The Bobby Rock Newsletter #1 (2-3-2021) - To Begin Again...

My Friends -

Welcome aboard, and thanks for joining us for Issue #1!

Yes, we are really moving forward with this Newsletter thing. Truth is, how else can we stay in touch these days? Social media is so whacked with its crazy algorithms, that who knows when/if you see posts. So in an effort to stay in better contact—and also to regularly deliver some useful info, insights, entertainment, and the like—we shall begin again.

I’m sure I've overshot the runway (length-wise) for this first one. But we’ll tighten things up and try to keep shit more concise moving forward. Comments or suggestions? Just respond to this e-mail.

In This Issue:

Update on the Kick-Ass New Lita Ford Record
What in the Hell are Micro-Workouts?
Dragon Dirt Community - Featured Dirt-Drinker: Andrea Volpp (Quick Q&A)

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New Lita Ford Record Makes it to Mix-Down with Max

The new Lita Ford record has been a long time in the making. Over the past few years, Lita would connect with guitarist Gary Hoey (my old boss who has produced Lita’s last two records) at his studio in New England, and they would essentially record keeper guitar and vocal parts to programmed drum tracks. Eventually, she had a completed record… except for the programmed drums, which we had always talked about me replacing at some point. But then Covid hit and the prospects of recording drums grew bleak because of all the studio closures in LA. Still, I insisted that we hang in there and put real drums on this thing, and Lita agreed. This led to me finally tracking drums at a studio in Minneapolis this past September.

And now… it’s time to mix everything and get this bad-boy out there. Legendary producer Max Norman—the man behind those classic early Ozzy albums and a ton of other titles—is currently at the helm. Here’s a Blabbermouth article link about Lita’s recent appearance on Eddie Trunk, talking about the record.

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The Health Beat - Micro-Workouts for Improved Fitness and Conditioning

Our Health Beat feature article is in the exercise realm: this is something I call the Micro-Workout. It’s only 5 to 15 minutes and typically very easy. It’s actually meant to be a once-or-twice daily supplement to your regular regimen, whatever that may be. Here’s the rundown:

Most of us are leading dangerously sedentary lives … especially since Covid, but mainly over the digital tech explosion of the last 10 to 15 years. We are spending a lot of time idle each day, looking at our devices. So even if you were to work out for an hour a day—which is excellent—what happens for the other 23? We are sitting around, and that's a lot of "downtime." Not so excellent.

Our bodies are meant to be active, every day, pretty much throughout the day. Our muscles need to stay limber and supple through movement. When we are inactive, especially while sitting, muscles begin to tighten up, and this sets off a domino effect of connecting muscle groups contracting, which can eventually lead to all kinds of issues, from soreness in the back or neck (from tight muscles pulling bones out of alignment) to “mystery” injuries that can occur from, for example, picking up a bag of groceries at just the right angle that something tweaks. And this is to say nothing about other systems in the body (like respiratory and digestive) that rely on some form of sustained movement to help things function optimally.

Knocking out some planks for a "Micro" on a nasty-ass carpet at the rehearsal hall!

Granted, you will not likely get a ton of notable conditioning out of an individual Micro-Workout, because they are short in duration and not particularly intense. But, remember, these are mainly about keeping the body limber and active between workouts. And they are also great for recovery some 4 to 8 hours after a tough workout, since they typically promote blood flow and light flexibility.

So… here are a few Micro-Workout considerations:

Spread It Out: Ideally, you would integrate a Micro-Workout into your routine at opposite times of the day from when you might work out. If you do cardio in the AM, maybe you do a Micro in the evening before dinner. Or if you like to train in the afternoon, consider doing a quick cardio thing (like a brisk walk) first thing in the AM, or maybe some light stretching before bed.
Make It Easy: You can sneak in a “Micro” while doing other things. If you’re on the phone or watching TV, for example, just stand up and do some light calisthenic-type movements for 5 to 15 minutes.
Mix It Up: A Micro can consist of any combination of resistance training, calisthenics, cardio, stretching, “grinding” on a foam roller, or any kind of warm-up style exercise. Just think about creating movement. And if you want to do some stretching, avoid stretching cold muscles. Warm-up for at least 5 minutes first.
Ease Back In: And finally, if you are currently out of the groove of working out, Micro-Workouts are actually a great way to ease back into some training. In your case, you would simply do the opposite of what I’m suggesting here: Try to work in a super-short Micro here and there, and then eventually find larger windows of time to fit in more conventional workouts… but keep those Micros going!

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I recently launched my very own custom-blend superfood powder called Dragon Dirt. In this section, we’ll showcase one of our “Dirt-Drinkers” in an effort to offer tips and insight for our fantastic new community!

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Andrea Volpp: product specialist for Reward Music, video and photo maker, fellow vegan, avid runner and yogi wannabe.

What is your go-to DD recipe?

You can pretty much count on it being a serving of dirt mixed in with spinach, a handful of frozen blueberries and raspberries and a banana.

When and how often do you drink the Dirt?

At the very least, I get in a smoothie for breakfast. Though I haven’t shied away from making another one at the end of the day from time to time. I’ve also been known to throw a scoop into some food like oatmeal, along with my other toppings. You know, just to really shake things up and make them exciting!

What health benefits have you noticed?

There’s been a noticeable improvement in my endurance and running performance! It really hit me that that was the case when I was running my favorite trail, and one that I pretty much always finished in the same amount of time, but just a couple days into having Dragon Dirt in my life I had already been able to knock several minutes off of that.

What do you/or would you tell someone who is trying Dragon Dirt for the very first time?

Since the powder itself doesn’t have any additives or flavorings, it just ends up tasting like whatever you put along with it. So have some fun and experiment with different recipes and fruit and veg combinations. There are endless possibilities! We give so much of ourselves to everyone else each day—your smoothies are just for you. Make it something you love and look forward to (hella cheesy, I know, but true).

Thank you, Andrea! For more info on "The Most Potent All-In-One Superfood Powder on the Planet," go to www.drinkthedirt.com.

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All for now. If you haven’t already, be sure and take a moment to sign up in the upper right-hand corner of any page at www.bobbyrock.com. This will give you a much more customized experience, and also grant you access to various members-only areas, events, etc.

But mainly, let me know how I can make this Newsletter most useful to you. Just hit reply...

Until next time,