Drink That Water!

While a lot of people think this is fantastic weather, I for one am not a fan in any sorts of hot, sticky, muggy weather. To combat this horrid weather, I drink water like a fish.

I must go through at least four nalgenes worth of water a day. But, drinking water certainly has its benefits, considering your body is 70% water. Correct me if I’m wrong. Anyway, staying hydrated keeps you going through your daily workouts and obviously internally cools you down, along with maintaining necessary bodily functions.

But water is water isn’t it? I honestly love water. It just tastes good. It is my favorite thing to drink when I am thirsty, and you may think I’m crazy for thinking water tastes good, but different waters have different tastes. I for one am a fan of my well water, but a close second would have to be the ethos water at Starbucks. Whatever water whets your appetite, keep on drinking it. If you are a flavored water drinker, watch out for the added calories!

Keep on drinking (water)!

Michael Adams, Owner
Eddie’s Energy Bars
Richmond, Vermont

C’mon Dude, It’s Me

I was watching Ace of Cakes on the Food Network, and Duff, the owner of Charm City Cakes got a call from the banker that gave him money when he started his bakery.  He wanted a cake for the following weekend, and Duff needed to say no, because he already had forty cakes scheduled.  Then, the banker pulled the almighty “c’mon dude, it’s me.”

Duff then realized that there are too many me’s in the world, and I think he is right. Your friends are your friends, but when trying to run your business, if there are people already in place to get your products, you must fulfill their needs first.  Sure, you might have lost some business, but if Duff had said yes, and raised the bar to forty-one cakes, then it could be possible that he wouldn’t have completed another customers cake on time.

I take the same approach with my business and in life.  If I need to bake energy bars, I need to bake.  There are people out there going crazy for my energy bars, and I need to answer the call. However, when I am all stocked up, I know there is time for my friends, and I can put them first.

It’s kind of a funny order.  Do you 50/50 with life and work, or do you put one of them ahead of the other all the time?

Michael Adams, Owner
Eddie’s Energy Bars

The Like Factor

I’m going to go where none of my blog entries have gone before: talking about the English language, most importantly the use of the word like by my generation, generation Y.  Although this doesn’t have much to do with homemade energy bars or health and wellness, it is something that I think is very important to the general population of the United States.

The word like is definitely a generational thing.  When my parents say it, it just sounds funny.  They shouldn’t be saying it. WEIRD!  But, when my best friends say it, it is second nature to me, and I don’t even notice it.

This whole like phenomenon could backfire on generation Y.  Think of all the presentations that your kids will be doing.  Using like is unprofessional, and is looked at as somewhat of an informal presentation, when the need to be formal is crucial.

Tonight, at the dinner table, it was really a struggle to form a sentence in regular conversation without using the word like.  I would say a couple of words, and then in my head, like would come up, and I would freeze.  What do I say, if I can’t say like?  It’s a life lesson I think I will have to learn before I step into this “real world” my parents are always telling me about.

So, to all my generation Y-ers out there, try making normal conversation without the use of like.  Some of you will probably be able to do it, some will fail miserably.

If you notice, I didn’t use like one time in this blog entry (not counting when I used it as the topic of this blog).  That is like totally cool!–kidding–seriously.

Until tomorrow!

Michael
Eddie’s Energy Bars

Kitchen Zen & Changes

I’m baking like a mad man this next week for my upcoming store demo at Sweet Clover Market. In case you forgot to write down the details, it’s Thursday, June 14th from 11:30-2ish. Please come and enjoy the time, as well as sample all of our wonderful energy bars. Hope to see you there!

Well, in the midst of baking these past few days, I have noticed how cluttered our home bakery has gotten. It is full of knick-knacks that do not aid in the energy bar making process. These items, are then carried away to another room in our house, only to make someone angry a couple of days later, when they are looking for that item. It is incredible how much our bakery has lost its zen, if it even had any to begin with. Only so many homemade energy bars can be produced from our kitchen, and if we go over that “zen” limit, it automatically turns into chaos, at least for me.

This chaos has jumped from room to room in our house, and I have started to notice how much more simplified I have become since college. I try to have everything streamlined in my room, and clutter free. Right now, it’s not that way, and it is driving me crazy. I am a cleaner person after coming back from college, and it kind of surprises me, but then at the same time, I realize that if I was a huge mess freshman year of college, I wouldn’t have been able to find anything. Then again, even in a really clean room I can’t find what I’m looking for… I need to work on that.

At some point next week, the kitchen will be uncluttered, and the beautiful blue counter-tops will shine through once again, as well as the rest of the house. Until then, I will bask in the messiness of our bakery right now, and know that there is light at the other end of the tunnel.

Michael
Eddie’s Energy Bars

What? I Need to Diet and Exercise?

I don’t really think I can remember the last time that I wrote about nutrition and fitness on this blog. There have been so many exciting personal stories that I thought I should share. Today, I thought I would get back to business (no pun intended) and write on a topic you readers probably would want to read about, seeing as I own a healthy energy bar company. Here goes:

Everyone sees those ads on TV for weight-loss pills and all that associated junk. It’s time for you to realize that it is not the right way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. To keep your heart running strong, and those pounds of fat off your body, the key, as many educated doctors will tell you, is diet and exercise. They are completely right (no surprise there)!

Diet
Would you rather have a bowl of fruit salad or a McD’s double cheeseburger. I would hope that if you are reading this entry, you would opt for the fruit salad, however, there still could be a few of you that are just now realizing the difference between good and bad food. Now this is not to say, you have to always eat food that is good for you. Every once in a while. you can splurge on the pint of delicious, Vermont-made, Ben and Jerry’s, but it is important to balance all that fat out with fruits, vegetables, grains, and, well…basically follow the food pyramid. In my opinion, not only does good food taste better, but it is also more nutritionally beneficial. If you keep on eating McD’s multiple times a day, you are essentially killing your heart, which leads me to why you need to keep that heart pumping, and engage in exercise a couple times a week.

Exercise
Ahh, exercise. Although it sounds like the devil-word to most people in this increasingly obese country, it is the most important thing you can do to create that healthy lifestyle you have always wanted. Exercising not only keeps your heart pumping, but it releases endorphins in your brain that make you feel better, and who doesn’t want to feel better? It makes one wonder why the morbidly obese people are so sad…they don’t exercise, and eat food to overcome the depression. Any exercise is good for you, so try and at least walk for twenty to thirty minutes during the day. Can’t fit in exercise everyday? Read my article on fitting walking into your work day.

Throwing the time-tested combination of diet and exercise together will put you on the right path to a new, healthier lifestyle.

Thanks for reading. Now go walk and eat strawberries.

Michael, Owner
Eddie’s Energy Bars