Frank is working on one.

Has anyone started setting a route for the Ohler 5K on Christmas day? If no one responds, I'll assume the answer is no, and I will create one... with lots of hills.

Tracy tried to sabotage me with chocolates, but I maintained.

A carrot and an apple for lunch today. That is the polar opposite of the last 2 years of my diet.

I also took Chewie for a walk, so that's some points, but my legs are throbbing from the steep hike tonight, so I think I may have put leg exercises out of commission for a few days.

The homemade pizza was excellent though.

BTW, the picture says "DO NOT EAT PACKET CONTAINS IRON". I found that humorous, since so many people take iron supplements. I guess others do have high iron though.

But the game has helped me eat fewer desserts and give up soda so it doesn't matter how people are keeping score, I'm benefiting from it.
Well mostly benefiting, today I mostly blew it, but the cherry pie was delicious and so was the strawberry-mango lemonade.

Well that ends the contest for me. It will be a lot of fun to watch you all. I very much appreciate how much I improved my eating and exercising/calorie buring habits this past week and I will keep them up the best I can. I actually think I lost a couple pounds this past week - even counting shopping points. I'm am not however going to think anymore about who is making the rules and what they might want to get out of this game, how the rules might change week to week and how my interpretation differs from others. Don't read this wrong, I'm not mad, maybe annoyed but not mad. Call me what you want - I'm continuing with the healthy living email group rather than this twisted game.

brutal: Victim in fatal car accident tragically not Glenn Beck (NSFW cursing)

be afraid, be very afraid.

Should I be worried about winter if I wore a long sleeve shirt and 2 sweatshirts to go collect the leaves?

The best math class ever.
How can I possibly compete?

That's the list the exercise list was chosen from. I specifically narrowed it down so we wouldn't have to include things like "computer work" or "billiards".

I took almost everything below a 3.5 out as well. I left the slowest walking in because I wasn't sure of people's paces, and yoga in because that's an exercise you have to go out of your way for. I did not expect people to use these scores for common activities, but it's your challenge for yourself, so do so if you prefer.

In this regards:
The challenge for next week starts with the negative of your current total score (as of EOD Saturday). If you can't make it back to zero, you're slipping.

Yes, if your sum for the week is negative, you start with a positive number next week.

Check here for Harvard's Calorie Guide for common activities. Raking leaves ranks right up there with water aerobics. Food shopping with a cart is similar to golf with a cart or hang gliding.

pretty lame, milhouse.

In consideration of fair disclosure: I counted shopping as a 2.5.

I'm still amazed how much the yoga helped my lower back and leg. I'm thinking I'll sign up for twice a week sessions for the next six weeks. Even if I don't lose weight by Christmas, hopefully I'll be feeling a lot better.

there is a lot of standing around while shopping

I think the shopping is actually more work than a fast walk, my legs hurt a lot more after shopping than a good walk.

Raisins are dried grapes. Craisins are dried cranberries. You figure it out what's healthy. I'm still trying to decide if I can count the shopping that I'm going to do on Sat. as 2.5|Walk: 2 mph (30 min/mi)

are raisins fruit in your game? They aren't fresh... Also same question for Craisins.

I realize you do other things in the day. I find interesting that your first priority is to get up and go to work, and your last priority is to eat the apple and get healthy.

7am: 4.5 mile run. 8am:The plumber did not fix the kitchen sink. 8:10am Call new plumber. 8:15 eat fruit and shower

I have a cold and, therefore, did not run this morning. We did get one request for a chickenpox play date last night. Should I let the lady bring her kid over so he can get sick? If he was in school with Thomas he was probably already exposed.

I second Nathaniel's request.

I have a cold and am working from home today (read:could have slept in) but because of this stinkin' contest I still got up at 5:30 for a November morning run. Thank you contest.

Just a reminder to everyone: please put up gift suggestions on the X-Mas page if you can take a moment to think of a few.

I'm confused. Do you think eating an apple is the only thing I do in a day?

It's interesting that you put the apple as the last thing you do in the day, and not the first.

Got the apple done well in time this time. Much better variety too. Must remember not to get the round ones.

No I use the mat once in awhile for exercising. Just didn't get into the yoga tape real well. So far this class I went to does pretty simple stuff that I can keep up with.

Oh, it's been keeping the potted plants from staining the floor for years.

Yoga is on the list with stretching. I figured someone might be in yoga classes.

Do boats count as vehicles?

I think it's under stretching. The Doughers bought you a Yoga mat for Christmas 6 years ago. You're finally putting it to use?

Okay I found a new exercise not on your list -- Yoga. I can't believe how good my lower back feels after it so I don't really care if I get points for it or not.

Just curious: By "sideways" do you mean the vehicle was rotated on it's longitudinal axis? Or do you merely mean rotated on a vertical access? (Which some of us consider a relatively normal mode of travel :-)

12 hours might get you to South Dakota.

I'm sure you did kart-wheels in the bus, and that would put you upside down.

And I'm reporting in. I do not believe that the bus was ever sideways or upside-down.

Yep, I think most BHS kids wait until they are 16 (because in Montana you don't have to have driver's ed unless you want your learner's permit).
50 hours of classroom time and 12 hours behind the wheel is definitely not going to get a driver very far.

curses! I could have talked myself out of a run today, except for the damn competition.

any ohler that has not yet been sideways or upside down in an automobile, please report in.

About 15% of eligible students take high school driver's ed compared with 95% in the 1970s

Today, most states require 16-year-olds to take a driver's ed course in school or a commercial program before getting their license. That's one reason more than half of all 16-year-olds wait until they're 17

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has questioned the effectiveness of driver's ed since a landmark 1983 study, now supports new guidelines calling for more classroom instruction and behind-the-wheel training.

Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, says driver's ed is "not effective in reducing crashes. It's a lot to expect that a relatively limited amount of time with a teen could have a big effect on their risk-taking behavior."

How privatizing public education affects the rates of driving fatalities.


Man that sounds like a good paper to write.

They need to do that here. BHS is following the letter of the law, but only providing minimal service. Because of his birthday, Frank will probably not get driver's ed until spring 2011.
Ah well, I'm not anxious for my insurance rates to go up.

In IN, they no longer teach Drivers Ed in the schools. It is now a business function.