TIM CHECKS IN

 Tim last checked in on June 18, 2012... here is another update:

Hey Roger,

Wanted to give you an update.  As you are aware, I recently hiked to the summit of Mount Timpanogos which for me was a milestone and somewhat of a miracle.  When I consider the health challenges that I have been through and the prognosis of my cardiologist, it truly is a miracle.  I am very grateful for your blog and the hints that you offer particularly as they relate to the simple changes we can all make in our diet and your hints for increasing our activity levels, small changes practiced over time which lead to astonishing results.  That is what I have experienced.  It has changed my life and I can engage in activities that I love and thought I would never have the privilege of doing again.  I have attached some photos of the last two Mt. Timpanogos hikes.

Additionally, I just had a routine visit with my cardiologist and he performed all normal labs, etc. that he has always done.  It was fun to watch the expression on his face as he went over the numbers with me.  He asked me several times what I was doing and of course I simply referred him to your blog.  Anyway, my blood pressure continues to improve from 114/72 to 110/68.  A diastolic rate in the sixties!  Are you kidding me!  My triglycerides went from 114 to 84, truly amazing!  What I am most excited about, however, is the resting heart rate dropped by 16  and my HDL (good cholesterol) went from 35 (below normal) to 49 which is fantastic!  The cardiologist was so impressed that he is cutting back on my meds!  

Roger, I will be forever grateful for your blog and the resultant health benefits that I have experienced.  What's more, it has not been hard nor a flash-in-the-pan fad that I tried for a while but could not sustain. These small alterations in lifestyle have made all the difference in the world to me and I thank you.

Tim
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That is awesome Tim!  I know that you love to hike and the fact that you are able to hike again is amazing!  So happy for you.  When Tim started following the TIPS FROM A MAN guidelines in January 2012 he weighed 263.5 pounds.  He now weighs 222 pounds for a total loss of 41.5 pounds.  I don't need to add a TIP FROM A MAN today, because Tim did it for us... "small changes practiced over time which lead to astonishing results."  That's what we are all about.  Tim, you inspire all of us.  Can't wait for you to check in again.

Enjoy life!

FLY AWAY

 

We are all about living life to its fullest and to experiencing the very best of the best.  Well, if you ever wanted to experience what it is like to fly a Lear jet, this is the video for you:

Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... if you want to learn to fly, start today.  My brother wanted to be a pilot from the time he was a little kid but life kept getting in the way.  Finally, he decided that enough was enough so he started taking flying lessons.  He first became a pilot able to fly single engine planes with a visual rating, then progressed to twin engine planes, then instrument rated, and finally rated and qualified to fly jets... very FAST Lear jets and Gulf Streams.  And he did all of this after the age of 44.  One time he flew me all the way to the Cayman Islands to scuba dive.  Another time he flew me to watch my son play college baseball.  He has flown seemingly everywhere.  We only get one shot at this life, so make it count!

Enjoy life!

DRIVING

 

This blog is about healthy living and enjoying life.  You know this by now.  We are trying to share ideas with one another to help us reach our goals and our potential.  However, once in a while we all can use a kick in the pants, so this post discusses the example we are setting for our children with our driving habits.  Think about this... from the time your children are babies until they start driving at about age 16, you are their driving role model.  They watch what you do and this naturally becomes what they think they should do.  In by-gone days, the only thing to possibly distract a driver was a speedometer and the knobs on the radio.  Today, here are some of the possible distractions (and I'm sure you can think of more): texting, talking on a mobile phone, searching the web on a mobile device, setting a navigational GPS, adjusting the AM/FM radio, fiddling with the CD player, or CD multiple disc changer, or MP3 player, or IPOD with a variety of adapters.  How about loading the DVD player with just the right movie, and of course the ever popular driving with ear buds in or headphones on.

Here is a bit of a very informative article I recently read in a newspaper:

"Do as I say, not as I do": 66 percent of teens believe their parents follow different rules behind the wheel than they set for their young drivers; approximately 90 percent of teens report their parents speed, talk on cell while driving

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BOSTON, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey from Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) finds an alarming percentage of teens report their parents make poor and risky decisions while driving.  According to more than 1,700 teens surveyed countrywide, dangerous driving behaviors among parents, while their teen is in the car, range from texting or speeding to driving without a seatbelt and even under the influence of alcohol.  Even more concerning, surveyed teens repeat their parents' poor driving habits in nearly equal amounts.
The survey found teens observe their parents exhibiting the following behavior at least occasionally: 91 percent talk on a cell phone while driving, 88 percent speed and 59 percent text message while driving.  With teens reporting nearly half (47 percent) of parents have driven at least occasionally without a seatbelt, 20 percent under the influence of alcohol, and 7 percent under the influence of marijuana, the survey reveals parents may not be the best role models for their teens behind the wheel. This, despite teens reporting in past Liberty Mutual/SADD research that parents are their primary driving influence.
Given the high percentage of teens who report their parents engage in unsafe driving behavior while their teen is in the car, it follows that two-thirds (66 percent) of teen drivers report their parents live by different rules than the ones they expect of their teens.  With so many parents not abiding by their own safe-driving rules of the road, a "do as I say, not as I do" policy may be undermining the parent/teen driving relationship.
"The best teacher for a teen driver is a good parental role model," said Stephen Wallace, senior advisor for policy, research and education at SADD.  "Parents and teens should have an active and ongoing dialogue about safe driving behavior and take the conversation one step further by signing a Parent/Teen Contract.  But parents have to demonstrate good driving behavior from the onset so new drivers understand that safe driving rules apply to everyone equally."
Teen Driving Behavior
The distracted driving behavior reported by teens mirrors the poor driving habits of their parents in nearly equal amounts. Among the more than 1,700 teens surveyed, a high percentage report making poor decisions while driving. In fact, 90 percent of teens report talking on a cell phone while driving and 94 percent of teens speed (at least occasionally), with nearly half (47 percent) of teens speeding often or very often.  Nearly 80 percent of teens report sending text messages while driving, 16 percent have driven after using marijuana, 15 percent have driven under the influence of alcohol and 33 percent report driving without a seatbelt.
The link between the observed and self-reported driving behaviors reveals parents are modeling destructive driving behavior, and their teens follow suit.  The following is a side-by-side comparison of the survey data reported when teens were asked how frequently they engage, and witness their parents engaging, in the following behavior:

Liberty Mutual Insurance/SADD 2012 Teen Driving Survey
	Parental Driving Behavior (observed by teens)	Teen Driving Behavior (self-reported)
Talk on a cell phone while driving	91%	90%
Speed	88%	94%
Text message	59%	78%
Drive without a seatbelt	47%	33%
Drive under the influence of alcohol	20%	15%
Drive under the influence of marijuana	7%	16%

"These findings highlight the need for parents to realize how their teens perceive their actions," said Dave Melton, a driving safety expert with Liberty Mutual Insurance and managing director of global safety.  "Your kids are always observing the decisions you make behind the wheel, and in fact have likely been doing so since they were big enough to see over the dashboard.  You may think you only occasionally read a text at a stop light or take the odd thirty-second phone call, but kids are seeing that in a different way.  Answering your phone once while driving, even if only for a few seconds, legitimizes the action for your children and they will, in turn, see that as acceptable behavior."
Teens Can Impact Parents' Behaviors
The new Liberty Mutual/SADD survey found that few teens will speak up and ask a parent to stop engaging in distracting behaviors while driving.  For example, only 21 percent of teens say they would ask their parents to stop driving while under the influence of alcohol.  However, when teens do speak up, nearly three-quarters (70 percent) report their parents listen and change their poor driving behavior.
Parent/Teen Driving Contract
Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD encourage parents and teens to consider signing a Parent/Teen Driving Contract.  The Contract is both a conversation-starter about safety issues and a customized agreement that lets you create and uphold family driving rules.  To download a contract, visit www.LibertyMutual.com/TeenDriving.

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Pretty sobering stuff, huh?  I have tried to set an example of good driving for my kids probably because I had friends killed in car crashes when I was a teenager.  Those incidents had a profound impact on me.  So, on family trips I always say stuff like, "It doesn't matter WHEN we get there, it only matters THAT we get there."  Another of my favorites I use when we pass a vehicle that had been pulled over by a patrol car, "I refuse to give a cop any business, I refuse to Make His Day!"  Our family has been very fortunate.  I've had children driving for eight year now (and another about to start) and between all of them there have been no accidents and only one ticket (for driving 30 in a 25 mph zone).  So here is a TIP FROM A MAN... discipline yourself, set a good example for your children and talk to them often about good driving behavior when you are traveling with them.  You have them captive in the car, so make good use of this golden opportunity.  Come up with your own phrases (or use mine) and repeat them so often that the kids can recite them in their sleep.  It is difficult to enjoy life to its fullest if we are dead or maimed, or if we have hurt someone by our carelessness.  So determine a destination, gather family and friends, open the sunroof, select some tunes and enjoy the ride... safely!

Enjoy life!

RIVALRIES

 

 

 

 

 

There have been rivalries since the beginning of time.  Two groups that want the same thing.  Only one can win.  I typically think of rivalries in terms of sports.  Yankees vs Red Sox, Packers vs Bears, Celtics vs Lakers, Michigan vs Ohio State, Texas vs Oklahoma, Brigham Young vs Utah.  What is it about rivalries that get people so fired up?  Why do we seem to care about beating a particular opponent more that another?

How do you enjoy a rivalry game?  Some like to go to the stadium and mix it up with other fans (did you know that the term fan came from the word fanatic?).  Others make it a festive occasion and have a bunch of people over to their house and eats tons of food while gathering around the TV.  Some get so into it that they don't dare be around other people for fear that they will make total fools of themselves, so they sit in solitude in their den all the while yelling and screaming (and occasionally throwing things) at the TV.

What kind of fanatic are you?  Me, I want my team to win, but I don't wish any ill on the opponent.  I sat in the stands and endured every imaginable insult directed and yelled at my son while he played college baseball.  Not very pretty.  Trust me, there were times I wanted to break someones neck.  Some fans seem to forget that every player is someones son or daughter.  So here is a TIP FROM A MAN... root passionately and wildly for your team but keep your comments in the cheer/positive category.  Don't yell insults at the opponent, let their performance speak for itself.  If every fan would do this it would be so much more fun.  My family and I have been verbally abused and even have had things thrown at us at games by opposing fans.  This even happened when I was with my children when they were very young.  I had a hard time trying to explain to the little ones why complete strangers were yelling mean things at us when all we did was show up and sit in our seats.  The world has indeed become very nasty.  But that doesn't mean that you have to get sucked into that behavior.  

A few years ago I decided that I needed to send a message about sportsmanship to my kids, so after home college football games right after the contest was over we would hurry over to the opposing teams tunnel and we would specifically seek out fans dressed in the opponents colors.  We would walk up to people, thank them for making the effort to come on the road and be supportive of their team, then we would compliment them on how hard their team played and how they had played with class.  At first my kids wanted no part of this.  But once the people we approached got over the initial shock of being thanked and appreciated, their smiles, warm handshakes and kind words melted my kids hearts and they caught the spirit of what we were trying to do.  It costs no money to demonstrate good sportsmanship.

Stand out in the crowd by being friendly, positive and supportive of your team.  Maybe some youngster will observe your character and decide that he/she wants to be just like you.  I believe that someone is always watching.  May the best team win and hopefully that is your team.

Enjoy life!

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Time for my first annual report...

On August 30, 2011 I decided to make some changes.  I decided that I needed to make some better choices.  To be a little more disciplined.  So with the support of my family I began to make a consistent effort to eat more complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.  To eat foods in mostly their natural state.  I cut way back on simple carbohydrates and simple sugars.  I also ate meals and snacks at regular intervals and used some reasonable portion control.  Pretty simple stuff.  Not rocket science.  I have never been hungry.  I have never felt deprived.  I also began more consistent workouts and better sleep habits.  Little changes.  Simple choices followed consistently for a sustained period of time.  Lifestyle - not a diet.

So on August 30, 2011 I weighed 171 pounds.  On August 30, 2012 I weighed 157.4 pounds.  I've maintained this weight for 9 months now.  Am I satisfied?  No.  Pleased?  Yes.  I still have a ways to go.  I would like to gain 5 pounds of muscle and continue to tighten my waistline and abs.  Athletically I've felt like I'm in great shape.  I hit the golf ball a little farther and for baseball I am definitely hitting the ball with more pop.  I'm also running well in the field and on the bases.  My quads and hamstrings feel good.  I've had no pain or tightness in my legs.  Trust me, playing three hours of baseball in the hot sun can take a toll when you are on your feet standing, jogging, running and sprinting the whole time.  Same with walking 18 holes of golf over a four hour round.

Let's check in on my brothers who started this ride with me.  My brother who said he started at 215 pounds (but was actually more like 220) is now at 185.  He has stabilized there for several months but now wants to make a little push and get to 175.  At first he thought 180 - 185 would be optimal, but after allowing his body some time to adjust, he thinks that number now to be 175.  He loves the routine of swimming and is a regular at his local aquatic center.  My other brother who dropped 10 pounds from 205 to 195 is still there and loves it.  He works out in the gym five mornings a week and he and I play golf (walk not ride in a cart) and ride horses regularly.  I love that we each have maintained our lower weight.  We've not gained it back. I believe this is because of the change in lifestyle rather than trying some restrictive diet that you quickly get sick of then abandon.  If people would just do this, there would be no need for the $60 billion diet industry. 

There you have it.  What did you accomplish this past year?  Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... set some specific goals and benchmarks and start making some simple changes/choices that you follow consistently for a sustained period of time.  You are worth it!

Enjoy life!

P.S.  My complete eating guidelines can be found in the very first post on this blog.

MASCOTS

 

 

This is a great time of year with back to school and football season starting, etc.  There are certainly some interesting mascots out there.  You have your ordinary Lions, Tigers and Bears.  Then you have your more thought provoking mascots like the color Cardinal (Stanford) and Orange (Syracuse).  What about some exotic mascots such as the U of Missouri Kansas City Kangaroos, the Mastodons of Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne or the U California Irvine Anteaters?   Ooooh - intimidating!  Makes it fun doesn't it?  Here is a TIP FROM A MAN... gather with family and friends and cheer on your team!  Just remember to hit the gym before or after the game and take it easy on the nachos!

Enjoy life!