This post is about the motivations to lose weight and live healthy. See, I had tried a few times to get in shape over the years. Some successful some not. In fact I had lost about twenty pounds at one point. The problem I was having (I think) was with my motivation.
Most of the other times I had attempted to lose weight I was motivated by things like looking sexy and not wanting other people to think I was a fat slob. I had it in my mind that I could do a lot of working out for six weeks and then go back to my life looking like Brad Pitt. I never considered diet an important factor except for trying to eat next to nothing.
See, the problem is we are bombarded with advertising telling us the wrong things. Some commercials tell us that we would be happy if we had a Coke or some Doritos. The next tells us we would be happy popping a pill so we can eat anything we want and still lose weight and look like super model. Throw onto that the video exercise programs that promise results in 9 week (implying you can go from 50 lbs over weight to a model in that time.) You have to start with not listing to all the stupid crap that is out there.
So, what I'm trying to get at is this. If your motivations are to just look good then you will fail, at least in the long run. If you really want to change your life it's about making the decision to live and eat healthy for the rest of your life. Not six-week, not a year, not ten but untill the day you die. It's not about what other people think. It's about setting an example in your family, breaking the cycle of obesity and showing that living healthy isn't miserable. This is about changing your way of life not about quick fixes or spending money. You don't need to spend any money on a plan or get a trainer or anything to get started. All you need is the motivation to do something. I set my first goals as this, first:stop smoking, second:get some form of exercise for 15 min five days a week. You don't have to start where I started you just have to do something. It gets addictive! Once you've started you won't want to stop. It's a process that comes in small steps and takes time. It isn't even about seeing results right away. The benefits might take time but will be so much better than any quick solution can offer.
When should you start? Right now! Don't sit around making excuses. The time is now. If the day isn't over you still have time to do some thing. You know as well as I do that this can't wait.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Life Changes
It's been about a year and a half since I decided to change my lifestyle and be a more healthy person. In that time I've learned a lot and I though it would be nice to have a few posts about my story and what I've been doing to be a more healthy person.
My decision to change doesn't start with me but rather with some one I'm very close with. My brother had been telling me about his change to be more healthy and to start running. He has some blog posts about it on his blog. Here is the first post. This is all fine and well for him and didn't effect me until he came out to Colorado for a visit. When he got here, I noticed how much happier he was an was jealous. I have been working in an office for the last four years and at that point weighed in at about 248lbs. He inspired me to quit smoking an start changing my life style.
See, we all know what we are doing to be unhealthy but for some reason it's hard to figure out a way of doing things differently. With the diet and exercise industry making it seem like it should be easy and the fact that year after year the statistics show that it isn't getting better. In fact, the health of world is going down hill. It's so hard to find a place to start. That's why I wanted to have a few posts on what I've found out and what ever advice I can offer others.
Till the next post I urge you to check out the documentary "Food inc.", "Super Size Me" and "Water Wars" and this video from Ted. This should set you up with an idea how disassociated we've become with what we put in our bodies. Hopefully I can share some ways to help you change all that.
More to come, stay tuned!
My decision to change doesn't start with me but rather with some one I'm very close with. My brother had been telling me about his change to be more healthy and to start running. He has some blog posts about it on his blog. Here is the first post. This is all fine and well for him and didn't effect me until he came out to Colorado for a visit. When he got here, I noticed how much happier he was an was jealous. I have been working in an office for the last four years and at that point weighed in at about 248lbs. He inspired me to quit smoking an start changing my life style.
See, we all know what we are doing to be unhealthy but for some reason it's hard to figure out a way of doing things differently. With the diet and exercise industry making it seem like it should be easy and the fact that year after year the statistics show that it isn't getting better. In fact, the health of world is going down hill. It's so hard to find a place to start. That's why I wanted to have a few posts on what I've found out and what ever advice I can offer others.
Till the next post I urge you to check out the documentary "Food inc.", "Super Size Me" and "Water Wars" and this video from Ted. This should set you up with an idea how disassociated we've become with what we put in our bodies. Hopefully I can share some ways to help you change all that.
More to come, stay tuned!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
What's the Buzz on Buzz?
At first glances Google's new Buzz service might just seem like another "throw it on the pile network and, to be honest, it doesn't offer quantity of game changing new features that other Google producs have in the past, like Gmail and Google Voice. However, I can see at least one striking feature that sets Buzz apart.
If you are all ready using your mobile device for updating twitter more than you use a desktop client then Buzz adds an interesting social dynamic to certain events. All ready, some people have used the ability to see and respond to a Buzz in your area, such as during the recent "Snowpocalypse" where people where buzzing about what was going on right in their immediate area. This geographically links social networks to time and events. An ad-hock social network can pop up connecting people involved in an event at a specific time and place to share information and partake in conversations without having to search endless useless tags of mostly the same unverified information and without have to have prior knowledge as to who is there with them.
This gives a whole new spin on the usefulness of social networks. Imagine being at an event such as the Olympics. You can get real time updates of events from actual observers that are at the event with you. While no credentials come with the information the fact that you can see that they are at least at the event adds more weight the information's accuracy.
In times of crisis being able to get information from people near you can be a life saver. Imaging how different events like Columbine, 911 and Hurricane Katrina would have been if life saving information could have traveled to the people who need it in real time. Police could track suspects based on eye witness accounts. Information on road closures and medical supplies could be relayed. Lives will be saved! It could even make it less boring to sit in a traffic jam. This kind of spontaneous social interaction could have a profound impact on the outcome of events.
There, of course, will be a negative impact to all of this. Less privacy, people who take advantage and the ever present trolls of the internet but all and all I think that location information coupled with social networking could be an extremely powerful force.
If you are all ready using your mobile device for updating twitter more than you use a desktop client then Buzz adds an interesting social dynamic to certain events. All ready, some people have used the ability to see and respond to a Buzz in your area, such as during the recent "Snowpocalypse" where people where buzzing about what was going on right in their immediate area. This geographically links social networks to time and events. An ad-hock social network can pop up connecting people involved in an event at a specific time and place to share information and partake in conversations without having to search endless useless tags of mostly the same unverified information and without have to have prior knowledge as to who is there with them.
This gives a whole new spin on the usefulness of social networks. Imagine being at an event such as the Olympics. You can get real time updates of events from actual observers that are at the event with you. While no credentials come with the information the fact that you can see that they are at least at the event adds more weight the information's accuracy.
In times of crisis being able to get information from people near you can be a life saver. Imaging how different events like Columbine, 911 and Hurricane Katrina would have been if life saving information could have traveled to the people who need it in real time. Police could track suspects based on eye witness accounts. Information on road closures and medical supplies could be relayed. Lives will be saved! It could even make it less boring to sit in a traffic jam. This kind of spontaneous social interaction could have a profound impact on the outcome of events.
There, of course, will be a negative impact to all of this. Less privacy, people who take advantage and the ever present trolls of the internet but all and all I think that location information coupled with social networking could be an extremely powerful force.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Some strange happenings.....
Have you ever had one of those moments where you suddenly become an inadvertent listener to a conversation you shouldn't? So, I'm washing my hands in the bathroom at the gym when I hear a phone ring from a stall behind me. I chuckled a little to myself thinking "what a crappy time to get a phone call." Much to my surprise the gentleman actually answered the phone complete with a greeting involving a company name along with his. I gave another chuckle at the lack of professionalism. Then my ears where blessed with this conversation.
"Yes, I was at your restaurant last night with my girlfriend, who is Asian and pretty heavy, and I overheard the waiter say "she was the fastest person he'd ever seen there and that she had more chins than a Chinese phone book".....and I don't think that's very appropriate for your establishment......yeah I know your not laughing at me you're laughing with me."
At this point I had to leave the bathroom because you can only wash your hands for so long before you look crazy yourself.
Now, I could try to analyze all the things wrong with what transpired, but I think it might be too cruel. So, I'll leave by just saying I was probably the only person aware of how strange it all really was.
"Yes, I was at your restaurant last night with my girlfriend, who is Asian and pretty heavy, and I overheard the waiter say "she was the fastest person he'd ever seen there and that she had more chins than a Chinese phone book".....and I don't think that's very appropriate for your establishment......yeah I know your not laughing at me you're laughing with me."
At this point I had to leave the bathroom because you can only wash your hands for so long before you look crazy yourself.
Now, I could try to analyze all the things wrong with what transpired, but I think it might be too cruel. So, I'll leave by just saying I was probably the only person aware of how strange it all really was.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Screw the Year of the Linux Desktop.
Are you still wondering if 2010 will be the year of the Linux desktop? Who cares?
Firstly, The Linux Desktop is progressing by leaps and bounds. In fact it verges on blissful perfection. It doesn't matter if your Grandma or work is using it. It still works and it's still cool as hell. It's not fringe, it's not a stigma. It's here, it's now and it kicks ass.
Secondly, There are cooler things on the horizon that make worrying about acceptance silly.
Sure the G1 was cool and relatively open. But how about the upcoming Android phones? Sure the iPhone gobbled up the smart phone market but Floss is catching up and will soon be dominant.
See, there is something that proprietary can't compete with. Free software is all about what the user want's. It's free, it powerful, it doesn't leave them stranded with vendor lock in and they won't be left unsupported when the next wave of innovation gets crammed down our throat.
It brings up an interesting use case for freedom over closed ideology. As something like the iPhone, iPod or iTunes takes over a market. It can benefit from locking things down. They create a bottle neck that funnels all income to one source. That's great for the company but sucks for the consumer. A recent trend is to use freedoms as a market getting alternative. Creating competition where there wasn't any before.
One such instance is the Amazon mp3 store. They used freedom from DRM to change the game. Now mobile phone companies are doing the same with Android because free software easily fits the bill. You can take it right now and deploy it with a minimum of resources and get it to market. Also, the open development means you will attract enough developers to start catching up with the App Store.
The next cool device running Android is the Barnes and Nobel Nook. An e-book reader that will take on the Amazon kindle. Creating a interesting irony that Amazon stole market share with more freedom and now B&N will steal market share doing the same.
When will they learn that the more freedom they afford their users the more competitive they will be in the future.
So anyways, back at the point. This is the year of the Linux personal device. When the coolest devices that your friends drool after aren't Apple or Microsoft but Linux.
Firstly, The Linux Desktop is progressing by leaps and bounds. In fact it verges on blissful perfection. It doesn't matter if your Grandma or work is using it. It still works and it's still cool as hell. It's not fringe, it's not a stigma. It's here, it's now and it kicks ass.
Secondly, There are cooler things on the horizon that make worrying about acceptance silly.
Sure the G1 was cool and relatively open. But how about the upcoming Android phones? Sure the iPhone gobbled up the smart phone market but Floss is catching up and will soon be dominant.
See, there is something that proprietary can't compete with. Free software is all about what the user want's. It's free, it powerful, it doesn't leave them stranded with vendor lock in and they won't be left unsupported when the next wave of innovation gets crammed down our throat.
It brings up an interesting use case for freedom over closed ideology. As something like the iPhone, iPod or iTunes takes over a market. It can benefit from locking things down. They create a bottle neck that funnels all income to one source. That's great for the company but sucks for the consumer. A recent trend is to use freedoms as a market getting alternative. Creating competition where there wasn't any before.
One such instance is the Amazon mp3 store. They used freedom from DRM to change the game. Now mobile phone companies are doing the same with Android because free software easily fits the bill. You can take it right now and deploy it with a minimum of resources and get it to market. Also, the open development means you will attract enough developers to start catching up with the App Store.
The next cool device running Android is the Barnes and Nobel Nook. An e-book reader that will take on the Amazon kindle. Creating a interesting irony that Amazon stole market share with more freedom and now B&N will steal market share doing the same.
When will they learn that the more freedom they afford their users the more competitive they will be in the future.
So anyways, back at the point. This is the year of the Linux personal device. When the coolest devices that your friends drool after aren't Apple or Microsoft but Linux.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Slacker Madness!
The is a secret scourge that has been attacking the underbelly of our free culture community for too long. Oh, how I've sat idly by and watch my friends descend into madness because of a substance more potent than any drug known to man. I'm talking of course about Slackware.
Sure you saw a buddy using it at a party and you where curious. You though to yourself "Hey, he's cool and he uses it, what harm could it do!" So you took it home and got loaded.
At first you where just using it casually, nothing serious. You felt like it helped you get things done, made you more productive. You used it a little before school, then a little after work. You looked cool in front of all your friends.
But then things started changing. You noticed that you couldn't get through the day without it. You used it more and more alone in your room. Compiling kernels and hacking .conf files. Soon, your friends started to worry about you. You would disappear over the weekends feeding your addiction with injections of slackbuilds and install scrips. Still every now and then you show up at a party but you spend all night huddled in the corner starring at a gcc compiling screen.
Pretty soon your making excuses to everyone about how you don't have a problem. You just need to get the web-cam working and then you can give it up. But then your back to your old habits trying to setup servers and configure your new gadget.
What I'm trying to say is. You're a junky man and you need help.
Sure you saw a buddy using it at a party and you where curious. You though to yourself "Hey, he's cool and he uses it, what harm could it do!" So you took it home and got loaded.
At first you where just using it casually, nothing serious. You felt like it helped you get things done, made you more productive. You used it a little before school, then a little after work. You looked cool in front of all your friends.
But then things started changing. You noticed that you couldn't get through the day without it. You used it more and more alone in your room. Compiling kernels and hacking .conf files. Soon, your friends started to worry about you. You would disappear over the weekends feeding your addiction with injections of slackbuilds and install scrips. Still every now and then you show up at a party but you spend all night huddled in the corner starring at a gcc compiling screen.
Pretty soon your making excuses to everyone about how you don't have a problem. You just need to get the web-cam working and then you can give it up. But then your back to your old habits trying to setup servers and configure your new gadget.
What I'm trying to say is. You're a junky man and you need help.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
My Secret Favorite Movie
So here is my confession. There is a movie that I have watched probably 30-40 times and enjoyed it as much the first time as I did the last time. I never considered it my "favorite movie." However, it was on the TV last night and I had an epiphany. That's it! It is my favorite movie of all time. I don't know why I haven't been able to come to grips with it but I'm ready to say to the world....I LOVE "THE FIFTH ELEMENT".
That's right! Every time I watch it I giggle like a school girl inside at everything that is great about it. I love the story, the characters, the style, the humor.....everything.
So, my top three list is thus.
1. The Fifth Element
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Boondock Saints
What are your favorite movies?
That's right! Every time I watch it I giggle like a school girl inside at everything that is great about it. I love the story, the characters, the style, the humor.....everything.
So, my top three list is thus.
1. The Fifth Element
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Boondock Saints
What are your favorite movies?
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