Leon Konieczny’s Blog

A while back, my niece asked me what prompted me to change my lifestyle. That is, to start watching what I eat, working out, and lose some extra weight. Well, here’s what I told here, the truth of the matter, about two months ago after I started working out:

Well, I first started walking regularly almost two years ago. That was thanks in large part to a Doctor, a Podiatrist. I filled out the initial visit form, put down that I take medication for High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, and Acid Reflux. Then when I answered the question about general health, I chose “good.”

 

She looked at me and said “so, you’re health is ‘good’?” … and you take medication for HBP, Cholesterol, and stomach problems?  [long pause]… well, if you walked a few miles a day and lost 20 pounds, you wouldn’t need all that medicine, would you…?  [another long, LONG pause…]…”

 

About the same time Mom and Dad were down and we took a boat trip up the St. John’s river. Someone took my picture, shirtless. I was not sure who it was when I first saw the pic, I just saw some fat guy that had fairly nice boobs! 

 

About the same time, I read a magazine article that said that men who walk 11 miles a week don’t put one more belly fat (though don’t necessarily lose it either).

 

All three things prompted me to start walking (the magazine article really tipped the scale, but the doctor was the biggest influence–I can still remember that exact moment) and I’ve done it religiously since. At first a friend and I walked because he was trying to get exercise (and he had a boring job, too). Later he stopped but by then I was hooked. I now walk about 3.8 miles a day at work, about 65 minutes (though I work and eat at the same time, so it’s a wash).

 

Since then I’ve not really gained any weight.  Though I was not gaining weight, I was not losing it either. So that was about it for two years. Not buying bigger pants, but not buying smaller. There were small improvements and my weight stayed within the lower end of about an 8 pound range that it seemed to fluctuate in. Finally last summer I was able to get in some shorts I could not get into the previous summer. So that was a slight improvement. I still have pants and shorts (some years old now) that I can’t get in–well maybe now I can get into some of them.

 

Then this spring I was talking to a friend at work and she was complaining about her tummy and not being able to get into some dresses. (She’s the ultimate diva, fashion queen, etc…. Looks very good for her about 50 years old, you’d never guess it, but did get a bit of a tummy). So we decided to encourage each other and both joined the health club. It’s very pricey, $58 a month with tax. I’m not one to spend that loosely so am taking it serious. Then I paid for a trainer–big, BIG bucks. And the first day he handed me some things on diet. I ate half a bag of Doritos while I read the stuff. But it all made sense. Lots of the things I eat were on the D and F list, very few from the A list. I’ve always known that diet and exercise go together, just didn’t really practice the diet part. Was eating out too often and too much, too.

 

Then [my niece] Kirsten sent me a link to http://www.mypyramid.com/ and I read up about food groups and balance in my diet–it was unbalance beforehand, not that many veggies and fruit and whole grains. From there I went to http://www.mypyramidtracker.com and learned I could track what I eat.

 

So, to make a very long story much shorter, I wanted to look better (vanity, yes), feel better (I do, if only mentally!), and live longer (only time will tell that). It’s 11 years since I quit smoking, now it’s time for another change, and time to get back to what I weighed back then. I figure if I can develop the workout and eat-right habits (just like I now have the walking habit), I will accomplish those goals.

 

Overall, I look damned good for a 55 [now 56] year old guy. Many people can’t believe I’m that old. And I’ve seen and met quite a few guys younger than me that look a lot worse (and some older that look a lot better). I want to be one of those that the other guys say “wow, he looks great for his age” when they think I’m only in my 40s, and then they’ll be totally blown away when then find out I’m 55–almost 56.

 

So, that’s my story. Thanks for asking! Hope you enjoyed.

 So that is the answer I gave my niece, Kali, when she asked, and now it’s out there for all the world to see.

 I’ve been going to the gym since I signed up on March 17, 2008 (my sister Jean’s birthday). I’ve lost about 20 pounds and redistributed more. My “large” size shirts look way too big on me, I had to buy mediums. My old pants are huge, I had to buy smaller. I still walk 3 times a day. I now do weight training four days a week, and cardio the other days. Lately on Saturdays I ride my bike. I can ride a full hour and not feel it. Before, I was hurting after going around the block. Do I feel better? Hell yes? Do I look better? You bet.

As for my friend, she’s not really going to the gym. After a while, I gave up on coaxing her. She’s gained a few pounds and not eating healthy and smart like she should. But, I’ve tried, she’ll have to learn for herself.

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Yes, it has been a long time since I wrote in my blog, no doubt. And why? One big word: exercise. Yes, on March 17th, I joined a gym. And I’ve had great results with it too. What have I accomplished?

• I lost about 20 pounds and am now about 158 pounds.
• I lost a good 4″ or more around my waist.
• I lowered my BMI from borderline overweight to well within the “normal” range, about 23 now.
• My blood pressure has gone down.
• My percent body fat has gone from about 23 to 17.
• I’ve been working out with weights and doing cardio
• I’ve been going to the gym 6x a week.

And, as a result, I feel a lot better and look a lot better. So, if I don’t write in here that often, now you know why. I have my priorities, health is one!

It took a few weeks of thinking on the part of some dunce-like state attorneys, but they’ve decided not to charge a 1o-year old girl with any crime. What did she do? She brought a steak knife to school? What did she do with it? No, she didn’t threaten a teacher. No, she wasn’t using it to carve her initials in a desk. No, she didn’t wave it at fellow students? Well, then what? Oh, she used it to cut up the steak which she brought from home for lunch. Wow, is that what a steak knife can be used for, to cut steak?

So, some overzealous teacher, administrators, local official, police, and attorneys got involved. Did they do the sensible thing–tell her that the steak knife was inappropirate, confiscate it, and maybe call her parents? Perhaps a bit of detention for not thinking this through clearly? Oh no, not in Ocala, in Marion county in Central Florida. They called the cops who arrested her and charged here with a felony.

She was using a steak knife to cut her steak, for crying out loud.

The stupidity and lack of common sense among the teachers, administrators, and police there is absolutely astounding. If I had a child in those schoools, I’d be thinking of finding an alternative.

A good kid who’s not a trouble maker and in all reports is a model student does something a bit dumb and gets traumatized by our so-called legal system. What a crock of you-know-what. 

Stupidity is ramant in society, and here’s another example. And now, finally, weeks later, someone in the State’s Attorney’s office finally pulled their head out of their ass and made a sane decision. Finally. Weeks later. Whew!

Today is Thanksgiving Day, 2007. Have you taken a bit of time to think of the things you should be thankful for?

Life may not always seem even or fair. And it’s not. We often have to deal the hand we’re dealt. Different people grow up in different families, learn different things, have different customs. You may have a good work ethic because of your family–or not. You may have been taught honesty and integrity as a child–or not. Still, at least in this country, you do have the opportunity to learn these things, if you take it.

In the end, you have only yourself to ultimately thank or blame for your lot in life. The newspapers are full of stories of those who are born into lowly circumstances with a seemingly huge wall of disadvantages facing them, and yet struggle and succeed in overcoming those disadvantage. What you have in life is what you’ve made of it.

Thus, this Thanksgiving day, what you have to be thankful for is, in large part, due to yourself. You’ve done it, you’ve earned it, and you’ve the right to give thanks.

So, I recommend you take a self-inventory today. Yes, you can be thankful for the “good” thinks life has given you. But, ultimately, whatever you make of life, you have yourself to thank or blame as the final arbiter. You’ve made your choices. I hope they’re good ones and give you lots to be thankful for. And where your choices have not been the best, you have opportunity for improvement…and maybe something new to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day 2008!

I was thinking about my Grandpa today, Grandpa Szczech, my Mom’s father. I remember him telling stories of his days as a lumberjack–mostly stories about the mischief they got into, fights, and the like, rowdy times.

But I was also thinking of him because I chopped down a tree today. I remember working in the woods with my Grandpa, watching him, amazed at how he could use an axe or a chainsaw and drop a tree right where he wanted it.

I didn’t use an axe, opting for a chainsaw. And I used a rope to help guide the tree, since I was doing this all alone. But I did manage to drop the tree right where it needed to go–and not on top of me, either. Grandpa would have been proud. Of course, I’m sure he could have done it faster and better, but he had a lot of practice.

Yes, I learned a lot of things from spending time with him, and this was just one. It’s a good memory.

No, I’m not an ex-nun. (bad joke there, I know).

 I’ve gotten out of the habbit of writing in my blog. I often think of things that get me excited for one reason or another…. politics…. news stories…. stupidity in goverment (but I repeat myself there)… and more. But lately I just have not taken the time to write it down.

I resolve now to write it down! Just like this post. In true Seinfeld fashion, a blog can be about nothing–and still, I imagine, be successful. So be it resolved, I will blog more often, even when about nothing.

There, I just did it!

Today is Memorial Day. In the past, it was called Decoration Day, because it was a day to remember and decorate the graves of those soldiers who gave their lives for our country. It was also a day where people visited other graves of their ancestors as well, and laid wreaths, flowers, and gave other tributes.

My ancestors have been in this country since 1886 at the earliest, as far as I know, with the arrival of my grandfather at the ripe old age of 6! Other ancestors came later, some as late as the the first decade of the 1900s. I am not sure if any of them served in World War I. None that I recall. But a number of them have served in the armed forces since, including service in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. I am proud, very proud, of all my ancestors and relatives who’ve served in the armed forces. My father is a veteran of the Korean Conflict. One uncle served in Vietnam, another in the Navy in World War II, another uncle in the Pacific–he’s a survivor of some of the most brutal fighting ever and never talks about it. An aunt served in World War II. And others have served in “peacetime,” too.

My great uncle, Andrew Szczech, gave his life for our country in Normandy, France, in 1944. He was 23.

Today I remember all those brave people decendants of some poor Polish immigrants who came to this country seeking a better place for their families. They found it. And some have paid the price for the great freedoms we enjoy. And perhaps in the future, others will pay that same price, all to ensure our freedom. I hope we never take it for granted.

We have a weekly staff meeting with my boss and part of my team. We have projects were working on an various things for discussion. At the end there’s a round-table–we go around and everyone has a chance to bring up topics. Finally, at the end, he asks if there’s any do-overs. In other words, something forgotten, passed by, or needing more discussion.

Life is not like that. We live the road we’ve traveled, and it’s pointless to wonder “what if” I had the chance to do it over. What if I had taken this turn instead of that? What if….

I watched a 1973 movie called “That Certain Summer” last night. I never saw it before. But I wonder, what would I have done, how would it have affected my life, if I had seen this in 1973. At the time, I was a ‘wet behind the ears’ college student, not really understanding who I was or where I was going in life. When I look back, I can’t help but wonder, “what if I’d seen this film….” But, live has no do-overs. What about the film? Look it up!