The Sleepers Have Awakened

I knew there had to be some sleepers out there. The Wii's have come alive. All the numbers that came in today and yesterday were absolutely impressive. Great job everyone!!! Skinny B and Someday Skinny........impressive losses. You guys are gonna look like Angelina Jolie'e right leg :) (you had to watch the academy awards to get that).

I finally got my butt back into the gym today. After two very stressful days of survey evaluations I was exhausted. Yesterday at the end of the day, Mike and I went for Margaritas. I only had one which is all my wimpy body can handle, but when I got home at about 6:00, I was out for the night. Between last week, which was a chaotic mess and the stress from this week, I needed the rest. I slept for about 12 hours, went into work for maybe an hour then hit the gym. Even at the gym I felt like I was slacking off, but Jay happened to walk in just as I was starting my bag workout. When Jay is there, we both seem to motivate each other so the workout ended on a great note. Soaked with sweat, unable to catch my breath, and my arms not able to be lifted away from my body......all a confirmation of a good workout.

Jay suggested we start live sparring tomorrow (as if there is a such thing as "dead" sparring). Jay is 10 years older than me, but he's about 1000 times faster and hits about a 1000 times harder. I've come to the conclusion that I'm going to be humbled very quickly. My goal is to go into this with a much more positive attitude. What good is the attitude of "I'm going to get my ass kicked by an old man?" I'm a realist so I know I'm going to get hit. The question is......how hard? and where? I'll post pics of any black eyes or bruises.

If any of you are wondering how our accreditation when (as if any of you care) I'll post more about it later. Our survey results still have to go through 2 committee's so I really have no idea where we stand. We did upgrade our respiratory care to clinical respiratory so that alone is going to require more paperwork and more policies. This will allow our company more options as we grow. It will also allow Paula (our respiratory therapist) much more leeway when it comes to evaluating and treating our patients.

I did realize one thing.........I know many of you are nurses...let me just say this, my heart goes out to you with all the paperwork you guys have to do. How do you give 100% of your attention to your patients, when rules, regulations, and laws require you to complete bogus paperwork on every thing you do. I realize it's all about covering your ass (we can thank all the malpractice attorneys for that) but don't you wish that on just one shift, you could give all your time to your patients? Care plans, progress notes, transcribing dr's orders, etc............every nurse I'm sure could benefit from their own secretary.

I know, we can complain all we want, but I don't see the CYA paperwork getting any better. Until frivalous lawsuits are put to an end and compliance regulations really focus on patient care, people trying to care for others will still be tied to paperwork.

Okay I'm done whining for a while. Our surveyor was really helpful. Her knowledge was actually quite impressive. Much more knowledgable than our last surveyor. Everything she talked to us about was only to make us a better company. We've already started working on some of the advice she gave and I'm sure as we grow we will find the value in it. Like I said, I'll comment more on the accreditation process later and I'll let you know how ours turned out.

I'm wore out so I'm gonna go for now. Keep posting the awesome numbers. One month to go. Dig deep during those workouts. Sweat baby sweat!!!! Make those muscles more sore than they have ever been. Bring it!! Hippo's, I'm expecting you to starve yourselves this week:). Kidding! No food after 6pm. It'll make a huge difference. Lots of water too!!!

One day down.

Well I'm exhausted. Day one of two is over. Our surveyor will be spending another 8 hours with us tomorrow. Today consisted of a tour of our facility, riding with one of the driver, going through personnel files and reviewing administrative paperwork.

This is a totally different experience then what we went through 3 years ago. Our first survey only lasted one day and was no where near as thorough as what were going through now.

Our surveyor is extremely smart and knows the industry very well. She has given us a ton of good advice as well as some ideas for us to move forward with. We can't really figure her out though. Not sure how much we can joke around with her or how much we should be walking the line. Mike tried his charm and comedy during the tour and that didn't work one bit. Steven too tried to break the ice, but things really didn't seem to loosen up much.

Tomorrow we start the day off going through patient charts. I don't have a clue as what to expect. She gives us advice but I'm not sure if were being marked delinquent in some areas or not. At the end of the day tomorrow we have an exit interview with the surveyor and the staff. I'm hoping we find out then if we've passed or not. Honestly, I'm a nervous wreck. I'm honestly in the dark as to what she thinks of us so far. I will let you all know as soon as I find out. Lots of prayer and a glass of wine before bed. I'm sure that's the only way I'm going to be able to fall asleep.

I'm wore out. Gonna finish watching the Daytona 500 and then gonna crash for the night. Later.
Rusty-------Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Accreditors are in the house

Well our survey has officially started. I think everyone is a bit on edge but I believe we have done everything we know to do. Its all in Gods hands now. Hope and pray for the best.
Rusty-------Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Another Weekend Gone

Hope everyone had a really good weekend.  Mine was fairly uneventful.   Saturday was spent mostly going to city league basketball games.  Ryan's was at 8am Saturday then we returned to watch Coby's at 1pm.  In between the two, I did manage to get in a 90 minute ride. 

Sunday was a good day with the boys.  My wife went for a 2 hour run while my oldest son Ryan followed behind on his long board (the crazy kid road 12 miles on his board).  While they were gone, Coby (my 9yo) and I finally decided to get out the ball and gloves.  The weather was way to nice to sit inside.    Coby is such a natural when it comes to throwing a baseball.  He's been a fun kid to coach and I'm hoping this year will be the same.  We played catch for almost 2 hours then took a short coffee break.  By the time my coffee break was over, Ryan had returned from his long boarding escapade.  He wasn't home for 1/2 hour before talking me into playing some basketball.   Again, I think we played for about 2 hours then called it a day (as far as basketball is concerned).

Oh and where was Keevan during all this???  Whatever we were doing, he was right there as well.  Here's a quick little video.  Checkout his new swimsuit (he starts swimming lessons this week), hit "baseball hat" and his "baseball shoes".    I must say, there's no better responsibility in the world than being a dad.





I was hoping to be riding the dork bike to work this week, but my back has been killing me all weekend.  It's so darn frustrating.  It's one of those questions I find myself asking God......why all the back pain?  Why does cycling have to be the biggest cause of the pain?  Is cycling not a part of my future?  I'm so very hopeful that all this rehab is going to work and one day I will be pain free, but so far, I just have to take it day by day.  It's up and then it's down. 

I got an email from Sam this evening and I responded with my frustrations so I'm hoping he will have some thoughts and maybe some direction as to how to deal with the pain. 

It's coming down to crunch time for the challenge.  The Hippos and Wi's look to battling out the team competition and Someday Skinny continues to get skinnier.   I to, hope to put in a good showing this month.  It's going to be a good month (better if my back would improve).

Well it's getting late so I best get going.  Hope you all have a very good Monday.

Some Good Advice

http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/health-and-fitness/2011/12/30/new-year-resolutions-kyle-and-sonnets-weight-loss-journey

The Dork Bike

Today was day number 2 of riding to work.  Yesterday when I left the house it was a balmy 27 degrees.  I'm not sure if today was any warmer, but I could at least feel my face when I got to work today. 

I look like a complete dork and I ride what I call the "Dork Bike".  It's a Performance brand bike, it's got a steel frame, and the thing weighs a ton.  About 40lbs compared to my 16lb racing bike it's a bit slower going up hill and it's a single speed so I have no gears.   Oh and from my house to work..........it's mostly up hill and there are times when I could use and extra gear or two.   My wife call's it the FBI bike, (just because it's all black), but it truly is a dork bike.  It's got panniers on the back (big ugly saddle bag looking things) and skinny road tires.  There is nothing remotely cool on this bike.

Then there is the rider. The rider qualifies as a major dork that rides the dork bike.  I don't wear my usual cycling stuff.  If I wore my racing stuff (ya the tights, the spandex, the jersey etc) while riding the dork bike, it would increase my level of dorkness dramatically.  I have to wear a bunch of stuff just to avoid freezing.  So I start layering it.  First on, goes the short sleeve jersey and yes spandex shorts.  Spandex shorts are your crotches way of surviving a bike seat.  Why you ask,  because of the 1/2 inch piece of chamois sewed into the crotch.    Then comes the insulated tights and insulated jersey (long sleeve).   I do wear my racing jacket as it's the warmest I have and it's not all huge and baggy.  The dork part comes when I put on the black sort of jogging looking pants on. This combined with my black shoe covers (these are what keep my toes from freezing off) makes me look like a very out of touch, out of style ninja.  Oh and of course don't forget my little beanie with my helmet.  I am DORK through and through, but I am a warm dork. 

So on the way to work, if you see the big black dork riding his dorkish black bike, give me room people.  If you don't, you can count on one of my hands coming off the handle bars and giving you the chosen finger.  Only you can't tell because my mittens don't allow for one finger gestures.  It's nothing personal, just a reaction. 

The Dork Bike

The coolest thing on this bike is the......................uhhhh..............ok there isn't anything cool on this bike.

Keevan's Night

Tonight it's just me and Keevan so were getting our hot chocolate ready and the Bob the Builder video ready to play.  I've been horrible at spending quality time with the little guy, so tonight we're going to do whatever he wants.  Currently that is to drink warm chocolate milk and watch good ol Bob.  No nap today so I'm not even sure he's going to make it through the whole video. 

Welp, the movie is starting, I'll write a bit more later.

28 million

I bought one of these jersey's for my son and wasn't sure what the 28 was for.

I learned that an estimated 28 million people are currently living with cancer.  That is just crazy. 

I hate Cancer!!!!!

Roller Coaster Diet

This diet thing has been a major up and down roller coaster.  I'm not complaining though as the weight loss is becoming less of a hastle.  A month ago, I had decided to go Vegan for a month.  This was solely to see if I could get my cholesterol down without having to take medication.  The medication was causing way too many side effects. 

As part of my back therapy/nutrition program I'm supposed to record everything I eat on myfitnesspal.com.  Sam, my therapist then logs on to view everything I eat then lets me know what I need to change. 

Last week I get a call and it was Sam.  I got a huge lecture (nothing bad) on how the body regulates cholesterol and that my protein to carbs ratio was way off.  He then told me that the purpose of my diet isn't to get my cholesterol down but instead to minimize inflammation within the body.  He said the cholesterol will take care of itself if I can get a handle on the inflammation.  This was quite hard for me to get my head around at first, but the more I research, the more I really feel comfortable having faith in Sam's plan. 

So now I'm increasing my protein with lean meats, mostly fish (I was advised to keep canned tuna to a minimum, as it likely contains BPA which apparently is a form or turns into a form of estrogen), and he wants me to try and eliminate gluten for a while............and I thought eating no meat was a challenge. 

I must say though, today was my first day without grains and I can tell a world of difference with my stomach.  Normally by the end of the day I would feel all bloated and gassy (I know, yuck) but today I have felt great all day.   I've thought for a long time that I may have gluten issues, but really haven't had the motivation or desire to really try and avoid it.  Guess I'm about to see if it really makes a difference.   So if your husband comes home passing gas all evening, or if your wife is smelling up the bedroom:) , try a little less wheat in the diet.  Your rear end will thank you, so will your spouse.

I'm starting my bike commute to work tomorrow.  I figure it's now or never.  It's only 7 miles to my office, but I guess it's better than nothing.  So if you see some dork early in the morning with a backpack pedaling his butt off, don't run me over. 

I have no clue how many of you are keeping up with the Challenge Stats, but the Hippos are just friggin amazing this year.  I get a new post from at least one of them almost every day.  They're a very motivated group.  Best watch out for Big Mama, she's the sleeper that will surprise everyone.  Dud Horse, I mean Spud horse has fallen off of the radar as expected.  The guy has some sort of weakness, and it's called sugar!!    

I'm not sure how many of you read Aprils brother's post, but hope most of you did.  It's a good story.  He faced the same challenges as we all face.  He did what he had to do to be successful and they guy looks great.   The important thing to note is that he too fell of the wagon, but like he said, you just have to get back on track.  To let a down day keep you down.  Pick your chubby butt back up, don't whine and pout, but refocus on those goals and get back on track. 

Well I have to go load my backpack and make my lunch for tomorrow.  Hope you all have a super day. 

Another Success Story

Here's another awesome story of success:

http://www.comewhatmayandlovingit.blogspot.com/2012/02/camerons-weight-loss-story.html

Do ya think the system is broken?  http://ctwatchdog.com/health/102-million-payout-to-united-healthcare-ceo-draws-outrage

Too Late its already taken

Who lives or works in the Pinetop Lakeside area and wants a 3 month membership to the Pinetop Fitness Zone?   Newell? Blue Ridge Clinic?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Anyone??  

Post a comment or email me .  Only one left.

One more thing

Gaz is going to be like a guest poster next week on Fatty's site.  Answering questions of all sorts from people posting them on Fatty's site.

Check out some of the questions.  I think many can relate:

http://www.fatcyclist.com/2012/02/17/advice-from-someone-whos-walked-the-walk/#comments

39StoneCyclist

Ok I know I posted it earlier but in case you didn't look at the entire site.  This is just amazing!!

Oh by the way.  one stone= 14lbs  (ya I had to look it up)

http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/goals/

Addendum (read post below this first.

Sitting here pedaling on the spinning bike and listening to my new audiobook (ya the joel osteen one)

Guess what he's talking about.........smiling!!!!!:). Damn I'm good!
Rusty-------Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Hola Hola Hola, Waasssss UP!!!! :)

I'm still here.  Sorry for the lack of posting lately.  Just have a ton of things going on.  I've been sort of a gut check in a lot areas:)

First let's discuss the weight loss challenge.  I'm guessing some of you are struggling.  If you are, don't be so darn hard on yourself.  Even if you have some down days or just aren't seeing the pounds come off, don't quit.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Heck, the next hour is a new hour.  Dig deep and beat the urge of falling off the wagon.  At the beginning of the challenge, I get a ton of emails about how good people are doing and how much weight they are dropping.  Over time the emails start to slow down,,,,why????    Remember how good you felt when you were sticking to your plan?  Compare that to how let down you may feel when either gaining the weight, or just eating crappy food. 

Don't let the frustration get you down.  Remember it's got to be a lifestyle change.  It can't be a January thru April thing. Treat yourself once a week (not an entire day) to your "crappy food":).  (There you go AW)
All in all though, you need to look long term.  Here's a super example.  Take a look at this amazing blog. http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/pictures/

This was on Fatty's website (Thanks Elden) so I guess I should give him credit.  Heck, Look at Fatty's site too.  He's about to start another contest so get involved.  It's a lot of fun.

You've gotta want it real bad.  You've got to want those smaller jeans more then you want that chocolate cake or that before bed snack.   So if you have given up or feel frustrated......please don't.  Start from scratch if you have to.  Rewrite those goals and move forward from here. 

Some people are still posting some impressive numbers.  Someday Skinny is the first to hit double digits.  The Wii's and the Hippo's are still battling out in the team division.   What in the world happen to the Sexy Mamas???   And did 2 of the 4 Phat Chicks turn skinny or what??

So the other gut check thing...........not really a gut check but more like a motivator or self improvement tool.  I was never too much of a Joel Osteen fan (the guy just seems way too happy) :)  .  Actually, I've always been a fan, but have never read any of his books.  After seeing his interview on Oprah I was intrigued enough to buy his latest book Everyday a Friday.   In fact, I enjoyed the first couple of chapters so much, I downloaded the audio version onto my IPOD.   

When running a company, raising a family, whatever it is you do,  things are bound to get to you after a while.   I've mentioned this in the past, but it was also the main topic in chapter one and that would be, Choose Joy.   Being joyous is completely and totally up to you.   Nobody has the right to take that joy away from you but more importantly, don't give anyone the power to take it. 

This week I've been working on the whole notion of choosing joy.  And for the most part it has worked.  Don't get me wrong, I've failed a many of times and I'm sure I'll fail many more, but it's a work in progress (sort of like the dieting).  

I realize that in some of my other posts I haven't been the most supportive person of "organized religion" and a company blog probably isn't the best place to talk about it, but one thing I know for sure............  I need God.   I need Him to be complete.  Something always feels like it's missing when I distance myself from him.   I'm not a Bible thumping, scripture reading guy, but I'm not naive enough to think I can do all of this on my own.  I'm far from being a good representative of Christ and fall way short of the expectations I put upon myself as a follower of Christ, but like I was saying to a team member this morning (we weren't talking God), all I can do is move forward.

God is truly my crutch.  Running a medical supply company (DME) is a nerve racking task.  Between dealing with medicare, insurance cuts, marketing, employees, patients, etc......it literally weighs on you at times.   There are days when the future scares the crap out of me.   Republican, Democrat, I don't have a clue as to what is better for this country or our healthcare system.   The elderly shouldn't go broke while trying to pay for healthcare.  I saw yesterday where we now have a shortage of Leukemia drugs.  Are you friggin kidding me???   Obama (or the other candidates) can raise millions for their campaigns, yet we are struggling to pay for life saving drugs for little kids.   Holy crap we are a messed up country.   God must just look down on us and shake his head.  How selfish we have become.   We all want the best of everything, but at what cost?  Is it God's plan for each of us to make millions and screw everyone else?    I believe in working my butt off to better my life and those around me, but I also think it is everyones responsibility to help those around us (no i'm not a democrat:) )   Don't ya think we get to hung up in the whole conservative liberal thing?  In the end, aren't we all just people?     The other night I was watching Orange County Choppers and it showed Donald Trump talking to Senior.  Senior of course was bad mouthing Jr. and the Donald said, "Leave him nothing".  Meaning take him out of the will.    Donald......Shut the heck up.  I bet the Trump has never once had his hands dirty.  Like Obama, does he really know what "real" work is all about?   Let's see some callouses boys...........

Crap, I really went off on a tanget there.  Sorry.  Anyway......................

Choose JOY:)    Make a difference in somebody's day with just a smile.   Honestly, your smile really does make a positive imprint on someone elses day. 

I have completely lost track of whatever the heck it was that I was going to say, so I'm going to get for now.  I hope I haven't offended anyone, if so,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,cry me a river.  Go find some JOY:)

Later folks!!!!

I'm too tired to go back and proof read this. So forgive me for any grammatical error you may find.

I swear, dad didn't dress him.

Someday Skinny

Hey Someday! Really enjoyed your post on the forum. Do you happen to live or work in the Pinetop area? If you do and would like a 3 month membership to Pinetop Fitness Zone, I've got one left. Let me know if you would use it. Either email me or post a comment.
Rusty-------Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

African Bike Rider

How many times do you think he ate dirt before getting it right?

Pathetic

Ok, my earlier post has bugged me all day.  Who am I to complain about the "little things".  The more I think about the post, the more I realize how pathetic it sounded.  I will likely delete it later, but will leave it up for a few so even more of you can see how pathetic I really am:)

If you're having a crap day or are just pathetic like myself, just take a quick glance at this blog.  Then you can go here to see more details of the entire story.

I've been keeping up with Elisa and Nathans story for quite some time but today it wasn't the actual blog or story that caught my eye.  It was the dates.  I realize that they were diagnosed within 9 days of each other, but, (and I know "it's only a year") while I sit here whining and fussing over the little things, these too have been battling for their lives for the past year. 

I wake up every morning to a healthy family.  I have a job to goto.  In fact I could probably ride my bike to work if I wasn't being such a pansy.  Can you imagine what Elisa and Nathan would give just to have a portion of that? 

I looked up some other synonyms for "pathetic"........commiserable, deplorable, distressing, feeble, heartbreaking, heartrending, inadequate, lamentable, meager, melting, miserable, moving, paltry, petty, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, plaintive, poignant, poor, puny, rueful, sorry*, tender, touching, useless, woeful, worthless, wretched .....................................

Yep, that would pretty much describe my whining for the day:) 

http://friendsofnathanandelisa.blogspot.com/

http://familybondingtime.blogspot.com/

Holstee Manifesto (I took the time to copy it down)

This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often.  If you don't like something, change it.  If you don't like your job, quit.  If you don't have enough time, stop watching TV.  If you are looking for the love of our life, Stop! They will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.  Stop over analyzing,  Life is simple.  All emotions are beautiful.  When you eat, appreciate every last bite.  Open your mind, arms and heart to new things and people, we are united in our differences.  Ask the next person you see what their passion is and share your inspiring dream with them.  Travel often!  Getting lost will help you find yourself.  Some opportunities only come once, seize them.  Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them so go out and start creating.  Life is Short!! Live your dream and share your passion.

http://www.holstee.com/

Love this pic!!

I love this picture!! Not because it's Blue Ridge or because I coached these kids when they were barely old enough to swing a baseball bat, but because it captures the essence of teamwork.  The desire for an entire team working towards the same goal.   Bonds are built when you work and struggle towards something.  I think this is the importance of sports in the life of a young person.  Teamwork, Integrity, Desire, Sacrifice.........



Note: #57.....I remember calling his mother when he was 9 years old and asking her if I could draft him onto my baseball team...........Her comment, "yes, but are you sure he'll be ok".   He was my catcher for the next three years.  He's now playing football for Baker University. 

Happy V-Day

I am unbelievably sore after yesterday's workout.  It's a "good" sore, but nonetheless, I'm sore all over.  Sam, (the therapist helping to fix my back and my diet) started me on Box Squats and holy cow, the insides of my legs are beyond sore.  Squats along with lunges have made walking today a very tedious task.  After the weights came the cardio with the bags (note the lovely picture in the last post).   Basically what we do is a variety of cardio stuff with 2 minutes on each bag (yesterday there were 3 bags) then weights, jump rope, and abs all thrown in.   Then after 30 minutes of this, we do what we call "burn out", where you do 30 seconds of hitting the bag as fast and hard as you can non stop.  By the 4th set, I could barely raise my arms.  Every cell in my body was going on strike.  "Stop or we make you stop":).     As hard as it gets though, it is so much fun. 

So that was my day yesterday......... 

Today as you can see by looking outside, it's a gorgeous Valentines day outside.........NOT!!! Holy Cow this weather sucks!!!   I love the snow, but I could do without the wind.  Even my dogs were saying, "please don't make us go out in this!!"   Looks like I'll be riding indoors this week, yuck!!

So what is everyone doing for their spouses for Valentines?  I'm being a complete loser.  I'm hoping to take my wife to lunch, but I think that will be all we do today.  I didn't buy flowers (I hate using a holiday as an excuse to buy flowers) but I show up with unannounced flowers throughout the year.  Does that give me a "bye" for Valentines day?   I guess if I get the silent treatment later, I'll know the answer to that question. 

I've got a pile of things I want to talk about, but think I'm going to have to postpone some of them for a while. 

Are there days you feel like you are "all talk"?   Meaning you say youre going to live one way yet you don't quite live up to "those ways".    Live each day to the fullest............yet do we?    Kids grow up so fast, make the most while they are young............do we?    This is the one that scares me, "Nobody on their death bed ever says, 'I wish I would have spent more time at the office'. "  

There are days when I really feel the need to "get my crap together".   Start living what I preach. 

Bear with me as I type all this stuff out and sort of skip all over the place.    Remember a while back when I posted something about expectations.  About having expectations of others only to be let down when those expectations arent meant......

The other night I was watching interview of Joel Osteen and his wife.  I don't remember the exact question but it was directed towards his wife and she was asked, do you have the perfect storybook marriage.   Again, I don't remember her exact response, but she basically said, I focus on the good things with Joel and don't dwell on the very small difference we may have.    Like I said, I don't know her exact answer, but whatever it was, it caught my attention.   

It makes you wonder... Does Joel do these tedious ass things that just drive her nuts, yet she is filled with so much joy and belief that those things really do not matter?  No clue!!

Case in point: yesterday I had to go home for lunch.  Walk through the door to see my wife putting this huge piece of wood on what very small coals were left in the wood stove.  Wouldn't it be easier to put wood on the fire while the fire was going rather then letting the fire pretty much burn out then putting wood on it?   She know's this drives me nuts (really for no reason except that in my male brain, it just does't make sense).  Soooooo at the end of the work day, about 6pm, I walk through the door..............there she is again:)  trying to get the fire going with a few hot coals and a big ol piece of wood.    Cmon, are you kidding me?  

I didn't say a word, but I allowed this to bug me all night long.  So now comes the morning.  I'm frustrated with myself in letting something this "petty" get to me.    More often than not, my wife does the dishes, the laundry, works two days at the office, shuttles kids all over the place, and is one of two people responsible for the local "Bike the Bluff" race.  Now really, should I be acting like such an ass over putting wood on the fire?  Don't answer that, as the more I write, the bigger of an ass I feel. 

Marriage is a lot of friggin work and I pretty much suck at it.  Now I'm not taking all the blame here.  It's a two way street.  The problem lies in getting the two people involved to walk the same direction on that 2 way street.   I often think that this is just a cruel joke on God's part.  He purposely made men and women two very different creatures.   We think on different wavelengths.  You know He's just up there laughing His butt off saying "I'm enjoying the show" and I'm sure most of us are putting on a good comedy.

Now before some of you start saying, "geeze your quite the ass",  I could be writing a book on this subject.  I am the master at over analyzing something and keeping a ton of emotion inside.   Here's another for ya......How often do you feel like talking to someone, youre married, you have a ton of friends, and yet, you have no one to talk to?   It's crazy to think of how lonely the world can feel even when you have some of the greatest friends around.  What's up with that? 

I really don't have a clue as to what I'm writing about........maybe now your brain can feel as dizzy and cluttered as mine.  

Anyway, it's a snow Valentines day and I hope you all have a good one.  As you can see, I have a million questions and I hope one day will have more answers.  At the moment though.................. just questions:)

Have a super day.

PS: just went back and reread what I wrote...................Dear Lord!!!!!!!!!!

IMG-20120213-00037.jpg

Only 30 minutes of bagwork.....can hardly lift my arms:).

Gridiron Gang

I'm not sure if any of you have ever saw "The Gridiron Gang" with Dwayne Johnson, but if not and if your any kind of sports fan or even an educator, it's a good movie.   It's about a juvenile detention center developing a football program in order to teach kids there are other options on the streets.   Just wanted to mention this one thing.......

At the end of the movie they show segments of the real people (it's based on a true story) involved.  Remember these are some "bad ass" kids in this place, but one kid goes on to explain the benefits he got from the program and the second chance it gave him with his mother. He said, "my mother hugs me and talks to me now".  

Just this little statement says so much......  

All kids want is a little bit of your time.  A hug.  A "I'm proud of you" moment. 

It's like that song of Trace Adkins, "Youre gonna miss this".      Make today count.  They grow up so fast. 


Just wanted to share that.

MILEstones

If you get a moment, read Kristin's lastest post.  Awesome write up:

http://milemarkers.runnersworld.com/2012/02/milestones/

Good Saturday Ride

Great ride on Saturday. It was bit chilly when we started (39 degrees) out, but after about 30 minutes of pedaling, things started to warm up. Todd, Katie, Seth, and myself met at the Go Karts at 7:30 Saturday morning. My two oldest kids had basketball games at 10:00 so I really only had 2 hours to ride. Knowing it was supposed to be windy, we wanted to get in as much ride time as possible before the wind really hit.

We left the Go Karts and headed up towards Lakeside. From there we took Penrod down to Show Low. This is a fun road, but I'm not too fond of it because of the lack of shoulder and NO lack of rednecks. For some crazy reason, rednecks don't realize the consequences of running over cyclists.  Hey were dads, brothers, sons, daughters, etc.  Don't KILL US!!!!  Fortunately, the traffic wasn't too bad Saturday morning. Taking Penrod Rd from Lakeside to Show Low is mostly downhill and a ton of fun. Todd lead the entire way, so of course I drafted behind him then Katie behind me. I'm sure with the luxury of the draft, Katie and I maybe had to pedal a whole 20 revolutions, while Todd pedaled the entire way.

At the bottom of Penrod, we picked up Seth who is the youngin' of the group and just so he could get a workout in, he showed up on a steel mountain bike. From Penrod we took 60 West up through town and turn onto Old Linden Road. Old Linden was used mostly for conversation as we could ride 2 abreast and not worry too much about traffic. We took Old Linden all the way through the Show Low Country Club then turned back toward Show Low on HWY 260. From there we detoured through Torreon and came out on US 60 heading toward Globe. It's rare that I ever get down into Show Low much less Torreon, but man it is gorgeous back there.

Once hitting US60 we turned right and headed towards Globe. Todd wanted to go up to the Mogollon Rim rd which I believe was only 3 or 4 miles. The wind was already starting to pick up and it was coming from the South. So we pushed hard into the wind for a few miles before turning back and heading toward Show Low. Now we had a tailwind. The best part about having a tailwind, minus the fact that you go much faster with greater ease, is the ability to really hear the tires whisping along the road. I love that sound. It just makes you want to go faster and faster.

Before getting back to Show Low, we opted to go through the Sierra Pines Subdivision then come out near the theater. In Sierra Pines, Todd and Seth decided to sprint up this one really steep climb, but knowing I had to get back, Katie and I took the short cut back to 260. We arrived at the theater about 9:05. This meant I had about 25 minutes to get home. As we pulled out onto 260, the wind had really picked up. I took the lead with Katie drafting behind me. We were pedaling pretty hard when I hear Katie say, "I'm already at 169". Meaning her heartrate was already maxxed out. I wasn't far behind at 160. Katie is a real stud on a bike and not once did she ever fall off my wheel. She was never more than a few inches from my back tire. My low back was already killing me and we still had the old Walmart hill to get up.

When someone is drafting behind you and you are the lead rider, it's important to know that you cannot unknowingly slow down. If you do, you risk the chance of causing the riders behind you to run into one another. Knowing this, it can be really dangerous going from a sitting position while pedaling to standing. I needed to give my back a break so I yelled back to Katie that I was going to stand up for a few. This allowed her the chance to drop back a few feet to avoid running into me. Standing up was just what I needed. It gave my back the break and it gave me the added power I needed to get up the last hill up to Pizza Hut. Just to emphasize the importance of drafting....this time Katies heart rate was only 153 while mine was 169. When your tired, drafting can make all the difference in the world, especially with a headwind. The lead rider breaks all the wind for the riders behind him allowing them to conserve energy. In a race, this can make all the difference in the world. If you don't utilize the draft at the right time, you may just be left behind while you watch the rest of the pack pedal away.

After almost 30 miles, it was an awesome way to start the day. I arrived home at 9:30 which gave me enough time for a quick bowl of Tuna (ya, for breakfast) and a quick shower. My family had already left for the basketball game, but I ended up making it in time to watch my 12 year old play.

The weight loss is still going very well. Between the cycling and my new love of sparring, I'm apparently burning enough calories to continue dropping the pounds. I'm going to shoot for another 2lbs this week and already have my bag/cardio workout scheduled for 10:30am.

Well I have some reports to write before work tomorrow so I best be going. Hope you all had a super weekend. Looks like this week is supposed to be pretty crappy as far as weather is concerned. I had to put in a new master cylinder on our liquid oxygen truck this weekend but I've yet to bleed the brakes, I'm hoping I won't be crawling in the snow tomorrow to finish the job. I'm thankful everyday for all the things my dad taught me as a kid....I never in a million years thought I would be putting in master cylinders and doing brake jobs.:) Ok, starting to mumble........gotta go.

Good Night.

PS: if you hear of an oxygen truck running a red light, don't blame the driver..............it'll be because my brake job failed:)

50 years old and 17 inch arms. Really???

This is one of the arms that I'm up against. He is currently on pullup # 26!! Are u kidding me!! And the guy is 50 years old!

8.5lbs to go

Just weighed in......173.5!! That's 14.5 lbs.
Rusty-------Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

JamaicaNJuly

Hey Jamaica......do you mind if I ask how tall you are?   I don't want anyone starving to death here:)

Whos your Daddy!!

The most lost by one person so far.......................let's just say it's almost 20 lbs!!!   Hint:  It's one of the Wii's..............and it's not your mama!:)

The Wii's be chasin' The Hippos

Will the Wii Team Catch the Hippo's?????

Very Impressive Folks

We go by percentages for a reason, but get this...........

The Wii Family has lost a total of 59.6 lbs so far.

The Hippo Gang has lost a total of 49.2 lbs.  

Percentages change the whole picture.  

You guys/gals are doing awesome!!!! 

Who will be the first to hit double digits??

Young Married Chic

For all you Fit Chics out there heres a cool site for both fitness and cooking.

http://youngmarriedchic.com/

For all you guys:  here's the same site, only a different post.   
http://youngmarriedchic.com/2012/02/fit-chic-leg-day/

Fighting..........what a fun workout.

To all of you still hitting the challenge with all you've got......great job.   It's definitely not an easy task.  I must say though, now that I'm starting to see results, the dieting as become so much easier.  It's very rare that I ever crave the crappy foods now.  Just in the last month, I've learned so much about the difference in good foods and bad foods.  I don't think I've ever read so many food labels in my life.  One thing that blew me away were crackers.  I was blown away when I saw how many calories are in a simple cracker.  Some crackers (I don't remember which ones) have 120 calories for only 3 crackers. 

I've done really well with the "Vegan" thing.  Sure a big ol juicy hamburger sounds really good at times, but for now I'm good with my Veggie burgers and Salads.  It's been a good ride so far.   I don't think I'm going to have too hard of a time getting to 165, at least I hope not. 

I used to feel guilty about not working out.  Now I really miss it if I don't get to.  I've really mixed it up just to keep it fun and to keep it from becoming to monotonous.   I'm riding about 3 days a week and going to the gym probably 5 times a week.   A friend of mine used to be an amateur boxer.  He somehow got me interested in grappling (fighting but not really fighting) and working the bags (punching bags).  When he first suggested it, I thought, not a chance.  He's gonna beat the crap out of me.    I knew for sure that I was going to come home with a black eye or maybe even two.  I wrestled in high school but that was what.....20 years ago.  Realize now that this guy has arms bigger than my legs.  When he hits..............it hurts.   Crazy though, I had a blast (I didn't get hit.......yet).  What  a workout  Working the bags came a lot more natural than I thought they would.  He put me through this circuit that involved weights, plyometrics and the bags.  By the time that we finished I was soaked with sweat and could hardly lift my arms.   I haven't had that much fun working out in a long time.  It works every part of your body.  Sore???? Oh my gosh, the next day I was extremely sore.  Couldn't wait to do it again though.   I think tomorrow is the next workout.   I 'll continue to pray that he doesn't say, "hey, let's go full contact". 

Bound 2 B

Hey Bound 2 B Healthy great job.   Proud of you!!  Keep it up.   

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I promise I'll post soon. Another long night at the office. I'll be glad when we get thru this accreditation. In the mean time, here's what my desk looks like. I'm sure there is wood under there some where.

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Had to come down to phx so why not bring the bike. South Mountain is gorgeous today.

Adherence

Nutrition expert John Berardi, I think talks about compliance to a nutrition program best: "It never ceases to amaze me when clients, readers, and customers complain about lack of results, yet it's painfully clear that their lack of results come from their inability to stick with the program." 

-Sam Visnic

Born to Be Somebody

I think I have completely lost it. I worked late tonight and in an attempt to stay motivated I found myself on Itunes downloading some music. Not counting the good motivating stuff like Kutless and Red Rider, I also downloaded more Justin Bieber, some Barry Manilow, and some Conway Twitty. Where is my head? Barry Manilow and Justin Bieber? Now that's a combination!!! I'm like part teenage girl and part 70 year old man. Please tell me I'm not the only one out there with this wide range of music taste!! Tell me there are other weirdo's out there!!

I'm happy to report that I'm back down to 177lbs. Not eating after 6pm has been the key. My cycling coach sent me this, "Eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch, and a peasant for dinner". This apparently works as I've lost what I gained in Tucson.

Oh and regarding yesterdays post on fear. And no I'm not going off on some weird Justin Bieber antics but I heard this song on the way home. I think we can apply this to ourselves if we look past our fears. We are all born to be somebody. You just can't be afraid to look deep inside and find that "somebody".

An Amazing Little Voice