Sat - September 22, 2007

Steve's Heart Walk - After the Walk!

Whew!

(The following was posted last Saturday, 9/15/2007, on Home Theater Forum. An update from today follows this blog entry.)

Well, the walk was a success! Some 12 hours after returning home, the feet and calves are still feeling funky, but everything went well.

My company team was small (the guests who walked with us ultimately outnumbered the company participants--one walker brought five guests!) but a splendid time was had by all, whether the team had less than a dozen participants, or several hundred.

There were a lot of familes at the event, even kids in strollers. There were people who brought dogs. One team had a pony. There was entertainment--a live band, stiltwalkers who juggled, a magician, free healthy snacks, lots of water to drink, and many volunteers helping out.

Dallas Mav's Head Coach Avery Johnson fired the starting gun, then at least a thousand folks walked in beautiful pre-fall weather in the streets of Dallas. The weather was perfect.

We started at Victory Park, just outside the American Airlines Center (where the Mavs and Stars play, and where I will be seeing Blue Man Group next month!) We passed the West End, the Texas School Book Depository, and other buildings that graced the opening credits of that favorite 80's prime-time soap where that J.R. guy got shot.

A confession: I took one short cut, cutting what appeared to be a block out of the 3.5 mile walk. Sorry. I took the light rail to get to the event, but showed up late to the train station and ended up standing the entire hour it took to get from north of Dallas to Victory Park.

But the miracle here--and I am truly blessed to be able to say this--is that I could even think of standing for that hour, walking around the event and walking the city for almost three hours, and that I am still here with only minor aches and pains to show for it.

This walking thing is good stuff!

So thanks again to all who read my story, thanks even more to those who thought about making a lifestyle change despite this sedentary hobby, and extra special thanks to those who supported the walk (and I don't just mean financially).

The Dallas Heart Walk raised almost $2 million as of Thursday [9/13]. Some last minute contributions could very well push us past our goal [and did as of 9/25!!]. There are Heart Walks scheduled in other cities, as well.

The statistic says that for every hour of regular, vigorous exercise, you gain as much as two hours of life expectancy! So what did I do this afternoon?

Well, sure, what else? I watched a movie. I am going to have to really get to the exercise if I am going to be able to watch that new Kenneth Branagh Hamlet DVD.

Anyway, thanks again everyone. Be well.

(Update, one week later.)

I just got back from a nice walk in the neighborhood, where the weather this last day of summer has been absolutely delightful. I have been watching Heroes Season 1 on HD DVD, and have really been tired for other reasons recently, but mashed those innate couch potato tendencies, threw on my walking clothes and shoes, and pounded some pavement. There is a nice little park with a walking trail about half a mile from my home. I can briskly stroll over to this park and get my thirty minute walk in easily. And I was not the only walker in the park, even after dark! Thankfully, the neighborhood is new and quiet, and the walking is safe. The only hazards were of the water variety--several neighbors were watering their lawns. Don't they know the grass won't grow if they don't water it?!? :-D

Having the endurance to live life more on my feet is truly a wonder, and I feel so lucky to be able to share this with everyone. While I still have a long way to go to reach my goal weight, just being able to walk without collapsing is amazing--especially when you consider that I could not have done this just a few years ago. That scary driver's license photo of me is history, by the way--I had a new photo taken!

It is also very humbling to know that people even cared enough to read these posts and participate in my cause.

Thanks again, everyone, and keep on walking!

Posted at 09:26 PM     |

Thu - August 2, 2007

Steve's Heart Walk

Walk a little--live a lot

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Hi, my name is Steve Tannehill.

Many of you know me from the reviews I wrote at Home Theater Forum. Some of you may remember my days as a moderator there, and even more of you may remember my time running a web site called The DVD Resource Page. If any of you recall my site before that, I would truly be humbled and surprised.

But the fact is, you know me. I've been on the internet for years, surfing, and posting, creating, and commenting for a large portion of my life.

A large portion.

When I ran DVD Resource, I would work a day job, then come home and start the night job. I would eat some food, watch a movie, and write about it; watch more on TV and write about that; eat some more food, then get some sleep. An hour or two later, the cycle would repeat.

I exploded. At one time during the DVD Resource era, I weighed over 450 pounds and this is how I looked:



I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other disorders that I am not going to talk about here. I was dying. It is a miracle that my heart kept pumping, but it did. I was living a life that could have very well led to a heart attack.

My mom died of a heart attack almost seven years ago. Her heart was not strong enough to endure years of yo-yo dieting, which culminated in a significant weight loss that was achieved by a drug combination that was the focus of many class-action lawsuits. There were also genetic factors. Her father--my grandfather--died of a heart attack when I was a toddler.

After Mom's death, I was totally burnt out, and I shut my DVD site down.

The next year, I met my family in California for the first time in around 30 years. One of my cousins, Gary, and his wife took my father and me out to dinner and a movie. Gary loved music, and he had been to a number of concerts that I either had seen, or wanted to see.

Gary died at his desk one day of a heart attack.

Heart disease has been in my family for decades. I think you can understand why it might be a personal cause.

The American Heart Association is sponsoring Heart Walk in a number of cities across the United States. Heart Walk is a fundraiser for AHA, and it is intended to raise awareness on the health benefits of a simple 30 minute walk each day. The benefits are cumulative--if you can not walk for 30 minutes, you can walk 10 minutes three times a day. It is simple, and effective.

You can read more about the Heart Walk at the AHA site: it is a 3.5 mile fun walk and fund raiser that will be held in Dallas on Saturday, September 15th. But I would ask that you hold up for a moment... I have a favor to ask.

Since 2006, I have been eating right and dieting. I have recently started a simple walking program. All it takes is a pair of shoes and 30 minutes a day. My endurance has increased by orders of magnitude after a few short weeks. My diabetes and blood pressure have improved. My cholesterol is normal. I just saw the doctor for a physical and was able to retire--eliminate--every medication except one.

My whole outlook on life has improved. Instead of dying, I am living.

As a captain for my company Heart Walk team, they are asking us to solicit contributions. They have set a token target for each team member, and a goal for each team, but that financial goal is really not all that important to me. American Heart Association is a worthy cause, yes, but this is about health and well-being.

The favor? Go for a walk. Take out the dog, walk your cat if you must, or go play with your kids in the park. Mow the yard. Walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Park a little further out in the parking lot, or just get around and move.

Live a little. Don't just sit around watching movies and playing on the computer all the time like I used to do.

One more thing... if you want to help my cause, would you make a donation to the American Heart Association? I used to say that if I could get a DVD for $20 or less, that I was happy, and if it was a little more than that, I would consider it. The same holds true in this day and age of high-definition media. I just received 300 on HD DVD for $28 from Amazon, and I did not think twice about the cost.

So... would you please consider a $25 contribution to the American Heart Association?

To make the contribution count for my team, I have to invite you through email. If you send me your email address via Private Message here at Home Theater Forum, or to my address stevesheartwalk@verizon.net, I will send you the invite. I assure you that this is not a scam to gather email addresses. If you would rather not use your personal email, set up something on Yahoo or Gmail--I even have a few spare Gmail invites if you need one.

This HeartWalk invite will direct you to a third-party American Heart Association web site where you can securely donate and get a receipt. Your company may even offer matching contributions. The site has information about that.

Your donation is entirely tax-deductible, and a receipt will be provided.

It would honor my family and me if you would go walking and stay healthy, and if you would also help out a very worthy cause.

Perhaps it would honor your family and friends, as well.

Thanks for listening,

Steve

August 1, 2007



(That's me last night in the Dallas Maverick's locker room at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.)

Music: Dire Straits - "Walk of Life" from Brothers in Arms

Posted at 11:34 PM     |

Sun - July 22, 2007

The Soundtrack of a Life

If life were a musical...

I've always thought that life should be a musical. Or at least a screenplay with lots of music.

My soundtrack has evolved over the years.

Yes, I like The Beatles, and Pink Floyd, and when I need to go to the dark place, Nine Inch Nails.

But this song has been on my mind ever since I first heard it:



Then again, so has this next one. :-)

Posted at 07:08 AM     |

Fri - July 20, 2007

One more thing...

Hey, if Steve Jobs can say it, so can I!

I recently figured out how to set up and display videos on YouTube. My YouTube "Channel" has an embarrassing but unintentionally hilarious video I took at The Police reunion tour last month. Sing along with Steve. I assure you, everyone else was shouting "ROXANNE" at the top of their lungs, too--but since the microphone was close to my head... well, if you have not seen the video, please don't turn it up too loud. :-) That's the most fun I've had in a long time, and I absolutely guarantee you that I was sober.

I have also found a wealth of obscure but excellent video clips, a lot of them being from shows by my personal hero Stephen Sondheim. The clips from "Bounce" and "Merrily We Roll Along" are a wonder.

Posted at 07:06 AM     |

Thu - July 19, 2007

Here it goes again...

This time, I think I'll be using a treadmill...

I seem to have found my muse again. There were days doing The DVD Resource Page that I was happily writing, reviewing discs, and living my life. Life got out-of-balance, and I had to shut the site down.

Now I am not about to go back to the life and lifestyle that could very well have killed me some ten years ago. That driver's license photo I posted earlier this week was from the DVD Resource era, and that is not going to happen again. But, for reasons that I don't fully understand, I now see doors opening which I had closed off years ago.

I can write again. I even seem to have things to say.

Heck, I might even watch an HD-DVD or Blu-ray disc to write a review. This is, after all, called HDTV Resource! :-)

Posted at 08:26 PM     |

Sat - June 2, 2007

Fri - June 1, 2007

Coffee...mmm...

It's 7:00am, do you know where your lawn mower is?

I've been mowing my yard recently. I used to pay the illegal aliens $25 every two weeks to do it, but they mowed over a sprinkler head then did not return for three weeks. In the interim, I had a weed outbreak that needed immediate attention. My gas-powered lawn mower needed a tune up, so I bought a cheap reel mower and got to work.



Out of necessity came much needed exercise. My job and sedentary lifestyle have made me a slug over the past few years, so this was a prime opportunity to get the heart rate up and do some mostly low-impact walking in concentric rectangles.

This would not have been possible a few years ago due to my weight. I've lost around 100 pounds since 2000, 65 of those in the last year. And although I've got a lot of yard work to do before I reach my goal weight, I am making slow but steady progress.

This morning, I got up around 6:00am, paid some bills, then mowed the front yard. I would have waited until Saturday, but there is a threat of rain--again. Many more days of rain, and we'll need an ark.

The coffee awaits.

Posted at 08:02 AM     |

Thu - May 31, 2007