How Intense?

That is the big question: How frequent and intense should workouts be? It looked to me that too often or too hard and I'd pop a gasket and go RIP on the spot, but not often or not intense enough and I'd die slowly of organ failure.

The solution for me has been variety: I have a base, and add variation.

I warm up, stretch and self-massage every day.

I do something or two every day, but every day is different. Like weightlift every other day, hike outside two or three times a week, bike out once or twice a week, and do cardio machines (elliptic and studio bike) several times a week. And then do something special and motivational several times a year, like week-long backpacking trips, mountain climbs and bike tours.

Every weight workout is different... in form, type, sets and angles/machines/weights. Every cardio is different in location/surface/machine, time and intensity.

Once a month I do heavy weights as well as all-day hikes or very fast hikes and high heartrate elliptic sessions. I rotate these and warm up very well.

Is it working? Yes, I think so... for me. I do well, but still get occasional injuries, for which I have to take time off or modify my workouts to recuperate. I do seem to get elbow tendinitis too often, so am continuously modifying and cold-packing. Could I do better? Probably, but as compared to what? There are not that many old athletes around. I read a lot, discuss and experiment, but I don't have all the answers. I've been working on this particular answer for decades.

-copyright 2014 by Willy

My Plan

What do I plan to do when I get old? When wrinkles take over? Well, I've never smoked and don't plan to. I will exercise often (but not too intensely) in order to stay tough. I will maintain activities with friends to have a social life but I will avoid mean people. I will eat and drink in moderation, including coffee every morning, to avoid being overweight. I will take a couple of baby aspirin every day to reduce risk. I will not care about wrinkles but will work hard to maintain function. And I will laugh hard and often to avoid depression.

Oh, wait... that's what I already do.


-copyright 2014 by Willy

Past Age 60

The current issue of one of the outdoors backpacking magazines prominently displayed an article titled: "Ten ways To Stay Active after 60." This article joins many others with the same message.

Having lived long past 60, it amuses me that so many lengthy articles need to be written on the subject, when it's just simple common sense. To me, there is only one thing to do:

Modify, but don't stop.

I modified by going low-impact (no running), and increasing my miles to accommodate my reduced metabolic rate. This has decreased my risk for injury and increased my endurance and toughness.

I do not stop for weather nor for distractions. Nothing stops my training. I hike, bike, lift and stretch more, and more effectively. If I stop, I might not be able to get back to it.

I don't stop.


-copyright 2014 by Willy

I Have Grown

As I've gotten older, my life has become more fun. I learned to avoid problems. Life is no longer scary. Kids have gone and so have mothers, wives and other problem relationships.

Surround yourself with the right people in life and things go smooth.

I no longer worry about breaking a leg nor stepping on toes.

I just go.


-copyright 2014 by Willy

Devil or Angel

I have been having a great time for the last year or two with some long-time good friends. They're terrific... smart and capable.... and I enjoy them.

But the devil does show up eventually to mess things up. Relationships are unstable. People are more complex than rocket science... by far.

I am good to the core... no drama, and what you see is what you get. 

Recently, things seemed to be in a fix. Nothing was working... arguing back lengthened it and a calm response did too, silence did not work, and laughing enraged them worse.

I chose.

It is a simple thing I tried: I chose to translate rage as terms of endearment. No matter what they said, I hear "I love you." So, I smile and think back "I love you too," and I mean it.

How can you argue with that? They know I do this, I smile, and the instance is defused.

I can't change them, but I can choose to wear rose-colored glasses to interpret those instances of devil into angel... for my mental health. It's a good way to decline an invitation to an argument. It works... when I remember to do it.

No, I don't know what I do to enrage them, and they can't tell me either. And, yes, I know I'm no angel.

The more usual solution is to just leave.


-text copyright 2014 by Willy.

Risk

The TV was full of babbling weathermen being interrupted by the EAS. Their excitement, brought on by the unfolding weather threat, was communicated to the public as fear. Two people died that evening.

Afraid?

A few hundred people may die yearly in the U.S. due to tornadoes, but 35 thousand die due to cars, 74K to diabetes, 157K to stroke, and a whopping 685K due to heart attacks. Every year! Fear a tornado? Hell, it's best to hike during a tornado... which I did.

I do not accept their drama. I don't fear a tornado, I fear inactivity... and drive a big new truck.

Fear inactivity.


-text copyright 2014 by Willy. Statistics by the CDC.