From Big Bear To Jordan Rubin

My wife and I came home earlier than we expected on Sunday to stay ahead of the coming snowstorm and we listened hopefully to the Chargers - Jets playoff game on the radio. We had a nice time in Big Bear for a day and a half with a few other teachers and their loved ones. The plan was to leave and go to a sports bar in Redlands, but when we thought we could get home in time we hustled to clean up the cabin. On the way home we took a route I have always wondered about and the Chargers were still ahead when we arrived at our friends' place in Vista. The excellent dinner and yummy snacks took some of the sting out of the stunning loss.

Once a year at the end of October or beginning of November, our church has a retreat at Forest Home which is in Forest Falls above Redlands. It's really beautiful there with lots of trees and a big creek and awe-inspiring views. Near the end of the journey to Forest Home there is a fork in the road and I have veered to the right nearly 20 times over the years. If you asked Google Maps to give you a route, you'd probably miss using the 38 out of Big Bear because it keeps wanting to send you down the 18 to the 330. But, if you asked to go from Big Bear to Forest Falls, it will outline the route. This drive was beautiful and there were fewer winding roads. Technically it may have been longer, but not time-wise. I recommend it highly over the "Rim of the World" route, which to me feels like a much more treacherous route. I felt a lot more comfortable coming down from Big Bear than I did going up. Not only that, but there seems to be less traffic taking the 38 all the way down (and up?). One of the tough parts driving up on Friday as it was getting dark was all the headlights coming down at you on the somewhat narrow and at times very winding road. To be fair, it was early afternoon with plenty of sunlight on the way home.

Now we've been home for a day and a half and this morning we are starting Jordan Rubin's cleanse which you can read about on another blog by clicking here or on the title of this post.

You cook it through the night so be sure to turn the heat down enough after you bring it to a boil or you'll have less broth. You can have it at least 5 times a day if you want, but nothing else on the first day except distilled water. November 30th, 2008 was also the first day of this cleanse near the end of a very successful year health-wise. Read about the start of the cleanse and the beginning of the end of 2008.

Right now I am the same weight that I was on December 31, 2009. I am 271.92 lbs or 123.6 kilos. I'll call it 272 lbs. Read BigManWalking and watch my progress!

Keep walking! (And have some chicken soup!)

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!

"Keep Walking On Your Mind"

Whether or not you schedule in time to walk, I strongly suggest that you give walking "space in your head" or what is called mindshare. Below are two definitions from Dictionary.com.

mindshare

the amount of attention required by something, the time spent thinking about something

mindshare

the development of consumer awareness about a specific product or brand in hopes that they will buy the product or brand

One strategy for giving walking mindshare is putting stuff related to walking in your head. One strategy for doing just that is videos. Here's a link to The Police video Walking On The Moon.

Today I weighed 271 lbs.


I have walked* 711 miles in 2009.


Keep walking!

"Walking Improves Your Bones"

Looks like a good time to get back to basics. I ran across this information at Tone Your Bones. Take a peek.

Also, I started a new blog about investing in people and getting a good return. Click on the title of this post to visit 550 Plus 50!

Keep walking!

"Time For A Quick Walk"

I put in a call to a friend earlier. Now it's time to walk with or without him. Even a little bit at a time adds up to real mileage. You can do it.

Keep walking!

---

P.S. I was blown away how fast Doracy's loan on Kiva.org funded within the next week after I kicked in my 25 bucks. Check out the previous post by clicking here.

"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

Las Vegas

Marianne and I are in Las Vegas at a Starbucks on Tropicana Boulevard because the internet at Emerald Suites Cameron doesn't seem to be working. We got a deal throught Priceline.com and it's nice for $49 a night - just like a little apartment across from The Orleans. Someone told me that their 1-3 No Limit Holdem game in the afternoon is the toughest in the world. I won $99 while relaxing the other day. Who knew?

It remains to be seen whether or not I will play in the World Series of Poker Main Event even though I won a satellite tournament earlier in the week. (It's complicated and I expect that most would be bored by those details.) I have walked 8.5 miles since I've been here which is easy to do in the casinos and much less so out in the heat. I can't believe my wife and I are in Las Vegas for the 4th of July!

More details soon...

Keep walking!

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.

A Quick Ten Furlongs Before Breakfast

My wife and I like to go out for coffee sometimes on Saturday morning. (Actually, I have tea a lot of the time.) This morning when we got back from our time spent reading the paper and sharing a hot beverage I decided to walk the dog before I went into the house. This is a good strategy for getting more walking in. Mellow and I did a mile and a quarter (ten furlongs) before breakfast. How many times can you do that in a year? Even three times a week means 52 times 3 times 1.25 miles and that's 195 miles extra a year. That is...do whatever you're doing PLUS walk 1.25 miles three times a week and you will have walked an EXTRA 195 miles a year. You'll feel better and you will weigh more than five and a half pounds less than you do now. Six times a week (it only took me a little over 20 minutes) and you'll weigh 11 pounds less than you do. IF you changed NOTHING else! If you added in a better diet/regimen/life plan/discipline (whatever you call it) you can lose even more. Over 5 years that's 55 pounds of weight loss. Think about it.

Walk always.

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.

Coming Home Tomorrow

We have definitely had some big fun here in The Bahamas at Paradise Island this week and, after discovering The Marketplace buffet on Thursday we have eaten there four times. More walking and pictures are in store for today. We heard from family that our son is doing ok, though we heard he's been sick. It would be nice to hear from the horse's mouth, but...

So far I have walked 62.5 miles in 2009. Atlantis, Paradise Island is one heck of a place to take a walk.


Keep walking!