Wednesday, January 11, 2012

#DadFit in #Illinois.

Once in a great while a confluence of seemingly random minutia occurs, which in turn provides a solution of substance. Such was the case this Monday morning.

I was reviewing my Triberr home page and approving blog post tweets for inclusion in my Twitter stream. I happened upon a  post from John Willey of  "Daddy's in Charge". The post was about a new blog, DadFit. John explained the concept of making lasting healthy changes with the help of a supportive and open community. I immediately clicked on the icon conveniently located in the upper half of the right sidebar and liked the Dadfit Facebook Page.

During the morning I listen to WSCR the local (OK, Chicago) sportstalker. Mully and Hanley reviewed the guest list. Lo and behold, Governor Pat Quinn (a former reformer doing a mediocre job of cleaning up the pile of crap he was handed as Governor) was scheduled to be on the show. Since the Bears were out of (never in) the playoffs, the Governor would not be announcing one of those idiotic politician sport bets (Illinois sewage vs. Nevada nuclear waste?) that is so mindlessly prevalent these days. Governor Quinn would be discussing something else.

Candidate Pat Quinn walked the width of Illinois (167 miles) in 2001to call attention to the inadequacy of affordable health care. In order to perhaps lower health care costs for all, the Governor has issued a challenge: walk the width of Illinois over the course of the year. That's less than 1/2 a mile a day.

I signed up for the challenge and downloaded a pedometer app. Within an hour it was obvious I walked over 1/2 mile a day puttering around the house. For the challenge, I must walk an additional 167 miles over the year. That's less than 15 minutes a day and can easily be incorporated into my routine.

I have my 1st contribution to Dadfit. Any ideas on other changes to becoming and staying healthier?

3 comments:

  1. That is great Barry... How about we don't stop at the Illinois border?

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  2. I hear California is lovely all year round. Thanks for stopping by, Dad. I must listen to you, because after all, you're in charge.

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  3. My wife and I have started going on daily walks with Isaac (pushing him in his car) after she gets home from work. We usually go about 20-30 minutes and it's good for us and gives us time to catch up with each other.

    Aside from that, I bought a home gym off of Craigslist last year for $400 and cancelled my gym membership since I was going to be staying home with Isaac. It came with 300+ pounds of weights, but buying more is cheap. It's convenient to have a gym just outside in the garage.

    And if all else fails, buy a jump rope. $10 and you're well on your way to shedding the pounds. I'll do sets of 100 jump ropes and 10 pushups. Do 10-12 of those bad boys and you've put in a pretty good workout for the day.

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