Update on Commenting on my Blog

Several readers of my blog have expressed difficulty commenting on my posts. After several tests I contacted GoDaddy.com (this is the company my website is with). Following is the explanation and fix.

At the bottom of each post, there is a button that says either No Comments (if nobody has commented yet) or X comments (where "x" is the number of comments). When readers click on this a window pops up that allows them to type in a comment; however, the problem comes when commenters hit Publish.  Instead of the comment automatically submitting, another window appears asking the commenter to select their profile (Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). GoDaddy.com tells me the purpose of asking for a Profile is to avoid people submitting comments anonymously which, as you may have seen, can lead to ugly situations on the Internet. Most people have a social media account of some sort so selecting a Profile shouldn't be a problem. Hopefully this helps and I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding.

Alternatively, you can also submit a comment via my website (via Contact) or send me an email.

Going to miss Tucson swimming

I'm getting ready to leave Tucson April 1st but found time to swim today. Instead of interval training, I decided to just swim freestyle; swam 30 lengths (750 yards) in 20 minutes (average of 1:20/50) without stopping. Could have gone a bit further but my stroke was beginning to get a bit sloppy.

I started this winter barely able to swim 50 yards without gasping for air so I'm pleased; however, I'm worried about loosing momentum in the progress I've made. April will be a busy month including  driving to Colorado and then to Maryland, so finding time (and places) to swim regularly will be a challenge. On the other hand, maybe a break from swimming will be a good thing; I've been hitting it pretty hard these past 3 months.

Swimming Milestone

Forgive my frequent posts on swimming but it has been a big part of my winter in Tucson. Today was  another milestone - for the first time, I felt like everything I've learned came together to allow me to swim an entire practice session (1 hour) without taking in water when I turn my head to breathe!

After Thursday's lesson, my instructor suggested I could reduce my internal by 10 seconds to 1:45. Yesterday (Friday), following 10x50s warmup, I swam 16x50s freestyle with this 1:45 interval with average times of :55 with fins and 1:20 without; a bit faster than previous sessions. Encouraged, I decided to try again today and averaged :53 with fins and 1:15 without! My arms were very tired towards the end but I did it without resting between practice sets and without struggling for breath!

Not sure I could swim a mile freestyle without stopping but more important than this initial goal, I feel like I've learned proper technique and gained sufficient knowledge this winter to continue improving. Now it is just a matter of further conditioning and practice:)

Group Meditation

When I first moved to Tucson I sought out the local Buddhist Meditation Center to provide group meditation support. Tucson's Buddhist Meditation Center is nice but about 15 miles from my location so I was pleased to learn a couple of months ago of some like-minded folks at Voyager who were interested in group meditation. We started meeting weekly and later twice a week for small (2-8) group meditation sessions and member's houses. I've enjoyed these sessions as well as getting to know the people and will miss them when I leave Tucson next week. The members of this group are so nice and radiate positive energy during our sessions. I was honored to lead the group sessions and they expressed their appreciation at my last session this week with a nice card and meditation CD; I was touched and will miss them.

Bread and Wine

Those who know will recall that I love bread, especially when I bake it:) Before today, I hadn't had bread this year so was longing for some fresh sourdough:) Also, I've lost another couple of pounds (down to 141) so I decided to splurge at Whole Foods and buy a loaf of Seeded Sourdough - it is delicious!

The problem with buying bread is the large loaves huge are too much for one person; I feel guilty if I don't eat the entire loaf before it goes stale so when I was buying bread (mostly at farmers markets last summer), I would eat the entire loaf in 2-3 days while it was fresh.  One slice (1.5oz) of today's Seeded Sourdough consists of 120 calories, 220 g of sodium, and 15g of carbs so it doesn't take many loaves to put on the pounds! I'm looking forward to having oven and baking bread (small loaves:) in Maryland this summer:)

Wine presents the same challenge; its hard for a single person (i.e., me) to consume an entire bottle at it's peak. When I did drink wine (have given up alcohol) I might consume 1 drink with dinner but rarely felt like having wine on consecutive nights so I'd get maybe 2-3 glasses out of a bottle before the quality diminished (with argon gas about 3-4 days for reds in my opinion). I favored pricey wines so this could be expensive and such a waste. This isn't the reason I gave up alcohol but it is now one less worry:)

Something about the look, smell, and taste of fresh bread that is so pleasing!

Swim Video and Update 3-27-15

It hit 91 degrees in Tucson today; ideal for swimming outside:) Today I focused on 3 areas of improvement my instructor identified during yesterday's lesson: 1) keep fingers closed together; 2) push down chest to keep hips up, and 3) keep hands below wrist, below elbow. I was a bit nervous to change after only 1 week but based on my instructor's recommendation, I shortened my 50 yard practice interval (total time swimming and resting) by 10 seconds to 1:45 (1 minute 45 seconds).

So after warming up with 10x50s (alternating freestyle and breast stroke), I swam 16x50s freestyle alternating 50s with and without fins. My average times today with and without fins for a 50 yard practice split are: :55 and 1:23 respectively. Swimming a 1:45 interval was a bit harder than 1:55  but not too much. Despite my relatively slow pace, I feel like my form and swimming condition are improving.

Seeing myself swim is very instructive; in general, I know what I'm doing wrong, but seeing the video really brings home the point and allows me to visualize corrective technique while swimming.

Tried to load a video my instructor shot of my last lesson but guess it was too large; haven't had success loading videos to my blog but will work on it.

Last Tucson Swim Lesson

Today was my 6th and final weekly swim lesson with Geoff Glaser of Dolphins of the Desert (http://www.dolphinsofthedesert.com) in Tucson. I've benefitted greatly from these lessons (Australian Crawl) and feel like a much improved swimmer with the technical knowledge to continue improving. Geoff summarized my progress and identified 3 items to work on:

1. Keep fingers closed together
2. Keep hips higher in the water by pressing my chest down
3. Following water entry and throughout the reach, keep hands lower than wrists and wrists lower than the elbows

Geoff said that because I'm so thin, it is easier to sink if my form isn't good. On the other hand, he also told me that I'm in the upper 5-10% of my age class with regards to the improvement I've made. He said it as a compliment but I can't help but think there may not be many people swimming in my age class and/or my beginning form was terrible:) Seriously, these lessons were very worthwhile and I feel good about what I've accomplished this winter in Tucson. I will miss swimming outside but hope I can keep swimming/improving in Maryland (pools are indoor) this summer.

Insurance Update - Updated:)

104 days after submitting my application via healthcare.gov, I received notice of my new healthcare insurance! The time required to receive insurance coverage caused my Osteoporosis drug prescription (Forteo) to lapse.

I've updated this post to reflect new information.

I spoke too soon about my new insurance. Although I finally received notice of the new insurance accepting me, evidently, I’m not authorized to see my bone specialist in Colorado without a new referral from my new primary care physician (PCP).  Unfortunately, my new PCP can’t see me until next month when I’ll be in Maryland; I called around to other potential PCPs to see if I could get in sooner but discovered they too have long waiting lists/times. I hope the insurance will cover the blood work I had done yesterday but even if they do, I won’t be able to see my specialist to find out the results. 

Seems like my best strategy now is to continue monitoring my nutrition intake and to continue weight bearing exercise. I’m sure it will all work out well in the end:)

On a related note, there was an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (see wsj.com/wellness) on screening for Osteoporosis in men; word is getting out that this isn’t strictly a disease of older women.

Thai Dinner

Had dinner with friends last night at the Watt Buddhametta (Tucson Buddhist Meditation Center - http://tucsonbuddhistcenter.org. The center hosts a Thai dinner about once each month as a fund raiser; for $10, one can eat great Thai food cooked by locals. Typical Asian food - pad thai, egg rolls, lots of coconut dishes:), and plenty of vegetarian options. The green curry soup with tofu was my favorite, just the right amount of spice/heat for my palate:)

Spring

It is definitely spring here in Tucson! Most days are in the 70s, although this week it looks like mid-80s, and the nights rarely dip below 50; ideal weather in my book:) Swimming outdoors is such a treat in this kind of weather so I try to get in the water 5-6 days/week.

Nine days remain before my departure April 1st  Would like to experience April in Tucson; locals tell me it isn't too hot (yet) and the desert is in bloom!

Book Review - Sophie’s Choice by William Styron

Wow! Tried to read this book years ago but couldn’t get through it; too sad. Not sure why, but this time around I was able to read the entire book rather quickly. I was struck by the large vocabulary of the author. Fortunately, the book is on my Kindle so it was easy to look up words:); don’t think I’ve ever had to look up so many words.  The author chooses his words carefully such that they never seem superfluous. Styron is an amazing storyteller and a joy to read; however, the subject matter is very sad. One of the better novels I've ever read.

Swim Update

Had my second to last lesson in Tucson today. I'm going to miss Coach Geoff; he has helped me understand the technical and mental aspects of swimming. He's also taught me enough to work on while in Maryland and another reason to return to Tucson:); highly recommend him (http://www.dolphinsofthedesert.com).

My lower back has been hurting me the last two days; don't know whether it is related to swimming but I only swam 4x this week (I try to swim at least 5 days/week between weekly lessons). I was unsure my back would hold up today but we took it easy; hopefully it will allow me to do my technical session tomorrow:

• 10x25s - warm up
• 16x50s - interval freestyle

Geoff knows I want to improve my endurance (i.e., swim longer distances) so today he taught me about interval training. The "interval" is the total time it takes to swim 50 yards plus any rest time before starting the next 50. Based on my speed, he calculated my interval to be 1 minute 55 seconds.

We also discussed my kick; Geoff says I'm current doing 5-6 kicks per stroke and might want to cut back to 4 to use less energy. This means I would kick 2x for the left arm extension and 2x for the right arm for a total of 4. I tried it out; it will take getting used to but should help reduce my energy expenditure and give me the kicking structure I'm currently lacking - sometimes I kick fast, sometimes not so fast because I didn't know what I was doing. In general, I've always felt that a lot of my energy was going to my kicking without much reward; looking forward to this change.

Nutrition Update

Since January 26th I’ve closely tracked my nutritional intake for 48 days; eating at home, carefully weighing portions on my digital scale, and relying on food labels for nutritional data. Excluding three days I ate at restaurants, the 48-day average, minimum, and maximum (through 3/16/15) intake for 9 nutrition factors (see table below) generally appear in line with recommendations; however, I should probably consume 400-600 more calories/day (hence the recent 10 pound weight loss). I’ve focused on increasing my protein and calcium intake while minimizing added sugar and total fat intake; I could probably stand to consume more good fat (ice cream?:) 

Measuring/weighing portions becomes a habit after awhile and I find it interesting to track the nutrients entering my body. My diet is pretty simple and I tend to eat the same meals each day; makes it easier to shop, prepare meals, and track intake. Tracking takes time, however, and makes me reluctant to eat out; all positive outcomes in my view:)

	Calories (kcal/day)	Calories from Fat (g)	Total Fat (g)	Protein (g)	Added Sugar (g)	Sodium (mg)	Dietary Fiber (g)	Total Carbs (g)	Calcium (mg)
Average	1950	400	45	100	17	1393	57	302	1340
Min	1542	230	25	74	3	697	37	227	890
Max	2339	668	76	144	40	2485	88	413	2450
Recommended Values from Two Sources for Active 58 Year Old 145 pound Male
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/	2634	-	59-102	53	-	1300-2300	30	296-428	1000
http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned	2636	-	73-102	53	-	-	30	296-428	1200

Intake recommendations vary widely depending on the source; some sources provide minimum value’s, while others recommend specific values, minimums, or maximums based on nutrition calculators that consider gender, age, and weights.

Fiber: the two sources in my table recommend at least 30g but WebMD recommends a minimum of 38g/day for men.

Carbohydrates: the two sources in my table recommend 45-65% of total calorie intake as carbs; since carbs provide 4 calories/gram, the 296-428 range is derived by dividing the product by 4.

Fat: The USDA source recommends 20-35% of total calories for fat; since fat provides 9 calories/gram; the 59-102 range is derived by dividing the product by 9. The nutritiondata.self.com source recommends 25-35%.

Book Review: 8 Mindful Steps to Happiness, Walking the Buddha’s Path by Bhante Gunaratana

I decided to read this book based on the writing style of the author’s previous book - Mindfulness in Plain English. I read the latter book last month and really appreciated his clear and concise writing style.

I’d been wanting to learn more about the Buddha’s 8 step path to happiness and this book provided a useful narrative beyond just listing the steps as some other books do. It provides practical explanations of each step yet is generally easy to understand. I stopped after each section to absorb content so it took me awhile to finish; will probably reread as my practice progresses. At the end of each chapter (i.e., step) the author lists the main points in bullet fashion; I found this very helpful. Despite the easy read and useful nature of this book, I feel the need for a teacher and/or retreat to put into practice what I’ve learned. Like other things, it is difficult to learn something new at the highest level through books alone:) 

Move to MD

Getting excited about my upcoming move to Maryland! It represents a big change in my life. There is much to do before I move so I'm focused now on staying centered and methodically chipping away at the long list of "to dos".

Swim Update 3-12-15

I looked forward to today’s swim lesson; 3 weeks since my last. Prior to today’s lesson, I felt plateaued and no longer improving so was so looking forward to this lesson. My instructor (Geoff) pointed out that the catch-up drills I’d been practicing had worked well but that now I needed to back off (so to speak) on catch up. He said that full catch up is more often used in longer distances (e.g., 1500 yards+) and less catch up is used in sprints (e.g., 50 or 100 yards); makes sense. He also pointed out that (not sure how to say this) the less full catch up I use, the less kick I’ll need; guess this also makes sense because at full catch up, I have both hands/arms extended out in front of me and kick is a big part of keeping me afloat. This also helps explain why I feel like I’m lower in the water than I should be and hence having trouble getting enough air when I turn my head to breathe.

Geoff also told me that I was crossing over my arms, especially my left to right; this will eventually hurt my shoulders he said so it is important to correct this incorrect form. My arms should be straight ahead and not cross an imaginary plain extending from the middle of my head straight out to the opposite end of the pool. 

So today, we worked on several things including timing of my arm stroke. I learned a new drill to back off my catch up - touching my head with the thumb of my raised arm after it comes out of the water and as I’m bringing it overhead to re-enter again. As my thumb touches my head, it is a signal that my other arm should start the “catch” in the downward stroke. With full catch-up, I would keep the extended arm in the outreached stretch position until the other hand reenters the water.

He also reminded me that as my arm goes through the end of the stroke, my other arm should be actively stretched out in front - not inactively lying out in front of me. I need to stretch it to get the most out of the glide.

Lastly, I learned how to properly turn at the end of the pool; no, I’m not doing flip turns (maybe someday:). When I finish a length, I touch both hands to the top edge of the pool (above the water line), turn to my left keeping my right hand on the edge lip of the pool and using it to push me down below the water. My left hand/arm is extended away from the edge of the pool and as I use both feet to kick off from the pool wall, I bring my right hand forward to join the left in a tight clasp with the left hand below the right and the right thumb below the left hand. I immediately begin kicking (flip - not dolphin due to my back problems) and when I reach the surface, I begin stroking with my left arm (that is why I begin with my left hand clasped below the right) followed by a right arm stroke and my first breath. This was the standard technique; however, Geoff said he recently saw Missy Franklin start her first stroke on the breath side so that I could do it either way. I was starting my first stroke on my breath side but will try the left side first stroke and see how it goes; as I get tired, I suspect it will be hard to go this long before my first breath after a turn. 

Before next week's lesson (2 left) I need to do 25 75s (about 1 mile). For reference, Geoff told me he is swimming 5000-6000 yards a day - that's over 3 miles! 

There is so much to swimming; never realized what a technically challenging sport it is. I have a new appreciation for swimmers, especially good ones:)

Last of the Forteo

March 4th was my last dose of Forteo (daily shot for Osteoporosis); I ran out because of an insurance issue. It’s complicated but given my no income status, I thought I might be eligible for less expensive health insurance so I applied (via www.healthcare.gov) on December 15th. Sure enough, the website indicates I might be eligible but my case is still pending; unfortunately, no more Forteo, tests, or doctor visits until this insurance matter is cleared up.

One can only take Forteo for 2 years (cumulative) and the drug maker indicates injections can be interrupted so this temporary interruption shouldn't be a big deal. November 13, 2013 was my first injection so after about 15 months of shots, I’m anxious to find out how my bones are doing. On the positive side, I don’t like taking any kind of drugs so I’m not missing the daily shots:); maybe once I’m cleared to take tests, my doctor will suggest I don’t need the remaining 9 months of injections:)

In the interim, I’m eating healthy to insure my dietary intake meets or exceeds the 1000mg RDA for calcium. I’m also lifting weights to stress my bones, taking a Vitamin D (D3 2000IU) supplement, and working on my tan:)

Weight Loss

I’ve lost 10 pounds (down to 143) since moving to Tucson November 1st. The stability of staying put allows me to routinely work out; however, most of the loss came these past 2 months while focused on swimming and tracking my food intake. I haven’t been trying to lose weight but know I've reduced my fat and caloric intake; worry I've lost too much, but do admit to carrying a couple extra pounds around the middle when I arrived in Tucson:) 150 is a comfortable weight for me. I haven’t changed what I eat so much (did switch from whole to low-fat milk and haven’t had ice cream in 2 months:) as the quantity. My average caloric intake based on about 40 days of tracking is about 1900; according to my research, I should be consuming 2000-2400 calories per day so hence the weight loss.

I was eating too many nuts and discovered how easy it is to overeat, even healthy foods. I'd also periodically go on binges, like when I'd buy a loaf of bread at a Farmers Market; always feel like I've got to eat the loaf while it is fresh so would consume it in a day or two. Haven't had bread in 2 months but I suspect this will change when I move to MD and have an oven to bake in:) Shopping and preparing meals for one is a challenge I'm just mastering.

I've always read food nutrition labels but until recently, didn't carefully tally my total daily intake; it is much more challenging to meet USDA daily nutrition guidelines than I anticipated. I love tracking my intake and feel good about what (and how much) I eat:)

Happiness

My journey over the past year helped me understand what true happiness is - the absence of all negative states of mind (desire, hatred, ignorance). Although I thought I was happy, I now recognize that my previous lifestyle of a 60+ hour work week and pursuit of status, power, material things, and sensory pleasures was never going to achieve true happiness; only dissatisfaction. I'm happy to be on the right path to true happiness:)

Getting Ready

Less than 1 month before I leave Tucson and lots to do. Yesterday, I just happened to notice a screw sticking out of my truck tire; must have run over it recently. The tire wasn't leaking but I brought the truck into the shop today to have the hole plugged; can't be over prepared when getting ready to tow a trailer on a long trip. With that in mind, I'm having the fuel filter changed even though the computer indicates it has 45% life remaining. Evidently the fuel pump in my truck is under the hood (as opposed to being in the fuel tank or towards the back). As a result, the pump works hard to pull fuel into the engine; it only takes a small obstruction to shut down the engine and be stranded somewhere.

I'm waiting to hear from LazyDays RV about the window covers on my Airstream; they have a slight crack but are under warranty so Airstream will replace them for free. Hope they come in before I leave.

I'm waffling between storing the Airstream in Tucson, Denver, or somewhere in between. Since I'll be returning to Denver before driving to Maryland, I'm leaning towards storing it in the Denver area. The storage location is important for when I return from Maryland in September and decide to either take the Airstream on the road again or sell it.

Lots to do but its all good:)

Swim Update

My swimming technique (Australian Crawl) is improving thanks to my latest instructor. As a novice swimming, I never realized how many components there are to freestyle swimming technique - an instructor is essential! Unfortunately, mine is on vacation/conference in HI for awhile:) During my last lesson, he gave me a dog paddle drill to practice but I don't think I'm doing it correctly and still don't feel comfortable with all the components of my arm technique (can't even recall all the different positions for this blog). On the positive side, I know my stroke is improving because I'm starting to feel more comfortable and efficient in the water. Did 60 lengths yesterday, mostly a combination of freestyle and breast stroke.

Remembering Tucson

With 1 month remaining before leaving (April 1st) Tucson, I've been thinking about my last 4 months in this town; what I'll remember.  I'm miss the town and hope to return some future winter; swimming outside during winter, potholes, lots of seniors:), and sprawl pretty much capture the things that will stick me.

As my first winter without snow, the ability to swim outside throughout the winter is a wonderful experience. Although it was a bit cool (50s and windy) to swim outside some days, most of the winter it was in the 60s and 70s. The club I swim at keeps their two pools at 79 and 83 degrees F respectively so the water was fine. I swam indoors at a couple of locations in Tucson and other towns and much prefer swimming outside; the Tucson Racquet and Fitness Club has worked out well during my stay.

Great place to spend the winter!