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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.