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

New Year's Resolution In February

We are over ten hours into this 6th day of February, 2008. We can start a New Year's Resolution right now if we choose. Or you can simply call it a resolution or a goal. Maybe you had a New Year's Resolution that you petered out on. Maybe you didn't make any resolutions as I did not do for several years. Whatever your situation, you can start over right now. For me, I'm going to add crunches to my daily walking and I'll add them to my count/history at Lime.com, so you can check my progress. Remember, you can do the same. You can even register using another name. I'm DrNetwork at Lime.com. I've told you mine so it's not anonymous, but you get the idea. You can share your online walking/exercise history or not. If you like, I can add your link to Big Man Walking so other people can be encouraged.

The thing is, you will find it helpful to track your progress whether you do keep track online or not. I definitely find it motivating to look back and see what I've done so far. During the next couple of days I will go through the 200 mile mark since the beginning of 2008! That's a motivating factor for me. So is the weight loss. I haven't lost weight every week, but I have most weeks. I see the numbers and I feel the difference. I feel better. I can see results in black and white and if they don't match up with what's happening physically, I can take action to change that. The very first week I noticed that in spite of my walking, I gained weight. There could be more than one reason, but I believe I got it right when I noticed that maybe I got hungrier and ate more than normal during that first week. During the next few weeks I paid closer attention to how much I was eating and it paid off. I even decided not to worry about it on Super Bowl Sunday and I saw the results on Tuesday on the scale. The lesson is that I had the information and was able to make informed choices that actually made a difference because of that information. If I had not kept track of my progress, I would have been less clear or specific in what steps to take to achieve the desired result.

So, set a resolution or a goal and keep track. It might be big or small, but be specific. Me? I will do 15 crunches every day. You might believe that is too easy or too hard. It's what I choose today. I believe it's within the range of exercise I can do that will NOT result in injury or a condition that could either cause or encourage me to do less. I want to keep on going everyday which means I want to lessen the possibility that I will have a recovery time which would mean less exercise overall. In addition, I personally find injuries a little demotivating. So set a goal or goals and if somehow you're reading Big Man Walking and you're not walking or running or exercising, make that part of your goals.

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

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I'm including links and quotes by or related to or about three people who I believe set goals or resolutions at some point in their life. Those goals have had a big impact in their own life and in the lives of other people. Take a peek and remember that clicking on the title of this post will take you to FreeRice.com.

Ziglar.com

If you wait until all the lights are "green" before you leave home, you'll never get started on your trip to the top.

Zig Ziglar


LesPaulOnline.com


" ...we must all own
up that without Les
Paul, generations
of flash little punks
like us would be in
jail or cleaning toilets."

- Keith Richards

(Les Paul)


Joniandfriends.org

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears is not made perfect in love." — 1 John 4:18

(Joni Eareckson Tada)

Time To Vote

We're driving to the polls. My honey wants me to wait until she's done with dinner. She's not ready to walk in order to cast her vote. Maybe in four years. Remember to vote!

Super Bowl Party Price

My extra really good friend who I mentioned in my last post has a wife who can really cook. She made really yummy stuff for the Super Bowl Party at their house and I ate a lot of it. She made some pretty healthy fare like turkey meatball soup as well as chocolate cake. I ate a lot of both. I went into the situation with my eyes wide open. I knew there would be consequences on the scale at Tuesday morning weigh-in.

Good news. I still lost weight. I think my buddy was a little concerned about whether I would burst or something, but I never reached the "ouch" phase of overeating that some of you might be familiar with. (Probably best to stay away from all-you-can-eat buffets...) I admit that there have been occasional times in my life when I have eaten to the point that my stomach hurts from the volume of food that I put away. Those of you who have never done this might be recoiling in horror or something close to it right now. On this Super Bowl Sunday I did not do that and I haven't done that for quite a while. Why am I telling you this? For those of you who have done what I just described, I want you to know that someone else who has done that, someone like you, can walk to lose weight and to get on a more healthy path. It can be done and you can do it.

This morning I weighed 120.8 kilos. That means I lost .4 kilos this week, which is .88 pounds. So the price of the Super Bowl Party was about three quarters of a pound when I compare the last couple weeks with this one. I can live with that. Can you?

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

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Visit FreeRice.com and help the hungry by clicking on the title of this post. Click here to view Big Man Walking January posts. Scroll down to January 29th to see my previous weigh-in.

Return Here For Encouragement

Return here for encouragement in reaching your goals.

I'm adding that to the Big Man Walking description at the top of this page. Part of who I am is an encourager. I want you to be encouraged today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year by returning to this site. I know the vast majority of you can walk, but even if that's not part of your goals, you can check on my progress and know that I'm still "doing it" and I'll keep on doing it and I'll keep on keepin' on. Know that "it" can be done, whatever "it" is for you.

Now, whether or not you have walking as one of your goals, you can still use it to encourage yourself and remind you of your goals. Let's say you ride an exercise bike instead of walking. One of my oldest (longtime, bestest, etc...) friends rides an exercise bike while he watches TV. I guess it's sort of a reward system as well as an efficient use of time system. I know other people run instead of walk and I used to know a guy who swam nearly every day for about 30 years. So, no matter what exercises you're doing or what goals you're striving to reach, you can still use a tiny bit of walking to remind yourself and encourage yourself.

Walk 3 steps. Walk every hour. 3 steps. That's ridiculously easy. If that's too easy, then walk 30 steps. Just do it every hour. I KNOW you can do 3 steps without inconveniencing yourself. That's basically getting out of your chair and sitting back down. On purpose. With mindfulness or intention. Why? To remind yourself every waking hour that you are working on goals. When you do 30 or so, that has the added bonus of losing two to three pounds a year. Not much? Well, that's not much walking when you do it every hour. I'm getting up to do 30 steps right now. OK. I just got out of my recliner and walked down the stairs to the front door and back with my dog watching expectantly. How long did it take? Maybe 24 seconds. Maybe. So 3 steps would be ridiculously quick. And you could remind yourself of your goals whenever you hear a song like Three Steps To Heaven by Eddie Cochran (or Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd or a post rock track like Submerged Universe by Three Steps To The Ocean) or if you see a presentation with three steps. These can be reminders for you IF you LET them be. 3 steps or 30 steps - your choice. You may have heard it said that the longest journey starts with but a single step and I say that this is also true:

The longest journey begins with three steps!

I am stepping. You can step. Please step today. No matter what.

(Or something like that.)

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Visit FreeRice.com and do some good by clicking on the title of this post.

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.

Rainy Super Bowl Sunday

There was so much going on today and at this hour I'm really quite tired and need to get up early tomorrow. We had rain and wind together today and that's unusual for Southern California. We had the sister-in-law visiting and the son coming back from winter camp. It just never stopped after we left the house this morning. We had fun at our Super Bowl party, but we didn't get a lot of walking in. This is the first time in about a month that my total is under an hour's worth of walking. I will simply get back on the horse tomorrow. Go Giants! You read it here first:

The Giants Are Giant-Killers.

I am walking. (More tomorrow!) You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

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Click on the title of this post to see the actual numbers that I'm logging at Lime.com.

Walking With My Honey On The Beach

We parked near Heritage Hall and walked to my newfound stairs down to the beach in Carlsbad and I took off my shoes. Marianne and I walked on the beach together in February(!). I realized this was the first time I've walked on sand in a while and it is incredibly gentle compared to concrete and asphalt. We walked with waves alongside. She said the waves in Florida were bigger when she was there recently for the Avatar seminar. She had a great time and I'm glad she's back.

Soon we walked up the ramp to street level and continued on to Fresco Trattoria. Unfortunately, the restaurant doesn't open until 4:30 on Saturday. So we walked a little further to Las Olas and shared a carnitas burrito plate. There was an antique luxury car parked outside ten feet or so from where we were eating on the patio. I thought it might be a Pierce Arrow, but I can't find a picture that matches the hood ornament I saw today. We enjoyed lunch on the sidewalk (almost) and then walked back past the Episcopal Church to our car. The whole walk was less than two miles. We had a nice time together because it was Saturday and I wanted to share with my honey a place I like to take a walk.

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

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Click on the title of this post to visit Fresco Trattoria and remember FreeRice.com.

Getting Naked Gets Attention

Walking is good for a lot of things. (Nakedness comes later.) I remembered just a little while ago how good it is for cooling you down when you get agitated. I was not happy after I found out that I couldn't buy the workbook for my son's French class without buying the textbook, which a friend loaned him. Actually, I could potentially order it online, but he needs it NOW. So I bought the whole deal because the owner of the off campus bookstore refused to break up the set. His reasoning was that the instructor didn't order workbooks separately so why should he? He did give me $10 off because I pointed out that he took in used French books and resold them, so the people buying those would need new workbooks that weren't previously written in. I assume he will make a change next semester and have those available. We'll see. The total was under $200.00! Anyway...

I walked about 3/4 of a mile when I got back to Palomar College before I ended up in the computer room and the walk did cool me down considerably. My son popped in in the middle of this post and I'm completing it from home.

You might be thinking, ok, but what about the nakedness? I'm not walking naked, if that's what you're wondering. I was just trying to get your attention just like Lime.com got my attention with their email. At first I thought it was spam, but then I saw that it was from the "healthy living with a twist" people. It involves Victoria Beckham and if you're curious, click on the title of this post. She's supporting a cause by getting naked. Please don't peek if you're easily offended. Just move along...nothing to see here.

Two Average Days

Earlier this week I got off to quite a start with two record-setting days in a row. Starting the day before yesterday, I moderated my walking. By comparison to the record-setting pace of Monday and Tuesday, these last two days are average days. BUT, my average days are getting bigger. Both of these "average" days are five miles long. That's almost 20% more walking than my average day of a few weeks ago. Not too shabby.

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

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Yesterday Big Man Walking had a photo of three friends from my Toastmasters club. A fourth Toastmaster friend, Christine Burke, owner of La Costa Fitness Together, sent me an email that started like this-

--
unstoppable!

I'm thoroughly impressed! Congratulations on finishing the Carlsbad Half-Marathon!
--

SO, that photo is the finish of 13.1 miles that these women completed together. I'll mention one of them at a time in my posts. The one in the middle wearing 3222 is Linda Bedrosian. If you meet Linda, she will probably tell you how much she has gotten out of Toastmasters in the last few years. She's fun, creative, resilient and kind and she designs and crafts very, very nice jewelry especially for you. Her website is JewelryoftheEmpire.com.

Visit Linda's site as well as clicking on the title of this post to visit FreeRice.com.

Who Are These Women Of Victory?

Speed Golf

Meeting this morning with John and Peter. We meet just about every Thursday and today Peter, who's a Callaway employee pro, told me about a speed golf game he played. I understand that walking isn't for everybody even though just about everybody can do it. And I know that even if you're not walking miles extra every day, you can walk extra steps every hour. That being said, maybe something like speed golf is your thing. I think Peter is unusual in this game because he's a highly skilled golfer and an o.k. athlete and I hear it's usually a not-so-great golfer who's a better-than-average athlete playing speed golf.

Yesterday he played 37 holes with about a dozen guys before work by hitting the ball and jogging after it on a local executive course. Peter says an executive course has shorter holes that range from 80 to 260 yards. I haven't been a golfer in the past, but this sounds like it could be for me after I drop about 25 pounds. If you're busy and you're a beginner at golf and/or just starting an exercise program, you'll have to be the judge on whether you're ready for this. It sounds like fun to me. Tomorrow these local guys are having their Intergalactic Championship or something like that and they'll be running amok for 18 holes, presumably before work again. We all need exercise. Is this for you?

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

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Last night at Reality Changers the speaker mentioned FreeRice.com as a great place to expand your vocabulary as you help people in need, so the word is getting around. Click on the title of this post to visit a speed golf site.