21 Tuesday May 2019
Posted in Ted Talk
Tags
Carbon Emissions, Culture, Education, Government, Human Rights, Poverty, Statistics, United Nations
Enjoy this talk by Hans Rosling, which shows some surprising bubble charts that show the various ways to look at how human kind progresses. (You’ll also enjoy the magic trick at the end.) This was both funny and fascinating. Enjoy!
Until next time…
Dave
07 Tuesday May 2019
Posted in Workout Routine
Tags
Adjusting Workout Routines, Doctor, Education, Keto, Lifting lighter, Listen to your body, Stretching, Taking a day off
I took today off. I wasn’t feeling that well this morning and slept until noon. I feel a little better, but figured I’d rather take a day off than exacerbate something I may be getting. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll feel a little better.
I wanted to post this to be accountable. I also wanted to mention something about listening to your body. There are some great articles on this topic online. One of them I found to support this posting was written by Nicole Nichols, Here’s the link: Habits of Fit People: Listen to Your Body
It’s critical to listen to your body when you are exercising, or in my case—not exercising. If you are in the gym and you’re tired, make your workout a little lighter than normal. If your body feels great, push the envelope. If you’re overly sore, maybe hit some stretching before you start.
The key to a life of exercise mandates you realize that this is not a race. A life of exercise is a marathon. The goal is to workout consistently for a lifetime, not just 10 weeks here and 12 weeks there. This also goes for your diet. Why go through all the work of losing weight, only to blow it out with dropping the diet after a few months. Whatever changes you make to your diet, make them permanent.
I have adopted the KETO diet because I have used it before and it works for me. KETO is restrictive. You are literally replacing carbohydrates as your primary energy source with fat. For me, this works. For others, it may be a nightmare. Pick the diet that works for you. For me my body loves meat and fat. It does not like carbohydrates.
We took my sister out for a meal at a Japanese restaurant. I ordered sushi, because I love it. What happened? I felt like crap the next day. I felt bloated and tired out. This is because my body hates carbohydrates. Even though I have lived a life of cakes, candy, and sweets, when I made the flip to the KETO diet, I slept better, my digestive system loved it, and I felt energetic all day. This diet also eliminates hunger pangs and cravings if you stick with it. Fat and protein are very satiating. So when I eat, I eat. But when I’m done, I have no cravings that hit me a few hours later, like I do when I eat carbohydrates.
Anyway, always check with your doctor before engaging in any exercise routine or drastic change in your diet. My doc approved the plan and was so interested in this diet, he wants me to come back in a month and get some urine and blood work done to check my cholesterol and other markers.
If you don’t feel well, tired, overly sore, make adjustments to your workout routine. You have your whole life ahead. If you make exercise a lifetime habit, these adjustments will support you as you go. Consistency is the most important part of any diet or workout routine.
See you at the finish line…
Dave
20 Thursday Dec 2018
Posted in Thinking Thursdays
“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” ― Isaac Asimov
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/learning
Only you know what you need to learn. Take some time to think about this. Learning is something that should be life-long. Why stop learning after you finish college? There is so much in the world to see, do, and understand.
There is no reason or excuse for failing to learn new things. Take advantage of the free education available on YouTube, Coursera, Udemy, and other online universities. They cost nothing or are reasonably priced.
What are you interested in? What would you like to be able to do? Take some time during the holidays to answer this question. You’ll be so excited to begin when you find what you are looking for.
Here’s what I’ve done since the last posting of Thinking Thursday on November 8, 2018:
Exercise Program:
I’m still working through Jim Stoppani’s Shortcut to Size program. Yeah, it’s taking longer than the 8 weeks because I sloughed off at my brother’s place and didn’t hit the gym that much.
Books:
How to be an Imperfectionist, Guise – This book was terrific! Like all Stephen Guise books, it is an overview of the research around perfectionism and how to thwart it and be more productive. I recommend this book if you are a procrastinator. It will show you how everyone makes mistakes pursuing new things and avoid the pitfalls of perfectionism, so you can get on with living and producing.
2136 Trilogy (Thrush, Matthew)
(I read the below books every December—they are just that good)
Classes:
Codecademy – I’m working through JavaScript coding currently. It is fun to get back into coding. The logic and thinking needed to work through code, line by line, is awesome!
Documentaries:
Movies:
Relatable (Netflix) – Comedy act by Ellen DeGeneres. If you’re a fan of her dry humor, you’ll love this one.
Kiss Me First (Netflix) – A good series about a world-wide multi-player game that goes awry. I think you’ll like this if you’re into tech and into CGI. I enjoyed this one.
Fun:
Fortitude (Amazon) – Great show! I won’t drop anything that will ruin the story for you. It’s just a great series. I’ve watched season 1 and 2.
Tin Star (Amazon) – Another great show about a cop who moves his family to a new area away from the big city to have an easier and safer job in law enforcement, but is their new home really safe?
Homecoming (Amazon) – Great series with Julia Roberts. This one is about an organization that helps soldiers when they return home—with a twist.
Kiss Me First (Netflix) – A good series about a world-wide multi-player game that goes awry. I think you’ll like this if you’re into tech and into CGI. I enjoyed this one.
Interesting Apps:
Nothing to add this time…
Video Games:
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Xbox) – Phenomenal game. This was not marketed like your typical game launches but was just terrific. I’m a big fan of “Indiana Jones” type adventure games and this one truly delivers. My brother and I played through the whole thing in 3-4 days. I highly recommend this one.
Until next time…
Dave
27 Thursday Sep 2018
Posted in Thinking Thursdays
Tags
Coursera, Education, Learning, Martin Luther King, Netflix, Poetry, Reading broadly, Thinking Critically, Udemy
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Read more at – https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/martin_luther_king_jr_402936?src=t_intelligence
Learning is a great thing! I enjoy picking up new things, learning about different topics, learning about myself, and opening my mind to other ideas, peoples, places, and concepts. Recently, I began reading poetry. Wow! I really enjoy it. If you want a great venue for poetry, check out this website: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
I’m also enjoying a new app I found (mentioned earlier on this blog). It is called www.curious.com. This one will cost you money—29.99/year, but for me, it’s worth it. You get daily puzzles (up and down words, Unolingo, crosswords, and Ken Ken). You get podcasts about money, science, business, culture, art, and you get access to what I would label minicourses. These courses aren’t the best quality, but you may find a cool topic that you haven’t found elsewhere. I like this site and have made going through what is called the daily challenge part of my daily ritual. Check it out. You may join me.
As mentioned earlier, I will begin my character development this upcoming month. Like Benjamin Franklin, I will begin with a new character trait in October and add one new trait each month, focusing on the new one and maintaining the previous one. This will be a 12-month adventure. I’ll be updating you on my progress on Sundays, which will be labeled Series Sunday. On Sunday, I’ll be giving you an update on my progress weekly. This will keep me honest and help me chronical my challenges as I tackle each new character trait.
Learning does cause us to think more deeply. It opens us to new ideas and new ways of looking at things. At times I run across ideas or topics that really upset me. These are the times I push myself through the material and really pay attention to my internals. Each time I read a new chunk of content that I disagree with it changes me just a little. Some of the material gets through. I consider this to be one of my important learnings. Open-mindedness is truly a great thing. I recommend this to everyone. Read broadly—read books and articles written by people you disagree with. You will learn something—I promise.
Books:
Rediscovering Americanism and The Tyranny of Progressivism, Mark R. Levin – Decent book, but heavy on the quotes. I don’t know what this guy really thinks because 80% of the book is literally a copied quote from one of the folks he cites. I wouldn’t waste your time on this one.
Ethics, Aristotle – Almost done with this one.
The Shariyat Ki Sugmad, Paul Twitchell – This is my bible. I finished it and will re-read again. This book is a permanent fixture on my reading list.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe – Still plugging away on this one. I’ve put it on hold, not because it is a bad book but due to the nonfiction reading, I’m taking on (I love nonfiction books more than fiction).
The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni. I just started this book in conjunction with the author’s course on Coursera.
Classes:
Western Heritage, Hillsdale College – I finished this course. Since Hillsdale has altered its online format (no quizzes, no discussions, etc.), I have decided not to do their courses anymore. I enjoy engaging in a course not just watching videos. If you still care to pursue some of the online courses on Hillsdale.edu, you have been warned. I’m going to focus on courses offered by Coursera and Udemy going forward. I learn more when I am engaged by the content, not an by being an inactive participant.
The Science of Success: What Researchers Know That You Should Know, Paula Caproni, University of Michigan, Coursera. – I started week 1 yesterday. A buddy of mine recommended this one and I’m glad he did. This is a good course so far.
Documentaries:
Movies:
Venom (Another Marvel Movie) is scheduled to come out on the 5th. I cannot wait. This one looks terrific!
Fun:
Ozark – Netflix (in the cue) – Re-watching Season 1 to remind myself what’s going on. I’ll kick into Season 2 when I’m back on track with this one.
Jack Ryan – Amazon Prime (in the cue) – Still pending.
Interesting Apps:
I didn’t find anything new in the iPhone app realm this week.
Until next time…
Dave
08 Thursday Jun 2017
Posted in Quotes
Today’s Quote:
“The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.” – John F. Kennedy
Life-long learning is something all of us should strive for. Whatever your interests, pursue everything there is to know about that interest. Maybe you like history, nature, science, fashion, or even writing—pursue your interests and read everything you can. Take tutorials online, take a college course, or find a mentor to teach you.
The truth is a tough topic. Before you can claim something as truth you have to measure it two ways. The first way is to determine if it applies universally. The second way is to determine if it is subject to change. If it applies universally and is not subject to change, you may have found the truth. The best we can do as a human being is to verify everything we read, see, and hear, and double-check and verify again. We should also remember that truth is sometimes an individual thing. What may be a truth to me may not be a truth to another.
Critical thinking is what I’m driving at here. We should all be skeptical of what we read, what we hear, what we see. The primary reason is that we are all biased. We all have a way of looking at the world. Many times we see what we want to see or what is filtered by our internal paradigms. Subsequently, there will always be a personal slant to everything we view. Look at another viewpoint, ask questions, look for evidence to support your ideas and claims.
There is also a lot of evidence that many of our “trusted” news sources are no longer reliable. Resources like the New York Times, Washington Post, LA times, and CNN have all been tagged as “Fake” news. Honestly, I haven’t read or watched the news seriously in years. If you really listen to these anchor people, it is just one lie after another. It is almost comical that they think people believe what they say. Anyways, I’ll leave this for another day.
I hope everyone is having a great week!
See you tomorrow…
