What’s the Big Idea?

How about a ten point plan to reduce unemployment in a big way.

 

Here is a test question. Which political party was responsible for the 100,000 plus workers who lost their jobs building carburetors? And of course the answer is neither, it was fuel injection. A new technology. I believe technology plays a larger role in the loss of jobs than either political party and conversely the creation of new jobs. Sure some regulations or lack of certain regulations may play a part, but it’s technology.

Remember the movie, The Graduate, when Mr. McQuire tells the movie’s main character, Ben Braddock, that there is “a great future in plastics”. Well, that is what needs to be said today about technology, that there is “a great future in technology”. Technology and owning your own business where technology plays a large role.

Such as owning your own news publishing business in the form of a blog, make money with Adsense.

You can have your own hosting business with GVO for as little as $9.97 a month. You have hosting, with cpanel access, autoresponder, blogger builder, Easy Video Producer, Video Conferencing and Live training all for only $9.97 per month.

Here is another business option, 7 Minute Workout, check it out. It’s a great workout program for yourself, especially if you are busy and it is a great business opportunity for people who are on a low budget, only $9.97 a month.

A third option would be a nutrition business. Here’s the one I have been with since 1995, take a look it could be just what you are looking for.

In any event, don’t wait until technology does away with your job, look towards technology as your friend and use it to set you free from the uncertain world of politics. Nobody cares more about you than you, so don’t wait, take charge right now.

Learn something new

Obama to travel to Red State!

The tickets are FREE to hear President Obama speak in Osawatomie, Kansas

Obama is scheduled to speak at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday in the Osawatomie High School gymnasium at 12th and Trojan Drive.

The event is free and open to the public but tickets will be required. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis starting at noon Sunday at the Osawatomie High School main lobby. One ticket per person will be distributed and there is a limited number of tickets.

For security reasons, do not bring bags and limit personal items. No signs or banners are permitted. All attendees will go through airport-like security.

Other blog post you may find interesting.

Obama looks to channel Teddy Roosevelt in Kansas
Democrats: President Obama heading to Osawatomie Tuesday
President Obama to Visit Osawatomie, Kan on December 6
Cantor & Obama – Two Leaders. Same Words. Different Meanings.

My friend and training partner, Rusty Folsom, is going to Afghanistan to work for a year. He is not in the military, but is a civilian and is an IT professional. Rusty has two jobs, one in IT and the other as a trainer at our local YMCA.

You see, Rusty wants more from life and believes he can achieve it by leaving the safety of America and going to Afghanistan to work. I think that is so cool and I’m very proud of Rusty. Rusty is married so he is leaving someone behind. It was not an easy decision for Rusty.

I think Rusty just hit upon the solution to America’s unemployment problem. If more people would get out of their comfort zone and do what ever it takes to get a job America’s unemployment problem could be solved.  Hey, this is just me talking.

Ok, enough said about Rusty, now let me tell you about my workout for today. Parts of it were very tough.

I started out with 30 minutes on the stationary bike, not hard, only
went 5.35 miles and burned 164 calories. Yes, I watch Fox and Friends, but I tell you I think I’m going to switch to listening to music. The news sure drains the energy from me.

Then I did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer, the one where you can use your arms.  That was more difficult, I burned 275 calories and went 2.48 miles.

I’m including pictures of all the machines I used today.

Now the 7 minute workout was the most difficult, I sure felt it later.

The first exercise I did was the incline bench press and I use the Smith Machine.  After my warm of 10 reps, I did 4 reps to failure using a weight of 140 pounds. My goal is to reach failure with only 4 reps with each exercise. This truly works my muscles and I’m breathing hard when I finish.  There is a picture of the Smith
Machine I used.

The exercise was the Pec Deck Flies and I used the Pec Deck machine. Once again I would do 10 reps with a light weight just for my warm up. I reach failure using 100 pounds and 8 reps. This tells me that the weight was a little to light so next time I do this exercise I will use a heavier weight.

My third exercise was the triceps press down. After the warm up, I was able to reach failure with 4 reps using a weight of 90 pounds. I used the same machine for the fouth exercise which was the reverse triceps press down.  I did not use a heavy enough weight and reached failure in 6 reps. The weight was 70 pounds. Ten more pounds would be just right. The reverse was harder
for me than the standard triceps press down.

The fifth exercise was the seated press and after the warm up I went to failure with 10 reps using a weight of 140 pounds. I clearly could have used a heavier weight.

The final exercise for today was the seated triceps. 80 pounds was the number that caused me to go to failure after 4 reps. I will stay at this weight the next time I do this set of exercises.

I finished off my workout with the hundred ups. Yesterday I did 130 of them and today I increased that to 150 reps. I could feel the extra 20 reps when I finished.

I thought you would enjoy these quotes from Zig Zigler and some of his friends. Just click the play button and set back and enjoy.

BTW, I will be posting my workout for today after my oatmeal and my nap. lol It was a tough one. I took pictures of the machines I used in the 7 minute workout plus I will be posting the weights I used for each exercise. This will give me a base to work from.

Today started out with some warm weather, 36 degrees. It was a pleasant bike ride to the Y.

Paul and I had a little coffee and conversation before we got in the pool. He did his regular workout, swimming circles around me. lol And I did mine.

I laid out my book, Triathlon Swimming Made Easy by Terry Laughlin, founder and head coach of Total Immersion swimming, at the shallow end of the pool. This way I would be able to review the drills I would be working on today.

I have been using my finis zoomer fins. I am a very poor kicker, actually when I started this slow process of learning to swim I would go backwards.  I learned that is not all that uncommon with beginning swimmers.

Terry says in his book that if you are a poor kicker then it may help to use fins when you are doing the drills. Now that is for drills only,when you start swimming the full stroke you need to drop the fins.

Well, I have been doing the drills with the Zoomers, the one where you are at the side of the pool and you extend your leg straight and flex and extend your foot attempting to move the water.   Then when I would get to the deep end I would do a few vertical kicking drills.

Today, after I drilled for a while I took off the Zoomers and found that I could actually move forward when I was just kicking. I would lay face down in the water and kick and I moved forward. I would not push off from the wall, because I wanted all my forward movement to come from my kick. That made me feel good.

After I finished my swimming drills, I did the hundred up exercise. I increased from 100 reps to 130, 65 per leg. The image on the right is one of Chris McDougall demonstrating the Hundred Up exercise. Click here to see his video.

Jumping back to Terry’s book, Triathlon Swimming Made Easy,  you may be wondering who this book  is written for and could you benefit from it.  Here is what Terry has to say on the subject.

Novice Swimmers You‘ll learn a foolproof way to master essential foundations of comfort, confidence, and ease by finding harmony with the water and experiencing the transforming joy of weightless gliding. Once you achieve that—quite likely in your first pool practice–-you‘ll have an inspiring sense of future possibility.

Frustrated (or Failed) Swimmers If previous lessons have left you high and dry, or you still feel uncomfortable, or tire too easily, you‘ll learn the problem isn‘t with you, but with flaws in traditional instruction. When you learn the right way, you‘ll feel the difference—and a new sense of optimism–during your first pool session. Read the rest of this entry

It was 21 degrees when I got to the Y this morning at 04:45 am. Since I rode my bike it was cool to say the least, but I was dressed for it. I got there just a couple minutes before it opened. That picture was taken last year during a snow storm, but I was dressed the same this morning.

I started my workout with a 65 minute bike ride on a stationary bike, I climbed hills.  Paul joined me for 30 minutes of that ride on the other bike watching Fox and Friends. Later in the hour after I was warmed up,  I did a 90, 100, 110 drill. I would spin at a cadence of 90 for 15 seconds, rest for 45 seconds, spin 100 for 15, rest 45 then spin at 110 and rest for 45 seconds.  I did 10 sets of these with a 2 minute rest in between sets. The resistance would vary throughout this drill, sometimes easy and then very hard.

After my bike ride, I did the 7 Minute Workout for Shoulders and Abs.  The first exercise was overhead press seating on a bench using the smith machine. Second was upright rows followed by the upright fly exercise. After that I did the rear fly exercise using the machine for that exercise. Then it was the shoulder shrugs using dumb bells rolling to the back and then to the front.  The last exercise was done using the ab machine.  The 7 Minute Workout program provides videos of each exercise and I’ve placed them on my smart phone so I can be sure I’m performing the exercises correctly.

The final thing I did was the hundred up exercise to prepare for the running I will be doing.  After that, I rode my bike to the Whistle Stop to have coffee and conversation with my non-exercising buddies. lol  I’m working on them, but I can’t seem to get any of them to get up at 4 am let along go to the Y.

 

Tuesdays are our swim day. Galen, Paul and I were at the pool at our local YMCA around 5am to have some coffee and conversation before the pool opened at 5:30am.

I worked on my Total Immersion drills, the switch, the double switch and the triple switch. Next Thursday I will continue to work on these drills and will add in the zipper switch drill. Paul and Galen were swimming circles around me. Galen was swimming in the lane next to me and he would ask me when I was going to start swimming. I told him I was simply following Coach Terry’s program from the Total Immersion series.  Here is a Coach Terry tip.

Becoming an Energy-Conscious Swimmer

“You must learn ease before focusing on speed or endurance. When there’s so much energy waste, there’s nearly limitless opportunity to improve through saving energy. But no one takes this approach naturally because each energy-saving strategy is counter-intuitive. You have to realize they’re advantageous, then make a conscious decision to practice them with patience until they replace your instincts for harder work. Becoming aware is the first step.”  For more tips click here.

As you can see from the picture I definitely need to learn how to do the freestyle stoke.  In my first triathlon I swam the entire 850 yards on my back and was last out of the water. lol 
Read the rest of this entry

I registered for the Kansas City Triathlon – Sprint Distance

Event Confirmation: # 49122429-112611201433

Date & Time:  Sunday, May 20, 2012 @ 7:30 AM

Location: Longview Lake Beach, Lee Summit, MO, 64134 LEE SUMMIT, MO

The maps for the Swim, Bike and Run courses are at the end of this post.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Read the rest of this entry