Me, Louisiana Gator Petting - VIDEO

September 22, 2012 my wife, daughter, grandson and I went to a local carnival in Monroe, Louisiana.

While there we went into the kid's petting zoo where I saw, and recorded, an alligator in with the goats and chickens. I was also privileged with an opportunity to hold an alligator for a few seconds.

The people who brought the gator to the carnival run an animal rehab facility in Rayville, Louisiana. Here's a short video of  the occasion.

the occasion.

Avoiding the Ham Operator 'Fat Trap'

There, I said it.  I said it because I found it happening to me.  

Fat trap?  This is the term I'm using to describe what happens to hams who find themselves sitting in front of a radio (or computer) for hours on end.  When I became disabled, I was getting very little exercise, and I started packing onextra pounds.

I know being over weight is unhealthy, but I didn't notice the pounds  creeping around my waist line until.  That is, until I went to the store one day to buy a pair of shorts.

I was shocked as I tried them on with a new shirt.  

There in the dressing room mirror I saw a shirtless, full-length image of myself  and  I didn't like what I saw.

Granted I had been quite ill for a lengthy amount of time and had not the energy to workout, but the image I saw that day was unacceptable to me.  I was embarrassed of my image.

So, What have I been doing?  

I still do all the ham radio activities I did before, but I found ways to increase my activity levels.

I walk the dog 3 times everyday; two of those walks are around the block.  

I began carrying my martial arts staff with me and I do single-handed spins, blocks, strikes and thrusts. 

In the evenings, when it's dark out, I've been going to the nearby school yard.  There's a set of metal parallel bars -set in concrete - that are just the right height to do push-ups on,  then move to the underside to do an exercise that is a kind of up-side-down push-up; but it's actually a pull-up.

When I began this routine I could only do 25 push-ups and 25 pull-ups.  Now, several weeks later, I'm up to 35 and 40.  These exercises really get my heart pumping and it's quite strenuous.  

In the ham shack, I have 2 sets of dumb bells.  When I'm waiting for the nets, or there is a lull in my activities, I do curls, overhead presses, and an exercise that is the motion of yanking a pull-cord on a lawn mower.

It has taken one-and-a-half months to lose 10 pounds, but I haven't really changed my eating habits.  If I did, I'd see better results.   

Also, The exercises aren't exactly what you would call 'aerobic' either so if I were to engage in that type I would (again) see better results.

What reasons can you think of that are stopping you from putting more activity in your life?  If you are a little on the heavy side, you could do yourself  favor and alleviate those impediments. 

Simply add activity.  Don't sit, and eat, all day.  Get up and move.

It was hard for me to get going, but now that I started, I don't want to stop.