Anker Bluetooth Sports Foldable Stereo Headphones Review

Oooooo... an awesome new headset to try!  AND IT'S WIRELESS!!!

Hey there.  You know, this year, the wife and I have turned into a couple of regular gym rats.  Actually, I've become more of a gym rat.  I've joined my wife and decided to better take care of myself.  I've done it on and off from time to time on and off for the past year and a half or so but now, I'm in it for the long haul.  So what's one of our essentials while at the gym?  Music.  We must have our music.  Whether it be playing on our iPod or our phones, we need to have our workout tunes while getting our fitness on.  The wife and I have tried many different headphones while at the gym.  We've tried earbuds and we've tried some full on over the ear headphones.  The one problem that we've come across using those kind of headphones is the cord.  Now the cord may not be that big of a deal, since you can easily tuck into your shirt or something but wouldn't it be nice to NOT have the cord dangling from your ear?  Well guess what?!  Anker has your back  Check out the Anker Bluetooth Sports Foldable Stereo Headphones!  Our good friends at Anker have provided me with a set of these headphones and they are exactly what I need when at the gym!  Before I get into my experience with the headphones, let's get some technical details out of the way.

$10 Off Reebok Spartan Race Obstacle Course Registration

Hey there.  Are you ready to test your mind and body in one of the most awesome obstacle courses on the planet?  Of course you are!  I've had the privilege to run a few obstacle courses but I have yet to go through the Spartan Race.  I've trained for it, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, I couldn't attend.  Well, guess what?  NO MORE EXCUSES!  I'm ready. My mind and body and ready to be challenged and you should take on that challenge with me!  The Reebok Spartan Races are held across the US so I'm certain that you'll find one close to you.  As an added incentive, I'll even provide you guys a code to get $10 bucks off registration.

July Fitness Challenge Over

Hey there.  July is done and done.  I took on the month looking to improve my fitness stats.  Last year, I did a pretty good job at keeping myself somewhat fit.  This year... not so much.  My wife has been on a mission to get herself in the best shape possible and it's only fair that I follow suit and support her.  So July was it.  That was the month I was going to get back on track.  Now, it's over and it's time to reap the benefits of my hard work!

July Fitness Challenge and 30 Day Exercise Challenge

A little Instagram Fun

Hey there.  I have been gone for the past week or so.  I took some much needed time off from work (both my day job and my online job) and now I feel refreshed and ready to go!  But during that time off, I decided that it's time to get back into shape.  I took on The Hero Rush and The Gladiator Rock'n Run last year and I felt like I wouldn't be able to complete those challenging obstacle courses today.  That's why, I took on the July Fitness Challenge that my wife started doing.  First off, the July Fitness Challenge is more of an Instagram thing (Follow me here).  You take a picture everyday about the topic at hand.  The thing with this one, though, is that most of it is fitness related so it pushes you to work out.  I thought it was an easy enough challenge to get back on track.  But then, the wife and I also decided to do a separate fitness challenge on the side.  You do a set of exercises every day for the month.  Check out the 30 Day challenge below:

Reebok Dance Gear Is back For Summer!

Women's UR Lead Mid Reebok Shoe

Hey there. Last year Reebok took a HUGE step into the dance category, supporting the active women who love to partake in fitness movements like Zumba to stay feeling and looking great. Mid-cut and low-cut footwear options were debuted, as was a full line of apparel made for movement. Reebok's dance footwear products like the UR Lead Mid have been a hit with dance enthusiasts, combining function and fashion in a way no other sportswear brand has achieved yet.

Experiencing Thinning Hair or Hair Loss? Viviscal Man is Here to Help!

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Dad Central Consulting for Viviscal. I received product samples and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Hey there.  I'm now in my early thirties.  I'm just now beginning to take better care of myself.  Actually, I started about a year or so ago.  I trained for a few obstacle courses, took my supplements, started to pay a little more attention to what I eat, generally, just got my self in better shape overall.  One thing that didn't occur to me to check on the health of my hair.  I know that many of us guys simply refuse to acknowledge that many of us will not have our long locks during our later years of our life.  It happens.  That's why I say you should enjoy it now while you know it's still there.  But what if you are already seeing signs of a receding hairline and thinning hair?  No worries, friends!  Viviscal Man is here to help!

Save Over 10% on ZigReetrek TR Shoes Now

The wife and I stop for a pic while hiking

Hey there.  The wife and I recently took up hiking as a means to get fit outside of the gym.  We've gone to the Turnbull Canyon Hiking trails on more than a few occasions and it's something that we simply love.  The one thing that we don't love?  Our footing.  We both have "sports" shoes that we wear when we go hiking but we don't have as great traction when climbing up those steep hills.  The last thing we want is to lose our footing and come tumbling down.  That's why we've started looking for proper outdoor running shoes and the Reebok ZigReetrek TR running shoes seem to the ones that are right up our alley.

Hiking at the Turnbull Canyon Trail

A map of the trails available at Turnbull Canyon

Hey there. It's been awhile since the wife and I have gone on a hiking trip. We've been meaning to check out some of the awesome hiking spots here in Southern California but we just haven't found the time.  To be honest, I don't think we've gone for a hike since we last went hiking at Escondido Falls!  That has got to change!  :Last weekend, we decided to get up at 6:30 in the morning and take off to a trail.  Our destination?  The Turnbull Canyon Road Hiking Trails in Whittier, CA.

Fuel Your Body with SWAT Fuel

Hey there.  Many of us are familiar with the Call of Duty franchise.  Most specifically the Black Ops series.  As I was playing the game last night, I got to thinking to type of training that the men and women go through to be able handle the special operations that are similar to those in the game.  What makes them "Black Ops" ready?  What fuels their body?  I looked online and found the answer! Dan Olesnicky, M.D., is a S.W.A.T. team physician and police officer in Palm Springs, California, and has been training S.W.A.T. and Spec Ops for over a decade.  And guess what, he's the founder of SWAT Fuel!

Mud Factor 5K Obstacle Course

Hey there.  The year of fitness continues!  I came out of the Gladiator Rock'n Run a little bruised up and sore as hell but felt extremely good and proud of myself.  Now, the next challenge awaits!  The Mud Factor 5K Obstacle course!  Only this time, the wife will also participate.  It's going to be her first mud run so I'm making sure that she'll be ready to handle the course and I'll help her where I can.  I can't wait for this one to go down!  The only problem???  It's in San Bernadino...  That's about an hour drive away from Los Angeles.  I don't mind driving... but when I know it's a long trip I turn into a little kid and wonder when we'll get there.  lol  Anyways, I'm looking forward to going out there and earning my third medal of the year!  I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Any of you Southern California friends going to be at the Mud Factor mud run?  Time to turn up the workouts to 11 and get ready for another mud filled day of obstacles!!!  Later!

The Gladiator Rock'n Run at the Rose Bowl was Awesome

Gladiator Rock'n Run at the Rose Bowl

Hey there.  My year of fitness reached a new level last Saturday.  I completed my second obstacle course and the Gladiator Rock'n Run was BRUTAL!  It was a lot tougher than I thought it would be.  I spent a lot of time at the gym the following month trying to level up my fitness stats.  I focused more on endurance than anything else and it definitely paid off.  There were long stretches of jogging in between the obstacles and I'm sure that it was designed that way so that you reach them feeling pretty drained.  Nevertheless, I loved it and would definitely be heading back next year for round two!  Let me tell you about my experience.

Gladiator Rock'n Run is Less Than a 2 Weeks Away

I'd be really proud of myself if I can anywhere close to the top 10!

Hey there.  The Gladiator Rock'n Run a little over a week away and I'm on the home stretch of my training.  I've been hitting the gym to gain endurance and work on my upper strength.  There's going to be some climbing going on so I want to make sure I'll be able to get over those obstacles.  My question, though, is whether I should push myself this final week or if I should cut it down so that I'm well rested for the run.  I want to push myself, there has been instances where I push myself during workouts and I can't even support myself with my arms, they are that sore.  Should I risk being too sore to finish the run?  Or do you believe that adrenaline will push me through?  I'm a pretty competitve guy so I don't just want to finish the run, I want to finish with a great time.  I want one of these awesome trophies that are given out to top finishers!

When training for an event, do you train up until the event or do you give yourself a few days of down time?  With the run just 9 days away, I'm curious to know which training method would work best.  Later!

Time to Push My Body, My Vehicle, to it's Limit

My cousin and his family pushed their vehicles to the limit
during the 2012 Survivor Mud Run.  Now, it's my turn!

Hey there.  I feel rugged.  I'm continuing down that path of fitness and I have the Gladiator Rock'n Run in just a few short weeks.  Aside from the obstacle course that I will have to power through, there will be the mud to contend with.  And lots of it.  A cousin of mine participated in the Survivor Mud Run earlier today I was going through his pictures.  All I could think of was the mud all over their bodies.  Almost as if they went off road and gave themselves a mud bath.  I told myself that in 2 short weeks, it will be me in muddy clothes standing victorious at the finish line.  It will be me with a muddy smile on my face and feeling of accomplishment, very similar to that of my cousin and his family.

Training for the Gladiator Rock'n Run

Hey there.  Training has begun!  Well... actually, I've been doing some exercises on and off for quite some time so it's not like I've been sitting on my butt doing nothing, but today marks the official day that training starts.  The Gladiator Rock'n Run is on Oct. 6th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and I have a little over a month to build my endurance.  That's the one area where I know I lack.  I'm not the biggest of guys, I'm not the fastest, I'm not the most athletic, but I do have an OK build and I'm not a push over.  I was able to complete all of the challenges during the Hero Rush but I did notice that during the jogging parts of the run, other runners ran by me.  The challenges were tough and I was able to power through it, but I could tell that my body slowed down to recuperate during the jog.  I even stopped to walk at some points.  Not good.  So I want to make sure that I can build that endurance.  I need to able to finish through obstacles AND still have enough in my tank to jog to the next obstacle.   So tonight, my endurance levels up!