Archives for April 2009

Are Obese People Causing Global Warming?

April 27, 2009 - Updated April 27, 2009

Since my blog is about working out and living a healthy lifestyle I do my best to not talk about politics or government related topics here. They are favorite topics of mine as I read a lot of books and other websites about economics and government. When I opened my browser today I came across a video with Bill O’Reilly and two women debating the topic of whether obese people are causing global warming. I still do not know what or who to believe if global warming is real or not. One of my friends is a chemist and told me that I was a idiot to believe it to be true. Since I do not know all the facts and cannot consider myself an expert in the field I asked him questions like “does pollution contribute to a warming cycle?” From my times working in car dealerships I know that if I stand in a garage with the doors up and the engine running that it will get hotter in there along with it suffocating me from carbon monoxide. So how can this not contribute? His answer was that pollution is bad but does not cause global warming. I kept responding with “where does the heat go if it can’t escape our atmosphere?”

EDIT – Its confirmed. I do not believe in Global Warming because of the data which was tampered with.

In the video they bring up the topic of obese people consuming more contributes to global warming. The intro was funny saying chubby people tend to drive more than walk as I turned in my Ford Fusion last week to ride my bike. With them eating more it makes factories produce more goods which in turn releases pollution in the air. After the good is produced it needs to be shipped. Semi trucks take the good which causes them to burn fuel and release pollution. Then when the good is delivered the store needs to keep more refrigerators running to keep the goods fresh. The fridges consume electricity which is used from a electricity plant that releases pollution.

I have to agree with the blonde on everything and she brings up other topics along with global warming. My favorite one is that healthy people are subsidizing obese people. This hits home with me. I workout 5 days a week, eat pretty good, and have never been on medication. I have been to the Dr. twice in the past 7 years and it was for strep throat both times. Yet obese people who do not take care of themselves pay the same insurance premiums as I do even though I don’t go! Obesity is a lifestyle decision and if you want to treat your body like crap then you should have to pay more then me.

The one issue I do not like is the one about the economy. Sure, obese people spend more money on high margin fatty products which lets businesses stay afloat, produces jobs, pleases stock holders, etc. If people started eating healthier foods businesses would have to change their business model or go bankrupt. People still need to eat! This could lead onto a “this than that” discussion but watch the video and tell me what you think about the global warming point.

112 Year Old Man Tells Us His Secret To A Long Life

April 26, 2009 - Updated April 26, 2009

I came across this video of the oldest living man in the United States right now and I knew I had to post this. Walter Breuning is a 112 year old man who lives in Great Falls, Montana. His answers to questions about marriage and history are classic. What intrigued me the most was when he talked about what has contributed to his longevity. He is not on medication and gets around very well. Walter said it was his diet and keeping off weight that has helped him live a healthy life for all of these years. This goes to show you that no “magic pill” can help you live a healthy life. It’s choices along the way with what you eat and what you do.

Goodbye Ford Fusion – Hello Mountain Bike

April 15, 2009 - Updated April 15, 2009

Yesterday the lease was up on my 2007 Ford Fusion and I decided to not get another car. It was weird turning in the car and not getting something new. My decision was based on a couple different factors.

The first one was the house my girlfriend and I moved into in Royal Oak, Michigan. For those of you that do not know, Royal Oak is a suburb of Detroit that has a ton of fun things to do right in their own little down town. Before I moved there it was the place I went to with my friends to hang out. A lot of my friends already live in that area and are now about 5 to 10 minutes away by bike.

The second factor was that I bought a sweet mountain bike a couple years ago and never really rode it. I spent almost $500 on a Specialized Rockhopper Mountain Bike. My goal was to ride it a couple times a week to work to save on gas and stay in shape. Living 10 miles away from work with no showers there made it hard to do when it was 80 degrees with high humidity already at 7am. It was just too much work to pedal all the way there, risk being the sweaty guy, and change into my work clothes in a bathroom. I did it twice on cooler days. What I did enjoy was that when I got to work I felt ready for the day. My energy level was up and during the hour it took to get there I was able to get my thoughts focused on what I was going to do and how I was going to be successful. The days I rode to work were some of my more productive days. The ride home was fun. I timed myself to see how long it would take for me to get home and almost hit a fence at top speed. Not cool, but funny. The next time coming home I decided to stop at a party store and “brown bag” the ride home. This was a much more enjoyable and relaxing trip home.

The last reason for not getting another car is that my Beachbody Coach business is doing quite well right now and I really do not even leave the house during the day at all anymore. I work from home I am on the computer all day and don’t have a reason to leave. In the last year of having my car it had 8k miles put on it and half of those were driving to my girlfriends house which was a 70 mile round trip. That is gone now since we live together. The other miles were us driving some place together. She still has a car so we will use it. This lets me save almost $400 a month on lease payments and car insurance which I can now re-invest into my business or throw into the savings account. I don’t count gas because I was only spending about $30 a month. Just to have the car in the driveway was $400. If I really need a car during the week I can call a cab or rent a car. If I spend less than $400 on those than it makes sense to get rid of the car. There is a grocery store about a minute bike ride away, two bars within walking distance, a park, and anything else I would normally drive to is very close.

I feel kind of bad not getting a car since I live in the Detroit area and this community is built around Ford, GM, and Chrysler. As many of you know, the Big 3 are not doing so hot right now and need as many sales as they can stay afloat and not go into bankruptcy. On top of that, my dad worked at Ford for 38 years and was shocked to hear I was not getting something new. The shock on my sales persons face was more than my dad’s. I could tell by looking around the dealership that they are not nearly as busy as they were when I picked up the car two years ago. The manager at the dealership acted like he did not want to even talk to me because I was not picking up another car.

Anyways, my bike and I are going to get some use this summer. I bought a sweet North Face Crestone Backpack when I lived in Europe to go backpacking with and can fit a ton of stuff in it. It does feel a little different being that guy who is riding down the street with a gigantic backpack on going to the grocery store. The looks I get from the cashiers and employees at the store are funny. I think some of them are looking at me like I am going to steal something. I like to think of it as me saving the environment by not having to answer the question of “paper or plastic?” anymore.

The other comments I get from people are from my friends who think I am a weirdo. It’s common and it has happened before. My thought process is a little bit different then theirs. I see getting rid of my car as a blessing because I am not locked into a payment and getting a great workout at the same time. They think of it as being trapped and not being able to get away when they want. This makes sense but they forget about cabs, car rentals, buses, etc. When I lived in Europe I loved not having a car and wished that Detroit had a similar public transportation system. Probably will not happen for some years.

In the mean time I am going to stick with my plan of riding around on my bike and getting into shape by taking it where ever I need to go. If the need for a car is too great then I can always go back and get one.