Columbia Jackets All Season

I am sure there are many positive reviews for Columbia Wear, even more so for their jackets.  Since my high school years I have owned at least one.  They continue to be one of the best winter and I will say, all year coats around.

My first jacket, from back in high school, came without an additional liner added to it and was just a big size ski coat. It held up well as I still use it today when working around the house and shoveling snow in the winter, but that is not the coat I want to talk about.  Two years ago I bought Bug-a-boo jacket complete with fleece liner.  I don’t think I have ever had such a great versatile jacket in my life.

The inner lining is fleece and has withstood many washings and kept its softness.  Its zippers have never failed and it retains its original color.  The liner from the jacket can be removed to be worn by itself and I tend to do so during the spring and fall months as I fine that adequate enough to keep me warm.  If it does happen to rain, by itself, it even tends to keep the moisture away from my skin, though after a heavy pouring I am still wet.

However that is where the outer shell comes in.  The outer shell is completely water and wind proof, great for those rough weather times. The outer shell can be worn separately during any season to protect against inclement weather.  It is a must have for the heavy rain and sleet.  Adding the two layers, this jacket is unsurpassable.  I have never gotten soaked in this jacket.  The hood seals tightly around your head.  The lining warmth is all you need as I have worn it at 13,000+ feet in subzero temperatures during a snow storm while skiing.  It miraculously kept the right amount of warmth in so that I never felt a chill and it did not over heat me to where I was sweating.  I could not have imagined being so comfortable while on the mountain.

On a side note I also wore a pair of Columbia snow pants that were just as good as the jacket.  Though being on the ski lift did cool down my butt, as long as I wasn’t sitting, just having a pair of long johns underneath those pants was more than adequate to keep the warmth.

Columbia has continued to make a great product throughout the years for the outdoorsman.  Not only that, when you wear them, they make you look good as they are and always have been pleasing in color and design.  My first choice for outdoor wear easily goes to Columbia.

Fashionably Fit

In high school, I had been very athletic and active.  Don’t a lot of stories about weight loss and control start this way?  I tend to think so.  I could eat anything at any time. My body was a machine.  I miss those days.   With how I have learned to cook in these later years, I wish I could eat like I did back then.  As time went by and my life became more sedentary, my weight bloomed from about 170 pounds to 220 pounds.  I still thought I was healthy.  Still thought I was in general good shape. 

I was hiding how I looked with bigger clothes.  I preferred to lay around the house on days off instead of get out in the sun.  Not to say I didn’t enjoy the outdoors, but I felt so uncomfortable about myself that going out wasn’t fun.  I didn’t want a camera near me at all.  I was lucky to meet a good person that motivated me to get in better shape.

I understand that at some point in many people’s lives they will battle the same situation.  Some are predisposed to being overweight due to genetics.  Some difficulties with weight can be due to medical reasons and a forced sedentary lifestyle.  What can be controlled is diet. 

With work, I do walk around a fair amount but I also have to sit behind a desk at times.  So due to my uncle’s prompting, I get more involved in hunting and fishing.  These are activities of patience and sitting but also planning.  Hikes through the woods become important when planning a future hunt thus increasing my activity.  It was extremely stressful but just a little bit helps.

But diet was the big change.  People talk about being on an organic diet.  I don’t prescribe to “organic” food but I do prescribe to natural food.  This means that I chose to eat lots of veggies, lots of meat, and I cut out sweetened or processed foods.  The weight just dropped.

Clothes I wore back in high school, yeah I still had them, began to fit again.  My pants literally were falling off me.  My lifestyle completely changed.  Tight shirts began to fit correctly.  It felt great.  I dropped back down to 180 pounds and I am still struggling to lose more.  I feel I am stuck there at the moment but I will push for at least ten more.  I plan to make it.

I know my story is fine but many people will not be able to obtain what I did.  Each person is different.  What I can say is that everyone can learn self control.  Start with one thing at a time.  Drop the sweetened foods and drinks.  Don’t eat food so close to bed time.  Walk the dog instead of letting them out in the back yard.  You will start to see a change if you commit.  It does become more of a mental thing than actual physical fight to control your weight.  If you really want it, you can do it and you will feel fashionably fit.  I beg those that read this to work hard and stay true to the changes you try to make in your life.  You will benefit and so will your family

Stripped Down

Of course this isn’t your typical fashion type blog.  I am a single father that just tries to get by in life taking care of my kids and making sure we all look good.  I work hard for what we have in life.  Every resource gets stretched.  This doesn’t mean I won’t go out and spend money on expensive items because I would rather pay once for a good product that lasts than to pay many times for a inexpensive product.

Fashion can’t just be defined by what you wear but also by what you do.  Attitude and how you treat people is fashionable as well.  How you take care of your family can be fashionable.  This is how I define fashion.

So expect to see some personal feelings about clothes, but you will also see more than that as I define a fashionable father.