Greg Johnson | thorgrym
Fun with genealogy! Who are you related to? Find out who my famous ancestor is @ http://www.listmyfive.com/36d0cb8c/The-Top-Five-People-In-My-Ancestry
1 year ago
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My Journey to Wellness
  • Time Flies When... 2012-03-12T00:46:00.000-04:00
    OK, I am aware of the irony. I am writing a post entitled "Time Flies When..." on the first day after we set the clocks ahead one hour (well, at least in most of America) thanks to daylight savings time. However, as it has been several months since I last updated this blog (7 months to the day) the concept of time flying just seems to be a fitting title.

    As of the last post, I was producing two internet radio shows. Well, due to several factors, I am no longer.

    As well, I was working as an intern for one of Hartford's radio stations, The Rock 106.9 WCCC. Well, I am still with WCCC, but in a different capacity. I am now officially employed! I am only part time (about 10-15 hours per week), but part of my duties include being the board operator on Friday mornings from 6-10 am during the 'Imus in the Morning' show. I have to coordinate the satellite feed with the local commercial spots as well as read the news, weather, and traffic on WCCC's AM station, WCCC AM 1290 Beethoven Radio.

    Also in the last post, I mentioned that we were in pre-production of ConnecTV, the first television show produced entirely by graduates of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. We now have four shows completed and airing on a regular basis over several cable access outlets across Connecticut. The show can also be seen on the internet at our Vimeo channel.

    Time definitely flies...

    Today, I renewed my commitment to The Maker's Diet. While I have been mostly following the guidelines of the diet, I haven't always been terribly strict. Well, I went back to phase one. I was really happy with the results of my first attempt to follow the Maker's Diet and I am hoping to to further improve  my health by returning to the basics.

    My day started with a push ups workout. I have been following the program detailed on hundredpushups.com for the last couple of weeks. I have been pretty happy with the results so far.
    I followed the workout with my daily dose of VIDACELL. This would be the only food that, while truly natural, might not truly qualify for the Maker's Diet guidelines. The benefits far outweigh what might be consequences for breaking the 'rules.'
    Breakfast consisted of a 3 egg omelet made with free range eggs, raw cheese, and organic salsa. I also supplemented with vitamin D.
    After suitable time for digestion, I used a free pass to go to the YMCA and get another workout. This time, I spent 35 minutes on the elliptical machine. According to the calorie counter, I burned almost 400 calories. I also spent some time doing some resistance exercise - mostly to complement the push ups, I concentrated on back exercises.
    Upon returning home, my wife and daughters were just leaving for a walk in the amazing weather, so I put the leash on Ginger and joined them!
    The rest of my daily food consumption consisted of plain yogurt and a homemade lentil soup with lots of veggies.
  • Busy, Busy! 2011-08-24T09:12:00.001-04:00
    It is becoming more the rule than the exception that my time between posts is long...

    The 4th broadcast of Journey to Wellness is now playing on ALL NOiSE RaDiO. If you missed it, you can 'tune in' via the internet or the mobile app tomorrow and Saturday, Aug. 27 (both at 10 am Eastern) to hear the show. Our 5th show is recorded and ready for broadcast starting on the following Thursday. Due to time constraints, I decided that the Journey to Wellness show would run for two weeks giving Marcus and I more time between sessions. It is a bit difficult to coordinate our schedules on a weekly basis. When each new show debuts every other Thursday, I am also uploading it to the podcast server.
    My other show, Armchair All-Stars, runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 3:00 pm Eastern. This one runs weekly, so I need to get together with my group (sometimes consisting of just me and Chris) every week to record and edit the show for broadcast.
    In addition to the two internet radio shows, I am still going in to Hartford once a week (sometimes more) for my internship at The Rock 106.9 WCCC.

    Yesterday, after my recording/editing session with Chris and our special guest, Randy Rowe, I had a meeting in North Haven regarding an upcoming video project. The videos that are currently being planned will be part of a nationwide, online training program for school nurses specifically dealing with asthma management for students. This is a really exciting project to be involved with! This is an unpaid position, but major doors will be opened for me because of it.

    Tomorrow is going to be another full day for me. After my internship (10am-5pm), I have a production meeting for our student-produced cable access television show - ConnecTV - at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. We are fast approaching our deadline of Sept. 1st for video pieces for inclusion in the show and we plan to tape the final show on Sept. 8th. There is a lot yet to be done, but things are moving in the right direction!
  • Time flies! 2011-08-04T08:00:00.000-04:00
    Wow, it has been over a month since I last updated this blog but there is good reason for it - I promise! My journey to wellness has led me to places along the way that I could never have predicted. While I still feel that I have some 'walking' to do on the journey, the things that I have been able to achieve have been amazing.

    As you know, I attended - and completed - phase 1 of classes at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. One result of my completion of phase 1 is that I now have two internet radio shows that are broadcast over ALL NOiSE RaDiO - one show is a direct extension of this blog, suitably called Journey to Wellness and the second is a sports talk show called Armchair All-Stars. Journey to Wellness has now seen three shows go over the internet and also has a presence on iTunes as a podcast. Armchair All-Stars is just getting underway. My co-hosts and I got into the studio this past Tuesday and recorded what should be our first show. Our original intent was for our session to be a sort of dress rehearsal, but after reviewing the recording we will likely post it for broadcast. Armchair All-Stars will also be available on iTunes once we officially launch.

    A little over a week ago, I went to my 25th high school reunion. It was great to see my friends. While there were a few that weren't there that I was really hoping to see, I was glad to see everyone that did attend. If you had asked me back in 2006 to go, I would have had to decline. There is no way that I would have been able to do it. Even the condition that I was in two years ago would have made it next to impossible.

    Finally, I interviewed for a job! On August 1st, I spent almost two hours on the campus of ESPN in Bristol, CT interviewing and touring the campus. It was great experience and totally a result of my journey to wellness.
  • Journey to Wellness - the Podcast! 2011-06-23T08:08:00.000-04:00
    It is finally live! - well, live in a recorded sort of way...

    Through an interesting path on my journey to wellness, I have started a radio show/podcast! Having completed my course at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, I am now able to host my own internet radio show through ALL NOiSE RaDiO. It seemed a logical step to bring my blog - the very blog that you find yourself reading right now - to the airwaves. I invited my good friend, Marcus Milukas, into the studio as a perpetual guest on the program. We discuss various wellness related topics over the course of a 1 hour talk radio show.
    As an adjunct to the ALL NOiSE RaDiO broadcast, I have posted the individual segments (four 14 minute segments make up the hour) on a podcasting service and have submitted it (pending approval) to iTunes!

    I invite you to 'tune in' to our new podcast by visiting my page on Podbean by following this link. You can also visit us on facebook at Journey to Wellness.
  • Fix the Flapper! 2011-06-11T21:24:00.000-04:00
    Going forward, I am not going to be tying every post - well, nearly every post - to a song or album. It was fun while it lasted, but as it went on I found that it was hindering me in posting entries. If I didn't have a good song reference, I wasn't posting anything. It had taken over from the real reason for this blog. While I might, occasionally, make a song reference or two, it will no longer keep me from posting when I just can't come up with one.
    What has been and will continue to be the primary focus of this blog - my personal journey to wellness - is becoming an internet radio broadcast - suitably called Journey to Wellness! My recent completion of Phase I of courses at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting comes with some privileges. In addition to lifetime use of the studios (at any of the 12 campuses), I can develop and broadcast my own radio show via ALL NOiSE RaDiO - an internet radio station powered by CSB. Actually, I have several radio shows in the works, but putting together Journey to Wellness has been a major thrill for me over the last couple of weeks. One reason for this was the fact that putting this show together resulted in a reunion with a good friend of mine, Marcus Milukas. Marcus and I reconnected through facebook a while ago and found that we live only about an hour away from each other.
    Marcus is going to be a perpetual guest on Journey to Wellness. Together, we are going to discuss wellness-related topics. He is going to focus on the emotional wellness while I focus on the nutritional and physical wellness. In addition, we will be inviting various guests to discuss financial wellness, spiritual wellness, and other aspects of wellness - it all depends on the guests that we find!
    I will be announcing when the show airs once I have that information so please be sure to tune in!

    So...now that I am not referencing songs in every post's title, just what does the title of this post refer to? "Fix the Flapper" is my new motto and to find out what it means you will just have to listen to the show!
  • The Spirit of Radio 2011-05-17T00:41:00.000-04:00
    After a month of (almost) daily posting - except for Sundays - during the month of April, it has been over two weeks since my last entry. My absence can be explained by the fact that these last couple of weeks have been really busy!
    I finished up Phase I at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and have been getting things started for Phase II. While Phase II is likely to be a lot less intense than Phase I, there is still work to be done - demos to record, resumes to be sent, radio shows to be broadcast... all hopefully leading to an internship and a job! When I started attending classes at CSB, I was pretty sure that I wanted to get into radio. Now, I am not so sure if I prefer radio over TV. Honestly, I like both and would be happy with a job in either field. I couldn't resist using Rush's song The Spirit of Radio as the title of this post!

    Today, as a sort of reward for finishing Phase I, I purchased a new pair of shoes for myself. In a previous post, I mentioned Vibram's FiveFingers. Originally I decided to pass on the FiveFingers, but I kept wanting to take another look at them. Additionally, I kept seeing other people wearing them. While I don't pay a lot of attention to the shoes that other people are wearing, these shoes are pretty noticeable. Well, I went back to the store to give them another shot. I tried on two different pairs - one that I had tried on my previous trip and a new style that wasn't previously available. I ended up buying (and loving!) the FiveFingers Bikila LS. I am really looking forward to going for a walk wearing these shoes! I think that they are going to be a major part of my journey to wellness.
  • A-Z Challenge - 'Z' 2011-04-30T07:18:00.000-04:00
    As you might imagine, coming up with a topic that begins with Z is not the easiest thing to do. Compounded with the fact that my personal challenge is to somehow incorporate my a-z challenge topics with my journey to wellness and it becomes even harder. In fact, I actually had a couple of options in mind for the letter Z but I decided on the use of Z in the popular phrase 'catch some ZZZZ's' for my topic today.

    To catch some ZZZZ's means to get some sleep. According to The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, this phrase traces its origins to the common use of the 'ZZZZ' or 'zzzz' in cartoons to indicate a sleeping character.
    An example of 'Z' indicating sleep - note the final panel.

     Sleep is an absolute necessity on my journey to wellness. When I first started treatments in the hospital, my wake/sleep schedule became completely messed up. Fatigue had a major role in that - I would sleep anytime that I needed to - but having to take a dose of medication every six hours meant that I would be awake at times that I would not normally be. The combination of sleeping due to fatigue and waking at odd times (and being unable to fall back to sleep right away) was not a good one.
    Though I am no longer dosing with medication at odd hours, I still have bouts of fatigue that just demand that I am frequently dozing at odd hours. I absolutely refuse to take any sleep aids. One doctor recommended (and was rather upset when I refused) that I do so in order to restore a more normal sleep schedule. I just didn't think that I needed any sort of pharmaceutical assistance with it. The last thing that I want to do it to become dependent on a drug for something as natural as sleep. The further recommendation to take a stimulant in the morning so that I could stay awake through the day and 'would be tired at an appropriate time' cemented my decision to avoid drug-assisted sleep.
  • A-Z Challenge - 'Y' 2011-04-29T06:07:00.001-04:00
    Yogurt is my topic for today - the second to last post in April's A-Z challenge. Yogurt plays a slightly smaller role in my journey to wellness now than it did even a couple of months ago only because it has taken a back seat to my homemade kefir (check out my post - Wouldn't It Be Nice - for the start of my kefir adventures). Like kefir, yogurt is a cultured milk product and is beneficial for digestion.

    Early on my journey to wellness I attempted making yogurt at home with varying degrees of success. Yogurt doesn't take a lot of effort but it does take patience and warmth - and a little yogurt to get the process started. The only available heat source I have that suited my needs - well, the yogurt's needs - is my Crock-Pot. Sometimes it got too warm in the Crock-Pot for the culture and the yogurt didn't always come out right. At $7.50 per gallon of raw milk, I didn't really relish the potential of having a failed batch as a result of too much heat. As a result, I gave up on making my own yogurt until such time as I could acquire a yogurt maker designed for the purpose. They don't cost much, but kitchen space is a premium so I have held off on getting a new gadget. Making kefir is so much easier and requires no heat above room temperature, so that is now my primary source of probiotics.
    The best commercial yogurt that I could find is from Stonyfield Farm though Deerfield Farm - the source of my raw milk - also makes yogurt regularly. When I get yogurt, it is from one of these two sources. In both cases though, the milk is pasteurized prior to being cultured.
  • A-Z Challenge - 'X' 2011-04-28T08:00:00.000-04:00
    Today's post is one that doesn't impact my journey to wellness too greatly as I have not come to a decision as to how I feel about 'xylitol.'  Xylitol is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that metabolizes differently than sugar. According to Xylitol.org, xylitol is "a naturally occurring carbohydrate. It is found in fibrous vegetables and fruit. It also occurs naturally in our bodies – in fact, an average size adult manufactures up to 15 grams of xylitol daily during normal metabolism. Pure xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar."
    My uncertainty stems from the fact that in order for xylitol to be used as a sweetener it needs to be extracted from a source. How it is extracted - what process and/or chemicals might be used - is a mystery to me at this point. Additionally, the food that it is added to would have to be processed to some degree. On the upside, there are some known benefits to using xylitol - specifically as a cavity fighter.
  • A-Z Challenge - 'W' 2011-04-27T08:39:00.001-04:00
    Today's topic for the A-Z challenge is 'walking.' Since the onset of my symptoms, something as simple as walking has often been a struggle for me - though considerably less of an issue now than even one year ago.

    I was admitted to the hospital in September of 2006 when I attempted to walk a short distance from the courthouse in Middletown to Russell Library - a grand total of 0.2 miles, though with a slight incline. I experienced an extreme shortness of breath and barely made it. Prior to that, walking in a straight line without some sort of support was an issue.
    In the hospital, I was immediately put on a corticosteroid similar to prednisone and issued a pair of red socks - the steroid was used to reduce swelling and the socks indicated that I was not allowed to walk without assistance (they were afraid that I would fall and hurt myself).
    The prednisone-like steroid caused me to gain a lot of weight over the almost 5 months that I was taking it. While steroid helped me in one aspect, it hurt me in other aspects. After coming off of it, I had odd issues - super-sensitive teeth, no appetite at all (just the smell of food made me sick) - in addition to the problems that go along with obesity.

    Prior to October 2008 (you may recall from previous posts that this is when I started taking VIDACELL), my walking was limited to flat surfaces with hand rails for support and then only for short periods. Grocery shopping with a shopping cart to lean on was a decent option. After October 2008, walking became a regular part of my journey to wellness.

    Walking for fitness and walking for mobility are two different entities yet very similar. The first is something that we all should do more often yet it seems like a chore for many of us. The second is something that we easily take for granted.
These are a few of my favorite things...

  • VidaCell

    VIDACELL is an incredible product that has laid the foundation for a life changing opportunity! VIDACELL is an all natural functional food that provides your body's cells with vital and essential nutrients they can use to fight the "cellular aging process" and promote better health.

  • The Armor of God

    I wrote this book based on a Bible study about what it truly means to wear God' armor.

  • SideTick

    A little social interaction can earn some cash.

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