Meet The Eagles--Episode 5 (Hope Rogers)

Hope, who was one of the starting props in the 2014 World Cup, talks about all of the places she's played rugby, the difference between a 15s tour and a 7s tour, and Disney movies.

That Ten-Dollar-Milkshake

If you guys haven't had a chance to read my latest article on The Rugby Breakdown, check it out. In it I talk about my experience in Vegas, while on my first 7s tour. If you have read it, then you'll probably remember the part about the $10 milkshake (well, you'll remember if a part of you is still that eight-year-old kid who licked cake batter residue off the inside of your mom's mixing bowls...or that 33-year-old kid who did it this past Christmas). I'm sure most of you are probably thinking this thing must have been some giant vat of ice cream and milk if it cost $10. Not even close. It was a regular sized milkshake, but no regular milkshake was it.

I got the $10 shake at Milk Bar in the Cosmo. While a lot of things cost way more in Vegas, than they do anywhere else (go ahead and try to get a plain black coffee for under $4--I'm talking airport prices here), this slice of sweet, buttery heaven wasn't a markup by any means. It was palatable perfection, and if Milk decided they wanted to charge $10 for a little slice of the promised land, then $10 it is.

The thing had a piece of pie in it. Pie, guys. It was a combination of pie and ice cream, two of my favorite things. Of course, anyone can drop a dollop of ice cream atop a slice of pie. Hell, I wouldn't pay over $5-6 for a slice of pie with a dollop of ice cream. This was different. It was a cup of ice cream with pie, and mixing them together created some sort of synergistic sugary reaction that took the milkshake to another level--they couldn't even call it a milkshake; it's called a MilkQUAKE.

Now let's talk about the pie. No question, it was the pie that made the Milkquake the prodigious masterpiece of a dessert it is. If you can see the ingredients in the picture, the crack pie, features butter and brown sugar. My order with the cashier went something like this:

Me: So what is 'crack pie'?
Cashier: It's made of brown sugar, butter...
Me: Yup, go ahead with that. Crack pie Milkquake.

Turned out to be a great decision. When you're trying to stick to a high performance diet, your cheat meals and snacks mean something to you. There's nothing worse than biting into a dry brownie or a burnt cookie when you've been looking forward to a sweet treat. The Crack pie Milkquake didn't disappoint. Scooping out big hunks of pie from a shake while hanging out with friends was a wonderful way to wind down after my first 7s tour.

Meet The Eagles--Episode 4 (Kelsi Stockert)

Get to know Kelsi Stockert, from her family and rugby background to her love of good jokes. Kelsi is a capped 15s player, and is poised to earn her first 7s cap this weekend in Vegas.

List of Great Apps

Since I've given my loyal readers a sample of my taste in podcasts, I figured I'd do the same with my apps. There are a ton of apps you can use to enhance performance or improve your quality of life in general. Here are 10 of my favorites. Hopefully, you'll find something worth trying. Please feel free to send me recommendations as well.

And yes, that is a screenshot of some of my apps. Yes, I have titled that group of apps "Get shit done."

Planner Plus--A planner that combines events, tasks and notes, Planner Plus not only lets you plan the events of your day, it gives you an organized way of keeping track of your To-Do list. I like this app better than the Google Calendar app, because it gives you more freedom to plan tasks and keep notes on your day.

WOOP--This is a one-of-a-kind goal setting app. The WOOP method employs strategy along with visualization to reach goals. Based on years of research into the science of motivation, WOOP forces you to consider obstacles instead of being lulled into the positive thinking trap, in which you "think you can," and get all of the good feelings about the achievement without actually achieving anything first. You think of your Wish, the Outcome (best case scenario), Obstacles (what in you prevents you from achieving this wish), and then make a Plan for those obstacles.

Kindle--This one is a must. We always have our phones on us, and so often get lost in reading "news feeds" on social media. Why not read something that is mentally stimulating or that will teach you something? Get the Kindle app and start reading more.

Audible--Feel like you don't have time for a book? Try audible in your car, while in the shower, when doing chores, etc. I have a subscription that costs about $14 every two months and will get me one audio book with that rate. Basically I get the book and someone reading it to me. On my playlist now is Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives, by Tim Harford.

Calm--Calm is a meditation app that requires a subscription for full access. I tried both this app and the Headspace app before deciding to buy this one. It has many meditation programs to get you accustomed to practicing mindfulness. Along with the programs, there are options for unguided meditations, and there is a daily meditation. It will also keep track of the days you meditate and time meditating. I preferred it over Headspace because of the helpful advice given at the end of sessions in each program.

Ram Dass--Ram Dass is an American spiritual teacher, who is dedicated to improving society's spiritual well-being. This app has daily spiritual quotes, articles, videos and podcasts. I enjoy the material it offers, and I find that it is all rooted in compassion and human connection. If you're looking to improve your spiritual life, check this one out.

Sleep Cycle--This app tracks your sleep patterns, using your phone's microphone or accelerometer. Not only that, the alarm wakes you when you're in a restless phase of sleep, ensuring that you wake easy. You set the time at which you have to be up then give the app a window of time (15, 20, 30 minutes, etc). It will use that window of time to track when you start to get restless and then wake you. For instance, if I have to be up at 6am, I may set a 20 minute window, from 5:40-6. If I begin to stir at 5:45, the app will play the alarm.

Daily Yoga--Since I've gotten older and am trying to prolong my athletic career, I've decided to become more vigilant about my body. Yoga helps, and this is a great yoga app. You have to buy a subscription to have full access, and full access gives you a ton of programs, articles and even some meditation workouts. My discounted, $20/year subscription has been well worth it thus far.

Yoga Poses--This one is a free app. If you want to go freelance on a yoga session, and need some ideas, this app is the place to go. It gives you a plethora of yoga poses, with descriptions, pictures, benefits, modifications and tips.

Intervals--There are a ton of workout apps you can download. I don't really use any of those, because I feel I have an expansive knowledge of exercises and benefits, but I do like having this app for interval training. You can set the time for each exercise, rest time, number of sets and number of cycles. It's great to have if you're doing a HIIT workout.

I hope you have found something here that you may like. I use all of these apps frequently, but the two I use most are Planner Plus and Calm. Give them a shot, and let me know what you think.