Month: July 2019

Stop growing old.

“We don’t stop exercising because we grow old. We grow old because we stop exercising.”—Kenneth Cooper

I haven’t tried the aging app that is taking Facebook by storm. I can’t say I am not curious, but an algorithm is not going to determine how I am going to look in 30 years. I will play the largest role in how I look. Sure, I have my parent’s genes, but only to the extent to which I use them. Diet, exercise, well-habits, and grattitude will have the greatest effect on how I age.

I challenge myself to defy the aging process. I want to be in increasingly better shape than my peers as we age. It is not as impossible as it might seem. It is just a matter of maintenance.

It grows increasingly difficult to add muscle or improve one’s cardiorespiratory endurance as one ages. It is however possible to significantly affect the loss of these with effective exercise. And it doesn’t take nearly as much effort as one might suppose.

I am becoming increasingly convinced that our exercise habits should shift from a cardiorespiratory emphasis to a strength emphasis as we age. This is contrary to the most of the recommendations and practices of most aging adults. Of course, those who have emphasized muscle hypertrophy over cardiorespiratory endurance in their younger years may actually need to shift toward more aerobic exercise, but the maintenance of muscle mass will be much easier and greater time will be available for heart health. For those who have emphasized cardio, VO2max will decline simply because of the age-related decline in maximum heart rate. Thus, maintenance becomes the primary objective.

A lack of strength becomes increasingly important as we age. Function will decline rapidly if muscle strength is not modestly maintained. Bone health is also dependent upon muscular activity. Activity to sustain cardiorespiratory exercise is dependent upon muscle mass. So, it is never too late to begin a weight training program. (I had a client years ago who started lifting weights after his 84th birthday because he wanted to—and did—reduce his dependence on his cane.)

Expect that aging will result in a loss of function, and it will. Defy the aging stereotypes and you age better than your peers.

Of course, we can’t control all the stuff that can happen to our bodies as time passes, but we can be better equipped to deal with whatever comes. This is why I preach to myself the importance of “well-centered fitness” (Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social, as well as Physical).

Rather than letting an app tell you how you are going to look when you are old, determine for yourself to look increasingly young for your age.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Back to Physical Education.

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”
–John F. Kennedy

I realize that it is mid-summer, and school is the farthest thing from a parent’s or (especially) a child’s mind. Nevertheless, the back-to-school displays will soon be going up and our thoughts will turn to education.

I am glad that we are transitioning our youngest to middle school. This means no more list of school supplies to buy. I was always troubled by the process of sending a child off to school with a box of pencils, erasers, glue sticks, rulers, scissors, paper, etc. (all stuff that seemed to be provided when I was in elementary school). I had no problem spending the money. I was just confused by the logic. Surely, it would have saved everyone the stress and time spent looking very specific items (for some reason not just any brand of #2 pencil was sufficient). I always thought it would be far more economical for the school district to buy in bulk and just access a fee to the parents. All questions of logic aside, what was missing from the list were items relative to physical education. Surely, items like balls, bats, cones, jump ropes, etc. are as important as #2 pencils. Unfortunately, physical education (now referred to as “wellness” in many schools) keeps getting bumped down the priority list.

The USDHHS recommendation for daily physical activity for children and adolescents ages 6-17 (i.e., K-12) is 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. I am confident that few schools are coming close to even 60 minutes per week of physical education. There is, of course, recess in the lowest grades, but even this is limited and activity (or inactivity) is self-selected. This activity drops off dramatically as the student passes on to middle school and high school and physical education becomes an “elective”. This was certainly not the intent of President Eisenhower when he initiated the President’s Council on Youth Fitness (changed to  the President’s Council on Physical Fitness by President Kennedy in 1963).

When I went to Wikipedia to confirm dates, I was surprised be the brevity of the information on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. [The name has evolved over the decades to reflect and emphasis on the importance of sports (1968) and nutrition (2010).] I grew up with the Presidential Physical Fitness Award—something I never saw emphasized with my two children. Other than brief sentences stating the dates when the Presidential Sports Award Program and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (clearly an indicator that something is under-emphasized) were created and when a couple of reports were released, the history is rather scant. Seemingly, the physical fitness and health of our young is a rather minor priority. Of course, it is possible that no one has made recording the history of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition on Wikipedia a priority, but I would stand by my observation that youth physical fitness is simply not the priority it should be. Sadly, I think there has been a shift in expectation that youth sports will fill the void formed by an ever-decreasing commitment to physical education.

I saw, as my children moved through primary school, an increase in the number of bus stops in our neighborhood. It got to the point where my daughters bus stopped at both ends of the same block!! Now, I don’t fault the schools for this, because it is obvious that these decisions are driven by parents. Some argue that it is for the safety of the children. I would argue it is for the convenience of the parents. (Honestly, who is harmed in walking an extra block or two to a bus??)

I believe it is time for parents to stand up to those who would limit our children’s physical activity—the few voices that cause schools to cower in fear of litigation—and demand more physical activity and communities that will support, rather than hinder, outdoor physical activity (our children could bike to school were it not for unsafe roads and a lack of sidewalks or foot/bike paths to the schools).

There is no paucity of evidence to support the physiological and psychological benefits of physical activity in young people. Nevertheless, we prefer that our children spend more time sitting and being taught to the standardized tests than to spend tax dollars to support Physical Education (and, I would vigorously add, Art and Music). In my opinion, there is a high price paid for this in the long run.

I support our teachers. I prefer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) over STEM, but also demand the inclusion of physical education somewhere in that equation. Call it the “four Rs”—reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic, and running.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Image source: https://www.saferoutespartnership.org/resources/2018-state-report-map

I am not a fan of Rob Bell.

My family had the opportunity to attend Rob Bell’s “An Introduction to Joy” tour in Portland, last Friday. I unashamedly love Rob Bell’s teaching. We attended Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan for several years before we moved to Oregon (and he left for California). It was the last time I have felt truly moved and inspired by church attendance. (It is his philosophy that a good sermon should “disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed”.) So, if it sounds like I am a fan of Rob Bell, I am not. Let me explain….

Rob Bell has a level of celebrity status. He has his share of followers and dissidents. At “An Introduction to Joy”, I found myself listening to the conversations going on around me. The majority were talking about how much they “love Rob”—how “great” he is. He is certainly entertaining—he is a great speaker. He is a guy I can certainly see hanging out with. I don’t, however, put him on a pedestal. He is a man with a message. He delivers the message in an extraordinary way, but it is the message that I love. He is simply the vessel by which it is delivered.

My faith is not about me. I struggle with the sermons that are about personal salvation and intended to make me feel good. I understand the need to appeal to the “unchurched” (though I would argue that filling seats is not the purpose of church), but I want to be changed. So, to me, the notion of “a good sermon is going to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed” is revolutionary.

I was able to sit in the front row, center stage, for the show in Portland. I was entertained, indeed, but what most struck me most about the show was not the clever stories. I was close enough to see Rob’s eyes. More specifically, to see the tears in Rob’s eyes. He is not an entertainer. Indeed, he is a rabbi—a teacher. His passion is in helping people. Whether you accept his teachings on heaven and hell and the Jesus message (or your perceptions of what that message is), it is clear that his purpose is to define what faith is to mean for me today. His message is to bring unity to the world. It is a very “Jesus” message.

I am not a fan of Rob Bell. I am, however, a fan of learning to live a new way.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

During the show, my phone buzzed a message from an old high school friend who shared the below link to his daughter’s interview with Rob Bell. It was a huge déjà vu for me—the kind that stops you in your steps. I find these moments to be deeply Spiritual. I refer to these as Celestine Prophesy moments. So, I also feel compelled to share with my readers. So, check it out:

https://player.fm/series/chatty-broads-with-bekah-and-jess/ep-33-ep-31-rob-bell-becomes-a-bible-broad?fbclid=IwAR1C41kUFbynbFDg6KYWdCpNMGn-iZKt-cc1mr7603Yu7kvVmYEovTjb7qg

Grateful humanity.

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain… To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices – today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”
–Kevyn Aucoin

Every moment of our life is a choice. Grattitude is making the choice to be happy and resist negativity. Physiologically and psychologically, pain is a perception of the brain. We need not deny our pain. Rather, we can embrace it, modulate it, and use it to our benefit. Pain can restrain us or liberate us. The choice is ours.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Should you dump your exercise partner?

Okay, I am really not telling you to dump the person who has been diligent to spot for you and suffer 6 AM workouts with you for years, but….

Consider what a workout partner does (or does not do) for you. A good training partner is reliable and consistent. A good training partner knows how to get the best repetitions out of you (and maybe a few extra pounds on your PR). Personally, I have had relatively few over the years, but I have also had some good ones.

The reason to keep your training partner is when they help you achieve your goals. To help you, they have to know and support your goals.

The challenge one faces in depending on a training partner is that your goals don’t always track. Unless your training partner is your identical twin training for an identical purpose, it is quite likely that you will have very different training needs. Volume landmarks—e.g. maximal recoverable volumes, minimum effective volumes, etc.—and recovery needs will certainly be different. In addition, it is quite likely that your training cycles will get out of sync from time to time—e.g., one is on a leg day while the other is on a chest day. Typically, you may not want to be doing the exact same workout as a training partner, if you are looking to maximize your results.

So, if you have found a reliable motivator to help you through the challenges of training for performance, don’t be quick to break off the relationship. Try, however, to have and to stick to your own training plans. Your periodization might be similar—professional strength and conditioning coaches can’t completely individualize programming for every athlete—but you can still individualize your exercise program and still have the support of the program.

If don’t have a reliable partner, just look for reliable spotters at your gym. If, however, you work out alone at home, maintain proper safeguards to prevent injury.

The key to progressing in your physical fitness is doing what works for you. Try the latest “best workout” from the fitness magazines or what the knowledgeable trainer at the gym suggests, if you wish, but realize that it might not work for you. If one program doesn’t lead you closer to accomplishing your goals, try something else until you see progress. Don’t feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing. If you need a training partner, find a good one and adjust your program (exercises, as well as intensities, sets, and repetitions—i.e., volumes) to suit ) to suit your goals.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Own it.

“Doctors don’t make you healthy. Teachers don’t make you learn. Trainers don’t make you fit. Coaches don’t make you rich. At some point you have to understand that this life is 100% your responsibility.”—Unknown

Self-discipline and responsibility have been on my mind. So, naturally, the above meme/quote caught my attention. This life is indeed 100% our responsibility. Stuff happens, of course, but how we respond—how we use the “stuff” that happens to us is 100% our choice.

We seem to be moving, as a society, away from this understanding. It presents a bit of a chicken-and-egg argument, but the reality is it is a problem and the solution to the problem muddied by the problem itself. When we don’t understand (or refuse to understand) that our life is 100% our responsibility, we expect others to change, and, of course, the problem grows.

I can’t change others. I can’t, for example, change how people use the passing lane on the highway or stop as they enter a round-about (two of my daily frustrations). I can, however, change how I respond to the situation. If I let it affect my attitude (or what I prefer to call “grattitude”), that is entirely on me. It is my problem, not theirs.

Own it. Own your health, your education, your physical fitness, your economic status, etc. Own your success, as well as your failure. Own your grattitude.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, NIV).

The above verse is often used to suggest that God is controlling our lives. I don’t believe this to be quite the case. I believe the intent is to direct us toward an understanding our Purpose—that all things work for the good when we understand that there is a Purpose greater than self. Sure the stuff and our lives can be extremely painful. I have friends who must daily revisit the loss of a child. I can’t imagine much worse than that. They have come to own the pain and are doing great things with it. They own the life they have been dealt. They don’t dwell on their own pain. Instead, they have made it their Purpose to spare others of the same pain.

I want to have that kind of ownership over my life. Sometimes, though, I can’t even own my own response to traffic. Grattitude takes constant diligence. The sooner we can understand the reality that this life is 100% our responsibility, the sooner we can be happy and content in our circumstances. (Contentment in our circumstances, by the way, is not resigning to the circumstances we are in. Instead, it is the understanding that we have the power to change our life—the power to work all things for the good.)

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Meaningless??

“’Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NIV)

These words don’t seem to offer much hope. Without careful reading they don’t. Carefully read, however, they are the path to joy.

I have had some understanding of the Book of Ecclesiastes, but a few new windows were opened by Rob Bell’s “An Introduction to Joy” show. I learned that the Hebrew from which “meaningless” is translated is hevel which means vapor or mist. Life is but a mist. Life’s problems are but a mist. As well, are the good things that happen to bad people and the bad things that happen to good people.

What is one to take away from the Book of Ecclesiastes? Joy. I don’t intend to get into a deep or theological study of the book. I am going to just embrace the theme of joy and…carpe momento.

For purpose of demonstration, Rob Bell had a small spray bottle on stage. He sprayed it every time he said “meaningless”. It has me considering all the meaningless bull**** that I let get to me on a daily basis. It is all hevel.

I have determined to keep a mist bottle in the car. When I am frustrated by the driver who comes to a complete stop at the round-about or who insists on driving under the speed limit in the passing lane or…, I will spray a mist to remind me that it is all but a vapor.

Joy is the offspring of grattitude. It is a choice. It is a fruit that is to be cultivated.

Life is meaningless in the sense that it is vapor. As such, we must live in the moment—carpe momento—and be joyful. As a wise man once said, “everything is dust in the wind”. Perhaps the meaning of life is a Kansas song—not that life itself is meaningless; rather, all that we allow to burden us is hevel.

We’ll see how my experiment in hevel works.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Reward or punishment?

“Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as punishment. And that’s the difference.”
–Lou Holtz

I often describe exercise like the man who is hitting himself in the head with a 2×4. When asked “Why?”, he responds: “Because it feels so good when I stop.” This is not to say that I consider exercise to be punishment. Exercise is a discipline with great rewards. If it wasn’t so uncomfortable, it wouldn’t be so effective.

Nutrition and exercise go hand-in-hand. Many, however, misunderstand the roles they play. Often, exercise is punishment for a poor diet. Indeed, we might, on occasion want to exercise a bit more to account for our over-indulgences (e.g., holidays), but the majority of the time we should “eat to train” rather than “train to eat”. Diet should fuel our active lifestyle, and our active lifestyle should demand a healthy diet.

Exercise is not supposed to be fun. More likely than not, if one “enjoys” exercise they are not challenging themselves. There are those rare few who can enjoy intense training. They are called athletes—more specifically, elite athletes. Athletes are wired differently than the general population. They tend to have higher pain thresholds and, certainly, the discipline it requires to succeed.

While the exercise, itself, is not fun, the discipline of exercise can be. It is a matter of grattitude and reward. The exerciser has to look not at the pain of training but the results. As well, there are side benefits to exercise such as increased productivity and social interaction. The fun of exercise is not in the hard work of exercise. The fun is in the rewards.

If exercise is seen as punishment, there will be no long-term benefit. the exerciser who sees it as punishment will never see sustainable results. Remember, the tortoise wins the race. Be disciplined to be consistent and progressive in your diet and exercise. Be results-oriented. Embrace the hard work. Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!