Friday, September 20, 2013

4 Harmful Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered

If you’re serious about making a solid commitment to a muscle-building program, you need to be very careful of who you take advice from. Bodybuilding and fitness is literally a multi-billion dollar industry with new websites popping up every single day. Many of the so-called “experts” out there really don’t have a clue of what they’re talking about and are only motivated by pushing expensive pills, powders and “miracle programs” on you that you don’t really need. If you don’t watch your step you may end up falling for some fatal muscle-building pitfalls that will literally destroy your gains and prevent you from ever achieving the impressive, muscular physique you desire. In this article I’m going to expose 4 very common muscle-building myths in order to keep you on the proper path to the mind-blowing muscle and strength gains you deserve.

[Read more...]

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Building Your Confidence in Dating Women

When it comes to dating (or even seducing) a woman, confidence is vital. Women often equate “self confidence” with the ability to be successful. While many men believe that women look for successful men because they’re likely to make more money, that’s simply not true.
While it’s a given, women actually look for successful men because they’re more likely to be satisfied. So you may be wondering what a man being satisfied has to do with anything. You see, women know that men who are satisfied with themselves are less likely to go out looking for someone to satisfy them and are more stable.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

4 Essential Steps You Must Take To Succeed With Anything

There are 4 essential steps you must take if you want to succeed with any project. A project is anything that requires a plan. It can be simple like making a plan to go to a movie, or could be complicated like setting up an Internet business. But simple or not, if you want your project to succeed you need to take the these four steps:

Step 1 Picture the Purpose.

Before you start any project you need to ask yourself what you really want. This might sound obvious, but it is amazing the number of people who don't know what they really want when they start a project. When you have answered that question you then need to ask yourself why you want what you want. This is very important as many people want something but don't really know why they want it. In the case of the movie your answer might be that your favourite star is in it. To the Internet business you might answer that you want to work from home so you can spend more time with your family.

Step 2 Plan the Procedure.

Once you have found the answers to the questions above you then need to ask yourself how you can get what you want. The best way to answer this question is to imagine you already have what you want! Now that might sound strange, but if you think about it, when you answered your first question you had some sort of picture in your mind. And when you answered your second question that picture must have become clearer. Now all you have to do is make the picture clearer still by imagining that you already have what you want. Then you ask yourself how you got it! In the case of the movie that should be easy. The steps to an Internet business maybe harder to see, but if you keep thinking, keep imagining you have what you want, something amazing will happen. You will start to see the steps you need to take. You will begin to see opportunities you haven't seen before. This may sound like magic but it is actually the Law of Attraction working for you. This is the law that works for everyone who truly wants success.

Step 3 Prepare with Patience.

So many people fail to prepare a project. They have an idea and they plunge right in. Sometimes it works but mainly it doesn't! You need to prepare both mentally and physically. If you are not prepared mentally the chances are you will fail physically. Preparation also requires patience. You would like to get going immediately but sometimes you have to wait. Maybe your project requires a lot of practice before you are ready to go. Or maybe you might have to rely on others who are not ready when you are.

Step 4 Perform with Pleasure.

So you now you know what you want, why you want it and how to get it. You have prepared and practiced and you are ready to go. However if your project involves other people, it may take time to get what you want. They may not have the same agenda or the same priorities as you. This is where you have got to keep focused on what you want to make happen. The way to do this is to continually imagine how great you will feel when you have got what you wanted. You must enjoy the whole "journey" to your success. Ask any successful person if they really enjoy what they do and I guarantee the answer will be yes! One last thing, keep records of your activity, they can help you when things are not going as well or as fast as you want. They can also remind you of the steps you took to get what you wanted.


[source: http://themansphere.com/4-essential-steps-you-must-take-succeed-anything/]

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

11 Tips to Making the Best Pork Ribs

Summer may be over, but there’s nothing like a great cookout in the brisk fall air! Here are 11 tips to making the best pork ribs of your late BBQ season (you can transfer some of these inside if you want to do them in the oven…but who says you can only fire up the grill in the summer?):
1. Purchase ribs that are evenly covered in meat. In other words, don’t buy a slab that is fatty on one end and fleshy on the other. Avoid slabs that have exposed bones!
2. Allow for one pound of ribs per guest. This is a generous helping but for more impressive appetites, make it two!
3. When preparing the meat, make sure you remove the membrane on the underside of the ribs with a sharp knife. If you don’t it blocks the flavor intake.
4. Always marinate your ribs in the refrigerator, not at room temperature.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Women We Love: Julia Mei

Julia Mei is a talented and ambitious young lady who’s always interested in new challenges. She was born in China, and raised in Canada; fluent in both English and Mandarin. She began her training in dance and piano when she was 4 and this eventually led to her vigorous training in the other arts such as singing and acting as well as modeling.
She is also a talented pianist, makeup artist, and hostess.
Her love for the spotlight pushes her to reach new heights of excellence in everything she pursues.
Name: Julia Mei
Occupation: Student/Model
Education: Graphic Communications Management
Stats: Pianist, Singer, Dancer, Model
How did you get started on your current career track?
I would say, I started modeling just as a hobby. My best friend enjoys photography, so it all started from there. We’d go and have photoshoots just for fun. And eventually she entered artwork into contests, and I became more serious with modeling as well. Now a days, I do alot of Fashion and Editorial modeling for magazines. Often times I also model for car shows because they’re honestly a lot of fun, and you get to meet a lot of great people.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

10 Easy Tips To Save Money On Your Home Heating Bills

With energy costs higher than they have ever been in recent history, it pays to find ways to save money on your home heating bills. Here are some tips that are easy, cost effective and will all add up to reduce your home heating bills by a significant amount! You don’t need to be Bob Villa either. Some take just a minute or two. Now is the time to start thinking about them, and even small changes will add up to big savings over the course of this cold winter!

Here are the 10 tips that will help to save on home heating costs:

1. Head down to the basement and reduce the setting on your hot water thermostat by about 10 degrees. Don’t go below 120-115 degrees. The adjustment dial is typically a red knob towards the bottom of the water tank.

2. While you are downstairs, make sure you have clean filters for your central air-heating unit. A dirty and clogged filter will force your unit to work much harder and stay on longer as it struggles to fresh air through the clogged filter to heat the rest of your house.

3. Check your air ducts for gaps, leaks or disconnects. If you have any disconnects or leaks in your ductwork, your heating bills could be 25% higher than they need to be if these gaps were sealed. If you can’t do this on your own, hire a professional. This expert can also clean your ducts for added efficiency.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

3 Great Coconut Shrimp Recipes

Summer is coming to a close, and that means the social season is just starting to heat up. If you're planning on hosting any game day parties, you'll need snacks. One of our favourites is coconut shrimp. If you love coconut shrimp, here are three different but very good coconut shrimp recipes to try, whether the guys are over for a game or you just need a quick appetizer for a quiet dinner for two.

Coconut Beer Batter Fried Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

2 eggs
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beer
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
coconut oil
3 cups grated coconut
Seasoning mix:
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Thoroughly combine the ingredients for the seasoning mix in a small bowl and set aside.
Mix 1-1/4 cups of the flour, 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix, baking powder, eggs, and beer together in a bowl, breaking up all lumps until it is smooth.
Combine the remaining flour with 1-1/2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix and set aside. Place the coconut in a separate bowl.
Sprinkle both sides of the shrimps with the remaining seasoning mix. Then hold each shrimp by the tail, dredge in the flour mixture, shake off excess, dip in batter and allow excess to drip off. Coat each shrimp with the coconut and place on a baking sheet.
Heat deep fryer to 350°F. Drop each shrimp into the hot oil and cook until golden brown, approximately 1/2 to 1 minute on each side. Do not crowd the fryer. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
Lay shrimp on large lettuce leaves and serve with Pineapple Salsa dip. Garnish with lemon, orange, or lime wedges.

Pineapple Salsa

1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup chopped red onion, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pineapple preserves (or apricot-pineapple preserves)
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded fresh jalapeno chili
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Combine ingredients and gently toss.

Coconut Shrimp Kabobs with Island Coconut Salsa

1 lb. shell-on shrimp, uncooked
1/3 cup coconut milk, canned and sweetened
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon red chili peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
12 to 18 fresh pineapple chunks

Island Coconut Salsa

1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 to 2 teaspoons minced garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil or macadamia nut oil
Peel and devein shrimp retaining tails; set aside. Combine coconut milk, lime juice, garlic, red peppers, cumin, coriander and pepper; pour over shrimp. Marinate no more than 1 hour. Thread shrimp and pineapple chunks on skewers. Broil or grill, 3 minutes per side, or until shrimp are done. Arrange coconut shrimp on large lettuce leaves. Serve with Island Coconut Salsa on the side.

Caribbean Shrimp Run Down

1 lb shell-on shrimp, uncooked
3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
3 cups coconut milk
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
Finely chopped hot pepper to taste
1 lb. tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 t. fresh chopped thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel and devein shrimp retaining tails. Pour the lime juice over the shrimp and set aside. Cook the coconut milk in a heavy frying pan until it is oily. Add the onion, garlic and cook until the onion is tender. Add the hot pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper, thyme and vinegar. Stir and cook very gently for 10 minutes.
Drain the shrimp, add the other ingredients and cook until the shrimp is tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot over rice. Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Source: http://wp.me/p2dADa-130

Monday, September 9, 2013

New kinds of ouchness...

Work sometimes provides interesting opportunities to hurt myself in various creative ways. A few weeks ago, we determined that an interesting approach to engaging audiences with our series would be to look at the martial arts aspect. This lead directly to me whacking myself in the head with a piece of wood.

OK, it was a staff, and yes I have training, and yes I got sloppy. That's all beside the point.

The series is set in South India, specifically in the Kongu region of Tamilnadu. To the casual observer this means very little with regard to martial arts, but to those in the know, it means our heroes--the legendary kings Ponnar and Shankar--would most likely have been trained in the Tamil stick fighting style called Silambam. This is supported by several passages in the original legend referring to "32 fighting postures" and positions of the sword.

As it turns out, there is no Silambam school in Toronto, so we expanded our reach and found a Kalaripayattu school instead. This style is native to Kerala, which borders the region in which the story is set and therefore has a similar cultural background.

The styles, however, are quite different. Even so, with IMPACT hosting a workshop with German kalari expert Klaus Seewald, the research opportunity was too good to pass up.

And I discovered new kinds of ouchness...

Indian martial arts are very different from Chinese martial arts where my experience lies. The postures are quite low but extremely narrow, which is where the ouch factor came from for me. It was surprising to Klaus that my quads weren't sore given the low postures, but I did confess that my back and glutes were feeling it. The angle of the stances and the positioning of the spine in the low postures were unique to me in this form, and that's where I felt it.

At the same time, there was a significant yoga factor, as we spent the first hour of each session (3-4 hours per session, three days in a row) working on stretches and breathing. I'm the first to admit that I'm not as flexible as I should be, and this is what I've been looking at improving through these workshops anyway.

Am I converted to kalari? Not really, although structurally and physiologically I can see (and feel) the benefits. There hasn't been much discussion about the martial applications of the forms yet, as it's been pretty esoteric and linked to considerations like body alignment and breathing. But all fighting styles have fighting applications to go with them, so I'm sure if that's where your interest lies you could find value in it on that level.

There's another three-day session next weekend. I'm looking forward to breaking a lot more sweat.

Women We Love: Amanda Ranger

With a flair for dramatic images and a boundless energy for her work, Amanda (Amandy) Ranger has leaped up the social media mountain and attained a following and a fandom that is rapidly accelerating. A social worker by trade, her passion for her chosen occupation reflects her personal drive and motivation, especially when it comes to making a real difference. But to balance her life, taking up modelling as a "hobby" has taken on a new path of epic adventure.

Her fans, and the photographers who are lining up to shoot her, are all very happy about that.

edited handName: Amanda Ranger

Occupation: Social Work with the mental health population and the forensic mental health population.

Education: B.S.W/ R.S.W & Model (independent)

Stats: I am an eccentric, outgoing, energetic, motivated, odd, self diagnosed ADD, kind of a geek type of girl. I love people, travelling, trying new things, conquering new goals and living life to the fullest.






How did you get started on your current career track?
I always wanted to help people so initially I went into psychology and then decided social work was a better direction and would allow for more job opportunities. Then I recently started modelling which has become a hobby that is fun, creative and sometimes pays some bills :) I have the best of both worlds if you ask me.
[Read more... ]

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Who will grace the cover of The Man Sphere's 2013 Women We Love Dating Compilation?

As we get ready to close out 2013, we’ve once again collected the dating advice from all the amazing Women We Love interviews over the past year. The trouble is, we can’t decide who should be featured on the cover! So cast your vote and help us out. Voting ends Sept. 30.

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Men We Admire: Denis Theriault

Canadian Actor Denis Theriault stars in comedic drama All the Wrong Reasons, premiering Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 6:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre (259 Richmond St. W.) in Auditorium One during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). An additional screening will take place Monday, September 9, 2013 at 10 PM at Scotiabank Theatre’s Auditorium 10.
All the Wrong Reasons is an ensemble of four everyday people: a store manager, security guard, fire fighter and a clerk who struggle in the aftermath of trauma.
Denis is most recognized for his role in the feature film Growing Op as Shaun Leblanc, a high school reject who guides the lead actor through the troubles of teenage social hierarchy. Starring alongside Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Blanchard and Wallace Langham, Growing Op premiered at The Atlantic Film Festival in 2008.
His performances can also be seen on City’s Seed, HBO’s Call Me Fitz, The Movie Network/Showcase’sG-Spot and more.