I AM NOT ROGER BANNISTER

It is good when a child, wife or parent say nice things about their father, husband or child. Just a few weeks ago my Mom was bragging about my achievements as she was telling her brother that I walk at a speed of a 4 minute mile. That would be quite an achievement. On May 6, 1954 Roger Bannister became the first person to break the four minute mile. My achievements are not quite as noteworthy. I do tell people that my walking speed is usually a bit faster than 4MPH, which is not quite the same thing as a four minute mile. Yesterday, I did achieve something notable, which was that I was able to maintain a walking speed of 5MPH for two full hours (1:59:39).  I noticed that the calorie burn from walking that fast was higher than normal. Once I finished this 10 mile, 2 hour hike I returned home ostensibly to take a bike ride with my daughter as we had originally planned. My daughter preferred to take a walk to Toys R Us to purchase a $3.00 toy.  I was all for it. That afternoon walk was eleven miles by the time we returned home. After dinner, the walking bug struck again and we took a 4 mile walk around town. When the day was over, I had walked/hiked 25 miles.

Roger Bannister shocked the world in 1954 by becoming the first human to break the four minute mile (3:59.4)

I have been photographing my daughter in this tree since she was a three years old.

.

.

Your Food Diary For:

Sunday, September 4, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Roundys - Creamy Wheat - Enriched Farina	480	100	0	16	340	4
Quaker - Chewy Granola 90 Calories	360	76	8	4	320	28
	840	176	8	20	660	32
L U N C H
Fried Chicken Tenders	400	23	26	19	1,020	2
	400	23	26	19	1,020	2
D I N N E R
Fried Chicken Tenders	700	41	46	33	1,788	4
Homemade - Roast Carrots and Onions	100	0	0	0	0	0
Sushi - Salmon Avocado 4 pieces	200	35	6	8	345	6
Seafood Salad	300	16	24	3	622	7
	1,300	92	76	44	2,755	17
S N A C K S
Wendy's - Small Frosty	290	48	7	8	135	40
Nestle - Dark Chocolate Bar	500	52	30	6	0	0
	790	100	37	14	135	40
Totals	3,330	391	147	97	4,570	91
Your Daily Goal	6,797	849	226	340	2,300	255
Remaining	3,467	458	79	243	-2,270	164
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 4,867 extra calories from exercise today

If every day were like today...   You'd weigh 168.1 lbs in 5 weeks     

.

       Your Exercise Diary for:

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
10 Miles (5 MPH)	120	2,202
11 Miles (leisurely)	205	1,652
4 Miles (evening)	68	614
Daily Total / Goal	394 / 30	4,867 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1457 / 210	16,632 / 4,130

.

It was very lame of me to fall to reach 50,000 step milestone yesterday.... Really, I came up  364 steps short?  All I would have had to have done was walk for another few minutes!

ECKHART PARK

My daughter trains a few times per week at a local pool near our home at Eckhart Park.   In order to drive there, the trip is 2.5 miles and should take 13 minutes by car in city traffic.   I decided to meet my family at the park at the conclusion of my daughter's practice today.  I left more than two hours early.  I didn't exactly take the shortest route, as I was determined to walk 10 miles.

This map above shows the most direct route to get from Point A to Point B.  That was not the route that I took!

My route also did get me from Point A to Point B.  My route was exactly 10 miles.  My route took me 2 hours and 3 minutes walking.  My route burned 2121 calories.  Once I arrived at the park, I made use of their elliptical machine for a very mellow, relaxed 30 minutes session, at the highest resistance level of 20 but only for one half hour.  The machine reported that this thirty minute workout burned an additional 503 calories.   Ever since my Half Dome climb, I have been a calorie burning machine!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

 Monday MENU

breakfast   cheese omelette, center cut bacon, 3 small apples                   707 calories
lunch         spinach salad, multigrain rice cakes, homemade chili             663 calories
dinner       manhattan clam chowder chunky, pickled herring                   974 calories
SNACK    8 L'CHAIMS                                                                            560 calories
        

total calories consumed 2904 calories                                                              

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

CALORIES BURNED

2 hour, 3 minute walk 10 MILES                                                                  2120  CALORIES
Eckhart Park Elliptical Machine 30 minutes, level 20, relaxing pace             503  CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 2623 CALORIES

Monday net calories 281 calories

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  

fitbit day 33

27363 steps

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Part of my 10 mile walk yesterday took place at Washington Square Park.  I have found a new way to create 'art' with my MapMyWalk Application.

HEALTHLY LIVING IS A MORAL OBLIGATION

Many days that I blog, it is as if I am writing to myself.  I am trying to understand myself.  I am even trying to understand where this new-found perseverance has come from. Today, I am not trying to be funny or amusing. I am being brutally honest with myself. I learned as a young kid that 'honesty is the best policy', it certainly is not an easy policy.

Today, I am publicly stating what I was far too ashamed to admit for the past seven years.

HEALTHY LIVING IS A MORAL OBLIGATION

If each of us lived on our own world with no children, no spouse, no family and no friends - it would not matter how we chose to live.   We could make every wrong decision to adversely affect our health and it would affect no one else.  We would not have a moral obligation to take care of ourselves.

None of us live in a world like that.

We all live in a world with children, spouses, parents, family and friends.
WE DO HAVE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO TRY TO LIVE AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE.
I didn't just figure this out now - when I was packing on the pounds despite the fact that I have a wife and child - I knew that my behavior was not only stupid, but it was immoral. Apparently my desire to eat the way I did (to have 'fun' eating) overwhelmed my desire to behave morally.

In recent years, my Father asked me a very hard question.  The question was not difficult to understand, but it was hard to answer since my actions were not in accordance with my answer. My Father asked me, with regard to my dangerous overweight condition, "Don't you want to be around and see your daughter grow up?"   The question was a hard one; not because my answer was yes. It was hard as my actions were in conflict with my desire.  A parent has a moral obligation to try to live as healthy as possible. Morbid Obesity is dangerous. It can be a gateway to all kinds of devastating health problems.

* * *

Here is a tougher assessment.  One who walks around with no regard to their own health, who continues to add to their morbid obesity without making an effort to change - is being selfish.  It brings me no joy for me to admit that for seven years I was behaving selfishly in this regard.   I thank God, that he gave me time and the opportunity to make changes in my life.   Not everyone gets this opportunity.  I was lucky.

You might now accuse me of being a hypocrite. You might say, that since I am trying to reverse a lifestyle that I have so freely lived for the past seven years, isn't it now easy for me to claim that I am being more moral now? Yes, of course, it is easier.  This short essay is addressed to me, the me of the future. Now it is my job to remember this, so that there is no going back to that selfish, all-you-can-eat lazy lifestyle. It would be immoral.

Every day we awaken at the intersection of Right & Wrong.  There is always an opportunity to go the Right Way.

Easy decisions often take you on the wrong path.  Moral decisions are always on the right path.  It is a moral obligation that we all have to our spouse, children, parents, family and friends to try to live as healthy as possible.  It is not easy, we may not always succeed but we are morally bound to try.   (As Bart Simpson says: we should 'try to try')

WEDNESDAY MENU

BREAKFAST   three poached eggs, 2 strips turkey 'bacon'                                     280 CALORIES

LUNCH             1 cup chicken broth, 4 oz. salmon filet, zucchini pancake              303 CALORIES

DINNER            4 oz Seafood Blend, 1 cup clam chowder, iceberg lettuce wedge
                            one Tbsp Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing                              263 CALORIES

TOTAL CALORIC CONSUMPTION        846 CALORIES

CALORIES BURNED

5AM  TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES
6PM   TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES
8PM   TREADMILL: 60 minutes @ 4 mph (4 miles) 600 CALORIES

NET CALORIC DEFECIT     954 CALORIES

Delicious Dinner: 4 oz. Seafood Blend (Shrimp/Scallops/Calamari) lettuce wedge, clam chowder 263 CALORIES