This morning's run was less than stellar. I only managed to log 0.67 miles before my body claimed my attention; the body has a funny way to dictate what one does. Although 2/3 of a mile is OK, I simply was not happy with that. So, after dinner tonight, I got into uniform and went for a 2.2 mile jog. It was still warm and humid, but I made it. Now I am happy. I love jogging. And now I am on track for tomorrow morning and another 2 mile jog.
SELF-FINANCING, DEBT RE-ORGANIZATION
As I mentioned earlier, MacKenzie and I decided to pay for her car on our own. She is putting in $1000 from her savings and I am putting the other $1000 from our emergency fund. This meant that I would need to replenish both of those funds as quickly as possible. But I also saw the opportunity to apply a Dave Ramsey principle and get rid of my only other revolving debt: a credit card balance of about $2000. Our plan right now is to tackle the credit card debt first. Why? Because it is the most expensive debt we have. On the average it is costing us $30 in interest every month. Even if I repay MacKenzie with some reasonable interest, it would be lower than the credit card payment. Eliminating the credit card debt will be a multi-step process:
Stop any new charges on the credit card — this will help re-build better, more responsible spending habits.
Pay off as much as possible every month.
Once my other car is paid off (December or January), then apply all that money (almost $400/month) to pay off the credit card.
I estimate that the credit card will be paid off by February 2019.
With no credit card debt, then we will start rebuilding the two savings accounts. I hope to re-pay MacKenzie no later than May 2019. After that I can rebuild the emergency fund and start building a Kia repair fund (it has 156000 miles and needs some preventive work, such as a timing belt).
With a solid plan like this, by September 2019 the only debt I will have is my mortgage. My plan is to get rid of that debt sometime in 2020 or 2021.
I very much look forward to becoming and staying debt free.
This morning's jog was short (less than a mile) and that's OK. At least I was able to get out there and log some time on the road. This, of course, does not preclude a longer run later this afternoon or evening. Or perhaps I will use mowing the lawn as my cardio for today. Or maybe I will do both. Let's see what the energy level is as the day progresses.
USE A PASSWORD MANAGER!
In several of the security-related podcasts I listen to there have been in-depth analysis of the state of password security and why it is impossible for humans to produce (much less remember) hundreds of random-character passwords that are safe to use. The only solution: use a password manager. I have been using an old password manager called PINs. Although it is an older Windows-based program, I have been able to successfully run it under Linux. If you have an older system and you want a fast and low-resource password manager, then PINs maybe a good choice for you. I have been able to run it from a USB drive for years, although this has been curtailed as many environments no longer allow USB devices to connect to their machines.
Another password manager I think is worth considering is Keepass. This application is free, open source, and runs in Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, and other platforms.
Many security experts recommend Lastpass as one of the best password managers. The fact that you can have one account and all your passwords are accessible anywhere you log in (home, work, smartphone, tablet, etc.) is a great feature.
In the past, security experts had recommended using a root part of a password with a variable portion to make passwords easier to remember. For example, you could use something like "Mypass" + "Face" + "99" to make up a password for Facebook. Hackers have figured this scheme out and, experts indicate, using this makes it easier for a hacker to break into other accounts once they have one of your passwords.
The best approach:use a password manager and generate random-character passwords for each site/application, and make each password at least 16 characters long. Passwords should contain upper and lower cases, numbers, and special characters. Just as important: change your critical account passwords every three to six months. A password manager can alert you when a password needs to be updated. All websites allow you to change your password as long as you can provide your current password. Changing your passwords regularly prevents hackers from breaking into your accounts using old lists of hacked passwords that are readily available for sale.
Playing any kind of sport can help us learn many lessons. For me, bowling is a constant source of lessons. Every week, every frame, every shot is an opportunity to learn or re-learn valuable life lessons. Tonight was no exception. After a strong first game (206), my next two games were a struggle (ending with scores of 150 and 160). Some lessons from tonight's sessions:
Never rest in your laurels; just because game one was good does not mean the other games will be.
Adjust, constantly adjust, and be willing to be brave and make big changes when needed. At the end of game two I moved left on the approach and moved my target left a little, shooting three strikes in a row.
No matter what, it is just a game, so have a good time, celebrate the success of others (even if they are your opponents, perhaps especially if they are your opponents).
Stay humble, always humble. My team has been in first place in the league since we started. We are not the greatest group of bowlers, but we were performing well every week, at least well enough to stay at the top of the chart. Tonight, we lost all points, and we all recognize that the other team bowled very, very well, and we did not.
Bowling, like may other sports, is a valuable teacher if we just stop and learn the lessons.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Very enjoyable morning run for 2.16 miles in 39 minutes. I listened to Podrunner's "139 BPM - Sudden Summer" this morning. Tomorrow I will listen to something in the 141-142 BPM, as part of my plan to increase my speed a little at a time.
Blood pressure was still good at 114/81.
Nutrition was so-so although I stayed within my targeted numbers for calories, carbs, etc.
Morning meditation was great and I intend to do another session before bedtime.
“So what is a good meditator? A good meditator meditates.” ~ Allan Lokos
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
An excellent day of productivity with the help of a simple to-do list. I expanded the use of the list to take notes, add a shopping list to the bottom, etc. It is becoming a great productivity tool.
I went for a nice 1.60 mile jog this morning. Honestly, it was a much shorter adventure than I had planned. As a runner, sometimes your body will dictate how far it will let you go before you have to go, and when you have to go, you have to go. I enjoyed listening to a nice Podrunner track called "134 BPM - Easy Going." I guess picking that track was prophetic in a way I did not anticipate.
Over the last few weeks I have been exercising regularly and I am pleased with the achievements on the activity side of the equation. For one thing, my blood pressure has steadily declined into a normal level (although I am using a medication for it), and today it was 103/78. That is far better than the 150-160/100-110 that I was recording not too long ago. Jogging has definitely helped.
On the other hand, my weight has not dropped all that much. I know exactly why this is: nutrition. There is much truth to the wisdom that you cannot exercise yourself out of poor nutrition. No matter how much we exercise, if what we eat, if how much we eat, and how we eat what we eat are not optimized for better health, then our health and fitness will only be (at best) marginally better. Now is a time for working on better nutrition while maintaining a good effort on exercising and also being mindful of the need for rest and relaxation. Without good nutrition the whole health/fitness triangle quickly falls apart.
My version of this triangle has nutrition as the base. Instead of Mind Set, I use Rest as the third side of the triangle. Each side of the triangle includes three components. Nutrition includes what you eat, how much you eat, and how you eat food. Fitness includes cardio, strength training, and stretching. Rest incorporates sleep, relaxation, and spirituality/mindfulness. Balance in all nine areas brings better health, improved fitness, greater joy.
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
Darn it! Another day without a to-do list. It is a good thing that it is a Sunday and also the day before a week-long vacation. Despite not having a formal to-do list, I hit all major items, which goes to prove that many of the items I have been working on are becoming habits, part of my daily rituals. I am happy about that. However, I am preparing my daily to-do list for tomorrow as soon as I finish posting this entry.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Minimalism is an awesome way to evaluate as little or as much of what makes your life what it is, and then to make sure that what is in your life actually brings value to your life. The appraisal of what brings value to our life can vary from person to person. In general, it encompasses things, people, and activities. If you are struggling with letting go of things, and do not even want to think about dealing with people, then perhaps you can look at appraising your schedule. Here is a nice video that explains it from the viewpoint of a mom with four kids.
TIPS & TRICKS
And for a simple way to cook bacon and eggs in the great outdoors. all you need is a simple paper bag.
PODCASTS / VIDEOS
I am sharing this video of an amazing tiny house; when I retire I want to move into a tiny house like this one.
TECHNOLOGY
Ever since installing the new router at home I have been testing the internet speed> one of my favorite test sites is Speedtest.net. The main reason I like it is that you can try several servers to give you an idea of you average speed.
STREAKS - For the record
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 25
Blood Pressure Readings: day 12 (amazing reading at 103/78)
Industrialized animal farming: cruel and environmentally unhealthy.
The effects of Florence continue. Many communities are still dealing with flooding issues. One of the latest threats: water contamination. Much of the danger is coming from large industrial farms that lost thousands of animals and unknown amounts of chemicals in the floods. Decomposition of the animal bodies, plus all the animal waste they produce, are beginning to pose real risk to human health. This is one more example of why industrial farming is a bad idea. Not only is it cruel to the animals, it is bad for the environment and our health. There is a point where cheap food is not really cheap; we crossed that point a long time ago.
HEALTH & FITNESS
Another great jog this morning for 2.12 miles in 38 minutes using Podrunner's "139 BPM - Sudden Summer". I am slowly increasing the pace of my jogs, and it feels great. Sadly, I had to sacrifice my morning Yoga routine due to a late start to the day. Sometimes we have to make tough choices. I had he feeling that today was going to be a very difficult day time wise, so this was the best choice for the day. Tomorrow will be another opportunity to step on the mat and practice.
FINANCES
This will be a really bad month for my budget. I have clearly over-spent in areas I had budgeted nothing for. And I have not even entered data into "EveryDollar" to account for all the expenses incurred this month. There was a certain urgency to some of the things I bought because of an upcoming short trip next week. However, I think I could have managed things differently. And there are some expenses I absolutely did not have to make, like another pair of Zoots running shoes. Alright, I am running everyday. And, yes, the Zoots are super comfortable. And the price was amazing on eBay (70% off!). But it is also true that I did not need them (I think I have enough running shoes for at least a few years). Awareness is a great first step to gaining control — I hope.
TIPS & TRICKS
A few months ago I came across a nice formula for creating toilet tablets to help clean the toilet bowl. It seemed simple enough to make (reference article). I bought the ingredients and went right at it. The first batch … well, you can see from the picture that the first batch did not quite work as planned; too much moisture (as warned in the article). The second batch (left) was much better. And I can tell you that these things are great help in cleaning toilets. Drop one, wait until the fizzle is almost done, and then lightly scrub the toilet bowl. Just don't add too much moisture to the mix. Perhaps 3-5 squirts maximum would do the trick. However, if your first batch looks like my first batch, don't throw it out. Brake it apart and use the oddly shaped pieces as if they were nicely cubed formations. They work pretty well.
Toilet tablet experiment; batch 1 (right) not so good.
PODCASTS / VIDEOS
I am passionate about bowling. I have been bowling since I was 15 and became a decent bowler in my 30s. I still enjoy weekly league competition/ And it is great to see that older bowlers are still magical on the lanes. Just watch these guys roll 220+ games consistently. They are a great inspiration.
INTERESTING TIDBITS
Do you struggle with the ends of packing and duct tape? Struggle no more! A co-worker showed me how to make it easy to re-use any type of tape: a paper clip! Using a paper clip at the end of the role makes it easy to use the tape again.
A paper clip at the end of any tape for easy re-use.
STREAKS - For the record
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 23
Blood Pressure Readings: day 10
Logging to SparkPeople: day 13
Daily Exercise Routine: not counting for now
Cardio: Yes (2.12 miles in 38 minutes)
Yoga: No
Strength Training: No
Stretching: Yes, very light stretching during the day
Today's post will be short. It was a busy, long day that started when I went to bed too late last night which meant I got up late this morning … and it has been one of those days. It was a good day overall. No, really, it was a great day. I got a lot of things done. I had a great experience with our internet provider technician troubleshooting what I thought was slow speeds. Actually, it is old equipment inside the house: need a new router, new network cards, etc. I bought the new router this evening and will install it tomorrow after I get home.
A SIGN
This is my daily mantra as I drive to and from work:
I came across this funny video on quitting sugar for a month; it is worth watching.
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
Today was the start of something I had wanted to do for years: a regular, daily Yoga practice. It took me a few minutes to get things set-up, but it was so worth it. I will do the same routine for the next few days and then try something different. Tomorrow, with a little more time, I will learn and do an evening Yoga routine; just a 10-minute sequence to end the day on a high note.
PERSONAL GROWTH
As I suspected, going to a digital things-to-do list made it easier not to look at it throughout the day. Fortunately, I was able to check off all the important items on the list anyway, but I could have missed something important by not looking at the list at least 2-3 times during the day. Something to work on.
FINANCES
Not logging in your expenses daily is a bad sign that your financial management efforts are about to collapse; that is what has happened to me in the past, and that is what is happening to me right now. Tomorrow evening I will play catch-up with "EveryDollar" until all transactions have been entered. Fortunately, I have been using my debit card for the most part this month, so it will be fairly easy to get caught up. Unfortunately, using the debit card as the main form of transactions tends to quickly escalate and leads to over spending. The flags are at yellow right now, but the flag person is pulling up the red flags; time to get back on track.
STREAKS - For the record
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 22
Blood Pressure Readings: day 9 (a little higher today at 128/78; it was a stressful day at work)
Logging to SparkPeople: day 12
Daily Exercise Routine: not counting for now
Cardio: Yes: 1.78 miles for 32 minutes
Yoga: Yes! A nice 10 minute workout in the morning. Mostly stretching and great to do.
Strength Training: No
Stretching: Yes (in addition to Yoga, I did some stretches first thing after getting up)
Meditation: Yes, 10 minute meditation first thing in the morning, another 10 minutes in the afternoon.
Meditation: day 9
Number of tabs open: day 5 (despite a crazy day at work, I managed to keep the number of tabs and windows to a minimum. I have become very aware of this aspect of computing and how quickly things can get out of hand).
I had a super fun jog this morning, logging 2.47 miles in 44 minutes. I used Podrunner's "140 BPM - Superconductor." My strategy this week is to vary my pace everyday aiming to increase my speed a little over time. For the month of September I want to at least be able to jog at around 145 BPM once or twice. In October I want to inch up a little, maybe as fast as 150 BPM. I am actually not too hung up on the actual number as long as I keep making progress and, most importantly, remain injury and pain free.
GOALS, DREAMS, HABITS, RITUALS
The multi-factor approach to fitness metrics (having four requirements that need to be met in order to qualify for a "successful day") may not be working the way I had intended. This is not a surprise. Growing in anything we do means making adjustments. Life is like one big project made of a myriad of smaller projects; when we follow the project management cycle (plan, implement, measure/ review, adjust) we can ensure success in whatever we try.
My biggest challenge has been missing weight training. It appears I may want to split the four into individual action items and once all four, separately, are achieved, then the goal will be achieved. As I pondered this point I realized that there may be an elegant solution to this: Yoga. Having a daily or regular Yoga practice can help us achieve balance in all four areas I have listed. When I practice Yoga regularly my running also improves. So that is my new fitness goal: at least 10-15 minutes of Yoga everyday.
Here is the Yoga routine I will start tomorrow morning.
For those of you that think Yoga is not something they can do, please watch this short video:
Yoga is something best started with a teacher. A teacher will take care of you, the whole you: the physical you, the mental you, the emotional you, the spiritual you. There is a difference, sometimes a huge difference, between a teacher and an instructor. The latter usually deals with form and technique but may be unable to help with the other aspects of a Yoga practice. Once you learn the basics from a teacher, then you can work with instructors or even videos. I was truly blessed to have started my Yoga practice with an amazing teacher; her name is Juliet Hewitt. There is not a time that I step on my mat that she is not present even if she is not physically there. So, find yourself a teacher, learn the basics, and then take it from there. As Juliet always says, start from where you are right now.
PERSONAL GROWTH
Clutter is a sign of trouble. If we look around, clutter is all around us. For many, it is in our homes, our offices, our cars. Clutter has become a huge industry in the USA. All we have to do is look at all the self-storage businesses opening in almost every neighborhood, or the incredible growth of thrift store chains like Goodwill. Look at this video and you can get a glimpse of the problem.
Soon I will share a bit of the purging I have done at home.
TIPS & TRICKS
The nice hand-written to-do lists I wrote about a few days ago have matured a bit. I moved to a digital version using the "Notes" app on my iPhone. The main advantage I see is the time saving from not having to re-write things left to do at the end of the day. The disadvantage, as I have experienced in the past, is a significant disconnect with the list; it is easier to forget to check the list as often once it is in digital form. Having handwritten notes makes the connection with your brain a lot stronger. However, using digital notes can be just as effective with some discipline. Whichever you choose, having a daily to-do list is a definite must for improved productivity (at least for the majority of us).
PODCASTS / VIDEOS
Chi Running is a running methodology designed to eliminate injuries and improve anybody's running efficiency. I have read parts of the book and love the concept. Here is a video explaining the basics of Chi Running.
INTERESTING TIDBITS
Not all cookware is safe to use. Here is a video about some popular but not so safe items we may have in our kitchens.
STREAKS - For the record
Current list of streaks:
Writing: day 21
Blood Pressure Readings: day 8 (down to 111/71)
Logging to SparkPeople: day 11
Daily Exercise Routine: day 0
Cardio: Yes (2.47 miles in 44 minutes)
Strength Training: No (see above)
Stretching: Yes
Meditation: Yes
Meditation: day 8
Number of tabs open: day 4 (still working on this — today was more of a challenge than in days 1-3, but it is definitely better)
It is Saturday and it seems that the weekends are when I am most vulnerable to fall off my routines and abandon my goals. It goes to show that having a set of rituals for everyday can impact our success. I normally try to get up at 4:30 and be on the road jogging by 5 AM. That requires that I go to bed by 9 PM so that I can get enough rest. Last night, however, I went to bed late (after 10:30 PM) and I did not get up until almost 8 AM. By then it was a bit too hot for jogging so I miss that window for my favorite way to start my day. Too hot at 8 AM? It is if you have a health condition that amplifies the effects of histamines (normally released during exercise) and causes hives all over your back; that happens to me when I exercise in hot, humid weather. Which is interesting because I live in a city that is hot and humid most of the year.
HEALTH & FITNESS
When I first started jogging/running back in 2009, I discovered the Couch To 5K training plan. That lead me to discover Podrunner, the best source for workout music I know of. I have been so impressed and grateful for the hard work of Steve Boyett that I contribute monthly to his website funding. The music mixes that Steve produces can be used for more than just running; he often puts together Tabata mixes, walk mixes, etc. And if you just want to dance (which is also a great fitness activity) then Steve provides dance mixes at Groovelectric. Enjoy!
PERSONAL GROWTH
I have watched the following video many times, and I always find inspiration in the message it carries: it is the little things that make the greatest difference in life.
FINANCES
I started the process of setting financial information through EveryDollar. The initial set up is the hardest part. The next challenge is to keep up with entering transactions daily and working diligently to stay within our budget. Simple things, not so easy to always do. However, I am proud to have finally gotten started. I am very impressed with the website and look forward to using the mobile app. That should make it easier to keep up with things.
PODCASTS / VIDEOS
I want to mention two of the podcasts I listen to regularly:
September is filled with many reasons to celebrate and some of the celebrations have “no rhyme or reason”.
National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day, observed annually on September 1, actually celebrates words in the English language which do not rhyme with any other words. Also known as refractory rhymes, these are words that poets try to avoid using in verse.
Some unrhymable words in the English language include:
Orange
Month
Silver
Spirit
Chimney
Purple
Woman
HOW TO OBSERVE
Make a list of words that you believe cannot be rhymed, and check if you are correct. Use #NoRhymeNorReasonDay to post on social media.
