“I just felt like running….”

…said Forrest Gump.  I never thought I’d be a runner and truth is, I still don’t consider myself a runner.  My fitness-nut-brother-in-law told me when I started my diet and exercise plan that I’d be running before long.  I scoffed at the notion (I’ve used the word “scoffed” in 2 consecutive blog posts).

I did run a 5K last spring.

I’m no stranger to running.  I ran track through school and even ran cross country my freshman year in high school.  But the rest of my running was always a means to an end.  Football, basketball, etc. all involved running but not running just for the sake of running.  And heaven knows that I haven’t even ran for those sports in the past 25 years.

So imagine my surprise a couple of months ago when in the middle of a 40 minute treadmill session I suddenly broke into a jog.  I thought, “what the heck are you doing”?  But there I was shuffling along at a pace quicker than a walk, but not quite a sprint.  And, I’ve continued to run since then.  A little faster than the first time, and a little further each week.

Then, I committed to 10 miles per week from now until Easter as part of an effort through Church to get folks moving in the new year.  Now, I’ve ran 25 miles in the past 2 weeks.

If you know me, then you might have always though I had something in common with Forrest Gump.  But, I’ll bet you didn’t think that it was running!

Cheers,
Braddog

Somebody Help Me!

I recently read an interview with Tony Horton, the guy who created the P90X workout system.  He was adamant that anyone trying to improve their health should surround themselves with folks who are trying to do the same, or who are at least supportive of your efforts.

I’ve read the same thing on the MyFitnessPal forums (the website and smartphone app that I use to track my diet and exercise), but I’ve always been reluctant to make a bunch of “friends” online.  Even though this is supposed to help folks be more successful, I’ve always scoffed at the idea.

While grilling pork tenderloin and chicken breasts for our respective dinners tonight, I was talking with my good friend and neighbor about this new lifestyle as we so often do.  While we both began this journey for different reasons, we have nonetheless been sharing in strategies, the progress, and the setbacks that we’ve encountered in our efforts to live healthier.

I have a good friend that I’ve worked with for ~20 years.  He’s always lived a healthier lifestyle than I have.  When I started changing my diet and getting some exercise, it was helpful to have someone to eat lunch with frequently that makes good choices and is willing to listen to me go on and on about my experiences.

Many of my friends have supported me with encouragement and well wishes.  No one that I know has been anything other than supportive.

So it occurs to me that without thinking about it, I’ve done exactly what Tony Horton suggests.  I’ve got a good support system in place with key friends and family.  This has made all the difference.  I mean, it would have been much harder if those around me were eating pizza and drinking beer every day.  Those temptations would be hard to ignore.  

But when you hang out with people who are looking for the same things that you are, it’s easy to find support from the knowledge that you’re not in this alone.  Heck, I hope I’ve provided a little support for them along the way as well.

Cheers,
Braddog

Top Tech of 2012

This marks the 5th year that I’ve written this blog post.  When I began blogging in 2008, I was all over the marble with the topics that I covered.  Over time, this blog has become mostly about my family.  The BBQ stuff that littered the first couple of years worth of content is now all done over at http://www.grillandbarrel.com.  But I look forward to this blog post every year.  This post includes the technology products and services that I’ve had first hand experience with during the year.  This isn’t a comprehensive list of every item that I’ve acquired or used, just those that are noteworthy.

Here we go.  In no particular order, here are my top tech products and services from 2012:

1. iPad 3 – We’re an Apple family.  iMac, iPhones, iPods, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, AppleTV.  We’ve done our part in driving Apple stock through the roof.  While we have an original iPad in the house (Carie’s mother’s day gift from that year), I decided I wanted one of my own so that she could actually use her iPad.  I picked this up around Father’s Day and since it’s not a “shared” device, I’ve integrated it into my own workflow.  I use it at work and home.  In fact there are times that I’ll go several days without firing up my laptop.  It’s faster than the first generation, has a sexier screen, and front and back cameras.  My only complaint is that after only 6 months, Apple obsoleted this model with the iPad 4.
2. iPad Mini – I made a deal with Mackenzie that she could have a tablet for her birthday (Madison got a Kindle Fire for her birthday).  Her birthday happened to fall near the Apple announcement of the iPad Mini.  The deal was that if she wanted to wait for the announcement, she could have the Mini when it was available.  But, if she actually wanted the gift on her birthday she would have to get a Kindle Fire.  She opted to wait.  I got burned for an extra $129.  I really didn’t think the Mini would be that much more than the Kindle Fire.  But that was the deal that I made.  The Mini is pretty cool device and I really like the form factor.  If I didn’t have the iPad 3, I’d look hard at a Mini for myself.  I like the increased mobility of that form factor.
3. Kind Fire – As I mentioned, Madison wanted a Kindle for her birthday and we settled on the Fire.  It’s the first Android based device to make it into our house.  It’s a pretty cool device for what it is, a media consumption device.  It’s not great for creating content, but in fairness that’s not it’s target.  It’s all about being a window into the Amazon Store and it does that very well.  Sure, there’s a Facebook app, email etc.  But it shines at cracking open your wallet for content acquired via Amazon.  Madison reads on it constantly.  Oh, and I see by her FB timelines that she likes to update FB right before she goes to sleep.
4. Airgo Speaker – This one I blogged about.  I’ve looked for a way to provide music by the pool without running speaker wire and mounting speakers.  I finally found the answer.  This device houses an Apple Airport Express, enabling the Apple Airplay feature to target the enclosed speaker for output.  Now, we can stream and control the music from any of our “i” devices (iphones or iPads).  Full blog post on this one is located here.

That’s it.  I couldn’t come up with anything else that was new or noteworthy.  I’m sure that there’ll be more tech in the new year.  I see a new desktop for the family, a new laptop or desktop for Carie, and maybe a new DSLR for yours truly.  That’s a pretty ambitious wish list, but come back next year around this time and see what maks the cut for the top tech of 2013.

Cheers,

Braddog

An NSV (Non-Scale Victory)

Amongst the online fitness/dieting community, folks share a lot of information and provide support for one another. One of the terms that you see used is an “NSV”, a non-scale victory. These are the personal victories that you achieve on your fitness journey that have nothing to do with stepping on the scale. I’ve had a few of those along the way, but I had a significant one this week.

It had been a year since I’d been to the doctor and had my blood work done. So I went in for a check up and blood work right before Christmas. This week, I got the results.

• Composite score – 144
• HDL – 55
• LDL – 82
• Triglycerides – 73

I don’t remember what my numbers were before, but I know that my triglycerides were over 300.  I found some charts online and as near as I can tell, these are GREAT numbers.

I’ll take that NSV to start the new year!

Cheers,
Braddog