Thanksgiving may be over, you may be back to skipping dessert (I’m not!), but there are still many things to be thankful for!

For starters, HAR Jewelry will be part of an event called The Heist. The Heist will include work by a number of other artists, Suzi’s Jewel Garden, Anne Walker Studio, Swindia & Karina, and more! The event will be complete with live music, complementary drinks, hors d’oeuvre, gift bags filled with jewels (like the one pictured below) and most importantly, all proceeds will go to CURE Childhood Cancer. This is a great cause put on by great artists, plus– there are free drinks! Who can argue with that? If you’re in the Atlanta area, please stop by. If you’re interested in joining the prominent list of sponsors for The Heist, please contact: Swindia at (646) 919-9600.

Also check out a few new pieces from HAR Jewelry…

HAR Secret Giveaway: Show up and you could get this!

New HAR Bangles

New HAR Earrings

The Heist Details:

Where:

Lila Boutique at Brookhaven Town Center

705 Town Blvd

Suite R-410

Atlanta, GA 30319

When:

Saturday, December 3, 2011 from 6-9pm (ET)

RSVP: http://theheist.eventbrite.com/

~Thankful

I’m thankful for (get ready the list is long):

Friends, family, my health and theirs, another day, beautiful weather, inspiration, laughter, adversity, encouragement and the over 2,000 readers that have consumed and contributed to Thankful For a Million this month!

Thank you and I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

xo

~Thankful

Holidays are the best! Since tomorrow is a BIG day, I thought I’d share my thoughts on making the perfect thanksgiving dinner plate. The following goes for any size plate…

1/3 Stuffing

1/3 Mac and Cheese

1/3 Green Veggies

1/3 Turkey

1/3 Gravy

1/10 Yams (not a big fan, but I’m forced to take them)

Now, you may be saying to yourself… Brook, you can’t add. Untrue! The secret to this blueprint are the layers. Gravy goes on top of the stuffing, turkey goes on top of the green veggies and the yams… well…I try as hard as I can to keep them from touching anything.

Oh and I forgot to mention my favorite thing…

SPARKLING APPLE CIDER!!

Also, many of you will be filling out your holiday cards soon. When you do, please consider mailing one to recovering soldiers at the address below:
Holiday Mail For Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

These soldiers won’t be able to have a traditional dinner, or time with family, because they’re in the hospital healing. **Update Here are a few guidelines…

Card Guidelines:
Every card received will be screened for hazardous materials by Pitney Bowes and then reviewed by Red Cross volunteers working around the country.
Please observe the following guidelines to ensure a quick reviewing process:

• All cards being sent in for 2011 Holiday Mail For Heroes program should be postmarked no later than Friday, December 9, 2011.
• Ensure that all cards are signed.
• Use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Only cards are being accepted. Do not send letters.
• Do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• We encourage participants to mail as many cards as they are comfortable sending. If you are mailing a large quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes or use a flat rate box from the post office. Each card does not need its own envelope, as cards will be removed from all envelopes before distribution.
• Please refrain from sending holiday cards with glitter. Many of these cards will be delivered to military and veterans medical facilities and the glitter could interfere with a patient’s recovery

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday, the company of family and friends, and the brief reprieve from worrying about eating healthy. Now it’s time to get our grub on, give back and be Thankful!

~Thankful

You know those rare moments when you’re truly inspired? Sometimes it happens after hearing a speech, sometimes it’s after a dream or even a failure, but whenever it happens, it’s an indescribable feeling. Last week I had the opportunity to attend the DGA’s Student Film Awards. On this particular evening, the DGA recognized outstanding Direction among African-American, Latino, Asian and Women filmmakers. I was there in support of a friend, Gerard McMurray, who was being awarded for his short, Battle Buddy. Unfortunately, I missed an earlier screening but Gerard was kind enough to extend an invitation to this one. Fortunately for me, I not only got the chance to see his wonderful film, I also got to see the work of 3 other awardees. They included: Fatakra (Dir. Soham Mehta), Contra El Mar (Dir. Richard Parkin) and Tsuyako (Dir. Mistuyo Miyazaki). Anyone that sat next to me can testify to that fact that I cried through some of the screenings. The stories were amazing and I left the auditorium re-inspired. I was bursting with energy and eager to create!

These moments don’t come along all the time and, when they do, no matter if you’re involved in the arts, medicine, social work, technology, education etc., they serve as an important source of revitalization. Inspirational moments are a little reminder that, whatever you’re doing, however challenging it may be, whatever doubts may linger in your mind, you are on the right path and must move forward because you are in love with what you do.

I hope that everyone is fortunate enough to have inspirational moments in their life as frequently as needed!

As I said before, I will be doing a special Thanksgiving Day post. I’ve received several contributions but welcome more!

I recently read a wonderful quote on a friend’s website:

“If you woke up tomorrow morning, with only the things you gave thanks for today, what would you have?”

~Thankful

This may be one of those rare days when I have more than one post. Haven’t decided yet! At any rate, just thought I’d share information about a contest.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Kathie Lee and Hoda of The Today Show are holding a Being Thankful Contest. To participate, like Kathie Lee and Hoda’s Facebook Page, follow the instructions and proceed to tell them, in 100 words or less, why you’re thankful. Winners will receive an all expenses paid trip to NYC to see the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The contest ends 11/16/2011.

Even though their contest ends 11/16, you can submit what you’re thankful for here, everyday! I intend to have a special Thanksgiving Day post. So, for the next little while I will include a submission form at the end of every entry. I welcome any and all participation!

~Thankful

This has been circulating around the internet. I’m not sure who composited it, otherwise I would give them credit, but this is a great quote! I hope everyone enjoys their Tuesday~

~Thankful

Have you been keeping up with Muscle and Fitness Magazine? To be honest, I haven’t. That’s not to say that I shouldn’t have; my backside has gotten a tad less firm since I left UC Berkeley. Well, if you’d caught a glance of  M&F, while you waited at the checkout to purchase a Twix, you may have read about Juggernaut Training Systems. JTS Strength is a relatively new gym founded by Chad Smith. They opened in 2009 and have been on a tear helping athletes produce stellar marks in (get ready for the list): Football, Track and Field, Jiu Jitsu, Water Polo, Swimming, Soccer, Baseball… okay there’s more, but as you can see JTS has become a massive resource for strength and conditioning training. Chad has built an excellent team that’s producing great results.

Chad Smith of JTS Strength

As for Chad, he and I competed together at the University of California, Berkeley. He received All-American honors as a thrower and continues to compete as a weightlifter! Most recently, he set the American Record for the squat in his weight class. 905 lbs! BOOM! There’s a video of his record setting lift below.

Aside from the gym and his own athletic pursuits, Chad recently completed two books, The Juggernaut Physical Preparation Manual and The Juggernaut Method: Strength, Power and Speed for the Lifter and Athlete. To top it all off, he serves as a Strength & Conditioning consultant for some of the top DI Universities in the NCAA.

I tracked Chad down to uncover info on how he did it, JTS’s mission, and just how much more I have to lift to catch up to him in the gym…

Q&A

What’s the Story? How did you start this massive endeavor?

Juggernaut began when I decided to pass on an Assistant Coaching position at Cal. Strength and conditioning had long been a passion of mine and when I decided to stay in Southern CA, I was approached by my physical therapist about the idea of opening my own facility. We had never formally discussed my interest in S&C, but I’d mentioned in passing while I was lying on the table getting treatment. From these conversations though, she knew I had a vision and trusted me to execute it.

 

Juggernaut prides itself on working against convention. What’s the problem with traditional S&C’s approach?

There are numerous issues I have with many different strength and conditioning protocols, ranging from the use of gimmicks for novelty’s sake, inappropriate loading protocols, bad technique, lack of a comprehensive plan, and the list goes on. Too many coaches are only thinking within the context of the weight room, not understanding that everything an athlete does in the course of a practice (sprinting, jumping, hitting an opponent, etc) impose a stress to the body in the same way that lifting a barbell does. This lack of foresight leads them to overload the athlete in the weight room because they are not crediting the stimulus they receive in practice as something that can enhance their abilities. For example, we train lots of volleyball players who are jumping for dozens or hundreds of times in practice each day, so why then would I continue to have them perform more jump training in their physical preparation? Instead they need to strengthen the musculature that is responsible for jumping, correct muscular imbalances and train for explosive triple extension without adding further stress to the knees in landings (i.e. Medicine ball throws, jumps onto soft surfaces). I think where Juggernaut sets itself apart is in our examination of how the athlete actually moves within the context of their sporting contest and that we think about the long-term development, as opposed to just short-term results.

 

You work with the most dedicate athletes. In fact, you are one. What advice would you give those who want to get in shape but can’t dedicate the same amount of time to getting “Jacked.”

If someone is pressed for time, they need to focus on movements that will provide them with the most ‘bang for their buck,’ which are going to be compound barbell lifts, sprints and jumps. If someone only had an hour 3x/week to train, they could perform a dynamic warm-up, sprints or jumps and a squatting, pushing and pulling exercise. That, in addition abs each session will provide great results.  

 

I read a couple of recipes in your “Jacked Cookbook-Breakfast,” one included 8 slices of Turkey Bacon! I love Turkey Bacon as much as the next person but wonder, do these meals get less intimidating as you continue to workout?

(Laughs) well those recipes are actually what I eat and since I’m 6-1 315 pounds, they could probably be scaled to other people’s size. Like anything though, it takes time to work up to. I train lots of high school guys who are trying to gain weight and if I told them in 1 day to go from their regular diet, to the way that I eat, they might last a day or two and then give up on it. You need to increase (or decrease as the case may be) your intake steadily. The same thing goes for training, to tell someone to put 500 pounds on the bar, when they’ve never even done 300, is foolish, you need to progress steadily over a period of weeks, months and years. Training is a marathon, not a sprint and needs to be part of your lifestyle.

 

Any nutrition advice for those looking to lean out?

The most important thing that people can do when trying to lean out, is to avoid eating carbs in the morning hours. A great breakfast for fat burn will consist of proteins, veggies and FATS, because the body’s hormone levels in the morning don’t react well with carbs. Fats need to be a key part of your diet too, obviously though they need to be the right type. Oils like Olive and Coconut oil, as well as natural peanut butter, avocados, and almonds are great sources of good dietary fats. Keep yourself no/low carb prior to your training for the day, just focusing on proteins, veggies and fats and then after training eat proteins and carbs from good sources like sweet potatoes, oatmeal and brown rice.

 
 

Do you have criteria for those looking to train with you?

I’m happy to work with anyone who is serious about working towards his or her physical goal, whatever that may be. Certainly the overwhelming majority of our clients are competitive athletes, ranging from high school to the professional level.

 
 

I deadlifted 308lbs a couple of months ago. Tell me, what’s your max? Just checking to see how I compare…

You’re a stud, Brook. I have deadlifted 785* pounds in a meet and am looking to go over 800 at my meet in December.

*Noted

What are you thankful for?

I’m thankful for my family and their unwavering support of my goals. I was adopted at birth and couldn’t imagine being raised by a more perfect family. My dad and brothers are all great role models for me as I try to grow into a man of God and eventually a husband and father.

 

Thank you for the inspiration, Chad! If anyone would like more information about JTS, visit their website  or check out their Facebook Page.

I’ll have a video of my challenge deadlift later…I only have 477lbs to go to catch up!

I’m going to eat some protein.

~Thankful