Chronicles: Alan B. Rowley II - Success Warrior - ECoach - P90X

Check Out This VeloMobile!

 

How sweet is that?  Love the blurred motion that makes it look like this guy is zooming down the road at high speed and maybe he is.  I read a blog where a guy got his velo up to 42 mph on the flat.  Downhill, you could probably reach any suicidal speed that you wanted.

Besides the phallic-ness of this thing, it also has headlights, brake lights, turn signals, and a horn.  There is an optional covering for those rainy days.

 

I can just see myself cruising in this thing, just for fun.  Never mind commuting. 

In my current situation, I can't justify buying it with the "it will pay for itself" mindset.  Since I live 120 miles from a city, I'm going to have to keep the Hummingbird for real travel.  That means that I will still have to pay insurance and registration.  All that's left is the gas that I use to drive around town.

I probably spend $30-$40 a month on gas for the Hummingbird.  It would take me 20 years of driving to justify the Velo.  Too bad too.  However, the prices of velos are bound to come down, the price of gas is  bound to go up, and I may just end up buying one for fun anyway (with a side benefit of using it to commute).

I'm going to print up a couple of pics and ask the Universe to deliver. 

An Even Better Hybrid

Excuse the couple days off that I took.  My mind wandered off on its own again and I've been out looking for it.  During my trip, I managed to get food poisoning (a story that I'm not going to go into because it shows how stoopid I am).  I was actually thinking about taking a few more days off (like indefinitely) but I got an email from Ray with a great resource that I need to pass on.

If you recall, my last post, oh-so-many days ago was about better vehicles.  Well, there's a new (new to me at least) hybrid on the market now.  Part electric, part human.  No gas at all.  How cool is that?

"Heh, heh, he said mono-cock."  "Shut up Beavis!"

No gas, no insurance, no registration fees (a biggee in Nevada).

Obviously, there are some limitations.  First is the shock factor of paying 10 grand for a bicycle.  It would of course pay for itself over time but still.  I read several articles on the velomobile after Ray sent me the email and the price is expected to go down as they get more popular.

Weather is still a limitation, especially for people in the north but this would give an option during the rest of the year.  They make them with complete shells so that it can be ridden even in cooler, wetter weather.  They can be ridden in the snow but the single wheel for propulsion gives limited traction so you may end up pushing if you have to go uphill and there are no windshield wipers.

Most of the limitations actually come from the crazy lifestyle that we have created.  By "we", I don't mean me.  In Utah, it's not uncommon to commute 60 miles or more to get to work.  I have never commuted more than a few miles to work because it just seems too crazy to spend that much time in a car.  It's supposed to be very easy to cruise at 20 mph in a velomobile but a 60 mile commute is obviously out.  They could be used to commute from the suburbs to public transportation (which would have been easier to do if we wouldn't have dismantled so much of it).

Another limitation that we have talked about with SMART cars and the GM/Segway electric car is the size.  Where there aren't bike lanes, you have to share the road with Yukons that might not be able to see such a low profile vehicle.  Defensive driving would be a must.  Can you believe that here in big West Wendover (pop. 5,000), we have bike lanes?  Nice.

The other limitation for some people is that part of the hybrid power comes from humans.  Some humans might find that revolting.  I won't bother telling them that they make a pure human power version.

For me, I love this idea and I'm going to look into getting one.  For my lifestyle, this would work perfectly. 

Ray, do you have a link for the company that is making yours?

Speaking of Cars

"They have a following on the Internet."  Ya think?  This is what people are hungry for.  This is why GM is bankrupt.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about that. 

My Buddy Sammy Does One More Thing For Me

I noticed that one of the side effects for SAMe wasn't listed in my last post.  Maybe it doesn't have the same effect on everyone else but for me it acts kind of like an appetite suppressant.  I say, "kind of" because I still get hungry as usual but the sensor that kicks in when I'm full kicks in sooner.

I don't remember the technical name for that process but I remember reading that for many people, that sensor has been severely damaged by eating processed or sugar-laden food.  There is something about eating the usual fare that stops the "you've had enough" sensor from kicking in until people are stuffed.  Even then, many times it's a the physical feeling of being stuffed instead of a natural internal feeling of having eaten enough.

I read another theory about this that offers a different explanation for why some people eat so much.  The body isn't giving a command to "just" eat, it's giving a command for nourishment.  When people eat empty calories, the body keeps the signal going because it hasn't received what it needs.

There was a study done where some people had pop with dinner and some had water.  A common belief is that the carbonated beverage makes people feel full sooner so they will eat less.  It turned out that both groups ate the same amount and of course the group that drank the pop put hundreds of extra calories into their bodies.  The carbonated water didn't do anything to speed up satiety.

For me though, my good buddy SAMe (which I take for my messed up ankle) does speed up satiety.  In fact, if I eat a bit too much, I feel like I have *really* over-eaten.  It can still be done but it doesn't feel very good so it acts as a learning tool.  I'm still hungry but if I'll slow down a bit and listen for my sensor, I'll know when I've had enough.

Slowing down is a toughy after 12 years of police work but that's a story for another post.

Work First Then Get Paid

I need to back up to a promised response before I completely forget.  Last week, much of this blog was dedicated to Magnetic Sponsoring, which represents a paradigm shift in on-line selling.

We continued the discussion in the comments section for several posts and then I promised to create a new post to continue the discussion down a particular road.  Here is that post.

Part of Magnetic Sponsoring is the fact that you do a lot of the work ahead of time or at least before becoming "successful".  I first read about this in Rich Dad, Poor Dadalthough it was something that Kiyosaki only touched on briefly, almost in contempt for people who try to do it the other way.  This is something that a lot of people miss and so do big companies who are outsourcing their customer service centers to India where they use script cards to "help" people.

People understand the theory, for say, college.  You go to college where you pay *them* and then you hope to recoup that cost down the road using the knowledge that you gained.

The same thing holds true for jobs that don't require a college degree.  There is knowledge to be gained if you want to be good at what you're doing.  Part of the knowledge may be in marketing and part might be the intricacies of your product or service.  Some of that knowledge you may be able to get for free, especially with the advent of the Internets.  Much of it you're going to have to pay for and that's a good thing.  It sets you apart from everyone else who is trying to find the easy way.

People who buy into the "I got rich in 4 weeks while being lazy" are trying to find some way around this work.  They want their "money for nothing and chicks for free."  Companies that have call centers in India are going for cheap labor who know absolutely nothing about the product or service and they are creating resentment among their customers.  Some companies have started bringing their customer service call centers back to the United States even though it costs more because they want repeat customers.

Have you ever asked for help in the camera department of Wal*Mart?  Of course not!  What does the 16 year old kid know about cameras and photography?  You're better off going to an actual camera store run by someone who actually takes pictures as a hobby (or profession).  Unfortunately, a lot of quality stores have been destroyed by the Big Box mentality but I hope there is a comeback.

Wal*Mart may have its place in a recession and there will always be people who are looking for a deal or hell, you could do all the research yourself beforehand and see if Wal*Mart has what you want for a deal but I believe that more and more people are going to start demanding quality products and services from knowledgeable dealers.  As we move from being consumers back to being customers, quality (both in product/service and sales/support) is going to outweigh quantity.  At least that's my hope.

Sammy, My Newest Workout Buddy

Several years ago, I was sparring with one of my black belt students.  Back then we used to play pretty rough.  No pads, no gloves, hardly any rules.  We had plenty of bloody noses and a few broken bones.  This particular fight had a very lasting effect on me.  No one knows, not even me, what exactly he did because all the focus was on the choke hold that he had on me.  I tried to power out of it and that's probably where the injury came from.  When I started to black out, I tapped out.

I stood up and promptly fell down.  No pain.  Just fell down.  Weird.

So I stood up again and fell down again.  My left ankle wasn't working right. 

I crawled to the side of the room so the next pair could fight. 

Whatever happened that day caused permanent nerve damage to my ankle and there have been times over the years where the pain in the joint was so intense that I have had to hop to the bathroom in the mornings on the good foot.

Then I found my good friend Sammy.

I've tried doctors, chiropractors, stim therapy, msm, chondroitin, and probably more things that I have now forgotten.  All to no avail.  There were times when I had to wear an ankle brace around for days just so I could walk, never mind my running.

Sammy, or SAMe as he spells it, has been a life saver for me.

Helping out with joint pain is probably not what SAMe is best known for.  Most people who have heard of it probably associate it with improving mood.  According to Clayton South, this stuff does a whole heck of a lot of stuff:

"SAMe has been widely recognized as an effective way to treat osteoarthritis², depression^{3, 4, 5, 6,}fibromyalgia, and liver conditions. It is used by the body to repair joints¹, produce neurotransmitters^1,7 and it has been shown to be as effective as some antidepressant medications.^8,9

Clinical research has demonstrated that SAMe may be helpful in treating migraine headaches¹⁰, increasing sperm activity in infertile men¹¹, as well as protecting and detoxifying the liver, and maintaining cardiovascular health."

I don't know about all of that other stuff but I do know that if SAMe wasn't my workout partner, he could be a televangelist.

"I seh-ed, be heal-ud and walk again, in the nay-um of the lor-ud!  Amen!"

Amen, SAMe, Amen.

Here's my favorite brand (NOW) from my favorite supplement site (Bodybuilding.com).

Product Review - Magnetic Sponsoring

"Genius without education is like silver in the mine."

- Benjamin Franklin

I have studied sales off and on since my early days as a cop because it was my belief that we are all in sales in some fashion.  We might not make a living from sales but there will always be times in our life when we want our thoughts and our concerns to be considered by others.  Selling our ideas to someone else, you might say.

None of my day jobs have entailed selling but as I move toward starting my own business, it's something that has been on my mind.  Sales, in the traditional sense, is not for me.  It doesn't fit my style and I will not ever be able to change myself in order to force a fit. 

Even if I could force the fit, I wouldn't.  For me, my decisions need to be made with a sense of harmony of who I am and who I want to be.  I'm not going to "force" myself to do anything.  There's too much internal conflict that comes along with forcing myself to do things.  I want peace in my life, not stress, so anything that has to be forced isn't worth it.  Not to mention all the effort that it takes when I try to force something.  Eventually, I get tired of the fight and give up on forcing myself to change.  A lot of people have probably had similar experiences.

So, I was intrigued when I ran across an ebook that would supposedly teach you how to change things around so that people were seeking you out for information.  I love to share information, love to help people improve their lives, and hate to be pushy about any of it.  People are where they are and it's not my job to change that unless they ask.

The ebook is an easy read and the essential concept is actually very simple.  Mike Dillard wrote it in such a way that, for me at least, it really did bring about a paradigm shift.  The main idea is something that after reading about it, seems like a no-brainer and I know people who have adopted this mindset intuitively.  It would make me want to go "duh" but it runs counter to what so many other people say about sales.

I'm going to share two key points that really fit well with me.  Things where there will be absolutely no force involved in making a change.

Dillard emphasizes gaining knowledge.  Read everything you can on your subject.  Listen to audio.  Like the quote from Ben Franklin yesterday, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."  Too many people are looking for that ONE source of information that will have all the answers.  There is no such thing.  Read and listen to everything you can get your hands on.  Invest in yourself.  This is a topic I could devote a whole blog post to.

The other point that struck a responsive chord was to offer help to people with no immediate expectation of getting something in return.  If you're following through with investing in yourself, you're going to be acquiring a lot of knowledge.  Share it.  This may sound counter-intuitive in a sales book but it's something that I can do.  I believe in karma.  Help enough people and it will all come back to you, in one way or another.  Maybe financial, maybe not.  There's more to success than just money.

If you're looking for a new view of sales, I recommend reading Magnetic Sponsoring.  It has given me some ideas on how I'll present my fitness business to the world but more importantly, it changed how I look at the whole process of sales.

Product Review - Detour Oatmeal Bars

Oh my gawd!

I am sore!

Monday I started back into my training.  My cough has just about left my body and is down enough that I can actually train at full speed now.

So, that's what I have been doing for the last 3 days.

Monday morning, we did a fitness test and I joined in so that I can see if I make any progress through the month.

Ooh, ooh, speaking of progress.  The women in my class do measurements once a month on the same day that we do the fitness test and one of them lost 2 inches off of each leg in the last month.  How cool is that?  So amazing!

Anyway, part of the fitness test was a 1-minute drill where you do as many body weight squats as you can.  My number wasn't anything to brag about but I mention it because it was a shock to my quads and then it gets worse.

In the afternoon, I did the P90X Plyometrics X workout.  This is 60 minutes of jumping.  Jumping up and down, forward and backward, side to side, jumping and spinning, and probably some more variations that are slipping my mind.  This is a brutal workout.

That night, I did over an hour of fairly intense karate.  Lots of hitting, kicking, throwing, and the other side of that, standing back up.  That gets to be the hard part as class goes on.

Tuesday morning, we did cardio and everything went pretty good.  I wasn't really feeling the previous workouts all that much and I was feeling good about things so . . .

In the afternoon, I went for an 8 mile run.  I had to alternate between walking and running for the last mile and a half but I don't feel too bad about that since I haven't gone for a run in a long time.

Wednesday morning, I slept.  I wasn't supposed to but I forgot to set my alarm.  I usually wake up before the alarm anyway but my body must have needed the rest because I slept until Tia's alarm went off.  I looked at the clock and the numbers just weren't registering.  I couldn't figure it out until Tia asked, "No exercise today?"  Dammit!

This afternoon, I did the P90X Kenpo X workout.  I was sore so I went with the easiest one out of the bunch.  It had me sweating though.  I don't follow along exactly because it's too easy.  I vary some of the moves and go at my own pace and get a really good workout.

Tonight was karate class again.  We only went for about 50 minutes tonight.  Everyone was tired and Tia had to go to city council meeting on the Utah side so I had Trey.  I was sweating pretty good though. 

Tonight, I'm walking around like they did on a colonoscopy on me using the Hubble telescope.  Is it Sunday yet?  Sunday is my rest day with stretching being the only planned exercise.  I can't believe I'm only halfway there.  I'm probably going to head to bed early tonight to try and get some extra rest and make sure that I get up for class tomorrow.

 In my renewed attempt at fitness, I've gone back to protein bars for a couple of my snacks a day.  I'm not a big fan of protein bars just because I get burned out on them but you just can't beat the convenience.  I've tried a bunch and I thought I would try something new this month.

Enter Detour Oatmeal Bars.

I've tried all three flavors: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Banana, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip is my favorite but you all know that I'm a peanut butter lover.  Peanut Butter Banana is okay if you like banana nut bread.  I'm not a big fan.  The Cookie Dough has something about it that I just don't like.  I haven't put my finger on it but I won't ever eat that flavor again.

What I like about these is how filling they are.  I can only eat half of a bar at a sitting.  I've had some meal replacement bars that you wonder what kind of meal they were supposed to replace.  These don't fall in that category.  These are in no way "diet" bars, mind you.  There is a reason why they are filling.  460 calories per bar.  It's probably a good thing that I can only eat half of a bar at a time.

The cool thing about protein bars (besides the super convenience) is that there are a million of them out there.  If you don't like one, try another one.  I'll probably switch bars each month while I'm eating them and give a review here.

You can visit my Beach Body site for more information on P90X or any of their other great products.  P90X gets results.  I can stand behind the program 100%.  I also enjoy Turbo Jam when I'm looking for a great cardio sweat. 

A Sign of the Times: Bullet Proof Backpacks

I wish I were kidding.

"Our children already live with these thoughts every day. School systems across the nation are staging drills for "lock downs" and "shelter in place." Act now to give your children a personal, defensive safety tool that will help them feel more confident and able to focus on learning. Isn't that what school should really be about?"

And they're selling like bullet proof hot cakes. 

The part of the backpack that rests on your back has a level II ballistic panel in it.  That's the same level that many cops wear.  I wore a IIIA when I was a cop which is little more bullet resistant because I'm allergic to bullets.  Throw a biology textbook in there and you probably increase the protection right up to IV.

The backpack protects the vitals in the torso when worn normally or can be taken off and used as a shield to protect the head and torso.

"Weighing just 20oz (the weight of a small water bottle), our ballistic panel is light enough for a young child to carry as part of their pack."

I don't have anything I can add to this.  I think the fact that we are putting bullet proof vests on our elementary kids speaks for itself.

5 Sword Points for Erik for making me aware of this product.

Luck Favors the Prepared Person

My 10 year old computer was starting to get a bit sluggish so we decided to buy a new computer.  I had a friend build it and I just bought parts.  I bought a couple pieces each week until the computer was built.  All that was left were the things that go outside the tower.  The old computer was getting so slow that we took money out of savings and ordered everything.

I spent Monday and Tuesday putting everything together.  My computer actually looks up to date - for today. 

The only thing that I didn't change was my trac ball.  I really like it.  It's like your favorite pair of shoes.  It fits my hand nicely.  I gave the old computer to Trey to use for his Hooked on Phonics and whatever else we decide to get him and he got a Superman mouse for it.  He loved the computer and was very possessive (past tense and the reason for this post).

I asked my computer geek friend about the easiest way to move the data from the old hard drive to the new one.  He said it was easy enough to connect the two and retrieve all the data.  I just needed the cable and I would be in business.

Yesterday morning, the old computer died.