The Makings of a Man

Fitness is not easy. It takes dedication, commitment, hard work, and consistency. Aristotle said:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.

One of my favorite quotes, because this pertains to all areas of life, including fitness. It is our habits that derail us from reaching our goals. We develop these bad habits, and repeat them subconsciously, to the point that we don’t even realize that these normal day-to-day occurrences hold us back. Talking with a few people recently, I see these common habits that if changed, will yield immediate results and start them on their way to better and fit living. Here are a few easy tweaks to make to improve your nutrition and fitness.

Eat breakfast

If there’s one nutritional hazard that many people have, it’s not eating breakfast. We all know the excuses: "I have no time", "I hate breakfast", "I can wait until lunch", etc. Breakfast, as cliché as it sounds, is the most important meal of the day. It revs your metabolism up, assisting in fat burning/weight loss, and gives you energy to start your day. Now I’m talking about good meals, so don’t swindle this tip for your own benefit. Start off the day right!

Don't skip meals

Another reason why breakfast is so important is because if you go over three hours without eating, your body goes into starvation mode, retaining fat and making it difficult to burn it off. You should eat five or 6 meals a day (the three basic meals and snacks plus smaller meals) to keep your metabolism active.

Weight Train and Cardio Together

Lifting weights can burn three times as many calories as cardio training. You get an afterburn as well. Some people just lift weights. Some just do cardio. Doing both will maximize your results. Period. It might seem like a lot, but seeing your abs for the first time ever, may motivate you to push yourself harder.

These are three easy changes to implement into your schedule. The hardest part is breaking out of your normal habits and making these changes your new habit. Focus and make it happen!

Any tips you have that have worked for you?

Do you want a guaranteed way of ruining an otherwise great outfit? Try having a pair of wrinkled trousers on for size. Purchasing a quality steamer can be quite expensive and space heavy. The Gentlemen's Standard has a suggestion that will pay dividends and banish wrinkled pants from your wardrobe.

What you will need

• iron
• ironing board
• aluminum foil
• spray bottle
• white cloth

Remove the padding or cover that comes with the ironing board. Line the entire top surface of the ironing board with the aluminum foil. Place cover back on the ironing board. Your layers should now consist of cover, aluminum foil, and ironing board. Lay out your trousers and place white cloth on the area to be steamed. Turn your iron to the proper setting and fill your spray bottle with water. Spray the appropriate area and iron accordingly. The heat from the iron will create a steam that will be deflected off the aluminum foil and back into your pants; your wrinkles will be knocked right out. You will also have the added benefit of not putting direct heat on the pants itself and having water rust out your iron. You will find that your ironing has just got simpler and faster; a clean pair of freshly pressed pants is always fly.

Gentlemen, I highly endorse this.

I know what you are thinking. Why does Dr. Q have St. Ives Apricot Scrub on his blog? Isn’t that a product you would probably find in the women’s section of CVS or Walgreens? You are exactly right. As a matter of fact, during my undergrad years a roommate asked me if I ever tried exfoliating. My initial reaction was a simple….huh? Exfoliate, what the heck was that? He explained that it was a process that removed old dead skin cells on the skin’s outermost surface to reveal fresher skin cells underneath. It helped remove dirt, oil, and dead skin cells that can clog your pores, while giving your skin a healthy glow and radiance.

I must admit, after plenty of females (and one particular love interest at the time) have complented my skin, this is where my male-ego began to take control. I pictured myself, gently rubbing my skin with great care as I applied the exfoliants so my skin could feel new and refreshed. Thanks, but no thanks. This wasn’t exactly the manly ritual of shaving; you know taking a straight edge blade and raking it across your face drawing blood in the process. Men relish in the knowledge of our perceived high tolerance of pain and if drawing blood with a blade in our hand is confirmation, then so be it!! Yet, that girly looking tube in the bathroom cabinet had me curious.

I began to talk things over with my lady-friend about exfoliating. I mean, her skin was soft you know. So, one night she allowed me to try some of her facial exfoliating scrub. I could really see a difference in my complexion. When she confronted me about buying some of my own; I pinned the blame on a GQ magazine. Hey, if it’s in GQ; it must be cool…right?

My skin tone was no longer dull and rough. My skin was fresher, smoother, and softer. If any gentlemen are having a difficult time digesting this; I have the perfect alibi for purchasing some facial scrub. Exfoliation actually aids in better and smoother shaving (if you have excess facial hair). Your blade doesn’t have to cut through all that dirty debris to cut the hairs on your face. Less shaving time means less irritation. If you are a man of color who is prone to razor bumps; this can be very helpful. The gentleman should at least give it a chance, why be dull and dry. Exfoliating can be your little secret, plus you just gave your lady another reason to caress you.

Tips to Remember

• Exfoliate 1-2 times per week
• Never use body scrubs on the face because they are more abrasive
• Gentle exfoliants are available for delicate skin
• Use moisturizer afterwards to rehydrate the skin
• In a pinch? Baking soda and water can be used as an exfoliating paste that saves time & money

Step your game up fellas! This time, instead of simply your job/career, increase your focus on being an intellectual person. There's nothing wrong with being well-read, knowledgeable, and aware of the world around you. I've heard so much dumb shit come out of the mouths of young men lately that I'm almost saddened by the lack of importance placed on intelligence.



For example, here is a hypothetical CNN headline: Georgia 'under attack' as Russian tanks roll in
 
"Have you heard the news? Russia just invaded Georgia"



"What? that's wild. Thank god, I moved out of Atlanta last year!"


"Ummm...WHAT????"

Step Up! No, not the urban dancing movie to portray a white girl who discovers hip hop and rhythm, it's a call for us men to step our game up if we want to attract quality women.
I recently ran across a message board thread in which a guy was real hurt because despite his efforts, no attractive women would give him the time of day, not even a smile. He said that his office window faced the street and he smiled at every woman to cross his path during the day, yet no smiles came his way in return. My response: Step Your Game Up! First, get a new job, b/c obviously this isn't cutting it. Outward facing window, smile plastered on, my man has got to be a Golden Arches engineer.

I'll have another installment soon.

I think that one of the most important things any man can know is how to dress for the occasion. So often I see dudes out at an event dressed in a decent outfit....but not for the event. For example; you should not wear Timberlands in the summer. When you wear Timbs with long jeans in the summer, you look dumb cause it's hot as hell. When you wear Timbs with demin shorts in the summer, you just look dumb. So simply, stop wearing Timbs in the summer!

The next big issue is people dressing too "fly" for an event. Yes your mink coat and "stunna" shades went hard that one night, but not every night. You can't wear that to a real formal event, a gala, job event, or banquet. Well, maybe a pimp ball or banquet but that's it. Yes, Pimp C did it all the time but you are not Pimp C. Why? Because he was a rapper and rich and you are not.

Lastly, the right suit for the occasion. Besides the black suit, nah not even, none of these should be worn to work. If you have a corporate job, you cannot wear bright colored suits to work, sorry. Wear a dark plain suit and a nice pastel shirt, but only in the spring or summer and subtle. No pimp, playa, hella fly, bright, pastel, Katt Williams style suits at work. Accept this and just make your money or you will be the office jiggaboo (yes I did just call you a jiggaboo).

Every time I see someone looking like the fool pictured above, I hang my head in shame. I'm a fan of urban wear and unfortunately, the staples of this character's have taken over the inventory of otherwise upstanding clothiers. Let me break down the basic flaws with this look:

1) Overly-matching - Alot of folks have been matching far too many elements of their outfits. The rubber bands on your braces don't need to match your shoelaces and the stitching around the neck of your shirt. Once you start tying each item on your body to another, you're going overboard. Stick with the basics of color and texture. When matching pieces of your outfit, try shoes to shirt/pants, hat to shirt, etc. Let's try to limit the matching to three items at most.

2) Too Much Color - Fairly simple idea here. At some point, you run into the Law of Diminishing Returns; essentially if you do too much, you wind up getting less in return. "Less return" in the style arena means looking tacky, immature, and my own word : attention-whore-esque. Avoid looking like you stepped out of an explosion at the Skittles factory, please and thank you. Well unless you're endorsing Skittle, but I digress.


So before you throw on your rainbow colored Dunks, all over print hoodie, and tangerine fitted, think of me and remember, Stay in your lane.