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Change of plans

August 25, 2011 by 5 Comments
walking17

Well, I made a commitment to myself a few days ago that I was going to start walking regularly again.  I got started yesterday, walking about 1 mile.  Today, though, I had to make a change of plans!  It has been pouring down rain, at least moderate rain, since yesterday morning.  No signs of it letting up, either. So, due to the weather, I had to change my plans for walking today.  After I finish writing this, I will ride my stationary bike for a while, tough, in order to continue with increasing my exercise.  I prefer walking to riding an exercise bike, though, so I am looking forward to the storm passing.  I find riding the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Exercise, Featured, General Health, Health Tagged With: ,

My journey will continue

July 11, 2011 by 20 Comments
Tuna Sashimi is delicious and nutritious

Today, I am going to once again get started on my journey. Actually, I have been thinking about it for a while now, wanting to be back on the road. It's been a few years now since I have seriously progressed on this journey, but I am ready to get it going again. I am talking about a journey down the road to better health.  Primarily, I am talking about weight loss. I have struggled all of my life with excessive weight, and in my adult life with obesity.  I have made progress in the past decade, though.  I first moved to the Philippines in May 2000.  While still living in the States, in the late 90's, I reached my maximum … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bob Martin, Diet, Exercise, Featured, Food, General Health, Health, Weight Tagged With: , ,

Keeping it up!

May 12, 2011 by 5 Comments
healthy

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote an article about getting my diabetes and diet under control.  As I said, I had seen some very nice results as far as my blood glucose readings went.  They were pretty close to normal, which made me quite happy. Well, that was a one day more than 2 weeks ago when I wrote that, and I am happy to say that my readings are holding.  My diet is still under control, and I am feeling very good.  Amazing what a little more exercise and living a reasonable lifestyle will do for you! When my diabetes was out of control, I had a big problem with infections.  Almost any wound that I got, be it a paper cut, or even … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Diabetes, Diet, Exercise, Featured, General Health Tagged With: ,

Wrist Problems

January 14, 2009 by 9 Comments
wrist

About a year ago, in early 2008, I started having problems with my wrists.  Most of the times, my wrists felt normal, but from time to time I would get sharp pains in my wrists.  Both wrists experienced the problem, although my right wrist was worse with more often pain, and more severe as well. For 6 months or so the problem persisted, but was manageable.  Then, in early July I woke up one morning in severe pain.  My right wrist was about as painful as it possibly could be.  I tried all kinds of different ways to relieve the pain - tylenol, advil, ice, heat - none of them were all that effective.  My first thought was that I was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health Tagged With: , ,

Good news. No… great news

April 11, 2008 by 15 Comments
scale

I moved to the Philippines 8 years ago. When I moved here I weighed 430 pounds (yes, 430, that's not a typo). Six and a half years ago I had a stroke. I nearly died. After having the stroke, I maintained a weight of around 340 pounds, plus or minus. So, my normal weight, post-stroke, was about 90 pounds less than when I first moved here. About 3 years ago, I had gotten my weight down to around 310 pounds, and I was really striving to get under 300 pounds, but I just could not make it. I was exercising and eating a fairly good diet, but I had hit a plateau, and had trouble getting under 310. Six months later, I stopped my exercising, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health, Weight

My bad…

October 1, 2006 by Leave a Comment
bad

Well, I have made a few mistakes, and some of them are serious.  We all make mistakes, but on some issues we must do our very best to avoid mistakes, don't you think?  The issue that I am thinking of primarily is health. About 10 months ago my wife and I moved to a new house.  Things were hectic for a couple weeks.  When things were hectic, I got out of some good habits and slipped back into old bad habits, ones that I though I'd put behind me.  I let my good diet slip into a mediocre diet.  I stopped monitoring my blood glucose levels.  After a while, I saw signs that my diabetes was out of control.  I ignored those signs. Although … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health

Ah, relief!

November 15, 2005 by 2 Comments
Typical-American-Tourist

For the last couple of weeks I have been having trouble with my right knee. It has been very painful. I kind of thought that maybe I was starting to get some arthritis in that knee, especially when climbing stairs. Well, today, I did something that I really enjoy doing regularly, I went for a massage. While working on my leg, the therapist worked that joint and finally you could hear the joint - "pop". Since then, my knee has had no pain at all any more! I guess maybe it was just out of alignment in some way. Whatever the girl did, she did a great job at it! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health

Oops…. been a while!

November 12, 2005 by Leave a Comment
the-go-between

Sorry that it has been a while since I posted on this blog. Last time I posted I had just come back from walking, and was in a great mood. Funny thing was that within about 30 minutes after I posted, about 30 guys from a construction site down the street came to our house and accused me of having kicked one of them! Basically, for a foreigner living in the Philippines getting attempts at extortion is not uncommon. These guys made a ridiculous claim and was hoping that I would pay them some money. They quickly learned that they would not be getting any cash from me, and they left me alone. Can you imagine, me, just one guy would go to a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health

Adjustment on Blood Glucose Monitoring

August 17, 2005 by Leave a Comment
time

I made an adjustment a few days ago. A few months ago when I decided to start getting serious about my health, my blood glucose was over 300 (at fasting!). I don't even know what it was after eating, I wouldn't even want to guess. It took me 3 or 4 weeks to get my glucose under good control, but it has been well controlled for about 2 months now. It is controlled to the point that if it is over 140 after eating, I freak out. On all of the websites I read, they recommend either 160 or 180 after eating, but I want it tighter than that. Since I have been good about keeping good control, and have also learned a lot about what affects my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health

A bit of disappointment

August 12, 2005 by Leave a Comment
Ulaw

I had a bit of a disappointment yesterday, although upon reflection I realize that it should not disappoint me too much. You see, I went and weighed myself for the first time in 4 weeks. I do not have a scale at my house, but I weigh myself at the health club where I swim. I purposely do not weigh myself too often, because weight fluctuates, and a daily weighing does not necessarily mean that much. Well, last time I weighed myself, I was 307 pounds. I have not been under 300 pounds for probably 22 or 23 years, I guess, so I have been eager to go under 300 for the first time in a long time. I thought I would be at that interim goal … [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Health, Weight