Helping each other persevere

Sometimes others help us meet the challenges our journeys pose.

To reach the top of Diamond Head, one must climb this staircase.

When I visited Eric, during one of the years he attended Hawai'i Pacific, he insisted that he accompany me when I went to visit Diamond Head. At the top, I realized why. Had I gone alone, I would have turned back - on more than one occasion - including the moment I looked up these steps. But with Eric along, and feeling my responsibility for his experience, I persevered.

28 October 2006
Diamond Head State Monument
Honolulu, Hawai'i

Tomorrow is another day

I have been away from blogging.

I have been overeating.

I have not been to the gym.

I have not been taking blood sugar readings.

I have not been walking 10,000 steps day. Actually I have not been keeping track of my steps at all.

There are reasons excuses. My pedometer died and the new one has not arrived. I hurt my toe. The gym was closed.

They are real. But they should have not thrown me for a loop.

Tomorrow is another day. It begins again.

See you along the trail.

Pedometer woes

Got involved in a number of projects last night and did not post.

Had a successful visit with folks from the campus ministry at Virginia Tech.

But also had my pedometer die. Since one goal is 10,000 steps a day, that is a problem. The one silver lining is that I have made it to 10,000 steps enough days in a row to have a pretty good sense of what that takes.

I ordered a new pedometer anyhow.

Exercise (treadmill in gym): 5 days in a row
10,000+ steps: 5 days in a row
Eating well: 9 days in a row
Blood sugar readings: 13 normal in a row; 74% normal since the start

Watched a movie based on Susan Cooper's book The Dark is Rising. An okay movie - well barely. A much better book. Different media as I always say. But compared to other movies - still barely OK.

The Weigh In - January 15, 2010

Posting a day late here.

Yesterday was the second weigh-in for the Noble Road Biggest Loser event. The base weigh-in was on January 8. The result - a 3 pound loss. A good week.

Since this journey along the Graybeard Trail began, the total loss is closer to 13 pounds. The effort began about December 17 when I stopped (more or less) eating "sweets" - items that are predominantly sugar. While I did not restrict the eating of other items, I did try to do some walking at that point. Our trip to New Orleans involved a great deal of walking as well - and eating, lots and lots of eating. That did enough to prevent any gain and actually drop a pound or two. Since returning to Louisville on December 31, I have made a more focused effort that includes a period of exercise, eating somewhere between 1,600 and 2,000 calories and walking 10,000 steps or more a day. It is a good start.

Yesterday the step count was 12,729 - the most steps yet. That came because as well as getting to the gym, I participated in the Presbyterian Center's Justice Walk to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We walked to the Ohio River where Dr. Blaine Hudson from the University of Louisville reflected on the Louisville's role in the underground railroad. We then turned back and went to the offices of the Presbytery of Mid-Kentucky where Edgardo Mansilla of the Americana Community Center addressed immigration issues and how we can live as neighbors to those who come to this country.

The movie at the gym was Deja Vu. I am discovering that the movie makes a big difference. Gripping movies are much easier to walk to - the time seems to pass almost unnoticed.