Hiking Boulder River (2008-07-26)

For me, July 2008 has included three short hikes a short drive from Seattle:

• St. Edward's Park with graduate school colleagues on ---05,
  
• Cougar Mountain (though I considered Ebeys Landing) with friends on ---12, and
• Boulder River with my dad on ---26.

A couple of these let me spend part of a day in the forest--one of my goals for this year. Only on the most recent hike did I remember my camera. I'm enjoying the exercise.

Seeing Forbidden City (2008-05-14)

Walking around in the summer warmth of the famous Forbidden City, taking photographs of the red buildings, I feel the elation of a first meeting with someone beautiful. Forbidden City is a fling, however, as I doubt I could live in Běijīng knowing that the sky is not misty but smoggy.

There are surprisingly few people in Forbidden City in the early morning as we work our way south to Tiān'ānmén Square. The crowds arrive later and travel north. We hear Spanish in the gift shop and chat with a traveler from Spain.

After Forbidden City, Tiān'ānmén Square, and a disappointing lunch, jet lag lures us into a nap before a Peking Roast Duck dinner at Quanjude. A friend of a friend who is in Běijīng working for Microsoft meets us. The duck there is delicious.

[Added more links.]

Walking around Seattle (2008-04-22/05-10)

After 226 days of walking entered in Walker Tracker, on April 21 the Omron Health Management Software, while receiving data (using a USB cable from the pedometer to the PC), began reporting "The data transfer failed." I hoped it would eventually download--perhaps after the offending day's data had left the device's memory--but now my Omron HJ-720ITC pedometer has begun showing days with zero steps. Like others who have posted elsewhere, I am "disappointed" at the device failure. "For me the selling point was the USB connection," wrote one reviewer (see Google cache). I'll switch pedometers to resume tracking.

Reviewing 2007 in Seattle (2007-12-31)

I'm pleased with 2007 in Seattle, though I'll adjust my goals for 2008 in light of a review of the past year. While I had personal goals--some qualitative--, and even goals for how I help others, there are some quantitative goals I mentioned in this blog. Below is the year in numbers, Harper's Index style:

• Total pages I read for "Where's William?" blog: 8,263
• Number of books I wanted to blog in 2007: 50
• Actual number of blog posts about books in 2007: 30
• My blogged books score: 60%
• Number of books I want to blog in 2008: 12
• Six-hour days I wanted to spend in the forest in 2007: 6
• Six-hour days I actually spent in the forest in 2007: 5
• My outdoors score: 83%
• Six-hour days I want to spend in the forest in 2008: 6
• Pounds I wanted to lose upon returning from Paris: 15
• Pounds I lost and kept off at first through workouts and frequent small healthy meals and later through walking: 17
• My weight score: 113%
• Body fat percentage I want to lose in 2008: 4%
  
• Songs I wanted to perform on the guitar in 2007: 5
• Songs I performed on the guitar in 2007: 0
• My guitar score: 0%
• Songs I want to perform on the guitar in 2008: 2
  
• Maximum miles I wanted my car driven in 2007: 14,400
• Actual miles my car was driven in 2007: 9,508
• My mileage score: 151%
• Maximum miles I want my car driven in 2008: 9,600
  
• Days/week since 2007-09-06 I wanted 30 minutes of moderate activity: 5
• Days/week since 2007-09-06 I did 30 minutes of moderate activity: 4.2
• My walking score: 84%
• Days/week I want 30 minutes of moderate activity in 2008: 5
  

Simplifying on Saturday (2007-10-06)

I set aside days to reduce, organize, and save time. I want less clutter, and less to move if we live abroad. Between the winter solstice and the following new moon is one of the quarterly periods of Discardia, so I picked the first Saturday of the month.

This was similar to the three Saturdays in 2007-04-28/05-12. In April and May Ryan and I did "spring cleaning": cleaned carpets, framed prints, organized books, replaced lights, washed cupboards, and recycled as usual. This also including giving away books, clothes, and household items. This October Saturday we recycled, and cleaned and organized bathroom drawers, discarding unneeded items. Then we started walking.

Our Northgate neighborhood has a walk score of 75-- not as high as Jim's neighborhood. Nevertheless we were able to walk instead of drive to our errands: getting coffee (in personal cups), giving away household items (baskets, mugs, sweaters) at Value Village, recycling a mobile phone at Best Buy, and getting Ryan to work.

At the end of An Inconvenient Truth is "So here's what you can do personally to solve the climate crisis." Under "Get around on less" is "Reduce the number of miles you drive by walking, biking, carpooling or taking mass transit wherever possible." Under "Consume less, conserve more" are "Recycle" and "Carry your own refillable bottle for water and other beverages." I'm pleased to think this Saturday was healthy for my body (by exercising), my mind (by reducing clutter), and the environment (by driving less and recycling).

Walking to Work (2006-10-26)

Walking to the bus reminds me of my morning commute in Paris and renews my commitment to venture and work abroad again. In Paris Tuesdays through Thursdays we would awaken in Pigalle. Ryan went to school in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Jean Claude went to work in Montmartre. I followed Jean Claude out onto Rue André Antoine, smelling the wet cobblestones as the street cleaners washed away the previous day. I heard the sounds of other pedestrian's shoes on the wet cobblestones and an occasional car vibrating along the street. The October air cooled me as I leaned into the steep hill and climbed. One morning in late October I took a photograph of the sunrise in Montmartre. Later on those weekdays I walked back down to Le Chao-Ba-Café for the afternoon sunlight.

On weekends--sometimes long weekends including Friday and Monday--Ryan and I would travel. We visited Montpellier, Nantes and Tours, Chamonix, Berlin, and London. We didn't visit Barcelona or Venice like we had hoped.

Memories and daydreams make me think of "Disappearing Act: How to Escape the Office", chapter 12 of The 4-Hour Workweek. A colleague who also develops software for Geographic information systems is currently in Turkey while his wife teaches. Perhaps I can do the same somewhere while Ryan teaches ESL.

Walking (2007-09-07/14)

Walking has long been and probably will continue to be important. For me it is part of a happy and healthy mobile lifestyle.

Walking was part of my life in various ways in the past. Summer visits to the houses of each set of grandparents involved a daily walk. During a few years of grade school I lived a block from public land in which I hiked and daydreamed short stories I would write. During high school I walked several miles to and from each Medford school I attended, each day choosing a different route than the previous. Later I again lived on the edge of public land. During undergraduate education I walked around Corvallis--especially the Oregon State University campus--alone or with friends, thinking or talking about life. During and after graduate school I similarly liked to walk the University of Washington campus.

My business partner recently revived his own childhood love of walking. A few years ago when my company moved to from the University District to Westlake, I encouraged walking to lunch in South Lake Union the way we had walked to lunch on The Ave. At most we would walk half a mile. Then he purchased a pedometer to compete with friends. Now he tracks his walks, totaling 10,000 steps per day, around the office and his neighborhood. He even ordered an Omron HJ-720ITC pedometer for me.

Consequently I have begun tracking my walking as well. I suspected I already met the guideline of 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 to 7 days per week, in walking to the bus, to coffee, to lunch (e.g., to Paddy Coynes in South Lake Union), and on the elliptical trainers (at the IMA). Now I am carrying a pedometer to verify that.

It is helpful to distinguish moderate activity like brisk walking from other steps. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites publications suggesting that 30 to 60 minutes of activity broken into smaller segments of 10 or 15 minutes throughout the day has significant health benefits. The Omron HJ-720ITC has an aerobic step function that displays the minutes walked and number of steps walked at more than 60 steps per minute for more than 10 minutes continuously.

This past week provides me preliminary step estimates for moderate activity. Evidence suggests 30 minutes of moderate activity is equivalent to 3000 to 4000 (aerobic) steps, and that even sedentary adults accumulate 5000 (other) steps. I'm pleased that my average aerobic walking time was 35 minutes per day (3860 steps), but this week only three days had more than 30 minutes (3240 steps). Other (not aerobic) steps ranged from 3310 to 8740 with an average of 6480. An average day for me with 30 minutes of moderate activity therefore would have 9720 steps (though carrying a pedometer may have an effect like the Hawthorne effect). Perhaps I'll join 10,000 steps.

In addition to the health and happiness benefits of moderate activity, there are lifestyle benefits. Walking to and from the bus stop is part of a lifestyle in which I drive cars less and read more books on the bus. It is also part of a lifestyle in which I am fit enough for adventure.

At Café on the Ave Reviewing Workouts (2007-09-06)

Usually I come to Café on the Ave after cardiovascular exercise, so today I'm reviewing my workout performance, principles, goals, and strategy. I attempted 3 times per week (of 20 to 30 minutes with heart rate in target zone--for me, 125 to 145 beats per minute) and succeeded for the first four months of 2006. In May I went twice a week, and in recent months even less frequently, making the year-to-date average 2 times per week.

The "sharpen the saw" principle (that Ferriss borrows from Covey) for the physical dimension reminds me that I need to be healthy. I want the energy, relaxation, and satisfaction with being fit that working out gives me.

The American Heart Association has goals for moderate intensity activity, vigorous activity, and resistance training. The ranges for the first two categories are similar to corresponding exercise zones based on maximum heart rate.

1. Do 30 minutes of moderate activity 5 to 7 days per week. Moderate intensity is 40 or 50 to 60 percent of capacity, equivalent to a brisk walk.
   
2. Do 20 to 40 minutes of vigorous activity 3 to 5 days per week. Vigorous intensity is greater than 60 percent of capacity; 60 to 70 percent is "fat burn" while 70 to 80 percent is "cardio".
   
3. Do resistance training 2 or more days per week. This means 8 to 10 different exercises with 1 to 2 sets and 10 to 15 repetitions per exercise.
   

I suspect I already meet the first guideline, but a pedometer could verify that. The minimum for the second guideline was the attempt this year that I described above. I usually followed cardiovascular exercise with resistance training, but only 4 different exercises (and 3 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions). These can be additional goals for the remainder of the year.

How do I accomplish this? Ordinarily goals lead to tasks which I schedule, but I feel unmotivated now. Workout buddies help me because usually at least one person is motivated. However, my current workout buddy (Ryan) appears unmotivated as well. I want renewed motivation.

[Added graph and edited hyperlink.]

Walking Ebeys Landing (2007-02-02)

Experiencing Student Travel (2006-10-14)

The experience of walking around Montpellier, a university city in southern France, carrying everything in my backpack, was how I imagined the experience of student travel or study abroad would be. We even stayed one night in an Auberge de Jeunesse (with WiFi!). We took a set of photographs of our walk around the city and our trip to the beach.

Commuting to Morning Workplace (2006-10-09)

Tuesday through Thursday I plan to walk up Montmartre from Pigalle, from our homestay to the office of Jean Claude, where I'll borrow his Wi-Fi from 10:00 until 18:00 (+01) when he closes. Then I'll walk back down to Pigalle to Le Chao-Ba-Café for a Skype conference call with Seattle at 18:15+01 (09:15-08), and work until 20:30+01 when Madame serves dinner. (Mondays I plan to work at Le Chao-Ba-Café in the evening only; in the morning we'll be returning from our weekend--to Montpellier, Nantes, Chamonix, Berlin, Barcelona, Venice, and London, perhaps.)

Walking down Champs-Élysées (2006-10-07)

It's difficult to pick just one photograph from a walk from Place de la Concorde down the Avenue du Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and beyond to Avenue de la Grande Armée, where La Grande Arche de La Défense is visible in the distance. Consequently I uploaded several to Flickr, and placed them on the map using the satellite image.