Sound Advice

Without Giving away my age, I can report that I spent my teen years indulging my love of music through Vinyl. We never owned an amazing sound system and  I listened to most of the music that my parents despised on headphones plugged in to their 'Sharp' 3 in 1. I still have a collection of LPs that are as notable for their cover art as they are for the actual music.

During the late 80s and early 90s I was regularly seen walking about with my Sony sports Walkman concealed inside my jacket - particularly as i backpacked around Europe, ensuring it didn't get swiped.

Mens Grooming - 3 'must go to spots' in Sydney

I always like it when we men get dedicated services, especially when it comes to fashion, styling or leisure.

And when it is marketed at ALL men, with no distinction between hetero and homo, we are particularly happy. And Im deliberately avoiding talking of the out dated notion of the Metro Sexual

I have personally tried a few venues here in sydney catering the needs of mens Hair, Face, or a mix of both.

Here are my personal recommends:

Detail for Men: http://www.detailformen.com/. 'Mens Hair Salon & Grooming Workshop' - Focused on exceptional Haircutting for men. The service also extends to shaves, waxing, mani pedi, massage, etc but its the hair cutting you go there for.

Face of Man: http://www.faceofman.com.au/ - round the corner from Detail for Men, Face of Man is decked out like a gentlemen's' club, pampering with a distinct lack of dolphin music and florals. check out their exceptional range of classic mens procucts including Aqua de Parma and Baxters of California. Face of man has been around a good while - they know what men we like. Talk to Kylie.

Mankind: http://www.mankind.com.au/ relatively new on the scene, Mankind has been around nearly 10 years with a steady stream of devoted regulars. Similar to Face of man by way of service, but a more minimalist decor. Their merchandise is similarly less themed and their own line of skin care products is frankly excellent. Recommendation goes to both the Mankind face scrub and Mankind shave cream (great for your travel kit) Talk to Paul

Out side of Sydney you might like to try:

Perth: http://www.guysgrooming.com.au/

Brisbane: No. 19 Men's Day Spa  

Any others to recommend? - please drop a comment!

10 superfoods you need to know about - RAW Addition

I have recently taken some interest in the Raw food movement.

Long story. Started with Colon Therapy. Blood typing. A statement by a naturopath that avoiding certain foods might reduce my levels of tiredness (I hadn't mentioned my high levels of fatigue, she just said this).

Followed with a decision to limit alcohol and coffee. And to drink more water.

Via Instagram of all places I came across various sources of inspiration for trying out raw food. and then a few articles on the telebox interviewing Andrew G / Osher Günsberg / Andrew Günsberg and his choice of a raw lifestyle. 

Instant Benefits! Clear head - clarity of thought. Better Sleep. Less Fatigue. Less impulsive behaviour.

But totally raw? I love my grilled fish, poached eggs. fillet steak.
I've lived the Mike Geary way for quite a few years now. With great success. But my mind is open to new ideas.


Im sure there is a middle ground.

A few Blogs have sparked my interest to integrate raw in to my life - 75% would be good.

I am going to continue to explore and fill you in on some good blogs to which you might like to subscribe.

Felicia Clark runs  www.asimplyrawlife.org.
She has a totally new take on top 10 super foods, quite more RAW than the Mike Geary ROAR approach, Namely: 

1. chia seeds
2. coconut oil
3. flax seed
4. goji berries
5. spirulina
6. cacao nibs
7. maca powder
8. hemp protein
9. camu powder
10. acai

Im already addicted to chia, cacao nibs, maca powder.

Oddly she didnt rate Quinoa

im going to list the benefits of these 10 superfoods in an upcoming post

 

Top 10 Super-Foods You NEED to know about...

Mike Geary's 'Truth About Abs' website is a great source of insiration for many men and women in their attempt to keep and attain a healthy body. Mike (not so) recently published a little article about superfoods.

Here is a tempter:
These are definitely some of the best foods you can eat for your health... Full of antioxidants, chock full of vitamins, minerals and good fats; they help to fix the damage we do every day with diets, environmental stressors, chemical additives and physical stress. If you can include a few servings of these foods in your weekly diet, you will be adding a lot to your good health, and preventing many diseases that could be coming your way otherwise.

The list includes some superstars you may already know about and newly discovered foods such as:

1. Goji Berry
2. Acai Berry
3. Grass-Fed Meats and Wild-Caught Salmon
4. Almonds, Walnuts and Other Nuts
5. Avocados
6. Garlic, Onions, Leeks and Shallots
7. Tomatoes
8. Sprouts
9. Grass-Fed Raw Dairy Milk, Cheese, and Butter
10. Fermented Foods

The full article is found here: http://www.truthaboutabs.com/top-10-superfoods-great-health.html

georg jensen

I was given a pair of Georg Jensen cufflinks many years ago as a going away gift when  leaving a job to transfer interstate.
The cufflinks were lovely enough (and quite expensive it turns out) bought with good intention - they knew my love of cuff links, and they knew cufflinks would be easy to relocate interstate.
They were not my style.
I returned the cufflinks  to the George Jensen store in Brisbane, in their original packaging, and explained the situation to the shop assistant who who was happy to exchange without a receipt.  I entered the store with just a small box in my hands and, following a small top up of my own money, left with many bags containing  a beautiful range of water jugs, creamers, etc and a beautiful stainless steel bowl.

I left feeling quite the adult.
Since then, George Jensen has been given as wedding gifts, gifts for friends celebrating significant birthdays, and of course treats for little old me.

I can fully recommend a visit and a purchase.
http://www.georgjensen.com/

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10 Simple Ways To Improve Your Life

10 Simple Ways To Improve Your Life

I saw this article posted recently on http://fitnessinfo411.com

I was pleased to see how many of these I do already, but i was really  surprised by those which I DO NOT.

Although most people might have thought or read about what works for them in order to stay healthy and happy, it can be easily forgotten due to the various distractions accompanied with life at home and at work.

Advice on ways to improve their health via magazines, books, television, online,  friends, and even their parents. These suggestions can vary from person to person, and be a very long list. these suggestions can be conflicting, sometimes lacking in detail, or just too difficult. Clearly the more realistic advice is the advice we can easily integrate in to our lives. 
Here is a short list of some of the more popular suggestions.

Are you a Hardgainer ?

Losing Weight, Gaining Weight, Getting Ripped, Getting Bigger, Getting Buff.

It seems we are all intent on changing the way we look, be it for health reasons, success at work, attracting a partner or even just basic self esteem.

But we are all made created differently, and a 'look' that is popular today may be difficult or even unattainable if your own particular makeup is vastly different to the makeup that would create that look!

As a typically skinny guy, putting on weight that didn't end up as love handles, has always been difficult. Luckily there is a whole industry based on this and i am always on the look out for ways to put on healthy weight.