Being The Best Average Joe

Over 20 years ago, as a grade school pup, I embarked on my first love. If I can stamp a moment in my life when I knew, unequivocally, love at first sight existed this was it. My heart raced rapidly. Palms went through a cycle of clammy to sweaty. I had laser focus as I watched unblinking, without movement. No man or woman could pry my attention away. I was transfixed on my love’s beauty. Even when this first experience came to an end, which lasted approximately 3 hours, the feeling – the love – did not expire.

Super Bowl XXIV

January 28, 1990 will forever be the date embedded on my heart. The San Francisco 49ers faced off Denver Broncos in New Orleans, Louisiana for Super Bowl XXIV. Final score: 49ers 55 Broncos: 10. A magnificent display of competitive fortitude and athleticism.

I declared from that day, I am and will play this game.

Years went by

In 1990, I was 11 years old and weighed close to 175 lbs. Needless to say, I was at the mercy of being overweight. By pop warner standards, I couldn’t weigh more than 135 lbs. So, years went by before I suited up. Yet, that didn’t prohibit my efforts to gain a general knowledge of the sport – my first love. You see, during the winter weekends in New York,neighborhood friends and I ventured off to Soundview Park in The Bronx and engaged in hours of tackle football.

No pads.

No line markings.

No referees.

It was just a couple of pubescent kids and a football.

Mount Saint Michael’s

Summer of ’92, I finally saw my dreams realistically come true. Not only did I make the team, but, I started as a defensive lineman and did so for the remainder of my high school tenure.

It was during the ’92 – ’95 season, I grew a partiality towards working out and eating right.

A Mountaineer Again

After graduating high school, I left my mother’s home and jourpneyed west.

West Virginia University campus represented my thoughts and desires for college life. A student body of approximately 23,000 it had a plethora of nationalities and diversity. But, what I enjoyed the most was the rigorous hours spent at Milan Puskar stadium.

Tires, Sprints, and Weights, Oh My!

Need I say more. Total body transformation. I stepped on campus an Average Joe and walked on the  football team as an Average Joe. However, in 3 years time I was the best Average Joe walking around campus, under supervision strength conditioning coach guru, Allan Johnson, now at Univ. of Northwestern.

Coach Johnson not only impacted my life, more so, modeled how to ensure athletes were in top shape, through an assortment of workout regimens. These regimens consisted, but not limited to, hurdles, agility ladders, jump ropes, weight training, circuit training, interval training, resistance training, and more. 

It looked something like this:

New Arena

Years later, I found myself wanting to continue my football career, however, the reality that only the most prosperous and elite players (with a smidgen of political push) obtain attraction from the greatest level of football, I was lost.

Or was I?

The new year began, 2001, and I had two options. 1. Play for Coach Perez and Ohio Valley Greyhounds in the Indoor Football League (IFL) or 2. Play for Coach Rodriguez and Roanoke Steam in the Arena Football 2 (AF2). I chose the latter.

Only God knows what would have become of me if I went with option one. I’ll say this after 9 years of playing Arena Football I have no regrets.

Johnny Quest?

With my football days happily behind me, I’m fastened on my next quest.

To transform my body, mind, and spirit.

Here’s to being All Out in 2012

……..More

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ENTER MY DOMAIN

I started this blog as a means to express my thoughts to a greater audience. Previously, I wrote only for the privacy of myself, but, as time progressed I heard a voice in the silence. It was MINE. I just had things on the brain which needed to escape. I needed an outlet. So, I traded in the solace of my apartment, notebooks, sprinkled with a casual expression in public conversation and birthed my impregnated ideas on “e-paper”.

Out of the millions of readers on the internet, my purpose is to grab the attention of only a specific genre of people. Those looking for a solution or resolve in their situation, a health problem to fix, whatever it is that is going on in their life health wise.

I’m fully aware this approach and many of my topics won’t be for everyone. I’ve always been an untraditional person, a rebel, finding a way to go against the grain. I’m sure these blogs will come across individuals who will not like them or could care less. Many folks may choose to be skeptical towards what I’m  going to say this year, but that’s fine, we all have an opinion. We have the liberty and freedom – a choice to choose.

I’ve come to the full understanding, God did not create me to please everybody, that’s an impossible task. I’m suppose to provide assistance to a specific group of people who are seriously interested and seriously needing the help. So this may not be for you, however, it may be for someone you know, love and care about. This person, typically, searches the internet for alternatives. This someone tends to search consistently, but only ends up at a dead end.

False hopes.

Broken guarantees.

Maybe this blog is their ticket. Maybe it’s the hope or break they’ve longed and prayed for. Maybe it’s there answer.

Relax, Rejuvenate, Reliv!

Dictionary.com defines

• relax as to make less tense, rigid, or firm. I, personally, like to release or bring relief from the effects of tension, anxiety, etc.
• rejuvenate as to make young again; restore to youthful vigor, appearance, etc.

I’m more concerned with reliv (leaving the last “e” off intentionally) which one definition says to experience again, as an emotion. But, that just doesn’t present the message I’m looking for.

Aha, wait! The second definition hits the nail on the butt – to live (one’s life) again.

Now, can you imagine what life would resemble today if you had the chance to reliv again?

I already know what most people would say. It may sound something like this, “If I could redo my life again, I wouldn’t have signed up for all those stuuuupid credit cards! For what? A t-shirt that disappeared way before the total balance on the card or a cool cup somebody swiped  one night after a blurry game of beer pong. Now, my credit is all jacked up because of them and all I’m left with besides unusable credit cards are thousands in debt.”

Or for others it may be redoing a relationship, playing a sport, loving a family member some more because this time around you know there’s no coming back from death. OOoooo, I said it. The dreaded “D” word. Once we come to reality that there’s ABSOLUTELY NOTHING more important than our #health, plus, we should be purposefully living, not just existing, then we can begin Reliving.

I look back and say, “If I can reliv my life I would’ve made smarter career choices. I would’ve went to school for personal training or become a nutritionists.” Now that I have a non-medical burning sensation as to what I’m called to do, I shall put my best foot forward.

So, until I’m officially certified, I’ll study and bring to you the BEST articles EVER known to mankind on health and nutrition.

An obvious uphill battle

(okay maybe I’m putting the cart in front of the horse, but you gotta have high hopes lol)