Johnaberdeen's Blog

There is one thing I'll never understand.  How come when people want to lose weight they just cut down on eating?  I guess my brain is just programmed to think that exercise is the primary tool to lose weight, and nutrition is important but secondary.  I see this all the time at the gym and at work where females in particular complain about their weight but don't go to the gym, and if they do they walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes at a real slow pace while on their cell phone.

I see it this way.  Your body will burn fat if you burn off more calories than you take in.  If you work out, you can be a little more leniant when it comes to eating.  Not saying you can run for an hour then eat 30 hot wings, but you can eat some extra calories.  Don't get me wrong, nutrition and supplements like safe diet pills , fish oil and multivitamins are very important in overall health and weight loss, but you can't ignore exercise.

Think about it like this...this string of thinking really puts things into perspective.  If your cardio workout is 4 different exercises for 15 minutes each,  lets say elliptical machine, treadmill, exercise bike and jump roping, you could easily burn 250 calories in 15 minutes.  If you work hard and exercise at a good pace, you can definitely burn close to 1000 calories in an hour.  Along with a decent diet of 2000 calories, supplements like natural diet pills and your BMR (base metabolicrate: how many calories you burn throughout the day without exercise), you are way ahead in the weight loss game.

I'm not much of a politics guy, but I definitely find the race between McCain and Obama intriguing.  No matter who wins, there is going to be history made.  Either we are going to have our first female Vice President or our first African American President.  I am even that much more interested in politics now that our economy is going down the tubes.  These reasons are why I sat down and sacrificed a Friday night to watch this past debate.

From what I gather, McCain is the military guy and Obama is the economic guy.  If we were in a military crisis, like we currently are with Iraq and Afghanistan and the such, and not in an economic crisis, I think people would be leaning towards McCain.  Conversely, if we were in an economic crisis, like we are now with the bailout plan and people losing their homes and needing debt consolidation, and we weren't in any kind of war crisis, Obama would be the clear favorite.

I like both of these presidental candidates for different reasons.  Contrary to popular belief, John McCain isn't George W. Bush.  You have to respect him for what he did for his military and all of the expertise and knowledge he has gained in his life thus far.  A guy like McCain isn't afraid and is a born leader.  Obama, on the other hand, had struggles of his own that I truly respect.  Obama seems like the guy who would get us out of the debt relief counseling lines and housing debt.

The only thing I ask is that people look beyond gender, race and age and vote according to policies and values.  If we don't discriminate gender, race and age in the workplace, we shouldn't in the Oval Office.

This upcoming weekend, I will be working in fixing the leak coming into my living room.  Apparently, there is a leak somewhere in my bathroom...I haven't figured out if it is coming from my toilet, sink or tub.  Whatever the case, it needs to be fixed before anything else gets ruined or wet in my living room.

So far, the water has made a big water spot on my living room cieling and a wet spot on the carpet.  I've been lucky enough that it hasn't hit my sofa, but I discovered a damp spot on my recliner.  Water problems can be such a pain!

I'm going to suck up my manly pride and call a professional water restoration company to come and diagnose my problem.  When it comes to water leakage, I don't mess around and go inside of the walls or anything.  The last thing I want is for the water to get into all the wires in the walls and whatnot.  Therefore, I will actually find someone who knows what they're doing in the realm of water resoration and hopefully fix the problem.

I hope it doesn't cost too much...wish me luck.

My personal favorite way to kill time during the day is taking online quizzes.  I don't know why, but I really love the idea of a string of questions that lead to a judgment.  Some would say that is weird, but I think most people have taken an online quiz at least once.  Either an IQ test, a love quiz, a sports quiz, a college quiz or just a random one.

As I posted earlier, I am interested in the business world.  I went to the MatchPoint Network website to take the quiz for what franchise would be right for me.  I really enjoyed the quiz, and the people over at MatchPoint Network really put together a winner.  I'd suggest it for anyone who is interested in starting a business and don't know which way to turn.

Also, I took the MENSA practice test.  MENSA is a group of high IQ people, and I wanted to see where I held up.  I did fairly well on the practice test, and I am looking forward to taking the real test in a few months.  Wish me luck.

Aside from food, gas and bills, I spend most of my money on electronics.  TVs, DVDs, video game consoles, video games, MP3 players, MP3 player accessories, digital cameras, cell phones and the such take up a good chunk of change.  I often thought that there has to be a cheaper way to go about getting the electronics that make my life easier and more enjoyable.  There has to be alternatives to these multi-hundred dollar electronics.  Well, through experience, I've found some ways to cut corners, and here are 3 pieces of valuable advice for saving on electronics.

1.  Pass on the name brand electronics.

Companies like Apple, Sony and Blackberry make you pay a premium for their name.  There are many Apple snobs out there, but this is a good way to spend too much money.  When it comes down to it, an MP3 player is an MP3 player, a 42 inch plasma is a 42 inch plasma and a phone is a phone.  In addition, there are tons of cheap accessories like cheap headphones and discount MP3 player accessories that don't need to be name brand.

2.  Newer isn't always better.

I have 2 examples of this being truer than true.  I bought a cheap TV about 9 years ago and it still works terrific today.  Is the picture worse than a newer TV?  Yes.  Am I missing some spiffy features? Absolutely.  Can I still watch and enjoy television?  You betcha.  Another example is video game consoles.  The new XBox 360, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 cost serious coin, but I am happy playing my old school WWF games on Nintendo, Sega and N64.  In addition to appreciating the classics, you can always buy these used.  Buy used!  This goes with DVDs, CDs and pretty much anything else.

3.  Shop online!

Online deals, coupons and online auction sites make shopping online a cheap alternative to buying in store.  Will buying a TV online be very expensive in the shipping category?  Yes.  But for some electronics like DVDs, CDs, MP3 players and computer hardware, online is the way to go.  

I'm excited for a terrific night of MMA action on TV tonight.  First, we have UFC Fight Night:  Diaz vs. Neer, then the premier of The Ultimate Fighter:  Nogueira vs. Mir.  The UFC Fight Night, although lacking in starpower, is a very solid card for free TV.  The main event pits submission specialist Nate Diaz vs. UFC vet Josh Neer.  Although many people don't give Neer a chance, he is a real tough fighter who can pull off the upset. 

Although this is the main event, the fight I'm really looking forward to is Clay Guida vs. Mac Danzig.  These two guys literally fight until they have nothing left, until their martial arts equipment is covered in sweat and blood.  Danzing is a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter, and a superbly well rounded mixed martial artist.  Guida is a dominant wrestler who has fantastic conditioning and has given huge problems to elite fighters like Tyson Griffin and Roger Huerta.

Besides those two fights, Nebraska's own exciting knockout artist will be on display as Houston Alexander takes on Eric Schafer.  The UFC just signed Houston to a 5 fight deal, the fight is in his hometown and it is against a fighter with a suspect chin.  Expect a trip by Schafer to the karate store after the fight for a new mouthpiece!

I was looking back at my post entitled "5 Things I Would Do If I Were Rich" and it got me thinking a little more in depth. My answers seem to be a little boring. Of course everyone is going to buy a house and car and pay off debt and take care of their loved ones. I wanted to spice this up a bit and tell you 5 more unusual things I would do if I were rich. We could assume I'm still rich after I did everything in my previous list.

1.  Build apartments.

This would be a great hobby, as well as a worthwhile investment.  I would hire someone like Schumacher Homes to build a few double sided houses or maybe even a small apartment complex.  After Shumacher Homes built it, I would make some money off of it being a landlord.  This would do several things for me.  Firstly, it will give me income.  Secondly, it would get me into the world of real estate which I always wanted to explore.  Thirdly, I could learn about the inner workings of a house and construction.

2.  Buy a guitar.

I always wanted a vintage Gibson or Martin guitar, but I could never justify spending a few thousand dollars on one.  Thinking outside of the box, I would definitely spend upwards of $15,000 on a Gibson that would make me sound like Eric Clapton.  Maybe even see if I could get one custom made!  I think it's worth it!

3.  Go to tattoo school.

This is a pretty unique idea that I don't know too many other people would have.  I was reading about a tattoo school in Michigan that you actually pay to go there for a few weeks and they teach you the ins and outs of tattooing and the tattooing business.  I've always been an artistic guy, and I have a pipe dream of being able to transfer my art on someone else's body.  This would be such a good time and a true learning experience.  Maybe I could even put my new found skills to use!

4.  Donate money to a college.

I wouldn't mind having my name somewhere on a college campus.  Perhaps I would make a sizable donation to a university and get a building named after me!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not doing this for myself here as much as you would think.  I'd like to think after a generous donation, some of my family and predecessors would be able to attend that university for a pretty good price.  Plus, more money for kids to learn is always a terrific idea.

5.  Buy season tickets.

I would buy season tickets for the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Falcons, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Philadelphia 76ers and maybe even catch some soccer games in the states.  I'm a huge sports junkie who hasn't been able to get to many games because of work and expensive tickets.  I'd make myself a regular at all of these venues for sure!

I was spending some time with a friend and he read in a magazine about different lottery winners.  Personally, winning that much money would seriously blow my mind.  He then asked me about what I'd do if I'd won 20 million dollars in the lottery.  After thinking about it for about 5 or 10 minutes, and assuming that half of that would be taken out for taxes, these are the 5 things I would definitely do if I won the lottery.

1.  Pay off debt.

I'm a worrier, and I'd love to get my student loans and everything else paid off.  This, more than anything, would just give me peace of mind.  I never liked owing people money, and it is one of my dreams to be debt free.  That is why this would be the first thing I'd do with my new found wealth.

2.  Buy a house.

I'm not talking MC Hammer's house, but a dream house in a good neighborhood.  I'm not really one for flash and flair, but I could spend $750,000 - $1 million on a house and it could be everything I want.  Home theater, jacuzzi, home gym and I'll be happy!

3.  Maid service & cook.

This goes along with the house.  Although I like to clean and cook, I'd rather spend my time doing other things.  Hiring a cleaning service and cooking service would make my life a lot easier and more stress free.  Plus, what kind of millionare would I be if I can to do my own cooking and cleaning?

4.  Vehicles.

3 vehicles will make me happy.  No Ferrari, no Lamborghini, no Aston Martin...nothing in that league.  I want a brand new Ford F150, black with black leather interior.  I want a brand new Pontiac Solstice because I think it is a sharp little convertible.  Finally, I want a Harley Davidson custom bike.  I've always wanted a Harley, and this would be my time.  I imagine that these 3 vehicles would actually run less than $100,000.

5.  Take care of my family.

My mother and father would never have to work again.  They would be retired and their bills would be paid.  Plain and simple.  You have to look out for those who have looked out for you!

This blog post is for all you entrepreneurs and business savvy types out there who start your own business .  I know there is a lot of reward that comes with owning your own business.  You say what goes, you work when you want, you make the decisions and you profit nicely if your business does well.  However, I know there are a lot of sacrifices.  Putting your financial life out on a limb is a huge risk, not to mention all the hours you have to put into your business. 

I guess what I'm trying to ask is if it is all worth it.  Whether you own a franchise or your own business, is it ultimately worth the time you put in for the financial gains and power?  I'm a big time guy...I like having time to spend with friends and family.  I guess when it comes down to it, I'd rather my time and peace than the hectic yet rewarding business life.

I'd be lying though if I didn't say I thought about starting a small business.  I had an idea a few years back of opening a beer distributer that delivers, but unfortunately I never followed through on it.

I wanted to add this in with the last post, but it was a little off topic.  I'm sure you followed my blog posts about us helping my friend with his home, well it kind of made me think.  It might be time in the next 5 years for me to think about building the home of my dreams.  I've always wanted to build a house, but financial restrictions always stopped me.  I think within the next few years, I'll be financially safe enough to make this happen.  I'll have to talk to someone at Schumacher Homes a little but further about it to get some preliminary talks going.

I'm the kind of guy who believes in taking risks and living life to the fullest.  I think the scariest thing in the world is laying on your death bed and thinking you could have done something more.  I am going to try with everything I've got to not let myself end up that way.  Hence my call to Schumacher Homes tomorrow afternoon....

I'm far from a fat guy, but I wouldn't mind cutting some weight. I am an active guy, I'm involved in martial arts plus all the running, cycling and weight training I do on a normal basis. Unfortunately, my weakness is food. For some reason, I have a hard time filling my stomach. I also do every bad eating habit you can think of: I eat when I'm bored, I have my meals while watching TV, I eat fast food, I drown salads in dressings etc.

I've been trying to find a way to curb my appetite. I tried will power and it didn't really work out too well. I still ate whenever I wanted to, I just felt more guilty about it. I tried pre-planning every meal I was going to have in a given day and it wasn't feasible. My schedule is far too hectic to have that much structure in a diet. I've realized that it isn't how I eat, the whole problem is what I eat. So I am on a quest to eat well and fill my body with nutritious, low calorie foods.

I am going to the store tomorrow so I can pick up some soup, rice, vegetables, fruit, water, crackers, whole wheat pasta, egg whites, butter substitute, Splenda, soy milk, granola  and whatever else I need. In addition to this, I will be using hoodia diet pills, fiber capsules and green tea capsules because they help against hunger cravings.  I hope my new lifestyle and these herbal diet pills work!