enough $ on my amazon gift certificate to but one book…woo hoo!)

It was fun but took time away from actually working out and / or spending time with my kids which was what I was writing about.
So I’m going to put it away for now.

I appreciate your support.

I’ll be in touch.

People have been trying to drag me into the 21st century by joining Facebook.
I usually just wind up the Victrola and ignore them, but this time I may actually consider starting a page and staying better connected in 2010.

I wish you peace, good health, love and prosperity.

Jose

I received a few comments by email from moms and single women. They like the blog and think they can benefit from my suggestions too.

I agree. Please continue to log on and make comments on the blog so others can hear from you.

The reason I focused on men and dads is because the not so subtle subtext is fatherhood. Yes, men like women need to care for their health. We also need to care for our children. We need to spend quality time with them, love them, teach them and learn from them.

Not enough men stand up and say yes I’m a father and these simple things I do are important to my well being and to my kids. Some men need to hear that they should really take care of themselves and some men need to see that they can really care for their children.

No kids! Consider mentoring. You can make a difference in the life of a child. Click on Big Brothers Big Sisters

Ladies and gentlemen please feel free to take what is of value, ignore what is not and share what’s on your hearts and minds.

Whether walking or running you should wear a comfortable pair of shoes with a good fit. Cushion and support are helpful for your foot, back and your shins.
Click on the endless link and shop for athletic shoes that will prevent aching dogs, and sore backs.

My girls have been hounding me for a dog for two years now. I told Amina 10 that if she wanted a dog she would have to write a 5 page research paper on how to train, feed and care for a dog. Amina doggedly pursued her goal. She interviewed all her dog owning friends, browsed the web, read books and diligently watched the Dog Whisperer.www.cesarsway.com

Late in October, a friend kindly asked if I would care for her year and a half old Jack Russell Terrier for a weekend. I thought a hyper terrier would be a good dry run to get the girls used to the rigors of owning a dog. I knew a spry pup would alert my wife Desepe; the first line of defense against having a dog.

In walked Buster; a tail wagging, five foot high jumping, ball of energy. He jumped into my arms, ran circles around the girls in the yard, sniffed the baby and nudged him and then snuggled into Desepe’s lap.

At the start of the week my friends asked if we wanted to keep the dog because their apartment and schedule did not allow for a high energy dog.

I called a family meeting and asked for a vote. 1 year old Antonio voted an emphatic no three times in a row with a loud uh uh and a head shake. (He voted Chicago style; early and often.) The girls voted yes. I voted no. (Who do you think will get stuck walking this dog in the freezing cold!) Desepe voted yes. My first line of defense was won over by the ol’ lap dog trick. The vote was 3 to 2 in favor of a dog.

Aha… but what about the paper. There it was on the computer 5 pages with all kinds of text features. We adopted Buster.

Amina walks him before she goes to school and when she comes home and in the evening after ballet. Walking with them for twenty minutes is great cardio work, and an excellent opportunity to talk about anything.

Adopt a dog and exercise your heart.

My 13 month old son and 8 year old daughter clamor for attention. The baby, Toño, is 25 pounds and Nanichi, my heart in Taino, weighs 45 pounds. She is all lean muscle from dancing ballet, hip hop and African dance 5 days a week.

Warm ups
I bend my knees, gently grip him under his arms, kiss him on the forehead and press him up to the sky. He squeals with laughter. Keep eye contact, pause at shoulder height, kiss him on the forehead again and touch his feet to the ground. That’s one repetition. Try ten reps or until it stops being fun for the baby.
You will probably wear out before he does!

Shoulder Presses
I lift Nanichi up and she starts to giggle immediately. Try as many reps as you can. Once I start to slow down she can give me a boost with a little ballet leap to start me off.

Presses work the deltoids, and also get some help from the trapezius and the triceps. Baby presses also engage the core muscles to balance the load and the upper pectorals when you pause and hold.

Fun time together gets you in shape and gives them the time, attention and affection they crave. Toño’s trying to touch the keyboard and I stopped him and now he’s crying. Ironically blogging about giving my kids quality time is keeping me from him.

I gotta go! See ya’.

Water is essential for life.

You should hydrate yourself before you train, while you exercise and after you workout.

Your body is 60% water. The natural processes of perspiration, breathing, and using the toilet expel water. You need to replace that with about 2 liters a day. However when you are active you may need more. You need water to keep the ear, nose and throat moist and to transport nutrients in the body and flush out the toxins.

The Mayo Clinic and the Institute of Medicine reviewed research on how much water we should drink.
Click the links for details:
Mayo Clinic
Institute of Medicine

Drink up!

Kids stay fit when they get out in the fresh air and just play. Organized sports are great, however even without adult led structure kids will make up their own games and play.

Spend 30 minutes chasing your kids on the playground if you want to tone your muscles, get stronger and get a cardio workout too.

Monkey Bars
Get a grip and just hang to feel your muscles loosen up, your spine elongate and the kinks unravel.
Try climbing across and back on the monkey bars. It stretches your back and shoulders and it tones your arms too. Play – follow the leader – to really forget you’re working out.

With your palms facing you try a few chin ups. Every time you jump up there try to do one more. Very soon you will strengthen your chest and biceps and increase your reps.

With palms facing out try a few pull-ups. Widen the grip to work out your lats (latissimus dorsi), forearms and triceps. A narrower grip impacts the forearm differently as well as the upper pectorals.

Grip the bar and try ten leg raisers. Hold your legs straight out and pause to strengthen your lower abdominals.

Slide
Try this… face the slide grip the sides and stretch your legs back. Do deep pushups. Lower your chest below your grip. This provides a longer range of motion than pushups on the ground. This works your triceps and pectorals.

Now climb the stairs and slide down.

Rings
If your playground has parallel rings swing on them to work your core and stretch your shoulders.
Try pull-ups using various grips.

Parallel Bars
Use any two bars on the playground that are parallel. Dip your body and push up. Keep good form; don’t over extend and damage your shoulder. This is great for the triceps and chest.

Stretch
Use the slide ladder to stretch the hamstrings. Put your foot on the rung height that is comfortable, take a deep breath and point your toes while extending your head to your knee exhaling slowly. Switch legs. Try it again a little higher!

Challenge Course
Run to each station listed above and try to max out each routine.

Take a half hour and let yourself play.

It’s a misty fall day. The sun feels warm on my face and the breeze is cool. You can hear the leaves crunch underfoot as we walk. Pushing Toño’s stroller adds resistance to the brisk walk. He’s just lying back in his stroller taking a nap without a care in the world.

Walking is easy. It doesn’t require any special equipment but a comfortable pair of shoes. The benefits to walking have been documented in numerous studies.

Three Harvard studies on walking and cardiovascular health find:

Among 10,269 male graduates of Harvard College, walking at least nine miles a week was linked to a 22% lower death rate.

Among 44,452 male health professionals, walking at least 30 minutes a day was linked to an 18% lower risk of coronary artery disease.

Among 72,488 female nurses, walking at least three hours a week was linked to a 35% lower risk of heart attack and cardiac death and a 34% lower risk of stroke.

Walking helps you manage your weight, control your blood pressure and it boosts HDL “good” cholesterol and reduces LDL “bad” cholesterol. Regular brisk walking for an hour a day five days a week can cut your risk of stroke. Walking can also lower your risk for type 2 diabetes.

The fall is cool. In Southern Maryland where I stroll the leaves are deep red, bright gold, yellow, brown and orange. Take a load of your mind.

Get up, get some fresh air, feel the sun on your skin. Go take a stroll.

Human beings have learned since ancient times by observing the cycles of nature and the movements of animals. For example Yoga’s Sun Salutation contains movements like downward facing dog.

Here are the Yoga lessons I learned by observing how a baby wakes up. My son Toño wakes with a smile breathes deep into his belly and gently and playfully stretches.

Good Morning
Wake up slowly. Gently rub your eyes.
Stretch you legs, point your toes, extend your arms over your head, extend your torso and s-t-r-e-t-ch.

Son Greets the Sun
Face down sit back on your calves… take a snooze and stretch your lower back.

Downward Facing Baby
Push yourself up with your hands. Bring your tail end up high and look through your legs. Smile!

Baby Stretch
Roll over on your back. Grab your toes. Stretch your left leg out and pull it back to your face. Stretch your right leg out and return it to your face. Rock your body from left to right.

Baby Aerobics
Stand up and jump on the bed.

Go start your day!