Food Bank For New York City - Volunteer Calendar

Poverty is not seasonal - please come out and help! 

                                     Volunteer Calendar

New York Yankees to retire Derek Jeter's No. 2 on May 14th

Mark it on your calendars, May 14, 2017 - the New York Yankees will retire Derek Jeter's infamous No. 2 

Here's some highlights to conjure nostalgia as well as remind you to why he was so treasured as a New York Yankee on the field:

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=18218918

Update 12/26/2016:

Out of curiosity, I checked StubHub for ticket prices upon this announcement. If memory serves me right, I have paid less for playoff tickets...

New York Giants - Super Bowl LI

Are the Giants headed to Super Bowl 51?

As a Giants fan, I loved reading the below article even though I know there is a teeny tiny chance it might come back to haunt me in January. Still...with the Eagles coming up on Thursday night and Redskins unable to pull off a win against the Panthers, I'll enjoy this while I can. Go Giants!

Key Giants not afraid to think or talk Super Bowl as wins pile up

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By Jordan Raanan
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The New York Giants don't believe in any of this mumbo-jumbo "don't jinx it" stuff. They're not like one of these hockey teams that won't touch the trophy until the Stanley Cup is over. They're not like any of those players with a laundry list of pregame rituals that believe they're mandatory to perform well. 

The Giants are into making their own fate, defining their own destiny. They're into visualizing what it is they're trying to obtain. 

And they're not afraid to talk about the Super Bowl. 

Coach Ben McAdoo highlighted putting a fifth Lombardi trophy in the case at the first team meeting of the year. He's mentioned it plenty since. 

In recent weeks, the Giants players are really following suit as they continue to string together victories. 

"It was talked about in the very first meeting and just about every meeting since then," veteran defensive tackle Damon Harrison said. "If you don't take anything from any meeting we have, you know the ultimate goal. It's not about individuals or one side of the ball. It's the ultimate team goal. He's done a great job of preaching that message and instilling that in us. Every guy in this locker room knows exactly what the goal is. We work hard every day to try and achieve that." 


The Giants players -- especially star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. -- have never been shy about vocalizing their goal of winning the Super Bowl this season. He talked this summer of making it to Houston for the season's final game. 

The rhetoric is just now getting louder and louder with each victory and with the postseason inching close. The Giants (10-4) are on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs, and can do so with a win Thursday night against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

"I've been preaching about Super Bowl this year. You don't say that stuff just to say that stuff," Beckham said after Sunday's 17-6 victory over the Detroit Lions. "You say that if you truly believe that. That's what we're doing right now. We're truly trying our very best to get to the Super Bowl. That's our goal. It starts one game at a time. 

McAdoo has pulled off the juggling act of having his team thinking Super Bowl while still prioritizing the weekly task at hand. The Giants have won eight of nine games under their first-year head coach, who has the complete attention of the room, even if the message is different than years past. 

Tom Coughlin seemed to be more micro. He would present the Giants with updated NFC East standings at team meetings and let the Giants know exactly where they stood. 

McAdoo appears to think a bit bigger picture while still preaching the minute details. 

"Well, we talk about everything is out in front of us and we have to make sure we are taking care of the task at hand and that is the important thing for us," he said. "We make sure that we focus our attention and we have to be where our feet are, especially in a week like this where every second counts and we can't waste a second of any day leading up to the ball game. We have to make sure we are where our feet are and dial into our preparation." 

Quarterback Eli Manning couldn't say whether the Giants talk about the Super Bowl now more or less than previous years. In his mind, it's prevalent every season. 

The Giants have already won two Super Bowls with Manning at quarterback. 

"That's always the goal of every team. Each year the goal is to win a championship," Manning said. "That does not change. 

"That's kind of the far goal. Each week you have kind of a near-sighted goal. Something on the game in performance, making improvements in your own play and the offense and defensive play. It's ultimately to give yourself an opportunity to win a championship." 

Rookie Paul Perkins is new to this all. He hasn't even noticed much talk about the Super Bowl with his focus centered on getting his role right. 

"Not at all," the rookie running back said. "Coach McAdoo does a great job of keeping it one game at a time. One game mentality and just focusing on the week by week." 

But it’s there. The trophies are visible every time the Giants walk through the lobby of their training facility. They hear it every time Beckham starts talking about why he plays or qualifying for the playoffs. 

With 10 wins under their belt and the potential for more, the Giants are thinking and talking Super Bowl a lot these days. And maybe they're not so crazy. 

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http://www.espn.com/blog/new-york-giants/post/_/id/50133/key-giants-not-afraid-to-think-or-talk-super-bowl-as-wins-pile-up

Questions and Answers with a Fitness Trainer

Questions and Answers with a Fitness Trainer

Throughout my tenure in New York City, I have explored the various gyms the city has to offer. A few years ago, I met a trainer (and now friend) named Jorge Sanchez who helped me work through a shoulder injury along with providing excellent nutritional advice. To help answer some common questions, Jorge and I sat down for some Q&A on various training topics. Hope the below is beneficial and please feel free to reach out to Jorge directly with any questions regarding fitness, nutrition, or potential training sessions. Jorge Sanchez - san955200@yahoo.com

In the words of Jorge:"My name is Jorge Sanchez and I am a Personal Trainer based out of the NewsCorp owned facilities in Manhattan. I have been a personal trainer for 3 years; however fitness and exercise has been my passion for much longer. I got into fitness training through sports, as I played basketball and baseball in high school and went on to play NJCAA Division Baseball in college. Most of the training and conditioning exercises for baseball introduced me to weight lifting which in turn helped prepared me for a career in the field of fitness."

1) What are your thoughts on "fad" diets (i.e. Atkins, Paleo, etc.)? Are there any that you agree or disagree with?

In my opinion, "fad" diets are just diets. In this day in age, people seem to go with the latest trends and at the end of the day diets fall in that category. Do they work? Sure, some of them work, however all diets are the same when it boils down to it as the focus is on restricting your calorie intake. If I had to choose or agree with one, I believe a Paleo diet is something that is the most beneficial. If you can avoid most processed food, you are definitely one step ahead.

 2) What is the ideal protein daily intake and timing of consumption? Does it differ from age and gender?

It all comes down to goals - are you looking to increase muscle mass? Get lean? Become more tone? Protein intake is something you will definitely need to keep in mind. If you are not a very active individual, a daily intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound will be ideal. This amounts to 56 grams per day for the average sedentary person. In order to correctly guess how much protein you need, you will want to: 

1) Calculate your weight in pounds divided by 2.2 (equals weight in kg). 

2) Multiply your weight in kg by 0.8-1.8 gram/kg = ideal daily intake of protein. 

Use a number in the lower range if you are in good health and are sedentary (i.e. 0.8) or use a higher number (between 1 and 1.8) if you are experiencing stress, pregnant, recovering from an illness, or if you are involved in consistent, intense weight, or endurance training. The more you workout, the more protein your body will need.

Now let's say you just finished an intense workout, and you are trying to get your protein shake. Aim to consume about 15 to 30 minutes post-workout for best results and also try to include simple carbohydrates to increase the effectiveness of muscle recovery.

3) Can you please dispel the myths of weight lifting for females?

There is without a doubt a lot of myths behind women and weight lifting. One of the top responses I get from women I train to why they avoid weights is that they do not want to get big muscles. First of all, let's put this myth to rest. It is just about impossible for women to gain muscle mass like men do without doing some kind of illegal drug or anabolic steroids. In order for men to increase muscle, testosterone plays a big role. Women have a very low level of testosterone which therefore makes it nearly impossible to increase muscle size. What this means is that touching the weights and working out 7 days a week/365 days a year will not get you like Phil Heath if you are a woman. 

Another popular myth is reducing fat in certain/specific areas of the body like stomach, breasts and so forth. There is no way your stomach will lose fat unless you lose the weight in your whole body. Reducing calories, and increasing cardiovascular endurance while following a healthy diet plan will not only decrease body fat in certain areas that accumulate more body fat than others, but it will decrease body fat throughout the entire body including visceral fat (fat that accumulates in your organs) along with blood pressure and cholesterol. If you ask me, there is definitely no excuse to not start training with weights and going to the gym more often.

4) What is the correct balance of cardio and weight lifting? Is there a point in which too much cardio can be detrimental to any muscle gains?

The answer to this question all comes down to your goals. If you want to bulk up, doing cardio will be something that should be kept to a minimum. If you want to be more lean, cardio is definitely a priority. The reason cardio and putting on mass don't mix is because the body uses glycogen storage for energy during hard activities. If we started doing more cardio while we are trying to get bigger and stronger, glycogen storage will be depleted meaning muscle has to be sacrificed in order to complete the activity. This is the big reason why cardio is cut to a minimum when looking for muscle gains.

5) What are your recommendations to prevent injuries? Are there specific stretching or exercises?

The best way to prevent injuries is to know your body and pay attention to any red flags (listen to your body!). A great strategy to start the prevention of injury is to warm-up. Warming up the muscle prior to exercise is the most effective way of preventing an injury. Increasing your heart rate before an exercise causes the body's temperature in the rise, which in return allows more blood flow into the working muscles. Additionally, you should never stretch before warming up - why though? Muscle tendons are like an elastic band. If you put an elastic rubber band in a freezer and then try to stretch it, it will break. Muscles are quite similar, as stretching before an exercise without warming up produces micro tears to the muscle tendons which can escalate into an injury as the workout progresses.

6) What supplements would you recommend, if any?

Supplements are a booming business today, and with so many different products out there unregulated by the FDA, performing due diligence is crucial. I personally cannot make any recommendations as supplements and supplement brands go beyond my scope of practice. With that said, the most basic and most important staples will be a protein powder, multi-vitamin and/or Branch Chained Amino Acids ("BCAA"). BCAAs stimulate protein synthesis, and might do so to a greater extent than a normal protein on its own. BCAAs also increase synthesis of the cellular machinery responsible for carrying out the process of protein synthesis. What this translates into is faster recovery, increase muscle retention, and a greater percentage of losing body fat. Most BCAAs are taken during or after a workout.

That puts an end to this post, however please feel free to use the comment board to facilitate discussion on the topic or perhaps ask questions that might not have been addressed. Who knows, maybe Jorge will grace us with a Q&A Part II...

Donations - Food Bank for New York City

HELP US REACH ONE MILLION MEALS BEFORE DECEMBER 18

Every dollar you donate, up to $500,000, will be doubled this week and help provide 10 meals.

As you may or may not be aware, I have been collaborating with The Food Bank for New York City in order to facilitate their fundraising during the holiday season. Their annual Million Meals Match week begins today 12/12, and you can help New Yorkers who are struggling to put food on their table by making a donation.  This week, your gift has DOUBLE IMPACT. 

A generous supporter of Food Bank For New York City will match your gift, dollar for dollar (up to $500,000). 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE 

Your doubled generosity makes all the difference for more than 1.4 million New Yorkers who don’t have enough to eat this holiday season. Our life-changing work would not be possible without your support, so please give now. 

Each year, an estimated 1.4 million New York City residents rely on emergency food programs, including soup kitchens and food pantries. Over three hundred thousand are children. Our neighbors need you.

About Food Bank For New York City 

Food Bank For New York City has been the city’s major hunger-relief organization working to end hunger throughout the five boroughs for more than 30 years. Nearly one in five New Yorkers relies on Food Bank for food and other resources. Food Bank takes a strategic, multifaceted approach that provides meals and builds capacity in the neediest communities, while raising awareness and engagement among all New Yorkers. Through its network of more than 1,000 charities and schools citywide, Food Bank provides food for approximately 62.5 million free meals per year for New Yorkers in need. Food Bank For New York City’s income support services, including food stamps (also known as SNAP) and free tax assistance for the working poor, put more than $150 million each year into the pockets of New Yorkers, helping them to afford food and achieve greater dignity and independence.  Food Bank’s nutrition education programs and services empower more than 45,000 children, teens and adults to sustain a healthy diet and active lifestyle on a low budget.  Working toward long-term solutions to food poverty, Food Bank develops policy and conducts research to inform community and government efforts. To learn more about how you can help, please visit foodbanknyc.org.  Follow us on Facebook (FoodBankNYC), Twitter  (@FoodBank4NYC) and Instagram (FoodBank4NYC).

List of 3 Best and 3 Worst Running Routes in New York City (NYC)

Best (with details)

1) East River Run

Where: Central Park over the RFK Bridge to Randall's Island to Queens and back
Length: 16.07 miles (regular) or 5.26 miles (short)
Cut it short: Skip Queens. Head over the 125th St. Bridge and run along the west side of Randall's Island. Cut across the Ward's Island Bridge and follow FDR to 110th Street for a five-miler.
When to go: Anytime
Good to know: Although it is on city streets, the route avoids a lot of foot and car traffic. If required, Randall's Island has bathrooms and water fountains
What you'll see: Views of Manhattan, Hell's Gate Bridge, Astoria, Queensboro Bridge

2) Hudson River Run

Where: The path runs from the Bronx all the way down to Battery Park
Length: 8.89 miles (regular) or 2.94 miles (short)
Cut it short: The out-and-back nature of this route is really flexible. Turn around at 14th Street for a three-mile loop or head uptown to 79th to get four
When to go: Early morning or early evening. During the day, there is limited shade and lots of foot traffic
Good to know: Path is shared with cyclists, so stay alert. Above 72nd Street tends to be more tranquil
What you'll see: Views of the Statue of Liberty, Chelsea Piers, USS Intrepid, art installations, the George Washington Bridge

3) The Five Bridges Run

Where: All of NYC. The bridges you'll cross include 59th St. Bridge, the Pulaski Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the Brooklyn Bridge

Length: 16.68 miles (regular) or 3.37 miles (short)

Cut it short: Run two bridges instead: Start at Borough Hall and head directly over the Brooklyn Bridge. Cut across to the Manhattan Bridge and back down to the starting point.

When to go: To avoid traffic, definitely go early weekend mornings. Sunday is best.

Good to know: The course is a bit complicated. If you're new to the city, bring a friend

What you'll see: Everything

Worst (no details so don't bother)

1) Brooklyn Bridge - Amazing views, steady incline, and the sense of achievement when you reach the other side—what could go wrong? Well, unless you’re planning on hitting the bridge before the crack of dawn, your morning run is going to feel more like a round of duck and dodge like a NFL RB avoiding the many tourists and cyclists while trying not to tear your ACL.

2) Times Square -  Pure Chaos

3) Chinatown - Unless you're looking for that new Folex to check the time during your run, avoid all that is Chinatown.

Please comment with your own favorite routes!

https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-5-worst-places-to-run-in-nyc
http://www.forbes.com/sites/fathom/2013/11/06/the-6-best-running-routes-in-new-york-city/#9728976723c4

The Emergence of FinTech in 2017

FinTech...oh FinTech. I'm sure you've heard of it, but it has become a reality we cannot escape as we near the end of 2016. What first surfaced as ATMs in the 1960's to replace tellers has evolved into the digital world that surrounds us today. Take a look at the below growing fields beyond that of simply peer to peer payment. Feel free to comment with your thoughts on what to expect in 2017.



https://www.businessnews.com.au/article/Data-deluge-as-fintech-wave-builds