Cancelled

Well, my big plunge into Holmes Lake to benefit Special Olympics this morning was cancelled due to the high winds, as they were unable to set up the tents for registration, medical, etc. We are expecting lots of crappy weather in the next several hours, including rain, sleet and snow. They are post-poning the event until sometime next month. So, a HUGE thanks to all who donated funds to this, and I will keep you posted on the new date as I get more information. I guess I'll shelve the grass skirt and coconut bra until later!

Okay, so, it's not all about the 80's

Those of you who know me are well aware of my love and passion for 80's hair bands. Not so much because of their talents, because, quite frankly, there was very little in the talent pool. Nevertheless, the likes of Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, Quiet Riot, Firehouse, Great White, and many others, stirs up old memories of spandex, mullets, and stonewashed jeans. Wow, those were the days. Over the years, I have found myself searching the radio waves for stations whose genres inlude only '70's and '80's music, for the most part. Yes, I have become a close-minded fool since the demise of the power ballad and the fall of the screaming guitar. While I have been hellbent on keeping track of some of those old bands, an entire world of quality, intelligent music was passing me by, and I only discovered this through a recent series of events that I never would have predicted.
It all goes back to a year ago when a couple of good friends of ours decided to tie the knot. The day they picked for their wedding was the same day that Nickelback was in concert in Omaha. I had never even heard of Nickelback at the time, so you see, this is how out-of-the-loop I really was. I enjoyed, however, listening to the friendly banter between the groom, his bride-to-be, and one of the groomsmen about how the groom and this groomsman were going to somehow find a way to squeeze in the Nickelback concert and the wedding all in the same day. You can well imagine how those conversations went.
Fast-forward to this year, and I'll give you one guess as to who is in concert again in Omaha. So how does all of this pertain to me and my addiction to '80's rock? Well, my friend's wife decided to purchase two tickets to this year's concert and send her hubby and the aforementioned groomsman to the concert in a limo. Unfortuanetly, the groomsman recently encountered some serious back problems, which forced him to have surgery just a couple of days ago, so he's out for the concert. Guess who got a call about going to the Nickelback concert in a limo?? That's right - 'twas yours truly. So I have spent the past week downloading Nickeback tunes and discovering just who these guys are and why I should be looking forward to seeing them. In the process, I have come across lots of good rock bands, and I must say, I have tapped into a world which I am truly sorry I have missed over the last 10+ years. There is some really good music out there, and much of it is very current. So, I am here to say that I am opening my mind, world, and attitude to the reality that there really is more to life than '80's music! Nickelback, here I come! Still, folks, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, she's my Cherry Pie, and I'm Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Rock On!!!

So What??

Whew! What a week - sorry about that delay in new posts. I hope you all had fantastic Valentine's Days, if you choose to celebrate. Ours was pretty busy, as we had our usual Wednesday night church activities. I baked some special cookies for the family, and Kaedyn had the usual bash at school. Mandi and I couldn't find a babysitter for last week, so we are having our date night this Thursday. Other than that, it was a pretty standard day. And that's okay with us - Mandi and I typically choose not to celebrate what we have come to affectionately term "Hallmark Day." We believe the card companies and flower folks have taken it too far, to such an extent that they have successfully implanted in our culture's psyche a sense of guilt if we don't spend money on our sweeties on Hallmark Day. It's a little ridiculous, if you ask me. First, I don't need a special annual holiday to express the love I have for my wife, kids, and family. Second, I don't need to spend money I don't have on flowers and cards that will be dead or forgotten in about a week, in order to express my love. Frankly, Mandi is more disgusted when I do go that route. She'd rather I make some time, find a sitter, and spend some quality moments with her. And that is exactly what I have arranged for this week. Now, I certainly don't mean to diminish the significance or importance of the day for those of you who have a special tradition, or for those who see the day in a different light than what I have just expressed. To each their own! All of this said, I didn't really come here to talk about that today. Me and my tangents.
What I thought I would do is continue my discussion on what I believe to be a foundational line of thought in building a successful plan for healthy living. Thus far, I have talked about a decision to change your life when it comes to healthy living. Don't go on a diet, rather, make a lifestyle change. And second, no doing this for anyone else but yourself. Others will certainly appreciate your hard work, and may even benefit. But ultimately, this is all about you!
The third part of the foundation for healthy living is to understand, realize, and accept that you will make mistakes. Period. There's no way around it. You're going to screw up, and you're going to screw up big! There's going to come a day when that big slice of pizza is going to call so loudly and so overwhelmingly, that you won't be able to resist its powers. Or the aroma of fresh-baked cookies just out of the oven is going to summon you back to the dark side, and you will find it useless to resist. Before you know it, the one cookie has turned into just one more, and half a dozen later you're kicking yourself in the ass for having fallen off the wagon. At this point, you're going to begin asking yourself if you can really make a go of your decision to live a healthier life. You'll begin to realize that it's much easier to grab a quick Big Mac than to spend the time preparing a healthy meal. Or that a few handfuls of cheesy puffs are tastier than an apple. Well, I have news for you: it's okay. Yup, I said it. It's okay to think along these lines once in awhile, to have a few cookies or some cheesy puffs or a Big Mac. The key is to get over it and move on! Don't dwell on the mistake you made, and don't concern yourself with it so much that you never get back to the healthy decisions you were once making. Savor the Big Mac, and move on! There is absolutely no sense in worrying about a slip-up now and again, so long as you don't make a frequent habit out of it. Why? Because if you are eating healthy and exercising regularly, you will easily metabolize your screw-up, and your body will barely even notice it. To dwell on your mistakes and feel sorry for yourself is more detrimental to your goals than the mistake itself. I speak from experience, folks.
A quick recap - #1. Frame of mind - change your lifestyle to healthy living. NO DIETS!! #2. Make the healthy living choice for yourself. #3. Accept the fact that you will err, and don't worry about it when you do. Stay tuned for #4! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

Tough Decision

Had a rather interesting conversation with one of the Battalion Chiefs for the Lincoln Fire Department a few days ago. I am part of the Incident Dispatch Team at work, which responds to major incidents such as multiple alarm fires, multiple casualty incidents, hazardous material incidents, etc. We were called out to a two-alarm fire at an old house converted into apartments, and my role during the incident was to sit in the LFR (Lincoln Fire and Rescue) command vehicle and keep a log of rig change outs, personnel on scene, and other various happenings pertaining to the incident. As I watched the firemen/women battle the large blaze, I asked the Chief if he knew yet what started the fire, and who originally called it in to the 911 center. He told me he wasn't sure on the specific details, but that the police department was the first on scene and a couple of the officers went inside the structure in an attempt to evacuate the building. They were successful, and no one was hurt, though a couple of pets didn't make it out. However, the Chief was not happy about the officer's rescue attempts and said he didn't appreciate them running into a burning building. He commented that they would get hurt one of these days. I didn't respond, but rather attempted to relive the scenario in my own mind. What would I have done had I been in the officer's position? I'm sworn to protect the community in which I live, and it's citizens. Do I risk my life in an attempt to save others, not knowing for sure whether my efforts will be successful, or if I will end up hurt, or worse? Or, do I wait and watch knowing there are folks inside who are sleeping and have no idea what is taking place? Personally, I'm sure I would go against the Chief's wishes and make every effort to assist those inside the structure. I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't. Thoughts?

Diet Foundation Part II

As I discussed in my last post, I firmly believe the success to any change in healthy living is to get yourself in the right frame of mind. Regardless of what your goal is - be it to lose weight, or to become a chiseled pillar of muscle and sweat, or just to change your eating habits - change is only successful if one lays a good foundation for healthier living. Step one in laying a good foundation, I believe, is to get away from the word 'diet' and move towards the thought of a change in lifestyle. Step two is to never, under any circumstances, make your lifestyle changes for anyone else but YOURSELF! If you're making these changes to please someone else, or because someone else told you to, you're creating a recipe for failure. If you walked by the magazine stand at the grocery store, saw the latest Hollywood tabloid featuring the body of your favorite movie star, and decided you ought to look like him/her, then you might as well not even get started. It won't take long before you begin to realize that you are working so hard for all the wrong reasons. Brad Pitt doesn't care what you look like. Jennifer Aniston couldn't care, either. Your Mom or significant other does care, but they love you (or should) for who you are, not what you look and/or feel like. The desire to change has to come from deep down inside in places you don't talk about at parties, people. There are many reasons for changing one's view on healthy living, but for me, it was simply a desire to feel better. Sure, I want to look good, too, but really, I just want to feel better. I woke up one morning and realized just how tired I was of not being able to physically do some of the things that others could do. I realized that I wanted to be around a long time to enjoy my grand kids, sit on the front porch watching the sunset with my wife, and do lots of traveling during retirement. Mentally and physically, I just needed to feel better. Those personal desires led to an overwhelming feeling of a need for change, and I'm following through because I want to seek out those changes. I've tried to make changes for others in the past, and it might have been a successful run for awhile, but eventually I become bored or even resentful at working so hard to make others happy.

So, to recap, I've suggested a foundation of thought that has worked for me in the war on fat. First, I got myself into a refreshing frame of mind, which is not to go on a diet, but rather make a healthy, permanent, lifestyle change. Second, I'm not doing this for anyone else but myself! Sure, others will support, encourage, and advise me throughout the battle, but I am ultimately doing this for no one else but myself. Please understand that what I have talked about thus far are only my suggestions. I'm not a doctor, or otherwise an expert on weight loss, exercise, or healthy living. I am but a person whom has been overweight my entire life, and have tried just about every stinking diet or weight loss program in existence, in some form or another. I have found something that seems to be working now, and I just have a good feeling that the sound advice I am following will become more permanent than anything I've tried in the past. Hey, I'm down over 20 pounds in 5 weeks. Good luck - and please keep me posted on your trials and tribulations!!!

Lifestyle's

Awhile back, I mentioned the possibility of offering some diet tips on my blog, and I think it's time I follow through. Let me state, however, that I certainly know that I do not have all the answers. My tips come from Dr.'s Oz and Roizen, who's plan is simple and makes a whole ton of sense - to me. Not everyone may like it as much as I do, and it may not fit your lifestyle. To each their own, and especially when it comes to dieting. That said, I believe the best way to begin any diet is to start with the right frame of mind. You can't go into your plan thinking you are on a diet. The very word itself seems to express a sort of negativism, probably due in part to our culture's understanding of a diet. Restrictions...can't have...bad for you...not so much...smaller...too fat..........aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!! It's enough to drive a person crazy! In addition, a diet seems to suggest a temporary solution. "I'm going on a diet, and as soon as I lose the amount I need to, I'll go back to living how I was before I began." This seems, to me, to be a recipe for disaster. Thus, I have adopted the idea of a lifestyle change. I'm not a diet, rather I am changing the way I think about food and exercise - permanently. I'm not restricting my body or putting it through a living hell, rather I am enhancing my God-given abilities by feeding my body exactly what it needs to be efficient, energized, and alive. It's a lifestyle change. It's a new understanding of what and how to eat, and how to help my body feel great with exercise. Best of all? It's working!!! For those of you who are attempting a lifestyle change, I'd love to hear your thoughts, wisdom, and successes. I'll continue to offer mine through the blog, and I encourage you to visit every couple of days. Thanks!