Warm Holidays

It's Christmas and spending time with friends and family is important. We never know how many more days we have with the ones we love. Socializing is important in maintaining our sanity and in keeping depression at bay. It's up to each of us to take good enough care of ourselves to maintain a certain degree of fitness, so that we can keep coming together year after year. And the weather here in Pennsylvania has certainly been doing its part to allow us to get out and maintain healthy habits. Yesterday I was up at Nay Aug Park doing my little circle. After doing about a 1 mile warm up I went to a little picnic grove that is there. There's about an 1/8 loop with tables. I run one loop, then do push-ups, then another loop. After a few loops I have also done crunches, jumping jacks, dips, and few other calisthenics. When it's all done, I do a few wind sprints followed by a mile or so cool down. It was about 70 degrees yesterday, and that helped motivate me through the run. No white Christmas this year, and I'm good with that.  Hopefully everyone is having a fit and fun, family day. And hopefully, everyone is being active enough to stay physically, emotionally, and cognitively fit.

The sun is out: let's enjoy the "Bright Christmas."

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