The Super bowl that took place yesterday was absolutely appalling. The Arizona Cardinals got what I call, shafted.

The refs may as well have gotten the ring because they were the ones who directed the entire game. Allow me to explain. Warner throws an incomplete pass, or at least he almost does. They call it a fumble. However, upon further review, they decide to call it an incomplete pass. I’m glad they corrected themselves. Still, in the last five seconds, Warner throws another incomplete pass. It was obvious, even more so than the last one. Still, the refs decide to call it a fumble. Cardinals lose.

Were these referees even paying attention? After a field goal kick, one of the Cardinals defensive line accidentally takes a tumble into the placeholder. Clearly, as shown in the replay, he tripped and fell over him. However, they call unnecessary roughness and the steelers get First and Goal. The Cardinals held it down though. Even though the Steelers were granted First and Goal, they still ended up having to kick a field goal anyway. Everyone talks about the magnificent Steelers defense, but the Cardinals played as clutch as ever yesterday. Here’s my main problem with the unnecessary roughness call. Harrison, the Steelers Defensive player of the years, runs a one hundred yard return after catching an interception to make a touchdown. He sets a Super bowl record. I thought that was awesome. It seemed like a great play. However, he is a master of cheap shots and unnecessary roughness. He practically beat up, pushed and punched one of the Cardinals players, for no reason. The Cardinal’s player didn’t even fight back. John Madden even said that Harrison deserved to be thrown from the game. Usually, I don’t pay too much attention to what Madden says, but I fully agreed with this.

One of the many final straws that I had to put up with throughout the game also included a holding penalty on the Steelers. Guess what though? The penalty only pushed them half a yard back. That’s why I couldn’t have been happier when the Cardinals got the safety on them. It was much deserved.

Why does football even have so many strange rules? The clock is stopped and reset on various situations. This relates to why each football game is over three hours long. Refs have holding and unnecessary roughness calls. It’s football. It’s a rough sport. Although, what Harrison pulled definitely crossed the line. I am from Texas and don’t have a die hard investment in either of the teams. My chief deciding factor of who I would root for all spurred from my love of the movie Jerry Maguire and Cuba Gooding Jr. as Rod Tidwell. In fact, Larry Fitzgerald was the Rod Tidwell of the game. Easily the best receiver in the NFL. There was also a little unnecessary roughness on him too, but the refs actually made the right call and penalized the Steelers 15 yards.

I can no longer stomach sitting down to watch an NFL game. Too much of the outcome relies on the referees and 15 minute slow-mow reviews of who did what. Basically, the cardinals played one hell of an exciting  game. Rothlisberger did a great job too, maybe more so than Warner, but it is what it is. From now on I’ll just have to stick to College ball.

Just got back from eating some Chipotle. I must say that I love this food. A Chipotle burrito is something that I could eat every other day. I’ve never had the tacos of the burrito bowl, but I am sure they are delicious. The burrito suits my fancy though. It is just the perfect mix of flavors. Gimme chicken, rice, black beans, salsa, corn, and cheese. I’m a happy man. Plus, they have these free burrito days that enable certain people, like students to get any meal free of charge. You can sign up at this site called chipotlefan.com to get updates about the free burrito days. I haven’t done it, but I plan to in the future. So, in general, Chipotle=Perfect meal. Only $6 too.

I can’t lie. I used to be a fiend for Freebirds. My friends and I would drive all the way downtown just to have one of their burritos. If someone asked me, “What do you like better? Chipotle or Freebirds?” I wold answer, hands down, no questions asked, Freebirds! However, this was for one reason and one reason only. I had yet to taste the sweet and spice blend of the Chipotle burrito. I mean, there are pluses with Freebirds. You can order different sizes. They have various tortilla selections, like Cayenne, Wheat, or even Spinach. Still though, the consistency and size of the Chipotle burrito is a finely tooled and researched culinary achievement. Plus, I think Chipotle is cheaper.

Time for the wild card. Wahoo’s Fish Taco. As of now, there are only locations in California, Colorado, and Austin, Tx. It’s sad. But you can’t have everything. If it was up to me, there would be an In ‘n Out burger here too, but that’s a different story. Anyway, Wahoo provides a great environment. Very surfer. Plus, one of their Wahoo’s burritos is only five bucks. They also have a variety of scrumptious Wahoo’s bowls. It’s more of a grilled, peppery taste than Chipotle, bit it provides for a quick and easy meal.

So, my opinion is most likely biased. Taste in food is about as personal as it gets. However, trust me. I live with in five miles of a 1 Wahoo’s, 3 Freebirds, and 3 Chipotles. 95 percent of the time, I choose the same one. They may not be an original mom and pop type restaurant, but they make for a damn good, mass produced recipe of a burrito.

Over Christmas I received the Iron Gym as a present. Also, over the past year I have managed to pick up ankle weights, hand weights, The Perfect Push-up, a yoga mat, and resistance cords. There may have even been a jump rope somewhere along the way.

Since I was about sixteen, I have had a membership to one of my local gyms. It used to be called Powerhouse, but they recently changed the name to Embody. I mostly only worked out there during the summer, but there were points in time where I managed to go pretty consistently throughout the school year.

On top of this, I have been a swimmer most of my life. I have swam for both recreation and high school leagues. So, the question is: Which mode of workout made me the most toned, the most buff, or in general, the most healthy?

Hands down, if you want to get big, hit the gym. With the amount of equipment, you are bound to get some sort of forward progress. Also, actually getting up and going to the gym puts you in a  certain state of mind.  It’s like, if you’re actually going to put the effort into getting dressed, taking supplements, and driving to the gym, then you better make something of it.  Not to mention, you are most likely paying for a membership, so while you are there it is best to hit the weights hard. It’s a little like studying at home or at the library. Studying at home is like working out at home. You can get things done, but you can’t really get in the zone. There are distractions. But, working out at the gym is like going to the library to study. You put the effort in driving there, so you have to make the best of it. Plus, you end up in a facility where you can do one thing and one thing only: workout; so your mentality changes.

My favorite and hardest habit to break has been to not workout at home, but it’s just so easy. You don’t have to get up and go anywhere and you can look however you want. My routine is usually along the lines of wake up, don’t shower, workout sporadically throughout an eight hour span of the day, and call it quits. You throw in some abs here, some push-ups there, maybe a lunge or two and you’re golden. However, having some equipment makes for a more intriguing workout. For instance, the Iron Gym is something I have recently grown to love. You have three different positions for pull-ups, three different positions for push-ups, and and opportunity to do some ab and tricep work. After all, pull-ups are an excellent workout. Your shoulders, back, lats, abs, and biceps get a great workout. If you want to build strength and look ripped, the pull-ups are the way to go. The Iron Gym also offers a position for doing some dips, but don’t get too excited. They are hardly dips and I personally don’t feel the burn.

The Iron Gym is perfect for pull-ups, but naturally, The Perfect Push-up, is perfect for just that, push-ups. I do use the Iron Gym for push-ups, but it doesn’t compare to the Perfect Push-up. It has something to do with the rotating motion. After about a month of using these everyday, or at least every other day, I was able to get some cleavage going. Not to mention, my arms (biceps and triceps), even shoulders, looked much more massive. My muscles also started to get pretty hard, more ripped.

In the ninth grade I had a friend with a six pack. I remember asking him at a sleepover how he got his stomach so flat. He told me that he did some sit ups here and there. Ever since then, I’ve never looked back. I’ve always told myself that if I can’t have the bulking biceps, big chest, ripped back, or hulking legs, then I would at least have some abs. Abs are the perfect at home workout. No need to go to a gym to get your stomach flat, or ripped. Get yourself some ankle or hand weights and look up some ab exercises. A yoga mat helps too. I mostly stuck with carpet these past few years, but recently picking up a yoga mat makes for a more comfortable workout. Trust me, after a month of consistent abs you will notice a change.

Overall, there are many ways to get fit. In my opinion, go to the gym if you want to get big. Buy some NO Explode and some whey protein and hit the weights hard. Lift heavy with less reps. If you want to get ripped, cut, or toned, then you can stay home. Exercises that use your own body weight as resistance, like push-ups and pull-ups are great for getting a slim and toned figure. Plus, you can save money without a gym membership.

Still, the workouts that have made me feel the most healthy are related to swimming. There is no high impact on joints or bones. You train your lung capacity. And, you get to work out every muscle in the body. Your shoulders will broaden, your waist will look slim; it’s a great workout and sport.  Swimming is a good way to get your heart rate up and burn fat too. So, if you ever happen to be at a pool in the right weather, consider swimming some laps or doing some sprints. I’ve always heard that breathing is an overlooked part of working out and staying trim anyway. So, I may actually put that yoga mat to better use and see if yoga can work in a synergistic  way with my normal workout routine.