Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Further thoughts on "does God give us more than we can handle?" video

Wrote a blogis based for the writing i this you like it I am im beach bum clothes so nothing but nothing but the besr
I have talked about body image and the difficulties for us we overweight to get out and move. Here is an article of a fitness company in Canada who reaches out. Fitness support I think is more of an issue as we age and carry extra weight. Walk and home fitness makes a lot of sense. But gyms I think can be very supportive as you build your own fitness program. Gyms for social support might be harder to gage?
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Canada+only+plus+size+fitness+company+skinnies+need+apply/6757977/story.html

Monday, June 11, 2012

Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?


You bet there are times when the path is not so clear 
I was reading an article which will be posted soon at http://www.meierclinics.com  by Angie Witman titled Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?  in Meier Newsletters in June 2012. What a great subject to think about. When I was in the hospital and I had tubes coming and going all over the place, I had my first full blown panic attack. It was soon after my guardian angel went home after a long day caring for me in a very bad day in my life. That day I was given really great care that from my point of view that saved my life. Barb thinks I was going to pull through and what I felt wasn't was going on and she is probably right. Barb was wore out and needed to go home.

She had been gone about 30 to 45 minutes when I experienced hallucinations from pain medications and I felt like I couldn’t get my breath. Forget closing my eyes the hallucinations were too real and scary for me to do that. So I called for the nurse and to my surprise the nurse was Philippine and had a hard time speaking English. Well I was tempted to call Barb an experienced intensive care nurse, but she was worn out. I have lived overseas and I have been in tight spots before, but this was different. I was different. Years ago I helped others with panic attacks, but I had no idea this is what it really felt like. I tried working through it with the nurse, but I was unsuccessful. It was a nightmare.

I was really sick, but there was nothing I could do about it. The hallucinations and panic attack I would have to endure with being very sick. I knew I would have to go through these things and prayer, medical help, support would have to wait. We go through hard times and there is no easy fix. The hallucinations stopped when I changed pain medication. I could live with the pain, but not the hallucinations. It took seven weeks to recover from the surgery not two days. The insomnia, panic attacks and depression would be cared for five years later. In my journey back to better health I have learned a lot. Walking and diet gave me back my life.

I knew God was with me that terrible night and I sensed His love, but that didn’t change that I would have to endure some pretty bad stuff. When I speak of prayer I mean there was nothing I could pray that would prevent the things I experienced. Here I am years later and the problems of that night have been cared for. The anxiety disorder runs in my family. Depression happened and I believe has a biological reason. I needed professional help like I did when a third of my colon burst.

These things scared me like I never experienced before. Bravery, courage, I have seen in others, but for me I was like the kid shell shocked and unable to move. When I watched the Band of Brothers and The Pacific, Pearl Harbor and Saving Private Ryan I saw the nightmare of war and how everybody from the one who did acts of valor and the one who froze as a way to survive the hell of war. I have seen the same thing from regular people who go through medical and emotional injuries who have experienced feelings of loss, loneliness, hurt and fear as they go through their own nightmares from trials common to us all. It is times like this I wish I was a better writer, but Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?  Yes and no, we are certainly going to go through more than I retirement picture of a couple walking along in a beach. We will certainly experience whatever will end our life on earth.

For me, I have a greater understanding of others suffering. I know we need each other to ease our trials and find hope in the land of the living. When we are in the middle of a fight for life we may feel the weight of it. We may feel we are going through it alone. But in the darkness of that hour you are not alone.  I leave you with Ps. 27: 13, 14 “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”  Read the Psalm I think you will be encouraged.

I would love to hear what you think about Does God Give Us More Than We Can Handle?  These experiences can shake our very foundations. I liken it to battle experiences and each one of us it is different. Give it some thought and get back to me on it. Keep walking

Friday, June 8, 2012

Some thoughts on a bucket list

Tomorrow with Barb's brother in town we will be off to the Art Museum in Chicago. They will take their time reading every sign and I will stroll through the place finding things that interest me. They enjoy moving at a snail's pace so it is best to meet them later for lunch. I will walk any where from 10,000 steps to 14,000 steps. There is a lot there to enjoy. Sunday Barb and I will go to a Dulcimer Festival and a walk. There is a trail at he park and also the I&M Canal is near by.
I read an article about Bucket List and our denial of getting older and dying.  The author shares how a bucket list is used by people in their 20's and also dating sites. The movie was about two terminally ill men who eventually challenged each other with their bucket list to fight depression and hopelessness they found themselves in. Their bucket list included relationships to be mended. There has been articles of baby boomers who will do anything to avoid getting old. We all age, but I like "the rounding off the curve" concept.
Dr. Kenneth Cooper proposes preventive medicine designed to help us to slow down the decline of aging where through medical care, diet and exercise, non smoking, lower body fat we can expand the time where we lead active full lives before aging slows and final decline takes our lives. Sedimentary living and unhealthy lifestyle can limit our activity and age us quicker where we need more assisted living. Two books that give the science of the "rounding off the curve" are Regaining the Power of Youth at any Age and Start Strong, Finish Strong which can be ordered at http://www.cooperinstitute.org/ Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen talks of preventative medicine and lifestyle issues as well and has lots of interesting articles and videos at http://www.realage.com/ .
If anybody should have bead knees it is me. I have fallen so many times and cracked my knee cap that my good friend arthritis has visited. Since I have been walking knee pain has all but disappeared.  I chose sedimentary living I know the pain would hae increased. In my shoulders and neck therapy and band exercises help control inflammation there. I know we are all different but moving helps.
I recall in the Screw Tape Letters by C.S. Lewis how activities could prevent people from considering eternity. A bucket list doesn't have to be about jumping out of a plane, it could include unfinished business like Jack Nicholson's character making amends with a daughter. I think it is possible when we get older to plan to have a few adventures while we can. A big part of my walking is to be able to move around and live. Setting new goals about work and helping others for awhile is good. Work that you enjoy can be art of a retirement plan. A trip to the UK, visits to part of the States I haven't been, new dishes to cook and grill, continue to live and be involved. I think it ii a good thing not to be laid aside and forgotten. The alternative may be loneliness and despair.
Will we age? Yes Will we slow down? Yes but not too soon. I think reassessing things when you are older is good. If there is something you want to do, do it while you can. Walking and exercise and a good diet will give you more time to live. Figuring out spiritual values and eternity is something that is important at any age. The bucket list won't ignore
Speaking of buckets, Scott wrote about the "bucket test" on his blog, http://walkingtoretirement.blogspot.com/  You take a bucket of your choice and put your finger in the bucket and when you take your finger out and there is a hole there than you can't be replaced. But if there is a no hole there than you can be replaced.
I think a bucket list can be a positive thing. It is particularly good if it is suited for you and your list. Things you enjoy and care about, include in your list your spiritual quest and what is important to you in your relationships. What's on you bucket list?

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Sensational titles and health


I with you guys
Several times a week I read news related to walking, health etc. Today I looked at titles and thought I post a few. Every body including me tries to come up with a title that sparks interest. But in blogging I have to write a title that really is about what I am writing about. Some of the titles below had a shock value, some were right on, and one just hit me as funny.  When it comes to walking doing it is what is important and hopefully what we read or look at encourages us to do so. Here are the titles.

Let go of the water bottle. You're plenty hydrated, people

Black girls don't benefit as much from exercise

Is 'old people smell' real? Yes,

Moderation as the Sweet Spot for Exercise


Low-Fiber Diet May Raise Teens' Risk for Heart Disease, Diabetes

Get a Bikini Body that Rocks

Just for fun today I checked out some of the headlines under health. I suspected before I looked what I may find. Sometimes the title doesn’t really say what the article is about.

For example the title, “Black girls don't benefit as much from exercise”, doesn’t say black girls don’t need exercise, there are other factors to be considered. When I first saw the title flags went up about racism. The article wasn’t but the sensation was to get me to look.

The one on “Let go of the water bottle. You're plenty hydrated, people” tells us we get water through what we eat and other beverages. It may be off by basing their argument on a study back in the 40’s. There have been a lot of studies on hydration and lifestyle and exercise since the 40’s. I have read hydration is as individual as each one of us. How active we are? How much do we weigh? Water will always be good for the body. 

Moderation as the Sweet Spot for Exercise” talks about running and what is best to prevent sudden death. It talks about running 20 or more miles a week. Can people over do it?

Get a Bikini Body that Rocks” there are a lot of headlines like this. It always starts with a photo of a beautiful girl young enough not to need exercise to wear one.

We have all seen articles that seem to contradict one another. Many articles headlines have a way of supporting thinking “I don’t need to make changes or get off the couch.” Make sure you read the article because if it is any good it will be better than its title. Many times the article really doesn’t say anything. If you read 10 articles that tell you to eat your veggies and back it up with good support and you read an article that says the opposite consider the source.

The funniest title for me was “Is 'old people smell' real? Yes”. I am afraid of this one. I mean I work with kids and I don’t want to smell in a classroom. Should I really give up Aqua Velvet or Old Spice? Remember grandma smelling like lilac water or Channel #5. Or worse body odor by us old guys covered with Dapper Dan. “Say it ain’t so Joe.” I read the article and found out people really can tell the age of people by the smell of their clothes. Definitely I will need to do a study to refute it. LOL

 With exercise and healthy eating we need to learn new habits or support the good habits we have. Walking and healthy eating are two weapons we can use to round off the curve and live better longer. We may look better, but we will feel better. In the bigger issues of heart disease, cancer and diabetes we want to do things that help us fight these diseases for a longer fuller life. Fitness for younger men and women may concern themselves with a fit body that looks good. To some degree I think that motivation may help us who are older. I think we want to look better and have more zest as well. But don’t look for me in my speedos. Keep walking

Monday, June 4, 2012

Summertime a great time to walk and lose weight

Walking the Old Oak Trail
Light filtering down
When you look at images of the net of walkers they are fit and light. But here I am. I am a month back into mindful eating. For me controlling my eating particularly at night is key. Putting weight back on is easy. Taking it off and the real mystery of keeping it off is alot harder. We have all seen pictures of people who have lost weight, but many of them regain it. At that point motivation can be a little shaken. The story gets a little old. I have learned a couple of things that may help.
We are healthier when we walk. No matter our size walking helps. We are healthier with some type of weight resistant plan. Muscle helps us moving and keep active. As we age we lose muscle, but weight strengthening can keep muscle on our bodies. Being skinny as we age may lead to weak bones and muscle loss.  We are healthier when we stretch our bodies. Muscle and moving burns calories and that burns fat. So moving is something we can do. (Always check with your doctor starting a exercise program)
I know for me walking gets me back into the swing of things. For a little over a month now I have been eating less. I have lost eight pounds. This weight loss is the easiest and actually the best for my health. Losing weight where you and I will see it will take a couple months. Becoming one of those thin walkers I am not so sure. Keeping the weight off I am going to have to learn to eat less and be more aware of this process.
Believe me barb keeps me in the game
Aging health becomes more of a priority. I know we have to spend more time at it. Some may argue  these things can be over done. So it is important for me to be clear what I am talking about. There are people who still play some type of competitive sport. As you age to do this you have to put in time to train. Cooper Aerobics can be of a real help here. http://www.cooperaerobics.com/ For me moving to health involves some kind of movement an hour a day. Most encourage people to walk an half an our a day with other steps and work being an hour of a day. Shopping, house work, yard work, hobbies, parking further away to walk, helping others, workouts, are all part of living. Doing things with the grand kids, swimming, biking, working in a shop. For me I am still working and that means 5000 to 7000 steps. As we get older we can't watch to much TV, sit for hours, be on the computer hour after hour. I enjoy TV and computers but I have move.
Now I can move on to how I eat. An 1/2 hour walk will burn some calories, but weight loss for most of us will happen when we eat healthy and eat less than we use. Without the chronic ankle pain I have had more focus on what I am eating. So I hope in a little while you will see my progress. Keep walking.

Saturday, June 2, 2012

walking the Old Oak Trail, learning from being sick

Walking the Tail of the Old Oaks in McKinley Woods
It must have just rained on the trail before we got there. We decided to walk a trail away from the I&M Canal Bike Trail in McKinley Woods. The trail was over a mile loop that we circled twice. The second time around we found a part belonging to my tripod. Thank You Lord. The trail was packed earth and easy on the feet. Liam's stroller worked nice on the trail. Tanya had  mosquito net that went over the carriage that protected him nicely. The shade was nice and the woodland was a nice change.
The elevated foot from the brace I am finding it easier to navigate over roots. I don't mind telling you as I write I am in no ankle pain.
We had the trail to ourselves. It would be a good trail to lap on for jogging or walking.
Bells tat caught my eye
Wayne Styles in his excellent blog talked of his experience of getting sick last week. He says of himself, "I never get sick."
Four things he learned:
Sometimes we get a chronic or even a terminal illness. Today we have alot of support for such things. Being sick for a long term brings us the topic of suffering. In some experiences there are relapses and old struggles rear up again. I have made a recovery from anxiety where I can sleep again. Will I face it again? We go through things that are hard. The Apostle Paul faced heath concerns as he got older. His problems did not go away.  In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul had extraordinary experiences and revelations where he could if he chose could boast about. But he had an some kind issue that he prayed three times and it wasn't removed. Some have guessed glaucoma. Having several eye diseases I know how precious eye sight is. Paul shared how God gave him grace and through his weakness God would show His strength.
Having Cerebral Palsy, eye problems, high blood pressure, and getting older I am aware we have problems that don't go way.
Tanya and Barb making adjustments about the mosquitoes.
We learn from problems and our times we are sick. Our life is short even if we live to 90. We need to trust God who gives eternal life. Louis Sperry Chafer teaching the last year or two before he went to be with the Lord talked about his battle with cancer and pain. He didn't want people to take his pain pills away. During this time he published his eight volume set on theology. God works through us at our weakest moments. The blessing of walking, of reading the Bible and good books, friend and family, good food, and meeting with God in our darkest times all play a part in making sense of our hardest days. Grateful we have medical care as well. But even hat is limited. Wayne got sick last week and recovered. Isn't it great when we do recover and get better. You betsha! The truth is there will be a time when we won't recover. When all goes wrong and we pass, at that time God has our back, all we need to do is trust in Jesus as our Savior. Keep walking

Friday, June 1, 2012

Thanks for sharing your walks

A walk on a beach
This walking thing is a shared experience. The nice thing about face book and the blog is it brings us closer together. Sharing pictures and experiences are pretty cool. I like the family pictures and adventures we take. Deb and Donna walking along the beaches, Nancy and Fred with their many outings, Frank and Cheri kayaking down some cool rivers are just the few of you enjoying your lives. Some of you walking have given me ideas I can add to my own walk. Scott wants to enter 100 walking races to retirement. Maybe I can walk in so many places.
This summer I will add my recumbent to some of my travels. Barb's cousin Suzy and her husband Rick have done many trails biking. Chuck and me will continue our trek along the I & M Canal.
Dave and I played intermeral
basketball at GRSBM now we are
chefs extradinare!
How and where are you walking? Send me stories and pictures I can share. There are some of you walking in other countries outside the US. I would love to hear from you. It is to bad that only the rich could do this but wouldn't it be great to walk in 100 countries as a "before I die wish". I always wanted to return to the UK to walk from one village to the next and refresh myself at a local pub. I have walked in London, Africa, Israel, the Caribbean and in most the states of the US. Walking on cruise ships too is pretty cool. Walking gives you feel for the place. From what I see where ever you call home their are places to walk and enjoy. So if you can share your pictures and story.
Walking on this planet, we were made to do it. Tomorrow Barb and I will walk a new trail to be decided. Later this week Frisbee golf with the grand kids is up. This stuff we can do for a long time. Three 10 minute walks, two 15 minute walks or a 20 to 30 minute walk does the body good.
Chek out this article on woman's health - http://health.msn.com/womens-health/healthy-diet-exercise-extend-life-for-women-in-their-70s-study  Keep walking