I'm not quite sure why, but the standard push up doesn't receive a whole ton of love these days.

Blame it on the fact that guys would rather bench 300 pounds, that push ups are a physiologically tough exercise for women, or that hipsters would rather starve than physically exert themselves, but I can't remember the last time someone didn't groan or roll their eyes when I told them to drop down and give me 10.

(Ok, maybe I don't actually say that.)

Before I go anywhere with this post, I just want to ask one simple question:​ what is the deal with the "Harlem Shake?"

I like to think that I appreciate internet humor as much as the next person....but, where did it come from?  Why for 30 long seconds does everything get really, really weird?​  And, more importantly, is this something we have to worry about for much longer?

If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, here are the members of the Miami Heat performing their own version (my favorite character being the "horse-tronaut" in the background)​:

To put it simply, weight machines are a waste of time.  ​

Now, before you start breathing fire on your keyboard and pledging your allegiance to the United States of Nautilus, I urge you to hear me out.  Many of the reasons machines are praised by the larger population are the exact reasons why you should not be using them, and in fact, they are hurting your own physical development.

You may not realize it, but like you, there are times when I have trouble finding motivation to work out.  Yes, it happens to everyone, even those who love (and I do mean, love) to lift heavy things.  But, let's not get crazy, as the number of workouts I've missed over the past year can be counted on a single hand.

So, how do I manage to drag myself into the gym and under a stack of weights even when I'm not feeling "in the mood?"  Here are a few of my tips, and they're all pretty simple.  But believe me, they're not easy.

One piece of diet advice that I always seem to be giving out is pretty simple: eat more protein.​

This past week, one of my clients asked me why they needed to eat more protein if they weren't focused on building muscle/taking the "swoletastic voyage."  While I explained that higher protein diets have a ton of other benefits, I realized I had always taken these facts for granted.

The best way to explain why almost all Americans need more protein, is to look at the benefits we all receive from "upping" our protein intake.  So, other than trying to "look good nekkid," why else do we eat protein?​