Setbacks visit us, how do we get off the mat

Setbacks are always a possibility. Setbacks never really make news.
They are discouraging and reflect badly on our desire for success. If I wasn't writing this blog I don't think I would share them. This week was going along and walking out of my bedroom wham a pinch nerve in my ankle and immediately I am on may way to the floor. Walking with CP there are years of coming down wrong with every step. It is inevitable that I will pinch the nerve and down I go. Most of my falls are when my step catches an unexpected crack and my body freezes or locks up. This type of fall I have almost illuminated  through careful use of cane and choosing not to walk in places where I might fall. At home I can control this. But the pinch nerve comes without warning. The best I have done with this was a foot insert that redirects the way my ankle moves as I walk. Two years ago the brace was thrown out with the shoe. My replacement doesn't do the same thing.
So ankle and knee pain I took a few days off. Towards the end of the week my recumbent bike comes to the rescue. Biking at low levels I was able to aerobically bike two sessions to finish the week with 154 minutes. The value of a week comes into play. My injuries could have been worse. I am still taking it easy on the walking part, but I stayed in the game.
Each of us can be laid up for a while which is discouraging. Sometimes we may be fighting something more serious but if we recover to move again.
With my legs hurting, I worked a little on upper body exercises. I also considered shadow boxing from a chair with a few kicks.

Rocky vs. Rached

Along these lines, I think a good end to the Rocky movies would be One Over the Cuckoo's Nest II. In this film Rocky takes on Nurse Ratched and her goons. Here Rocky from a life time of head blows has onset dementia. It looks bad for the champ, tied down to his bed daily undergoing so called therapy designed by the evil nurse herself. If you thought a lobotomy was bad wait until you see what  Rocky has to go through. Can he get up from the last bell?
Hopefully our recovery is less dramatic and painful. Setbacks from a walking or fitness program can give opportunity to other things while we mend. Despite the Cubs' broadcast being a half empty presentation, I have enjoyed the 40 comeback wins and the addition of Hammel and Murphy. The defense and winning attitude is fun to watch. The Cards and Brewers are fighting hard making the division one of the best. I don't know how it will end up but it has been fun. Keep walking

Watson, bring your revolver...late night rides

Moving along in week 10 I push more in short walks and biking. Short walks came to over 4 miles this week. Many of the walks were for a 1/4 of a mile. My back is able to go a little further. With my CP these days it isn't about walking where I could fall occasionally. Now days I would not be able to pop right back up. My walking program now has to be fall free.

The game's afoot

During my bike time, especially at night I like to listen to mysteries. Many of the modern Sherlock Holmes writers are able to write a good story and keep it in the times of Holmes in the late 19th and early 20th century period. Most writers today writing period stories spend to much time framing the stories with today's sensibilities. For me it is fun reading mysteries written in the times past, with all their strengths and weaknesses.
There are many writers today or in my adult life that are fun read. The key for me are the characters and story. There are stories where I am OK if they all die. I would like them all to be done away. In a story like that, I probably won't get to the end. The digital books from the local library is a good place to try reading new authors. Audiobooks that are well read I really enjoy, sometimes a chapter or two rolls by when I am on my bike. That is true test for me that I am hooked. Keep walking and read something you enjoy.

Looking at progress through a month.

I am already in week 10 of getting 150 min. of fitness exercise  a week. I keep trying new ideas or ways to challenge myself to improve. I cannot stress enough that progress is much slower than when I was younger. Yet there is progress. My short walks have increased to 320 steps - 420 steps. My back pain has improved in these short walks, but by the end of them I am still challenged in breathing.
On a real bad day biking at level one is a God send. I call it walking
the dog. Improves range of motion and circulation and readies me the next day to get back into it. Most of my biking is interval training.
There are a lot ideas I am working with from biking, in home walking, short walks, circuit training for aerobics. In strength training I am anywhere from 30-45 minutes a week. Here I use body weight exercises, resistant bands, dumbbells, TRX training.

Keeping track of my progress - At a glance you can week week to week

I will try other activities, like shadow boxing, weight training with free weights, total gym and swimming.
Stretching is always not to far way, with CP it is a must.
Doing house hold chores are also part of it. I have shared my calendars in this now 10 weeks workout. Using stickies on my computer helps to to record my progress. Doing this stuff around my work day keeps me moving and not falling.

Introducing my new book, week at still going

I can email you a copy

Through 8 and still going. This week I added several short
walks extending several minutes. More challenging but closer to walking one does. Spent some time out doors and my weaker leg does like to catch on uneven ground.
Barb and I decided on a travel scooter for out and about things. I plan to use the scooter to continue planned workouts where I am least likely to fall. I would rather be out than not. We are checking out models, there are some good ideas out there.
Working on Book 2 in my Walking with Jesus. The first book is in page and pdf formats. It is 30 day devotional-study covering the gospel accounts up to His temptation. Special interest is on actual walking done, location and seeing it as if your were there. Throughout the book is support to help your own walk program. The ancients did not do 30 minutes a day of aerobic activity or 10,000 steps a day. No, they actually did more than this. The 30 minute, 150 minute a week, 10,000 steps, strength training are modern ideas to combat the reality of modern life being too sedimentary.
When you see their active lifestyle I hope you will find encouragement for your own goals.
I am aware walking is not the theme of the gospels but it is a layer that will give us a perspective of being on scene making our own observations which I believe will enrich our spiritual perspective and draw us closer to God.
If you like a copy of volume 1, email me at bbbbsa@sbcglobal.net and I will send you a copy. If you like to let me know my errors or need for clarity I would love your feedback. If you like for me to update you on the blog, books and ministry through e-mail let me know. If you only want this one time response let me know.
Keep walking

Devotional key, pray back the scriptures

In my mail box was a daily devotion from Dr. Ken Boa. I found it help in my prayers this morning. I looked up different verses from bible.org Lumina study of the net Bible. It is a real gold mine for Bible study. Her are a few thoughts on how to personalize the scriptures.

Example:

“I will guard my heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.”

(Proverbs 4:23) Ken Boa

compare w Net Bible

“Guard your heart with all vigilance, for from it are the sources of life.”

The NKJV translates Prov. 4:23 this way,

“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.”

Other translations use “wellspring”, “springs”, check the Scripture note below from the Net Bible which gives insight into the translator’s process in the work of translating.

Dr. Ken Boa has put together several prayer books where you pray back to God the scriptures using personal pronouns. His work is done with reference to the original languages of the Bible. This discipline is very helpful in praying.

You can do the same thing with any translation. The goal is to help and focus your prayer life with the

The starting point of the Jordan River at the foot of Mt.
Hermon. Water drinkable here. There is only one
woman looking at me here. She has eyes for me.

actual words God has given. In Boa’s translation of Prov. 4:23 if you drop “I will” you have the essential verse, “Guard my heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the issues of life.”

In prayer you have applied the thought for yourself in a meaningful way.

Try personalizing God’s word in your prayer life.

If you would like to see Dr. Boa’s work on this, google Dr. Ken Boa and go to his website. 

I have shared two notes from the Net Bible. The notes give you the mind of the translator working with this verse. Insights are cool. 

notes

Heart - tn Anatomically the Hebrew word לֵב (lev) refers to the “heart.” But abstractly it can refer to one’s inner self, will, understanding, or mind. They did not see the heart and mind in opposition, such that the advice here includes both one’s thinking and feelings. NB translation notes bible.org

Issues, sources - sn The word תּוֹצְאוֹת (totseʾot, from יָצָא, yatsaʾ) means “outgoings; extremities; sources.” It is used here for starting points, like a fountainhead, and so the translation “sources” works well. Keep walking and in this case keep praying.

Moving along like a tumbleweed

Strength training this week was 15% of my work out minutes this week. This is an upward trend as I work in different strategies.
In Dr. Ken Cooper's Start Strong, Stay Strong he presents a case for the benefits of exercise to square off the curve of aging where we spend more time in health then we do in disease and decline. There will always be things we can't control, but he suggest we can control about 66% of the things that effect our health.

7th week

Dr. Cooper suggests that 50% of our exercise should be aerobic no matter what age we are. All of his life he was into aerobics but research led him to make changes in his exercise routines. His guide line is 60% aerobic and 40% strength training. There is a blend of strength in aerobic training. There is no question weight bearing exercise is part of the strength program. So when I change the resistance in my recumbent bike I am increasing the strength my abs to lower body. When I am climbing stairs, walking I am strengthening my muscles to move. So while I know I am increasing my strength program the aerobic training has been helping.

I hope I am encouraging you to not give up. The government study I cited below is a review of many studies on strength training and seniors. They cited only 10-15% of seniors are actually doing any kind of work out. It may be true active seniors use their muscles in work and hobbies. We need to include those activities with their health benefits. I like to use step conversions or calorie estimates of the things we do. They count.
If we do not work at it, we may not be adding enough muscle to our body to maintain an independent life. A thin person who is inactive may be close to the weight they had when they were younger but as we age more of the weight is fat and less of it is muscle. Their health could be in danger. I know as the fat man I have to work on it.
When you develop your fitness program there are so many ways to do it. It always starts with the reality of your health and your doctor's recommendation. The older you are the more you need to check out how seniors exercise.
For me the process is slow. This week I took breaks in my circuit training just to keep my heart rate in a healthy zone for me. During the breaks my heart was still working. In my strength movements I had to slow down because I was maxing out. Each exercise has its own limit. This was my 7th week, but I still and maybe always have to be in touch with what my body is doing. Progress is measured in months and not weeks like it did when I was younger.
An indoor recumbent bike is quite a tool for senior fitness. Different levels of fitness bands are also

Different colors different resistence

good tools. Body weight exercises that can be adopted for your fitness levels are helpful. Training with senior fitness people going at your own pace helps with the proper approaches. If you are in your 80's short brief walks can be very helpful. I am coming to believe the best thing I can pass on is not do what I do, but know there are many things you can do that is good for you.
I have a long way to go for better fitness. I am not there yet it is cool that I am working on it. Keep walking
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3117172/pdf/Dtsch_Arztebl_Int-108-0359.pdf
https://www.collegesportsscholarships.com/strength-resistance-training-seniors.htm