DUST!
How often are you supposed to change your
furnace filter? I have no metric for this at all in my head. We have lived in our house for a little over a year and I have changed it twice. Is that often enough? Too often?
I would appreciate any advice anyone has on the subject because I have no idea.
We have a propane furnace and the house is fairly new. At our old house it was pretty obvious when it needed cleaned because everything would be coated in dust. So far, that hasn't really happened here.
Survival Stories
I love to watch/read about these. They are fascinating to me. That is probably why I love Survivorman, and to a lesser degree Man vs Wild so much. The idea of surviving because you had the guts and intelligence to work your way out of a tough situation is exciting. Now, I'm not hoping that I ever have one of those experiences, but like a good book, they spur the imagination.
From exploring deserted islands to burning whale blubber on a frozen glacier to stay warm (talk about your
ultimate fat burner!). These stories just captivate me.
Mario
So far I'm really loving the new Mario game for the Wii. Unlike
adult acne, my love for video games has made it through my teen years and stuck around as an adult. I see that as a win.
The game gets back to the Mario that we all knew and loved. Very similar to SM3, and pretty challenging. Also, the multiplayer mode is awesome. There is nothing like running through a level with 3 other friends, all on the screen at once.
Two player seems to be the way to go. It makes the game very easy and enjoyable.
Check it out if you haven't already, it's worth the money.
Maintenance: The Real Battle
I heard a stat that some very high percentage, something like 80%, of people that lose excess weight gain it back. Thankfully, I can't count myself on the slim side of that margin, but most people cannot.
Generally,
weight loss is comparatively easy to maintenance. It's easy to have a goal and work hard to get there, but once you do, then what? Not many diet plans tell you how to maintain.
The key is all above the shoulders. You have to decide that living healthier is your plan, forever. Not calorie counting or dieting, but making healthy choices. Most of your meals will be healthy, and you will commit to working out regularly. If you do this, then the occasional party and/or bad day makes little difference, as long as you have the discipline to keep one bad day from turning into a bad week, etc.
BEEFCAKE!!
I was reading this morning on MPF about how Andrew believes that supplements are generally not that affective. He postulates that besides green tea and protein powder we don't really need to take a lot of things as
muscle supplements.
I tend to agree, but mainly because my goals are to create a healthy lifestyle first, and a fit looking body second. If those priorities were reversed I would probably have a much different opinion on the subject. There are plenty of people who are willing to mortgage their futures for the present gains of things like steroids, so that mentality does exist, and obviously there are varying degrees. Not everyone in that camp would take steroids.
Interesting
I've never taken
diet pills so I really don't know whether or not they are safe. I generally try to keep things natural as much as possible. I don't go to the extremes that some do to avoid all processed foods but I generally keep the majority out of my diet.
There are other things that I don't prefer to try, like creatine. I've heard that it helps but I've also heard that it is bad for your liver. I don't really see the sense in achieving a healthier lifestyle if you are getting there by jeopardizing your future. Sure I'd love to be totally ripped and I hope to get there someday but not at the expense of causing problems.
Sleep
I have noticed a lot lately that I wake up with a sore back. I assumed that this was because I generally have a lot of back problems and figured that this was just part of that package. I also wondered if maybe my mattress was going bad.
Then I got my confirmation. We stayed a few nights in a hotel with a much nicer mattress and the back pain was completely gone. So I contend that the
best sleep aid is a good mattress. Apparently it really does matter what you are sleeping on.
Real or Perceived?
I think that people today get way too wrapped up in whether something is real or not. There are a lot of good tv shows that emphasize this. For instance, Man vs Wild is a very entertaining show. I don't always agree with his advice but there are still some good nuggets. When it was found out that he slept in a hotel one night instead of the wild it was a HUGE deal. Why does it matter? Did the information you got from the show change? Are you offended by
Toronto hotels? Or are you just personally offended because they "duped" you? I propose that if you are duped in this day and age it is your own fault. "Reality" shows are created to make money, and I highly doubt that they are just sitting back filming without any interference. Maybe some are but I find that hard to believe.
Kalahari
We just got back from a conference/vacation at Kalahari. No we didn't go to Africa, but instead a large indoor water park that was just awesome. I've now attended this conference for 3 years but this was the first time that the whole family came with me. The kids loved the water park and I loved having that as a side benefit of being there.
So if you are looking for some good fun in the (faux)sun in the middle of January, give Kalahari a try. It's not one of those
punta cana vacations, but it's still a lot of fun.
Christmas List
Ok I know that it's January but I'm already thinking about
fitness equipment that I would love to have. I love my gym to get a few things. First, some kettlebells would be really cool. There are a lot of things you can do with them and I am anxious to try. Next I'd love to have a prowler. I've heard about the prowler flu and all but I think a few runs with that every week would do me some good. Next would be some ropes. Whether climbing or waving them, they work you hard. Last would be some sandbags. Those things are awesome for getting the whole body involved. You hear that guys? As soon as you have a budget again, we'll see. :)
Triple Eh?
A lot of people really feel comforted by having
roadside assistance. Others think it unnecessary. I think I tend to lean toward the latter because, A) I have a cell phone, B) I am comfortable working on cars, and C) My insurance company provides towing at a cheap rate. I don't really see a need for any further protection than that.
However I don't think it is worthless at all. there are plenty of people that benefit greatly from the peace of mind in knowing that if they break down, someone will help them. I understand that, but I just don't think it is for me.
People Person
I realized early on that despite being a pretty social person, I am not a people person. I have hated/stunk at every job in which I had to deal directly with customers. These included
jobs in sales, restaurants, and customer service. I just don't have the patience to deal with people.
I think the major factor is that I don't really think fast on my feet. I am very social and empathetic, and can even be outgoing at times, but I don't think fast on my feet in some situations and I think that that can cause you to lose confidence in the face of a new customer every minute and a new problem to solve that you haven't seen before.
I need logic and a clear goal in my work. People don't generally provide that.
