1 Year, 100 Posts

This is my professor.
More on him in a little bit.

If you notice, I don't divulge much of my life often on the blog. For the most part it's because I don't like to make this where it centers on me and my life where I waste your time. Additionally, I don't like to talk about myself much.

Today is different.

A few posts ago, I mentioned I had training and jokingly said it was ninja training. Truthfully though it was for working in a psychology youth depression lab. I learned about it through my Abnormal Child Psychology professor - pictured above. I had his class this past Fall.

1 week ago, I arrived at our lab meeting and sat down in the room.

I found out he passed away the Friday before. I knew him less than a year.

1 year has passed since I started this blog. Here I am with 99 other posts written. Today, post #100 is for him and everyone else who's taught me.

After I came home from the meeting last week, I wrote this and sent it to our lab manager:

"I remember seeing the class listed for Fall ’09 and of course I looked him up on ratemyprofessor.com. It shouldn’t be a surprise he had nothing but good reviews. I was so eager to be in his class that 2 weeks before the semester started I ordered the textbook and read the first 4 chapters. When I got the syllabus at our first lecture, there was hardly any focus on what I read. But, I didn’t care because he spoke with so much energy that first class it didn’t matter if he assigned the entire book to be read.

A few weeks in, one day I wanted to make an announcement before he started. He was more than happy to give me a few minutes to speak. I was very nervous and after I finished, I handed out flyers for anyone interested in the program I discussed. As I was walking around giving each student a flyer, he said, “…and whoever does this will get extra credit at the end of the semester.” It was a pleasure to see so many hands fly up and to have his support.

After class that day, students went to review their exams (me being one of them). While we all headed to his office, the way in which he spoke to us was very casual. This was something always present in his voice. When he spoke, he articulated himself with a great deal of energy that you just couldn’t help but be interested in what he had to say. When he spoke, he expressed a feeling of warmth and love. He just made you feel good. We never discussed life after my undergrad, but I felt when he spoke to me it naturally encouraged learning even after I finished up here at Rutgers.

I recall the last time I visited him was near the end of the Fall semester. He told the entire class he had a holiday gift for all of us. When I asked in his office what the gift was, he said “Oh I was going to bring in cookies, what did you think?” to which I replied, “I thought you might drop an exam grade.” The next lecture, he dropped our lowest exam grade.

If you couldn’t tell, he was my favorite professor and I always talked about him to my roommate. I’m sure Professor Abela didn’t know, but he opened up a lot more choices to me. I never considered a Ph.D., but it got my attention as a possibility. Hearing his stories and seeing his current students, they look so happy and I would have loved to been able to continue working with him. He mentioned the field of Positive Psychology to me once and I wanted to learn so much more about it.

I always called him Professor Abela instead of “Doctor.” I felt the word carried more meaning and significance for the fact he was always teaching everyone around him. I truly don’t believe there is anything higher than one giving back to others in their life. He did just that. Professor Abela embodied what a professor should be in every sense.

Two quotes strongly echo in my mind. The first being, “It is not how a person has died that matters, but how they lived.” Professor Abela is a true testament to those words and never has there been a truer example than his life. The second quote is more for all of us. It goes, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” While I did shed tears, I find comfort in the fact I was able to know Professor Abela. I smile because I was able to know him."

The memorial service last week showed how one individual can have an extraordinary impact on so many lives. To give you an idea of how many people he's touched, one of his colleagues and friends created this video as a tribute to him.

Ironically the Friday he passed away, I wrote this post where I said,

"I didn't know I would meet all these people in my life. I didn't know I would lose so many people in my life."

It was by chance I happened to write that post with him in it. He asked me where do I see myself in 5 years. I don't know what I answered, but it doesn't matter. At 15 years old, I had no idea 5 years later I would meet such a remarkable person.

I'm glad I had the opportunity.

To finish this off, here's a video for you guys from me. (I could use more practice.)

It's weird hearing myself. I wasn't as
relaxed as I could have been but ah well, enjoy!

*Edit: I forgot to mention in the video this will be the only post for the week. Have a good 4^th of July everyone, see you next week.

Year One

A look at Robin's 1^st year in crime
fighting. It's a good story.

Before I write post 100 and this blog turns 1 year old - which will occur Tuesday - how about I review this past year? (my apologies, this isn't the sexiest post I've done.)

• One year can fly by, but the amount of things that can happen is unbelievable.This blog for instance. Ideas come and go for me, but there's never any set plan to follow.
• Remarkably, the posts I've created surprise even me. I'm glad & impressed at the effort and time I've put into what I've written.This past year I learned even the brightest minds are full of flaws. Conversely, you can learn a lot from the less known.
• Whatever you think you know, you'll either forget it or find out you truly don't know what you knew. There have been plenty of times I forgot previous material I learned or learned something new that challenges my previous beliefs. Being able to adapt what you know and using what you already know is important in making progress.
• Popular thought in one particular area might blind you to other knowledge in the world. Look somewhere else and you may find out something you didn't know.
• Example. (I couldn't embed it)
• I read a textbook over winter break. If you can read a large book for knowledge, you can read anything.
• I'm glad to know there are people who read this blog. I started writing with no idea of who would read my posts. Now it's a pleasant surprise when someone mentions it to me. Thank you.
• This past academic year showed me I can take an interest in any subject as long as the professor teaches with passion in the course.
• Likewise, reading is never a problem if the material is presented in a concise, precise, and entertaining manner.
• Being smart will get you far. Being friendly will get you further. Together, you can go anywhere.I'm glad family and friends aren't aware of how much I know about fitness than the average person. They would hound me for information.
• If you really want something you'll bust your ass to get it, but it will hardly seem like work.
• The goal of this blog is and always will be to provide as much help I can give without bombarding with advertisements, products to purchase, or me asking for donations.Why? Helping one person can mean a lot and that person may just help another person. I'm a firm believer in giving your time to help other people. Writing seems to suit me, why not run with it and spread what I've learned.
• Again, one year can go by so quickly, but how much can you remember?

There's much to say, but a year has 365 days and only so much can be expressed in one post. But what's year two on the blog look like?

• There are tons of ideas I still haven't written about.
• I need to do more Psychology posts. It's information I learned from my textbooks and professors. The short ones will have the most meaning.
• If this blog hits 30 followers then I'll either redesign the site, do interviews, or provide video content.
• My plate of books to read is quite large, but the more I read the more you'll learn here.
• The goal of this blog will remain to educate, entertain, and help other people. I'm not the greatest in the field of fitness, nor am I the smartest or most innovative/creative, but I can damn sure strive to be better than just good.
• I might provide free personal training/consulting. It's an idea in the works, but I need a way to screen the serious individuals from those who would waste my time. Additionally, I wouldn't take more than 1 to 2 people at a time.
• I'm still open to suggestions and questions. If people want me to write on a specific topic they have in mind, I'll be more than happy to do so. I only had 2 requests this year.
• Year two's end will coincide with me graduating college. I have no definitive plans on what to pursue after that.
• However, I want to bring together the knowledge from my Psychology & Religion majors with my interest in health, fitness, and helping people to create one integrative methodology/program/working model/new thing.
• What will it be? I don't know, but they've gotten me this far.

Check back here Tuesday. I'll be posting the blog's first video (assuming I get everything to work properly).

Have a good weekend everyone.

Illusion of Difference

Why do differences exist?
Why create separation?

This was going to be post 100, but it got bumped to 98 for particular reasons (order of posts & #100 being more important). However, this shouldn't downplay it's importance. I've been waiting to do this post for quite some time - months - and the message is very dear to me.

I remember one day in high school, my senior health teacher asked us to write down what made our personal culture unique compared to others. He drew a chart on the board to keep track of what we all wrote as we said what we came up with.

After he got all our points, he began to list all the similarities. A few of the things he came up with were,

• We all have special foods set aside for important occasions.
• We all have music we enjoy.
• We all have holidays and celebrations shared with family and friends.
• We all have clothes we wear for specific events, like weddings.
• We all mourn the loss of loved ones and share the joy of new lives.

I'm sure he said more.

Differences muddle one's clarity and, unfortunately, the similarities become overlooked.

For instance, let's examine exercise. Exercise covers a broad variety of activities and is used for a number of reasons. The methods available at one's disposal are many, but how important is that?

The goals - regardless of the means - are typically the same. It's either get strong, have fun, or look better. Stronger doesn't mean being able to move big weights in the gym, but also better aerobic capacity, immune system, self-esteem/-confidence, bone density, use of the muscles, and so on & so forth.

Even sub-categories of exercise are cluttered with divisions and distinctions. Everyone approaches weight training with the notion that certain methods are more effective than others.

A squat is a squat no matter if there's a bar, kettlebell, dumbbell, weight vest, overhead/back/front placement, bodyweight, or sandbag.

Crossfit, plyometrics, powerlifting, circuit training, high reps, low reps, whatever. It's all done with the purpose to improve one's self. We should not limit ourselves to thinking so rigidly.

Bruce Lee exemplified this fact. I recall reading he studied fencing and boxing. His goal was to become the best and to do so, he studied other systems of combat. From what he learned, he incorporated the important lessons into his own practice. He did not seclude himself to one style. He passed on what he learned by teaching others.

Many differences can be created, but why separate ourselves from others? We create them, we separate ourselves.

But acceptance is finding things we have in common with one another.

Simply put, similarities are the ties that bind us.

On Happiness: The Big Question

It's not "which came first,
the chicken or the egg?"

I sit down in the seat to be interviewed by my professor and not know what to expect. To make it even more interesting, I didn't practice going over a single question that would be asked during an interview. Smart, right?

Nearing the end of the interview, I should have expected this:

Professor: So, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I answered with one or two options I foresaw, but I don't think it was a concrete response. More so, it was where I'd like to be.

Done with one, next I shuffled over to the room next door to be interviewed by the lab manager.

This one ended:

Her (the lab manager): Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Hm, again this question. I gave a similar response and learned afterward that my professor and her didn't know they asked the same question.

It's fascinating how many times I've come across this question or something similar.

In 2^nd grade, our class had a guest come and talk. In a circle, one by one we stood up and said what we wanted to be when we grow up. I forgot what most kids said, but I remember hearing NBA player and dolphin trainer among the responses. I got up, said I don't know what I want to be, and sat back down. I didn't think much of it, but he made me stand back up again and said to everyone that is perfectly fine (along with other stuff I can't recall).

Senior year of high school, my health class teacher said write down where you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, and then some time later. My mind was drawing a huge blank.

Seeing yourself in 5 years, what's the significance of it? What's it show? That you have plans?

It seems so strange to me. 5 years ago I was 16 and high school sophomore year finished. Back then, the most fitness-related thing I did was quit drinking soda.

I was 16. I didn't know I would,

• Be working with kids on a regular basis.
• Drop engineering at 17 for Psychology.
• Take up a Religion major at 20.
• Not care about what school I go to.
• Get involved in weight lifting.
• Be reading books. (I despised them)
  
• Be writing this blog.
• Meet all these people in my life.
• Lose so many people in my life.
• Head an organization.
• Be helping other people.

That's 5 years. And you know what? I probably missed a ton of other things.

This past spring, my friend and I went to talk to our professor. My friend asked when he should go live as a Buddhist monk in a monastery. Now while he's young, easy to soak up knowledge & be molded or older when life is more peaceful & settled.*

My professor told him he is young now with a lot of opportunity, but a very distractible mind. During your later years, it would be easier to live as a monk but what if your life is different, what if you fall in love?

Life isn't predictable.

How can you predict where you see yourself in 5 years? If you did know, where's the excitement in it? How can you account for other people - old & new - in those 5 years?

As you can see, I'm not a fan of the question. However, I think there's great value in the reverse.

Look back at the last 5 years, what have you accomplished that you didn't account for? What has happened? If someone asked where do you see yourself in 5 years, did you answer correctly back then? If so, are you happy about it? Are you happy now?

In 5 years, a lot can happen.

Have a good weekend everyone.

*He's currently at a monastery in Korea. I hope he's doing well.

CliffsNotes for the Lazy Bones

Where do they keep CliffsNotes for my blog?
Hmmm.

This isn't anything epic. I was checking out some posts I've done and noticed how long they are.

I actually didn't bother reading them, so I figured why would anyone else. I thought to myself I can give 1 or 2 sentences on them and if someone so happens to be interested in knowing more, they could read the entire thang (you read that correctly) themselves. I should note some posts have self explanatory titles, and as a result I won't be including them.

It's a System
The factors involved in the big picture of your health. Aspects such as environment, progress over time, changes that occur, individuals, what's available at your disposable, methods, etc.

Down the Road
I explain how multiple repeated exposures of the same situation can change drastically. It can be good or it can be bad.

When Anna Meets Jane
This is a series of posts on women in regards to diet & training, but to break down the parts:

• Intro: Brief overview of what I was going to talk about.
  
• 1: The big problems involved.
  
• 2: The subtle problems and their influence.
  
• 3: What's wrong with current approaches.
  
• 4: Easier & more effective methods to utilize.
  
• Conclusion: Why I wrote the series.
  

There you have it! For the lazy folks, what more can I do?

No, I won't read the posts to you.

Enjoy the titles if anything.

Medicine, Methods, & Supplements

Looks so nice

I would buy it.

Continuing with suggestions from others, here's one from my friend whose name means elephant (Hathi).

She said,

"Try to do the next one on how people resort to alternative medicines and treatments in order to control their diet or lose weight, such as yoga or even herbal remedies like green tea."

Great idea! I don't think I've talked about supplements or medicine on the blog before so this is perfect.

First and foremost, no doubt Western medicine is the dominant force here in America. It's great, it's saved countless people.

But in a sense, it's not wholly "complete."* Typically, a patient describes their symptoms which the doctor clusters together and matches it as best as possible to what it may be. Thus, a diagnosis is given.

However, keep in mind the doctor refers to a description of what the ailment could be. Usually it's correct, but where do these ailments come from?

They're humans' way of classifying and categorizing symptoms then giving it a name. Now humans don't know every possible problem or sickness that potentially could exist.

I'm not knocking it by any means. I'm simply giving another perspective on medicine. This is where alternative medicines and practices come in, such as Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Yoga, Taiji, acupuncture, herbal remedies, and old methodology among other things.

Are they the answer to all problems? No.
Do they have some merit? Yes.

While they aren't the main driving force in good ol' USA, they have been around for a while. People have lived very healthy lives using these practices and systems, that's why they're still around.

Then we have the second tier list of supplements. Greens, fish oil, creatine, protein, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin B, calcium, iron, folate, folic acid, blah blah blah.

Supplements aren't mandatory. If you have a solid diet full of protein and a variety of foods where you have the body you want, you probably don't need them.

On the other hand, if you have a diet that's good but struggle in some aspects like eating enough fatty omega-3 rich fish then supplementing with fish oil might not be a bad idea.

In the end, it's all relative. You need to look at if a person is trying optimize their specific goal(s) or health, the situation, and in general just the context of it all.

The main problem is individuals look for a quick and easy solution to their problems, such as weight loss. They want results now and immediately, but it's not that easy and unfortunately they don't realize that. What ends up happening is they hear of something - by the oh so wonderful media - and view it as a panacea.

Green tea has been hugely made more popular in the last few years. However, most people aren't aware that to see the benefits of green tea you need to drink about 4 cups a day of either loose or the teabag kind. What do most people buy? The sugary bottled stuff in stores.

One method or item is never the cure to a wide range of problems.

On the contrary, it's only one part of a system.

The different parts put into it contribute to a bigger better picture of health.

*A thousand pre-med students will descend upon my ass for this comment when the semester starts.

Nemo oil anyone?
(Yes, I know it's wrong.)

Thinking Outside The Gym

"Hey Jim, what's a gym?"

"Beats me Bob. A new club?"

This post is for my buddy Sean Scott.

A few months ago he commented on one of my posts saying,

"Your next post should be for people who don't go to
the gym but still want to do something..like me!"

True that Sean.

Some people don't like going to the gym for plenty of reasons, such as

• Not knowing what to do when they get there.
• Not seeing results.
• Not having fun/don't enjoy it.
• Uncomfortable about their physique.
• Something else altogether.

Whatever the reason, it's understandable. Now don't get me wrong, the gym shouldn't be avoided like my schoolwork. A good gym can be fun and is worth venturing to every once in a while.

If you're not hitting the gym up and have very specific goals - squatting X amount of weight for example - then it becomes a bit trickier, but not impossible.

First there's always setting up your own home gym which costs a ton, but is a long-term investment. Likewise you can buy a TRX suspension training system but that's pricey as well. Alternatively you can make your own for $35 as seen in this video. You can see a review/explanations of them here.

Moving along, then there are furniture gliders/sliders you can play around with on carpet as Ross demonstrates (original article here).

Note to everyone: Ross is a bad ass.

And who can forget the oh so popular exercise bands? Also costs a bit, but they're light weight and easy for on the go. Check out any site like EliteFTS and Perform Better for those interested.

Besides that, a solid heavy dumbbell goes a long way. You can do shoulder presses, chest presses, curls, tricep extensions, squats, swings, single-leg deadlifts, lunges, shot put it, and much more. You're only limited by your creativity.

OK, let's get rid of equipment altogether. Now what?

You still have your body. You can do vertical jumps, single-leg verticals, broad/long jumps, push-ups (against an incline if the floor version is too difficult), sprints, uphill running, burpees, planks, squats, and many exercises that are done with a barbell or dumbbell.

The squat can be done with or without resistance. It's still a squat. Slow down the pace, speed it up, increase the reps, but above all else, manipulate it to make it challenging.

Think the world is your gym.

I always attempt to lift boulders and massive rocks I pass by, none of which I've lifted yet, but it's awesome. You can even put a car in neutral and push it around for a workout (you need someone else handling the brakes while you push).

But my favorite? It's doing stuff with other people.

I love playing sports with everyone else. If you can get a bunch of people together to play volleyball, ultimate frisbee, mess around at a jungle gym, etc., then it's tons of fun.

See if you can find a sport that no one really plays that often and run with it. Chances are everyone's going to suck, but it's still going to be a challenge to play decent and no one will be that much better than anyone else.

Sports promote athletic abilities and they're a great way to stay in shape.

Obviously you won't become a bodybuilder or champion strongman, but isn't it more fun? You should enjoy what you're doing.

Never think exercise and fitness is only confined to the gym.

On the contrary, it's everywhere.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Never become this Sean.
That includes all that hair.

On Happiness: Book Review & Giveaway

Win yourself a copy
(assuming you like to read)

Hey look at that, it's a new series starting up on the blog.

What better way to kick it off than with a free book? Everyone likes free stuff and in reality, I never thought I'd have a giveaway on the blog. I'll explain the details near the end, but for now let me describe the book itself.

It's called Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos.

Tony describes to us his life up until present-day and the challenges he's faced in finding meaning to the projects and tasks he's taken on.

In his childhood he was always figuring out different ways he could make money. Fast forward to him graduating college, he has a job most people would be happy with. One that's comfortable, easy, and a good income.

However, boredom ensued leading him to work on a side project. Similar to his childhood ventures, he was creating something. This is how much of the book unfolds.

We see many of the difficulties he faced and how he tackled them. While the company is very successful now, it was hardly like that before.

This is what creates the book, how he approached these problems The decisions he made serve to enlighten us in interacting with people ourselves.

Pros
The book is a light read and easy to get caught up in. At 240 pages, it took me two and half weeks to finish.

More importantly though, next school year I'm president of a nonprofit organization and this is exactly what I needed to get a better idea of things I should be doing myself.

It's practical, it makes sense, and I saw a lot of these qualities in our last president.

Cons
I don't think this book is for everyone. I think individuals who simply want to be an employee somewhere with just enough money for the essentials and certain luxuries won't care much for it.

Although, it's a great book to better interact with people.

All in all, I enjoyed it.

I finished up my 3^rd year of college and related to everything up to Tony's college years since that's what I've gone through myself. I'm sure in the years to come, a lot of the post-grad things Tony did will hit me.

Now if you like to read and want to win a copy for yourself, leave a comment below or send me an email at nielkpatel425@gmail.com.

I'll randomly pick a winner - check here - next Monday, and make sure you pay attention to posts under this series. I'm confident most people will enjoy the content.

Funny Friday

"Bwahahaha" goes the lion.

Laugh a little.

First of all, I had a hard time choosing between the picture above and this one,

Both look equally silly.

Seeing as how it's Friday I thought I'd leave the heavy posts for next week. Conveniently, last night online I came across Inside the Actor's Studio with Dave Chappelle.

Normally, I don't post comedy because I could fill this blog with tons of clips. This was something else altogether though.

Sure it's funny, but the things he says are pretty powerful, simple, and have so much meaning. I only watched 6 of the 9 parts, but this line was wonderful & my favorite:

"The worst thing to call somebody is crazy, it's dismissive.
"I don't understand this person, so they're crazy."
That's bull****. Cause people are not crazy, they're strong people.
Maybe the environment is a little sick"

It's well worth the time to sit and watch, part 1 here starts out slow with the intro and all, but the actual interview begins at the 6:00 minute mark.

Lastly, Roger posted this on Facebook which I couldn't pass up on putting here.

Seems fun.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Quick Fixes: Chairs

"I love chair."
No. Bad Brick.

It's the return of quick fixes! Yes yes, I know you're ecstatic like myself but calm yourself so we can proceed.

Odd choice, huh? Out of everything to choose, chairs? It would make sense since in the last quick fix, I mentioned how we do a ton of stuff while sitting.

And what do we like to do most while sitting? Sit comfortably. I know I do and if it's really comfortable, I'll fall asleep in class. (not really, I'll fall asleep even if I'm uncomfortable)

The lower-body's glutes become inactive and we get tight hips. That's been covered, so now all that remains is the upper-body.

What happens is we hunch over, protrude our necks excessively forward, and the worst part is we do it for extended periods of time. This causes our body to keep these negative postures outside of the environments where we originally had them.

Just like the lower-body, our plan will be to:

• Stretch
• Activate/regain mobility
• Strengthen
• Not sleep in class

Obviously we won't be able to accomplish all of these.....

For stretching, it's specifically the pecs which can be done against a wall.

While pulling your shoulder blades back and down, simply push forward then twist to the opposite side to deepen the stretch. Start out with short durations - 10 seconds - and then either increase time or do multiple sets.

In mobility, our goal is to get movement in thoracic spine - the upper back with all the trap muscles - to get that stiffness out from all the hunched leaning. I've posted t-spine movements here and there before (or not, I can't remember), but here's a list of some good ones to use:

• Wall slides
  
• Reach, roll, & lift
  
• Side lying windmill
  
• Bent-over rotations
• Seated thoracic extensions
  
• Side lying extension-rotation
• Quadruped extension rotation
• Half kneeling flexion-extension
  
• Exercise named differently by every other strength coach
• *EDIT: Forgot this one by Mike Boyle. (added 8/4/10)
  

1 set of 6-8 reps for either one or two movements listed above should suffice.

As for strengthening: deadlifts, overhead barbell shrugs, face pulls, any type of row, lat-pulldown, and pull/chin-ups go a long way. Not much to it, right?

I left out foam rolling because I figure most of my readers don't do it but if any do have a roller, then foam roll and stretch after.

Since the posts in this series are to be short and packed with the basics, for those interested in learning more specifically about posture, check out this article at Rearick Strength. For those who are really serious about improving their posture, the Neanderthal No More series (parts 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5) is just for you.

With lower-body and upper-body now covered, you should be able to stand tall like a fine statue. Now all that's left is to go do it.

Or look like Igor.
He's all kinds of jacked up.