And that’s just what they’ll do…

A long, long, long time ago, in Eric Years anyhow, I was diagnosed with Diabetes… this was back in April of 2005.  I remember the day.  It was “Donut Day” at work and I’d just had about my 20th donut (slight exaggeration for hyperbolic effect) when I started having chest pains.  I’ve been no stranger to chest pains since 1999, but these seemed just a little worse than usual.  So, a friend drove me to the hospital. My heart, as is always the case, was fine, but the doctors suggested I see my personal physician about getting checked for diabetes.  And that is enough of THAT story… I serve it up here for the sole purpose of setting up what follows!

One of the recommendations that came about as a result of “Diabetes Awareness Classes” that my MD sent me to was the importance of losing weight, and getting good exercise.  It was at this class that I was introduced to the “10,000 Step Program”.  I say that as if there is but one such program… there isn’t.  Google “10000 Step Program” and you’ll see that everyone has one.

The concept is simple really… anything is better than sitting around watching TV.  So, go buy yourself a cheap little pedometer, and clip it to your belt.  You can find them for as little as $5.00.  Put it on each morning, and each night before you go to bed record the number of steps you took that day.   At the end of the first week, take all those steps and get an average.  (So, look at this little table for an example of how to get an average:)

First of all, the individual walking those steps is NOT a couch potato.  But he’s close to one!  Assuming you have a 2.5 foot pace (the distance between the toe of your right foot and the heel of your left foot when both are on the ground while walking) then 2112 paces, or steps, is equal to 1 mile.  For the purpose of the 10k step program, we say 2000 steps is 1 mile… and therefore 10000 steps is 5 miles.

Okay, then, take that 2,609 average step and round it up to the nearest 500, in this case, 3000 steps.  This is your goal.  Each day during week 2, try to walk at least 3000 steps EVERY DAY… no averages this time.

The next week, add 500 steps (3,500) and that is your target goal for that week.

If you’re really out of shape, not in to walking, then set milder goals… or strive for a single goal for a longer period.  You might, if you are the guy that walked those sample steps up there in my table, set a goal of 3000 steps per day for a whole month, and then move up to 3500 for the next month.

Back to my story.  In 2005, I began the 10000 step program, and my average steps weren’t too far off those of the sample I just cited.  On the day I was diagnosed with diabetes, I weighed in at 249 pounds.  I set my goals low, and for a month at a time.  My goal was to get to 5000 steps by end of summer.  I found the more I walked the more I WANTED to walk.  And soon, I was a walking fool!  By mid-October, I was at 10000 steps a day, I was down to 200 pounds and things were going good.  (By the way, it wasn’t ONLY exercise that brought the weight down)

And then the midwest winter hit.  So I bought a treadmill.  Then “Treadmill Boredom” hit.  And from there on, my steps started going downhill.  I quit walking, for a bunch of reasons, and I really don’t remember most of them!  By 2009, I was back to being almost but not quite a couch potato.  My weight had crawled back to about 240.  I joined weight watchers, my weight dropped but I didn’t exercise more.  I dropped back to 220.  I got laid off, I quit Weight Watchers, I exercised a little more, and managed for the next year to keep my weight in the low 220s.

Just a note on the diabetes here.  It’s under great control, even when I eat foolishly.  My high numbers really don’t get in to dangerous territory… they approach, but they don’t make it.  On a high day my level 2 hours after eating is under 150, generally around 145.  High, but not dangerous.

Walking, walking… yes, back to topic.  In March I got a job in Downtown Omaha. Scott and I carpool… which means he drives me to 19th and Dodge and drops me off.  I then walk the 4 blocks to my office.  At lunch, to find food, I have to walk… there’s lots of good food in downtown Omaha and a walk can be anywhere from 1 block to 10.

After work… I get out of work at 4:30.  This is a mandated EOD for me.  Due to contracts and unions and such and the fact I’m a contractor for 2 more months, I am not allowed overtime.  And while I’m fine working an hour or two overtime every day with out reporting it… that’s a big no no… so I have to leave at 4:30… or the 8 hour mark.  (That’s why I’m writing this at noon on a Wednesday.  I worked 6 hours last Sunday, and 4 hours 2 Sundays before that, so I had to take a day off to get caught up!)  Scott gets off work at 5, and takes 25 minutes to get down town.  What to do?

I walk!  I’m back to participating in the 10000 Step Program.  I set a goal of 5000 steps a day for April.  In May, I’ll up that to either 6000 or 6500 steps a day.  That shouldn’t be too hard, as I’m close to that for April… and just yesterday I put in 10,075 steps!  I’m loving it!

So there you are.  That’s what’s going on in my life.

Now, here’s my challenge to you all!  Who wants to join me for a “Community Challenge”?  The idea is, as many people as email me or make a comment (it has to be approved by me, which means I have to know who you are) I’ll take that number, and we’ll set an arbitrary “Community Steps” count… say, if 10 people sign up, we’ll set a target of 500,000 paces by September 1.  Everyone will email me their daily steps either daily or weekly.  I’ll put a Cumulative Step Count up here on my blog every Sunday or something.  And we’ll see how it goes!  I’ll spend some time today refining this idea and post more if I get any takers.  How’s that sound? 

If you’d like, email me and I’ll try to help you set up a “plan of action” for the purpose of this challenge.

I bet I can walk farther than YOU can!

We’ll set up a prize or something.  What d’ya say?

Man.. these boots are gonna walk all over YOU!

May I take a moment to post a little rant?  I hope so.

As I begin my rant, let me say this quite clearly: Omaha World Herald, I hope you do some kind of daily yahoo or google search to determine what your readers think of you.  Why?  Because YOU HAVE A REALLY STUPID POLICY! 

I’m specifically writing about your online subscription policy.  I don’t mind paying for an online subscription.  I don’t mind paying full price for an online subscription.  What really has my shorts in a bunch today, you idiots, is that not only do I have to pay full price for an online subscription, but I also have… HAVE… as in AM OBLIGATED TO… take delivery of your paper daily.  So, for two weeks, your papers pile up on my front porch (where they are hidden from the neighbors view by a nice brick wall) until the bi-weekly collection of paper recyclables here in Council Bluffs.

World Herald Management, do you have ANY IDEA HOW INCREDIBLY STUPID THIS is?  Do you have any idea how WASTEFUL this is?  How many trees am I, through YOUR stupid, STUPID, incomprehensible policies responsible for killing every month?

I want the Sunday paper.  I faithfully read the daily papers online, but I want the SUNDAY paper physically in hand.  Why don’t you bozos save YOURSELF money, ME the hassle of tons of unwanted paper, the LANDFILLS the burden of my unwanted papers?  How hard is it for you to figure this out?  If you want, I’ll be glad to hire myself out to you for $100 an hour to figure out a method of working around this STUPID STUPID STUPID policy of yours.  I can guarantee you you’ll only spend $100.  ‘Cause I have the answer for you.  My neighbors 8 year old would have the SAME answer for you.  This is not rocket science.  I have a better idea.  Instead of complaining about the high costs of running a newspaper, and cutting off an entire section of the state of Nebraska from home delivery of your paper, since they seem to want it, why don’t you get off your rumpuses, DO YOUR BLASTED JOB, and fix this?  It is not hard.  Repeat after me: It.Is.Not.Hard.We.Can.Do.It!

You CAN do it! YES YOU CAN!

Sigh, since  the OWH is run by overbloated corporate executives with their heads up their… dark unsunny places… I doubt they’ll ever do it.  I dare you!  Prove me wrong!  Of course, my huge readership of, what… thirteen?… readers will be waiting with baited breath for your compliance.  No, wait, they better not.  I value them too highly!

Okay, now for the survey part of this: Faithful readers, tell me about your gripes with stupid, resource wasting, money wasting practices!  I’ll post them here!  Really.  I will!

UPDATE:  I decided to do something other than rant.  I wrote to 3 of the senior staff at OWH.  Their Circulation Director, VP of Sales & Marketing, and Executive Editor.  I didn’t rant.  I was nice!  Perhaps a little cheeky.  See for yourself:

Gentlemen,

First, I’d like to compliment you on the quality of your newspaper.  I think overall you all are doing a wonderful job!

Second, I’d like to compliment your circulation department for the high quality of service you provide.  I just got off the phone talking with one of your very friendly, very courteous people who, unfortunately was not able to help me.  I’m impressed because generally speaking, when one deals with big "faceless" corporations such as yourselves, courtesy and friendliness are frequently lacking.  But this brings me to the real point of my email.

I receive your paper 7 days a week.  I really only WANT to receive it on my front porch on Sundays, as I read it online the other 6 days.  There’s something nice about sitting with the paper and a cup of coffee with my partner on Sunday mornings.  The rest of the week, your paper sits, piling up in useless, WASTEFUL heaps on my front porch.

So, I called to ask how we could stop this waste of paper, but was told that if I want to be able to read the paper online Monday through Saturday, I have to also receive the hardprint version on those days.  Now, gentlemen, just about everyone I know from the age of 4 through 104 recognizes that this is a frivolous, costly waste of resources.  It really is, excuse the strong language, very, very stupid.

I would happily pay the full subscription fee for the ability to take Sunday delivery, but only have online access M-S.  Surely, you have bright, intelligent people on your staff that could figure out how to accomplish this.  You might suggest a brain-storming session to determine the best way to STOP wasting YOUR money, MY back, AND the landfill’s space, to STOP wasting the natural resources of this country.  To STOP killing unnecessary trees, to STOP wasting the fuel required to transport stacks of unwanted newspapers from your printer to my delivery person, from my delivery person to my door, and from my door to the landfill.

I’d bet you that brainstorming session would last less than 10 minutes.

If your bright intelligent people have better things to do with their time than figure this out, I am available for a small fee, to provide consultation services.

Sincerely,

Eric L. Hays-Strom