A Health Plan So Easy, Even a Caveman Can Do It
September 30, 2008
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Editor’s Note: This guest post was by Mike O’Donnell a professional fitness coach and trainer. His blog can be seen at The IF Life
Fred Flintstone is not my idea of a real caveman as he had a car (albeit powered by a foot engine), worked sitting on a dinosaur, and got his food from a drive-thru (we have all seen where the brontosaurus ribs tipped over his car). But if you look at the overall health and fitness of the Paleolithic (or “hunter and gather” period from 10,000 years ago) cavemen, they were all pretty strong, not overweight by today’s standards, and did not suffer from modern degenerative diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancers.
Most people will argue “Well they had an average shorter life span compared to today,” which actually is true but not for the reasons some think. The key word to look at is “average.” Living back 10,000 years ago was not a walk in the park. Back then there were higher infant mortality rates, deaths from pregnancy/childbirth stress or complications, and many deaths simply from the overall stress of the climate. And of course, none of these survival hazards were accompanied by the modern medical emergency care that we have today. So many ways, comparing modern man’s life span to caveman life span is comparing apples to oranges
But even if you look at more recent cultures that still followed the hunter-gatherer lifestyle up until the last few centuries, you will see men living longer on average than today’s man and, more importantly, living without high rates of modern degenerative diseases. Hunter-gatherers simply lived longer, healthier, and more functional lives. So we can definitely learn a thing or two from our old cavemen ancestors. Let’s explore what they did.
The Original Hawaiiabera Giveaway
September 29, 2008
What do you get when you cross a Mexican Guayabera with a Hawaiian floral print shirt? You get The Original Hawaiiabera shirt. I’ve always been a big fan of Guayabera or “Old man Mexican barber shirts” as my friends and I call them. I’ve also enjoyed sporting a Hawaiian shirt every now and then. Both of them catch the vintage-something-my-grandpa-would-wear vibe that I enjoy so much.
So when a guy who calls himself “El Grande Kahuna” emails me and says he’d crossbred the two shirts to create the Hawaiiabera, my interest was piqued. El Grande Kahuna calls the Hawaiiabera the “Ultimate Friday Shirt.” Each one is handmade and comfy, with cool, vintage Hawaiian floral prints and the functional four front pockets Guyaberas are famous for. It’s the kind of shirt a man could wear while flipping burgers in the backyard.
El Grande Kahuna was kind enough to send me one. I got to say these things are pretty dang nice. It’s well constructed, stylish, and comfy to boot. I told El Grande Kahuna that I thought a lot my readers would be interested in getting their hands on one of these bad boys.
El Grande Kahuana was happy to oblige.
Nice Guys Don’t Have to Finish Last
September 28, 2008
Image from KeelyE
Oftentimes, when a man sees yet another bombshell on the arm of a dude who from all appearances is a complete d-bag, he is compelled to shake his fist at the sky and wonder if there is any justice in the world. “What does she see in him?” he asks in exasperation.
The poser of this question is often a self-proclaimed “nice guy” who doesn’t understand why men of his breed so often seem to finish last while the moronic tools of the world get the girl. To him it seems that his niceness is at the root of the problem, somehow repelling women who inexplicably prefer to date jerks. But the problem is not that this man is a nice guy, but that he’s allowed niceness to travel down the slippery slope into weinerdom.
Too many men use their niceness as a cover for the fact that they’re in fact insecure. It’s this lack of confidence and swagger that kills their chances with the ladies, not their well-mannered ways. Men often set up a false dichotomy. You can either be an arrogant jack ass or a demure nice guy. But there is a middle a ground, the combination women are truly looking for: the extremely confident gentlemen.
Manvotional #4: Spend Some Time With Nature
September 27, 2008
Image by Softypapa
We’ve written before on the importance of spending time with Mother Nature. The modern man’s life with all it’s stress, expectations, and constraints can suffocate your man spirit and extinguish your vim and vigor. In this excerpt from Albert Jeremiah Beveridge’s The Young Man and the World, we’re reminded how Nature can help restore our physical and spiritual strength. With the weather cooling and the leaves turning, now is a great time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors.
A Tribute to Paul Newman
September 27, 2008
Today, the great American actor Paul Newman died of cancer in his Connecticut home. He was 83. I’ve always been a fan of Paul Newman. He’s one of the last of the great manly movie stars. Newman played some of the manliest characters in American cinema and played them well, infusing each one with a cool, manly confidence.
But Mr. Newman was more than an actor. Read more
Are You Hep to the Jive? The Cab Calloway Hepster Dictionary
September 25, 2008
Each generation has their own slang and lingo, a language that defines them. Each generation also has a purveyor of cool who creates a language that only the initiated understand. During the 1950s and 60s, Frank Sinatra created a personal lingo that influenced a generation of swanky and swaggering men.
But before Sinatra, there was Cab Calloway.
The 10 Manliest Sea Shanties
September 23, 2008
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Art of Manliness Forum regular, Karmazon. Make sure to check out his posts in the forum. He always provides good fodder for discussion.
I soon got used to this singing, for the sailors never touched a rope without it . . . Some sea captains, before shipping a man, always ask him whether he can sing out at a rope.
–Herman Melville, Redburn
It’s the 19th century. You’re a young man seeking adventure and a test of your manhood. You decide to sign up on a ship to see exotic foreign lands. You take the trip to the coast. You find a big coastal town and you walk through the docks admiring the ships. Finally, you spot one that you like. You walk on deck and a tall man dressed in black coat confronts you. It’s the captain.
“What do you want lad?”
“I want to sign on board sir,” you say.
He looks you up and down, and says “Aye. But first I need to give you a test.”
You’re not worried. You were expecting this and, in fact, hoping for it. You want to show the captain what you can do. After all, you were always the strongest out of all your friends. You could climb up any rock or tree since you learned how to walk. And you also knew a bit about navigation from your grandfather. You were eager to show what a great addition to the crew you’d make.
“How well can you sing?” the captain asks.
Swordless Samurai Winners
September 23, 2008
Last week, we had a giveaway for Tim Clark’s Swordless Samurai. We asked readers to leave their best piece of negotiation advice in the comments. The response was fantastic. 124 of you left sage advice on how to become better negotiators. If you haven’t read the comments, make sure you do. Especially if you have to haggle with a car salesman anytime soon.
How I Selected The Winners
I put all the emails of those who submitted into a spreadsheet and each person was assigned a number. I then went to random.org and the site produce three random numbers to determine the winners. And our winners of the Sword of the Samurai Book Giveway are:
- Deyan Kostov
- Steven Ko
- Andy Prentice
Congratulations fellas. We hope you enjoy the book. Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveway. Keep your eyes open because we should have another one soon.
How To Debate Politics Like A Gentleman
September 21, 2008
Kate grandpa’s is fond of repeating the mantra he and his fellow sailors repeated while serving aboard the USS Indiana during World War II. “Never discuss politics or religion.” And he always adds, “So what does that leave to talk about? Girls, of course.”
Gramp’s advice is certainly appropriate if you’re going to be trapped on a ship with the same guys for months on end. And it’s a rule of good etiquette for dinner parties and other occasions when polite decorum should prevail.
But otherwise, politics should be debated, vigorously and often. Men in every age debated politics- from the Grecian Assembly to the Roman Forum, from the salons of France to the mutual improvement societies of colonial America. Being able to reasonably discuss the political issues of the day was considered a vital and essential part of being a well-rounded, well-educated, man. Indeed, one of the express purposes of education during this time was to equip men to be able to hold their own in the political forum.
Manvotional #3: Adversity Molds the Great Man
September 20, 2008
It is in times of turmoil and strife that true manliness is shown. A life without adversity makes a man weak, dull, and effeminate. In his essay, On Providence, the Roman philosopher Seneca discuses the importance of adversity in shaping a man’s life. According to Seneca, it is only through adversity that the Great Man can be created. Theodore Roosevelt understood this principle. It was the basis of his philosophy of the strenuous life. My generation has grown up in a time of unprecedented peace and affluence. Consequently, we’ve become wussified man-children. If we really want to know what we’re made of, we must be tested. If you wish to be a great man, avoid the life of ignoble ease and take on difficult tasks.
Read more
Thinking Outside the Flask: 10 Groomsmen Gift Ideas
September 18, 2008
Your groomsmen are your best buddies, guys who have been there for you through thick and thin. And on the most important day of your life, they’ll be there for you once again, standing by your side as you take the plunge. Of course no one likes going to weddings and getting dressed up in some monkey suit, but it’s no big deal to them because they’re your bros. In return for their longtime friendship and for coming to support you in getting hitched, you are supposed to bestow upon each of them a groomsmen gift.
It can be hard to think of a classy gift your friends will actually like, and more difficult still, something they will actually use. No guy needs another knickknack that’s going to sit in his desk drawer and gather dust. But many guys aren’t exceptionally creative when it comes to gift giving and don’t like particularly like shopping either. It can paralyze our brains, to the point that we think groomsmen bobble heads might be a good idea.
The engraved flask is a popular choice, but I can’t say I’m a fan. When does a regular guy use a flask? Seriously. How often are you stealing sips of whiskey when you’re out and about? You’ve pretty much landed in wino country if you’re doing that. Cuff links are a traditional gift, but most guys don’t own shirts that necessitate them anymore, so they may not be put to use. Money clips aren’t a bad selection, but many men are attached to their current wallet or clip. Watches make nice gifts, but selecting one is really a matter of personal taste and pocket watches, though tasteful and handsome, will likely end up in their underwear drawer.
Fortunately, there are other fine alternatives. I did some thinking, shopped around, and came up with 10 classy, cool gifts that you’ll be proud to give to your groomsmen.
Note: No one’s paying us a dime to recommend these things to you. We honestly think they’re good ideas. Enjoy.
Mayday! Mayday! How to Land a Plane in an Emergency
September 16, 2008
Image by Martin Hartland
We’ve all had the thought cross our mind while flying, “What if the pilot(s) somehow became incapacitated and I had to land this thing? What would I do?” Or maybe more timely for today’s world, “What if a terrorist takes over the plane and I have to save the day by knocking him out with a Chuck Norris-style thump to the head?”
You’re a hero, boo-yah! But, if the pilot’s unconscious, you may have to get the plane on the ground. Relax, it’s not as hard as it looks and if you follow a few simple steps you’ll be on the ground safely and in one piece for your press conference and hero shots.
Book Giveaway: The Swordless Samurai by Tim Clark
September 15, 2008
Yesterday, Tim Clark wrote a fantastic guest post on the 8 Virtues of the Samurai. In the post, Tim discussed the history of Hideyoshi, a peasant who rose through the ranks of the samurai and became the supreme ruler in Japan during the 16th century. Unlike his contemporaries, Hideyoshi sought to overcome his adversaries peaceably, through negotiation and alliance building rather than through brute force. Lacking physical strength and fighting skills, he naturally chose to rely on wits rather than weapons, on strategy over swords. Hyedoshi became the swordless samurai. In his latest book, The Swordless Samurai: Leadership Wisdom of Japan’s Sixteenth-Century Legend—Toyotomi Hideyoshi
We’re giving away three copies of Tim’s latest book, The Swordless Samurai
How to Enter
One of the main themes in The Swordless Samurai is using negotiation instead of brute force to get what you want. Negotiating with the goal of arriving at a win-win conclusion is a difficult task. So we want to hear your tips and advice on how to gain influence in business and in life through negotiation and persuasion. Have a technique you’d like to share? What’s your philosophy in approaching a negotiation? Have an experience you’d like to share where you were able to use persuasion to arrive at a win/win resolution? Leave a comment sharing your best advice and experiences and you’ll be entered to win.
Deadline to enter is Monday, September 22 at 10PM Central Standard Time.
We’ll randomly select three comments and give the book to those three lucky individuals.
We’re looking forward to reading your tips!
The Bushido Code: The Eight Virtues of the Samurai
September 14, 2008
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Tim Clark. He blogs at Soul Shelter with novelist Mark Cunningham. Make sure to check out Tim Clark’s second book, The Swordless Samurai.
“So, boy. You wish to serve me?”
Silhouetted against the blue-black sky, the horse-mounted samurai with the horned helmet towered over me like a demon as I knelt in the dirt before him. I could not see his face but there was no mistaking the authority in his growling tone, nor the hint of mockery in his question.
I tried to speak and managed only a faint croak. My mouth had gone dry, as parched as a man dying of thirst. But I had to respond. My fate-and though I didn’t know it then, the fate of all of Japan-rested on my answer.
Raising my head just enough to brave a glance at the demonic figure, I saw him staring at me, like a hawk poised to seize a mouse in its talons.
When I managed to speak, my voice was clear and steady, and I drew courage with each syllable.
“That’s correct, Lord Nobunaga,” I said. “I do.”
Manvotional #2: We Few, We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers
September 13, 2008
Knowing how to inspire and lead others is an essential manly attribute. In Shakespeare’s Henry V, King Henry exemplifies manliness in action as he rallies his army against the highly skilled French knights. In his “Saint Crispin’s Day” speech, Henry V speaks of glory, honor, and brotherhood- all ideals that inspire even the most despairing and downtrodden of men. Read this fictional, and yet powerful speech when you’re feeling unmotivated and depressed. It will stir you to focus on the legacy you are building and will pass on to your sons and to history.
