OK People Or Do What You Do

It is Thursday.
Thursday is the day after Wednesday.
Wednesday is Ball Room Dancing lessons night.
The dance is the Samba, a fast Latin Dance that has the same steps as the Viennese Waltz.
Thursday is Boot Camp night.
Tonight the steps will be on the ladder, dancing around the heavy bag and trying to remember to turn the foot into the punch.
There are a lot of similarities between dancing and Boot Camp.
Both require precise movement, the proper turning of the shoulders, leading or following the lead, concentration and finally coordination of upper and lower body to make it all come together into a seamless, rhythmic flow.
Head movements, hand movements, movement of the feet all combine to present either a dance or a bout.
As I have thought about this, I have worked to bring parts of each activity to the other and I am finding that I can move with more fluidity than I have known for many years.
The dance instructor comes in puts on the music of the day, last night a strange and eclectic mixture of Samba beats, looks at us and says, “come on, do what you are supposed to do.”
Last night it was trying to remember the Bota Cita, Bota Fogo or the Machisse.
Tonight the Boot Camp instructor comes in puts on a CD of rock music, cranks up the volume and yells, “OK people lets do it”.
Then I am supposed to remember the most recent punch combinations, so far 1 through 6, 9 with a touch of 13, then try to master the footwork on the ladder before jumping rope and then running up and down the stairs.
The other nights of the week and weekend are free.
On these nights you will find me in the gym doing various lifts to increase strength in the arms, back, legs or other exercises that target the core muscles.
If you had asked me ten years ago, “what are you going to do in the evenings, when you have more time?” I most likely would have said, “watch a little TV, read more books, go to bed earlier”.
Instead of a little TV and early to bed it is Boot Camp, dance, exercise and try very hard to follow a strict diet.
I may not live any longer but it is sure going to seem like I did.

Searching For Nirvana

Nirvana has been described as a mind free of cravings, anger, afflicted states, a mind at perfect peace.
I feel I achieve a level of Nirvana while lifting weights.
My mind becomes silent as the body struggles to maintain the balance and control of the two dumbbells being pushed around in space.
The heavier the weight the more clear and silent the mind becomes (this has been my interpretation of the experience)
I am suddenly unaware of the surroundings and focused only on the weights and the proper placement.
I do the counts to fifteen and then drop the weights, sit up (it takes a few seconds to re-focus) and tell the body it has to do it again.
So now I am seeking to one day challenge the “hundreds”.
I was asked today when I mentioned this goal, “What are you going to do with that”?
I was really not able to express in that instant the goal.
But the goal I am seeking and want to understand is an even deeper appreciation of a mind, quiet and at peace.
I am looking for the silent place where only consciousness exists and I am sure the “hundreds” will help get me there.
I think Sparta already knows this.

Did Neil Sedaka Say It First

It was the 50’s.
The song: “Working Out Is So Very Hard To Do”.
My wife reading over my shoulder; the song was, “Breaking Up Is So Very Hard To Do”.
Everyone it seems is an editor.
But it is true, working out is so very hard to do.
The gym fills up on the day after New Years, resolutions are made and intensity is high.
I see the same type of intensity on the first day of vacation.
The gym is packed early on Monday.
The beach is filled with walkers and runners.
Then comes Tuesday.
The beach is less crowded and the gym, virtually empty.
The machines are idle and the weight bench is free.
I am not complaining.
It is easier to get the equipment and the session is over quicker.
I still have to do the obligatory crunches on a large mat that has room for four people.
The mat has little channels that catch the sweat.
Is this the reclaimed water they use to hydrate the plants?
On to the weight bench and then down to the patio for coffee.
On this trip I do the beach “raulking” first so the coffee is the last part of the ritual.
As I cool down I am able to watch the sun rise, feel the sea breeze and see the ocean come and go with each wave.
I feel really good.
I am sticking to the routine.
I wish I had believed in exercise all of my life.
It is better than any medicine or potion.
I will wait to see if any of the Monday people come back.
But I am pretty sure Neil Sedaka had it right the first time: “Working Out Is So Very Hard To Do”.
But if you are not working out, I assure you, you are breaking up.
Thanks Neil.
You were a prophet and didn’t know it.
PS: The Monday people aren’t back yet.

Vacation

Vacation is a test.
Can you keep to the exercise regime?
You lose the comfort of the “pack”, the dominant Alpha leader and the familiar space.
The routine changes by necessity.
I am an evening exerciser but on vacation I become an early morning exerciser as I need to assist with grandchildren the rest of the day.
The body at first rebels to the new routine and on this vacation I even added a new quirk to the workout.
Janzelle explained a technique to become a runner.
Each day for the first six days, one walks four minutes and then runs for one minute. This cycle is repeated for 30 minutes to one hour.
The next six days one walks three minutes and runs two and so on and so on until you are running thirty minutes and walking 30 minutes.
The goal one hour of continuous running.
I will never become a long distant runner or a jogger but in my home gym we are running a number of laps in Boot Camp and I want to pick up the pace.
So for the past three days I now start my routine with 45 minutes of “raulking” the beach followed by a trip to the gym for the weights and the crunches.
A word about crunches; Crunches are hard to do by yourself so generally you do the harder ones just so you won’t feel like your cheating.
First, legs straight and 100 to the middle, the sides and on and on until I finished the set of 600 with side planks, 50 to each side.
The side planks make me feel very “correct” and “honest” with this session.
Now on to the weights.
I am looking for the feeling of the skin being too tight for the muscles underneath.
Can I push myself to that level?
I have a new pain and weakness in the right bicep so I go with light weights and lots of reps.
I start with curls move to triceps, chest, flys, lat pull downs and finish with shoulders, 100 palms down,thumbs up, ending with full range.
I am sweating, gallons, the temp 92, humidity 100% and my whole skin feels too small for all of my innards.
I will make it through the next two weeks but look forward to the comfort of the pack.
A lame “wolf” doesn’t last that long in the wild.

Hams and Lavender

“Jambon” is the French word for ham.
It is said the French have some of the finest hams in the world.
These epicurean delights are a symphony for the senses.
France is also famous for the lavender that grows in Provence.
The scent of lavender pervades many of the perfumes and bath products and has a therapeutic effect on the senses as well as the temperament.
Well Evansville is no less blessed.
Evansville has some of the best hams I have ever seen.
These hams come from the region and represent many counties in Indiana and some northern counties in Kentucky.
The Kentucky hams may be salted, cured and/or spicy while the Indiana hams being more sedate are no less admired.
These are well packaged hams that even the French would envy.
Along with the gorgeous display of hams comes an aroma that is what I would think Heaven might smell like.
It is the aroma of lavender and sun, a visible scent.
So, “Jambon” and Lavender are alive and well on this side of the pond.
What has all of this to do with exercise?
Visit the gym.
I would love to visit Provence but Evansville and the gym have my heart.

Salvation by The Ton

Have you ever been really sick?
Have you ever known you might die in the next fraction of a second?
I have and it is a little disconcerting.
One moment all things are going along as expected and then suddenly the arteries to your heart are more blocked than anticipated and the dye used to study them causes the pain to return and you know it is the end.
In my case it wasn’t and I woke with a tube down my throat and not sure of the future.
My wife said, “You need a trainer”.
The trainer was reluctant to accept me, I was overweight, out of shape, had a big scar down the middle of my body and “gosh, is this just a charity case?.”
I couldn't blame her.
But thank the "gods" she did take me on and you have all read of my relationship and struggles with the return.
But here is the interesting part. I was depressed. I had no good reason to keep on going. It was all too painful.
I found my salvation in the weights.
One night I benched pressed 5 pounds with each arm for 10 reps, that is 50 pounds per arm.
I added that up to 100 hundred pounds.
The legs were 100 pounds time’s 15 reps or 1500 pounds.
The curls were 5 pounds times 10 reps or 100 pounds of curls and on and on.
The total weight pushed, pressed, curled added up to an “impressive” amount in my mind of a little over 2000 pounds, one ton.
What a feat for a 60-year-old post op patient.
Where am I now?
3600 pounds for the bench, 2400 for the curls, 6300 for triceps, 14,400 for the legs, 4500 for the lat pull-downs, 2700 for the chest pulls, 7600 for the over head pull-downs or a total of 41, 000 pounds or 20 tons of salvation.
My goal, 100,000 pounds or 50 tons of salvation.
Oh, the depression, gone.
This is not only the place to exercise the body; but also the place to exorcise demons.

How Much Time Do You Need To Invest To Stay Fit

I don’t know the answer to the question and apparently most people on this earth are unsure of the correct answer.
Some years ago it was recommended that moderate exercise three times a week was adequate.
The most recent recommendations specify vigorous intense activity preferably every day of the week.
The minimum amount of time I see recommended is 30 minutes a day.
Cardio is strongly recommended.
Weight Training is strongly recommended.
If you are over 65 balance exercises and stretching are strongly recommended.
It is also beneficial if you are under 65.
Core musculature is now known to be the most critical of all muscle groups for providing balance, athletic movements and decreased injuries in athletes.
Core musculature may be exercised with crunches, side planks, leg lifts, throw downs and on and on. These exercises are strongly recommended.
So how much time does it take to stay fit?
Cardio should be intense and last at least one hour a day. Circuit training is a superb method and stair climbing is good for off days.
Weight training depending on your goals can take 30 minutes to an hour every day for different sets of muscles.
Core exercises are necessary at least five to six days a week and doing a set of 1000 crunches while mixing up the various types of moves can easily take 30 minutes.
Stretching in the form of Yoga or Pilates can take an hour three to four times a week.
So add it up:
1. Core: 2 hours a week
2. Cardio: 2 hours a week
3. Circuit: 3 hours a week
4. Balance: 2 hours a week
5. Stretch: 1 to 2 hours a week
6. Weights: 3 hours a week
This adds up to 13 hours every week of the year. The total time commitment for the year would be 683 hours or 8% of the total hours in a year.
We already spend about 11 hours a day (46%) of the year sleeping and eating.
The rest of the time we worry, work and play.
Think of the 8% as a savings account, investing it in your best asset, yourself.
Americans aren’t used to investing at these levels, thus the financial woes and the health care crisis.
We can remedy both with the above plan.
If you exercise that much you won’t have time to spend money and you will get fit.