Browsing Tag: health

    Miscellany

    Accountability: Highly Underrated

    December 27, 2012

    fitbit-logoA couple years ago, I got in shape and lost 26 pounds in about 2.5 months.

    I’ve since put back on about 15 of those pounds.

    So, a month or so ago, I decided that I’d go back on the same plan after the new year. (Trying to lose weight in December is pointless. It’s a crazy month here with holidays, both kids’ birthdays, etc.)

    Part of that plan was to get a Fitbit to track my daily activity … or lack thereof. It had been recommended to me by friends like Todd and others. Plus, I have this unusual love of tracking things. Like, how many times I filled my car with gas in 2011. And another thing I’ve been tracking all of 2012 that I’ll post about soon.

    Anyhoo…

    I got a Fitbit Zip for Christmas and just set it up tonight. Easy-peasy. I connected it to the Lose It app, which I used in 2010 to track my food and exercise. (Like I said, I have a thing for tracking stuff.) I updated my current weight, set my weight goal, and did all the stuff to be ready to start the weight loss effort.

    One of the things Fitbit asks is for you to tell it how much water you’ve drank each day. Even though it’s 9:30 pm, just seeing that made me grab my water bottle and guzzle as much as I could.

    Subconsciously, I’m already wanting to eat and drink healthier because my activity is being tracked. I’ll get hungry late tonight like I always do, but I’m telling myself I won’t eat anything. Because if I do, I have to tell Fitbit and Lose It.

    Accountability is a strong motivator. And highly underrated.

    Miscellany

    Doctor’s Orders

    October 27, 2011

    Went to the doctor this morning for a checkup. I’m at that age, you know? The age when guys need to have a doctor and need to get all of our parts checked regularly because things start to break about now.

    Well, I’m generally in excellent shape … BUT … turns out that my cholesterol is a bit high, likely due to genetics. As you can see below, one of the new doctor’s recommendations is 1-2 glasses of alcohol per day. Hehehehehe.

    doctors-orders

    And I have to say … considering that I tend to have about five alcoholic drinks per year and usually only drink rum and Coke, this will not be an easy directive to follow.

    Miscellany

    Is there a One-Hour Flu?

    March 1, 2011

    I’ve heard of the 24-hour flu, where you get sick and better again within a day. But is there such a thing as the one-hour flu? Because I swear I had it last night.

    Craziest thing: Out of the blue at about 11:00 pm it hit me like a brick wall — aches all over my body, nasty headache, chills, and extreme fatigue. That’s all the stuff that the flu normally brings me. I was this close to calling it a night and going to sleep, but still had some stuff to finish. So I plugged along. I think I took some vitamin C. And about an hour later, I felt fine.

    Bizarre. Whatever it was, I’m glad it went away that quickly.

    Miscellany

    You are Your Attitude

    August 21, 2010

    Hate to get all Tony Robbins here, but I put this on Twitter and Facebook earlier today and also want to mention it here and bookmark it via a blog post because I really believe this to be true.

    Research shows what you say about others says a lot about you

    In a nutshell, how you think about others and talk about others says as much about you as it says about them.

    They discovered particularly strong associations between positively judging others and how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable and capable the person describes oneself and is described by others.

    “Seeing others positively reveals our own positive traits,” Wood says.

    The study also found that how positively you see other people shows how satisfied you are with your own life, and how much you are liked by others.

    In contrast, negative perceptions of others are linked to higher levels of narcissism and antisocial behavior.

    The mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. If you’re attacking, criticizing, and saying hateful things about others … think about where it’s coming from.

    Miscellany

    You Know What’s Good?

    August 11, 2010

    These:

    special k bars

    Special K Bars. Only 90 calories each (as you can see) and they taste delicious. Totally not like granola bars, which I don’t like. These have flavor. They taste like something between cereal and and a Rice Krispie Treat (which I don’t like, usually).

    We get the variety pack above — chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry — but we buy the blueberry separately, and those are the best.

    Did I mention they’re only 90 calories each? Love ’em.

    That’s all. Carry on.

    Miscellany

    Vertigo Update 2010 – Gone?

    July 23, 2010

    I’m posting this just to help me keep track of the vertigo problem that started last year. I want to monitor when it comes and goes each year.

    In other words, this is mainly for me, not you. Move along. 🙂

    2010: Vertigo hit around mid-June. Seems to be gone now, about 5-6 weeks later.

    2009: Vertigo hit late May. Was gone about two months later.