4100weeks

Drinking oil with your coffee?

Many disposable cups are petroleum-based. A new product from Repurpose Compostables is about to change that. The Repurpose cups are made from annually renewable resources (plant based), not petroleum. Also, it requires no sleeve, uses 65% less CO2 than a traditional cup to produce, and can be composted in 90 days. The cup uses the highest standard paper for sustainable forestry (FSC-Certified). 

 

 

Music in Austin, TX

One of the great things about Austin is that you have the opportunity to listen to great local music all over the city. Check out Vallejo . . . 

Ask yourself . . .

Two great questions to ask yourself each day from Peter Bregman's book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done . . . 

1. Am I doing what I most need to be doing right now?
2. Am I being who I most want to be right now?

Great Pacific garbage patch

This short video shows man's careless impact on his environment. Ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau and his team made the sad discovery. How do we prevent this type of problem? Sustainable living, and environmental responsibility by each of us.

Want to take action and help?

Click here to learn what you can do . . . 

 

Here's to the crazy ones . . .

Below is a great drawing by Hugh MacLeod as a memorial to Steve Jobs, based on an old Apple commercial. Are you one of the crazy ones? The misfits? The rebels? I hope so, because it's time to change the world . . . 

Here's MacLeod's post on this drawing on his blog . . . gapingvoid.com

Francis Callahan Hunts Malaria

Comedian Ed Helms teams with Malaria No More . . .

Malaria kills 781,000 people each year. Ninety-one percent of malaria-related deaths occur in Africa, the majority of whom are children under 5 years of age. Help Malaria No More end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015

 

Masters training: TRX

In July of 2010 I decided to take a 1 year break from my gym membership and try to get outside more with my fitness workouts. I talked to several of the fitness trainers I knew and asked them what one versatile, mobile piece of training equipment would they recommend. It was unanimous . . . TRX suspension trainer.

The TRX is a portable, easily adjustable set of high quality straps that allows you to use leveraged bodyweight exercises to build power, strength, flexibility, balance, and mobility. You adjust how difficult each exercise is with body positioning. You can make any exercise more or less challenging by a simple reposition. It's lightweight and easy to set up. 

I decided that for the year, twice a week my workouts would consist of TRX exercises and the 3rd day each week I would do dynamic, multi-movement dumbbell exercises. 

I started my TRX training by following taking basic workout and customized it over time. Here's what it looked like:

• Squat
• Single leg squat
• Sprinter's start
• Hamstring curl
• Push-up crunch
• Handstand press
• Back row
• Chest Press
• Deltoid T&Y fly
• Triceps extension
• Bicep curl

The TRX videos suggested 30 seconds on/30 seconds rest for each exercise doing 2-3 sets for each.

I have nothing but great things to say. I have been able to maintain/improve my mobility with great workouts, done quickly outdoors. I highly recommend TRX. The past year was a great experience. Just a couple of weeks ago I headed back to the gym to start seriously training for the 2013 World Masters Games, but TRX exercises are still a part of my workouts.

 

Live to 100?

With the US life expectancy sadly ranked at #38 in the world, let's talk about what it takes to live to be 100. Here are a few tips from a Health.com article titled How to Live to 100:

• floss
• sleep in
• have sex
• lose 5 lbs in 5 days
• play games
• fight germs

Get at it!  

7 habits to help you lose weight and keep it off

A recent Harvard Medical School article presented the 7 habits to help you lose weight and keep it off. Here's an overview . . .

1. Set small, specific, and realistic goals.
Start with a goal of losing 5% to 10% of your weight, and give yourself plenty of time and some flexibility to reach that goal.   

2. Start self-monitoring.
Write down what you eat and how much you exercise so you can see where you need to improve and better understand calories in and calories burned.

(caloriecount.about.com provides a free full calorie counter database with nutrition data for thousands of foods and recipes. It’s easy to use, helps you map out goals and gives you a great snapshot of your daily eating habits.)

3. Find a support network
Find at least one weight-loss buddy for motivation and accountability

4. Energize your exercise.
Try a new form of exercise. It keeps you challenged and less likely to become bored.

5. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep.
Inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain. Waking up feeling groggy and grouchy? You need more sleep.

6. Eat breakfast — slowly and mindfully — every morning.

7. Monitor and modify your screen time.
Not enough time to exercise? Keep track of your screen time (computer & TV) and scale back

 

What's your idea?

Do you have an idea for a business, but don't know how to take the next step? Check out Ahhha. You can submit ideas to the site and Ahhha's community votes on it. The best ideas bubble up to the top, and are given funding or connections to make the project a reality. A 74 second animated clip on the main web page gives you an overview of how it works. 

According to Matt Crowe, Ahhha founder, the link between idea and execution is what's really missing in most peoples' lives.