Category Archives: fitness

exercise, fitness, running

Running Daytona Beach, Fl

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It’s December 26th and we’re talking 80 degrees in Florida. I’m not complaining, chilling at the Wyndham Club Resort. I’m still tired from returning from a week in Long Island, NY this Friday. So driving to Daytona on Saturday is not a good fit for me. I’m still doing 100 push-ups a day. Today is day eight. I managed sets of 10 today and this put me in a good enough state to run for 30 minutes on the beach.

wow, nobody is wearing a mask 😷. Just me looking weird as I leave the resort through the pool area and onto the beach â›±. Finally I take off my mask. You know running is very tough with a mask. I’m zig zapping through crowds. It’s seven feet distance not really close enough to worry about covid. I’m more concerned 😟 with these little tots crossing my path. And don’t want to be a bully and step on their sand castles, even accidentally.

it’s civilization, being around people without masks, seeing their faces, acknowledging other people’s human existence. I’m 15 minutes out a good clip and only now on my return run do I feel a bit of struggle. Keeping in mind the past few days and my daily push-ups I’m happy just to be enjoying the beach, the shoreline, the splashy water. Seagulls and sandpiper congregate and then disperse, some scamper away with their quick little feet, others take flight and tease me to try to tag them. Not today.

I’m greeted with a neat little surprise at the end of my run: a man is sculpting what looks like an Indian resting on his elbows reclining in the sand. It’s obvious he is talented. My wife informs me later the sand sculpture was actually a mermaid. I plan to post the 📸 on my Instagram.

exercise, fitness, Health, nutrition

Long time no see?!

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My last post here was in 2011. I was 49 years old then raising a family 👪 teaching, but running actively. It’s 21, December 2021 and life has changed. I’ve overcome my teeth problems, had some drilling and crowns 👑 put in, some wisdom teeth pulled. 😬 your dental health has a lot to do with your overall physical and mental wealth… I’ll end it by saying that.

Today there is covid and it’s mutant friends. As I close in on 60 years old I am not as rugged as I used to be. Now the emphasis is on prudence, maintaining the delicate balance between not being sick/ injured and retaining as much youth as possible. It’s a game in which we all lose in the end, inevitable decline of old age, death. (BOY, that was depressing, let’s lighten it up with something more hopeful ☺)

Besides I’m a Jehovah’s Witness who believes that one day mankind will live in a paradise 🌎. Jehovah, God and his son, Jesus Christ will restore the earth, restore obedient mankind, rid the earth of wicked influences, and bring about a righteous Kingdom government. I mention all of this because it’s important 😌 to have a healthy outlook on life. If you’d like more information on the prospect of living forever in paradise (who wouldn’t?) you can email my wife and I at lewisnclaire.jw@gmail.com or simply visit our website at http://jw.org.

Ahh, so finally, why you’ve come to this blog. I will continue to blog about all things regarding maintaining good health and please be aware your dear blogger is also a poet and this blog is attached to http://www.papopoetry.com So there will be the occasional foray into waxing poetic.

here is the belt I recommend. I use Olarhike resistant bands. Attach it to a door hinge or other stable hook and you have a home gym to do a variety of exercises.

I’m visiting my parents in New York this week… watching your parents decline from what they once were sucks 😒 but I’m doing the little I can to make their life’s journey pleasurable. I cook meals, bath my father, and try to get my mom out of the “death” chair 💺 to exercise. Now in her late 80’s it’s not exercise, it’s more like stand up, try to walk because the alternative is atrophy and even faster decline.

I put a belt with hooks in the back around her waist; and attach elastic bands; the bands are hooked to a door 🚪 hinge; she stands positioned in front of her walker and alternately steps forward with each leg. The next progression is to position more inside the stepper and alternately step backwards with each leg. I only use the 10-pound resistance band for now. As I will be leaving in a few days to return to Florida, I left instructions with the health aide and my brother. It’s a very simple movement and effective. I will let you know brand names (see picture above), just leave an inquiry in the comments to this blog.

I use this system myself to strengthen my hips. Stepping back off a stepper is especially effective. And it’s good to bring this equipment along on a vacation.

My health tip for this blog: some movement, even just walking, is better than no movement on regular daily basis, especially as you get older.

So fortunately, that’s not where I’m at physically, though not the person I was 13, 14 years ago. What am I currently doing to stay fit and healthy? I’ll share that in my next post.