Below is an article I had written for a blog, Threebrothershealth.com, back in June 2009. For those of you that are wondering, my friendship with Gym is now stronger than ever!

"Exercise releases endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands!" - Elle Woods [Legally Blonde]

Maybe exercise is the cure to all our flaws? I’m not talking typical weight “flaws” here, but everything that prevents us from becoming healthier, happier, stronger and more positive human beings. i.e. Hatred. Laziness. Envy. 90% of the time we are aware of these flaws. Rather than trying to make them go away, we choose to indulge in them. At times it seems that hardships are the only thing we face and happiness is so far out of reach. But I believe, it is in our power to dismiss negativity and welcome positivism.

Unfortunately, saying that exercise is your road to happiness is not enough to encourage this behavior. There is a lack of tangible incentive. People do not enjoy 'work', but they 'work' because in return, they get paid. Furthermore, people view 'working out' as solely for weight loss. However, they overlook the benefits of a life well lived. Then again, it’s not like exercise has managed to build the best of reputations. It's commonly viewed as an exhausting chore. This is a big misconception. Exercise revitalizes you!

Perhaps if more 'every day' people were to share their life changing stories, people will become more accepting to the idea of working out. It's a safe assumption that advertisements do not often win us over! We are so used to seeing actors, actresses, models, and athletes who appear to need little to no exercise. This gets discouraging for us average Joe’s and Jane’s! It enforces the feeling that exercise is only if you want to look good, i.e. like them, thus making your own goals seem useless and/or unattainable. But this is not the case! Keep in mind that feeling good varies from person to person. All that matters is that at the end of the day you are you in your skin.

I, myself, am a relatively new friend of "Gym". We met back in January and have since been inseparable. I too fall victim to laziness and discouragement, but I remind myself that saying, “I’ll just go tomorrow,” is all it takes to fall into what we all hate to love, procrastination. Of course there are times where that is acceptable, but not when your other option is sitting on the couch watching the tube! Capeesh?! I used to be very active in sports all throughout my life, but now responsibilities have taken over. Because of this, I have lost a lot of my discipline and motivation. So I thought I’d give "Gym" a fair chance. First we took things slow, seeing each other 2x/3x a week. Now it has become a 4x/5x a week commitment! Though I do not like to admit this, I have a tendency to be a “negative Natalie,” but ever since my new found friendship with "Gym", it’s negative who? I have been more patient, open minded, accepting of my daily encounters, and have certainly become a livelier persona to be around. The funny thing is, if I miss one week of exercise, I feel tired, uncomfortable and not myself.

It is crucial for us to start viewing "Gym", or any form of exercise, as a prescribed medicine. Your daily dose leads to a speedy recovery. Except in this case, it’ll lead you to a steady, healthy living while keeping the need for recovery far, far away

Mad Men: My New Ad-diction

“Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It’s freedom from fear. It’s a billboard on the side of the road that screams reassurance that anything you are doing is okay” – Don Draper

Four seasons later, I finally decided to incorporate some "Mad Men" in my life. This much talked about series has been on my que list, clearly, for some time now. After watching four episodes into the first season, I'm hooked, or shall I say mad about the show! It helps that the storyline is centered around the advertising industry, a world I am so eager and passionate about. It is stimulating to compare and contrast the ad men of today, to the ad men of 40 years past. While the industry men today are appealingly casual and suited up when necessary, the men of the 60's shmoozed in suits on a daily basis. Women of that day also held a much different and limiting role. Not that I am surprised, but judging from a mere four episodes, these secretarial women were essentially bait for the rather sleezy, married, yet well admired ad men.

It is clear that there will be a lot of character development throughout the series, as is usually the case. Matthew Weiner, the shows writer and executive producer, reveals each characters struggle and uncertainty about who they are from the very start. I have to play a lot of catch up to the fourth season, but I am interested to see what's to come!

Inception: Unreal. Literally.

Over the weekend I got around to watching the highly anticipated film, "Inception," directed by the master mind behind "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan. I went into this film a bit nervous and unsure of one, the level of concentration that would go into watching it [not sure if I felt like putting in the effort!], and two, whether it would match my expectations. And well, a whole lot of concentration was [willingly] involved and it, by far, exceeded my expectations. Nolan does an amazing job in keeping you engaged in the unreal happenings within the human mind. Espionage is one of the largest crimes occuring all over the world and to see it done through extraction of the mind is on an entirely different level, literally.

The film made me so curious about what really goes on in our dreams. It is unfortunate that we can only remember bits and pieces of what we dream at night, not to mention, that we can barely recall how the dream even started. I wonder if people can find their "happy ground" much more easily if they were able to tap into their subconscious?

In any case, I recommend for everyone to see "Inception." It is well cast and a nice change of pace from the typical romance, comedy and action flicks that I am guilty of watching these days.

Cheetos: Puffs v. Crunchy

Growing up, my sister and I would always argue over which Cheeto is the best; Puffy or Crunchy. My Cheeto preference? The Puffs. [yumm!] I came across this microsite for a Cheetos battle and I just had to give it a try! Now, it does not have the most advanced graphics, but that is besides the point. It sure is humurous, not to mention, time consuming. Had to share!

http://www.battleofthecheetos.com/?utm_source=gawker&utm_medium=banner&utm_content=ron&utm_campaign=standard

Facebook: 500 Million Friends

Since its launch in February of 2004, Facebook has held the title of "Most Popular Social Site" and has been growing at a rapid rate since. As they now approach the 500 million user mark, Facebook wants to connect with its users and have them share their own "Facebook Stories." Not that many users don't already share more details about their lives than necessary, users will be limited to telling their story in no more than 420 characters, the same as a Facebook status update.

I find this to be an interesting concept! Although Facebook has established a foundation within the social networking market, both globally and domestically, the industry is growing too rapidly to just sit back.

Here is the link to submit your Facebook story: http://www.facebook.com/help/contact.php?show_form=user_stories

Foursquare; "Where"

This NYC based mobile social networking service has grown to have a user base of 2 million in a short period of time. There are talks of adding a search feature to the service to which it will aggregate all data from its site and show which venues and locations are currently trending. Moving forward off of the idea that Twitter had to show all trending topics of "what" people are talking about, Foursquare is working on implementing trending topics of "where" people are going. Search giants like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo are looking to partner with Foursquare, but details are not clear as of yet. If this does in fact go forward, it would certainly make going out that much simpler!

As a user of Foursquare, I personally find it to be an interesting location-based social networking service. By unlocking electronic badges, earning points, and even deeming users "Mayor" of specific locations, it turns going out into a gaming experience. However, I must confess that I tend to forget to check-in to these locations until after I have left, which by then, it is too late to do so! Oops.

Express Yourself

When it comes to “knowing,” everyone seems to have it all figured out. But people rarely take into account that our “knowing” is a mere reflection of who we are and what we have experienced day in and day out. A problem with this is that we, as people, tend to generalize our own feelings and reflect it on the people in front of us. Then when they act differently from what we expected, we automatically get upset. Here is where I emphasize the importance of communication between any two parties. It is not safe to assume that what we believe to be wrong/right, hurtful/innocent, thoughtful/careless is in sync with the person in front of you. Keep in mind that everyone’s life experiences vary. Even from day to day! What you believe today, you may no longer believe tomorrow. So do yourself a favor: Be clear about what you know and be aware of what others do not! This way everyone is on the same page. After all, we’re only human…not mind readers, unfortunately.