578 days to go

EARLY SIGNS OF AUTISM

It's important to be familiar with the symptoms and signs of Autism. In the last 20 years Autism has increased dramatically (it's important to note: some "experts" believe some of the increased diagnosis are due to a change in the definition of Autism. However, everyone agrees the number of children effected has gone up). Awareness is important so the child AND THE PARENT can get help as soon as possible. It's human nature to ignore the signs because no parent wants to admit there child has a fault. This is due to fear not neglect. Autism-help is a great resource for education. I recommend everyone, even if you do not have children of your own, get as educated as possible.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

This is a new section of the blog. Since the goal of this blog is for Autism Awareness, this section will related to Autism but I hope everyone can find benefit.

FOOD SENSITIVITY

There is growing evidence that many people with autism are sensitive to certain food products. This is also true for people who do not have Autism. The most common food products to which this sensitivity develops are grains (e.g., wheat, rye, oats) and dairy products (e.g., milk, cheese, whey). Other foods, which are often consumed during the spring and summer, are strawberries and citrus fruit. Food sensitivities are considered by many people as allergies in that one's immune system is overly reactive to these substances. Food sensitivities may be responsible for numerous physical and behavioral problems, such as headaches, stomachaches, feeling of nausea, bed-wetting, appearing 'spaced out,' stuttering, excessive whining and crying, sleeping problems, hyperactivity, aggression, sound sensitivity, temper tantrums, fatigue, depression, ntestinal problems (i.e., gas, diarrhea, constipation), muscle aches in the legs, ear infections and possibly seizures.

If you're starting a weight loss program or are experiencing any of the above systems, it could be food allergies. This is easily my most successful attempt at getting healthier. Some may say it's because of the amount of workouts I do each week. But, for those of you who've known me for for a while can attest, this cardio work is pretty normal for me. I believe the success I'm having is because I write down everything that goes in my mouth. I compare that with how I felt during my workout. This tells me what foods are good for me and which ones to stay away from. Of course, you'll find the foods you crave the most are the one's you'll need to stay away from. No more pancakes and waffles for me :-(

GOAL UPDATE

We have confirmed donations totaling $100.00. It may seem small but it'll grow exponentially. Thank for all your help.

580 days to Ironman

AUTISM DIET AND NUTRITION

The Autism Research Institute asserts that nutritional treatments have shown great success in autism treatment. They suggest for an autism diet avoiding yeast, glutens, casein and any allergens. The Chinese medical diet is determined by flavor (pungent, sweet, salty), temperature (both physical and energy quality) and action on the body. Central to the philosophy and practice of Chinese medicine, it is thought that many, if not most, of our health problems are related to imbalances in our diet. Sensitivity to foods is not the cause of autism, but it does appear that certain components of foods exacerbate some of autism's symptoms. Dietary therapy, by creating a healthy autism diet, helps patients treat illness and maintain health. The general rule in Chinese diet therapy is, "Warm foods restore balance. Just go to the center and forget either extreme." The following are Mary Cissy Majebe's suggested practices for an autism diet.

• Warming foods that have been lightly cooked or steamed are beneficial for autistic people. Medicinally, warming foods warm meridians, strengthen yang, invigorate Blood, open collateral meridians, and eliminate cold . A "warming" food refers to the physical temperature of food as well as its energetic properties. Dry ginger and garlic, energetically, are both warming foods -- they create heat or warmth in the digestive tract.

All vegetables, particularly root vegetables, are considered warming. Suggested vegetables include: acorn squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, pumpkins, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, mustard greens, sweet potatoes, yams, turnips, radishes, carrots, button mushrooms and scallions. Grains such as brown rice, white rice, amaranth, millet, barley and quinoa are beneficial. Suggested legumes include lima , navy, adzuki, kidney and lentil beans. Many animal proteins such as chicken or turkey are also considered warming, but should be additive, hormone and antibiotic free.

WHAT THE KALE

A couple days ago I mention that I had an excellent kale dish (perfectly prepared by wife). Well, my friend Lou asked that I post the recipe. This is a link to recipe from Food Network.

For those of you unfamiliar:

Kale is absolutely rich and abundant in calcium, lutein, iron, and Vitamins A, C, and K. Kale has seven times the beta-carotene of broccoli and ten times more lutein. Kale is rich in Vitamin C not to mention the much needed fiber so lacking in the daily diet of processed food eating Americans. The "Icing on the Kale" are the natural occurring all important phytochemicals sulforaphane and indoles which research suggests may protect against cancer. Let's not forget the all important antioxidant Vitamin E. Rest assured kale spares nothing in providing one with much needed nutrients and associated health benefits.

GOAL UPDATE

It's brought to my attention that some have donated but I haven't been notified. If anyone has donated please send me an email. As you know our goal is $50k by the Ironman. I need the info so I can update our efforts.

TRAINING UPDATE

Still plugging along with the 2-a-day training. Still only cycling and running but the results are still coming. My friend Ryan has volunteered to help me with the swimming leg. He's one of those special operation military types who's competed in many triathlons so, I think I'll be in good hands.

Kestrel USA has agreed to work with me on a triathlon bike. I'm not sure if it'll be free but I know they want to not only help me with gear but they'll help with the Autism cause as well. I'll keep you updated on the progress and look for a link and logo to their website.

582 Days to the Ironman

THE CHILD WITH AUTISM

Most infants and young children are very social creatures who need and want contact with others to thrive and grow. They smile, cuddle, laugh, and respond eagerly to games like "peek-a-boo" or hide-and-seek. Occasionally, however, a child does not interact in this expected manner. Instead, the child seems to exist in his or her own world, a place characterized by repetitive routines, odd and peculiar behaviors, problems in communication, and a total lack of social awareness or interest in others. These are characteristics of a developmental disorder called autism.

This is an excerpt from a document I found on the web. To download a .pdf of the entire article, click HERE.

FUND-RAISING UPDATE

As of today, we've received many kind reply's and words of encouragement. But, NO MONEY!!!
This thing doesn't work if we can't raise any money.

I've been told that I can "Brow Beat" people into anything. Well, The brow beating will commence NOW! I don't care if you don't follow anything I do but I must have your support with the fund-raiser. Come on people. Even if it's only a dollar it'll help.

TRAINING

Today I ran a 5k this morning before work and biked a 50k after work. In case you haven't noticed, there's a reoccurring theme here. I have not yet swam. At all. A triathlon consist of SWIM, Bike and Run. The swim is more difficult than both the bike and run together. If I don't start getting to water soon. This is going to be a short lived goal.

583 days to the Ironman

Why is Autism on the rise?

One possibility is Thimersal. Thimerosal is the preservative of choice for vaccine manufacturers. First introduced by Eli Lilly and Company in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the company began selling it as a preservative in vaccines in the 1940s. Thimerosal contains 49.6 percent mercury by weight and is metabolized or degraded into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. The Department of Defense classifies mercury as a hazardous material that could cause death if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. My question is, If mercury is classified as a hazardous material, why is it allowed to be injected into our children?

For more on this you can go to Natural News.

Donation Update

We have some verbal confirmations for donations. Thanks. Please don't forget to add Isaiah's name as the "In honor of" area of the donation page and make sure to add me as "Acknowledgment" person. Without it, I won't be able to correctly track the donations and update our goal.

Yesterday I received a call from Florida. A cycling friend, Lou, got wind of our fundraiser and is on-board. Lou is not only going to donate to Autism Research Inst. but he's also going to use it as a motivational tool to get in better shape. Way to go and Thanks for supporting us.

My friend Alex has also agreed to jump on Team for Isaiah (as he put it). I like the name. I'm going to check into having shirts, cycling jerseys, hats... made up. If I can get them made inexpensively maybe we can resell them and donate proceeds to Autism Research. Thanks Alex.

We Need an Artist

Would anyone be interested in creating a "Team for Isaiah" logo? It would be a donation of time on your part but we would greatly appreciate it.

Training Update

Ran a 10k last night. My time was a little slow but it was pretty hilly, at least for me. I'll be working and traveling today but I plan to do some cycling at some point today. I've decided to start my morning at trainings at 0430. That means waking up at 0400. YUK! But it'll give me the chance to do two a days without taking so much time away from the family.

584 days to the Ironman

I'm going to take you back a couple days.

Sunday, Feb. 28
My friends Alex and Ken joined me in riding the Chilly Hilly. 32 miles, 2800 ft of elevation gain. It's nothing like a stage of the Tour de France but for 3 hacks... pretty challenging.
Later that night Gina, Serg and I was watching a program about the 2004 Ironman. There was a guy in the event, who lost 7 men from his military unit. He was competing to raise money for those men's children. My beloved wife said, "Honey, you should try that". That's what got this thing started.

Monday, March 1
Happy Birthday little brother Mark!
Road 20 miles today and followed it up with a 4 mile run. My legs were pretty sore when I started (thanks Chilly Hilly). The bike ride was pretty good. A few hills but not overly challenging. However, the run was painful. My quads started cramping during the run at about mile 2. On a downhill of all things. But, this project is for Isaiah. He goes through much more everyday than some cramps. I can fight through this. And, I did. Thank you Isaiah.

Tuesday, March 2
No workout today. My legs needed the rest. Today was a focus on nutrition. Gina made a great kale dish. If any of you are interested. Let me know and I'll post a link to the recipe. Although I didn't do any cardio today, my lovely wife got on her bike for 20 minutes.

Wednesday, March 3
I have to go to Richland, WA for the next couple of days. I need to be on the road by 0700 so I was up at 0445. Took care of Grandpa then on the bike for an hour. Plan to run and swim tonight.


Lolly, thanks for the encouraging email and donation to the Autism Research Institute. You were the first to help our fight.

Please keep in mind, this is about Autism and Isaiah's fight. He is my inspiration! What we go through everyday is nothing. You can find stories about how this disorder affects families all over the web. This is just one of the many.

Last thing today. I just kind of write this stuff as I go. Whatever comes to mind is what goes on the blog. Again, I'm not doing it for me it's for the cause so, if you have any ideas about something you want to see on the blog, let me know. I'm open to suggestion. And, as my friend Morrie knows, I need all the help I can get with this stuff.

Thanks everyone. God Bless You All!

I need your help!

My Grandson, Isaiah, has Autism. No one knows why or how someone is affected by this horrible disorder or how to cure it.

What is Autism?
Autism is a severe developmental disorder that begins at birth or within the first two-and-a-half years of life. Most autistic children are perfectly normal in appearance, but spend their time engaged in puzzling and disturbing behaviors which are markedly different from those of typical children.
To learn more you can go to What is Autism?.

What can I do?
Isaiah's been living with this his whole life. The only real help he's gotten is from his Father (thanks Scott). Well, it's time to get in the game. Since I can't be there (geographically challenged) to give him my time I have another plan. I'm going to turn my cycling, running and triathlons into money to help find a cure for this disorder.

What can you do?
Donate money, but not to me. I found the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, CA. They're rated very high by Charity Navigator as far as putting the most amount of donation money to the actual charity. I believe that's where your money can do the most good.

How will it work?
I'm going to use this blog to track training, events and the money we raise. My goal is to raise $50,000.00 by the Hawaii Ironman event. I currently have 3 events planned.

Seattle to Portland (7/17/2010)
This is a 1 day, 206 mile bike ride from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR

Lake Meridian Triathlon (8/22/2010)
1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run

Hawaii Ironman Triathlon (10/08/2011)
2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run

Obviously the culminating event will be the Ironman. I'll be adding events as I go but the main goal is to raise money and awareness for Autism in the name of my very special grandson. I also hope to add sponsors along the way. I'll keep this updated as much as possible.