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jay. the boy behind the blog. most recent zygote of estelita and florencio. has been around the sun 26 times. likes hip hop, funk & jazz, lonely planet guidebooks, orwell novels, spike lee films, steamed jasmine rice, backpacking, mom's porkchops, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, independent film and music, sunshine and lime jello. has an affinity for jet-black haired asian girls with brown almond eyes and gleaming smiles, german dogs and old skool sneakers. rocks hard and fresh - day and night 'till kingdom come.
PLACEBO IS...all things concerning my 5 'o' clock shadows and daily jaunting. you need this in your life.


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Thursday, October 25, 2007

only the good stuff
tonight, i gave my dad a lecture...

i bought the family groceries tonight and it was 100% voluntarily. i jump at the opportunity whenever possible. i like to choose and see what ingredients are readily available for my family's human consumption, not to mention, i like to choose exactly how much and which vegetables make it home in our reuseable, recycled, environmentally-friendly-i-am-a-hippie-and-so-what grocery bags.

all throughout our late night pre-closing visit to food basics, my dad was trying to pull a fast one over my head. he'd toss in the liverspreads and giant cheddar blocks, fatty cuts of meat and preservative-chalked-full nonsense; i'd follow up with a "don't eat that crap", then succeeded by the actual replacement of a healthy alternative.

when it came time to pack up and drive home, there was thick silence. driving home became even worse. it just frustrated me that even after going to his 67 year old friend's funeral viewing (who passed away from a sudden heart attack) on this very night, pops just didn't learn.

if it's been a secret then it's surely not a secret now; i am one of those statistics who are genetically predisposed to cardiovascular disease. nobody has actually traced my family history but the proof is in the pudding -- grandmama and grandpapa passed away to heart attacks, my uncle had a stroke last year and both of my parent's have high cholesterol. simple coincidence, bad omens or black magic? naw. it's just in our human fabric.

i'm not about to go out like that. i'm gonna do everything i can to make sure my parents don't either. i want them to enjoy my unborn babies that they'll call grandchildren. they already have two from my oldest brother and gatdammit, they need more! beyond that, i need them around in my life, simply to get old with me.

we can't eat the same way the older generations ate like they did back home. we're not farming our own fields anymore, casting the fishing nets or just plain sweating it out in the sun and getting dark on the daily. we're behind desks, in front of computers and living in the suburbs. since we can't injustice our brains and education by giving up our careers, we gotta watch what we eat. we need to change our ways.



...yea i felt bad afterwards, but it was well-deserved.
tonight, i gave my dad a lecture.

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jay d [ 10:12 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Saturday, October 06, 2007

it's been a while
that's a song you hear from me much too often, im sure.

but with work and preparing for a little week trip with the family to california (come thursday), i've been much too busy to post about anything. seeing that i have some time now, we'll start with this morning...

the motive (i'm big on quotes)
being a trainer and not having enough time, or should i say "making" enough time to exercise myself is both ironic and nerve-wracking. these one-day-a-week exercise sessions i give myself are taking it's toll on my sleep patterns, my stress levels and of course the layer of fat re-forming around my mid-section. what happened to my 90 day plan? anyhow, instead of bitching and moaning about it this morning, and instead of saying "i'll go in an hour" which usually turns itself into another hour and another hour and another hour - until the gym is finally closed for the day, and instead of using this autumn morning's rain as an excuse to not go, i went. i threw some cold water in my face, downloaded a podcast from podrunner and got my ass - the fuck outta bed.

i couldn't take it anymore. i was just laying in bed thinking of excuses to not go. it just wasn't right. i mean, here i am - a trainer; a person who people pay to be their guide, their teacher, motivator, friend, and role-model, spread out over my sofabed like an old bag of dirt waiting to be used for next spring. i couldn't take it anymore. and it wasn't like i was eating healthy to counteract my lack of physical activity either - i've been piling on the mc donald's breakfasts, eating those pastries and kicking back those sodas and coffee cups.

my main incentive to exercise and get my ass out of bed this morning came from the following quote i came across that i'd like to share with you. write it down or come back here and refer to it the next time you find yourself flipping through your excuse rolladex.

"you don't get to choose how you're going to die or when. you can only decide how you're going to live. now."
- joan baez



there's no such thing as "no time" to exercise. investing in yourself is not a weekend or occassional thing, it's part of your life. we have to start understanding that enhancing our physical capacity, just as much as our mental and spiritual capacities, as human beings will only and can only have a positive effect in all other facets in our lives that we deem 'more' important than health itself.

exercise improves sex.
exercise improves work.
exercise cures the mind.
and of course...exercise makes you live longer.

yea, i'm preachy but so what?
thank me when you hit your 85th birthday.

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jay d [ 2:11 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Thursday, September 27, 2007
the hard part
in terms of exercise, the hardest part is starting.

i just took a week off from my serious 3-day-a-week training regime and i must say, it was a brutal night. i did my cardio and went home. it wasn't even a true workout but it was something.

i think it's important that i realize how hard it is to start every now and then. it makes me a better trainer especially when i'm leading newbies.

keep learning and never forgetting where you started is key in anything anyone does. ego trippin' is not a good thing. ever.

hopefully, today's exercise will help me sleep a little better. all week my patterns have been whacked out. i haven't had one night of REM sleep since sunday. i tried the warm milk, i tried the late night reading, i tried the no-mid-afternoon napping and now i'm trying this...my own venom.

damn, son.

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jay d [ 9:38 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Tuesday, September 04, 2007
the comeback

"Better to hunt in fields, for health unbought,
Than fee the doctor for a nauseous draught,
The wise, for cure, on exercise depend;
God never made his work for man to mend."
~John Dryden

call it irony, but i just call it messed up; i haven't been exercising seriously since the end of july. which is pretty crazy if you think about it because a good 80% of my day is actually spent inside of a gym. ever since camping, i just haven't able to get back into the swing of things. it took me a week to get back to my normal sleeping patterns and energy level. another week was added on because suddenly, i got busy and started signing new contracts. the week after, i was going out a lot for whatever reason and then finally last week, i was struck with a nasty cold. at the end of the day, it's all excuses and i just won't stand for it.

i tell my clients that exercise should be made a part of your lifestyle rather than some weekend, leisurely thing you do whenever you get the chance. i tell them to get serious and consider exercising as important as eating, sleeping, working or even spending time with the family. meanwhile, here i am eating my ass off and not exercising.

well, summer is over, at least in my books and it's time to get serious. who says a ripped, healthy body should just be a summer thing? i was watching this informercial a couple months ago called, "P90X". it was the sequel to "power 90" released a few years ago. both exercise programs claiming to get you your "beach body" in 90 days. that's three months, roughly. it requires you to exercise six times a week which just doesnt seem realistic to me. beyond that, i'm not gonna even make an effort to commit to training 6 times a week.

with that said, today, i'm gonna start my own power 90. we'll call it the J90. i can handle and commit myself to at least three times a week. so that's three times a week, that's four weeks in a month...hmm...for three months, hence "90 days". there we go.

i'm gonna exercise on my own plan not only to get results but to see how good of a trainer i am for myself. it's important to constantly test yourself and practice what you preach. and if people are paying me to get results, then i might as well make sure i can get them their results. the first step is to experiment and what better subject to test the variables on than myself?

before and after pictures and stats to be posted.
LET'S GO!!!!

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jay d [ 7:16 AM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Thursday, July 05, 2007

okay, i admit it...
i'm reading women's magazines now. no, not for personal pleasure or anything perverted like that. i'm reading women's fitness magazines here and there. i haven't gone so far as to subscribe, thankfully, but you can catch me at the local bookstore during my breaks with my nose all up in shape or oxygen.

considering that 80% of my current client base is female - from single mother to corporate suit, i have to be down with their needs. i don't understand why more men don't hire personal trainers; maybe it's ego, maybe it's machismo but at the end of the day, most dudes just aren't training right. that's another story though. back to the ladies, i have to cater to my audience and if that requires me reading up on the latest fitness trends and focus of what their magazines dictate, then so be it. i don't discredit my own knowledge though, i simply combine my knowledge of strength training and conditioning with elements of flexibility, cardio endurance and the overused "toning" word. one of the benefits of having a male trainer is that he'll push you and motivate you in ways that most female trainers wouldn't. i have grit, i'll make you work and most often, i'll have no mercy. as men, we don't tend to be empathetic and i use this to my advantage. to a healthy and safe extent, i'd call it "tough love". on top of all that, i'm a cheap dude; i make sure you get your money's worth in every session. besides, not too many femme trainers will make you train like a boxer - grueling it out with a jump rope for 3 x 3minute rounds of skipping followed by focus pads and heavy bag work. that's at least 1000 calories per hour!! not too many female trainers will take you by your hand and lead you to that often feared and forbidden free weight area where all the gorillas are throwing around iron.

in terms of the boxing, in case you were wondering, y'all will never catch me in spandex or men's yoga pants doing the "boxfit" thing. i keep it thorough it's real kickboxing and real boxing. the stuff you can actually apply in the event that some jerk tries to grab a handful of you.

just know, if keeping it "thorough" requires me to read shape or oxygen, then so be it.

be healthy, ladies.

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jay d [ 6:51 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

rate well: shaq's family challenge
one thing that gave me shivers down my spine during my undergrad life, was in my 3rd year health promotion lecture. my prof said the following (bolded for emphasis):

"our generation will be the first to bury our kids if we don't change our lifestyles...nutrition and activity."

that shit fucked me up. it's all around us, but we don't think about it. with all of the technological advances, all of the advances in agricultural biotechnology and hence the easily-obtained abudance in (inorganic, man-made, nutrient-lacking, fake) food, bombardment of fast food ads, not to mention the politicians scrapping physical activity programs in the school system, it's a scary time for today's youth. all i had to worry about when i was young was tomorrow's social environmental studies test or whether or not my brother left me the key under the doormat. obesity is prevalent in the U.S., and canada is rapidly taking suit. however, don't for a second think that obesity is something exclusive to adulthood. children don't buy their groceries or pay for their meals when dining out, parents do. beyond that, children mimic their parents - so when mom or dad adds tons of salt or sugar to their food, then kids will do the same. if mom and dad aren't physically active once in a while then why would kids be inspired to do the opposite? then we wonder why kids are getting obese too.

it's one thing to say something's a problem, but it's another thing to do something about it and actually make change. talk is cheap but not for mr. o'neal. shaq's new show, "big challenge" is a breath of fresh air on the tube. during each reality-type episode, shaq is attempting to educate and change the lives of youth not only on the actual program, but for the children and parents watching, just the same. if you get the chance, try and catch an episode on abc tuesday nights; it gets the double thumb-up on my part. the website is pretty informing too.

keep your kids in mind...even if you aren't parents yet, you can start by taking care of yourselves.

kudos to shaq, even if he can't shoot free-throws.

SHAQ ATTAQ!!!
(you know i had to say it)

[shaq's family challenge official website]
[shaq's big challenge @ ABC]

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jay d [ 7:29 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

even kinesiologists have bad habits (bring'n sexy back)
every now and then, when i don't realize it, i start to slouch. not when i'm walking around or anything, but usually when im sitting at the computer. let's face it, laptops were not designed for good posture. unless you've invested some well earned cash into buying a laptop stand for your computer, the laptop screen is NOT in line with your eyes. this in turn, causes you to tilt you neck and that in turn causes you to slouch most of the time. bad news, especially for extended amounts of time staring at these stupid screens the way we do.

while reading this, you probably started to have a moment of self-awareness and checked out your own posture. go ahead....that's your cue to sit up straight. even i have to admit, i don't always sit up straight or set up my work station ergonomically correct. we're human, that's all. sitting up straight requires work and effort. slouching feels so much relaxing and better. true. true. true. but think about the long term effects....lower back pain and more, it's just not aesthetically pleasing to anyone's eyes.

for my femme readers...here are some visuals:
  • mary kate olsen bad posturing
  • kirsten dunst walking like an egyptian

    so man or woman, boy or girl, dog or cat, sit up. chest out. pull your shoulders back and try..please, try to keep your chin up whether walking, surfing the web or even standing at the urinal. don't be the hunchback of notre dame. that's not pretty and it's certainly not handsome.

    don't mention it...you can thank me later.

    [workstation tips to improve posture]
    [alexander technique]

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    jay d [ 8:45 AM ] | 3 hooked me up!

    Monday, June 18, 2007
    outreach
    funny how i wrote about chemistry in that last post because today i picked up a very fitting client. he's 14, 5'4" and filipino. btw, he weighs 210lbs.

    his goals are simple - he wants to weigh 165lbs and wants to be healthy.
    he just wants to be healthy.

    goals like these are easily attainable as long as he's willing to put in the time, dedication and effort. while consulting this client today, his mom asked, "is it possible for him to lose the weight?"

    "anything is possible as long as you believe and stay dedicated", i replied.

    believing is one thing, but staying dedicated has a lot to do with me keeping our training fresh, interesting and effective. as far as im concerned, he can lose the weight and will lose the weight. in my mind, as i design his program with short and long term goals being considered, he's already losing the weight before we've started.

    i take care of my corporate clients because they pay me big money. i take care of my average clients, the clients who just want to be healthy because it goes beyond the money. it has to do with my love for helping people live longer and that goes hand in hand with not only me challenging myself to plan a workout but more so with challenging clients to reach their goals. everyone gets the million dollar treatment.

    here's where i start sounding cliche...i'll train anyone who wants to be trained. if you take one step towards me, i'll take four towards you. i mean it though.
    getting off the couch and into the gym is a big step that most are scared to take. most people believe that change, especially in terms of weight loss, is a gradual progression. that's bogus perception.

    change is instantaneous; it happens the moment you realize you're in need of change.

    heavy, ain't it?

    health is wealth, fam. not only my wealth, but ultimately yours.

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    jay d [ 11:54 PM ] | 2 hooked me up!

    Sunday, June 17, 2007
    exercise involves chemistry
    if you're ever planning on investing in a personal trainer, whether it be for a short term relationship or a long term one, make sure there's a chemistry there. i'm not saying find a trainer that you plan on marrying or anything like that, i'm saying find a trainer who can motivate you the way you need to motivated. some people need tough love, drill-sgt. like trainers to kick their ass and push them to their limits. others need patient, laid back trainers who can still challenge and inspire without calling you a weak, snot-nosed, fat slob.

    test drive your trainers. we're like cars. some are fast, some are slow. some are big, some are small. some are reliable and others aren't. most trainers won't or shouldn't have a problem with giving you a free workout, and if they do, fuck'em. who wants to drop a grand for training sessions with a trainer that won't even get you your results, or with a trainer who won't give a shit the way you need them to give a shit, or with a trainer who you just won't get along with ultimately?

    trainers and clients need chemistry.

    on the flip side, i have a right to refuse or even "fire" my clients. hopefully, it never comes to that. thankfully, all my clients are pretty cool. i guess my director matched up good leads with my laid-back ass-kicking-duality mentality.

    ahem...i try and strike a fine balance.

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    jay d [ 11:22 AM ] | 0 hooked me up!

    Monday, June 04, 2007
    masterpiece mondays: scrub-a-dub (happy birthday)
    in my profession, you gotta keep your hands clean. i handle dirty equipment, dirty weights, dirty clients who sweat dirty sweat and i touch all sorts of surfaces.

    handwashing has been a vital part of my life prior to SARS hitting toronto, prior tome becoming a health scientist and before i started using squat toilets in thailand. my mom, being the nurse she was, always shoved that handwashing lifestyle down our throats.

    nowadays, whether you work in a gym, hospital, office or simply touch other things that people have been touching, it's a no brainer that washing your hands is the shit. it's the cool thing to do. after all....you wouldn't wanna touch your genitals with someone else's germs, would you?

    today's first installment of masterpiece mondays is more like a PSA.
    first, let some filipinos tell you how to wash up...





    [DIY: proper handwashing x singing happy birthday]

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    jay d [ 6:47 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

    Monday, May 14, 2007

    i got it (the beginning of my legacy)
    i'm the new personal trainer for the sports clubs of canada.
    i'll be working weird hours catering and training people in power who rock suits. i'll also be training housewives, the obese, the injured, athletes and whoever wants a detailed workout.

    gotta shower fam; today is training day.
    i'm jacked up.

    one more thing....i know i have an ashy right ankle. fuck off.

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    jay d [ 8:46 AM ] | 1 hooked me up!

    Monday, May 07, 2007

    dirty bird
    so kfc canada is advertising how they've cut out all trans fats from their chicken. you might sit there and think that's great. i sit here and say, "so what?"

    ok, sure it's a step in the right direction, but at the end of the day, fried chicken is still just that - fried chicken. don't get me wrong, im like any other filipino who eats kfc with rice and ketchup and gravy but i try and do it a mere 2 maybe 3 x a year. it's garbage and it's expensive garbage. so the chicken isn't being fried in trans fatty oil, that's cool; less of a chance of me or you getting coronary heart disease. how about cutting down on the sodium? salt will stop your heart in it's tracks too. what about the fatty skin (the best part to some of you)? who does the butchering of these chickens, blind workers? surely a normal person doesn't leave that much fatty skin hanging off a piece of poultry. how about the sides? you probably eat kfc with fries or a creamy salad during your lunch break at work, don't you? why don't they make more healthy sides here in canada? rice? fresh salad?


    at the end of the day, don't fall into the trap of thinking kfc is healthy and the colonel is suddenly your best friend who cares bout your health. at the end of the day, kfc is a business serving up cheap processed eats quickly.

    rule of thumb on how to eat -- stay away from processed food, especially the kind missing the most valuable ingredient; TLC (tender loving care). pack your lunch, fam and be right. if not for that reason alone...then fine, save money while at it, too!

    [4 minutes of kfc cruelty]
    [kfc switches to no trans fat oil]

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    jay d [ 8:24 AM ] | 0 hooked me up!

    Tuesday, May 01, 2007

    "there's no time", they say
    believe it or not, even i, myself, sometimes, find it hard to get my sweat-on. for whatever reason, the hardest part is making your comeback. everybody knows they should get exercise but making that first step can be brutal (literally).

    i personally believe that the best treatment is prevention. hence, to never find yourself in that hole where you say "there's no time", find the root cause of your lack of time, not to mention the root cause of the dozens of other excuses you have lined up in your rolodex of excuses to use for not exercising.

    below, i've linked a nice article on msn health. if that's not motivating enough, just remember that bikini and boarder short weather is just around the corner.

    quote me if you ever forget....
    change begins in you mind, actions are secondary.

    [why we stop working out + how to keep going]

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    jay d [ 8:07 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

    Tuesday, April 24, 2007
    walk on by
    now that the great weather is finally here, indulge yourself in it.
    i'm kind of proud of the fact that i've been walking to the store and nearby plaza. living in the burbs, it's hard to get from point A to point B if you're not behind the wheel. one has to admit, compared to city living, the suburbs just aren't pedestrian friendly. this kind of explains why the well-to-do people who move to the burbs get all fat and lethargic; they're not walking around like they would if they were in the city core and most certainly aren't in the parks with their kids. a city environment allows you to walk from shop to shop, store to store and through markets. if you need fresh ingredients, shoot, walk to chinatown and cop some veg and fish. wanna check out the latest best sellers?...walk to the train station, hop on the next eastbound and hit the city streets to find the cool and obscure bookstores and record shops. that's the plus side to living in the city. i'm a suburban boy though and i wouldn't trade my fresh air and lawnspace for all of that. being the creative fitness enthusiast i am, there's always a way for me to get my exercise-on if there's a will.

    this morning, through the power of suggestion, i motivated mama dukes (mom) to walk to the nearest asian supermarket to cop some fresh fish for lunch. talk about fresh, the fish monger was still setting up his display on ice. we copped the lapu lapu - whole, some green onion, ginger and chinese pastries. if you're gonna eat, work for your food. walk. this same sentiment was applied just the other day, sunday, when once again, i asked moms to join me in a post-supper walk to dairy queen to cop some sugary satisfaction. she's a classic lady and opted for the banana split. i got a small blizzard; a kit kat one.

    walking eases your mind and gets the blood flowing. it keeps you healthy and allows to really appreciate your surroundings. so the next time you find your fat, lethargic, ugly butt sitting in front of the tube or computer, get up and take a walk. fill your lungs with the fresh, crisp air of the new season. the winter was far too long to not take advantage of this weather.

    besides, get over the idea that you have to hit a gym or break into mad tshirt-stained sweats to get some health. little steps go a long way.

    small steps towards longer life (healthy opportunities often overlooked):
  • park far away (and walk!)
  • get off your bus a block or two away from your destination (and walk!!)
  • bypass the escalator & elevator; take the stairs (and walk!)
  • throw your dog's leash on (and walk!)

    health is wealth, fam.
    take care of yourselves and be well.

    [read more about the benefits of walking...]

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    jay d [ 11:36 AM ] | 3 hooked me up!

    Monday, April 23, 2007

    to the music
    at the gym they always play adult contemporary. it's been that way since i started visiting the Y and that was way back when i was 16 or 17 years old. 9 years later, i, haven't complained and nobody else has either. 9 years later, regardless of the age set visiting the gym and working out, celine dion's "love can move mountains" can be heard through the soundwaves while young teens attempt to push double their weight over their chest and while big-gutted fat men squat weights equivalent to small japanese hatchbacks. music like that isn't very inspiring and it sure as hell ain't energizing.

    music is a big factor in getting yourself excited and pumped or relaxed and mellowed out - whether it's sex, studying, exercise or just to relax, different music sets different moods. it's no rocket science. this is precisely why when i visit the gym, i pack some sort of personal listening device. from my MD player of the past to my current ipod shuffle, packing my own customized music is as important as packing a bottle of water when i train. the headphones in my ears also act as a beacon of light for those failing to understand the anti-social aspect of me when i train (it's a gym. get serious about your training and stop talking to me like we're at a social tea party set in an english garden. shut it!!!).

    anyhow, if you ever needed a serious playlist to fine tune your workout, feel free to copy mine below:
    "i'm bad" - l.l. cool j
    "time 4 sum aksion" - redman
    "daytona 500" - ghostface killah
    "follow the leader" - eric b. & rakim
    "b.o.b. - outkast
    "welcome to the terrordome" - public enemy
    "ante up (remix)" - m.o.p. feat. busta rhymes
    "living proof" - group home
    "release yo delf" - method man
    "wicked" - ice cube
    "real hip hop" - das efx
    "how i could just kill a man" - cypress hill

    a classic rock/metal version to be posted soon***

    enjoy....because sarah mclachlan's "adia" just wasn't motivating enough for my training.

    TURN IT UP!

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    jay d [ 8:56 AM ] | 0 hooked me up!

    Tuesday, February 27, 2007

    life skills...that's pretty clever
    continuing the career hunt, i decided to take a breather and check out what's the latest news in kinesiology. after all, i should be up to date with these things if i'm gonna be a professional.

    fate be told however, this (coffee green-tea) break path led right back to the career path. i found it kind of clever and i'm sure we can all agree with this article about life-skills.

    *snickering**...as if they'll ever include that into college and university curriculum.
    it's well worth the read, though.

    [pratical life skills requirement would benefit all students]

    exercise, dammit. it's more useful than you think
    here's a bonus article i also came across. i heard this back in my "physical activity: health and aging" course and i guess it's just starting to hit the general population. who'da thunk it?....i'd'a thunk it.

    take care of yourselves, fam.

    [studies indicate exercise may boost brain power]

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    jay d [ 3:04 PM ] | 2 hooked me up!

    Sunday, February 18, 2007

    gluttonot
    how not to be gluttonous. so i'm about ready to head to the church in a few, and thereafter, lunch at my cousin's crib. there will be filipino food and there will be italian food. if you understand the dynamics of both cultures -- that's a lot of food.

    so how do you prepare yourself for these eating bonanzas? before you head to big family parties or all-you-can eat buffets, how do you prepare? here are some tips so you don't end up being chunky:

    eat first
    i'm not saying eat right before you leave; i am saying eat at least some food earlier. it's only the fool's strategy to not eat the whole day prior to a big event surrounding food. i myself used to be guilty of this when i was younger. this way, that little rubber pouch in your body called the stomach will be stretched out a bit and ready to handle any number of buffet rounds you can muster.

    warm-up
    this relates to the elasticity of your stomach and the whole g.i. tract in general. start off with a nice cup of tea or soup. the east asians and indians had that right for years! the higher in temperature something is, the more pliable and therefore, more stretcheable -- especially if you plan on having room for the best part of the meal: apple pie a la mode.

    use your plate as the guidelines
    don't overfill your plate because it's easier to not get up and walk to the food table. work for yours! only fill the plate up to the inner rim of your plate. and stop piling heaps and mountains -- this isn't a farm and you guys aren't swine eating slop.

    hydrate
    if your pee is yellow, you're not hydrated enough. drink more water. dehydration is often mistaken for hunger. don't fool yourselves.

    keep those little tidbits of info the next time you're about to get you're grub on. and by all means, don't ever deprive yourself. you can eat fat and salt and sugar...just in moderation. all things in moderation.
    i gots to get my own grub-on. peace, fam.

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    jay d [ 12:11 PM ] | 1 hooked me up!

    Wednesday, February 14, 2007

    i remember back in the days when i used to get up extra early as a kid, rush to my mom and dad's bed, open one of my mom's closed eyelids as she slept and question, "mom, are you awake?...i'm hungry".

    i remember a point in time when i felt like i was intruding on my dad's way of life. i used to page him at work because he was late to pick me up and drop me off to my karate class.

    in retrospect, my parents sacrificed a lot for my two brothers and i. in retrospect, i think we've grown up as quite the successors. *relieved sigh** we're alright. although they weren't there all day - everyday for us, we found ways to take care of each other and ourselves. looking back now, i can fully appreciate their hustle just to feed us, clothe us and buy us our segas, g.i. joes and ninja turtles. looking back in full appreciation, i can also fully appreciate them both bravely coming here to foreign canada just to pave the way for us and our future.

    mom and pops are both university graduates and mom and pops never stopped loving us no matter how busy they were and how bumpy their relationship with one another might've been. my parents perfectly executed an example and template in how we all are or will be living our adult lives.

    the latest study, according to statistics canada reveals that canadians today are spending on average, more time at work and less time with their families. this time "at home" includes time helping the kids with their homework, watching t.v. and having dinner with the family as a whole.

    where are our values going?

    the answer: cabbage. cheddar. money. green power.
    salaries haven't changed that much but the cost of living, health care and insurance have increased by leaps and bounds since the comparative 1986 study. crazy.

    some of you reading me, have kids already, some of you will have kids one day....all i can say is - family first.
    no matter what (and no matter how ugly your kids will be), put your family first.
    it's harder now than it was before and it's just gonna get harder.

    i hope you remember this post one day.

    love ya moms. love ya pops.

    [work eating into family time, study reveals]

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    jay d [ 11:17 AM ] | 6 hooked me up!

    Friday, February 02, 2007

    health is wealth: france butts out
    watch this first...
    caffeine and nicotene = bad news. since coming back, i've slowly been weaning myself off coffee in the mornings and switching to green or ginger teas. but why would you wanna hear it from a scientist when you can hear the wu-tang clan bringing the pain?!

    star-power - see what i mean?

    toronto became smoke free back in may. the other day, i was watching this segment on the news and it concerned how france has future plans to butt out just the same.
    go figure - when you have 66,000 deaths a year related to smoking, i guess as a government concerned for the well-being of its people, you have to start thinking change somehow.

    what's crazy about france is the mentality over there. i understand it's a "european" thing but subjects interviewed stating, "[the goverment] can't ban smoking because it's impossible for coffee to be enjoyed without a cigarette" is messed. it's part addiction and pleasure i'm sure but a lot of this cafe culture thing is really image; it's been a part of their lifestyle for decades. i guess these fools don't drink sprite ("image is nothing").

    i applaud you france. it was about time.
    my yankee brothers and sisters....are you next?

    smokers or non-smokers, peep the links below (it just might save your life).
    [france smoking ban into effect]
    [my favourite propaganda: thetruth.com]

    health is wealth.

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    jay d [ 8:41 AM ] | 1 hooked me up!