All posts by R.C. Liley

I'm an ex-mutual fund accountant who left the cubicle world to be a stay-at-home dad to my beautiful little girl, Avery, who entered our life on 11/15/13 and handsome little boy, Wes, who joined our family on 11/19/17. Also happily married to my wife, Kelley, as of 8/17/07. Sorry ladies... :) Fitness and nutrition is of the utmost importance in our family and we strive to reflect this in our daily life. I always prepare our meals at home and only go out if it's a special occasion, and even then I tend to not get much. Food should be fun and a joy to eat, not something quickly consumed from a fast food chain or scarf down before the next meeting. I have come from strictly logging high miles to train for the next marathon to keeping exercise varied and focusing more on strength. I still enjoy going for a run when I can, but nothing crazy, and I prefer hill sprints while pushing my daughter, Avery in the stroller. She loves it and I get a great workout! I want to show the world how to appreciate their body and feed it real, wholesome food while moving more throughout the day. In doing so, everyone would be healthier, happier, and we'd all live in a better place as a result. I blog mainly about my life as a stay-at-home dad and frequently include reviews, participate in campaigns, and share my thoughts on fitness and nutrition. If you ever have any questions or thoughts to share, please reach out as I'm always open to listening or helping others however possible. That is, when I have free time since Avery is and my wife are the number one priorities!

Going Healthy, Going Reviews, Promo

The Squatty Potty: You’ve Been Pooping Wrong

03/18/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

My thoughtful wife gave me poop better for Christmas 2 years ago. For the first time ever on that glorious Christmas day, I upgraded my poop posture with this cool new ~~toy~~ stool (ha ha, get it?) and, holy crap, I’ve never been so relieved!

squatty potty, poop, health, colon, weight loss — Figured I would spare you from a photo of it in use. 🙂

The Squatty Potty has been providing every day relief since, with the only exception being when I travel. If I didn’t need to carry more items, I’d make it my carry-on item so I never had to go without it. They do, however, have an inflatable Porta-Squatty which I’ll have to look into.

The Squatty Potty is an ergonomic stool that elevates your lower half into a squatting position right over the toilet. Squatting is the natural posture for humans to poop, and it allows you to either stand over the toilet in a full squat or mimic the posture while sitting on the pot.

Why not just find any old stool to do the same thing? You could, and I tried on vacation once, but there was a slight stability issue. The Squatty Potty is designed to allow natural squat posture while remaining sturdy so you don’t slip, and it fits around your toilet for easy storage. A regular stool would get in the way and, if there are any boys in the house, become victim of tinkle sprinkle. Hey, it happens!

When we simply sit on the toilet, our colon becomes kinked. This is why you can sit there for 20 minutes playing on your smartphone and never feel fully relieved.

But, when you pop a squat, literally, the colon is free and open to rid your body of all collected waste. For me, this equals much less of a bloating feeling and a flatter stomach. This just might be the fastest way to safely lose weight!

When I first started using it, I just raised my feet up on the platform and sat on the toilet. This alone proved quite effective at making me poop better. But then I did a little research on their site and found that the intended method to get the full effect is to stand over the pot in a squatting position. Basically, keep your rear in the air.

Sure, there were a few balance issues at first (please note: tight-fitting shorts/pants are not recommended!), but once I figured out the correct positioning, I found even greater poop elimination than when I sat using the stool. If you don’t already, keep a plunger nearby. Just saying.

TMI? Well, it is a post about a handy tool used to squat for a better poop, what do you expect? Plus, being a parenting site, I assume many parents read this; aren’t we all pretty immune to poop talk? I mean, we discuss the day’s “cloggers” during dinner.

Other than getting used to performing the full stand and hover squat, or the awkwardness of having your kid coming in a staring, I can’t find anything to complain about with the Squatty Potty. It’s simple, easy to clean, doesn’t get in the way, and best of all, is the most natural cleansing method I can think of. You’ll even end up using less toilet paper when squatting since things are more…err, open.

With the Squatty Potty, you can get in and out of the bathroom with the feeling of full relief. No need for laxatives or other drugs to help move things along, which apparently is used by many Americans.

Have you heard of or tried the Squatty Potty before?

Does poop talk gross you out? If so, sorry, but it’s a necessary part of everyday life, and now it’s a less time-consuming part!

Click Here to get your own non-laxative, completely natural cleansing product known as The Squatty Potty!

Want something a little more classy to stand on as you poop? They also offer Squatty Potties in Bamboo…

….or Natural Wood. These are classy enough for the White House!

Full Disclosure: All opinions in this post are 100% my own. My wife purchased the Squatty Potty as a gift for me and I have not been compensated in any way. That said, there are affiliate links that, if you click on them, I might earn a few cents. So, please click them, I like cents!

Guest Post, Promo

Aer Industries: The Largest Selection of Wholesale Air Movers

03/17/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Where to Purchase Wholesale Air Movers

Air movers are great for several types of businesses. They keep workshops and factories cool and free of debris. They can also be used to blow harmful fumes out of work areas. They are very effective at drying rooms during water damage restoration. No matter what you need it for, there are several places you can go in order to purchase one.

Hardware Stores

During water damage restoration, you don’t have the time to wait for an air blower and other necessary equipment to be shipped to your home. Every moment that water sits in your home, your risk of severe damage increases. For this reason, hardware stores are very convenient to get what you need. Most will carry at least a few different types of air movers and dehumidifiers that will allow you to dry out waterlogged rooms. Another advantage to purchasing at a hardware store is that you can see the different models up close. However, hardware stores may only have a limited selection and employees may have only a limited knowledge of the available products.

Department Stores

Most major department stores have some kind of home improvement or hardware section. You can find air blowers and dehumidifiers here as well. Like hardware stores, they are rather convenient if you need something quickly and you will be able to personally view the different models. However, also like hardware stores, your selection is limited, possibly even more so, and the knowledge of staff members is most likely very limited.

Online

For the largest selection of commercial dehumidifiers, look on line. You can find them available on a myriad of different websites, but for the best quality, look for websites that specialize in water damage restoration, like Aer Industries. With Aer Industries not only are you able to choose from a wide variety of commercial air movers, dehumidifiers and air scrubbers, you can be assured that you will be receiving the highest quality equipment. The members of the Aer Industries team are highly knowledgeable of all of their products and can help you find exactly what you need. If you need assistance with parts or technical support, they can immediately connect you with a qualified individual. They also offer great deals on shipping and wholesale ordering that most other places may not.

If you need an air mover, there are several places you can look. Hardware and department stores are convenient if you are need something fast, but your selection is often limited. Websites that specialize in water damage restoration, such as Aer Industries, offer you a much larger selection and is staffed with highly qualified individuals who are very knowledgeable of their products. You can rest easy knowing that you are getting the best equipment and should you need help, there is always someone available.

Food, Going Healthy

Protein-Packed Spicy Black Bean Burger Recipe

03/16/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

These spicy black bean burgers were created by accident. I intended to make them more of a cake (think crab cakes without the crab), but ended up with more of a flat, burger-like patty.

Do you ever do that; set out to make one thing, and wind up with something else? I guess that’s how a lot of great things have come into existence…..the slinky, microwave, Post-it notes, and even chocolate chip cookies, to name a few.

I mixed everything together, thought it was too runny, so I added more dry ingredients. Then a little more dry ingredients. You know, just to be safe.

Apparently, the addition of dry ingredients was just a little too much. Instead of a moist and tender bean cake, I wound up with a slightly crispy and tasty black bean burger.

Meh, I’m still eating them like a cake and leaving out the bun! These would’ve great formed into rectangles for a fun kid-friendly finger food you could use with cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or just mustard as delicious dips.

Remember when I mentioned these on my last Meatless Monday post? Well, here’s the recipe as promised. This recipe is one delectable mistake that I’ll be making again; on purpose this time. Try it for yourself and let me know how you like it or what you did different.

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

black bean burger, cake, recipe, healthy, vegetarian, cooking — Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Shittake Mushrooms take the…errr…um…cake?

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 50 min

Ingredients (Serves 4 – 6)

1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight or 2 (15oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
6oz of your favorite salsa; the amount varies, just eyeball it and add more towards the end if needed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bell peppers (any color); chopped
4 cloves garlic; crushed and minced
4 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 whole eggs or 3 egg whites; you can use 1/4 cup ground flaxseed or chia seeds to make this vegan
3/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup unflavored protein powder; can use more coconut flour as a substitute
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons cumin
Ground black pepper to taste; no need for salt as there should be enough in the salsa and mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons dried cilantro

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat, sweat onion, bell peppers, and garlic; add beans, cilantro, and spices and cover to let simmer for 20 – 30 minutes.
Remove beans from heat and transfer to large bowl to let cool; you don’t want to cook the eggs!
Using a large fork or potato masher, mash most of the beans leaving a few ones intact for texture.
Add remaining wet ingredients to bowl and mix well. Sift dry ingredients in small bowl and slowly mix into wet.
With a large spoon, scoop the mix onto a parchment lined baking sheet, form into patties or whatever shape you want, and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes, and then flip over and cook another 10 minutes.
Remove from oven (should have a crispy brown crust) and let cool on pan for 5 to 10 minutes.
Top each cake with salsa, plain yogurt, cottage cheese, or mustard and any of your favorite toppings. Serve with a big side of steamed veggies.