Welcome To Healthysport!
The Work out when Busy
- Details
- Hits: 3033
So far I am trying to manage my work-out, squeezing it somewhere in my busy schedule. I am also re-assessing my goals as far as my health is concerned. A few things I'd like to do this year 2011:
1. Run a half marathon with better pace and speed without the cramps.
2. Participate in a triathlon.
3. Control and maintain good sugar, cholesterol levels through diet and exercise.
4. Improve strength of muscles to maintain bulk (as I am approaching 50, my muscles are genetically predisposed to losing some bulk).
5. Be great in my current area of concentration in PT: focus more on outpatient conditions.
6. Have more travels and have fun fun fun.
For me to accomplish these, a few revisions will be needed. In principle, in the great scheme of things, I can no longer afford to procrastinate. I must have a better focus and a pragmatic approach to life - to plan ahead, know when to do what, prepare properly and be consistent. Last Sunday, I tried to simulate a half marathon in my training. My task was to see if my cramps are related to - dehydration, drop of glucose or muscle fatigue. Well, despite the GU and the water which obviously provided me my energy, I still cramped when I tried to speed up in the last 11-14 miles. The verdict sadly points towards muscle fatigue which, if analyzed correctly, emanates from weak muscles, which means, improperly trained muscles, which means, overloaded muscles. And this is where inadequate training comes into the picture.
I always jokingly tell my friends that I am the guy who trains in a high school football to play in NFL come the season. I am the perennial champion fish in a fishpond only to be thrown into the vast ocean.
So, to summarize my last week's work-out (and I'm the first to admit this: it was wrong wrong wrong :) ) I managed 2 short runs, 1 long run, 1 swim. Guess what's missing? Weight training. And... interval training and Pacing.
Yes, the last experiment I am embarking on is the effect of weight training on cholesterol and glucose. And improving speed in long runs with good muscle endurance. Here comes the interplay of lactic build-up, proper nutrition, rest, good training. Of course I pretty much have an idea but it's better to prove theories through the workings of my body.
I am finally getting more and more comfortable with outpatient setting in my hospital and my patients are beginning to appreciate my work for them. There is nothing more fulfilling than watching a man broken in five different places walking once again (with a minor limp of course) but thankful for whatever we've accomplished together. And I am thankful for the wonderful patients who are serious and motivated to get well. The hard work they put into the regimen is something that inspires me.
Right now, I am reading a good book, "My Own Country - A Doctor's Story" by Abraham Verghese. I don't know... I used to work in Tennessee and I thought I had a chance of working with the author. Just a hunch because he mentioned that he once worked in Lebanon, TN.
One Particular Step
- Details
- Hits: 3145
Alright, I finally found a moment to sit down - the whole week was so busy that - I was not able to do any work out three days in a row. Yeah, after the swim last Monday, the next work out I managed was a three mile run a while back. I quit after three because I needed to get a new battery for my glucose reading meter so I can resume my sugar monitoring. Hopefully I can squeeze in some work-outs in the next couple of days.
I am really proud of my current blood readings. People I know that are in the 'know' including myself long theorized that sugar and cholesterol can never be solved by diet and exercise alone. There must be some medication somewhere. I am not trying to prove anybody wrong but based on my experience, it is possible. The question is - how long can I maintain this?
This is perhaps the biggest puzzle which can only be answered by faith. Who knows what the future holds but if one has faith, no matter the persuasion, it is easy to assume the best prospects. Being spiritual and having faith is logically very healthy. It gives me peace of mind. It provides me an optimism even for the world beyond. People like me, who had been described as superstitious and fatalistic more than once, still possess a lot of hope no matter how unrealistic. It pushes me to take a leap of faith.
It is all about peace of mind.
As I reach the more mature age the more peaceful I become. Gone are the days of searching for everything elusive: money, love, intelligence, good looks, social life, wild life. I am gravitated to the more introspective, geeky kind'a sporty lifestyle. And this may not be your kind of lifestyle but let me tell you that it is fun.
Sometimes I get lazy to get out to run or work-out but what pushes me, besides my diabetes/cholesterol, are the many patients I have in my caseload. How, in their infirmities and limitations struggle so hard to achieve something as little as walking to the bathroom or being able to stand without failure or being able to climb the stairs. How much they are willing to give just so they could take another step without fear of losing balance and falling.
Thinking of them, I find it truly amazing that I can run no matter how slow, that I can swim no matter how cold the water is, that I can still drive to the gym or the bookstore, that I can still spend a couple of hours with friends talking and thinking normal. How many people would give everything so they could enjoy what I enjoy?
Stroke is such a devastating accident. And it is so easy to have. All you need is to be lazy, eat the wrong food to obesity and ignore high blood pressure and voila, you are on a wheelchair wishing to be independent even just for a day. Diabetes is so sneaky that by the time you learn about it you probably have damaged some of your precious physical normalcy - there is damage to your eyes, your feeling in the legs, dry skin, destroyed gums and teeth, susceptibility to infections, possible amputations. Worse, you may be needing dialysis.
Stroke and Diabetes can be so foreign to our ears until they hit us bullseye and they become a traitor and heavy stone tied to our bodies for the rest of our lives.
We always talk about non-dealing with traitors/terrorists - these are exactly that. And there is only one way to win over them: being healthy and living a peaceful life. I will talk more about this as I move along in this web site.
Page 56 of 65