The Great Balancing Act
These days I find my schedule being a little chaotic. The balancing act between social life and business life is somewhat daunting. Mornings full of clients, afternoon meetings and phone calls, evenings with my girlfriend, finding time to do what I enjoy the most, and most importantly making time to spend with Him (Yes, I am talking bout God). Meetings and clients, making her happy and developing new business plans all add up. Things get a little hectic from time to time. Somewhere between it all I have to find my sweet spot in order to function at an efficient level.
The key to the good life is all about balance. You ever watch one of those “Who Has the Most Talent” shows and witnessed one of those goofballs balancing multiple spinning plates on top of poles between fingers, toes, and other parts of the body? Life is kind of like that. There are so many plates spinning, money, church, marriage, school, to name a few, and somewhere in the mix more and more plates are being added and you must now find a way to balance all simultaneously.
Like motivation you must first find out what works best for you. Yes, this is another point on the list-of-things-to-do-to-make-my-life-better sheet. But hey, take it in stride and do one thing at a time then move to the next. In the end all things will work out the way they need to, hopefully for your benefit. You find that scheduling events on your calendar works, getting away from the busy city on the weekends, or have special “you” time at the end of the day works. Whatever it may, give it a try and see if it works.
The one thing I find that keeps me sane is making time to do things that I really enjoy. I find that volunteering is a great way to stay balanced. Your time, energy, and efforts are all for a great cause and in the end you’re going to feel better about yourself. My one true passion in life is the game of football. In recent months I have been staying active by joining flag leagues and hosting pick-up games on the weekends. Lastly, regular workouts help me stay stress-free in times of high tension. I just go and take out any lingering aggression on a stack of weights. No worries, no weights were harmed in the making of this article.
I believe the sweet spot or centerpiece of balance is faith. For those of you who know me know that I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. It may sound a little cliché, but no issue is too great for Him. There are times when life seems to weigh down so heavy on me that volunteering, playing football, nor exercising seems to lift my heavy burden. I know that prayer really changes things. Also, a good sermon will have me fired up for days. On days like this I’ll go into my church feeling heavy and leave feeling like a brand new man. It’s crazy what a little bit of faith will do.
All in all life is just one big balancing act. Each day unplanned events may occur and more and more responsibilities may be added to your plate. All I’m saying is don’t get caught up in all of the mess life brings. Make sure you take the time to actually enjoy life. Make time for faith, family, friends, fun, and of course for you. You have to live life before life lives you. Find your sweet spot… Get it?
Question to the reader:
How important is faith to you? Do you believe that prayer changes things? In these crazy times, how do you find your balance?
Do you have a question about health and fitness that you would like to ask the editor? Send all questions to: jasonjones@solidprojectsonline.com
Exercise of the Month
Bench-Up-Press
This exercise consists of three different movements that will complete one whole rep. What you will be doing is a combination of a bench press, sit-up, and military press working your (entire upper body) chest, back, shoulders, arms, and abs. You can use dumbbells or a barbell. Whatever you choose, use a weight that is heavy enough for you to reach a goal of 10-12 reps of 2-3 sets when doing this exercise.
Take it up a notch: See how many you can do in 30sec, 1min.
Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urMm6jH9yMg (copy and paste link)
Tips for Life
Weight Loss
• You can cut at least 400 calories you take in daily by drinking more water and less juice, sodas, and other sugary liquids. Stick to drinks such as water, tea, and coffee without adding any extra sweeteners.
o Here’s why water is go great: 1) It quells a grumbling tummy 2) It banishes the bloat 3) It can rev up your calorie burn.
• Want to be 20 pounds lighter? Eat like a person who is 20 pounds lighter. Here’s how:
o If you complete less than 1 hour of exercise per week, multiply your target body weight by 10. That’s how many calories you should consume daily. However, if you workout more than that, add 1 to the multiplier for every additional hour you train. So, if you weigh 200lbs and your target is 180 and you exercise for 3 hours a week, you’d multiply 180 by 12 giving you a target of 2,160 calories a day. You can divide the calories into how many meals you would like to eat as long as you do not exceed your magic calorie number (A. Bornstein, Men’s Health Magazine)
Inside and Out
• Want to feel good about yourself? Volunteer! Volunteering is not only a great way to support a cause, but it’s a great way to feel better about you. Check out this site for great volunteering opportunities in areas in which you are interested www.volunteermatch.com
• Here are five tests you need to take NOW!
o Cardiac CT angiography – this calculates your coronary calcium score which measures how much plaque build up you have in your arteries.
o Bone density scan – osteoporosis does not only effect old ladies.
o VO2 max test – this test analyzes how efficiently your body extracts oxygen from the air and is a good indicator of overall health.
o Virtual colonoscopy (men) – a little more comfortable than the regular test, however, just as effective in cancer screenings
o Nutritional evaluation – not necessarily a test, but your diet needs to go under the microscope per se. You need a dieticians support and accountability to help maintain healthy living.
This Season’s Sensations
Fish Tacos
What you need:
½ red onion, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
Pinch ground cumin
Pinch salt and pepper
1lb fish fillets (white fish or you can sub shrimp or crab)
1 lime
¼ head of cabbage, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
4-6 whole wheat tortillas
Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Cook red onion in olive oil until soft adding cumin, salt and pepper. In same pan add fish fillets and break into chunks cooking until just opaque. Remove from heat and squeeze lime over mixture. Lightly coat tortillas with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat in oven for about 2mins. Once heated fill with meat mixture. Add cabbage tomato to your liking. Try this with a splash of hot sauce and a dollop of sour cream.
Five-Spice Lobster Sandwich
What you need:
Pinch “5-spice” powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 sesame oil
2 scallions chopped
¼ tbsp grated ginger
½ tbsp minced garlic
½ tbsp minced chili
½ red bell pepper minced
2 cups shredded cooked lobster
1 baguette or 2 rice cakes
Directions: In a bowl combine 5 spice powder, with soy sauce rice vinegar, sesame oil. Add scallions, ginger, garlic, chilies, and red pepper. Add lobster. Mix well. Spread on baguette or rice cakes. Season to your liking.
News & Events
Fall into Fitness Day & Fun Run
We’re starting the fall season off with a bang. SOLiD Projects and Alpha Males Personal Training are teaming up to offer you a morning full of fun and fitness! We don’t want to spoil the surprise so come out and join us Saturday October 3rd 9:30am along others in the Kennesaw Mountains for a day packed with fun. Contact Jason Jones at jasonjones@solidprojectsonline.com for details and registration information.
Together we can beat obesity
SOL (So Full Of Life) Foundation, SOLiD Projects,and other Atlanta businesses are partnering up to battle America’s biggest killer - obesity. Obesity has become and epidemic in recent years and is killing American’s faster than AIDs, smoking, and murder combined. By establishing programs in communities around Atlanta that educate and empower our youth and their parents to live healthier lives we can save our communities and maybe event he world. So join us in our battle against childhood obesity by contacting Jason Jones to see how you can help.
Walk From Obesity - Atlanta
Want another way to support efforts to fight against obesity? Walk it off. Join the Walk From Obesity initiative as they walk to raise money to fight obesity. Check out their site to see what they're about at www.walkfromobesity.com
A+ Update!
Classes are in full swing! Thank you to all of those who came out in support of us. We have had a few classes thus far and people keep coming back. This is a fun way to help you stay on top of your healthy new way of living. So come join us every* Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30pm-7:30pm and Saturdays from 9am-10am at Campbell High School** and see what the buzz is all about!(*classes will be canceled due to inclement weather **Location subject to change)
Don’t forget to check us out at www.solidprojectsonline.com
*September Promotions *
A+ Outdoor Group Fitness class - 2 for the price of 1! Already an A+ participant? Bring a friend who has not experienced the class and you and your guest only pay a total of $12!
