Sometimes it takes a little work to have joy

I posted earlier on Facebook as we get older, we need to re-examine our home to prevent falls. An ounce of prevention here could mean volumes in regard to your health. 

Two articles from the Chicago Tribune may help.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-fall-prevention-tips-health-1123-20161122-story.html

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/sc-fall-prevention-health-1123-20161121-story.html

Politics rarely gives satisfaction. This is a specially true to diehards invested every day with hours of detailed study. “Vanity is vanity”

If negative emotions out of control are harmful to life? How can we move the dial a bit to the positive? Perpetual happiness or delirium may be unattainable, but having joy, experienced in our day I think is entirely possible. 

For my friends who are political junkies consider for a moment how the media plays with your emotions. I think it's similar to the local news drawing you to a dramatic soundbite that in December we may have a snowfall. Snowfalls brings challenges but they're not unusual. The same is true in political stories. Whatever you're sensitive to the media has you hooked. Somehow consider the phenomenon that you may be manipulated. Right or left it happens all of us. We have that in common.

Chuck Swindoll from Insight for living shares 7 ideas to improve the beneficial effects of joy.

http://www.crosswalkmail.com/ViewMessage.do?m=qdwmdvwdmw&r=ibmmhnvddvzm&s=cphjdqtljhjtmlngrzkvktqmprrmhctkddn&q=1480501513&a=view

Last week I was reading an article that shared a heart attack can happened when we work harder and carry along a negative emotion like anger. It seems work and anger are two stressors that don’t go together. 

Joy can occur in an outcome from a life trial or battle. We may not feel it when we are in the middle of it, but it will happen afterwards. Somehow God uses bad things for our ultimate benefit. 

Psychologists tell us the ultimate loss is our own lives. We experienced the fear of losing from the temporal things, pets, friends, family, spouse, to the ultimate personal loss of our own life. Can we say the bad things happen to good people?  Resoundingly yes. 

Okay I started this article with politics and then I moved on to the old ultimate bummer, death. As Fred Sanford would say, “I’m a coming Elizabeth!”

How can we develop joy? Psalms 103:2 “My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits.”

Skyler Joy

In Swindell's article I like the idea of keeping a journal and putting peoples photographs in the Journal that give you joy. Don't put everybody there because some people are sourpuss’s. 

Surround yourself with happy people. Include music that helps you worship God. Over the years I've had many people tell me how much the songs that they learn when they were kids encourage them.

If you never learned to appreciate hymns, take time to hear them played well or sang well. Give yourself time to get an ear for it.

Each night come up with something that gave you joy. If you can’t think of something, you can laugh at yourself for becoming a grumpy old man or woman. Picture your favorite grumpy person. Something there will make you smile.

Go for a walk when is known to boost moods and take a deep breathe and enjoy it. Keep walking

 Today I spent time working out with resistant bands and body exercises. I was happy to do 50 sit ups today.  I got a nice strength workout and then I did a series of set ups and push-ups and squats two sets.
I enjoyed reading Hebrews 13:1-6. Hospitality, compassion reaching out prisoners, morel faithfulnesS don't love money, which is health will never be universal. Greed is apt our health care problems .keep walking

Giving thanks at the end of a day, happy thanksgiving

I am thankful for several things. I finished writing a book 1 in my devotion series, walking with Jesus. Now comes the next step of publishing it. When you are basically unknown I think it won't be easy. But first I had to write it. More than the book I am really thankful for Barb. I am thankful for my mental and physical health. I am grateful for people who encouraged me not to give up but keep on "bodger on" as the Brits would say. I think it is a good philosophy, since life isn'y always easy.
I am thankful to Wayne, Styles, Irwin Lutzer, Leslie Leyland, Gene Getz for online ministry and encouragement.
I am thankful for returning to my ministry in Liberia. To actually be doing something that I trained for so many years is really something.
I am thankful for family and friends in very profound ways. Thankful for a home that is a true shelter.
I am thankful for two real good years of Cub baseball and actually seeing with my own eyes and ears winning a world series. Not even the Chicago sports writers could discourage me.
I am thankful for audio books, mysteries, and the enjoyment of reading for the fun of it.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Especially times like this when I can sit back and take it in.
I am thankful for video phone chats with family, for texting watching baseball.
Tomorrow for many will be a great day. Some may be by themselves. The cool thing is we are never alone. To God day and night make no difference. He doesn't sleep. He is there and not silent.
I am keeping the movement up. Yesterday throughout the day I climbed stairs, one two flights at a time. Worked in tube resistance.  Today 1 did biking on my indoor recombant. The key now is to stay consistent with the activities. Keep walking

The fat man did two workouts today

The fat man did two workouts today
Desk workout involving stretches and body resistance exercise (About 5 minutes) You can split this up as well to give a movement break every half hour of 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Desk top workout at http://greatist.com/move/desk-exercises-best-moves-you-can-do-at-work
You can do quite a lot around your computer to move and work out.

The second workout I did was a boxing workout with each round going through a series of punches and steps. I did four rounds. My rounds right now are about a minute and a half of shadow boxing. Each round had either push ups (adopted off my piano) or abdominal bicycles on the bead. Easier for me to get off the bed than floor. Before the simulated rounds I did a three minute jog and ended the workout after stretches with a 5 minute walk-run. Each round had a minute rest and I also rested between the boxing moves and body exercises. In time I will be able to put them together.
Rule # 1 always keep breathing under control. Workout was about 20 minutes maybe a little longer with rest times.

My body was in rebellion. If you don't have CP you don't know how much your body fights you when you move. As you age you get an idea. I can't get ahead of my self. Working through this I have to slow done when I need to. Tomorrow I will feel better because of this work out but the rounds and walk-runs will take a while to develop. This stuff is great for me to work on balance.
When I learn to the routine and improve I can change with other similar workouts. My blood pressure has returned to normal and I feel OK.

I find I have to workout at my pace and adaptions. When you do a indoor walk with a video maybe your pace is a little less intense or smaller movements. You will hear if you are following Leslie Sansone, that is OK. It is good to get walks that fit where you are at in your fitness. You have your doctor's OK to start a walking program ease into it and start with a pace 30 minute mile that is OK for you. You should always be able to talk without being out of breathe. Your walk may be 30 one minute walks to start with. You and your doctor know your body. I just hope to encourage you not to give up and everything can be adjusted and adapted.  Quote that on tweeter Keep walking 

Entering the shadows

Making a little progress. Working with 30 minute workouts to do at least three times a week. In fitness programs it is suggested to include activity that is fun like tennis, walking in golf, basketball, or a sport you like to play. Activity may be around the home like gardening, shores, housework. Hobbies like bird watching, fishing, hunting, photography can be done with movement involved.
So what can I do to challenge my self in strength, aerobics, balance and flexibility? I think it is time to enter the world full of shadows.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows..."
Thanks Orson
No, I haven't gone post dramatic  election. No, I am actually talking about shadow boxing for fitness.

OK it might help with the elections work off a little steam on both sides.
There are plenty of workouts on line and they can be adapted for senior fitness. Adapting the workouts to fit being 64 and not 20. A 3 minute round may stop at a minute or 2 depending on what I need to do. Included in the round may be push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, resistant with bands, weights, TRX. There can be a ton of variety. The actually boxing workout can include movements that help balance, flexibility and strength. Impact can be light or not at all to help joint health. The boxing part may give interest to work through the winter season. The routines can be done with my risk of falling.
If you are younger the workouts can include impact of a bag. Learning and practicing the punches will give power and speed. Real fighting will flatten the nose and ears. But as a workout there is a lot of real benefits. It also may be a good release of elation stress.
Any fitness program can be adapted to your fitness level and age. Follow doctor's advise and hour own body and you can't go wrong. Keep walking

Using walking sticks

The fat man is still walking. Went for a walk today at West Park walking from Disc golf cage to the next over unloved ground, small inclines putting to used walking poles I had. They worked perfectly giving me a sense of balance. The poles helped me keep my head up and good posture making the walk more normal. Having cerebral palsy it is hard for me to put into words the sense of balance is to walking. The days of walking and falling are over, at least without me taking more care. The poles are better than a cane. 
Keep walking

Confessions from a dysfunctional Cub Fan

Kyle Schwarber return is huge

The last couple weeks have been a wonderful vacation. I have been closely following the Chicago Cubs this year. From last year and this year it's been fun to see real good baseball. All year the Cubs have been favorite to win the World Series but being the favorite doesn't mean that you're going to win. The playoffs were a whole different season. At each level the Cubs had to come back to win the series. 

The mental stress was interesting because at each point you can think that we have been here and lost. You can remember points where the Cubs failed. (Confessions of a dysfunctional cub fan) This year's team took us to a new experience the World Series. Losing the first game and then coming back to win the second, emotions of the fans were extreme. Then we went down two games. You can cut the tension with a knife.

In game five the young team rebounded with an impressive win. Do you remember in Mary

Julie Andrews 1964

Poppins when there was a wind change and Miss Poppins came in to change the direction of a family in trouble. Between game five and six there was a weather change from the cold weather to baseball weather in late October early November. The bats game alive again and we won games six and seven. The last game another weather change gave us a chance to reboot to win the final game.

It took all of that to win hey World Series. 

As a Cubs fan we are now in a new experience. No more being reminded way too much that it has been 108 years since we last won a World Series. My father serving in the Navy in WWII was listening to the Cubs the last time they were in World Series. I wasn't even born until seven years later. 

I am glad I took time to enjoy the good baseball in the whole process of the Cubs success this year. Seeing great defense, good pitching, young power hitters an overall dynamic play was fun. Listening to Madden talk about baseball was a lot of fun to. 

The whole story line brought baseball back to the national pastime. We have to find away for baseball to play its best games in early October. The fans will be more excited and the players will play better. 

It has been zero years since the Cubs were in the World Series. Do you have a favorite team? Enjoyed the play regardless of the outcome. There is a life metaphor in there somewhere. Each day we're alive can be part of a good season. Take time every day to enjoy the ups and downs and being alive. Keep walking