Changes. They can be good or they can be bad. I have changed the location of my blog to myblogtypething.com - and that's a good change. I paid for my lunch with a $20, and I got money back - that's also good change. Unfortunately there is bad change. Last week my grandmother passed away and that was painful change. Notice I didn't say it was a bad change, because given time to reflect, it really isn't a bad change. My grandmother was 80 years old and tired. She deserved the relief from the pain.
Speaking of changes, the blog has a new address - myblogtypething.com! I figured this would make it easier for the thousands upon thousands of you that visit everyday. So, update your bookmarks!
More changes are coming for me, I had shirked off my exercise routine due to being ill (translated dying) but I am getting back in the habit. I have been able to maintain a lower weight than I have before and some of that weight is now muscle, so I've probably lost more fat weight, but gained muscle weight. Sweet.
For those of you wanting to know where the web series 'Regular Dad' is, don't worry it's in production, it's just taking a bit longer than I anticipated. No worries, you shall be entertained.
As always, I invite you to let me know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, etc. Email me and let's make this better!
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Friday, November 21, 2014
It's a hard knock life
So, it's been a while. Have a seat, we have a lot to catch up on.
First of all, I've been doing very well about sticking to my workout routine. I'll allow you a moment to stop looking shocked. There. I've not been so good on keeping my diet healthy. What can I say, some bad food tastes soooo good. With that in mind, I have been trying to output more calories than I input, but that's a lot harder than it seems. I have been losing weight, more importantly I have been losing inches from my waist. The downside to that is a pair of my favorite shorts now fall down. It hasn't happened in public yet, but I hope I'm with my girls and I can embarrass them, not scar for life, but enough that people will still ask them about it when they are in high school. I hope I remember underwear that day.
I've had a lot of people ask me (since I had a long post on suicide) about the women in Oregon who chose assisted suicide instead of living with an extremely aggressive for of brain cancer. I've decided to not get into the debate. I won't make any friends with my opinion on that, and it's better off that people make up their own mind instead of me helping to sway them. I will say that her decision is her decision and no one else's, which makes me want to point out that it really isn't any of our business to judge her. Enough about that though.
Last week I have an ingrown toenail cut out (on both sides of my nail). I have a low tolerance for pain and even though they used a local anesthetic, I could still feel it in my mind. I was sweating a lot I'm sure. At least my foot didn't slip all around. Right now, I'm not sure if it has helped with the pain, but I'm hoping for the best and they are doing the other foot Monday. So if you hear a loud scream Monday morning and your dogs start to howl with it, I'm sorry, my bad.
First of all, I've been doing very well about sticking to my workout routine. I'll allow you a moment to stop looking shocked. There. I've not been so good on keeping my diet healthy. What can I say, some bad food tastes soooo good. With that in mind, I have been trying to output more calories than I input, but that's a lot harder than it seems. I have been losing weight, more importantly I have been losing inches from my waist. The downside to that is a pair of my favorite shorts now fall down. It hasn't happened in public yet, but I hope I'm with my girls and I can embarrass them, not scar for life, but enough that people will still ask them about it when they are in high school. I hope I remember underwear that day.
I've had a lot of people ask me (since I had a long post on suicide) about the women in Oregon who chose assisted suicide instead of living with an extremely aggressive for of brain cancer. I've decided to not get into the debate. I won't make any friends with my opinion on that, and it's better off that people make up their own mind instead of me helping to sway them. I will say that her decision is her decision and no one else's, which makes me want to point out that it really isn't any of our business to judge her. Enough about that though.
Last week I have an ingrown toenail cut out (on both sides of my nail). I have a low tolerance for pain and even though they used a local anesthetic, I could still feel it in my mind. I was sweating a lot I'm sure. At least my foot didn't slip all around. Right now, I'm not sure if it has helped with the pain, but I'm hoping for the best and they are doing the other foot Monday. So if you hear a loud scream Monday morning and your dogs start to howl with it, I'm sorry, my bad.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Just another post about suicide
With the recent death of Robin Williams, the topic of suicide has been an incredibly hot topic, likewise depression. This post will be a lot more serious than my usual rants, and for that I apologize in advance. Also, it is going to be hard for me to type, so please be kind.
The question has been presented a LOT of whether depression is a disease. It is not. It is an illness. Often called Clinical Depression or Major Depressive Disorder, it is still an illness. I am not belittling it be any means. Since around the age of 13 or so I battled with clinical depression. It wasn't until I was 30 that my diagnosis was changed to the correct one, Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder is considered a disease by the medical community. I have no idea why, one is extreme lows, while the other is extreme lows and extreme highs.
While suicide is not limited to the depressed, the percentage of suicides that are depressed people are astounding. About 60% of suicides are people who have major depressive disorder\clinical depression. I'm not defending suicide, but merely pointing out that depression is a lot more serious than some would think. I could spout off statistics all day, but what I really wanted to tell you is my story.
I have not committed suicide. That much must be obvious, as I am also not a ghost and somehow this blog seems to get updated. I am also not immune to suicidal ideation. That's where you think about and sometimes fixate on how you would kill yourself. It's not healthy, but it's not as unhealthy as carrying out a plan. A common trait among Bipolar patients is suicidal ideation. I've dealt with it for years and years thinking it was normal. Didn't everyone think about how to kill themselves? Apparently not.
Without going into a lot of detail, there was a very low period in my life some time back, and for the first time I decided I should act on one of those plans. I was close to carrying out my plan when Lyndsay foiled it. She was mad, and for that matter, so was I - at her. I was so close to just being done with it and now I wasn't. Was I being selfish? It's a matter of perspective - I thought I wasn't, she thought I was. I saw it as a way to remove myself from the equation of life, and eventually my family would move on and be happier without me causing problems. She saw it as chickening out to confronting problems I didn't want to face. I can see her point, but in actuality, there was no simple problem for me to face. I was in an extremely depressed state and EVERYTHING was wrong, not just one thing - but indeed everything I could think of, I had somehow managed to make worse, at least in my mind at the time this was the case. I like to think I have a somewhat interesting perspective on suicide, not unique, just interesting.
I have been thinking a lot lately about whether or not suicide is selfish. My realization is that yes, it can be and no, not always. Suicide is usually lumped into one big definition in people's minds. It's not a blanket definition that covers all suicides though - thinking so is being entirely too closed minded. Some reasons for suicide can indeed be the very epitome of selfishness, while other reasons are the very opposite. I won't get into the selfish reasons, they are more than I want to list, and honestly, some are exactly why I have thought about it. The unselfish reasons. Have you ever seen in a movie (hopefully never in person) a mercy killing? I mean when a person is in so much pain from an injury (war movies come to mind) that their friend or someone delivers a final blow to end their suffering? It's still murder, but no one bats an eye, as a matter of fact, they are praised for being so compassionate for that person's plight. What if the wounds were not tangible? What if they were so deep that everyday was so painful to endure that it was unbearable? That person often doesn't want to burden someone else with the troubles of their life, and not talking about it generally makes it worse. So, not having someone to perform the mercy killing for them, they endeavor to do it themselves. Yes, it is an insurmountable pain to those close to the person, but their pain is usually nothing compared to that person's everyday struggle.
To set the record straight, I don't condone suicide, but neither to I condemn it. People with a depression so deep are in a no win situation.
The question has been presented a LOT of whether depression is a disease. It is not. It is an illness. Often called Clinical Depression or Major Depressive Disorder, it is still an illness. I am not belittling it be any means. Since around the age of 13 or so I battled with clinical depression. It wasn't until I was 30 that my diagnosis was changed to the correct one, Bipolar Disorder. Bipolar Disorder is considered a disease by the medical community. I have no idea why, one is extreme lows, while the other is extreme lows and extreme highs.
While suicide is not limited to the depressed, the percentage of suicides that are depressed people are astounding. About 60% of suicides are people who have major depressive disorder\clinical depression. I'm not defending suicide, but merely pointing out that depression is a lot more serious than some would think. I could spout off statistics all day, but what I really wanted to tell you is my story.
I have not committed suicide. That much must be obvious, as I am also not a ghost and somehow this blog seems to get updated. I am also not immune to suicidal ideation. That's where you think about and sometimes fixate on how you would kill yourself. It's not healthy, but it's not as unhealthy as carrying out a plan. A common trait among Bipolar patients is suicidal ideation. I've dealt with it for years and years thinking it was normal. Didn't everyone think about how to kill themselves? Apparently not.
Without going into a lot of detail, there was a very low period in my life some time back, and for the first time I decided I should act on one of those plans. I was close to carrying out my plan when Lyndsay foiled it. She was mad, and for that matter, so was I - at her. I was so close to just being done with it and now I wasn't. Was I being selfish? It's a matter of perspective - I thought I wasn't, she thought I was. I saw it as a way to remove myself from the equation of life, and eventually my family would move on and be happier without me causing problems. She saw it as chickening out to confronting problems I didn't want to face. I can see her point, but in actuality, there was no simple problem for me to face. I was in an extremely depressed state and EVERYTHING was wrong, not just one thing - but indeed everything I could think of, I had somehow managed to make worse, at least in my mind at the time this was the case. I like to think I have a somewhat interesting perspective on suicide, not unique, just interesting.
I have been thinking a lot lately about whether or not suicide is selfish. My realization is that yes, it can be and no, not always. Suicide is usually lumped into one big definition in people's minds. It's not a blanket definition that covers all suicides though - thinking so is being entirely too closed minded. Some reasons for suicide can indeed be the very epitome of selfishness, while other reasons are the very opposite. I won't get into the selfish reasons, they are more than I want to list, and honestly, some are exactly why I have thought about it. The unselfish reasons. Have you ever seen in a movie (hopefully never in person) a mercy killing? I mean when a person is in so much pain from an injury (war movies come to mind) that their friend or someone delivers a final blow to end their suffering? It's still murder, but no one bats an eye, as a matter of fact, they are praised for being so compassionate for that person's plight. What if the wounds were not tangible? What if they were so deep that everyday was so painful to endure that it was unbearable? That person often doesn't want to burden someone else with the troubles of their life, and not talking about it generally makes it worse. So, not having someone to perform the mercy killing for them, they endeavor to do it themselves. Yes, it is an insurmountable pain to those close to the person, but their pain is usually nothing compared to that person's everyday struggle.
To set the record straight, I don't condone suicide, but neither to I condemn it. People with a depression so deep are in a no win situation.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Chef de Jour and An Older Me
So, I've been cooking a lot more - take a gander at these:
As you can see, I'm not too bad in the kitchen, so if you ever come over, I'll either fix you a wonderful dish, or get pizza. I've been working a lot of my home cooking to help the family eat healthier and for Lyndsay and I to lose weight. It's working. Right now I am at my lowest weight in two years, which is awesome. I keep thinking the scale is telling me a lie, but it keeps telling me it, and I want to believe it.
As the title implies, I am in fact older. I mean I know that we are all older, and even now, well now, well forget it, I had a birthday. I am now a whopping 32. I am now the same age that Alexander the Great was when he died. I haven't conquered most of the known world, so I better get on that.
It will be easy to do, when I'm dressed like this:
 |
| Sirloin Steak, Paprika Shrimp with a Lemon Aioli |
 |
| Bacon Wrapped Rosemary Chicken |
 |
| Teriyaki Chicken |
 |
| Beef and Vegetable Stew |
As the title implies, I am in fact older. I mean I know that we are all older, and even now, well now, well forget it, I had a birthday. I am now a whopping 32. I am now the same age that Alexander the Great was when he died. I haven't conquered most of the known world, so I better get on that.
It will be easy to do, when I'm dressed like this:
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Results. Oh Yeah.
When I say results, I mean - some results, not enough for me to get into yoga pants, but enough that I feel better about myself, slightly.
Motivation has been either full on or non existent. Some days I've been waking up, liftings weights for 30-45 minutes and riding my bike in the evening, and some days I can't find the will to do either. It's a mental battle I'm waging, I know. I have to look at the end goal, and know that every little thing I do adds up, I' just have to do them.
Alright, that was my pep talk to me.
I decided to get the pedals and shoes that lock into each other for a push\pull action on the bike instead of just the push action. They were a bit hard to get used to, but I put them on, and promptly fell over. The instructions can tell you just to twist your foot to unlock, but in a crisis situation, you just think about which body part on the gravel would hurt least. FYI, it was my shoulder.
A long, long time ago, in another life I lifted weights semi-regularly, nothing major, just to do it. I have found out that starting again is a system shock. I have to start remarkably lighter than I had been, I'm sure because I'm Flabby Man at the moment. I've only increased my weights a little at this point, but nothing I want to disclose yet. It's a bit embarrassing, so I'll weight on that (see what I did there?). Eventually I'll share my journey and my progress pictures, but only when I'm super proud of my results.
Until next time readers - keep wishing that I stay upright on the bike!
Motivation has been either full on or non existent. Some days I've been waking up, liftings weights for 30-45 minutes and riding my bike in the evening, and some days I can't find the will to do either. It's a mental battle I'm waging, I know. I have to look at the end goal, and know that every little thing I do adds up, I' just have to do them.
Alright, that was my pep talk to me.
I decided to get the pedals and shoes that lock into each other for a push\pull action on the bike instead of just the push action. They were a bit hard to get used to, but I put them on, and promptly fell over. The instructions can tell you just to twist your foot to unlock, but in a crisis situation, you just think about which body part on the gravel would hurt least. FYI, it was my shoulder.
A long, long time ago, in another life I lifted weights semi-regularly, nothing major, just to do it. I have found out that starting again is a system shock. I have to start remarkably lighter than I had been, I'm sure because I'm Flabby Man at the moment. I've only increased my weights a little at this point, but nothing I want to disclose yet. It's a bit embarrassing, so I'll weight on that (see what I did there?). Eventually I'll share my journey and my progress pictures, but only when I'm super proud of my results.
Until next time readers - keep wishing that I stay upright on the bike!
Monday, June 30, 2014
Oh. Snap.
So, I started exercising more and dieting more, you know, those things I do for a few months and then I rediscover fast food.
I bought a bike. Yep. That means I've got to be some-what committed, but then again I have a lot of exercise equipment that would prove I need to be committed. (pun intended). In all seriousness (well, most seriousness, never go all serious) I have lost weight, and despite having the sore, aching muscles, I have had more energy, which is great. The moral of this story? I don't know, maybe I'll find one along the way.
Did you know you can get apps that help you track pictures of your body to see the transformation? I got one about 3 months ago and took my initial shots. This week I took another shot (I forgot about it until now) and boom, I saw the transformation. It wasn't the direction I wanted though. That is a good driving force for me to buckle down and get in shape. A shape I like, that is.
Lyndsay is going healthy again too, and she had the awesome idea of doing video diaries of her progress. It's an interesting idea, one I might steal. At any rate, go health!
I bought a bike. Yep. That means I've got to be some-what committed, but then again I have a lot of exercise equipment that would prove I need to be committed. (pun intended). In all seriousness (well, most seriousness, never go all serious) I have lost weight, and despite having the sore, aching muscles, I have had more energy, which is great. The moral of this story? I don't know, maybe I'll find one along the way.
Did you know you can get apps that help you track pictures of your body to see the transformation? I got one about 3 months ago and took my initial shots. This week I took another shot (I forgot about it until now) and boom, I saw the transformation. It wasn't the direction I wanted though. That is a good driving force for me to buckle down and get in shape. A shape I like, that is.
Lyndsay is going healthy again too, and she had the awesome idea of doing video diaries of her progress. It's an interesting idea, one I might steal. At any rate, go health!
Friday, June 20, 2014
Digital Me
I've noticed something. I like electronics. I especially love the ones that work and you don't even have to do anything for them to work. An example of this is fitness trackers, they work, and they do their job while you just wear them. Brilliant. I think I may have gone a bit overboard with some of mine, but here are a few of the things I use or have pre-ordered.
FitBit Force
I know that this was recalled because of a chance of a skin rash forming, but I've had mine almost since day 1 and no problems yet.
Misfit Shine
What's this you say? Another activity tracker? Yes. I am currently wearing both (one on each wrist), as a comparison of their accuracy and also to maintain my activity on my linked websites (MyFitnessPal, GymPact, etc) since the Shine is currently working on integration, but it's not live yet.
Automatic
This is a device you plug into your car's interface port and it transmits all sorts of data to your phone. It beeps when you go over a set speed, accelerate too fast, or brake too hard. The point of it is to monitor your driving and help you to increase fuel efficiency.
Tile
This is one of my preorders. These little tiles you can put on your key chain or stick to anything. They help you (with the assitance of their app) to find the tiles. You should never lose keys again. I plan on putting one on each of my children, just in case. One neat thing about it is that if someone steals your thing, everyone who has the app on their phone can find it, in the background anonymously and it lets you know where it is, so you can go put on your Batman suit and break some noses to get back your mug. That might just be me. Sorry.
SunSprite
This one is another pre-order. it's a device to measure your sun intake and let you know you should get out and see the light of day. Sounds silly, but light therapy is good, I use a blue light in the mornings to help regulate my syrcadian rhythm.
LUMOBack
This is a device that fits around my waist and lets me know when my posture is bad. It also lets me know when I've been sitting too long. Of course reports are also available so it's awesome. With my job I sometimes end up sitting a lot, so this helps me move my body. Not dance. Well, at least not all the time.
LUMOLift
Pre-order. This is another posture device, but this one goes on your collar or upper body. Same concept, but working in conjunction with the LUMOBack, I will get a better idea of how messed up I sit and walk.
Wahoo BlueHR
This is a Heart Rate monitor that I can wear when I walk\run\jog\workout. It keeps an eye on my heart rate, connects to my phone and lets me know when it's about to explode (my heart - not my phone).
iHealth Wireless BP Cuff
This is a wireless blood pressure cuff that connects to my phone. It's so awesome, I can take my blood pressure reading anywhere, even in a public restroom!
iHealth Pulse Oximeter
Another device for my health. It is a wireless pulseox that gets my pulse and oxygen level and sends it to my phone. Reports, it's all about the reports.
So if I wear and use all my devices at the same time I would be outfitted as so:
FitBit Force
I know that this was recalled because of a chance of a skin rash forming, but I've had mine almost since day 1 and no problems yet.
Misfit Shine
What's this you say? Another activity tracker? Yes. I am currently wearing both (one on each wrist), as a comparison of their accuracy and also to maintain my activity on my linked websites (MyFitnessPal, GymPact, etc) since the Shine is currently working on integration, but it's not live yet.
Automatic
This is a device you plug into your car's interface port and it transmits all sorts of data to your phone. It beeps when you go over a set speed, accelerate too fast, or brake too hard. The point of it is to monitor your driving and help you to increase fuel efficiency.
Tile
This is one of my preorders. These little tiles you can put on your key chain or stick to anything. They help you (with the assitance of their app) to find the tiles. You should never lose keys again. I plan on putting one on each of my children, just in case. One neat thing about it is that if someone steals your thing, everyone who has the app on their phone can find it, in the background anonymously and it lets you know where it is, so you can go put on your Batman suit and break some noses to get back your mug. That might just be me. Sorry.
SunSprite
This one is another pre-order. it's a device to measure your sun intake and let you know you should get out and see the light of day. Sounds silly, but light therapy is good, I use a blue light in the mornings to help regulate my syrcadian rhythm.
LUMOBack
This is a device that fits around my waist and lets me know when my posture is bad. It also lets me know when I've been sitting too long. Of course reports are also available so it's awesome. With my job I sometimes end up sitting a lot, so this helps me move my body. Not dance. Well, at least not all the time.
LUMOLift
Pre-order. This is another posture device, but this one goes on your collar or upper body. Same concept, but working in conjunction with the LUMOBack, I will get a better idea of how messed up I sit and walk.
Wahoo BlueHR
This is a Heart Rate monitor that I can wear when I walk\run\jog\workout. It keeps an eye on my heart rate, connects to my phone and lets me know when it's about to explode (my heart - not my phone).
iHealth Wireless BP Cuff
This is a wireless blood pressure cuff that connects to my phone. It's so awesome, I can take my blood pressure reading anywhere, even in a public restroom!
iHealth Pulse Oximeter
Another device for my health. It is a wireless pulseox that gets my pulse and oxygen level and sends it to my phone. Reports, it's all about the reports.
So if I wear and use all my devices at the same time I would be outfitted as so:
- Both wrists have an activity tracker around them
- On my left collar I have a posture tracker
- On my right collar I have a sun intake tracker
- Attached via a band around my upper chest is a heart rate monitor
- On my left bicep is a wireless blood pressure cuff
- On my left index finger is a wireless oxygen\pulse sensor
- Attached via a band is a posture tracker on my lower back
- I would have a device on my key chain that left me know where it was
- I would be driving with beeping occurring if I burned rubber
Batman has a lot of gadgets, so I'm just trying to catch up, obviously.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)