Am I crazy or is the announcement of the proposed changes to the Liquor Control Act to allow children, yes I said children, to have an alcoholic beverage with their parents at certain sport facilities completely insane!
Do they plan on having Child and Family Services reps sitting in a corner of the room wearing dark sun glasses waiting to pounce on these parents who are willingly feeding their children booze in a public place?
Of all the ridiculous laws the Liquor Commission has on the books, this one will be the worst. Are they having trouble paying their salaries that they need the extra revenue of minors on the 19th hole of Manitoba's golf courses?
Maybe I am crazy, but I just don't understand the rationale behind this latest move. Being a father of two young people, Mini He and Mini She, I wouldn't even consider them having a beer after their curling match or golf game. Are we to assume everyone at the course or rinks took cabs there? Because we certainly wouldn't plan to have a drink with our impressionable children and then climb into the family van and DRIVE home, would we? I know I wouldn't. How on God's green Earth are we supposed to guide our children through their teenage years if we ourselves are not setting an example?
I work hard to try and teach my children to make smart decisions. I know I won't be with them all the time and therefore I have to TRUST my teachings, my example and my concern for their well being has found a home in their brain. A brain that is bombarded daily by peer pressure and complex decisions from friends, family and teammates. All I want is a tiny little corner in the brain so when they are faced with a difficult decision or choice that they can call on my voice and know I believe in them to make the smart decision. Will they never make a mistake? Will they always be on the right side of a decision? Very unlikely, but if most of the time they can keep themselves out of serious trouble, as a parent I will have to be happy. Mistakes are important to make, they help shape our understanding of the World around us. Mistakes should provide an opportunity to learn something. But if the mistakes are made due to a poor example set by the people our children trust the most, us their parents, then how can we expect them to know how to make tough choices as growing teenagers? I suppose this proposal will only effect those children who are already drinking with their parents at home anyway, but showing them it is okay to drink and drive is not something the LC should not be promoting in our youth.
This new proposed regulation change is unnecessary and serves no purpose. Making a change to rules and regulations should be made to provide a benefit to majority of people or to make the environment the rules govern better. The ONLY thing this proposal does is increase the LC's bottom line and increase the chances of children becoming more relaxed about the idea of drinking and driving. Neither one of these two things is good for society. Especially another generation of people growing up thinking it's no big deal to drink and drive!
I can't say this enough...as a parent I am sickened by this whole thing. We are the tools the shape and mold the leaders of tomorrow. When do we start taking that seriously? Having children isn't a hobby, it is a responsibility like no other you will ever take on. If this proposal passes I sure hope most parents won't indulge in the new rule simply because it is there.
Shame on the power players at the LC for thinking this proposal is good for Manitoba!
My Two Cents
Jamie
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Dropping A Few Isn't About Dieting
I guess I knew this before, but today I was reading one of my regular sources of interesting information. Two quotes from a doctor Yoni Freedhoff, who is a leading expert in obesity, caught my eye and rang very true. It explains why so many people struggle with weight loss and more importantly, weight management (keeping off lost weight). I will post the quotes and give you my two cents, hence the name of the blog!
Here are the quotes:
"The more weight you'd like to permanently lose, the more of your lifestyle you'll need to permanently change"
and then the next one falls directly in line with the previous;
"Therefore if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, you're much more likely to gain it back"
I personally have frequently used the phrase "If you want something to change in your life, you need to make changes in your life." Sounds simple and redundant, but it truly is much harder than it sounds. I have wrote before about routine and it being the killer of progress. People like their routines and to change them throws their whole World into a tailspin. No wonder those looking to change their weight, battle so hard to get anything done. And when they finally accomplish great things by losing the unwanted weight; they turn around and pile back on the weight and add some extra pounds for good measure. That leads us to the first quote.
The keys are centered around the "permanent" weight loss and "lifestyle". I think the biggest issue is the concept of lifestyle. Many of us get a fire in our belly to "get in to shape" to which I say "Isn't round a shape?" But seriously, the idea is usually based on a short lived plan to change eating habits and go to the gym. Problem is the changes are usually too radical for our lifestyle to achieve permanent weight loss, really, our lifestyle hasn't changed. Lifestyle changes need to occur across the board, whether we are at work, sitting at home, out at a restaurant, on vacation, etc. Therefore the lifestyle changes we make have to be realistic within our own little World. Think about it, it better be something we can live with or it just won't work. If you consider what I have just wrote, you may begin to see why "diets" and the latest, greatest fad programs often leave us feeling trapped or tied to the program forever. And often don't give us permanent weight loss. Now quote two.
As I touched on in the above paragraph, we have to enjoy the lifestyle changes we make. First determine your goal. Remember the more drastic the weight change the more drastic the lifestyle change. No one said this would be easy, but it isn't as hard as it seems. If we design the changes with us in mind we stand a much better chance of permanent success. Keep in mind the quote, if we don't enjoy life while we lose weight, we are more likely to gain the weight back. The white elephant in the room is the concept of exercise. The problem being, most of us hear the word exercise and we immediately picture a gym full of muscle popping guys admiring themselves in the floor to ceiling mirrors. WAKE UP! Exercise is not about gyms. It is about anything that involves moving our bodies. I am not saying don't go to the gym, but if you find the gym intimidating then realize exercise is about elevating our heart rate and whenever we move our bodies our heart rate is elevated. When our heart rate is elevated we burn more calories, when we are burning more calories our metabolism is increased. Do you see a trend here? I think the most important and most over looked change that we can ALL accomplish regardless how much weight we have to lose or the reasons why, is walking. It is a simple change that should be manageable by everyone. I am not talking about marathons or hours and hours of walking that can't be fit in to our busy life (this would be said with sarcasm, because we are SUPPOSED to change our lives to fit in exercise!). Did you know that the average, naturally thin person walks about 6000 steps a day, whereas someone who is overweight walks on average 4000 steps a day? The difference is only 2000 steps!! Before you go crazy thinking 2000 steps is an astronomical amount; 2000 steps = approximately 15 minutes of walking! Here is the best part, it doesn't have to be all at once!! Two minutes here, five minutes there, three minutes there and before you know it you are walking 6000 steps a day and have fired up your metabolism to that of a naturally thin person! It is all about caloric balance. Energy In/Energy Out. You need to burn more calories than you consume in a day. When it comes to burning calories think of it like this; bank withdrawals. Regardless of whether you make one withdrawal of $15 or you go to the bank 3 times a day and make $5 withdrawals you will have $15 at the end of each day! Three 5 minute walks is the same as one 15 minute walk. As you can see it is simple to add 15 minutes of walking to each day. Park further away from the doors, extra lap around the grocery store, walk at lunch, etc.
Now of course this low level walking is only a start. You will see results, but at a much slower pace than if you do more. Ultimately, I feel it is a start that should be easily attainable for someone needing to take baby steps to get started. Small, minor lifestyle changes that can be adhered to as a way of life, rather than a weight loss plan. Instead of looking for the 'easiest' weight loss plan, try to come up with a lifestyle plan. The weight will come off even when you make some minor changes that you know you will be able to make a part of your life permanently. The key is to change things in such a way that it becomes a lifestyle not an instruction or a step to follow.
Think about weight loss as long term and try to find a way to develop a new lifestyle that incorporates healthy choices and activities.
I myself am working on some bigger lifestyle changes. It has been a long time coming but I think I have determined some important things about how I think about food. Walking is something I enjoy, but I too struggled with how much walking is enough. I never thought the short walks were worth anything. I have had to work on appreciating the smaller walks for what their value actually brings. The value is an increase in my burnt calories for the day, maybe not hundreds at once, but a withdrawal from my calorie bank for the day. At the end of the day the sum total of burnt calories needs to be higher than the deposits of food. I have also tried to think of food as fuel not food. My body needs fuel, which means I fill up the tank when it is getting low and stop adding fuel once the tank is topped up. Thinking of it like fuel also helps me make better eating choices. That is probably the most amazing thing for me, all my cravings are gone! Honestly I can't remember the last time I "craved" something. It seems true what they say, "If it is forbidden we want it more, but once we remove all the restrictions we can enjoy it without reservations."
That is what has inspired me today. Thanks to Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, who provided some very important quotes that should be put on a post card and given to anyone who has even considered losing some weight.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Here are the quotes:
"The more weight you'd like to permanently lose, the more of your lifestyle you'll need to permanently change"
and then the next one falls directly in line with the previous;
"Therefore if you don't like the life you're living while you're losing, you're much more likely to gain it back"
I personally have frequently used the phrase "If you want something to change in your life, you need to make changes in your life." Sounds simple and redundant, but it truly is much harder than it sounds. I have wrote before about routine and it being the killer of progress. People like their routines and to change them throws their whole World into a tailspin. No wonder those looking to change their weight, battle so hard to get anything done. And when they finally accomplish great things by losing the unwanted weight; they turn around and pile back on the weight and add some extra pounds for good measure. That leads us to the first quote.
The keys are centered around the "permanent" weight loss and "lifestyle". I think the biggest issue is the concept of lifestyle. Many of us get a fire in our belly to "get in to shape" to which I say "Isn't round a shape?" But seriously, the idea is usually based on a short lived plan to change eating habits and go to the gym. Problem is the changes are usually too radical for our lifestyle to achieve permanent weight loss, really, our lifestyle hasn't changed. Lifestyle changes need to occur across the board, whether we are at work, sitting at home, out at a restaurant, on vacation, etc. Therefore the lifestyle changes we make have to be realistic within our own little World. Think about it, it better be something we can live with or it just won't work. If you consider what I have just wrote, you may begin to see why "diets" and the latest, greatest fad programs often leave us feeling trapped or tied to the program forever. And often don't give us permanent weight loss. Now quote two.
As I touched on in the above paragraph, we have to enjoy the lifestyle changes we make. First determine your goal. Remember the more drastic the weight change the more drastic the lifestyle change. No one said this would be easy, but it isn't as hard as it seems. If we design the changes with us in mind we stand a much better chance of permanent success. Keep in mind the quote, if we don't enjoy life while we lose weight, we are more likely to gain the weight back. The white elephant in the room is the concept of exercise. The problem being, most of us hear the word exercise and we immediately picture a gym full of muscle popping guys admiring themselves in the floor to ceiling mirrors. WAKE UP! Exercise is not about gyms. It is about anything that involves moving our bodies. I am not saying don't go to the gym, but if you find the gym intimidating then realize exercise is about elevating our heart rate and whenever we move our bodies our heart rate is elevated. When our heart rate is elevated we burn more calories, when we are burning more calories our metabolism is increased. Do you see a trend here? I think the most important and most over looked change that we can ALL accomplish regardless how much weight we have to lose or the reasons why, is walking. It is a simple change that should be manageable by everyone. I am not talking about marathons or hours and hours of walking that can't be fit in to our busy life (this would be said with sarcasm, because we are SUPPOSED to change our lives to fit in exercise!). Did you know that the average, naturally thin person walks about 6000 steps a day, whereas someone who is overweight walks on average 4000 steps a day? The difference is only 2000 steps!! Before you go crazy thinking 2000 steps is an astronomical amount; 2000 steps = approximately 15 minutes of walking! Here is the best part, it doesn't have to be all at once!! Two minutes here, five minutes there, three minutes there and before you know it you are walking 6000 steps a day and have fired up your metabolism to that of a naturally thin person! It is all about caloric balance. Energy In/Energy Out. You need to burn more calories than you consume in a day. When it comes to burning calories think of it like this; bank withdrawals. Regardless of whether you make one withdrawal of $15 or you go to the bank 3 times a day and make $5 withdrawals you will have $15 at the end of each day! Three 5 minute walks is the same as one 15 minute walk. As you can see it is simple to add 15 minutes of walking to each day. Park further away from the doors, extra lap around the grocery store, walk at lunch, etc.
Now of course this low level walking is only a start. You will see results, but at a much slower pace than if you do more. Ultimately, I feel it is a start that should be easily attainable for someone needing to take baby steps to get started. Small, minor lifestyle changes that can be adhered to as a way of life, rather than a weight loss plan. Instead of looking for the 'easiest' weight loss plan, try to come up with a lifestyle plan. The weight will come off even when you make some minor changes that you know you will be able to make a part of your life permanently. The key is to change things in such a way that it becomes a lifestyle not an instruction or a step to follow.
Think about weight loss as long term and try to find a way to develop a new lifestyle that incorporates healthy choices and activities.
I myself am working on some bigger lifestyle changes. It has been a long time coming but I think I have determined some important things about how I think about food. Walking is something I enjoy, but I too struggled with how much walking is enough. I never thought the short walks were worth anything. I have had to work on appreciating the smaller walks for what their value actually brings. The value is an increase in my burnt calories for the day, maybe not hundreds at once, but a withdrawal from my calorie bank for the day. At the end of the day the sum total of burnt calories needs to be higher than the deposits of food. I have also tried to think of food as fuel not food. My body needs fuel, which means I fill up the tank when it is getting low and stop adding fuel once the tank is topped up. Thinking of it like fuel also helps me make better eating choices. That is probably the most amazing thing for me, all my cravings are gone! Honestly I can't remember the last time I "craved" something. It seems true what they say, "If it is forbidden we want it more, but once we remove all the restrictions we can enjoy it without reservations."
That is what has inspired me today. Thanks to Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, who provided some very important quotes that should be put on a post card and given to anyone who has even considered losing some weight.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Mini He Strikes Again!
For years I have been told my oldest Mini He looks “EXACTLY” like me. I haven’t ignored this claim or thought it to be false, but I never gave it much thought. Today that changed…
There we were waiting in line together at Tim Horton’s for an early morning father son breakfast. We were discussing what he would like and keeping pace with the steadily moving line. The nice young lady with some very shiny lips calls for us, as we are next. I place our order, trying to not be overly distracted by her shiny lips, Ooooo Aaaaahhhhh shiny. Considering I did manage to order the wrong beverage for Mini He, to which he; in his best Homer Simpson whisper, says through cupped hands, “that was supposed to be chocolate milk”. I correct my error and move on. At this point I notice the young lady (did I mention she has shiny lips?) is downright giddy. Was my ordering blundering really that entertaining? I hand her my money and as she is giving me my change she proclaims, “He looks exactly like you!”
She notices she has caught me off guard and I look like I am not sure I understand, I guess I stood there like a deer in the headlights; so she points at him and emphasizes her point. Okay I get, and honestly, now I am a little embarrassed! I thanked her for the comment, not sure why, did she mean I look like a 12 year old boy or he looked like an – ahem - “older” man!! For me it was an interesting start to the morning. Mini He is looking so much like me that strangers feel the need to point this out in manner that would suggest they feel we never knew. I am fine with the look a-like status, I can walk around with a puffed out chest saying, “Yup, that’s my boy!” For him on the other hand, not so sure, being 12 isn’t exactly easy and now strange people tell him he looks like his old man! YIKES! He must be thinking get me out of this twilight zone. We wandered over to sweating glass counters upon which we would receive Mini He’s breakfast choice. As we hurry up and wait, he seems to be all right with the lady’s comment, which puts my mind at ease. At least he didn’t run screaming from the restaurant, right? We proceeded to enjoy our little breakfast time and sewed up another little memory for safe keeping.
It is about the little memories. They are the ones that provide us simple joys in the years to come.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Monday, April 07, 2008
I Wonder If My Coffee Table Is Decaf?
Lately I have been drinking less coffee. Not entirely sure why, but I guess that is okay. Never drank coffee for the caffeine anyway, I gladly take decaf if it is available. I steer towards coffee more so for the warm cup of morning liquid to quiet the voices in my head. Perhaps the voices have gone? Or the surplus of water I drink has me too busy trying to find a new and quicker route to the bathroom to be bothered to listen to the voices or drink coffee! I used to make my way to the cafeteria nearly every day for a morning cup of joe, but mostly to visit with Mama Rosa; she is a very nice lady who likes to share cooking tips with me. We banter back and forth about all kinds of foods. I am not in there as much as usual. She has made note of that and reminds me in way that I feel I have let her down in some way. Since I am not drinking as much coffee, I don’t go to the cafeteria as often. But when I do make my way in there it seems almost every time someone is waiting for Mama to make them a cappuccino or latte. When I do risk engaging the coffee bots in conversation they all say the same sort of thing. It is like they went to coffee classes and were taught how to respond to people in a social setting before they have their fix. I guess it is better than the alternative, “Back off asshole that is my cup of coffee!” So hats off to whoever is teaching them proper social etiquette. Their standard response is something along this line “Gotta have my morning kick of caffeine. Espresso gives a jolt!”, said with a jittery smile and noticeable facial tick slightly above the right eye.
I struggle with w
hat to do, respond to this person in a polite way to avoid their pre-caffeine wrath or look at the floor, quickly get my coffee and get out. The hardest part is trying to hide my smile, but easily the best part about this whole silly story is quite simply the fact that these caffeine junkies are actually getting LESS caffeine in their morning espresso than if they were to get a regular cup of coffee! Now should I help them out by getting them more caffeine in the morning by providing them some helpful information? This may have come as a shock to you but because espresso is served in smaller servings the actual grams of caffeine is less than in a cup of coffee. A standard shot of espresso is about 1.5 ounces and contains about 77 milligrams of caffeine, whereas a standard cup of coffee is 8 ounces and contains about 145 milligrams of caffeine. As you can see by volume espresso has “more caffeine”, but by virtue of the fact that espresso is served in a smaller size you get less caffeine. Basically, all the espresso drinks (cappuccinos and lattes) are providing a lot less bang for your buck; literally! Now of course if you have double shots then yes you are getting more caffeine, but you may need to bring a loans officer with you to mortgage your house to pay for it. It goes to show you that if our minds are powerful and if we believe something to be true we react according to our belief regardless if the facts back it up! Funny stuff!
The next time you hear someone praising the “pick me up” effects of their morning cappuccino you can smile to yourself. Try and refrain from passing the above information along to the dedicated espresso drinker, unless you have Kevlar body armor, because I suspect the recipient will not be very open to idea that they have spent their child’s college funds on espresso shots, when they could have just bought a good old fashion cup of coffee.
My Two Cents
Jamie
Thursday, April 03, 2008
A Whale Walks Into A Bar
Apparently people are reading this so I better get off my ass and write something! There have been a couple complaints this week due to the lack of blogging. Sorry folks. Haven’t been to terribly busy but I haven’t had the inspiration to write either. I figure it can’t be forced or it won’t be worth reading. Usually I write because something is compelling me to write and I feel it makes the content better. As you can see by this example; the entire paragraph is worthless drivel as I try and get into a groove. The butt groves in my chair must be off!
Lately I have been much more diligent about drinking water. Trying to be a healthy person over all, to ensure I a
m being a good example to the Mini Me’s. Naturally I have had a water tower installed near my desk so I can drink from it at my leisure. Never mind this getting up, going to the water cooler, where it never fails to produce some conversation I don’t want to be a part of. Okay fine you got me; I have to get up like everyone else to refill my water. I am thinking of getting one of those fancy hats with straws coming out of the two bottles down to my mouth. Efficiency is the way to go! Who cares if you look like one of those nimrods at a football game who are convinced they are in the top five coolest guys in the joint! Oh boy, are they ever.
Did I mention the peeing? WOW! Who knew? I am talking about once an hour some days, that is nuts! Between the walking to fill up the water bottle and walking to the can to pee, who needs an exercise routine! But I am no dummy, I combine my efforts! Fill up my water on the way back from the washroom! I find I have become somewhat addicted to my water bottle…hmmm…regression to childhood. Anyway; I take it whenever I go and to help someone with their “PC issues”. I have to use quotes there because really nothing could be further from the truth. I guess one out of every seven or eight calls is a real problem, but most fix themselves as I walk over. Once I arrive at the desk of the distressed end user the problems mysteriously disappear. My mere presence wards off all evil computer gremlins, I guess. At least some days. Have I mentioned I hate computers! Perhaps that’s why they cower in fear as I enter the room. Oh no wait that is the end user!
Well, there isn’t much substance here today, but it is something to read. It may equate to about 10 minutes of your life you will never get back, but hey I can think a bunch of stuff I’ve done to waist 10 minutes that weren’t as much fun!
My Two Cents
Jamie
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