Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving. It's a time for friends and family to come together, share laughs and make memories. We are all getting older, maybe a little wiser and maybe a little worse for the wear. If you exercised today, good for you, if not, don't sweat it. Missing exercise for family is a good thing (a FEW days of the year). It is also important to socialize. As we age, socialization reduces depression. Laughter, and a little wine, helps stimulate endorphin production, and makes us happy. So if you have a chance to exercise, go ahead and get your sweat on.  If, however, you don't sweat until tomorrow, or next Monday, enjoy your weekend. Quality of life is why we exercise, so get yourself some quality today.

 

Food, friends, and fitness: enjoy the day, enjoy your life.



Different Approaches

     The seasons are changing, maybe it's time to take a new approach on your exercise. If you lift a few times a week and seem to be stagnating, maybe you need a change. The same could be said if you run, cycle or go to aerobics at the YMCA. Change is good: it helps keep things fresh.
      With fall fading and winter on its way, maybe you need a new perspective. You can try adopting a new approach to exercise which will keep your motivation fresh. Personally, I started incorporating a little HIIT training. HIIT is High Intensity Interval Training. That's basically short fast bursts of exercise that could increase calories burned, and also lead to increased stamina and energy. If you need a little idea of what it is, you can check out Shaun T on the Dr. Oz Show at YOUTUBE.com  You will find a 15 minute workout that will get your heart pumping. If you don't like that, you can hunt around a little, and find something to your liking. Whatever you choose, have fun.

Fall up, not down

Do You Have Goals?

     I have not blogged in a while.  I was busy trying to set goals for myself with my new hip, getting ready to go back to PhD classes and preparing myself to teach at Lackawanna College.  You see, I really have been a little busy.
      I set a lot of goals for myself.  Perhaps not with specific time frames, but I do set forth things I want to achieve and work out a path to accomplishing them.  Reaching them or not, isn't really the point.   The point is in trying, in stretching the limits (body or mind), in feeling like I'm doing something, living life.
       A few weeks ago, I started running again.  With my new hip, I had been slowly working up to this, but I kept moving, stretching and increasing my time on the treadmill.  It may not seem like a big goal, but it was to me.
     No matter what you want to do, if you don't try it you will regret it for the rest of your life.  With health and fitness, with education. with family and friends, you should set forth your "bucket list" and start working on it.
      In celebration on this Labor Day weekend, we are enjoying the end of summer with a family picnic. The goal is to enjoy all of the picnic food, all of the family time and worry about the calories tomorrow.  It is important to eat healthy as much as you can, to exercise during the week and to take of yourself.  However, friends, family, celebrations, picnics, fairs and spending time with people are just as important.  Balance is the key.
   


Enjoy your Labor Day weekend.  -  Dan

Doing Something

So, it's been 4 weeks and 3 days since I had a hip replacement, and 4 weeks and 4 days since I ran last. That does not mean that I am content to sit on the couch and watch television all day. I AM sitting more than usual and watching TV more than I should but I still understand the need to do something physical. For the past week or so, I have been walking on my treadmill. Currently I am up to 1 1/2 miles at about an 18 minute/mile pace. Nothing record shattering, but it is what I can do. I also do a few other things that include a couple push-ups, a few dozen crunches and the like. The point is: if you can't run: walk. If you can't do push-ups, lean against the wall and push back like an elevated push-up. If push-ups are way too easy, put your feet against the wall and your hands on the floor and do upside-down push-ups. Do what you can, when you can, but keep doing. If you cannot walk for 20 minutes non-stop try doing 10 minutes twice a day. If muscles don't grow, or at least maintain, they atrophy, and none of us can afford to have that happen.

Baby steps and still steps.

Staying "Hip"

 So, 3 weeks ago yesterday, I had a hip replacement. I have always said that I would rather wear out than rust. This is just proof of that. My doctor did an anterior operation (a fairly new process which allows a faster recovery for more active patients), and I am getting by with a cane. The pain has tapered off and I am recovering well. I do have a nice 7" or so scar, which at my age will probably stay a scar. We all age, and we all lose some degree of flexibility, but how we react to the aging process will determine how active and how happy we are until our final days. My advice, stay active, get  a new part if you need one, and live until you die, doing what makes you happy.

Titanium: harder to wear out, but I'll try.

So Happy Together

As some may know, I am still in school, I guess I am either a slow learner or just need a lot of reinforcement. Either way, I'm ok with that. My area of study is Health Promotion, and my specific interest is Geriatric Wellness. Basically, how to be fairly healthy as long as possible. Healthy does not just mean being able to perform a pushup or walk a mile when you're 80. Healthy means being capable and content. There are three main aspects of staying healthy and happy. One is physical, which I often talk about, another is physiological, which I will talk about in the future. The third is socialization. It is important to interact with others on a regular basis. Go to BINGO, walk with a neighbor and gab about friends and relatives, or if all else fails, get a pet. People that have others in their life, recovery faster from illness and injury. And those with a pet (not necessarily the "crazy cat lady") have a happier, more fulfilled life. In this picture, my sister-in-law's dog is doing crunches with me. Find someone or something to share life with, then share it.

"No man is an island..."  John Donne

Fit on Father's Day

     I love my children and my stepson and wish nothing but the best for them and for their families in this life.

     As they know, I have always been big on exercise, flexibility, self-esteem and being fit. Fit enough to walk to the store, to walk around on vacation, to enjoy every part of your life.  From my time in the military until this very day, I have tried to run, stretch, and remain active so that into my "golden years" I could continue to tie my own shoes, walk up and down my steps, or just walk around Nay Aug to enjoy the sunshine and the fresh air.  

       Making better day to day choices when you are eating, eating more fruit and vegetables and skipping the sugar will help you to live a longer, healthier life. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy eating and I enjoy going out and having dinner and a beer.  It's what makes life worth living.  You have to be fit enough to do this though.  You have to be able to walk around on vacation, to walk the boardwalk, walk around a scenic overlook or park, go whitewater rafting, etc.  Whatever makes you happy.  I am happy seeing that my children are happy, living their lives and enjoying their families on this Father's Day and every day.

Keep active for your children and to enjoy their children...