There's something about February... It just seems to go on forever, and at least here in the midwest, is pretty relentlessly frigid and gray. Compared to last year, my activity days on Strava are way down. The biggest, most active of our dogs and I are doing shorter, less frequent hikes than we did last... Continue Reading →
Everything is totally under control (not)
We’re closing in on nearly three months since my last blog post. Three months during which life zoomed along, barely under any kind of control. (Seriously, I even had dreams about trying to maneuver an out-of-control car: one night, it was rocketing down a winding ramp from the upper floor of a parking tower, with... Continue Reading →
How’s that chin-up challenge going?
The one I committed to in my last post? Don't ask. Don't ask about my 50 squat/day challenge, either. Or the 22 push-ups/day. It's November 23, and I've probably executed the exercises one day out of every three since launching those efforts on November 1. For that matter, don't ask about the carb-cutting I started... Continue Reading →
And, we’re back…
Three months without posting?! I was closing in on the third anniversary of this blog, with at least one post every month (a bit of a feat for me), and it all went pear-shaped at the end of June. Too many extra-curricular activities (some required for my career shift), and too much overtime at work... Continue Reading →
Here comes the sun
Actually, I don't really believe spring is here, yet - where I live, we're guaranteed to get another blast of cold and snow in April - but in theory, we'll be seeing a bit more of the sun for the next few months. (The pretty picture above is not mine; it's a Creative Commons image... Continue Reading →
#NeverTooLate #StartWhereYouAre
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 →
A Supreme Workout
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 →
Weight(less)-lifting in space
Astronaut Peggy Whitson returned to earth from the International Space Station last week, having racked up a number of records, including the longest time in continuous orbit for a female astronaut (288 days), the most cumulative hours of spacewalking for a female astronaut (53 hours, 22 minutes), and the most cumulative time in space of... Continue Reading →
Getting Stronger
Sad, but true: for men and women over age 50, it becomes harder to add and maintain muscle mass. In fact, we lose about 1% of our muscle mass each year. Some loss is due to physiological factors – changes in hormone levels, protein needs, etc. And some of the loss is self-inflicted: “use it... Continue Reading →