Not 60 or sunny

It was quite a bit cooler today that it has been. It rained yesterday and that brought lousy weather with it. None the less, hitting the pavement was a necessity. I am not really too fond of the rain, so I passed on yesterday's run, but in hindsight, I would have preferred it to todays wind.

On top of the weather, I was running around at the same time the President was in town. His wife is an advocate of fitness and keeping active. I would have loved to get a chance to talk to her about the restricted use of our sidewalks. Alas, no such chance. Maybe next time, but I doubt it.

Not only did I not get a chance to interact with Michelle Obama, I had to put up with the traffic tie-ups of him riding around town.

A good note of his trip to Scranton, however, was that for some reason he stopped at the house of my pseudo brother-in-law's neighbor, and he and and his family got to meet the president. That was pretty cool for them and they made the local news. Pat and his family are all fairly active and they none of looked bad on camera. How would you fair? Perhaps it is time to get active.

Be active, company may be coming

60 and sunny

The weather was great yesterday for a run, and it is nice again today. Good for gettting out and pounding the sidewalks. I figure all of the "crazies" are at the mall or Walmart. I just tried to be careful and pay more attention to traffic than I usually do. I can be arrogant, but I am not suicidal. This is about me being active until I die, and while I did tie my shoes today, I am not choosing to die this particular day. I did a fairly quick 4 miles, enjoying the sun and the fresh air, knowing that all too soon it will be cold and windy and miserable. I will still run when it is miserable out, but I enjoy it more on days like today.

Stay active, Be Good, Santa is watching

"Pie please"

It is Thanksgiving's weekend, a time for eating and partying. It is just the beginning of the overeating season. In the next 6 weeks we will enjoy pies and Christmas cookies, nut rolls and pastries. We can choose to gorge ourselves and then lay around (like our "pudder" here) or we can watch everything we eat and not enjoy the tastier aspects of this season, or we can still enjoy the flavors of the season (in moderation) and exercise a little more.

We all have busy lives, and are just a bit busier during this time of year. However, we can still enjoy all that life has to offer, and still find some time a few days a week to get some blood pumping.

Running, riding a bike or even just walking makes that pie taste a little sweeter. A few push-ups or sit-ups will make it a little easier to resist that additional cookie. Somehow, it just works out that way. So enjoy the season, and enjoy the comraderie of friends and family. Eat the cookies, and then burn off most of the calories. Enjoy life, but beware of  looking like this cat.

Be Active, Be Happy, Taste Life

Giving Thanks

We all have our own little things to be thankful for. I have 3 healthy kids (adults), a good pseudo step son, a couple of ex-wives that never had me arrested or killed. I also have a beautiful woman in my life that most times I get along fine with. I  have sisters and the memory of a brother and nieces and nephews that range in age from 23 to almost 50 years old. I am in fair shape for a guy that has put himself through the stuff that I've done (I have put myself through some rigorous demands).

I could try to remember the good times that I had watching television, or playing board games (I've done those things too). But I choose to remember the times that I was active, or at least watched activity. I remember watching my daughter play soccer, my boys play football, and all of us doing karate. I am thankful for those memories. I remember running while my kids rode bicycles along with me. I am also thankful for the memory of a nephew today.

There is a 10 mile race in Berwick, which is a town about 45 minutes from here. Every Thanksgiving they have the "Race for the Diamonds." I did that race once. It happened around 1980, maybe '81. My nephew who was about 12 at the time had started running and wanted to run it with me. So we did.  Needless to say, neither of us won, but we both finished. That was his 1st race. He went on to run many more races. A few years ago, my nephew, Bobby John (no one but family called him that, I'm sure), exited an aircraft for a fun day of skydiving. His parachute deployed, then malfunctioned. I know I could be thankful for the dinner we shared, or the pie, but I'm thankful for that run, and the sweat we both shed on that Thanksgiving Day so long ago.

Be Active, make memories

My high horse: food wise

I know that this blog is about fitness. It is about being active. A little about eating right, and a lot about moving. Nonetheless, I am watching Chopped. It is a show where 4 different chefs compete making 3 courses of a meal, and after each course, one chef is "chopped" or thrown off the show. The chef that is left at the end of the show gets $10,000. Tonight's episode is featuring 4 school cafeteria cooks. One of the judges is the White House chef. He explains that 1 in 4 American children is going to bed hungry.

I am NOT against the international need for charity. I am NOT against giving to Haiti or Darfur. All that said, I think way too often we give to these foreign causes while here at home, our own children need help.

By all means give where you can, when you can. Just don't forget that charity is needed here also. In the meantime, be active and be fit so you can live long enough, to give enough, to make a difference.

Be active, have fun, stay "hungry"

Fast twitch

There are two basic types of skeletal muscle. This is the kind of muscle that is responsible for body movement. I am not talking about voluntary versus involuntary or striated versus cardiac muscles. I am only talking about voluntary skeletal muscle. The muscles that you know as quadraceps or hamstrings. You know them as your biceps and calves.

There are slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscles. Slow twitch muscle are pretty much slow, long endurance muscles. Marathon runners would have more slow twitch mucles. Fast twitch muscles are explosive but tire quickly. Basketball players and football running backs have more of these.

Everyone has some of each. Most people will just naturally have more of one than the other. However, you can increase the type you want by working at specific exercises. If you want more slow twitch muscles, because you want to keep moving for a long time, work on longer, slower workouts. Running 3 plus miles would work for that. If you want more explosive muscles, because you play volleyball or do karate, you can develope these also. One exercise type would be plyometrics. Jumping jacks are a form of plyometrics. Think about anything short term that requires quick movement. Another way to work on fast twtich muscles is sprinting up steps.

You have a combination of both muscle types, and you need both types. Depending on your sport of choice though, you can work on the mucle type you desire. You want to be fit enough to be active and play as you mature, but sometimes you also want to win.

Step up to fitness

Lights part 2

I know my blog is not that popular. I am fairly sure that the Mayor and City Council do NOT read my blog, though they should. None the less, I ran yesterday at Nay Aug Park and wrote about lights being left on during the day. I blogged about that run this morning. Then I went for a run at Nay Aug Park a few hours later, and the lights were all off.

Should I take credit? Probably not. Is the pen mightier than the sword? Maybe. None the less, the lights were off today. The run wasn't bad either. There were a lot of people there enjoying the weather. Some were walking their dogs and a group was playing football. 

I was running. I had my gloves and my baseball cap on. I had a good sweat going by the end of a few miles. It felt pretty good. I have not been running as much as I should have lately.  I did run today, and that is a good thing.

Be active, be happy