Bring Back the Nickname

Who was the best center fielder in New York in the 50’s? Willie, Mickey or Ed? How about the time George promised the sick boy he would hit a home run for him? Then George went out and did it. Winning the Denton Young Award all of a sudden doesn't sound as glamorous. I would love to see baseball and those that follow it somehow bring the nickname back for the players in the game.

Now when you go back and say did you like Willie, Mickey or the Duke and tell the story of the promise that the Babe made to an ill child, or capturing a Cy Young Award, the importance of the nickname to the history of baseball becomes even more evident.

Reggie Jackson hits five homers in a World Series and is dubbed Mr. October. Pablo Sandoval  does it and he is called…well they already called him Kung Fu Panda, but he deserves something bigger now, don’t ya think?  You can’t tell me that a player like Prince Fielder can’t be given a great nickname. Just look at one of his homers where he swings from his heels and annihilates the ball and the name alone, Prince Fielder, is just begging for something to be attached to it. It seems wrong to let a clutch player who could be an all-time great at his position and another who squares up the ball with such vicious force, to not be honored like so many legends of the game once were.

The single season RBI record is held by Hack Wilson at 191. Now if you are a pitcher what is going to get in your head more the night before a game; knowing the next day you were going to be facing a player named Hack or Lewis (his real first name)? It is tough not to argue that the Cardinals “Gas House Gang” team of 1934 would surely not be as memorable if they were around today. On that team you had Dizzy and Daffy Dean, Ripper Collins, Ducky Medwick, Pepper Martin, Spud Davis and Leo “The Lip” Durocher. Just classic names, right? Of course today you would have read about Jay and Paul Dean, Jim Collins, Joe Medwick, John Martin, and Virgil Davis. That turns into a forgettable roster of names all of a sudden. It is interesting how a simple moniker can help immortalize a player or team and help them to live on in our memories well beyond their playing days.

Other teams such as The Big Red Machine or otherwise known as the Great Eight dominated the 1970's with a host characters such as Charlie Hustle, Big Dog, The Little General and Little Joe in a lineup of future Hall of Farmer's. And we all know about the Famed Bronx Bombers with the Babe and The Iron Horse.

Has the fun gone out of baseball? Is it because newspapers are slowly disappearing, and along with that, the once crucial baseball reporter for the paper? Back when major cities had multiple daily papers I would assume the writers drew upon their creative side to paint a picture of the game and the players who played it. Now with the internet and outlets such as ESPN you can get up-to-the-minute play-by-play if you wish, or a quick recap on your computer the next day. Because so many of us are in a rush, it is as if the details are fed to the fan as quickly and simply as possible so as not to waste time. With that the game has lost some of its romance to me.

I am a 47-year-old baseball curmudgeon who dreams about a time when field dimensions were bigger than my back yard, players didn't wear their uniforms like pajamas (is it me or does CC Sabathia look like he is wearing a pinstriped Snuggie with his uniform being so baggy?) so you could see their stirrups, with two teams named after the color of their socks I would think maybe it should be mandatory that you could see part of the stirrup. Also the team in Cincinnati was originally named the Red Stockings, come on fellas show us some leg, and if a playoff game ended in a little over three hours you wouldn't marvel at how quickly it was played.

If nicknames are going to make a comeback some rules or guidelines have to be established. What we don’t want is it to turn merely into a marketing free-for-all where nicknames will be chosen based on the higher Q Score that it gets a player.

The first rule of getting a solid nickname is that it has to be given to you and you can’t give it to yourself. This would be a challenge because players today can’t possibly have the same camaraderie they once did to earn the names. Spacious chartered flights have taken the place of long train rides and cramped planes where you were forced to spend time and get to know one another. Add to that cell phones, iPhones, iPads and laptops and you can fly across the country with someone and not find time for them. The good names are derived from a person’s actions, looks or tendencies so the stronger that bond is between the players the more likely a teammate will toss something out there that has a chance to stick.

The second rule is you can’t use anything given to you by ESPN’s Chris Berman. Along with his tired act that gets trotted out every now and again, no one in my opinion has hurt the art of the nickname more. Berman has taken it upon himself to bang a round peg through a square hole in making sure that almost every player has something given to them no matter how mindless or ridiculous. Here is the best example in my opinion; you take Albert Pujols, who when it is all said and done could be one of the game’s all time great hitters, and Berman sticks him with Albert “Winnie the” Pujols. It is cute and funny, if it is coming from my nine-year-old. I am curious to know if the soldiers at Guantanamo Bay would choose waterboarding or forcing a prisoner to listen to Berman’s call of the entire Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game if they had a choice between the two interrogation tactics.

The third rule is if you have been caught doing steroids, or it is pretty much known that you have done them, you don’t get one. So that means good-bye to: Slammin’ Sammy, Big Mac, the Bash Brothers, Big Papi, and the Rocket. The game needs neither your services nor tainted accomplishments that have been at the expense of the true greats that define baseball. The only exception that is allowed is if the name exposes you for what you did, therefore a ruling would be A-Rod “no” but A-Roid a definite “yes.”

There are some decent names floating around the league today. I like that they call Tim Lincecum “The Freak” because of his diminutive stature and the fact that he has such a nasty arsenal of pitches. Another is the much talked about Roy “Doc” Halladay fittingly a marksmen the caliber of the famous attendee at Tombstone. Calling Vlad Guerrero “Vlad the Impaler” is spot on for someone who wears no batting gloves and has never met a pitch he didn't like regardless of location.

I see potential still for all the stars of today. There is Sandavol and Fielder who were mentioned earlier along with players like Ryan Zimmerman, Evan Longoria, Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp, Joe Mauer and Robby Cano to name a few. The Washington Nationals have possibly the hardest thrower in the game in 2009 #1 pick Stephen Strasburg since “The Big Train” Walter Johnson pitched in the same city ages ago. Somehow you have to link those two flame throwers together, it is almost wrong not to.

My personal favorite is Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx who was known as “Double X” and “The Beast.”  Unless you are a woman playing sports, being called “The Beast” has to be one of the most complimentary things to be referred to as in the field of athletics. Just think if they called softball star Jenny Finch “The Beast,” bite your tongue. Even his other name of “Double X” is strong. Some players can’t even get one intimidating name and Foxx has two, and he backed both up soundly; hitting over 500 career homers, winning 2 world titles, three MVP Awards and nearly winning back-to-back Triple Crowns. Foxx missed leading the league only in batting by a margin of .003 points in 1932 (.364-58-169) and finally turned the trick in ’33 (.356-48-163).

Don’t take for granted the names that baseball history has given to us. What kind of a past on the diamond would have been passed on without players known simply as Shoeless Joe, Yogi, Three Finger, Lefty, The Say Hey Kid, Joltin’ Joe, Hammerin’ Hank, Mr. Cub, The Georgia Peach, The Heater from Van Meter, Schmidty and of course Pee Wee . It would be a disservice to what was once a great game to not leave tomorrow’s legends with something as unique and identifiable as the ones who came before them.

Saving Your Own Life!

Recently I was having a discussion with a friend of mine about how he did not have time to work out and how he always feels tired. I explained to him the difference it made once I committed to a program and how it made me feel. In describing himself, he was describing to me the exact way I felt before I started my first round of P90X over two years ago.  

The comment he made that stuck with me was when he said “he did not have the time.” This poor guy had purchased P90X from me almost a year ago; he also purchased Shakeology with it in a package deal. He started drinking the shakes right away and noticed the difference in his energy level. I would see him around town and ask him how he was feeling and he would say great and he even lost 18-20 pounds over that time. But eventually he stopped drinking the shakes and he never opened the box of P90X. When I saw him I noticed he had put back on the weight he had lost and maybe some additional also, I asked if he opened up the box yet? That’s when he hit with it “I don’t have the time”

I have to wonder why when someone has had experience with something that works and is looking at someone that has had success with the product and still will not take the time to do something for himself that would be life changing. There are way too many people out there in this same situation these days!

I said to him I understand but, if you give it two weeks, just two weeks of getting up a hour earlier and doing the workouts you will find that you will have more time on your hands the rest of the day besides feeling better for your effort.  He looked at me and said I know but with the same look he said you are crazy. He then told me about his health issues and that he needed to do something? I had handed him the keys and he would not start the engine, what to do!

Everyone needs to find their own  “WHY” it is the thing that will make you commit. Maybe its hitting rock bottom for some people and maybe it’s just one moment where they decide they have had enough. I need to help this guy find his “Why”

There are not enough words to explain to you how much I am hurting for this guy right now. I can only say that he is where I was.  I may have saved my own life but now I want to help others do the same. I am serious when I say you will have more time in your day by getting up earlier and starting your day with a work out. I now have more energy and I am more active than I have been in years. I actually enjoy my life again and I enjoy spending time with the people I love. If you are a person that can make a change for the better I wish you the best in reaching your goals. If you need help in doing it I would be proud to help you and thankful that you invited me on the trip.

I have not given up on my friend and I will get him healthy, he has two young kids like I do and I owe them the effort to give them the daddy they deserve.  

Pomegranate Arugula Salad

A simple salad that will fill you up and provide taste, texture and personality all along a Primal plan. 

4 cups of arugula
½ cup of pomegranate seeds
¼ cup of chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

In a large salad bowl, combine arugula, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar mixture, toss, and serve.

My Thoughts on the October Classic!

I have almost gotten over my Reds getting beat by the Giants after being up two games to none and coming home in a best out of five series but I had some thoughts about what I watched in the final series of the season, I say this because that was not really a World Series in my opinion. Call it sour grapes but I was not impressed. Here are my thoughts.

The turning point in the series was when Verlander got hammered in Game 1. Sorry for pointing out the obvious!

With the success that Marco Scutaro has had with his short stroke, will other hitters follow suit? Not likely, and how big will he be cashing in for being a free agent that got hot at the right time? Poor, Poor Gene Tenace!

For the third straight year, no Eastern Division team was in the World Series? That's a lot of cabbage for no payoff. I guess I should be happy about that one?

Has anyone ever had worse looking facial hair than Hunter Pence? Leave that to the hockey players, for some reason they grow better facial hair?

Can Tim McCarver make a point without repeating it 3 or 4 times? I guess he come up with so few good ones these days he wants to make sure everyone heard him?

Were Miguel Cabrera and Avasail Garcia separated at birth? Talk about drafting a type? The future looks bright in Motown!

Bruce Bochy must be a great manager if he can win with Ryan Theriot as his designated hitter. Even the 75-76 Reds had Dan Driesson!

Why does the National League keep winning the World Series (3 straight years) but gets killed in Inter-League play)?

This was a textbook example of winning with pitching and defense. Okay maybe some timely hitting but not that much!

Come on February (pitchers and catchers) and the hope of a small market championship!

Lance Armstrong: The New Pete Rose

Now that a pile of evidence has come out against Lance Armstrong, it appears he still won’t admit his guilt.  Even though you now have sworn testimony from 26 people, many of whom had to admit they also cheated in the process, Armstrong still denies the charges.

I see this playing out the same as the situation with Pete Rose. Maybe in 20 years or so, Lance will admit what he’s done.  At some point in life, a person’s conscience usually kicks in, and he or she will feel the need to come clean.

I remember the day Giamatti lowered the boom like it was yesterday and I was in Cooperstown that month before as Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski were inducted into the Hall and the rumors reached their peak. I have seen how Pete would parade himself up and down main-street in defiance of his banishment for years after. It’s sad we will not be able to share with our children the stories of our hero’s from when we were young because there are very few heroes left these days. We only have the words from when the Dowd Report was presented.

"The banishment for life of Pete Rose from baseball is the sad end of a sorry episode. One of the game's greatest players has engaged in a variety of acts which have stained the game, and he must now live with the consequences of those acts. By choosing not to come to a hearing before me, and by choosing not to proffer any testimony or evidence contrary to the evidence and information contained in the report of the Special Counsel to the Commissioner, Mr. Rose has accepted baseball's ultimate sanction, lifetime ineligibility."

A. Bartlett Giamatti,
Commissioner of Baseball,
August 24, 1989

Overall, it’s just a sad story. What are your thoughts?

What does not kill you makes you stronger!

As the east coast tries to recover from its uninvited visit from Sandy and the rest of the country gets closer to Election Day. I received some good news today. I was offered a position at a local Club to become its General Manager. The last five months have been a struggle for my family and I and the last time I had such an experience was 2004 when we had experienced four hurricanes hitting the state of Florida in a one month period.  What does not kill you will make you stronger!

These words may sound careless in a time like this but for me at that time I had to try to stay positive as I had a wonderful supportive wife, a four year old daughter and a one year old son. We found ourselves homeless and me without the job that supported us but we were healthy, safe and together.

The field I chose for my profession is kind of specialized and there are not many openings in each area so you do not jump from job to job easily. Losing a job is a humbling experience, losing everything that you own can be demoralizing. I was lucky enough to have my wife as a partner and that we both came from a supportive family.

This time was a little different, it was still humbling but this time my wife was making an income and I had a second income by way of the Beachbody business I had started a few years ago. We still made our cutbacks and scaled everything way back but the biggest thing I had for myself personally was that I knew I was doing something that made a difference in so many ways. I was improving my health each day with my workouts, I was teaching my kids to become more aware of their health and fitness and I was helping others do the same. This kept me in such a positive frame of mind that I could feel the difference in myself when I felt depressed or defeated form an unsuccessful experience in my pursuit for employment. There were days where I did not want to get out of bed but I knew I had to do my workout or return an email in hopes of motivating someone that needed the help to keep pushing themselves. By taking an obligation seriously I was pushing myself and keeping myself going.

So my message today is threefold, for those of you that are struggling with depression, motivation or accountability I want to help you. If you are looking for a way to earn a second income I can help you become a coach and last if you are someone that is facing a challenge keep pushing toward your goals and stay positive. Nothing beats the power of positive thinking, I learned this much in the past five months. 

Baseball and Friendship

Yesterday I took my Sunday off! That’s two weeks in a row! Now did I rest? Kind of, in life you meet many people, different people all kinds of people. I made a friend when I was seven years old that without ever saying much to each other we became instant lifelong friends. As you grow up and grow away from your childhood and life moves you around the country and even around the world, true friendships withstand any distance put between two people who share a common bond.

We started out as kids playing the game baseball and developing the love of a game we shared. Playing night and day on a field, street or backyard with whatever was available, rubber ball, wiffleball or dice and strat-o-matic cards it was learning the game, the fundamentals and the history.  We pretended to be our favorite players playing on our favorite teams, he the Yankees and me the Reds from that 1976 World Series. We were separated after high school as he went into the Army and headed off to Germany and I to play ball in college. We both returned home and resumed our friendship as if we went on a weekend vacation before he moved on to Texas and I left for Florida. Phone calls spread out over the years kept us up to date on each other and flights to each other’s new homes to appear as the best man at each other’s weddings kept us in the family albums. The memories of these times come up over and over again in our conversations some forty years later and we are young again. We laugh and then we look at our grown kids and come back to reality.

This weekend my best friend met for the first time my 9 year old son and I met his 16 year old daughter for only the second time. We spent a day at Disney trying to cram three parks into a twelve hour visit and even though the time flew by and we hardly had much time to speak with each other we had the peace of mind of being with each other for a few hours and “all was good”. Rushing from park to park (something I hate to do) was fun on this day and I was energized and tireless. I kind of got a workout in as we walked too many miles to count and then for all intense and purposes I did a quarter mile sprint with my son sitting on my shoulders (he was too tired to walk)  as we raced out of the last park trying to avoid some of the traffic.

It was a great day and I hope we can do it again sooner rather than later.

As I mentioned my friend Joe is a Yankee fan, as are most of my friends since I grew up in the New York/New Jersey area and he would have enjoyed seeing Lou Gehrig on here with his name but I already posted that part of my list and the Iron Horse will be the only Yankee that makes my list of favorites by position so, I will post the oldest member of my list here. The greatest Right Handed Starting Pitcher in my opinion is Walter Johnson.  Two things; 417 wins on a historically poor team and when a batter says to the umpire “that sounded high” you have got to think that Walter Johnson stands way above the rest of the Right Handed Starting Pitchers in the history of the game. 

Oh by the way how about this for a great battery, Joe was born on Tom Seaver's Birthday and I was born on Johnny Bench's Birthday! No wonder we worked together so well! 

Dessert with Dad?

Feeling fresh and ready to go today I set out on my run first thing this morning and returned home to complete my work out, PAP Upper right away. These kind of days really seem to change the entire dynamic of the day as well as create so much additional time. I am not a morning person but do enjoy these days when I am inspired to complete more than my average day.

I will need to make appearances at both of my kid’s schools one for lunch with dad and the other for desert with dad? Who ever heard of such a thing, desert with dad? Yes we not only feed your kids crap if you allow us to but we also encourage you to come to school and participate in the corruption of this task. Well I may just circumvent the system and bring some fresh fruit and see how that plays out!

The good thing is I should have enough time in the day to fit in a bike ride today as well!

Today’s position and player is the greatest player ever to play the position of catcher, Johnny Bench, Those that know me knew this was coming so why wait? I grew up copying everything this guy did and played the position the best I could because of his greatness. Enjoy the video!

Body Weight and a Dog

This morning I shut the lights off and worked to the light of the television with some the Fountain of Youth Yoga from the Tony Horton One on One series. Call it my moment of Zen if you will. The lights off provide that additional touch of relaxation as I reflect and clear my head while shifting my frame and balancing myself into a sweat. 

To be a big guy and to now be able to flow through the movements of this program feels like such an accomplishment. Supporting my body weight at the start was a challenge even Tony states at the 7 minute mark that it is a workout without weights or resistance bands that will push you. When I started P90X this was the day I dreaded most, even more than Plyometrics! The fact that I now consider it a light day speaks so much to the difference in me both physically and mentally. After almost a year of doing this workout weekly I almost know it by heart and enjoy the progressions as I move with it.

Yesterday I attempted the three workouts I planned to do but life got in the way and I never made it to my run. I will complete Day 3 of my running program tonight. I prefer to run at night because living in Florida and running in the heat of day is not my idea of fun, besides my dog has been known to crap out on me during day runs and what good is it to run by yourself? 

Never Forget

As a kid growing up in New Jersey and having family that lived in Brooklyn, New York my parents, sister and I frequently made the journey in to visit the family especially on holidays. The trip by car was a fight against traffic through Manhattan after emerging from the Lincoln Tunnel down the West Side Highway and into the Battery Tunnel. Before we entered the Battery Tunnel we would be alerted by my parents to look up from the back window of our Volkswagen Beatle at the “Twin Towers” as we called them before we exited the outside world for the dark underwater world we would be entering before we world see daylight and our Grandparents on the other side.

To me these towers were always there, the thing was that they were considered the new big buildings in the city. The Empire State Building was the old building that King Kong climbed in some old movie but these were the promise of the new future and the big business that was available to me, some kid growing up in the area. They were symbols of accomplishment and that I could do or be anything in this world if I put in the time and the hard work.

As I grew older and became more independent I would frequently drive-by, walk-by or even cut through these building without even a thought of the symbol that they stood for. I would make an occasional delivery into these buildings during one of my high school summer jobs and this was the only time I would get slightly excited that I would be in the area because it was always just an overly congested area I did not want to be around.

I grew up and moved away years later and although I love my old home and often missed it, when I would return I would be anxious to leave again because my personality was never one that enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the busy city. I love the action and the excitement but not the “rat race” that can be New York.

On March 25, 2000 my wife and I welcomed our first child and it is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. I want everything for this little girl as much today as I did on the day she was born. Her birth changed everything about the way I live my life and as I have watched her grow I have continued to grow with her most recently changing the way I eat and increasing how active I have become so I will be around for her and to protect her from this world.

You see shortly after she was born those “Twin Towers” were brought down and I was left feeling helpless and like I could not protect her. I felt for a moment like I should not have brought such a beautiful little helpless person into this world and that feeling was awful. I have always tried to live without regrets and I did not want the one thing that mattered most to me be regret.  

I remember that day each year and the people I was with while living in Atlanta, Georgia. I remember my friend coming into my office telling me about the first plane hitting the tower and I remember the shock as I was watching the second plane hit the second tower. I remember locking down the club I was managing because we did not know what was going to happen next. I remember my wife arriving at the club with my baby daughter and her being worried about me. I can’t forget! I wish I could but I can’t.

One year later I returned on the anniversary of that event because I felt like I had to be there. As I emerged from the Battery Tunnel with my wife in the car on our way to Giants Stadium she asked me "where was the World Trade Center" I said very casually "I will pull over and show you where it was". As I pulled up to the curb and stopped the car I could see the construction wall that was placed in the area opposite the sidewalk. I opened the door of the car and jumped out of the car to see nothing! Nothing! I saw Nothing, I could not believe my eyes. Over the construction wall was open space...Nothing. I felt sick immediately. My wife said I turned as white as a sheet. Was I in denial for over a year? No, I just always had these two buildings over me, the shadows like a big brother looking over my shoulder and now they were gone.

I have family that are members of the FDNY and the NYPD and I also wanted to attend the opening of the NFL Football season as the Giants hosted the 49er’s. I was able to spend time with people that witnessed tragedy and loss over the past year and I saw a different place than the one I had left. I always thought that New Yorker’s got a bad rap as being rude and unfriendly but what I did see were people that were brought together and helped each other more than ever. There was always a love thy neighbor feeling about where I grew up but now the neighborhood was bigger. It was great to see and experience, the view from the top of the stadium was a sight and another experience I will always cherish as I looked upon all of the blue FDNY & NYPD shirts it was heartwarming to know we were all on the same team. I felt safe again and everything would be okay for me and my family.

This is the time of year when I hurt the most, I hurt for all that lost their lives on that day and I hurt for all the people that lost someone important to them on that day. This is also the time of year I wish I still lived there so I could do something to help anyone in pain anyone that needs a hand and anyone that needs a shoulder.

How Do You Sleep At Night?

This week, try adding an hour to your average sleep time by going to bed an hour earlier than you normally would. Sleep is especially important if you are exercising regularly. The body enters an anabolic state in deep sleep, meaning the endocrine system of the body secretes more hormones that trigger cellular growth and repair. This will aid in the process of healing tissues that may be damaged from strenuous exercise, growth of new muscle tissue, and it also will boost the immune system.

As a goal of sleeping an extra hour, make sure it is all at one time, not broken up throughout the day. Don’t just take an hour nap and call it good. The body goes into different stages of sleep, called REM cycles, and it takes about ninety minutes, or an hour and a half, to go through one full cycle. This is why it is important to get a full night of uninterrupted sleep. The body needs to go through all the stages of sleep, from the deepest level of sleep to actual REM sleep, which is when dreams occur.

The average person will go through about 5 complete cycles in a good nights sleep. Not getting enough sleep can lead to some substantial negative consequences.

Sleep deprivation occurs when the body does not get adequate sleep over a prolonged period. It leads to physical and cognitive fatigue. Lack of sleep can be extremely detrimental to your overall health. Studies show that on a national average, Americans do not get enough sleep. So, try going to sleep an hour earlier every night this week, and see how it affects your general mood over the course of the week. You will feel much more alert and active throughout the course of your day.

Do You Downward Dog?

For those of you that are Yoga Zombies you do not need any further that this, for those of you that are not I strongly recommend you continue reading.  


I have been running with my dog for about two years now and still to this day it amazes me that when he sees me put on my running shoes he knows what is about to happen and he immediately starts to get ready for our run. He goes into a stretching routine with his first move resembling the picture to the right and he has never ever watched one of my P90X videos. 

A Good Reason To Get Your Sleep

If there is one thing we are good at doing, it's working. The unfortunate downside of our productivity in the workplace, however results in lack of sleep for most of us.

All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy. But, all work, some play, and no sleep make Jack an extremely unhealthy boy. Getting less than seven to eight hours of sleep each night can cause an increase in ghrelin levels, the hormone responsible for making you crave salty, sugary, and fatty foods. Ah that’s why we eat garbage because we are tired?

Chicken and Goat Cheese Pizza With Fresh Herbs

This was one of those "let's try this one and see if the kids like it" ideas. Well, I got pretty good reviews from the family on this one so give it a try and let me know what you think!

Core Training, Making Improvements and Increasing Performance

You may think of the core as isolated abdominal muscles such as the familiar transverse abdominals, oblique’s, and anterior abs. In fact, your core is the ENTIRE trunk from your hips and pelvis to your neck and cervical spine. Its purpose is to be your body’s foundation for all of your sport movements. The purpose of this foundation (your core) is to STOP or control motion, not create it.

In fact, the definition of stability in athletics is to stop or control motion in the presence of motion somewhere else in the body such as in the swinging arms and legs of a runner. The true goal of core development is to create STABILITY, which is central for superior athletic performance, protection from injury, and overall good health. The pelvis and the lumbar spine, in particular, must be rock solid.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Cream

I have had fish tacos before and I have prepared them a number of ways but last night I think I found a way that made them enjoyable not only for me but for all four of us. You see my kids are pretty picky when it comes to what we eat so I am always looking for ways to get them to eat healthy. Give this a try and I think you may find success.

Ingredients
Fish, I keep frozen tilapia in my freezer at all times, you can pick up a bag of individually sealed filets at you local Sam's Club or whatever bulk location you shop at.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound white flaky fish fillet, like tilapia or halibut

You can also bypass the marinade and do the bottled Baha Chipotle if you are culinary challenged.

Chipotle cream:
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons chipotle pepper, in adobo sauce (you can use the Baha Chipotle marinade here also!)
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage or lettuce
• 1/2 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Pour over the fish fillets and let marinate for 20 minutes. Put the yogurt into a strainer lined with paper towel and place over a bowl to drain and thicken for 20 minutes.

Remove the fish from the marinade and grill on a preheated grill or nonstick grill pan over a medium-high heat until cooked thorough, about 3 minutes per side. Set the fish aside on a plate for 5 minutes. (you can also bake this in your oven)

In a small bowl combine the thickened yogurt, mayonnaise, and chipotle pepper.

Heat the tortillas on the grill or grill pan for 30 seconds on each side.

Flake the fish with a fork. Top each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of the chipotle cream. Top with fish, cabbage, corn and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

I made a side salad to go with this that worked well if you are interested.

Ingredients
• 3 cups of Fresh Spinach
• One small can of Mandarin oranges
• Half of a medium red onion diced into 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch squares
• 1/4 cup of Ken's raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Directions

Place all in a mixing bowl and hand toss!

If you really want to get the full experience try a nice Reisling wine with this!

Make it Groundhog Day and Create Healthy Habits

You may have new motivation to lose weight, eat better, or improve your overall health. You can be successful, if you pay attention to your habits and are open to repeating them each day. It does not have to be boring but a clean, constant plan will help you create habits and reach your goals.

First I would suggest that you create your reachable goal. Make it reasonable, dropping 30 pounds in a month may not be reasonable, but 5 to 10 pounds might be. I like to break everything down, take each day one-by-one and after a week maybe 2-3 pounds is a strong start.

Try to be as specific as possible, for instance what is your goal, to gain muscle, build endurance or trim down. Is there a certain date or event you would like to reach your goal by? I started out wanting to increase my overall health and conditioning so I could coach my son’s baseball team in an active manner. As my fitness levels increased I began to increase my goals to cycling and Triathlons. Figure out what you want and write it down.

Something you hear a lot and should consider is writing down your goals and why you would like to achieve them. Why is it important to you, is it for you, your family, your job or maybe just a change in your lifestyle that will help you start fresh. After you have written them down post them somewhere so you can see them each day. This will keep them fresh in your mind as you make it through your day.

List each step needed to achieve your goal. For example: resistance training three days a week, cardio two days a week and stretching, yoga or outside activities another day. Always schedule a day off each week to let your body recover. Don’t forget your nutrition and plan that ahead as well.

I started using my Google Calender to schedule my time, ALL OF IT! I scheduled my workouts each day at the same time of the day so I had no excuse to miss them. Doing this makes you more likely to commit and make it a routine. I also posted a calendar in my garage where I did my workouts and placed a large X over each day completed, you will be surprised how accountable your kids will make you when you miss a big red star on the wall that they walk by each day.

Don’t forget to congratulate yourself along the way. For example, you lost 10 pounds in 30 days, reward yourself with a gift, for some people it’s a cheat meal, for others it’s a new article of clothing, for me it was a new piece of workout equipment of some Triathlon gear.

What is Quinoa?

First of all, if you’re wondering about pronunciation it’s pronounced “KEEN-wah“.

Next, if you’re looking for a highly nutritious carbohydrate, that’s not only going to help you stay lean, but will also maximize your energy levels, then you’re looking in the right place, quinoa really does have it all!  The taste and texture of quinoa is a bit like brown rice crossed with oatmeal. It’s fluffy, creamy, crunchy and somewhat nutty, all rolled into one.

The great thing is, it can be prepared in so many different ways, making it extremely versatile. Quinoa is commonly thought of as a grain, probably because of how we use it. But it’s actually a relative of leafy green vegetables, like spinach and Swiss chard. A cup of quinoa will give you around 127 calories, 2 grams of fat, 23.4 grams of carbohydrates (2 of those being fiber), and 4.5 grams of protein.

What is Quinoa? Unlike most grains, which contain an incomplete source of protein, you need to pair them with another food to make the meal complete, quinoa provides the full spectrum of nine essential amino acids. Quinoa is especially high in is magnesium, which is important for maintaining good cardiovascular health. Magnesium helps to relax the blood vessels, reducing the rates of hypertension, heart disease, or heart arrhythmias.

Quinoa does a wonderful job of boosting your antioxidant levels by being high in both manganese and copper, which help to promote a healthy immune system, and ensure that red blood cells remain in top condition. Since quinoa is high in fiber, it helps keep the digestive system running smoothly, and can also help reduce your chance of getting gallstones.

So, if you love your carbs, but would really like to find a healthier option to plain old white pasta or rice, quinoa is a great substitute for those higher-carb foods.