As I approached my 30th birthday, I followed through on a decision of how I would celebrate the last year of my twenties.
A lot of people approach their thirties in a mournful state. I should know as, in the last few years, my peers have increasingly become people approaching and then passing thirty. They think of it as the dying of their youth and the end of their best years. I took the opposite tack. I am much happier be 30 than 20. When I was 20 I had no money, had no girlfriend and didn't know who the fonk I was or who I wanted to be. Well, those three things are no longer true. I wouldn't peel back my twenties in any kind of redo because what I did and what happened made me into who I am today.
Thus I celebrated my twenties as this great time I did, went and saw everything I could and enjoyed myself while doing, going and seeing. In much the same way we congregate together on New Years Eve to celebrate the passing of time instead of mourning it, my turning thirty will not be the dying of one era but the commencement of another. They will be the years when I find my way in the world, grow with those people who will be my life companions and enjoy all of the perks of being an adult instead of being an over-inflated kid.
As a part of this year long celebration I have done thirty things which I had never done before and then came back here to write about the experience. My brother originally called it my "busted list" as in I had to do these things before I'm old and busted. Some of the tasks were small and easily completed. Others required planning and assistance. It was not my intent to have a list of thirty items and only accomplish twenty-something. There was a list which was greater than thirty items and your suggestions were appreciated to expand upon it further and into the future. As I said, the intent was to share in this celebration both in the actual commission of the thirty things and also in writing about it in this space.
To that extent I have re-written the Thirty by Thirty mission statement:
Between his 29th and 30th birthdays, Michael Herman celebrated his transition into his third decade by completing thirty tasks he has never previously experienced and embracing the idea you can always find new experiences no matter how old you are thanks to the wonder, beauty and timeliness of Life. He hopes to continue the rest of his life in the same spirit.
MRH 1/31/10
Showing posts with label personal news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal news. Show all posts
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, June 26, 2009
Come Out On Sunday
This weekend I will be marching in the Minneapolis Gay Pride Parade. I will be doing so as a member of the Orono High School Gay/Straight Alliance Reunion. The parade kicks off at 11 am and follows Hennepin Ave from 3rd St S to Loring Park. If that's all the convincing you need to come to Downtown Minneapolis on Sunday morning, wave as we walk by and we'll wave back.
http://www.tcpride.org/pride_events/2009_Parade_Location.php
Now for a further explanation. Thirteen years ago, the world was a different place for gay and gay-friendly kids. At the time there was no gay marriage, there was no Lawrence V. Texas and there was a need for an organization which supported kids who were gay or had gay friends. From that need sprung the Orono High School Gay/Straight Alliance.
The purpose of the OHS GSA was to create understanding and acceptance where the students already were. The cliche of the closed small town which saw the world in one way and everyone who didn't see it that way was destined to leave wasn't true about our community. For a high school which had tremendous programs in art, band, newspaper, choir, theater and a diversity of sports, this was a vibrant community which embraced its kids and their accomplishments. The OHS GSA felt that should extend to all of the community's kids including those who were gay.
Now it is 2009 and gay rights have advanced by leaps and bounds in the last decade. There are six US states which will perform gay marriages, Lawrence V. Texas struck down anti-sodomy laws and there is still a need for an organization which supports kids who are gay or have gay friends. Sadly there no longer is a Gay/Straight Alliance at Orono High School. The group never received official recognition from the school or school district and folded once those who were involved graduated.
That's why we're asking for your support. We are looking to you, our vibrant community, to simply show up. Those who are against gay rights believe they represent a silent majority. They believe they are "saying what no one else will say" or "standing up for what everyone else wants but won't admit it." This is not true.
If there was a silent majority, then support for gay rights would not be helping people get elected. If they were "saying what no one else will say", then the gay rights movement would be shrinking, not growing. If they were "standing up for what everyone else wants but won't admit", there wouldn't be a Pride Parade.
This Sunday The OHS GSA is having a reunion. There are a few of us who have contributed our talents, our time and a little bit of money. It's been frantic at times but the pieces are coming together. If you are an OHS alum and you'd like to march with us, please contact me, Ariel Dumas or Thom White directly. We have a t-shirt for you.
But in the end we are only asking for the smallest of measures. Please come out and support us on Sunday morning. Go to the early service of church or take your morning run an hour earlier. Then find a patch of pavement on Hennepin Ave where you can see. When we come walking past with our banner and Spartan helmets, wave to us. Wave to us and be counted as a member of a community who supports and is proud of its kids. All of them.
R.I.P. Karen Erdmann
http://www.tcpride.org/pride_events/2009_Parade_Location.php
Now for a further explanation. Thirteen years ago, the world was a different place for gay and gay-friendly kids. At the time there was no gay marriage, there was no Lawrence V. Texas and there was a need for an organization which supported kids who were gay or had gay friends. From that need sprung the Orono High School Gay/Straight Alliance.
The purpose of the OHS GSA was to create understanding and acceptance where the students already were. The cliche of the closed small town which saw the world in one way and everyone who didn't see it that way was destined to leave wasn't true about our community. For a high school which had tremendous programs in art, band, newspaper, choir, theater and a diversity of sports, this was a vibrant community which embraced its kids and their accomplishments. The OHS GSA felt that should extend to all of the community's kids including those who were gay.
Now it is 2009 and gay rights have advanced by leaps and bounds in the last decade. There are six US states which will perform gay marriages, Lawrence V. Texas struck down anti-sodomy laws and there is still a need for an organization which supports kids who are gay or have gay friends. Sadly there no longer is a Gay/Straight Alliance at Orono High School. The group never received official recognition from the school or school district and folded once those who were involved graduated.
That's why we're asking for your support. We are looking to you, our vibrant community, to simply show up. Those who are against gay rights believe they represent a silent majority. They believe they are "saying what no one else will say" or "standing up for what everyone else wants but won't admit it." This is not true.
If there was a silent majority, then support for gay rights would not be helping people get elected. If they were "saying what no one else will say", then the gay rights movement would be shrinking, not growing. If they were "standing up for what everyone else wants but won't admit", there wouldn't be a Pride Parade.
This Sunday The OHS GSA is having a reunion. There are a few of us who have contributed our talents, our time and a little bit of money. It's been frantic at times but the pieces are coming together. If you are an OHS alum and you'd like to march with us, please contact me, Ariel Dumas or Thom White directly. We have a t-shirt for you.
But in the end we are only asking for the smallest of measures. Please come out and support us on Sunday morning. Go to the early service of church or take your morning run an hour earlier. Then find a patch of pavement on Hennepin Ave where you can see. When we come walking past with our banner and Spartan helmets, wave to us. Wave to us and be counted as a member of a community who supports and is proud of its kids. All of them.
R.I.P. Karen Erdmann
Monday, February 9, 2009
Thirty By Thirty - Mission Statement
As I approached my 29th birthday, I made a decision of how I would celebrate the last year of my twenties.
A lot of people approach their thirties in a mournful state. I should know as, in the last few years, my peers have increasingly become people approaching thirty. They think of it as the dying of their youth and the end of their best years. I take the opposite tack. I would much rather be 30 than 20. When I was 20 I had no money, had no girlfriend and didn't know who the fonk I was or who I wanted to be. Well, those three things are still true but I'm much further along the journey. I wouldn't peel back my twenties in any kind of redo because what I did and what happened made me into who I am today.
Thus I will celebrate my twenties as this great time I did, went and saw everything I could and enjoyed myself while doing, going and seeing. In much the same way we congregate together on New Years Eve to celebrate the passing of time instead of mourning it, my turning thirty will not be the dying of one era but the commencement of another. They will be the years when I find my way in the world, discover those people who will be my life companions and enjoy all of the perks of being an adult instead of being an over-inflated kid.
As a part of this year long celebration I'm going to do thirty things which I have never done before and then come back here and write about the experience. My brother calls it my "busted list" as in I have to do these things before I'm old and busted. Some of the tasks will be small and easily completed. Others will require planning and assistance. It is not my intent to have a list of thirty items and only accomplish twenty-something. There is a list which is already greater than thirty items and your suggestions are appreciated to expand upon it further. As I said, the intent is to share in this celebration both in the actual commission of the thirty things and also in writing about it in this space.
To that extent I have written the following as a declaration of purpose:
Between his 29th and 30th birthdays, Michael Herman will celebrate his transition into his third decade by completing thirty tasks he has never previously experienced and embracing the idea you can always find new experiences no matter how old you are thanks to the wonder, beauty and timeliness of Life.
A lot of people approach their thirties in a mournful state. I should know as, in the last few years, my peers have increasingly become people approaching thirty. They think of it as the dying of their youth and the end of their best years. I take the opposite tack. I would much rather be 30 than 20. When I was 20 I had no money, had no girlfriend and didn't know who the fonk I was or who I wanted to be. Well, those three things are still true but I'm much further along the journey. I wouldn't peel back my twenties in any kind of redo because what I did and what happened made me into who I am today.
Thus I will celebrate my twenties as this great time I did, went and saw everything I could and enjoyed myself while doing, going and seeing. In much the same way we congregate together on New Years Eve to celebrate the passing of time instead of mourning it, my turning thirty will not be the dying of one era but the commencement of another. They will be the years when I find my way in the world, discover those people who will be my life companions and enjoy all of the perks of being an adult instead of being an over-inflated kid.
As a part of this year long celebration I'm going to do thirty things which I have never done before and then come back here and write about the experience. My brother calls it my "busted list" as in I have to do these things before I'm old and busted. Some of the tasks will be small and easily completed. Others will require planning and assistance. It is not my intent to have a list of thirty items and only accomplish twenty-something. There is a list which is already greater than thirty items and your suggestions are appreciated to expand upon it further. As I said, the intent is to share in this celebration both in the actual commission of the thirty things and also in writing about it in this space.
To that extent I have written the following as a declaration of purpose:
Between his 29th and 30th birthdays, Michael Herman will celebrate his transition into his third decade by completing thirty tasks he has never previously experienced and embracing the idea you can always find new experiences no matter how old you are thanks to the wonder, beauty and timeliness of Life.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The 29 Things About Me At Age 29
1.) I was born at 8:30 in the evening on February 1st, 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The hospital where I was born (Abbott-Northwestern) is still standing. No, Gregory Peck, it did not burn down years ago.
2.) I grew up in Edina, Minnesota where I lived at the end of a cul-de-sac with a large yard. I'm the oldest of three children with one sister two years younger and a brother four years younger.
3.) When I was really little (my aunt estimates 3 or 4 years old) I kept another little boy from drowning. We were up at my family's lake cabin and this boy hadn't been raised near the water like I had and thus couldn't swim very well. I laid down on my belly on the dock as I held his head above water and shouted until the adults heard me.
4.) I've been to the hospital a few times in my life. I can't give you an exact number because a good number of them happened when I had epilepsy as a very small child. There are the three times I remember.
When I was four, I was playing in the basement of our old house with my dad and my sister. My sister and I were taking turns jumping over a comforter my dad was swinging back and forth. Normally if you tripped you'd fall into the comforter. I overshot once and had to get stitches in my chin.
When I was 13, I had an incident during my sleep at summer camp which made it seem like my epilepsy was coming back. It turned out it wasn't. But I did have to have a battery of tests to verify this. The one upside was my dad and I stayed up all night watching "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" and "The Commitments" per doctor's orders.
Then when I was 20, I fell into a door frame and needed stitches in my eyebrow. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. It was a klutzy trip into a door frame, not a shameful display of foolishness. Move along now. Nothing to see here.
5.) Since I was very young I've been fascinated by the news. As a kid I would read Newsweek and US News and World report while being glued to CNN Headline News. On the morning the democratic demonstrations in Tienanmen Square were suppressed I watched the news report on CBS's This Morning with Charles Kuralt. It was the same day the Ayatollah died.
6.) The very first time I was on the Internet was in 1988 or so when the kid up the block got a modem. He had to place a long-distance call to Houston in order to sign into a very basic version of Prodigy. Later his father got the phone bill and hit the roof. The point was we were there.
7.) I was there in-person with my dad, my sister and my brother when this happened.
The fact I love baseball is not entirely unrelated.
8.) After my ninth grade year I transferred away from Edina to Orono where I graduated in 1998. Being at a smaller school allowed me to letter in varsity basketball, concert band and theater while participating in the school newspaper, the literary magazine and ultimate frisbee. I would not have had the opportunity to participate in all these extra curriculars at a school like Edina High School.
9.) I lived in the state of Wisconsin across three academic years while I attended school near Green Bay. This experienced exposed me to what it's like to live in a town smaller than Minneapolis.
10.) While I was in school at St. Norbert, I was a member of a "frat." It wasn't frat really. It was technically a "men's independent social group" and it was made up of a the really smart, really independent kids who "would never join a frat except... Hey, what's this?" To this date, my best and closest friends are people I met through this group.
11.) In the fall semester of my junior year, I won a student-faculty grant from the school to write a manuscript under the supervision of a professor. The college gave me $2000 which I promptly dumped back into tuition. To this date I have yet to finish the manuscript. But at one point in my life I was technically an endowed writer.
12.) I published the on-campus underground satirical newspaper while I was at St. Norbert. We were pretty serious about getting the paper out every two weeks. So serious that one time I drank too much, got up the next morning, puked during class (I was running to the restroom at the time), went home to sleep it off and still got up to meet my own self-imposed deadline of that evening.
13.) After my junior year of college I was blown out. I wasn't feeling challenged by my school work so I was making up impossible challenges to complete this school work. For example, I would type my papers for the critical writing class (the hardest class in the English major) on the day of class. When this wasn't enough, I started writing them in the two hours before class. In April I took incompletes in all of my classes and moved home.
14.) I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2003. Since I'd missed some gen ed classes on my first time through I took an extra two semesters (fall and summer) to finish. Recently I saw my diploma for the first time in five years. I put it back in the box it was in and don't expect to see it for another five years.
15.) I've visited 31 out of the 50 states. My family was very good (and fortunate) at taking a lot of trips when I was growing up. Since then I've added to my 50-state tally by taking long road trips to each coast either with my friends, my high school band, protest trips or just by myself. These are the states I've visited.
16.) I've been out of the country three times total. I went to Canada with my mom for a week and I've been over the border from Brownsville into Matamoros twice. I don't consider this a deficiency. Do you know how much of the United States there is to see?
17.) The one time I ever tried to hitchhike I was successful. In fact, it was someone I knew who picked me up. My friend Pete and I were leaving the Phish concert in the middle of the Everglades for Y2K and he needed to be on a plane the next morning. We were holding a sign near the front gate when my friend Jake drove by in an RV. It's possibly the luckiest moment of my entire life.
18.) When I got out of college, I didn't know what to do with myself. So I did what any person would do in that situation. I went into whatever paid me the most. In this case, it was insurance.
19.) There was one Friday night when I was nary a year post-college I was sitting at home watching a re-run of "Cops." Suddenly it occurred to me. I was sitting at home on a Friday night watching a re-run of "Cops." Even worse, I'd seen that episode previously. It was that night I decided to be more of an extrovert.
20.) I've had seven girlfriends in my lifetime. I loved all seven of them in their own way. I've felt bad about how things ended with all seven of them. The good news is three of the last four will probably read this so I'm getting better at staying friends.
21.) I lived in the state of Illinois for two years while my now-ex-girlfriend pursued an acting career. This experience exposed me to what it's like to live in a city larger than Minneapolis.
22.) When I lived in Chicago, I worked for the insurance arm of a large property holding firm doing complex filings of yada yada yada and blah blah blah. Our offices were on the Magnificent Mile and I would ride the train down from Evanston every morning. This was the best job I've ever had. The work was challenging, I was given a great deal of autonomy and there was an amazing culture of camaraderie amongst the young people of the office.
23.) The best part about living in Chicago for me was the really cool concert festivals I attended in that city's parks. I went to Pitchfork three times, the Touch and Go 25th Anniversary weekend and numerous great bands famous and otherwise playing at the summer street festivals. Still one of my five favorite moments ever was at Lollapalooza last year when this happened by accident.
24.) Three of my friends have died in my lifetime. The first was my childhood friend Brendan who used to come down the block to play when we were little. He died from a sudden onset of meningitis when we were in high school. The next was my college friend Emily who crashed her bike and flipped over her handlebars while not wearing a helmet. She used to call everything "fascist!" and I'm sure would've actually exploded if she had lived to see the Bush years. Then I was 24 when my friend Chuck who worked across the hall passed away after coming home from the bar. He complained to his girlfriend about feeling ill and went to bed. That "feeling ill" was his vital organs shutting down.
25.) I have only one grandparent left, my paternal grandmother. I was six years old when my dad's dad died and that makes me the youngest member of our family who remembers him. My mom's mom died when I was a sophomore in college and my grandfather died two days after I'd visited him when I was 26. I realize how lucky I am in all four circumstances.
26.) I cried when Kirby Puckett died. I actually cried twice, once when I heard the news and once when they held a moment of silence for him at the T'Wolves game two days later. After the moment of silence I turned to my then-girlfriend, pointed at Kevin Garnett and said, "That's the only other athlete I will cry over when he dies."
27.) I've been quoted twice in the newspaper of the metro area in twice I was living. When I was in high school, I was a part of an article about kids who transfer high schools under Minnesota's open-enrollment rules. When I was in college, I was a part of an article about a protest trip we took to the School of The Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. I also appeared on the front page of the newspaper in the later article.
28.) My brother and I were in a band together called MidDef when I was in college and he was in high school and even wrote a few original songs. We played exactly two concerts; once in Dad's basement for X-mas and once in our Mom's backyard for some friends.
29.) When this posts I will be when I have just turned 29 years old. If I live until at least 70, my life isn't even halfway over. The best part isn't that I feel like I've done a lot with the 29 years I've had. It is that I feel like I can do even more in the coming years ahead.
2.) I grew up in Edina, Minnesota where I lived at the end of a cul-de-sac with a large yard. I'm the oldest of three children with one sister two years younger and a brother four years younger.
3.) When I was really little (my aunt estimates 3 or 4 years old) I kept another little boy from drowning. We were up at my family's lake cabin and this boy hadn't been raised near the water like I had and thus couldn't swim very well. I laid down on my belly on the dock as I held his head above water and shouted until the adults heard me.
4.) I've been to the hospital a few times in my life. I can't give you an exact number because a good number of them happened when I had epilepsy as a very small child. There are the three times I remember.
When I was four, I was playing in the basement of our old house with my dad and my sister. My sister and I were taking turns jumping over a comforter my dad was swinging back and forth. Normally if you tripped you'd fall into the comforter. I overshot once and had to get stitches in my chin.
When I was 13, I had an incident during my sleep at summer camp which made it seem like my epilepsy was coming back. It turned out it wasn't. But I did have to have a battery of tests to verify this. The one upside was my dad and I stayed up all night watching "Terminator 2: Judgement Day" and "The Commitments" per doctor's orders.
Then when I was 20, I fell into a door frame and needed stitches in my eyebrow. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. It was a klutzy trip into a door frame, not a shameful display of foolishness. Move along now. Nothing to see here.
5.) Since I was very young I've been fascinated by the news. As a kid I would read Newsweek and US News and World report while being glued to CNN Headline News. On the morning the democratic demonstrations in Tienanmen Square were suppressed I watched the news report on CBS's This Morning with Charles Kuralt. It was the same day the Ayatollah died.
6.) The very first time I was on the Internet was in 1988 or so when the kid up the block got a modem. He had to place a long-distance call to Houston in order to sign into a very basic version of Prodigy. Later his father got the phone bill and hit the roof. The point was we were there.
7.) I was there in-person with my dad, my sister and my brother when this happened.
The fact I love baseball is not entirely unrelated.
8.) After my ninth grade year I transferred away from Edina to Orono where I graduated in 1998. Being at a smaller school allowed me to letter in varsity basketball, concert band and theater while participating in the school newspaper, the literary magazine and ultimate frisbee. I would not have had the opportunity to participate in all these extra curriculars at a school like Edina High School.
9.) I lived in the state of Wisconsin across three academic years while I attended school near Green Bay. This experienced exposed me to what it's like to live in a town smaller than Minneapolis.
10.) While I was in school at St. Norbert, I was a member of a "frat." It wasn't frat really. It was technically a "men's independent social group" and it was made up of a the really smart, really independent kids who "would never join a frat except... Hey, what's this?" To this date, my best and closest friends are people I met through this group.
11.) In the fall semester of my junior year, I won a student-faculty grant from the school to write a manuscript under the supervision of a professor. The college gave me $2000 which I promptly dumped back into tuition. To this date I have yet to finish the manuscript. But at one point in my life I was technically an endowed writer.
12.) I published the on-campus underground satirical newspaper while I was at St. Norbert. We were pretty serious about getting the paper out every two weeks. So serious that one time I drank too much, got up the next morning, puked during class (I was running to the restroom at the time), went home to sleep it off and still got up to meet my own self-imposed deadline of that evening.
13.) After my junior year of college I was blown out. I wasn't feeling challenged by my school work so I was making up impossible challenges to complete this school work. For example, I would type my papers for the critical writing class (the hardest class in the English major) on the day of class. When this wasn't enough, I started writing them in the two hours before class. In April I took incompletes in all of my classes and moved home.
14.) I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2003. Since I'd missed some gen ed classes on my first time through I took an extra two semesters (fall and summer) to finish. Recently I saw my diploma for the first time in five years. I put it back in the box it was in and don't expect to see it for another five years.
15.) I've visited 31 out of the 50 states. My family was very good (and fortunate) at taking a lot of trips when I was growing up. Since then I've added to my 50-state tally by taking long road trips to each coast either with my friends, my high school band, protest trips or just by myself. These are the states I've visited.
16.) I've been out of the country three times total. I went to Canada with my mom for a week and I've been over the border from Brownsville into Matamoros twice. I don't consider this a deficiency. Do you know how much of the United States there is to see?
17.) The one time I ever tried to hitchhike I was successful. In fact, it was someone I knew who picked me up. My friend Pete and I were leaving the Phish concert in the middle of the Everglades for Y2K and he needed to be on a plane the next morning. We were holding a sign near the front gate when my friend Jake drove by in an RV. It's possibly the luckiest moment of my entire life.
18.) When I got out of college, I didn't know what to do with myself. So I did what any person would do in that situation. I went into whatever paid me the most. In this case, it was insurance.
19.) There was one Friday night when I was nary a year post-college I was sitting at home watching a re-run of "Cops." Suddenly it occurred to me. I was sitting at home on a Friday night watching a re-run of "Cops." Even worse, I'd seen that episode previously. It was that night I decided to be more of an extrovert.
20.) I've had seven girlfriends in my lifetime. I loved all seven of them in their own way. I've felt bad about how things ended with all seven of them. The good news is three of the last four will probably read this so I'm getting better at staying friends.
21.) I lived in the state of Illinois for two years while my now-ex-girlfriend pursued an acting career. This experience exposed me to what it's like to live in a city larger than Minneapolis.
22.) When I lived in Chicago, I worked for the insurance arm of a large property holding firm doing complex filings of yada yada yada and blah blah blah. Our offices were on the Magnificent Mile and I would ride the train down from Evanston every morning. This was the best job I've ever had. The work was challenging, I was given a great deal of autonomy and there was an amazing culture of camaraderie amongst the young people of the office.
23.) The best part about living in Chicago for me was the really cool concert festivals I attended in that city's parks. I went to Pitchfork three times, the Touch and Go 25th Anniversary weekend and numerous great bands famous and otherwise playing at the summer street festivals. Still one of my five favorite moments ever was at Lollapalooza last year when this happened by accident.
24.) Three of my friends have died in my lifetime. The first was my childhood friend Brendan who used to come down the block to play when we were little. He died from a sudden onset of meningitis when we were in high school. The next was my college friend Emily who crashed her bike and flipped over her handlebars while not wearing a helmet. She used to call everything "fascist!" and I'm sure would've actually exploded if she had lived to see the Bush years. Then I was 24 when my friend Chuck who worked across the hall passed away after coming home from the bar. He complained to his girlfriend about feeling ill and went to bed. That "feeling ill" was his vital organs shutting down.
25.) I have only one grandparent left, my paternal grandmother. I was six years old when my dad's dad died and that makes me the youngest member of our family who remembers him. My mom's mom died when I was a sophomore in college and my grandfather died two days after I'd visited him when I was 26. I realize how lucky I am in all four circumstances.
26.) I cried when Kirby Puckett died. I actually cried twice, once when I heard the news and once when they held a moment of silence for him at the T'Wolves game two days later. After the moment of silence I turned to my then-girlfriend, pointed at Kevin Garnett and said, "That's the only other athlete I will cry over when he dies."
27.) I've been quoted twice in the newspaper of the metro area in twice I was living. When I was in high school, I was a part of an article about kids who transfer high schools under Minnesota's open-enrollment rules. When I was in college, I was a part of an article about a protest trip we took to the School of The Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. I also appeared on the front page of the newspaper in the later article.
28.) My brother and I were in a band together called MidDef when I was in college and he was in high school and even wrote a few original songs. We played exactly two concerts; once in Dad's basement for X-mas and once in our Mom's backyard for some friends.
29.) When this posts I will be when I have just turned 29 years old. If I live until at least 70, my life isn't even halfway over. The best part isn't that I feel like I've done a lot with the 29 years I've had. It is that I feel like I can do even more in the coming years ahead.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Auld Lang Syne, My Friends
It's easy to look back on a year like 2008 and reflect it wasn't a good year. When I compare where I was last year on NYE and where I am now, it's easy to see things have not worked out the way I thought it would. My projection was certainly different than where things ended up. Still it was a good year.
It was good because good things happened this year. A certain Hawaiian was elected President, I shed 50 pounds of unneeded weight and I took a fully-funded trip out West. I saw both AL and NL baseball games, pro basketball games and my favorite band Radiohead with my brother at the south end of Grant Park as fireworks exploded in the panorama behind them. I also walked away unscathed from a car crash which could've easily killed me and I met a lot of new people I can see being good friends in the years to come.
There were bad things to happen too and I won't reflect on them here. The truth is they, like this year, are now in the past. As a friend told me once by paraphrasing someone else, "Everything I've done has lead me to here. And I am better for it."
Happy 2008 everyone and I'll see you again soon in 2009.
It was good because good things happened this year. A certain Hawaiian was elected President, I shed 50 pounds of unneeded weight and I took a fully-funded trip out West. I saw both AL and NL baseball games, pro basketball games and my favorite band Radiohead with my brother at the south end of Grant Park as fireworks exploded in the panorama behind them. I also walked away unscathed from a car crash which could've easily killed me and I met a lot of new people I can see being good friends in the years to come.
There were bad things to happen too and I won't reflect on them here. The truth is they, like this year, are now in the past. As a friend told me once by paraphrasing someone else, "Everything I've done has lead me to here. And I am better for it."
Happy 2008 everyone and I'll see you again soon in 2009.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Take It Off And Keep It Off
This time last year I weighed over 300 pounds. Not a lot over but over. I was having difficulty with my back and my feet. Even climbing the three flights of stairs into our apartment would wind me. Want some photographic evidence? Okay, here's me on NYE last year.
Now compare to this picture taken at my sister's wedding in September. Much better right?
When I stepped on the scale today I weighed 260 pounds and I've been as low as 252. That means in the last year I've lost 40-some pounds and more importantly have been able to keep it off. My back and feet are feeling better, I can feel the additional muscle I've picked up (the key to weight loss) and I don't get winded anymore. Even when I'm on the treadmill at the gym I'm chugging along breathing naturally.
The key to my plan is pretty simple. I plan to do much more than I need to do. Then when I do it is in excess and does even more good than I need it to and when I don't do as much as I planned I still have done enough to do what I need to do. If I plan to go five times a week and I only go three times, it isn't the end of the world nor do I lose ground.
The most important element though is getting to brag about losing a lot of weight. Listen, I'm probably never going to summit Everest or hit a major league curveball and chances are neither are you. That's just life. It's the little challenges you take upon yourself to complete which end up defining your life. Being able to tell people you took on something like this and triumphed makes its own gravy. It becomes a loop of success and praise which reinforces itself over and over.
The easy way out on my personal health would be to do what I did for most of my twenties and just act like it didn't matter. What did I give a fuck for? It's the little challenges though and succeeding on something like this can only pay off in other situations down the line. All in all, it's about changing your ethic. Once you do that you can make bigger changes in your life, changes that will make losing 40 pounds into no big deal.
Now compare to this picture taken at my sister's wedding in September. Much better right?
When I stepped on the scale today I weighed 260 pounds and I've been as low as 252. That means in the last year I've lost 40-some pounds and more importantly have been able to keep it off. My back and feet are feeling better, I can feel the additional muscle I've picked up (the key to weight loss) and I don't get winded anymore. Even when I'm on the treadmill at the gym I'm chugging along breathing naturally.
The key to my plan is pretty simple. I plan to do much more than I need to do. Then when I do it is in excess and does even more good than I need it to and when I don't do as much as I planned I still have done enough to do what I need to do. If I plan to go five times a week and I only go three times, it isn't the end of the world nor do I lose ground.
The most important element though is getting to brag about losing a lot of weight. Listen, I'm probably never going to summit Everest or hit a major league curveball and chances are neither are you. That's just life. It's the little challenges you take upon yourself to complete which end up defining your life. Being able to tell people you took on something like this and triumphed makes its own gravy. It becomes a loop of success and praise which reinforces itself over and over.
The easy way out on my personal health would be to do what I did for most of my twenties and just act like it didn't matter. What did I give a fuck for? It's the little challenges though and succeeding on something like this can only pay off in other situations down the line. All in all, it's about changing your ethic. Once you do that you can make bigger changes in your life, changes that will make losing 40 pounds into no big deal.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Today Was A Good Day
Four years ago, the day after the election, I wrote the following blog post on my old blog Captain Handsome.
Election Results
Today I feel both disappointed and relieved.
I feel disappointed because John Kerry and John Edwards didn't win. It's a little like cheering for your favorite sports team if your favorite sports team directed the economy, the military and the governance of law.
A lot of people like cheering for the Yankees because the Yankees win. If you had to choose your favorite team based on how they played, how they treated their fans, etc., the distribution would be more even. Or people just wouldn't care which is what happens more often in politics.
When John Kerry and John Edwards didn't win, it doesn't mean I won't vote for Democrats two years from now. I'll still be back cheering for the same team because the same things will be important to me then and it will be the same team which will be able to deliver them to me.
As I've expressed elsewhere, this one in particular would've been nice to win.
I'm relieved because it came down to votes. There was no last minute surprise "Hey, we have Osama bin Laden," or "Holy shit, President Bush raped a bear. And that bear was my father!" shit. I think that's the stuff which really turns people off to politics and makes them think their vote doesn't count. This election really was about courting the voters, talking about issues and who is the better man for the job.
There are still votes to be counted and the television networks don't choose the president. It would be great if Bush were ushered out the same way he was ushered in. However, I'm waking up to an America in which George W Bush is the President and I can finally react to that.
The nation selected George W Bush. They elected a foreign policy where the United States actively uses its military might, a domestic policy which supports businesses who are then responsible for supporting their employees and a moral policy which is very conservative. They also selected leaving things as they are over how things could be.
And I'm not sure I fit with that. I don't fit with the Bush Administration's interpretations for sure. Yet a lot of voters looked past the pragmatic and went on the basis of values. While I can relate to those values, they aren't mine.
Atleast I know where I stand. And I can start setting my course from there.
Whether that is me following through on my festering urge to move out of the US or just into a deeper blue state or the exact opposite by going into a red state and helping to bridge the gap, I don't know.
Today is a brand new day. Today my relief is to be starting.
Now it's four years later and I can tell you what happened.
After getting over the initial shock, I decided to commit myself to work and spent the next term floating astray and trying to fit into the corporate world I found odd. For three of those years, I had the support of a wonderful and caring woman and she did more than her part to help me see the cheer in my life and why I should continue on. But the stress of our relationship pushed us apart and this summer things fell apart. I moved home from Chicago and looked around at my options.
There are two realizations I've come to in the last two months. I've found I'm back where I was four years ago and my old burning is coming back. I never really forgot that feeling and anyone who was there will tell you volunteering was the part of my Chicago job I enjoyed the most. It's no coincidence that I'd supported a community organizer for President. Then last night that community organizer won.
Yesterday the nation selected Barack Obama. They elected a foreign policy where the United States uses its military might judiciously, a domestic policy which asks people to make sacrifices for the greater good and a moral policy which is open and liberal. They left behind things as they are and want to see how things could be. And I fit with that. I can relate to those values because they are mine too.
So, with the economy in the tank and the corporate world a suit that fit poorly to begin, I'm going to look into making service my full-time occupation. I don't know if that's going to be foreign service, the Peace Corps, Americorps, some form of government job, some form of non-profit or non-governmental organization, etc. All of that is to be determined. The point is I woke up this morning in an America that needs help and I plan to do my part in helping.
In 2008, Yes We Can!
Election Results
Today I feel both disappointed and relieved.
I feel disappointed because John Kerry and John Edwards didn't win. It's a little like cheering for your favorite sports team if your favorite sports team directed the economy, the military and the governance of law.
A lot of people like cheering for the Yankees because the Yankees win. If you had to choose your favorite team based on how they played, how they treated their fans, etc., the distribution would be more even. Or people just wouldn't care which is what happens more often in politics.
When John Kerry and John Edwards didn't win, it doesn't mean I won't vote for Democrats two years from now. I'll still be back cheering for the same team because the same things will be important to me then and it will be the same team which will be able to deliver them to me.
As I've expressed elsewhere, this one in particular would've been nice to win.
I'm relieved because it came down to votes. There was no last minute surprise "Hey, we have Osama bin Laden," or "Holy shit, President Bush raped a bear. And that bear was my father!" shit. I think that's the stuff which really turns people off to politics and makes them think their vote doesn't count. This election really was about courting the voters, talking about issues and who is the better man for the job.
There are still votes to be counted and the television networks don't choose the president. It would be great if Bush were ushered out the same way he was ushered in. However, I'm waking up to an America in which George W Bush is the President and I can finally react to that.
The nation selected George W Bush. They elected a foreign policy where the United States actively uses its military might, a domestic policy which supports businesses who are then responsible for supporting their employees and a moral policy which is very conservative. They also selected leaving things as they are over how things could be.
And I'm not sure I fit with that. I don't fit with the Bush Administration's interpretations for sure. Yet a lot of voters looked past the pragmatic and went on the basis of values. While I can relate to those values, they aren't mine.
Atleast I know where I stand. And I can start setting my course from there.
Whether that is me following through on my festering urge to move out of the US or just into a deeper blue state or the exact opposite by going into a red state and helping to bridge the gap, I don't know.
Today is a brand new day. Today my relief is to be starting.
Now it's four years later and I can tell you what happened.
After getting over the initial shock, I decided to commit myself to work and spent the next term floating astray and trying to fit into the corporate world I found odd. For three of those years, I had the support of a wonderful and caring woman and she did more than her part to help me see the cheer in my life and why I should continue on. But the stress of our relationship pushed us apart and this summer things fell apart. I moved home from Chicago and looked around at my options.
There are two realizations I've come to in the last two months. I've found I'm back where I was four years ago and my old burning is coming back. I never really forgot that feeling and anyone who was there will tell you volunteering was the part of my Chicago job I enjoyed the most. It's no coincidence that I'd supported a community organizer for President. Then last night that community organizer won.
Yesterday the nation selected Barack Obama. They elected a foreign policy where the United States uses its military might judiciously, a domestic policy which asks people to make sacrifices for the greater good and a moral policy which is open and liberal. They left behind things as they are and want to see how things could be. And I fit with that. I can relate to those values because they are mine too.
So, with the economy in the tank and the corporate world a suit that fit poorly to begin, I'm going to look into making service my full-time occupation. I don't know if that's going to be foreign service, the Peace Corps, Americorps, some form of government job, some form of non-profit or non-governmental organization, etc. All of that is to be determined. The point is I woke up this morning in an America that needs help and I plan to do my part in helping.
In 2008, Yes We Can!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A Challenge From A Friend
A friend recently challenged me to give up the journo-style of writing I've used writing this blog and the last one. Part of the reason I used that style is because I can generate a lot of it really easily. (Just being honest.) More importantly I used it because I wanted to write about what I thought about things that were happening in the world instead of talking about what's happening with me.
Usually things that are happening with me fall into two categories. Either they're stuff that is too personal to talk about (I have about three of those things right now) or they're things which aren't really that interesting. I think that makes sense and is probably the case with most people. So even when I do talk about my own life, it's because I participate in it. I present it like a reporter who wanted to make sure all of the facts were right over talking about the experience of being there.
So I'm using this post as a declaration of dropping the journo-style and with it the detached subject matter. If you want to know what I thought of the Broken Social Scene show last night or the Presidential election, you'll have to ask me directly. I'm going to migrate into a different style for a while and see what's over there. This will no longer be a blog of ideas. It will be a blog of Mike Herman.
Usually things that are happening with me fall into two categories. Either they're stuff that is too personal to talk about (I have about three of those things right now) or they're things which aren't really that interesting. I think that makes sense and is probably the case with most people. So even when I do talk about my own life, it's because I participate in it. I present it like a reporter who wanted to make sure all of the facts were right over talking about the experience of being there.
So I'm using this post as a declaration of dropping the journo-style and with it the detached subject matter. If you want to know what I thought of the Broken Social Scene show last night or the Presidential election, you'll have to ask me directly. I'm going to migrate into a different style for a while and see what's over there. This will no longer be a blog of ideas. It will be a blog of Mike Herman.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Changing Body Math III: The Return of the Update
A little less than three months has passed since I made my last post about the weight I've lost and that means I'm due for another post containing the math of it all.
In the past nine months I've lost 53 pounds dropping my weight from 305 to 252. I've also reduced my body fat composition from 30% to 24%. As I mentioned in the last post about my weight loss, the goals for no longer being obese are 263 pounds and 25% body fat. So you can see that I am healthily under the bar for both metrics.
Multiply those numbers together and I've lost 31 pounds of body fat and 22 pounds of water weight. If 4.5% of the 6% of body mass change is new muscle then I've also added about 11 pound of muscle too. So add 505 calories burned each day just for that new muscle existing meaning I can netting out a pound of fat less every 6.4 days without lifting a weight or spending any time on the elliptical.
Having lost 50 pounds and no longer being obese, I've basically achieved my goals in wanting to lose weight. Now the goal is to maintain my weight, lower my body fat even further and not have to think about the numbers anymore. I'll keep going to the gym three to five times a week and I'm sure I'll keep losing weight for a while. It just won't be as necessary to quantify it which is a good feeling to have.
In the past nine months I've lost 53 pounds dropping my weight from 305 to 252. I've also reduced my body fat composition from 30% to 24%. As I mentioned in the last post about my weight loss, the goals for no longer being obese are 263 pounds and 25% body fat. So you can see that I am healthily under the bar for both metrics.
Multiply those numbers together and I've lost 31 pounds of body fat and 22 pounds of water weight. If 4.5% of the 6% of body mass change is new muscle then I've also added about 11 pound of muscle too. So add 505 calories burned each day just for that new muscle existing meaning I can netting out a pound of fat less every 6.4 days without lifting a weight or spending any time on the elliptical.
Having lost 50 pounds and no longer being obese, I've basically achieved my goals in wanting to lose weight. Now the goal is to maintain my weight, lower my body fat even further and not have to think about the numbers anymore. I'll keep going to the gym three to five times a week and I'm sure I'll keep losing weight for a while. It just won't be as necessary to quantify it which is a good feeling to have.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Dedicated To The One I Love
These three songs go out to my newest and best friend. Consider this a mini-mix tape from me to you.
Follow your dreams.
Remember the good.
Live without regrets.
(P.S. Don't worry too much about all of the words. It's the choruses that really matter.)
Follow your dreams.
Remember the good.
Live without regrets.
(P.S. Don't worry too much about all of the words. It's the choruses that really matter.)
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Changing Body Math Update
It's been about four months since I made my first post (I realize I made a math error which I'll point out below but I didn't feel like going back to change.) about working out and losing weight so I figured I was due for an update.
In the last six months, I've dropped my weight from 305 lbs. to 270 lbs for a gross loss of 35 lbs. When I started working out I had 30% body fat and have trimmed that number down to 26%. Multiply all those respective numbers together and I've gone from carrying 91.5 lbs. of fat down to 70.2 lbs. There are 21.3 lbs. of fat (the weight of this 1 year old dog) which *poof* no longer exist.
The other 14 lbs is water weight. Last time I accounted this weight as gaining muscle which is simply not the case. Unless I were losing bone density or giving away internal organs, this is just my body adjusting the amount of water it holds. Think about the blood maintaining the fat which is no longer needed and reabsorbed by the body and it makes sense.
The correct way of figuring out the muscle I've added goes back to the body fat percentage. I've lost 4% of fat which means that a greater proportion is made up of something else now. There are factors like my bones becoming more dense but for the most part it's muscle taking up a greater proportion of my overall weight. Conservatively saying 3% is new muscle growth and 1% other factors that means I've gained 8.1 lbs of muscle in the last six months or about as much as one gallon of water weighs.
1 pound of muscle burns 50 calories at day which means that I'm burning an additional 405 calories per day simply by changing my body makeup. Out of the Bs, that's the same as 2 plain bagels, 4 bananas or light beers, 5.4 oz of blue cheese dressing, about 10 spears of brocolli or 40.5 tbsp. of BBQ sauce. To put it another way, at rate of 405 calories a day, a pound of fat would burn away in about eight and a half days. And that's just existing at rest, not taking into account that muscle actually getting used when I work out.
The thing which I have a greater understanding of since I wrote my last post is that I shouldn't be as concerned with my weight as much as I should be focused on my body fat percentage. According to the BMI scale, I'm obese and will be until I can slide under 263 lbs with a goal of 218 to be on the high end of normal.
Well, if we go back to the top, my baseline weight which includes bones, organs, muscle and water weight but not fat is about 200 lbs. To be 218 pounds, assuming my bones growing more dense and my muscles getting stronger equals my water weight loss, I could carry only 18 lbs. of fat. for a very athletic 8% body fat. For some perspective, Michael Jordan (a world-class athelete) weighed 216 lbs. during his last year in the NBA. And that's the top end of what they consider "normal."
If you focus on body fat percentage instead a different picture emerges. By this metric being over 25% body fat for a male is obese. So let's say I maintain my present weight but lose that 1% body fat. That's only 2.7 lbs. of fat I need to lose. Even if I drop my another 10 pounds to 260, the north end of what I weighed during college and consider a good guideline, I'll need to shed 5.2 lbs of body fat to get to 25%.
There is work yet to be done. Still results are happening and there's no reason why I can't achieve my goals over the next few months. I knew this was going to be at least a year-long process when I started six months ago. With the progress I've made, it looks like I can start setting some goals further out than I expected.
In the last six months, I've dropped my weight from 305 lbs. to 270 lbs for a gross loss of 35 lbs. When I started working out I had 30% body fat and have trimmed that number down to 26%. Multiply all those respective numbers together and I've gone from carrying 91.5 lbs. of fat down to 70.2 lbs. There are 21.3 lbs. of fat (the weight of this 1 year old dog) which *poof* no longer exist.
The other 14 lbs is water weight. Last time I accounted this weight as gaining muscle which is simply not the case. Unless I were losing bone density or giving away internal organs, this is just my body adjusting the amount of water it holds. Think about the blood maintaining the fat which is no longer needed and reabsorbed by the body and it makes sense.
The correct way of figuring out the muscle I've added goes back to the body fat percentage. I've lost 4% of fat which means that a greater proportion is made up of something else now. There are factors like my bones becoming more dense but for the most part it's muscle taking up a greater proportion of my overall weight. Conservatively saying 3% is new muscle growth and 1% other factors that means I've gained 8.1 lbs of muscle in the last six months or about as much as one gallon of water weighs.
1 pound of muscle burns 50 calories at day which means that I'm burning an additional 405 calories per day simply by changing my body makeup. Out of the Bs, that's the same as 2 plain bagels, 4 bananas or light beers, 5.4 oz of blue cheese dressing, about 10 spears of brocolli or 40.5 tbsp. of BBQ sauce. To put it another way, at rate of 405 calories a day, a pound of fat would burn away in about eight and a half days. And that's just existing at rest, not taking into account that muscle actually getting used when I work out.
The thing which I have a greater understanding of since I wrote my last post is that I shouldn't be as concerned with my weight as much as I should be focused on my body fat percentage. According to the BMI scale, I'm obese and will be until I can slide under 263 lbs with a goal of 218 to be on the high end of normal.
Well, if we go back to the top, my baseline weight which includes bones, organs, muscle and water weight but not fat is about 200 lbs. To be 218 pounds, assuming my bones growing more dense and my muscles getting stronger equals my water weight loss, I could carry only 18 lbs. of fat. for a very athletic 8% body fat. For some perspective, Michael Jordan (a world-class athelete) weighed 216 lbs. during his last year in the NBA. And that's the top end of what they consider "normal."
If you focus on body fat percentage instead a different picture emerges. By this metric being over 25% body fat for a male is obese. So let's say I maintain my present weight but lose that 1% body fat. That's only 2.7 lbs. of fat I need to lose. Even if I drop my another 10 pounds to 260, the north end of what I weighed during college and consider a good guideline, I'll need to shed 5.2 lbs of body fat to get to 25%.
There is work yet to be done. Still results are happening and there's no reason why I can't achieve my goals over the next few months. I knew this was going to be at least a year-long process when I started six months ago. With the progress I've made, it looks like I can start setting some goals further out than I expected.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
We Were Inverted At the Time
I wish I could find the clip from Wayne's World 2 where Del Preston is finishing a story as Wayne and Garth walk up and says, "... and that's why Keith Richards cannot be killed by conventional weaponry." Because that's exactly how I feel right now. Because early this morning just north of Milwaukee, Scott and I walked away from a car accident completely unscathed.
Susie is back in Minnesota for an extended weekend visiting her family and attending our friends' wedding. I couldn't afford the extra days off and I stayed behind in Illinois. I didn't want to spend the entire weekend in my apartment though. So with a little coaxing and the promise we could be back in Chicago before his 8:00 am shift Saturday (this) morning, Scott and I drove up to Green Bay after work yesterday. It was a good time and we saw a lot of people we hadn't seen in a long while. On the way home, I kicked the seat back and slept.
The next thing I remember was a lot of swearing, the car spinning and then flipping over onto its roof. I asked Scott what happened, he said he'd flipped the car and my classic response is just to say "Shit." He later told me that during the crash he'd thrown his arm across me because he didn't want me bouncing around the cabin. It's kind of sweet in a way. I undid my belt and, as I did, really hoped we were off to the side of the road or somewhere out of the way. My fear was to be exiting the vehicle as another vehicle struck ours. My door was stuck and thus I followed Scott out the driver-side door. Our car was on its top in the mud on the side of the road.
Scott took it pretty hard. I won't go into it too much because I don't want to embarrass him. But he was pretty shook up because there had been another person (me) in the car with him at the time of the accident. I had to remember to remind him since I was okay and he was okay the rest of it was just being inconvenienced. The truth is he was going to have to try harder in the future if he wanted to kill me.
After getting checked out by the ambulance and giving our deposition of what happened, the cops gave us a ride up to the Brueggers Bagels and we had some breakfast. Scott's parents came to get us and they gave us a ride home. An original version of the plan had me staying in Milwaukee while Scott drove on to work but that got cancelled. I just got into bed and took a nap. Sleep may be the cousin of death. But it's not the same thing.
Susie is back in Minnesota for an extended weekend visiting her family and attending our friends' wedding. I couldn't afford the extra days off and I stayed behind in Illinois. I didn't want to spend the entire weekend in my apartment though. So with a little coaxing and the promise we could be back in Chicago before his 8:00 am shift Saturday (this) morning, Scott and I drove up to Green Bay after work yesterday. It was a good time and we saw a lot of people we hadn't seen in a long while. On the way home, I kicked the seat back and slept.
The next thing I remember was a lot of swearing, the car spinning and then flipping over onto its roof. I asked Scott what happened, he said he'd flipped the car and my classic response is just to say "Shit." He later told me that during the crash he'd thrown his arm across me because he didn't want me bouncing around the cabin. It's kind of sweet in a way. I undid my belt and, as I did, really hoped we were off to the side of the road or somewhere out of the way. My fear was to be exiting the vehicle as another vehicle struck ours. My door was stuck and thus I followed Scott out the driver-side door. Our car was on its top in the mud on the side of the road.
Scott took it pretty hard. I won't go into it too much because I don't want to embarrass him. But he was pretty shook up because there had been another person (me) in the car with him at the time of the accident. I had to remember to remind him since I was okay and he was okay the rest of it was just being inconvenienced. The truth is he was going to have to try harder in the future if he wanted to kill me.
After getting checked out by the ambulance and giving our deposition of what happened, the cops gave us a ride up to the Brueggers Bagels and we had some breakfast. Scott's parents came to get us and they gave us a ride home. An original version of the plan had me staying in Milwaukee while Scott drove on to work but that got cancelled. I just got into bed and took a nap. Sleep may be the cousin of death. But it's not the same thing.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Changing Body Math
Was it six or seven weeks ago that I started working out? I don't recall. Let's call it seven.
In those seven weeks, I've dropped my weight from 305 lbs to 285. That's a loss of twenty pounds. Average it out and that's a little under three pounds a week. I pay $140 a month for once a week training sessions and over two months that averages out to $3.50 a pound. One pound of almonds costs $3.50.
When I started I had 30% body fat. That means I was carrying 91.5 pounds of body fat on my frame. I've dropped to 27% body fat meaning I'm carrying 76.95 pounds of body fat. There are 14.55 pounds of fat which used to exist which *poof* don't anymore.
Which means that, not only have I lost 20 pounds, I've gained 5.45 pounds of muscle. An extra pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day. So I've been burning 272.5 extra calories a day.
It would take 21 minutes of chopping wood, 28 minutes of jogging, 36 minutes of caring for a child, 42 minutes of weight-lifting or 97 minutes of taking the lead while doing the deed to burn 272 calories.
I'd need to eat half a Big Mac, a whole croissant, 8.24 tossed salads w/o dressing or drink 272 Diet Cokes extra in order to match the calorie intake - calorie burn ratio I was at before I started working out. Or I can just bank it and every 13 days burn another pound of fat.
If someone had come to 17, 19, 23 or even 26 year-old Mike and explained the math to me, I never would've made it to 305. But, since I did see 305 and someone set me down and ran the math, it's on 28 year-old Mike to pick up the pieces.
It's a long way to go. But the number don't lie. If I keep at it, I will lose the weight my body has been desperately been hoping to shed. Sounds like a fair deal to me.
In those seven weeks, I've dropped my weight from 305 lbs to 285. That's a loss of twenty pounds. Average it out and that's a little under three pounds a week. I pay $140 a month for once a week training sessions and over two months that averages out to $3.50 a pound. One pound of almonds costs $3.50.
When I started I had 30% body fat. That means I was carrying 91.5 pounds of body fat on my frame. I've dropped to 27% body fat meaning I'm carrying 76.95 pounds of body fat. There are 14.55 pounds of fat which used to exist which *poof* don't anymore.
Which means that, not only have I lost 20 pounds, I've gained 5.45 pounds of muscle. An extra pound of muscle burns an extra 50 calories a day. So I've been burning 272.5 extra calories a day.
It would take 21 minutes of chopping wood, 28 minutes of jogging, 36 minutes of caring for a child, 42 minutes of weight-lifting or 97 minutes of taking the lead while doing the deed to burn 272 calories.
I'd need to eat half a Big Mac, a whole croissant, 8.24 tossed salads w/o dressing or drink 272 Diet Cokes extra in order to match the calorie intake - calorie burn ratio I was at before I started working out. Or I can just bank it and every 13 days burn another pound of fat.
If someone had come to 17, 19, 23 or even 26 year-old Mike and explained the math to me, I never would've made it to 305. But, since I did see 305 and someone set me down and ran the math, it's on 28 year-old Mike to pick up the pieces.
It's a long way to go. But the number don't lie. If I keep at it, I will lose the weight my body has been desperately been hoping to shed. Sounds like a fair deal to me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)