WHY I DISLIKE FAT GUYS IN VIDEO GAMES PART 2

In part one, I outlined in detail why I thought I needed to voice out my opinion regarding obese characters in fighting games. In this follow up article, I just want to clarify a few thoughts on characters, persons, and ideas that may run contrary to my thoughts, but actually don’t.

E. HONDA

What about E. Honda,though? The famous sumo wrestler that first appeared in the granddaddy of all fighting games, Street Fighter II, way back in 1991? Well, first of all, my specific complaint was about characters who are obese, and not just fat. There are plenty of people all over the world that some may categorize as fat for whatever aesthetic reasons, but when physically examined, they wind up to be perfectly healthy. E. Honda pretty much fits this description. If you actually look at his design, you’ll notice that much of his torso is meant to actually be muscle, and not fat. His character design in the classic, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie, is even more evident of this.

SUMO WRESTLERS

But what about a lot of the other sumo wrestlerswho are truly mostly fat and not muscle? Well, there’s plenty of controversy right now regarding this. Sumo is a sport where one opponent has to push the other outside the ring, and mass obviously plays a huge aspect of that. In this case, sumo wrestlers often pack on extra mass in order to gain an upper hand against their opponents. Of course, a lot of this mass is muscle, as sumo wrestlers typically engage in very rigorous physical training every day, like any other fighter. The problem is when they gain too much body fat in order to increase their weight even more. There have been numerous occasions when champion sumo wrestlers have died because of cardiovascular diseases related to high amounts of body fat. 

Sumo wrestlers that value technique over mass have been emerging, and these are much lighter competitors who have a tremendous amount of lean mass, and use their skills as the primary form of winning. This is obviously a better form of sumo wrestler.

ROY NELSON

Okay, but what about Big Country Roy Nelson, the recent winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 10who is currently tearing through opponents in the UFC? Well, first of all, “Big Country” Roy Nelson has a big belly, but I really don’t think he can be classified as obese (compare his picture to that of Bob’s or Rufus’ in part one). He pretty much has a ton of muscle underneath all that flab, and he has the cardiovascular endurance of a champion. He works hard in the gym, and it shows in the Octagon. In this case, I don’t think his façade is something young people should emulate, but his work ethic sure is.

Also, if you notice, from his time on The Ultimate Fighter to his more recent fight against Stefan Struve, you can actually notice Big Country slim down quite a bit. This is because of his increased training to prepare for higher level competitors. The higher he climbs the ranks of the UFC, the fitter he’ll get.

And if you want to emulate a UFC heavyweight fighter, there are plenty of bigger names out there hyped even more than Big Country. People like champion Brock Lesnar, top contender Cain Velasquez, Shane Carwin, and Minotauro Nogueira are hyped way more than Nelson, and have slimmer, more muscular physiques, which is something that better represents the current Heavyweight division of the UFC.

Any more thoughts on “fat” or obese people being represented in popular culture? Drop me a comment below as I’d like to read your thoughts!

WHY I DISLIKE FAT GUYS IN VIDEO GAMES

As some of you may have already figured out, I really enjoy fighting games. Heck, I’ve admitted that they’re part of the reason I got so into fitness in the first place. Street Fighter was my favorite, and I idolized the characters there, particularly the main character, Ryu. And this is actually the primary reason I wanted to voice out my opinion about this.

RYU

Some of these fighting games are extremely popular, and people idolize the characters associated with them. For whatever personal reason, they think they’re cool. Just like me, they want to emulate them, and be just as strong and physically impressive. Idolizing Ryu was a great thing for me as a child because it geared me towards becoming a strong Asian person. Ryu is a Japanese character, and he’s drawn as a well-muscled fighter, who is, both story and game-wise, one of the strongest competitors in the world. That’s a great inspiration for someone like me!

BOB

So, imagine my surprise in 2007 when Bandai Namco games revealed the new characters to the sequel of their most popular fighting game franchise, Tekken,and one of them was an obese American. I was seriously disturbed when I saw the images for the first time. I knew how some people all over the world viewed these characters, and now one of them is a seriously unhealthy person? Not only that, this person moves and fights like an incredibly strong, agile and well trained martial artist. To this regard, some young people may think that the character is cool and want to emulate him.

RUFUS 

I quickly disregarded this as a sort of isolated incident, though, but when Capcom announced the lineup to Street Fighter IV,a sequel to arguably the most famous fighting game franchise of all time, they also included an obese American character. Not only that, this character moved even better than Bob and is actually one of the strongest characters in the game.

I really don’t understand why they needed to represent such a serious health problem in such a positive light. Young people are very impressionable, and they’ll cling to whatever imagery they find interesting. I really don’t want them to idolize obesity. Video games already propagate this by making them stick to the television screen even more and making them physically inactive. We really don’t need these games to create imagery that what they’re turning into is something cool, either.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

If these characters were featured in games that were very unpopular and which I didn’t really care for, I probably would never have thought of this whole idea. But the fact is, they’re being featured in some of the most popular video games in the whole world.

I really want these sorts of characters to stop being created. I want Bob and Rufus to be the end of the line. Obesityis a serious problem and it doesn’t need to be represented as cool in any sort of way. Fighting game characters are usually great sources of inspiration for young people because they’re popular and feature very fit and athletic characters that people can emulate and create positive goals from. In my personal opinion, new characters to these popular franchises should continue this trend and not do the opposite.

What are your thoughts on these characters? Should they continue to be created or not? Drop me a comment, as I’d love to hear your thoughts!

HOW TO PREVENT CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

Medical professionals all over the world have reported that Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of the most common injuries being sustained today. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an overuse injury caused by repeatedly flexing the wrist or maintaining the wrist in a flexed position. This means that your wrists are constantly bent in such a way that the palms of your hands are facing you, even slightly, like if you were to bend your wrists to type on the keyboard.

People often bend their wrists to type, but, unfortunately, that’s totally the wrong way to go about it. Again, maintaining or constantly bending your wrists in that position can lead to a very serious injury, which can often lead to surgery, and you don’t want that, do you?

PIANO PLAYER

The best way to type on a keyboard is to do it like the expert piano players do, with their wrists in a neutral (not bent) position. Some people might think this contrary, but this is the most natural position for your wrists to be in. After all, you don’t naturally bend your wrists and form your fingers into a claw while walking do you? No, and if you do, you really should read on to see how you can correct that.

PREVENTION

The best way to prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is to maintain your wrists in a neutral position for as long as possible. Don’t bend them if you know that you don’t need to. If you have trouble doing this, then get a few tools to aid you. Adjusting the arms of your chair, for example, to the correct height, so that when you rest your elbows on them, your wrists are exactly where your keyboard is without needlessly bending them. There are also other readily available tools on the market that can help you maintain this position comfortably as well.

STRETCHING

As with your other joints when you play sports or exercise, you should stretch your wrists when you work them often, even when you maintain them in the neutral position. Every once in a while, when you want to naturally take a 1 minute break to stretch and rest your eyes from the computer monitor, you should also take a few seconds to stretch your wrists as well.

STRETCH 1

Bend one of your wrists such that the back of your hand is facing you and your fingers are pointing up. Hold it in that position for 10 – 20 seconds, then perform the stretch with your other hand.

STRETCH 2

Bend one of your wrists such that the back of your hand is facing you and your fingers are pointing down. Hold it in that position for 10 – 20 seconds then perform the stretch with your other hand.

STRETCH 3

This one tackles your fingers, which also shouldn’t be neglected. Simply open your handas and outstretch your fingers to the farthest they can reach, hold them there for a second or two, then make a tight fist. Do this with both hands simultaneously 10 – 15 times.

BALL SQUEEZE

Squeezing a tennis ball or any other similar object from time to time during the work day is also a wise idea to strengthen your hand, fingers, and wrists. During one of your 1 minute breaks, pick up the ball and just squeeze on it. You can make a game of it. Try squeezing it quickly over and over, or just hold the squeeze for as long as you’re comfortable. Do this every once in a while with both hands.

WRIST CURLS

If you’re always stuck at your keyboard all day at work, then you should really integrate wrist curls into your regular weight lifting routine. I took this into account when designing my simple, but effective dumbbell home workout, and you should too. Simply follow the video below and maintain proper form with a weight that you can handle comfortably. This exercise will strengthen your wrist so that you can maintain them in the neutral position comfortably for extended periods of time, and with much reduced risk on injuries.

REVERSE WRIST CURLS

Since your wrist can bend in two directions (upwards and downwards), you should strengthen them the same way. Again, you should integrate reverse wrist curls into your regular workout routines as well if you’re always stuck at a keyboard all day. Follow the video below and maintain proper form with a weight that you can handle comfortably.

WHAT IF MY WRISTS ALREADY HURT?

If your wrist already hurts, you can still follow all the pieces of advice in this article. Maintain your wrists in the neutral position using a tool of your choice (your chair’s arms or something else), then regularly stretch your wrists and strengthen them with a tennis ball or something similar. You can also still do the wrist curls and reverse wrist curls with a much lighter weight. They’ll still serve to strengthen your wrists and help in their recovery. When your wrists feel better, you can increase the weights and turn rehabilitation into prevention!

SURGERY

Some people who have had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome for a while but didn’t do anything about it often continue to aggravate the injury and need surgery. If this is you, then please, take the surgery or risk losing the use of your hands forever. When the surgery is done, you can follow the advice in this article to rehabilitate and strengthen your wrists.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a serious injury in the modern, technologically dependent world, but there are very simple steps to prevent it. Hopefully, if you have been having problems with your wrists lately, you’ve followed the advice in this article, and are on your way to better wrist strength and health! If you are, or have additional questions about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and your wrists, please leave a comment below as I’d very much like to hear about it!

THE SECRETS TO LONGEVITY

Below is a picture of Sylvester Stallone from his upcoming movie, The Expendables. For those who don’t seem to realize, the man is 64 years old. Not bad for an old man. There’s also this extraordinary video I created an article for recently about a man in his 60’s performing gymnastics techniques most people less than half his age (including myself) can’t do.

Living an exceptionally long and healthy life isn’t restricted to a select genetically gifted few people in this world. Sylvester Stallone clearly can’t be classified as one, despite appearances. During his youth, when one would expect him to look his best ever, his physique didn’t nearly resemble what it does today. Just check out the first Rocky movie and compare it to some of his more recent features (barring Cop Land) to see the difference. This is all the result of hard work and consistency, which literally anyone can achieve.

It’s actually as simple as following the most common pieces of advice found in such articles as the requirements to be physically fit and the cost of physical inactivity, but here are the most important rules that you need to know:

1. MAINTAIN NORMAL BODY WEIGHT

What this basically means is that you shouldn’t carry around too much excess body weight that your body can’t handle for too long. There are actually plenty of user-friendly ideal body weight calculators online that you can use like this one. Just keep in mind that these are never exact, and should be used as only a sort of estimate for you to create a target weight for. For example, if you are a heavily muscled bodybuilder, you might way over 50 pounds heavier than what these calculators say, but have very little body fat.

The best way to determine your current body fat percentage would be to go to a gym and have a professional check your fat percentage manually with a body fat caliper. Try to aim for below 20% at first, then try to lower it more and more until you’re satisfied. Just remember that body fat percentages below 5% are very dangerous for most people. Too much body fat should definitely be avoided, but you should also be wary of having too little.

2. EAT BREAKFAST

Eating breakfast truly does help one maintain one’s weight. This is because, when you fuel yourself up with the right sort of foods the first thing in the morning, your body will be immediately energized for the day, and you’ll be more mentally adjusted for the next meal. Fueling up your body properly this way will help keep it strong, and at the same time lessen or even flat out remove any cravings for bad foods that you may have throughout the day, allowing you to keep to a healthy diet plan. This is actually a very crucial step to achieving rule #1.

3. SLEEP NO MORE THAN 7-8 HOURS EACH NIGHT

It’s also not a good idea to sleep in every day. Every once in a while is fine, if, for example, you stayed up really late to finish an important project for work or school, then made up for it with a 12 hour sleeping period. Doing this every day, however, will just make your body more and more sedentary, and will continuously weaken it over time. Unless you’ve got some legitimate medical problem you can attribute this to, your body shouldn’t need more than 8 hours of sleep each night.

If you do feel that it should, perhaps you’re subjecting yourself from some sort of stress every day, whether physical or mental. The best advice would be to lessen or totally eliminate the source of the stress to save yourself in the long run. No amount of sleep can reduce your stress if you just experience more and more of it every day. Stressing yourself out too much definitely will not lead yourself to a longer, fuller, and healthier life.

4. DO NOT SMOKE

And any illegal or non-medical drugs for that matter. I really don’t think I need to explain this one. Just don’t do it, and if you’re already smoking, please quit right now. It’s for your own good, I promise.

5. EXERCISE

The human body is meant to move and be active. This is why it’s built the way it is, with two arms and legs, a plethora of muscles, the capacity to be trained to perform amazing feats of strength, speed, power, endurance, flexibility, and so on. In order to achieve a long and healthy life, you need to train and strengthen your body constantly. You shouldn’t allow it to grow too sedentary and weak over time. This is basically the equivalent of just letting your car sit in your garage forever and allow it to accumulate more and more rust each day. Your body is the same, and if you take care of it and keep it strong, it will make you feel better than ever.

Now, I don’t mean that you should suddenly become a super athlete or look like Sylvester Stallone (but it would be nice if you shot your goals this high). I just mean that you should do yourself and do your body a favor by exercising regularly and engaging in all sorts of physical activities. If you don’t have a sport or physical activity that you currently perform, then I’d suggest weight training. You can start out with the simple, but effective home workout, or the dumbbell version, then work yourself up to more difficult programs after you feel you’ve progressed enough.

There, now that wasn’t so bad now, was it? The hard part is actually keeping this up literally every day of your life. What about junk food, alcohol, or any of that party stuff? Notice that I didn’t really touch on those things very much in the five magic rules. This is because, yes, you can indulge in those every once in a while if there’s a party of sorts. Eating at a buffet or drinking beer with your buddies once a month or even once a week shouldn’t hurt you if you followed all of the above rules the rest of the time. Your body fat percentage, for example, won’t suddenly balloon to 10% more after just once beer or one deluxe hamburger. Just don’t indulge in these things every day and you’ll be fine.

These rules to longevity aren’t actually secrets, but they’re things that I find most people forget easily because they take them for granted. Hopefully, I managed to help you keep these things more in check and possibly grant you ten more years in life. For an expanded explanation on the topic that focuses on the diet rules, please check out my earlier article, how to live longer.

THE PREDATORS WORKOUT

I recently had the chance to watch the movie "Predators".Great action movie, but I personally feel that it kind of pales in comparison to Arnold’s 1987 classic.The writers and director obviously wanted to make it bigger and more exciting than the original, but failed to make the story become totally engaging. The star of the film, Adrien Body, while a great actor, is also no Arnold Schwarzenegger, so that’s something that was probably eating at the back of my mind during the entire film.

But while Brody is no Austrian Oak, he nonetheless still worked tremendously hard to build a very impressive physique for this film. Entertainment.gather.com has a great article about his transformation:

“When asked about how he prepared for this action hero role, Brody noted that he was doing a "challenging" six days a week of training and diet. He was also shooting for the movie 12 hours per day. Brody said during preparation he wasn't drinking alcohol, wasn't consuming any refined sugars and was having no sex. He said he did all that he could to harness a "ferocious" mentality and persona for this character"


While Brody never revealed the specifics of the workout he used for “Predators” (as far as I know, though I’d love to be proven wrong), Entertainment.gather.com suggests that he might have used a Scrawny to Brawny workout,as published by Men’s Health, when Brody made the cover of the magazine because of how he buffed up his physique for the 2005 version of King Kong:


“Adrien Brody achieved results for our December 2005 cover in 3 weeks. For you, Mejia suggests a training schedule of 8 to 12 weeks, although the same discipline is required. Just avoid these two mistakes.

1. Lifting too much. "What you really need is less volume but more intensity," says Mejia. This strategy actually simplifies your workout--only four exercises every session. For the first three, do five sets of five reps. Rest no more than 2 minutes between sets. For the last exercise, do two or three sets of eight to 12 reps, as this targets smaller muscles in your core or shoulders.


Monday: Squat, barbell incline bench press, pullup, weighted situp 
Wednesday: Hang clean and press, deadlift, dip, side-lying external rotation 
Friday: Front squat, dumbbell bench press, bent-over row, back extension


2. Eating too little. To build new muscle, you need calories. "Guys don't eat nearly enough, says Mejia. "They're reluctant--rightfully so--about putting on body fat."


To avoid that, "you must count calories," says Mejia. Figure out your body's optimal caloric intake, then add 300 to 500 calories to that total to determine how much you need to pack in every day.”

PREDATORS MOVIE TRAILER:

Check out more information, complete with pictures for each exercise you need to turn from scrawny to brawny like Adrien Brody over at Men’s Health.com!

All images used in this article are taken from IMDB's amazing Predators page.

THE SIMPLE, BUT EFFECTIVE, DUMBBELL HOME WORKOUT

As a follow up to one of my earlier articles, the simple, but effective, home workout, I was asked to create a dumbbell version. To start off, the program that I will recommend here is primarily for those who are beginner weight trainers, meaning those that have been training consistently for less than one year, those that have been lifting weights for quite a while now, but are usually on and off and were never really consistent in their past routines, or those that are absolute beginners.

WHAT'S THE WORKOUT SCHEDULE?

There are two sets of workouts that I will recommend, Set A and Set B. You should perform the Set A workouts twice a week, and the Set B workouts once a week. Ideally, the schedule would Set A performed every Mondays and Fridays, and Set B every Wednesdays. If you can’t do the workouts with exactly that schedule, then feel free to adjust it to your needs, with hopefully the same spacing in between workout days. As much as possible, don’t try to do the workout for three days straight during a single week, as your body won’t be able to rest properly. You’ll tire and stress yourself out more than you’ll be making yourself fit.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?

Again, this program was created with dumbbells in mind. It would be great if you have several weights to choose from, so that you can adjust the weights per exercise. If you want a hassle free dumbbell set and have some cash to burn, then I highly recommend the Powerblock classic adjustable dumbbell set, which can give you individual weights ranging from 5 to 45 pounds:


Some of these exercises will also require a bench. A flat bench would be nice, like this one from Apex: If you don’t have an exercise bench, then you can use another piece of furniture that you can lie down comfortably on with your arms hanging out to the sides. For more experienced lifters, you can also use a swiss ball. This will increase the difficulty of the relevant exercises by making the movements more unstable. It will also develop your core muscles more (rectus abdominis, external obliques, lower back muscles), since they need to work more to stabilize your torso.

HOW HEAVY SHOULD I LIFT?

All the exercises I recommend here should be performed for 15 repetitions, therefore, you should be able to lift the weights for a specific exercise for 15 repetitions before feeling too tired to continue. Choose just the right weight; don’t choose a weight that you can’t lift for 15 repetitions straight, and don’t choose a weight that you can lift for more than 15 repetitions and not break a sweat.

HOW LONG DOES THE WORKOUT LAST?

The workout has a warm up, stretching, and two sets of the primary exercises. After performing the warm up, go straight to lifting the weights and perform each exercise in the recommended order without resting in between. After completing all the exercises, rest for 1 – 3 minutes then go through all the exercises again the same way for another full set. Then go immediately to the stretching and you’re done! All of this shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes to complete. 

UNTIL WHEN SHOULD I DO THE WORKOUT?

The workout is also designed for two straight months; in other words, it will be very effective for the individual for that time frame, especially if he or she increases the weight load every one or two weeks, but will become less efficient afterward. I recommend switching it up by performing another weight training perform after the two months are up, in order for your body to keep adapting to newer forms of stress and therefore reap the benefits of the exercises more.

THE WARM UP:

This is basically the same warm up I recommended for the simple, but effective home workout. It’s sufficient in that it gets all the major joints in your body moving, preparing them for the weights. If you have a better warm up plan that you prefer, then feel free to use it. Also leave a comment at the end of this article, as I’d love to hear about it!

THE SET A EXERCISES (to be performed every Mondays and Fridays):

Do the exercises in this exact order and just as the videos below prescribe them. Do them with proper form all the time. If you feel that you can’t maintain good form during your routine, then reduce the weight you’re carrying. Form should always be your top priority to ensure the full effectiveness of the exercises and to reduce the risk of injury.

Flat Bench Press

Wall Squats

Perform the exercise as in the video but grip the dumbbells and hold them hanging down either side.

Kneeling Bent Over Rows

Stiff Leg Deadlift

 

Military Press

 

Crunches

Lying Triceps Extension

Biceps Concentration Curls 

THE SET B EXERCISES (To be performed every Wednesdays):

Again, do the exercises in this exact order and just as the videos below prescribe them. Do them with proper form all the time. If you feel that you can’t maintain good form during your routine, then reduce the weight you’re carrying. Form should always be your top priority to ensure the full effectiveness of the exercises and to reduce the risk of injury.

Flat Bench Flyes

Alternating Leg Lunges



Always make sure that, like the wall squat from Set A, your forward leg's knee never goes beyond your toes.
 

Wrist Curls

You can also do these one arm at a time, similar to the concentration curls, if you like.

Twisting Crunches

Calf Raises

You can step on an old, thick book, like an old telephone directory, if you like.

Reverse Wrist Curls

Again, you can do these one arm at a time, if you like.

STRETCHING:

Again, this is the same stretching routine I recommended for the simple, but effective home workout. You can use a different stretching routine if you prefer something else, but if you do, leave a comment as I’d love to hear about it!

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

That’s it! This routine should work your entire body consistently for two whole months, and, coupled with a proper diet, should start you on your way towards your dream body! If you have any questions or comments about the program, please post them and I’ll respond to them as soon as I can!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR ENERGY LEVELS UP

Ever get down in the dumps and have a terrible energy crash in the middle of the afternoon and wonder why each day is regularly 24 hours long? I mean, how the heck can people stay up that long? There must be a mistake in the design of the universe! Well, instead of complaining about the metaphysical could-have-been’s in your head, why not instead take a look at the physical should-be’s in yourself:

1. QUIT COFFEE

What? Quit coffee? But that’s the only thing that’s actually keeping my energy levels up! Yeah .. about that. Caffeine – heavy drinks can be alright for some people as an easy pick-me-up at the start of the day, but when it wears off, it leaves (at least most people) with a terrible energy crash. Caffeine charges you up for hours on end about a half hour after consuming it, but then leaves you weak and lazy for almost the same amount of time. And, if you’re anything like me, it can cause annoying headaches during this period as well.

I actually bought into the whole “you need coffee to function” for a few years, but then wised up, and noticed that it was actually doing more harm than good. It can supercharge you for a while, but then it leaves you so devastated afterward, plus the fact that it can cause sleeplessness more often than not really doesn’t make a few hours of high energy activity worth it to me. Besides, I found that if you follow the rest of the tips in this article, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with those overpriced cups of hot liquid in the first place.

Oh, and yes, I realize that not all people get these sorts of reactions from drinking loads of caffeine. Good for them, but they should at least realize that caffeine is truly addicting, and that if they’re drinking too much on a regular basis, it could cause permanent damage to the digestive system. In that sense, I really don’t think coffee is all that worth it.

2. WORK TO ATTAIN A SPECIFIC GOAL

This one is more mental than physical, but, hey, the body can’t function without the mind, right? Ever notice that, despite being incredibly exhausted at the end of the day, when you find something that generally excites you (e.g. a videogame, a new article on your favorite site, your favorite movie, etc), all the exhaustion just melts away? Yup, it’s all in the mind.

Our bodies do become genuinely tired, but sometimes, our minds make more of our current condition than is accurate, and this is easily controllable, with a bit of practice. This is how top level athletes can work harder than most individuals, how they can perform better in actual competition, and why many champions over the years have stated that their games, despite being purely physical to the casual observer, is actually 99% mental.

This is because they have a specific goal in mind that they need to accomplish then and there. When you get home and pick up your favorite videogame, you immediately form a specific goal in your head, whether you’re aware of it or not. “Finish at least one stage before bedtime” or “clock in at least an hour of play before the day’s out” are probably the most common variations. When you click on your favorite’s sites latest articles, your goal is probably to read all of them in that instant.

The same technique can be used in the rest of your life. Most of the time, this downtime occurs during a working environment of some sort, and is usually caused by genuine disinterest. “I’ve been here doing the exact same thing for five hours now. I want out!” All thoughts of efficiency float out of your head and you just slump into your chair.

Instead of forcing yourself to become genuinely interested in work you really don’t like, attempt to at least break your activities down into several steps, and accomplish those steps in a matter of time of your choosing. “Step A should be done in less than half an hour, then step B should be finished within ten minutes …” and so on. Make a game of it and race yourself to the finish line. The added goals and pressure you’ve created should definitely help keep you awake and on your toes.

3. REGULARLY GET ENOUGH SLEEP

No, d’uh, right? Well, sure, but, still, not a lot of people follow this very simple rule of performing your best throughout the day. I make sure to get at least 7.5 hours each night as much as possible, and just so I can have some buffer time for that (since I’m not one of those people who can nod off at the drop of a hat), I actually allot a full 8 hours. It’s a simple goal that I adhere to as much as possible, and it pays off wonderfully.

If I can’t meet that goal, then I have a Plan B to replace it: I make sure that I get at least 6 hours of sleep instead, and allot 6.5 hours of bedtime. Beyond that, I’ll most probably feel sluggish most of the next day, so I try to make that as late as possible.

The reason a lot of people don’t get enough sleep is that they don’t plan for it. Some people can get by with very minimal sleep (something like five hours or less), but most people can’t function regularly like this.

If you have to get up at a certain time, say 6:00 AM, then allot your preferred sleep period (such as my 8 hours), and get to bed before then. Think of it as another deadline to fill, and should you miss it, there will be consequences.

If you’re staying up because of work, it can most probably be put off until tomorrow, if you’re cramming it, then make this the last time, plan out your work habits more efficiently in the future and sleep more regularly. You’ll consistently feel better every single day and you’ll enjoy much reduced stress. Your body will feel better and will thank you for it.

4. EAT RIGHT

Food is your body’s fuel. If you feed it crap, it performs like crap. Therefore, if you feed it overly processed foods and junk most of the time, it’ll run like a lemon most of the time.

Regularly eating a balanced diet is a key component in performing well throughout the day. Athletes have excellent diets in order to perform their best throughout training and competition, and not just so they can stay within their weight limits.

Eat fresh as much as possible, and avoid fast food and vending machine options. Eat whenever you’re hungry, consume plenty of fresh vegetables of all sorts, good protein such as chicken breast, fish, and egg whites, and if you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, pick up your favorite fruit instead of that Snickers bar. Eating healthy will have your tank running in its best possible condition.

5. PERFORM PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Yes, exercise can give you a quick energy boost whenever you’re feeling physically down in the dumps. It might sound counterintuitive, but just perform a quick workout, like the simple, but effective, home workout I previously suggested, a quick jog around the area, or pop in your favorite workout DVD and go a few rounds and you could feel right as rain.

If you’re still at work, go outside and walk around for maybe 15 minutes, or until your energy systems pick up. Lots of workers are allowed breaks for the most unhealthiest of habits (e.g. smoking), so it should only be logical that breaks be allowed for some of the healthiest activities around.

Carry a water bottle with you as you go, take in some sun, and enjoy the scenery. Try to go around a path with very little cars going by, to avoid inhaling the pollution. You’re trying to pick up your energy systems and become more healthy, not do the opposite, after all.

It can also help if you substituted short walks like this throughout your working day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, parking your car a few blocks away, and so on, so that you can pick up the pace and supercharge your energy systems.

6. TAKE A POWER NAP

I follow all of these techniques regularly and feel great throughout the day all the time. Sometimes, though, you really can’t help it if you feel really down during the day, or if you spent the night finishing a project. In that case, taking a quick power nap, of 15 – 30 minutes length, could really perk you right back up, better than any cup of joe ever could.

If you have your own office, then that will be easier, since you can just tell people not to disturb you for 30 minutes and lie down. You could also try napping with your feet up to increase the circulation throughout your body, making you feel even better.

If you don’t have an office, and your bosses absolute refuse for you take naps on your desk, then you should probably be a bit more creative if you really need to take a nap. Some people drive out to a park or any relaxing, open area during their breaks to nap for half an hour. Just try not to do this anywhere too dangerous, like while standing up during a commute on a train. Napping during bus trips home could also be fulfilling, as long as your confident enough about your security, that is.

These are all the techniques I use to keep my energy levels up, and they have worked splendidly for me over the years. Have any other great techniques that aren’t listed here but work wonders for you? I’d like to hear them!

REQUIREMENTS TO BE PHYSICALLY FIT

Are you exercising all day and night and still feel look and feel like a weak, little kitten? Well, physical activity is definitely an important requirement to being physically fit, but it’s not the only requirement. If you’re constantly exercising but fail to see any noticeable results, then maybe it’s time to look at some other factors in your life:

1. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The human body is meant to move. It is not meant to just sit or lie around all day and be idle. If it used as such, its internal systems become weaker and weaker over time because of constant disuse. Muscles, bones, and so on become weaker and the body becomes more susceptible to various diseases.

2. PROPER NUTRITION 

Food is the fuel for the human body, and quality definitely counts. The better quality food, the better your body will react to it and the healthier it will become. Attaining a balanced amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats is key to healthy living. Feed the body junk and it will react accordingly. Attempt to stay from processed foods such as fast food and feed the body ingredients that are as natural as possible. Plenty of vegetables and good quality protein such as chicken breast and fish are what the body needs.

3. ADEQUATE REST AND RELAXATION

I mentioned recently that rest and relaxation are important for total body fitness. The human body naturally gets tired throughout and needs to rest. Too little rest and the body won’t be able to properly recover from the stresses placed upon it. Much of the benefits of various sorts of exercises, such as muscle building, are actually attained during rest periods, so relaxation shouldn’t be taken for granted, and is pretty much as important as the physical activities themselves.

4. GOOD HEALTH PRACTICES

Don’t abuse things that you know you shouldn’t be putting in your body in the first place. Junk food was already mentioned in the second requirement above, but other things such as excessive alcohol should also be carefully guarded against. If you really can’t give up alcoholic drinks for good, try to limit them to once a week or even less. Other things such as smoking and addictive drugs should be banned from the human body completely, as they only serve to severely shorten a person’s lifespan.

5. GOOD MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE

A lot of people don’t like doing this for some reason, but annual checkups from your doctor and dentist are very real requirements to be physically fit. These professionals are able to pinpoint possible problems that you normally wouldn’t be able to notice by yourself. Your teeth are also still a part of your body, and getting them terribly infected because of complacency can cause various illnesses to spread throughout your systems via cavities and such.

Found what you were looking for? Being physically fit means maintaining good practices throughout your entire life, and not just a single aspect of it. If you’re truly serious in your attempts to become a fitter, healthier human being, then all five of these requirements have to be fully integrated into your lifestyle.

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH VIDEO

Honest to god, there is a fountain of youth, and there's really no secret to reaching it. Everything I, and the rest of the people in the fitness industry have been blabbering about is all it takes. Having an excellent, balanced diet, regularly working out, and resting and relaxing when needed, all while having the most fun possible, is the key to the fountain of youth.

I originally saw this video via one of my favorite sites, Ross Training, and loved it so much that I had to link it here!

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you gymnastics at age 69: