A Call For Sanctuaries

One of my clearest memories from childhood: standing on a bluff at Fort Ross in Sonoma County, watching a pod of whales swim by.  That memory was a primary motivator in my decision to move back to California in 2007.  I wanted to see more whales. 

That desire has certainly been fulfilled, especially since we moved to Santa Cruz, which sits on the shore of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.  There is a deep canyon off shore which creates a nutrient-rich environment, attracting migrating whales and dolphins, as well as supporting sea otters, sea lions, seals and a vast array of birds.  Humpback and gray whales feed on anchovies, and orcas feed on the whales and seals and sea lions. 

It is almost too fantastic to believe.  Marina and Paloma and I were walking one foggy day and when we stopped at a bench, we were treated to the spectacle of thousands of pelicans, gulls, and other birds feeding, with humpback whales circling and rising vertically from the water in their midst, a slow and majestic appearance.

The life and abundance of the Monterey Bay is outstanding.  Here is a video I took on a recent walk during lunch: you will see birds and dolphins.

 

The preservation of these eco-systems is of fundamental importance.  With the increasing competition for resources, a measured policy to preserve the beauty of the oceans and the health of the fisheries is in our best interest, regardless of the emotional imperative to preserve this wonder.  This is why national marine sanctuaries are so important, and why we should make more of them. 

Game-ifying Weight Loss

When you have a baby as a first time father, your son or daughter is not the only addition to your life.  In most cases, you also add many pounds to your waistline.   It is not just a few either; it is compounded.   Pregnancy and then tending a newborn--while not hard on the father compared to the mother--has its stresses, and at times you will take an extra sip of bourbon here, drink a bottle of wine here, eat a deep-fried pizza over there.

You get the idea.  You are stressed, you are tired, and you are sedentary.  This was especially true in my case, because my idea of an exciting Saturday, for instance, includes watching soccer all morning and watching my fantasy soccer stats. 

When I realized I was up to 220 pounds, and when I further realized that my active baby is going to be an active crawler in the near future, I knew the jig was up and that something had to change.

It isn't that I don't know how to eat healthily or exercise enough.  I'm quite familiar with the theory.  The problem is discipline.  My good intentions last about as long as Jabba The Hutt would last in a marathon.

However, success came when I stumbled into a way to combine my love for statistics--the sports variety, not the mathematical field--with a desire to shed pounds: the WeightWatchers point system. 

Now, keep in mind that I'm not officially doing WeightWatchers.  I'm not paying them any money for advice.  It's like the scene in Bridesmaids where the main characters are stealing exercise by following an outdoors aerobics class from behind a tree.  I'm familiar with the point system and I found a tool online for calculating the daily allowances.  I even have a way to calculate activity points, where I can earn more points by exercising, points that justify a glass of bourbon, for instance.  Win-win.

I rapidly became absorbed by tracking points.  I have spread-sheets.  I have apps to scan bar codes and calculate points and track my weight loss. The latter can even graph the arc of my weight loss, which makes me very happy from an aesthetic point, as it shows a steady downward curve.  Today I downloaded a pedometer app for my iPhone that lets me see how quickly I'm walking and how many calories I'm burning--more stats.

It's surprisingly fun to add each item in the spreadsheet and watch the points automatically accrue.  You have to make decisions about how much to eat of what type of food.  It's just like figuring out who to start in fantasy soccer to maximize your chances of success. 

The focus on food points and activity points led to better portion control and more regular exercise--I have been eating a lot more salads and finding ways to make them interesting, like grilling chicken bits, and I've been walking for at least twenty minutes during every lunch break.  The results came quickly, and while they have tapered off, they remain steady. 

In other words, I'm winning, and losing, and winning by losing.  Huzzah!