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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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!)

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.

Over 10 Miles In Eight Hours

Earlier I was closing in on 300 miles since 01/01/08 and I blasted through and am now nearing 310 miles. Some days you can get inspired. Keep doing what you're doing every day and then all of a sudden you get a burst of energy or inspiration or encouragement - you get the idea. You don't need to break personal records every day, but keep going and some days you will. My body's buzzing. I'm feeling good and my feet are only a touch sore thanks to my shoes. You can do it. 50 or 100 yards or five or ten miles. Remember, you are competing with YOU.

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

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Click on the title of this post to see Ooma.com's blog about me and the other winners. We haven't had a phone bill at our house since December because of Ooma. No, I don't work for them, but they did send me a nice T-shirt and blanket(!) today.

Help the hungry and increase your vocabulary for free at FreeRice.com.

Three Miles Before Sunrise

This morning I woke up a little early and decided to talk a walk and wake up, so I got the dog and off we went. I expected to walk at least a mile, yet I found what I have found many times before: more energy as we went on our way. Lost in thought about a story I'm thinking of writing, I had gone a mile almost before I knew it. I simply turned and went the other way. You see, it's just not that hard once you start doing it. Longer distances start to seem more "normal" and doable. Even walking before most of the neighborhood is awake is a tenable situation.

There are a lot of lights in our suburbia, especially within our development. With Mellow as my companion, this is a pretty comfortable way to wake up. Visible crime is rare here. It's been six or seven years since two teenagers mugged one of the neighbor kids and that was seen as an aberration by everyone in the neighborhood, except maybe the victim. So I felt good about this walk. You've got to decide whether your neighborhood is safe in the early morning darkness. Or maybe you're fortunate enough to live somewhere that that doesn't even cross your mind. For those of you who think it's just fine, consider getting up earlier than normal to get your walking started.

Gene Griessman, a professional speaker who also does a great Abraham Lincoln, includes that advice in 99 Ways To Get More Out Of Everyday. That is, get up an hour earlier to accomplish more or to get that "extra" thing done. It seems simple enough, but I know lots of people who might say, "Ooh, I could never get up that early." Well, you CAN if you stop telling yourself that you can't. When I first stepped my toe in the water of walking last summer, I even got up about four one morning to take a walk. You can if you allow yourself to think differently. I originally found Gene Griessman on Zune where I downloaded all of his stuff for free once I paid the monthly fee and I've also seen him on ITunes and MP3.com. His ideas can save you a lot of time and help you get more done. Will I walk this early tomorrow. Maybe. Maybe not. But I did today.

Nearly three miles walked before 10 am

During the last few days I haven't taken walks in the two mile and up range. So I decided to get this week off to a more powerful start. Even though I've got to watch my time more closely today, I was still able to get in a two mile walk and my total is close to three miles already and it's only 9:45 in the morning. We'll see how the rest of the day goes. Gotta go.

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

Money Reward For Walking

Money as a reward gets the attention of a lot of people. I'm not offering you money for walking, but maybe I can help you see the reward part differently. I realize that for those of you who have been fairly inactive, walking or exercising more is more physical work than you've done in a while.

Unfortunately, one BIG reason to get your walking in is to avoid health problems. Or at least to lessen the possibility or intensity of those problems. I mentioned my brother had pancreatitis when I started this blog in January. Since then I found out that a friend of my son's dad had a heart attack and I think he's around 51 like my brother. He will recover, but it's still a big deal. Today I visited a friend from church in the hospital (who is also 51, coincidentally) and he was initially admitted for pancreatitis and then had a problem with a burst blood vessel. I can't promise that if you walk that these health problems won't happen to you, but I know being in better shape lessens the probability that you'll have certain problems. Plus, being in better shape can lessen the severity of what you're going through. I still remember how well my sister-in-law came through her pregnancy some years back when she was working out at the gym regularly. Being in such good shape helped with a smooth delivery and got her back on her feet much quicker.

How much does it cost to get sick? You can lose work days as my brother did. Most of us have to pay something when we go to the doctor or the hospital, even if we are insured. Those are real costs when they happen to you. (Come to think of it, they're real costs even when it's not you paying for them.) NOT having to pay those potential costs is itself a financial reward. Not missing work and pay is a reward. Maybe you prefer to think of those scenarios as punishments. If that's the case, you're increasing your chances of NOT being punished by walking. I realize that this point of view isn't sexy or exciting or wow, but it's a real and legitimate way to view one of the rewards of walking or otherwise exercising and getting/staying in shape. Maybe I'll be more exciting next time. I know I'll be walking.

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

Change Your Idea And Change You

Last week I was talking with my friend and mentor, Fran Cannon of Cannon Business Institute (formerly Cannon Training & Development), about my resolution to walk and lose weight this year. He encouraged me in my journey and we talked about how he started running in the late 60s. He had run track in high school, but running five miles or more at a time was not part of his universe of ideas. I'm pretty sure he said that he went to work for General Atomic and saw a guy who ran five miles at lunch. After Fran saw him do it, he realized that it was possible. He went on to run with some people from work at lunch time even up to eight miles or so in Torrey Pines and the surrounding areas. He saw some great scenery while running and picked up the "bug". He's in his 60s and still runs on a regular basis.

A few months ago I wouldn't have guessed that I would be walking as much as I am every week or that I would pass through the 200 mile mark in early February, but I did. I changed my idea, my conception of what's doable or possible. I decided that if I'm going to have a chance to live to be 80, let alone 100 or more, I better get started taking better care of myself. I made my New Year's resolution and my idea universe expanded.

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

200 Miles Since January 1

This afternoon in Escondido, California I passed through the 200 mile mark for 2008!


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

Christine Burke On The Radio

After some walking at Palomar College when I picked up my son, I found that Christine Burke had asked through email if I could be a backup speaker tomorrow at Toastmasters. Of course I said yes and then we emailed further about getting together at her Fitness Together in La Costa to measure my fitness progress. Here's our brief exchange:

> Is Tuesday 7:30 am ok?


I am on the Radio next Tuesday! KCEO AM 1000 9AM.



She's not available next Tuesday morning because she's on the radio! Listen Tuesday morning at 9 Pacific Time. Then come by and see Christine's Fitness Together.

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Click on the title of this post to see Christine Burke.

Don't Quit

In politics, I guess sometimes you have to know when to quit. I am surprised that Romney did.

As for walking and exercise in general, never quit. Keep it up everyday. Know your physical limits or your limit on a single day or outing, but don't quit regular exercise.

I KEEP walking. You KEEP walking. Please walk today. No matter what.

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I noticed that the second line of the article has a "did" where an "if" should be. I guess I can relax a little about my blog's grammar and such. Click on the title of this post...

Dog Walk Just Over A Mile

Thursday morning. I've already had my 6:30 meeting and talked with my son about the academic programs being offered to him and I've walked the dog around the neighborhood almost a mile and a quarter. Yesterday my longest walk was just a little more than that and I had to guesstimate because my new Sportline pedometer has a cover over the battery compartment that can open accidentally just by handling it. When that happens, it goes blank until you put the cover back on. I prefer to have a pedometer that is absolutely a no-brainer. My original Sportline was like that except that the belt clip broke and that took me on the search for one with a better belt clip. I give this new one a B as long as nothing else funky happens. So I will keep my eye out for an A pedometer with a clip that doesn't break or wear out too easily. Maybe I'll design one.

I guess my thinking goes something like this:

I want as many of you to either

1) walk if you're NOT walking, even if it means 30 extra steps an hour

2) walk at least an extra 30 steps an hour if you ARE currently walking/exercising - hopefully more like an extra mile or two or three a day, but SOMETHING is better than nothing

3) move on to running or a more "calorie intense" exercise for a portion (even a majority) of your exercise IF that's what you want to do and you are ready for it

4) get/stay ENCOURAGED in meeting your goals (exercise or otherwise) whether you're exercising at the optimum level for your size, type, age, etc... or whether you're just reading this blog periodically and haven't dived in yet.

So, I want to reduce the potential blocks. I want to cut down on your potential excuses. I value the ability to see where you've been and where you're going. I see that keeping track of your progress is best done through measurement. The easier it is to measure your progress, the more likely you'll measure your progress. So, the search for the completely no-brainer pedometer or step counter goes on.

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

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Click on the title of this post to learn, help the hungry and maybe entertain yourself. The table below shows the millions of grains of rice donated each day so far this month. (The up arrow in row three is just there because I didn't do this in WORD or something like it.)

February 1, 2008 171,527,040
February 2, 2008 100,095,120
February 3, 2008 ^91,009,660
February 4, 2008 139,444,840
February 5, 2008 152,321,000
February 6, 2008 163,823,880

Oregon Scientific Pedometer Disappoints

Earlier today I picked up an Oregon Scientific Pedometer and after taking over half an hour to figure it out, I set out with 12000 set on the counter which then counted backwards, presumably until I reach zero. Well, a friend of mine warned me about his wildly innaccurate $100 talking pedometer and I told him that mine was pretty simple and seemed to be pretty accurate for around 12 bucks. But my Sportline broke today and I thought it would be a chance for me to find one with a more resilient hinge. Really, the counter on the Sportline was still working except that you need it to STAY on your belt for the counter to work. I really didn't like the hinge breaking, which reminded me how cheap this device was and I thought about getting what you pay for. So I bought one that looked sturdier and even had a panic alarm, just in case.

My guess is that Oregon Scientific might have too many people on their design team who miss the forest for the trees or who don't keep their eye on the ball or something like that. I should have seen the handwriting on the wall when it took me so long to get through the instructions. And there is a section titled IMPORTANT FOR ACCURACY which says this:

The following conditions may cause incorrect reading of steps taken:

1) Uneven walking pace, such as walking in crowded areas or on uneven floor.

2) Frequent up and down movements, such as standing up and/or sitting down; running, jumping or ascending/descending stairs or steep slopes.

Give me a break! Human beings are going to use these devices, not robots. I am looking for a SOLUTION to the challenge of counting my steps. I can go around a track and figure out how many of my steps add up to a quarter mile (approximately - I know I'm not adjusting for metric). But what I want is the solution to my challenge or problem. If a guy followed me around with a camera and worked out through math (maybe trig?) how far I'm walking, that would be a solution. If someone used global positioning to figure it out, that would work. I doubt if I could get people to do that for free and wouldn't it be simpler to just attach something to my body to keep track of my steps which I can convert to miles? OK. But there is a catch. The device has to WORK! I don't really care about the bells and whistles. I want something that works, first and foremost. I think the Oregon Scientific people have lost sight of this with this model. That has been my experience so far. I don't know how many they sell. Maybe people don't care about accuracy. Maybe their doctor tells them to go get exercise and they can give a number to their spouse, family, and medical professional and get them off their back. Well, not me. I want to know that this pedometer or step counter is in the ballpark and as good looking as this device is, so far it's not even close. So I'll have an asterisk on today's walking distance when I record it. I don't want them to replace it with another one that works the same way, I want it to work after I spend half an hour learning how to press all the buttons correctly. I simply want it to work the first time and every time until it wears out 5000 miles from now. I'll be generous and give it a D.

Now, don't give up. Hang in there. I'll get a better device and even keep trying a bit to see if I have done something wrong to the PE828, but I don't think I have done anything wrong to cause it to be wildly innaccurate. I want the thingamajig to sit on my belt and work, just like the Sportline did before it broke.

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

(Even if your pedometer breaks and you don't keep track accurately.)

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Click on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com and help the hungry while you learn something and maybe entertain yourself.