Rant: Inspiration

If the following doesn't inspire you, I don't know what will.

Here's more...

Ed Whitlock Runs 3:41 Marathon at Age 82

You don't have to run, be inspired and MOVE.

More inspiration in three minutes, 24 seconds.

August 2013 in pictures

August is a blur.  Here are pictures.  I don't have much to say.

My granddog, Bandit

An unreal sky

Big ass truck, how do you get stuff in the back???

Cavat and Coco, lovebirds, sleeping peacefully.  They were adopted in October!

First off, I don't usually let ANY birds on my shoulder but she was persistent and I let her.  Because I was being "brave" (or stupid), I took a selfie.  Harley loves me and will fly right to me if a man comes in the center.  She says, "Hi" "Ow!" "Sorry" and "Kiss Kiss"  She is one of the few birds who came from neglect or abuse.  She's a doll to me.

Oscar is a 36 year old Orange Wing Amazon who says, "Let go, let go now!" "I'm a bad boy" "I want crack" "Good boy" and "Hello"  I adore his beautiful face.  

They knew I was coming and put up this sign

Fort Desoto beach, unreal in its beauty

Heather setting up the spotting scope to get a life bird on a tower.  

Brown boobie

Just another day in Florida, endangered Gopher Tortoise strolling through the hood

One of the few trails in Charlotte County ended with an alligator sighting

I had a really hard time finding the trail entrance until I found this

Not my scooter but it has my name on it

Some of the cages purchased with Pennies for Parrots!!!!!!!!!!  Thank you everyone.  Much better for the birds and much better for the humans cleaning them!

Rain is new to me, especially torrential rain.  This is a two lane road with a barrow ditch and a sidewalk off to the right.  You can barely see the sidewalk submerged.  This flooding happened in about 30 minutes it was amazingly impressive

Rant: Quite literally, your mileage may vary

Shifting gears here from my medical and adrenal insufficiency related rants, I'm on to an exercise rant.

I've had people say to me, quite apologetically, "I'm not running yet but I'm going to or used to or insert excuse here."  Here's the truth.  I DON'T CARE IF YOU RUN OR NOT.  The more important question is, "Are you moving daily?"  Do you walk your dog every day?  Squats and push ups during commercials?

Let's get real.  I'm big time into walking.  I LOVE me lots of walking.  Running makes it hard to find money, take pictures, play with snakes and mud puppies on the side of the road and generally screw around.  Half the fun of my "running" is screwing around and finding treasures.  I'm not a serious runner.  Don't apologize or make excuses to me, the Screw Around.  Find out what YOUR thing is and DO IT.

Often people start out with lofty goals, don't write them down and plan out a reasonable schedule or any schedule at all and then they get injured or fail.  It's disgusting.  Don't get up off the couch and do five miles if you've been sick for three years.  For hell's sake, go to halhigdon.com and find a nice, reasonable WALKING plan that you can stick to for six or eight weeks. Find someone who will hold you accountable.  Report back to them daily Be nice to your body and don't damage it right out of the gate.  Exercise shouldn't hurt mentally or physically.  Find something you love.

You can do anything I can do.  Chances are, you can do it much, much better than I can.  I'm a hack.  Find what you love and get a reasonable program to get you there.  It doesn't matter how you get your miles in.  Biking, swimming, running, martial arts, walking, hiking, rock climbing, gym ratting, CrossFiting, WHATEVER!  Commit to something, set your goals high, progress reasonably and move your ass each and every day.  You can and you will feel so much better for it!

Don't compare yourselves to others.  Compare yourself to you last week.  After a month of moving, compare yourself to the you of a month ago.  After six months, set your goals higher and be proud of where you've come from.  Do more, be more, shoot for the stars.  Start today.