Wild World Of Wednesday Blogspotting - March 31, 2010

I just occurred to me that the guido fist pump dance is not only a great way to be silly but you can probably burn a lot of calories doing it. Surely this guy is using at part of his fitness plan?

In case you haven't noticed, Heather over at Real Women Golf has been on fire lately. Today she is taking applications for gallery positions and she even had a close encounter with John Daly. Go girl!

By the way, have you checked out the blog Up Next In Sports? You should.

I was excited to see that Armchair Golf Blog had this post about Jim Furyk and his dietary changes. Simple changes can make a big difference when you stick to them!

Let's face it...the Dodgers are going to suck royally this year. Period. There are so many ridiculous headlines about the McCourt divorce that I have completely tuned out. I can't even get excited by Opening Day. If you're interested in all the gory details and happenings with the demise of the Dodgers just follow Dodger Divorce.

Today In Sports History

1973 - Muhammad Ali wore a $10000 robe with "The Peoples Champion" inscribed on it. Ali lost the fight to Ken Norton. Elvis Presley had given the robe to Ali on January 2, 1971.

1998 - The Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks debuted in the major league.

2004 - NFL owners adopted a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebrations. The penalty was added to the fines previously in place for choreographed and multiplayer celebrations. Also, if the infraction was flagrant the player would be ejected. The previous day the owners had instituted a modified instant replay system for five years.

*Source for sports history is here

Look How I've Run Out Of Time Again!

I've run short on hours this morning and have to run but wanted to give you a little teaser for a guest post that I have coming up later this week.

A buddy of mine has taken up a new sport and was so kind as to write about her preliminary experiences.

Stay tuned!

5 Things To Remember About Fitness

It is that time of year where the excitement about improving fitness, losing weight, and getting healthier has faded for many. Your big plans for working out and eating right have been derailed by taking care of the kids, extra hours at the office, or an illness has crushed your motivation. Remember this: it's never too late to take care of your health.

1. Give yourself a break! So you fell off the wagon...it happens. Forgive yourself and move on. Too many times I see others have a setback and take that as a complete disaster and then completely give up. So you had a bad week. Sometimes we get a cold, get stuck working long hours, or don't have a sitter. It happens. Loosen up and don't get trapped in the all-or-nothing approach.

2. Don't be TOO forgiving, though! Be dedicated without being too liberal in your excuses. We are all busy. We all have many commitments. Don't let the kids, dog, long hours, spouse, or cold be your convenient excuse to slack off. If you came on too strong with your expectations then do a reset. Again, avoid that all-or-nothing approach.

3. No time like the present. After having a setback it can be too easy to set a new time in the future to start back up. What are you waiting for? It's popular start back up on Monday, next week, next month, next year...any time but now. Why wait? In those days or weeks before you get back on your plan it's too tempting to give yourself license to be really bad. I watch my hubby do it ALL the time. "I'm gonna eat what I want today because I'm starting my new eating plan tomorrow." The thing is that tomorrow never comes. Whenever you realize you fell off, get back on. There is no law that says you can't restart in the middle of a day, week, or month. Don't fall into the timing trap!

4. Stay positive! Just because you slipped it does not make you a failure. Seriously, your entire self-worth should not be based on your ability to stick to a particular fitness plan. Perhaps you were too aggressive. In fact, you might not have been aggressive enough and got bored.

5. Nobody said it would be easy, but you can do it. Seriously, drop the excuses. I always hear people (including hubby) convince themselves that they have a unique set of circumstances that prevents them from succeeding. They get caught up in the "if only" and "if I had a" way of thinking. Trust me, if you even take an extra 30 minutes in your day for yourself it will make a huge difference. I mean really, is watching some show or movie on television that important? Think about all the time you waste "unwinding" by watching television. Surely you can carve out some time to exercise or spread it out to make healthier food choices then. Heck, get on the treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike while you watch. Don't you want to be there in the future for the kids, family, career, etc?

P.S. I've had about a two-week period of illness and a quick outpatient procedure that derailed my endurance training but have otherwise kept to my TTUC eating plan. There's no reason to throw the whole thing out just because of a little cold and sports med treatment.

A Special Sunday Catch-Up Post

I must apologize to everyone that has sent me press releases, ad/text link inquiries, and other story ideas over the past month or so. Actually, I've been getting behind since the end of January. It's all for good reasons: the day job has been incredibly busy, I've been doing more volunteer work, and (the least fun) I had a NASTY cold and then a quick outpatient procedure the other day. Let's just say that I seriously am not ready for it to be the month of April starting next week.

Enough bellyaching - let's catch up on some info:

First off, I am trying to sit on one of those exercise balls whilst I write this. I have MANY colleagues that do this for health reasons. It's just not cutting it for me. I feel like I am on a surfboard and when that is the case my feet are not firmly planted but moving. You surfers out there can relate. I've been going on 5 minutes and I am ready to go back to a regular chair. We'll see if I can last through this post.

Fitness Magazine is where it's at! Not only do they send me awesome series information to post about, but their daily email newsletters with tips are really great. One newsletter had a great link to Real Women Success Stories depicting women that lost 100+ pounds and there was nary a mention of gimmicky, overpriced diets. Go ladies! Oh, and just in time for that upcoming bridal season, I got an email about a series of videos and instruction for looking great in your wedding dress called Bridal Boot Camp. Most everyone wants to look special on that big day and they even have specific moves for certain dress types. Finally, for the very busy bride-to-be, there is the 20 minute circuit training plan.

For the Masters junkies I thought I would pass along a little tidbit that I received about coverage being in 3D through Comcast on television and the internet.

ACK! Missed this but better late than never: What happens when you mix two global superstars from the entertainment world with two sporting legends from the game of tennis...? The answer: a celebrity tennis match of epic proportions. For one match only, happening on Tuesday March 23 in Miami, these two glamorous worlds are set to collide on-court, in an historic celebrity battle that is sure to be a tightly-contested showdown to the bitter end.
On one side of the net, multi-platinum selling music star Jay Sean will be joined by former World Number One Maria Sharapova. On the opposite baseline, World Number Two Novak Djokavic will line up alongside former Spice Girl and TV personality Mel B. See how our stars have been getting on, and their reactions to finding out who they partners were, for what will unquestionably be the most-anticipated match of the year – here at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami! Check out the teaser video here and the result here.

Angela's Coffee Shop has sent me some coffee and tea samples to review that I will get to this week. More on that when the post is up.

Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year! Chiney Ogwumike of Cy-Fair High School in Houston, Texas is the 2009-10 Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year. The Gatorade Player of the Year program is celebrating its 25th year in recognizing elite high school athletes throughout the nation. Chiney was surprised with the news during an assembly by her sister Nneka Ogwumike, who earned Gatorade National Girls Basketball POY honors herself in 2007-08, and currently plays for the Stanford women’s basketball team. Nneka and the team surprised Chiney live via Skype, as the team was traveling for the NCAA tournament.

Since the Gatorade Player of the Year program began 25 years ago, no siblings have ever won national honors. Chiney joins her sister Nneka, as the only sibling duo to ever win the national title in the history of the program for any sport. In celebration of the larger 25th anniversary of the program, Gatorade will host 10 polls online that will allow consumers to decide who is the greatest all-time Gatorade Player of the Year in boys football, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys baseball, girls softball, and boys and girls track & field. You can cast your vote for your favorite athlete of all-time once per sport, per day here.

Former notable Gatorade Players of the Year include:

• Peyton Manning, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player

• Lisa Leslie, WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder

• Alan Webb, Reigning American record-holder in the mile

• Emmitt Smith, NFL all-time leading rusher

• Cat Osterman, Softball Olympic gold medalist

In addition, make sure to enter the Gatorade Player of the Year sweepstakes where you could win a trip to the 2010 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards ceremony and the ESPY Awards. For more information about The Gatorade Player of the Year program and its 25th anniversary celebration, please visit this link.

Homeless World Cup Catch Up Press Release: We’ve been hard at work at the Homeless World Cup creating three new initiatives that invite you to take a stand to end homelessness through football. Here’s introducing…

The Corporate Cup, especially for corporates across the UK to challenge each other to win the chance to unite with 64 nations and take on the Homeless World Cup All Stars for World Cup glory on the global stage of the Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup;

The Football Box, a football coaching education program and equipment to reach homeless people in deprived parts of the world with the benefits of football;

Volunteer Rio: A 2010 Challenge, the opportunity for 30 individuals to raise funds to volunteer at the 8th Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup.

We'd love you to be part of it. Are you in?

Here’s how to take part:

THE CORPORATE CUP

The Corporate Cup invites organizations across the UK to compete for glory and take a stand to end homelessness. The champions will travel to Copacabana Beach, Rio, Brazil, to unite with 64 nations participating in the 8th Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup and take on the Homeless World Cup All Stars in an exhibition match in the 5,000-seater street soccer stadium. The Corporate Cup will be held on 22 May in Scotland and 5 June in England. To enter please contact Elliot Stroud, Homeless World Cup via elliot(at)homelessworldcup(dot)org.

FOOTBALL BOX

The Football Box, a football coaching education program and equipment, can travel to the far corners of the globe to deliver the benefits of football to homeless people in the most deprived nations of the world. One Football Box is only £500 and provides coaching education and equipment for five homeless people to work with 100 homeless players in their community. Football Boxes are right now winging their way to India and Uganda. If you’d love to buy a Football Box you can do that here or kick start a Football Box by making a donation here. Contact Robin Tatler on via robin(at)homelessworldcup(dot)org for more information.

VOLUNTEER RIO: A 2010 CHALLENGE

30 lucky volunteers will join 64 national teams of homeless players on Copacabana Beach, Rio, Brazil from 18-27 September 2010 for the Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup. In a 2010 challenge you will raise £2,300 in sponsorship to enable one homeless player to participate in the Rio 2010 Homeless World Cup and to cover your flight, accommodation. To find out more or register your place contact Lynn via lynn(at)homelessworldcup(dot)org.

I hope you're having a relaxing Sunday and getting energized for the upcoming week! P.S. I am still sitting on the ball but I can't promise for how much longer.

Catch Up or Learn?

I couldn't decide if I wanted to finish catching up on information that I am behind on or to take this opportunity to talk about taking care of my health. Finally, the latter won in part because I was able to find this interesting animation about the procedure I had today. It may be helpful to someone?

Let me back up a bit. Some of you know have noticed me complaining about my neck and/or shoulder every so often. One of my discs in my cervical spine is bulging and, therefore, affecting the nerves down my right arm. The muscles on my right side are also affected as a result of this and another problematic disc nearby.

I found a great sports med doc in December that has really treated my pain/strength/flexibility issues I've had with this region with the most effectiveness. I saw several other "specialists" that just threw drugs at me and sent me to ridiculous PT providers that just wanted me to come and watch me do exercises that I can do on my own at home.

My awesome new doc has sent me to a very effective PT group that is very hands-on. That, coupled with several cortisone injections to muscles in my neck & shoulder area have really made a huge difference for me. On top of that, I have been working on my strength and endurance as part of my fitness goals. Let's just say that I am doing really, really well.

One of the last pieces of this health issue for me has been that I have some really incredibly bad pain shooting into my elbow and hand. I was told this is because of the nerves being affected by the disc. This is what sent me to the local hospital today for the an outpatient procedure.

The sports med doc prescribed a cervical epidural injection. I got to the hospital this morning, got into a lovely gown, and had an IV started. Approximately an hour or so later I was wheeled in to the OR. I was placed on my stomach with a particular foam ring to elevate my head from the pillow so not to suffocate. Next, they cleansed the injection site and gave a sedative. I was not completely put under but just enough to feel silly. Next, I was given the oxygen tube (which has really smelly plastic) and the doctor came in to do her part. The procedure is performed under an x-ray so the disc is visible.

I got a little freaked out at first when they hooked up everything but it all went by VERY quickly. The unpleasantness didn't last long at all. Before I knew it, I was back in the recovery area. Quite spacey, I called hubby to tell him I was ready to leave.

The only side effects at this point are the bruise/soreness on my hand from the IV needle and soreness at the injection site. The constant pain in my elbow seems to be subsiding but I'll have to see how it goes in the next few days. The worst side effect is that I can't surf or golf this weekend. Hopefully, it will be worth it and my flexibility will improve for both activities!

Pushing It Again

I just keep running out of hours in the day but should be caught up here soon. While I am trying to get it together, enjoy this video of some very brave surfers. If you get chills you can always just hop over to Surfer Magazine's website for other cool flicks. I'll return to my usual rants and raves in no time.

Wild World of Wednesday Trying To Catch Up!

I am diligently trying to catch up with the mountain of information that I have not posted for the last several weeks. It happens, I get backed up from time to time. I have gone through and sorted most everything so I should be able to bring you all of the latest from commentaries, press releases and other inside info from around the world of sports throughout the rest of the week. I wanted to at least bring you this one today:

Go To Augusta: I got a note from Patricia "Golf Girl" Hannigan about a very interesting raffle:

This raffle is sponsored by Cristie Kerr - the prize is a trip to the Masters for two including first-class air fare, accommodations and all transportation plus two badges for the the weekend, Sat 4/10 and Sun 4/11.

The tickets are $2.00 with a $10.00 minimum. The raffle is being conducted by Celebrities for Charity and all proceeds will go to Cristie's charity, Birdies for Breast Cancer.

Tickets are available at the Celebrities for Charity website here.

Almost Back To Normal

Gentle Reader,

Thank you for sticking through the less-exciting content over the last few days or so while I have been recovering from whatever I have. I appreciate your well wishes and that you have stuck by me.

Although I have been sticking to my TTUC health and fitness goals as far as diet is concerned I have not been able to work out. I can't wait to get back on the golf course and in the surf. Hanging with the group in the video above sounds great right about now. Some nice hot weather and warm waves...

Also, if you've sent me press release or other info over the last month I am delayed in getting your information up and I do apologize. I will be getting through all of that this week. Promise.

Have a lovely week, and thanks for being there!

Warm fuzzies and happy days,
Apryl

5 Questions Rewind: The Homeless World Cup

It has been some time since I've talked about the Homeless World Cup. For those of you that have not heard of this organization, start reading and clicking the links:

My first interview with the group

Interview with some regional coaches and some success stories they shared with me of individuals that have participated in the HWC.

2009 Champs press release

You can even be a volunteer for the 2010 HWC in Rio. How awesome would that be? I'd love to get to this event or at least by the 2011 in Paris.

Check out the current rankings for the 2010 teams.

One day, I'll find the time and $$ to get to the HWC to volunteer and cover the event live!

There Really Is Golf Here

*This post is dedicated to Vince

Yes, I do talk about golf every so often. Once I a while I'll mention street soccer, Premier League Soccer, Football, Baseball, Basketball, etc. I've always had a short attention span and evolving/revolving tastes. There will be some time spans where I am obsessed with baseball and others when all I want to think about is hiking. That's the beauty of running your own show, right? You get to focus on what you are interested in at that point.

I've been on a major fitness kick this year as I am sure you've noticed. Golf is a big part of this. One of my goals is to increase my driving distance and keep that consistent. I got to work on this a bit last Friday at the beautiful Carlsbad Golf Center. I was in one of the stalls near the center and couldn't believe my eyes.

My swing is considerably smoother, for starters. A multitude of cortisone shots and months of physical therapy later and I have a golf swing! Hooray! Hubby noticed how much more fluid my swing looked and I could tell that my flexibility had increased.

I did my usual routine: started with wedges, moved up to irons of increasing length, and then on to the woods with the driver last. When I got to the driver I smacked that poor little ball right into the marker that read "200". Okay, I thought that was just a lucky shot. As many of you know, range balls have a considerably less flight distance than do regular golf balls. I figured I just got a hold of it well.

Boom! 200 again! Oh, and then it happened again...and again...

That's when I realized that the center must be set up to boost your confidence. There is no way I could have been hitting the 200 marker over and over. I can get a 200 - 225 drive every so often off the tee if the conditions are right but never with any consistency. This is one of my goals but I am in disbelief that I could have attained it so quickly.

I'll let you know what happens the next time I hit the range/course. We'll verify if this was a fluke or misprint. Wish me luck.

P.S. I'm incredibly honored to be a guest tomorrow on the lovely Danielle Tucker's radio show The Golf Club! Christina Kim is up first and then I should be on somewhere after 10:00 am PST.

Old Man Winter Hates Me

*Okay, I should have had this video up yesterday but being a Hungarian from Southern California I don't wake up on St. Paddy's Day realizing what day it is right off. Better late than never - plus I drank some green beer on Saturday (the 13th).

At any rate, this post is not about St. Paddy's day or my background but just how much I get slapped around by Mother Nature and her minions. In particular, Old Man Winter dealt me a blow on Saturday. Fortunately, it wasn't so much a physical blow as it was a mental beating.

I tried again to demo a very sweet board that I've been dying to have a long session on. I'm really digging the company that makes them since it is a lightweight board and as I get older I am a fan of carrying around something that doesn't weigh a ton.

I get the board, paddle out and then it hits me. There's a nasty chop and a current that is going all over the place. This is at my normally cozy, easy point break. In addition, its freaking freezing cold with a breeze. Argh.

One of the gents in the lineup comes over to ask me about the board and I tell him what I know. First off, it was delightfully light and very easy to maneuver. Unfortunately, the dang choppy current was messing with my day. I lasted about 30 minutes before I crybabied back to the shore. Waa.

The good news? My endurance is way up thanks to following my TTUC plan! WooHoo! I never really got winded in spite of fighting with Old Man Winter to stay in the lineup. Although I was a whiner and didn't stay long, this small victory was at least one sunny spot.

I can't wait to kick some soft & mushy summer swell in the rear!

Wild World of Wednesday - March 17, 2010

Okay, I'm getting there! Apologies for the lack of content this week. I got SLAPPED by some wild bug that refused to let me out of bed until late yesterday. Usually, I can power my way through these things - but not this time. It happens. I'm not quite sure what exactly it was but it could have been a number of things. Hubby was only a little bit congested but I had full bore cold and flu symptoms. Surfing in really, really cold and stirred up water on Saturday could have been part of the problem but I can't be sure. The others in the lineup that day were kind enough to point out the hole in my wetsuit must be making me really chilly. Next winter, I vow to not be so cheap and buy a new wetsuit that fits me instead of using a men's hand-me-down.

At any rate - although I did "feed" the cold a bit on Monday I stuck to my Twitter Trip Up Challenge routine as far as eating. I added no salt in spite of how "comforting" that would have been. What I did make was a variation of the soup I always make myself when I feel a bit under the weather.

Feel Better Soup
1 medium potato
1 lg carrot
1 lg tomato
1 portabella mushroom (or portabello, if you prefer)
fresh garlic
sriracha

Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil (no, don't add salt) and add 1 diced medium potato and 1 sliced carrot. Once these are good and soft to your liking, add diced portabella mushroom. Give this a few moments to cook up the mushroom to your desired consistency and then add one whole tomato that you've liquefied in the blender along with fresh garlic and sriracha. The garlic and sriracha should be added to your taste. Bring back to a bit of a boil and it's ready to serve.

You can add more or less water, depending on how much liquid you want. I put a little more with a lot more sriracha when I'm really congested and it always makes me feel better. In addition, at times adding some fresh shrimp or other fresh seafood is quite tasty.

What's your favorite comfort food when you're a little under the weather?

Really Under The Weather

I'm very under the weather and need to sleep whatever this is off so enjoy this sweet video of Sofia Mulanovich shredding the surf in the meantime

5 Places To Get Your Bracket On

There are plenty of places to look at men's brackets online and to print:

1. NCAA site

2. ESPN

3. CBS Sports

4. Doc's Sports

5. Maddux Sports

Let the madness begin!

Starting The Weekend Early!

Having built up a rather large number of vacation days, this workaholic is taking one off. I've had my fresh apple/beet(including leafy part)/carrot juice that I made in my awesome juicer and I'm off to do some golfy things down in the So Orange and No San Diego county area. If you follow me on Twitter then you're sure to catch photo uploads of my travels today.

Don't forget to adjust your clocks on Sunday for Daylight Saving Time. WooHoo! This means the days of surfing after a day at the office are very near!

Have a great weekend!

Free Yourself From The Package - Regional Considerations

I had intended to discuss regional considerations this week and it's a good thing as someone brought to my attention that not everyone can get an heirloom tomato in March. Trust me, it's not lost on me that I am extremely fortunate to be a SoCal native that went to college in the Southeastern US before hightailing it back to L.A. I've never really had to experience a lack of fresh produce in my life. I'm very thankful for that. In fact - I make a point every day to take note and revel in simple pleasures like fresh produce, sitting on a surfboard in the winter, and surprise 80 degree days in January among others. I'm seriously delighted to stop at the farm stand and grab a big bunch of beets with big, leafy green tops.

That said, there are many takes on the package. I have said before that I prefer to eat actual food that did not come in a bag, box, or package. I am a fan of seeing each ingredient in my meals so when I am at home this is how my meals are prepared.

Others worry about their carbon footprint if they're in the Midwest and use produce from California or Florida. One blog I follow conveniently addressed this yesterday. Lots of packaging somehow ends up in the ocean. As a surfer, I really appreciate when people don't use packaging or plastics (I don't use them). In addition, there are many articles about the carbon impact that beef makes whether you buy it from a local farm or not (no, I haven't had beef since I was a very young child).

To round all of this babble up: you need to weigh the options of what you eat and its source. I'm not going to make those choices for you. There are many considerations with pollution, GMOs, regional issues, etc. I'm simply going to share my personal journey without making any judgments on what is right for someone else.

One thing I do know, it doesn't matter where you live - you can give up adding sugar and salt to your food. Like I mentioned on Tuesday, don't do it all at once and your success rate is much higher.

Here's another little recipe for salsa:

Obliterate in the food processor (I got mine from a freecycling group):
2 roma tomatoes (rinsed)
1 clove fresh garlic (rinsed)
1 Anaheim pepper (rinse and cut off the stem)
2 large tomatillos (remove covers and rinse)
1 green onion (rinse and cut roots and top)

Use as salsa, on rice, on top of seafood, or wherever you want some flavor.

Wild World of Wednesday - March 8, 2010

Let's do some fitness links today - some you have already seen:

Fitness Magazine has an 8 week half marathon plan with free advice and tips.

Ruthless Golf has the Weekend Golfer's Fitness Guide - scroll down the right sidebar for the links.

Check out Fit Bottomed Girls for LOTS of great fitness content.

I think it would be really cool to train at an MMA school - I don't want to fight or spar, just go through the rigorous training. If this is also interesting to you then check out the Figther Girls website for information on schools around the country.

Your turn - tell me where some of your favorite fitness content is!

Free Yourself From The Package - Step 1: Lose The Additives

I love to listen to some funky disco while I'm in the kitchen making some dinner! My satellite television provider has some cool channels that I use.

At any rate - this is a post about freeing yourself from the package. Whether it's a box, bag, or bottle - my personal opinion is that one should free themselves of processed foods and prepare their own fresh meals.

WARNING: THIS IS NOT EASY AND REQUIRES DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT

Also -I'm not perfect. I allow the processing that occurs in a bottle of fine Belgian ale and other adult beverages a few times a week. Also, I use coffee and tea that I did not myself make but comes in packaging. I hope to find an alternative here one day.

The secret to removing the packaged crap from your diet is to start simply and change a little bit at a time. Don't try to do everything at once or the odds that you will fail are very high.

Step 1: Stop adding sugar or sweeteners to your food and drink.

I'm fortunate and have never had a sweet tooth and am missing the chocolate gene so I did this years ago. If you have a sweet tooth and can lose the salt easier then change step one from sugar to salt. Pick one and then when you feel confident that you have lost your taste for the additive, remove the other. I removed salt from my diet this year. I now really taste all of my food!

That's the goal in this step: learn to enjoy the taste that foods actually have!

Once you feel confident that you're tasting foods, you are well on your way to removing the package from your life!

Remember not to set yourself up for failure! I hear people say, "I can't possibly drink coffee without sugar", or, "There is no way I can have fries without salt". Well, if you believe that baloney then you're right. You may as well give up completely. Forget I even mentioned it. Enjoy all those health issues that come with a poor diet. I would rather actively decide to eat right before some physician orders me to do so later on in response to a less than favorable disease diagnosis.

You can do it.

Really, you can.

I promise.

You can acquire a taste for many things regardless of age or history.

Seriously.

Try this salsa, for starters. When you can appreciate the taste of every ingredient then you are well on your way to removing the package:

Fresh Green Salsa:

From the produce section/farmer's market:
1 large green heirloom tomato (rinse and cut into 4 pieces)
2 medium tomatillos (remove cover, rinse thoroughly, cut in half)
1 white pepper (rinse thoroughly and cut off the stem)
2 green onions (rinse and cut the roots and leafy portion off)

In a food processor (ironic name) place in the ingredients and process on highest setting until personally desired consistency.

Enjoy on seafood, salads, rice, etc.

Even my salt-and-sugar-worshiping hubby LOVES this recipe. He doesn't even add salt to it.

Go ahead, you can do it.

More steps on freeing yourself from the package with more recipes to follow!

5 Questions With Coach Lee

Dion A. Lee, CEO and Head Coach of the Las Vegas Showgirlz can be found all over the Women's Football Talk programming when he isn't working on his team or other contributions to women's football. He stopped his busy schedule enough to be a guest for five questions today:

1. Describe your coaching experiences that have led you to the Showgirlz. What other coaching experience do you have? Have you coached sports other than football?

Coaching goes back to 1994 for me as a full-time thing. After my college career I went back to my high school (Carson High, in Carson, CA) and made my coaching debut as the Defensive Back coach. That year I coached and developed one of the best secondary in the City, 3 out of 4 were selected on the first team All-League team and All-City team that year. I knew all along that I wanted to coach for a living. In my second year I was promoted to the defensive coordinator position. But as life goes on I went back into my true love full time, entertainment promotions. From 1996 to 2001, I made my living in the entertainment industry as an Urban Marketing Specialist.

The need to get back on the field came in 2001, when I saw an ad for a head coaching position at Pasadena High. When I answered that ad the position was filled but I was asked to join the staff as a Defensive Back coach. The following year I was promoted to Defensive Coordinator. From 2001 to 2005 I helped put Pasadena back on the map and we were the top defense in the C.I.F in 02, 03 and 04. I was also the head Track and Field coach, again building the program up by recruiting heavily on campus to get us rolling. In track we won two boy league titles while I was there, but was more proud of building the girls program from 10 girls to over 75 and help them make it out of league and into the C.I.F. After the 04 season I was interested in becoming a head coach as the head coach was stepping down. But again life happens and my wife and I decided to move to Las Vegas. I drove back and forth from Pasadena to Vegas for the next 2 years to continue teaching and coaching Track and Field. Before we moved, I had befriended Aubrey Duncan of the Los Angeles Amazons. He wanted me to help coach his team of women football players. At first I just laughed, "women, right!!!" It wasn't until I went to a WPFL Championship in the Fall of 04 that I saw a game live.........and I loved it!!!! I told myself I have to get involved. So in the Fall of 2005, I went to Dallas Texas and presented the Las Vegas Showgirlz as a team to add to the WPFL line-up.

The Spring of 2006 is when we got started and never looked back, the first tryout was a little disappointing, we only had 7 players make it out that day, but we had 10 different media outlets there to see us. We ran practice as though we had a full team knowing that the news was going to cover a select few anyway. Players started seeing on us on the news and in newspapers and the next week we had 20 new girls out there. The week after we had 30 more new ones plus the other 30 or so others. Now we have a team. That year we had over 120 women come out and tryout for the team. I told the ladies that it is going to take us 5 years before we are on top of this Women's Football "thang". We went 2-5 in 2006, 2-6 in 2007, 5-3 in 2008, and 8-0 in 2009 losing in our first appearance in the WFA National Playoffs. In 2010, this is the year - just like I planned 5 years ago!!!

2. Tell me about your annual conference - what was your motivation, inspiration, and how did it all come together?

The annual camp and conference is nothing new, it was just something that wasn't being done in women's football. There are 100's of camps and clinics for football players and coaches all over the nation but none were open or for women football players. I have been around the women's game since 2005 and saw a need for our product to get better. We had good players but the true football fan wants to see great players. So after talking to a few coaches out there we talked about the needs of the players and created the WFCC or the Women's Football Camp and Conference.

At first the Camp and Conference was not welcome with open arms. Even though it was a great idea, the leagues out there didn't feel in was needed. They felt that all the owners would get together and talk and recruit each other out of each others' leagues and the same with the coaches. They thought that teams would be lining up to recruit their players.

As you can see they were all wrong....lol! The purpose was to get everyone that wanted to improve their game on and off the field to come and experience that. To learn the game, to be taught by others, to get the latest in coaching, to find out how to get sponsors, how niche marketing is what we do, how to sell season tickets and getting fans in the stands, to come together and work together.

In 2008 we had 42 campers there, in 2010 we had 73 campers and 13 management staff attend. Has it hit the numbers that we expected? No, not even close, we have what - 100 teams or so out there!!! We were looking at 2 coaches from each team, 2 management staff and 4 players, giving us a total of 800 attendees for the Camp and Conference. Very real listed numbers. We will get there on day some, as of today, March 5th, we have over 130 signed up for the January 6th, 2011 Camp and Conference.

3. What sports have you personally been involved in throughout your life? What do you do now for fun, competition, or health & fitness?

I have been involved in several sports from the age of 5 to now. I started playing sports at the age of 5 with flag football and basketball. I stuck with football and track throughout high school and college. Later I earned a D1 scholarship to attend and graduated from Cal State University of Long Beach. I played Defensive Back and later switched to Wide Receiver, earned All Big West Conference in Track and Field.

What I do now as far as competition is compete against my two kids and wife in everything; from racing to the front door, playing the Wii System, Bingo and Candyland. I get a little more fit by working out, side by side with the ladies that I Coach in football. Other than that, walking and running at work as a Recreation Sports Specialist for Clark County Parks & Rec.

4. Who are your role models and why? Do you consider yourself a role model? Why or why not?

My role models are to this day are still my parents. They have always shown me the way. They have helped me become the man that I am today.

I see myself as a role model to many out there. Coaching is a position where you are looked as a role model, a teacher, a leader. I am a leader and believer and I show that in my everyday work habits to help build Women's Football.


5. Tell me something that may surprise people to know about you.

Wow, that's a hard question, but as I think about it, most people don't know how funny I am. I should of been a comedian.....lol!

I'm Amazed At The Response

The responses to my Nutrisystem rant have been quite interesting. What started as a mere rant uncovered a great case study in exceptional marketing strategy. Check out the update I just added and read through the comments here. "Weigh in" and throw in your opinion too!

My Beef With Packaged Food - Part Two

Note: I've been using video/audio for some of my favorite tunes with each post lately. Today's song makes me want to surf my favorite spot on a glassy day. Yesterday's tune is good for listening to while you're cooking up some yummy food.

Yesterday I promised I would talk a little more about how I freed myself of packaged and processed food. Let me just warn you now that in my opinion:

IN ORDER TO "EAT RIGHT" OR "HEALTHY" YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE SACRIFICES AND HAVE DISCIPLINE. THERE IS NO QUICK FIX!

A longtime pal of mine is over 40 and has three children. She's in very good shape. She tells me that the other mothers in her play group always get angry when she tells them that she stays in shape with a simple commitment: eat right and exercise.

Yes, we are all impatient. Yes, it would be great to have a quick fix.

I don't believe there is one. If there was, it wouldn't come in a box from the freezer.

Don't you remember the cliche? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?

Seriously, I have disciplined myself over the years to stay healthy. A few family members inspired me to stay fit from the time I was very young. I watched their battles with weight and just how terribly unhappy it made them. I knew that I didn't want to be in that situation.

To me, it seemed like a no-brainer. If you eat too much or don't get enough exercise you will get out of shape, lose energy, and gain weight.

Trust me, you have to be committed and it isn't easy. For me, it's an easy choice to take a moment to put a fresh tomato, tomatillo, white pepper, and green onion in the food processor rather than open a jar of processed salsa. I feel a major difference in my energy level and overall happiness when I eat fresh food that I prepare myself.

So you have to ask yourself: would I rather hit snooze or watch television that extra hour or would I rather invest that time in my health? Look for time-wasters in your schedule and replace them with healthier habits such as taking a 30 minute walk with your spouse, kids, or companion animals. You can even use that time to shop for fresh ingredients that you can use to make your own sauces, soups, and juices.

Make the investment. You can do it.


Stay tuned next week for more specific examples and recipes. Have a great weekend!

My Beef With Packaged Food

Recently I ranted on about how annoyed I was at a particular packaged food brand commercial. People slammed me (anonymously, of course) for making comments about one of the spokes-models and completely missed my beef with packaged foods.

Now, let's cover this once more. I am not a physician. I don't really think my credentials or education should be used to validate my opinion either way. It's my opinion. We are all entitled to our opinions and beliefs, right? Good.

Oh yeah, and I never claimed to be perfect. However, if you're a regular reader then you already know that I am pretty active and have never complained about my weight or appearance. I'm working on increasing my endurance and overall health right now with the TTUC.

Now that we have that out of the way:

I think NutriSystem, Eating Right, Weight Watchers, and all of those packaged foods are crap. Period. For me - frozen, processed, and chemical-laden "food" that comes pre-packaged is not edible. Eating one of these plans alone will not make you look like one of the models in the commercials. There is so much more work you must put in to get anywhere close.

That said - if one of these programs works for you, AWESOME!

I completely understand that some people need a system like this. I am not knocking that. I support your effort to improve your health 100%!

Once you start one of these "diets" - why not change your life to actually eat healthy? By eating healthy I mean fresh fruits, vegetables, meats (if you eat them), grains, beans, etc. Sure, it takes a bit of extra effort at the beginning but I bet you can incorporate it into your day. Trust me, a few extra minutes here and there are easier than you think.

Tune in tomorrow and I'll share some ways I've found time to eat healthier and what I have been eating.

Wild World Of Wednesday - March 3, 2010

Bummer: Well, bummer for the Nets but great for fans. Did you hear that the New Jersey Nets were offering free tax preparation if you attend the game this Friday? Seriously. That folks, is a creative marketing ploy.

Street Soccer! On another note in New Jersey, the 4v4 StreetSoccer Tournament happens on April 24. Check the details here

I'm Rooting For Him: Did you catch John Daly's new show on the Golf Channel last night? If not, you should.

Today In Sports History

1875 - The first recorded hockey game was played in Montreal.

1959 - The San Francisco Giants had their new stadium officially named Candlestick Park.

2006 - In Tokyo, Japan, the opener of the World Baseball Classic took place.

999 Questions On The Rules Of Golf

I was delighted to receive the book 999 Questions On The Rules Of Golf by Barry Rhodes. Barry is in today's video discussing the rules of golf along with Andy Brown.

Barry's bio states that he was the first person to achieve a 100% correct mark on the public Advanced Rules of Golf Course examination that is run by the PGA. The part I really love about his information thought is what states that he is "an enthusiastic, high handicap golfer". So am I!

The 999 Q&A are laid out in his book in three sections. The first are described as simple rules that every golfer should be familiar with. Section two is filled with more difficult questions for both casual and more serious golfers while the third is filled with more advanced knowledge. Each of the three sections is further broken down into True or False, Open Answer, and Multiple Choice sections.

The book is quite easy to read and I am almost done with the first section. Each question is a descriptive situation with the answer, rule citation, and an explanatory note. For example:

A ball is unfit for play if its surface is scratched or scraped. True or False?
Answer: False. Rule 5-3
Note: A ball is unfit for play if it is visibly cut, cracked, or out of shape. Scratches or scrapes do not render a ball unfit for play.

In addition to his book, Barry also maintains a blog concerning the rules of golf. A recent post that I found of particular interest was on loose impediments. He goes very in-depth on this page, complete with diagrams.

To find Barry's book watch the video above for the information or you can order a signed copy here. This is an excellent addition to your golf reading library.

5 Things I Love About My Health & Fitness Plan

Yep, I'm here to go on and on about my health and fitness routine again. I can't help it, I feel GREAT! My overall plan includes not only exercise and eating right, but also visiting the right health care professional for injuries and/or regular checkups. Seriously, there is no ONE piece that could survive alone and work.

The five things I really love about getting in better shape overall:

1. No naps! My energy level is quite enjoyable. No more wishing for a nap in the afternoons.

2. My skin! Yeah, as someone who spends a lot of time in the sun I really worry about my skin. I'm always covered and/or sunblocked but I've noticed a definite change. My skin seems brighter and more supple.

3. No pain! One of the best things lately is that the nagging shoulder pain that I've had for about a decade is nearly non-existent now! Celebrate! Woo! I can't tell you how great it is to really have full strength when I paddle a surfboard or drive a golf ball. It's pretty epic.

4. My jeans are bigger! It was never in my goals to "lose weight" or "get to a smaller size" since I was already pretty satisfied with those numbers. It does, however, always feel great to have your clothes become a bit large on you and have people notice that you're looking more fit! It's always an ego boost!

5. The possibilities are endless! It's only been about two months since I've really been taking this very seriously. I can't wait to see what I can accomplish by the summer!

In case you missed it before, check out @kokogirl on Twitter to learn more about her Twitter Trim Up Challenge.

If you need some workout plan info, check out the Fitness website for many different plans. They also have email newsletters with daily tips. Mike from Ruthless Golf has also put together a series of fitness-related posts, mostly as they relate to golf.

How's your fitness plan coming this year?