So I flew out to Seattle to visit family this week and otherwise relax.

Wednesday night after my birthday celebration, my cousin (female) has a heart Attack, Thursday has a triple bypass with vein harvest.

She is like some/most of us in that she is overweight, not eating right, no exercise.

Not making good life decisions.

She is lucky and gets a second chance. Some of us may not get that chance.

Standing there next to her after the surgery woke me the F#$K up.

This is my call out to all yall to today start making better decisions about your health. And I mean TODAY!

Start eating single ingredient foods and get up off your ass!

In the big picture it is a very selfish behavior. If you die you leave behind a bunch of sad pissed off people.

This is not a post to tell you how or what to do it, just start doing it now!

To those of you in peak health, my kudos to you on an excellent effort, live long and prosper.

I personally have 40lbs to lose and started Thursday morning.

This is a demand to you all to pony up and make a difference in your own life as well as those around you.

We can share our goals and progress here, hell we can make it a recipe circle, I don't care, we just need to get healthy.

I love yall like brothers from other mothers and a sister from another mister and do not want to have any of you die from something so easily preventable.



 

Also Heart Attacks in women are very different that men and trust me they can happen right in front of you and nobody knows it, even them.

Check this link, you might save somebody's life.

[Link: webmd.com]

Hey Man! We should have hooked!

I've started walking 3 miles a day for the last 4 months, and managed to loose my little beer belly, and my black - cloud has lifted!

I have no "will power". None. Zero. I tried to quit smoking for about 5 or 6 years. I would quit for a while then start back again then play all the games trying to quit again rinse and repeat. I finally quit when we buried my uncle 2 weeks after his 50th birthday. The last pack i bought was on the way to the funeral. I have smoked since then but fewer than 20 cigarettes in 7 years...but i still think about smoking all the time. The urge never went away. The only reason i don't smoke now is that they make me physically ill.

Same goes with weight. After i quit smoking i started craving sweets. Soda, Candy, baked goods etc. I never cared for that stuff when i smoked. Traveling a lot for work means you eat at restaurants so free refills and a dessert menu. I have about 100 pounds to lose. For a while i would lose 20 or 30 pounds dieting or exercising then gain it all back plus 10 but for the last 2 years i haven't even tried. It's like trying to quit smoking allover again.

I have a treadmill behind me (literally, 5 feet behind my desk chair facing the TV), miles of paved walking paths that cross in front of my house. I have 2 dogs that love to go for walks and ive been home for a few months because i got lucky with being assigned to a local project instead of working out of town. Any excuse you can think of...i have already used it. I need someone to kidnap me, drag me to an undisclosed location and put me in a cell where i have to ride a stationary bike or run a specific distance on the treadmill before salad vegetables drop from a tiny opening in the ceiling. Keep me there until i can fit between the bars and escape. Think LOST and the fish biscuit cage.

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A friend's father dropped dead at work at 62, he and all of his friends were over weight, cigar smoking, beer swigging, steak eating, fried food, cake eating guys.

When big dumb Billy (as his three daughters and wife call him with a smile) died, all of his friends lost 50 lbs, joined the gym, and saved their lives.

I've for the most part have not drank soda or eaten fast food with any consistency for the past 15 years, tried to eat vegetables and fruit at least once daily, gone to the gym at least twice a week since my kids were born (hard for at least an hour) used to be 4 times a week. And since I've bought a fitbit, I realize that 10,000 steps a day are pretty common when you are an active CI, did 22,000 one day last week putting in the second half of an outdoor system.

I see a doctor once a year to make sure nothing is going in the wrong direction. She asks me about soda, vegetables and exercise. The 2-4 drinks 4-6 days a week don't bother her.

It's a decision to live a certain way, luckily for me I like my routine, and not eating crap and not smoking ever again ( smoked a pack a day from age 18-24) is an easy thing for me. I'm fine with taking my kids for ice cream and not eating it. I'd rather trade my sweets for a nice Belgium ale or two.

I'm so sorry for your and your family's loss, but if at least one of you makes a decision to make a change from this it at least wasn't for nothing.

its why i bought a kayak. I realized in our field we have horrible health habits.

No two days are the same, most of us dont take lunches leaving us starving and when we get back late we go straight to the chip cabinet and chow down on anything we see.

Long hours sitting on the computer doing design, service, emails, ordering etc really takes the toll on us. In the last year I started getting a "gut" Its not from drinking too much (honestly i really dont drink much simply because i dont have time) Its from all the chips and quick grab stuff,restaurants/fastfood. I dont drink soda, ever. It really doesnt taste good to me. Always been water-coffee guy (i had my first soda in over a year yesterday)

Im not a gym rat, cant ever get motivated going which leaves me to searching out alternative exercise methods. Im also going to be buying a bike soon. Kayak is awesome but hard to get out alot. But man what a workout! I also have a very bad back which under doctors orders i cant really run and if i do walk i need to have some super comfortable shoes.

I'll urge all here to pay more attention to their health. I was just reminded how important this is. My mother passed away in her late 60's, on July 18th, and based upon all the medical problems she practically caused herself, I'm surprised she made it that long.

She never exercised, was obese, and she smoked up until her first heart attack. She quit after that for about 6 months (she was over the physical withdrawal, as she was in a hospital for several weeks.) She started up, and continued to smoke, until her second bypass surgery. The surgeon actually told her she and people like her were keeping him in business. She quit smoking, but developed diabetes, and continued to eat sweets and over processed carbs like they were going out of style. Her body was giving her tons of warnings, but she simply ignored them.

The medical profession has made huge strides, but if you don't exercise, or you smoke, chew tobacco, or fill your body with questionable food choices, doctors will simply not be able to help you as quickly as you can destroy your health.

You likely have many people around you who love you, and care about you. Do it for them! Do it for you!

Check you text messages you Dingus, I tried, figured you were busy.

BCF1963
My dad was the same way and there is absolutely no reason he should not be here enjoying his great grand kids.
When I went to the hospital to visit him after his third heart surgery he was in CCU with a ashtray sitting on his stapled together chest smoking a coffin nail.

3PedalMINI
I am the same way, I would rather tighten my danglers up slowly in a vice than go to the Gym. But, a game of racquetball or the skate park and its on like Donkey Kong. Yes at 52 I still hit the local skate parks.
Trying to get the wife into Kayaking and or stand up paddle boarding.
I love to exercise if I am out doing something.

Dave in Balto
Good news, onward and forward.
I have started packing a lunch box with fruits and veggies and water for jobsites.
Really cuts back on impulse food buys.
I get really bitchy if I get hungry and cant get to food. The wife calls it "Hangry"

Mac Burks (39)
When you want to you will!
I never liked cigarettes, but the other stuff was a "chronic" issue for years, woke up one day about 15 to 18 years ago and no more, not even once, no cravings. Interesting byproduct of that decision was my friend pool decreased greatly and quickly. No great loss.

My cousin got lucky and gets a second chance, some people don't get that option.

I prefer not to "exercise" that option.





 

I have been playing airsoft with my boys........nothing like running around with a bunch of teenagers getting shot at!!!!!
It is so friggin hot right now it will take your breath away.....no excuse...I know.

it is the eating thing that gets me........got REALLY tired of salad.....always have been a meat and taters guy.......

I hiked almost 17 miles this weekend including about 4k' of elevation. I eat fruit almost every day and lots of granola. I still have a sweet tooth, so I need to figure out how to burn more calories. :)

I quit smoking 15 years or so ago, it is something you have to want to do. Then it will be the toughest thing you will ever do, at least it was for me. I hate cigs now and know I will never smoke another one again. Not enough stress on the planet to make that happen.