Maybe Missing the Trip Wasn't So Bad...

As reported previously, I was not able to make my annual trip to Louisiana this year.  It had me completely depressed all weekend - the entire time I've been thinking, "OK, right now if I was down there we'd be doing this now..."  

All weekend long.

However, maybe the fates have done me a favor.  Consider the following:

• When I pulled out of the airport after my failed attempt at my flight, my vehicle signalled a tire pressure issue.  I definitely hit something on my way to Fargo, and it has impacted for sure one and possibly two tires.  I've been airing them over the weekend since the tire shop was too busy to take my rig on Friday.  With my return flight scheduled for Sunday night at 11:30, I would have been faced with a flat tire, and maybe more.
• That would have been made all the more hard because as of Sunday night we're in the middle of a nasty blizzard.  We're expecting 5" of snow, driven by 30MPH winds.  I would have been changing a tire in a cramped, uncovered airport parking lot at midnight in -30 degree windchill in the snow.  After I got it changed, I'd then need to drive home in that mess.
• To top it all off, after I came back from working out at the club on early Sunday morning, my side hurt.  Upon getting ready for the shower, I noticed blisters on my side and back.  Shingles.  I got into the doc immediately after mass and got on meds right away to try and stem the expansion.  Who knows what I would be like if I was stuck on a plane all day instead?

No, I'm not happy about missing my trip.  However, I'm also quite happy that I missed what could have been a really terrible time Sunday night.

My DNA Update

I got contacted from the folks at Ancestry about my DNA results.  As more data has entered into their system, they have been better able to reflect my ancestors with more geographic specificity, and they provided me with an update.  I now break down along the following lines:

From my last read, I lost any connection to Spain (16%!), as well as some areas that came in at less than 1%.  I also gained some specificity to the area of Leinster in Ireland.  <1 concentrated="" font="" i="" in="" ireland="" leinster.="" m="" more="" nbsp="" reads.="" specificity="" to="" with="">

Alas, I still have no Native American blood, although I am still about as close as Elizabeth Warren.  

All fun aside, I do regret doing this test in the first place.  DNA testing is evolving at a rapid rate, and its potential use for nefarious reasons grows at a daily level.  Could one be rejected for health care because their DNA reflected a disposition for some kind of future malady?  Given our current environment, such a situation does not seem that far off, and I hate that someone out there has my DNA and all that it can tell about me.

US Life Expectancy Declines

It is 2017, and in the United States, hunger doesn't exist, and disease is insignificant and survivable.  Never in the history of humankind have people had access to better nutrition, healthcare, information, education, technology, etc. 

Despite this, we're not living as long as we used to.  Our life expectancy in 2017 is shorter than it was in 2016.

What's happening?  Mostly, we're overdosing, and we're committing suicide:

Some answers are obvious.  Easy access and high addiction rates to opioids have driven these numbers, as has the booming heroin trade.  However, this doesn't explain the whole thing, and I'd offer some likely culprits:

• Our turning away from religion
• The continuing war men, which leaving men feeling irrelevant and rudderless
• Social media, in which our lives are under constant comparison, and in which hate is perpetually on display
• The continuing push to make drugs "no big deal" 
• Loneliness.  It's an absolute crisis, and drive by every point listed above

What do we do?  I don't see any of the trends I highlighted above abating anytime soon.  In fact, I'd expect that they will all continue to grow.

Which means our future life expectancy will continue to fall.

Amazing.

Technology's Impacts on Our Brains

I just engaged in a recent article which relayed some shocking information on the impact our mobile engagements are having with us physiologically; most importantly, with our brains:

New studies are showing how we relate to apps, smartphones are keeping us in a constant state of stress that can have some serious consequences on our social lives, anxiety levels, mental health and general well-being. In teens, there are far greater risk factors.


The problem is here then the use of technology at the intersection of our brain. One way to put the problem is, mobile devices and apps are easily adjustable. Our Brains are not. Currently, the monetization of Tech is putting profits ahead of our well-being.

As we're continuing to learn, Facebook, Google, and others are gaming us.  As our dependency on them increases, so will their algorithms.

We don't know the long-term effects of this, but, unfortunately for all of us, we're going to find out.   

Being Bald Pays Off

Recently the University of Florida published a report that stated that bald men were perceived to be more attractive, dominant, and intelligent.  

I could kind of guess the latter two, but the attractive part is a nice find.  

You can check out a story on the research here.

All you full head of hair guys can read it and weep!

Baby Hears for the First Time

How important is hearing?  Ask this little baby, who was unable to hear, until hearing aids were applied:

Fountain of Youth?

After being gone a couple of weeks, I returned home to see my wife.  Living apart has been really hard, and while I have plenty to do at my new job, it does get pretty darn lonely at night.

Upon arrival at home, I was in the kitchen in the morning, fixing myself a cup of coffee, when my wife stopped me and said, "You know, you look younger."  

Really?

She went on to explain that the last couple of months she had really become concerned about me.  I didn't look good.  My color was off.  I wasn't sleeping well.  I looked tired and I looked old.  

Not anymore.

I later went to an event at Lambeau Field that was being held by my old employer as I needed to pick up some things for my impending move, plus I'd been wanting to pick up a turkey blind.  One of the first people I bumped into was a guy that had only recently joined our company.  He walked up to me, shook my hand, and immediately said, "You look younger."

Later still, I ran into a friend, and together we took a selfie and sent if off to another friend.  That person exclaimed upon receiving the picture that I looked 10 years younger.

I'm not sure if any of this is true, and if it is if it will last, but it's nice to know that, at least to a couple of people, I look like I feel.

Duracell Ad on Hearing Loss

As someone who loves somebody with hearing loss, I found this depiction from Duracell to be pretty much the most accurate reflection that I've ever seen:



While the baby thing was over the top, the rest of it remains quite accurate.  

Hearing loss in incredibly hard.  The entire world assumes you can hear just like everyone else, and accommodations are few.  It's not for the weak.

And that's one of the reasons why I admire and love my wife so much. 

When to Show Up Sick for Work

There is a massive outbreak of illness at my place of business, and unfortunately I have been one of the ones impacted.  I'm over my bout and now healthy, but it was a lousy couple of days.

As the illness has ravaged and made its way though our company, there has been debate as to what people should do when they don't feel well.  It is surprising to see the breadth of opinions on this by our senior leaders; everything from "just stay home and rest," all the way to "I've not taken a sick day in four years, so what's your excuse?"  

The disparity of these opinions is amazing, and it should be so simple upon which to have a policy.  But, no.  As such, it is really individual leaders and their personal "policies" that ultimately determine what an individual team does.

For me, it boils down to the following:

• The nature of my team is that they need to be able to work at odd hours, outside of the office, but with full office connectivity.  
• Since there is nothing they can do in the office that they can't do from home, if they don't feel well, I want them to STAY HOME
• That is all the more important at the start of their illness, when they're contagious.  I've flat out sent people home because of this with an eye toward not only protecting the rest of the team, but also myself

Granted, my policies might not work for every company or department.  I get that.  What I don't get are IT groups or department heads that won't allow external access to the business environment for no good reason.  It is 2015, people.  Get a clue.

Feel lousy?  It's great you want to come in and prove your dedication to "work."  How about you prove your dedication to your coworkers by staying home instead, huh?  

Thanks, and feel better soon.

No Smoking With CVS. Drinking? OK!

CVS is trying to take a lot of credit for their new health orientation by removing tobacco from their store shelves.  And good on them - as a health provider, it is the right thing for them to do.  

So imagine my surprise in seeing a recent ad for them in our local paper:

Check out the offer in the lower left.  Not only is it for tequila, but at a wow! price as well.

This so much reminded me of the routine that Kent Hrbek used to perform at every Twins home game.  Back then, PA announcer Bob Casey used to go through a pre-game admonishment that there was "no smoking in the Metrodome," (click on the link to hear a sample).

As Casey read through the script, Hrbek would stand at first base and pantomime the following:

Casey:  "No smoking in the Metrodome!  No smoking!"

Hrbek: Puffs an imaginary cigarette, then shakes his head and waives his hand "no."  Then hoists a massive imaginary beer to his lips and chugs deeply, while giving the thumbs up signal.  

If CVS needs some help in taking credit for their new health stance while still selling massive amounts of alcohol, I think #14 has some time on his hands and would be happy to help them out.

Google Glass Invitation

When Google Glasses first came out, I put in my application to be among the first to access them.  As one that is fascinated by technology, and one whose industry has been constantly rocked by technological changes (social media, mobile phones, tablets, all within the past five years, for example) I was intrigued enough to throw my hat in the ring.

Well, I was recently selected for Google Glasses:

  
There are only two problems:

1. Cost.  These bad-boys tip the scales at a whopping $1,500.  Yeah, I love new technology, but not that much, buddy.  There really is a reason why they call that the "bleeding edge," isn't there?
2. Creep Factor.  Google Glasses, or better said, the people wearing them, are getting a pretty tough rap.  It has gone so far that there's a name for creepy people that wear Google Glasses: "glassholes."  To combat this, Google itself has gone as far as publishing a list of dos and don'ts for Google Glass users.

Despite the problems, I really want the Glasses.  I truly believe that wearable technology to be the next big thing.  My success in changing my weight/body/health via my use of a Fitbit Flex is just one example.   And that is fairly simple technology.  One can only imagine what is going to be coming at us in just a few years' time.

Unfortunately, the problems outweigh the benefits for me, at least for now.  But I will definitely be watching this space very closely.

Pun intended.

Battle of the Bulge, Part 5: Results

Last November, I chronicled my attempt at weight loss, and at the time, I reported some success.  You can see the recaps here.

Likewise, I recently wrote on using an app named 10k Runner to get me into shape for an upcoming 10k run this summer.  

It's time for an update, as some milestones have been reached.

First, my diet has been maintained.  I'm eating much differently now, and it appears to have paid dividends.  Gone is any kind of junk, and not much goes into the pie hole without a good understanding of the calories and nutritional value associated with it.  A recent trip to the grocery store reflected the change that has been made:

  
Second, my running has progressed, but not without a lot of hard work.  Two weeks ago I completed a 5k - basically running for 35 minutes at a good pace.  At 3.1 miles, it was the longest I had ever run.  Upon completion of that run, my 10k Runner app had me running the following twenty minute run, three minute walk, and twenty minute run:

I felt this would be easy.  My 35 minute run was doable, and this new challenge was basically just tacking on another 5 minutes to the run - and even had a break in the middle!  However, for some reason, I could not finish this run.  In the second stage something would always start hurting me - quad, ankle, knee, hip - and I'd need to back off and walk.  It was frustrating and depressing.  

However, I had a discussion with a buddy that is a self-proclaimed running superhero (you can read about that here) and he advised a change in my gait and foot falls.  While it took proactive thought and dedication, the first time I applied them I knocked this run out.  I even put in an extra minute at the end to ensure that it was truly dead.  I've since progressed on, and have not run into any other walls, although I know they're out there.  I'm knocking on wood right now...

The third milestone reached is on the scale:  

For the first time since my senior year in high school, my weight starts with a "1."  I seriously thought the only way I'd see this again would be if I lost a limb or two.  When I first met my wife, I weighed 225.  On the day that we married, I weighed 230.  She's never known me like this.  And for once in a long, long time, the guy that I see when I look at a picture of me or when I look in the mirror looks like me, and not some fat version of me.  

It has been a long road:

But the road has been a successful one.  

I'm pretty much where I want to be from a weight standpoint.  Given my physical frame, it will be tough to drop a lot more.  I know, from a BMI perspective, I'm still considered "overweight," but when I weighed in for football my senior year, in the best shape of my life, I was 187 - still "overweight" from BMI standards.  To get to "normal" I'd need to get to 178.  That's not going to happen, at least not in the short term.  I can't afford to change over my wardrobe again.

It's been a nice problem to have.

Now I'm at maintenance.  But while the battle may not be a full fledged war, it is still a fight, and it still is being waged.

Insomnia Rocks!

I'm suffering from stress-induced insomnia, and while it interferes with my sleep, it does lend itself quite well to productivity.   Consider this morning where I accomplished the following:

• Two-hour session in the gym
• Grocery shopping
• Valentine's Day cards purchased
• Vehicle gassed up
• Lots of work and personal emails processed

All before 5:00AM!  Sure, I'd rather be sleeping, but as long as I can't, it's nice to be so productive.

The only thing I fear is my level of productivity at about 3:00PM today...

10k Runner

My entire life, I've found it damned difficult to run distances.  Since my days in grade school where we performed the 600 yard walk/run for the President's Council on Physical Fitness test, to distance running we needed to perform for football, I hated it.  I was bad at it, and I've continued to be bad at it my whole life.  Perhaps it is because I'm far more of a fast twitch person, or perhaps I was just weak and/or lazy, but my distance running experience and performance has been scant.

But as I've moved to get myself in better shape, one thing seemed universal - those in truly great shape ran.  Certainly there are exceptions to this, but to me it certainly seemed the rule.  Hence, I needed to get off of my life long aversion to running and figure out a way to do it.

The first place I needed to start was with a goal, and it seemed that a good goal would be to participate in a run.  Since my company is a major sponsor of the Bellin Run (a famous 10k in the Green Bay area) and since the run was a 10k (a distance that felt achievable), it seemed to be a good goal to have.  Pus, since it would be conducted in June, it would give me the time I'd need to be able to get into shape to run the 6+ miles.

But where to start?  And that's where the 10k Runner app comes in.  Downloaded for my iPhone, the app is a 14 week process that takes a runner from the couch to a 10k by combining running and walking to build strength and stamina.  

Thus far, I'm in week 7 - about half way through the process.  And I've found the following:

• The slow, stair step process has been a wonder.  When I started, the app had me walking a minute then running a minute over and over again.  And, slowly, the amount of time spent running has increased, and the amount of time walking has decreased.
• I'm now running 25 minutes straight.  I'm not fast, mind you, but this was something I could not have done just a couple of months ago.
• I'm running over 2 miles a session right now.  Prior to 10k Runner, the most I ever ran in my life was a mile.  And that was in High School.
• My body has totally changed, and it is most noticeable in my legs, which are substantially thinner and much more toned that when I started this process.

I have a long way to go to get to a 10k.  But I feel like I'm on a good path, and my confidence as it applies to running has never been this high.   

I strongly endorse this app for someone wanting to train for a 10k, especially if they are a non-runner to begin with.

Dilbert Creator has Great Ideas on Health and Happiness

In a recent article in the Washington Post, Scott Adams, the cartoonist responsible for the highly successful Dilbert strips and associated media, offers some thoughts on happiness and health.

You can read the full article here.

His is a very common-sense perspective, and one that's easy to adopt.  I've leveraged much of it (independent of the article) as part of my recent weight loss.

It's a great read with effective, actionable information.  If you're looking for momentum on your New Year's resolutions, it is worth your time.

Post Vacation Bad News, Good News

The Bad News:

• Gophers lost their bowl game
• Weather was less than optimal in the Carolinas
• I took a digger skiing
• I already miss my family
• I gained a couple of pounds back
• I gotta go back to work
• Weather here is horribly cold

The Good News:

• Irish won their bowl game
• Weather in Carolinas was significantly warmer than it is here
• Despite nearly a 10 year hiatus, I skied really, really well
• I had enough hugs and laughs from my family to last me for a couple of months
• Weight is still very under control
• I have a Double Bubble card

The Power of "I Don't" Over "I Can't"

A number of months ago, I learned of a study via Lifehacker that was conducted by The Journal of Consumer Research.  In the study, they split subjects into two groups, then presented those subjects with a temptation.  The group that used the internal mantra "I can't x..." actually broke down on their promise at twice the rate that the group that used "I don't x..."

Not only that, but the "I don't x..." group persisted in their fortitude more successfully in the long term as well.

At the start of the year, unbeknownst to the benefits of the use of the phrase "I don't x..." I started saying "I don't eat sweets," when offered them.  And for about a full calendar year, I haven't broke down once.

However, after having read the report, I started incorporating the mantra as it pertains to my trips to the gym.  Dozens of times I have said to myself that "I don't miss workouts," while lying there dead tired in bed.  And every time my big butt has hauled itself out of bed and headed off to the gym.

It may not work for everybody, but more me it has been a very powerful tool. 

A Written-Off Christmas

It has been a tough Christmas season at the YDP household.  Issues at work have created stress galore, which has tainted the season ever since Thanksgiving.  Hell, ever since last New Year's for that matter.

Then the health issue struck.  The debilitating pain, lost hours, and mental and physical trauma cost us nearly a week out of our lives.  It consumed everything.

So Mrs. YDP and I were sitting on the couch last night, looking at our barely decorated house with one eye and the calendar with the other, and wondering if any of it made sense.  And that's when we struck the deal - we'd be writing off Christmas 2013.  No more decorating the house (inside or out), no decorating the tree, no cooking, no more Christmas cards, none of it.  We'll complete our shopping and that will be it.

Sad, really.  Christmas is such an important holiday to both of us.  But with where we are in the season, and what we've faced, neither of us are in the mood for the additional stress that accompanies "celebration."

A week from Saturday, we fly out to meet family for a week-long vacation.  Our eyes focus there.  I personally look forward to the hugs, smiles, and laughs provided by my nieces and nephews.  I hope to find a small Catholic church to attend midnight mass.  I'll watch Pope Francis' say his first Christmas mass from St. Peter's with a fire in the fireplace, and a great glass of my brother's wine in my hand.  And from there, I'll fall asleep.

And perhaps, then, some return will be received on a Christmas that had been previously written off. 

Kidney Stone Stent

Despite having kidney stone surgery on Monday, which removed the stone and should have provided relief, I still felt lousy.  I was subjected to multiple kidney spasms, which mimic in intensity the pain of the original stone.  I also was stuck with this stent inside of me, and despite that pain, I also had the pain of the retrieval chords sticking out from my, ahem, guy.  Any undo brushing against those chords instantly caught my attention.

Well, I finally got the stent out today.  What a relief it was to get out, but until it was removed, I had no idea its size:

It was about a foot long, and the nurse pulled it out of me like she was pulling the rip cord on a lawn mower.  The  only thing that was missing was the "VROOM" noise, although my screaming may have compensated.

It's hard to describe the pain associate with this event.  I've broken bones, tore up a knee, and had multiple concussions.  All of that, dear friends, is child's play.   

The only bigger surprise to all of this is how many people have suffered from these.  It is far more common than I thought.  But perhaps in a way I'm lucky it is so common as the emergency room knew exactly what was going on the minute I came in, and they were extremely forthcoming with the morphine.  So much so that the ER Doctor said to me, "I know you're still in pain.  But I can't give you any more and be able to guarantee that you'll be able to continue breathing."

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.

The Massive Impact of Fleeting Health

With this latest health episode, I was struck by the massive upheaval the event made in my life.  My hospital stay and additional time away from work impacted my professional life and progress, the events have made me call into question where and how I live, and there have been other ramifications as it pertains to my family and my health.

And three days ago, everything was "fine."

I'm not trying to be too dramatic here.  My event was hardly life-threatening, nor was it a unique experience.  Despite this, the upset that has been wrought to my life is astounding.

There's a lesson in there, somewhere.  I don't know what it is yet, but I'm working on it.