I talk about my Fitbit a lot because over the past 2+ years it has helped me to lose over 50 lbs and keep it off. In that time I know, literally, almost 100+ people that are using Fitbits to get into better shape. I know there are millions more out there just based on the premise that Fitbit is now trading stock publicly and you see Fitbit commercials during prime time television. Today I know it isn’t just Fitbit that is causing more Americans to become healthier; Nike, BodyFit, Apple’s HealthKit, even the Microsoft Band (for the 3 people that have one) are also contributors. So I don’t think Fitbit single-handedly made America healthier, but I think it was the catalyst. Seriously, if only Fitbit had stock I could have bought 2 years ago!
I had tried so many different fads, diets and programs to try to lose weight and get into shape, I was even offered monetary rewards one time; but nothing I tried seemed to work. I don’t know what it was about the Fitbit that turned it around for me, but I’m glad it worked. I wish I knew the statistics of obesity in America right now and I’m curious if they have gone down (since I’m not a professional blogger and I don’t write for the AP, I don’t feel like doing the research myself – I guess that qualifies me to work for CNN *rim-shot*).
These things do have a tendency to fade away as it will no longer be “trendy” to use a fitness tracker, but hopefully the numbers keep rising. I know I do what I can to encourage friends, family and co-workers to keep walking and working out to help them become healthier. I think its pretty hilarious though that all of Michelle Obama’s “efforts” to reduce obesity hasn’t had the same impact as a tiny, electronic device (especially since I still see King Size candy bars and I still drink 16+ ounces of pop every day). It just goes to show you that even a tiny device is much more influential than a tiny mind 😉
Keep Walking My Friends (in the voice of the Dos Equis guy)
If Memorial Day is the biggest grilling day of the year, then 4th of July has to be the second biggest grilling day of the year. I’d like to say that I did grill out, but technically I did not. I smoked a 7 lb pork shoulder instead. This was the first time I smoked a pork shoulder. I also made my rub again (with a minor tweak) and created a pork injection and BBQ sauce from scratch. The minor tweak to my rub was simply making my own brown sugar, which is insanely easy (its just sugar and molasses) but it made a huge difference in the flavor profile of the rub.
Issue 120: It’s already Independence Day, where has this year gone. The days are already growing shorter and we are already a third of the way through the summer. Gaming is definitely one way to spend those hot summer days. Granted going outside is good for the ole belly, but there’s nothing good about heat stroke. Plan your day-star activities carefully. 
So I finally got around to logging into the game after the 6.2 patch launched this past Tuesday to check out the new content. So far I think the docks and naval missions are pretty well done. The UI elements and quest mechanics are pretty smooth and intuitive (though I do hope 