- Logtar's Blog -

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

I have written about 9-11 before, and actually started a series of comments with some of the usual suspects. I wish that Solid would visit more often. I know another attack of that magnitude has not happened again, but my simple point about that day is that it should not have happened in the first place.

I am not pretending that we ever forget what happened, that for our generation would be impossible, but rather to take the positive that come out of that horrible day and continue with it. We came together as a nation to support each other, we showed solidarity and true feelings.

The U.S. helps the world in many ways, and like the quote above the most effective are the humanitarian efforts, however even with those we are not recognized or loved by the world as we should be. I sometimes wonder if all of those efforts should be concentrated in here, with our people or even our close neighbours and we should let others step up around the world.

To quote my mother in law, “You will gather more bees with a drop of honey than with a bucket of vinegar.” Simple acts of kindness make a difference and make our days better. So today, to remember this day shake the hand of someone you see every day but don’t talk to besides pleasantries, ask them about their lives, ask them where were they the day this country lost its innocence. United We Stand.

“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction”
-Winston Churchill

I huge percentage of my friends are republican. The responses to my last post were just as expected. People are very polarized by the current state of things, some people think that everything is fine while others think that this is shaping out to be the worse of times. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but even the most studied political analyst does not have the full picture. I doubt if anyone has the full picture.

Vision is a word that is often used when talking in the corporate world. Visionaries are always respected people that have a clear view of the road ahead. What happens when that visionary is looking down the wrong road?

I would argue that when it comes to driving I have never been lost, just learning new roads. I know Chicago probably a lot better than people that have lived there all of their lives, I am getting to know know Kansas city little by little. When I do go somewhere I am not afraid of using my GPS to get there. I am also not beyond stopping and asking for directions when I am not getting to where I need to go.

The first time I went back to Colombia as an adult I grew up a lot more. I got to see what I left behind and how some decisions affects more than one life. I think what impacted me the most is how we see things so differently when we are older. I always thought growing up that I knew everything and then getting older and wiser was something very gradual. That trip taught me that single situations can change the course of your life or change your view on things. One second can change a life.

Change is a good thing, but it is even better when it is done when everyone affected by that change are taken into account. As the politics of this country keep on moving forward to the upcoming election we have to see who is promising change, and if that is the direction that we want to go.

Most of my life I have felt that I am a very good listener, but lately I think that my understanding of the term is a little more complete. I am always quick to give advice and come up with a solution to problem I am given, but more often than not, when listening to others, it is more about those seeking advice figuring things out on their own than actually seeking any input.

Vocalizing an idea is very powerful. Things seem to make it a more sense in our minds once we put them into words. Just like you learn better when you actually teach someone how to do something, talking things out is a good way of solving a problem.

I have made a conscious effort to start listening to other people complete their full trains of thought before forming an opinion. It is a tough thing to do at first, but it has been very useful. While I still value discussion and debate, I think the older I get the more I want to take a step back and see what others have to say.

I started blogging to make my writing a little better. One of the biggest side effects is the awesome people that I have met. One of them is Daniel DeGuia, the best writer I know!

He just made it into the writing team over at http://discoveringdad.net.

Join me in congratulating in this achievement I think its awesome. And of course check out his blog if you have not been enticed by the whole chicken thing (see sidebar).

I have spent the last couple of weeks with the Wii Fit, and even though I was skeptical at first I am very happy we got it.

I have approached fitness and weight loss from so many angles that I have lost count. Even though I have not done many diets, I have tried with mixed results. In the end, there is no magic pill, magic diet or magic exercise. It all comes down to simple equations. If you burn more calories than what you eat you will lose weight. The more balanced your meals, the more energy you will have both long and short term.

I started about a month ago taking the stairs to the 4th floor every day. I do not take them down because it is harder on your knees. They have not bothered me in quite some time, but I do not want to upset them. I did have to stop doing DDR because they were not responding very well to the side to side motion, even when soccer was no problem. That was the first change I introduced on my quest for overall wellness.

About a month ago I started to watch what I eat, and at least at lunch I am trying to introduce healthy alternatives. Vegetables instead of french fries… soup and salads where available. I have not been supper consistent, but I say at least a couple of lunches a week I do a good meal. Most of the changes I had noticed have to do more with how I feel overall than actual weight change.

This is where everything gets very interesting. The Wii fit has been one of the only things that has made me see how much my food choices affect my weight. I was one of those people that believed in only checking my weight once a week, because otherwise supposedly the fluctuation would drive me nuts. This has been one of those fitness myths that I adhered to. Knowing your weight fluctuation gives you an idea of exactly what food does to your body.

Mexican food is awesome and I know it is bad. I however did not know how bad it was. I had one Mexican meal, two tamales and one taco, some of the rice and some of the beans and my weight went up a whooping 4 pounds. Of the whole time I have been doing the Wii fit, this was the biggest day to day fluctuation. I understand that weight has to do with water retention and other factors, but to see it happen just like that was very surprising.

I think the most important thing that Wii Fit does for you is to make you aware of posture. Any chiropractor will tell you how essential good posture is, but Wii Fit really makes you aware of it. Mine has improved quite a bit since I started, but just making me aware of it makes a huge difference.

Another great feature of the Wii Fit is the slow pace. You “unlock” exercises as you progress, but the exercises you have also have levels of difficulty. You can start very slowly or progress at a great pace. The generous numbers of options also make it easy to mix up your workouts. Yoga, Strength and Balance are innovative, the calorie burning one is stuff we have all seen before in other “fitness” games but its fun.

Overall Wii Fit is not going to replace a regular workout routine either outside or at the Gym. However it is an excellent place to keep track of your progress and overall fitness.