Dig your Dog

This dog I dig..

Dog owners are sure to smile several times a day while engaging with their dog. A wagging tail would alone in itself, aid the health of a dog owner. Dogs are like a working clock -- always there for you which you can bank on every time. The more you give your dog; the more you get back. With this in mind, I would wager to say having a dog lowers your blood pressure and stress without going out on a limb here..

I do not own a dog but I do know this; When I greet a dog for the very first time and bend down to give my warm exchange, this instantly makes me smile and feel good inside as the "doggie voice" comes out of me while I am petting away. This takes place about twice a week on average with myself. Dog owners get this feeling multiple times every day.

Let's toss in the loyalty factor here. Dogs teach people about love, loyalty, and true companionship. It is a dog's duty to do this and no other creature does it better than your dog.

Dig on your dog. Your dog will dig you back.

DB

Ball of Medicine

The english term Medicine ball, a "stuffed leather ball for exercise" was first added to the dictionary in 1895. They gained popularity and traction with Doctors in the 1920's as they were prescribed to patients that wanted to improve their level of fitness.

Prescribing medicine in the shape of a ball? Get me a script.

Medicine balls are now in different shapes, colors, and are used in a variety of ways to improve our fitness. I use the 4 lb. ball to dribble it as I would with a basketball (as it does bounce) and have a variety of sport movements to go with it.


Locate a cement wall you can throw these against with as much force as you choose. The ball was built to take a beating. Get slammin with it.

I teach a great strengthening exercise for baseball players and football quarterbacks with the 4 lb. ball. I have increased my arm strength significantly with this exercise alone. Eye-hand coordination will also show improvement.

Stand back 4 feet from the wall and lightly take your arm back to a loaded throwing position and toss it against the wall, catching it in the same hand..one motion and relatively easy to do. Go for 8-10 throws and come to a rest.


Be clean and confident in your throws. Form is what you are looking for. Do it with rhythm and balance. Emulate how you would throw the ball as you would in playing baseball or football. F O R M wins out.


Get medicated with the ball and take it with 10 glasses of water a day.

DB

Coach Wooden

Wizard of Westwood

UCLA's legendary basketball coach, John Wooden passed away this year at the age of 99. He was a beloved figure, a tremendously devoted family man, and not only the best coach in all of collegiate athletics, but a man among men in how he treated life itself.

His quotes are inspiring and fundamentally sound to the most important aspects of life.

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." John Wooden, Legendary UCLA Basketball Coach

Silk

Coach Wooden won 7 consecutive NCAA Basketball Championships and 10 overall. He also coached UCLA to 88 straight wins which spanned over 4 seasons. I recall the day when the streak ended on a Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Indiana against Notre Dame and thought that this record would not be touched.  Bill Walton and Keith Wilkes were along for 73 of those wins in a row as well. Supremely stellar.

http://www.coachjohnwooden.com/
Visit the building blocks of his pyramid of success.

DB

True Blue

My Mom schooled me early on about the benefits of eating blueberries as they would routinely make their way into my bowl of hot oatmeal or cold raisin bran growing up in Oregon. The berry has eluded me over the years as I will use this post as a reminder to get blue in my diet each and every week. The benefits are truly amazing..berry, berry amazing.

Here are 3 of the numerous health benefits that blueberries have packed inside. The internet has heaps of information on this dynamic fruit.

1. Antioxidant capacity - very rich in vitamin C, E, A, complex B and copper. A very effective immune builder and anti bacterial. This is a defensive mechanism in itself.

2. Ocular health - blueberries have proved to preserve vision and contain a special group of anti-oxidants called Carotenoids and Flavonoids that are essential for your vision health.

3. Brain health - researchers found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging animals making them mentally equivalent to much younger ones.

DEFEND WITH BLUE

A well respected Doctor once told me that the first line of treatment for any patient is food, and not medications. I will now think of blueberries as being in the front line of defense.

Teach it early

The most profound course I took in college was, "family communication". My Professor loved teaching this course and it showed within a few minutes of the first class. Professor Bowker taught this course with mastery and devotion and set out to reach the 25 or so students in our classroom twice a week one fall term at the University of Oregon.

I didn't really know what to expect from this course..I didn't even know this kind of course existed. What I came to learn more than anything is that this course should be taught at every level of education. It should be treated as a discipline in the same manner as mathematics, science, art, music, computer science, social studies, and other required core courses in our education system.

This course helped me appreciate, love, understand, and to have a open mind about who we are in life and how we can positively effect others in family..and not just our nuclear family either. Family has many definitions and members may come from all directions which Professor Bowker so eloquently spoke about. She owned this course and gave it life.

Teach it early, and teach it all the way through higher education.

DB

Get Pushy.



2 wheel power



Here is a great sweat and a way to mix up your workouts. Find a flat or small grade incline to park your car. Have your workout partner turn the car off and put the car in neutral. Push the car 90 feet and then trade places. Concentrate on pushing with your lower body and drive low. Lightly tap the brakes for a increased load on your partner or increase the distance. When you get freaky with this exercise toss on a weighted vest and get after it.

You will get people stopping by and asking if you need help..until they realize you are training. School parking lots are usually vacant on weekends and a safe spot to do this.

Push for power and build your quads. You will activate hundreds of muscle groups when pushing your car with focus to your legs, butt, and trunk area.

Drive with your legs and butt

The quadriceps femoris is latin for "four headed muscle". The quad is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is known as the strongest and leanest muscle in the human body.

DB

Always bet on 7

Look at the number 7 below. Notice the top line of the 7 being parallel to your computer screen. Perfect #7 is at work.

Notice the female athlete below and see if you can find the number 7 on her body when she is in squat mode. Do you see it?  Her quads and hamstrings are parallel to the ground. By getting parallel you are asking your legs to do more work which gains results in strength, flexibility, balance, and great shape for your legs and butt.

If you want to gain strength and stamina for your sport on land, sea, or in the air, learn the fundamentals of how to squat and relate it to #7.

The simple body squat, yet challenging exercise takes time and repetitions to get correct form. Use a mirror and look for your 7. Knees slightly behind the toes and a small strong arch in your lower back will help it look more like a 7. Hold that 7 for 2-3 seconds and drive up with focus on your heels as you rise upward.

DB