No if and or buts

There is always a 'But' out there, someplace. Just when you have things all figured, along comes a 'But' as in..."But on the other hand."
We try to hide our 'Buts' by saying ... "There is always an exception to the rule." But that is just an attempt to avoid saying but.

I thought I had exercise all figured out. After an enthusiastic workout, I like to relax my semi-retired butt in an over stuffed chair inherited from my father.

And then somebody stuck a "But" in my face.

My dad, Everett to some, Mr. Glover to many others, was a deeply religious man and like Jesus, was a carpenter. I have furniture in my home made by him before I was born 66 years ago. As he aged, he found fussing with tools and precise measurements too much. Dad turned to his hobby...whittling, carving, wood sculpting. Bas-relief and some free standing.

He spent his last years with me, his eyes and fingers seeing something in a piece of wood that no one else could see. A horse, his version of the Thinker, the ascending Jesus.

When he wasn't carving, he spent a good deal of time in his overstuffed chair, often favoring it for the night over his bed.
That is where he chose to be when the time came. In his comfy chair.
Christine, my sister and a neighbor, Rev. Turner were there and so was I. Dad was 86.

I took over the chair and soon discovered it's magic. When I sit there... don't want to get up which is now getting to be a problem. Regular visits to the gym including 90 minutes of huffing and puffing. Nature trail hikes covering up to 10 miles ...but I'm now finding, this may not be enough.

Why? Because some folks who study these things, say that although I may be moving enough, I'm not really moving enough.

Physiologist, kinesiologist, medical doctors, health organizations, even some gym rats, all endorse a daily minimum of 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous activity, three days a week. Jogging, basketball, high impact dancing and so-on.
If that's too much, then 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, five days a week. Moderate meaning, action in which breathing is heavy but you can hold a conversation. A good walk, light house cleaning, dancing preferably to ballads.

If you want to loose weight and keep it off...add another 30 to 45 minutes per day.

But...but now come the academic types. The researching experts are telling me that my efforts may not be enough to keep my 'Butt' healthy.

A resent study of men 20 to 89 by the University of South Carolina  found that those who sat the most had the greatest risk of heart problems.
The kicker was that many of those men also exercised regularly and led physically active lifestyles. Vigorous men but for various reasons, work or leisure, also sat for long hours. More than 10 hours a week riding in a car combined with more than 23 hours of sitting at work or at leisure, increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, the study states. Even when age and weight were taken into consideration, workouts did not make up for sit-ins, the study found.

A finding published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, reached a similar conclusion.  Their study encouraged those who work at computes all day to get up and take a walking break.


That's me in my dad's chair. So excuse me for a sec. while I take a walking break.





Hup,two, three four. Walking in rhythm, Movin' in sound, Hummin' to the music, Trying to move on. -The Blackbyrds.




I'm back.

A vigorous life style combined with lots of sitting has made some us, ‘‘active couch potatoes," said Gretchen Reynolds, a writer who borrowed the phrase from physiologists. Reynolds covers fitness for a number of publications, including the New York Times, Oprah Magazine and Women's Health.

Many of us are probably more active than we think. We just haven't put it all together to make our daily lives work for us instead of against us.

Take out a piece of paper and pen. Jot down all the physical things that you do over the course of a day or week, no matter how minor or insignificant. Consider each physical act, even fidgeting, to be a form of exercise and then improve on each activity.

Standing as much as possible instead of sitting, even at work. Walking to the water fountain farthest from your desk. Picking up something, anything within reason, that has fallen to the floor, even if it is not your stuff.

Fidgeting??
Yes, frequently shifting positions is a physical act. It's not much but it helps for those who must sit for long hours at work.

Find away to Move More and Sit Less. No if and or buts.

Related articles:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/phys-ed-the-men-who-stare-at-screens/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/the-hazards-of-the-couch/?src=me&

The leading edge of the Baby Boomer generation turned 65 last month

While trying to kick ice free from the driveway, aftermath of a recent storm, both feet "unexpectedly" left the ground and horizontal I went. Thud, splat. A booty bounce right in front of son, Bennett.
"Wait, Wait, don't tell me,"...there is nothing unexpected about slipping and falling while standing on ice and kicking at it.

Ben was quick to offer assistance and check to see if the old man was okay. Thanks to the extra padding that seems to be permanently fixed to my waist and hind'ny parts, I can report no ill effects other than to my pride. I can smile about this fall but it's time to take these things seriously.

Falls, a threat to the health and independence among older adults, are the leading cause of debilitating injury among those over 65.  In 2007, last year for figures, 81% of deaths from falls were among those over 65, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Each year, about a third of all adults 65 and older, fall.

Most falls are not fatal but many result in moderate to severe injuries such as lacerations, bone fractures or head traumas. These falls, even tumbles involving no injuries at all, can result in a fear of falling for older adults. Fear alone may cause some seniors to limit their activities, leading to reduced mobility which causes a loss of physical fitness, which raises the possibility of that which is feared ... falling.

How can older adults take steps to reduce the chance of falling?
The combined wisdom of those who study these kinds of things, physiologist, gerontologist, health and wellness organizations, have put together a long list which includes:

    * Exercise regularly. Focus on leg strength, flexibility and balance.
    * Ask doctor or pharmacist to review medicines that may cause dizziness or drowsiness.
    * Have eyes checked by an eye doctor.                                       
    * Make homes safer by reducing trip hazards, add grab bars, and improve the lighting.
    * Last but not least...bad, snowy, icy weather? Stay indoors.

Practice getting up from the floor. Don't wait until you fall to try and figure how to get up.

Good shoes can be sweet music to the feet

Winthorpe P. Coltrane, some call him Roscoe, I call him Trane, started jogging on a treadmill at a local gym about ten years ago. He was 62 and had never been much of an athlete or a musician.

Four times a week, sometimes more, Trane shows up with a smile and a kind word for anyone who crosses his path.
Courtly is an adjective not used to describe guys at the gym but it fits the gentle man who is somewhat vague on how the nickname Roscoe came about. The character does not fit but I think the moniker has something to do with the sheriff from TV's Dukes of Hazzard.
Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.

Today, Roscoe or Train, breezes through two miles on an indoor track at a beautifully laid out facility on the Lou's south side.

Sleek,140 pounds of lean mean running machine on a 5'8" frame. An efficient, no wasted motion runner. A slight bounce to each step. Eyes set, arms pumping not unlike a locomotive. Train, that's Roscoe.

Running can be demanding on the joints of older adults. It can also be demanding on the shoes.
Roscoe figures he's put nearly 300 miles on a pair of two year old moderately priced joggers. He had also begun to complain of sore feet...tired legs...and thought maybe age was catching up. That he was running to much, when a friend suggested  new shoes.
Roscoe purchased a new pair and, "I'll be darn if I didn't feel better from the get-go," said he.

Folks who pay attention to these things, experts and so on, say shoe stability starts to break down after 300  miles.... depending on running style, body weight, and running surface.
Even if the shoe's outward appearance looks okay. It's internal structure, the guts  that makes it a good shoe, maybe shot.

A shoe's mid sole layer provides stability and a shock absorbing cushion. It usually wears out before the out sole shows major signs of wear, says Elizabeth Quinn, an exercise physiologist.
When a mid sole wears out the shoe looses functional stability. It is this loss that leads to increased stress and risk of injury to runners.

Roscoe was half right. Age indeed was catching up...just not his. It was the shoes. The new pair confirmed what his friend had suggested.

Back to full strength, Trane completes his daily double with a 60 yard dash...so spirited....that you'd expect a touch down dance afterwards. Good shoes can be sweet music to the feet..

Quinn Tips for buying Running Shoes

• Shop in the afternoon (or after a work out) feet swell during the day.
• Measure your foot while standing.
• Try on both shoes with the socks you plan to wear.
• -more tips

Names have been altered to protect the guilty.