The Abhancer

Man.. I feel like an idiot for spending all that time at the gym!

Xbox 360 Repair Tech in Training

Just like my dad!

Hey there. I wanted to post this picture because I think it's awesome. lol  I haven't really had the chance to work on some Xboxes that need some repair.  They all have the 3 Red Rings and considering that I've had some moderate success in repairing them, I told my cuz I'd give it a go.  While I was cleaning the CPU and GPU chips on one of the machines, I got out of the chair to get a drink.  That's when I see my youngest boy on the chair, ready and eager to get to it.  lol  That's when I snapped the pic above.  My wife told me last night that our son grabbed his tools (toys) and placed them on top of the computer as if he was gearing up ready to work on it, just like his pops.  lol  That young one sure is something else. 

As for the Xboxes, I managed to get 1 of the 3 working.  I played some games on it and watched a DVD to make sure that it wouldn't over heat and it worked just fine.  I pieced it back together and it's ready to go back to the owner.  When I was about to work on Xbox #2, I decided to check the error code before digging in.  I find that it has error 0003, from what I've been told, may not be repairable due to a bad GPU or bad solder connections around the GPU.  I don't have the tools or the know how to even comprehend the problem, but I decided to remove the X-clamps and readjust the heat sinks.  Still no dice.  It has the same error code and considering that I'm not 100% what's wrong with it, I won't mess with it any more without the consent of the owner.  Xbox #3 will have to wait til tonight.  I haven't checked the code on it or anything but I'm confident that I'll be able to get it working.

I also picked up the Kinect for the Xbox not too long ago and I must say that it's pretty awesome.  We picked it up with Kinect Adventures and even though the games are simple enough, doing the "Adventure" really makes you move and gets you sweating.  Speaking of moves, we also picked up Zumba Fitness and even though I'm a terrible dancer, it's fun to try and do the dance moves.  lmao  I guess I'll need to do the tutorials on that one because trust me, I have no rhythm.  I'm surprised that the wife has not leaked the footage of me trying on youtube.  lol  Using the Kinect is definitely a work out on it's own and if you guys haven't had a chance to try it, you definitely should.  Until then, later!

Using ActivityTree.com to Get Kids Active

Hey there.  You know, I've been on a mission to better myself and as I browse the internet to find ways to be more active, I realized that I should get the kids to be a little more active too.  My wife and I have noticed that the kids are not playing outside as much as they should be.  The oldest is sitting in front of the XBOX, the girls are too busy looking at themselves in the mirror, and the baby... well... he's a toddler now, but you know they're like a walking tornado at times so they get their exercise.  lmao

Anyways, I looking to see if maybe I could find some kind of classes and camps where the kids can be more productive with their time.  Whether it be a sport, music lessons, or overall confidence boosting experiences.  That's when I stumbled across ActivityTree.com.  They have a huge listing of activity providers, camps, or preschools to get young ones more involved in better themselves.  You simply enter your zip code and the site will search your area for nearby activity providers such as a YMCA.  It's perfect to get the kids up and learning a new sport or skill.

Another awesome aspect of ActivityTree.com is their Kids Scholarship program.  Every 3 months, they provide $100 to a lucky winner to keep their kids active.  You can earn an entry to win by filling out a small and simple form and stating how you would use the money to keep your kids active.  Piano lessons, swimming lessons, basketball fees... you can use the money for whatever it takes to keep kids active.

Check out the site, friends.  It's good to know where you can stop by for some fun activities with the kids.  Especially if you're a stay at home mom or dad.  Once the kids are off from school (or don't attend school yet), you can check out the website and schedule a fun day.  You can also be a part of the Get Kids Active!  Facebook Campaign and get tips on how to get kids active via their facebook page.  It's an awesome site and one that you should definitely bookmark.  Have fun!  Later!

Working Out for a Better Me - Week ???

Hey there. I'm supposed to be on a mission to better myself and my health. For the first month or so, I saw some gains in my arms and chest and losses on my waist. Now... I said it was going to be semi-serious and this is why... I haven't been to the gym in like 2 weeks. lol Yup, it's been that long and it doesn't help when I'm chowing down on a bag of cookies or stuffing my face with ice cream for a midnight snack. Now, here's my philosophy when it comes to dieting... Men don't diet. It's as simple as that. I don't see why we would have to diet. In my honest opinion, we just eat less of what we want. Instead of 4 slices of pizza, go with 3, pass on the ranch when you're chowing down on your fries, and when ordering your super omega too big to hold with one hand ultimate cheeseburger, go with medium fries and drink as opposed to large. lol Yeah, that's how I see it.

What are you looking at?!  I'm NOT sharing!

Now, the wife hates this philosophy. As I'm chowing down on cookies, she's chewing on baby carrots and I can see the jealousy and disbelief that is emanating from her eyes. lol One of her favorite commercials that used to run on TV was for some stuff you would add to your water to help lose weight. What's the name of it... Let me find it on Youtube. Slimquick! There it is.

Pretty hilarious, no? There's a few different commercial for this stuff and some are pretty funny.  She'll laugh and say things like, it's sooooo true! lol  It's just not very hard for a man to lose weight, I guess.  I've been thin for most of my life and now that I actually have some weight on me, I'm not so sure that I want it off.  But then again, I don't want to be huffing and puffing while doing extra curricular activities.  I need to get back on the ball and get back to the gym.  I knew this was gonna happen, though.  That's why I didn't say this would be "super serious" workout sessions.  lol  I'll keep you posted.  Later!

Zumba Fitness Review on Dragon Blogger

Hey there.  Check out my review of Zumba Fitness for the Wii on Dragon Blogger.  Read the review here and let me know what you guys think.  Thanks!

Pro Drums for Rock Band 3

Hey there.  Since I am looking for new and alternate ways to workout, does anyone want to buy these for me?  lol  I know for a fact that it's a killer work out once you get to the Hard and Expert levels.  I'm never tried the pro mode before though but looking at Travis Barker, I'm sure that drumming keeps you slim.  lol  Later!

If there is anything plastic that I want to bang, this is it.  lol

Working Out for a Better Me - Week 3 & 4

Hey there.  I missed last week's post.  I just got caught up with stuff and it slipped my mind to post my stats.  No worries though.  I did write them down so I'll be sharing both week 3 & 4 results here.  The numbers in parenthesis is the change from the previous week.  Some of the numbers are a little surprising.  Let's get to the stats.

Week 3

Height: 5'8''
Weight: 170 lbs (+1 lbs)
Waist: 36 1/2 inches (no change)
Chest: 42 1/2 inches (+1 inch)
Left Bicept: 13 1/2 inches (+1/4 inch)
Right Bicept: 13 3/4 inches (+1/4 inch)

I was pretty happy with the small increase in bicep circumference.  I figured that there is where the noticeable changes will occur.   The 1 inch increase in my chest was a little of a surprise.  I incorporated butterflies and didn't think it would show results so quickly.

Week 4

Height: 5'8''
Weight: 173 lbs (+3 lbs)
Waist: 36 inches (-1/2 inch)
Chest: 43 inches (+1/2 inch)
Left Bicept: 13 1/2 inches (no change)
Right Bicept: 14 inches (+1/4 inch)

The number that surprised me here is the +3 lbs in my weight.  Is it muscle?  Or is it the ice cream, cupcake, twinkie, and cookie snacks right around midnight?  Who knows.  lol  But my  conscience says it's muscle so I'm sticking to it.  lol  Another thing I may need to start paying attention to is my arm size.  Now, it's been a modest gain and I'm sure it's not even noticeable, but I do want both my arms to be the same size and as of right now, there is a half inch difference.  Either my right arm is compensating for my left arm during exercises or my form is still not perfect.  I'll be doing single dumbbells going forward.  At least until they're the same size.

So there you have it.  What's new in the routine?  I started using this thing called an ab roller.  It's pretty weird but you do feel the pain... the next day.  I'm not sure if that had anything to do with the waist size going down.  I also started doing a modest 50 - 60 push ups every night before going to bed.  I'm usually tired by the end of the night so in my opinion it makes my arms work harder to lift me off the floor.  I'm not feeling as short of breath as before so that's a huge plus.  No more huffing and puffing for me when going up stairs!  lol  Starting this week, I'm going to start up with TaeBo again.  I have a 40 min workout on my Xbox 360 that I need to start doing again.  For all the crap exercise videos get, I love TaeBo.  I think it's old school and since it incorporates some kick boxing techniques, it makes me feel like such a hard ass when done.  lol  I tried doing it the first week of working out and I damn near passed out because of my poor conditioning.  I wonder how well I do this time around.  Until then, keep fit.  Later!

What's Going On

Hey there.  March 1st, that's today.  It is exactly 12 days away from finishing my 3rd year of blogging.  I can't believe that it's been close to 3 full years already!  I  was thinking of maybe doing some kind of give a away.  Maybe a game?  Maybe some cash?  Maybe some kind of prize?  I don't know just yet.  I've been thinking about it, I've just haven't decided what it will be.  Any suggestions?

Best workstation ever!

On a side note, I just wanted to fill you guys in and what's been going down on my side of computer.  My geek side has been pretty busy.  I unlocked my cousin's iPhone last night, I am working on fixing 2 more PS3s, and I have an XBOX 360 coming my way later tonight for me to take a look at.  I'm sure my wife is not thrilled about it.  I'm one those people that gets a little geeked out by this kinda stuff and will spend hours non stop working on all things tech. My wife made a comment to my cousin and his wife how she should dress up as some broken tech device so that I would pay attention to her.  lol 

Things on the blogging side have been going well.  Just not as well as I would like.  I managed to get the computer at home working but I haven't been working much at home.  My time online has been tight and I manage to churn out a post or two.  I need to get on the ball with that and spend some more leisure time on improving my online stats.  I've also made a conscience effort to provide more comments on blogs.  I've been horrible at letting know that I've stopped by so that's being improved upon.

Midnight snacks are the best!

Working out has been good to me, I guess.  I missed my exercise check in last week (damn time restrictions) so I'll make sure that I have one in this week.  Most likely be done tomorrow or Thursday.  I don't feel as winded as I have before and the wife says that there is some subtle differences in my body.  But, I don't know if I'm helping the cause by having ice cream at midnight.  lol

I also had a so called "man date" this Saturday with the compadre and a friend.  That adventure will be detailed in an upcoming post.  lol 

I know I'm forgetting some stuff but I'm sure that'll just come to me later.  So what's going on with you, friends?  What's new in the life of you?  Hope to hear from you soon.  Later!

Working Out for a Better Me - Week 2

Hey there.  So the first week is in the book and I must say that I didn't go to the gym, or exercise, as much as I wanted.  I must have gone once or twice during that first week.  Week 2 started yesterday and I made sure to hit the gym that night, no matter what time.  That time ended up being closer to 11 pm.  lol  Anyways, here are my stats so far:

Height: 5'8''
Weight: 169 lbs (-2 lbs)
Waist: 36 1/2 inches (-1 inch)
Chest: 41 1/2 inches (-1/2 inch)
Left Bicept: 13 1/4 inches (no change)
Right Bicept: 13 1/2 inches (no change)

Not too bad for one week's worth of working out.  Then again, you really can't give much thought into those 2 lbs that I've "lost".  For all we know, they were flushed down the toilet (literally).  lol  The one stat that really made my eyes wide is the 1 inch loss from my waist.  Really?  I lost an inch already?  I don't know about that one.  I measure myself across my belly button.  I know.  I know.  That's the wrong way to do it, but because I can't really find my waist, I settled for a "landmark" spot to go over and my belly button was designated so called spot.  lol  And I know that it's only been a week but I'm a little disappointed that there was no change in my biceps.  Yeah, I know... it's only a week, but still.  It's like I said in my previous post, I feel like I'm driven by numbers if I see the slightest of change, I may be more encouraged to get more done.  So far my routine is as follows:

20 minutes of cardio (alternating between elliptical, bike, treadmill)
Circuit strength training:
40 (or so) reps of bicep curls, triceps dips, shoulder press, chest press, butterflies, and rows.

Now... my so called circuit training is quick, but to the point.  One thing I noticed about people at the gym is they sit around a lot.  There's too much resting between reps.  I try to eliminate that by resting no more than a minute between reps.  So I'll start off  10 curls on each arm, then rest 1 minute, then do 10 butterflies, then rest a minute and so on and so on.  I think this method will confuse the muscles more than sitting on a single machine and doing 40 or so reps before moving on for an extended period of time on another machine.  My last set is always more than I can lift and will do only as much as my body will allow.  It pretty much means that when I leave the gym, I leave feeling pretty damn sore.  If there's flaws in this method, do tell.  I want efficiency and I want to do it right.  I also have some dumbbells at home that I'll start incorporating into my routine.  Maybe adding a few more reps before calling it a night.  Let me know what are your training methods, if any.  Or if you just wing it, how is that working for you?  Hope to hear from you soon.  Later!

Working Out for a Better Me

Hey there.  So last night was the first night that I have gone to the gym this year.  I'm not a super hard core gym rat, but I know that once I start going, I'll be somewhat of a regular.  I also started keeping track of my "stats".  I'm a geek at heart and love numbers so I figured that if I added some stats to keep track of, I'll be more inclined to continue to better those numbers.  So here we go, these are my beginning stats:

Height: 5'8''
Weight: 171 lbs
Waist: 37 1/2 inches
Chest: 42 inches
Left Bicept: 13 1/4 inches
Right Bicept: 13 1/2 inches

There you have it.  I don't think I'm a big guy, but I'm not small either.  Waaaaaaaaay bigger than my stick thin 118 lbs that used to plague me before getting married.  I was wondering what would be an ideal weight for me.  Some have said 150 lbs, others say 180 lbs so I'm not sure exactly where I should be.  I just don't want to be huffing and puffing after a short sprint.  And I know I'm out of shape when 22 minutes on a treadmill was damn near the end of me.  lol  Here are those stats:

Over 200 calories burned over 22 minutes of running.  Not too bad, right?  I didn't want to go fast but I didn't want to be all slow either so I'm debating whether or not that average 4.7 mph is a little on high side for someone just getting into the swing of things.  I felt like I was ready to collapse on that treadmill so I toned it down.  Maybe I should be going closer to 4 mph? 

Another stat that I'm a little worried about is the 171 lbs.  Is that too heavy for some one of my stature?  Do I need to go look for some weight loss pills and if so, which ones would be the best weight loss pills for some one like me?  You know, some one that doesn't want to lose a ton a weight but just enough to lose the fat while the muscle builds.  I'll have to take a look into that since I'm not sure I want to take that route, but it's definitely an option. 

So what do you guys think?  Too fat?  I'll be checking on my stats every 2 weeks, maybe once a month and we'll talk about my progress.  I guess I should take notes on what kind of exercise I did too, huh.  I'll see what works best for me.  Later!

Time to Hit the Gym

Hey there.  Yeah, yeah, I know... I sound like a broken record.  I'm going to gym, I'm going to work out, I'm going to be fit... blah blah blah.  This time I mean it!  lol  The only thing that I'm debating on whether or not I should go in the morning, or at night, and whether or not I should look into getting some kind of weight loss pills, not that I need them or anything, just as a little added boost. I've had my eye on those Slim 9 pills but I'm beginning to think that maybe they're for the ladies.  I'll have to check that out further.  A little added boost never hurt anyone.  Especially since the name "fat ass" has been lingering around me for quite some time now. lol

You know, I've never really been a gym rat, but there was a time a few years ago when I took the exercising thing seriously.  I've found myself to be a little out of breath and all so I'm looking to regain that composure.  I'm 28, I'm not old (I don't think) and I don't think that climbing up some stairs should warrant some deep breaths.  I'll take care of it though.  I'll post my results here.  I'll get started tonight or tomorrow morning.  I'm leaning more towards tonight because let's be honest, friends, I don't think tomorrow at 5 am is gonna happen.  lol  Wish me luck!  Later!

Motivational Monday - Exersice

Hey there.  I've decided...  It's time to get back into shape!  I've been on a mission to gain weight all my life.  I was a stick thin 118 through out high school and tried everything I could to gain weight.  It simply didn't happen.  Since I'm married, I've gained over 60 lbs and am now sitting closer to 190 lbs.  Which is great and not so great at the same time.  I don't look so thin, that's a plus, but my pants fit a little too snug, that's a minus.  lol  I'm scared that one day I'll bend over to pick something up and RRRRIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP!!!  There goes my pants.  So... it's time to dust off that gym membership and get to it.  I think my new goal will be to look good at 170 to 175...  somewhere around there.  That's just a half assed goal with no real merit to it.  I'm just throwing out a number but once I have a better idea of what I really need to do, I'll give a more realistic goal.  Until then.. I really hope the gym by the house installed some of these sweat escalators!  lol  Later!

A Problem with Snoring

Hey there.  Recently, my wife and I have been getting less sleep.  No, not entirely because of the baby (he has yet to sleep through the night but we feel he's getting there!) but because it turns out that I have developed a habit of snoring.  Yup...  turns out that I now snore.  I don't think that I snored before.  If I did, I would have heard from the wife, but now...  she lets me know.  And it's usually in the middle of the night...  A good kick in the shin...  a tossing of the pillow... an elbow to my side... and just recently found out that she covered my face with a pillow!  It was in jest and was only a sec (or so she claims...  lmao)

Anyways...  I'm trying to get rid of it.  My wife has noticed that if I sleep with pillows the snoring stops or at least diminishes.  My problem with that is that I'm extremely uncomfortable sleeping with pillows.  Yeah, I'm a weird one.  I just can't find my groove and sleep when I'm on pillows...  let alone be semi propped up to stop this snoring monster that I have become.  My mother in law suggested that this may have been because I've put on some weight. I don't know if there is truth to that but I have gained weight.  I finally topped the 180 lbs mark this week (I'm 5'8) and I feel a little heavier but I don't feel lethargic or anything of that sort.

So what do you think?  Any old wives tales that will fix me or some well known stuffs to do/take that will help stop the snoring?  I really don't want to get a kick to the shin again.  The wife is getting stronger (all them gym work outs are starting to pay off for her) and I don't know if my shin can take it.  lol  Until then...  Later!

Kim Kardashian's Quick Trim

Hey there.  A few weeks ago, my wife and I renewed our gym membership in an effort to better our health and our bodies.  For being a relatively small guy, I'm pretty out of shape.  My cardio has suffered and my endurance is at gutter levels.  I just haven't had the energy or the stamina to do much of the work that is required of me.  I'm hoping that stepping back into the gym will help out with that.  I already started feeling the affects of after my second week of working out.  I've found that I can breathe a little better.  The deal with my nose is that one nostril is ALWAYS clogged.  No friends, I'm not the boogerman or anything of that sort.  I strongly believe that I must have messed up my nose as a child during our marathon battles of wrestling and rough housing.  I'm about 95% sure that my nose is either broken, or there's scar tissue blocking a nasal passage.  Anyways, I've found that I can breath better during my work outs.  I don't know what to attribute it to but since I recently started working out, I'm going with that as the reason.

My wife has been getting up at 4:30 ish in the morning to get herself to the gym at 5 am.  She's been on a mission to lose the baby weight that is still lingering around.  Even though she has lost some of the weight, she's not where she wants to be and has pitched the idea that she needs Quick Trim.  I, being the ignorant guy that I am, had no idea what it was and she explained to me that it's the weight loss product that Kim Kardashian uses.  I adamantly refused.  I'm not a big fan of weight loss pills, shakes, diets, or anything else that will "burn calories a million times faster" or whatever.  I simply believe that a good diet and some exercise should be more than enough.

Now...  I kinda felt bad that I straight out shot my wife down without really hearing her out so I decided to look into this Quick Trim stuff.  It's typical of many other weight loss piss...  Some positive, some negative, nothing really definite.  I did find out, however, that Kim herself uses this product.  I've heard of celebrities endorsing products but I am not sure if I've seen any that actually use them.  In the end, I decided that I'll get the stuff for her if it'll help motivate her.  When my wife doesn't see results, she tends to lose some focus and doubts her efforts.  I don't want to see my wife give up, especially since she's doing pretty damn good at keeping up her diet and keeping her gym schedule.  Coupled with the fact that we have a young one at home, family life could very easily damper her spirits and if this would provide a lift, why not. 

If any of you guys have any personal experience with this stuff, please feel free to share.  I'd be interested in how it's worked for you.  Until then, later.

Hitting the Gym

Hey there.  I started working out again.  As evidence by my belt, I've put on a few pounds since I've gotten with my wife.  I used to be a stick figure thin 118 lbs and I wasn't too happy about it.  Now, I'm sitting at 178 lbs which isn't so bad, considering that I'm 5'8.  But you know what... like I told my brother yesterday, I noticed my "guns" getting smaller and my gut getting bigger.  lol  I kid you not, friends.  There have been a few times where I'm sitting on the couch or whatever and the button on my pants snaps and flies across the room.  Yeah, you read that right... "a few" as in, more than once.  =o)  Now, I don't mind being bigger.  In fact, I like it.  I don't look sickly and the fact that I struggled to gain weight sucked.  I love all kinds of foods and I've always been one to eat until you're full.  This is mainly why I love buffets.  You need to put a lot of food in me to feel full. 

Well, a few weeks ago, when my wife and I started talking about renewing our gym membership, it got me thinking...  I'm a lot slower than I once was.  A LOT SLOWER.  I realized that my cardio fitness is nowhere near where a young man at 27 years should be.  There are times where I can't walk long distances, stairs suck to climb, and if I push myself a little too hard, I get shortness of breath.  I needed to get my endurance and stamina back.

So last night it happened.  I finally went to the gym on a mission to get fit.  I'm hoping that I won't lose weight, but that I'll be able to increase my physical fitness, focusing on endurance and strength.  I ran for a little over 2 miles yesterday on a "hill setting" on a treadmill and since I haven't done any kind of running since forever, I felt like I was ready to fall over dead.  So much for easing into it, huh.  I like the hill setting since it fluctuates the incline level.  Running at a constant 4 mph may not seem too tough but once you start hitting the inclines, it raises the difficulty.  I made it victorious.  I wasn't carried away in a stretcher and no one called for a wheelchair so I would call that a pretty successful run. 

I then did some butterflies, bench pressed, and curls to work on my arms and chest, but trust me, there wasn't much weight on those.  I was still feeling pretty tired from that run.  Before long, I headed home.  So my question now is what kind of "program" should I set for myself?  30 min cardio followed by 45 of strength training?  15 min cardio, 45 min strength, 15 min cardio?  As of today, I plan on going daily (except Sundays), is that considered too much?  I mean, it's only been one day, but I do want to be able to stick to a schedule to make sure that I build up those key stats. 

So now, I'm feeling a little sore in the legs.  I can't run the way I used to when I was in track and field (back in JR high!!!!) so I'm feeling the pain right now.  I guess as long as I don't topple over, I'll be alright.  Until then, later!

My Wife's Mission and a Pair of Easy Tone Shoes

Hey there.  As many of you know, we've recently welcomed a little one to our family.  We're thrilled and happy that he's blessed our lives.  Now, my wife is dealing with the aftermath of pregnancy.  My wife gained approx. 50 lbs during her pregnancy.  She takes good care of herself and she watches what she eats, but I strongly believe that during pregnancy, her body holds on to extra weight despite her efforts to keep it minimal.  Last week, we went to visit Dr. Bohn and she finally gave my wife the thumbs up to exercise.  My wife wasted no time and she's been walking/running close to 5 miles every other day.  Last night, I bought her a pair of the new Reebok Easy Tone shoes.  She's mentioned them to me before and considering that she's a semi health nut, she would love a pair.  I was planning on getting them for our anniversary (Nov. 30th for those of you who forgot!) but I gave them to her early so that she can use them during her workouts.

Now, these shoes are little odd to me, since they claim to work our your buns, thighs, and calves simply by walking in them.  Make no mistake about it, you need balance to walk in these shoes.  I tried them on, for the sake of curiosity, and I felt as if I was tilting to one side while walking.  My wife has had them on all day and she feels that it is definitely doing something to her lower half of her body.  She's hoping that they'll help to reshape her body to what it was before we had our little one in the oven. 

I need to start getting in shape too.  I've put on a few pounds with our pregnancy and I think I'm getting a little flabby around the waist.  The best way to support my wife would be to join her in her activities.  Well, at least I'd like to think so.  If any of you guys have heard or have any experiences with these shoes, let me know what you think.  It's still our first day using them and my wife feels something but you know how things are...  is it because she wants to feel something or is she feeling something because they're actually working.  I'd like to think that they're working.  When we met up for lunch, she said that her butt hurt like hell.  lol  Let me know friends.  Later!

Is Metallman Breaking Down?

Hey there. I feel like crap today. Actually, I've been feeling like crap for about a week. I've had this headache that come and goes. It's odd because I've never really been one to experience headaches but recently they've come on.

I'm also experiencing some aches and pains on my body that I don't ever remember feeling before. Stupid body seems to pop and crack every time I turn or bend. lol My knees have always "popped". That's a cool little trick to show people. I do a squat and POP! Crazy. But recently, I've felt and hear this "tearing" sound in my left elbow when I extend it all the way. I wonder if maybe it's a tendon in my elbow or something. Doesn't hurt, but feels weird. I've been reluctant to start with my weight exercises because of it. The popping never stopped me from doing leg work outs but my elbow feels a little different.

I'm also having some lower back pains. Mainly in the kidney area. Stupid kidneys... Not filtering the crap out of my system fast enough or something... Maybe... I think. I drink my fair share of water at work, but I also offset that water intake with my coffee intake. Just as an insight, my coffee mug is almost twice the size of my water mug. lol

Then there's my breathing. Shallow at times. Metallman has done no cardio in since like forever. The last time I actually did some running so happened to be the last time I went to go play basketball about 2 weeks ago. I was short of breath and so not in basketball shape. I did manage to grind out 2 hours worth of basketball but I was definitely winded and stood around for a min or two to catch my breath here and there. I swear, I struggle to get up the stairs at work sometimes.

Old age? Nah, I doubt it. Like I said before, I don't plan on dying. If it happens, hey, what are you going to do? But to expect it? It's like expecting for an accident to smash your new car or that killer quake happening to split your house in two. Maybe my metabolism is finally slowing down. I've always had high metabolism and maybe, just maybe, it's slowed down enough where it's beginning to affect my body. Stupid metabolism. Stupid body. If only there was some kind of miracle drink that can cure all.

Now before I get Emails and comments saying that "Noni" works, let me set you straight. IT DOESN'T. lol I used to laugh at the infomercials and chuckled at this miracle drink. Basically, it cured everything under the sun but death. lol I don't see it around anymore so maybe people caught on to their BS and quit buying it. But if you're still a paying customer, I'd love to hear from you and it's "miraculous" healing powers.

Now for the rest of us, I'm going to look for other "cure all" stuffs out on the web and see what I find. I'm pretty sure the stuff will be interesting. Later.

Xflowsion, The New Way to Shape Up

Hey there. My wife and I had our hopes on going to the gym this year to work out and shape up. Like many others that made that resolution, it didn't happen. I don't know if it's the tediousness of it, or the work like atmosphere of the gym, but we just could not bring ourselves to get up and go. We've talked about doing some exercising at home. She wants to do yoga. I think it's not for me. I want to do some martial arts stuff. It's not for her. We've even talked about taking some dance lessons as a way to get up and move. If there was only a way to combine all three... Wait a minute, there is. Welcome, XFLOWSION .

Xflowsion is a new way to stay in shape and is great for everyday people that can't find their way to the gym. It combines 3 work outs into one to keep the body guessing and avoids that plateau that many of us experience with routine exercising. Xflowsion is intense for muscle building, it's subtle for muscle toning, and it's fast paced to get that heart pumping. A 4 DVD set that will get you the body and mind that you've been wishing for. Need a quick pick up to get your blood flowing? Check out the "Live in Hollywood" DVD and get your body moving. A quick pump up before a date? Pop in the "Body Blast" DVD and go out looking and feeling strong. High stress at work? "Calm Down Dog" is the DVD to being those anxiety and stress levels down. This is a great set of workout videos that you need to check out.

XFLOWSION has been advertised on high profile magazines such as People and In Style. Get it at the link above and not only will you get the 4 DVD set, but also 2 audio books, 2 guidebooks, and free shipping & handling by using the discount code provided on their home page. It's known that if you have an exercise buddy, you are more than likely to keep at it. Hopefully, my wife and I will not only keep at it, but start a new activity that will not only give us quality time together, but also better ourselves in the process. Later.