Awesome Benefits of Exercise

I've had this picture for a few years now. Every time I look at it, I get a little motivation to stare a little more :). I have no idea who this guy is and I can't remember where I got the picture, but boy am I grateful to whichever friend sent it to me or whichever website I copied from.

Why don't all men aim to get this kind of body? Seriously, I would like this to be the norm, so that I wouldn't have to lust after this stranger because of his picture. On the topic of exercise though, why is it so hard to maintain a fit body. It's like our creator has a thing for hurdles. In life, there are hurdles everyday. For some people it's a hurdle to even get out of bed in the mornings. So obviously we are not short of obstacles and problems in life. Therefore, I think it would have only been fair to give us hardware (bodies) that didn't need so much maintenance. I started exercising every night for about 30 minutes about two months ago and I honestly can't see the changes in my body. I feel the difference, whether it be pain or more vibrancy, but I can't see the difference yet. I can't even imagine myself getting to the level of the guy in the picture above. How much time per day would I have to dedicate to physical exercise in order to achieve his muscle mass? I don't want to become like him though. I just want a flat stomach, strong arms and legs. Recently I've also become interested in vaginal muscle strength. 

Did you even know that was a thing? Vaginal muscle strength!!! Take a look at Tatyana Kozhevnikovam, who has the world's strongest known vagina.

Facebook these days

Facebook has become a privacy threat. I remember when I first heard about Facebook in 2004, at the time I wondered how different it would be from Hi5. Little did I know that soon Hi5 would become obsolete and Facebook would make it's founder one of the most powerful person in the world.

Facebook allows us to be narcissistic. We can all become famous if we posts the right things and all we need is a free Facebook account. In allowing us to do this, we've put so much of ourselves online for the public to see and analyse. Facebook is able to collect both implicit and explicit information about us and use it to target advertisements towards us, provide evidence in court, and help employers understand who the potential employees really are. Those things are important. Well, at least the last two. Not too long ago a maid was arrested because she borrowed or stole some of her employer's clothes and posted pictures of herself wearing them on Facebook. She didn't think of privatizing her photos so that her employer wouldn't see them or she could have just resisted the temptation to post them. 

What Facebook has achieved is so great, and plays right into the hands of many agencies' desires, including , advertisement agencies, employers, crime fighters/agencies and hackers. Do we really want these groups to know what we do daily, what we eat, where, why, your family members, your innermost thoughts, etcetera, etcetera?

What happened to keeping a diary and telling ur friends about the things that interest and excite you?

 

It's all about money (and community)

I have learnt a very important lesson recently about money. Having enough money is completely dependent on your position in life. For example, when you live half the world away from home, having enough money means being able to buy a plane ticket for the average price without significantly disrupting your savings. If you can't afford to do that, then you need to start a more aggressive savings plan. I say this because when homesickness kicks in, it kicks in hard and you may need to buy a plane ticket and rush home for your emotional well being.

I guess this type of thing is distance related. If I lived in the USA, then perhaps there wouldn't be a strong desire to go home so often because home is more accessible from there. However, when you live far away in a very sterile environment, money becomes way more important. Money may be the difference between depression and happiness, tears and a smile.

Finding a family-like group of friends is also important, but in times of need, that can be even harder to find than money. As we grow older, friends become fewer and its not because they die. Friendships tend to die, leaving us for the most part alone. For this reason, age old wisdom has encouraged us to find partners, marry and have children. This practice, I believe is meant to help us stave off loneliness and create communities for us to belong to when old ones disintegrate.

Waterfalls

"Don't go chasing waterfalls, please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to..." (TLC, Waterfalls)

When I think of TLC, that song usually comes to mind and in particular, that verse. Taken in context with the rest of the song, it is quite ok, but by itself, that line is rather demotivating. In the song, the artists spoke about a drug dealer or gang banger who was making money illegal and would end up in the gutter one day, leaving his loving mother behind. In that scenario, the artists are warning that we shouldn't chase after quick money at the expense of our lives. The other verses warns against unprotected sex with persons with whom you are newly acquainted and alludes to the fact that having sex with many people may lead to HIV. Again a waterfall is depicted as a bad thing that people go after that ends up damaging them.

I like the song and its message is very positive, however, I don't think the line 'don't go chasing waterfalls...' is appropriate for this song. Waterfalls are beautiful features of nature. A lot of rivers and lakes lead to waterfalls that usually continue on as rivers, lakes, streams, etc.,. In my opinion, a waterfall is synonymous to a big goal or dream. Why should we only stick to the things that we are used to. Almost all motivational books these days encourage us to push beyond our comfort zones (the rivers and lakes that we're used to). The problem with the people in the TLC song, Waterfalls, is the complete opposite. They were sticking to the rivers and lakes that they were used to. They were not chasing anything except mediocrity and a good time. The song should be reworked as 'Please go chase some waterfalls, don't stick to the rivers and lakes that you're used to!'. Sticking to rivers and lakes in which we know what will betide is of no use in this life. The unknown is always more interesting and almost always more rewarding.

Source: http://things-to-do-in-jamaica.com/ys-falls-jamaica/