When I think of veganism, one of the first names that comes to mind is Robert Cheeke. When I think of vegan fitness, THE FIRST name that comes to mind if Robert Cheeke. It’s no wonder his interview in the Willamette Week (a popular Portland, OR publication) was one of the most positive and popular newspaper articles in 2008. In fact, last year it came close to being the most viewed story that the Willamette Week ran! The popularity of the article even landed robert on the cover of the paper alongside Barack Obama with other “top stories of 2008″.

However, it doesn’t have to to end there. Robert Cheeke still has a message to share: that every vegan has the power to serve as a powerful example of an amazing diet. While he doesn’t have to, I think Robert could singlehandedly dismiss every myth about the “scrawny vegan” if he just got enough exposure. Keep reading ”Get Vegan Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke Back In The Willamette Week” »

Been spending some time on Twitter finding new vegans to follow and I’ve found a lot of cool people to make connections with. However, when I checked my Twitter today I found I had earned the mark of the beast! I fear my world will never be the same. I mean, I knew vegans worshiped Seitan, but this is just too much.

Click Image to See the Mark of the Beast Upon My Twitter Page

Anyway, if you want to get down with the Seitan thing, follow me on Twitter: @mike_arnesen

—> Vote Here! <—-

Now, if this isn’t a chance to do something cool, funny, and perhaps even world changing (small steps!) then I don’t know what is. One June 22nd, the “voice of Google”, Matt Cutts, posted a blog entry asking for votes to determine what his next 30-day challenge will be. Last month he made a commitment to walk at least 10,000 steps a day for 30 days (sometimes a bit trickier than it sounds for us computer nerds) and he just finished 30-days of abstaining from television for 30 days.

Now he has given the internet blog-reading community a chance to totally influence his life and vote on what his next challenge will be. The challenges he’s ready to try include bike to work, no blogging, no sugar, read 15 book in 30 days, and you guessed it: no meat! One of his readers even suggested adoption a straight edge lifestyle for 30 days! Keep reading ”Get Matt Cutts from Google To Go Vegetarian for 30 Days” »

I’ve been itching to compete in a triathlon for a couple of years now. It all started back when I was the Senior Content Editor for MyFitTribe. I spend hours and hours on that site, and ran into a member who was 65-75 years old and had just overcome cancer and was training for a triathlon. I thought “Man, if this guy isn’t afraid to tackle a challenge like that, what the hell am I don’t sitting on my ass?” So I made it a goal to do at least one triathlon some time in my life.

I eventually picked up a copy of The Essential Triathlete by Steven Jonas and really started getting inspired. I was getting ready to start my training and even picked out a race that was a couple of months off. I chose the Blue Lake Triathlon in Portland, Oregon. Sadly, as I looked into it more I found that there were more obstacles than just physical limits that I’d have to overcome. Competing in a triathlon costs money! Aside from the $80 registration, I’d need a swim cap, speedos, a bike tune up (if not a new bike altogether), clipping pedals, bike shoes, and more. Long story short, I didn’t have the money for all of that so I had to call off the effort. Keep reading ”Help a Raw Vegan Straight-Edge Geek Compete in a Triathlon” »

Registering my site with Technorati today. I don’t really know about Technorati at all, so I’ll have to see what I learn.

Technorati Profile

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The day is finally here. Voting begins today for the biceps portion of Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness’s annual muscle contests! This is an online contest where vegan forum members submit their photos in a really cool and fun virtual showdown. After submissions, forum members get to vote for their favorites (It’s easy to sign up if you want to get involved). Of course, it’s all preference and their are no “judges” but that’s what makes it fun for everyone.

This year there are some great prizes for the winners courtesy of Giacomo Marchese of Vegan Proteins.  Keep reading ”Voting Begins for Best Biceps Competition at Vegan Bodybuilding and Fitness” »

It seems that more and more I’m find people who call themselves vegetarians but unashamedly continue to eat fish. This is a pet-peeve for literally every vegan I’ve met and it’s quickly becoming an epidemic.

So what’ the problem? Well, even though I hate people who start articles and speeches by saying “Webster’s defines ____ as…..”, I’m going to do it for the purpose of citing a credible source. Here goes. Webster’s defines the vegetarian diet as one that consists of  “vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and sometimes eggs or dairy product”. No fish in that sentence, right? Just to be safe, I’ll check to see if maybe fish is a vegetable. Nope. Apparently, a fish is “an aquatic animal”. So perhaps it’s safe to say that those who eat fish are definitively NOT vegetarians. Okay? Good, so now people can  stop using that term to describe themselves and their decidedly non-vegetarian diets. This is great, because when people who are not vegetarians in any sense of the word label themselves as such, it makes them look pretty dumb and it makes vegetarians look inconsistent and detracts from the movement. Keep reading ”If You Eat Fish, You’re Not Vegetarian. Try Flexitarian if you must.” »