Met Musical Jessica Fore On Facebook

Yesterday I commented on something Alan Hirsch had to say on Facebook and soon I liked what someone else had to say and that led to Jessica Fore and I messaging. Then I found out she's a musician who shares her faith experience.

I love all the things you can do more easily because of Facebook. I have included a hidden link to one of Jessica's songs which you can visit by clicking on the title of this post or you can click on this tinyurl I made http://tinyurl.com/BMW7CJFore1.

Click for more about Jessica Fore


Keep walking!

Tom Sietsema Weight Control Tips

Tom Sietsema on portion and weight control

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/05/19/VI2010051901193.html

Gout

I've got gout. Details to follow.

My New Deal

There have been a lot of changes around here recently. The house in San Diego that my wife and her sister have been trying to sell for 3 years finally sold a couple weeks ago. Yay! Marianne and I have been looking at houses in North County and the 250K to 350K price range has been heating up, especially relative to the 500K and up range. I couldn't change her mind about a house at the corner of Esperanza and Bliss (Hope & Bliss!) in Oceanside, but when the listing agent came back from vacation we heard there were already ten offers! So we start again tomorrow with our agent, David Diehl.

Friday afternoon I received my products from Garden of Life, so this is a disclaimer about BigManWalking. Garden of Life is now sponsoring my blog! I'll tell a little more about the two products, Diet 360 and RAW ONE for Men in a future post. You can click on the title of this post to see another product that my wife has been using for a while. It slipped my attention that Goatein was even a Garden of Life product. Our son really likes natural smoothies and we usually mix Trader Joe's European style yogurt with Goatein, bananas and frozen berries. He enjoys this at least two or three times a week and so do I if I'm not doing a high protein/low carb regimen.

Since I weighed myself Saturday morning I found that I had gained back over 9 lbs. of the 14 I lost. Be careful of the days leading up to the Super Bowl ("Well, I know I won't be good tomorrow, so I'll start early."), the day of the Super Bowl party and the days after ("I can get back in the swing tomorrow..."), chocolate and really rainy days. I was definitely not prepared for the amount of rain we had. More than once I said something like, "Honey, it's coming down in buckets. Let's not drive all the way to the YMCA in this mess." We're finally back to more typical San Diego weather as I was actually sweating during a simple mile walk earlier.

Today I started "writing" using Philips VoiceTracker while I walked. That should be a big help in walking more. My hope is that I won't affect the technology with perspiration. That, and encouragement from friends on Facebook & Twitter, is about where it's at.

During January I walked* 111.5 miles and I have walked* 142.25 miles in 2010.

Follow me on Twitter and Facebook!

Visit My Birthday Wish On Facebook

Twitter Profile http://twitter.com/BigManWalking


Keep walking!

I Lost Over 6 Pounds In 3 Days

Anyone who has read my blog a while knows that I like Jordan Rubin's cleanse and right now my wife, Marianne, and I are in (not quite) the middle of it. You can click on the title of this post or scroll down to read about our start.

If you are wondering about the impact of exercise, don't. Days before the start of the cleanse I burned 977 calories in 65 minutes on the elliptical trainer at the Y and haven't done much beyond a nearly 4 mile walk in Big Bear over the weekend. Because of the rain over the last three days I haven't gotten much exercise in - walking or otherwise.

When I started 3 days ago the scale read 123.6 which means I have lost 2.9 kilos because this morning it read 120.7 kilos. You multiply by 2.2 to get pounds so that equals 6.38 lbs. By the way, you can do this cleanse. All you have to do is get over any impulse you might have to say, "How many times do I eat chicken soup?"

While I didn't purposely set out to not exercise much over the last week, one thing led to another. A busy day Thursday before I gave blood meant at least two days off since the San Diego Blood Bank admonishes you to not workout for 24 hours after donating. They found that I have iron-rich blood and hooked me up to give a double donation of red cells. I'll go back in 16 weeks.

Before my 24 hours were up I was driving us up to Big Bear and it was dark and cold when we arrived. We got our stuff inside and then ran around outside turning stuff on (like water and heat). After getting instructions over the phone from our friends ( which led me UNDER the cabin) I found myself alone putting the last tool in the stand-alone garage on this cold, dark night and successfully fought off the sensation/ambiance in the garage of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie or as our son perhaps more accurately suggested, The Strangers, and then I semi-hurried back inside. Soon I found myself waking up from a 3 hour nap and joining all those who had arrived while I slumbered. With 9 people in the cabin I forgot all about the little bit of creepiness I had imagined earlier and sure enough, the neighborhood looked like a friendly mountain getaway in the pristine light of the morning.

More next time...

Keep walking!

New Year, Haiti & U2

Incredible Events.

How many hurt or killed in Haiti?

I expected to share how things are going for me in 2010 and now I definitely have to say that things are fantastic when compared with what people are going through in Haiti right now.

Whatever your orientation, please send out your thoughts and prayers for the people of Haiti and all the rescue workers, medical personnel and anyone who is helping this poor country. If you can't help directly, send what money you can.

As for me, I am exactly where I was weight-wise on the morning of December 31, 2009. But, I feel good as I've been doing lots of time on the elliptical trainer at the YMCA.

This weekend I'll be away and give more detail when I get back.

I've found the U2 song, "40", to be helpful right now. Click the link below or on the title of this post to hear their version of Psalm 40.

U2's 40


So far I have walked* 79.5 miles in 2010.


Keep walking!

Things I Learned (TIL) A Year Ago This Week

Last year at this time I was in the middle of a cleanse - Jordan Rubin's Perfect Weight America or Maker's Diet cleanse. I had good success and felt great and in the past year I've found out how you can put the weight back on!

In order to not get discouraged I think it's important to ask yourself what you've learned from your experiences over the past year. For me, I recognize that getting back to a healthy weight means both exercise and a more disciplined approach to what I put in my body.

Keeping things in perspective is very important, too. Last night with Reality Changers I was really moved by the true stories of their lives that the students shared. I have never had to live in a car even one night, let alone for years. I have never had someone pressuring me to join a gang over and over for years. I have never had to take over a house cleaning job while I went to school because my mom had a stroke. All these scenarios are realities that these Reality Changers students are overcoming.

I can overcome, too. Dropping some weight I can do once again. I've done it before and this time I can keep it off.

Keep walking!

Waking Up At Old California Coffee House

During the last 6 months or so I have become a regular at The Old California Coffee House in San Marcos. I do something most days that you can do, too. I walk 1/4 mile in the parking lot while my coffee is being made. This morning it was a nippy 46 degrees. Even if your beverage doesn't take as long to make as my organic Bolivian, you should find that your coffee is still hot when you get done.

Remember, an extra 1/4 mile a day year round means losing approximately three pounds a year. Usually it takes less than 5 minutes! Not much, but that's 30 pounds over ten years or 60 pounds in 20 years! How many people have gained about three pounds a year since high school?

If you are in the area, I highly recommend visiting The Old California Coffee House. Ask for Noelle and tell them BigManWalking (or Charlie) sent you.

I have walked* 764.25 miles in 2009.

Keep walking!

"Ralph Rubio Is Coming!"

Tonight, as on most Wednesday nights, I go to Solana Beach for Reality Changers, where high school students are preparing to be the first generation in their family to get a college degree. We have a group lesson, share a meal, and then most adults are teamed with one or two students as their tutor/mentor right after we have a speaker. This is the night that Ralph Rubio, founder of Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, is the guest speaker! Very Cool! Thanks, Ralph!

In addition, Sydney, manager of the Carlsbad Rubio's listed below, is providing free meals for 50 people! And, in the new year we'll have a Reality Changers night at her Rubio's that will benefit the Reality Changers program. I hope you'll join us and enjoy some yummy Rubio's food. I regularly enjoy the Fiesta Chicken Salad which is great even if you're doing a high protein/low carb regimen.

If you would like to serve as a tutor/mentor, check out the Reality Changers website. Click on the title of this post to see directions to Palomar Airport Road Rubio's (Gateway Road Rubio's).

CARLSBAD - Palomar Airport Road & El Fuerte
2675 Gateway Road
Carlsbad, CA 92010

Keep walking!

"Kiva.org Microloans Help!"

Can You Suggest Ways I Can Make Posts About Kiva.org Consistent With The BigManWalking Theme?"

I just had to get back on the blog, so...

Quick Update - I have walked 1 mile so far today.

Yesterday I weighed in at 270 lbs.

I started on high protein/low carb regimen.

Today I weighed 268 lbs.

I have walked* 633.75 miles in 2009.

Read about Kiva.org and how you or someone you know can help! You can view Doracy's profile by clicking below or on the title of this post:

Doracy - the person I helped today

Below is the email the website would send out. Let me know if you would like a reminder sent to you!

Keep walking!

---

Hi!

I just made a loan to someone in United States using a revolutionary new website called Kiva (www.kiva.org).

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone across the globe who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Doracy in United States. They still need another $2,875.00 to complete their loan request of $4,325.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Doracy too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=142773

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks!

---------------------------------------------------------
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.'
-- The Wall Street Journal

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

Friends Help

About an hour ago I got off the phone with my Wednesday 9am Warrior Group. We met at a James Ray seminar a month ago and we check in with each other every week in order to keep on track with our goals, stay positive and encourage one another. Because I have been focusing so much on my son's graduation, the graduations of friends' children (who are young adults now!) and the changes at this time in our lives (as well as attempting to win a seat in the World Series of Poker), I have not been walking as much as I have been in the past. I'm changing that. Today.

This morning Mayra, Donnie, Critter, Kevin and I were together again on the phone and as we were saying goodbye I promised to walk a mile right after the phone call. I did and just got back a few minutes ago. I took the dog and killed two birds with one stone. Because I had a little extra time I took Mellow across the street to play with a dog who was there fetching a ball. Her name was Maddie and I got to know her owner, Brad, a little bit. He and his wife are new arrivals in the neighborhood. I recommended Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad somewhere in our conversation about graduation and jobs and the world economy and having more than one stream of income. He said he'd check it out. Because I ventured out into the world I was able to meet and connect with someone new and have a little unhurried time. There are more reasons than exercise to take a walk. For those of you concerned about productivity, I also listened to a message on my mobile phone and rescheduled an appointment with Michael Tarighati, my dentist.

A friend of mine has figured out that he likes some of what he calls "adhoc time". He likes having time where not everything is scheduled. He has also figured out that he can't have all his time be adhoc time if he wants to continue making money at his job! His solution is to schedule in his adhoc or free, unstructured time. Sounds like a good solution. What do you think?


I have walked 297.25 miles in 2009.

Fundamentals

In sports you will sometimes see a coach or a team emphasizing fundamentals. In baseball or basketball or football you will see drills of the same exercise over and over and over. Blocking, fielding ground balls, free throws, and many other exercises constitute the fundamentals of the respective games. With walking I would say that it's walking short distances. You must be able to walk short distances before you can walk long ones.

Today I'm going to start emphasizing the fundamentals (as I see them) again. Please keep in mind that I don't have any problem with walking to the point that you are receiving aerobic benefits. However, if you only count walking distance when you get aerobic benefits, you will miss counting actual work that your body is doing. Every step you take is work that burns calories or fractions of a calorie. You could say that taking one step is a fundamental of walking. For our purposes, I suggest that we keep track of quarter miles (or even eighths of a mile if you prefer) or more.

I know that approximately 500 of my steps is a quarter mile. I'm 6'2" with long legs which are normal for my size. You will probably have between 480 and 680 steps in your quarter mile. You can visit the track at a nearby school to get a close measurement. You can count your steps or get a pedometer. I recommend the Sportline that costs around $10 or so. My last one wore out because I forgot when I was in the Bahamas and went in the water with it. Otherwise I would still be using it. They don't last forever, but so far they are the best deal for the dollar I've found.

How many quarter miles can you do in a day? I just walked my dog a quarter mile and that took 7 minutes. I know you can take 7 minutes and do a quarter mile. How about 5 times a day? 10 times a day? 15? I also know that without the dog I can do a quarter mile in 4 to 5 minutes. Keep watching BigManWalking and...


Keep walking!


I have walked 133.25 miles in 2009.

Recovery.Gov

I want everyone to know about http://www.recovery.gov so as many people as possible view what the United States government is doing with the money we put into it. In fairness, some would say that we are watching what is being done with the money that our children and grandchildren will put into it, but that remains to be seen. President Clinton produced surpluses during his administration and it's possible that President Obama and future presidents will do the same by the END (when all is said and done) of their tenure. Some people assume that when the government spends money, it all goes down a hole. If we are rational (Yes, I understand that that word is my judgement, but let us agree that being rational about politics and finances is a good goal.) about examining what happens to the money that the U.S. government spends, we can follow the trail and see if what we are doing is actually stimulative. That is, now that President Obama and his team have VOLUNTARILY created RECOVERY.GOV we can visit the site and see how our money is spent.

Some are not rational about this. They simply say that government spending is bad or more to the point, they don't want the U.S. government to take money from us in order to spend. They're like young school children who simply repeat what they are taught. (Did you know very young kids can be taught to do Calculus? They won't necessarily understand what they are doing, but they can be taught to do it.) It's fair to say that all human beings are fallible and that with human beings involved in government, mistakes will be made. But that is no different than you and me in nongovernmental activities every day. And, with a government large enough there will almost inevitably be corruption somewhere among those millions of people in government and doing business with the government. However, every day on TV or the net or other media I see and hear about people who are NOT involved in government who are committing crimes and that includes the crime of corruption.

Yet there will be successes. Let's look to praise the successes and correct the mistakes. Let's not expect the government to do nothing except tax cuts. I want better transportation systems and adequate police and fire resources and head start and better public education for kids and advanced education for those who take that path. I want better doctors than the one who squeezed my son's hand and knocked him out from the pain and sent him into an apparent seizure when he had never had one before. People who expect the government to do nothing (or to hardly exist, if at all) are building a (what's the opposite of spectacular?) fantasy world that they apparently want to live in. I think what they're doing is not helpful to their psychological well-being, too, and I guess in the United States of America that is their choice. But I sure don't want them to force me to live in their fantasy world which is really a nightmare for the poor and even lower-middle class. It's a pretty hard slog for the plain old middle class, too.

Hurray for Recovery.gov!

Now back to your regularly scheduled messages...


Keep walking!

You Can Start Over Anytime

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and we're not avoiding the guacamole and chips and pizza. Tomorrow will be a new day and a new start to the year for me. Marianne and I will go to the gym. When you fall off, you have to get back on and that's what we're doing tomorrow. Do you have goals or a New Year's resolution that's off track? Start again. It's ok. If you need an excuse, then start again on Groundhog Day. If you need permission, tell them Charlie said you could start over. Forgiveness. Grace. Look it up. It's real if you accept it.

I have walked 122.5 miles in 2009. Keep walking!

A Funny Thing Happened After Three Miles

Yesterday we got a brand new President, Barack Obama. Did you know you can use lots of occasions to make a new start or start a new habit? For me, it helps to have some familiarity with the new habit and since I've been walking more intentionally for a year and blogging about it, walking early in the day is now like an old friend with lessons to teach me. As I said, yesterday we got a brand new President. Today is his first full day in office. Using that new beginning as my inspiration, I decided to start something new. I'm walking early and this morning my dog and I walked nearly 3.5 miles before 6:15 a.m. and then I came back and checked my online networking while I ate a nice breakfast my wonderful wife made.

On Facebook I noticed that Mark Labberton had accepted my connection. He is a man of faith and he writes about it and speaks about it. I Googled him and found a recent post I urge you to check out - The Lima Bean Gospel. Even if you are a critic of the church you will find some agreement there. He says some things that should light a fire under those who follow Jesus and maybe give some verbal ammunition to critics of the church.

Keep walking!


I have walked 93 miles in 2009.

Sometimes You Just Gotta Walk

Here's a little bit of an update:

I did gain weight in The Bahamas. I want to stress that the walking was effective. I'm sure I gained a pound or so LESS because of all the walking. For you skeptics, that's just the way it works. Your body does physical work and it burns calories. There is no magic (except in romance). I DECIDED that I was going to eat basically what I wanted after a couple days at Atlantis. I had never been east of Florida before and I was not going to miss out. I chose to eat more and a wider variety, knowing the consequences. I had already done a little of that New Year's eve.

Regular readers may recall that earlier on New Year's eve I weighed myself and that final weigh-in for 2008 was 112.2 kilos. I started the year at 123.2 kilos and that difference of 11 kilos means that I lost 24.2 pounds. Some (females, especially) are amazed how much weight a man can gain in a short period of time. If you're really curious, email me. I am back to "being good" with what I eat and this morning I weighed in at 113.7 kilos. That is down from our arrival home Sunday night.

New readers may actually wonder, "What are you telling us all this stuff? Do you just like to hear yourself speak(/write)?" [ Let me think...MAYbe...I did once tell a mentor that I treasure my own company! ;-) ] My hope is that by seeing what is actually going on with a real person you can be encouraged that YOU can do it, too. No matter what it is for you, you can do it. (And, for 90%+ of us, walking is something we can do and it helps our bones and our brains!) Weeks or months or years from now you can revisit my blog and as long as I'm alive and coherent (some already see this as iffy) enough to post, you will see me making progress. I know you can do it. I'm DOING it in my life right now!

I want to acknowledge our creator here. (If you don't believe, you obviously have the choice to skip ahead, but please don't stop reading this blog entirely. People who care about you want you to reach your goals and be around when you're old to do things like bounce your grandniece on your knee or teach her math and science or read Where The Wild Things Are to your grandson.) In 2007 I wanted to lose weight and I barely achieved that goal. I lost 1 pound in 2007. On December 31, 2007 I asked God for help in losing weight and getting in better shape and in 2008 I lost 24.2 pounds. (Thank you.) I also want to thank you who are reading my blog. Knowing that you're out there (especially when you comment!) means that there are some people to whom I'm accountable. That helps me and it can help you, too.

Right now I'm going to do it - some walking - because no matter what else is going on, sometimes you just have to close your mouth and stop what you're doing and saying and get out there AND DO IT! And my loyal dog, Mellow, will be a little happier. Somebody said, "Just Do It!" That's what I'm going to do. Right now.


Keep walking!

On Networking Discoveries

If you're on Twitter, get on Facebook and vice-versa. Once you're on Twitter, you can use Tweetworks. If you have a blog, all the better. I'm telling you - I'm really figuring this stuff out. Of course, you have to remember to take a break and take a walk.

Keep walking!

Thanks, AAA!

Just got off the phone with AAA, the Automobile Club of Southern California, and the call took less than four minutes. Cedar Towing should be at our house in less than 30 minutes. (If you don't have Triple A, you should. There aren't many actual shoulds in life, but it's one of them.) I guess I really am back in the real world! I'm grateful that this didn't happen to our son while we were in The Bahamas.

Keep walking!

Walk While You Can

Some of us remember high school and Bartlett's Familiar Quotations and that's where I went to see about walking quotes.



Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you.


Jesus (John 12:35b)

Twitter quote 121 http://tinyurl.com/BMW777195 at Bartleby.com

Getting Back Into The Swing

My wife, Marianne, and I arrived back home from The Bahamas late Sunday night and I'm finally feeling relatively normal. Yesterday I was feeling the after-vibe of Paradise Island and I turned off the radio and was singing in my car as I drove to pick up Mellow, our dog. A few hours later the tiredness hit me like the proverbial ton of bricks and it was a chore to visit Trader Joe's last night.

Following an email notification from my brother-in-law as well as a high school friend, I finally started to connect with some people on Facebook, so now you can find me there, too.

I have walked 72 miles in 2009.