Congratulations ...

"Congratulations!" That's all one can say when you learn of good news that friends and others receive (regardless the news).

Word is getting out now about the Body-for-Life 2006 champions. Rumor has it that a few of the so-called BFL Guestbook 'old-timers' have been selected as champions. I wish them well and look forward to seeing the official notice of their success.

Of course in the back of my mind such news reminds me of the work that's still ahead for me to achieve my fitness-related goal(s). Inspiration, motivation, surprise, envy, joy, excitement, curiosity ... These and other emotions are felt when such news is shared.

It's time to get busy. It's time to keep those self-promises. It's time. Period.

On the topic of lies, damn lies, and statistics

I've been logging my exercise w/in the President's Challenge website for several years. See www.presidentschallenge.org for more detail.

There's a feature on the President's Challenge sight that allows you to compare your progress against the progress of others. If you're in a recognized group, you can look at how you're doing versus others w/in your group. You can look at others your same age. You can look at h+ow you're doing when compared to others w/in your home state or w/in the United States.

Well the statistics say that I'm in the 99th or 100th percentile when comparing myself w/ others w/in my age group and/or state. This statistic on its face sounds pretty good. But the fact of the matter is that there's just not that big a sample size in the database. Either I'm a crazy man and logging into this site while others (a) aren't exercising, (b) aren't recording their exercise in this program, (c) they're out doing other things - like earning money, (d) couldn't care, etc., etc., etc.

Regardless, I'm pressing on toward earning -- someday -- a Platinum Award w/in the President's Challenge. At the rate I'm going, this is going to take awhile. But with a little luck and perseverence, I hope to be one of a very few 50 year olds to have achieved this goal.

So it's time to forget the lies, damn lies, and statistics and just 'soldier on.'