Dear DaVitans,

I left Cambodia a little before noon today, to fly to Singapore, then Hong Kong, then back to the US. The total journey is about 25 hours, although with the time change it will be 9 pm California time when we land there at the end of all those hours.

I did not know that Cambodia was one of the leading civilizations in the world back in the 1100 and 1200’s, during the Khmer Empire. They build some stunning temples, some of which took thousands of workers 30 years to build. Lousy benefits, no profit sharing, but beautiful temples. Then they were overtook by the jungles, and some not discovered until as recently as the 1920’s.

I worked out 4 of the 5 days there, by walking to a hotel near ours that had a gym. It cost $20 a day to use as it was a nice hotel and gym, but was worth it. I will not bore you with the minutes of each day, but the basic routine was 20-25 minutes on the lifecycle, with a sprint or three at the end, combined with some stretching and muscle stuff.

I have not been on a scale since October 9th when I left the US for the business part of the trip. So I will get back to the US and take another 3 weeks to pursue my goal if I have not already – and I doubt I have. But I am happy I beat my exercise minutes goal, and achieved some reasonable balance between cardiovascular, strength, flexibility and balance.

And I am even happier about how many of you have hit your goals! There really is power in a team effort, a community effort … at least for many of us. I am typing this on the plane, on the last day, and savoring the mental image of 1173 of us crossing the finish line together, hands joined and faces smiling. We did good. Together.

I am going to get to do some Academies in 2011, which I am very excited about. I look forward to seeing many of you there! Until then, or until some other DVA University class, or until Match the Mayor IV next year, take care of yourself

One Cannot Pour from an Empty Cup. Please keep your cups full!

One for All & All for One.

KT

Hello DaVita,

Well teammates, the good news, your Mayor is back. You should be hearing from him soon about his trip and how he did with his exercising and diet. So this is my last blog filling in for Kent.

Wonderful 90 minute workout bright and early this morning. Wonderful way to end the week. I noticed over the past 10 days, while filling in for Kent a few things:

1) Knowing that I would be reporting out to you on my diet and exercise, I did a better job of staying focused and committed. So having a buddy that holds you accountable is a cool thing. In this case you all were my buddies, so thank you for holding me accountable.

2) Reminding you each day to take a few extra minutes for yourself, or do something special for yourselves, reminded me to do the same.

3) I thought about the Village a lot each morning, more then usual during my classes. So thank you for that.

4) I have had a few teammates stop me and ask me about my routine. I’m hoping that we all are able to encourage a fellow teammate to do something that they ordinarily wouldn’t do for themselves, from a health perspective. We should make it a point for everyone who has witnessed the benefits of good exercise and healthy eating, to “pay it forward” with a teammate that isn’t at that point yet.

Thank you for letting me share a little bit about myself and what makes me tick!  I have enjoyed filling in for our Mayor

I wish you all well and greet success in Matching the Mayor and taking the very best care of yourselves as possible. Your families, the Village and your patients need you to be healthy

One for all!

Dennis

Yo DaVita!

I am on a plane flying from Paro, Bhutan to Bangkok, Thailand.  There we will catch another flight to Siem Reep, Cambodia.  Exciting!

Bhutan is a fascinating country, filled with amazing mountains and thick forests.  The Buddhist culture is very strong, as many young children continue to choose the life of the monastery over the life of normal school and commerce.  They have had the benefit of 100 years of benevolent and thoughtful rule by a succession of 5 kings, all of the same family.

The current King has begun the transition to a democracy.  The philosophy of the Kings has been to place as much emphasis on culture and spiritual happiness as on economic development.  They did not allow TV or the internet until the year 2000, and restrict the volume of visitors.  They teach mindfulness in all schools.

All in all, some strong philosophical parallels to how we think about DaVita being a Village instead of a normal for-profit company.  Including how DaVita University invests in enhancing self-awareness and a sense of team and community much more than most companies.

As to the MM III, it has been a pretty good showing.  Out of the 10 days in Bhutan, I only missed exercise twice – one of those days is today, with the multiple flights.  We have done some rigorous hikes to see ancient temples on the tops of hills.  On other days I have done some fun biking up and down hills and through villages.  I have not been good on the stretching and balance fronts, and I cannot do push-ups because my left shoulder is in too much pain.  I will not bore you with all the minutes, but the bottom line is I am ahead of plan.

I hope you are all well, and moving towards the 2010 campaign conclusion with strong momentum that will carry on in your life.  I also hope some of you have been taking a moment to share your encouragement and ups and downs with the rest of our 1172 partners.  I look forward to reading all the notes when I return.

Take care,

KT

Hello DaVita,

Well the Mayor will be back in a few days and we can hear how he did over his time away!

As promised I stayed away from any serious exercising today. My sore aching body was sending me a message, let me rest!  So I did!

During yesterdays Krav session, we worked on defending yourself from aggressive front kicks. So for about 30 minutes my instructor just kicked me to force me to defend or redirect the kicks. You defend against low kicks in this style by using your lower leg. For those that have been kicked in the shins before you know how much that hurts, even when wearing pads!!

Good healthy day from a food intake perspective. I had healthy cereal, low fat milk for breakfast and a salad for lunch with a grilled chicken breast. It’s too early to think about dinner, but it will be healthy.  I’m more aware of what I eat on non gym days then when I work out.

Back in the studio tomorrow at 5:30 a.m. Look forward to updating you tomorrow!

Be well and do something special for yourself today!

Dennis Kogod

Pay the Piper!

Well, despite best efforts yesterday of being careful what I ate, and a promise to myself to take today off from any serious exercising, I whiffed. The day was good, I had a bagel for breakfast and a chicken salad for lunch. Dinner actually started off well including a salad followed by barley soup and then a hamburger patty (no bread). I was feeling pretty proud of myself!

Then the desert tray showed up. They had a banana pie that looked absolutely wonderful. I caved and ordered it, telling myself I would only eat a little. Well 10 minutes later the pie was gone. I wish I could blame it on the people sitting with me. But I can’t! I did it!

It was actually worth it, it was one of the best slices of pie I have ever tasted. I got home feeling very guilty though, a lot of calories coupled with the fact that I did not have a workout scheduled for today.

I sent an urgent text message to my Krav instructor. I said, “AJ, I need a huge favor. It is short notice, but can you meet me early in the morning?” Thank goodness he said yes!

So 4:55 a.m. the alarm went off. I was in the studio by 5:30 a.m. I asked him to work me especially hard. He did! I don’t think I worked off the entire amount of calories from the pie, but I’m pretty certain I got rid of a few. So, I paid the piper back, at least partly for my inability to resist desert last night.

Hope you all did better than I did yesterday!

Today, another day of budgets, but we are having great meetings and making progress.

Hope you all have a wonderfully healthy day!

One for All!

Dennis

Hello DaVita,

I am grateful that I got in a good workout this morning. 90 minutes (couldn’t force myself to do 2 hours) of Krav Maga. Although when that alarm goes off at 4:50 a.m., I still scratch my head and ask myself, “what are you doing?” At some point during the workout, when the endorphins start to kick in, it makes getting up early much easier. I always leave the studio or gym happy that I forced myself to go.

For anyone interested, Krav Maga is a form of self defense that dates back to the 1930s. It was developed by an Israeli gentlemen named Imi Lichtenfeld and has evolved over time. Its literal translation is close combat/full contact.

I chose it over other styles, because it doesn’t require the grace and flexibility of the more traditional Asian forms of martial arts. So you end up with an incredible workout and the personal comfort of knowing you are better prepared to take care of/defend yourself.

Today I have a full day of budget meetings. It is that time of the year that we work on establishing our 2011 financial/operating metrics. So that means a lot of sitting around staring at spreadsheets. I’m very happy I woke early and got in a good workout, I think I would have been way too tired to try and go this evening.

Challenge for me today, eat healthy. I tend to snack a lot when I sit in the office all day. So I’m going to try and avoid doing that! I have our former general counsel, Joe Schohl, coming in for lunch today. Happy to report I ordered oriental chicken salads with low fat dressing on the side. Thought about Pizza, but not for very long!

I’m taking the day off tomorrow from any kind of exercise. I’m a little sore from so many workouts over the past week. Even for me, it has been a lot.

So please have a wonderful day. I’m signing off now and heading back for my next budget review.

Have a great day and make it a healthy day!

Dennis

Hello DaVita,

A very lazy day for me DaVitans! I couldn’t muster up the energy to go to the gym, but that’s ok, I put in some good time over the weekend.

Just a good long day reviewing 2011 budgets and being on calls. I ate reasonably well today, very little if any junk food. I did have a handful of popcorn, but finished the evening with a bowl of fresh fruit. Back in the studio tomorrow a.m. at 5:30 for a 2 hour session!

I hope all is well with you and you are sticking with whatever goals you have set. Make sure you are finding that little extra time to do some good things for yourself.

Dennis

Good a.m. Davitans!

I hope everyone had a nice and Healthy weekend! It was for me. My objectives were to get in some good exercise, try to and catch up on some much needed sleep and eat healthy! I’m happy to report mission accomplished on all fronts.

Saturday a.m., I had a wonderful 2 hour Krav class. My instructor worked me hard this weekend and I was one tired person after class. Sunday I got in a normal workout in the gym, a combo of stretching, lifting and some time on the elliptical machine.

On the eating front, I give myself a “B” for the weekend. What kept it from being an “A”, a little too many carbs! Some great pasta and some warm crusty bread on Sunday (cool rainy day and the bread tasted great!) I did stay away from the sweets, and no fries!!

Overall a reasonably healthy weekend -good exercise, diet and rest!

Hope you had a good weekend on all fronts as well!

One for All
Dennis Kogod

Hello DaVita,

I had a wonderful Krav Maga session this a.m. Just less than 2 hours, bright and early. Felt great after taking the day off yesterday and doing a cross country trip with stops in Maryland and Chicago before heading back to the west coast.

Actually got on a scale this a.m. and was pleased to see my weight is at a good level, actually a great level for me. A combo of some smarter eating and more intense work outs

Tonight is my weekly pizza night so count on me getting to the gym this weekend. Friday pizza is a tradition I won’t give up so, I’m willing to spend a little extra time in the gym and karate studio over the weekend.

Have a great weekend and stay healthy, exercise and create some special time for yourself, you deserve it.

One for All

Dennis your COO
Dennis Kogod

Good afternoon, Dennis again filling in for Kent. I hope this finds everyone well, eating healthy and taking some time for yourself.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Team Avanti’s group meeting on the eastern shore of Maryland. Nice dinner, wonderful company of Avanti teammates.
At the end of group dinner, I couldn’t help notice the big bowl of vanilla ice cream! Boy did it look good! But, I was reminded I was filling in for the Mayor on Match the Mayor. If I ate the ice cream, which I really wanted to do, I would have to disclose this to you in my blog. So, I went back to the buffet and had a large plate of salad. That’s right, salad in place of the ice cream! It didn’t taste as good, but I also didn’t have to deal with the guilt I would have felt had I ate it!

No work out today. But after coming off several days straight of some intense workouts, my body is appreciating the day off. So eating healthy and looking forward to getting in a good workout session tomorrow morning beginning at 5:45 a.m.!

Stay well, do something good for yourself today. Take a walk with a friend, family member or enjoy a few minutes by yourself. If you are thinking about whether or not to go to the gym tonight, go!

Talk to you tomorrow and thanks for taking time to follow along.

The Mayor will be back the week after next!

Dennis Kogod