Birthday Reminder For Me

Our son turned 17 today. Wow! We watched his soccer playoff and his team is now done for the year. Disappointing, but not truly heartbreaking. One year from now he'll turn 18, and years after that he'll turn 21, then 27, 37, 47 and so on. I want to be here for all of those birthdays. Not being here, now THAT would be truly heartbreaking.

I realize that this sounds a little like a pitch for life insurance, but for me, it's the truth. I am walking more to increase my chances of being here later. Bottom line.

Yes, I feel better than I did on January 1, 2008. Yes, I have been told by people that they can see the difference. But me? I want to be here as an old, old man when my son is an old man who has kids and maybe grandkids.

What's a good reason for you to walk (or exercise)? Figure out that reason and remember it (better yet - write it down) and you will find it's easier to get started and to keep going when the going ultimately gets tough.

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

Probiotics Pancreatitis Connection?

Faithful readers will remember that my brother was going to the hospital on New Year's Eve 2007 while I was making my resolution to walk and lose weight. My brother suffered from pancreatitis and weeks later a friend from church did, too.

Lime.com just alerted me to a New York Times article about a possible connection between probiotics and the severity of pancreatitis. That's my take on what I read. You can read it here.

Celebrating In Line At Panera

While waiting for bagels at Panera I started talking with the tall, slender lady with the big "rock" on her left hand and I got around to mentioning how far I've walked since the turn of the new year. Are you ready? I have now walked 250 miles!

She asked me how I knew and I told her that I used a pedometer to keep track and that I record my progress online at my Big Man Walking blog. I want to take a moment to remind you how important it is to keep track if you want to stay motivated. Because I can visit this blog and my "mileage" on my Lime.com Walkout page, I can check back if I ever have doubts like "Did I really do it?" or "Did I really walk that much?" Because I'm using a pedometer I know I am about as close to completely accurate as I can get. I find the milestones like 250 miles are very motivating. Some might say that it's only a number, but I know I'm a quarter of the way to ONE THOUSAND MILES! If I simply keep up the current pace (and I expect to pick up the pace), I will cross the THOUSAND mile mark sometime in late June. Unless you're quite an athlete, these numbers are at least a little bit exciting.

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

(Use a pedometer. Record your results.)


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Starting today I'll include motivational, inspirational and encouraging quotes in this space...

“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quote from ThinkExist.com


Feed the hungry by increasing your vocabulary at FreeRice.com

Brain Fitness

Amazing what you can find through Google. I was checking on fitness sites and found one on Brain Fitness called SharpBrains.com. Experts are finding that walking helps your brain. Below are the first bits of a couple articles and the links to those articles. Walking is good for your brain. I guess there's hope for me yet!

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Guess what?! There is this amazing therapy that is free for everyone. All you need is two feet (and many very accomplished practitioners don't even have that!). ... It's called exercise!
Two Feet Of Free Therapy

In people age 65 and older, simply walking regularly or engaging in other moderate exercise can reduce dementia risk, a new Italian study finds.
Regular Walking Protects The Aging Brain

700 Steps In Less Than 10 Minutes

There are multiple strategies to help you keep walking. I just walked 700 steps or about one third of a mile before I leave to pick up my son. Not much, but it took me less than 10 minutes and I got the dog a little exercise. How many seven, eight, or nine minute walks can you take in a day? Keep your focus on walking and you will find time to walk more when there is space in your schedule. Don't take the stance that "it doesn't count unless it's aerobic." All that walking burns calories. Burn 3500 calories to burn "off" one pound. One mile walking burns 100 calories. 35 miles burns 3500 calories and therefore, one pound.

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

A Funny Thing Happened While Walking The Dog

A funny thing did happen. Mellow, our Lab/Golden Retriever/Chow mix, waited until we were about half a mile from home way beyond the convenient receptacles, to do his thing. Being a dog walking veteran, I had a bag with me. I guess I was penitent while carrying it home. I was at least a little bit sorry! Somehow I ended up thinking about a friend from Toastmasters and a disagreement we had this afternoon. Then I realized that it didn't matter who was right.

What matters is that he matters and I matter. In fact, every single one of us matters. It's not who is right that matters when we disagree. What matters is how we treat each other when we disagree. I'll say it again - EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US MATTERS!

A song from over 30 years ago comes to mind. Some of the lyrics go like this:

There ain't no good guy
There ain't no bad guy
There's only you and me
And we just disagree

Click here to watch Dave Mason's We Just Disagree.

A funny thing happened while I was walking the dog.

Did I Miss Valentine's Day?

Our weather turned uncharacteristically cold again. So Valentine's Day was cold, rainy, and windy and we escaped to the movies. Today was tough for walking. We enjoyed the movie a bunch. I just can't quite remember the name right now. It's the one with the dad explaining the story of his relationship with his daughter's mom and the other relationships that led up to that one. You know, the little girl is the same one from that oddly funny movie about the family that goes across country so she can compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant...Hey, that's the name of the other movie. The girl does a really good job but nobody will win an Oscar. It's not that type of movie, but we both cried a little. I was surprised. Ok. So I'm tired, but it was a good day. A good Valentine's Day and we got the paperwork turned in for the National Honor Society so the deadline pressure is over. I think I'll take a walk.

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

Walkstation

Yesterday I was listening to KPBS and my ears perked up when I heard a report on the Walkstation. I've been looking for a truly sweatproof earpiece for my mobile phone so I can take the really big walks and still have a productive conversation while I exercise. I understand that Plantronics is coming out with one in April. So I was ready to hear this report which will be a solution for some people (as long as they remember to use the technology for good and not evil).

You can walk while you work. I've already seen a report putting this down at Crave as a threat to their "stated pursuit of laziness". If you are looking to be otherwise productive while you walk as I do, the mobile phone sweatproof earpiece seems like a good idea. If you want to get more exercise while you're being productive at work, the Walkstation might be for you if you have the budget. I would hate to see any businesses force this on people, but if you choose it, more power to ya.

The rain has let up. Time to walk the dog.

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 the Walkstation presentation. Here for FreeRice.com

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Proud Papa department-

The son received invitations from Fordham and Seattle Universities yesterday. Yes!

What About My Walking?

Some of you have noticed that a few things have crept in that don't exactly have to do with my own personal walking. Fair enough. I do reserve the right to write about whatever I like, but I will attempt to NEARLY always bring the subject back around to walking, mine or otherwise, or the subject of Big Man Walking.

Today I have had a lot on my agenda and still I am back and forth on the phone with the new insurance company. I'll head out with the dog in a little bit.

I'm still putting FreeRice.com in the link "underneath" the title of my post most of the time because I think it is really important and it is something nearly everyone can do - just like walking.

So look for extra stuff related to walking (or close to related) in the second section of a post and I'll try and keep the first part about MY walking.

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

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Funny But Probably Quite Useful Invention

Shocking Treatment Of Paraplegic

Watching MSNBC for a few minutes I was shocked to see the horrendous treatment of a paraplegic man by law enforcement in Florida.

I have said more than once that one reason I'm blogging about walking is that the vast majority of us can actually walk, as opposed to more physically taxing forms of exercise that many are not ready to participate in. Here is an article about a man who is confined to a wheelchair and dumped out of it by a deputy:


Digital Journal


I personally believe that this "deputy" should never be allowed to work in law enforcement in the United States (or anywhere, for that matter) again.

Here are comments about the article
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by Cynthia T. [Picasso] #1

I watched this on the news this morning.
I found it shocking the way this man was dumped onto the floor. Then for the other deputies to search him while he was on the floor.

For all those who were a part of this they need to be held accountable and punished for it.


by Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop) #2

What on earth is happening to people!? I saw this video on my local news this morning as well and just thought that obviously the world is just losing it. What on earth could possess anyone to just dump a paraplegic onto the floor like a piece of trash, and then think they shouldn't be fired like immediately is beyond me.

The guy dumped on the floor stated: “There’s a lot of things that can set it right,” Sterner said. “One would be the sheriff apologizing to me personally. The next thing that can happen is the state’s attorney can get involved, and then [Florida Gov.] Charlie Christ can get involved and then somebody else that leads this country can get involved.”

Wow, now there is a really incredible guy. He isn't threatening to sue, he isn't working the system, he is just trying to use this incident to wake people up to what is happening in this world.

by Bob Ewing #3

[name edited] and she is now suspended without pay while investigators look into the incident.
this is a person unfit to be a police officer.

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This video link is from MSN Australia:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=379241

Chris Rock made a harsh joke about having a reason (or feeling like you have a reason) to push an old man down a flight of stairs (or something close to that) and he emphasized that you may feel that way, BUT DON'T DO IT. One point I believe he was making was about the frustration level that you can reach with someone and how it doesn't matter how frustrated you get, there are some things you simply CANNOT DO to someone. I don't know if this law enforcement "professional" was frustrated or simply tragically oblivious, but her behavior was so wrong.

Do we take our health for granted? I am happy to be able to walk and not have any serious issues beyond weight. I would hate to be at the mercy of people like this "officer" because I didn't have the ability to walk.

Start Walking In Paris

Yesterday I had a friendly phone conversation with Lucille Shaw, a financial advisor at Finances for Life. Lucille is a friend from Expressions Unlimited, my home Toastmasters club. Click here to see a photo of her and two other walkers from a recent post. Lucille is on the left.

While I started walking because I know I really, really need to do something about my health while I still have it, Lucille has been working out regularly for a while. She told me that when she was at the University of Illinois, she walked in some pretty nasty weather as a student. This experience turned her off to walking for a while and over the years she has done plenty of exercise in the gym. A few years ago, she and her husband visited Spain, Italy and France and she made reservations at hotels that were within walking distance of the museums and other sites she wanted to see. In Paris and Barcelona Lucille didn't have to fight snow while walking and she found out that she might actually like walking at temperatures above freezing. She even does half-marathons now.

What a fun way to rediscover walking!

You might find walking fun or you might be doing it to get in shape or lose weight or all three. Take that first step at home or in some exotic location, but take that first step. Then take another. And another.

I am walking. (So is Lucille.) You can walk. Please walk today. No matter what.

Oniony

One of these days I'll add some audio (and maybe video!) to my written word. For now I'll share a some audio humor from a site I had forgotten about. Click on TheOnion.com or the title of this post to listen to a brief satire. I'm betting you'll replace that puzzled or curious look with a smile.

I am chuckling. You can chuckle. Please...

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FreeRice.com

You know what to do, Mr. Phelps, er, Hunt.