Saturday, October 29, 2016

BUFFALO BAYOU PARK

Thursday night, my first night in Houston, Texas ended in burst of 'hard-drinking.' I was brought up in a home by two loving parents that taught me that if you are going to do something, you should do it right. I am guessing that this applies to drinking too. The fact is, anyone can drink. Anyone can drink too much. But if one can drink all night and still get up before dawn and and take a ten mile urban hike - then definitionally, one did not drink too much. On Thursday, I had hike along some of the pathways at Buffalo Bayou Park and realized that there was much more than I had seen. Friday morning, I set out to explore the entire park from its west end to its east end. And when that hike was completed, I had hike ten miles, and there was time to shower up and meet my colleagues for breakfast. It is an amazing thing to sit down for a hearty breakfast with 20,000 steps already logged for the day.

Friday was set-up day for the QuiltMarket Show in Houston. As I walked back to my hotel after meeting with my vendors I passed this giant football which has been strategically placed to remind Houstonians that they will be hosting the SUPER BOWL in 100 days.

Thinking about the Super Bowl reminds me that the Cubs are currently playing in the WORLD SERIES. The Cubs hosted the Cleveland Indians last evening at Wrigley Field and as they will for the next two nights. They lost the game one to nothing. Unless the Indians 'sweep' the three Wrigley Field games, the World Series will travel eastward again back to Cleveland to crown its champion.

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese, 3 eggs	425	0	21	28	650	2
Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, 0.75 cup (40 gm) dry	450	81	8	12	0	3
Honeydew - Melon	200	49	0	4	102	44
	1,075	130	29	44	752	49
L U N C H
Kellogg's - Raisin Bran - Single Serving Box	140	34	1	3	150	13
	140	34	1	3	150	13
D I N N E R
Chicken Enchilada, (3)	750	36	49	42	1,817	0
Corn Pudding	300	33	16	12	261	0
Green - Beans	100	20	0	5	1,450	10
	1,150	89	65	59	3,528	10
S N A C K S
Skittles - Skittles, 2 pack	240	34	8	6	300	2
Cheerios	180	36	3	6	255	3
	420	70	11	12	555	5

Totals	2,785	323	106	118	4,985	77
Your Daily Goal	4,377	547	146	219	2,300	164
Remaining	1,592	224	40	101	-2,685	87
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,447 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today... You'd weigh 196.4 lbs in 5 weeks

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
10 MILE URBAN HIKE	134	1,907
Walking	42	312


Daily Total / Goal	176 / 30	2,219 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	922 / 210	14,700 / 4,130

Chicken Enchiladas - Back Street Cafe, Houston, Texas

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SATURDAY WEIGH/IN
223.0 lbs

Friday, June 10, 2016

CHAI

Yesterday, I walked 10 miles in the morning before breakfast, and I walked another eight miles right around the time the sun set. 18 miles for the day. Chai. That's good luck! I will confess, that I will be very disappointed if I don't see some drop in my weight this week. I have learned that mountains of exercise do not necessarily translate into big weight loss - but I am hoping for something more than a pound. On Saturday morning, I will know how much progress I have made this week.

I found this article by Ariela Pelaia about.judaism.com

Definition:Chai (חי) is a Hebrew word and symbol that means “life.” It is spelled with the Hebrew letters Het (ח) and Yud (י). Jews will often wear a Chai on a necklace, sometimes with a Star of David or Hamsa.
Chai is pronounced as if you were saying “hi” in English.

The Symbolic Meaning of Chai
Judaism is a religion that emphasizes the importance of life. Jews are encouraged to be good, ethical people (mensches) and enjoy the time they are given on Earth. A common Jewish toast is “l’chaim!,” which means, “to life!.” It is said at celebrations in anticipation of all the good things to come. Because it means “life,” the Chai is consequently a symbol that captures an important aspect of Judaism. According to the gematria, which is a mystical tradition that assigns a numerological value to Hebrew letters, the letters Het (ח) and Yud (י) add up to the number 18. The Het has a value of 8 and the yud has a value of 10. As a result, 18 is a popular number that represents good luck. At weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events Jews often give gifts of money in multiples of 18, symbolically giving the recipient the gift of “life” or luck.

My day started with a 10 mile hike in the Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve which is part of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. My initial visit here was back in November. The first 6 miles of my hike were spent crisscrossing across various trails and the final 4 miles of my hike was spent walking along county roads. By 9:00AM, I was back in my hotel room ready to start my day, with 17,000 steps 'banked' according to my fitbit.

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After a one hour drive back to my hotel in Champaign from Mt Zion, I quickly changed and set out for an evening walk. I had more or less mapped out a course and when I arrived back at my hotel, I had logged an additional eight miles.

I took this photo of myself overlooking Interstate Highway 57, I was within a half mile of my hotel during my second hike of the day..

Your Food Diary For:

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Quaker - Grits - Instant - Original, 5 packet	500	110	0	10	1,550	0
	500	110	0	10	1,550	0
L U N C H
Skippy - Creamy Peanut Butter	463	15	39	17	366	7
Clover Valley - Whole Wheat Bread	480	88	4	32	880	8
Smucker's - Concord Grape - Jelly	150	39	0	0	15	36
	1,093	142	43	49	1,261	51
D I N N E R
Big Daddy Charbroil and Cheese	780	65	43	32	1,460	11
Jack Links - Teriyaki Jerky, 3.5 oz	280	21	4	42	1,680	18
	1,060	86	47	74	3,140	29
S N A C K S
Oats 'n Honey Crunchy Granola	190	29	6	4	160	12
Banana - Banana, 2 medium banana (126 g)	248	60	0	2	2	38
Chunk Light Tuna In Water, 3 oz in can	60	0	1	13	250	0
	498	89	7	19	412	50

Totals	3,151	427	96	152	6,363	130
Your Daily Goal	5,950	744	198	298	2,300	223
Remaining	2,799	317	101	145	-4,062	93
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
	*You've earned 4,020 extra calories from exercise today

Your Exercise Diary for:

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
WALKING	135	1,903
WALKING	107	1,544


Daily Total / Goal	242 / 30	3,447 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	856 / 210	10,965 / 4,130

and finally... a discussion about my lunch... My 'lunch' yesterday was really my second breakfast. The first breakfast was at 6AM. After I walked 10 miles, I was feeling a bit hungry. So my second breakfast, was consumed around 10AM. I chose to consider it lunch. I know that I did not have to have four peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. I had intended to have two and perhaps save the other two for a snack later in the day. But before you judge me...Ask yourself: DID YOU WALK 18 MILES YESTERDAY? Still, I know that I should not have had four sandwiches. But you know what? I was hungry.