Maintain strength as you Age

At age 35, I’m a very lucky man. I still have 3 of my grandparents alive. I have also watched what they have been going through as they age. I remember my grandparents about 30 years ago. They entered retirement with gusto. They toured Europe several times and spent winters in Florida where they eventually bought a home. They were in the “Go Everywhere” years of their life. About 10 years later, they were in the “Go Slow” years. They were doing everything they could to keep going, just at a much slower pace. We have now entered the “Go Nowhere” years of their lives. At ages 86, 89, and 90, they are spending almost every day at home.

What caused them to lose that gusto? Mobility and illness are to blame. All my grandparents now use some type of walking aid. One has macerate degeneration. Another has Alzheimer’s and diabetes. And another has survived multiple heart attacks, strokes, and more recently, a head on crash. We call her Wonder Woman for her continual bounce backs. Not much can be done about some of these dieses. The mobility, cardio vascular dieses, and diabetes are something you can do something about.

All of which can be helped by maintaining your strength and mobility. As we age, we lose muscle and build fat. You ultimately decide if this is true however. With good nutrition and exercise, you can prevent a decrease in your mobility by many years. Cardio exercises keep your joints moving and strengthen your heart. Resistance training prevents muscle loss associated with age as well as keeps bone strong. Good nutrition helps you prevent the buildup of fat and cholesterol in your system. All three of these work together to make your golden years vigorous and full of gusto.


The alternative is a nursing home. Start now and enjoy life.

Listen to your body – Use your Oxygen Wisely

I could write several topics on this one. I’m going to focus this article on listening to your body while you are running. Back in my high school days on the cross country team, we took off like hound dogs after a fox. Full speed ahead! That was great for the elite guys. For me, it was a short term success followed by an immediate long term failure. It meant I went into oxygen deprivation in about 100 yards. With three miles to go, this meant I set myself up for a lousy finish.

While training for a marathon I discovered something. I would start out slow. Yes, I said start slow (sorry coach). I would then speed up as my body became accustomed to the activity and started to use oxygen more efficiently. After a few weeks, this was completely natural and only took a mile. I was able to run 1 to 2 minutes per mile faster with ease. Also, my form held for up to 15 miles. That made a huge difference in my enjoyment of the run and the amount of time I had to dedicate to the run.

No one said training for the big run was easy, but you can make it more enjoyable.

Ice Cream Craving

Its summer time! Along with summer, comes one of my dirty little indulgences, ice cream. I love the Oreo Cookie mixed ones. My wife does not help any in this category. She loves them to. For me it is so bad, just seeing an ice cream stand makes me want to pull over. OK, not well on the gut. No matter how they label it, ice cream is not the best thing in the world for you. I have found a good substitute.

I like ice cream for the sweetness. Try this treat instead. Instead of pulling over to the ice cream stand, pull over to the next grocery store. Head for the fresh fruits and look for those bottles of fruit smoothies keeping cool on the shelves. They will run you $2.49 - $2.99 a bottle. They are the same price or less then the blended processed sugar creations. They will also save you on guilt, gut, and also make sure you get a serving or two of fruit in you. As for the sweetness, it is all natural.

Run-Walk

What is a run walk? Well, a run-walk serves three purposes. First off, it allows you to move on from just walking, to being able to run. This is a great way for you beginners to ease your bodies into running. Second, it allows you to increase your mileage. If you find it difficult to run 2 miles instead of one, run the first mile. After that, do a run-walk for a second mile. Use the power line poles or drive ways to tell you when to run and when to walk. Third, run-walks increases the time that you are exercising and allows you to burn more calories.

I personally use run-walks to increase my mileage. I first discovered the benefits of a run walk while training for my first marathon. I had a very late start to my training due to illness. I only had three months to go from being ill to being able to cover 26.2 miles. Many weeks I had to add an extra 2 miles to my long runs. I do not recommend that as experience has shown to me that this is not a smart thing once I started hitting 20 milers. I will say that to add an extra mile a week, run-walks work.

Just Beginning with Weights

So, you want to make the Govenator look like a girly-man. Hey, it is OK to have a lofty goal, but let’s face it. Most of the population (myself included) tends to have a physique somewhere between Homer Simpson and Twiggy. Whatever your goal, resistance training is part of the fitness triad. Cardio, nutrition, and resistance.

Resistance training helps in many ways.
1) Builds muscle.
2) Burns calories.
3) Burns even more for about 2 hours afterwards.
4) Burns even more while you sleep (because you have more muscle).
5) Gives you a reason to take your shirt off at the beach. (Ladies to if you wish).

After consulting your doctor, realistically access your knowledge of resistance training. If you are a former high school jock, you may know a few things. If not, hire a trainer for a few weeks. Not only the knowledge they pass on will get you better results, but also help keep you motivated.

You will get sore. That is part of the process. Especially the first few times you do resistance training. You see, resistance training creates micro-tares in your muscle fibers. Your body produces new muscle cells to repair your injured ones. More muscle means better beach body. Just start slow your first time. 30 minutes of light lifting your first time will make you feel some discomfort in the morning. 30 minutes of overdoing it will make simple movements painful for the next three days. Also, for every day you do resistance training, you must rest a day. That gives you time for a cardio workout.

Good luck on your goals and get to the gym.

Pack Your Lunch

Nutrition is what you make of it. It is a difficult part of your life or quick and easy. Let’s look at the typical day. You get up and decide what to make for breakfast. Ok, now, you have to pack a lunch (some assemble required). You get home and now…yep, you have to figure out what to make. All this thinking and making is going to take some time. Here is what I propose….Eat the same thing. Now, I’ve bounced this idea off someone and the response was “Yuck! Eat the same thing!” OK, not the response that I was hoping for but let me explain why this is a good idea.


We are in a rush, rush society. Our time is constantly being taken from us by work and life. Nutrition could start coming from a clown at a drive through very easily. Try to pick one or two nights a week for cooking. You make enough food until your next cooking night and place the fruits of your labor into plastic containers. How does this help on time and nutrition?


1) You pack your lunch by reaching in the fridge on your way out the door.
2) Instant portion control.
3) No worries about frequent runs to the store.
4) More time to for you.
5) No more visits to grinning clowns serving cholesterol on a bun with a side of lard.


Don’t forget to pack some fruit and a bag of veggies to munch on between meals. Hey, if you want to lose weight, you have to eat.

Just Go for a Walk

So, you want to be a runner? Running is a physical activity requiring nothing more than a good pair of shoes and a sense of adventure. Running can take you to places your SUV can only dream of. From the trails of city greenways to the snow covered peaks of Rocky Mountains. You can stay close to home or run in far and exotic locations. The whole fitness thing is a nice side benefit.


As with any physical activity, you need to consult with your doctor first. Especially see one if you have been on the more sedentary side of the population. I’m not going to boast the benefits of running. You already have an idea. But before I expound my wisdom of how to start, I would like to introduce you to a little motivation.


How about a 76 year old Catholic nun named Sister Madonna (no relation to the one in the tabloids). This woman consistently swims 2.4 miles, bikes 112 miles, and then goes out and runs a short 26.2 mile marathon. Not bad. The moral of the story, if a 76 year old can do all that, then you can go outside and run a few to.


Running is something you want to ease into though. Especially if you are, shall we say, in possession of a lot of real estate around the middle. Just go for a walk. It is that easy. All you need to do is walk. For the first week, just walk. It will get your body use to the sensation of moving. It will also start to condition your joints for your upcoming adventures


Have a great time and enjoy yourself