Time Is Not On My Side

I want to lose weight. At this point in my life I have a few factors working against me in my expressed desire. First, my age and all of the wonderful things that happens when you hit your thirties like the slowing of the metabolism. Second, the bad habits I have adopted, like not eating health foods and over eating. Now just those two are hard enough for me, but I have t another even more challenging problem. Time is not on my side. It is not just that I get older every day, which, by the way, so do you. It is that I am a husband, a father, I have duties to attend to for church, I work full time and go to college fulltime. I do not have the option of stopping these equally benevolent activities. So the question became how continue the activities I am currently engaged in and add some health exercise?

The odds are against me if I do not make some change. Medical professionals have offered new medications to help with the side effects of our unhealthy lifestyles with little to no documented success.

"As reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine, statins have not decreased death rates from initial heart attacks among prescribed patients in the US however according to the American Heart Association a healthy lifestyle coupled with 10,000 steps per day would reduce the rate of initial heart attacks in this country by 90%." (http://talk.news-medical.net/profiles/blogs/statins-not-nearly-as, 2010/08/09)

"Each month there are new medical studies illustrating that magical cures that over-ride the need to move throughout the day and eat a healthy diet are ineffective at best and often dangerous to health," reports Steve Bordley CEO of TrekDesk.com, a treadmill desk manufacturer, "this most recent report calls into question the effectiveness of statins, a multi-billion dollar channel within the drug industry." (TrekDesk.com, 2010/08/03)

Statins are a medication used to treat heart problems by reducing cholesterol in the blood stream. (www.medicinenet.com, 2010/08/05)

The facts all point to the best plan is to exercise, eat health foods and keep portion sizes under control. There are many fad diet plans available to consumers, available for a price. The healthiest and safest way to go is to avoid expensive, quick weigh loss programs and just walk it out or work it out.

"No one makes any money telling people that their lives are dependent upon walking 10,000 steps a day so naturally it is not promoted but our inactivity and sedentary lifestyles have pushed this nation into an obesity epidemic with grave effects on many fronts, it is time to sound the alarm and initiate programs to combat this challenge." (http://www.treadmill-desk.com/2010/08/01)

According to a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health American's top two reasons for not exercising are lack of time and lack of motivation. Treadmill desks remove these barriers and have been shown to be an effective tool allowing employees to achieve the minimum suggested thresholds of 10,000 daily steps in as little as three hours at the office. Walking at slow speeds without sweating, employees are able to accomplish any task they could perform at a regular desk while enhancing their health and productivity. Weight loss comes along as an added benefit.

Treadmill desks are currently in use by major corporations across America and have been shown to increase productivity, boost mood, assist in weight loss, prevent disease and contribute to the company's bottom line."(www.TrekDesk.com,2010)

So if I cannot cease one of my duties to give me time to work out, maybe I can work out as I am discharging my duties. My co-worker has a treadmill in his office. His name is Lee (I call him Master Lee), and he has his treadmill set up including a very nice treadmill desk. I decided to do research on the pros and cons of using a treadmill desk and I discovered some interesting facts about humans. One source notes, "Our bodies were designed for constant movement, yet within the last 50 years Americans have become more sedentary than at any point in history. Historically high obesity rates, rising medical claims, and an increase in numerous diseases point to the growing severity of this problem. How can we move more when our jobs keep us shackled to an office chair? Treadmill desks offer a solution. " (Talk Medical, April 2009) By sitting at a desk 8 to 10 hours a day, we are behaving in contrary to our natural programming. "While we sit our bodies shut off the production of an enzyme known as Lipase, critical for burning fat. Calories meant to be burned by the muscles as fuel are stored instead in our adipose tissue (fat cells). Our metabolism and lymphatic systems slow as well making us more vulnerable to weight gain and disease." (Talk Medical, April 2009)

First, the pros: Along with the sedentary life style, most office works leads to the slowing of our metabolisms. Not to mention Mother Nature starts to slow down your metabolism when you hit your mid 30's. With the sedentary habits and Mother Nature working against the American office worker it is no wonder that America is obese. Walking on a treadmill for 8 hours a day at a low to moderate pace will help increase the metabolism. At a pace of 1 mph the average treadmill desk user walks 8 hours a day and lost 50 pounds in the first year.(www.trekdesk.com, 2010)

Next, the cons: Cost and work environment are big factors. Depending on how many meetings or customer contacts you have, you may want to consider having a change of clothing at work. I keep a business casual set in my office as well as toiletries. It was recommended to me by Master Lee, that I purchase 2 pairs of walking shoes. That way I could alternate shoes to let them air out. That keeps my workspace from acquiring a looker room smell. I found some Boy Scout pants that have zippers down past the knees, for the purpose of converting in to shorts. The material is lightweight making them perfect to walk in all day. Jean or slacks would wear out o fast and cost me tons of money in wardrobe. Next item recommend to have was a nice fan. This is to keep you from sweating too much, thus helping with the looker room effect. My employer is very supportive of this activity. He said that we should start an office pool based on my progress.


This desk retails for about $400.00. I need to add one other challenge to my list of challenges. I do not have much money to make this happen. But, I do have a treadmill at home; so with the help of a friend, I got it to my office. Thanks for the team lifting help, Carrington. Now the dilemma was how to get my desk up high enough for me to walk and work? Well, a shelf to hold my monitor was a partial fix. Next, I needed a way to set up my laptop, telephone, keyboard, mouse and other desk area items. Also, this area needed to not only hold these items, but also keep them functional. If I am to stick to using my treadmill desktop, I will need to be comfortable. So I went to Home Depot for some ideas and help. After 20 minutes, I had 2 shelves, 2 clamps and a great idea. The next day, I assembled my desk and was on my way.

My quest to loose weight has just begun. The costs so far: 4 pairs of Boy Scout pants/shorts $20.00, Home Depot materials $60.00 and good cross trainers $30.00 for a grand total of $110.00. There where a few thing like the fan and treadmill, that I already owned. Ultimately, I have my plan to work and work out at the same time. As for personal weight loss goal, I am going to lose 80 pounds over the next 18 months. Mother Nature and sedentary lifestyle are both in for a fight. Armed with my homemade custom treadmill desk, I am ready to speed up my metabolism, decrease my chance for disease and an early death.
















Works Cited
"Treadmill Desk Comes to the Rescue of Growing Waistlines and Aching Backs – Tech Products & Geek News." Geek.com. Web. 16 Aug. 2010. .
Treadmill Desk from TrekDesk. Web. 5 Aug. 2010. .
"Treadmill Desk: Top 52 Reasons You Need One - Talk Medical." Talk Medical - a Social Network from News-Medical.Net. Web. 05 Aug. 2010. .
Treadmill Desk. Web. 4 Aug. 2010. .

University of Utah verse Brigham Young University: Just the Facts

Brigham Young University and University of Utah football programs have had many successes over the years. The rivalry between these two schools is one of the country's oldest and is fiercely competitive. Fans from both sides argue over which university has the edge over the other. After carefully considering the facts on this highly debated issue, I have concluded that BYU is in fact the superior college football program. The accolades won by BYU players and staff both at the collegiate level and in the ranks of the National Football League are unmatched by the players and staff representing U of U. Many will argue that U of U has the upper hand in the Deseret Duel. The Utes boasting what they claim is a 53 wins, 34 losses and 4 ties against BYA/BYU since the start of this ardent battle in 1869. From BYU's standpoint, the series started in 1922 and currently stands at 31 wins, 50 losses and 4 ties with the BYU Cougars being 25-12 since 1972. Fans and the schools themselves even agree on when this bragging rights brawl started. Having an outside prospective, meaning my loyalty is not with either of these fine institutions, my conclusion is based solely on performance

University of Utah dominated the head to head competition from 1922 to 1972. Furthermore, the Utes have appeared in and won 2 recent BCS bowl games. The first win was the 2005 Fiesta Bowl vs. the University of Pittsburgh. In 2009 U of U defeated Alabama's Crimson Tide. This is the final year they will compete in the Mountain West Conference. Next year they will join the PAC 10. Since the program began in 1892, Utah has 24 conference championships won in 5 different conferences. They tout a record of 605 wins, 420 losses and 31 ties, including a bowl game record of 12 wins with just 3 losses. That bowl game record currently is the highest in the country of teams with at least 10 bowl appearances. They are undefeated in their last 9 bowl appearances. Yet another accolade for the Utes is the longest active bowl game-winning streak. Finally, the U of U has produced 108 NFL players, including Coach George Seifert of the Super Bowl winning San Francisco 49ers.

Quite the resume for a non-BCS team and after reading all of this, you may ask how do former Utes do in the NFL? Well the college success ends in college for most of them. With a handful of University of Utah Alumni making it to the Super Bowl but no ring bearers as of yet, except for the aforementioned George Seifert. Jim Fossil did coach the Utes from 1985 to 1989, giving U of U one Super Bowl winner from the coaching staff.

Are you curious about the productivity of the Cougar’s? BYU has a National Championship (in 1984) and a Heisman Trophy winner (Ty Detmer in 1990). Note worthy Heisman finalist include Marc Wilson (3rd in 1979), Jim McMahon (5th in 1980, 3rd in 1981), Steve Young (2nd in 1983), Robbie Bosco (3rd in 1984 and 1985), Ty Detmer (Winner in 1990, 3rd in 1991), and Max Hall (10th in 2009). Luke Staley delivered the first Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's best running back, in BYU Football history. The Davey O'Brien Award is presented to the best quarterback in the country. Four times a BYU snap caller has captured this award and no other school can make that claim: Jim McMahon, Steven Young and the two-time winner Ty Detmer. Twice the Outland Trophy was awarded to BYU interior lineman: in 1986 Jason Buck, then another in 1989 Mohammed Elowonibi. Dennis Pitta gave the Cougars their first Elite Tight End Trophy in 2009. Over the years, seven BYU quarterbacks were voted the nation's best passer; Gary Sheide (1974), Marc Wilson (1979), Jim McMahon (1981), Steve Young (1983), Robbie Bosco (1984), and Ty Detmer (1991) and Steve Sarkisian (1996). The players are not the only Cougars winning accolades; LaVell Edwards won the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 2003, the AFCA Coach of the Year Award in 1984 and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award in 1979. To top off the list of awards, accolades and bragging rights, BYU has 6 College Football Hall of Fame inductees; quarterbacks Gifford Nielsen (1994), Marc Wilson (1996), Jim McMahon (1999), Steve Young (2001), tight end Gordon Hudson (2009) and Head Coach LaVell Edwards. The Cougars have won 23 conference championships. They have 10 win, 17 losses and one tie in their 28 bowl appearances.

A very impressive history, yet the question remains how do BYU players and coaches fare in the NFL? Brigham Young University produced 167 NFL players, 10 Cougar's are Super Bowl Champions, and 3 have earned multiple wins. Yes, 2 former BYU coaches have won the Big Game also Brian Billick (2001), Mike Holmgren (1997). Andy Reid was the APA Head Coach of the Year in 2002

The measure of a successful college is in the productivity of the graduates. Brigham Young University and University of Utah both have outstanding programs. This old rivalry is good for college football. That competition reverberates through out the ranks of the NCAA to the NFL and shows BYU players and staff performance surpasses that of their rival Deseret Battler in NCAA and in the NFL

I Believe in God

I believe in God. He is the Grand Architect of the Universe. Life would not make any sense to me with out Him. People have tried for years to explain away the events both natural and caused by man's deeds with science alone or myths and legends. Details are always missing in the story or matters not explained. These matters are usually dismissed. On the Discovery Channel, a program attempted to explain miracles form the Bible with just science. Basically the program claimed the miracles were just naturally occurring events that happened solely to nature. So, in that exact moment the Israelites needed passage across the Red Sea science said the puzzle pieces just happen to fall in place.

Take a 6-piece puzzle and shake all of the parts up while still in the box. Now open the box up. You will find pieces in all sort of unorganized positions. Feel free to repeat as often as you like. How many attempts would you guess it would require opening the box and seeing the puzzle arranged in its correct order? Apply this same principle to a larger puzzle, 100 pieces, and 1000 piece, maybe a 100,000-piece puzzle. Look at the Earth. Some scientists believe that matter just combined and formed the planet. Remember the puzzle pieces in the box? Yes, some scientist say it works just that way, and not once but countless times across the known and unknown universe. This, they say, was accomplished with matter found randomly, that randomly happened to crash into each other at the precise moment it was needed. Want to try the puzzle in the box trick again? But this time, let us make it a more accurate test. We will attempt at puzzle with 5 trillion pieces. I can just imagine the scientist or non-believers that attempt the puzzle in the box test. They are shaking their boxes and then viewing the contents with a new failure over and over again. Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over yet expecting different result. He was a scientist who believed in God. This belief in God grew from his knowledge of natures and science. Not all scientists agree with Mr. Einstein. In my mind's eye, I can see them dismissing the results with worldly rhetoric and exclaiming, "My God, this is heavy?" after a few thousand failed tries. I think some scientists believe that God must be mystical. That being said, God must be the opposite of science. I believe God works using the laws of science, just on a much higher level.
Do you still some doubts? Get your box and puzzles ready, on my count we shall start shaking, 1... 2 ... 3... Well, you all go ahead. I already know how this turns out. No matter how you try to break the universe down into explanations or theories, there will always be some missing puzzle pieces. Maybe they will be slightly out of place, or may even be way off, but some how some way things will just not add up. You may call it faith. I, however, know it is fact. Man has never been able to fully explain the nature of the universe with science, myth or legends, unless they include God. He is the Eternal Father, Master and Architect of the Universe.

I submitted this essay to www.thisIbelieve.com

2008 Election and Hulk Hogan

I did not vote in the last Presidential Election because I did not feel either candidate was good for our country. Really that is not a good reason not to vote. I was just disgruntled with our political process. There were only a few candidates from either party that spoke and actually made any sense to me. As the election process dredged on, I witness more and more expensive parlor tricks and not any real substance. The last two candidates from the major parties were not people I felt had the ethics and knowledge to lead the country back to financial and moral stability. The drama reminded me more of a high school election than a Presidential Election. There was name-calling, lying, cheating, religious discrimination, racial under tones and even age discrimination to name a few of the dirty tactics. More of the national stage time was taken up by these “Jerry Springer – like” side show antics then by the real issues. When the issues were addressed still these high school musical song and dances would commence. Maybe this was amusing or fun for some, I however was not entertained. The reality of what the office of the President of the United States stands for and the amount of responsibility that accompanies the job is above the childish action of some of the candidates and their affiliates.

To illustrate my point Mike Huckabee, the current host of Fox News Channel’s Huckabee talk show, began to bring up Mormon doctrine while debating Mitt Romney. The doctrine in question is not the issue, but the fact that Mr. Huckabee did not agree with it was his point. He was grand standing to rally other people that do not believe as Mr. Romney. Mr. Huckabee could have very well just said hey let’s all make fun of the Mormon. As I watched this blatant ad hominem illogical fallacy, I was very disappointed in this action. Why would a man who claims to be a follower of Christ act in such a manner? This man was running to be the President of the United States of America and he failed to handle himself in a respectful manner during a debate. If Mr. Huckabee was to be elected we could only expect the same type of behavior with foreign dignitaries of different religious backgrounds. Maybe he would quote a line penned by Chuck D of the rap group Public Enemy,” Crucifixion ain’t no fiction” while dinning with the Israeli Prime Minister, maybe just to open a dialog.

The unprecedented celebrity endorsement push for all of the candidates was quite a spectacle and distraction from the real issues. Marla Maples, Donald Trump’s ex wife, endorsed Hillary Clinton. Jenna Jameson, Jerry Springer, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Ron Howard, America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, Fran Drescher, John Grisham and Magic Johnson, Sally Field, Bradley Whitford and Christine Lahti. Gene Wilder, Oprah Winfrey, Robert DeNiro, Kerry Washington, Usher, Chris Rock, Brendan Routh, Kate Walsh, Kal Penn, Tate Donovan, Forest Whitaker, Enrique Marciano, Ed Norton, Scarlett Johansson and Alfre Woodard. I am aware that actors and sports heroes have backed candidates in the past. This was just too over the top. As this parade of stars smiled and waved to the crowd and the crowd just forgot about the challenges we face as a nation.

This last election was too much of a show and not enough substance for my taste. From behavior unworthy of men who influence so many to voting with the stars, the 2008 Presidential Election was quite a menagerie. Our President is supposed to be a person of high moral fiber and integrity. Presidential hopefuls dangled star power in front of the masses looking to make the election a popularity contest. Still, I should have voted for Hulk Hogan, he is my favorite write in candidate.

I have an Idea

The American people are over burdened with taxes, fees and cumbersome government processes. We are constantly carrying the enormous weight of our elected government official’s lofty lives. This needs to change! Really, we need to go back to how things were originally set up by our Founding Fathers. Before the birth of big business interest groups and overtly greedy Politian, the Founding Father agreed that government serves was just that, service. Thus, public servants were the exorbitant salaries and benefits to discharge their sworn duties. We The People should not be burdened by the weight of our government officials.

The current salary for a House and Senate member is $174,000.00 per year. To the credit of the member of both houses, Congressmen can choose to decline raises and some of them do. There are 530 elected officials, multiplied by $174,000.00 per year, plus $193,400 per both sets of Majority and Minority Party Leaders and $223,500 for the Speaker of the House, that equals a whopping 93,217,100.00 burden place on the backs of the Citizens of this Great Nation annually. In addition to that 93 million, We The People shoulder another burden. Every time there is a congressional pay raise federal judges and senior government officials also receive a raise. Also, generously We The People grant our hard working elected officials a COLA or cost-of-living-adjustment.

The financial strain that Congressional personnel place on the American people does not end with their salaries. What is a job with out benefits? Before 1984, neither congressmen nor any other federal civil workers paid Social Security. In lieu of Social Security another program called Civil Service Retirement. So until 1984 they did not pay nor draw benefits from Social Security. Since 1984, federal employees and congress members have had the Federal Employee’s Retirement System. This system is funded by a 1.3 percent tax on the participant’s pay the rest is funded by the American people. Only 6.2 percent of the participants pay is taxed for Social Security. At the age of 50 congress members are eligible to draw a pension if they have completed 20 years of service. After 25 years of service they are eligible with no age restriction. Once a congressman has served 5 years and reaches the age of 62 they can draw their pension. The amount of the pension is determined by number of years served and the average of the highest 3 years of salary. The Law states that no retirement annuity is to be greater that 80% of their final salary. If one of these beneficiaries passes away, their surviving family members can receive the benefits and the COLA.

These figures do not include health benefits, travel expenses, lodging expenses, their staff’s salaries and benefits. We The People are paying too much to keep our government working. Our government should be working for us.

How did this all get so out of control? We have a rich history that we allow laws to be passed during times of turmoil bring these lucrative changes. In the days of our Founding Fathers (1789 to 1855) Congressmen were paid a daily per diem of $6.00. The only exception to that was from December 1815 to March 1817 when they received an annual salary of $1,500.00. The first pay raise was temporarily in place after the war of 1812. While the Constitutional Convention was in session, Benjamin Franklin proposed that elected officials should not be paid at all. Mr. Franklin believed service was the duty of every educated man with the means to serve. In 1854, the country was put into a fear-induced frenzy over the immigration of German and Irish Catholic immigrants. Then in 1855, the pay for congressmen changed from $6.00 a day to $3000.00 a year. The people perceive a threat, action is called for and before the crisis has ended, and congress gets a raise. This process repeats and repeats, thus bring us to present day.

From $6.00 a day to a staring annual compensation of $223,500.00 plus benefits Congress has COLA the American people out of our hard earned money. We The People are being bled dry by our government by being taxed, fees assessed and processes drawn out to get us to pay even more. Our Founding Father should have listened to Benjamin Franklin. The situation is well with in out power to fix. We The People need to stop paying our government so generously and focus on the needs of the people. Our government was set up for the to service the needs of our great country. Congress needs to cut their wages and benefits by 75% to ease the burdens of the American people. That is a $69,912,825.00 tax break annually on just their pay alone. We have allowed this process to continue far too long. $70 million plus benefit reduction can boost our economy by not draining it to begin with.

FYI. I sent this to Orrin Hatch. Let's see if he writes back.