First Ever Thanksgiving Post

I have been blogging for a few years but this will be my first Thanksgiving post.  Sure, I think we're all thankful for our family, friends and our life we get to live in this country.  I think many of us say they are most thankful for the day or two off from work and maybe the Tryptophan coma they put themselves into.

This year as you may suppose, my thoughts are running high on the thankful chart.  I look back on the year that started rough for me with the end of a long, gruelling project at work in March.  Then I realized I was at rock-bottom with my health and needed to make changes.  I found Hilton Head Health.  From that point on April 24, my life would be forever changed and it is something that I cannot express enough thanks for.

I need to start with my employer for granting me the leave of absence and work accomodations.  Then add in my sister for helping me financially with the cost of going to H3.  My wife and kids had to sacrifice as well with me gone for 28 days straight.  Traveling for work has me home on the weekends at least but this was a full month of absence.

Now we come to the H3 staff.  EVERYONE needs to get a mention.  Bob for his wisdom and understanding, Beth for her good ear to hear my story, Adam for the fitness leadership and knowledge, Amber for being tough on us sick guys, Katie for being so awesome as a trainer in and out of the pool, Kat and Kelia for their awesomeness in keeping us happy while onsite.  Christie and John at the front desk to help out with anything or just chat with when you are too sore to go to another workout.  Karla gets a special nod because she is sweet, can cook up a storm and then kick your butt in Cardio Boxing which is my most favorite thing at H3!  Louise for being so kind to chat with and also as a trainer...I miss doing step with her!  Chef Jen for showing me that you can eat different food for 28 days that is healthy and tasty without any exception.  Plus, she is a former Minnesotan...special in my heart.  She understands us from up north!  Alicia for her chat the day I made my testimonial....you made that easy and are a great asset to H3!

Jeff gets his own paragraph.  When I went to H3 if you would have told me that my closest friend leaving would be a 22 year old guy that does ironman competitions, I would have laughed you off.  Jeff is that guy.  We hit it off in class with our mutual love of the challenge but also in how we enjoy the energy and dare I say cutting it up in class.  I fed off of his energy and I think that is mutual.  Then add in the @home coaching.  I looked forward to our sessions which at first were keeping me stable and eliminating the risks of my upcoming weeks.  In the latter meetings, it was more about success and just chatting about what he and I had going on in training and life in general.  I could go on forever about Jeff but I will save something for later/

Now, we come to the amazing people I met at H3,  Lifelong friends.  Dale B, Kelly B, James W, Big Daddy, John, the man that showed me what a metabo-oyster is, my lady friends from North Carolina and Lousiana Lisa, Liz F, John D., Maglio C, Cari D, Chemain, the new friends I made from the cast of Heavy like Stacia, Julia, Johnny and Debbie plus so many others I know I am forgetting.  Throw in the new crew that was there for Devin's Dash that knew me before I got there.  Keep reading these posts and keep working hard!  You inspire me knowing I may have inspired you! 

This year with 118 pounds lost to date has been my best year.  I feel amazing and can do amazing things.  Thankful does not even begin to cut it.  I look forward to the next year and the challenges I have before me such as losing an additional 60 pounds, transitioning to 10Ks, 10 milers and an eventual 1/2 marathon.  Yes Jeff, a spring tri is in there too. I look forward to having amazing health as I turn 41 in a couple of weeks. 

Thank you all for helping me make this monumental change in my life.  Thank you for SAVING my life.  That is something worth being thankful for.

I should save something for a New Year's post but I want to wish you all on a quest to get healthy and lose weight the courage, stamina and strength to beat your demons and kick obesity's butt!  You have all the tools you need to do it. 

Why A Pill For Everything?

USAToday ran this story recently on rasining good cholesterol (HDL).  We all know we need to keep our HDL higher and our LDL lower....well, we (I) know this now.  When I got to Hilton Head Health (H3), I was surprised that the day I arrived, my HDL was 7.  Just....7.  Despite my total cholesterol being in a decent range, the fact that I had all bad LDL was not good news.  To quote Bob Wright, I had lots of garbage (LDL) but no garbage trucks (HDL) to take it away.

Over the course of my stay at H3 for 28 days, I managed to raise my HDL significantly through diet and exercise.  This is not something that is necessarily a common outcome at H3 since their nutrition limits us to 1200 calories a day.  Given my starting point of 7, I guess even with those dietary restrictions, mine had nowhere to go but up!

When I read the story, I found myself with mixed feelings about it.  Another drug is possibly coming available to help raise your HDL.  That is just what America does NOT need....another pill to help accomodate their bad eating and fitness habits.  Have Type II Diabetes....we have pumps, pills and shots.  If you have bad cholesterol, we have pills that lower and soon pills that raise the good. 

The piece that nobody seems to pay attention to in drugs like this is the risk of taking it.  The story points out that an earlier CETP inhibitor actually raised the risk of heart problems. 

Now, like obesity, I believe some people are just not blessed with the right genetics to fend it off.  Same goes for limited diabetics.  If your pancreas just does not do what it is supposed to, that is when the meds are a GREAT innovention in our lives.  The problem with having a pill for everything is that it is far too easy to swallow compared to putting in some effort of eating right and moving your body.

Before jumping into a lap band, pill or medicine to address your cholesterol, weight or diabetes, give yourself one seriously honest effort at fixing it through diet and exercise.  If that does not work after a truly devoted effort, then turn the page to medicine.  You can do this like I have and feel so much better about it down the line!

Finding Pillars In Your Life

Last week, I learned that my college choral conductor, Dr. Vernon Opheim passed at the age of 79.  It the big picture of things, I was only with Doc for a few years in college and saw him a few times after college; the most recent being in May 2010 at his home in Tucson, AZ.  Still, I think to how much I learned from Doc about music, about myself and saw how I wanted to live as a man.  Doc was a pillar in my life.  It breaks my heart to know I will never get to see and chat with him again. 

I also look at the time I spent at Hilton Head Health.  So many people there are top notch, loving caring people.  The entire crew there represents a pillar in my life but especially Jeff.  We connected and we celebrated making the change in my life together.  Jeff is a pillar in my life.  I continually look forward to the next race we might be a part of together or the next visit I make to H3. 

My parents are also pillars in my life.  I look at how they started their family at 16 and managed to build an awesome life for us through nothing but hard work and dedication to their work.  There is so much I take from that kind of mentality every day. 

My very own family represents a pillar for me.  Jess for how hard she works and manages things while I am on the road.  Ashlie for her talents and having the best parts of me in her character.  Jake for being the guy that keeps us honest...always being real and honest about everything he says and does. 

Obviously, we have these people in our lives that have touched us.  Some by a lifetime of knowing them and some for brief periods of time recent or not.  These pillars need to be our foundation of strength when times are tough.  As I continue down my weightloss and wellness journey, I find myself looking inward and continually find these pillars holding me up...keeping me strong.  I am doing this for me but I also do it for them. 

Don't let these pillars collect dust in your memory.  Keep them to the front of your mind whenever you find challenges or rough spots.  Keep them to the front when you are succeeding too!  Use them and the values they have brought to you personally to keep you strong. 

Go Forward With What You Have Available

I had a conversation with someone on my flight from MSP-FLL today about technology and how tethered we are to it.  I need to come clean that for The Orracle, if not for technology, he could not pay the bills...but hang with me on this one.  As I talked, it dawned on me on how much we concern ourselves with purchases around technology.

For example, those of you that know me understand how much I really dislike (cr)apple products.  I would never buy an iPad.  I still do desire a tablet.  I really like the new Kindle Fire that is coming out for just $200 but with a smaller screen and just 8 GB of memory.  Listen again...just 8 GIGABYTES of memory. 

Go back to when we were in a space race.  Our brilliant minds in this country used slide rules and their mind.  Nowhere did they stop and say they could not do something or could not get by without bigger slide rules or slide rules with bigger numbers let alone calculators and 1/2" thick computers with Gigabytes of memory.  No, they used the technology they had and made amazing things happen around them day after day. 

In my case, I am consumed with possibly waiting for the 2nd generation Kindle fire to come out that will most likely have a bigger screen and 16 GB of memory.  We are just not willing to get by with what is available apparently.

I think we can take the same analogy to healthy living and eating.  Sometimes when we do not have the best food available or access to a top notch gym or even any gym, we just cannot make it happen.  We are tied mentally to looking for that easier way to do it when a simple 'slide rule' will do.  Unfortunately, there are wolves lurking on every TV station to sell you today's version of the Thigh Master or .  They know what your mindset is!  You have EVERYTHING you need to do whatever those gimmick items suggest they can do for you within your house already but it looks easier.  It looks like you can have more success if you buy it, right?

Tomorrow, take what tools you have for dinner and for exercise and make them work.  Don't wait until you have the perfect tool set to take your next step.  Don't assume you need the gym.  Make a slide-rule change tomorrow because what you have is exactly enough to do what you need to do tomorrow.