Alas, it’s our last day of vacation here in the Dominican Republic and words can’t express what an amazing experience it has been. While I could easily sit here and wax poetic about the beaches, the water, and the scenery in general (it would all be deserved), what really made this trip special was the people.
The people here are some of the kindest, friendliest, and most giving people I have ever met. Coming from Boston where it’s rare if anyone makes eye contact with you – let alone says hello – you’d be hard pressed to walk more than ten feet without someone smiling and saying “hola! here.
Even more to their credit, everyone…..and I mean EVERYONE (as far as the locals are concerned) is “muy excelente.”
No one complains about mundane or trivial things like the WiFi being too slow; or that there’s only two choices of salad and not three; or that there’s, literally, only one highway, and that people drive like maniacs!
It’s been refreshing to see people appreciate the simple things in life. To smile. To not take themselves (or things) too seriously. In short: I love it here, and look forward to coming back soon.
On a somewhat related note, I petted a monkey yesterday.
Um, yeah, get your mind out of the gutter, people! Literally, I petted a monkey.
Since it was our last full day yesterday, Lisa and I took an excursion to the Monkey Jungle to hang out with the monkeys. For those of you who follow me on Facebook you can see more of the cuteness over there. For those that don’t, you’re stuck with the picture above….;o)
We have a few hours left to hit up the buffet and to soak up some more vitamin D. I’m out, and will see you all once I’m back in Boston.
Okay, so lets get to the stuff you should be reading.
Premium Workout Group Update
Things are still chugging along with my Premium Workout Group over on WeightTraining.com. All the feedback I’ve received from all the participants has been great, and seemingly everyone is busting through a bunch of personal records and having a blast with their training.
As it happens, right before I left for vacation I sent in the latest program update (Month 3), and I already warned everyone that they should prepare themselves for a shit-load (just a shade under a shit-ton) of squatting.
All of this to lead into a killer fat-loss phase starting in May.
For those who have no idea what the heck I’m referring to, I’d suggest going HERE to be filled in on the deets.
Note #1: Even if you haven’t jumped in on the fun from the start, don’t worry…….you can join today, tomorrow, next week, or when the cows come home and you’ll have access to ALL the programs (as well as all the additional videos). This is so that everyone can go at their own pace and not feel too overwhelmed.
Note #2: For those who have been keeping up with the blog this week – even in my absence – Jen Sinkler’s Lift Weights Faster product has been a ginormous hit. Unfortunately, the price will go UP starting tonight (3/21) at MIDNIGHT.
So you only have a few more hours to take advantage of the sale price. After that the price will nearly DOUBLE. Ouch!
If that wasn’t incentive enough, here’s another. For everyone who purchases Lift Weights Faster and then sends me a copy of their receipt, I’ll send you a coupon for HALF-PRICE off the first month in my Premium Workout Group.
1. Purchase Lift Weights Faster
2. Send me a copy of your receipt with the email titled “Receipt for Lift Weights Faster” to tgentilcore18@yahoo.com
3. I’ll send back a coupon code for HALF-PRICE off the first month of membership in my Premium Workout Group.
4. You’ll earn 15 points for Gryffindor. It’s a win-win.
The Up Side of Down: Why Failing Well is the Key to Success – Megan McArdle
Knowing I was going to be spending a fair amount of time reading while on vacation, I picked up this book right before I left and dove in.
I’m a nerd when it comes to behavioral economics. I don’t know why. I just am. It’s like trying to explain The Force and midi-chlorians. They just……exist.
Anyhoo: as the title suggest, this book is all about failing. Not only failing, but why failing is good. What’s more, how we fail plays as much of a part in our success as anything else. Drawing parallels from 9/11, the housing crash of 2008, the movie Titanic (and WaterWorld), as well as her own anecdotal life experiences, Megan McArdle makes a very strong case for why we should all strive to fail. And fail well.
1,200 Calories – Sophia Herbst
I don’t think I need to defend my stance on the topic of women and fitness and how the mainstream media vomits all over itself extolling a bunch of nonsense and gibberish.
I hate it. And thankfully, a lot more people are starting to wake-up and understand the massive double-standard between what’s regurgitated towards women compared to men.
Men are told to be strong, yoked, and Alpha!
Women are told to tone. And to eat 1200 calories. It’s BS. And this is probably one of the best “rant” pieces I have ever read.
If I could (non-creepily) hug the author, I totally would.
