From the monthly archives:

December 2009


Health Challenge Exercise Goals for 2010

by John P.

Ok folks, tomorrow is the first day of the Health Challenge! And I don’t know about you, but I’ve given myself some pretty aggressive exercise goals for this year’s challenge. So, over the next two months, here is what I would like to achieve:

  • 2,500 Pushups – That is 50 pushups a day for 50 out of the 60 available days. Should help my arms, chest, back, and cardio.
  • 1,000 Bicep Curls – Obviously, this is just for one thing! Cause the ladies love a good gun show! :-) I typically curl 30 pounds (per arm) X 30 reps, 3-4 days a week. If I achieve this, I will have curled 15 Tons per arm during the two months.
  • 1,000 Squat Thrusts – This is an all around exercise which is especially great for the abs.
  • 10 Miles on the Treadmill – Ok, this might not seem that agressive to you guys, but I sustained injuries in the Marine Corps and running is a little painful. But still, I want the cardio.
  • 250 Pullups – I mounted a pullup bar in my house, and I intend to work these in for more upper body strength throughout the program.

That’s it! Now, in case you worry that this is a fairly limited routine, let me remind you that in the Marine Corps just about the only exercises we did were pushups, pullups, situps, squats and running. And in 13 weeks of boot camp people’s bodies changed. So I guarantee you that if you will set some goals on the exact same exercises as I’m doing here, you will see weight loss as well as strength and endurance gains. (Of course you still have to stick to our rules!)

So, how about it? Do a little math and then let me know what you are committing to for the next 8 weeks!

(Photo courtesy of Pierre Gazzola and of Major Dave Quick, C.O. – India Co., 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment.)


Review: Griffin PowerJolt Reserve iPhone Charger and Battery

December 30, 2009
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I’m not sure what other people think about the Griffin 9785-PJLTRSV PowerJolt Reserve for iPhone & iPod, but I for one love it. This is a little cigarette lighter adapter for your car which allows you to plug in your standard iPhone USB charging cord to power-up your phone while on the road. But it [...]

Stop Scraping Snow and Ice and Use A Windshield Cover

December 29, 2009
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Today it’s snowing in Dallas. Rare, but it happens. Even more often we get terrible ice storms. And there is nothing worse than trying to scrape ice off the windows of a car for like half an hour when its freezing outside. So guess what… You don’t have to do that! If you have a [...]

Tutorial: Password Protect an Entire WordPress Blog

December 27, 2009

Recently I had the need to set up a couple of blogs that I only wanted people who are logged in to be able to access. After a little research and experimentation I came across the following fix. So lets say you wanted to set up a Blog for just the use of your own [...]

Diet Coke Makes You FAT – So, Don’t Drink It!

December 26, 2009

Yeah, I said it. But there is a lot of data to support this fact, and we’re going to run it down for you. Because everyone I know who considers themselves overweight also drinks diet drinks – as if they think this helps. Well, it doesn’t. It hurts! So stop drinking that crap! Here’s why… [...]

David Bowie and Bing Crosby Sing “Little Drummer Boy”

December 25, 2009

I just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season (if you aren’t Christian). The spirit of the season is shared by all, and I hope this little performance by David Bowie and Bing Crosby brings a little smile to your face.

Halleluja! New Rules for the Airline Industry: 3 Hours Max on the Tarmac!

December 22, 2009
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I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced the hell of being trapped on an airplane against your will, but I have on numerous occasions. Years ago I was trapped in a plane in Boston for 6 hours. We were even at the gate, but they literally would not let us off the plane although it [...]

The John P. Health Challenge 2010 Official Rules!

December 18, 2009

Ok folks, you’ve got less than 2 weeks of gluttony left before the Health Challenge starts again. We’re going to be getting in shape together after this holiday situation as a New Year’s Resolution, Ok? So who is with me on this? And by the way, there are going to be a number of changes [...]

Scott Ellis and I Talk Coffee and Woopra

December 17, 2009

Good lord. I hate to watch myself on video! But for those of you who are sick and want to torture yourself, you can listen to this little interview I did with Scott Ellis in which we discuss Woopra and the ways that people can actually use a real-time Web analytics tool like this to [...]