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On With the New Quest
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My workouts seem to be quite imbalanced. I spend too much time running and not much resistance training. Too much aerobics and less anaerobics. So I feel it necessary to crank up those weights even when I feel my caloric expenditure is not as ‘dramatic’ as when I run. But I put a big question mark to that claim. Some would say the calorie expenditure may not be big ‘during’ a resistance routine but because it targets muscles and since muscles spend more energy to do their jobs, it’s just logical they will use more calories in the long run. Of course I can experiment on that with my body and my data will maybe prove or disprove any claim(as far as I am concerned). I know for sure the weights are necessary especially when you are over 50. I haven’t really researched much on apps dealing with resistance training or weight lifting or strengthening but I am sure there are millions out there.
As for the meals, I have discovered how accessible vegetables are --- in the frozen section. Seriously, I am one who buys fresh vegetables only to dump them into the garbage bin after a week due to my preference to eat in my workplace cafeteria because I lack the discipline to pack my own lunch. Yeah, shame on me. But this will be a new day. I’ve got brown rice and tuna and brussel sprouts and tomato. Sweet.
As for my relaxation, I was able to assemble a new bookcase in my ‘crib’ (that is so 1980’s word) the whole of Saturday. It took a lot of time and energy and effort but it helped me organize my otherwise cluttered space. Seriously, I am way past my college dorm years. Time for me to act my age.
My best two days so far. They were quiet, restful, goal oriented, disciplined. Ah, having too much responsibilities and being cluttered in one place is such a dysfunctional existence.
There is a biblical message for me today that seems to specifically single me out. Sometimes I tend to overwork for no apparent reason except love of work. Then I follow work with study of anything that takes my fancy. And then I follow that with programming using different languages. And then I blog. I am afraid there’d come a time I’d realize my days will into weeks into months into years and I’ve missed all the fun things-- like the joy of social interaction, travel and simple lounging in a quiet spot while celebrating the full blessing of healthy living.
We don’t want to chase the winds too much, do we?
And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. [this is about laziness]
Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.[this is about enjoying life with little.]--Ecclesiastes 4:4-5
Whoa! Programming and Exercising
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I experienced an uh-oh moment yesterday after I tried to download all my current directories from my cloud via zipping. Guess what - my zipping code was wrong and it managed to zip only the folders and not the smaller files. I was terrified for a bit. My only saving grace was the backup, which (thankfully) I subscribed to last week. I didn't think it would be hopeless since most of my websites utilize drupal and joomla and my databases are still intact in my localhost, but I could not imagine all the time I spent building them going to waste. I was too afraid of spending time to re-do what I did the last couple of weeks. That will disrupt the routine of my life. You see, I can sometimes get so immersed into programming. I am what you call a 'full stack developer' and once I get in front of my monitor, the world disappears. And that is the story of most of us. We just could not switch tasks as quickly as we want to especially when we are immersed in something that we enjoy doing. But, we need to learn how to incorporate different tasks in our daily activities. Like today I had to do a run 5 miles before I sat before my computer to program.
What I have discovered is this:
1. I understand that there is no such thing as a perfect line when it comes to healthysport lifestyle. There is always a kink along the way and we need to accept that. In my case no matter how I'd like to get regular with my daily exercises, certain hassles do come: fatigue from work, family emergencies (or not), an injury or painful spot somewhere, lack of motivation, laziness, bad weather, poor company, and my best excuse is: "I have something better to do." I try to counter these excuses by focusing on the outcomes of my exercises, not the struggles.
2. You can't rely solely on your willpower unless it is a matter of life and death. For many of us, exercise does not occupy the top of our priorities especially when we don't have a compelling reason to do so. I try to utilize as many tools as I can use to motivate me to exercise. I choose to live in a place close to running trails, I read health books and articles, I blog about my exercising(like this), I read about others who exercise, I monitor myself.
3. Speaking of self-monitoring, I am currently using the following iphone apps - Glucosuccess(this is a study for diabetics conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital) , Runkeeper (monitors running pace, distance etc) and Loseit! (monitors daily food intake). If interested, use these terms to search Apple apps. I have been monitoring a lot of my personal data waaay before all these apps came about. I was into Garmin watch in the past for my running; I also used Polar pulse reader which provided me feedback in my heart performance during runs. Whereas before I religiously collected my distances, pace and personal records, nowadays I monitor things like my blood sugar, blood pressure, A1C, cholesterol and overall well being. I am in the process of creating a simple Healthysport app to monitor my runs and exercises.
4. I am still very slooow in moving towards strengthening and weight lifting which is an important (if not the most important) form of exercise for aging and diabetics. In aging, muscle bulk is reduced by a few percent every year hence the need for bulking up and among diabetics, having big muscles means big natural consumption of body sugar. Unfortunately, strengthening of muscles if not done properly leads more to injuries than strength. At my age, I need to be careful in subjecting my body to weights, I always start slowly and no more than 45 minutes each session. I have learned quite a few lessons in the past.
5. Which I need to constantly remind myself about. That joke about 'You know you are getting old when you wake up with pains you don't know where they come from' is true. I recently treated a 94 year old man and asked him about the secret of his long life, he abruptly answered, 'Don't get old.' I think his secret is marrying a woman half his age. My bathroom mirror reminds me of the face of new normal in getting old. There must be a simple formula with our body's response to aging. I guess if you want to feel like 20 years old, your body should do what a 20 year old is capable of. If you want to feel like 30, you should be able to do what a 30 year old could do, etcetera. Guess what, the best I can really do right now is being 40. Trying to act like 20 or 30 when I am 50 may lead to injuries. The other side of the coin is this: If you want to feel like 70 when you are 20, then act like 70. Other than being pathetic, you must be the saddest person in the world if you do that. I guess it is over when you feel like your age after you reach 80.
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