Victor's Journey

Monday, March 09, 2009

Pledging Support for Presidente Obama

I just signed a pledge of support for President Obama's plan to renew and strengthen America's economy.

Watch the video announcing this new initiative and pledge your support now:

http://my.barackobama.com/pledgeproject

Your are unique. Honor yourself.

I have always believed that it is a complete waste of time to compare myself to others. I do not compete against others. I do not try to be better than others. I am constantly trying to learn from others so that tomorrow I can be better than I am today.

DailyOM - Comparing Yourself To Others

… it is not a good use of time to compare ourselves with others because there is no one like us and this makes us incomparable.

Sushi (2006-2009)

"Sushi" came to us as a gift from our great friend Tracy, as a way to sooth Tracey's anxiety and a way to heal her during the recovery from brain surgery in early 2007. Sushi arrived in our lives in late 2006 as we moved into our new home.

He was a pretty quiet member of the house; not the most sociable of pets, but that comes with being a Beta. He was a very good sport, never complaining when we moved him to temporary housing when we went on vacation. He did not like to be moved to his temporary tank while I cleaned his regular home, but he always showed gratitude and joy when he was back in his own tank. He was specially happy when he got new furniture (color stones and decorations).

Sushi passed away last night. The kids and I gave him a burial with full pet honors early this morning. Noah and MacKenzie dug the grave in our back yard and we laid him to rest there. We thank him for his company and for being such a great fish all these years.

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Measure Progress Without the Scale

It is so very true: weight loss is not always measured in pounds on a scale:

Measure Progress Without the Scale

Losing weight usually involves a relatively simple calorie equation: burn off more calories with daily activity than you consume through food. So what happens when these numbers indicate progress, but the scale doesn’t? Before the aggravation sets in, consider why this might be the case. If you’ve been hitting the gym on a regular basis, participating in both cardiovascular and strengthening exercises, then chances are good that you have shed some fat. But the scale might not indicate this because you have also been building lean muscle. Since muscle is dense (a small volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat), the scale might not reflect your hard work.

My favorite effects from being healthier: feeling better and having more energy -- a lot of both! Just an example: today I attended a soccer camp for coaches. I was able to keep up with the 18-30 year old crowd. Despite the hot weather, I was not worn out at all. Before I started working out I would have headed straight for home and a nap. Today, I just felt great being out in the sun playing soccer with other coaches. I love being healthier and working toward my goal!

Pounds lost: 34
Pounds left: 26

Friday, March 06, 2009

Focusing on YOU!

The world is moving at an ever-increasing pace. Our days are filled
with things to do, goals to accomplish, people to see. The calls for
our assistance never seem to diminish. But how can we help others when
we are so overwhelmed? Perhaps we need to take some time for ourselves.
We need to schedule this time as our number one priority. We can only
be effective if we refresh our soul in some way everyday. Whether you
choose to pray, meditate, do Yoga, dance, sing, play an instrument, or
exercise, take the time to refresh and rejuvenate. If you sharpen the
saw you will be able to handle a lot more wood with a lot less effort.

Dealing with Daylight Saving Time

Here are some great tips on dealing with the loss of sleep caused by Daylight Saving Time:

Don't Let Daylight Saving Time Deprive You of Sleep - 101 - Sleep Center

In the early-morning hours of Sunday, March 8 — at 2 a.m., to be exact — daylight saving time (DST) began and we turned our clocks ahead one hour, giving up those 60 minutes of precious slumber. Sure, switching to DST means another hour of daylight, but the adjustment can be tough for a few days.

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Happy Birthday!

Today is Tracey's birthday. She would have been 43 today -- she always joked that she was born the same year as the modern Super Bowl was.

Birthdays were very important to Tracey -- far more than they ever were for me. So the kids and I will celebrate Tracey's birthday with dinner at one of their (and hers as well as mine) restaurants: Moe's. We have soccer practice afterward so there will not be time for cake. We will leave that for Saturday evening.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

How your body influences your emotions

There is an undeniable link between feeling healthy and feeling happy. When was the last time you had the flu, a migraine, or heartburn and felt joyful at the same time? While many of us would agree that there is a relationship between our internal workings and our feelings of happiness, many of us don't take active steps toward living a healthy, positive life. How can we meet our goals when our body isn't feeling up to par? Tiredness, aches and pains, and feeling under the weather can all be big hindrances to our goals. It is very important that we nourish our bodies with adequate amounts of the right foods, condition ourselves to maintain and build strong bones and muscles, rest properly at night, and generally adhere to a healthy regimen if we expect to feel positive emotions.

Source: http://www.SparkPeople.com

There is definite truth in these thoughts. Before I started working out, I would be tired all the time. Now I rarely ever feel exhausted in the evenings. And I am getting far more done everyday than I ever was before.

I have also noticed that when I feel a cold coming it gets resolved quicker and I have milder symptoms if I keep exercising as much as possible every day.

Do I feel better emotionally ever since I started exercising and living a healthier lifestyle? You bet!

Make Smart Substitutions

One of the things I have learned in the last few weeks is to make smart substitutions. The following article talks about making smart food substitutions:

Food Substitutions

Smart substitutions are small (seriously) changes to your diet that can really add up. Did you know that by using one teaspoon of mustard instead of mayonnaise, you save 54 calories? Or that one cup of airpopped popcorn has 100 fewer calories than one cup of buttered popcorn?

There are other substitutions you can make in your life to be healthier:

use the stairs instead of the elevator
park at the far end of the parking lot and walk more to the store
go for a walk rather than sit for lunch
schedule workout time rather than watching TV

These are all small, smart substitutions that will make a huge impact on your overall health.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Hope, Patience and Perseverance

My friend Tim hit it on the nail again:

Hope, Patience and Perseverance

Keep on working toward your goals. Your perseverance will pay off, your patience will grow and your hopes will be realized.

Winning victory against yourself

No one likes to lose. The thrill of victory after competition is hard to match. But the wins that leave the most significant, long-term impressions are the ones where you win against yourself. Beating a friend in a game of hoops is much less meaningful than setting a personal best time while running. We live in a highly competitive world, and everything around us screams that we've got to be number one in order to feel successful. Truly though, the best measuring sticks are your past and your potential--not against someone else's standards. Raise the bar for yourself!

Source: http://www.SparkPeople.com

I have always thought that competing against yourself is the best way to succeed in the long run. Comparing ourselves to others is unproductive and self-destructive.

Stressed? Bust it!

7 Simple Stress Busters

Stress happens. No matter how organized you are, how good your systems are, or how friendly your work and living environments are, stress can find a way to poke its ugly head in from time to time. What can you do? Turn to a convenient Stress Buster – a small, simple activity that clears your head and calms you down. When you feel a stress attack coming on, it’s the perfect time to turn to one of these busters and kick that stress out the door.

Monday, March 02, 2009

This is why I do not buy music

For the last few years I have boycotted the music industry. The following article shows one of the main reasons why I made that decision:

Who Is Ryan Sit And Why Is EMI Suing Him? — Michael Robertson.com

Here are other reasons for not endorsing the music industry:

Over-priced: CDs should not be priced at $15 when they cost pennies to produce.
Artists receive little of the money we pay for CDs — the label houses, managers, promoters, and other blood-suckers take most of it; sadly, the majority of these people have little to do with making the music happen.
The music industry is controlled by a mafia-style group of monsters that are driven by nothing but greed. They care nothing about the consumer, the artists, the musicians. They chew all of them up until there is no more, and then they spit them out as waste.
Speaking of quality, music labels have been producing garbage CDs for many years. If two out of 10 songs in a CD are passable you can count yourself as lucky. Mass production, not only of the CDs but of the music itself, has replaced quality by far.

The music industry heads caused the problem of music piracy by failing to ensure quality and fairness in the product they promote. They also ignored the huge advantages of digital distribution of individual songs and instead tried to fight such marketing model with lawsuits and harassment.

Customer loyalty? They killed it.
Artist loyalty? They killed it too.
Lawyer loyalty? Oh, they have that, no doubt about it!

The above are my opinions. Until record labels make a substantial shift in their business model, I will not from them. I used to buy an average of five CDs per month at one time. That was at least five years ago. Let's see, 5 CDs per month * 12 months * 5 years * $12 = $3,600. How many of us in the world have done the same? Millions? Is there any wonder the music industry is desperate for revenue? Would it not be easier to fix the problems (internal to their organizations and their marketing philosophy) rather than filing crap lawsuits against innocent people?

This could save your home!

I was a volunteer firefighter for several years. One of the most common causes of house fires is one that starts in the kitchen. Watch this video and learn how to extinguish a cooking oil fire. It is so easy!

I want to thank my supervisor for sending this to my work team.

A Kitchen Oil Fire

Food for thought

Chinese Proverb:

'When someone shares something of value with you, and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

31 Days to a Healthier Diet

Here are 31 daily tips that will help you eat more nutritious, healthy foods.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Study Spills the Secret to Weight Loss

Study Spills the Secret to Weight Loss--Surprised?

As it turns out, you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight. You just have to pay attention to the amount you eat. (Sound familiar?)

A major study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine reinforces the SparkPeople philosophy. For two years, 811 overweight people were placed on four diets--low carb, high carb, low protein and high protein--and all lost weight. What they ate didn't matter. Portion control and tracking calories helped them, just as that has helped millions of SparkPeople members.

This major study supports what we (and you, as SparkPeople members) already knew: "Diets" that restrict certain foods don't work! The key to losing weight and keeping it off is moderation, coupled with portion control and tracking calories.

There is a lot more! Enjoy the article!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Highlights from President Obama's 2009 Address to a Joint Session of Congress

Finding Balance: How Do I Make Time?

Finding time comes down to making priorities. It's easy to find time for the things that are a high priority in your life. I always shake my head at the people who say "I don't have time to exercise." Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day- it's just about how you choose to use them. Those people who have time for exercise are the ones who put it higher on their priority list. This doesn't mean that you're a failure if you can't find 60 minutes a day for physical activity. But I don't know anyone who can't find 10 minutes here and there throughout the day to get up and move.

Finding Balance: Where Do I Begin?

Setting my goals and developing a plan is my first step toward finding the balance. Do you struggle to find a balance in your own life? If so, what's your first step going to be?