Why Every Day Is A Blessing To Be Alive

Are you truly thankful for your blessed life?

Do you only show gratitude on Thanksgiving?

Why not be better than average and show gratitude on a daily basis!

Watch the video to get inspired to be a good person every day of your life.

Life is not just about fitness and yourself! Get involved in the world and remember the blessings in your life!

Video Highlights:

• See the positives in your daily life?
• Do you still care about the Flint, Michigan water crisis? (Be honest!!!)
• Try to be thankful for one thing every day

Why Aren’t You Making Time For Yourself?

Quick question…..Are you taking time for yourself?

What are you doing to better YOU?

The number one thing people like to tell themselves is that “never have time to do _____________”. If your goal is to be a better person physically and emotionally, you need to learn how to take some time to yourself.

In today’s video, MicVinny shows you how to make time no matter if your kids, family or work appear to be occupying all of your precious time away.

Video Highlights

• Find out if you give more to others than you do yourself
• Advice on getting at least five minutes of extra time in your day
• Explanation of sleep cycles and apps to help you sleep
• Meditation and gratitude advice
• My problem with the current state of hip hop on the radio
• A simple way to be productive during your commute to/from work

Who’s Winning Your Dark Internal Battles?

In today’s post, I want to help you overcome that nagging voice inside your head. You know the one……….

NOOOOO!

NO you don’t….

Get out of here…

It’s my TURN!!!…

I won’t let you…

Ahhhh!

This is so much better!

There’s been a change in plans people! I’m here to interrupt your normally blah blah positive MicVinny blog to tell you the truth.

You see..I’ve been watching Mike closely every day since 2016 kicked off. I know all his dirty secrets.

He’s not as wise as you think he is. He’s just a little weak man that thinks he can get rid of people like myself!

Every month he has several ups and downs. And when that boy is down, that’s when I come in to steal his positivity!

You see I’m the beast Mike’s been trying to run from for all his life. You can say I’m his out of shape alternate ego.

I’m like Gollum to Mike’s Smeagol.

Call me Bubba The Beast.

Our Early Life Together

You see I first arrived in Mike’s life back in the eighties.

Back then Mike was nothing but a lazy coach potato and life was good. It was easy to gain access to sugary treats, processed nuggets and other fried snack foods! It brings tears to my eyes when thinking about those glory years.

I made sure we stayed our butts glued to the couch. There were no long bike rides in the park or daily interactions with the other neighborhood kids. The lazier we were, the more power I had in Mike’s life.

I was Mike’s best friend. All the kid needed was me plus a supersize bag of chips and a TV. What a perfect partnership. From elementary through middle school, we were BFFs.

Teenage Years

Once high school stated, Mike tried to join the high school’s football team. Did that coach potato think he could actually be athletic?

How dare he!

I ended up having the last laugh. Mike got a dose of reality two weeks into practice. My years of sabotaging his body paid off because he injured both his knees. I put that idiot in so much pain that he never attempted another team sport while in high school.

Life got even better once that magically new invention called “the Internet” made it’s way into our house in the form of AOL. That led to late night video game and online chat room sessions. Mike had no need to venture out of the house! All his needs were meet. If only I could take care of that annoying thing called school, then I would have had all the power!

Enter College Years

Eventually Mike decided to be all smart and go to college. I didn’t know how to handle it. He was going to be exposed to stuff outside of his comfort zone, which meant he was going to go away from me.

In less than one semester he started to abandon his dependence on me. He started watching less TV and actually socialized.

Blasphemy!

Every now and then I got him to binge on some good old-fashioned sweets but it seemed he discovered this awful place called ”the gym”.

He flirted with the gym in his late high school years, but something lit a spark in him. I’m not sure if it was his track star roommate, or his sport loving college friends.

SOMETHING made Mike want to start working out more often.

That’s when I realized my life was in jeopardy!

You Can’t Abandon Me!

19 years together and he wanted to change the game! I was always there for him and now he was abandoning me. All those years of feeling overweight, who was there for him?

Me that’s who! I was always there to help him get over it by making sure he knew about the latest flavor of Doritos.

It was ME who was there when he was heart broken and told him to put that cheese on those fries!

We could have been living the dream while living in Philadelphia for college. Every corner had a sandwich shop. How dare we not binge on cheesesteaks, buffalo wings and pretzels every day!

To stay in greater shape this guy walked everywhere in that city. His two feet helped him burn tons of calories outside of the gym. He even got a job lifting heavy boxes so he could burn extra calories.

What the…Who was this guy??!!

I remember seeing his 185-pound 6’ 3” frame in the mirror and being disgusted. This wasn’t part of the plan. Mike was changing the pain by being so thin and in shape. That’s when I packed my bags, and walked out of his life.

Guess Who’s Back!

Sometime in 2008, Mike got a new job. That job required him to travel often. What Mike didn’t realize was that I was secretly getting him back under my control.

You see the genius thought he knew everything there was about getting into shape. He had been reading the best fitness articles for almost a full decade. He thought he would know how to handle his new environment.

I remember during the first weeks of his new job, he was talking nutrition to some colleagues. They gave him a look like “what do you know?”

He was flabbergasted.

It wasn’t until that night that he did a double take in the mirror. That’s when our eyes made contact again!

That’s when I was back baby!

Those years of hiding were over. I was able to get him from that 185-pound frame back into a 250 lb. behemoth.

HAHAHAHAHAHaahaha

I finally figured out what to do. All I had to do was make Mike think he was becoming muscular.

What an idiot! He didn’t notice the love handles I had strategically placed.

 

Oh it felt good to be back!

I wasn’t going anywhere this time. For years he kept talking all this healthy eating mumbo jumbo. With all that talk, here I was back and bigger than ever.

Release The Beast

But like in the early 2000’s, Mike decided to try to get rid of me again. It took some years, but that goodie two shoes put me back in the closet by the time he got married.

That smug son of a gun even wrote a book about me called Release The Beast: Conquer Mental, Physical & Diet Challenges To Unleash The Champion Inside.

He was so confident with that book that he decided to spend seven weeks to lose 15 pounds during the holiday season.  He thought the fatloss journey was going to be a breeze.

LOL, I guess I showed him.

In case you didn’t know, it did not take seven weeks. It took him 27 weeks!

LOL, what a loser!  I made his life miserable!

I showed the boy during those weeks that I was not done with him just yet!

As a matter of fact, now that the summer is here, I think it’s a perfect time to interrupt his perfect plans again.

He has a long-term plan of transforming his body over the next couple of years. My goal is to make that as hard as possible. I can guarantee you that I will force DOZENS of setbacks!

He won’t have an easy time. I will challenge him every step of the way!

The Battle Within

I’ve been around his entire life! There’s no way I’m magically disappearing! Every ounce of muscle gained and centimeter of fat gone may have been a lost battle for me…but I’m here for the war!

You think Mike’s ready for the war?

How’s your own war going along?

Your little 10-day diet plans crack me up. You think you’re just going to get rid of people like me that fast?

I’m here for L-I-F-E!

You better come prepared if you think you can handle me!

I’ve had enough time trying to educate a loser like yourself. I see some ice cream sandwiches in the freezer that needs my attention.

MicVinny will be back next time to do one of his typical fitness garbage posts. He’s stronger than he use to be, so he has control over our body more than I like to admit.

He thinks you actually care about his posts. But I know the truth…you want to join me in eating some ice cream sandwiches…. Don’t ya?

 

You and I know you’re not strong. You may try to resist me now, but sooner or later you’re gong to crack.

When that time comes, I’ll be the person looking at you in the mirror with a big ole smile on my face!

Bubba out!

7 Reasons Why Being A Hero Is Hard

I always had a super secret growing up. It was something that I didn’t want to just share with anybody because you never knew how people would react. The secret first started when I moved to Virginia as a young boy.

I had just learned how to properly read and form sentences. I knew exactly what I wanted to use this skill for. No longer was I a kid who looked at pretty pictures, but now I was going to understand what was being said!

I remember approaching my cousin Rico’s room. Inside he always had stacks and stacks of comic books in drawers and on the floor. My cousin Rico, was not ashamed nor his best friend Damian. They were the two coolest older kids I knew. If they were not afraid to display their love for comic book super heroes, why should I?

I had always watched cartoons, and knew about super heroes. But now I was at the grand mecca of resources. From the first moment I read my first Spider-Man comic, my childhood obsession with super heroes and comic books began!

Growing Up With Comic Book Heroes

Fast-forward to today, and the kids don’t realize how good they have it! I remember the first X-men cartoon I ever saw. It was at 5AM on a Sunday morning. I had to force myself out of bed because the syndication channel aired random cartoons. And than I saw it! The heroes I had fantasized from reading my cousins comics on my TV!

Not too many people remember that cartoon because four years later, the X-men had a weekly animated show on Fox!

Now, the X-men’s parent company, Marvel Comics, have movies coming out every other summer! I would have never guessed this would be life in the twenty first century! These are exciting times for people like me!

As a youngster I gravitated towards Marvel Comics more than I did DC Comics. But that didn’t mean I never knew who Batman & Superman was. I knew all their storylines as I studied profusely through movies, cartoons and comics over the years.

As I got towards my college years, I got busy with schoolwork and life and lost touch. The last X-men storyline I fully read was the whole Onslaught saga where it turned out Professor X was the traitor (Not Gambit) of the X-men that the future always talked about.

[If you have no idea what I just said, remember I don’t judge those who binge watch Netflix shows! We all have our own obsessions at different points in our lives!]

Speaking of Netflix, it’s awesome that Hollywood has become fanatical with comic book heroes. I’m now able to get adult versions of Marvel Hero’s on Netflix.

( Jon Bernthal was perfectly cased as the Punisher on Daredevil!!  Punisher & Daredevil together on a awesome TV show!  That’s a dream come true! Thank you Marvel and Netflix!)

It’s Tough Being A Hero

Heroes always at some point come in and win the day. That’s what makes them so appealing as a youngster. You need something to believe in and that’s where hero’s come in. But their lives are not easy. Here are 7 reasons as to why being a hero is so hard:

Responsibility

“With Great Power comes Great Responsibility”

This infamous quote comes from Peter Parker aka Spiderman’s Uncle Ben. It is a phrase that has haunted Spiderman through out his entire super hero journey. It was Peter Parker’s fault for his Uncle dying.

Peter had just gotten his Spiderman powers as a teenager. He decided to make some cash and in the process of being angry, he let a criminal escape. At the time, Peter didn’t feel it was his problem. Sadly that same criminal murdered his beloved uncle.

When we are going through our lives, we have to be responsible for our actions. One argument with a parent, or one bad investment is all it takes to completely change our lives for the worse. If we refuse to take responsibility for the outcome, we will never be as great as we could be just be being responsible.

Experience Pain

A young Bruce Wayne witnesses his parents murder right in front of him. That tragic situation motivated him to do something about the crime in his city. That painful journey leads to the creation of Batman.

We all live in this game called life. It’s egotistical to think you can go your entire life without experiencing some pain. Pain is a natural part of life. Yes it hurts. Yes it sucks. That pain helps us know we are alive. It let’s us know that we are human.

What you do with that pain is up to you. Heroes fight through that pain and try to become great. What are you doing with your pain? Are you caving into it? Or are you ready to wipe the tears from your eyes and get up!

Sacrifices

In the 80’s Barry Allan aka The Flash was faced with a life or death situation. He was the only one with the power to prevent the Earth from dying, but by using his great power, he would die. Like a true hero he sacrificed his life to save the world.

This was not just some story of the week. Barry Allan actually died! He was gone from DC Comics for 20 years! It’s very rare for a comic book to kill off one of their most beloved heroes. Barry Allan truly did make a sacrifice.

We mere mortals don’t have to save the world from imploding, but there’s no question we have to make sacrifices. All the great hero’s do it. Some are easy to do while others take weeks of pondering.

Is the new job worth the extra hour-long commute? Is losing twenty pounds worth me giving up cake? The impact of the sacrifice is all in the eyes of the one doing the sacrifice. What’s easy to one seems like the weight of saving the entire world to others!

Physique

Heroes are expected to be in peak condition. How many overweight heroes have we seen over the years? Not too many. Our heroes have the physiques we always dream about. If you’re going to wear spandex, than I guess you should have a 6 pack poking out and not some tightly squeezed man-boobs!

In the heroes off hours they take the time to work out. How else do you think they look that way? Haven’t you seen famous athletes who look completely different now than they did 15-20 years ago? If you don’t keep your physique up, you’ll lose it in a heartbeat!

Public Criticism

Every move a hero makes is going to be criticized by the public. J. Jonah Jameson ripped Spider-Man apart every chance he got in his newspaper, The Daily Bugle. Lois Lane obsessed over Superman like a rock band groupie. The X-Men and their fellow mutants were labeled as freaks with smear campaigns run against them by religious and political groups.

Hmmmm does any of this sound familiar in today’s 24/7 news?

Heroes are held to a higher standard in the public eye. The media is doing it’s best to take a person down. Negative news is the best type of news. Remember that as the public looks at you.

Good Natured

A hero is defined as being noble and good. When the media is saying negative stuff, a hero is still going out and doing the right thing. While the X-men’s Nightcrawler was being perceived as a demon and monster, he still saved countless lives. He could have easily been what they defined him, but he chose to be good and stick to his faith.

We all know how much easier it is to be a bad person. Tearing people apart takes less effort than being kind to another person. Humans by nature like to do the easy things. You should strive to be better in your life. Say nice things to one another. Be a good guy!

Humble

A hero has to know when to keep his ego in check. Tony Stark aka Iron Man may be one of the exceptions to the rule. But for the most part a hero stays humble. Most don’t want the world knowing their secret identity. Imagine saving the world and not taking the credit. What sane person does that?

Every day we each have our own secret lives. How many of us truly knew the day-to-day sacrifices our parents made for us? How many people out there truly tell their family about the job they hate? Most suck it up and try to stay humble.

Archvillain

Every hero has some type of villain to make his or her life miserable. Batman has the Joker. Superman has Lex Luther. Captain America has the Red Skull. The list goes on and on. No matter how many good things a hero does, the archvillian always finds a way to pop up and create havoc in a hero’s life.

I can think of several archvillaians over the course of my life. Have you had any bullies you had to deal with as a kid? How about now at work, is there someone that just makes your daily life a pain? That person is definitely your archvillian! Handle them like a true hero.

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In Conclusion

As you read this, I hope you realize that superheroes are not just something made up in comics. Heroes are actually out here in the real world. They do things in secret every day.

The widow on minimum wage raising five kids all by herself. The Veteran who lost his leg protecting our country in a war that people ignores. The immigrant who went from persecution in his home country, to learning English and establishing the best restaurant in his city. The teacher using her money to pay for her students’ books.

The media refuses to acknowledge these heroes. Why? Because we know it’s easier to focus on the negative of the world than the good heroes do.

Does that mean the heroes stop doing good deeds? No! They stay in the shadows and continue with what’s in their hearts. To them, just helping out one life is a reward in itself.

I have had several heroes in the course of my life. I’m sure if you look deep enough in yours, you will discover some as well. Maybe it’s time you became someone’s hero.

Just be ready to give more than you take!

8 Spring Time Activities To Improve Your Health

Spring is here! The flower’s are in bloom. Leaves are starting to sprout. The weather is…. warmer?

Well, depending on where you live at, I’m not sure if that last statement is accurate. In the DC metro area, it’s been feeling more like late fall than spring!

But according to the calendar it definitely is springtime, so hopefully this cold weather will disappear and give way to the change.

As this new season approached, how’s your health coming along?

Are you still motivated by your ancient New Year’s resolution?

If you’re like the average person, you gave up on your New Year’s Resolution before the end of January.

If you’re one of those who gave up, I’m sorry to remind you about that failure to commit.

But have no fear, because spring is here!

Let me tell you some ways to use spring to get you motivated to keep (or get back) on track with your desire to turn heads this summer!

Inside Activities

Closet Cleaning

I like to think of myself as an organized person until the reality of my closet hits me. I claim to have a system but I’ll admit …it can get messy!

Suits, slacks, jeans and a pair of old t-shirts with holes in them. What’s a guy to do?

I got a new solution for you. When going through the task of putting your winter clothes away and getting out your warmer weather clothes, try them on.

Most of these clothes you had are a couple years old. Now’s a chance to see if you’re physically the same person you use to be.

Visual seeing yourself in clothes is an awesome motivation tool! While trying on the clothes, ask yourself:

• How tight/loose is this?
• Where is it tight/loose?
• Is that muscle or fat that’s preventing me from zipping these pants?
• Do I have to buy a new belt?

If you plan on losing weight in these warmer months, you should try on some of your winter shirts, sweaters and pants.

While wearing the clothes simply take a picture of yourself in them. When the colder months come, you can try those clothes back on and see how they fit.

If weight loss is your goal and they become looser, then you my friend made progress!

House Cleaning

When was the last time you cleaned your oven?

How about vacuuming all the stairs in your house?

Bathtub and shower needs a scrubbing?

Does your walls have any dirt stains on them?

These simple “chores” are a great way to sneak in some exercise. Not only will your house become cleaner, but also you’ll get fitter in the process.

Don’t underestimate the amount of calories you burn doing household cleaning!

Outside Activities

Most people are active during the spring compared to the colder months. Use this to your advantage!

Stop thinking that the gym is the only way to get a good workout. It’s time to use your own two feet and body to have some fun.

Neighborhood Walks

While being a hibernating bear during the winter months, did you notice that new stop sign in your neighborhood?

Did you know that a house two doors down was for sale?

Did you see that that family two blocks away brand new car?

Go out and explore your neighborhood by getting a good 30+ minute walk. It will benefit your cardiovascular system but also just allow you to take in the sights, smells, and changes in your neighborhood.

In today’s world we tend to not know anything about our own neighborhoods anymore. Don’t be one of ”those” people anymore! Take a walk!

Jogging

If you’re a person that can handle high impact lower joint exercises, go for it!

If not, walking is absolutely fine! I’m personally a bigger fan of walking, but I respect jogging if that’s what you want to do.

Jogging is one of the simplest forms of cardiovascular exercises on this planet. All you need is some good shoes and a study pace.

Bicycling

Spring’s the perfect time to get on a bike. Even if you don’t own one, you can rent a bicycle for a few hours of enjoyment.

Find a trail or just go through your neighborhood. Have fun! Be a kid again!

You don’t have to go hardcore, just have fun with it! Nothing beat’s riding a bike in the real world!

Hiking

I have only been hiking a handful of times. I use to think this was something you could only do if you were a super outdoorsy person.

I’m defiantly not a person who goes camping. But I respect the idea of hiking. It’s a simple activity that takes you out of your “normal” comfort zone and exposes you to nature.

The hike doesn’t have to be strenuous, just something simple. Who knows, maybe you’ll start to enjoy it.

I know the few times I’ve been, I actually enjoyed it. It’s definitely on my to do list for this spring season.

Yard Work

If you live in a house with a yard, extend your clean up to that outside. Cutting grass is an effective way to burn some fat.

With spring in the air, maybe it’s time to upgrade your flower garden. If you are serious about eating healthy, why not plant your own vegetable and herb garden.

Again, these simple tasks are a great way to get exercise in while also relaxing from your hard week of work!

Community Events

Now this may not be necessary physical exercise but I do think it’s important to know more about where you live. In today’s society we tend to spend more time with our head down then paying attention to our own community.

Get you head up! Look around and know what’s going on! Do you know your neighbors?

If not, maybe it’s time to say hi to them whenever you see them. This insures that you know who they are and they know you.

I remember as a kid, knowing the names and faces of everyone in my neighborhood. If something was to ever happen to me as a kid, there were several adults who had a clue about what I looked like.

I just don’t see that same connection anymore. Maybe it’s the neighborhoods I’ve lived at. If you’re connected in your neighborhood consider yourself lucky!

By knowing your neighbors, maybe they could join you on your walks? Or maybe you will find a new workout buddy with the same goals as you. You will never know unless you connect.

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Well there you have some great ways to use spring to motivate your health and fitness.