Oh, I’m sorry, I meant I’m having an affair with aspirin. Ever since I went to the dentist for a crown and had the world’s longest lasting toothache. It has been discouraging, but 100 push-ups in the mornings helps. Prevention is always the key– it’s too late for me, save yourself and take good care of your teeth. Today I ran 6 miles easy in the rain with my running club at school. It’s always good to run with someone for encouragement at least once during the week. So that’s it for me today. I’m back once again. Life is running for me since without it I just get depressed and run down. My shout out to all you faithful runners out there, “Stay healthy and keep running for as long as you can. You got a good thing.” :^)
My take on Exercise
As I my mention on my health-2-fitness.com homepage, I used to be an avid marathon runner. I weight trained, played handball regularly, and could do 200 plus push ups at a time. I mention this because I was very satisfied with the level of physical fitness I had attained. And yet I also apprehend how eerily close all of us are to becoming a physical debacle.
☺My demise, as I mentioned, came from the rapidly deteriorating condition of my teeth. Bacteria, as well as viruses, can become highly aggressive, and rapidly ruin your overall health, well being, and happiness in short order. My teeth became repeatedly infected and my health and fitness declined accordingly. I was dejected and frustrated, but I stand guilty of taunting invincibility, practicing bad habits, and consuming too much junk food.
☺This is a hard lesson learned. I revamped my health by having the good fortune to afford good dental treatment. Then I began an exercise regimen. At first my attempts to get right back into running failed miserably. The blow dealt to my body dead severe damage to my circulatory, skeletal, and respiratory systems. I was not the same person, just a shell of who I was and I had to accept this fact. The rigors of being a teacher for three years also wrought much damage in reconditioning.
☺It seemed like every morning, I would consume tea with a tablespoon of honey and crushed fresh garlic. The garlic assisted me in combating the large levels of unhealthy bacteria in my system and the black tea helped me fight off viruses. I also took zinc tablets, 50 to 100 mg per day as needed, to build up my immune system and ward off exhaustion.
☺Next I took the drastic step of getting up every morning and just walking on my Tread Climber for a half an hour to an hour. My top speed was a whopping, yet deliberate, 2 mph! As I walked, I read a few chapters of the Bible and then flipped through many index cards I made up with carefully selected motivational scriptures and famous quotes from such people as Gandhi, Bruce Lee, and Muhammad Ali. These became my inner motivational voices that fortified and nourished my mind.
☺Next I hopped on my Total Body Works by Joe Weider. And I did a brief routine that included chest press, rowing, inclined abdominal crunches, and pull ups. I did what I could do every day. I had to develop the consistency that eluded me by trying to get straight back into running. This plan is working very effectively as my general health is stabilizing and I realize I can only get stronger and stronger. Shortly, I will be back into my running routine without the frustrating set backs.
3 Simple ways to vastly improve your health and fitness
3 Simple ways to vastly improve your health and fitness
Read my brief life story from my new http://www.health-2-fitness.com website
Hi I am Lewis Jackson and I am an avid health and fitness enthusiast. As a youngster, I had a very active lifestyle. My Dad played college football and later became a marathon runner. I literally followed in his footsteps and ran numerous 10ks, half marathons, and marathons. I continued to run through college, but after I got married and built a family, I began to slow down. Health problems involving my teeth contributed to my demise.
However, I fought back and refused to succumb to the damages of a sedentary lifestyle. The importance of exercise, nutrition, and proper rest are now more important in my life than ever. This website shares the resources I’ve found to be most helpful on my road to recovery.
I’ve found regular exercise of 30 minutes or more each day is very important to maintaining physical conditioning. It should not be underestimated in its ability to maintain the circulatory, respiratory, and skeletal systems of the body. We look in the mirror and its hard to detect the body wasting away through atrophy from the inside out. When symptoms of disease or damage occur, it is often too late to affect full recovery. The best health 2 fitness medicine is prevention, even if it is only mild walking each day for half an hour.
Nutrition was something I cheated on as a youth. I loved McDonalds, Burger King, and other processed foods and sugary drinks. My first wake up call was when I learned that many sodas contain up to nine teaspoons of sugar– not to mention the other chemical additives and acids. Even many supermarket foods you buy are heavily processed and contain toxins and synthetics. The nutrition links found on this page will provide alternative food sources that will help rebuild and vitalize your health and fitness from the inside out.
Finally, proper rest and sleep is paramount for full recovery and recuperation from each day’s rigors. You should schedule time for eight hours of sleep each night. Take catnaps to lessen stress on the body during the day. Maintain a positive outlook by feeding your mind and heart positive sources of motivation. It is also important to avoid emotional upheavals and drama in your life. Try to avoid allowing responsibilities to pile up, be proactive, keep life simple, and stay organized.
The three areas, exercise, nutrition, and proper rest, I briefly discussed above are part of what I call my well-being triangle. I hope my brief health and fitness tips have been helpful to you.
jump roping my way to health
I’m now developing a jump roping routine. 300 ump ropes this morning, yes. But now after that I add about 15 DOUBLE jumps. These are tough and build stamina. At first I couldn’t do even 5 double jumps. Now I’m up to 15. Florida is hot and stiffling. It’s easy to lose your wind because you’re suckingin dry hot air. And I had good wind, good stamina for the first half of my 8 mile run. The second half still needs work– the lst 4 miles still needs work. But I definitely think the jump roping is helping a lot.
Fay Go Away!
I’m sure if you live anywhere along the East coast, especially below New York, you have heard of Fay, the tropical storm. It started in earnest on Wednesday and has continued through Friday. This evening we had a series of tornadoes. Many of them were water funnels in the St. John’s River, but we had a tornado miss our home by a couple of blocks. Certainly not a day for running. Actually, I’m a bad boy. I didn’t exercise at all today. I’ve been feeling down. :^( But tomorrow I’m hoping to pep back up. (Okay, I’m going to pep up. :^) To be honest, just about everybody seems emotionally exhausted from this storm. If you have bad weather your way, literally or figuratively, stay strong. Your body is probably preparing to reward you with a bump up in fitness! That’s how it usually goes– you hit a sticking point, but if you keep your routine, your body will bump you up to the next level of performance.
slowly climbing back
I’ve come to realize (for many years actually) that getting back in shape is an inside out job. One needs to rebuild the circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and whatever other systems up to the par of high performance. The body has to become one in all its components. Even the mind, especially, the mind must be rebuilt to task for as one becomes out of shape the mind conforms to its confines. So I am building from the inside out. Each day I spend half an hour to an hour or more building myself spiritually, building my confidence. Did you know the Bible is a source of physical power. I’m not trying to preach, it’s just a fact of nature, like the sun is a source of dynamic energy. I also feed myself quotations, positive upbuilding quotations from the like of Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandi, Winston Churchill, William Durant, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, the list is endless. Many of these quotes I get from http://www.quotationnation.com. I put the quotes and the Bible scriptures on index cards. I read the cards one by one during a walking exercise on my treadclimber. This is powerful folks. This is my secret! Then after my walking routine I workout on my Total Body Workout by Joe Weider or Total Gym. The Weider machine is much cheaper than the Total Gym and just as good– I think it’s better than the Total Gym. Now I’m jumping rope and double jumping. It’s a work in process, but I’m slowly and surely climbing back to tip top shape!
This is gonna be disgusting
Yesterday I ran 8 miles. Now there’s something about having a bowel movement before a run that makes it great! I had two bowel movements before the run. I must have been terribly backed up because after the run I had a final bowel movement. Needless to say, I made a lot of enemies in the household that day! But it’s great to feel expunged of all that toxin. What do you think? Do good bowel movements make for good runs? Good bowel movements, good runs! LOL (Pardon the pun :^)
Recovering from 12 miles.
Immediate first aide is important right after a grueling run. I drink plenty of water, but it is not enough to quench my pain. I fear laying down. Will I wake up? I sleep for two hours. The next day, today, I get up early and walk 1 hour on my treadclimber. Just to limber my body, nothing challenging. Then 300 jumpropes and I finish limbering up with the Total Gym. Nothing too workoutish, just limbering to get the soreness out. The tender pain in my thighs is welcome. I’m making a comeback!
12 miles in 85 plus heat
I lied. I said I was going to run 8 miles, but instead, I punished myself for jogging too slowly the first 4 miles and went for the 12. It’s an out and back route on a trail 6 miles long here in Fleming Island, Florida. The weather advisory is, don’t run unless you run early. I start out at 7:30, not early enough. The humidity is already heavy and can hardly breathe freely. My body is laboring and trying to slow me down. It’s only 4 miles!? Turn around, make it 8 miles and call it a day. Besides, you went to bed at 12 last night. But I ignore common sense. At six miles, it’s time to turn around. But how do I get home. I’m practically jogging in place. I am committed not to walk. 8 miles passes– only 4 miles left. I must earn every mile sucking thin air. The heat, 85 plus, is broken by shady places. I pray for water. I really pray because I fear dehydration and heat stroke. God gives me a cool breeze. 2 miles left now. My legs are broken. It’s ALL will power. I stumble like I’m drunk, but I will not walk. I arrive home beat up physically, but uplifted mentally. I am confident. I jogged the whole 12 miles under adverse conditions. Fortunately, I had drank enough water beforehand and survived.
Forgive and forget for good health
Forgive an forget– try writing a letter to your enemies like the one I wrote this morning.
Dear Enemies,
I want you to know that I have received a revelation, an exhilarating and liberating joy I experienced when I prayed on your behalf. I am happy and I want you to be too.
This letter is to you, my enemies, to whom I am at animosity. I do not wish to point blame; in fact, I am assuming all blame for the conflict that exists between us. I’ve learned that life is too short and too many pleasurable moments from my loved ones have been robbed by taking a self-righteous stance and insisting that justice be served.
Since when do enemies grant justice to each other? The whole enterprise is swiftly resolved when the stronger of the two chooses to forgive and forget.
There comes a time when, right or wrong, it is time to move on from unresolved issues that have become crusades. And I know that you, yes you, my enemy have sought peace with me, but I replied with sullen resentment. I want you to know that I appreciate those efforts on your part. Deep in my heart I wanted to reply in kind, but I had let the darkness of resentment seep too far down into my soul. I will try in the future to reciprocate such kindness should you be so generous to extend it again. Please be patient with me as I am a work in progress.
This letter is the olive branch I extend to you for the sake of our mutual peace and happiness. You need not acknowledge it as you may never receive this letter from me. Then what is its purpose? Its purpose is as a reminder to me that I have ceased to exonerate myself in all real and imagined hostilities. I realize that this futile conquest is purely a wasted focus from more productive endeavors, such as loving and having fun. I have chosen instead to formulate solutions by means of friendly acts and gestures. And when these fail I have chosen to pray for you my enemy, and I pray that we shall be at peace and enjoy each other’s company.
There was a time when I had no enemies. Then I grew up and I realized that there were people who had deep seated grudges towards me, as if they wanted me annihilated or at least my personality assimilated to conform to their wishes. These weren’t the typical playground fights I had in which later on that afternoon or the following day we became friends. These present day enemies literally wanted to discombobulate a chunk of my life. They wanted to exact real scars and damage that would consume years and extend over a lifetime.
It’s time to go back to being a child. The price of nursing enemies or frenemies is too much high maintenance and too much to pay.
From this point on, I no longer acknowledge you as my enemy. That power is now relinquished from you over my heart and mind. You are free to go on hating me, but I will not acknowledge your efforts– except in reply by kindness. You are, hopefully, my friend in waiting and as such I will wait patiently on you.
Until such time, this is my letter of reminder that I shall pull out and read each time I am tempted to engage in the fray. This letter is my creed. And I hope you too will see our mutual annihilation as a foolish occupation and a pointless way to spend one’s life.
Your friend in waiting,
Lew
Poetry of KsanaKai Poem Collection 