The best piece of spam I have received in a long long time. Great stuff for anyone starting their own business. Now if I could just find someone to tatoo this onto my forehead.....

Millionaire's Mind - Notes.... 

• What you focus on expands
• Make your own plan or you will be a part of someone elses
• Stay as far away from complainers as possible
• The Law of Attraction = Like Attracts Like
• What do people get out of being a victim? Attention
• There's no such thing as a rich victim
• The #1 reason why most people don't get what they want is that they don't know what they want
  If you want to be rich you have to be adding value to other people's lives
• The happiest people are those who use their natural talents to the utmost
• Entrepreneur: person who solves problems for people at a profit - a problem solver
• The more people you help, the richer you become
• It's time to start sharing your gifts instead of hoarding them or pretending they don't exist
• Poor people make choices based on fear
• Rich people believe that if worst comes to worst they can always make their money back
• Rich people take educated risks
• Poor people claim to be preparing for an opportunity - instead they are stalling. Meanwhile the rich guy got in
• Rich people expect to succeed
• Rich people focus on what they want
• If you want to get rich: focus on making, keeping and investing your money
• If you want to be poor, focus on spending your money
• Get in the game with whatever you've got
• Focus on what you have, NOT what you don't have
• The fastest and easiest ways to create wea'lth is to learn exactly how rich people, who are masters of mon'ey, play the game
• Find as many financial mentors as possible
• Most people earn within 20% of the average income of their closest friends
• Make it a point to only associate with successful, positive people (and remember, use your definition of success)
• Rich people hang around winners
• If you don't toot your own horn, it's possible nobody else will
• Rich people are excellent promoters
• Rich people are skilled at packaging their value in a way that's extremely attractive
• To be a leader, you must inherently have followers and supporters, which means that you have to be adept at selling, inspiring and motivating people to buy into your vision
• Leaders earn more money than followers
• If you really believe in your value then how could it be appropriate to hide it from others?
• Grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem
• If you become a master at handling problems and overcoming any obstacle, nothing can stop you from success
• If you are not willing to receive, then you are 'ripping off' those who want to give to you
• Money will only make you more of what you already are
• Get rich by helping others
• Get rich and then you can help MORE PEOPLE

It's funny how easy it is to start a tradition. All it takes is an idea, some motivation, participation, and some kind of scheduled action. Last year on father’s day our family went strawberry picking. It's not the first time we have ever gone strawberry picking together but it was the first time we did it on father’s day. This great family activity was followed up by a good 6 hours of strawberry jam making. I scoured the internet for strawberry jam recipes and came up with several different ones to try out. The Jam lasted for months and was a real treat in November.

This year we all headed out to Springridge Farms again for the Fathers Day Berry Picking. The season just opened and it was a little overcast so it was not to crowded. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the berry crop this year. The berries were small, really small.

 And they did not taste as sweet as the crop last year. We were told they were "Jewel Berries" and all the big ones were picked yesterday. Needless to say I was disappointed. It's not that the farms berries were all small and sour. My son and I snuck on to a different berry patch by the hay maze and found the big, sweet, juicy berries we were expecting. I'm not sure why we were not allowed to pick there but I guess that they reserve the produce in that section for our local supermarkets. None the less it was a great way to spend father’s day.

This year my wife did the bulk of the Jam production as I went for a 57KM bike ride along the Waterfront Trail with my friend Ross. The weather was perfect and the section of trail that runs from Oakville to Hamilton is fantastic, Big, safe and very Scenic. The trail runs from Ajax in the East to Niagara on the lake in the west and is over 200km in length.

I am looking forward to our next ride and can only hope I'm in better shape.  Ross has become somewhat of a fitness role model for me as he was once a fat smoker too.  Now he is a lean, mean bike riding machine. And his bike has all the gizmos to prove it. He even has disc brakes and an odometer. It was a great Fathers day and I am all ready looking forward to the next one.

Check out the pictures here

I am very reluctant to say anything about quiting smoking again. I have stopped and started more times than I care to remember. My ability to go several days without a smoke seems to have created a false sense of power over this evil addiction. My newest attempt is attributed to my cronic coughing that is no longer effective at clearing my airway. Almost feels like the early stages of Emphasima.  Does this mean I have learned from my falures? I think one of the hardest parts of quitting is telling people that you quit. Because when you f#$k up It feels like you let everyone down, you become a closet smoker at first and then you have to admit your falure to the world.  I hate that feeling. It also diminishes the support you get from others when you try again. People start to expect you to fail and view your attempts as a fad, kick or a craze. Eh, who needs them anyways!

I started exercising a bit again too. Today I went for a 5km walk and a bike ride. Ross is suppose to come over for a ride tomorrow too. I found a bunch of quotes that seemed to...fit into this most recent attempt.

No time for your health today, will result in no health for your time tomorrow.

Irish Proverb

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Confucius

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

Thomas A. Edison

Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.

Henry Ford

When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.

Napoleon Hill

People in their handlings of affairs often fail when they are about to succeed. If one remains as careful at the end as he was at the beginning, there will be no failure.

Lao-Tzu

Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats.

Amos Bronson Alcott

If an addict who has been completely cured starts smoking again he no longer experiences the discomfort of his first addiction. There exists, therefore, outside alkaloids and habit, a sense for opium, an intangible habit which lives on, despite the recasting of the organism. The dead drug leaves a ghost behind. At certain hours it haunts the house.

Jean Cocteau

My constant battle with my weight re-kindles itself with a vengeance periodically. The triggers are predictable things like, pants that barley fit but use to fit, the scale, a good look in the mirror after a shower and photographs, Last weekend I got a quadruple whammy. On Monday I found myself full of the drive to change, that seems to rear its head three or four times a year. In regards to my overall health, when I’m good I’m great but when I’m bad I’m atrocious and that may be an understatement.

In the past I have exercised like a maniac for long enough of a stretch, on a regular basis, to warrant some kind of result. And I suppose there was a result, I lost about an inch off of my waist and I did feel better but the effort expended for the result achieved was a big disappointment. I was convinced that the more I exercised, the more I could eat and still loose unwanted weight. I exercised so much that I was always hounded by a ravenous hunger and believe me it was unrelenting. I was somewhat conscious about what I ate but never how much. Recently, I began to think about the little things I consumed in a day like coffee. I share a passion with a lot of my fellow Canadians, I love a large double, double in the morning and often find myself back for another later in the day. In fact I love coffee. When I was working for a past employer I would go the whole day without eating but consume 6 to 10 cups of coffee while in the office, all of them double, double or even triple, triple. I was oblivious as to the calories this represented in my diet. I mean it’s just coffee, right? Today I dug a bit deeper and found this out:

Sugar - In one level teaspoon, 16 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrate. One rounded is 1 1/2 tsp and 24 calories with 6 grams of carbohydrate. Depends on how you measure one teaspoon i.e. measuring spoon or silverware spoon

One tablespoon of half-and-half cream has 20 calories.

Using the information above and assuming that a double, double coffee contains 2 rounded teaspoons of sugar and 2 tablespoons of half-and-half cream, I consume about 90 calories with every cup of Joe I scarf down. I have watched them make my coffee at Tim’s and I know that the above figures are conservative. It’s probably a safe bet to say 100 calories per cup. At 2 cups per day that would total 1400 calories per week on coffee alone. Geesh, who would have guessed, and to think that coffee was never on my radar when I was "watching" what I was eating.

So next time your getting your Tim’s in the morning, remember that the coffee your drinking may be doing more that just helping you wake up.

It's been 10 days now since I went cold turkey. for the www.quitsmokingontario.ca contest. I've also started going back to the gym on a daily basis, jumped on the protein diet and I'm growing a mustache/beard combo.

Exercise

bike 20 Km, Weights, Swim 500 Meters

Diet

Breakfast - coffee, cottage cheese

Lunch - steak with mushrooms and onions

Dinner omelet with cheese mushrooms and onions

Snack - peanuts, apple

Dull Day. Really tired, Been sleeping like crap the last week, Its finally starting to catch up with me I think. Yawn, Night.

Exercise

2.5Mile walk/run. 600 Meter Swim

Diet

Breakfast Coffee, cottage cheese

Lunch Coffee

Dinner Pork stir Fry Cheese Coffee

Snack hard boiled egg

I think Jim is on to somthing here

The 10 Things in Life that You Control

By Jim M Allen

There are just a few aspects of life that we can truly control, and it's useful to know just what those areas are. If you don't know, you'll spend a lot of time blaming others for your own failings. Try and exert too much control in areas you shouldn't and the universe will create some interesting ways to remind of your place.

So be prepared an learn the 10 things in life that you DO control:

1. What you do

   Your actions are yours alone. You choose to make them or not make them and you are responsible for the effects of those actions.

2. What you say

   Likewise, the words you speak (or write) are also consciously chosen. Like actions, they have an impact on your life and the lives of those you contact.

3. What you think

   Yes, there are some subconscious thoughts that you can't control. But the things that you really think about, your beliefs, your ideals, etc. are concepts you have chosen to accept and believe in.

4. Your work

   Many people like to overlook this one, it being much easier to say "Oh, I'm trapped in my job because I don't have a degree, experience, etc." Hogwash! That's simple a way of denying one's responsibility in having chosen the job in the first place.

   It's your job and you chose it. If you stay (or go), that's a choice as well.

5. Who you associate with

   There's a famous t-shirt that states: "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys."

   Your friends can either lift you up or bring you down. You make the decision which type of friends you wish to have.

6. Your health

   Much of our health is a factor of genetics, environment, and exposure. Much more of our health is simply a matter of the things we choose: diet, excercise, drugs, sleep, routine physicals, check-ups, etc.

7. The environment you live in

   Your house, the condition of your home, the town you live in, the amenities available to you are all things you can control, although some to a lesser degree (i.e., you decide to tolerate them or move someplace else).

8. Your finances

   Having or not having enough money is a factor of what you make versus what you spend.

9. Your time

   You choose how to "spend" your time and how much of your time to give to various activities. You'll never get more time than the 24 hours your given each day.

10. Your legacy

    All your actions, words, and knowledge that you share while you are living become the gift that you leave when you are gone.

Jim Allen is a professional life coach, speaker, and writer. Get more great ideas in you email every week by subscribing to Jim's weekly newsletter, THE BIG IDEA, by sending a blank email to: mailto:Subscribe@CoachJim.com (©2001 Jim Allen & CoachJim.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

 

Exercise

Bike 20 Km, Weights, Swim 500 Meters

Diet

Breakfast - Coffee & sweetner

Lunch - Steak and salad

Snack - 2 hard boiled eggs

Dinner - onion and mushroom and cheese omlete with bacon and coffee with sweetner.

Today I received an email from an old friend. You know the kind, Almost everyone has at least one. Where your memories together span decades and as you journey through life you cross paths again and again. The kind of friend you can sit with for hours and say "remember when" all night long knowing that the next time you meet, this rendezvous will be another "remember when". As young boys we got in so much trouble together our parents forbade us from hanging out together, but that never stopped us. I mean what was one more thing to get into shit for. Just add it to the list was our mentality. I'm not sure if seeing my old friend again will make me feel young or old but I'm sure it will make me feel happy.

 It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

~ John Leonard

   

Last nights poker game was a bust. Given the opportunity to get out and socialise with the boys while chugging a few beers and trying to win some cash is appealing to me. Unfortunately this does not seem as appealing to the 25 or so guys I have sent the invite out too. I have never heard so many excuses in all my life. Guys making excuses why they cant get out of the house for 5 hours on a Friday night to play cards and drink beer? What is the world coming to? I should mention that there were 2 other boys who managed to free up the time to pay play but 3 ppl. is just not a good game of cards. Oh well Maybe next week.

In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking.

~ Sir John Lubbock ~

 

Friday Exercise

Bike - 20Km, Weights, Swim 500 meters

Saturday Exercise

Swim 1Km

Diet

I Stayed with the protein thing all week except for the 4 slices of pizza last night. I am so weak.

Brian Leetch is a Leaf. Nice game on the guy tonight, 3 assists...on the power play no less. Sweet pass to McCabe on the last one. If I dare say so the buds have not looked better coming into the spring since....well since before I was born. Should be some great June hockey in the big smoke this year!

Guess who’s in the news again.

Abdul Rahman Khadr - Turns out everything that he said to the press last November, was just a bunch of bull shit. Now he says he is telling the truth about being a CIA agent planted to route out Terrorists. The whole thing makes me want to take a dump on the steps of humanity. Can we not just get along children? I wish God/Allah would tell our sheltered leaders that God/Allah does not have a score card, does not pick sides, does not care who wins and is millions of years old. If I were millions of years old I can't see me giving a crap about this petty human conflict stuff. Think about it, what if god had something in his/her eye during the Second World War and missed the whole thing. Millions of years old, why would God/Allah give a crap about the year 2004?

Exercise

2.5 Mile Walk/Run, 1Km Swim

Diet

Breakfast- Hard-boiled egg, cold cuts, coffee with sweetener.

Lunch - Pork chop, salad

Dinner - Roast Chicken, Chef's salad

Snack - nectarine, coffee

I find even with the week in Mexico I still have the Winter Blah's I'm glad February is over (well almost) It's ironic that cold weather in the fall is warm weather in the spring yet it's the same weather.

 

I was watching a show on TVO Called Studio2 last Tuesday night, It was about Ontario's energy woes.  They came to the conclusion that the biggest problem we have now regarding energy is the rate we pay for power (4.2cents/KW hour) which is not even close to the real rate of electricity. They They said "Because of the artificial price, people won't be as concerned with conservation". or as it was put on the show:

"Electricity is cheaper as a commodity during off peak hours, like after 8 PM and before 7am. This is due to decreased demand. Who is going to run the dishwasher in the middle of the night if it costs the same to the consumer as it would cost to run it after dinner?"

and I would add "why would anyone in their right mind buy energy saving light bulbs when the true savings cant be realized with a fake, subsidized electricity rates." (uhh Me).

Got to the gym yesterday. I've actually been a bunch of times but not done my workout as I've been doing the Y-TRY organizing thing. Between that and trying to develop a blog product to sell ....Got to the gym yesterday :)

Exercise- 20 Km’s on the bike, weights

I cant wait to start riding outside! Come on spring!

Well I've signed up for the quit smoking thing, and am back on the wagon. The liquid diet thing is too hard to maintain over time. Day 1 was ok, Day 2 was tough and Day 3 was a nightmare (the headache did me in)

went to the gym on Monday

20Km bike & Weights.

Back again today for much of the same.

 

Since I've chosen to do a liquid diet for a week I only stands to reason that I put in my weight each day. When I arrived home from Mexico I tipped the scales at 226 pounds. As day one comes to a close (I've been back for almost a week I now, weight 211lbs) I have supplemented my diet with the great Ceasar tonight and am now ready for bed. (Nothing like Vodka and Clamato to shave off the pounds eh.) hic. hic. good night. Lucy where are you?

Special days that require gift giving have always been difficult for me. You know the drill, you look at tons of stuff and never seem to know what to get. Valentines Day is definitely one of those special days. I know I should know what to get my love. This knowledge should reside somewhere in my brain, the hint has been dropped, the request has been made. But like the typical guy, who listens to that? In one ear and out the other? Did it even make it in one ear? How does a Valentines Day gift request from my wife of 14 years make it past the latest episode of CSI or the Hockey Night in Canada broadcast? 

 Answer: it doesn’t. So like every other year I'm left to muddle through the sea of chocolates, flowers and Hallmark cards trying to guess what will keep me in the good books and out of the dog house. This year I copped out and did the flowers and chocolates thing. To add the personal touch I made my wife a Valentines Day cake. What do you think?

      

Exercise - It’s been a slow get back into the routine since returning from Mexico but I did make it to the gym twice this week. Did 20km on the bike both times.

Diet- Now that I am no longer exposed to the buffet I have started to drop some of the weight I gained. There’s nothing like eating like a pig to pack on the pounds. I am so frustrated with the weight loss issue I have decided to fast for a week. So nothing but fluids for 7 days is the goal. So far so good. Sure would like a piece of that cake though. My timing sucks. I also succumbed to the evil week in Mexico and started smoking again. I grabbed a pack when I got back too. The upside to this is I now qualify for the 2004 quit smoking contest, it sounds cool you go with out smokes from March 1 to March 31 and you could win a Car. I'm doing it with my next store neighbor because you need to have a buddy. I was going to stop again anyway so this is an added bonus.

 

Well January 2004 has come to a close and looking back this month was not very intense as far as fitness was concerned. I did however manage to go out on an active note. I rode the stationary bike and hit the pool for a swim  The first one since I hurt my back earlier this month. On past Saturday mornings the pool has very few people swimming laps. Today how ever there must have been 15 people in the 3 lanes. I could tell I hadn't swam laps in a while as my stamina was less than optimal. (use it or loose it) I forgot my MP3 player at home so I had no tunes on the bike. The ride seemed a lot longer without music. I can't believe how much I sweat. In the beginning I thought it was because I was out of shape, over weight and a smoker. But I'm still seeing a river of workout dew running down my face and soaking my shirt. If I sit in the forward position on the bike so the drips fall off my forehead I can produce 22 drips every 5 seconds. I should measure the volume of fluid one day to determine how fast I dehydrate. Humm I just googled Excessive sweating and found out it has a medical name - Hyperhydrosis - and a website excessivesweating.org. I guess I could electrocute my face 3 times a week to stop the rain. Nah.

Exercise

20km bike, 1km swim

I went out for beers for the first time in 2004 last night. Shot some pool too. I started playing pool at the age of 8 and I am an average player at best. But last night I was on fire. I can't remember ever playing the game so well. It was a nice blip. Didn't run into

Donovan Bailey  Who is a part owner in the bar. I guess he had some running around to do. I also set up a blog for a friend who is in realestate. I want to explore the business applications of a blog for the realestate market. It should be an interesting ongoing experience.

Forgot to log my exercise yesterday.

bike 13miles, walk 3.5miles, weights

I use to work for a small ISP in the business services dept. The customer base eventually grew large enough to warrant a dedicated technical support person. As the company grew this individual was either given extra projects or volunteered for them to the point where he was never at his desk. One of my coworkers started calling him chair as oppose to his name to reflect the fact that he was never at his desk. I have been asked to chair the YMCA fitness event (Y-try). My first official duty is to contact a dozen or so volunteers. Funny thing is they are all YMCA employees. So today I found myself calling the Y over and over leaving voice mail after voice mail for these people as they were all away from there desks. A chair calling a dozen chairs. hehe.

Exercise-Walk 3.6 miles-Bike 13 miles-Weights

Diet

Breakfast- hard boiled egg and a coffee

Lunch- large steak, leftover vegetable stir-fry, carrot and parsnip soup.

Snack- orange, carrot sticks

Dinner- liver and onions, cauliflower with cheese sauce, sliced tomato

Snack- apple, orange

After 3 and 1/2 months of vigorous exercise my bathroom scale tells me I have lost a total of 5 pounds. On the bright side I have kept the 5 pounds off and I can fit into clothes I could not fit into for quite some time. Many people have told me I have lost weight and I feel healthier. I can eat and eat and eat and I experience no weight gain. On the downside I am still packing an unwanted 40 pounds of extra lard. So as of Monday I have decided to modify my fitness program and pay closer attention to my diet. After using my heart monitor thing at the gym yesterday I discovered that the majority of my exercise (almost all) falls into the aerobic/anaerobic level as oppose to the fat burning level. So the plan for the next 3 weeks is to scale back my workouts to 4 times a week as oppose to the 6 I would shoot for previously. With emphasis on fat burn. (Heart rate between 65-70% of maximum) I am also going to limit my carb intake to next to nothing with emphasis on Vegetables and protein. Hopefully 3 weeks will be long enough to determine if this is producing the desired results. I'm hoping that with less weight on my frame my aerobic ability will improve.

Exercise

Rest day (took dog for a walk)

Diet

breakfast - hard boiled egg (my kids love hard boiled eggs, go figure) coffee with sweetener

Lunch stirfried vegetables and shrimp, water

Dinner stirfried vegetables and beef, coffee, glass of red wine.

I miss pasta :(

Well here we are at 19 days in and I must say so far not so well from an exercise perspective. My back is finally starting to feel a little better. It's still sore but I've gotten my mobility back and my workout today was almost pain free (back pain that is) I have been having some trouble with my internet connection from home (Cogeco) for the last 3 days. That coupled with no exercise has not inspired me to do much blogging lately. I'm hoping that today is the start of me getting back to routine. Cogeco is coming by the house between 8 and 5 tomorrow to check the wiring. Ya gotta love the inconvenience to be there customer. Service down for 3 days and on top of it they want to burn you for a whole day. I've decided if I'm there great if not I'll rebook. Eventually we should both be there at the same time. If they give me any guff about it I guess its DSL time. I mean if I want to be treated like dog shit, why not go to Bell, as oppose to a rinky dink company like Cogeco? I will only accept the best customer abuse. Syzan bought a digital camera and a printer bundle on the weekend so I should be putting up lots of pics in the future. I went to hook it up yesterday and the UBS cable to hook the printer to the pc is "not included" How stupid is that? So I'm off to buy one now. One of my neighbours is organizing a Survivor all star pool. I pick 3rd tonight. I'm thinking Ethan-Rupert-Colby-Lex. as the 4 most likely to win. It should be fun to watch.

Exercise

Saturday Jan 17th -13 miles bike

Today - 15 miles bike, 2 miles walking, Weights. (I got to play with my heart monitor thing today, tough to keep it in the "fat burn zone" need practice.)

Diet

I'm going to set a fixed diet today and try to follow it for 2 weeks.

 

It's official, I've given up on the rest thing for my back. Its been 10 days now and it still hurts. I thought I was better last Friday but I was wrong and after shoveling the snow on Monday I'm back to where I started, which is in a great deal of pain. This morning I finally gave in and made an appointment with a Chiropractor, for 10am which is in 25 minutes. I hope she is not a quack. I am looking forward to eating my lunch pain free today. The YMCA is after me big time regarding the Y-try and because of my condition I have been less than helpful. Not too good for the Chair of the event. Well its off to Dr. Cracker. Ill let you know how it goes. Its funny how you take your health for granted untill your not healthy.  l8ter

 

 

Exercise

17 miles on the bike

1km swim

I'm sure this did not help my sore back

 

 I've been coming to the Y now for over a year. During this time I've come to recognize a number of familiar faces. Some of them are employees of the Y and some are patrons. Many of them I see on an almost daily basis. I think if I counted all the people I recognize during my workout sessions I'm sure the number would come to over 50. Today while peddling away on the stationary bike I must have given the courtesy smile and head nod at least 15 times. Out of the 15 times I was acknowledged twice. It's funny how people can stare right through you like your made of glass. One woman (who is a Y fitness instructor) ignored my hello gesture 5 times. I've spoken to her on several occasions and see her over 3 times a week month in month out. I can't figure it out. It's not like I'm trying to strike up a conversation. I don't think I look threatening. I'm thinking I should modify my technique from the smile/head nod to say.."Hey you fucking fat bastard how's it hanging?" Or not.

Exercise

12.5 (20km) miles on the stationary bike. (I have not exercised since Monday because I hurt my back. It's still a bit sore but getting better.)

 

Diet.

I think I need to go on one!

In 1987 I hurt my lower back playing baseball. It was so bad I had old mans syndrome or at least that’s what I call it. This is when you are unable to stand up straight without a great deal of pain. It hurt so much that I went to emergency, but all they suggested was physiotherapy for 6 weeks, which did nothing to relieve my discomfort. A coworker suggested I visit his chiropractor and since I had nothing to loose I booked an appointment. The treatment consisted of some deep heat ointment and electronic massage pads placed on the affected area for about 30 minutes. This loosened all the muscles and was quite a relief in itself but the best was yet to come. The chiropractor came in, a petite woman in her 40's and proceeded to perform a lower back adjustment on me. It took about 15 seconds and the pain was gone instantly! I now knew what a good chiropractor was capable of and was thankful for the knowledge. My next flair up happened several years later while lifting some furniture. It was in the same spot with the same chronic, intense pain. The woman that I was working for at the time offered to take me to her chiropractor as she was suffering from some type of neck pain and was going anyway. Remembering my last wonderful experience I quickly agreed. We drove to a small office in Chinatown and I was introduced to Dr. Wong (or something like that) He had a very similar method of muscle relaxation but also quite different, let me explain. Instead of Deep Heat ointment he used some sort of hot ember type thing. He would put it on a spot on my back for several seconds and just when it would start to burn me he would move it to a new location. This process went on for about 10 minutes and it sucked big time! It felt like someone was randomly burning me with a smoke. Next instead of using the gentle pulsing of electric massage pads he chose to use a jumbo vibrator. The best thing about it was he did not stick it up my ass! After several minutes with the wand he decided I was relaxed enough to attempt an adjustment, so just like before he tried to crack my lower back, back into place. After numerous attempts he was unsuccessful. I actually left in more pain than I went in with. I did learn that the body will repair itself with time, and in about a week I was almost back to normal. My next experience with a chiropractor occurred in 1996’ish as my brother-in-law decided he was going to pursue the vocation. One of the tasks he had to complete for school was to perform a number of adjustments on willing subjects (about 300 I think). I can still remember how I bravely stepped up to the plate and let him take a crack at my spine. (His own brother said, "you’re not touching me") He graduated about 5 years ago and is quite good at it now, his hands are almost magic and he gives great crack. Unfortunately for me he lives 1500 miles away, practicing and living in Florida. About 2 years ago I re-injured my back again (same spot) and checked out the chiropractor in the mall down the street. He talked allot about health and spinal wellness. And tried to tell me that a skeletal adjustment can cure everything from a cold to bladder infections. I gave it a chance and went to about 6 sessions with him. He never performed a manual adjustment on me but instead choose to use a thing that looked like a giant syringe with a little hammer on the end. He would click it several times along my spine and send me on my way. I knew that time would make my back pain go away from experience so after 2 weeks I felt better. This did not stop him from trying to take credit for it. I stopped going to my appointments after that never to return. 2 days ago my old familiar lower back pain flared up again. I decided to wait this one out and treat it with painkillers and hot baths. I know that if I went to a chiropractor he/she could fix it in 15 seconds and I could even tell them what I needed them to do but.... They would want to take x-rays and who knows what else. It’s too bad but in my experience 50% of the chiropractors out there suck, 25% practice in Florida, so that leaves me with a 25% chance of getting some good crack.

Exercise

Monday against my better judgement I went to the gym and did a 1km swim and a 17 mile bike ride and weights.

 

While at the gym Friday night I watched a woman run around the track with wooden clogs, 4-inch platform wooden clogs. The fact that she had a large chest and no sports bra seemed secondary to her choice of exercise footwear. Today I watched a 60+-year-old man get on a treadmill with a large coffee. He could not locate the drink holder on the inside portion of the equipment so he decided to rest his hot beverage on the horizontal side arm. He proceeded to enter his personal information and adjust the settings. One of which is "incline". As the front of the treadmill rose his coffee slid off the arm and hit the ground with a splash. The best part, after he cleaned it up he went and got a refill. I wonder if he went for a smoke too?

Exercise

Friday

Bike 13 miles, Run 2km

Saturday

Bike 16 miles, Run 2km

I can't remember exactly what I ate on Friday but I can tell you I have lost 5lbs over the holidays.

go figure!

Well the year is almost over and I thought it would be interesting to see how far I have traveled since I started writing down my daily exercise endeavors. So Without further adeau.

Today
Exercise
Bike 16.2 miles
Swim 1km

Diet
Breakfast
Raisin Bran, banana, coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Bagel and Cream cheese
Snack
Carrot
Dinner
Stew and bread
Snack
More stew and bread
Honey bun.

Total Distance covered by exercising since October 29, 2003

Walking 47 Kilometers
Running 86 kilometers (That’s over 2 marathons)
Bike 312 Kilometers
Swim 25 kilometers
Total 470 kilometers (Cool)

I love it when I get the opportunity to introduce my kids to really good old movies. The kind I know they will enjoy as much as I did the first time I saw them. I remember when I was a young boy, and my mom taking me to see "The Sound of Music". I thought it would be stupid and tried hard to get out of going but she made me. We went to a Saturday matinee at the old Odeon theatre in Peterborough and sat in the very center seats. I remember the sound being incredible and I think I fell in love with Julie Andrews and Natalie Wood at the same time. Its still one of the best movies I've ever seen. Tonight I introduced my kids to the "Princess Bride". They were riveted to the screen for the entire 2 hours. My son demanded I explain how the machine in the pit of despair worked and my daughter could not get enough of the princess and the wedding bits. The late great Andre the Giant was a big hit as well and Jack recognized him from a PS2 WWF game. My favorite part is knowing that there are many more late great movie nights to come.

Exercise
Bike 10 miles (tried a bit of hill training today)
Run 5 KM (the last km I did wind sprints)
Weights
Swim 500 meters (the pool is very crowded on weekends)
It was nice to see so many people at the gym today. The new years resolution keeners no doubt.

Diet
Breakfast
Raisin Bran and Coffee
Lunch
PowerAid
Snack
V8 and a Carrot
Dinner
Pork Roast and Vegetables
Snack
Honey bun and Coffee

After what seemed like a month of inactivity, I put on my running shoes today and hit the street. As I ran, I thought about all the food I'd consumed over the last 72 hours. 2 turkey dinners, the trifle, apple pie, stuffing (3 kinds), sweet potato's, gravy, peta, rice, fruit, wine, pancakes and the list goes on. It would seem to be a small miracle that I had not gained any weight back and I could still kinda run. I fell off the wagon and had several cigarettes on Christmas eve after 4 bottles of wine and on boxing day at the mall surrounded by the multitudes of bargain hunters. I felt every puff as my feet hit the asphalt and my lungs gasped for oxygen. I wondered how it could be that my new toys were not powering me through this tough run? My new MP3 player that I had spent the last 4 hours figuring out and uploading running music to for this very event, but the music seemed secondary to the pounding of my heart in my chest. My new Timex IronMan BodySmart wrist watch, with its chronometer and split lap time, target heart rate meter and Indiglo light seemed far too complicated for my mind which was preoccupied with making my legs propel my body forward. Happiness was to stop. In the end my thoughts were with all of the newly appointed get fit resolutioners out there. I thought of them putting on there running shoes and thinking about the turkey dinners and oh yes...the pain.. Good luck all.

Exercise
3km run
2km walk
25 pushups.
(I felt somewhat disappointed in this output but I kept saying to myself "its better than nothing")

Diet
Breakfast
Coffee
Lunch
Noodle soup with Vegetables
Dinner
California rolls (3)
Corn beef sandwiches on rye bread with hot mustard sauerkraut and Fontana cheese.
Honey bun and peanuts.

On an end of summer trip through WalMart my wife and I stumbled into the canning section. We could not believe our eyes, ALL THE CANNING STUFF WAS ON SALE!!!! So we started to fill the cart with big jars and small jars and in between jars and lids and cook books and spices and tools and anything else that looked like a canning thing! We spent well over $100.00 on the stuff. We proceeded to read recipe after recipe looking for "good ones" which we in turn book marked. The next day we compiled a shopping list and hit the farmers market, the grocery stores and the roadside vendors. All the while chanting the mantra "Fresh is best, Fresh is best". After spending another 150.00 on produce we were ready to start cookin and a cannin. First we made Peach Chutney then antipasto, tomato chili, peach jam, kosher dill pickles, pickled beats, blackberry jam, roasted red peppers and feta in olive oil, red pepper jelly and last but not least Mom's Apple Pie In A Jar.

A taste of heaven for pie lovers! Whether you serve this spread on bread or use it more creatively, you're sure to receive rave reviews for its good taste. For a quick sweet lift, spoon this spread onto cake, waffles or into tiny padded tart shells.

Exercise
Run 3km (on the treadmill, I jacked up the pace to 6mph, I've got work to do)
Walk (not sure how far but for 15 minutes at a brisk pace)
Weights Short program (all upper body with no abs work cause of the hernia)

Diet
Breakfast
Toast with jam, coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Left over Lasagna
Snack
V8
Dinner
Sushi
Snack
Nachos and salsa

Yesterday was a bust as far a exercising goes.
I have not been able to fit the gym in since they have been with me full time.
Yesterday I took them swimming, thinking I could squeeze in some laps while they frolicked in the kiddy pool
No such luck. "Daddy play with us" was the phrase of the afternoon. I guess I exercised a bit because of the playtime but its just not the same.
Oh well, there is always today.

Exercise
played with kids

Diet
Breakfast
Cereal
Lunch
Sandwich
Dinner
Lasagna

My trip to the Y came early today. Because its the last day of school before the Christmas break all the kids were let out just after lunch. For me this meant, drop the kiddies off and straight to the gym. On my way there I planned out the rest of my morning before the pickup. This included finishing off the rest of my shopping. I definitely did not want to have to drag my little ones along with me next week to battle the masses at the shopping malls. Even today it was insanely busy. I decided to park about a km away from the toy store and I am glad I did. I always get a kick out of the sea of mini vans out front of the Toys R us this time of year. I only had to get one more gift for my niece. I have to confess I do not see the interest in "girl toys." To me one doll looks allot like the next and the next and the next. I choose to go the route of the craft and picked up a pottery wheel kit and a doll thing just in case.
It feels good to be done.

Exercise
13 miles on the bike
2 km run (this one hobbled me and I still hurt)

Diet
Breakfast
None
Snack
poweraid, V8
Lunch
a licks burger and fries.
Snack
None
Dinner
Lasagna and garlic bread
Snack
Popcorn

Instead of exercising my physical body today I exercised my good will toward my fellow man, I exercised my heart, I exercised my Christmas spirit, I exercised my compassion for the less fortunate and I exercised the values that I hope to pass down to my children. Instead of going to the YMCA with my gym bag over my shoulder I went with a big box of food and some toys for their Christmas food/toy drive. On the way to drop off the goods I told my daughter a story about a little boy and his mom who didn’t have money to buy nice toys and food at Christmas. How the little boys mom would try her best to make sure the little boy got a few presents and how a box full of toys and food would arrive Christmas day. I told her that we had just made one of those boxes for a little boy and his mom.

"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party."
~?~

"If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble."
~ Bob Hope ~

On Monday after my run I was in so much pain I limped out of the gym. I took yesterday off partly due to the leg pain and partly because of the dizzy spells. Today I returned with a goal in mind. I know I said I was not going to run anymore this week but my legs felt OK and I had to repent for the buffet last night. I started my workout off with an ibuprofen and a thick coating of A535 on both legs from ankle to upper thigh. I then proceeded to stretch my legs for about 20 minutes before my run. As I circled the track I began to think about the short term goals I had set for myself last month and performed a quick mental progress check. So far I have only accomplished the "swim 2 km crawl with out stopping". I felt it was time to try and cross off another one. I decided not to push my legs so I nixed the 10-km run. I opted for a mini triathlon time. Even though I did it backwards I still feel OK with the effort. I actually think its harder to do the run first and the swim last. I did not track my transition times because I didn’t wear a watch but I am guessing I could add about 7 minutes to my total if I did.

Exercise
Run 5km 31:29
Bike 20km 43:38
Swim 1km 27:53 (I could have done better but I forgot my regular swim shorts and the ones I was wearing kept slipping down)
Total Time 1hr 43 minutes (a bench mark to improve on)
(+7 minutes transition)

Diet
Breakfast
Cherios and skim milk, Coffee
Snack
poweraid
Lunch
V8
Snack
None
Dinner
Spicy Thai vegetables with rice noodles, a piece of birthday cake
Snack
Coffee, another piece of cake

From the moment I got out of bed today my head has been spinning. It’s the same sensation I use to get when I was taking Zyban while trying to quit smoking. And similar to the momentary spins I would get while reading at night before I got my reading glasses. Needless to say I did not make it to the gym today. I'm trying to think of what may have caused me to feel this way and the only thing I can think of is the T/D shot I got yesterday at the doctors or could it be an early onset of the flu. Wouldn't that be nice. Not only would I be sick but I would have to look after the kids alone all weekend while Syzan is in NY, NY. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.
Jack's birthday went well and he seemed pleased with his gifts. He got a game for the PS2 (Goblin Commander), "The Guinness Book of World Records 2004", A Magic Trick Kit, a push pop from his sister and some clothes from Grandma and Grandpa. Oh yea and a home made cake by Dad. We also went to Mandarin for dinner. The kids love it there because of the variety. I have a long history of gastronomic battles with buffets going back over 25 years to my 1st Buffet at a place called the Ponderosa. Looking back it was really nothing more than a shitty salad bar but to a hungry, stoned 15 year old it was a buffet.
I can still remember trying to determine whether I got good value for my money.
Next came the Las Vegas buffet. This has to be where the true meaning of the word feast came from. I learned the hard way that it’s possible to ruin a nice vacation by over eating. By the hard way I mean on our 4th trip to Sin City I finally figured out I could not eat so much as to "rip them off" so I stopped trying. I ate somewhat normal meals and was happier for it. Since this revelation I have been trying to master the buffet. Tonight was my best attempt at perfection yet.
To remove the guilt and stomach pain from over eating your 1st plate should be vegetables, Lots of vegetables all other plates of food should contain vegetables. At the end of the buffet you should be able to say over 50% of your meal was fruits and vegetables. Next only drink water, lots of water, as much as you want. Seafood is a good food choice as long as its not fried. For desert make sure you take a piece of each kind of fruit. Keep portions small and never, never overload your plate to create what I call "Buffet Stew" If you follow these pointers you will be a happy buffet eater.

Exercise
None (sick day)

Diet
Breakfast
Coffee
Snack
None
Lunch
Noodle soup with vegetables
Dinner
Mandarin Buffet
Snack
Pistachio nuts.