VERY INTERESTING STUFF
Written by Mike Cheliak on December 31, 2009 – 2:10 pm -Happy New Year to everyone (not quite here yet).
Since I didn’t have a whole lot to say, I thought I would copy and paste this really neat email of factoids that my brother sent me. I truly hope everyone has a fantastic, happy, healthy and prosperous 2010!
VERY INTERESTING STUFF
In the 1400’s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have ‘the rule of thumb’
————————————————————————————————
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled ‘Gentlemen Only…Ladies Forbidden’.. .and thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language.
————————————————————————————————
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
————————————————————————————————
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
————————————————————————————————
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
————————————————————————————————
Coca-Cola was originally green.
————————————————————————————————
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
————————————————————————————————
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
————————————————————————————————
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this…)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
————————————————————————————————
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400
————————————————————————————————
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. . in any given hour: 61,000
————————————————————————————————
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
————————————————————————————————
The first novel ever written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.
————————————————————————————————
The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
————————————————————————————————
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades – King David
Hearts – Charlemagne
Clubs – Alexander, the Great
Diamonds – Julius Caesar
————————————————————————————————
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321
————————————————————————————————
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes
————————————————————————————————
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4: John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn’t added until 5 years later.
————————————————————————————————
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A… Their birthplace
————————————————————————————————
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name
requested?
A. Obsession
————————————————————————————————
Q.. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you
would find the letter ‘A’?
A. One thousand
————————————————————————————————
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A.. All were invented by women.
————————————————————————————————
Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A.. Honey
————————————————————————————————
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father’s Day
————————————————————————————————
In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase…’Goodnight, sleep tight’
————————————————————————————————
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
————————————————————————————————
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts… So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them ‘Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.’
It’s where we get the phrase ‘mind your P’s and Q’s’
————————————————————————————————
Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. ‘Wet your whistle’ is the phrase inspired by this practice.
————————————————————————————————
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
————————————————————————————————
Don’t delete the following just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it:
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the first and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
————————————————————————————————
YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2010 when…
1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12 You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a #9 on this list
————————————————————————————————
AND FINALLY
NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.
Copy and forward this to your friends. You know you want to! Go lick your elbow.
In happiness and health as always,
Mike C
Posted in Mike's Posts | No Comments »
Merry Christmas, Not Happy Holidays
Written by Mike Cheliak on December 25, 2009 – 9:13 am -I am a very unapologetic Evolutionist and RC (Recovering Catholic). I don’t apologize because I don’t expect anyone of any faith or non-faith to have to explain their position and belief system.
I am also a very big fan of Christmas. I don’t have any religious reason to love it but I sure do have a great affinity for the season and how it seems to bring out the best in people (for the most part). It almost seems like a good excuse to just be a little nicer to someone or to bury the hatchet if needed.
It is also the season where we see our kids glow when they get a special gift or see their proud faces when they give something to someone. We have always taught our children to appreciate what they have, cherish what they get and to share with others who need.
Now that we feel a little warm and fuzzy, let me bring us down a notch.
Since when did it become potentially offensive to wish someone a Merry Christmas? My wife works for a big department store and was told not to wish anyone a Merry Christmas. There was a poll on a cable network asking if it was politically incorrect to wish someone a Merry Christmas.
I fail to see where political correctness or even religion comes in to play when offering someone a gift of joy and happiness. Heck it’s not like you are tossing them a Jehovah’s Witness pamphlet and asking them to join in the fun. It’s a simple greeting to someone that lets them know you are wishing them happiness.
I don’t care if you are Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Orthodox, Satanist, Druid, Pagan, Wiccan, Atheist, Communist, Republican, Socialist, Liberal, Democrat, Anarchist or just a plain old Johnny or Jane come lately. Merry Christmas just means Merry Christmas. Regardless of the word origin it is only a way to share your joy with another person.
You don’t have to observe it, practice it, follow it, like it, hate it or care one way or the other about it. It just means Merry Christmas. It’s not political and it really isn’t a religious incantation unless you translate it that way. I don’t.
I love Christmas because it means family, friends and a good reason to enjoy and appreciate both. It means good food, giving and getting thoughtful gifts and sharing the day with people you love.
If you find the words Merry Christmas in any way politically incorrect or offensive to your faith or lack of faith, then you should go crawl into a cave and stay there from the middle of November until the end of December.
I would like to offer a most heartfelt and hearty MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR to everyone I know, everyone I don’t know and anyone who reads this.
Mike C.
Posted in Mike's Posts | No Comments »
Outside the comfort zone
Written by Mike Cheliak on December 16, 2009 – 8:20 am -One of the hardest things we do is to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone. This applies to much of our daily life. Our nature is to look for the path of least resistance.
To push yourself outside of this comfort zone is something that you really should do. The reason is simple. If you convince 
yourself you can’t do something because you “don’t know how” or “it’s too hard”; you have cheated yourself of a great learning and growing experience.
I just completed my 30 runs in 30 days challenge along with my sister Lynne and two friends Greg Collett and Ted Albert. Lynne is in North Eastern Ontario (North of North Bay), Ted is in North Central Ontario, Greg is in Mexico and I live in Southern Ontario.
We could have lived around the Globe and it wouldn’t have mattered. For over 30 days we prodded, poked, encouraged and drove each other along to complete the task. Living outside your comfort zone is much better when done with support!
Living outside the comfort zone for 30 days is something that really opened my eyes. I am (was) a horrible runner. At the beginning I could barely get through 20 minutes and 2.5K. As the days rolled past, my runs increased in intensity and duration and all of the sudden I started running pretty well.
What opened my eyes is what happened on day 30. About a week previous we were communicating on our Facebook Thread, http://www.facebook.com/mike.cheliak?v=feed&story_fbid=174773569308 and I mentioned that I would like to “try” to do a 10K on day 30 but I didn’t think I could do it.
Greg immediately hammered on me with some colourful motivational words and my attitude took an immediate 180 and I knew I needed to move further outside my comfort zone.
On day 30 I ran a 10K in 1:08:08.
Challenge yourself to live outside your comfort zone. Don’t do it for one workout or one meal or one day but for a month. Find a reason, find a cause or find a challenge. Just find something that you can set as a goal.
Make the goal only attainable by living outside your comfort zone. DON’T CHEAT! If you do, you will only cheat yourself and your end result will show for it. Don’t EVER say you can’t (or Greg will yell at you).
Read our Facebook thread and see how we motivated each other. We all looked forward to our daily posts. Finding someone or even a few people to do the challenge together is a GREAT idea. It gives a common goal and support to everyone.
WHAT’S YOUR CHALLENGE?
In happiness and health as always,
Mike C
Posted in Mike's Posts | 1 Comment »
A Fitness and Nutrition Balancing Act
Written by Mike Cheliak on December 8, 2009 – 3:46 pm -Have you ever felt as if you were running in circles when it comes to your fitness goals and routines? Most of us have wrestled with different programs, theories and methodologies only to find we tend to migrate back to our comfort zone.
Endurance athletes will opt for lighter routines, more long steady cardio and a more goal oriented training regimen (IE…getting ready for a big race).
Lifters (meatheads as I love to be referred to) are different. Athletes who lift as a primary means of fitness are fairly diverse. Strength, stamina, size, muscularity, lean body mass, power…the list goes on. Training cycles for people who lift vary from leaning out to bulking up…from adding size to increasing strength.
The one common denominator in any fitness regimen is your nutrition. There are thousands of different schools of thought about nutrition and more programs, diets and scientific principals than there are days in a decade.
The key to success in any case is finding your balance. Your equilibrium in fitness and nutrition is different from anyone else. Your metabolism, genetic inclinations, ability to process certain foods, adaptability, size, sex and many other factors will all come to play when it pertains to your balance.
I am very intolerant of processed carbs (pasta, bread, boxed or bagged stuff…). My balance is found by limiting carbs to fibrous veggies and a small amount of starchy veggies (potatoes, yams…). I function much better on a Primal diet which is comprised largely of unprocessed foods. I am also a short, thick and strong body type bordering on Endomorphic. I am inclined to Fast Twitch (Sprint, power) as opposed to Slow Twitch (Endurance). My balance is found by eating a diet of fruit, veggies and meat with very little coming from any processed carbs at all. I maintain somewhere between 50-150 grams of carbs per day depending on which state I am in (bulk or lean).
I have a friend who would waste away to nothing if she didn’t have bread, pasta, rice and other grains to supplement. She is an extreme Ectomorph and an endurance athlete. She can run for days but needs to constantly reefed and jack up on carbs just to maintain her slight frame. She really needs to have calorie dense foods like breads and high starch grains to ensure she is giving her system enough calories to function.
Whichever route you need to take, it HAS to be a route that works for you. There are no cookie cutter solutions when it comes to fitness and nutrition. Fighting your genetic inclination is like swimming upstream. You are constantly battling the route your body wants to take. The trick is to find the path that yields you the best results.
You need to put in the effort in your workouts, you need to control and adapt your eating to provide you with the best results and you need to commit to your method once you have figured it out. You don’t need to do this alone. Find a good resource to help you build a good fitness routine and then find someone who understands the dynamics of nutrition.
All of the mainstream solutions for nutrition are all but useless. They provide a means to an end but don’t tell you that once it ends, you go back to square one. That’s why they make so much money…repeat business!
In happiness and health as always!
Mike C.
Posted in Mike's Posts | No Comments »
Happy Birthday to Me
Written by Mike Cheliak on December 3, 2009 – 9:05 am -As I turn 47 today, I thought I would write myself a little Happy Birthday blog. These are the top 47 things I have to be thankful for.
Every year on our birthday we should all write out a list of things that we are thankful for. Rather than dwelling on the negatives in life, affirming our commitment to the positive things that surround us is a far better way to begin another year on the planet.
I am thankful for…
1. A wonderful wife who continues to tolerate my silliness after 18 years
2. An amazing daughter who never ceases to amaze me
3. The best son I could have (he constantly reminds me of ME)
4. Having 3 fantastic brothers and 1 incredible sister that I brag about all the time
5. A group of family and friends that is as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar
6. A business that lets me do what I love
7. A healthier body than I had 20 years ago
8. A better attitude than I had 20 years ago
9. Three little doggies who’s love is unconditional (as long as I have treats)
10. My SIRIUS satellite in the car so I can listen to the 80’s and RAW DOG comedy!
11. All the people who have helped my business grow over the last 9 years
12. HDTV so I can watch my beloved Leafs in HD, win or lose because I AM A FAN!
13. An Internet packed full of knowledge just waiting to be learned
14. A country that gives us all a chance to succeed (as long as you try)
15. A country that provides us with free access to world class healthcare
16. A country that gives you a million dollars when you turn 47 (OK, I just wish that one)
17. A sister that brings me beets, pickles and Thornloe cheese when she visits
18. The fact that I refuse to be politically correct
19. Having seen Santana in concert 7 times and Peter Gabriel 6 times (That is music)
20. Being able to help great charity causes with my services
21. Taking all those computer courses when I worked for the Government
22. Being a computer geek that can squat 405 lbs for 3 reps
23. The amazing world of food that allows me to create in the kitchen
24. Being able to admit that there is ALWAYS something more to learn
25. Reruns of Seinfeld
26. A portfolio that has bounced back after getting hit when the markets crashed
27. Corona Light on a hot summer day after cutting the grass
28. Stupid videos on You Tube to kill the time when I am processing photos
29. Online shopping (Christmas is nearly done without even hitting a store)
30. Working with Walter Gretzky during the 2004 Ontario Senior Games Actifest
31. Having the ability to choose
32. My Monty Python DVD collection
33. All my friggin’ computers and my dual 24 inch monitors!
34. A brain that allows me to multitask
35. People who inspire me
36. People who I inspire
37. The Almond, Banana, Chocolate Protein Shake I am drinking right now
38. Jack Nicholson, The Shining and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest…Brilliant!
39. Gator Hammock Lethal Gator Hot Sauce
40. Uncut versions of Bugs Bunny Cartoons
41. My memory foam mattress topper (AAAAAAAAHHHHH)
42. The ability to make a difference and the willingness to try
43. Afternoon naps when it’s raining on your Birthday (like today ?)
44. The smell of fall leaves (when they aren’t in your yard)
45. Surviving the 80’s with as many brain cells as I have
46. Bacon (I know it’s not good for you but you JUST HAVE TO LOVE IT)
47. LIFE!
Posted in Mike's Posts | 2 Comments »
