Some Common But Creative Mid Week Activities To Try

There are those folks that work on weekends for various reasons: school, or the career field they are in. Or, you may work during the week and want to do more than be on your smartphone or watch TV. Being that I have pulled weekend shifts in the past and have had time off during two and three day stretches, it forces one to be more creative when finding fun activities going on. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Local community/church/college activities.

Check the newspapers and the online calendars. Many of these places have shows, plays, open mics and such during the week.

2. Exercise

Many gyms have active classes during the week, and around in the community. Also, when it's warm out, you can walk, jog or run.

3. Movies

4. Sporting events (youth to professional).

5. Concerts

6. Doctor's appointments, dealing with errands.

These are things that you wouldn't have time to do on a normal week. However, if you're not preoccupied during the week, you can use this time to complete those duties.

7. Volunteer work, including after school tutoring and mentoring.

8. Shopping

9. Taking a casual drive.

10. Trying out restaurants in other cities.

Restaurants aren't usually as packed during this time and often offer good deals. For example, Ruby Tuesdays allows kids 10 and under to eat for free on Tuesdays.

Hope this helps fill the time during the week (which may be your weekend.)

Do you currently do some of these activities? What are some other ones you would add to this list?

Seven Simple Tips To Lose Weight, Get Into Shape, And Feel Great

Many of you who started the year on a mission to lose x amount of weight are starting to see how difficult it really is. It takes time, patience, and lots of hard work, both physically and mentally.  Nevertheless, before you throw in your gym towel as many are starting to do, check out these seven tips that will help make your fitness goals easier to accomplish. 

1. Proper Diet

You can exercise for two hours/day, seven days a week.  However, if your diet and eating habits aren't proper, you're wasting all that time. Learn to treat your body like a temple and take care of it well. There are hundreds of diets out there that yield results. What really burns the calories and speeds up the metabolism is simple clean eating. Lots of water, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates are a great start.  Keeping a food diary with calories and fat grams is also good to see what you're eating.

2. Safe Exercise

Proper, safe workouts not only burn fat, they tone the physique and make you feel good inside.  Well not initially though.  You will be sore for a while.  However, a good workout where you sweat and push yourself is a good stress reliever and is good for the blood circulation.  Don't forget to seek a doctor's approval before beginning a workout, and don't feel you must over exert yourself too fast. Take baby steps until you reach the level that you want to lift, run, or workout. Develop your own routine and worry less about other people's workouts. 

3. Plenty Of Rest and Sleep

You should give yourself at least one rest day each week so your body can rebuild and recover. Also, make sure that you are sleeping well. The average person needs at least six-eight hours of quality sleep to achieve maximum results.  Naps are also great as I've mentioned in the past.

4. Stretching

Spend at least two minutes stretching before and after you work out.  This gets the muscles and joints loose, and prevents injuries such as pulled muscles or hamstrings.

5. Stress management and relaxation.

Basically, take time to mediate, breathe and relax every day. Having lots of stress will also impede fitness results.  Therefore, simply relax and have fun in this journey to get fit. The results will then take care of themselves. 

6. Motivation

You must have a definite reason or "why" for you to keep at it, especially when times get the hardest and life interferes. Post your motivation and short-term goals, and stare at them every day.  Also, keep yourself pumped up through surrounding yourself with like-minded people, and have plenty of upbeat music on your playlist.

7. Dedication. 

This may be the most important.  You must stay dedicated and committed to the process. It is not meant to be a quick fix. You are developing a new lifestyle.  One must be in the routine for working out, eating healthy and taking care of themselves.  Think of yourself as a company and maintaining your health is your job. It would be a shame to fire yourself for not doing what is necessary to succeed. So take responsibility and don't allow that to happen. 

Just remember that it is possible and don't give in. I've learned that it is an ongoing process as you improve in your fitness, regimen, and in age and wisdom. Keep at it; the rewards are great.  

Now pick that sweaty towel back up and put in work!

Skating: Still Relevant After Many Decades

I can remember when I was a child, the skating rink was the hangout spot. It was like the club for tweens and teens. You learned how to skate through trial and error, saw all the pretty girls there, and met up with your peeps. Many rinks even had supervised lock-ins on weekends and summer vacations.

Watching the movies RollBounce and ATL with T.I. really take me back to that nostalgic, simple era. Heck I want to go to Cascade on a Sunday night. Of course since I'm in my 30s , I would probably be confined to going during the week when the older folk frequent there.

It appears skating has made a revival amongst young adults. Children still go to skating rinks around the country. But now adults still go frequently and skate the night away. This is especially the case in cities such as Chicago, and Columbia, SC, which is about two hours from where I live.

Admittedly, I never learned how to skate well. I did learn how to rollerblade, and was good at that for a while. Both are good cardio exercise as well.

The Winter X Games is currently underway.  Of course the focus is ice skating, which has never waned in popularity due to the Winter Olympics and hockey. Roller skating and blading have now made their way across many different generations.

My guess is people in my age bracket and even in their 20s simply want to keep that part of their childhood alive. Also, movies that I mentioned earlier have refueled that desire to lace up the skates. I know some ladies that even road tripped to Atlanta and went to the real Cascade. According to them, it was actually as crunk as it was in the ATL movie.

There is a line in ATL "when you find something better, you will put those skates down". That is obviously a metaphor for growing up and moving on. However, it appears skating is an ageless, timeless activity like bowling, riding four wheelers, or even video games. I think it's great also. Let the good times roll, pun intended!

In Loving Memory to my homie and muse Tim Brown. This blog is dedicated to you. I will miss you bro.

Body Pain: If And When Is It Actually Worth It?

It is sad but true that people will do just about anything for money, fame, or looks. This includes enduring physical and mental harm.
These sorts of pains and aches can be caused by stress, lack of sleep, overworking the brain and body at your job or in the gym, and simply worrying.
Now is it really worth it?
One must strike a balance.  Moderation is key. You want to keep yourself healthy first.  You can't enjoy happiness and wealth if your overall well being.
The human body is made to endure only so much pain and abuse. Some bodies can tolerate less than others, and the risk is heighted with other factors such as age. Give it your all and try your best, but remember you are human. Your body and mind can only take so much.
No one can take better care of you than you. Therefore, people may call you soft or weak because you don't want the extra pressure and stress that comes with a harder occupation, a stricter workout regimen, or simply a drastic lifestyle change.
Here are a couple of famous quotes of note "to whom much is given, much is required" and "know thy self" by Socrates .  Your mind and heart have to also be strong. When others see this, they have little reason to doubt or criticize why you may fall short in other areas. 
Basically, no goal in life is worth killing yourself over. Practice common sense, patience, and good judgment in what you strive to achieve. Keep your stress levels low and your head clear. See your doctor, and check your vitals regularly.
You want to live a productive life, but also an enjoyable one. It is yours, not anyone else's. Therefore, take care of yourself and don't be depressed if you don't fit society's definition of happiness. Love and peace should be held in higher esteem.