Wednesday, July 2, 2008

On Hiatus

Sometimes life just throws stuff at you so fast that you feel like you're in a never-ending game of dodge ball. Sometimes it's little stuff, sometimes it's not.

Since this past weekend, I've been playing professional dodge ball, and something had to give. Unfortunately, this blog is one of the things that had to give.

I am not abandoning the blog or my healthy habits. When I feel as though I'm able to come back, I will. I do not know how long it will take, but once the things I need to take care of have been put where they belong, you can bet that I'll be back.

In the mean time, I may pop in for an occasional look-see, just to make sure no one's rearranging the furniture in my absence, so no one better get any ideas!

Until I get back, just remember: No matter how bad things get, the chances are pretty good that there are least a billion people on this planet that are probably having a worse day than you are...

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

We Have A Winner!

Today's the big day, where I finally get to select the winner in the Gotta Keep It Off! Birthday Contest. Qualifying entrants submitted a comment on the original contest post here, telling me about their favorite post on this blog so far.

I listed the seven qualifying entries in the order they were posted, then surfed over to random.org to select as random a number as possible. The qualifying entrants, in order, were:

  1. AndrewE, from Andrew Is Getting Fit
  2. Kathy, from Kathy Calculates: Weight Loss
  3. PastaQueen (Jennette), from Half Of Me
  4. John, from John Is Fit
  5. TB, from TB's Journey~
  6. IAAdmin (Lisa), from Iowa Avenue
  7. Robin, from CR - Getting and staying skinny the healthy way

And the winner is...
















Number 5! And that is TB, from TB's Journey~. TB selected my first post to the blog, and I've quoted his comment below:
I'll put a vote in for your "First Post"
Without it we wouldn't be having the pleasure of being inspired by you.
Thanks TB! And trust me, I'm inspired by your success as well. Drop me an email (the address is in my profile) with your contact info and I'll start those books on their way!

And thanks to everyone else who entered the contest. I'm happy and fortunate to have such great readers and fellow bloggers visit me here. You're all a great bunch of people!

Monday, June 30, 2008

Contest Reminder!

Don't forget to enter the GKIO! Birthday Contest before June 30th!

See the contest post for details on how to enter.

Friday, June 27, 2008

B2BBC: Day 9 Update

It's a been a few days since my last update, and between some computer issues and lots of busy-ness going on, I think I needed today's motivation topic as much as anyone today. Thank goodness for the Old Philosopher's sage advice!

Since my last update I did register for the 5K race I'll be participating in one week from today on July 4th! My training for the race has been horrible, so it's very likely that I'll be walking more than running, but it's all about finishing the race. As long as I cross the finish line, I'll be content.

I fared a little better continuing the Hundred Push-Up challenge, completing Week 2 Day 1 on Wednesday with sets of 12, 12, 9, 7 and 11 (10 minimum) push-ups. Today I finished Week 2 Day 2 with sets of 16, 13, 11, 11 and 17 (15 minimum). I didn't have quite as much trouble with them today as I did on Wednesday, so I must be getting a little stronger.

That's all for tonight's update. See you next time!

B2BBC: Day 9

Staying The Course

Since we've passed the half-way point of the Boot Camp, I wanted to talk about something that we all have trouble with from time to time: motivation. It's tough doing the day to day when you're trying to create new habits that you want to last a lifetime.

I've written about this before. In my post "The $64,000 Question" I say it's just a matter of asking yourself "How much do you want it?" In another post from last year, I say that a positive attitude will help you get through the rough spots.

But I think I summed it up the best in my post "Ramblings Of A Skinny Guy" when I said:

Some weeks you feel like you're kicking butt and the pounds seem to just melt off said butt even though you had that mini-binge the other night. Then there are the times when you've been following your plan to a T, eating like you're supposed to, working out like a maniac and when you step on the scale, it laughs at you with a measly .2 pound loss, or heaven forbid, a gain!

No matter what you may think at the time, the only solution is a simple one. Just keep plugging away. If you know that the things you are doing will bring you success, more often than not you will achieve that success eventually. Trust that what you're doing is the right thing.

Just remember, never give up, never give up, never give up...that ship!

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Thursday, June 26, 2008

B2BBC Day 8

Let's Get Physical

What do we all know that is part of the prescription for good health, yet is something that many of us dread?

Besides brussel sprouts!

That's right, exercise. I know for myself, it's a struggle to start and sustain any amount of exercise on a regular basis. I also know from reading your blogs that there's a good percentage of you out there that have the same issue.

So why bother? Here's a few very good reasons.

For starters, it'll help you lose weight. Burning calories that would otherwise collect around your midsection is a good thing. Just don't kid yourself into thinking that a lap or two of walking around the mall will compensate for that burger and chili-cheese fries from the food court!

You'll also make your doctor and your health insurance company happy, because regular exercise reduces the risk of many chronic diseases including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, chronic back pain, certain cancers and a host of other conditions.

It will also make you feel good. Regular exercise has been shown to improve the mood, reduce the effects of depression, anxiety and stress, and some people actually think it's fun!

There's many more reasons to start exercising; these are just the tip of the iceberg. Just remember to get a doctor's clearance before pursuing any exercise program, especially if the only laps you've been doing have been between the recliner and the refrigerator!

(Note: Sorry for yesterday's cryptic message. I was having some computer issues that temporarily caused some downtime. I should have a permanent fix soon.)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Boot Camp: Interruptus

I'm experiencing some technical difficulties, so today's edition of the Boot Camp is being postponed. I hope to have it posted some time tomorrow.

Sorry for the interruption.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

B2BBC: Day 7

You Are What You Eat

Yes, I'm finally going to talk about food. After all, it's something we put into our bodies every day. Sometimes for pleasure, sometimes for boredom, sometimes for comfort, sometimes because we think we're hungry and sometimes because we actually are hungry.

There's a multi-billion dollar industry out there that wants to tell you what to eat, how much to eat, when to eat, why you eat. We're bombarded with news of the obesity epidemic, the diabetes epidemic, supersize this, fast food that. Eggs are bad for you, eggs are good for you. The same goes for coffee, beef, milk, bread, potatoes, tomatoes, wine, chocolate and every other food out there that's on the right/wrong side of someone's agenda.

Enough!

I'm not going to tell you anything that you haven't already heard. It's not rocket surgery after all. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit in your body through a combination of reducing your caloric intake and burning calories by moving more. To maintain your weight, you must keep a balance between the two.

Here's something to think about, however. There's a lot of truth in that old phrase, "You are what you eat," as well as in the computer programmer's axiom, "Garbage in, garbage out." Just as quality parts make a quality product, the quality of the calories you consume has a great bearing on how the final product turns out.

No matter why you're paying attention to what you eat, I just want you to think about something. Would you rather be made of the stuff that comes from real food like fresh fruits and vegetables, real meats and other whole foods, or would you rather be made from the things you can't pronounce that go into the things inside the box of that processed food-like substance that you picked up at your local supermarket?

Just remember, we all answer that question every time we put something in our mouths.