Life in Your Years Blog: Health, Finance, & More

The internet is full of negative opinions of businesses, and complaints about them, which I certainly understand often needs to be shared. However, I have a very positive experience with Nikon USA that I would like to share.

I bought a Nikon D5000 camera (with 2 lenses) in late September. I have been very pleased with the camera, and the image quality. However, when I looked over my initial images, I found a “stuck pixel” and a “hot pixel,” both showing up at normal shutter speeds. This was an annoyance, because the stuck pixel showed up on every image. Mind you, it was tiny (one pixel out of 12.3 million), but it showed up as a glowing green cross on some photos, and showed up as a blank cross on others. When it glowed, it was clearly visible at normal viewing. Apparently, the D5000 sensor, shared with the Nikon D90, is prone to such pixel problems. Actually, I ordered the camera primarily because of the sensor, which has been rated with other much more expensive cameras in terms of its ability to capture images, so it was disappointing to encounter a stuck pixel so soon. The images at the bottom of this post show the pixels in question, giving you an idea of what they are.

At any rate, let me talk about my experience with the Nikon repair center at Melville, New York. I sent the camera in for repair on Monday, October 5th, using UPS 3-day shipping. They got the camera on Wednesday, October 7th. Even with the Columbus Day holiday, the camera was in my hands again on Wednesday, October 14th. This is a 10 calendar-day turnaround time from ship-date to being in my hands again. From the time Nikon received the camera in Mellville, NY, to when I got it back, the turnaround time was only 5 business days. That is pretty impressive. They even shipped it back to me next-day air. All of this was covered on warranty (minus my original shipping charges). Also, Nikon sent a work-order number to my email, so I could track the status of the repair, including a UPS tracking number once it shipped.

Yes, you could say the camera shouldn’t have had a stuck pixel when I bought it, but I think Nikon did a great job taking care of my problem, and I send my Kudos out to Nikon!

Below: Stuck Pixel on a Normal Image

Below: The glowing stuck pixel, and a hot pixel

Motivation…whether it’s to clean our room or mow our lawn, it’s not easy and to be honest, it’s probably not the same for everyone. But, motivation has to be at the root of successful workouts. As I mentioned in a previous post, you can’t even start to exercise if you don’t get to the gym, get off the couch, etc. I know it sounds very mental and working out is supposed to be physical, but inspiration is just as important as perspiration when it comes to losing weight (my apologies to Thomas Edison).

Admittedly, I am to the point now where I am simply motivated as a matter of fact. I don’t say this to brag, but I don’t really think about it; I simply do it. But, it wasn’t always that way. Unless working out has become a life habit, motivation remains an important component. So, here are a few of my suggested motivational tips (note: I’ve not actually used all of these, but figure they’d be good). Today I’m going to discuss more short term tips and next week, I’ll write part two which will detail more long term motivational tips.

Short Term:

Visualize it- Visualize what you want to accomplish at that very moment. If your goal is to go to the gym, then don’t let yourself even consider going home to sit on the couch. Keep focused and see yourself at the gym, on the bike, etc.

Filter out the noise- Life is really busy and it’s easy to think that all the little things pulling at us are more important than working out. Remove the deadlines, the home stress, and everything else from your mind. Exercise (which helps focus anyway) should be a big priority, which means that the little things vying for our daily attentions should not lead us to avoid exercise.

Remind yourself of the immediate benefits- I overheard a guy at the YMCA say how he’s never (except when sick) left the YMCA feeling worse than when he came in. He meant that although it may have been a pain to drag himself in, he always felt better after exercising. I can completely affirm his statement. Remind yourself of the immediate, great feeling that you get when you workout.

More coming next week, so check back!

Sometimes you just have to branch out and do things you would never otherwise consider. An obvious but important lesson.

Over the weekend, thanks to the generosity of people I know, I scored some tickets to the PGA Senior tournament here in the Cleveland area (thanks to those who got me the tickets; they probably don’t read this, though). I had never watched professional golf before and thought it would be a little boring (I love playing golf, but don’t follow it on TV). Yet, it was a total blast! I saw some of the pros I knew from my childhood like Tom Kite and Greg Norman and got within several feet  of them to boot. Since it was the tournament, I couldn’t take photos, but the memories will last a lifetime. David and I even got about 2 feet from eventual winner Michael Allen who, with his caddy, left the green early and had to walk through the crowd (which at that point was pretty much us since he was not a favorite to win at that point).

All in all, it was an awesome day and I’m glad I tried something new.

Tomorrow I turn 31. It’s not as eventful as turning 30 when I felt kind of depressed that I’d left behind the 20′s for good. Each birthday is often a mixture of depression and happiness. Happiness because I’m alive and healthy another year, depressing because I’m a year older. Nothing wrong with being older, except that I work in a field of youth (teaching) and our society values youthfulness more than anything. I remember when a student of mine said that caring about voting was something only an old person did, you know, like someone who’s 30. She is Korean, so maybe it was a language barrier. Nah. I do care about voting, I have and love my family, I enjoy the McLaughlin Group, and I think contemporary pop music sucks. But, I’m hardly Grandpa Simpson. I also workout almost daily, can outrun, outlift, and outlast guys and girls half my age. And, most importantly I can usually out-think them, which I’ve discovered helps achieve a whole lot in athletics and fitness. Another student told me I looked 18, which was a nice, but real lie. I think I’m somewhere in the middle: not as old as I fear, but not 18 either. And, my friends, that’s a good thing.

In fact, I think I’m doing pretty damn well. I’m at my fittest, healthiest, and in spite of everyday challenges, my happiest. The 20s were a struggle where some things worked, but a lot did not, sometimes disastrously. In the 30s, I feel in the zone, at least most of the time. So, while I take a lot of anti-aging supplements (resveratrol, anyone?), eat healthily, workout a lot, and have begun applying wrinkle reducing face creams, I’m pretty comfortable with 31. Maybe it’s because I’m fighting the 30′s with everything alternative medicine can offer; or maybe I’m in denial. Either way, I think 31 and beyond will be good years.

A huge study of studies involving over 900,000 people has concluded that being obese can take up to ten years off of a person’s life. General obesity can take off two to four years while extreme obesity, eight to ten. Of course, what the article doesn’t deal with either is quality of life issues. I wonder how many “years” of truly living obesity has taken off people’s lives as well. Either way, the study confirms that obesity leaves many widows and orphans.

I’ve been pretty busy lately, which is not bad, because it has been a pretty good “busy.” Nonetheless blogging has taken a back seat to other things, like work, classes, etc. Here is a quick update about what I have been doing (just in case you may be interested!):

- Our boys basketball team went to the districts, and I got to chaperon the fan bus. It was a fun trip, even though we lost.

- I have been brushing up on some public speaking tips and tricks, since I will be speaking to a Catholic group in Dayton at the end of April. I am trying to make public speaking a greater portion of my side income.

- Jennifer was out of town most of the week, and it just happened that those same days my buddy from work’s street was flooded. He lives about 45 miles from work. After he waded out and borrowed a car from his dad, he stayed with me for a few days so he could get to work. His family stayed with his mother-in-law, so they had a place to go too. It was fun to have a few “guys nights out.” I ate too much, but it was worth it.

Here is a random post…nothing too focused below, except a few of my thoughts on this sunny, but cold, Sunday afternoon.

- It is cold, January-like cold. The good news is that after Tuesdays, the temperature is supposed to get up in the mid-to-high 40s. If we get a sunny day or two in there, I may be able to run outside! Spring is on the way!!

- I met with some friends this weekend, which was fun. We went to the Knights of Columbus fish fry on Friday night (it is Lent after all), then went out to Denny’s for a diet Coke. A lot of this was spent with Fr. Wagner, and he is setting me up to attend the National Speaker’s Association conference next Sunday! That is really awesome, and I am very grateful.

- Our boys basketball team won their tournament game, which was great. I also met with a friend after that, since we were in his neck of the woods for the game.

- I’ve been continuing my workout plan. I haven’t really lost much weight in the last few weeks (months?), but I have been gaining muscle, so I figure I am seeing some gradual fat loss in there.

- I am putting off getting some school work done, and should really be finishing that…I am taking some post-Master’s classes, and after 3 years, I am less than 4 weeks away from finishing!

All in all, I can’t complain

We have had paczki pastries around work for the last few days, since they are  a pre-Lent custom. They have tempted the heck out of me, and at 290 calories each, they really add up quickly. I have had a real sweet tooth the last few days, and a ravenous appetite. I am not sure where this is coming from. I have been feeling a little sick, but otherwise, fine. I have tried to keep it in check, but resistance has been pretty futile. Fortunately, one of my Lenten disciplines this year is to give up desserts/sweets, and since tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, is a Catholic fast day, I will be limiting my calories for religious reasons. I know it may be cliched to give up sweets for Lent, but sweets have had a real hold on me these last few days!

Damn you Paczki! Damn you Peanut-Butter Cookie Dough Ice cream!

I have been very, very busy lately, and haven’t had time to blog. However, I thought I would offer a few random thoughts today:

1. The economy is scary right now, and I am very thankful for my job. I also notice that frugality is now “in.” People no longer look at me like I am crazy when I say I don’t have cable.

2. Related to number 1, since the switch to digital, we can now only get one channel. We are a decent distance out from the stations we could get with analog, and now we can’t get most of the channels. We may have to just get a roof antenna or something, because the rabbit ears aren’t working. Even then, I am not sure how well that would work.

3. Related to numbers 1 and 2, we bought the first five seasons of “King of the Hill” and added two more seasons to our “Everybody Loves Raymond” collection. Amazon had them for $13.00 each, and I got some using some credit card points I had saved up. We don’t own a lot of TV show DVDs, but we do have all 8 seasons of “The Andy Griffith Show,” 4 seasons of “I Love Lucy” and every episode of the British version of “The Office.” Who needs new TV??

4. I finished my taxes, filed them, and then noticed I made a mistake…so I have to file an amended return.

5. I am happy because even though I ate horribly (at least it seemed so) last week, I had a great weigh-in yesterday at the Y. One night, I even ate 4000+ calories at the Golden Corral! Nonetheless, when I weighed yesterday, I didn’t even gain a pound. I certainly have gained some muscle during the week, so I probably even lost a little fat.

6. Even though we are in the middle of a brief cold snap, March is coming very soon, and better weather is on its way!

7. Fr. Wagner and I (and a few others) are looking for a 10k to run this summer! Running…Summer…sounds great!

Last year, Puritan’s Pride implemented a program called “Life’s Rewards” which gave a percentage of every purchase back to the consumer in the form of rewards. They were pretty generous with their rewards actually! However, when the last catalog came out, Puritan’s Pride also raised their prices on every item, around 5% or more! I don’t know if this was done to offset the cost of the Life’s Rewards rebates or not, but the timing is suspicious.

Well, recently, there is no mention of Life’s Rewards on the Puritan’s Pride site, and they are now advertising their new, lower prices (which seem to be the lower, original, prices in most cases).

Puritan’s Pride told me they are re-evaluating the Life’s Rewards program. I can’t imagine a price increase during this economy was a good idea, even if it was to be returned as a reward rebate later.

This explains the mystery of what happened to the Life’s Rewards program! Puritan’s Pride is an excellent company, and I think that keeping the base prices lower, and re-tooling the Life’s Rewards program is probably a good idea.

To me, February is kind of like the middle day of football two-a-days, there is still a lot of work left, but you know you are almost done with them! This is how I view February and its relationship to the winter. It is kind of ironic I am using a summer football example, because the temperature was often in the 90s in Ohio during the summer two-a-days. Even though I hated the heat then, I could really use some of that heat right now!

At any rate, I have mentioned on here before I am not a huge fan of winter. This year hasn’t been too bad, even though it has been much colder than last year. I noticed on the forecast that this weekend is supposed to be “warm,” yes, in the 30s and even 40s, so that is pretty cool. I am ready for February, which is to say, I ready to be that much closer to spring!

Above is a photo of a nice, warm, spring day. As Fr. Wagner always reminds me, your mind doesn’t know the difference between reality, and what you think is reality, so just imagine you are there, walking and enjoying the fresh warm day, with a slightly cool breeze blowing.

Jonathan recently posted about the “little things” in his life, and I thought I would copy his idea. During the winter months, the little things matter more to me, because I am not a huge fan of the winter. My winters are generally not too bad, but I often struggle with them, because I like being outdoors.

About 5 years ago, I was going through a lot of stress, and that was probably my worst winter ever. One day I walked out of the house and the cloudy sky just made me feel trapped, a sort of claustrophobia caused by the dreary winter. I vowed to never have a winter like that again! So for me, it always helps to focus on the little things during winter. Note that these are little things that I am focusing on; I am not necessarily elaborating upon the big things like family, belief in God, etc, things that are foundational to my life.

Coffee – Like my brother, I enjoy the winter trips to Duncan Donuts for hot, creamy, coffee, but I don’t have one in my area, so usually I usually go to Tim Horton’s, which I like just as well. Most Fridays at work, we make a “Tim Horton’s run” where ones of us “buys” and the other “flies.” Jennifer and I also have gourmet Starbucks coffee that we got for Christmas that we brew at home, so I get a lot of good coffee. In the summer, I get more excited about iced coffee.

Work – I like my work. I live about a 1 minute drive from work, and work from about 7:30 until 3:00. This gives me time in the late afternoon to schedule appointments, take care of business, spend more time with family and friends, and go to the Y before dinner time. I am friends with my co-workers, and I have a good group of students.

Prayer – I enjoy my daily prayer. I often pray the Liturgy of the Hours, which is the daily, liturgical, prayer of the Catholic Church. I try to pray morning prayer and night prayer with my wife. It helps orient and structure my day.

Sauna and Hot Tub – Lately I have taken a more relaxing view about the Y. I do my full workout every other day if I can, but afterward I usually sit in the hot tub and then spend a little time in the sauna (steam or regular, depending on my mood). Recently, I have been going to the Y some on my “off days” just to walk a little and relax, because the weather prevents us from walking around our neighborhood like we do in the spring, summer, and fall. Afterward I hit the hot tub and sauna, and it is just what the doctor ordered this time of year!

Facebook – I am not on Facebook all that much, but I do enjoy keeping up with old friends and new ones. Outside of Facebook, I just have no way of meaningfully knowing that much about what my friends, old and new, are up to. Facebook provides that connection.

Working Out – I am finally seeing the kind of gains I have wanted for years. By this, I mean things like defined abs, low body fat percentage, etc. I am not always motivated to go the the Y, but once I am there, and run about a mile, I am ready to give myself a great workout.

Fitday – I have gone from Fitday being a necessary chore to an enjoyable habit. I have a naturally inquisitive mind, and I like having a record of my diet and exercise handy so I can track changes in mood, weight, etc, and see how my diet and exercise contribute to this.

I am a Fitday junkie and have been for awhile. There are a few things I do on a regular basis and Fitday is one of them. Every evening, I’ll enter my food and exercise numbers into the program on my computer. So, having gotten so much use out of the original Fitday PC, I was intrigued by the coming of version 2.0. I downloaded it pretty much sight unseen and here are my thoughts.

First, it’s an amazing piece of software. Fitday does so much in a user friendly way. It tracks calories, major nutrients, exercise, mood, body measurements, and other things. It has a huge database, allows for custom foods and created recipes, and runs numerous reports that show progress or lack thereof. It allows you to set a weight goal and tells you how much you need to consume to lose. It also figures out your metabolism. Now that I’m more on maintenance mode, I personally monitor fiber, protein, calories, vitamins/minerals and a comparison between calories burned and calories consumed. I can say that I would not have lost the 30 pounds I did and kept it off for over a year without Fitday PC. Thus, I’m pretty pleased with it.

However, what I’ve described could easily be referencing Fitday 1.0. What has changed from version to version? It appears the color scheme has changed slightly, the food database has been expanded and updated, and you can sync the software with your online premium account (which costs). So, is the software worth the current 29.99 price? For a first time  buyer, I would say absolutely. Fitday PC is user friendly, powerful, and if used, effective. What about those who already have Fitday 1.0? I would say possibly. I don’t sync with the web and don’t care about color schemes. Is the food database worth 30 dollars? So far, it’s hard to tell. It’s much more accurate than Fitday 1.o at least. For example, Fitday 1.0 had an extra large bagel at 270 calories. Now, anyone whose been to Panera, Cosi, or another bagel shop could tell you that number is way off (too low). Fitday 2.0 has a large bagel at 337 calories, which is much more realistic. The new food database also has many more brand name items such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Snickers Marathon bars, etc.

My final word on Fitday PC 2.0 is this: if you don’t have 1.0, buy it. It’s great. If you have 1.0, ask yourself if $30.00 is worth the price for the sync feature (itself costs over $5.00 a month) and an updated database because everything else is pretty much the same.

David gives his thoughts on Fitday PC 2.0 (and some screen shots) here

I absolutely love Christmas. Ever since I was young, I have enjoyed everything about Christmas: late-night Church services, Christmas lights, Christmas presents, family gatherings, Christmas carols, Christmas cards, etc. This year is no different. Tonight we went to Christmas Eve Mass (not midnight as usual…but my brother has a baby now) and a lessons-and-carols service at my dad’s church. Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, we will get up early, have some nice peppermint coffee, and have a big lunch with the family. After that we will open presents, and maybe if the weather is nice, Jonathan and I will go out and toss some football. Tomorrow night, we will travel the area, looking for nice Christmas light displays. We usually hit a few big displays. One is so big you can drive through it, and a little bit down the road is a business building that has no outside lights, but in two rooms on the second floor are old fashioned Santa and Frosty light-up figurines. We call it the “eerie Santa” display.

We are eating well, but trying to keep our calories and activities in check so as not to gain any weight during the holiday break.

I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas!

Image of my parents’ Christmas tree above. Bottom image is a photo of the “eerie santa” (and an eerie Frosty) building

My step daughter and I recently started taking karate lessons. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to doing. What started as a way to benefit my stepdaughter with me just tagging along has actually turned into a new passion. Here are the benefits I’ve found from taking karate:

1. Great exercise- When the sensei puts us through “spirit” drills and we get off 500 kicks, it’s hard not to feel winded! Even on days where we don’t go that heavy, karate is still a great workout.

2. Different exercise- It’s so easy to get into exercise ruts and simply doing something different becomes vital to keep a person’s interest. Karate is a nice way to break up my normal elliptical/weight lifting routine that can become commonplace.

3. Self defense- I’ve always had a strong view of self defense and learning to defend yourself is always a plus in today’s world. Knowing how to fight can even the odds in a fight and make them better when a weapon is involved.

4. Thrill of fighting- Ok, I don’t want to sound like I’ve got bloodlust or anything here, but there is something incredibly exciting about sparring with another person. I don’t mean ultimate fighting or even street fighting, just the enjoyment of a controlled spar among friends. If you haven’t tried it, get the correct gear and see what I mean.

So, if you’re looking for a fun way to get more exercise, check out the marial arts. I will be blogging more about this in the future.