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A Practical way to Help the Homeless – Right Now

By: Motormensch

Believe me, I’m not the social conscious of Trash Vent… I think even Stiffler (our head honcho/writer) could picture me laughing at most misfortune. Yup, indeed I do. Alas, that’s what writing affords people like me – a chance to be the bastard they always wanted to be.

Truth be told, practicality is usually my mantra. When I was growing up in Los Angeles, I saw many homeless living out of their cars. I had little pity for car dwellers and had no idea that they were towed often (it was like a joke for the local constabulary – it still is). Once the vehicle was towed, the homeless became shelter-less.

When I started working at my family’s wrecking yards, several cars came in (daily) that once belonged to homeless people and homeless families. It was practical I thought: cars left unlicensed, unused and creating an eyesore are now easy revenue for the city and my family. I mean, you don’t want a nasty old van cluttering up your neighborhood – right?

This sucked and I knew it…

In time, I wore blinders to the problem and became so callus that I looked at homelessness as a plight on society. Honestly, I had no idea I could be such a cold-hearted putz. In time, and with maturity and my sweet socially conscious wife, I began to see homeless people as humans rather than objects and remembered the multitude of vehicles we crushed at my family’s business.

Those vehicles used to be people’s homes.     

My pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law did something remarkable. She began working for a group that provides mobile shelters for the homeless. This is a quick, practical solution. Basically, it’s kind of like a shopping cart that transforms into a comfortable, secure sleeping place/shelter for one person.

Think of it as a tent on wheels. There are external storage compartments and a locking system for security. Plastic windows and a door are part of this simple and elegant system. The robust skin of the EDAR tent protects the occupant in foul weather and is quite spacious.

To me, it addresses an issue immediately that others (read: fat-head politicians) would drag through the mud – slowly. This is to say that people who need help (like: right now) get something quickly. I’ve seen several mass group shelters, they are not ideal for many homeless who (for one reason or another) are transient.    

The people from EDAR (Everyone Deserves a Roof) say: “Each year, more than 3 million people experience homelessness in the United States, including 1.3 million children.” That statistic always gets me… and it is a sad truth.

This is by no means a permanent solution for the homeless in our country. Still, this is a great way to immediately make a dent into their misfortune and start the preverbal wheels turning in the right direction. Word of mouth can truly help.

So, if you have a moment, drop by the website or check out one of the links below. I think simply mentioning this idea to a few people can help. If nothing else, there’s always some pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law (or the equivalent) that one of us has who means well and wants a good cause to volunteer for. Take it from me and MY pain-in-the-ass sister-in-law; this is a damn good, practical cause.

Happy holidays!

 Photos via EDAR.org

XO Motormensch

www.edar.org

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=6549327

http://www.latimes.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3219562

http://www.ktla.com/pages/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3221047

Well if you are already a smoker and have tried everything from gum to nicotine patches. You might feel like there is no hope. Smoking is one of the hardest things to quit because the affects are not seen till later in life. If you fall into this category of smokers don’t worry. There is a author named Allen Carr who wrote “Easy way to stop smoking”. Everyone that I have talked to who has read the book has quit. No kidding. Mr Carr is endorsed by some pretty credible people, Sir Richard Branson, Anthony Hopkins and Ellen Degeneres just to name a few. The book will walk you through all phases of quitting from boredom to eating and how to cope with them. Its a gradual process that uses fundamental thinking to break free of the habit. Easy way to stop smoking can be fond at any major book store or online. I hope this helps for anyone who is serious about quitting.

For most of us who work 9-5 it is next to impossible to have any sort of set calorie diet. That being said its not IMPOSSIBLE. I often find myself at the office surrounded by many goodies and treats and through the years have learned to minimize and ignore their existence. A while back I had a conversation with a friend and was astonished to find out that this guy could care less about what he puts in his body. That being said I started to think of the millions of people throughout North America that feel the same way.

The question …Living Health is it possible??? And the answer is……..drumroll…………YES! It breaks down to choices by us the individual. Choices like working out, or monitoring bad fats and sugar intake. More often you will find North Americans filling up on things like specialty coffee’s or pastries in the morning because its quick and easy. The reality is that most will end up clinically obese or with heart attacks.

If you are reading this article there are a few simple things that you can do to ensure a healthier lifestyle. For example:
Eat Breakfast! Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast lose weight and are more active at work. I know for some of you, breakfast is some word in Pig Latin that is hard to understand. The first meal of the morning should have some form of clean protein and a whole grain carbohydrate. Please do not kid yourselves and go to your local Dunkin Donuts to load up on garbage. Its just as easy to make something like instant oatmeal mixed with flax oil and scramble up some egg whites.

Go to the gym and workout. This one almost baffles me. As most people are content to sit around and waste an hour of their day going for lunch or hanging out by the water cooler in the office gossiping. I hate to break it to you folks all the dieting in the world is not going to get you to your target weight. And even if you do hit your target weight sooner or later you will balloon up again like James the Peach if you don’t have some sort of exercise regimen. I know some of you out there are probably saying “I dont want to get bulky lifting weights”. DON’T KID YOURSELVES.  You could lift hard for the next 3 years I promise you, you’re not going to look like Arnold. For most people its genetically impossible without some major sports enhancement drugs.

Monitor your carb intake. OK I have always been a firm believer in eating a balanced meal. Look up zone diets if you don’t know what I am talking about. Monitoring your carb intake does not mean dont eat carbs. It just means eat what it takes to keep enough energy to burn in the gym. Carbohydrates raise your glycemic index forcing your body to produce insulin. If you dont burn them they turn to fat. That simple dont eat more carbs than you can burn.

Get clean sources of protein. For all the vegetarians or vegans I feel sorry for you. Say what you will about your body not needing meat. But here is the reality….if you ever plan on building lean muscle mass (which helps your body burn fat) your body needs clean sources of protein, like iso whey or chicken or fish. These are all animal products. Sure you can get your daily needs to survive from beans and lentils but good luck trying to get 1 g of protein for every pound you weigh from eating beans. Its just not going to happen. There are some alternatives like drinking soy based protein powders. But for guys, here is the warning, the by product of soy when ingested turns to estrogen. Doctors often reccomend soy based products to women going through menopause. Not something that my body needs so for me I will pass.

Good luck to all of you that are looking to make the right choices and changes in your lifestyle. Write back to us or leave a comment with some of your success stories so other people can get some ideas on how to make appropriate changes.

Most people take for granted the importance of working out their legs. Since quads and ham strings are not considered a beach muscle. In other words most people do not pay attention to them when you are walking around on the beach. The reality is working your legs has to be one of the 3 major groups you do in a week. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST!!!

Whether your goal is to get lean or build mass, working out without blasting your legs is the equivalent of driving a race car and having cheap tires. There have been studies done on the types of muscle fibers more commonly known as fast twitch or slow twitch (type 1 or type 2) in the body and how they affect the growth and size you will notice. The best way that I can explain this is by looking at two athletes that do the same sport. For this purpose I am going to use Olympic runners. If you look at the body structure of a 100m sprinter you will notice their muscle mass is significantly more than that of a long distance runner. This is due to the body requiring fast bursts of energy and engaging the fast twitching fibers. Where a long distance runner requires endurance and lower amounts of energy but for longer periods of time primarily using slow twitch or type 2 muscle fibers.

In order to maximize your leg workouts here is an example of a routine:

1. 4 sets Squats
2. 4 sets hamstring curls
3. 4 sets walking lunges
4. 4 sets dum bell step ups (using a bench)
5. 4 sets of calve raises

Make sure that you do at least 6-10 reps if you are trying to gain mass and 12-15 reps if you are trying to shape your legs. Chose a weight that is comfortable for you and allows you to perform the exercise wit the best possible form. When doing any type of exercises form is the key to your success.

The major benefit to working your legs is the overall strength you will gain in the rest of your body.

Well I wanted to share the secret with all the people on the internet. After some serious research and hundreds of hours of trials and errors. I have finally come up with a sure fire way to cut the fat off your body. By sharing this article with the public I run the risk of back lash from all the major health food and nutrition companies out there. Does not matter the public needs to know the truth…

Many of you out there have tried things like yo-yo diets and the latest product on late night infomercials. No purchase necessary I am going to share the info with you for free right now…are you ready…….. GET YOUR FAT ASS TO THE GYM AND SWEAT AND STOP STUFFING YOUR FACES WITH GARBAGE!!!  Every one is looking for this sure fire way to look like they stepped out of a magazine without lifting a finger. Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds? Could you imagine being stinking rich without paying your dues? ITS NOT POSSIBLE.  Stop buying into the hype and put in the hard work.

Now that the unpleasantness are out of the way we can start to talk about what works and what doesn’t. In order for your body to lose fat you need to gain muscle. If you are really serious about getting back into shape you need to mix cardio with a weight training program. I suggest by starting with cardio 4 times a week for a period of at least 35 minutes per time.  It is really up to you what you choose to do for cardio, whatever you choose to do make sure that its constant movement and you keep your heart rate up. Depending on how old you are there is optimal heart rates that you want to keep. For example a man that is 30 yrs old will want to keep a heart rate of 140 BPM for fat loss.  The key to cardio for fat loss is time spent. Anything under 20 minutes your not burning fat. It is only once you pass the 20 minute mark your body will start to consume the fat it has as energy.

When the Cardio is done, move your couch potato self over to the weight room and start lifting. If this is your first time in the gym, it is in your best interest to get a trainer to show your how to use the equipment properly. Your whole training session should not be more that 60 -70 minutes. If you find yourself in there for any amount of time longer than that your probably blabbing up a storm and should spend the time concentrating on your physique.

In a time where we can order or purchase anything with a click of a button and most of us sit at a desk for 8 hours or more just to pay bills. Its no wonder why that 3 out of 4 Americans are over weight.

This is a question that often comes up between Gym rats and newbies. I decided to write the article since I noticed a majority of people at the gym doing this exercise incorrect. Everyone has a bit of variation to this depending on who you speak with. In this article I will explain the way it was taught to me and how to execute the movement. I also want to stress that I am not a professional body builder nor personal trainer.

Deadlifts are a compound exercise that works your whole body. When done properly the next day your whole body will feel soar. I want to let you know that there is a difference in between your body feeling muscle soarness and pain. If you end up feeling pain then chances are you have not done the movement properly and should visit your family doctor.

Start by getting a olympic bar from the bench press. Place the bar on the ground and put a 45 pound plate on each side. Now stand directly behind the bar with both feet shoulder width apart and pointing forward. The bar should be touching your shins. Take a squating position where by your stance is makes your kneews bend just past 90 degrees. Grab the bar with a over under hold. This means that one hand should be plam up while the other remains palm down. Now here comes the trick, when you lift the weight off the ground you need to start the movement by pushing with the heels of your feet. As you push with your heels, slowly drag the bar up your shins making sure your shoulders are not rolled forward. You absolutely must make sure that you keep PERFECT posture! This means keeping core muscles tight and making sure that your lower back is not hunched over. Once the bar reaches mid thigh you will notice that your upper body is slightly bent at a 45 degree angle, at this point you want to start leaning back by pushing your pelvis forward and ending up standing straight while holding the weight.

Descending the weight back to the ground is also crucuial in terms of finishing the exercise. Often times you will see people concentrating on lifting the weight but most do not concentrate on controlling the negative movement. When you start the descending movement of the deadlift you want to start with the barbell running down your thighs. Once the barbell reaches 2-3 inches above your knees you will notice that your upper body is almost back to that 45 degree bent position. From here you want to lower your butt and let the weight slowly drag down your shins back to the starting position of this exercise.

Deadlifts are a strength exercise. If you so choose to do this exercise you want to keep the reps between 5-8 and set of 4 are recommended. Remember to keep perfect posture while lifting and not to pull the weight off the fround using your lower back to start the movement. I strongly suggest using only the bar to get use to the movement.