Photo
This picture is of my son Aaron on a trip to the Glassboro Fire Department. Happy Birthday buddy!

Motivational Quote
"Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve! " ~ Andrew Carnegie

Health Status
This morning was my weigh-in. After gaining two pounds over the Holidays, my goal was to return to my pre-Holiday weight (lose 2 pounds). I weighed in at 242 which means that I lost an extra pound on top of my goal, so that felt pretty good. Overall, I am feeling well. I have a little neck stiffness ... I think from the stress of returning to work . Anyway, I plan to get out today and walk around our work complex around lunch time. That reminds me that our work campus is now smoke free which is a blessing. The smokers usually stand right outside the door so anytime you come in our out of the building you run right into a cloud of smoke. I won't have to worry about that now.

Couch to 5k, Week 3 Day 3
I will be doing W3D3 tomorrow at the gym. I plan to jog a little over the weekend and then start week 4 on Monday.

Week 3 Stats:
Day 1 ~ 40 min. total, 2.90 miles, 468 calories, avg. pace: 13:48 min/mile, avg. speed: 4.35 miles/hr
Day 2 ~ 40 min. total, 3.00 miles, 491 calories, avg. pace: 13:20 min/mile, avg. speed: 4.50 miles/hr

Miscellaneous Ramblings
Happy Birthday Aaron
My son Aaron just turned 5 today. Aaron is my youngest son. I got to spend some time alone with him while my wife and two other children were at church. We played PS2 (SSX3 and SSX Tricky) for some of the night and then we sat and watched some TV and ate a little Edy's Slow Churned Cookies and Cream Ice Cream together. When I first got home he wanted me to put one of those temporary tattoos on him, so I did. He thought he was a cool dude. Much love and Happy Birthday to my son Aaron!

16 Best Healing Herbs to Keep On Hand
I just the latest issue of Herbs For Health in the mail yesterday and there was an article in there I thought I'd share. It was a listing of the top 16 herbs you should keep on hand for various situations.
1. Aloe Plant ~ for minor burns and cuts
2. Black Cohosh ~ for hot flashes (I don't need this one )
3. Chamomile ~ for indigestion and relaxation
4. Cranberry ~ to prevent urinary tract infections
5. Echinacea ~ to help fight off colds
6. Flaxseed ~ for the prevention of osteoporosis and heart disease & for menopausal discomforts
7. Garlic ~ for cholesterol control and cancer prevention
8. Ginger ~ for nausea
9. Horse Chestnut ~ for varicose veins
10. Milk Thistle ~ for liver health
11. Peppermint ~ for indigestion
12. St. John's Wort ~ for mild depression
13. Saw Palmetto ~ for healthy prostate
14. Tea ~ for heart health and cancer prevention (Green Tea seems to be the best to drink)
15. Valerian ~ for insomnia
16. Vitex ~ for PMS (does it help guys when their wives have PMS? )

I've tried 10 out of the 16 listed above and while some have long term health benefits which are unseen at present (i.e. flaxseed, tea), herbs like aloe, valerian, ginger and echinacea have had noticable benefits on my health.

YOU on a Diet show
I was watching Discovery Health last night which is a channel that I forgot I had and I saw a show called YOU on a diet. The show is based on a popular new book written by two doctors. One of their main points was that your waist line is a better determiner of health than your weight. They recommend that men should have a waist line at or below 35 inches and women should have a waist line at or below 32 inches. They went through basic nutrition (like you would find in CKU) and exercise (core strength) and recommended that you take 10,000 steps a day. One of the powerful things was that in order to motivate one of the clients (a teenage girl) the doctors were working with, they showed her an actual heart that had hardened arteries and plaque build up and had her compair the feeling of it with a healthy heart. The difference was amazing. You never realize what you are doing to the inside of your body by not eating healthy. I would definitely recommend this show to people starting out on a journey to better health.

"That's all I have to say about that." ~ Forrest Gump

Habit Tracking Mon-->Sun
8x8 Water - 3/7 days
Green Tea - 2/7 days
Fiber over 25g - 2/7 days

Random Fact Sheet
-- I went to Christian school when I was younger (K-3) and then transferred into public school for 4th grade. It was a hard transition, but after a few days I made some new friends. My Mom was my 3rd grade teacher in Christian school. Boy was that rough I remember one day she mistakenly put up an incorrect answer on the board and I corrected her ... followed by me saying "dummy!" or something smart like that. She sent me out in the hall and I started crying like a big baby. Good times!
-- As you may have gathered by my rambling above I have a strong interest in how nature (plants and herbs) plays a part in human health and healing. I have a desire to pursue a certification as a Master Herbalist. Please note that I'm not saying that herbs are the cure-all, but I have seen their positive effect in my own life and wish to share this information with others.
-- I don't like wearing jewelry (unlike my wife ). The only piece I wear daily is my wedding ring.