Two Disney Cruises...Two Different Experiences

Four years ago, my wife Michelle, my daughter Mary, and I embarked on a four-night journey from Florida to the Bahamas (and back) on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. At the end of it all, we determined that it was the best short vacation any of us had ever experienced. We relaxed on deck, snorkeled on Disney's Castaway Cay island (pronounced Castaway "Key"), ate some phenomenal food, saw a few terrific shows, and enjoyed the world class service Disney bestowed upon us for the trip's duration.

Just this past weekend, we ventured back to the Bahamas via the Disney Dream, and the experience was similarly wonderful. In addition to what was listed above, the Dream afforded us the opportunity to ride a water coaster at sea...also known as the AquaDuck!

But there was a major difference between the two trips...and it had nothing to do with the newer ship. In fact, there were about ninety-five factors that lent themselves to a much different experience for me. You see, in June 2009, I was at my life's peak weight, which was just shy of 280 pounds; however, prior to embarking on our 2013 journey last week, I was tipping the scale at just under 185 pounds...a ninety-five pound difference.

Since pictures are worth thousands of words...

Arrival Picture in 2009

Castaway Cay in 2013 - This Past Saturday!

The difference, then , was me. Yes, I enjoyed the first cruise...but I loved the second cruise!!! You'll notice in the picture that I'm wearing a medal around my neck, and that's because I ran a 5K on Disney's Castaway Cay earlier that morning...yes, I went on vacation, ran a 5K, and loved it! In addition, on the prior day in Nassau, I got up early to run 10 laps around the ship's running deck (Deck 4), which translates to a four-mile run.

And here's the end result...I actually went on a cruise and didn't gain weight! At the same time, I didn't deprive myself of the good food. While it's true that I didn't eat as much as I had back in 2009, nor did I snack as much between the meals. I did help myself to a little extra at the breakfast buffet at Cabanas (Disney's breakfast buffets are fantastic), and I ate the four-course meals at each dinner. That said, I tried to stick with veggies and fish (well, shrimp) at lunch, grabbed fruit when I felt like a snack, took the stairs quite a bit to get to the lower and upper levels, snorkeled for a few hours at Castaway Cay, and also ran a total of seven miles on Friday and Saturday.

So contrary to popular belief, maintaining one's weight on a cruise is possible...and one doesn't actually have to deprive him- or herself of much at all. In other words, if a former 280 pounder like me can do it, anybody can do it!


The cruise, as well as a couple of scheduling wrinkles, threw my exercise schedule off a bit last week, and here are the details...

June 17 - June 23
Monday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:08 Pace)
Tuesday - 2.8 Mile Family Run
Wednesday - 5.21 Mile Run (10:42 Pace)
Thursday - OFF - The day we embarked was crazy!
Friday - 4 Mile Run (10:17 Pace) on the Disney Dream!
Saturday - 5K on Disney's Castaway Cay (10:00 Pace)
Sunday -  OFF

Total Miles on the Pavement - 20.14 Miles (Including Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)


Here's the schedule for this week...

June 24 - June 30
Monday - 4 Mile Run (10:31 Pace) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - 4.3 Mile Run (10:39 Pace) - COMPLETE
Wednesday - 3 Mile Run (9:53 Pace) - COMPLETE
Thursday - Stationary Bike / 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 5 Mile Run
Saturday - OFF
Sunday -  Family Run


By the way, if you haven't figured it out yet, I am fully endorsing both cruise experiences on the Disney ships...but admittedly, it was a lot more fun with some exercise and activity to offset the extra caloric intake!


Until next time, everyone, enjoy your journey...

Motivation on the Big Screen

While walking to our car after seeing "Spirit of the Marathon II" in the theater this past Wednesday night, my ten-year-old daughter Mary asked a question that I couldn't have imagined asking at her age or, quite honestly, even a year ago: "Daddy...when am I going to be old enough to run a marathon?"

In an age in which childhood and adult obesity have hit epidemic proportions, during a period in which I have seen my own body change from obese to overweight to just about normal, and at a key moment in which I am about to start training for my first marathon, it pretty much goes without saying that Mary's question evoked a series of positive emotions and feelings within me. And that I was still drying my eyes from some of the movie's final scenes certainly added to the moment.

What we had just witnessed on the big screen were a number of stories following the journeys of seven people to the Rome Marathon in 2012. Like many of us, each person featured in the film was faced with incredible challenges, and each set of circumstances served to motivate them to undergo a 26.2 mile run on some of the world's oldest streets. From personal tragedies to a struggling business, from aging bodies to familial partnerships, and from a population's genocide to dreams of the Olympics, the reasons to run were presented to us in artistic fashion as we watched the screen in awe, wonder, and support for these new-found protagonists. We crossed fingers for their triumph, longed for their success, and said silent wishes that we, too, would have the motivation and internal drive to make our way through life's challenges and obstacles.

Whether you are a runner or someone just looking for inspiration, and if you didn't get a chance to see "Spirit of the Marathon II" this past Wednesday, please do yourself a favor and keep an eye for it to come out on DVD later this year...and then take the less than two hours to sit back and observe the human spirit we all wish we possessed. And in the interim, I recommend checking out the original "Spirit of the Marathon" on Netflix, DVD, HULU, etc. Both films are worth it!


With motivation from the movie, I changed up my schedule slightly this past week because neither my wife Michelle nor I wanted to cross train the day following the movie. As such, we decided to do a short "leg stretcher" run on Thursday rather than go to the gym! Here's the recap from last week:

June 10 - June 16 Monday - 4.21 Mile Run (10:49 Pace)
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (2 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 3.12 Mile Run (10:08 Pace)
Thursday - 2.62 Easy Run
Friday - 6.14 Mile Run (11:21 Pace)
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - 2.65 Mile "Family" Run

Total Miles on the Pavement - 20.64 Miles (Included Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)


The schedule for this week is a little different because we are going to be away for a few days...but on one of those days, I'll be running a 5K! Here's the schedule...

June 17 - June 23 Monday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:08 Pace) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (2 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 5 Mile Run
Thursday - 3 Mile Run
Friday - Cross Training (Maybe a Run)
Saturday - 5K
Sunday -  OFF


Oh, in case you were wondering, according to the various marathons on what is becoming a bigger and bigger bucket list - which now includes Rome, by the way - Mary will be able to run with me when she's 18...so I am hopeful that in eight years, she'll still have the desire...and I'll still have the ability.


Until next time, enjoy your journey...

Most of My Excuses were (and are) not Valid

Prior to November 11, 2011, I spent the better part of twenty-four years justifying why it was okay to be a smoker; prior to January 2012, I spent the better part of my life justifying why it was okay to eat poorly and put on weight; and prior to last Summer, I spent the better part of the last couple of decades justifying why it was okay to live an exercise-free life.

Here's what I know now: I was wrong on all counts. Smoking kills more people every year than alcohol and drugs (legal and illegal) combined; obesity was the #2 cause of preventable death (behind smoking) in the United States in 2012; and an exercise-free life was, for me, both a cause-and-effect of obesity. In other words, I avoided exercise because I was obese, and I was obese because I avoided exercise.

The conversations I had with myself for years and years were so excuse-filled that, to be honest, it is surprising to find myself on the path of health and fitness on which I am journeying today.  Most of my past excuses started with either "I can't" or "I can't today" and would be followed up with some intellectual justification that perhaps after such-and-such or thus-and-so (you fill in your own blanks), I'll be able to "quit smoking, lose the weight, and get in shape"...but the common vein that ran through all my excuses was that all the stars had to align in order for the journey to start.

But here's the deal. No stars needed alignment, and I didn't need thus-and-so to happen before I quit smoking. Nor did I need such-and-such to occur before eating healthier foods. Now, there might be an iota of validity in my decision to wait to run for a little while following quitting smoking and losing some weight...but I certainly could have started walking right away rather than waiting seven-plus months before "my weight got to where it needed to be for me to start running." I guess, in retrospect, it took that amount of time for me to get rid of my habit to make excuses...well, with a nice push from Michelle to "just go out there and start running!"

So why am I thinking about this today? Well, to be honest, I almost excused myself out of my "easy" family run yesterday. Michelle had taken her run early in the morning (while I was doing yard work), and Mary had given it her all in her swim meet, so she was spent; as such, when we got home from a nice family dinner last night at 7:00, it was my inclination to just bag out on the easy run. In fact, I even said to myself, "well, I did work in the yard for a few hours this morning, so that's just like taking a nice, easy-paced run/walk...right?"

But then I caught myself in this lie (to myself), and immediately I went and put my running clothes on, put the ear buds in, said "See you in a little bit!" to Mary and Michelle, and headed out to the pavement for a nice little two-and-a-half mile, easy-paced run/walk. In other words,  my excuses were not valid, and I had to get right out there and literally stomp them out of myself. Fortunately, it worked!

Speaking of stomping, here are the workout results from last week, and the plan for this week:

June 3 - June 9 - All Completed (Thank Goodness)!

Monday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:03 Pace)
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 5.22 Mile Run (10:27 Pace)
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 3.12 Mile Run (9:34 Pace)...Fastest Training Pace to Date!
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - Interval Run/Walk of 2.51 Miles

Total Distance on the Pavement - 15.69 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)


June 3 - June 9

Monday - 4.21 Mile Run (10:49 Pace) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 3 Mile Run
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 6 Mile Run
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - "Family" Run


Now, before I sound like a holier than thou person who lives a perfect existence and expects the same from all of you, know that there are indeed valid reasons to forego one's exercise from time to time. Primarily, I'm talking about injuries and illnesses, but I know that there are unforeseen circumstances that lend validity to missing a workout. That said, before bagging your exercise, just do me a favor and do what I did yesterday. Just take a close look at that reflection in the mirror and make sure that you are being up front with the person staring back at you...if you just listen hard enough, he or she will let you know what to do.

Until next time, enjoy your journey...

One of the Greatest Gifts of Fitness

For most of my 10-year-old daughter Mary's life, I was an "on again off again" smoker who hovered between 250 and 280 pounds. While some of the daily life examples I exhibited were positive (getting up and going to work every day, paying the bills on time, keeping the house and the yard in order), the examples of health and nutrition were horrendous. As far as pre-9-year-old Mary knew, here are the instructions for what an adult should do every day:

• Get Up
• Drink Coffee
• Go to Work
• Come home and eat dinner
• Clean kitchen
• Sit in chair
• Watch TV
• Snack, snack, and snack some more
• Go out on the back porch for a cigarette every hour or so throughout the entire day
• On the weekends, subtract work and add lawn mowing to the repertoire

Fortunately, as a former athlete, I did stress the importance of sports with Mary, and she has been swimming since she was five years old. That said, when not swimming, prior to last year, Mary did start adhering to some of her dad's life habits. While she didn't gain the weight, she was learning the behavior. Yes, "pajama" days are great every once in a while...but not every weekend!

Well, one of the gifts of changing my life in November 2011 and getting back in shape is seeing the positive influence these actions have had on Mary. In an earlier post, I wrote about how in January, Mary and I ran a 5K together at Disney; and just yesterday, Mary competed in her very first endurance event on her own...a Kid's Triathlon. Here are a few photos from the day:

Heading to the Swim (Where she was 10th fastest out of about 1,000 competitors)!

Just Finished the Bike...Heading to Transition!

Finishing Up the Race!



A Happy Triathlete!

I can't tell you how good it feels to have changed my own habits and to be raising Mary in a new environment of health, fitness, and nutrition...and it's impossible for me to express how proud I am to be this little girl's dad. She has expressed to me that she wants to run a Disney half marathon with me when she's old enough (14), and it is my sincere hope that she still feels that way in four years!


June Weigh In

Okay, so I jumped on the scale this morning for my "official" monthly weigh in, and the news was positive:

Weight - 186.8 Pounds!

Total Loss in May - 7.6 Pounds

Total Loss since January 2012 - 88.8 Pounds


And here are the workout results from last week, as well as this week's schedule:

May 27 - June 2 - All Completed!

Monday - 4.10 Mile Run (10:48 Pace)
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:17 Pace)
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 6.72 Mile Run (10:52 Pace)
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - "Family" Run of 2.60 Miles

Total Distance on the Pavement - 18.3 Miles (Includes Warm Up and Cool Down Walks)


June 3 - June 9

Monday - 3.13 Mile Run (10:03 Pace) - COMPLETE
Tuesday - Stationary Bike (45 Mins, Hills, Level 7), Abs (4 Exercises, 3 x 12 Reps)
Wednesday - 5 Mile Run
Thursday - Stationary Bike (45 Minutes, Hills, Level 7), 30-Minute Cybex Circuit
Friday - 3 Mile Run
Saturday - OFF
Sunday - "Family" Run

While I am indeed proud of these continued accomplishments on the road, in the gym, with losing weight, and all that good stuff, I have also become proud of the influence I'm having over others...and particularly the influence I'm having over my own family. One of the greatest gifts of health and fitness is hearing from others that I've "influenced them to start running/walking" or to get themselves back in shape. This formerly obese guy is humbled every time he hears that people are following his fitness lead...so humbled, in fact, that he must refer to himself in the third person. :-)

But an even greater gift is seeing my 10-year-old daughter get up early to compete in four events in a swim meet on Saturday and then follow that up with waking at 5:00am on a Sunday morning to compete in a triathlon (and have a blast doing so).

That sure beats the heck out of any "pajama" day...


Until next time, everyone, enjoy your journey...