New Year's Resolutions? I don't do that crap.
But while we're on the subject of New Year's Resolutions, gym regulars hate this time of year because this is when gyms are flooded with n00bs who make New Year's Resolutions to exercise more, only to disappear from the gym a month or two later. Don't be one of those guys.
Lists, on the other hand, I can do. I already did one for my
http://personalitycafe.com/general-chat/10307-what-you-learned-2009-a.html thread, but I suppose I'll do a "top moments" one as well. Now, there are a lot of current events that generate a lot of discussion but haven’t really changed the way I do or think about things (like the Tiger Woods deal, Michael Jackson's death, or swine flu), so I won't list those. And I'm sure a lot of the things I will list won't mean all that much to you, but this is my list, not yours.
10. Blake Lively – Yeah, I went there. Sure, she’s not #1 (I’m not
that obsessed with her, people!), but she did make the list. She
shared an ice cream cone with Leighton Meester,
dressed up in bondage gear and let another woman spank her for a movie role, and
lifted up her skirt to get into the driver's seat of a Lexus SC430. All of these add up to someone who’s finally managed to get me excited about something that isn’t related to sports, training, or work. Of course, she’s also taught me that some people don’t share my taste in women, and that’s perfectly fine with me.
9. Passing the RD Exam on 9/9/09 – All my schooling, and all those Dietetic Internship hours, finally paid off as I passed my exam to become a Registered Dietitian, allowing me to move another step forward in my career.
8. The Yankees Ending an Eight-Year World Series Championship Drought – As I mentioned in my other list, seeing a city have something to cheer about makes all the negatives go away.
7. “Empire State of Mind” – While Jay-Z claims that he “made the Yankee hat more famous than the Yankees can,” it might have been the Yankees who made this song more famous than Jay-Z could, playing it for every Derek Jeter at-bat and having Jay-Z perform live at both a World Series game and the championship parade. Nonetheless, this is a great song for a great city. And while I normally have a disdain for “Part II” songs, Alicia Keys did a great follow-up as well.
6. The guy who wears this number on his jersey – In February, back when Brett Favre announced his “second retirement” and left the New York Jets, I posted a Facebook status “picturing Mark Sanchez throwing INTs in a Jets uniform next season.” Sure enough, the Jets traded up to draft Sanchez in April, and so far this season he has 20 interceptions to his credit. But at the same time, now he’s in a position to send the Jets to the playoffs with a win this week, while the Giants are out of playoff contention. Win or lose, at least he’s going to make this winter interesting . . .
5. 5/3/1 – This training program, created by former competitive powerlifter Jim Wendler, has created an Internet phenomenon, as countless gym-goers have used Wendler’s methods to break through strength plateaus. I started using this system a couple of months ago, and so far it’s been working quite well for me.
4. The Four-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss – Not many books have changed my way of thinking. This one has. If you want to learn how to stop “deferring” your life and “redesign” your lifestyle so you can do the things you want to do, while you are in the most physically capable years of your life, this is a must-read.
3. Training Three Days a Week – In 2009, I was working long, unpaid hours for my Dietetic Internship. With my lack of free time, my training was suffering. Cutting my usual upper/lower split training from four days per week to three (so I’d be working my entire body 1.5 times a week instead of two) made a huge difference in my productivity, both in and out of the gym.
2. PersonalityCafe – How could I forget you guys?
1. My Dad’s retirement – Even though my dad retired at a young age (he’s only 58 right now), in a way this was a “coming of age” for me. As he left the work force of his own accord, I am transitioning from school to the “real world.” And this is just the beginning.