Update from Chengdu

Tom arrived in Chengdu, China a few days ago. He and Wendy have several outings planned during his four week stay. I've recently received the first pictures of their bus trip to a river location that offers tourist the opportunity to float down the river in a bamboo boat. The area looked very scenic from the pictures. Lunch on the river adds to the unique experience and provides the traveler with a change of pace from the busy city of Chengdu. We will be keeping an eye out for more pictures from Tom as he gets an in depth view of China and all that it has to offer. You can see Tom and Wendy's picture to the right of the blog page. Thanks, Tom!

The Rat Pack

I've been looking for an appropriate picture to go on the wall along side my tread mill. I finally found one. Not only does it show some of my favorite crooners from the "Rat Pack" era, but it helps to remind me of why I need to keep my cardiovascular system in shape. Actually, Frank and the boys probably could care less and even appear to be laughing at me. That's alright, you have to maintain your sense of humor if you have any hope of sticking to a weekly exercise schedule. So, the picture should help. I've posted a photo to the right of the blog page and also at the bottom.

Delicious Meal at Ruth Chris

Some meals are more special than others. For me, a visit to Ruth Chris Steak House is always special. Tonight, my friend, Dave Beales, took Nancy and me to the Pavilions Ruth Chris Steak House for our birthday diner. I was certainly looking forward to the meal, as I knew from my previous experience with dinners at Ruth Chris that it would be delicious - and of course it was. We started with a loaf of hot bread, an appetizer of jumbo shrimp and afterwards crispy lettuce wedge salads. Each menu item was exceptionally fresh and perfectly prepared. Our entrees consisted of steaks (fillet for me and New York for Dave) and chicken (Nancy chose the free range chicken). We added a side of mushrooms and baked potato to our meals. Again, each entire was carefully prepared and served on a sizzling plate - hot, hot, hot! We cap stoned the meal with chocolate cake and bread pudding for our desserts. That's what I call a meal! Thanks Dave, it was a great evening and a wonderful birthday celebration! Can't wait until next year.

After the meal we took a stroll through the Pavilions, where we checked out some of the shops and visited the Borders Book store. I've posted the pictures that were taken of tonight's outing to the right of the blog page.

On Monday we will be going to Cattleman's restaurant in Dixon - for Nancy's birthday celebration. It will be interesting to see how it compares with Ruth Chris.

Larry King Show

Nancy and I both like the Larry King show. He usually has interesting guests. Tonight he had Paul and Ringo (Beatles) along with Yoko - and George Harrison's wife, Olivia. The show focused on the "Love" Cirque show, which has been playing in Vegas for a year now. My friend Tom and I saw the show when we were in Vegas last January - when we went to CES.

It was interesting to learn how the "Love" show was created and to also get the reactions of guest members regarding their take on the show. I enjoyed the production when I saw it, although we were seated a little too close to the stage. It was rather loud - for my"old" ears (never thought that I would say that).

Cirque is really big right now. The creator of the productions said that there were thirteen shows going on at this time. Wow - that's a lot of Cirque.

Changing Hallway Appearance

We haven't really done very much to our upstairs hallway during the eighteen plus years that we've lived in this house. So we felt it was time. I like a lot of color - and abstracts often have bold colors. We found a modern art painting that we both liked and after some searching we also have the table and accessories to go with it. The look is distinctive, especially from the bottom of the stairs. You definitely tend to take a glance as you pass by, because of the striking colors. That was the intended outcome - so we are satisfied with our choices. Now we need to finish the exercise room. We're working on that. We've made some interesting selections for that room as well. I'll be posting a picture of the exercise room soon. As for the hallway picture, it is shown to the right of the blog page.

62nd Birthday

Well, looks like I'll make it to sixty two. I think I was born around 4 am - so I've got a couple of hours to go before it's official. I found a picture of me to scan and post. When I saw it, I was reminded of just how long ago it has been since I've worn a suit. I use to wear a suit every workday- regardless of the weather. When it gets to a hundred and ten degrees in Sacramento, a suit can be uncomfortable - particularly when you have to go in and out of the heat all day to visit students at job sites.

I've only worn a suit once since my retirement. I don't really miss that part of the job - wearing a suit. Now that I don't have to, I think I'll try one of my work suits on today and see how it fits. It should be fine. That's a good birthday gesture. Acknowledging the past, but moving on. Now it's jeans and tennis shoes most days. Much more comfortable in warm weather.

I guess that I feel my age - and look my age. As long as I can stay mobile, I should be OK. I plan on having an active day, but I'll pace myself - energy wise - as I usually do each day. Things can take a little longer to get done when you take lots of breaks, but that's the best way for me.

Nancy's birthday is in a week. We don't do much celebrating on our birthdays. We usually keep it pretty simple. Nancy's birthday is a little more significant this time. She turns seventy this year. So, we do have something special planned. More on that later.

Tomorrow Makes Two Months

After tomorrow's exercise, two months will have past since I started using my treadmill. I've kept records of every workout. It is interesting to see the progression over that period of time. As I look at the log of my workouts, this is what comes to mind:

1. What I thought was initially a reasonable goal to pursue - in regards to top speed, total miles and length of time to exercise - was actually too low. It takes awhile to know your capabilities regarding the goals you want to set for each session, but as your body adjusts to the new routine, it gets easier. This may seem obvious, but I was pretty naive as to what I needed to do to shed ten to fifteen pounds - and keep the weight from coming back.

2. Exercise alone will not take off excess weight. You have to be just as deliberate about the number of calories that you consume each day, as you do about staying committed to an exercise routine. Trying to stay within a reasonable range of calorie intake can be even more difficult than the rigor it takes to stick to the exercising. I say "rigor". because a lot of people, myself included, do not relish the thought of exercising five days a week. It's very easy to find a reason not to do the scheduled workout.

3. If you burn off three to four hundred calories from exercising and cut a couple of hundred calories from your usual daily food intake, you can safely lose about one and a half to two pounds a week. This was what I was told by my doctor and my logs support that finding. Ultimately you reach a balance between the exercising and the kind of food that you eat, and you stay within a few pounds of your ideal weight. You will also have to like the lifestyle that goes with that reality or at some point you will get bored with the whole routine.

4. To make it all work you have to find a way to internalize the routine and make it a part of your lifestyle. I've only been doing the treadmill exercises for two months, so I'm no expert on this topic. But I am convinced that if I go back to my past habits, I will gain back the weight and the problems that are associated with carrying the extra weight. The bottom line - a big part of all of this is psychological - you have to figure out how to live with the routine - which is not a particularly easy thing to do if you are not a naturally health conscious person.

5. Keep in mind that I am not doing any "Iron Man" stuff, just working out on the treadmill for an hour a day - five days a week. For me, that's enough - at least at this point in time.

So, given those realities... I will start my third month of exercises and hope that I don't fall off the wagon. No guaranties, but so far the odds are in my favor that I will complete my third month successfully and maybe even reach some new goals. We'll see!