YES YOU CAN!

Why do exercise programs/ diets/changes HAVE to start on a Monday?
Why can they not be implemented immediately?
Is it part of our inbuilt procrastination DNA?
What have YOU chosen to change in 2015?


November 2013- January 2015

It is not easy to stick to a food regime,
especially over the "silly season".
We find a variety of excuses to have that extra slice of Christmas cake
or one more piece of wors(sausage)  from the braai (barbecue).
But all is not in vain,
and those extra kg's can be lost to get YOU back on track

Plan your strategy for getting back on track.
If you do have one, it will make the journey back far easier

I do enjoy my running!
In the past I have run all the major Ultra-marathons in South Africa,
including the Comrades( 8 finishes)
But those distances are well behind me now.
My goal was to run sub 30 minute 5km consistently.
And I am now doing that.
Next goal... 25 minute 5km!

YOU can change...if you want to.
Do it for yourself first.
No-one can force you to change,
you must WANT to.

I never realized how fast a sub four minute mile was
until I ran in miles while on a trip to the USA several years ago.
I was running 4.5 minute km's consistently.
And that translates to 7.14 minutes per mile...
 I enjoy running...more than my gym visits.
But the latter are important as they allow me to run better.
The gym visits are there when I have an excuse NOT to run...
Rain, wind, sleet etc.
If you are feeling particularly energetic you can do a morning run
and an afternoon gym session.

Never give up...
If you have picked up some weight over the holiday season,
try to get back into your routine now that you are back at work.

What this says!

With my new eating plan/exercise regime,
I intend to keep to this mantra.
At 62 I have less years ahead than I have years behind me.
That being said, keeping the weight off SHOULD be easier

I have had several people compliment me on my achievement...
20kg's GONE since November 2013.
And they have said that I have inspired them...
and then they find excuses NOT to try for themselves.

The word "diet" should be banned.
It should be seen as a lifestyle change.
An eating plan is actually what you should be focused on.
Diet has a negative connotation.
More "what-not-to-eat" than "eat-in- moderation"

Find YOUR trigger foods and cut down or cut them out totally.
Remember it takes 21 days to set a habit (good, bad or indifferent)
And if you slip on any of those...it is back to day one.
For me bread is my default food...and one that was easily accessed
during the holiday period.
But now that I am back at work, I can control that intake.

For all my running friends and colleagues.
I have run in game reserves, and even in the dark cobbled streets of Europe.
My best, running in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in -23C!
My tongue froze.

Before and after...
Personally I did not realize how much I had changed
until I started putting pictures side by side

Being healthy and fit means more time with my wife and daughter.

"When we lift weights at gym, the process doesn't change the weights. It changes us. Even if you try, and fail... something IN YOU has grown in the process". 

Roland Gaspar, Motivator/Author

The long and short(s) of it...Dress code, yes or no?

So what has me tilting at windmills once more?
 What is getting me hot, but not under the collar?
Long pants on holiday...that's what.
Long pants, I hear you ask...
Let me explain.



Should there be a dress code in restaurants in holiday destinations?
And if so, how will it be determined?


The first item of "banned" clothing for men seems to be shorts.
I have yet to understand why shorts have attracted the ire of many hotel managers.
Women seem to be allowed to wear shorts,
despite some of them having legs more suited to being covered.
Am I being sexist? No, just truthful...
 Vests are next on "the list".
The vests I can ACTUALLY understand.
I certainly don't want to be looking at some hairy armpits while I have dinner.
But why single out flip-flops?
What about sandals? Why are they "acceptable"?
Barefeet being unacceptable, yes,
but personally, I would ban Crocs rather than flip-flops.


So what then defines "long pants",
which is what male guests are asked to wear.
Can you have long shorts or short longs?


I do NOT want this next to me at dinner.
And it seems to be dinner that is the problem meal.
Breakfast and lunch are an "anything goes" dress code.
Why does that change when the sun goes down?


Is this young lady correctly attired?


Have a close look at some of the items on this list...
Why pick on Timberland Boots?
No striped Polos? WTF...
No white tee shirts? Is that a racial thing?
Why pick on white?
Why not pink or lemon yellow or puce for that matter?
If I walked into a hotel/ dining room where this was displayed,
I would certainly leave and NEVER return.
Often these "rules" are not displayed on a web site,
but are only on display in the hotel/dining room.
SNEAKY...


Yes/No?
You decide...


White shoes should be banned outright.


Does the cost of the trouser count?
Up until now, I have seen no signs that have banned jeans.
But then again modern jeans can be VERY expensive,
and the VERY wealthy wear them...
And you DON'T want to make the rich and famous angry


Are these permissible?
And the sandals?


YES PLEASE...
We are adults, allow us to make our own decisions,
PLEASE.


Would you like her as a dinner companion?

A couple of years ago I was asked to leave a hotel restaurant in Port Elizabeth for wearing shorts to dinner.

I had not seen the sign stating that the hotel had a dinner dress code until I was stopped by the manager.

When I inquired why, I was informed that their International guests

 insisted that men wear long pants to dinner.

I did ask if I could check with the handful of guests already in the dining room,

if my shorts would be offensive, but I was told that this was NOT an option,

 I was given to access the buffet, meaning that I could WALK around the dining room, with my legs in full view of the guests,but  I had to eat alone in the coffee shop.

Seeing  I  was eating alone ANYWAY, I did not really mind, 

but I did feel like I had been banished from eating with the grown-ups. 

RANT OVER...

All images are from Google images

Follow me on Twitter: @davidbatzofin

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Face(book) off?

 Once more...
Time for me to tilt at a windmill...
Or tilt a windmill, if that will help get this rant off my chest.
It used to be
Control. alt. delete
Now it is
like. comment. share.
And we do...often and sometimes without thinking about the possible consequences.



Are you, like most of our planet "addicted" to Facebook?
Is it the first page that you log on to every morning?
Or perhaps you never log off...
Why has it become such an important part of our lives?
Do we really care if someone spills coffee in their lap,
or that we must all post pictures of flowers to make things better?
More importantly, do we REALLY believe that starting any kind of petition
will change the world.
How deluded we have become...
And more importantly, if you take a step back from this "drug",
you will realise how meaningless and trite our lives have become.
If we comment, we are often chastised for the comments
and if we don't comment, the same rule applies.
"Damned if you do, and damned if you don't



This state of affairs was brought home when I recently returned
from a life changing trip.
I returned, only to be totally disillusioned by the "rubbish"
being shared via this medium.
Now, I am not saying that I was not an "addict",
I was, past tense.
And like any other addiction, the past two weeks have not been easy.
I have wanted to "like" and "share"...
And on occasion, even "comment"...
But I have refrained.
And has it affected anyone's life other than my own?
Not at all...
None of my "friends" have tried to contact me to find out if I am OK.
Nope, their flower/petition/save the (whatever) posting are far more important.
Oh, and let me not forget those unfinished/cryptic sentences, that just beg an
'"Are you OK"? question.
And that is usually never answered
And I can also add bad language.
It amazes me that the Facebook "elves" will remove naked images,
but allow rude language...


This is my message to them...
Am I still using?
Yes, but only as a publicity platform for my Blog
www.davidbatzofin.com
See what I did there?


I think this cartoon sums it all up.
What really pisses me off, is when people promote their event on my page without asking.
What ever happened to good manners?
Left at the portal...
Someone posted a picture of a lost dog on my wall once.
This resulted in several "likes"...which I questioned.
Why "like" why not "comment".
I was rudely informed, by someone I did not know,
that the "like" was because it was on my page.
Needless to say, I removed both immediately.
I DO NOT care where you had your nails done,
or if KFC has let their client base down.
And challenges, let me not forget those...
Post 3 pictures...share 5 hugs...what would you old age name be...
To quote "Gone with the wind":
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"
AND I certainly do not want to read the same tired old jokes,
re-posted time after time.
Currently there are only 3 people that I believe MUST
be nominated for an award for entertaining writing.
David, Peter and Anthony, whose musing keep me from committing Facebook suicide.
Thank you gents.


If you don't read it on Facebook, then it did not happen.
Gym, Banting, visits to the hairdresser etc,
if you don't post, then none of it happened.
I used to be one of "those"...
But not anymore.
Life is too short...


My daughter has refused to "friend" me.
We tried, twice...and twice it was a failure.
She says that I am a great father, but a lousy Facebook friend.
In the beginning I was upset, but I understand now.


I will continue to read but for now, my commenting days are over.
I don't need to know how many days there are to Christmas.
Or what day of the week it is.
And for that matter I no longer need the validation of "friends".
I can be who I want to be, without having to constantly check on my online presence.


I am trying to break the chains of this "evil" that has infiltrated every aspect of our waking hours
The Devil is an IT specialist!
Some people will "like" this posting.
A few might even take the time to "comment"...
Some might recognize themselves and be offended...
GET OVER IT!
But in the greater scheme of Facebook (things),
this will just be a tiny ripple in the vast pond that is social media...
I feel better now...

All images are from Google images

Follow me on Twitter: @davidbatzofin

Visit my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/david.batzofin

The Unknown child...

Thanks to a TV shoot  I recently worked on,
I got to see a part of Pretoria that I have never visited before.
Having time to kill before the event started,
 I decided to investigate the immediate area.
I was surprised by what I found... 

I have heard of graves for the "Unknown Soldier",
But I had never heard of this initiative.
Taken at face value, it seems like a worthy cause.
But it is "hidden" at the bottom of the road that leads to Freedom Park.
Probably one of the least visited "tourist" destinations,
for a variety of reasons...

What really made me sad/angry is the condition of the images
on the walls that surround the monument.
This one had graffiti all over it.
And for some reason, it looks like someone had tried to remove the picture

It looks like the thieves succeeded in getting this one.
Could it not have been replaced by the Municipality?
It seems such a pity that such a good idea might not be around for much longer 

This is the actual monument.
I wonder how many of the locals even know that it exists?

"Teach your children",
Crosby, Stills and Nash...with Young in the original recording

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vnYKRacKQc

I mentioned that Freedom Park was at the top of the road.
Costing millions, it recognizes only a certain segment of our population,
who fought for freedom and democracy.
The park represents the following:
The Seven Epochs

Epoch 1: Earth – this era explores an African perspective on the origins of the universe, life on Earth and our role and responsibility towards the environment and each other.

Epoch 2: Ancestors – this era explores how Africans deal with death and the afterlife, and explains the concept of ancestors from the physical and spiritual perspectives. It also documents early technological innovations.

Epoch 3: Peopling – this era showcases African innovations and the many vibrant civilisations and ideas from the continent that have influenced developments in the modern world.

Epoch 4: Resistance and Colonisations – this era shows how indigenous people used their own systems to resist the social, economic and political challenges of colonialism, and highlights how colonisation changed the relationship of African people to their land and cultures.

Epoch 5: Industrialisation and Urbanisation – this era highlights how indigenous people resisted, and adapted to, the social and economic changes and challenges that colonial industrialisation – especially large-scale minerals exploitation – brought to their lives.

Epoch 6: Nationalisms and Struggle – this era looks at the struggle for democracy as a backdrop to the birth of the new South Africa. It charts the movement to establish inclusive nationalism as the preferred model for a unified nation.

Epoch 7: National Building and Continent Building – this era begins in the last decade of the 20th century and explores South Africa's transition from the tyranny of apartheid to a constitutional democracy. It looks at how we create unity and promote development in South Africa and on the continent in general.

Information from the Freedom Park website:

http://www.freedompark.co.za/

Follow me on Twitter: @davidbatzofin

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