Regular readers of my Lazy Man and Money blog know that I’m a big fan of Boston sports. It’s just the way it is when you live in Boston for 30 years. While sports provides me with year round entertainment, I also find a fair amount of motivation there. This year has been no exception. While I do get motivation from family, it’s not the “against all odds” variety that gets me going. Here are some examples in the last 7-8 years that always get me pumped up:
The 2001 New England Patriots – In some ways this team had a horseshoe in it’s lower intestine. The team, coming off a disappointing 5-11 record, lost it’s star quarterback and had to go with a 6th round draft pick for most of the season. They started off by losing the first two games of the season. However, they plugged along with no offensive star players and bunch of guys acquired in free agency. Suddenly they had a win streak, score just a little more than their opponents.With 3 games left in the season, I remember plotting with my roommate how they might actually earn a bye in the playoffs. It’s absurd to think of an 8-5 team has the ability to win a bye in any season, but as things unfolded the 1 in million scenario occurred and the Patriots had the second best seeding with an 11-5 record. In one notable game they won against Buffalo, with a play by a literally unconscious player. And in the first round, the famous tuck rule saved the Patriots season (as well as some impossible field goals by Adam Vinatieri). After that, the Patriots won the next two playoff games (including the Super Bowl) despite Vegas having them 14 point underdogs.Moral: If the Patriots can win that Super Bowl, anything is possible.
Dustin Pedroia: AL MVP – Yep that guy above won the AL MVP this year. He doesn’t even look like a baseball player does he? Well, he worked his hindquarters off all season, earned himself a gold glove at second base and lead the Red Sox to the playoffs. He’s only 5’8″ and obviously not the most muscular person on the planet. Oh and he won the Rookie of the Year last year.
Pedroia also knows how to party
Moral: If Dustin Pedroia can not only make the major leagues, but win prestigious awards, what is your excuse?
The 2004 Red Sox – It’s game against the Boston’s biggest rival, the New York Yankees. Things get ugly as the Red Sox lose 19-8. Facing elimination, down 3 games to none (a deficit no one has ever come back from), the Red Sox took the field in game 4. Playing tough, they are down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth with the best closer in the history on the mound for the Yankees (Mariano Rivera), the Red Sox improbably scrap out a run to tie the game and extend the Red Sox season. In the 12th inning, a home run ensures that the team will play a game 5 in the best of 7 series.In game 5, the Red Sox are down 4-2 in the 8th inning when the Red Sox manage to tie up the game. The game stays tied until the 14th inning when the Red Sox won in the longest postseason game at the time (11 minutes shy of 6 hours). Game 6 brought out the famous Bloody Sock Game. Curt Schilling pitched with the ankle injury that was likely the reason for his horrible game 1 performance. Doctors had experimental sutures to keep it together as long as they could, but by the end the game the sock was a bloody mess. You can find the sock in the Hall of Fame.In game 7 the Red Sox without too much drama. Then they went on to sweep the Cardinals for their first title in some 86 years.
Moral: If you think things look dark now, you have an easy road compared to the 2004 Red Sox.
Wes Welker – This is a player who is barely 5’9″ and probably doesn’t weigh an ounce over 180 (yes he’s listed at 185). He wasn’t drafted out of college and his first team cut him. Add that his goofy New Kids on the Block Right Stuff kicks:
and you’ve got a player set up to be the laughing stock of a physical game like the NFL. You would be wrong to assume such things.
Last year he finished with a league-high 112 receptions, setting the a Patriots’ team record. This year he became the first player to catch a ball for each of his first 9 games. The streak is still at 11 games and counting.
Moral: If you didn’t get motivated by Pedroia, Wes Welker should seal the deal.
I’m pretty sure not everyone can relate to Boston sports like I can, but that’s not the point. It’s not important where you find your motivation – just that you find it.
My wife asked me if I wanted to come to her gym’s Body Pump class this weekend and I’m wrecked. I’m getting ahead of myself, let me start at the beginning…
I don’t belong to a gym because our apartment complex has one. It’s not very big and doesn’t have everything that I would want, but the price of free is the right price for Lazy Man and Money. My wife on the other hand, is used to a nice gym and going to the free one would be a considerable step back – and probably result in her not wanting to go to the gym as much. As such, she has her gym and I have mine – until this past Saturday, when I decided to check out this body pump class she’s been raving about.
I had no idea what to expect. I figured it could be really easy. She had said she started at 2.5 pounds and is now up to 12. As a guy, this kind of weight seems like child’s play. The other side of me said, “Remember, aerobics and yoga class tend to hurt you real bad. Don’t get cocky here.”
For those not familiar with Body Pump classes, the concept is pretty simple. For an hour or so, you listen to music and lift weights… as you can tell, small weights… about 33,976,399 times per song. I had no idea that it was going to be same motion over and over again. Fundamentally, I don’t like this approach for me because it’s not what the body builders would do. I’ve read numerous studies that suggest lifting really heavy weights a few times with long breaks (3 minutes not being unusual) for the muscles to rest is the idea way to make strength gains. This seemed like a good way to just hurt yourself by overdoing one movement too much without adequate rest.
It’s two days later and my triceps are in complete pain… I can barely lift my hands to my head. Scratching my head is so painful right now that I get up and rub my head on a wall. Nonetheless this tells me that it’s doing something (hopefully something good) and I plan to go back for another class on Wednesday. Before that I think I’m sticking to healing or cardio. My cardio might not get too far as my quads felt like they might explode climbing the stairs yesterday.
Perhaps it’s time for me suck up the money and pay for the gym.
Alzheimer’s disease is a frightening ailment that affects thousands of people every year. While studies are still being done to determine why exactly this disease hits, research is also being done on methods that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Much of this research is quite fascinating and shows that there may actually be ways that the average person can prevent this disease from occurring.
One of the more interesting studies was recently conducted at the University of California Irvine. It showed that keeping your mind active while you were young can actually prevent Alzheimer’s disease in the future. In this study mice were used and they were tested throughout their lives from the age of two months through 18 months of age. The study focused on training specific mice to do tasks such as swimming to a specific spot in the tank. The other group was not taught the task was just allowed to swim without having to do anything else.
In the group that was trained to do that specific activity the study found that their brains did not have as much plaque as the mice that were not trained. According to one of the researchers, Kim Green, this shows that learning new things while the mind is still young can help prevent deterioration and plaque buildup which is believed to be responsible for many of the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. More studies need to be done of course, but this does seem to indicate that exercising the mind is as important as exercising the body.
In the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine a study was published that showed drinking fruit and vegetable juices may actually help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. In this study one group drank at least three servings of fruit and vegetable juices a day while the other group had less than one a week. The study showed that those who have the juice more frequently lowered their risk for developing Alzheimer’s by more than 76%.
More than 1800 people were studied over the course of 10 years for this project. While the study did take into effect other factors that can impact Alzheimer’s, the results were startling in the group that did drink fruit juices and vegetable juices more often. There are many different theories as to why this happened, but the researchers feel that it may have something to do with the vitamins that are contained in those fruit juices. Vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A may play a part in helping reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The researchers were quick to point out that more research is necessary to determine whether or not these juices may actually help but in the meantime it certainly doesn’t hurt to add more of these juices to your diet.
We may never understand exactly why Alzheimer’s strikes but by keeping your mind active and getting the right vitamins, you may have a greater chance of avoiding this terrible disease.
For many people, having to prepare diet foods and counting calories can be a lot of work. If you’re looking to get healthy the easy way and you don’t have time to mess around with complicated recipes or measurements, sticking with a special food plan diet may be just the ticket for weight loss. There are a few of these diets on the market and the Bistro MD diet is one of the latest to enter the scene. This diet boasts pre-prepared meals that are not only tasty but incredibly healthy. However, there are a few downsides to this diet.
The best part is that the meals require little effort. If you can heat them up, you can eat them. This appeals to many who are already bogged down with work and family and just don’t have the time to make healthy meals. A lot of the old standby “buts…†are removed with this diet, such as but I can’t cook, or but I don’t have time. If you find that these little buts are keeping you from getting healthy, this diet may be perfect.
However, there is a price to pay for something this handy to use, and for some, it may be prohibitive. The meals are more expensive than your standard issue TV dinner and if you’re on a budget, it may be difficult to keep up with the costs. However, you can calculate your expenses for one month and then compare it to a gym membership or trying to buy the food on your own and cook it yourself.
The meals are all well balanced and are created by leading dietitians and cooks. The Biggest Loser currently uses this service for their Biggest Loser Diet Plan, and it’s easy to see why the meals are so popular. It’s really never been easy to find diet food that is good to eat, but most of the meals available from Bistro MD are actually quite delicious. The main downside here however is that they are a little bit low in calories.
While this may seem ideal for dieters, if you are relying solely on these meals for your daily intake, you may not be getting enough calories. This can cause the reverse if you are trying to lose weight and your metabolism may react by storing more fat. If you’re stuck on a plateau, these meals may not be right for you either.
Although the meals are great, they are not suitable for the entire family. This can be an issue if there are children involved. Basically, you’ll still need to keep making their meals and sticking with the Bistro MD meals for yourself. This can be complicated, and it can create a little resentment on both sides. If your family is understanding and willing to help out with the cooking however, you may be able to work through this.
Bottom line – Bistro MD is handy and for those that have difficulty finding or preparing diet foods, it is a terrific answer.
On Friday I had an interesting experience. I went to pick up a prescription that I dropped off on Thursday. At the time they said it would be ready in a half hour if I wanted to wait. I told them to take their time, I’d be back tomorrow. They were pretty happy with that.
So it’s Friday and I go to pick it up. As luck would have it, the same pharmacy technician from yesterday is there to help me again today. The conversation went like this:
Me: I’m hear to pick up my prescription
Her: Name?
Me: [says name]
Her: [After looking in the computer..] looks like you are not in here.
Me: I dropped it off yesterday…
Her: I know, I took your prescription yesterday myself.
Me: Sooo…
Her: Let me look again.
Me: [waiting]
Her: Ahh here’s the problem, the product that your doctor wrote doesn’t exist
Me: That’s kind of crazy, I told my wife who is a pharmacist about it, and she recognized it immediately.
Her: Well, it doesn’t come in a lotion.
Me: What does it come in? Is it an ointment? Are we just splitting hairs? [It's clearly a topical cream of some sort.]
Her: We have to get a clarification from the doctor any time it doesn’t match.
Me: [with sarcasm] Great, and they are out of the office for one of the typical three day weekends! (My doctor’s office is closed every Wednesday, and this week they took off this Friday too. It has to be nice to work three day weeks.)
So if you are wondering where our health care dollars are going, here’s a start. It was not only my time wasted, but also the pharmacy technician’s. The clarification fax back to the doctor’s office is going to take more of her (or her secretary’s) time.
This could have been easily fixed if there was some kind electric prescription system. Such a system wouldn’t allow a doctor to write a prescription for something that doesn’t exist… or at the very least it should ask twice to make sure that the doctor really wants to do that. Another advantage to a system like this is that I wouldn’t have to drop off the prescription. I know this system is coming, but I really hope it comes faster. Sometimes it feels like health care is stuck in 1982 when it could be at least in 2001.
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