How many of you have set out on a weight loss plan or exercise plan? Now how many of you have started full speed ahead, then lost your motivation? Or better yet, dropped down to your goal weight, only to gain it back?
There is a good reason that the exercise and weight loss industry is a billion dollar business. Most people cannot commit to a long term lifestyle commitment. They would rather hit their goal as fast as possible, enjoy it for a few weeks, then watch it go away. For this reason, the same people try every new program that comes out.
So , what should you do? Simple. Find an activity that you enjoy and do it. Exercise should not feel like going to work. It should be a way to decompress. I have hit the gym off and on for years, without a real reason. This is a recipe for failure.
I signed up for my first triathlon in March. This will be a sprint distance to get my feet wet, but I am already planning my next race. As a kid, I loved riding my bike. I thought nothing of riding all day during the summer with friends. When I sat on a bike for the first time in November since college, I felt a big smile come on my face. This was not going to be exercise. This was going to fun!
Since I started training for this triathlon, I have found a purpose for exercise. Every day, I wake up looking forward to my workout. So, whether you like tennis, hockey, cycling, breakdancing, or pickle ball, get out and do it. You will enjoy it and find that the results don't vanish once you eat a slice of bread.
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ---e. e. cummings
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Friday, January 21, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Jimmy crack corn, and I don't care. But I smell an intervention
There are countless children's songs that are catchy tunes. However have you listened to the words of these songs? Let's take one as an example. "Jimmy Crack Corn". This is on one of Riley's Disney CDs.
This song dates back to the1840's. It is believed to be a song from the prospective of a slave who's owner has died, potentially from the slave's intentional negligence. So this does not sound too bad so far. After all, I am sure the slave owner had it coming. The name of the song however still raises questions. One explanation is that this "Gimcrack corn" was cheap corn whiskey. So basically, our kids are singing about a slave who neglects his job, kills his master, and then celebrates with a jar of cheap corn whiskey. Moving on.
The next song that came to mind was "Pop Goes the Weasel". No, I am not talking about the early 90's rap group 3rd Bass. This is an English song that dates back to pre-1825. One of the early verses goes:
" Up and down the City Road
In and out the Eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop! goes the weasel."
The Eagle was a pub north of London. Pop, was a term that referred to pawning. Weasel, was a slang term that referred to a coat or suit.
So the thought is that this song talks about pawning your coat so that you would have enough money to go to the pub.
What I find strange is that the politicly correct groups that "protect our kids", like the geniuses that altered the words of classic Mark Twain novels recently, are not removing all of these songs and rhymes from kids vocabularies. After all, what is the difference between these lyrics and Snoop Dogg sipping on gin and juice?
This song dates back to the1840's. It is believed to be a song from the prospective of a slave who's owner has died, potentially from the slave's intentional negligence. So this does not sound too bad so far. After all, I am sure the slave owner had it coming. The name of the song however still raises questions. One explanation is that this "Gimcrack corn" was cheap corn whiskey. So basically, our kids are singing about a slave who neglects his job, kills his master, and then celebrates with a jar of cheap corn whiskey. Moving on.
The next song that came to mind was "Pop Goes the Weasel". No, I am not talking about the early 90's rap group 3rd Bass. This is an English song that dates back to pre-1825. One of the early verses goes:
" Up and down the City Road
In and out the Eagle
That's the way the money goes
Pop! goes the weasel."
The Eagle was a pub north of London. Pop, was a term that referred to pawning. Weasel, was a slang term that referred to a coat or suit.
So the thought is that this song talks about pawning your coat so that you would have enough money to go to the pub.
What I find strange is that the politicly correct groups that "protect our kids", like the geniuses that altered the words of classic Mark Twain novels recently, are not removing all of these songs and rhymes from kids vocabularies. After all, what is the difference between these lyrics and Snoop Dogg sipping on gin and juice?
Friday, January 7, 2011
Baby boom or bust
I was dropping the car off at the shop to have new tires installed. I had Riley with me as Mitsy had a doctor's appointment. As I walked out the door, one of the other clients looks at me and says; "that is what is wrong with people your age. You don't know your roles.".
I did not respond as I should have, but it made me think. The baby boom generation was the sequel to the "greatest generation". The greatest generation were kids of the depression. They were engrained with the ideals of hard work, saving money, and the honor system. What did the boomers give us? Global warming, leveraged investments, increased oil dependency, and suing companies for spilling coffee on themselves.
Now, there are things that the boomers did get right. Me, for example. I am a dad who is comfortable with all of the responsibilities of parenthood. I have and continue to change diapers, dance to silly songs on Disney, go to the park to slide and swing, show how to splash in the bath, and discipline. I am comfortable doing these with or without Mitsy. The sad part is that many boomer men do not understand what it takes to be not just a father but a dad. They saw their fathers as the family provider, that worked all day and came home to a wife that had dinner made, the kids ready for bed, and life was very black and white. This worked. However, for boomers this did not. Families became two income households and the household and kid duties needed to be shared.
I think that it comes down to fathers wanting to be involved. There is nothing better than sharing time with "Monkey". I feel sorry for those men that can't see that this is a privledge not a burden.
I did not respond as I should have, but it made me think. The baby boom generation was the sequel to the "greatest generation". The greatest generation were kids of the depression. They were engrained with the ideals of hard work, saving money, and the honor system. What did the boomers give us? Global warming, leveraged investments, increased oil dependency, and suing companies for spilling coffee on themselves.
Now, there are things that the boomers did get right. Me, for example. I am a dad who is comfortable with all of the responsibilities of parenthood. I have and continue to change diapers, dance to silly songs on Disney, go to the park to slide and swing, show how to splash in the bath, and discipline. I am comfortable doing these with or without Mitsy. The sad part is that many boomer men do not understand what it takes to be not just a father but a dad. They saw their fathers as the family provider, that worked all day and came home to a wife that had dinner made, the kids ready for bed, and life was very black and white. This worked. However, for boomers this did not. Families became two income households and the household and kid duties needed to be shared.
I think that it comes down to fathers wanting to be involved. There is nothing better than sharing time with "Monkey". I feel sorry for those men that can't see that this is a privledge not a burden.
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