Tech Rest

Do You Tivo Sports? (Fun And Fitness Friday)

So here's the thing: I love to watch sports and I love to go to bed early. Up until recently, more often than not, when games went late I would just catch the scores and highlights the next day. Lately though I've been recording some events and watching them the next day. The NFL playoff game between the Patriots and the Jaguars is an example. The game was played on Saturday night. I watched all but about 1 hour of it on Saturday night and then watched the rest the next morning before looking at the final score. It was great! I loved it!

Contest: YouTube Your Way To Stress Relief (Fun and Fitness Friday)

On a Sunday morning a couple of weeks ago, I was laughing out loud at some videos on YouTube.

If you need some stress relief (and who doesn't), just go to YouTube, type in your search, and immediately get funny videos for free! One search that works well for me is "clean comedians".

One comedian I really like is Henry Cho. He is an Asian born in Tennessee married to a woman from Arab, Alabama. Just go to YouTube and put "Henry Cho" in the search and you won't be sorry.

What are your favorite funny (and clean) YouTube videos?

Post a comment with a link to the video and after I get enough comments, I'll pick one at random and send them a free copy of my book, Escape From Email Hell .

Having My Back Cracked Makes Me Happy (Fun and Fitness Friday)

I mean it. It had been a while since I visited my local Chiropractor. I was feeling pretty stressed and not sleeping that well.

After my adjustment, my attitude immediately began to improve. The next day, after a better night's sleep, I really was happier.

For me, Chiropractic care makes a difference in my day to day attitude.

What's your opinion on Chiropractic care?

The Fun "All In One" Workout (Fun and Fitness Friday)

I've been working out consistently for 6 years and I've finally found a workout that I really enjoy. I've listed what I do but what I do is not the point. The point is that I've read for years that your workout should be enjoyable and leave you feeling refreshed. This is the first time I can whole-heartedly say "I'm lovin it!".

The point. You can find a workout that works for you and the demands of your life. Period. Now, for some details about what I do.

Are You Washing Your Windows In The Dark? Good! (Fun and Fitness Friday)

If you wait for the right time; you'll never start.

For about a week I put up with decreased vision because of stuff on the inside of my car windshield. The problem was that I planned each day to wash the windshield after I got home from work. The problem with that was that it was always dark before I got home. The solution: wash the windshield in the dark! Guess what: it worked. I had a nearly perfect piece of glass to look through the next day. The point: sometimes it's better to do something at the wrong time rather than wait for the perfect time (which will never come). Work with what you've got!

Are you thinking of starting a fitness program? But you are not independently wealthy; don't have the perfect home gym, the perfect gym right across the street, the perfect clothes, the perfect trainer? Maybe you have a nagging injury or habit that's holding you back. Maybe you need to finish that project before you can start.

If you have a pair of shoes and something besides underwear to put over your body, you can start.

Just start! Just do something!

You can walk out the door right now and walk around the block. That's a start. Zig Ziglar starting running by running one block. And then the next day, he ran a block and a mail box. The day after that he ran a block and two mail boxes. That's the way to do it. For more about my own fitness story see Slow And Simple Fitness Plan.

Don't worry about the past, just start today. And tomorrow, just keep going.

See also

• What Will It Take For You To Change?
• The Get More Sleep Diet

Don't Let Desire Drive Out Wisdom (Fun and Fitness Friday)

Okay, I'll admit it, that's exactly what I did.

I love to run and recently I've had the chance to run with my daughters. That makes running even better.

On the other hand, I have been recovering from a nagging knee injury. Well, Saturday came and the girls and I had planned a run. The weather was gorgeous and I thought my knee was fine.

However, from the moment I started warming up, I knew my knee was not okay. So, did I do the smart thing and cross train or rest? No! I let my desire to run with my girls outweigh what I knew was going on with my knee. The result: I set my recovery from my injury back probably two weeks and I ended up taking Aleve for 2 two days which makes me spacey and grumpy.

If I had it to do all over again would I have run? Absolutely not. I talked to the girls afterwards and of course they said it would have been okay. In the end, what I did was delay my recovery and my chance to run more with them.

Most of us don't have the luxury of physicians and trainers at our beck and call like professional athletes. So, we have to be our own advisers. Sometimes the part of us that says "let's go have fun" outweighs the part that says 'but you'll pay for it later".

Maybe next time I'll listen to the voice of reason.

So, what about you? Have you had those moments in a run or a race that you knew you should back off but you didn't? What do you do that helps you listen to the smart part of you?

See also

• The ABCs of Flexible Fitness Planning
• Are You An Idiot?

Next post: January 2, 2008!

Crossing The Line Has The Power To Change Your Life (Fun And Fitness Friday)

That's the tagline to my favorite source of fitness inspiration: podcasts from EndurancePlanet.com. If you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend these short (usually around 10 minutes long) bursts of inspiration and training advice. Some of them haven't affected me too much but some have inspired me to the point of tears.

It's also the truth. On February 10, 2007 I crossed the line of the BE5K3.1 in 32:31. No, that's not a typo. I was ecstatic at running a 5K in under 33 minutes. I can't express to you how great it was to cross the finish line. I ran SLOW but I ran faster than I ever had before and reached my goal!

That moment has inspired me. I'm determined to get under 30 minutes in 2008. For non-runners, you may not understand how slow this is but let's just say, you can't find charts in Runner's World for how to train that slow.

It just doesn't matter. It's a thrill to cross the finish line anyway. The only person I was competing against was me! And I won! I set a personal best.

I challenge you! Pick an event in 2008 and start training for it. The best way to get in shape is not to focus on depriving yourself but instead to focus on becoming on athlete. Couch potatoes have trained for and completed the Boston Marathon in 9 months. My local running club has a Couch To 10K program.  Maybe you are like me: old and slow. But you know what; I'm going to be faster in 2008 than I was in 2007. And in 2009, I'm going to be faster than 2008. You can do it too!

One piece of advice about running: learn to do it right. Most people think everyone knows how to run right. Part of why I have been slow is that I have gotten injured from running poorly. Most runners get injured because they run poorly too. To learn how to run without injury, check out Pose Running.

If running is not your thing: find something that is. Love to play tennis: join a league. Love to swim: get in a class. Do something! You'll be glad you did.

The Get More Sleep Diet (Fun And Fitness Friday)

Want to lose weight? Get more sleep.

I was shocked when listening to a segment of a podcast (you really are going to want to listen to it) based on the latest sleep research (see NY Times Article: Snooze or Lose). My mom was right: consistent sleep is VERY important.

Some things I recall from the podcast.

Your body thinks you need an additional 900 calories when you are sleep deprived.

It takes about five days to recover from jet lag. So if our teenagers get up early during the week for school and sleep in on the weekend, they are always jet lagged. And of course the most sleep deprived group in our society: teenagers.

An experiment was done that put people into two groups. One group was kept up for 24 hours straight and then tested to see how they were doing mentally and physically. Another group slept one hour less for a period of 8 days and was given the same tests. So one group lost 8 hours of sleep in a night and the other group lost 8 hours over 8 days. The average score on the tests for the two groups was the same except for one thing: the second group thought they were just fine.  The point is that many of us are functioning with diminished capacity because of lack of sleep but we don't know it!

So what do you need to do to lose weight, be smarter and more productive?

Get consistent sleep. That means going to bed and getting up at the same time EVERY day.

Get enough sleep. Individual sleep needs vary. Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours per night. To find out how much sleep you need, don't set the alarm for three days and see when you wake up.

If you know you are going to have to stay up late, take a nap BEFORE the night you are need to be up late.

See also

• Extreme Bedroom Makeover
• 4 Tools For More Rest

Wonderful Time Buying Wine (Fun And Fitness Friday)

Have you ever had a shopping experience that was so great, you wanted to blog about it? This is one of those times.

Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving, I get a call from my wife. She asked me to stop by a local store and pick up a specific bottle of wine for our Thanksgiving dinner. I was tired and ready to get home but I do almost nothing to get the meal on the table so this was quite literally the least that I could do.

So, I went to V. Richard's, a local grocery store to pick up the wine. They have a nice selection and there was a gentlemen there to help me. He was pleasant and knew exactly what I was looking for. Not only that but they had a bottle that was already chilled!

I picked up the bottle and went to the cash register. They had enough help so that I was able to check out quickly on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving:  a minor miracle.

Wow! What a wonderful wine buying experience. Thanks V. Richard's!

See also

• The Ultimate Gift (A Movie Review)
• 4 Tools For Rest

Rethinking Workout Times (Fun and Fitness Friday)

This is a guest post by Lisa Hendey. She blogs at Productivity@Home .

I am typically a morning workout person.  During the school year, my routine is to wake early, before my sons and husband.  I pray, work, and drink lots of decaf prior to waking up the rest of the house. After driving the kids to school, as many days per week as practicable, I meet a friend at the gym for an hour long workout.  The rest of the school day flies by filled with writing, web work, or other commitments.  After 2:30, I turn into driving Mom, homework helping Mom and cooking Mom.  I crash early most nights, preferring to be tucked in by no later than 10:30.  I fall asleep before my head hits the pillow.

During the summer, the schedule falls to pieces.  People sleep until all hours of the day, my sons cook "second dinner" at 11:30 pm many nights, and my workout buddy is busy with her own summer craziness.  My fitness routine becomes a little dicey, and it doesn't help that our Fresno heat squashes my motivation to walk outside.  It becomes a little too easy to say, "I'll hit the gym tomorrow..." and skip a day (or four).

This has been happening far too often for the past two weeks.  One of the problems with not working out is that I tend to get a little "edgy" and things that don't normally stress me out start to drive me crazy.  This was happening on Wednesday, when I was in a "martyr" state of mind from all of the football practice inconvenience that's been going on in this week.  Around 9:00 pm I realized that I had, yet again, not fit in time to exercise during the day.  So instead of plopping on the couch, I tied on my walking shoes and hit the pavement.

Revolutionary? Far from it!  Lots of people walk at night, but I'm not one of them.  Surprisingly, I discovered that I loved walking at that time of night.  The streets were silent, the heat was absent, and the sky was filled with stars.  I am such a creature of habit in so many ways - shaking up a few of my routines is a great thing.  The night walk has inspired me to look at my schedule with a little less rigidity and to be more open to using my waking hours more creatively.

Home-work for Today:

• Thinking about walking or running at night?  Read this helpful article on Walking Safely at Night.
• Rethink your fitness routine - does your schedule need a little "shaking up"?  Do you need to recommit to exercise?  Just do it!

In the DVD Player:

A.M. and P.M. Yoga for Beginners

Evan Almighty – Mighty Good (Movie Review) (Fun and Fitness Friday)

Evan Almighty was every bit as good as I had hoped. I can't think of anything bad to say about it.

Don't be put off by the title. I'm pretty sensitive and I didn't see anything sacrilegious about it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot, the acting, the sets, and the special effects all combined to tell a great story. I loved the fact that this guy changes from being full of himself to being humble. It was also great to see a family stick together when the entire world seems to be against them. I grinned and laughed out loud over and over again.

It made me think. Sometimes we seem to think that God is in a bad mood. Most of the time, He's not. In this movie God has a great sense of humor and tremendous patience. Also, Evan is asked to do something that seems totally stupid to him but in fact is crucial not only to him but to many others. Sounds like art reflecting reality to me.

I'm glad they spent the money. I watched the extras where they talk about the effort that went into producing the movie. Most of the time when I watch a movie I think: what a waste of millions of dollars. Not this one, this story was worth the money.

I hope we see more movies like this one coming out of Hollywood.

See also

• We Are Marshall (Movie Review)
• The Ultimate Gift (Movie Review)

The ABCs of Flexible Fitness Planning

Think about this: tomorrow, you might have to sit at the hospital with a relative or have to fly on business unexpectedly. Do you have a plan? If not, you may "fall off the wagon". Remember, in 48 hours you start to go backwards with your fitness. That's all it takes. Don't take the chance of losing your hard earned gains because of lack of good planning.

Always have an anywhere plan. When all else fails, have a memorized routine that you can do without equipment. Push-ups, sit-ups, and walking can be done anywhere.

Be ready to workout at any time. Life happens and you need to be ready to workout at a different time. Maybe you like to workout at lunch but have to attend a meeting. Don't be locked in to a certain time. One inexpensive item that has helped me get my runs in is a reflective vest. I've run as early as 5 AM and as late as 9 PM. If you can't workout when you planned, workout at the next available time.

Create a no compromise alternative routine. Imagine that you are traveling and are in the middle of a 12 week strength training routine, and there's no gym nearby. With a little bit of equipment, you can get just as good get a gym quality workout in your hotel room. I take a rope for stretching (see Wharton Performance ) with me wherever I go. I am also excited to try out Bodylastics Exercise Bands Super System. This is a kit that is designed to be a substitute gym for the traveler.

You need to have a backup plan for each part of your fitness routine. What if you can't run? What if your workout partner doesn't show up? What if you are traveling and can't make it to the gym? Think through each scenario and have a plan ready. Many fitness efforts fail because of one of these things. Don't let your fitness plan be derailed by lack of planning.

See also

• Are You An Idiot?
• Never Rely On A Single Point Of Failure

Are You An Idiot?

Or is it someone else?

I was running the other day in my neighborhood. For full disclosure I should say that I am lily white and have a chronic case of bird legs. Also, I wear "real" running clothes. In other words, I look pretty silly when I run.

As I approached an intersection there was a guy in an SUV, with his windows rolled up, puffing on a cigarette. He looked at me like "you idiot!" Now, it may have been my own insecurities but I really believe that's really what he was thinking.

Our world is upside-down. In our world we sometimes call good things bad and bad things good. A "good" time is sitting on the couch smoking a cigarette. A "bad" break is having to park too far from the front door of Wal-Mart.

Don't let intimidation stop you. I know people who won't exercise outside because they think they'll look stupid. So what! Stupid, is not exercising. I also know people who won't go to the gym (in their building) because they are embarrassed about how out of shape they are. That's like not going to the doctor for fear of seeing people who aren't as sick as you.

Most people aren't paying attention anyway. I'm convinced that in most situations if you are not naked or bleeding, 99% of people hardly notice you. Have you ever gotten a rip in your pants and went through the day and no one noticed? Me too. People are generally so caught up in their own world, they don't notice you. And, those people at the gym used to be just as out of shape as you. Okay, at least some of them were.

What would you do if you had no fear of looking silly? Well, don't' be an idiot, get up and do it!

See also

• What Will It Take For You To Change?
• Slow And Simple Fitness Plan

This post also appears on CE On Time .

We Are Marshall (Movie Review)

This is a great movie that reenacts a true story. Unlike The Ultimate Gift , I can't recommend it without reservation, but almost. There is a smattering of offensive language but other than that it is entertaining and family friendly.

I love sports. This movie shows how sports can help people band together and overcome great hurt. Some of the football scenes had me holding my breath and then cheering for joy. Great stuff.

I love true stories with a happy ending. This story really happened and for me somehow that makes it better. Also, for the most part, the movie leaves you with a good feeling. Call me wimpy, but that's the kind of movie I like.

I love stories that capture my attention and hold it. This movie was one that did that. I didn't find myself even thinking about how long the movie was running (now that's a minor miracle).

So, I think this is one worth catching. To order from Amazon (and support this site) click We Are Marshall (Widescreen Edition).

This post also appears on CE On Time .

Would you pay $0.99 for a good laugh?

I did.

I heard a clip on The Rick and Bubba Show of a song by Dan Smith. It made me laugh so hard that as soon as I got home I downloaded it from iTunes.

My favorite kind of humor is self deprecating humor and this is some of the best I've heard.

Dan does a parody of the song "I Can Only Imagine". His title: "Lots of Caucasians".

Lyrics include:

Surrounded by white people
I just have to ask,
When they dance for you, Jesus
Will we be allowed to laugh?

As a Caucasian with no ability to dance, I just loved it.

If you need a laugh today, it just might be worth the 99 cents for you too.

See also

• Never Rely On A Single Point Of Failure
• 7 Ways To Start Your Rest Revolution

Extreme Bedroom Makeover

Are you sleeping as well as you would like, every night? Then quit reading. If not, you may find you can change some things and make a real difference in the quality of your sleep.

Sound. The best sound to sleep by is something that's consistent. I love nature sounds to sleep by. They help block out road noise and help me get to sleep and stay asleep. I love my travel clock (Sharper Image Travel Sound Soother 20 Travel Alarm Clock (SI601TNM)). It doesn't matter whether I'm at home or on the road, my ears are hearing the same sounds.

Sight. Pitch darkness is best for sleeping. Waking up can be really cool if you have an alarm that wakes you up with light and sound (Peaceful Progression Wake-Up Clock ). We replaced the blinds in our bedroom with black out curtains. They work so much better. Also, studies have shown that even a little light can disturb your sleep. So I take two handkerchiefs and put them over my clock to block the light from that.

Sheets. Don't skimp on a bed or bedding. I know people who won't hesitate to spend $25,000 on a car but will wait months to replace a worn mattress. Our bed is a traditional bed with a nice pillow top mattress. My wife and I slept on a water bed for years but I like this one better (and besides my chiropractor recommended it). The right sheets are essential too. I'm not an expert but I do know that higher thread count is better.

Stuff. I don't know why it works, but it does: de-clutter your bedroom and you will sleep better. Move everything out of your bedroom and put the rest behind a door or in a drawer. For me, I keep the night stand completely clutter free.

Stuffiness. Somewhere around 65 degrees (F) is about the best temperature for great sleep. Also, I like to have a ceiling fan going. This helps the temperature and provides another source of consistent sound. One of the great features of our ceiling fan is that it's thermostatically controlled. I was surprised that this option wasn't that much more money.

So . . . what changes have you made that work for you? Let me know.

Special thanks to my wife for making the Extreme Bedroom Makeover a reality.

See also

• 4 Tools For Rest
• Does God Take Naps?

This post also appears on CE On Time .

Wow . . . What a Great Post!

Leo at zen habits has done the best post I've seen in months. And that's saying something because I read about 600 posts / week.

He goes into detail about how to really create lasting change in your life. I read every word. I dugg it. I commented on it. I love it!

The post really jives with my life experience in that to create lasting change you need to start small and set up systems that positively and negatively reward you.

Run over and check it out at Engineer Life Set Up Habit Changes So It's Hard To Fail .

The Pardox of Choice - Book Giveaway Winners

And the winners are . . . Angel (Hard-cover) and Frank (Paperback). Your comments were great!

Thanks to all those who participated.

To read the review (and the comments!) see The Paradox of Choice - Less Choice = More Happiness .

Winners, please send me an email (found in my LinkedIn profile) with your address and I'll send the book your way.

Other book review

• The 4-Hour Work Week - Fact of Fiction?

Are You Running Down the Wrong Road?

Why do you exercise? Have you lost sight of the reason you started?

You've got a race coming up. Maybe you're training for a late-season marathon or an upcoming 5k. I had some knee problems after a recent race. I probably should have not run the race but I had trained so hard I really wanted to run. Crossing the finish line was a great feeling. Dealing with the knee problems for weeks afterwards was not. Unless you make a living with your body, is it worth it?

You are overcoming a health problem. Many people start exercising after a health crisis. That's an excellent reason to start and can help you overcome limitations caused by the health problem. I love to read stories of people running after overcoming Cancer or having a Heart transplant.

You want to have the energy to do what you were born to do. For me, this is the reason I try to keep at the top of my mind. Other reasons can be distracting. If you plan to run, or swim, or play tennis for decades, what's the big deal about taking a couple of weeks to really recover from a nagging injury? In the past, I have trained so hard that I've been hard to live with. Every now and then that's probably necessary to get to the next level. But many times I'm just trying to do too much. Only you can judge how you are feeling and know when to press and when to rest.

The point is it is easy to lose sight of why you are doing something. And when you lose sight of that goal, you do things that are counterproductive.

Have you ever gotten really stressed about planning an event that's supposed to be fun? Is it worth having the event if you are going to be in a bad mood and affect the mood of those around you?

How about you? Have you started with one goal in mind and then lost sight of your goal?

See also

• Slow and Simple Fitness Plan
• What Will It Take For You To Change?

The Ultimate Gift – A Movie Review

I like movies but most of the time when I recommend one to a friend I end up saying "It was a great movie but it would have been better if xyz had not been in it. Not so with The Ultimate Gift. There was nothing in it that I would not have wanted my 10 year old (or me for that matter) to see.

Entertaining Plot. The plot is about a spoiled rich kid who learns that the most important things in life don't have to do with money. It has enough subtle twists and turns to hold your interest but the real strength of the plot is its wonderful, underlying message: the best gifts are those of character and not material things.

Great casting and acting. It's easy to get lost in the story because the scenes are so believable. Also, the cast is a great mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces.

It leaves you feeling good. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a suspenseful movie that leaves you feeling like you've been on a long roller coaster ride. But most of the time, I'm not. This is the kind of movie I'm always in the mood for. In the end, everything turns out well and you get the feeling that life is good. I like it.

For a really good movie, check out The Ultimate Gift.

This post also appears on CE On Time .