My wife and I recently traded out her Honda Odyssey Elite Minivan for a Ram 1500 Longhorn Limited truck. The Longhorn is part of a new breed of trucks by Ram, Ford, Toyota, GMC, et al that cater to consumers that want to drive a truck that has the higher end features of a luxury vehicle. This was the case for my wife – our boys were out of car seats and she wanted to get back into a truck, but she wanted it to have all the bells and whistles of a luxury crossover – we found all that and more in her new Longhorn. The vehicle is just beautiful inside and out.
My wife and I with our new Ram
Ram 1500 Longhorn Black Saddle Interior
So you got the truck, what about the cover?
Of course the problem with trucks is that the bed needs a cover if you plan to put anything of value in there. We like to travel, and since the boys are in the rear cab, all our suitcases and gear have to go in the truck bed – that means we needed a cover that would provide weather protection and security.
We didn’t want to go with a full topper (in which case we would have just bought a large SUV) and we didn’t want to go with a single piece hard-shell topper (we didn’t like the way it looks). So that left us with the ubiquitous Tonneau Cover option.
What is a Tonneau Cover?
A “tonneau” is an area of a car or truck open at the top – for trucks that’s the bed. It follows then that a ‘tonneau cover’ is the item that covers the opening in order to provide weather protection, stop theft, and even improve aerodynamics/gas mileage.
If you shop for a tonneau cover you’ll learn they’re made out of hard or soft materials including steel, aluminum, canvas, PVC, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. They also come in a variety of styles – some are bi or tri-folds, some roll up or retracts, some tilt open, etc. Some of them can be locked, some just snap shut.
Tonneau Cover Options
How did we decide on a Diamondback Cover?
Once we determined we wanted a tonneau cover for my wife’s truck, we had to decide what style we wanted. This took a bit of time, online research, and visiting some tonneau cover distributors so we could see the product types in person. We also started paying attention to what we saw on other people’s trucks around town.
As I said, weather protection and security were the most important items for us, followed by ease of use and appearance. Since the ‘snap’ covers only provided minimal theft deterrence, we quickly eliminated them. Next we compared the various models that had multiple ‘hard’ panels that could be folded open, retracted, or rolled up.
We found numerous items we liked in this class and we’d actually made the decision to purchase a BakFlip MX4 since that model was known to fit our truck and seemed to offer us everything we wanted.
Then we saw the Diamondback and that changed everything!
Diamondback Cover
One look at a Diamondback cover and you’ll immediately recognize it’s something special. Pick an adjective – Tough, Impressive, Bold, Sturdy, Impenetrable – these and more come to mind when you see a Diamondback. We absolutely loved the look of the Diamondback and thought it would be a perfect looking cover for our bed.
What makes a Diamondback Cover so special?
Weather protection – reviews out the wazoo complain of leaking in most tonneau covers – to include the BakFlip MX4 we considered. But the Diamondback was built with weather protection in mind – a thick EPDM compression gasket runs along the perimeter of the cover to create a barrier to water, snow, or ice, keeping your cargo dry. Win!
Anti-Theft – although nothing is impossible to break in to, it would take a very determined thief to take the time to pry open the fortress that is a Diamondback when far easier fare could be had slicing open soft tonneau covers or picking the kinda flimsy locks offered by most other tonneau covers. The Diamondback cover is made with die-cast zinc lock handles on the access panels that work in conjunction with a 3/8″ deadbolt-style rods directly under the bed rails of your truck. Check it out…
Ease of Access – although the panels on the Diamondback weigh 35-50 pounds each, because the cover uses gas springs, my wife can raise/lower the panels with a single hand. Another Win!
Appearance – well you already know the answer there. We never knew a tonneau cover like this was an option but once we saw it it was exactly what we wanted!
Bonus – Made in America! My wife and I are grateful to be “Make America Great Again” Conservative Christians who love the USA. When we learned the covers are made in the USA that was yet another reason for us to buy a Diamondback and support a quality American business. Additionally, I was born in PA and when I read the story of how the company was formed at Penn State that was the icing on the cake.
We chose the Diamondback SE in the new Smooth Black finish – it looks amazing.
Diamondback SE Smooth Black Finish
The reason why we went with the SE vs the HD or 270 is because we’re not planning to haul anything on the top so we didn’t need the extra heavy duty HD version which can hold up to 1600 pounds of gear/ATV’s/You Name It ON TOP of the cover. The SE version holds up to 400 pounds on top of the cover and that’s plenty more than we’ll ever need.
With the HD eliminated, and not interested in the 180 version, that narrowed it down to the SE and the 270. I was initially leaning towards the 270 with the multi front panel access options, but knowing that I was going to have to do the install myself, I thought it would be best to just go with the easiest model to install (the SE) vs the extra steps of the 270. [Update: after doing the install and realizing it wasn’t really all that hard, I know now we could easily have gone with the 270 model, however the SE has been great and it’s providing everything we want in a tonneau cover].
Anything else?
During the process of buying our Diamondback we learned that the company has an unrelenting commitment to quality backed by truly OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE. When I installed our cover I noticed two things that weren’t quite perfect.
The weather stripping on one of the corners of the rear panel didn’t quite fully meet with the center panel – it was off by about a 1/2 inch.
Additionally the “Diamondback” logo on the back had a tiny bit of paint overspray on the couple of the letters so the logo wasn’t completely clear to my eye (to the clear the logo was still very legible, just not perfect)..
Both of these were very minor issues but given that we’d just paid about $2k I decided to reach out to Diamondback customer care and let them know.
I assumed they’d just send me a small section of additional weatherstripping for the 1/2 gap and I didn’t really expect much on the minor paint overspray on the logo letters since it wasn’t that big a deal. At most I figured they’d just send me a replacement for the rear panel. Boy was I wrong!
Customer Care Specialist Ben Kramer immediately responded to my concerns and went above and beyond to make it right. Since the issues were minor he offered me two options – a discount to keep the current cover or a full replacement cover.
I never expected they’d want to replace the entire cover just to fix a couple minor issues with the rear panel, but as Ben explained Diamondback as a commitment to quality and additionally, due to the production process of the Diamondback covers the unique fitment of each panel and one of a kind lock handles, you can’t just replace one panel (the locks won’t match up) so Diamondback wanted to replace the entire cover for us.
We chose the replacement option, Diamondback sent us a new cover, we kept the old cover on until the new cover arrived, quickly swapped out the new cover for the old, and then sent back the original in the return box/crate provided by Diamondback – it really couldn’t have been easier. I’d like to recognize Ben and all the good folks at Diamondback for taking care of us in this way!
With customer service like this and a great warranty program we’re confident our Diamondback will be with us for many years to come. That’s peace of mind worth investing in.
So what’s the bottom line?
If you’ve got a high end truck and you’re looking for a high end tonneau cover to complement it, you really need to be looking at the Diamondback Covers. Check out all the Diamondbacks on their site and if you decide to order, let them know That Helpful Dadtold you about ‘em. It’ll be a win-win for all of us.
I’ve been a practitioner of the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle for about 7 years now and I can honestly say that this ‘diet’ has changed my life in many positive ways. I’ve written about the benefits of Intermittent Fasting on this blog numerous times in the past and today I’d like to share more of my Intermittent Fasting Results with you – providing transparency of results for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years and now even 5 Years! After that I stopped counting because it’s just my normal lifestyle now.
(Article originally published 2017, updated Dec 2022 to post 5 years results)
Back in 2017 I realized I had a problem – a ‘growing’ problem: I’m my mid 40’s and for the last few years my waistline has been getting bigger while I’ve been getting tired a lot more. I kind of felt like this…
King of Queens tv show
At first I thought maybe it was Low-T but blood tests confirmed that wasn’t the issue.
Next I turned to my diet – being honest with myself I knew my diet could be improved, so I experimented with various lifestyle changes (vegetarian, paleo, low-carb diet, etc) – unfortunately, nothing felt right.
For my part I just wanted to do the EASIEST kind of intermittent fasting because, to be brutally honest with you, I didn’t really believe that IF would work for me so I was mostly doing it just to say I tried it but not really expecting to stick with it.
Boy am I glad I was wrong!
I chose the 14/10 Intermittent Fasting schedule to get started – basically what that means is that I didn’t eat for 14 hours and then ate all my food in a 10 hour window.
What does that look like in real life?
Basically my plan was to stop eating around 6pm (dinner) and then not eat again until 8am the next day. That boils down to simply skipping late night snacks.
Now while that may not sound that hard to you, I didn’t think I could do it. After all, I love having some snacks and a beer or two while watching a ball game with friends or Netflix with my wife.
Furthermore the idea of not eating anything for 10 hours was really scary!
As someone who’s battled low blood sugar and ‘hanger’ issues all my life, I thought there was absolutely no way I’d be able to go that long without eating.
Late night snacks while watching tv? No!
Breakfast in the morning? No!
Can I at least get an egg or something? How about a power bar? A glass of OJ? No, no, and no!
Although I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking and I love the saying ‘The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right’, quite frankly I gave myself little chance of success on making Intermittent Fasting work. My mind quickly thought of all the things that could go wrong…
I’m going to die! Without food I’ll be even more tired. Without my protein I’ll lose muscle.
But in spite of my fears, I decided to give Intermittent Fasting for weight loss a try. After all, if it didn’t work it would just be another failed experiment to throw in the fad pile. No big deal. Been there, done that.
Intermittent Fasting – My Initial Goals
I believe in transparency with my reader so in this article I will clearly describe my goals and results.
My goal was to use Intermittent Fasting for weight loss to get down to 155 lbs and reduce my waist/belly measurements to 32 inches. I gave myself 3 months to accomplish this goal. I knew that was a tall order since I’d been gaining an inch on my waist each year since 2014 but a man can still dream, right?
My Baseline measurements from October, 2017
Height: 5’7
Weight 166
Waist 36.25
Belly 37.5
(Note: all waist/belly measurements in this experiments were using a tape measure loosely – AKA no pulling snug to enhance results).
My First WEEK of Intermittent Fasting
After the first couple days of intermittent fasting back in 2017 I remember thinking…
OMG, I can’t believe it – I’m not dying.
Shockingly Intermittent Fasting was not nearly as hard I thought it would be.
In fact, not only did I NOT have much difficulty fasting 14 hours, but I discovered that by not eating first thing in the morning I was able to avoid a lot of the daily intestinal issues I’d suffered from for so long. Additionally, I was surprised to discover…
I had tons more energy.
I had more clarity of mind in the morning.
I thought I’d be tired, I was anything but.
Combine these unexpected benefits with my SMART Morning Routine and my mornings quickly turned into super productivity sessions!
How I felt with Intermittent Fasting
Things went so well with my 14/10 intermittent fasting experiment that I quickly upped my time to 16-hour fasts using the 16/10 Intermittent Fasting Schedule.
(I gained so much confidence that I honestly felt I could do 24-hours if I wanted to – although to date I haven’t done that yet because well, quite frankly, there’s just too much good food in the world and I love cooking).
After ONE MONTH of Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss using 16/8 IF
Results vs Baseline
Height: 5’7” (FYI unfortunately I learned that IF doesn’t affect your height – too bad, huh?)
Weight: 160 (-6 lbs)
Waist 36 (-.25 inches)
Belly 36.5 (-1 inch)
To say I was satisfied with Intermittent Fasting was an understatement. I felt outstanding.
And remember these results were achieved during the Thanksgiving Holiday period. Wow!
After TWO Months of 16/8 Intermittent Fasting
Thinking I’d discovered the holy grail of weight loss, I got a little cocky.
I tried experimenting with a few variables (skipped days, bad diet days, more beer(!) etc). I wanted to see if I just how well Intermittent Fasting could overcome bad habits.
Reality check – I learned that Intermittent Fasting is NOT a magic cure-all for overcoming bad diet habits – eating a bunch of bad food and drinking more beer is too much for Intermittent Fasting to overcome.
(Thanks, Captain Obvious).
At the end of Month 2 here’s where I was…
Results Vs Prior Month:
Weight 161 (+1 lbs)
Waist 36 (no change)
Belly 36.5 (no change)
Results Vs Baseline:
Weight (-5 lbs)
Waist (-.25 inches)
Belly (-1 inch)
Good News: in spite of the bad habits I tried in Month 2, I didn’t lose a lot of my gains and I was still in good shape vs my baseline. Now that’s a pretty forgiving diet!
After THREE MONTHS of 16/8 Intermittent Fasting
Things were still going well for my intermittent fasting for weight loss experiment, and during this time period I tried experimenting with a few Fasting Cardio routines — basically doing 8-20 minutes of HITT (High-Intensity Interval Training) just before breaking my fast.
I found that I had more energy when I did Fasting Cardio, but it was a fine line because if I pushed too hard I ended up with intense pounding headaches (something I’ve never had trouble with before) and I also couldn’t’ go very long on the cardio routine (15-20 minutes tops) before getting those headaches, so that limited my ability to burn a lot of calories over a longer session. As a result, I’m still not sure how much more effective (if at all) Fasting Cardio is vs longer HITT later in the day (after I’ve had something to eat for energy).
I also added in some CrossFit workouts for my alternate cardio and muscle building options during the day and I felt like this worked well.
I still kept my bad diet/cheat days (read: chicken wings) and even a few beers as a reward for a good week and this seemed like a good balance for long-term lifestyle change success.
My Results at the end of THREE months of Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss:
Results Vs Prior Month:
Weight 157 (-4 lbs)
Waist 35.25 (-.75 inches)
Belly 35.75(-.75 inches)
Results Vs Baseline:
Weight (-9 lbs)
Waist (-1 inch)
Belly (-1.75 inches)
So basically, by the end of the 3-months…
I’d taken off almost 10 lbs, shaved an inch off my waist, and nearly 2 inches off my belly by simply not eating late night snacks and delaying my breakfast. This was a couple pounds shy my weight goal (155) and a far cry from my belly/waist goals (still 3+ inches away!!), however…
I learned that Intermittent Fasting for weight loss wasn’t hard, I felt great from an energy standpoint, and it’s a lifestyle change that seemed to be doable for the long term for me.
It’s true that at the end of my initial 3 month experiment I didn’t achieve my goal (155 lbs and a 32-inch waist) but I also didn’t kill myself to get there either. I put Intermittent Fasting for weight loss into my “Average Joe” lifestyle and was able to get some real positives from it (especially in terms of how much more energy I had).
Therefore I decided to keep going…
Thanks for the encouragement, Stiffler!
After SIX MONTHS of Intermittent Fasting
Here’s where I was at the end of 6 months with Intermittent Fasting for weight loss…
My Results:
Weight: 156 (10 lbs below baseline)
Waist: 34.2 (2.05 inches below baseline)
Belly: 34.5 (3 inches below baseline!)
A note on weight – during this time period I started doing more workouts and my muscle mass increased so I was fine with still being over 155 lbs goal.
A note on measurements – I used a loose tape measure and let my stomach out as naturally as possible in order to know my ‘real’ results. (Kind of like not moving the ball in golf and playing it where it lies). Although my belly measured 34.5 incheas with a loose tape measure I could finally comfortably wear 32-inch waist pants again. Woo Hoo!
For me Intermittent Fasting proved to be been a grand success – but after 6 months I wasn’t about to give up…
After ONE YEAR of Intermittent Fasting
I didn’t stop at just 6 months. I couldn’t.
By now I was addicted to Intermittent Fasting.
Most every day I used 16/8 Intermittent Fasting but a few times a week I also used 18/6 Intermittent Fasting and sometimes even 20/4 Intermittent Fasting. Why? Because I just wasn’t hungry and I really liked being able to save time by not worrying about food.
You’ll be surprised how much extra time you get when you use intermittent fasting.
In any case, after a full year of Intermittent Fasting for weight loss and here’s where I stood vs baseline…
My Results in Oct, 2018 vs Baseline Oct, 2017
Weight: 149 (-17 lbs)
Waist: 32.9 (-3.35 inches)
Belly: 33.1 (-4.4 inches)
Well it took me a year, but I made it well beyond my goal weight of 155 lbs and at this point I made a new goal to get to 145 lbs.
I still had a bit of work to do on my belly measurement (I wanted to drop another inch) but that was proving a bit more challenging.
I want to stress again that I was able to achieve these results WITHOUT extreme dieting, calorie counting, or doing anything beyond tweaking a few of my normal eating habits.
I say that because I realized that, at my age (47 at the time), if I wanted to get my belly measurement under 32 inches I was coming to grips with either paying more attention to what I ate (in addition to Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss) or else giving up on that goal.
After TWO YEARS of Intermittent Fasting
I reached the two year mark for Intermittent Fasting in October 2018, and while I continued to love the IF lifestyle, it should be noted that I adjusted my goals a bit vs the 1 year mark.
My goals for year 2 (and beyond) were changed to focused on maintain a weight between 150-155 with well-defined muscles and a waistline of 32 inches. A few notes about this:
I made these changes because I realized that 145 lbs was a bit too low for my target weight given that I still wanted to have well-defined muscle architecture.
The ‘well-defined muscle’ component may sound like a new goal from the IF standpoint but actually it’s not new to my overall life goals since the maintenance of muscle structure has long been a goal for me.
The definition of well-defined muscles is likely to be different for everybody. For me it’s basically an upper-body goal focus on chest, arms, and abs. Briefly, for my size at 5’7″, my goals are a 40-inch chest, 13.5-inch arms (not flexed), 15-inch arms (flexed), and a belly < 32 inches — all of which boils down to having a clear muscle definition when I look in the mirror – in short a body that makes me feel good about myself.
More importantly for our discussion is this…
After 2 years, I can honestly say that my intermittent fasting routine is such an easy part of my lifestyle that I don’t really pay a lot of attention to it.
16/8 Intermittent Fasting is simply my normal daily routine and on the days I didn’t do it (for travel or other miscellaneous reasons), I feel out of balance. Therefore I live the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle as often as I can.
HOWEVER that doesn’t mean it’s been all roses — during the past year there have been multiple months where I:
got a bit lax and got into the habit of eating late night snacks (I tried making up for this by not eating until lunch the next day but this shifting calorie thing didn’t work well).
enjoyed too many beers with friends too often (which leads to eating too many snacks).
didn’t eat enough protein.
got lax on my workouts.
I point these things out because this is real life. I’m nearly 50 and not the spring chicken I once was. As I say on this blog all the time, I’m must an Average Joe, and as such I have Average Joe style problems too.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t keep trying.
In any case, here are my current results…
At 2-years, My results from October 2019 vs Baseline Oct 2017
Weight: 152 (-14 lbs) – goal achieved
Belly: 34 (-3.5 inches) – goal not achieved
Chest: 40 inches – goal maintained
Arms: 13.8/14.9 – goal not quite achieved (not enough definition)
In terms of Intermittent Fasting for weight loss I was able to achieve AND maintain my goal weight (150-155), however I did not achieve my belly/waistline goal (32 inches) and I haven’t yet got the definition I want on my arms.
I attribute these delays vs my goals to the following:
In spite of Intermittent Fasting, I often ate too many calories this past year.
There was a period of time where I was on a bit of a ‘dessert’ kick.
Summertime chicken wings + beer don NOT add up to washboard abs even with Intermittent Fasting – who knew? 😦
Even when I did watch calories (or at least pay attention to them), when I consistently shifted more eating to later in the day (when I didn’t need the calories for fuel), I felt like I still gained weight. (In fact I know this to be true because it was one of the many things about IF that I religiously tracked on my daily spreadsheets – yes I keep spreadsheets on IF (and lots of other things) – but that’s another story.)
And yet, in spite of all these real life challenges where I let myself fall off the wagon in terms of proper eating, when I ate too many wings and had too many beers, when I did so many things wrong, I firmly believe that it was Intermittent Fasting that played a big role in keeping me relatively healthy and in shape.
Now you might say – duh – this isn’t rocket science, Mike – when you use Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss and you consistently do NOT eat for 16 hours per day, it’s only natural that you’ll tend to consume less calories overall then if you DO eat during the 16 hours you’re up each day.
That’s probably true.
And maybe it’s just common sense.
But you know what? Sometimes common sense wisdom is the best kind there is. Maybe that’s what Intermittent Fasting is – just common sense.
After THREE Years of Intermittent Fasting
I reached the 3 year mark for Intermittent Fasting in October 2020 and honestly I wasn’t even paying attention. I have completed a 14/10 or 16/8 fast almost every day since October 2017 and it’s just a normal part of my lifestyle – I really don’t even think much about it anymore. Fasting is simply as much of an everyday occurrence for me as brushing my teeth, sleeping, or just breathing.
That being said, because I haven’t actually focused on my fasting or my diet, I let myself dip a bit in 2020 – although the Covid-19 lab leak that spawned lockdown life and quarantines and the resulting depression it caused me had a lot to do with that!
In any case, here were my 3-year results from October 2020 vs Baseline October 2017
Weight: 154 – which is within my 150-155 target
Belly: 34.8 – no where near my goal of 32
Chest: 40 inches – goal maintained
Arms: 13.5/14.9 – goal not quite achieved
A few notes on my waist/belly and muscle goals – if you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I am always transparent with you, therefore I will be here too. For most of 2020 I have been depressed about how the world has suddenly changed as a result of Covid-19 and the #Fear that we’ve allowed to control our lives. For most of 2020 I didn’t work out much, I’ve drank way too much beer, and I ate a lot of crap food. Most of my fasting was only 14/10 instead of 16/8. As a result, my efforts to reach my body image goals failed for most of 2020 – and this only added to my depression.
And yet, once again, in spite of everything that I did WRONG, Intermittent Fasting helped me maintain my weight within my target range! That’s pretty freakin’ incredible in my book!
Furthermore, in spite of all the negative events at home and abroad, I decided to listen to my wife’s advice and focus on our inner circle and cherish the Now Moments of our family. I’m also taking my own advice and seeing The Beauty That is All Around Me.
Additionally, my wife and I were able to overcome our fears about Covid-19 and take advantage of the fact that Florida is NOT a lockdown state, therefore we are able to venture out and live a little. As a result, in mid-Nov, 2020, I joined a gym again and rededicated myself to a 16/8 fast, along with consistently exercising and was able to trim some fat…
After 5 Years of Intermittent Fasting
It’s now December, 2022, I’m 51 1/2 years old, and it’s been over five years since I started Intermittent Fasting. This will probably be the last update I make because if you’re still reading this I’m sure you’ve realized by now that Intermittent Fasting has a LOT of benefits. It’s not really something I even think about, it’s just part of my normal everyday lifestyle.
At the 2 year mark, you’ll recall that I updated my body-goals to include a focus on adding some muscle vs just weight loss and I joined a gym at the 3-year mark. At the time I started that process my body goals were to build a 40-inch chest, 13.5-inch arms (not flexed), 15-inch arms (flexed), with a belly < 32 inches, and in the 150-155 range. Things were going good for me at the 2-year mark…and then Covid was unleashed and threw my world and yours upside down. I went through a period of depression, stopped blogging, and lost focus on my body goals.
However I never stopped the Intermittent Fasting – at least getting in a 14/10 fast on most days. As a result, even though everything else in the world was going badly, the Intermittent Fasting lifestyle was something I could count on to help me feel better. And it worked!
At the 3-year mark (towards the end of 2020), I was feeling better – Florida was free from Covid madness and my family was enjoying that freedom. With things looking up, I decided to get back in the gym and I’ve been a regular at the gym now for over 2 years. Like the Apostle Paul, I keep running the race God has given me – and I continue to hope for the best.
Because I’ve now been focused more on muscle building than weight loss, my body goals changed again. My new goals were to be in the 155-160 lb range with 40+ inch chest, 14 inch arms (not flexed), 16-inch arms (flexed), and with a waist in the 34 inch range. I wanted to have defined muscles. Additionally I wanted to reduce my alcohol consumption and clean up my diet.
So how did I do? Where am I now after 5 years?
Weight: 163 lbs: Yes muscle weighs more than fat but regardless my goal was not achieved because this is 3 lbs above my upper limit goal. I’ve been below 160 this year but not consistently. I know I can get back consistently under 160 with a little more focus – I’ve had too many times where I engage in mindless eating of late snacks watching Netflix at night – that’s not what I want.
Waist: 34 inches: Goal achieved and I have defined abs when I flex them but I’d still like to further flatten my belly over time.
Heck, I’ve even started doing some leg workouts too and I never did that in the past!
My muscles are somewhat defined but there’s more work to do. As always, it’s a journey over time, right?
Alcohol consumption: In 2017 I had 148 days with a drink and 253 total drinks; in 2020 it was 147 days and 267 total drinks. In 2022 it was down to 109 days and 211 total. I did reduce my consumption so I achieved that goal but I’d love to see this get under 50 days and 100 total drinks so there’s still work to do here too and I know if I can reduce this I’ll increase my chances of achieving my overall body goals.
Diet Overall: Intermittent Fasting, my body-goals, and some lingering depression related to how America and the world are changing for the worse have completely altered my diet. Recall in the beginning that I used to love to eat chicken wings and drink beer and the effects of that was creating a big belly for me which is why I turned to intermittent fasting in the first place. As it stands now, while I still drink beer sometimes, but I rarely eat wings anymore. Not because I don’t like them but because I hardly ever grill out anymore (that’s the depression piece) and because I don’t want to pay the price of eating poorly (that’s the body-goal piece). I can’t say I am happier as a result of not eating wings, it’s just a different lifestyle now, I guess.
On the plus side my daily diet usually starts off with a healthy smoothie around 10am and a high protein + healthy carb lunch. I’m also pretty good about getting to the gym (4-5 days/week). And 99% of the days I get in at least a 14 hour fast, if not 16-18. On the negative side I’m up/down with dinners and I sometimes struggle with late night mindless eating + beer (especially when I’m depressed). I’d love to clean up my diet further and I believe I can do that.
In December 2022 I started using MyFitnessPal to keep track of what I’m eating because I discovered that I was eating a lot of extra calories I didn’t know about. I don’t necessarily want to be a calorie counter every day, but I do want to be educated on where some of my ‘hidden’ calories might be so that I can clean that up and make it easier to achieve my body-goals.
In the end, Intermittent Fasting has given me so many benefits and it’s made me feel so great that I hope I never have to stop doing it. I want to live to be 100+ years old full of vitality and energy and I’m half way there. How about I check in with you at the 100 year mark and give you another update at that time? 🙂
Until then, God bless and Good Luck with your own Intermittent Fasting Journey.
Intermittent Fasting Results – The Bottom Line
I started using Intermittent Fasting for weight loss and I did achieve my weight loss goal with it relatively quickly, but what I discovered were a host of other benefits that I did not anticipate.
And it is those extra benefits that keeps me going with Intermittent Fasting.
I have another article about the full benefits of Intermittent Fasting, but to summarize they are:
With 16/8 Intermittent Fasting I have more energy;
I love the extra time I have (especially in the morning) with 16/8 Intermittent Fasting;
I have less intestinal problems with 16/8 Intermittent Fasting (especially in the morning);
I am more conscious about what I eat (well, most of the the time);
I have more mental clarity throughout the day;
I just feel better overall.
I realize there is something called the Placebo Effect that might account for some of this, however I’d argue that after 5 years that mental trickery is not likely to continue and that instead the real life physiological effect of Intermittent Fasting shows through. Maybe that’s true, maybe not, but for me, Intermittent Fasting is the way to go.
What about YOU?
For more on Intermittent Fasting, check out these articles…
If you want to make Intermittent Fasting easy, take advantage of this awesome intermittent fasting calculator from our friends at FITNESSVOLT.com. Click the pic above or use this link to see their calculator in action – best of all, it’s FREE to use!
What Else to Read?
There’s more to life than Intermittent Fasting. For something else interesting to read check out…
Manti Te’o – when you hear the name you think of one thing – ‘he’s that football player fool who got catfished by another dude.’ But if that’s all you know about him, then you don’t really know Manti Te’o and you’re missing the chance to discover a hero that can inspire us all.
Manti Te’o ’s life is the story of What Might Have Been versus What Is. As an All-American football player, Manti might have led Notre Dame to the 2013 National Championship. As a Can’t Miss prospect, Manti might have been a 1st draft draft pick in the NFL. Given his off the chart talent Manti might have gone on to become an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker and enjoyed a lifetime of rabid fans forever shouting his name. All this and more might have become Manti’s life’s story, yet none of them ended up being Manti’s reality.
As it turned out, Notre Dame got destroyed by Alabama in the 2013 College Football Championship game. While Manti did get drafted by the NFL, it wasn’t until the second round — as a result he lost millions of dollars by his draft status fall. And although he did play in the NFL for eight seasons, his chances of making the Hall of Fame are the same as mine and yours – zero.
And yet, for all the things Manti Te’o might have become but failed to achieve, there is something that he is – and always has been – a HERO that should inspire us.
Everyone knows the catfish story about how another guy duped Manti into an online relationship with a fake female persona back when Manti was at Notre Dame. The story is so outlandish that you probably concluded that either Manti was an evil prick who was part of the hoax or else he was an incredibly stupid fool to let himself get catfished so publically. Either way that story is now old news, so you’ve probably long since written Manti Te’o off as just another loser whose ten minutes of fame have thankfully long since gone away.
But then you watch the Netflix documentary Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist and you realize that you were the fool to think you knew what Manti Te’o was all about, because by dismissing him without a second thought, you’re missing the best part of the story – the part that matters the most – you’re missing the fact that Manti Te’o did become a hero – a hero who can inspire more than just football fans, a hero who can inspire us all.
What makes someone a Hero? We could argue about what the word Hero means, but in the time before words got changed to drive political agendas, most people would probably agree that a hero is someone who faced incredible adversity, who fought through it with persistence instead of giving up, and who ultimately overcame their challenge in a way that inspires others. If that hero can display bravery and a selfless compassion for others all the better. I believe that if you take the time to learn the rest of his story, you will see that Manti Te’o IS a hero – he’s always been a hero – and we can all learn something from him.
That Mant Te’o was a hero growing up in Hawaii and later at Notre Dame is without question – his laundry list of accomplishments on the football field and volunteer work in the community would make any parent proud to call him ‘son.’ By his senior year at Notre Dame he was beloved by fans everywhere, and with his entire adult life still before him it appeared that the world was his oyster – fortune and glory was within reach – but then he got catfished and everything changed. .
What really happened with the catfish situation? When you examine the facts, it seems likely that Manti Te’o was a naive kid with a good heart who got caught up in a web of lies by another person that Manti should never have trusted. Had Manti not been famous, the catfish scenario probably would not have devolved into the mess it became, but unfortunately for him, Manti’s success at the time attracted a media circus that propelled the story into everyone’s daily news feed. When Manti finally realized there was a problem with the girlfriend who never was, it was too late – he was too young and ill equipped to stop the media machine that was actively feeding off his never-before-seen story.
Manti describes the events of that time like a ‘Tidal Wave that swept his life away’ – he became trapped into riding that wave, hoping it would end, yet powerless to stop it. Events spiraled out of control despite his best efforts. Manti’s life was just getting started and he was on the verge of superstardom when the catfish incident derailed not just his NFL career, but his entire life, and that of those around him. The amazing life story that might have been for Manti, and probably should have been — suddenly never was.
Manti tried to pursue his football dreams – yet he couldn’t escape his public shame. Playing in the NFL kept him in the spotlight, and with the power of 24/7 social media, Manti remained the butt of countless cruel memes, the punchline of comedians’ jokes, and he suffered constant abuse from former fans whenever he took the field. Even when the rest of us eventually laughed the story away, Manti was forced to deal with the aftereffects of it in the years that followed – not just what it did to him personally, but also how it affected his family. The abuse was surely crushing.
By all accounts Manti Te’o should have been destroyed by the public ridicule he took – a lesser man would have killed himself many times over during that long ordeal. Watching the documentary and seeing the classy way Manti Te’o carries himself is both heartbreaking and inspiring. I see Manti’s tears and I want to cry for him – for all the pain he had to endure and for all that he lost in life. The process should have torn him apart. I’m sure it did. Yet like any true hero, Manti Te’o did not give up – facing adversity beyond his strength, Manti says he fell back to what he knew was his foundation – his family and his faith.
That he was able to survive such a tidal wave of adversity is perhaps a one in a million chance. That he was able to eventually thrive is a testament to his courage and character. Manti not only weathered the storms but became stronger for it. Perhaps this is because Manti didn’t seek revenge against his abuser, but instead Manti’s faith gave him the strength to somehow forgive the person who so cruelly took advantage of him.
The Netflix documentary delves deep into the alleged motives of the person behind the catfishing incident – a (now) transgender individual named Roniah. Regardless of Roniah’s reasons for stringing Manti along, the fact is that Roniah ruined Manti Te’o’s life – or at least the life that ‘might have been.’ As described in the documentary, Roniah preyed upon Manti Te’o’s innocence and his catfishing of Manti led to Manti’s NFL draft status fall – costing Manti and his family untold millions of dollars in lost contract money (and possibly even more in lost endorsement deals). And yet, somehow, Manti still had the compassion to forgive his abuser for his/her sins. It takes a true hero to display that kind of compassion.
Like Manti, all of us live through the ‘seasons’ of life – the carefree spring, the joyful summer, the rest period of fall, and the sadness of winter. Manti was in the springtime of his life when he got catfished – he was young, healthy, and had unlimited potential. Manti’s summer season should have been one of money, fame, and the easy life of a surefire NFL star. Given his magnetic personality, Manti’s ‘autumn’ of life would probably have seen his post-NFL career move into broadcasting and/or church leadership. But that’s not what happened – Roniah’s cruel catfishing propelled the young Manti from that wonderful spring directly into a dark winter – a winter that should have destroyed him – and that should have been the end of Manti Te’o.
Yet wisdom tells us ‘There is no winter that lasts forever; the spring will always come’ and that’s true for Manti Te’o too. Fot it seems the end of our story is instead a new beginning – as it turns out Manti finally found the summer of life he missed out on so long ago. Oh, he never did become a football superstar – instead Manti became something more: a happily married husband, a loving father, and someone who showed us that, no matter how big the storm, there is always a path back to happiness. By forgiving his abuser and persevering, Manti Te’o has become a hero not just in the NFL, but for the world.
Today I’d like to share with you one of the tips my wife and I have used to improve our parenting skills – it’s called the Family Bedtime Chat. The concept is simple – before we all go to bed, we meet as a group in one of the bedrooms and everyone gets a chance to tell about their day (what they liked and perhaps what they didn’t). It takes less than 5 minutes to do and yet those 5 minutes are often some of the best ‘family time’ of the day. Perhaps you might give it a try with YOUR family too?
How our Family Bedtime Chats Started
We’ve been doing Family Bedtime Chats for about 6 years now. They’ve developed over time, but the concept has remained the same. My wife, my kids, and I all take turns briefly talking about our day. I started the idea when my sons were 2 and 7 respectively and the original idea was for each person to tell the group 1 thing they liked about the day.
The reason I came up with the idea was because I was trying to help my boys understand the concept of “Now Moments” – those treasured moments of life that make life better and which occur every day if we simply take the time to recognize them. I had no idea the little life lesson I was trying to teach would turn into a family tradition that’s lasted so long, but it turned out my family really loves them and they’ve become such a habit that it’s something we try to do every day – even I’m travelling for work or a couple of us are camping for scouts, we’ll spend some time on the phone together to do our bedtime chat. It’s just part of who are are as a family now and that’s something I’m so grateful for.
The Roadblock that almost killed our Chats in the very beginning.
This tradition wasn’t always roses. While our older son (Jax) was happy to participate along with my wife and I, our youngest son (JeeHo) has always been a bit of a tough nut and at first he didn’t want to talk at all. We didn’t force him to talk if didn’t want to, but we still made him sit and listen to the rest of us so he could hear about our day. He was ok with that. After a couple weeks he was willing to talk a bit – however JeeHo preferred to tell us something he did NOT like about his day!
That was a bit of a twist but we let JeeHo run with his idea and to encourage him further all modified our routine by having everyone tell 1 thing they like and 1 thing they didn’t. JeeHo then 1-upped us again by happily telling us all about the many things he did NOT like about his day (he didn’t like dinner, his older brother Jax teased him, he fell and hurt himself, etc) and sometimes we’d get a tiny thing he maybe liked (playing with Jax, Daddy reading to him, swimming, etc). Over time, JeeHo has grown out of ONLY talking about the bad things and now he happily shares the many things he likes about his day – although to this day his daily chat almost always includes something he didn’t like. (Hey, you can’t win evey parenting battle right?)
What our Family Bedtime Chats are like today
Over the years our chats have morphed – we no longer have the ‘structure’ we had in the early days. Instead it’s just a matter of getting together as a group and each sharing something – it could be about what happened that day, or maybe something they are looking forward to the next day, or maybe it’s about a problem they’re having, or in JeeHo’s case some idea for a new invention he has cooking. Very often I’ll talk about something I’m grateful (for example: “I’m thankful that God has blessed us by letting us all be here together, that we’re all happy, that we love each other, and that we’re healthy.”
All told the entire chat takes 3-5 minutes then we give everyone a quick kiss and it’s off to bed.
The Priceless Aspect of our Family Bedtime Chats
Let me share with you perhaps my favorite thing about our bedtime chats – it’s a tradition within a tradition so to speak. Our oldest son Jax had to overcome verbal apraxia and sometimes it takes him a bit of time to think of what he wants to say. The bedtime ritual was a bit challenging for him at first and so to give himself time he would often say “I like right now” before telling us something else he liked about his day. That phrase “I like right now” always touched my heart because Jax is a sincere person and I knew when he said that – even though it was giving his mind time to think of something else – it was 100% true.
For my oldest son to tell us that one of his favorite parts of the day was to be sitting with his family chatting before bed was incredible to me.
To this day, he still says “I like right now” every time we do a bedtime chat – and very often one 1 or more of the rest of us will say it too. It’s truly priceless.
Who has time for a Bedtime Chat?
I get it – life is hard and it often pulls us in many different directions. Especially as the kids have gotten older and have gotten involved in after school activities (sports, homework, friends, etc, etc), time flies each day. Throw in trying to have a family dinner, get cleaned up, and maybe have a bit of time to watch some Netflix before bed and there’s not a lot of time before bed. I’m sure it’s the same for you. But, like I’ve mentioned, a bedtime chat doesn’t have to take an hour – invest just a few minutes (literally 3, 4, or 5 minutes) and you’ll build a family lifeline that will pay you massive dividends by keeping a regular line of communication open with your kids.
Make Family Bedtime Chats part of your Evening Routine.
Regular readers know I’ve professed the benefits of the Morning Routine for years – getting a jump start on your day with a bit of structured habits sets you up for success – but what about your EVENING Routine? You probably have a lot of things you do nightly before you go to bed, right? Why not add a bedtime chat with your family into the mix?
Spending a few minutes with your kids talking about your day can yield tremendous benefits and is a great ROI for your time so give it a try and start your first Family Bedtime Chat tonight. You’ll be glad you did!
Wanted to share my new favorite preworkout supplement with you – Nitro Surge. If you follow my blog you’ll know I’m a big fan of living a health lifestyle – I’ve been doing Intermittent Fasting for 5 years, I meditate daily, and I try to exercise 5-6 days a week. I’m over 50 and so far God has blessed me with great health (and I pray that continues). I’ve written about workout supplements in the past and today I want to tell you about Nitro Surge – a product I’ve been using for nearly a year now.
If you’re looking for a great preworkout supplement to add to your routine that will give you results consider giving Nitro Surge a try.
Disclaimer – please make sure you are healthy enough to workout, you use the product per the directions, and of course you check with your doctor first to ensure you can tolerate the ingredients of Nitro Surge. My recommendation is based on my own personal experience and your results or tolerance for the product may be different than mine so, as always, exercise caution with this or any supplement.
What is a PREWorkout Supplement and why might you want one?
If you want an in-depth discussion of a preworkout supplement, there’s a great article about this on Masterclass.com and I recommend you check it out, but the basic gist is that a “pre-workout is a supplement that can increase energy levels, improve exercise performance, and stimulate muscle growth. The ingredients and effects of pre-workout supplements vary by product, but most products use ingredients like caffeine to provide an energy boost or creatine to help increase muscle mass. Athletes typically consume pre-workout supplements as pills or as powders mixed into drinks and you can also mix pre-workout supplements with protein powders, which can help stimulate protein synthesis and build muscle.”
Now that I’m over 50 the energy level is not what it was when I was 25. I need a bit of a jump start to get going. This is the reason why I take a preworkout supplement.
I’ve tried a bunch of preworkout supplements and there are other good ones (C4 is another preworkout supplement I like), but the best of the bunch, the one that consistently gives me a great workout time and again is Nitro Surge.
What is Nitro Surge?
Nitro surge is a pre-workout for men and women that “delivers everything you need for explosive workouts laser-sharp focus, endless endurance, and powerful pumps.” I put that in quotes because that’s the company’s marketing message, however I can personally attest that these claims are all true.
Although the ingredients are different, Nitro Surge reminds me of my all-time fav preworkout supplement – Jacked3D from back in the day. Sadly the original form of Jacked3D is no longer available and I’ve had a devil of a time trying to find a preworkout supplement that gives me what Jacked3D did – specifically focus, energy, endurance, and a pump. Thankfully I discovered that Nitro Surge does all of that for me.
What are the main ingredients of Nitro Surge?
The formula for Nitro Surge contains L-Citrulline, Betaine Anhydrous, Beta Alanine, Caffeine, L Theanine, and it’s creatine-free. That last part is important in case you take a separate creatine powder – in which case you may NOT want more creatine in your preworkout supplement – that’s another reason why I like Nitro Surge.
Boosting nitric oxide (NO) levels is believed to improve your blood-flow to the muscle to maximize pumps, endurance, strength, and fuel muscle growth. NO boosters are a common ingredient in preworkout supplements and I personally believe in this theory because when I use a NO Booster I can ‘feel’ the pump when I’m working out and my muscles look bigger.
Nitro Surge is Made in the USA
According to the company, Nitro Surge is made in a USA cGMP-Certified Manufacturing Facility. This preworkout powder drink is made in a cGMP-certified facility using high-quality raw materials. Each bottle of Nitro Surge is tested for potency, authenticity, and purity.
My Favorite Workout Supplements
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What’s YOUR Take?
Do you use Nitro Surge or another preworkout supplement? If so, let me know in the comments below.
I’ve been in the market for a stainless steel Everyday Pan every since we started upgrading to stainless steel cookware a couple years ago. During a recent family vacation at the always awesome Sand Cay Beach Resort in Longboat Key, we found ourselves using a particular pan, well, every day. It was a 12-inch stainless steel pan that turned out to be incredibly useful – it was just the right size to cook pretty much everything in from breakfast to dinner. We loved it so much we ordered one from Amazon so that it would be waiting for us when we got home. Best of all it was a great price. That pan was the Cuisinart 725-30D Chef’s Classic Stainless 12-inch Everyday with Dome Cover.
What is an Everyday Pan?
Whether you call is an All-in-One Pan or a Weeknight Pan or an Everyday Pan the concept is pretty much the same – these all-around, everyday pans are great for making meals after work and they serve in place of multiple other pans in the kitchen. Sometimes they have a long handle like a fry pan, sometimes they have two short handles on the sides, but the always seem to have sloped, rounded sides and are easy to use for making one-pan meals any time of day. With a wide base, the stainless steel version of the Everyday Pan can be your go-to for searing and browning meats, and those sloped sides allow you to use it to simmer stews or sauces. Best of all the stainless steel conducts the heat so well you don’t need to use high heat. I’ve also found them easy to clean (pro tip: if you get any stuck on foods, simply use a bit of cooking wine to deglaze the pan with a plastic or wooden spoon and cleanup is a snap).
I’ve wanted an Everyday Pan for awhile and there’s been numerous times when I wanted to pull the trigger and buy the All-Clad All-in-One Stainless Steel Pan. We love our other All-Clad pans and you’ll never go wrong with this brand, but the price of their All-in-One and Weeknight Pans are often upwards of $200 (as of June 2022) and with runaway inflation money just doesn’t seem to go as far as it used to anymore. Additionally, I didn’t want a long handle on my Everyday Pan.
We have other Cuisinart Stainless Steel cookware and we’ve been very happy with them, so when we discovered the Cuisinart Everyday Pan during our trip and ended up using it every day, well we were quickly sold. I love the short side handles on the pan and how easy it is to cook with.
Give this Everyday Pan a try and let me know what you think.
I recently discovered a great new product called the Wonderience Waist Trainer Vest which is a Hot Neoprene Sauna Suit in the form of a workout Tank Top. It’s a fantastic product that’s ridiculously inexpensive (I got it for under $20) and it really lives up to its claims. In this quick post I’ll tell you why I like it and where to get it.
Workout Sauna Vests – Why Wonderience is Different.
Sauna vests are nothing new – we’ve all seen the old style space suits from years past that force you to sweat by encapsulating you in de facto plastic – while those old style sauna suits do work, the problem with older sauna suits is that they are way TOO HOT and uncomfortable to wear for very long, they look ridiculous, and nobody really wants to wear them.
Old, Uncomfortable Sauna Suits
Wonderience Sauna Vest
The Wonderience Sauna Vest is different. I’ve worn this vest for HOURS and have never gotten overheated – in fact it’s comfortable I don’t realize I have it on sometimes. I DO sweat beneath the vest (which is great), but I do NOT get overheated (which is even better) and I can wear the vest as long as I like.
As an unexpected bonus, the vest acts like a body shaper and it improves your posture by encouraging a proper posture form – awesome!
Wonderience Workout Sauna Vest
Here are the specs on the Wonderience Sauna Vest:
Interior material: Neoprene
Zipper closure
Sauna vest with Zipper burn fat more than regular gym clothing, helps posture for back and abs as you workout
Making you sweat like crazy when you workout keeps you body warm during cold days with minimal thermal cover with this underwear ,This Corset training vest can be worn under or over your regular shirts
Vests burn more fat, produce heat in a workout wearing Sauna Vest and accelerating your fat burning
Material produce higher compression resulting in more sweating and help your body to sweat out harmful fats. Enhances the abdominal and spinal support
Wear the Shaper under jacket or dress around the house, when you’re exercising, running errands or going out. You’ll have a firmer posture, lower back support, and be sweating all day.
Shop Wonderience Sauna Vest
MIKE’s PRO TIP – if you do get one be sure to get the one with the ZIPPER FRONT – it makes it super easy to get on and off. You don’t want to be messing with trying to put this on like a normal shirt because it will be too tight. Get the zipper version and you’ll thank me.
Why Over the Ear Wireless Headphones are Great for the Gym
Going to the gym is great, but when the gym’s music is blasting tunes you don’t like it can put a real damper on your workout, right? I wear headphones so I can listen to the music I want to listen to not what the gym employees want. And I choose wireless phones because I can’t be messing with wires when I’m trying to work with weights.
Why I choose Over the Ear Headphones over Ear Buds
In ideal world, ear buds would be the choice because they are smaller than over the ear phones. Unfortunately, even the best noise-cancelling ear buds just don’t seem to block out the background noise as effectively as over the ear headphones. That’s why over the ear wireless phones are my preferred choice for working out at the gym. Are over-the-ear phones bulkier than ear buds? Sure, but over the ear headphones also do the best job of getting rid of outside noise and distractions – that means you can listen to the music you love and translate that into an awesome workout – and isn’t that what’s important when you go to the gym?
Best Over the Ear Headphones for Gym – Best Sound Quality Overall
If your budget allows, there is no real competition for the best over the ear headphones for the gym in terms of overall SOUND QUALITY and active NOISE CANCELLATION – the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
Why is the Bose QuietComfort 35 II the Best Over the Ear Headphones for the Gym?
Industry leading ACTIVE Noise Cancelling blocks outside music and noise better than anything else on the market. Less Distractions = More Focus on your Workout.
Adjust your level of noise cancelling between three settings using the Action button or the Bose Connect app.
Volume-optimized EQ gives you balanced audio performance at any volume and makes Bose QC 35 the best over SOUND QUALITY on the market for all types of music in general (EXCEPT for heavy bass music where the Beats is superior – see below).
Super Comfortable Ear Cups
Easy Bluetooth pairing.
20 hours of battery life.
Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs Bose QuietComfort 35 (original)
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II and the Bose QuietComfort 35 (original) are nearly identical but for an “Action” button.
Here’s the official word from Bose “QuietComfort 35 headphones II offer the same unmatched combination of acclaimed noise reduction technology, wireless freedom, audio performance, dual-microphone system and 20-hour battery life as QuietComfort 35 headphones. However, QuietComfort 35 wireless headphones II also have a new Action button on the left earcup. In countries where the Google Assistant is available, that button gives you instant access to the Google Assistant, your own personal Google. In countries where the Google Assistant is not available, it lets you quickly toggle through three different ANR settings for optimal performance wherever you go.”
Personally we don’t think you’ll get much use of the Action button at the gym and if you can find the Bose QuietComfort 35 original edition than go with that – the problem is they’re hard to find and Bose is really only promoting the QC 35 II now as well as their new 700 model (below).
Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
You could go with the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 if you really want to, but in our opinion the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 has been updated to serve meet the Quarantine Life Work from Home market and is not necessarily any better at the audio or noise-cancelling tasks than the Bose QC 35 II. If that’s true then why pay more for the newer model?
Here’s another one in the premium price category and it’s aimed at those who value heavy bass in their music – as well as style. For this category the best over the ear headphones for the gym are the renowned Beats Studio 3.
Why are the Beats Studio 3 the Best Over the Ear Bass Headphones for the Gym?
Like the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, the Beats have ACTIVE Noise Cancellation to block out distractions.
Real-time Audio calibration preserves a Premium listening experience – the full, rich sound on the Beats for rap, hip hop, and other heavy bass music is unmatched.
Fantastic STYLE with 7 different color options and Beats branding.
Comfortable ear cups to fit over any ear.
Up to 22 hours of battery life enables full-featured all-day wireless playback
Great Improvement – With the new Fast Fuel system a 10-minute charge gives 3 hours of play when battery is low. (This solves a big problem with earlier Beats phones).
Beats Studio 3 vs Bose QuietComfort 35 II
Let’s keep this very simple – if you listen to music that is heavy bass then get the Beats Studio 3.
Listen, we know style is important and lots of people go to the gym to show off – we’re not judging – so if you wanna look good by wearing the most recognizable pair of headphones on the market AND you wanna choose from lots of colors, then get the Beats Studio 3.
If you don’t care about people looking at you so much and/or you don’t listen to heavy bass music and you just want the best noise-cancelling and pure sound quality, then get the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.
Best Over the Ear Headphones for Gym for Most People – Durability and Price
Let’s face it, most people probably can’t afford to spend the money on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II or the Beats Studio 3 – especially if you still need money to pay for that gym membership, right?
If that’s your situation, don’t worry, we’ve got a fantastic pair of over the ear wireless headphones that durable, have an insane battery life, and you can get them at a much lower price than the premium options: the OneOdio Bluetooth Over Ear Studio Wireless Headphones.
Why are the OneOdio Studio Wireless headphones the best for most people?
PRICE – you can buy 5 to 6 of these for the price of 1 Bose or Beats!
INSANE BATTERY LIFE – up to 80 hours of wireless play!
Never Lose Sound – with Dual Mode & Never Power Off features, when the wireless battery runs out you can switch to wired mode until you can recharge again.
Deep Rich Sound – Large 50 mm speaker unit drivers combined with neodymium magnets provides stereo sound, powerful bass, clear vocal, and crisp high tones.
Comfortable Ear Cups – ergonomic designed memory ensure long lasting comfort.
Although they don’t feature the same “Active” Noise Cancelling technology of the Bose or Beats, you may not notice the difference because the OneOdio Studio Wireless ear cups fit so well they are really good at blocking out distractions and playing your music.
OneOdio Studio 3 vs Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs Beats Studio 3
Over the years I’ve had lots of headphones – including the Bose, Beats, OneOdio, Cowans, Audio-Technicas, and more.
I love my Bose for sound quality but I don’t like taking them to the gym because they are so expensive and I don’t wanna get the ear cups all sweaty and have the phones break down on my faster – I prefer to keep my Bose for travel and home use.
The Beats I gave to my pre-teen son since he cares more about style and listens to more of the music style that the Beats are best for.
For me, I prefer the OneOdio Studio Wireless as the Best Over the Ear Wireless Headphones for the gym and here’s why…
The OneOdio Studio Wireless are the ones I personally use for the gym because they are durable, sound great, block out distractions, are comfortable, and I pretty much never have to charge them. I use them every day and I can’t tell you the last time I charged them – it’s really crazy! And you just can’t beat the price!
The OneOdio are my 2021 Editor’s Choice Award for Best Over the Ear Wireless Headphones for the Gym.
We live in troubled times – just like the disciples of Christ did. We are plagued by feelings of fear, weakness, pride, anger, and more – just like Christ’s apostles were. Which begs the questions – are their lessons we can learn from Jesus’ followers to help improve our own lives? I want to share an article with you that I read on The Federalist – it’s beautiful and I hope you enjoy it…
We revere the saints of the Gospels. Matthew and Mark, Luke and John, Peter, Philip and Simon, James, Andrew, Bartholomew, and Thaddaeus.
Their courage in spreading the Word from Ukraine to Egypt and from India to Spain, and their bravery when put to death, serve as examples most of us can only hope to approach. But it comes more naturally to follow their path on Holy Saturday when Jesus lay in the tomb and his handpicked followers cowered in fear. In these times, we might prefer to look at them as if apart from us — it’s easy, as we prepare for the vigil or for Easter morning. But in truth, these are the very days when we are most like the Twelve.
On his final journey to the cross, the Apostles failed and faltered repeatedly. They’d lived in the shadow of Christ, holding his hand, hearing his words, seeing his miracles, and yet they did not understand. Worse yet, they were afraid. Along with Judas Iscariot, they were among the first to follow the Lord — and the first to leave him: Judas, to betray and suffer damnation, but the others to fall asleep, to cower, to deny, and to hide. And from the beginning, it was so.
After hearing how Peter begged Christ not to go to Jerusalem to suffer his passion and die, we might wonder how he could dare rebuke God’s plan. But today, we know the journey Christ was on and we’ve heard it a thousand times; his Disciples walked it, and they were afraid.
Today, we know it was for Jesus to suffer, die, be buried, and rise again on the third day, and we know that he did this to free us from sin, yet still, in public and in private we disobey him. Every one of us, to some degree or another, is guilty. This is certain because we are human. Though firm in his command to a frightened Peter, Jesus explained just where his follower had erred. “You,” he said, “are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” The Lord knew why Peter was afraid, just as he knows why we are weak in our moments of trial, fearing sacrifice and death. Fearing pain.
“There is nothing more tragic in all the world than wasted pain,” the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said. “Think of how much suffering there is in hospitals, among the poor and bereaved.”
Think also of how much of that suffering goes to waste. How many of those lonesome, suffering, abandoned, crucified souls are saying with our Lord at the moment of Consecration: “This is my body, take it?” And yet that is what we should be saying at that second. “Here is my body, take it. Here is my soul, my will, my energy, my strength, my poverty, my wealth—all that I have. It is yours. Take it! Consecrate it! Offer it!” Offer it to the Heavenly Father with yourself, in order that he, looking down on this great sacrifice, may see only you, his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased. Transmute the poor bread of my life into your life; thrill the wine of my wasted life into your divine Spirit; unite my broken heart with your Heart; change my cross into a crucifix.
Sheen’s words are beautiful. They are comforting to meditate on. In them, we have the tools to face anything, yet while in my own private moments of anguish I have sometimes succeeded, I can vividly recall the times I have failed utterly and completely.
The Disciples had been told they were following Christ to his passion, and while they struggled to understand they followed him still to Jerusalem. It’s easy to plan to offer ourselves up in times of distress and great pain, but at the moment when panic, anguish, and real hurt rack us, more often man falls short.
Again and again, Christ’s chosen faltered just as we have and will. At Holy Thursday at his final Passover, even while Jesus confronted Judas and warned those gathered that his betrayer was among them, the Apostles argued over which of them should be regarded as the greatest. Though Peter, the rock on which Christ would build his church, was specifically warned of his coming sin, at the moment of trial Peter denied his Lord still.
When Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha, only a few — his mother, her sister, Mary Magdalene, and John, the youngest of the Twelve — followed with him. When God looked down from his cross, only one of the Twelve stood ready to hear the command to honor Mary, his mother. While the Son of Man lay in the tomb, as he said he would for three days, his Apostles hid from the high priests and the mob; only the woman were there on Easter to speak with the angels.
“Surely not I, Lord,” we assure ourselves when we hear of their failings — just as the saints who built the church assured themselves at the Last Supper. But we live our lives in lust and anger, laziness and greed, pride and gluttony. We give in to temptation, we don’t do what we know we should, we tend to our bodies over our souls, and we hold ourselves in arrogance above perfect strangers. We drink and we drug with food, alcohol, pills, television, whatever we can get our hands on; and we judge others for doing the same as we do, or simply choosing a different vice than our own.
Christ knew all of this of course. He did not come because the Apostles were saints, nor because we are, but because men are guilty. He knows our weakness intimately because he became man: God and man at once, a mystery on full display in the garden Thursday night when the Son asked the Father if he might take this cup away from him. He knew God’s will be done, and he knew the Holy Spirit would soon come upon the men who, just feet away from his agony, could not stay awake for even his final hours.
And when they nailed his hands and his feet, he felt pain.
How often have we questioned God’s plan? In our heart of hearts, how many of us have felt angry, even? For ourselves, maybe, but for the innocent, too. Why must they suffer, we ask God. What have they done? It’s the same suffering that brings us to our knees, praying for their health, their loved ones, and their souls. It is the same suffering that, C.S. Lewis wrote, is God’s “megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” A God who lived in poverty, and a God who suffered.
This Holy Saturday, while we wait in expectation for Easter Sunday, remember those mere men in the Bible. Their fear and their weakness are not foreign at all — they are you and me. And with the Holy Spirit, they built Christ’s church.
Over the last couple of years my family has been upgrading our home audio system and our home theater system inside the house and on the outside patio area and after much research we chose to go with SONOS products. Unfortunately we discovered that it’s kinda hard to do that easily because there are so many Sonos products and it’s hard to know which one you need for which purpose. Luckily I found an informative article that helped me and I wanted to share it with you in the hopes that it will be useful to you as well.
One of the easiest ways to add music to lots of rooms in your house is with Sonos.
Sonos is easy to set up and control wirelessly with your smartphone or voice. And it’s cost-effective compared to hiring a custom installer. We can help you get started. Read on for advice on what you need to add wireless multi-room audio to your life.
How to use Sonos for wireless music
If you want to replace your current speaker system or add music to different rooms, Sonos offers a variety of powered speaker models (each is available in black or white).
Sonos speakers and sound bars are also compatible with Apple AirPlay® 2. This lets you stream directly from iOS devices (like an iPhone®) and use Siri to play Apple Music selections (with subscription). It also lets you stream Netflix and YouTube soundtracks to your Sonos speakers as the video plays on your device.
The Sonos One SL is great for smaller rooms where voice control is not needed.
Great for: smaller rooms like a bedroom or a dining room. The Sonos One SL is virtually identical to the Sonos One, except it doesn’t have any voice control capabilities.
Built-in speakers: 2 full-range drivers
Placement: tabletop; wall- or stand-mountable
Sound: well-balanced with clear detail and expansive sound field
The portable Sonos Move lets you take your music anywhere.
The Sonos Move is a portable wireless Sonos Speaker with a built-in rechargeable battery. When it can connect with your home Wi-Fi, it can be a part of your Sonos multi-room system. You can also take it anywhere you would any portable speaker (it’s waterproof), and use it as a Bluetooth speaker.
Great for: decks, patios, and on-the-go listening
Built-in speakers: 2 full-range drivers
Built-in voice control: Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
Placement: tabletop
Sound: clear and balanced with full-sounding bass
Weather Resistant: With an IP56 rating, Move stands up to humidity, rain, snow, dust, salt spray, UV rays, and extreme heat and cold
Durable: Don’t worry about accidental drops or bumps. Move’s components are protected by a hard-wearing, shock-resistant case
If you’re really serious about excellent sound with plenty of deep bass, we recommend adding a Sonos Sub to a pair of Sonos speakers.
The Sonos Sub features dual woofers and acoustic ports, so it will fill out the low frequencies. It’s great for a system that will rival some pretty nice receiver-and-speaker setups (it’s also great for movies and TV — keep reading). You can also pair the Sub with a single Sonos speaker, though we recommend using it with stereo pairs.
Tip: Use two Sonos wireless speakers in the same room for bigger sound
All Sonos speakers can be set to function in stereo pairs, for a wide stereo image and left/right separation. It’s a great option for large rooms where a single speaker may not be enough. Here’s a vid showing you how to create a Sonos Stereo Pair…
Of course, you can only pair like to like. So you can pair two Sonos One speakers or two Sonos Five speakers or pretty much any combo you like.
The Sonos Port allows you to enjoy all the wireless music benefits of Sonos speakers through your existing stereo system. It offers digital and analog audio outputs, so you can connect it to an integrated amplifier, preamp, stereo receiver, home theater receiver, or powered speakers.
I have the Port myself and it was one of the first Sonos components we purchased. It’s Easy to set up and it’s pretty much a set-it and forget it kind of device – which is awesome!
~That Helpful Dad
The Sonos Port lets you tie your existing stereo setup into a wireless multi-room music system – using Sonos speakers or your existing ones.
The Sonos Amp is a versatile amplified player for use with any pair of stereo speakers. Just connect your speakers to the terminals and start streaming tunes wirelessly. It also has mono subwoofer output, for a 2.1 audio system.
You can connect a TV to a Sonos Amp and stream its audio to other Sonos speakers in your system. It also has analog inputs for connecting a source component like a CD player, as well as a preamp output for a powered subwoofer.
Use the Sonos Amp to enjoy Sonos with a pair of stereo speakers.
TIP: You can use the Sonos Port and Sonos Amp with multi-room installations with in-wall or in-ceiling speakers
You can use multiple Sonos Port music players along with stereo or multi-room amplifiers to power in-wall or in-ceiling speakers in several rooms. It’s a great way to enjoy music throughout your home while all the gear remains out of sight.
The Sonos Amp makes it easy to add in-wall, in-ceiling, or outdoor speakers to your wireless multi-room music system.
If you want to put together a system for your TV room or home theater, Sonos has some cool options that offer great sound and wireless music capability, including:
Each option has its own advantages. Sonos home theater systems can play wireless music from the same sources as all the other Sonos components. And these sound bars let you stream audio from your TV to Sonos components in other rooms.
Placement: cabinet-top — designed to provide a platform for your TV
Sound: spacious, powerful sound with strong bass; clear TV and movie dialogue
Sonos Beam vs Playbase vs Playbar
The following comparisons will help you understand the differences between the Sonos Beam vs Playbase vs Playbar.
Sonos Playbase vs Beam
Sonos Playbase vs Playbar
TIP: Add a Sonos Sub to expand your Sonos Home Theater System
The Sonos Sub can be paired wirelessly with any of these sound bars to expand and strengthen the low register, adding dimension to your TV and movie sound.
Playbar and Sub — the Sonos sound bar and subwoofer offer dynamic, impactful sound for movies and TV.
You can use two Sonos One, or Sonos One SL speakers as surround speakers with your Sonos sound bar. Along with the Sub, this gives you a 5.1-channel surround sound system for immersive sound in your home theater.
A great way to add surround speakers is to purchase a bundled set of Sonos speakers. You save money, and — depending on the bundle — you can add more speakers for additional rooms.
Enjoy a wireless home surround sound setup with Sonos components.
Shop Sonos Store on Amazon
Get even more ideas from the Sonos store on Amazon – click the pic to see more…
Practical Wisdom YOU can use today to make a difference in YOUR Life
That Helpful Dad 