fitness, strength, and wellness over 50
I've said it several times: I'm an enthusiastic believer in chi running because it got me back on the roads and trails after a very long time off, when chronic knee problems had made running too painful. But I also have to 'fess up that I haven't been able to do much trail running during... Continue Reading →
I woke up extra tired yesterday, and skipped my morning exercise routine in favor of slouching at my computer desk, clutching a Diet Coke and reading about how a consistent workout routine can undo the effects of - well - decades of sitting at a computer desk. I also read about a 50-year old woman... Continue Reading →
If your 50+ year-old self needs a little motivation to start something new (or maybe restart something you gave up long ago), I give you Dr. Josefina Monasterio, and Julia Hawkins. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HuM2QlQDSY Dr. Josefina Monasterio took up body-building at age 59; at age 71, she looks fitter and stronger than most folks 50 years younger.... Continue Reading →
In the matter of Marmat Forte versus The RBG Workout: How She Stays Strong... and You Can Too!, written by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's personal trainer, Bryant Johnson, I've reached a verdict: RBG's notorious workout is legit. Supreme, you might say. Bryant Johnson, who "daylights" as a court clerk and 30-year Army reservist,... Continue Reading →
If you're reading this blog, you probably don't need to be convinced that exercise is a life-saver. You know that, or you likely wouldn't be here. But for some readers, getting back into a fitness routine after many years away, or perhaps starting one for the first time, is a daunting proposition. "How do I... Continue Reading →
I dislike leaving this blog neglected for weeks at a time, but it has just been one of those months. One minute I was looking at the calendar thinking, “it’s almost October! My favorite month!” and the next, I’m looking at it thinking, “How can it be almost November?!” It was a month of meetings... Continue Reading →
Words of wisdom from ultramarathoner/vegan endurance athlete Rich Roll (who turns 51 this month), quoted this week in Outside Magazine (online): As you age, you will get incrementally slower. That’s just the way it is. So, it’s not about measuring yourself against any other person or what you used to be. You’ve got to train... Continue Reading →
This month, 58-year old American open water swimmer Elizabeth Fry became the second-oldest person to swim across Lake Ontario, a distance of 32.1 miles. She completed the swim in an unofficial time of 15 hours, 46 minutes - fueled on energy gel and... cookies? Fry entered the water shortly after midnight and faced average water... Continue Reading →
I thoroughly enjoyed this informative and entertaining Run to the Top podcast interview with Danny Dreyer, inventor of the "chi running" technique/process, and author of the book by the same name. Danny took up ultramarathoning in 1991 at the tender age of 42, and ran over 40 hundred-mile races, almost always placing in the top... Continue Reading →
I. "It's never too late to get fit" A study conducted at the University of Oslo found that men who began exercising in their 40s and 50s (as opposed to becoming more inactive, as is the norm) reduced their risk of stroke in later life by more than 50%. According to the researchers, stroke risk... Continue Reading →
Earlier this month, 58-year old open-water swimmer Antonio Arguelles became the 7th person, and the oldest ever, to complete the Oceans Seven challenge - a series of seven open-water channel-crossings that includes the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, the Cook Strait between the north and south islands of New Zealand, the Molokai Channel between... Continue Reading →
A while back, an acquaintance of mine – also in her mid-50s - started taking yoga classes for the first time in many years. She had noticed that her many hours of sitting at the computer were making her feel stiff and brittle. “What if it’s doing the same thing to my blood vessels?” she... Continue Reading →
50 is the new "forte" 