Jack LaLanne

2011 started with what has become a tradition in my school, 1000 pushups and 1000 sit ups coupled with a caloric intake limit of 1000. I find it sets a strong tone for the entire year when you start it off with a big act of discipline. The swelling in my elbows has not receded permanently like I had hoped, so I had to stop at 650 pushups and make up the difference on the exercise bike.

For me, at least when I am healthy, 1000 pushups is not a big deal since I have been doing 150/day for a few years now and when I tackle a day of 1000, I always spread it out over 10 hours. Sure there is a little soreness the next day but nothing like I would experience if I did not have my daily regime.

I have been reading up on Jack LaLanne this past week after seeing a video of him from the 50’s. His way of thinking back then was progressive for the times and is very pertinent today. I noticed that at the age 42, Jack LaLanne completed 1000 pushups on television in 23 minutes. 23 MINUTES! That makes my 1000 in 10 hours look completely lame. This guy’s accomplishments are amazing and according to Wikipedia, include:

• 1954 (age 40): swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, underwater, with 140 pounds (64 kg; 10 st) of equipment, including two air tanks. A world record.
• 1955 (age 41): swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco while handcuffed. When interviewed afterwards he was quoted as saying that the worst thing about the ordeal was being handcuffed, which reduced his chance to Star Jump significantly.
• 1956 (age 42): set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on You Asked For It, a television program with Art Baker.
• 1957 (age 43): swam the Golden Gate channel while towing a 2,500-pound (1,100 kg; 180 st) cabin cruiser. The swift ocean currents turned this one-mile (1.6 km) swim into a swimming distance of 6.5 miles (10.5 km).
• 1958 (age 44): maneuvered a paddleboard nonstop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore. The 30-mile (48 km) trip took 9.5 hours.
• 1959 (age 45): did 1,000 star jumps and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hour, 22 minutes and The Jack LaLanne Show went nationwide.
• 1974 (age 60): For the second time, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman's Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000-pound (450 kg; 71 st) boat.
• 1975 (age 61): Repeating his performance of 21 years earlier, he again swam the entire length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater and handcuffed, but this time he was shackled and towed a 1,000-pound (450 kg; 71 st) boat.
• 1976 (age 62): To commemorate the "Spirit of '76", United States Bicentennial, he swam one mile (1.6 km) in Long Beach Harbor. He was handcuffed and shackled, and he towed 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.
• 1979 (age 65): towed 65 boats in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan. He was handcuffed and shackled, and the boats were filled with 6,500 pounds (2,900 kg; 460 st) of Louisiana Pacific wood pulp.[19]
• 1980 (age 66): towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida. The boats carried 77 people, and he towed them for over one mile (1.6 km) in less than one hour.
• 1994 (age 80): Once again handcuffed and shackled, he fought strong winds and currents as he swam 1.5 miles (2.4 km) while towing 80 boats with 80 people from the Queensway Bay Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary.

I’m definitely going to have to ramp up my training.

"I cannot afford to die, it will ruin my image." - Jack LaLanne (b. 1914)

Debt Makes the World Go 'Round

Almost all of our religious holidays have been hijacked by consumerism. This Christmas season is sure to see the majority of people taking on more personal debt. Canadians owe $1.47 for every dollar of disposable income. Credit card companies charge loan shark interest rates. Our economy relies upon our conspicuous consumption to roll along. With our resources quickly running out, it is obvious that something has to change drastically because our current strategy is not sustainable.

When you consider the how much money the credit card companies are charging for interest, it is easy to see who is paying the ultimate price. Most lower income families have to resort to using their credit card whenever any extraordinary household expense pops up. Since they’re already living from paycheque to paycheque (60% of Canadians do), they have to carry that credit card balance. The high interest rate they are paying guarantees longterm debt for them and record profits for the the credit card companies.

I’m not sure how to fix a system that continues to rely upon the underprivileged to maintain it unless we can convince people to redefine their definition of quality of life to represent their happiness, not what they own.

“The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other. It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich. Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied... but written off as trash. The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing.” - John Berger (b. 1926)

Let It Snow

We’ve been digging ourselves out all week from the biggest snowfall we have had so far this year. Last Wednesday marked the first time I have ever had to cancel classes due to the weather. One of the highways was completely closed making it nearly impossible, not to mention incredibly dangerous, for anyone to get to the school.

Winter is an awesome season. I know some don’t share my enthusiasm for the local climate this time of year but I find that the more time I spend outdoors experiencing the weather, the more I enjoy it. I can understand how the short days can become oppressive if you are augmenting them by shutting yourself indoors for five months so my advice is always to dress appropriately and spend some time outside.

If you started your day like I did yesterday you would understand exactly what I mean. There was fresh snow on the ground first thing in the morning and with the massive snowfall we had earlier in the week, everything was completely covered under a thick blanket of the white stuff. The silence that comes with all that snow was absolutely deafening. I stood perfectly still and just experienced the moment. That is definitely something that cannot be experienced any other time of year. Stay inside and you would never know what you had missed.

Winter solstice is in two days. This year will be the first time in over four hundred and fifty years that a lunar eclipse will coincide with the solstice. If the weather is clear, I am getting up at 3:17 am to experience the event. They say the phenomena should display the most fantastic coppery glow on the winter landscape. Regardless, the days start getting longer on Wednesday so enjoy what there is to experience before winter is gone.

“People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.” - Anton Chekov (1860 -1904)

I Like To Wear Pumpkins On My Feet

As I watch my newest cat watch me watching him, I can’t help but smile at the serendipitous opportunities life continues to throw at me. Milo, the cat I am currently losing a staring contest with, has been gaining strength and weight everyday since I adopted him a month ago. The vet estimates his age to be about 17 or 18 years old and in his emaciated state, he looks every second of it. He wasn’t expected to live more than a few weeks but as things are going now, I am pretty sure I will be sharing Christmas with him and maybe a good part of 2011.

Milo’s Christmas gift to me has been the gift of perspective. He clearly accepts everything life throws his way and he makes the best of every moment he has. As with any cat, he doesn’t really convey gratitude and acts as if he decided to adopt me and let me feed and care for him. I have to respect his unshakeable confidence and his faith in the good of man.

I am inspired.

“Bunny slippers remind me of who I am. You can't get a swelled head if you wear bunny slippers. You can't lose your sense of perspective and start acting like a star or a rich lady if you keep on wearing bunny slippers. Besides, bunny slippers give me confidence because they're so jaunty. They make a statement; they say, 'Nothing the world does to me can ever get me so far down that I can't be silly and frivolous.' If I died and found myself in Hell, I could endure the place if I had bunny slippers.” - Dean Koontz (b. 1945)

No Impact Man

I have learned a lot about the environment and the interconnectedness of everything from David Suzuki. His ability to convey complex ideas in layman terms has gone a long way to educate the masses about environmental issues. David Suzuki is 74 years of age and I am concerned about the void that will need to be filled when he passes on.

I have been following Colin Beavan’s No Impact Man project for a few years now and I believe he, and others like him, can lead the charge in convincing the masses to consider the consequences of our lifestyles. His latest blog on the No Impact Man project offers solid advice and guidance on how the rest of us can positively engage others in discussions about climate change.

As long as someone is always carrying the torch there is always hope.

“What I do matters. It affects how other people act. The choices we make in life affects the choices of everyone else.” - Colin Beavan

Big Finish

As UBBT 7 winds down into its final month, I have given all my Student UBBT Members a final journaling assignment to write about their UBBT experience. There is still a significant portion of UBBT 7 left but I always assign this task at this time of year for a reason. No matter how the test has gone, you will always remember how you finish. This will go a long way to help you recognize the path to mastery.

It is important to reflect upon the entire year in order to truly appreciate the scope of the journey and it is my belief that upon reflection there will be evidence of growth no matter how poorly the year went. The great thing about the UBBT is the fact that it is a process as opposed to a program and if you recognize this, there is no such thing as failure.

It is impossible to judge anyone else’s experience. My respect for anyone who steps up and attempts to improve themselves and the world around them is absolute. I am proud of everyone that has ever taken on this challenge.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” - Woody Allen (b. 1935)

Gratitude

As the year is winding down I have been reflecting upon the past 11 months and giving thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon me this year. I recognize that my pursuit of mastery has led to a lot of personal growth and has kept me on the path to a life of consequence.

As I get older, and hopefully wiser, the value I place upon personal relationships grows. I have come to recognize that the quality of my life is directly proportional to the quality of the people I am surrounded with. I am definitely blessed to have so many people of quality who I trust in my life.

No matter what is going on in your life, stress is always more manageable if you have people you trust to turn to. Trust. There is a lot to be said about trust. It takes a lot to earn but next to nothing to lose.

I have learned to keep the value of trust in front of me and my goal for the next year is to ensure my actions and words bring value to those around me and never betray the trust I hope to earn.

“We're never so vulnerable than when we trust someone - but paradoxically, if we cannot trust, neither can we find love or joy” - Walter Anderson (1903 - 1965)