Prostituting at the Jacksonville Landing

Many of you know that I’m a saxophonist.  Primarily a jazz saxophonist.  Lately (the past several years) I’ve strayed away from the music that is the soul of my satisfaction.  Instead of staying true to what I love, I’ve been doing plenty of society gigs, weddings, receptions, parties, etc.  You know…nothing but pop covers.  The money has been good.  Really good.  But not at all satisfying. Kinda empty.  I’ve been a musical prostitute for a while now. Working about 75% of the time only for the money.  My heart has not been in it.

It’s time for that to change.

I’m going deep into the shed…you musicians out there know exactly what I mean.  Again focusing on my own music, my own sound.  I will no longer be a musical whore!  My good friend, pianist, producer and fellow blogger Ezekiel Haynes has also challenged me to do something else:  Complete two recording projects by December 31, 2008.

I am stepping up to the challenge and all music produced will be heard here first!  Stay tuned…

Nike+ SportBand

Discover a new way to run with Nike+. This amazing device allows you to track your distance, pace, time and calories burned during your runs. With a sensor in your Nike+ Ready shoe and Nike+ SportBand on your wrist, you’re ready for a better running experience.

• Connect with nikeplus.com to log runs, track progress, set goals
• Review last run data, weekly run data, and total miles/kilometers
• Includes Nike+ sensor
• Rechargeable battery via direct USB connection
• SUPPORT: nikeplus.com

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve had this thing for a few weeks.  Tomorrow, I’ll start a 12 week “Walk to Run” training program and have set a beginning goal of 75 miles in 30 days.  Nike+ and P90X…I’ll be fine in no time!

I’ll keep you posted!

Powerful results at the turn of a dial.

With just the turn of a dial you can automatically change your resistance from 5 lbs (2.27 kg) all the way up to 52.5 lbs (23.8 kg) of weight. No more picking up 30 different dumbbells to give you the results you want! All you need are two Bowflex® SelectTech® 552 Dumbbells to transform your body for good.

• Build fat-burning muscle fast. You’ll have all the weights you need in one set of Bowflex® SelectTech® 552 Dumbbells.
• Adjust in 2.5 lb (1.13 kg) increments (up to the first 25 lbs) (11.3 kg) so you can gradually increase your strength without bulking up.
• One of the most space-efficient and flexible strength-training options available - say goodbye to 30 dumbbells cluttering your workout space.
• Built with cutting-edge technology that lets you rapidly switch from one exercise to the next - less time wasted, more time getting fit!
• Special Bonus: FREE Bowflex® SelectTech® workout DVD - “Secrets of the 4 Step Rep” - with every purchase. Get the most out of your workout - work smarter, not harder. Over 30 exercises with over 80 variations.

These things are freakin’ awesome!!  At a max of 52.5 pounds each, the SelectTech® dumbbells are more than enough for me.  Now I’m cooking with grease!!

I recall taking an anthropology course taught by Dr. Rosa DeJorio, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of North Florida (go Ospreys!).       Dr.  DeJorio is an anthropologist and scholar of West Africa and the Beng (tribe) in West Africa.  Having studied the Beng for decades, Dr. DeJorio recounted that, historically, the Beng had extremely, even non-existent occurrences of diseases like cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. It was only after the introduction of, you guessed it, refined sugar and salt, that their health started to tank.  Sad thing is, even though I know all this, I absolutely love the stuff.  Like I said, I’m a sugar addict!

Here I am Facing Change again.

The Goal:  Drastically reduce or eliminate refined sugars for 90 days.

Why 90 days?  Well this is the time period during which I am embarking on my P90X® journey.  Coincidentally, maintaining a proper diet is a key part of the P90X® fitness plan.  In case you haven’t considered the significance of the goal, it cuts out a lot what I currently eat and drink.  No sodas, sweet tea, milkshakes, cakes, cookies or pies.  I’m not going to cut out breads completely, but I will cut back.

Wish me luck!

Wow! Kids say the darnedest things…so do scales apparently.  After getting on my newly purchased “Tanita” body fat scale, the display quickly registered 192 lbs, 22% body fat.  Dang…I guess I am fat.

After procrastinating for a while after this incident, I finally ordered  P90X® and the P90X^® Chin-Up Bar.

P90X is a revolutionary system of 12 sweat-inducing, muscle-pumping workouts, designed to transform your body from regular to ripped in just 90 days. You’ll also receive a comprehensive 3-phase nutrition plan, specially designed supplement options, a detailed fitness guide, a calendar to track your progress, online peer support, and much more. Your personal trainer, Tony Horton, will keep you engaged every step of the way, and you won’t believe your results!

We’re going to see if this system is all that it’s cracked up to be.  Of course we know that P90X won’t be worth anything if I don’t change my habits.  Over the next couple of days I’ll be posting details of my P90X journey, including Day 1 stats like weight, body fat %, blood pressure and cholesterol.  Oh yeah, and I will be posting the shameful “belly-fat” before pics..but only after I’ve made a bit of progress!

The biggest challenge of all is going to be changing my diet.  Simply put, I love to eat…I drink sweet tea like a health nut drinks water…and McDonald’s french fries are my drug of choice.  Facing a change in my eating habits is going to be tough!

To make things interesting, I’ve challenged my friend Ezekiel Haynes at ezekielhaynes.com to complete this 90 day challenge with me.  After 90 days we’ll be posting our “after” pictures on this site and his.  You’ll be the judge of who comes out on top!

Here goes nothing everything!

Contributing factors?  I’ll give you the four that sum it all up:

• Poor diet
• Too much stress
• Not enough exercise
• Not enough natural sunlight