For A Community To Be Whole

Happy 74th Birthday, Millard Fuller. Who is Millard Fuller? In my opinion he is one of the biggest "should be more famous" people in the United States. This is from the website of an organization you probably know:

Millard Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976 and served in executive roles until 2005. His leadership helped forge Habitat into a worldwide Christian housing ministry.

Now Millard Fuller heads The Fuller Center for Housing and the following is from their website:

The Fuller Center for Housing is a non-profit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide. By forming partnerships with local organizations, The Fuller Center provides the structure, guidance and material support that communities need to build and repair homes for the impoverished among them.

Here are two quotes:


For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people's love and concern for each other.

Faith without works is as dead as a doornail.

Millard Fuller




The Fuller Center for Housing

Fuller Center - Who We Are

Fuller Center - How We Work

Get Involved

Millard Fuller fan club

Twitter quote 120 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777193 at ThinkExist.com

Resolution Poll

Because I had some success this year with my New Year's resolution (for which I asked God's help), I am trumpeting the idea that you can do it, too. Here is a very quick poll to get you thinking in that direction. If you are someone who does goals and not resolutions, so be it. Like somebody said, "Just do it."

Click this link to make your voice heard and maybe be an inspiration to someone else. http://tinyurl.com/BMW777192


Keep walking!

There Are Always Flowers

My parents grew carnations and roses and were co-founders of The Valley Center Florist when I was growing up. The coming new year has me thinking about them. Who do you think about when you think about flowers? Do you want to see the flowers?


There are always flowers for those who want to see them.

Henri Matisse


Matisse's Dishes and Fruit

Henri Matisse at Artcyclopedia.com

Twitter quote 119 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777190 at ThinkExist.com

Moral Obligation Of U.S.A.

I found an short(really!), interesting poll about the obligation of the United States toward the world. I'll bet it's self-evident to many. Whether or not you are a christian, I urge you to click below and cast your vote in this Christianity Today poll. Add your voice right now!

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/features/poll.html


Keep walking!

Enthusiasm Of An Inspired Moment

Herb Elliot mentioned "resolutions made in the enthusiasm of an inspired moment". Now is the time to make New Year's resolutions. How do you make yours? I didn't make one for a long time and last December 31st, I finally made one. I asked for God's help and it has turned out well. (I don't think I'll gain 20 pounds between now and January 1, 2009 to mess it up!) I urge you to make more than one resolution and differentiate it from goals. If you haven't made a resolution in a while, you can do it now. Ask for our creator's help.



Training was a time where resolutions made in the enthusiasm of an inspired moment were put to personal test.

Herb Elliott


Herb Elliott News Timeline http://tinyurl.com/BMW777187 (Google)


Twitter quote 118 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777186 at ThinkExist.com


Don't miss Twitter (video) 117 -Thank you to Guy Kawasaki - Here's what I Tweeted - If U visit only 1 tweet 4 the rest of 2008 - THIS IS THE ONE http://tinyurl.com/BMW777185

Laughter Is The Sun

From the man who gave us Les Miserables...


Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.

Victor Hugo


Hugo-Online.org

VictorHugo.gg


Twitter quote 116 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777183 at ThinkExist.com

We All Need Reminders

Here's a reminder to keep on loving.


Don't brood. Get on with living and loving. You don't have forever.

Leo Buscaglia


LeoBuscaglia.com


Twitter quote 115 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777181 at BrainyQuote.com

Disneyland Christmas Present

Today we are going to Disneyland which is a major part of our son's Christmas present. We will pick up our son's girlfriend in about an hour and then we're off! Yes...I will be walking and I'll let you know what the pedometer says. Did the temperature in the car really read 39?

Keep walking!

The How Of The Bahamas!

A few weeks ago I noticed that there was a free poker tournament online so I said to myself, "If it's free, why not?" The first round of the poker tournament was 10,000 people strong. The game was No-Limit Texas Holdem. Texas Holdem is a poker game sort of like seven card stud and no-limit means you can bet from the minimum bet all the way to your entire stack of chips at any time. If you lose all your chips, you're out of the tournament. In order to advance to the next round I had to finish in 18th place or higher. The tournament would be stopped when there were 18 people left. I made it(!) and moved on to round two.

There were 1349 people in round two and in order to win ANYTHING you had to come in first place. In a poker tournament that means that you are the last person to have chips. Eventually you have to win all the chips that originally belonged to 1349 players. Second place got zero - not even a gift certificate or a cup of coffee. I outlasted the entire field of players and was very thankful to win. What did I win?

First, I won a trip to the Bahamas for two adults. Second, I won $1000 to help with air fare. Third, I won another $1000 to help pay for food (which is not cheap). (And, the hotel kicked in another $150 for food since they are raising their prices the day before the tournament starts.) Last, but really and truly not least, I won a $10,000 seat in a poker tournament that last year paid $2 Million to the winner! All this came about because I happened to notice a free tournament and decided to give it a try.

My beliefs also come into play here. While I don't know what the ultimate outcome will be and I certainly hope to be the big winner in the Bahamas, I feel the need to mention something else. I prayed during the second round many times and I visualized being victorious in a race. I saw the finish line of a foot race with the tape across the winner's chest. I also thought of the boxer's hand being held up at the end of a bout. I definitely had some mathematically unusual occurrences during the poker tournament. I had some excellent cards and I never had (what I consider the toughest spot to get out of) two kings with my opponent having two aces and more chips than me. I'm pretty sure that I had all my chips in the pot when my opponent had more chips than me about a dozen times before I made it to the final table of nine players. When you are "all-in" that many times and still prevail, that is definitely a cause for celebration, as well as being statistically unlikely.

Do I believe that God was with me in this tournament? Yes. Do I believe that means he wants me to win in the Bahamas? I don't know. I hope so. We will see. I'm sure that whatever happens, it will be a chance for me to share a little about my beliefs to those who are open. I'm not interested in creating a debate here or forcing my beliefs on someone. If you don't buy it, you don't buy it. I still live in the United States of America. Here you can have your beliefs and I can have mine. We can agree to disagree when it comes to that. However, this is an appropriate time of year to consider what this whole season is about. Like Tiny Tim said in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol, "God bless us, every one!"

Keep walking!

We're Going To The Bahamas!

Just got home from Los Angeles. Marianne and I were able to get passports in less than a day! I'll share more of the story tomorrow. I am so tired (a good kind of tired) that I can barely think to type this. Check out Atlantis.com.

Keep walking!

You Are A Soul

This quote seems profound to me. Happy December.


“You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”

C.S. Lewis

CSLewis.com


Twitter quote 114 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777178 at ThinkExist.com

Another Down Day

Some people might see the title of this post and assume it's a downer, but it is definitely not. I've titled a bunch of posts recently in a similar way and I wanted this to be different, but it could have read,

"I've Lost Over 15 Pounds In 17 Days!"

This morning the scale read 112.5 kilos, which is another .3 kilos down from yesterday. Just in case you're wondering - no, I'm not hungry all the time. I'm RARELY hungry at all. Once in a while I get hungry for a few minutes before it's time to eat. I can live with that and I know you can, too. (Maybe you don't have a weight loss goal because you simply don't need one right now. Is there someone who could benefit by reading my blog? Who do you know that would like to be motivated,encouraged or inspired by my unfolding story? Copy & paste this URL - http://theBigManWalking.blogspot.com and send them an email or message! Thank you, by the way...)

Let's do the math. I started at 119.6 kilos 17 days ago, so by subtracting 112.5 kilos we get 7.1 kilos. We multiply that by 2.2 and get 14.2 plus 1.42 which equals 15.62 pounds lost in 17 days. My total weight is now 247.5 pounds. I had actual cream in my coffee this morning. Today I didn't have anything but coffee and tea until around noon. I don't do that everyday, but that's just what felt right. I was not hungry. If you've been reading my posts you know the name of the book and you can see Amazon links on the right side of this blog. Get yourself or someone else a Christmas present! Are you ready to make a New Year's Resolution? That's how Big Man Walking got started in 2008.

Keep WALKING!

Lost Almost 15 Pounds In 16 Days

This morning I stepped on the scale and saw a number I haven't seen before - 112.8. When you multiply 112.8 kilos by 2.2, you get 225.6 plus 22.56 which equals 248.16 pounds. I'm now safely in the 240's and it's been a dozen years since I was there. I started at 119.6 a little over two weeks ago and that difference of 6.8 kilos is 13.6 plus 1.36 which equals 14.96 pounds. I'm sure a lot of people would say that that is close enough to 15 pounds. What do you think?

I think I like Perfect Weight America!

Keep walking!

On Being Tired

Yesterday I was really tired after many hours of activity and pretty long days at the end of the week. Just being over the cleanse and walking more did help. Some might wonder "Why not more energy?" We do have a capacity as humans and I was running up against it. So how did the cleanse and the walking help? Before the cleanse, if I had gotten this tired, I would probably have been in a grumpy mood.

You can even honestly say that the grumpy mood would be my responsibility, and you'd be right. But what made it easier for me was to have the better circulation benefits from walking and so much of the "crud" cleansed from my body. When I have the toxins built up and I'm as tired as I was yesterday, it doesn't feel good at all. With my body cleansed I was simply tired. Very tired, yes, but it was a more gentle kind of tired. I was either way less grumpy or not grumpy depending on which family member(!) you ask. That's a big benefit in my book.

Keep walking.

(BigManWalking has walked over 1000 miles in 2008.)

1000 Miles This Year!

This morning I logged my hours at Lime.com. I had high hopes starting out this year for walking and for how helpful Lime.com would be in keeping track of my mileage. My opinion of Lime.com is that it is too cumbersome. Sometimes it takes too long to open a page and sometimes the page comes up blank. I sent them an email a long time ago and haven't seen a response. I recommend keeping track of your miles, but somewhere else.

Now, the good, no, GREAT news. After checking my records at Lime.com, I'm pretty sure they will confirm that I went through the 1000 mile mark for the year on Thursday, December 11, 2008! Yes! I feel good about that and we will celebrate at some point, but not by eating! Part of the reason I am walking and keeping track is to encourage you. Of course, it's good for my health, but I really, truly want to inspire you to walk more. Or, if you are exercising regularly and more ambitiously than that, you can add walking and that can allow you the opportunity to slow down and appreciate your surroundings and your life. You can walk 1000 or even 1500 or 2000 miles or more in a year. Some of you may have to start with 250 miles in 6 months. Others will be fine with more than that. You can do it. You can do it. You can do it. I did.

Keep walking!

Design Meme

Today I find myself in awkward position. I did not anticipate the time crunch on Friday and yet today is the day I introduce BigManWalking's Blog of the Week. I want to spend more time and do a good job for this week's winner, DesignMeme.com. My fatherly duties will take me away from the internet for a good long while, so I will get back and do a proper post either tonight or tomorrow. For now, visit DesignMeme.com and check it out.

Shakespeare On Diligence

Keep on going. Shakespeare said it hundreds of years ago. If you're a writer, keep writing. He did.


"That which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualified in; and the best of me is diligence."

William Shakespeare (King Lear. Act i. Sc. 4)


The Complete Works Of William Shakespeare

Study Shakespeare

Twitter quote 113 from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations at Bartleby.com

Walk A Little Bit At A Time

Different people have different expectations and capacities. If you've been regularly working out, you might not be challenged by walking four miles. I'm sure some who've read my blog wonder why I don't just get on a treadmill and jog or run the mileage. If you are working out regularly so that a four mile run or more is no big deal, then my hat is off to you. I want to encourage you to keep pushing yourself, but not to the point of injury. I believe you want to keep from being injured so that you can continue to exercise without interruption. So I guess I'm saying that you should really, truly go for it - within reason.

Now, for those of you who don't think that a four-mile run is a walk in the park (no pun intended), I encourage you to keep walking. During my 10 day Perfect Weight America cleanse I didn't walk much so that I could demonstrate its weight loss power. Yesterday I started the actual diet, also called The Maker's Diet, and I'll be reporting on my weight less often. I know that some people can get discouraged when they see that they've had weight gain over a day or two, and that happens. Most people can do just fine weighing themselves once a week. You have to stick with it and you probably won't lose weight on the diet at the same rate as the cleanse.

When I went to bed last night I had walked four miles throughout the day. I'm not necessarily going for a big cardiovascular workout when I walk. Sometimes and sometimes not. If you're ALWAYS looking for the cardio, then you might dismiss walking for five minutes. I want you to walk more than five minutes a day. Really. I know you can do that. The thing is, the miles and fractions add up. You can walk five minutes 12 times a day and that's likely to be three miles. Starting yesterday morning before 7 a.m. my dog and I walked 1.5 miles. I got busy and didn't get back to walking until four hours later when we walked 2.0 miles. Last night I walked .25 miles twice and that's how I came to walk 4.0 miles total. Why am I using .25 and 2.0 to describe my mileage? Because if you aren't thinking this way then I want you to start thinking of a quarter mile (or even a furlong - one eighth mile) or .25 miles as significant enough to keep track of.

When you keep track of your miles you can have a record to look back on and that's encouraging. If you're encouraged you'll keep going. You will look for opportunities to walk one half, one quarter or even one eight of a mile. I'm tall so 500 of my steps is a quarter mile. If you're shorter than me it's likely to be around 600 steps to the quarter mile. If you go to a local track at a community college or high school, you can count your steps as you walk around it. That will be close. Or you can get a pedometer. I have done both and a pedometer is easier if you can find one that works and doesn't break. My wife just got me another cheapie Sportline and the last one worked well until it broke. My good buddy in San Clemente has a more expensive Omron and it has worked for a while. I'm sorry to say that those are the only ones from personal experience that either work for a lot of miles or don't break down. In fact, when my Sportline (calorie step distance) pedometer broke, it was not the pedometer but the clip that kept it on my belt which broke.

Let's be clear. If you have a pedometer it can help you more accurately keep track of your mileage. If you keep track you will be more encouraged (or you will see the need to improve) and you will keep going. If you let it be ok to not ONLY walk for cardio, then you will become used to adding up the smaller units of walking. Remember, for weight loss 35 miles equals one pound lost. It's right around there for everybody. Don't get into fuzzy/mystical thinking here and say that it doesn't work that way for you. If you are human and make all other factors (eating, mostly) equal then you will lose a pound for 35 miles walked. Some people eat more and don't notice and that's a challenge. Well, don't eat more because you're walking more if you want to lose weight through walking. I started off this year by not changing my diet one bit for the first seven weeks and simply walking more. I lost seven pounds in seven weeks. You can read some of those posts here. You can make more walking part of your way of life. It makes a big difference over the long run. Even if you lost seven pounds during the first seven weeks of the year every year you would be doing better than most. But don't settle for just better than most. Achieve health and wellness.

Keep WALKING!

I Lost Over 13 Pounds In 10 Days!

On the front cover of Perfect Weight America, Jordan Rubin asks the question, "Do you know YOUR perfect weight?" I know this- I'm above my perfect weight and I have been for about 20 years. I'm not telling you what I'm about to tell you to get sympathy, nevertheless, it is factual. I have basically gained weight since my mom died in November of 1987. I'm not making any judgements about that. My weight has gone up and down, but mostly up in the long run (like the stock market - despite the current once in 80 years financial unraveling). Unlike the stock market crash in 1987 I don't want my weight to get back up to where it was - I want to keep going down for a while.

Before 7 am I walked the dog 1.5 miles and it took a little over 30 minutes. I'm just about ready to go again. I weighed myself and here is the final number for the 10 days (but I'll keep going) on the Perfect Weight America cleanse - 113.4 kilos. Sooo, I started at 119.6 minus 113.4 equals 6.2 times 2.2 equals 13.64 pounds! I have lost over 13 pounds in 10 days in a healthy way and I feel great! I have more energy and I'm excited to keep going on Jordan Rubin's regimen.

One more thing before I post, Twitter, and get out the door...I will have to check my records but I'm pretty sure that I am at my lowest weight in over a dozen years! And, 113.4 kilos translated to pounds is 226.8 plus 22.68 which means I weigh 249.48 pounds! It's been a while since I was in the 240's! Yes!

Keep walking!

9 Day Total - Down 12 Pounds

Yesterday I had mostly yogurt (by choice) as I was a little tired of the soup and then I had the salad with avocado and cheese and raw nuts and it was all really good. After "breaking even" the day before I thought maybe that adding the nuts and cheese and yogurt was going to take me up in weight just a little. After all, this is the Perfect Weight America cleanse, not diet. The diet will start tomorrow. However I was pleasantly surprised to find that I weighed 114.1 kilos this morning and if you look through previous posts you will see that I was 114.4 before today. That's a .3 kilo loss! I'll start from the beginning of the 10 days to make it quicker...started at 119.6 kilos minus 114.1 equals 5.5 kilos multiplied by 2.2 equals 12.1 pounds. Yes!

Keep walking!

It Is Often Easier To Ask Forgiveness

If you're like me you have heard this quote with slight variations many times. I have heard the intent of it used and/or abused by some sales trainers, but there is truth to it. She is apparently the originator of the quote.


"It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”

Grace Murray Hopper


On Grace Murray Hopper from Yale.Edu

Rear Admiral Dr. Grace Murray Hopper was a remarkable woman who grandly rose to the challenges of programming the first computers. During her lifetime as a leader in the field of software development concepts, she contributed to the transition from primitive programming techniques to the use of sophisticated compilers. She believed that "we've always done it that way" was not necessarily a good reason to continue to do so.

More about her at Yale.Edu

Twitter quote 112 from ThinkExist.com
(2nd quote on page)

Eleven Pounds In Eight Days

I was hoping to be able to say 12 pounds down in eight days, but this phase of the Perfect Weight America cleanse is where we add yogurt and raw nuts. It is pretty amazing, though, how good plain yogurt is when you haven't had sugar in several days. I really like Alta Dena plain yogurt and it seems creamier to me when you stir it up (even though there's nothing extra in it). When you spoon it out of the container it's just slabs of yogurt, but when you stir it up it's a smooth and creamy mixture that's almost sweet.

Two more days and I can have organic coffee. Did I mention we've only been drinking water?

Keep WALKING!

Making the Most of Your Family's Christmas

From Homeword.com...

Revisit some old family traditions that you haven’t enjoyed for awhile and take the initiative to create some new ones. Some of the previous generations did a better job than we do with building family traditions. The next time your extended family gets together, take note of how much of the conversation is centered around family traditions and stories. You may here the same stories at each get together – but these traditions and their stories create family togetherness. Traditions are important for families because they provide opportunities to keep your family legacy going. From the simple to the silly to the sentimental, traditions can create meaningful memories. As a parent, one of your jobs is to look for ways to promote special moments and traditions for your family – ones that will create special family memories that your kids will keep forever. So for example, the holidays are a perfect time for baking, so if it’s been some time since someone took a swing at making Great-Grandma’s Apple Pie, dust off the recipe and see if you and the kids can do it justice. And how about family playtime? I know of one family that has a collection of board games they only play at Christmastime. I’d suspect your family has a tradition or two – a recipe or a board game for example – that needs revisiting this year. Relive some familiar memories and take advantage of a chance to make a few new ones as well.


The post above is just one section in
The "Four R's" of Making the Most of Your Family's Christmas Author:
Jim Burns, Ph.D.
at Homeword.com

Mercy Has Placed Within Our Reach

Lately ThinkExist.com has been more than occasionally funky in it's operation so I decided to check out some quotes from a source that has existed long before the internet, Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. I found a good one by poet William Wordsworth and you can read the whole 12 lines of the poem by clicking on the link below. This quote is actually the final two lines of his poem, After-Thought. When you search After-Thought & William Wordsworth, you get a different poem. I'm inclined to trust Bartlett's just like my teacher in high school did.


"Mercy has placed within our reach
A portion of God's peace."

William Wordsworth


The Literature Network's Wordsworth profile at
Online-Literature.com

Twitter quote 111 from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations at Bartleby.com

I Lost Over 11 Pounds In 7 Days

Yesterday I had some challenges with pain in the middle of my back and I don't really know if it was related to the cleanse that my wife and I are on. We did this same cleanse during the summer and I had no problems. I ended up taking an Alleve in the morning and again in the evening and last night I had trouble getting to sleep which is not typical for me unless I'm excited about something. After using the jacuzzi a couple times and both my wife and me massaging the middle of my back, it seems to be much less of a challenge today. Marianne and I went to San Diego this morning and I watered the front while she watered the back of the house we are attempting to sell. I had only small twinges every once in a while compared to the howls yesterday afternoon as the Alleve wore off. Some of you may be wondering, "Why is he telling us all this?" I don't know if the cleanse has left me without enough calcium or magnesium or what have you, but we picked up a supplement this morning. I think if that is what's happening then it is in combination with the possibility that (as much as I don't want to share this...) I haven't walked enough recently. So this is full disclosure for those of you who are thinking about doing this cleanse. To be fair, however, I don't really know the exact cause of the back situation as it just came out of the blue. Maybe I've been sitting in this chair too long.

This morning the scale said 114.4 kilos, which is .2 kilos or .44 pounds less than yesterday and that brings my grand total after 7 days on the Perfect Weight America cleanse to MINUS 11.44 pounds!


Keep Walking!

God Would Invite The Least Of These

This came from DailyKos a little while ago. Sounds like something out of the bible. Click the link below to read the entire post.

[A] Virginia businessman is spending more than $1 million to rent prime hotel rooms and promising that assorted down-and-out citizens — from the poor to the terminally ill to wounded soldiers — will have a perch of privilege on Pennsylvania Avenue for the parade.

Read More

Saturday! Six-Day, Eleven Pound Loss

My wife and I have been on the Perfect Weight America cleanse since Sunday morning last. We did this during the summer and now we know we can do it because we've already done it once. Somebody on Twitter said he tried something like this once and it was too hard on him physically. Yes, I did have a good headache for two days at the start, but it's just a headache. Because this is a cleanse you are getting rid of toxins that your body has stored up and in my case, going through caffeine withdrawal. You can do it and you feel better and more energetic the further into it you get. Don't give yourself messages like, "I could never do that." Give yourself messages like (and I know this is hard to hear for some), "I choose the pain of discipline over the pain of regret." Marianne has lost about 7 pounds and when I got on the scale this morning it read 114.6 kilos. I started at 119.6 so the math is pretty easy - 5 kilos times 2.2 equals 11 pounds. I am down 11 pounds in six days and I'm using a HEALTHY method!

Keep walking.

lifebeginzatpoetry

Because I choose to motivate, inspire and encourage, I am starting BigManWalking's Blog of the Week today. The first blog I have chosen for BigManWalking's Blog of the Week is from Michael Kwamena-Poh. His blog's slogan is "your life is your Mindset" and it's titled lifebeginzatpoetry. Michael connected with me through Twitter as michaelkpoh. I highly encourage you to read his "My Story" section before you peruse his posts.

lifebeginzatpoetry.com

Keep Walking!

Regular Walking Protects The Masai

Scientists have long been puzzled by how the Masai can avoid cardiovascular disease despite having a diet rich in animal fats. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet believe that their secret is in their regular walking.

There is strong evidence that the high consumption of animal fats increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Many scientists have therefore been surprised that the nomadic Masai of Kenya and Tanzania are seldom afflicted by the disease, despite having a diet that is rich in animal fats and deficient in carbohydrates.

Read the complete article at ScienceDaily.com

Abstract at British Journal of Sports Medicine

Currently Down 9 Pounds In 4 Days

While looking for the Perfect Weight America book I noticed that my sweet wife had moved it from its place of honor atop the microwave. Doesn't she know that's where it belongs now? The dog was no help while I looked at the bookshelf. I guess the near constant attention he was giving me meant that he needed to go out, but I just took him out 15 minutes (has it really been an hour?) ago. I made him wait. I found the book near the lamp at the northeast side of the living room and now here we are. The following is from "What the Perfect Cleanse Is All About" on page 132 of Perfect Weight America.

The Perfect Cleanse is a ten-day detoxification cleanse that should be done quarterly in January, April, July, and October. During your ten-day Perfect Cleanse, you will eat five times a day, every two to three hours. Most people eat breakfast around 7:30 a.m., followed by a second meal at 10:30 a.m., lunch at 1:00 p.m., a mid-afternoon meal at 3:30 p.m., and dinner at 6:00 p.m. The first day of each seasonal detox is crucial.

I wish I could say that I planned to do the Perfect Cleanse right now so that you could read about it and then do it in a few weeks. Marianne and I decided it was time to do it for two reasons. One (her reason), we'll get this out of the way and not miss all the parties and foods served there and two (my reason), we'll lose (much more) weight before the end of the year and so not be ridiculously far from the goal I set December 31st, 2007. (See- ask God to help you with your New Year's Resolution(s) on New Year's Eve.)

So here we are. Right now it's between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m. on day five and I'll have some soup in just a little bit. I weighed myself an hour and a half ago and the new reading is...115.4 kilos. Now, remembering that I started at 119.6 kilos (and ignoring the fact that means less than a pound down per month since January, arrrgghh...oh, wait, I'm ignoring that fact...but, I digress...) and that minus the 115.4 equals 4.2 kilos. When you multiply 4.2 kilos by 2.2 you get 9.24 pounds. Voila! And remember - keep walking! (And buy the book and help send my son to Palomar and UCSD!)

Order Perfect Weight America

Photography Is Truth

Happy Birthday, Jean-Luc Godard!

This quote reminds me that I need to change my picture online. I don't have that bushy beard anymore.

"Photography is truth.”

Jean-Luc Godard
profile

Twitter quote 110 at ThinkExist.com

I'm Down - 8 Pounds In 3 Days

This morning I weighed myself and I was 115.9 kilos. Marianne and I started this cleanse Sunday morning when I weighed in at 119.6 kilos. The difference is 3.7 kilos and that is just over 8 pounds. I had a headache from about noon on Sunday until bedtime Monday because all we drink is water and that means caffeine withdrawal. Tuesday I had just a shadow of a headache and today it's just a shadow of a whisper. We did this during the summer so I expect that tomorrow there will be an energy surge. This is the cleanse from Perfect Weight America and I highly recommend it. I also see it as a healthy way to lose weight.

Order Perfect Weight America

Love, Britney Spears And A Food Drive

One of my new Twitter friends, avenuez, started a virtual food drive. She must have noticed my announcement that I have reached 1000 followers on Twitter and she asked me to send her message on. I did and have already received responses from vegasgeek, LindaEskin, and JenMitch. I also noticed sogeshirts retweeted the message as I looked through my Twitterstream. I hoped that I would get all positive responses to my messages sent on behalf of the virtual food drive and so far that has been the case. Why would people send on messages? I believe they looked at the site and found it worthwhile. In a way, I think it's deeper than that (I'm thinking of a four-letter word). When I checked my favorite quote site, ThinkExist.com, I was amazed to find a quote from someone you've probably heard of and today is her birthday.

I just had to take a break to finish cooking the soup I mentioned in my previous post, We Are In The Home Stretch. Several more Twitter followers have sent me messages letting me know that they have sent the message on. I'm sure others have simply sent it on without notifying me. Thanks, everyone and if you are reading this, I hope you will visit the virtual food drive and send a message to your friends about it. You could even send people to this blog and tell them to read "Love, Britney Spears And A Food Drive" and give them this link - http://tinyurl.com/BMW777157. There's more than one way to help. Please feel free to pick one!


"With love, you should go ahead and take the risk of getting hurt... because love is an amazing feeling.”

Britney Spears

Twitter quote 109 at ThinkExist.com

We Are In The Home Stretch

Today is the last day of November, 2008. One of my fondest memories with my dad was going to the horse races at Del Mar. Without getting into all the details right now, I'm pretty sure that the phrase "home stretch" comes from horse racing. That last bit of the race is so important - if you're going to finish. The home stretch is when you can actually see the finish line straight ahead. From where we are running our race we can see December 31, 2008.

Let's make sure we finish this race. If you have done everything the way you set out to do at the beginning of the year, congratulations and keep going until the end of the year. Don't stop and don't coast. Finish your race the way you've been running all year or even kick it up a notch or two - your choice. If you're like me and you're not as pleased with your performance as you thought you would be at this point, don't give up and don't give in. Keep going or find a way to dig down deep and boost your performance from here. That's a great way to end your race and your year.

I'm not going to go into the exact weight that I'm at right now. I can take comfort in the fact that the number on the scale is smaller than January 1, 2008. Marianne and I have been cooking a chicken soup all night. In Jordan Rubin's Perfect Weight America this chicken soup is on page 132 and he calls it the Perfect Cleanse. This cleanse takes 10 days and it is how we are starting our home stretch.
I haven't given up on this year, but I have had to modify my goals. I believe that we do need to be safe when it comes to our health goals and encourage you to finish the race safely.

I don't know how long the metaphor of running and winning the race has been with us, but I know at the very least it's in the neighborhood of 2000 years. If you think it might give you a boost, here's a link that compares running the race to living the life of faith.

Lastly, how much will you be walking or running through the end of the year? I encourage you to find the time. You can even do a half a mile at a time. I was at my son's soccer scrimmage right before we left San Diego County for Idyllwild the day before Thanksgiving. We would drop off our dog on the way and while we waited, I walked Mellow half a mile. That doesn't seem like much, but it adds up. It probably took me 10 or 11 minutes. If you do that even twice a day that's 365 miles a year. If that extra mile a day is in addition to whatever routine you normally engage in, that can mean losing over 10 pounds in a year. Over five years that's FIFTY pounds!

Be intentional about how much you will walk between now and the end of the year. I created a survey to get you thinking about it. Please take a moment to answer my ONE question Walking-Running survey by clicking here.

Forgiveness Quote Stands Alone

"Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.”

C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis Foundation

Chronicles of Narnia preview

Twitter quote 108 at ThinkExist.com

Thanksgiving Plus One Day

Here's to hope. Somewhere on our planet there is always violence. It is also true that there is always a refuge from violence somewhere on our planet. I hope we can start anew on this Thanksgiving Day + 1. Below are some Tweets from just before we left for Thanksgiving in Idyllwild, CA. One education-related place of note here is AstroCamp. Our son got a great deal a few years ago through the homeschool program we were involved in. He had a very positive experience and that led to our nephew attending. Despite the sometimes funky linkage on the site I recommend the AstroCamp experience, especially if you can get a special group rate.

As for the Tweets below, they are from Twitter. If you don't know Twitter, you really should join. Don't worry if you don't understand it right away. I have met some great people and my blog traffic has grown. Also, sending messages through Twitter can help you craft shorter messages. Lastly, the Tweets are in reverse order. Enjoy...and keep walking!


@OroroDC Just added your blog to my blog list on my blog - how many times can I say blog after midnight? http://www.thehoipolloi.info/ :-) 10 minutes ago from web in reply to OroroDC



@OroroDC Excellent! Let's all keep encouraging each other to walk a bit more... Add 600 steps to your day? = approx 120 miles/3 lbs a year! 12 minutes ago from web in reply to OroroDC



Walk for better health no matter what size you are. Read this blog for encouragement in reaching your goals. Can you walk? Keep walking! 22 minutes ago from web



Thanks to the discipline of Twitter, I just condensed my blog headline a little - Thanks, Twitter. Thanks, Tweets. Have a great weekend! 24 minutes ago from web



#Happy Thanksgiving -Twttr glitches in Idyllwild -been smoothing out blog -be among first followers http://theBigManWalking.blo... :-) 35 minutes ago from web



#Happy Thanksgiving all frm Idyllwild, CA.Twitter is uncooperative here. Back 2 the turkey, pancakes, sausage, eggs, pie, etc... cocoon :-) about 11 hours ago from web



#Happy Thanksgiving @wbaustin @Eva_Abreu @missvibrant I'm Blog of the Day on Thanksgiving! Cool! http://tinyurl.com/BMW777154 Thanks, Bill! about 15 hours ago from web



#Thanksgiving - HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL! I may be cocooned in Idylwild or maybe I'll check in. Enjoy! Happy eating! Blessings to you all!

Even Shrimp Exercise

The Huffington Post first got my attention about a shrimp getting a lot of exercise and here's some informative and entertaining video. Whether we are walking or running or sitting, this has real implications for humans and our world.

The Truth And Gloria Steinem

I find this quote to be true quite often, but people won't always admit it in polite society (or a semblence thereof).


"The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off."

Gloria Steinem


Twitter quote 107 at ThinkExist.com

More Gloria Steinem quotes at GoodReads.com

Honey's Off And Walking

My wife has this week off and after my meetings this morning and checking email, off we went with our dog to Batiquitos. We had just enough time to walk two miles before I needed to get back. We saw a few more walkers and a two men on benches just enjoying what I assume was lunch hour for both. If you plan well, you can get away and get back to your other tasks. And, yes, it was a beautiful day for a walk. Again. Still is if you're reading this on Tuesday.

I switched from recording my miles at Lime to MyWalks.com. I wanted to support Lime because of their environmental posture, but I found them to be unresponsive and the site was slightly too slow/complicated for the simple task of recording your miles. If they upgrade their technology and customer relations I will give them another shot. I gave them almost 1 1/2 years to get it together. I honestly think they don't get it when it comes to customer service.

On another note, I had my 2nd networking group meeting and I learned some things. I will probably be starting a blog to teach SNAP networking. Keep walking!

Conan Says Walking Is Green

Even Late Night host Conan O'Brien calls walking green. Enjoy his "PSA's".

Einstein Is Right

e=mc2: 103 years later, Einstein's proven right

That's the headline at PhysOrg.com and it's being shouted all over the world. I did see one comment about the scientists using a computer model and now that computer model has to be proven correct, but most are willing to accept that what was a hypothesis is now proven science. This is/was a complex problem and it reminded me that not everything is as simple as many of us would hope. The quote below is one of my favorites because it's simple and pragmatic.


“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

Albert Einstein


More on Einstein

Related article

Twitter quote 106 from ThinkExist.com

Toastmaster And Fan Dancer

Whether or not you're as interested in history as me, you probably think of Adlai Stevenson, the Democrat who ran against Eisenhower for president, as not too exciting (if you think of him at all). Because today is my Toastmaster meeting I was looking for a quote with the word toastmaster in it and found the one below. If you let the quote sink in, I'm pretty sure you will see Adlai Stevenson as more interesting than we might have imagined.


“The relationship of the toastmaster to the speaker should be the same as that of the fan to the fan dancer. It should call attention to the subject without making any particular effort to cover it.”

Adlai Stevenson


More on Stevenson

Twitter quote 105 from ThinkExist.com

For Those Who Are Tired

Last week I was tutoring high school students at Reality Changers and one of the kids told me he was really tired. They each had to write at least a paragraph in a short period of time and I think he wanted to give up. I told him that this was an opportunity to push himself a little bit. I told him that I didn't know what his week had been like, but he could choose to stretch himself.

For those of you who are executives and business owners and stellar employees, this might not seem like a big deal. But I was glad I could say a little something to get him to make an extra effort. I hope that with ten thousand of those little choices to do a little bit more, he will alter his path and be the first one in his family to go to college. Maybe one day he'll be a stellar employee or business owner or executive, too.

I hope that the little something below encourages you to do a little bit more when you aren't sure you can or when you don't have the desire. I'm pretty tired right now and I'm glad I got this post done before I got to bed.


One may go a long way after one is tired.

French proverb


From ThinkExist.com

Twitter quote 104

Making Sense Of Life

Maybe that's what some of us bloggers are doing - making sense of life. Maybe, just maybe...


"Writing is making sense of life. You work your whole life and perhaps you've made sense of one small area.”

Nadine Gordimer


Nadine Gordimer won the Nobel Prize In Literature in 1991. Click here to find out more.

Quote from ThinkExist.com. This is quote 103 if you're following on Twitter.

What Makes You Come Alive

While we were driving yesterday, my son asked me what lights me up. I'm very grateful that he and others his age are asking this question. I don't know how many people were thinking this way when I was his age, so it's good to see things moving in this direction. Here's a great quote in that same vein from Howard Thurman:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Howard Thurman

Click here to view a profile of Howard Thurman at PBS.


I found this quote at ThinkExist.com.

This is quote 102, if you're following me on Twitter and that's how I'll number them from here on in. Check out Einstein On Falling In Love for further explanation.

Keep Walking!

Einstein On Falling In Love

A while back I had another blog that was mostly motivational quotes and I miss that, so I'll be sharing quotes here and on Twitter.com. I have recently been sharing quotes on Twitter, so for my Tweets, this is number 101. For those following my blog, this is number ONE. To see previous quotes, you can click on the title of this post and scroll down my Twitter profile. Here is the love quote:

"Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love."

Albert Einstein

I found this quote at ThinkExist.com.


Keep Walking!

Great Retreat, Healthy Honey Now Walking

Our church had the most attendees ever at Forest Home last weekend - around 420 people and lots of kids. Our speaker, Jim Burns, had a great acrostic for maintaining/improving relationships - AWE. AWE stands for affection, warmth and encouragement. I really appreciated when he said, (my paraphrase) "If you have reservations about affection, I have three words for you. Get. Over. It." I agree wholeheartedly. Human beings need that good stuff. Jim Burns's stuff can be found at: HomeWord.com. I find him to be much more conservative than me and still, he's got something to say that's truly worth hearing.

My honey and I worked KP for all the meals. I was the big enchilada for KP and got good reviews. Just like the retreat itself, we had the most people I've ever seen setting up and cleaning up at meals. They made it so easy to lead. The KP'ers took initiative and hardly a discouraging word was heard.

Marianne and I have been playing a game we call Password. It's been a long time since I've seen that show, so it may not be exactly Password according to Hoyle(?). One person thinks of a word and then gives a one word clue. The other person gets one guess and then the "giver" gives another one word clue to the "receiver". Sometimes you get the word on the first try like when I said "Redenbacher" and she guessed the word was popcorn. She only took two word clues, sidewalk and concrete, to get pavement. (Guess which word took her six clues?!) We even played Password as we were falling asleep.

Monday morning after we got home I weighed myself and found things going in the right direction. I was down to 117.1 kilos vs. 118.5 last week which means a loss of approximately 3 pounds. Tuesday was our anniversary and we started off by walking almost three miles at Batiquitos lagoon with our dog, Mellow. It was great to spend the day together and nice of our country to have a holiday on our anniversary. (A Veteran's Day aside - Marianne's brother-in-law was in Vietnam and her grandfather was in the horse cavalry(!) in WWI. We are not quite sure if we got the whole story about her uncle who we were told died after hostilities officially ended in Korea when her mom was a kid. My dad was in the Navy, but didn't see action in Brownsville, Texas and my uncle Fred served, too. Kicked my dad across the room with only his reflexes coming out of a nap once, but that's another story. My brother almost went to Vietnam. I'm pretty sure he got a low-medium draft number and then the war was over.)

We went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse and shared some mild wings and the Alice Springs Chicken. More Password with just the two of us. The Alice Springs Chicken works for the high protein/low card lifestyle if you substitute broccoli, which they serve crisp, the way we like it. Oh, remember not to use that sugary dipping sauce to keep the carbs low.

All of the above and technology problems combined with Palomar College being closed MONDAY meant that I didn't get back online until yesterday. You should be hearing from me more often in the near future. Keep walking.

Forest Home Weekend

Let's see. How to start...

Sunday of this week I weighed myself and it was not great, especially keeping the whole year in mind. I weighed 118.5 kilos. I started the year at 123.2, so there is SOME progress. (It's definitely better than going backwards.) The difference between those two measurements is 4.7 kilos, so multiplying by 2.2 we get 10.34 pounds. That's 1 pound per month. I'm back on high protein/lo carb and expect to get some walking in this weekend at Forest Home. Forest Home is a christian camp in the town of Forest Falls, which is above Redlands. My wife, Marianne, and I are doing KP this weekend at Solana Beach Presbyterian's all-church retreat as we usually do and that will keep us on our feet a bit. There's quite a bit of walking back and forth in the normal course of the retreat. I've never really kept track before so I will be curious to see how much walking we do actually.

I do believe it's time to modify the goal for the year. With all that's going on in life I'm not prepared to lose nearly 40 pounds in under two months. That's ok. I'm in this for the long haul as I hope you are not matter whether your goals concern physical health or something else. I had a physical a couple months ago and everything was in the normal range. My hdl cholesterol (the good kind) was slightly low, but nothing to be concerned about.

I think 15 pounds from here to the end of the year is doable. I've done it before as I'm sure many of you have. I'll be thinking about 15 or 20 over the weekend.

I'm excited about the new president and excited to be going on retreat. "See" you when I get back. Keep walking. Keep moving ahead.

Go Vote!

HelenKay Dimon said it concisely. Go vote!

Visit her blog:

HelenKayDimon.com

Keep walking.

Overcast Walk In Solana Beach

My wife and I took our son to soccer practice and then Rubio's Fiesta Salad. Next stop - the beach! We haven't yet gotten into the habit of checking the high and low tide. It was definitely high tide and the sky was gray. We walked about two-thirds as far as last week as the water was rising and crashing on the rocks, leaving us no sand to work with.

We saw half a dozen sandpipers who seemed to be a group and a little later two of them might have perceived us as following them. If they had bigger brains they might have thought, "What do these people want? We take several steps and they keep coming. We can't even be a full meal for either one of them, let alone both of them! Help!"

Marianne and I did manage to get in 2.5 miles by walking the neighborhood when we left the beach. We saw a guy with a bicycle decked out in pink "fur". Last week he was wearing a hat so we didn't notice his matching pink hair. Definitely stood out on the beach. Seemed pretty harmless.

Keep walking, everyone!

Walking Batiquitos and Twitter

My wife and I have been walking at Batiquitos lagoon recently and in case you live in San Diego County or you're willing to come here, remember Batiquitos. I really haven't walked there since I was a kid with my older brothers and there was no Four Seasons or any houses to speak of. My dad used to refer to this as "the slough" and we used to smell it miles away in Leucadia in the 70's. I think that odor doesn't happen as often now, but then, I live farther away from the water as a dad than I did as a son.

Sunday morning we walked three miles and last night at dusk we did two. I remembered back to a time when the falling darkness would have been mucho scary. Lots of people on a Sunday morning. As the stars came out Tuesday evening, not so much - we found ourselves alone for the final leg back out of the dark "forest". Either way it feels good to walk. Maybe we'll walk on the beach tonight. We'll see.

I have been following people and vice-versa on Twitter recently. Some of those folks are walkers, too. It's good to be connected to other walkers, exercise junkies and such so we can keep each other encouraged and motivated. You can click on the title of this post to see my profile on Twitter. I hope to see you there.

Over Two Miles Before 6 AM

Last night I did my Wednesday night tutoring at Reality Changers and I was inspired by the efforts of some of the kids I know. One guy picked up "The Dialogues of Plato" for pleasure reading! Another student has decided to take a trip with People to People's Student Ambassadors and it's exciting to see them expand their horizons. I guess my inspiration carried over to my sleep time and my brain woke up a little after 4:30 thinking about the same stuff. If you are in San Diego or the North Coast portion of San Diego County and you would like that to tutor/mentor senior high students, give me a shout.

After laying in bed for 15 minutes or so I decided to take Mellow for a walk and he was one enthusiastic retriever. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood but it's nice to have a dog with you walking that early. We walked just over two miles while I counted in my head to double check the landmarks every quarter mile. I know from walking the track at Palomar College that just under 500 of my steps is approximately a quarter mile. I got back before 5:45 and surprised my wife with mushrooms and scrambled eggs with Trader Joe's green salsa.

Last time I mentioned "that's another post" and late in the day my wife and I walked two miles at Solana Beach again. This was the same day that I had done the four miles plus earlier in the day and I was a little tired near the end. I didn't quite lift my foot high enough as we were exiting the beach and I ran into the hardest lump of seaweed I ever remember encountering. Almost broke my fourth toe on my left foot and it's a nice rainbow of purple now. That incident on what should have been the easiest walk of the day has me sort of resting my foot. I walked over a mile yesterday and it's not quite as bad today, but it's much more painful when I walk barefooted as I was on the beach. Wear shoes or watch out!

Walking the Dog Four Miles (Twice)

Yesterday I started out for a walk with our dog, Mellow, and decided to keep going. Recently I've only taken individual walks in the one to two mile range, but I decided to be more adventurous. If you know Carlsbad - San Marcos - Vista, I walked down Alga to Melrose and down past Poinsettia to whatever the next street is and back with side trips in my neighborhood. My dog was grateful and my body knew I had gotten some exercise after four miles.

This morning I decided to be a bit more adventurous and walked the same route almost to Palomar Airport Road where I cut through the business park and went back via El Fuerte to Unicornio and then Xana. On the way down El Fuerte I discovered a walking trail that I didn't know existed. The trail is asphalt and it mostly parallels the road but dips into a canyon and that allowed me freedom to let my dog roam a little. I wasn't sure if this was an old dead end that would have me backtracking and I knew I was already past the three mile mark. Would this be an even longer walk than I anticipated? Mellow and I met another guy and his dog along the way and eventually the trail led back up to the road, but not before we noticed the 15 degree (at least) temperature difference at the canyon bottom. This round trip was 4.25 miles. I walked more through the rest of the day, but that's another post.

Solana Beach vs. Encinitas

When I was young I lived with my family in Encinitas and Leucadia. We moved from Melrose in Encinitas to Patty Lane in Leucadia when I was five. We were there until my dad, the country boy from Illinois, thought it was too crowded on the coast. (That was 1976! He "escaped" us to the wilds of Valley Center. Talk about bad timing in the real estate market...long story short...the house he bought for 37,500 in 1968 he sold for 62,500 and within 18 months it had been resold three times. In early 1978 it sold for $198,000!) I remember not making that much of a distinction between Encinitas and Leucadia back then as both had the same zip code. Even today I'm amused and sometimes annoyed at the smaller and smaller areas around here giving themselves a name. (Part of the branding revolution, I guess.) I was a number-oriented kid and still am. I follow politics and I really like FiveThirtyEight.com, which focuses on the numbers involved in politics and polling.

Lately I've been really noticing that my walking numbers have been down. I need to get a new pedometer. You may have experienced this, too. I find that the accurate measurement - that counter you can check whenever you want - really keeps me motivated. Some may say that it's just one strategy, but it is definitely a strategy that works for me. Find the strategies that work for you. The other day I was counting steps in my head again while walking on the beach with my honey.

We had decided to go to Solana Beach because there was no parking anywhere remotely close to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. It was a hot day, but I don't remember that lack of parking happening very often. (Maybe my dad was right.) Was it the combination of the heat and my quietness (I was counting in my head - mouth closed.) during the first half of the walk that made me see Solana Beach in a new way? Because Moonlight Beach was my default beach when I was a kid, it was the beach I tended to visit even after I moved and still what I think of when I picture the beach in my mind.

Solana Beach at low tide was unbelievably beautiful to my eyes. The flat beach between the cliffs and the ocean reminded me of Lawrence of Arabia, one of my favorite movies. We saw a few sandpipers and other birds. They were doing a dance up and down and my wife wondered if it was a mating dance. It was about 5:30 and the light at that time of day just seemed perfect. I would say that it was the best 2 mile walk I've ever had except for the one on Catalina where I met her years ago, but that's another story. Marianne and I will pay more attention to low tide and we'll be visiting Solana Beach again soon.

Watering Roses And Reading Lauren Winner

Our son got his second "behind the wheel" today and I watered the roses and everything else at the Bay Park house, front and back. He said that driving isn't as much fun for two hours when you don't really have a goal. Wait until he commutes. I did manage to get some walking in with all that back and forth, but tomorrow is really the day.

Watering gives you time to think. Some of the time I was reading Lauren Winner's "girl meets GOD". She is really good. Maybe I'll write as well one day. I was really moved as she talked about faith and feeling and Christianity and Judaism. She tells her story extremely well. I can see in my mind's eye everything she describes quite easily. You feel for her every step of the way. She motivates and inspires.

I'll be thinking about her story on my walk tomorrow.

Not Quite Awake But Blogging

I was awakened minutes ago by a dream in which I received an email telling me I was going to be killed by a professional killer. Is God giving me ideas for a screenplay? I know I'm not quite awake because I couldn't remember what keys did what on my laptop for a couple seconds.

During the last 10 days I have been exploring Twitter and I am finding that more visitors have found my blog today than just about any day in the last couple months.

I read my blog entry and realized it's been a couple weeks, which is probably not as interesting to the Twitter people who mostly send messages at least once or twice a day. I haven't been able to shut up since I started Twittering (Tweeting?). Visit my Twitter profile by clicking on the title of this post.

I do believe that having this many people read my stuff will give me more incentive to get back on pace. I intended to go again to the climbing wall with my son, but he was worn down by soccer and karate. I've only done 2 miles at a time walking recently, so I've got to get that back in shape. Any Twitterers (Tweeters?) and others who want to leave encouraging comments are welcome to do so.

I also started a blog called How I Twitter. If you're interested in social networking, you'll want to visit: HowITwitter.blogspot.com and "follow" me on Twitter. I can't quite remember what else I had to say so I guess I'll be getting back to bed soon.

Tell Someone Publicly

I volunteer with Reality Changers most Wednesday nights. We have a sharing time that includes the tutors and I let them know that I have been going backwards and/or standing still in my weight loss goal. When I started in January, I assumed that by publicly letting people know through the internet, I would have enough incentive to reach my goal.

Now I am in a position to show you that even though you get off track, you can get right back on the horse. It's helpful to tell at least one other person about your goal and in my case, I told about a dozen. Later this morning I will weigh myself and see where I'm at.

I did do something I haven't done before last Friday. My son and I went to Solid Rock Gym in San Marcos for an hour and a half and we definitely worked up a sweat on the climbing walls. He asked me if we could go and I thought about it and decided I would do it. I didn't realize that he was only asking if I would take him and be the belayer. So I stepped out of my comfort zone and worked some muscles that needed working and Stuart and I had a great time. We are on schedule for this Friday, too.

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Check out my new blog at BurritoMultiplierEffect.blogspot.com

Walked And Walked At Comic-Con

Comic-Con is huge. Over 120,000 visitors over four days padded the San Diego Convention Center. Last year I was really hurting afterwards. My feet still felt the impact this year, but all the walking I've done has gotten me used to it so it was no big deal. I was really tired one day and decided to take a nap at 6:45. I got up the next morning at 6:15. I haven't gotten that much sleep in years. Come to Comic-Con next year, but register by March [!] if you want a 4-day pass. Be prepared to walk and walk and walk and then walk some more. Why not train for it starting today?

Click on the title of this post to see some images from a very talented artist I met. His name is Francis Vallejo and he is a student at the Ringling [Yes - THAT Ringling. Who knew?] College of Art + Design in Sarasota, Florida.

The Maker's Diet (Cleanse)

Just got done with the cleanse part of The Maker's Diet. I lost over 13 pounds in 10 days. Today was day two of the actual diet. Tomorrow is the first day of Comic-Con, so I will definitely be walking and walking (and walking!). I hereby promise to blog more often. Right now I am soooo ready for bed.

You can amuse yourself with some political writing by clicking on the title of this post. I'll be sharing political links of different stripes between now and the general election in November. Did I mention that I am tired? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Music Gets You Going

If you click on the title of this post, the music of The Submarines will start right up. Some are calling them folk, but I'm not exactly sure what that means with modern instrumentation. I know they probably sound great in an Ipod while you're walking. I may have to get one of those one of these days.

Here I go on my walk...

(Yes, I am still walking. Never give up.)

Never Give Up

Never give up.

'Nuff said.

Walking Before 6 AM

Today I got a good start. I got a good night's sleep after visiting Dr. Tarighati yesterday who filled three cavities. I was really impressed with how smoothly it went and I was surprised when he told me it was all done. I was expecting the same amount of time for each tooth. I told him that he's impressive. One Motrin was all I took after the anesthetic wore off and I slept right throught from a little after 10 until a little after 5. Today that area seems normal except there's no pain like before. No wonder I was in a good mood so early!

My dog, Mellow, and I got 1.5 miles in and I came back and made breakfast. Mama was happy.

Walking And Nonviolent Communication

I got a good mile or so in just before I spoke with a nice woman who's interested in learning more about compassionate communication. I find that you can generally fit a mile in your schedule if you just pay attention. I knew that I would be on the phone and that after I would need to pick up my son. Now I've got time to call one more person before I leave and the dog is happy, too.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

---

Click on the title of this post to check out/but Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life.

Secret Message Under This Message

I got back from Dr. Tarighati's office a few hours ago. The second phase of my root canal went so well that I don't feel any pain right now. This guy's good - great, even. He even noticed how much weight I lost. What a guy. And my neighbor, Kim, said that I inspired her to exercise more. Guess I'll really and truly have to get back on the horse and stop with these sub-five mile days. I got a good start today. More tomorrow.

Good Advice No Matter Who Said It

"In the end, go with your gut."

Donald Trump (1946 - )
American real estate developer


from justsell.com

First The Good News

Yesterday was Sunday and my honey surprisingly got me up earlier than I expected as we had made plans to attend the evening service at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. Our son was away and my body (and mind) expected to sleep in until around 8 or so. We hadn't been to the beach lately and all of a sudden San Diego County is experiencing a heat wave. She wisely suggested that earlier would be milder than later at the beach and so off we went.

We drove down to Del Mar and parked on the street around 19th. Easily finding a parking space near 19th street is another advantage of getting up early. We even had time to share breakfast at Pipes in Cardiff before we reached our final destination.

While the beach wasn't deserted, there still weren't that many people there when we arrived. We walked about a half mile until we were clear of the surfer's only (in the water) zone and set our stuff down. I realized that maybe I should have waited in line at Pipes because I really needed to find the facilities. After walking about another half mile I was relieved (in more ways than one) to find a just-cleaned (read: hosed down) men's room. After taking care of business Marianne and I walked south to the tide pools. I don't remember the last time I saw sea slugs. (One was curious about my toes.) I kept imagining those cute creatures in Galaxy Quest that turn out to be ravenous beasts, but gently touching this fist-sized creature didn't turn him (her?) into anything but a shy guy. Further out in the ocean we saw dolphins surfacing over and over as they made their way north. I didn't go into the water very far as it was really cold. It's been a long time since I was in water so cold that it literally hurt to stay in it. What a contrast with the sun that seemed more blazing every few minutes.

We did get in about three miles walking. We'll be back on the beach again soon.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Positively Progressive Perdition of Pounds

Yesterday I got good news when I stepped on the scale. Last week not so much. Two weeks ago I found out that I gained just a little - .2 kilos or .44 pounds. Last week I weighed in at 115.7, which was a tiny gain - .1 kilos or .22 pounds. Not a loss, but two small gains two weeks in a row.

Since February 25 I have been on again, off again with a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. I have found that it's not easy when you run into your son's birthday - especially when you bake the cake. Easter and the usual accompanying chocolate eggs and other goodies really make it hard for me to stay low carb. I did succeed last week. So, the good news on the scale yesterday was a new low for my Tuesday weigh-in - 114.5 kilos. That means I lost 1.2 kilos or 2.64 pounds. Yes, I am still walking. Does a low carb diet like South Beach help? I think so and most people agree. Why not do both?

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Slept Straight Through

When I started walking in January I assumed that it would improve my sleeping patterns. Well, last night I finally slept through around seven hours. Today I'm good and tired and it's not even nine. More updates tomorrow.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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"You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."

Walt Disney (1901-1966)
American entrepreneur, movie producer and showman

from justsell.com

Lewis Carroll On Running

"It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that."

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
English writer, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

from justsell.com

Records & Milestones

This past Sunday I walked through the 500 mile mark in 2008. Yesterday was the end of the first quarter of the year. Today was the start of the month and this is no April Fool's joke: I walked my longest single walk this morning before 10 am - six miles! Today's total is over 10 miles, which makes it one of my top five. Now it's time for a good night's sleep.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Weight Blip This Week

On Tuesday I weighed in and found I had gained a little. Excuse? Easter! It happens. The key is to not give up because of a bump in the road (or chocolate eggs in my tummy). The weight? 115.6 Kilos, which was up .2 or .44 pounds. Not a lot, but the wrong direction. Finally, to be fair, Easter was not the only culprit. I walked less in the two weeks after the accident, though I did make it to nine miles a couple days ago. I have never stopped walking. I never will as long as I am breathing. Come back and see that I'm still going. Take heart in your own struggle with weight, exercise, or goals.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

How I Looked Weeks Ago

Almost 5 Miles And Many Hours Left

This morning I started off with a four mile walk and I haven't done a lot of walking since, but I'm close to five miles. That's the goal that a lot of people set for their entire day - 10,000 steps.

If you have been walking or exercising a little less than a month ago, today is a good day to get back to your more ambitious pace. It doesn't matter what that number is, because you're not competing with me and vice-versa. If you were doing a mile a day and now you're down to a fraction of it, today's the day to get back "up there". If you were doing ten miles a day and have slipped to six, you can choose to be right back at your more challenging pace.

Today is the day!

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Six Miles Again (Finally)

Totalling my car a week and a half ago took more wind out of my sails than I originally thought. Today, however, I finally got back over the six mile mark. Tomorrow's Easter. A good time to turn over a new leaf. Or make a resolution. Or set a new goal. Or change your life.

That reminds me. I prayed on December 31, 2007 for God to help me with my new year's resolution. I will soon be down 20 pounds and I have walked nearly 460 miles (and Sport Chalet replaced my pedometer with zero hassles!). Marianne says I seem to have more stamina. Seems to me that the good Lord has kept up his end of the bargain.

Ask and you shall receive.


I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Sport Chalet Replaced My Pedometer

My pedometer went on the fritz and I gave it a day to right itself. No such luck. This morning I went down to Sport Chalet and they replaced it no problem. I like those guys. I find it a whole lot easier to keep track of five miles or so walking when I don't have to count the steps in my head.

Tuesday I weighed in and didn't mention it. 115.4 kilos - down again!

Walking With The Little Guy

Over the recent weekend Marianne and I got a chance to take a walk with Ethan, the grand nephew. We walked down to a local store in Oceanside and got him five t-shirts. The walk was about a mile and gave us a little time with Ethan. He's the little guy on my side of the family right now. In the past I might have driven to the store, but now we're even a little greener. With oil above $100 a barrel there is another huge incentive to use an alternative mode of transportation. Walking does the job.

After the accident last week that totalled the Buick, I'm confident that the 400 plus miles I've walked has gotten me in better shape to recover faster. Though I've been tired I have walked at least 3 1/2 miles everyday. I expect I'll get back on the fast track tomorrow.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Tired And Still Walking

One car and three people means a lot of driving and getting up earlier than usual. I was fairly tired today and good and tired right now. Still I walked. Not even near a record day, but I walked. You can, too. Walking. Running. Working out. Swimming. Whatever you're doing, keep doing. And hey, soon, the situation changes and you do more than you expect. Tomorrow I'll have a rental car and ironically I'll drive less. And that means more walking. With my pedometer, too.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

How Life Can Almost Change

Last night my son and I were driving home from his induction into the National Honor Society and we stopped at Vons. After a little shopping, we got on San Marcos Blvd. and turned left onto Rancho Santa Fe Rd. and within seconds our lives almost changed. Someone turned left right into our path and we ran smack into them. Thank God for airbags. I'm a little sore and Stuart is a teensy bit sore and the other guy seemed fine. I think the Buick is totaled. I am so glad we weren't driving the smaller car I used to have.

We waited for the police and paramedics and they checked me out and let me go. I haven't walked today as much as I would have liked. One car and three people meant I'm right back on the [driving] horse several times today. I still have some time tonight for walking. I'll say it again - Thank God for airbags.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Walk For More Than CardioVascular Health

Yesterday I got a call from a good friend I've known since high school. He was enthusiastic about the walking I've done in 2008. He also wondered where I could fit it in.

If you don't worry about the cardiovascular benefits and simply concentrate on walking whenever you can, you can get a lot of steps in. Literally right before I sat down here I took the 419th step of a very short walk with the dog which took about four minutes. In fact, I started this post and left to pick up my son. Now I'm back and finishing the post and using a few minutes wisely.

How many times do we decide that "I've only got a few minutes" and so we decide to "kill" those few minutes. If you take short walks of 4-8 minutes 10 times a day, that could be between 4000 and 8000 steps or more per day. You still burn calories even without much cardiovascular benefit. You still gradually build bone when you walk. Even if you only did the really short 400 step walk five times a day above whatever you're currently doing, that would be 2000 steps and that's about 10 pounds a year. Just remember to NOT eat more than you're currently eating. And remember the pedometer.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Get Back On The Horse

After a 12 mile Thursday, I did several days of below average walking. Most of that was due to the retreat, which kept me busier than you might think as I was part of the music team and a work team that felled some trees. This morning I was determined to get in a good walk and I did just that. Whistling "Mr. Bojangles" again, Mellow and I did three miles before 9 am and 2 1/2 miles of that was in a single walk.

Since I started at the beginning of the year, I have lost over 15 pounds. This morning I weighed in at 116.2 Kilos, which translates to 255.64 pounds. I also passed the 400 mile mark while I was out walking just now.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click here to visit the OTHER Big Man Walking blog or click on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com.

Quotes below or unattributed are from ThinkExist.com.


“Energy and persistence alter all things.”

Benjamin Franklin


“My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”

Bjorn Borg


“You have to show your persistence. Investors are looking for that persistence. You have the second meeting and keep talking, and three months later, they might write a check.”

Jim Roberts


“There are no secrets to success: Don't waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work, and persistence.”

Colin Powell


"Dreams are at once fruit & outcry against an atrophy of the senses."

Jim Morrison (American poet and singer. Member of the American band The Doors and one of rock music's mythic figures. 1943-1971)

Driving And Walking Back To 1965

Driving my son to the community college this morning he was singing James Brown's I Got You (I Feel Good), which most of us know simply as "I Feel Good." I've noticed recently that the next generation likes the music of the 60's and 70's a lot more than my generation liked music from the 40's and 50's when we were that age. Maybe it was more authentic?

I had a great weekend retreat with the men of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church and our authentic speaker, Andy Smith, and that has carried over to this morning. I definitely feel good. After reading Moses's Psalm (90) per Andy Smith's teaching, I set out on a short walk with the dog and sure enough, James Brown's tune was the one I was I took with me. I feeeeeel nice, sugar and spice.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click here to visit FreeRice.com and click on the title of this post to visit the OTHER BigManWalking (articles) blog.

Andy Smith gave us four points to notice in Moses's Psalm 90. Here are four possibly surprising and inspirational quotes from G.K. Chesterton:

“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

“Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable.”

“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

“Do not free a camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel.”

From Garden Party To Retreat

Mellow and I were out walking again this morning. I wanted hopefully to get a couple miles in before 8. I'm getting ready to go on retreat with the men of Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. Last night I was in rehearsal with a handful of them because "I'm with the band." I'm singing backup, which I guess makes me like a Pip with fewer dance moves. We practiced about a dozen songs that are pretty familiar from worship services and this morning I had one of them in my head as the dog and I got a few hundred yards into our walk.

So, I checked with Last.FM and lo and behold, they have a version of Blessed Be Your Name by Robin Mark that's very good.

Not long into the walk my attention shifted to a song that might be more familiar to fans of pop music from the 1970's - Garden Party by Rick Nelson. The other day it was Mr. Bojangles from 1971 and today it's Garden Party from 1972. Will I remain mostly stuck in the 70's on my walks? Check back after I return from the retreat to find out.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Inspirational, Motivational And Interesting Quotes are back starting today


“I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist.”

Tammy Faye Bakker


Find this and other Tammy Faye Bakker [most recognize this last name rather than Messner) quotes at ThinkExist.com.

TammyFaye.com

His Dog And Him

"His dog and him" were the lyrics I heard in my head the other day while walking with my dog (see previous post). I sometimes hum or sing while I'm walking. Mr. Bojangles was the song in my head a couple days ago, but my long walk down Alga today really gave me the feeling of "my dog and me". Lots of cars and not enough sidewalk and NOBODY else walking, though we did see the occasional cyclist. I haven't gotten to the point where I need an IPod or Zune when I walk. Today is the second time I've walked over 10 miles in 8 hours, so that's saying something. I am looking forward to April when a truly sweat-resistant earpiece is scheduled to debut from Plantronics. I can see myself on the phone sometimes when I walk. I can also see myself passing the 400 mile mark sometime this weekend or early next week.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click to listen to Mr. Bojangles by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at Last.FM or here to read the lyrics.

My Dog And Me In The Morning

After getting a good night's sleep and having a good meeting with Peter and John, I was ready for a couple miles with Mellow, my dog. Mellow was plenty ready himself. He prefers to "express himself" in the prickly bushes or the clover and I've trained him to stop what he's doing when I utter "AAAH-AAAH". So he left the tall clover at my urging and did his little circle dance on the short grass before he did his thing and then we got on our way.

Mellow follows well with or without a lease and that makes it a lot easier. We see lots of people with their dogs and some of them are pretty poorly behaved. I understand why some people want to take in dogs who have been abused or who are doomed or both, like non-winning greyhounds. I don't understand why people choose dogs that are difficult on other people. One lady has a dog who clearly wants to tear Mellow apart. Others have dogs that get aggressive towards me. It seems like some dogs would be better off away from densely populated areas. I've even seen one woman with a stroller and two ill-mannered (to say the least) dogs. Her situation seems like an accident waiting to happen.

Perhaps I'm old-fashioned about this, but I think people should come first in this equation and if your dog isn't going to behave well around people, you need to keep your pet away from people. Should people have to keep getting out of the way because you made what amounts to a bad choice in dogs? Still, Mellow and I do our best to cross the street when the hostiles come near.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Walk Anyway

Sometimes you don't feel like it. That's ok. You can use it as a learning experience. Or maybe something akin to muscle memory for attitude. I don't feel like walking right now. I'm going to walk anyway. When I get back, I expect that my candidate for president will be in the same position as when I left. My son will still be mere months away from college decision time and weeks away from the SAT and I still need to call the car people. But my pedometer will look different.

Next time I don't feel like it I will go for a walk again. And it will be that much easier because I did it this time.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Don't Sit Down!

Back in 1993 I made an amazing discovery. When I come in the house, if I simply don't sit down I will get the next task done much sooner. Seems simple enough. The key for me is remembering to stay standing up.

This morning I took the dog for a little drive and got the paper. After giving the dog a little food, I set down my drink on the kitchen table and stood reading the paper for just a minute or so. I went back downstairs and got the dog and we went right out and started walking.

A few weeks ago I started breaking my day into three mini-days. I learned this over ten years ago from a life insurance organization started by a man named Hubert Humphrey - no relation to the politician. My understanding is that Humphrey started this practice and taught it to us. At one time I felt it was a little silly, but I have found that now that I am choosing this, I like it and it helps me focus on getting things done.

My dog, Mellow, and I walked about three miles and I got back to the house just before 8 am, the end of my first mini-day. Because I didn't sit down I had time to do the best I have done for three weeks before 8 am. I know this for sure because after I got back I sat down and I have been at the computer a little under an hour.

Incidentally, I was also motivated after I stepped on the scale and got a pleasant surprise. I had expected to "break even" for the week, but my new number is 117.7 kilos which is just under 259 pounds. This is the first time I've been under 259 pounds in 11 or 12 years.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

(Don't sit down!)

Tomorrow Is Another Day

Yum! Pure Protein has a S'mores flavored snack bar with only 8 net carbs. The problem is...Trader Joe's doesn't carry it. I got a Chocolate Peanut Butter bar tonight and there are actually two problems. The bar is bigger and it has 21 net carbs. I knew that giving in at my son's birthday wall climbing extravaganza would put me off course for a day, but I didn't count on being derailed by snack bars. I'll see how it goes tomorrow.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Started another Big Man Walking blog to highlight more articles and the see how Wordpress is these days. Click to visit.

Show Your Friends

This isn't technically related to walking. But you've got to show your friends. Send them the link to this Big Man Walking post and see if they smile knowingly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbek46GB-zU

Big Man Walking On Flickr

Last night I heard about the growth of Flickr and the impact of Flickr photos. I just started my own Flickr page. If it's good enough to get photos out of totalitarian countries, it's good enough for me. Join me! Here's my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigmanwalking

Sometimes I Get Really Busy

This week has been so much busier than normal. I got home last night after 11 and someone else was using my computer! My hope is that I can give more detail later today. Just got done baking a cake for my son's party and now the last minute preparations and then picking up some pies and then it's the climbing wall (for the kids at least). Through all the busyness I have been walking and encourage you to do so, too. Feels like a lot more than just a few days since I set my record of 14 miles in a single day. And I am STILL walking, just no new record. Keep it up. Send this the URL for Big Man Walking to a friend who might need it more than you.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

45 And Lowest Weight In Years

Today is my 45th birthday. My weight has not been this low for a couple years and if the trend continues, tomorrow or the next day I will be at a weight I haven't seen for a dozen years! Rest assured I am still walking. I will get up after this post and see if I can get my 8 am to 4 pm mini-day to 10,000 steps. If you view the right column on this page and click on "Walk Out!" under Walking Links, you'll see that I post my minutes/miles 3 times a day.

Yesterday I was swamped preparing for a 40 minute presentation last night to a group of college bound high schoolers at Reality Changers. I was so adrenalized after I got home that I couldn't get to sleep until around 3! So, I'm a little tired right now. I'm going to walk and get back to you after my birthday and the Toastmasters speech contest tomorrow.

Please keep in mind that you walk a little EVERY day and some days you get inspired to do more and some of those inspired days you do A LOT more. That's the way it's working for me. I believe it's because I'm simply not stopping. If you don't see a post, which happens about 10% of the time, you can know I'm still walking. Remember to check my "Walk Out!" for my current numbers.

I am walking. You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.