Scaling Down #4 - The Sunday Run

Each year hordes of people make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. In January, gyms are overcrowded with well-meaning people on treadmills desperate to lose a few pounds. By February, most have given up. In 2010, I was able to lose 45 pounds without the help of a trainer, special program, crazy diet, or supplements. We here at the What want to help you stay fit and healthy in a simple and natural way.

The Sunday Run

There are few things more rewarding in life than a lazy Sunday. A day to sit back, relax, put your feet up and your work down. Sunday is a day for hammocks, cookouts, football, and fun. But for one hour each Sunday morning, you should set aside some time for a Sunday run.

If you have been keeping up with our fitness features here at the What, you have probably settled into a nice routine of weight lifting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and putting yourself through torture with the T-Day Workout on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If you are going through that routine, a tip of the hat to you. But there are those who want more, and for them, there is the Sunday run.

Scaling Down #3 - Free Weight Workout

Each year hordes of people make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. In January, gyms are overcrowded with well-meaning people on treadmills desperate to lose a few pounds. By February, most have given up. In 2010, I was able to lose 45 pounds without the help of a trainer, special program, crazy diet, or supplements. We here at the What want to help you stay fit and healthy in a simple and natural way.

Free Weight Workout

While joining a gym can be beneficial, often times the fresh out of college crowd is fresh out of extra cash. Therefore, an at-home workout can be the best option for someone our age looking to slim down or stay in shape. In the first Scaling Down feature, I wrote about losing a significant amount of weight on my own, and much of that was thanks to the workout program I developed for myself.

The Checklist - November 2011

The internet is full of magical, mystical things. So much, in fact, that it is sometimes hard to sift through all of the crap to get some decent information. In the interest of providing you with colorful ideas for everyday life, we here at the What present the Checklist so that you may find some helpful information from other sites.

Sex Position of the Month
Women's Health Magazine
Ah, where would we be without a magazine telling us how to have sex? Nevertheless, sex is important for a healthy life and a healthy relationship, so why not spice it up a bit with the Ballet Dancer? After a glance at the illustration, another appropriate name for this one may be the tripod. No matter what they call it, Women's Health chooses a different position each month, so check it out!

Seasonal Styles
Primer Magazine
Every so often, Primer Magazine publishes a feature called the Get Up. Usually focused on a season or a situation, this is the perfect guide for guys who are trying to dress a bit better. I mentioned how I changed my style at the outset of 2011, and articles like the Get Up were a handy way of doing so. The most recent post highlights what to wear on an early winter Wednesday. 

Monthly Top 5 - October

Hey, remember the What's Weekly Top 5 feature? So do we. The only problem is that it rarely came on a weekly basis, so we're switching gears. In  High Fidelity, the characters compare their top fives in a variety of categories. Being big fans of both the film and novel, we here at the What bring you our Weekly Monthly Top Five, a feature focused on five fantastic things that you should become familiar with.

Documentaries to Check Out

As a somewhat newcomer to Netflix, I am still enamored by the streaming video available on my television, despite the company's many recent missteps. Recently, I have found myself forgoing movies and shows in favor of documentaries. From early American serial killers to aging pro wrestlers to a variety of studies on sex, I have seen docs on a litany of topics. Below are the five I have enjoyed most over the past couple of months.

5- Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue: Everyone loves a good horror flick, and if they don't, they should. This doc takes a broad look at the genre from the silent, Nosferatu era to the torture porn of the Hostel and Saw franchises. Nightmares gives interesting insight not only into your favorite scary movies, but sheds light on what makes these films so popular. Any horror fan owes it to themselves to check this one out.

4- American Grindhouse: I am a sucker for B-movies. The sex, violence, and overall depravity displayed in these flicks is just flat-out fun. Much like the previous documentary, this one takes the viewer into the creation of the many grindhouse goodies and midnight movies that have populated sticky, rundown movie houses around the country. For people like me, who have only recently stumbled into this debauchery, this doc gives great insight into a genre of films too often overlooked.

Veggie Stir Fry

As always, the What is dedicated to presenting you with colorful ideas for everyday life. Many of our ideas are food-related, because we love food. Learning how to cook for yourself now that you no longer have your mom or your meal plan to provide your meals can seem like a daunting task. We at the What are here to show you that cooking can be fun, easy, and rewarding by offering up recipes like this from our personal cookbooks. As is the case with most of our recipe-based ideas, this one is simple and delicious, just like us.

Veggie Stir Fry

In keeping with most meals I prepare; this is quick, easy, and involves a lot of veggie chopping. Health-wise, it's wonderful, until you add the stir-fry sauce and the ridiculous amount of sodium that goes with it. But hey, who cares? It's delicious and you'll be more than happy to eat your vegetables!

Scaling Down #2 - How I Fell Off the Wagon

Each year hordes of people make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. In January, gyms are overcrowded with well-meaning people on treadmills desperate to lose a few pounds. By February, most have given up. In 2010, I was able to lose 45 pounds without the help of a trainer, special program, crazy diet, or supplements. This year I intend to continue that weight loss trend while documenting my efforts with a new Scaling Down feature every two months in hopes that my methods may work for you as well.

How I Fell Off the Wagon

Well, shit. That is essentially the exact thought that ran through my head as I stepped on the scale on the morning of May 1st. The digital demon told me I was 206.2 pounds with a 24.7% body fat. Gross. In two months, I gained back nearly all the weight I had lost between January and March. There are many contributing factors.

Pickelodeon: The Philadelphia Science Festival

Welcome to Pickelodeon, a little feature where we review all that is reviewable in the world. Pickelodeon is your one stop shop for the inside scoop on the best restaurants, bars, movies, music, events, and anything else you want to hear someone else's opinion on before you try it. Drop us a line in the comment box for any suggestions on what we should review next!

The Philadelphia Science Festival

Science is everywhere! Or so says the slogan for the Franklin Institute's Discovery Camp. Over the past week, the Philadelphia Science Festival has shown the City of Brotherly Love that science truly is everywhere, from the beer they drink to the glass from which they drink. This two-week extravaganza has featured events that made astronomy astronomical, ecology economical, and physics physically impossible to ignore. Cheesy plays on words aside, the festival has inspired an interest in science and technology learning city-wide, and there is still a week to go.

Scaling Down #1 - How It All Began

Each year hordes of people make a New Year's resolution to lose weight. In January, gyms are overcrowded with well-meaning people on treadmills desperate to lose a few pounds. By February, most have given up. In 2010, I was able to lose 45 pounds without the help of a trainer, special program, crazy diet, or supplements. This year I intend to continue that weight loss trend while documenting my efforts with a new Scaling Down feature every two months in hopes that my methods may work for you as well.

How It All Began

In mid-February of 2010 I was using up the last of my Christmas gift cards and shopping for new clothes. Walking around the mall, I was uncomfortable. My favorite pair of jeans were so tight that it hurt to walk in them. When I returned home that evening, I stepped on the scale for the first time since November to find that I had ballooned up to 240 pounds. At 6'1", 240 pounds is far too heavy. I knew I had to change some things and work on losing weight. I set my goal at 175 pounds, which is about what I weighed throughout high school.

The Off-Day Workout

This workout requires no equipment.

In my efforts to drop 50 pounds last year, I developed an at-home workout plan called the T-Day Workout. The T stood for "torture," referring to the fact that I would work out until I was unable to walk straight. It also referred to the days of the week during which I would workout: Tuesday, Thursday, and SaTurday. While a three-day workout plan is encouraged in the health and fitness community, I found myself occasionally itching to do more. So I came up with a quick, simple at-home workout that I could do on my "off" days.