Day 404 - Leadership 199 / Trait 8 of 14: Integrity

Lived the words I've been sharing yesterday. Took initiative to make yesterday a great day and accomplished that. Early in the day I informed my son to be dressed to go to the YMCA after school, I picked him up and there we went. We decided to kick up the intensity a notch, something I could tell he wasn't sure of. Heck I was apprehensive too, but I knew I could leverage the power of my courage to get it done. In the end we endured a 60 minute session in the free weight room and then polished off the workout with 2 miles of walk/jog combo on the treadmill. Yesterday was an Oh Yeah day!

Onward we carry ourselves into a new day. With us we carry the lessons we've learned which we can revisit at will via these links...
Leadership 199 / Trait 7 of 14: Initiative
Leadership 199 / Trait 6 of 14: Enthusiasm
Leadership 199 / Trait 5 of 14: Endurance
Leadership 199 / Trait 4 of 14: Decisiveness
Leadership 199 / Trait 3 of 14: Courage
Leadership 199 / Trait 2 of 14: Bearing
Leadership 199 / Trait 1 of 14: Dependability

We're halfway through this series, which means we have lots of learning to do yet. Therefore, let us plunge into the power of our eighth trait…

Leadership 199 / Trait 8 of 14: Integrity

Defined: Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principles; includes the qualities of truthfulness and honesty.

Discovered: Let us start in on understanding this trait by visiting this definition backwards. Honesty, is something I will go out on a limb and proclaim that everyone acknowledges that honesty is a trait any leader must possess. No? I agree with my proclamation, I have to else I've been dishonest here; yet while I agree I will tell you now that honesty is not one of the 14 leadership traits.

What? How can that be you say? Look back up at the list above of the traits we've discussed thus far. Take a moment, I'll be right here when you scroll back down... I know, if only scrolling burned measurable calories. OK, having revisited those traits let us ask ourselves this question; Can any of those traits be successfully put into practice if we are not first honest with ourselves in choosing to lead with them?

Leadership is not something we can take on half-hearted. "Do or do not... there is no try", as Master Yoda would say. In short, if we are not honest in our endeavors, either with ourselves or with others, we will not succeed at them in the end.

Living with integrity is certainly dependent upon be honest. But integrity is not just about being honest.

Character, you don't have to know a person for very long to know whether there character is righteous or otherwise. Righteous meaning to be committed to doing what they believe to be right, right by themselves and others.  It is one thing to want what is right, another to do what is right. If our character is to do what is right, we are leading with integrity.

Morals, ah discussion/debate on morality sure can be a sticky-wicket. So lets limit our thought here to what it is about our morals that is essential to leading ourselves to success. To decide what we want to succeed at we first have to know what we want or who we want to be. Or more specifically, how do we want to live? If we can answer that question and come away with an answer gives us a clear picture of how we want to look and why, how we want to conduct yourself and why; we then know where our morals should be set to lead with integrity and succeed.

Da-Point: If we are honest, if we believe our mission to be right and are willing stand up for it's purpose; then we are leading with integrity.

When did you last take time to truly know your character, your moral code?

 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 378-380: Reveille Weekend Success

Great News, I received the OK to return to full activity from all surgeons, doctors and even my guardian Eeyore gave his OK. Excellent, no time to waste!...

With the weekend here I got busy getting the heart rate and sweat pumping once again. So Saturday morning my wife, one son & I headed off to the YMCA. My wife got her workout on in the swimming pool as usual; a fish she is. Andrew & I hit the weights, above you see him working the lat-pulldowns which seemed like a fine machine to get started on.

Below is the rest of our routine that day...

Rowing

 Iso-Pulldowns

 Assisted Pull Ups

 Calf Press

 Tricep Presses

 Leg Press

 Horizontal Chest Press

 Incline Sit Ups

It felt great to get back in the gym. There were a few other exercises we did which I forgot to take photos of, e.g.squats, flys; we got in good variety in the hour we were there.

Sore, sore was the word of the day for the rest of my weekend. Amazing how muscle-memory works, it was like I hadn't skipped much of a beat. I felt a bit awkward on some of the exercises, felt a tad weak on triceps; but otherwise I was owning the steel.

Sore or not on Sunday, it was time to get in some more. I was determine to make this my Reveille Weekend and awaken from the stagnant slumber that I had been in for too long. Sunday, cardio! My wife was not feeling good so she didn't join as as she wanted to. Andrew & I got after it at the Rollins Savannah...

Last year I put in some great efforts here and put up a streak of personal records here as well. My best time last year on this 3.6 mile loop was 54:49 minutes. We set out with the idea of getting as close to it as possible. No way was achieving that time going to happen this day; No Way! I hadn't put in any consistent cardio in April, I still haven't shed that 10 pound regain from the winter, and my sore muscles weren't feeling extraordinary effort within them.

Never Say Never!

We smashed that PR in a big way.

I came in at 52:04 minutes...

Andrew at 51:35 minutes.

I feel an Oh Yeah!

Did you feel any Oh Yeah's this weekend/recently?

Final thought: We have Never Forgot 9/11 and those murdered, maimed and devastated. The news of OBL's termination is reason for pride swell and affirmation in our determination for justice; but it is not reason to now forget. The cause continues, sadly in the throws of war. Never Forget means just that; NEVER FORGET!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 353 - Bring On The Needles!

Some good news on the cancer battlefield... The MRI on my knee showed NO metastatic cancer there; whew! Above is one of the 180+ images of my knee, I have no idea of know what I'm looking at there is good or not, and don't care as long as I'm told it is sans cancer.

We engage the enemy next on Thursday for a blood test to determine if there are any indicators that the melanoma has spread beyond skin or lymph nodes. Bring on the needles!

Exercise, lets talk exercise... I took two of the boys to the YMCA Sunday to get some sweat'n on...
Needed a warm up since I pulled them out of bed to join me, so we started with a mile on the elliptical:

I think they were hoping this was all we were going to do.

I dig the rowing station so it was our next stop:

Andrew working as fast as he can, like he has somewhere else to be.

Then it trying to get the boys more involved in the workout I let them pick what we did next...

Andrew picked incline sit ups:

Yep, there I am gett'n my 2d set in. I am enjoying myself; can't you tell?

Cameron then picked cross over flys:

Here he demonstrates, "Form" is his middle name.

Next I chose this 'thing' since it was available & I had never done it, need to try new stuff:

Andrew is seen here doing what I called Tri-Shoul-Back Press Downs, as it ravaged those three areas so.

Andrew took us next to the Overhead ISO Pull Down station:

and then he snapped this pic of me; this is a cool exercise.

Cameron got last choose and chose Squats, yes, Squats:

I was taught to squat early in a routine - Rebel!

That was enough, I was wiped, they were anything but wanting more. Not a routine you'd find a trainer advise perhaps, but on this day it was our routine.

Have you pulled the family out of bed lately to join you get some sweat'n on?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 306 - Do You Prefer This Or That?



source

 One thing that blogging has certainly reinforced for me is that no two people are alike. Some similar, some as different as coffee and vodka; but none alike. We may have the same general desire for being healthy and happy. Yet when looking at the many different traits of how we exercise, eat, or do anything non-health/fitness; the differences between our preferences are many.


Lets look at a few...



Do you prefer to Strength or Cardio train?
Me: Strength

Do you have/admire Tattoos or No-Tats?
Me: No-Tats

Do you prefer to eat Lo-Carb or Lo-Fat?
Me: Lo-Carb

Do you find it more relaxing to work on a Jigsaw-Puzzle or Play Chess?
Me: Play Chess

Do you prefer to walk/jog/run Inside or Outside?
Me: Outside

Do you prefer to wear your socks Ankle-High or Calf-High? 
Me: Calf-High

Do you prefer to Count or Not-Count Calories In/Out?
Me: Not-Count

Do you prefer to dip your chips in French-Onion or Guacamole?
Me: Guacamole

Do you believe that for weight loss/maintenance success Water Intake is Key or a Non-Factor?
Me: Water Intake is Key

Do you favor Disney World or Universal Studios?
Me: Disney World

So there are just 10 of 34,487,395,431,879+ traits that make each of us who we are.

I am of the type that likes Strength Training, No-Tats, Lo-Carb, Play Chess, Outside, Calf-High, Not-Count, Guacamole, Water Intake is Key, Disney World!
 

Anyone else identical to me on just those 10?

What about your list of 10? And your Spouse/Lover/BFF/Whomever, is their 10 identical to you?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 303 - Mixed Bag Day

Mixed Bag Day Today...

Got up early, headed off to the YMCA and got the exercise in. About an hour on the weights, and then 2 miles on the elliptical.

Some chill time now back at home. Currently watching The Day: Remembering Dale Earnhardt, while scratching out this post. NASCAR is a favorite of mine and so happy to see the new season about to kick off with the Daytona 500 next weekend. 

Going to get some lunch in a few minutes, then head out for some boring errands. I hate errands. Waste of quality life time. But they gotta get done. Or do I?

This evening my wife & I will go out for dinner for Valentines day. We've been meaning to try out Tramonto Steak and Seafood for years and tonight will be the night. We'll wait until tomorrow to exchange Valentine's Day gifts. Wife is going to love what I got her, will try and remember to blog a note about it later this week.


So there you have it, my Sunday laid out. Simple, Productive, Fun, Sunday!

What does Sunday hold for you?

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 295 - Fit For Me & Familiy

Yesterday was a day of rest where my exercise is concerned. And much needed too. The soreness from the weeks workouts and snow removal needed the day to ease some.

Today is a new day and exercise was on the schedule. And that we did first thing today. Yes, I said we... My wife, two of my sons & I headed off to the YMCA first thing to get busy. My wife joined the Y last year so that she could swim. She was a swimmer in high-school & college so swimming is her exercise of choice.

Recently we expanded her membership to a family membership so that I can go with her and use some of the equipment there I do not have in my basement and never will. That and she suggested we do so as she'd be more apt to go and swim if I went to the Y too. So how could I say No to that?

Here are a few pictures of the boys & I getting busy. Nope, no pictures of my wife in the pool. But up top there I do have one of her pitching in to remove the snow the snow plows pushed back in our driveway over night...

Cameron getting to know the fun that is SQUATS

Andrew working through a set of LAT PULLDOWNS

I've had core on the mind allot lately and so making use of this INCLINE SITUP bench was a must.

Don't be too impressed, it is inclined just one notch above horizontal to the floor.

Cameron found the CROSS CABLE FLYS a challenge

We finished with some BACK-TO-BACK MEDICINE BALL TWISTS w/ a 12 pound ball.

Since there were three of us we rotated someone in/out on each 12 count.

In the end we each had participated in three sets of 24.

 

We had a BLAST.

 

What are you going to do this weekend to have a BLAST of your own!

 

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 291 - January GTD Challenge Fades to FebGTD

Snow, all around the Chicagoland area are bracing for the storm being called Snowmaggedon. I am calling it Snowmagator, because I like alligators. What, do I need a better reason than that? As I said on Twitter this morning, "Hello snow, I've been working out so I'm ready for u."

January Go The Distance is now complete and February Go The Distance has begun. For January I only got in 30 of my 40 goal miles. So 75% is not immediately anything to be proud about. Consideration could be given to the fact that my elliptical does not display miles. Early in the month I tried to calculate it but there were too many variables for me to do so accurately. So I defaulted to simple math, 20 minutes equals a mile; although I'd bet money I am moving more than a mile in 20 minutes. But I chose to error on a conservative calculation.

So in January I did 600 minutes on the elliptical which I am scoring as 30 miles, 75% of my goal for 40 miles. In the spirit of building upon past performance I am keeping my goal at 40 miles in February. I'll calculate the miles the same way which means I am aiming for 800 minutes on that creaky old elliptical in my bedroom.

JanGTD also had goals for strength training. I set a goal of 12 sessions, I did 7... hhhmmm, I have to wonder if I failed to record a session or two early in the month. I started the month targeting twice a week with a  stretch goal of three times a week; hence the 12 mark was set. Looking back I thought I at least had the twice a week nailed and I know last couple weeks I have hit three... you know what. I am claiming victory as I know January saw my best strength training month in 15 years. February will be better than January, I promise!

JanGTD also had goals for water, fruit & veg consumption, I knocked all of those out of the park!

FebGTD has dropped the fruit & veg tracking and added a stretching goal to go alongside the cardio & strength goals. CHECK IT OUR HERE!

I am stoked for February, the last full month of winter. No more hibernating going to be had by this healthy-fitness-wanna-be-blogger-dude. NONE! I am awake, and I am moving!...

You awake?

You need help getting up & getting moving?? 

HEY, are you involved in February Go The Distance? If not & in need of a challenge, join us!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 205 - Fruit To Battleship

Fruit Count: 172 - Through the weekend we have collectively enjoyed 172 pieces of fruit over the the past five days. Mandy continues to be our lead fruit challenger, she knocked down 7 again on Saturday and 8 pieces on Sunday! Can we get to our goal of 199 by the end of day today, or at latest Tuesday; making it a clean week to get this fruit challenge done? Lets make a go at it, pick, pack and munch some winning fruit and shout out how many pieces you eat today!

Today's post will be a picture based affair to get the week off to an easy start. The pic of the fruit there, those are the three pieces I am taking to work today. Those will be eaten for sure, likely another piece or two will find their way in my belly by bed time as well.

This past Saturday I went to the Rollins Savanna for my cardio walk. I had not been there since July. Great place to walk, very well maintained preserve. Chilly morning, lower 40's. Thus I was dressed for the chill, but I cannot be accused of putting any effort into color coordination of this ensemble...

Along the way I realized I had company, my shadow. Keeping pace with me step for step. Hhmmm, can I log double miles for my November Go The Distance challenge?

No, I didn't finish as neat & clean looking as I started, but I did finish the 3.6 mile walk. After 54:49 minutes I completed what I had began. A PR by nearly 3-1/2 minutes better than my walk here. Water, I needed water.

Did you get in any cardio this weekend?

When I home I wasted no time getting some food ready. I was hungry! And here was my meal of choice for lunch; A broiled 'Spicy Chicken Breast' over a medley of peppered veggies. Spicy, simple and filling...

Do you like it spicy?

Sunday my wife and I hung out. First stop for us in the morning was a visit to the YMCA where she is a member. She is a swimmer and gets her cardio in via the water when she can. I decided to go with er using a guest pass. I gave their weight room the once over and had a great time. So many more options there than on my home gym. We noodle the idea of converting her individual membership into a family membership,and we might. The only reason we have not is location, this place is near where she works which is nowhere near where I work. So I am having issues justifying the added cost when I would likely just use it on weekends. Maybe...

Where do you workout?

These next two pics I lifted from a friends facebook page. Any Star Wars fans out there? If you are this is good for a laugh. My kids messed with Mentos & Coke when they were younger, this certainly looks like something they would have cooked up for fun...

Have you ever mixed Mentos & Coke?

Now this one doesn't need much commentary from me. Simply said, times have come along way...

Has anyone ever purposely smiled while washing dishes?

- - -

Have a great Monday!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 42 - Scallops & Dumbbells

Welcome to the weekend Bloggers, a holiday weekend at that!

Scallops anyone? There on the left you see last night's dinner, bacon-wrapped scallops hit with some mesquite seasoning; these came off the grill 5 seconds after I took that pic. Accompanying them were some fresh green beans lightly sauteed in garlic - Oh my it was good!

Ok, enough food chat. Let's talk exercise shall we? My dumbbell routine has been on my mind so I thought I'd share it below. For all of these exercises I do 3 sets of 12 reps; except the 10th exercise which is a repeat of the 1st but for the 10th exercise I do 7 sets of differing reps; 6, 9, 12, 15, 12, 9, 6. Why do I do that for exercise 10? Really I don't know if it is wise or not, but it seemed to make sense when I cooked it up as a means to give the arms some added attention. Probably a guy-thing. My dumbbells range from 5 to 50 pounds. Currently I use from 10 to 25 pounds depending on the exercise and muscles involved.

1-Seated Concentration Curl

2-Lateral Raises

3-Two-Arms Triceps Extension

4-Bench Press

5-Triceps Kickback

6-Lying Fly

7-Shoulder Press

8-Kneeling One Arm Row

9-Straight-Arm Pullover

10-Seated Concentration Curl (again)

Aren't those animated gif's cool? They are them from dumbbell-exercises.com which I've found to be quite informative. The above dumbbell routine was put together on my own before I found this site. My idea was that it is supposed to strength train a variety of upper body muscle groups in one exercise session. Now having looked a bit more at this site and specifically at the page for Workout Routines for Dumbbell Exercises I wonder if I need to mature my routine a bit. I probably do but I'll need to do some more reading first and of course welcome advice from you.

Any thoughts? Is this routine something a trainer would give a thumbs up to, or, cringe in horror at? Do I need to modify it to do more to target specific muscle groups vs. trying to do them all in one session?

May you have a Magnificent Saturday!

Got any big plans for the holiday weekend?

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!

Day 37 - Change #6

Hope everyone out there had a great weekend. Mine was good and accented by a Chicago Blackhawk victory to advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 18 years.

We were at a soccer game for my son so we didn't get to see the game on TV or hear it on the radio, but you can be sure I had my Blackberry browser in constant refresh getting score updates.

Right after the game my wife & I went right to Dick's Sporting Goods and got our Conference Championship t-shirts. Yes we are that into our hockey!

Here is one of the shirts, this one is my wife's; mine is black and way cooler than hers. But of course she looks better in hers than I do in mine...

This week's commitment to change is about exercise. So far the only exercise I have formally committed to is taking the stairs at work. I've said in past posts I want to exercise 'x' amount this week, or 'y' amount that week. In my five weeks on this mission I am beginning to get an idea of what the minimum amount of exercise needed is to help ensure weight loss as long as my eating is balanced & portioned properly, or, if it isn't then help ensure I maintain weight at least. At least I think I have a better sense of that anyhow.

Therefore, here it is...

Change 6...

• Exercise 4x weekly, 2x Cardio and 2x Strength; minimum

For the past couple of weeks I have done this at least, some days more. Certainly I will strive to do more and some weeks I will be able to do more. Yet reality is some weeks this will be it. But what I am also saying within this commitment is that if I am serious about getting healthy, and I am, I am also saying I believe I must be disciplined enough to make the time for exercise 4x a week.

Ok, back to what is important, who else out there is getting amped up over the Blackhawks?

Responsibility 199... Gotta Do It!!