It's that time of year again - along with the crush of end of year tasks and an explosion of shopping for friends, family, and neighbors there is a seemingly never ending list of Christmas parties that you are obligated to go to. This is your opportunity to be the guy who all the other guys want to be but just like being an athlete it takes training and the right gear to make it happen. 

The most basic thing that you need to know about when choosing the right attire for any occasion is knowing what kind of occasion it is. An occasion can either be formal, informal, or semi-formal. Each occasion has a particular "dress code" or clothing rule that people have to follow.  Formal and informal are understandable, but what event can be considered as semi-formal? Semi-formal is less dressy than a formal but dressier than an informal.

Everyone knows that exercise is important. Your health depends on you exercising on a regular basis. Unfortunately, if you lead a busy lifestyle, squeezing in 30 minutes of exercise isn’t always easy. The good news is, there are plenty of tools to help you get the exercise you need and keep you motivated enough to exercise on a regular basis.

With the weather turning cold, I know that many of you are looking at your basement or garage and thinking how nice it would be to build a home gym - rather than trudge through the cold for your daily fitness routine. Let's take a look at how you can do things right!

There are few things in life that are more satisfying and rewarding than restoring a classic car. Throughout the process, you are essentially breathing new life into a machine which may have lay dormant for years, and this is an incredibly enjoyable feeling. However, it is also one of the most time-consuming, tedious, expensive and occasionally frustrating activities one can engage in, and you must be certain that you are ready for the challenges as well as the rewards before committing to a project.

Changing your oil is one of those things that most people just take for granted and don't really consider anything more than the fact that they have to do it every few months. While I'll never been on an pit team, most of us "have a guy" that can do it and a few of us even have actually done it themselves. But most of us really have never considered why we do it and what that oil actually does for us. For me, the first time I saw the difference between clean engine oil and the dirty stuff on my dipstick, I was amazed.

Last week, I spent a few days exploring Idaho with my wife - Heather from ChickVacations. This adventure was a bit different than others we have taken since we traded hotel rooms for a campervan. Don't worry though, it was an awesome experience and like so many things in life - I didn't want it to get over too quickly.

I've been a fan of TruFuel for a while now - frankly speaking, it's convenient and less messy than having to mix petrol and oil to make it the right formula for my 2-stroke engine power tools. That was enough for me, I'm generally pretty happy just that something saves me time and energy. What about that third selling point though, the fact that it contains no ethanol. Why is ethanol bad though and how does it actually hurt your engine? Let's take a look...

For many of us, our wedding day was one of the best days of our lives. We were young and in love and everything seemed perfect - but in reality, most of us guys probably weren't as understanding or helpful to our brides as we should have been. There were things we did wrong or should have simply done more of. While I am happily married now and can't imagine having to do things over again - other friends of ours are planning second weddings and this gives them a new chance to do things differently.

Tis' the season for celebrating the holidays and that means that we are all about to embark on a parade of holiday dinner parties. As a guest, there's not a whole lot to worry about - but as a host, this can be a stressful test of your abilities. Not just as a chef - but organization, decoration, shopping, and conversation. Don't worry though, with a little preparation and these tips, you can do more than just survive a holiday dinner party - you can even have some fun at the same time!

What if I told you that it’s possible to get nearly free gas at participating Shell stations nationwide? That’s right, not just “discounted” but actually stack your *Fuel Rewards^® discounts to the point where it exceeds the price of the per-gallon price at the pump! Here’s a simple scenario …

Many of us men aren't really comfortable with medical stuff in general - and when it comes to testing our sperm there's an extra level of resistance. I don't think anyone really wants to go to a doctor's office and jerk off in a closet and the thought of doing it at home and running across town is even more awkward. On top of this, I think most guys naturally assume that fertility issues are the women's responsibility. That's not fair, but that is how our society generally engages with the topic. With Trak though, it does more than just allow you to run an at-home semen analysis to count up your sperm, but also has guidance on how you can improve your count too.

Shooting sports can be very expensive - not only can guns be costly but so can the places where you will be firing them as well as of course the cost of ammunition. Don't worry though, with a bit of careful planning you can save a ton of money and use that to either buy more and better equipment or save it for other hobbies. 

A get together is never complete until someone pulls out a guitar and starts to make music. Beach bonfires, pool parties and other activities benefit from music and since it is difficult to pack a grand piano to your impromptu soirees, a guitar is the perfect instrument for people who enjoy spontaneous get togethers.

Your eyes are important - that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone but sometimes it's easy to forget to take care of them. While traveling, this is especially important when visiting harsh environments that are extremely hot, dry and dusty such as the desert. 

Some people were simply born to own a boat. If the man in your life often looks longingly at bodies of water or speaks fondly of a childhood spent on deck, it might be a sign that he won’t truly be happy unless he has some sophisticated watercraft to his name.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rip It Energy. All opinions are 100% mine.

Scorpions! There are few more creatures that inspire fear more than these little guys, but there are a few things that you can do to help fortify your house and yard against them. 

Despite the fact that I love all things wine and enjoy visiting new wineries for a tasting, at home I'm honestly not much of a drinker. As a result, no matter how much I LOVED that bottle of wine at the wine tasting, it's likely that it will be weeks or even months after I come home that it will be opened. Even once opened, sadly there are too many bottles that have gone to waste. I know that I'm not alone in this challenge though, so I thought it might be time to share some wine wisdom. Hopefully this helps save precious wine from being wasted!

It's no secret that the auto industry is extremely competitive and that American tastes are shifting away from mid-sized sedans to SUVs like the Mazda MX-5, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4, and Jeep Cherokee. What is interesting to me is how similar each of these cars is on paper and price - yet so different in driving experience. It made me step back a bit and think about how I experience cars since rarely do I get a chance to actually compare vehicles directly. Typically we're provided a top of the line model and asked to share our thoughts on it. Through a bit of luck and planning though, I managed to drive all four of these this year and take the opportunity to compare not just their bullet-ed talking points - but what it actually means to someone shopping for the right SUV for their lifestyle.

Happy wife, happy life… or at least that’s what they say. At least once a year, it’s a great idea to take that special girl in your life out on a nice romantic getaway with your partner. For me though the reality is that I travel almost constantly with Heather and we've been all over the country on road trips where we are sitting together for 8-10 hours each day. While I love traveling with her, there’s no denying it’s going to be a different dynamic than a trip with your guy friends, but I find that it brings us together in a good way. Experiencing the world with your wife can be a lot of fun, if you know how to plan it right!