Do you know what your targeted heart rate should be in exercise?

When I exercise, how do I know what my heart rate should be? Our targeted heart rate changes as we get older. One of the best answers to that question comes from your personal physician and in my case, information comes from my cardiac specialist. In my case the doctor wants me to exercise to improve my aerobic health. For my age and fitness level in exercise I should not go above 117 heart rate. 

The share care article, “Ask the Expert: What Should My Heart Rate Be During Exercise?” gives a formula that gives you a target you should shoot for. 

One of the things that we realize is that we can't train the same way as we did when we were younger. Now I think it's possible that an older person has kept their fitness level high. If so then they should be thinking fitness goals given by a doctor who knows them. There has been changes because I know of no athlete who competed a high level in their 20’s and 30’s can do the same in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond. We do age and we have to factor that in.

Now myself, my fitness is below par. So I have to start where I am at. Progress is slower. When I am exercising I aiming for reaching 75% heart rate to have aerobic exercise. How do I know I am there? 

To get a handle on your heart rate start with the number 220. Then subtract your age and you will get your heart rate. What trumps this is your health. If you are in poor physical condition then you will need a doctor’s advice. 

Generally most people the formula works, but people find away to be unique. For example in the last 40 years we are generally heavier then earlier generations. Our obesity changes our fitness.

So I start at the number 220 and I subtract my age of 66 and I reached 154. (220 - 66 = 154) This optimal number.  I next want to know, "What is 75% of that number?" (154 X .75 = 115.5.)  Round off the number and I am at 116. My target heart rate has moved from 117 to 116. Well, it has been about a year since my cardiologist gave me my goal. 

We don't want to get too intense!

How do I know where I am at? Fitness monitors and how do I feel? I want to be breathing harder but able to talk. I want to sweat but not two heavily. If my monitor or body tells me to reduce my exertion then I will do it. With practice I have gotten pretty good at reading my body. It is real easy to over exert, but now the risk is too high. A heart attack is not the goal. 

        HIIT High Intensity Interval Training really helps me here. Brief increased levels of activity my heart rate goes up then I go back to my control speed which still raises my heart rate but that heart rate goes down to safe levels for me. For example in intense biking where I either increase my resistance or speed that I'm peddling my heart rate reaches a 110-115. I maintain that for a couple minutes then I either lower my resistance or speed and sometimes both and my heart rate goes down to a 100 or below. 

I know from other studies that if I push my blood through the arteries 15% I am helping clean my arteries to keep the blood flowing. As my fitness improves and breathing becomes easier I should be able to spend more time in my exercise at that 75% heart rate. 

The bottom line is we have to learn to read our bodies as we get older and be aware of her own personal fitness goals. Check out the link below Keep walking

https://www.sharecare.com/health/heart-health/article/ask-the-expert-what-should-my-heart-rate-be-during-exercise?partnerid=HCA-CONT-WICH&cmpid=sc-et-em-00-up-050418&eid=1100069048&secureID=xGMyIl3IGPrasYnUgKpSEoMJqJ3NyrvSF2yKqwpL_m8nQWH8pRcCfP-Hlb30jwI9SkXWmn_bDh7i8fdmmG8-qA

Pessimism may be good for you

Every once in while I come across an article in which it really intrigues me. Such was an article that I found in Wall Street Journal today, A Perfect dose of Pessimism; A negative outlook at times can help you managing anxiety and stay healthy. http://online.wsj.com/articles/a-perfect-dose-of-pessimism-1407196064?mg=id-wsj

Working in education most of my life I don't think I was ever encouraged to be pessimistic. Usually presenters share very optimistic plan that will solve all evils. You put the plan in action and in five years later the problems still exist. Most people were encouraged to smile, to be positive and that's not really wrong. I think we worked better if we're a little more optimistic about things. Saying all this I know for sure that there were people that I worked with were very pessimistic and negative. If you listen to the scuttlebutt at work you didn't want to be around these people. 

But being 25% or 30% pessimistic can be very good for you. Again back to work, it may lead to good questions and concerns. After working through about six 5 year plans and changes that eliminate problems or are usually reword them or recategorized. When you look at it the problem is still there. The problem it self is the reason for teaching to begin with. It's why we have a job. Working to get better though is a good idea. 

Optimistic people tend to take chances and being risk-takers can be hazardous to your health. If you're too Pollyanna or positive you may not look at things when they go wrong. Pessimistic people tend to be people check things out and by doing so that keeps them alive. So the researchers of the article suggests a 70 optimistic-30 pessimistic% ratio. If you have this balance going on you will actually live longer. So let me read you the first to say to you today it's okay to be a little pessimistic. 

Have you ever felt like you were somewhere where you were always supposed to smile? I like to think of it as slaphappy. It is totally unrealistic with our human emotions being what they are for own survival. 

People often think this way when I think of God being love, but that it's not giving God any credit for not disapproving all the idiot things we do. I'm big fan of grace, acceptance, and love; but I'm also very thankful that God is there to point out things I need to change or may even be unacceptable. 

One thing about social media there is a lot of crazy stuff posted. I seen a picture of a mother point a gun at her infant, probably thinking it's funny. For me I wish I never saw the picture. I could live my whole life without seeing it with no regrets. I am glad with my response for every bit of my pessimism about that craziness. 

Leaving the insane, when it comes to work, health, being 30% pessimistic can be a good thing. Keep walking

Why Exercise Helps with Depression Older People.

Scott Douglas from runners world reports Why Exercise Helps with Depression Older People. He writes, "by some estimates, As many as 20% of older Americans report some level of depression, compared to about 10% for overall population. I have read studies as I have reported of 25% of Americans are clinically depressed at age 63 and often going to living with depression as they age." The study is for Douglas reported on have to do with becoming an aerobic runner after 16 weeks. Does aerobic exercise help us to raise our tryptophan levels which increase our serotonin output which improve our depressions. 

http://www.runnersworld.com/health/why-exercise-helps-with-depression-in-older-people

We know that aerobic exercise can prove mild depression. People can experience a runners high. Since we have known this we have learned things that reproduce dopamine and serotonin in our brains. As we age our ability to make these transmitters decreases. This could be one of the reasons why depression becomes a bigger factor as we are older. By increasing our exercise we can improve our bodies ability to manufacture the transmitters that we need. 

The participants in the study became aerobic and runners who had the ability to run at a pace where they could talk while they ran. In practical terms the Cooper aerobic center has demonstrated that you can do this with aerobic walking. At their website or in my pages there is a walking schedule that you can do it in 12 weeks to get yourself aerobically walking. As always get your doctors input and know your body. 

Several years ago I read the big difference short walks do for people or older. Moving is always good. 

Mr. Douglas report was not clear enough on the one hour workouts in the test, so we'll have to keep in mind this type of study and how it helps us. 

I consistently shared aerobic, strength training, and flexibility are all areas are physical fitness that really improve our health. In older people we can pick up running, walking, biking, swimming all which help us become more aerobic. We can work around the house, yard do strength training at least twice a week and continued to add muscle to our bodies into our 90s. We can do yoga all kinds of exercise programs where body moves, stretching to improve our flexibility. Having a balance ID on these types of physical exercise Will help us to handle our aging a whole lot better. As more and more research comes out I believe these activities will also help for mental health. 

If your depression hangs around for more than two weeks, or you lose hope, or make plans of suicide your body is telling you need to go see a doctor and put a psychiatrist on your medical team and get a mental health check up. Depression is as common as being treated for heart, cancer, and diabetes. You're not alone and it's very common experience awful as it is. Getting treated and working at it is worth the loss of pain of it. Keep walking

Aging can be hard for big men

 I talked about before how aging brings depression. Researchers have pointed out that 25% of us become clinically depressed by 63. That does correspond with the time that for many of us the effects of aging seemed to kick in. I read where we could be on two tracks of health. The unhealthy track of health which includes people who are overweight, sedimentary, smokers, heavy drinkers of alcohol or have already encountered diseases such as heart disease, cancer or diabetes. It is very possible by our early 60s we could be in poor health. Others who don't have heart disease, cancer, diabetes or other factors such as weight, smoking, actively exercise, practice good diet can be on a track where they are very healthy until their late 70s or 80s. 

If this is the case then depression could result from poor health. There is it would seem another factor, the onset of mental illness. If a person has had a lifelong struggle with mental illness such as depression, mood disorders, schizophrenia, drug and alcohol abuse, Post dramatic stress depression could be part of a life. 

I am interested in how aging effects are well-being. Another time I'd like to look at what we think and believe and how that affects our State of depression as we age. 

In my mind I see three different man. Every one of them as they got older went into decline. The actually how different believes and probably encountered three different problems. 

When it comes to writing, Ernest Hemingway has few equals. His real-life parallel his fictional writing. In many ways it was

almost auto biographical. He was a man's man, he Love to drink, Love many women, and was constantly on some kind of adventure. He stayed involved in the most dangerous times in his life. There were adventures of hunting and fishing as a child in Michigan. He fought in World War I before America got involved. After the war he was engaged with the most dynamic personalities of this time. He went to Africa and face many dangers. He got involved in the Spanish Civil War and later and World War II. He then becomes a legend in the Caribbean always living life on the edge. 

In his late 50s and 60s, we see his decline. He finds it harder to finish writing projects and he hates getting older. What he believe about himself, his world I think has a lot to do with his inability to cope with aging. So he decides to kill him self somewhat in the way in which you live. 

Theodore Roosevelt has the same robust feel about life as Hemingway did. He is more optimistic and enthusiastic about what can be done about things. His life was taking on one challenge after another. He liked physical things such as boxing, riding, and adventures. He took on the crime bosses of New York and updated the Police Department and fought corruption. He personally got involved in the Spanish-American war and was part of a real battle. As president he took on monopolies and lead in conservation by setting aside lands for public use. 

After he was done with the presidency I believed he had a hard time with the more challenges.  He takes and adventure to Panama and 55 and suffers a Health problem which he never really recovered. Liked Hemingway he puts on weight. It seems to me that he suffered depression. 

My third man who declined in age was DL Moody. He like Billy Graham was a

famous evangelist of this time. It was a self educated man and spoke to millions of people. He established many Bible institutes and colleges encourage hundredths to go into the mission field. It was a man of great energy and robust in his approach to life. His philosophy and thinking was different then Hemingway and Roosevelt. In a similar way he was a big man like they were and when you look at his pictures you can see a physical decline in the last few years of his life. One can argue whether or not he was depressed but he's certainly showed less vitality. He was dead by 62 or 63. 

These men were bigger then life. What they accomplished was remarkable. But all three maybe partly due to the weight they put on emotionally declined as they age early. 

Does this happen to people today? I think so. I think it is important for us to look at how are we doing with heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. When are in our 50s we cannot put off seeing the doctor? And when we are on our 60s it is time to take care of her emotional needs. Who cares what other people think? Let us take the initiative to take care of our emotional health. And maybe we can walk longer then Hemingway, Roosevelt, and Moody. Keep walking

It is true talking about one's health can become "old hat".

Chicago lighthouse and tall ship, Lake Michigan

It is true talking about one's health can become "old hat". Something Dennis Miller said, struct true. "Everybody who hits 90 has problems." He said it funnier. We all have our struggles. Talking about them has a way of driving people away. There is way of saying, "way to much information."
I think we like hearing "I lost 100 lbs." "I have been cancer free for 5 years." "I just competed in my 50th marathon." With before and afterward pictures and a spot on a talk show. (Instant solutions)
As I look around that is not what I see. Most of the audience on Dr. Oz's show look over weight. All the tips and insights don't seem to show long term results. I went to a ball game the other day and it seemed like obese people were all over the place. The other day I saw a clip of an obese man sleeping at the ballgame and he was really out. The announcers saw the humor and shared their thoughts. The unaware fan sued them. The camera shows all of our fat and can be unforgiving.
There is good information out there and there are lots of people taking advantage of the opportunities to live better. But there are many who struggle.
In my life and research I find it is harder than we think to lose weight and live healthier. There simply isn't any easy solutions or fast fixes. It can be a common experience of little change over the years. Someone loses weight and check back in a year or two and they have gained it back. This story won't get much "copy" or be something everybody wants to read. A chronic condition and coping is not the most exciting news to right about. But I believe it is more common than overcoming.
For overweight people, working on it may be the only hope they have.
Don't give up. Recently on the day of my uncle's funeral I fell back and hit my head on a window sill. To say I had a big bump on my head is an understatement. I have shared some of my falls in the past. It is an ongoing problem. One of those things people don't want to hear. Some of the falls have interfered with my fitness. I now use nordic poles on uneven ground and thinking about cane support on sidewalks.
What you are trying to do pays off. What I have done has been good for me. I wanted to get a new cardiac doctor and glad I did. Had a stress test and my heart is healthy. The doctor wants me to really go for fitness. Biking, walking, working of strength and flexibility. Weight-loss will be a by-product of better habits.
Focus on the big picture. Our fight with heart, cancer, and diabetes is more important than a youthful or fanciful appearance. If you exercise and diet for the heart you will be doing the right things for cancer and diabetes.
Remember a fat person moving is healthier than sitting. "We were made to move," Leslie Sansone tells us In Home Walking. Doing one thing healthy will lead to another thing. Doing one thing healthy means you are doing one thing that isn't healthy. Look at what you can do and don't focus on negative stuff that may be around. We are all different so there are good ideas that are just right for us. Don't dwell on it, just do one thing at a time.
Each day is a new day. Screwed up yesterday. Hey so did I! Today we can go for a walk. Today we can eat one three quarter plate for a meal. Today we can have 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables, "5 is fine, nine divine" Dr. Cooper reminds us.
Live well and reduce regrets. Keep walking

It is possible that you do not consider yourself an old fat man.

It is possible that you do not consider yourself an old fat man. Certainly if you're at the fairer sex such a label would be awful. If you are younger some of the things I write about me do not directly pertain to you. But I would think that in your mind anyway you would like to reach a ripe old age.
To improve your opportunity to live to be older here are some things that you may find helpful:
1. Start where you are - The younger you are the more preventative medicine makes more sense.
2. Develop your own medical team. A good GP is a good place to start. Other medical personnel can be added to your own needs. Having a doctor that can overview your medicines, and help you manage your care can really be helpful. Because I've had people in my close family have heart trouble and my grandmother died of cancer all in her 60s I was mindful of my health risk when I was even younger. If you have risk factors don't wait start your medical team.
3. If you are in your 20s or 30s you may still be in competitive sports. And your fitness training may be geared for that. As you move into your 40s look at your fitness from a health perspective. You have been fit and active you have already have done some good choices to add years to your life. Thinking of fitness as it relates to health will create new challenges for you but you like the changes.
4. If you're somewhat sedimentary then there's nothing like today to start. Take time to research a good fitness plan that involves aerobic, strength training, and flexibility.
5. Change your mindset about food, "eat to live, not live to eat."
6 My blog has a tendency to develop from my experience. My experience may be helpful to you, but health is really a personalized program. Some of my ideas may be very helpful, others may need to be modified, and others may be disregarded for something better. I am coming at this thing as one who is trying to improve my health. My awareness is from that perspective. I am not a medical expert. But I do investigate and do my best to research what I write about so I hope I am not wasting your time. Always check with your medical team for the things you need.
7. When you look for information that can be the most helpful don't leave your mind behind. You are in charge of the information at your disposal. This includes decisions that you make at the doctor’s office, articles, books, or digital information that you read. You are in charge of your health nobody can do it for you. If something smells like snake oil, it is likely a scam, be aware of it. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn't true. Sometimes when we are really hurting we could fall prey to scams.
Remember the earlier you start to care for your health, the more years you add to your life. The quality of your life for however long it may last will be better. Keep walking

Healing of nerves in arm improving - pays to rehab

Couple months ago I fell on the shoveling snow and I hurt the nerves in my left arm and what followed has been a slow recovery. One of the things that have helped me along has been physical rehab and teaches the little movements that I can do to open up the areas where my nerves are pinched and allow inflammation to go down.
Time + not falling + rehabbing as brought my arm back to less pain and greater mobility.
One thing that helps was to keep moving my arm in ways that didn’t hurt. I couldn’t do bicep curls but I could do push-ups.  If you've been following my blog for any time, you have probably a picked up an old theme. But when we injure ourselves it's a good idea to find out what care we can do to help relieve the pain and what we have to do to continue healing. Healing it seems does take longer. And that is both frustrating and discouraging, but when healing begins to be felt, “O happy days”!
But every day that my arms started to feel better, it's certainly help my mental well-being and gave me hope. What things are you rehabbing, helping to heal, and learning to put ice or even a bag of frozen peas on the hurt area and reduce inflammation and therefore also reduce pain. The left arm still hurts but I am 80% there. My doctor diagnosed my arm with tennis elbow. The rehab moves I am doing are similar to exercises I found at WebMD. And the shaking that my arm was doing has subsided. Sometimes I wish I didn't have all these wonderful experiences but I pass them on because it's all part of keep walking.

Functional Circuit Training Benefits for Older Adults don't wait until your 90

Larry Menshall in the Bighorn Mountians

Here is another article I came across  today on the Internet that I think is good to be aware of. Definately a little more hopeful and upbeat.  Functional Circuit Training Benefits for Older Adults by Karen Hughes, Director of Education, Cooper Institute. http://todayiwill.com/2014/05/functional-circuit-training-benefits-for-older-adults/#.U35IdvldWSo

In this article here's another resource of good ideas related to functional fitness as we get older and in particular exercises that may help prevent falling. There are some really good movements here that you could add into your fitness training that help you with balance, as well as strength.
Like all exercise programs you have to check with your doctor, you know yourself now, know what you can do much can and keep it always safe. 

My old man exercises are growing all the time. More and more of it is related to a growing number of incidents where I need rehab. But modified push-ups, squats, lunges, jumps, crunches and sit-ups and countering with back exercises, band workouts, shadow boxing, weights, stairs, all help we live better.
I was thinking when did we consider ourselves at a time on we should be doing these kind of exercises. And I would suggest not waiting too long, you know if you wait till 90 it's not going to do you much good. But if you're 55 and older it's good to start thinking about these types of modifications.

Younger people can get involved in other ideas of fitness and strength training that challenges them. Seniors if we get started with modified programs we can move into more challenging goals. Doing modified exercise can be real encouraging. Keep walking

Do Not Resuscitate: What Young Doctors Would Choose sounds scary

I came across an article today on the Internet that I think is good to be aware of. The first one comes from the New York Times by Paula Span. Titled Do Not Resuscitate: What Young Doctors Would Choose http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/do-not-resuscitate-what-young-doctors-would-choose/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

I am a little suspicious of anybody young making a decision about somebody being old. I think this is a concern about how we are cared for changes in health law. When you're young everything is rosy and you have this feeling that as you age you're going to be feeling like you do now. There's nothing like aging yourself to tell yourself that whatever you thought when you're young you really didn't know what you were getting into when you got old. It is different!
But the article shows the doctors based on their experience of caring for older people whether young or old seemed to be in agreement about 88% of what they would do with people who were in the last stages of life. Is this do in part to some similar training and indoctrination? Or is it due to clinical and observational data? The latter makes sense, but if it's indoctrination of a dogma in favor of euthanasia then it's good to be suspect of the opinion.
Because people are fragile in an aged state (last three months of life) to take heroic efforts to save the life that would soon die anyway there could be a lot of damage, broken bones and continued conditions of suffering. Knowing this is what most doctors’ feel about them as they become (aged), taking heroic measures and questioning is it really worth it.
For me in the article the operative word is, "If they had an illness that would soon kill them.” We are not talking about getting older and getting cared for knowing that the care will give you one year or two years or three years or more of life. What we're talking about is we have entered into an age situation where that says within weeks, or days, or even hours death is imminent.  There is a difference between something that may save your life and give you life for a while and actions that are done that will only prolong death. Working through this ahead of time is important.
Not doing something that may give a person added years of your life but just because they're older care would be refused, that would be euthanasia. But giving care to the dying and allowing them to die as comfortable as possible is not euthanasia. Anyway that’s my take on on the subject, read the article for yourself and see what the doctors are saying.

Building bones

Eye of a Tiger, great for this exorcise

I was reading an article by Gretchen Reynolds what are good exercises to prevent osteoporosis?

According to John Dr. John Tobias, a professor in rheumatology at the University of Bristol, jumping and running seem to be the most effective way to build bone health.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/ask-well-exercises-to-strengthen-bones/?_php=true&_type=blogs&partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

If you have a set of 10 times in a row twice a day you can strengthen your bones in your hips.

Doing weightlifting and resistance training can help put bone on your spine and in your upper bodies, and the legs.

Running and impact sports are very good at adding density to the bones. The article didn't talk about walking, but I read other studies that show the impact from walking is very helpful to adding density to the legs and body as well.

It seems these activities tend to really work the muscles to bend the legs a little bit and the shaking of the bones kicks in growth hormones for the bones to respond and get stronger.

Hopping may be a little undignified or you may have a balance issue so I suggest to hop with your hands on the counter or a chair for stability and keep in mind it's just 10 times and then later you can do it 10 more times and you're really helping your  your hips to the thicken the bone. I am considering the hopping part jumping to put the put into my old man exercises.

I've been putting on old hits from the 60s because they usually ran about 2 or 3 minutes, and I've been simulating hitting the boxing bag for a three minute about. I am simulating the movements I used to do with a timing bag. I've been going through some motions in boxing while I'm boxing in the air. (shadow boxing) And I'm up to two rounds now and in between the rounds I do a set of crunches, sit-ups and push-ups. So far it's giving me about nine  to 12 minutes of continual exercise. If ad 10 hops to each round than there you go. In boxing if you hit through the bag, imaging your fist going six inches past the impact you add a power element. Shadow boxing is great on the bones. It also is aerobic. Keep walking

Making goals and habits

Our Daily Bread this week had a great devotion on Instant Gratification By David C. McCasland that I like you to read at http://odb.org/2014/03/03/instant-gratification/ Our Daily Bread can be a great habit.

Planning and goals are more productive than instant success. Being older there is the importance of the here and now, but some things still take time to happen. When it comes to health we may need to start today but results still take time. Clint Eastwood was interviewed on TV and he was asked how he still looked fit. His answer was simple and wise. He responded, "habits developed a long time ago". He still kept doing the things he had done since early in his career. He also talked about his love of music that he stilled loved and enjoyed. Mr. Eastwood had developed some good habits including his growth in the art of movie making. Gene Hackman, retired from acting has developed a love to write novels. Living is a good habit to keep doing as we age. We may have to make some changes.
When it comes to our health, it's good to make goals that won't happen tomorrow, or the next day, or in two weeks. I was just looking at an advertisement for following a particular diet plan, and it said in 21 days you can lose 10 pounds. The "then had a before picture". There had to be at least 60 pounds difference in the two pictures. Not that the ad was lying, but it took more than three weeks to lose that weight. A lot of times we look at those kind of ads or we look at ourselves and if we are not losing a lot of weight right away, we get discouraged and quit.

That's why think it's much better to make a goal to be healthy, to lose weight, or to get more fit but don't put those kind of expectations of great loss fitness or health right away. Instead let's take a look at putting the right habits into our life. For example, you may work or have a pension or some type of retirement plan where you have money coming in a regular basis. You take that money and you go to the grocery store and buy your groceries. You fill your gas tank up, you you plan for the things that you need to spend for that month and for things that you want to do. And then you know when you go cook a meal your or go to the store you have already provided the means to do that. It's a matter of a good habit. What are good habits that we can develop on health. They may take five months to actually make it a habit. According to Dr. Cooper says habit formation like seeing the size of a plate that is a good helping for heath that becomes automatic can take five months.  What habits are we talking about:
Well one, the habit of this the three-quarter plate looking at a plate filled with vegetables and an fruit with smaller amounts of carbohydrates and protein, not having to fill the plate. If we only eat one helping I guarantee you you're doing something that is going to help your health.
Two, the habit maybe to go for a walk for 30 minutes every day. It's not the change in one day that you'll see but in the several weeks you'll begin to feel all the benefits of that walk. In a couple months your health numbers will be better. When you start you might be a little sore. That's why we start walking where we ease into it. In time, a 30 minute walk is going to help you with your blood sugar, weight, breathing, health because you're getting a blood all moving throughout your body and the immune system always get a kick to be better that day. Read up on the benefits of walking, http://www.startwalkingnow.org/whystart_benefits_walking.jsp
http://www.sharecare.com/health/walking/article/walking-benefits
Three, another good habit is to drink eight glasses of water every day. Some of that water can be a cup of coffee or tea, but having a lot of fluids throughout the day, will help your health and believe me you're you're going to strengthen your immune system and you're going to be fighting cancer, heart disease, diabetes practicing these three habits and see change over time. Good health is something that we work at and it does take time to make the habit of it. Being in my 60's now, I don't need to look like I'm in my 20's trying to be one of those before-and-after ads. But I do want to better health. Keep walking

No gimmicks but we need a plan

We've been exploring the ideas that we don't need gimmicks to make changes or to fight for our health. As we get older there's a lot more things are probably getting away. We may encounter diseases like heart disease or trying to prevent it like I am. I take a statins, I take my blood pressure medicine, and I work out and pay attention to what I'm eating. Other people may be looking at diabetes, or they may be looking at cancer. You know these three things coronary or vascular issues of heart and stroke, cancer, and diabetes that's what eventually gets to all of us if we live long enough. But diseases have a way of being an obstacle for us to make lifestyle changes that we may need to do to have a better chance of it. More and more doctors and scientists and experts are looking at obesity as a obstacle for good health. And obesity I think starts to kick in and affects us more as we age. By the age of 65 it could be a significant factor in why people are not moving around and becoming sedimentary.
So there we have it, we're sitting, not taking care of ourselves, we're over eating, we're not moving enough and we are doing activities like watching TV or computer or something that's not getting us moving. We need to ask ourselves a  question, 'Where are we at right now?'  that is is very important because I think each one of us the answer can be different.
So let's put a plan in action. We've  may have health issues, we may have an injury, we've had something going on where we've kind of put our life on hold. There could be an emotional event a loss of a job loss of a mate, a loss of the child,  other relationships breaking down. We encounter emotional issues that we never had before. Everyone of these problems could take us a while to figure out what steps we should take.
So while we're dealing with it, it's time to take the first steps. Like Bill Murray in What about Bob sometimes they have to be baby steps.
If we have become so sedimentary that just a little bit of walking we are breathing kind of hard, then the first step is to see our doctor.  Most people can return to moving again upon doctor's recommendations. My ideas may or may not be what your doctor says. Follow your doctor's counsel.
Here are some ideas to think about. I think it's a good idea to walk throughout the day. If that's our

case just take small walks and get yourself a pedometer and keep track of how many steps today. walking with walker, cane, taking walks into parts of your house through out your day is a start. If you can take a little walk every half hour or hour for sure. Keep you blood moving. Don't sit hour after hour at your computer or TV or reading. Get up every half hour and walk to the kitchen, use your stairs if you can. See how many steps you take. As you move you may find you are getting stronger. 
You know your first goal is to try and become un-sedimentary by walking over 3000 steps throughout the day. If you are really in this way make sure you start slow and follow your doctor's advise.
Your next goal should be trying to shoot for 5000 steps a day,  This may take you several months to get to and it may not happen all at once. Every day trying to walk in the morning,  start with minute walks, then two minute walks, than three minute walks, A minute afternoon go for another walk again starting minute to minute three minutes, and then an evening walk again same thing a minute two minutes three minutes and slowly build yourself up to where your walking increases where you can do 3 10 minute walks. If you walk 30 one minute walks in your day, you will notice the difference. 
I know I am repeating myself, but it is important. Your check in with your doctor you're going along with his recommendations, Your doctor may have personal recommendations for you. I am throwing ideas out there, but I don't know you and I am not a doctor. I do know most of us can get moving again. 
When it comes to walking through out the day if you can walk 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day you are on your way to being healthier.
Next, If you  haven't done resistant training in a while you have to start somewhere. It's a good idea to think about how you can use your body for strength training. There's a lot of exercises that you can do from the get-go. Again it starts with checking in with your doctor and then it goes from your doctors

recommendations. here you want to ask about resistant training for seniors or for people recovering from injury or illness. Your plan is unique to you. Here are a few ideas:

• check out on different sources about exercising for older people. There's exercises that can be done in a chair or around the chair. 
• There are exercises like I do where you can modify. A lot of strength movements can be done from things around your house. I can do a push-up off-the-wall, great for anybody. I could do a push-ups off of the table. (The idea I can my fat man exercises)
• I can do a push-up off of the counter. My counter is a great place for exercises. I can do lounges, I can do squats, I can do heal raises, I can do push-ups, I can do dips. In all these things I can use my counter for balance, as well as for structure to do some exercises like dips for example. When I do dips I use my legs to assist the movement to my fitness level.  Squats can be done off of the bed or chair I can I can do push-ups off of the bench and the lower you get to the ground the stronger the push-up movements. One push-up I can do is often the lower stair. 
• I think every day we could do something with their abs. I learned that from listening to one of the gym instructors talking to the kids in gym class do something every day for your abs. And so I do my sit ups off the bed. I got my feet on the floor and I just set up. It's got me very much into the movement with my CP, I have a hard time moving my upper body and lower body together, I always had. But here's a modification where I can actually do the movement and I find the movement is good for range of motion as well as strengthening my abs. I also do crunches and reverse crunches and other kind of moves for my abs. I'm learning how to do different kind of planking; I find it challenging, but I'm getting into that a little bit all to help to core muscles. Walking and standing also helps core muscles and so if you're sitting too much find ways to stand for your day. If you are sedimentary, try doing daily shores.  Stand down your work brothers you're working on a project and as you do things first. Of time all these muscles that you need to do it will strengthen itself. 

The flexibility is something that catches us unaware. We never know when we're going to become

Hit the trails this spring

inflexible, when the aging process makes us more stiff. Unlike a lot of people I've had the stretching all my life because of my cerebral palsy but now that you're getting older you maybe finding that you need to do a little bit of that as well. Flexibility helps range of motion helps with our pain, and definitely can with like with muscle exercise, walking and some resistance training we can actually take less painkiller. Movement works! Again be mindful of flexibility for seniors. 
Using resistant bands which I think are great as we get older we can find the bands for light exercises, exercises that need a little more strength, and then exercises that can take a lot of strength. There are levels of bands for your total fitness. Start with one repetition of 8-12 of the movements and when you are done with your routine, rest from it for 48 hours. As you get into it you can do one or two more sets. Multiple sets can build muscle into our 90's. Important to ease into it. 
Both the Internet and exercise support her out there for you to do right at home. Look into it and see what kind of works for you. My ideas are all about modifications. On my pages I have some good sites for support.
As we age it harder to lose weight and keep it off. I think it is easy to get discouraged. I think weight-loss is one of the most discouraging things that people face today. There's a lot of people working on it but it's a lot harder to be successful at getting over obesity.  Here I am the fat man walking and I've been at this blog now for several years, and I still need to make progress on my weight-loss. Am I a hypocrite? Maybe. But I can look at it today and know I need to move forward.  So I've been taken steps. I've decided to measure inches rather then the scale. And right now I am holding my own. And think I think I lost a half an inch, from last month. I will post my progress. Our waist should be half our height.  
I've been reading some articles of late that seems to point out that as we move into our middle 60s obesity makes it harder to be moving and it leads to more sedimentary kind a living. I am challenged by that to see if I can change the outcome. As I move towards a BMI that is more healthy, I look at this as a long-term success, and not just a quick fix. But that doesn't mean I don't need to act now,  I think I do. So for me I'm looking at where I'm going wrong, and I'm also looking at both information is helpful and also how to kick in the proper health response from my medical doctor and some other people to set up a better plan to do this.

Think through your life, Are you not moving enough? So where you at? Can we start today with a plan to see your doctor and to start looking for ways to move and get creative with it and try every day?
We need muscle to stay independent so take a look at strength training, this actually helps your heart and helps against your fight against the big three cancer diabetes and heart disease  A note on the fitness bands, you can take them any where and do everything you can do in a gym. Start slow and light and you will find they are great for senior fitness. Muscle looks better in our clothes and women don't bulk up. Think tone!
So I hope all these things Get active and go out there keep walking

No gimmicks, what stops us?

This is the second part response to what I wrote about last time. I was thinking about other things that challenges and prevent us from engaging in a more healthy lifestyle. I read an article in the New York Times Weight Gain in Older Women by Paula Spahn and she shares how women put on weight and the difficulty they have been taking off. It seems if women are healthy they have nearly a 20 pack percent greater chance of living to age 85 and having the ability to walk. As people encounter diseases their chance of walking independently decreases. Having heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and being obese are all factors in decreasing the possibility that you can be walking around when you're 85.
Read another article from Health Day where people who are overweight only sweat one hour a year for woman and three hours if your man. It raises the question what prevents people from working up a sweat getting 30 minutes of walking. If you are heavy like me you will sweat with just walking. Barb has a harder time working up a sweat. What prevents people from exercise and movement where they get more active.
It seems as if when we have health challenges it's a lot harder to put into our life the practices that we need to improve our health. I know it is a little more challenging than what people will admit to. If people who are overweight are people who are inclined to move from one location to the next where there setting. How can we change some of that. How can we put different kind of activities in our life where were moving around. It seems like there's a lot of people who have difficulty in trying to do this.
I have given this some thought now that I'm retired, and I am looking at ways where I can bring movement into my life. Helping out with some of the shores around the house that's it that's an idea that for me is a challenge. I can hear my kids laughing now. Getting up and doing different exercises when I'm working in the day on the computer is a good idea. I can do strength movements with my body throughout the day and at the end of the day I can have a full body workout by just taking small exercise breaks while working. I can go for a 10 minute walks throughout the day or even 20 minute walks. I can do some woodworking in my shop downstairs. I can use my stairs all around my house.
Shopping visiting people, getting out and moving around and when spring comes I'm planning to do some more bike riding. Using my bike to visit people in the nursing home and hospital. We need to find time to get in an hour or two of walking and moving.  When working on the computer, reading or watching TV at night are there things we can do to move a little for our health? 
My wife and I have noticed that if we plan to be walking when we are older it really does have to start every day now. 
There are a lot of things that I hinder us. We might have an injury, right now I have injury from a fall that hurts a lot. With my CP I have to give it time to heal. So it's a pain in the neck . So you know sometimes we get sick and it might take a week or two to recover from an illness. There's a lot of things that seem to interfere with our pursuit of activity. So I think we have to have the mindset to be able to reenter ourselves back into a routine of walking and doing things for fitness, stretching, and aerobics after we have these other times where we're having put down for a while. getting back into it isn't always easy. 
Next time I will go into some of things we are facing and the changes we have to make happen to move forward. Keep walking

"He gives sleep to the one He loves." some thoughts on insomnea

"He gives sleep to the one He loves." (Ps. 127:2b) The other day I posted a blog from Mart Dehahn who had the most fantastic quote. "When I first heard a friend talk about the idea that a relationship with Jesus boils down to a chance to live loved, I was hooked."  Having a chance to live a life loved by God through it all is pretty amazing. Paul shares a similar truth in Eph. 1:6 NKJV : "to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved." The truth and experience of being loved and accepted is at the heart of all care and relationships. We may have feelings about God of rejection and separation, but they can be gone as we trust Him as our Savior. Then the adventure begins. 
Back to Ps. 127:2b "He gives sleep to the one He loves." Being loved and forgiven are ideas that lend to a good night sleep. But we may still find it hard to sleep. There could be a thousand reasons why but for many of us it is a result of getting older. In the Huffing Post today there was a blog that reported a study in the UK that indicated poor sleep may effect the immune system and cause cancer to grow. Yikes! Well, a breakdown in our immune system can cause a lot of bad things. Loss of sleep is something we can not ignore. A short term crisis is one thing but if it is habitual we may need help.
For me getting help to deal with panic attacks has really improved my sleep, getting physical therapy for a rotator cuff allowed me to sleep on my side as usual, and walking has reduced pain in my legs. My list goes on, but dealing with these things helped me to sleep through the night on most nights and go back to sleep.
Insomnia is not fun. I recall talking to a lady in the hospital who slept in a chair. She was 20 years older than me and her problems were more complicated. She told me she has began to have problems with dementia and was in the hospital for treatment. She was intelligent and delightful to talk to and her insight was remarkable. For the week I was there, I would get up at 5:00 am (not by choice) go get coffee and share the morning paper with her in conversation. Each day more night owls would join us and we had quite the group. Most we teachers, lawyers, with me being a the low end of the totem pole. We listened and shared our sleeping struggles and I learned a lot. One thing we did was ease our pain. Over time medicine and therapy open the door for me to improve my sleep. It takes effort and time so whatever the ailment give it a go. Sleep is a wonderful experience. Keep walking

What AA was in the beginning...

Me I am working on my problem, but isolation and denial are not
part of the solution, being accountable, successful steps, and support are. 

Bob Smith one of the founder’s of Alcoholic Anonymous said the 12 steps was based on the study of the Good Book. Looking at their ideas is nothing like the 12 steps of today. Over the years the ideas have become more vague and humanistic as the government has taken over the program. The personal God of the Bible has become a higher power that could be anything or nothing.

Bob Smith’s ideas were:

·       Accountability

·       Qualified sponsor

·       Small group discipleship group

Isolation made the sin worse and strengthened the temptation.  “Dietrich Bonheoffer emphasizes the dangers of isolation: “Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him.”  

Here is a good thought to Facebook - You’ve heard the commercial: “Friends don’t let friends drink and drive. I have a new one: “Friends don’t let friends shipwreck their lives because of sin.” Robert Gallaty with ReplicateMinistries.org

We all have sin so discernment isn’t judging. We are just coming to terms with sin’s destructive powers. Alcoholism, Obesity, Sexual behavior outside the marriage all lead to harmful consequences. Having personal accountability, successful strategy, and support are pretty good ideas. Keep waalking

Losing our Marbles, what is on your mind?

Where did I put my marbles?

Losing our Marbles

Memory and mental functioning as we get older is on our minds. How many times have you heard, “I am having a senior moment?” I am good at trivial pursuit. I seem to know a lot of everything. When I can’t remember something I wonder why? When I think about it I remind myself why I should know some little fragment of useless trivia and there are still a lot of things I don’t know. Forgetting and recall should be normal in a life that keeps moving. Our brains are always making new pathways over older non used pathways that are natural and because one has lived long enough for this to happen should be expected.

In keeping with the Walking with the fat man are there things I can do to keep the brain healthy and functioning as I age? Here are some ideas I have found the last 7 years:

·       Walking and moving makes our brains grow more than crossword puzzles

·       Eating a heart healthy diet helps our blood vessels to stay open and prevent strokes and prevent development of dementia

·       Learning new things helps our brains to keep changing and growing.

·       Making new friends and experiences help our brain

·       Coping with stress is good for our brain

·       Staying hydrated helps the brain

·       Forgetting is part of life. Remember when you couldn’t recall something when you were young. Well you are still capable of forgetting. That’s life!

I was just reading WebMD an article by Dennis Thompson, “(Health Day News) -- Elderly people who participate in "brain training" classes to keep their minds sharp continue to see positive benefits 10 years after the training, according to a new study.” Particularly problem solving does better than memory. If we live long enough our brains will have wear and tear like the rest of our bodies but we can through life style changes do better along the way. Keep walking

Not a resolution but a revision

Not really a resolution but maybe a revision is what I have been acting on of late. BMI we often think of a weight we need to be at. A good goal if you are obese is to become over weight. The weight loss there is huge for your health. As long as you are improving your diet and fitness you are your way to greater health. Diet to me is about portion eating and eating smarter and for your health. BMI has some variable in it based on muscle to fat ratio. The best way to know that is when you get closer to a healthy weight check in with your doctor.
Another way to look at it is your waistline. How ever tall you are your waist should be 1/2 that. I know there is a difference between men and women so look up what is for you and check with doctor. For me my waist should be at 35 to 37 inches. Well my doctor would tell me to get real. So my first goal is 40 inches. Once a month I will take a measurement and report the loss or gain. When I get close to 40 I will reveal my waist size. I have to have some dignity.
My old man exercises have been a real encouragement. They are sit-ups, crunches, push-ups, dips, squats, lunges and flexibility moves. I am also going to work out getting off the floor. Working to increase my flexibility will help here. As we get older we should do these body exercises and find ways to get the practical benefit from it. I am not a doctor or qualified to advise you but I am thinking about it for myself. If you are unsure of yourself to get off the floor practice with the kids around or people that can help you get up. Use a stable chair right next to you or a bed. And if you need to check with your doctor first that is always the best. Try first from a sitting position, then from a laying down position. It is good to know what you got to work on. Do you play with the grand kids on the floor than you know. Maybe that's why people find yoga useful or Tai Chi. Learn more about senior fitness. Check out Web MD or Dr. Oz for ideas on flexibility. Another place may be the National Institute of Aging. Keep walking 

Baby its cold outside

I know there are hearty walkers and runners outside today and I know they know how to care for themselves in frigged weather. Layer's, skin covered and care to protect lungs. But for many of us there are days when it is too cold to be out in the cold. Extremes require care. How do we move on cold days?
Exercise bikes, treadmills, In Home Walking, can all be a big help. Yesterday clearing the snow was a workout. Today was a visit to the arctic. Tomorrow it will start to warm up but likely to cold to be outside. So these are perfect days for indoor fitness. For me I walked with a Leslie Sansone Workout. These walks can be a total fitness workout. Barb and I get a new one every year to add to our variety. Learn the four basic steps and you can walk watching TV.
It is easy to do circuit training with bands, dumbbells, body exercises like squats, crunches, lunges, dips, push-ups. Do a movement like curls and walk for a minute with walking in place, side to side, knee raises, kicks and move to a different strength move. It is really easy to do 10 minute, 20 minute, 30 minute workouts. Be smart and know what you can do and check with doctor if you have been sedimentary. Most of us can become movers.
Indoor walking can help with the winter blues.
When it comes to seasonal mood swings winter is here. Cold, shorter days, harder to be outside need a little thought how to make the most of it. Here are somethings I am exploring: A wood project right now I am looking for a wanted project. I can do somethings but others skills are a work in progress. Perfection won't be my expectation, but maybe an improved technique? Working with the kids in wood shop the biggest tip I can pass on is take time. Do a step at a time. I have enjoyed my reading. Reading for fun is something I have learned to do with dealing with anxiety attacks. Read the authors you like and enjoy your own recommendations. Having this blog gives me focus on other reading I may do. It is like having something to do that gets you going. Along these lines find ways to help others. One way I find is to pray for others. Since God hears very well I don't have to repeat my prayers over and over. Have a shut in friend, visit and share a movie or audio book. From all my outdoor cooking I figured out how to follow and cook book, share a meal. A lot of older folk have not not had a meal with good taste. That may be a real encouragement. Good smells out of the kitchen can make a cold day better for anyone.
There is no doubt about it texting is here to stay. So I text my grand-kids and they return them pretty good. Send pictures and kids will send pictures back. Cold days are good days to make a call. But don't over do it. As funny as I think it would be, don't call at 5 in the morning, unless it is an life and death emergency.
With the internet winter is a good time to watch funny shows. Barb and I watched the Doc Martin series and did a lot of laughing. If you give it a thought I bet you can come up with some good things for winter season. Keep walking