A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

exercise

One week in…

So I’m one week in with this whole trying to get healthier thing.

And … so far, so good.

I’ve had so many people in the past tell me about this diet or that diet; or the sure ways to lose weight, be it no carbs, or something else. The one thing they all seem to have in common? The weight usually comes back and they’ll often tell you that it will.

What’s the point?

If the weight comes off and then comes back on, how does it help?

The reality is this: I’ve always said I know how to get healthier and in better shape — eat better and get more exercise. I never believed it was healthy to lose a lot of weight in a quick amount of hurry.

So, here’s an update a week-plus into this whole new thing.

  • Not sure about weight as I forgot to weigh myself this morning. I am doing it only weekly.
  • I feel better as I’ve gotten out more and mixed things up. I’ve walked, hiked, and gone for a bike ride.
  • Stamina is up.
  • I’m eating better and feel like I am getting full on less, which is good.
  • My blood numbers, pretty much across the board, are down.

Let’s talk about that last part quickly. The biggest point to all of this is to get my numbers down. As a diabetic, I need to make sure I’m not all out of whack as I want to control things.

So, when I started I was in range most of the time, though on the higher side. My mornings were high (and still are out of range, but are lower), and now when I check at other points in the day, things are much better. Even after eating. I’ve been keeping a notebook of everything and that’s helped me look at things better. Even a couple hours after meals, things are way more in line to where they are supposed to be. Now I just need to figure out the overnight thing as it’s usually pretty good when I check before bed.

Overall, though, things are going better and that’s a good thing. I have a few things I’m doing to push myself and keep on the right line, and I’ll blog about those down the line. Hopefully, things can keep on going well! Here’s to a healthier lifestyle!

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

It’s time to actually fix myself

I’m grossly out of shape.

For those of you who know me, this isn’t any breaking news (despite that being the “in” thing on the Internet).

As a diabetic, this isn’t a good thing. And I know it. And I’ve let my numbers get worse, which is really sad considering my A1C was immensely awesome a year or so ago. Now, not as much. But I know I have to do something about it.

I’ve said that before, right? And there’s never a guarantee things will improve, but one has to keep trying.

I don’t know why, but I decided Monday was the time to start. And by that, I mean I am going to start tracking everything. What I eat. What I drink. How much exercise I do. What my numbers are and how what I’ve eaten makes them go up and down.

Basically, I am going to start taking myself to task.

I need to start utilizing my Fitbit more – especially the web interface and the phone app. I can track everything (food etc.), I just need to make sure I do it. It’s a bit of a pain, though, so I’m trying to figure the best way to do it.

Any of you have an app or web interface that’s easy to log your food and all the other good stuff? I’d love to find a one-stop shop for apps when it comes to this as I think it would be beneficial. I’m also doing it old fashioned — pen to paper.

Which way to go?

Which way to go?

Anyway, part of doing all of this is to try and get me into doing more outside. Whether that’s finding new trails to hike on and challenge myself, going for a walk, or riding a bike. Or, heck, doing something not on that list. Anything to get more active.

So, Monday, I went out after dinner to explore one part of a new set of hiking trails. I won’t lie – I was looking at it twofold: Getting some exercise as well as looking for potential geocache sites. I found many possible spots in the parts I explored and I haven’t even checked all of the trails yet.

First, let me say this, my cardio is awful. The trail goes … well, up. Then it evens out a little. But it’s on a mountain, so there’s going up … and up. And I was winded (I’m being nice about that statement). Now, that’s not a bad thing. It got my heart rate up. I knew when to stop a little. It made me challenge myself. The good part is I know how I felt when I got to the top. I know I want to be able to do that much easier in the future.

I also want to eventually run a 5K. No, I’m not some runner in my past. It’s more of a personal goal. I have the one picked out I want to be my “first” and I have plenty of time to train for it, so this is only a start. But for me to be able to run 3.1 miles, I need to get my cardio up.

With diabetes, I know it can be controlled. I need to lose weight and exercise. I need to challenge my body to get better the best I can and utilizing places in my area will help. I’ll be out on my bike. I’ll be working on it the best I can. Eventually, I’ll hopefully be lowering my numbers and getting my health back in order.

The plan, too, will eventually to start posting my “Living with Diabetes” posts. In the past, they’ve helped me kind of keep on track and hopefully it can do that again.

Reality, too, is that I won’t be able to do this every night. Some nights, I work late. Others I might be pooped. But I need to challenge myself to get out as much as I possibly can to get some exercise in.

Monday was a good start though. I look forward to eventually exploring those trails a tad more and seeing what is out there and, hopefully, getting into better shape.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Need some pep in the step

I’m tired.

I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s work with some extended hours as this is a really busy and crazy time of year.

Maybe it’s because I’m sometimes running around too much, and then kind of “shut down” some.

Maybe it’s because I’m not eating like I should be (totally think this is part of it).

The funny part is, I’m sleeping pretty decent.

Spring is here now (well, supposed to be. It snowed a trace yesterday and until March ends – or some of April – I have a hard time thinking winter is over), so it’s time to start thinking about the health again. I’m hoping that’s a way to get myself back on track some.

See, my last doctor’s appointment wasn’t a great one. It wasn’t the worst, but it could have been way better. I put on a few pounds and my A1C numbers have gone up. It’s not a panic situation (yet), so I need to work on things.

That means eating better and getting out and doing more things to exercise. And I have things I enjoy doing that will allow me to have a good amount of exercise – I just need to get myself to do it.

Things like geocaching. Or picking up disc golf again. Riding my bike. Going on small little hikes.

There are definitely things I can do, that’s for sure.

I’d like to kayak some this year, too.

I have some goals when it comes to my health and I haven’t been doing well with them. So I need to start focusing on them a bit more to see what I can do about completing them.

Exercise has never been something I always could follow through on. I like doing certain things at a gym, but I hate going. I like doing outdoors things, but sometimes I have a hard time getting motivated.

So that needs to change.

In time, it will. If not, my health won’t get any better, that’s for sure.

So the spring is here. It’s time to start finding a way to push myself.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please Like HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Fitbit review: A good tool to get motivated for exercise

After years of looking and looking at them – I finally invested in one.

A Fitbit.

For those who don’t know what one is, A Fitbit is an amazing … for lack of a better term, pedometer. It’s oh so much more though.

See, a Fitbit comes with the ability to hook it up online – either through your computer or a smartphone. I’ve been syncing mine through my iPhone.

My only question is why did it take me so long to get one?

On reason was finances – these aren’t cheap little toys. I purchased the Flex, which is one you wear on your wrist. It was about $100. The cheapest one is a $50 one that has fewer options and isn’t on the wrist.

So far, I love it.

It’s not annoying to wear and it seems to do pretty well. The steps seem pretty accurate and I’ve attempted to jiggle it to see if it miscounts different things and it hasn’t so far. There are pros and cons to this, as always, but so far I am enjoying it. I have a lot of goals I need to start hitting when it comes to health and the Fitbit is going to be something that helps me do that.

If you are considering something like this, it’s definitely cool. But allow me to tell you a few things about it.

Pros

There are several pros to this product.

1. The online/smartphone feature is excellent. It allows you to do your thing and see the results on a bigger screen, not just on the face of a pedometer. There are graphs and things like that. You can also add certain other items – different activities (biking etc.), and keep track of your food and water intake among other features.

2. The interactive part of it helps you push toward your goal. You can earn badges and such, much like other social media platforms.

3. There is a friend network, so if you know others who have a Fitbit, you can friend them. Maybe this will allow a friendly competition to get people out and walking some. Theoretically, that should get you to do a bit more.

4. Motivation. With everything out there to help, why wouldn’t it motivate you to do more than, say, a regular pedometer would? The software, if you fully use it, can be your one-stop place for exercise needs.

5. Sleep tracking. Though I’m not sure how much I believe this, it tracks sleep and tells you how well or not well you sleep each night. No matter what, it’s at least interesting to see what it claims I am doing when I sleep.

Cons

1. No screen. At least on my Flex, there’s no screen. You do have some lights flash when you get close to your daily goals and such. There was a bracelet one that had a screen, but Fitbit recently recalled it. Looking at the company website, the other Fitbits do have screens. This isn’t a major thing to me – and I knew it before it came – because I sync it with my cell phone. But for those who don’t have a smart phone and might have to wait 8-10 hours to see results, it could be a turnoff.

2. The Fitbit had a calorie counting thing, but it’s based you your height/weight and a couple of other things. I realize calories can be burned while sleeping – but 900-plus? I don’t understand how things like that fully work, so it’s possible I imagine. I did look it up and this can be turned off, but until I know how to add those things a bit, I’ll leave it on.

3. A tad bulky. Once the summer fully hits and I am wearing short-sleeve shirts, it might be difficult to always have it on. The main part – where the “machine” is – is a tad bulky. We’ll see how that works, though.

4. Battery. The Fitbit I have has a rechargeable battery that lasts about 5-7 days. So you have to pay attention and charge it at times or it can, and will, die on you. I had it happen once and it was quite frustrating.

Overall

The reality is this – I needed something to start pushing me to do more. Will this be the item to get me to always get off my duff? No. But, it helps. I can see real-time results, which is pretty sweet. And it is also a social media platform, to an extent. So friends who have a Fitbit, or are on the website, can see what others do etc.

I’d love to see who all has a Fitbit in the blogging world. It would almost be fun to come up with a friendly summer challenge. I have a few ideas, but I’d first have to see how many bloggers have it and would be interested.

Back to the original topic though – why I am truly enjoying this. It’s a way to help you push yourself. I haven’t used the entire website yet, but you can input food, other exercises etc., to be able to keep track of other aspects of your life. The program is, in all honesty, a really in-depth piece of software. And, with it being all web-based, it’s even nicer so you can access from more than one platform.

I eventually do want to do more with the website and the program. I don’t know if I will ever be that good at logging everything I eat, but it could be a good thing. I got this as a way to help with my diabetes to show I am getting at least some exercise. There’s no doubt that I am just starting to move along and need more exercise, but that’s OK as I realize it and will keep pushing forward. I am excited to see where my new plan and all takes me, and this will just be a small piece of the puzzle.

If you are looking for a more fun way to try and push yourself to get out and walk more or do more, take a gander at the Fitbit. It’s a fun and seemingly accurate way to keep track of your steps and more, as well as keeping an accurate look at your exercising and more.

Price ranges start at about $50. The model (Flex) I purchased was a little more than $100, but I am fully happy with it so far. I hope my opinion doesn’t change anytime soon as it’s a neat little product to push me some and hopefully it remains that way.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

Notes from my noodle: August 22 edition

I like disc golf.

Seriously, it’s a good time and good exercise. Case in point? By my pedometer’s count, I walked 5.1 miles playing 36 holes in a tournament Sunday afternoon. Anyone who thinks that’s not exercise needs to really define the word. It’s said that 30 minutes of walking per day helps your health. I did that and then some.

But this isn’t about the argument of whether or not disc golf constitutes exercise. This is about how a fun game can turn sour in a hurry.

See, when you are in tournaments, you don’t have control over a lot of things — weather, playing partners etc. You have to go with the flow. Still, the hope is to keep the game fun and entertaining. Without those last two pieces, a tournament — and the game — become dragging and not something I want to do.

So this tournament I played in Sunday…

It’s on a course I really like. I’ve shot well here and though I knew I stood no chance of winning my division, I set a goal of not finishing dead last in the division and the tournament. Anything else would be gravy.

The first round I got paired with three people in a different division. That’s fine, but it was tough because they were playing from the blue (longer) tees and I was playing from the white (shorter) tees. That basically meant that no matter how well I shot, I wasn’t going to get to be first on the tee if I got the lowest score because I was on a different tee.

I didn’t have an issue playing with the guys I was paired with. They were all cool to deal with and good players. But, for someone like me, that’s a little intimidating. They know a lot more. They do a lot more. The score a lot better. It’s tough when paired with people like this because newer players (such as myself) can watch and get lost in it all.

And it can’t be any better for those guys as they shoot 15-20 strokes better than me.

The hardest part was when we walked up to the white tees and sometimes they’d continue on before I’d say something. I don’t blame them either — they are playing from those tees, watching their shots, knowing what they have to do etc.

But for me, it made it harder because I didn’t want to slow them down or “hurt” their game. So I rushed at times, got stupid at others. All because I was worried about other things. The reality was that I wasn’t going to place in my division. Those guys could win theirs. It stunk, to be honest. I felt bad and I played worse. (To be fair, the thunderstorm that rolled through and soaked us didn’t help my misery, either).

I shot an 83 on a course that I hadn’t been out of the 70s on in quite a while.

The second round was a different story. I played with people from my division. People playing from the white tees. We played as quick as we could, had fun and all scored near the same. It was enjoyable. We joked, we chatted and didn’t worry. I wasn’t worried about screwing somebody’s game up. I was loose and enjoyed the round.

End result? A 72.

I truly understand that tournaments are hard to organize, run and do. I’ve done them in many sports. I’ve run leagues and tournaments and all sorts of things. So I can empathize. People who didn’t pre-register can also put a wrench in the spokes. And many tournaments I’ve played in do the same thing in the opening round — mix up players in different divisions. But it seems unfair to put a recreational/novice player with those who are really good. At least put two people playing from the whites in with a couple from the blues. That would make it a little less nerve-racking — for both sets of people.

I don’t know if my play had any effect on the three better players. But I know it did on me because of several factors. It wasn’t the company — I enjoyed the three others. In fact, I think a casual round with the three of them would be fun and educational, in regard to disc golfing. But in a tournament? It was tough.

In the end, it was OK. My 11-stroke differential between rounds earned me a $25 gift card to a sports store for best improvement. So add that to the disc I got for playing and two rounds of competition for my $20 fee, and I can’t complain. But, it’s food for thought.

For those of you who might read the blog and are disc golfers — give me your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you think about these things.

***

As you may know, I’m in the midst of a small personal project on the blog with my research of obscure baseball players.

I’ve picked out a half-dozen or so that I am going to start digging into and getting information on. I’m going to head up to Cooperstown and the National Baseball Hall of Fame to visit its library and find what I can on these players.

I’m hoping I can connect some dots as for some of these players, all I have is what I can find on baseball-reference.com. Hopefully, there will be a few things I can add to the numbers from this trip to the Hall.

***

It’s time for me to come up with a better way of storing memory cards after switching them out of my camera.

I went to the county fair Saturday and took a small memory card full of photos, many of which were really cute photos of a friend’s daughter. When I got home and was ready to move them from the card to my external hard drive, I couldn’t find the card.

Panic set in.

I looked through all of my pockets and everything else. The camera bag, my memory card pouch — everything. And nothing found.

I had put the card in my pocket when switching out and I had no idea what happened. My only thought was that I dropped it at the fair (in one of two places) or in the street at my friend’s house when getting in my car.

He went out and checked at his house. Nothing.

I went searching again and found a bag I had in my pocket. The card somehow ended up in there. My panic ended. That made me realize that I need to come up with a memory card holder to be able to switch out when needed. I don’t ever want to go through that again!

Any of you photographers have any suggestions for a good pocket-sized memory card holder?

***

Speaking of disc golf, as I did earlier in this post, I received an interesting package in the mail.

It was my renewal for my PDGA (Professional Disc Golf Association) membership. What’s odd about that is that I didn’t renew because my membership doesn’t end until Dec. 31, 2011. And if I was going to renew, I would do it after Oct. 1, when it would give credit for next year. Even with that, it wouldn’t make sense. I hadn’t planned on renewing until the end of the year, when it needed to be done.

Last year, when I signed up, I did it after Oct. 1, so it was for the end of 2010 and all of 2011. When I did that, I got all of the perks and membership stuff. It also included the 2010 member card, which showed my membership expiring on Dec. 31, 2011.

Then the package came today.

I didn’t know what had happened. So, I called them.

Turns out that when I signed up in October, I got all of the 2010 items and then would eventually get the 2011 items. Apparently today is that eventually. At least it all makes sense now!

***

I have some things in the works for future blog posts. I have e-mailed Bill Walker — Skywalker in hiking circles — and will be talking to him soon for a post or two on the blog about his adventures in thru-hiking. I have already previewed one of his books on the site and will be reading his second one, soon.

That also gave me an idea.

I have followed several people through their trail journals this year in regard to hiking the Appalachian Trail. Some finished, some didn’t. I am going to reach out to several of them in the hopes of interviewing them for a post on the blog. I’d like to get both sides, too, so it shows why some people need to leave the trail, how hard it is to finish it or not etc.

I’m going to try and correlate them so I can do all of them over a two-week period (including the Walker stories), maybe going every other day or so — that way not going too overboard with the hiking stories! But I think in the end, it will show a compelling picture of what people have to go through on the hikes. It’s my hopes that I’ll be able to get a few photos from each, too, to be able to help all of you paint a picture of what they go through when they do hikes like this.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com.