“Everyone starts somewhere…”

I was about to break a streak of posting at least once every month, even though I have stuff to report! But then a great interview with one of my favorite upbeat “follows” on Twitter showed up in my in-box, and I decided to get it together and share a few things.

53-year old Jo Moseley started rowing (on an indoor rowing machine) to burn off stress, and was so taken that she eventually rowed a million meters to raise money for a cancer support center. Then she took up stand-up paddle-boarding (SUP), and that has become her fitness activity of choice. Last year she became the first person to SUP “coast to coast,” from Liverpool to Goole, England. She’s also an advocate of “plogging” – a combination of jogging and picking up litter along your route. (It’s a real thing! My version of this is “pliking” – picking up litter while hiking – which just doesn’t have quite the same ring.) Jo has become a fitness ambassador and “joy encourager,” urging folks to get outside and try new forms of exercise. “It doesn’t matter if you’re not good at it. Do it for enjoyment and if it doesn’t work out find something else.” Follow Jo Moseley on Twitter (@Healthyhappy50), and on her website.

As I mentioned in my last post, I committed to quite a bit of walking in the month of June, on a knee acquired just over four months ago (2/19/20). I’m happy to say that I completed both of my challenges, and am feeling really good about the new knee! I walked 20 miles during the first week of June, and raised $888 for The Gathering Place – an organization that offers all kinds of wellness services to cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. Then I had a week of fairly limited fitness activity while I met some work and school deadlines. Then on June 18, I launched my 100K-in-10-days Midwest States challenge, and wound up completing just over 62.5 miles in just over 19 accumulated hours. Most of the miles were completed on a combination of concrete sidewalks and multi-purpose trail surfaces (the features of a nearby park), but I got a good chunk of the mileage on hiking trails, too. I’ve become a big fan of using trekking poles on the trails. As it turns out, they don’t just support your knees and footing, they enhance the overall workout!

I’m going to ease up a bit on the walking in order to mix in some rowing and cycling again. But I’ve gone ahead and signed up for a self-paced walking challenge, the virtual Camino de Santiago.

Sarcopenia – or natural age-related muscle loss – comes up a lot on this blog. Here is evidence that men and women aged 70 and older can stave off muscle loss by boosting protein intake by 0.5 grams per kg of body weight (for men; probably more for women, who process protein differently).

I know that oatmeal generates a lot of strong feelings, which is kind of ironic for… you know… oatmeal. Some folks hate it, some love it. Some love it, but find themselves famished just a couple hours after eating it (I used to be in that camp). According to sports nutritionist Matt Fitzgerald, it really is still the breakfast of champions. This article gives some great ideas for dressing it up. My current favorite (and slightly over-indulgent) preparation: oatmeal cooked with a teaspoon of chia seeds, and finished with a splash of maple syrup, a tablespoon of peanut butter, and sliced banana. But I’m also a fan of the slightly splurgy Picky Oats brands – especially “Game, Set, Matcha.”

I’ll leave you with this bit of inspiration (hat tip to blog guest and cousin, Bob)…