I/O Error

a geek's attempt to troubleshoot her weight

[ioeblog]

Writing to reach you

The stairs objective was good for me this week. That is not to say it did not take me a while to come around. In fact, it took me a good three or four days, but I realized something amazing in that time. It should have been obvious, so obvious. But it wasn't. Not until I realized the steps were getting easier to climb.

It turns out I have been the greatest barrier to becoming more active. Not my health, not my age, not any excuses such as these. Just me and my irrational fear of every damn thing.

At some point in my life I must have decided I am not the kind of person who can be that public. Probably because I have always thought I am fat. Always. And probably because I am always ashamed of the person I am in pictures: that girl who wants to remember everyone else having a good time without knowing she probably spent the entire night hiding behind throw pillows on the couch.

I don't identify with people who live their lives without compartmentalizing experiences as if they are preparing for some sort of Facebook slide show. I'm not talking jocks or mean girls, I'm talking normal people who walk/jog/dance/run/ride bikes/camp/hike/go on adventures without somehow consciously removing themselves from the shot.

Well, who cares if I don't walk or dance perfectly? I think the only one who cares about that stuff is me, and I'm not even sure if I care anymore. I will tell you this: I care enough to try walking or dancing. I care enough to start living my life regardless of the dreaded possibility of being tagged on Facebook. That sounds ludicrous, I know, but it used to be the other way around.

Tuesday I climbed 933 stairs at work. Then I went home and walked four miles to game night. It was so rewarding! I felt so good, I was a serious badass!

Why did I ever think I couldn't do this? I can be an active person just like anybody else. All it takes is a step any direction and more steps will follow. One foot in front of the other, and soon enough I'll just learn to walk around that person who used to get in my way.

[ioeblog]

These were the most interesting stairs of the week.  A total of 342 round trip.  Taking the stairs was a nice change, but it kicked my butt!

[ioeblog]

Man, unlike anything organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments.

John Steinbeck

[ioeblog]

Connection failed

It's been an awfully long time since I felt motivated to be introspective in a strange and public way. In the past, I found blogging forced me to confront aspects of my life I would have otherwise continued to ignore. Here again I find myself trying to attain that level of understanding only meticulous documentation can offer.

Why I/O Error?

I have thought long and hard on this one. There are so many topics I wish I knew enough about to justify a place in my blog. Things like fashion, style, music, being cool - all these things I wish I could speak to with any kind of authority, but I can't. Not yet.

Don't worry. Remember I am a geek. My approach must be way more focused and OCD than something like "being cool". Therefore, my choice is clear. I have never obsessed about anything more than my weight, I have never been more of an expert in my struggle to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise, sunlight, food that cannot be microwaved in burrito form - these all completely mystify me. This does not mean I have forgotten the science behind the mystery: eat less + off ass more = lose weight. As simple as this seems, my brain still manages to come up with an input/output error on a daily basis.

Lately I have been immersed in the very cool field of data visualization. I thought it would be fun to test out some of those concepts here. On myself. With my own goals and metrics.

I plan to communicate these here for you with the hope of sharing thoughts of encouragement, sparking new ideas, staying honest, and learning something about myself in the process.

This week I have banned all elevators, and am actively seeking out stairs. Feel free to join me if you are just insane enough to do it!