3 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit

This might be helpful for those who have a difficult time getting into the habit, or have fallen off the wagon and are having trouble getting restarted into a routine.

I have used something similar at times to "get back in the saddle". It's easy to fall out of the habit, when life gets in the way and you find yourself making choices on your time. Take the time to do this. You will improve your health and establish a system to get you going... and keep going when it seems like you don't have the time to do everything. 

One thing I find useful for myself is to "finish". Whatever goals I set for the day's workout, I never stop until I have completed everything I set out to do. If you make compromises and stop in the middle of your routine the first time, you'll find an excuse to do it again. This is NOT the kind of habit you are trying to establish. Make a reasonable goal and see it through. I think you will find that this will help you toward your goal as much as anything. 

I also give myself about 30 minutes to do it all. Think about why you are doing this. Are you serious or just going through the motions? If you give an honest effort, 30 minutes should usually be enough. If it takes more than that, you are:

1. In the groove, so give it the time you need to finish what you started. I don't watch the clock, but I have developed a pretty good estimation of time when I am feeling my best. If I extend the time, there's a good reason. Stick with it. You are doing great!

2. Goofing off. I have seen my share of people when I went the gym who do one exercise, then spent the next ten minutes strutting around, or talking on their phone. They aren't serious about working out, and probably have another reason for being there. For me, the gym was not a social club. Maybe it is for some. I actually have better things to do wiith my time.

3. Setting a goal too high and you are spending more time recovering from the last exercise than you should. Reexamine your goal and see if you need to modify it to something more to the level you are now. You can always increase it later, when your recovery time improves. You've made the choice to do this. Don't burn yourself out while you are just getting started.

And with all that being said...

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3 Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Habit by James Clear, Behavioral Science Expert

A lot of people want to build an exercise habit that sticks. A 2012 survey analyzed the top 10 habits of thousands of people and found that exercise was number one by a long shot. Of course, wanting to make exercise a habit and actually doing it are two different things. Changing your behavior can be difficult. Living a new type of lifestyle is challenging. This is especially true when you throw in very personal feelings about body image and self-worth. But there are some strategies that can make it easier to stick with an exercise habit.

I have been using the three strategies below to build my personal exercise routine, which I have stuck to for two years without skipping a workout. While I don’t claim to have all the answers, I’m happy to share what I’ve learned so far and how I have successfully made exercise a habit that am I excited to do each week.

Here are 3 simple ways to make exercise a habit.

1. Develop a ritual to make starting easier. Habits are behaviors you repeat over and over again, which means they are also behaviors that you start over and over again. In other words, if you don’t consistently get started, then you won’t create a habit. In many ways, building new habits is simply an exercise in getting started time after time.This means that if you can find a way to make getting started easier, then you can find a way to make building a habit easier. This is why rituals and routines are so important. If you can develop a ritual that makes starting your workout mindless and automatic, then it will be much easier to follow through.

You can start building your own ritual by stacking your exercise habit on top of a current habit or by setting a schedule for yourself. For example, you could set your intention to exercise by filling out this sentence: During the next week, I will exercise on [DAY] at [TIME OF DAY] at/in [PLACE].

One research study showed that people who filled out this sentence above were 2 to 3 times more likely to exercise over the long run. This is a psychology concept called implementation intentions and there are hundreds of studies to back it up.

2. Start with an exercise that is ridiculously small. The best way to make exercise a habit is to start with an exercise that is so easy that you can do it even when you are running low on willpower and motivation. In the words of Leo Babauta, start with something that is so easy you can’t say no.

Struggling to find motivation to go for a run? Just fill up your water bottle and put on your running shoes. That’s all you have to do to consider today’s workout a success. Often, this little 2 minute start will be enough to get your motivation flowing and help you finish the task.

3. Focus on the habit first and the results later. The typical approach to diet and exercise is to focus on results first. Most people start with some type of goal. “I want to lose 20 pounds in the next 4 months.” Or, “I want to squat 50 pounds more six months from now.”

I think this is an unfavorable approach. It’s better to focus on the system rather than the goal. What matters most in the beginning is establishing a new normal and building a new routine that you will stick to; not the results that you get. In other words, in the first 6 months it is more important to not miss workouts than it is to make progress. Once you become the type of person who doesn’t miss workouts, then you can worry about making progress and improving.

One way to do this is to set an upper limit on your behavior. One member of our community, Mitch, set a rule for himself where he couldn’t stay in the gym for more than 5 minutes at the beginning. He had to go every day, but he wasn’t allowed to stay for 6 minutes. He was focused on building the habit of not missing workouts.

Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster

OK, whether you've heard of it or not, it is truely fun.
This chapter comes with assorted links, so sit back and enjoy.

Penn Gillette talks about the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster in Wiki.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster Revealed - part 2.

The Church of the Flying spaghetti Monster

The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. In pdf form.

Boosting Brain Fitness

Boosting Brain Fitness – Understanding the Brain-Exercise Connection By Fabio Comana, MA, MS

Neuroplascity, the term defining the ever-changing and adaptive nature of our neural systems, was a relatively unknown term until the 1970s.  At that time, scientists began accepting the notion that our brain is a not a physiologically static organ that became fixed shortly after birth with approximately 100 billion neurons (nerve cells). Over the past 15 to 20 years, this field of study has expanded dramatically. Research has shown that train structure and function can be altered throughout life, and positively impacted by exercise, physical activity, and even mental exercises.

Perhaps the most impressive success story connecting exercise to improved brain function is the Learning Readiness Physical Education Program, founded as the Zero Hour PE program at Naperville Central High School in Chicago in the 1990s. The original purpose of the program was to examine whether working out before school would improve a student’s learning capacity in the classroom. Since the program’s inception and through its evolution, students in this school district now rank among the fittest and smartest in the nation. In fact, this district’s 8th graders have outperformed the US national average on the Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMMS), even beating out many students in China, Japan and Singapore who have traditionally outranked American students. So what is going on?

Daniel Lieberman, a paleoanthropologist at Harvard University, has been researching human progress and has demonstrated how our brain and skull have changed over time in order to preserve our survival as a species. Our need to think, process, strategize, hunt in teams, and function and communicate within social groups has spurred growth within various regions of our brain and improved our overall brain function. This growth of our brain, especially specific regions like the frontal lobe which is connected to conscious thinking, decision-making, planning, judgment, analysis and inhibition, continues into our modern era.

Our brain can also suffer losses and shrink in the form of decreased mental efficiency and memory decline as we age. In fact, memory loss is cited as a primary cognitive complaint in older adults. It is estimated that approximately 10% of adults over the age of 65 years have some form of cognitive impairment and this statistic increases to approximately 50% of adults over the age of 80 years. Although this decline is generally attributed to overall physiological losses within our brain cells, the potential impact of disease (e.g., Alzheimer’s), an overall lack of brain use, or the effect of depression or medications, the key biological risk factors associated with these declines include:

   a). Oxidative stress – our brain utilizes approximately 20% of the body’s oxygen supply and over time, the accumulation of free radicals may result in damage to DNA and essential lipids within the brain that triggers neuronal death.

   b). Inflammatory agents accumulate in the brain. Generally, they are filtered out by our blood brain barrier (BBB), a fine capillary network separating cerebral blood flow from systemic circulation. With aging, we experience less filtration of many inflammatory agents (e.g., cytokines like interleukin-1 beta) which can destroy neurons and inhibit neurogenesis (the growth of new neurons).

   c). Elevated levels of homocysteine, a naturally occurring amino acids found in plasma promotes atherosclerosis within vessels, thereby reducing cerebral blood flow, memory and overall brain volume.

   d). Hormonal imbalances and hormonal losses within the body – key steroid hormones like estrogen, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) collectively help preserve cognitive ability but decrease with aging.

   e). Declining cerebrovascular health – healthy blood vessels and elevated HDL-cholesterol levels facilitate blood flow into the regions of the brain like the gray matter.

   f). Hypertension – small capillaries within the brain are susceptible to damage caused by chronically-elevated blood pressure.

  g). Diabetes and insulin-resistance – hyperglycemia and the inability to utilize glucose has been linked with lower levels of neuronal growth factors, decreased brain volume, and higher incidence of dementia.

  h). Stress and anxiety trigger greater sustained levels of cortisol which can damage brain tissue (discussed later in this article).

Many of these triggers to cognitive decline are inevitable, but can we slow down, stop or even reverse these age-related decreases? The answer is yes, and an ever-growing list of compounds continues to be discovered that collectively lead to improved brain health and function. Interestingly, these compounds appear to be more important in some regions of the brain than others. For example, the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in converting short-term information into long-term knowledge, losses its mass and capacity as we age, but is significantly impacted by increased levels of various compounds.

Brain-derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) is perhaps the most important as it stimulates neurogenesis and increases dendrite (nerve ending) length, thickness and density which improves nerve connectivity, especially in the hippocampus. BDNF strengthens and cleans synapses (junctions between two nerves), enhances synaptic efficiency, and increases synaptic mapping (connectivity between neurons and new circuits to offset lost circuits).
   Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) helps build new capillaries within the brain, improving oxygen and glucose delivery to the various regions of our brain.
   Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 (FGF-2) stimulates brain tissue growth by improving synaptic efficiency and the affinity neurons may share for each other to facilitate learning and retention.
   Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), manufactured within muscle cells, it is pushed into the brain and helps increase glucose uptake into cells, thereby providing the fuel needed by BDNF.

So how do we spark increases of these compounds? A good majority of research has focused upon the effects of exercise on increasing levels of these compounds. Low-to-moderate intensities of cardio stimulate increases BDNF, but little increases in IGF-1. By comparison, moderate-to-vigorous intensities of cardio (> 65% of VO₂max) increases levels of BDNF, VEGF, FGF-2, IGF-1, and even human growth hormone (HGH) which contributes to building brain mass.

Resistance training performed 2 times  perweek also demonstrates increases in BDNF, VEGF, FGF-2, IGF-1 and HGH. Exercising daily versus on alternate days results in greater increase in BDNF (150% v. 124%), but levels become equal after about 4 weeks of training. Exercise also improves the efficiency of our BBB (blood brain barrier) and promotes greater balance between many of our brain’s neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, glutamate and GABA, which will positively affect moods and cognition.

Although much research points towards 30-minutes of exercise, 2 to 3 times a week, John Ratey, author of Spark and A User’s Guide to the Brain, cites that just 8 to 12 minutes a day of exercise that evokes a sweat and labored-breathing (i.e., approximately 60% of maximum heart rate or higher) is adequate to demonstrate increase in many of these compounds like BDNF. Furthermore, the inclusion of cross lateral patterns (XLP) (i.e., movement crossing over the body or involving contra-lateral (opposite side) limbs) helps strengthen the corpus callosum, which is essentially the glue that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres and facilitates inter-hemispheric communication.

To expand the versatility of any brain-boosting programs you may seek to implement, consider incorporating mental exercises into your programs (they might also offer a welcomed break from physical fatigue):

Mental exercises, regardless of whether they are performed using a mobile brain function application (e.g., Luminosity) or manually, can also stimulate increases in some brain-building compounds. The idea is to (a) challenge your brain to complete tasks in non-conventional manners or (b) complete tasks by incorporating multiple regions of the brain simultaneously:

Backward Digit Span – counting numbers backwards in set intervals (e.g., intervals of 7 from 100) as quickly as possible.
Backwards Word Spell – spell words backwards and out loud (no writing), and progressively increase the length and challenge of the words (e.g., world, hospital, responsibility).
Sequenced Information Games – where a sequence of names (e.g., Fred, Stacy, Richard, Stanley, Ida, Edward) are written down after which the individual is challenged to complete various tasks from memory:
Recite backwards, Arrange alphabetically, Arrange by word length

Tasking Challenges – completing a sequence of tasks and continuing to perform each task until it has to be replaced by another task. (Note, multiple verbal or physical tasks can be performed simultaneously.) Upon completing all tasks, individuals are asked to recall a specific task (e.g., what was the 3^rd task?). This question can be asked immediately or at some later stage in the session. Example of task challenge: Count backwards from 10, wave hands above your head, march in place, Snap your fingers, recite the alphabet backwards, stomp your feet.

Stress and Cortisol: Unfortunately, many of us live a life where chronic psychological stress and sustained, elevated levels of cortisol are considered the norm. These sustained levels of cortisol impair cells within the hippocampus involved with short-term learning and long-term memory. Ultimately, this can damage and shrink the hippocampus due to free radical attacks that destroy and shorten dendrites, decrease levels of BDNF, reduce neurogenesis, and increase neural atrophy. In this case, the amygdala, a region overseeing much of our emotions may begin to exert more control over learning and over the hippocampus, which increases our emotional stress levels, furthering increasing cortisol, and so goes this vicious cycle.

Furthermore, elevated levels of cortisol may also impede our transition to stage 4 sleep (delta or deep sleep) at night, an important phase of sleep where the brain usually converts short-term learning into long-term memory, and where HGH levels help build and repair tissue (e.g., brain mass). Cortisol can also directly inhibit HGH release from the pituitary gland by stimulating the release of somatostatin, a growth hormone inhibiting hormone, from the hypothalamus. It appears, therefore, that any brain-boosting attempts, either through mental and physical exercise, or even both, may be almost futile without some effective stress coping modalities.

Brain Food: Do foods exist that can boost our brainpower? Although researchers cannot make that claim unequivocally, certain foods do appear to promote some potential benefits:

   1). Antioxidants, like polyphenols found in green tea and anthocyanins (red, purple, or blue pigments found in flowers, fruits, leaves, stems, and roots like dark berries, red cabbage and eggplant), may prove effective in fighting free radicals.

   2). Fish oils (1,200 mg eicosapentaenoic acid, 200 mg docosahexaenoic acid) seem to reduce rates of cognitive decline and the risks of developing dementia.

   3). Folic acid (800 mg), and vitamin B₆ and B₁₂ (to a lesser degree) can reduce levels of homocysteine in our blood.

   4). Moderate intakes of caffeine can help preserve our BBB and perhaps also reduce levels of plasma amyloid-beta, a protein structure associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Healthy sources and dosages of glucose, which provides fuel to the brain though the insulin response must also be considered. Because insulin is responsible for nutrient uptake (including amino acids) into cells and considering the fact that muscle cells don’t care much for tryptophan, insulin surges can result in increased tryptophan entering the brain. This in turn can increase serotonin production. However, the inclusion of branched-chain amino acids throughout the day is believed to compete with tryptophan and reduce the amount passing through the BBB – essentially reducing the fatigue-inducing effect of tryptophan and helping to keep the brain focused and alert (12).

In closing, although we are well aware of the mind-body connection of exercise, research supporting exercise’s brain-boosting benefits continues to expand as we discover new compounds that improve overall brain structure and function. Remember however, that an effective mind-body program may only be as good as the stress-coping mechanisms included, so don’t just train hard, train smart.

References:

1). Pascual-Leone A, Amedi A, Fregni F, and Merabet LB, (2005). The plastic human brain cortex. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 28:377 – 401.
2). Shaw C, and McEachern J (editors), (2001). Toward a Theory of Neuroplasticity. London, England: Psychology Press.
3). Ratey JJ, and Hagerman E, (2008). The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and Brain. New York, NY. Little, Brown and Company.
4). Bramble1 DM, and Lieberman DE, (2004). Endurance running and the evolution of Homo. Nature, 432: 345 – 352.
5). Sparking Life. Power Your Brain Through Exercise. www.sparkinglife.org. Retrieved Sep, 2014.
6). Lieberman DE, (2011). The Evolution of the Human Head. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
7). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Cognitive Impairment. http://www.cdc.gov/aging/pdf/cognitive_impairment/cogImp_poilicy_final.pdf. Retrieved Sep, 2014.
8). Huang EJ, and Reichardt LF, (2001). Neurotrophins: roles in neuronal development and function. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 24:677 – 736.
9). Cotman CW, and Berchtold NC, (2002). Exercise: a behavioral intervention to enhance brain health and plasticity. Trends in Neuroscience, 25(6):295 – 301.
10). Erickson KI, Voss MW, Prakash RS, Basak C, Szabo A, Chaddock L, Kim JS, Heo S, Alves H, White SM, Wojcicki TR, Mailey E, Vieira VJ, Martin SA, Pence BD, Woods JA, McAuley E, and Kramer AF, (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences of the United States of America, 108(7): 3017 – 3022.
11). Ratey, JJ (2001). A User’s Guide to the Brain. New York, NY, Random House, Inc.
12). Davis JM, (1995). Carbohydrates, branched-chain amino acids, and endurance: the central fatigue hypothesis. International Journal of Sports Nutrition, 5:S29 – 38.

Noah's Ark and me

If you've never heard the story of Noah' Ark, then you are one of the few who haven't. This story is everywhere and has been for a long time. It was part of the foundation for my own religious upbringing.
I accepted it as a true story and like our own memory of some things, I remember the good things about the story and selectively forget what doesn't fit into the wonderful story I remember. 
This little animation was created and reminds us of all of the story, not just the parts we choose to remember. For your viewing entertainment here is Noah's Ark-God, Giraffes & Genocide.
Of  course you know that this story is not the first story like this Noah's Ark is Plagiarized. Here's how we know ... and while we are on the subject of plagiarizing, did you know that the The Ten Commandments are ripoffs of privious other holy books from other cultures? Well they are.
You might ask... 'How can you say this?'. Well, I have felt this way for an inordinately long time. Life, logic, and plausible reasoning have shown me I have been right all along. It is only now that I voice it so others may know... and you know something, I am not alone. It may not work for everyone and how they wish to live their life, I think everyone should find their own bliss and the thing that makes them happy and go with it. 
I feel I can say, I've found mine.

Cheers!

It's a Small World

A friend sent me this link and it is something especially worth sharing.

Nikon has a photo competition for Small World Photomicrography. The images produced here are stunning in every sense of the world. Go here and see for yourself. I'll bet you spend some time viewing all the great work people have done.

Enjoy!

Some reflections on our trip to Korea

We just returned from a couple weeks in Seoul, Korea, which was primarily to visit family, but also to eat at all my favorite places. Yes, REAL Korean cuisine! I'm providing a number of links to various info. Sorry, some of these are only in Korean and don't have an English version. I'm just giving the links for the pictures and whatever you can extract from the link.

This is a little long winded, but there is a lot of information here, along with plenty of links to various things. Take your time. You won't finish this in one sitting.

Here goes...

There are four little ones there now, ranging from four years-old to about six months. Everyone is spread around, and not necessarily in Seoul, so it takes some coordination to arrange time within every one's work schedule. It turns out the best (and just about only) time is over the weekends, so we made sure we had two good weekends to see some of the kids at least twice during our stay. It was fun, although my lack of speaking and understanding Hangul (Korean) puts me at a distinct disadvantage. 

My saving grace is the four year-old is beginning to learn English. Although it is just basic at the moment, for the time being it's all we have between us. Fortunately, she is patient with me, so I don't always look like I look like I don't have a clue. LOL I now know when she is trying to get my attention, because she is shouting "grandpa!"

The twins of our nephew are about two and a half years-old. They are full of spunk and attack everything at full speed. We only see them for about an hour or two during weekday nights, but sometimes that's enough for the two of them. Since I can't speak to them, I must look like some goofy mime. They are different as can be. One is shy and reserved, but the other is perpetually in 'party mode', and ready for anything. 

One of the first things I did was to visit the Freescale Corporate Marketing office in Seoul. I made contact with them before I left home, so I was expected. I was met by two very nice employees. One is the Marketing Communication Manager, and the other is her newly hired assistant. They were both engaging and hospitable and made us feel especially welcome to be there. We spent about four hours with them, including going out for a bite to eat. There was never a quiet moment during the entire time and they were as interested in me as I was in them. As it turns out, I have worked on creating documents for two of their biggest customers, so we had a great exchange about those products and their involvement with them. The evening came to a close all too soon. 

We did very little shopping and looking around while there. I looked forward to looking around and shopping a bit in the COEX Mall close by. It is a huge corporate complex with a giant shopping mall, an aquarium, a Megabox movie theater, a huge Hyundai department store, a casino, hotels, and a business center. It's a monster. Taking in an entire city block, it's one of my favorite places to hang out in the past. When we were there last year, they were under major remodeling, so it was all but closed down. It was supposed to reopen the week after we left.

Imagine our disappointment when we got there this year. Except for the major attractions of the theater and the aquarium, the shopping region of the mall was still in the same basic condition as when we were here last time. There were a few scattered stores open there, but 95% of the shopping area was as yet to be reopened. I am sure they are taking huge losses on this area. Because of it's location, it is a huge draw for business for both the local population and foreigners visiting the area. It's also a principle location for kids young and old to hang out and socialize. If I were a local, I would not be very happy about the delay in getting back to normal operation there. It was sure a major letdown for me.

One afternoon (for the lack of a better plan) we went to another area used for all the same reasons call Myeong Dong. I don't quite know how to describe this area. It's a kind of controlled chaos, absolutely filled to the max with people. There must be a thousand small shops and places to eat in this area, along with hundreds of kiosks, promoting and selling everything under the sun. It is totally nuts and fun all at the same time. I had never seen such a crush of people there, and I have a suspicion some of this is due to the inactivity at the COEX Mall. I love watching people and this is prime people watching acreage.

We went to another underground shopping area located adjacent to the Express Bus Terminal (see Link one and Link two). We didn't find what we went there for, but did make a spontaneous purchase of a few things for our granddaughter in the USA. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Namdemun market is another place to visit, but we didn't spend much time here. We were still looking for something specific and didn't wander around at all. There is another area below ground accompanying the subway system. We spent our time there... and I found the hard to locate item for which I was searching. Look long enough, and you can find just about anything in one of these areas. I dare you to keep spending within your budget.

One planned thing I did was to purchase a new set of headphones for travel on the plane. The headset the supply you with on Singapore Airlines are on-ear, and although they are OK... they do not stop the ever-present aircraft noise. I bring my own set of over-ear headphones, which are a marked improvement, although they still don't eliminate the exterior noise completely. On the way to Korea, I discovered the pair I had brought along had died on one side (major disappointment), and I was forced to use a backup pair of ear buds. These are fine for short periods, but when making trans-pacific flights, they are designed for extended wear and begin to get very uncomfortable.

Anyway, I needed a pair and wanted something with god sound, but not too pricey. I found the perfect pair, but they only appear to be sold at one place in Seoul. After searching for Joy Audio (and nearly giving up) in all the small side streets in the area, we found them. What I wanted are I-mego Throne headphones. I bought the gold model. They have a nice feel when when wearing them for extended periods and the sound quality is just what I was looking for. 

As I said in the beginning, when in Korea I take every chance to get the kind of food impossible to get in Arizona, much less the USA. Over the years, I have accumulated a list of places I return to each time I come. One of the conversations usually comes around to... do I like Korean food? You bet I do. What do I like? Let's see, here's the list in no particular order, along with some info and the Korean characters for each.

Kimbap - 김밥 - this seaweed and rice style roll is a staple in Korea and can be found just about anywhere. I doesn't necessarily have to have fish or crab in it. Sue makes it at home using the smokey flavored Spam, and it is excellent.

black noodles - Jajangmyeon - 자장면; 짜장면 - This is a difficult dish for the average to make. There is one place I enjoy going to in Seoul who make the best (in my opinion), called Hohwapanjam. Here's another link to the place.

Korean chicken soup - Samgyetang 삼계탕 - My favorite is a place called the Jiho Family Restaurant. Sue makes a slightly different version at home in the slow cooker, but she gets the spices from Korea. Good stuff!

Korean dumplings - mandu - 찐만두 - This is another dish you can get anywhere, but there is a place in Insadong called Koong, where they have been doing it the same way for three generations. Look around on their site and you can learn more about this great hideaway spot.

Pajeon - 파전 - It's hard to find good stuff like this in Arizona.

Japchae - 잡채 - The same goes for this. Sue makes it at home though, so I'm good.

soba (buckwheat) noodles - Momil Gooksoo - 모밀 국수 - Easy to make. Normally served cold, so it's best in Summer time. 

Bibimbap - 비빔밥 - There's a place not too far from work in Tempe where you can get this. Be hungry. This will fill you up.

Rice cake soup - Tteokguk - 떡국 - I can eat this anytime. Sue makes it better than anyone.

Bossam - 보쌈 - You can easily get this through a number of carry-out places in Seoul, along with normal restaurants. I have never had this in the USA. 

Sushi in Korea is different, but if you want to know of a place I like to visit, check out my previous writeup.

So you may be asking, did you eat any American food? Well, yes, but we just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Johnny Rockets was there so I got a burger, which was surprisingly like the one I got in Arizona. They try to put on the same atmosphere you'll find in the USA. It was OK, but I think the company struggles to find its place in Korea. There are plenty of other American eateries in Korea. Some are good, some are not as good, but if you want a break from Korean food, there are plenty of alternatives.

I really like the milk in Korea. It makes milk in the USA taste as bland as the milk in Korea is good. I've asked myself why is it SO much better and the tastiest stuff I would like to have all the time? Here is part of the answer. Link one. Link two. If you ever get the chance, make it a point to try the difference. I think you'll agree.

One unplanned thing I did in Korea was to slightly pull a muscle in my lower back getting out of the shower. Don't ask me how. I'm not really sure I could tell you. Anyway, Sue's sister suggested I visit the clinic she goes to. Now I have never had the experience of acupuncture, but at the point I was at, I was ready for anything. She took me to the Korean Medicine Clinic where I was greeted by the most charming doctor. She gave me a treatment, and I went back for four follow-up visits. It was brand new experience for me, but she opened my eyes to alternative kinds of healing therapy. I feel it helped me get through the rest of my time there, and now I feel I'm returning to normal.

On one afternoon there I visited the Buddhist temple called Bogeunsa (봉은사), and took part in a tour called Temple Life. Here are Link one and Link two for a little more info. It was an interesting experience and a beautiful place to visit. It was a little rainy that day, so I didn't get to see as much as I planned, but what I did see was a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

That about wraps it up. As the end approached, it seems like there was a few things I still wanted to do. I guess they will have to wait until the next opportunity. I included a few photos at Flickr. Check them out.