Running: A Fever

I'm trying to remember some of the exercises I was doing when I was in physical therapy to use as I warm up to protect that Achilles tendon after that rupture last year. I've been having trouble with it recently. It's nothing major but some discomfort in that area, so I'm being extra careful today. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/336  

I've had a couple of doctor visits recently, and my blood pressure has been completely within limits, not too high and not too low. I think it may be that I am drinking strictly decaf coffee now. I know caffeine has been an issue in the past. But my stress level isn't appreciably lower, I'm not exercising a lot, and though I have lost some weight this year, my weight is still well over what it should be for optimal health. Sometimes I just have to just be grateful for the good that's happening in my life, without worrying too much about the whys and wherefores, etc. whatnot, so forth. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/335 Photo by cottonbro studio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-healthcare-worker-measuring-her-own-blood-pressure-using-a-sphygmomanometer-5721672/  

A good exercise plan---you know I was doing a lot of different things when episode 93 was recorded, and that's good. I was able to keep that up for a while. Maybe it isn't sustainable for the long term. You know even if I make fitness my number one priority, it doesn't mean that I don't have a number two, three, etc. But I do think the basic ideas here are sound, some strength training, even if it is just a little dumbbell action at home. Some cardio: I still have that stationary bike I can use without leaving the house. And walking is definitely something I need to do more of because it has psychological benefits as well. And it just feels good. If you can do something that feels good and is healthy, too, that's great. Why not do it? Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER/334 Photo by Sarah  Chai: https://www.pexels.com/photo/faceless-woman-chopping-bell-pepper-during-lunch-preparation-in-kitchen-7262911/  

We're on #64 of our Shattering the Yoyo series, looking back at episode 92, which came out November 2nd of 2018, a year in which I dramatically improved my health. I'm trying to learn from what I did that year in hopes that I can avoid the yo-yo diet syndrome in the present day. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/333 Image by thank you for

Who is Delphia Welford? It sounds like she's from Pennsylvania, for sure. Even though she died in 1992, she is just now being added to the top 10 list. She was the 2nd oldest living person, behind Jeanne Calment for a couple of years. Now, she is the tenth longest-lived person, at 117 years, 66 days, living from September 9, 1875 to November 14, 1992. Read the full post at: http://RunningAFEVER.com Photo courtesy of Gerontology Research Group, http://grg-supercentenarians.org  

First things first. I have returned (last episode) from the hiatus, which was in effect starting in late September of last year. When I sat down and started working again, I could not believe it had been that long! At the time, I thought some life stuff was going to change short-term, but as usual, something different happened. Anyway, it's good to be back, and if you're listening, you've stuck with me, and thank you for that. Read the full post at: http://RunningAFEVER.com/331 Photo by: Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/@giorgiotrovato?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash   

In the last episode, I talked about learning from my own experience and studies and living my life accordingly. Okay, maybe I didn't mention the studying part. But one of the things I have done is to learn from Dan Buettner's series of books about what he calls "blue zones". These are places where people live significantly longer than average at a very high rate. He dug into the lifestyles that make up the local societies in these geographical areas, proposing them as tenets of a philosophy of longevity that anyone can follow. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/330 Image by StockSnap  from Pixabay: https://pixabay.com/users/stocksnap-894430/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=2557544  

One of the most important things to me, as I have been doing this research and practice and work over the last few years, is that I need to become an expert at my own health. Different people have different hungers, different preferences, different tolerances. The enormous quantity of information available on health is both a blessing and a curse. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/329 Photo by Andres  Ayrton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/faceless-woman-showing-fresh-apple-and-sweet-doughnut-6551090/

In the determination of right, the game between right and wrong, we need some rules. This is a universal tenant of being human. It's why we have codes of morality, religion, and even laws. So, when I set out to do something the right way, I need to figure out the list of rules I need to follow to accomplish this. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/328 Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

I don't always follow my own advice. But I do appreciate, these days, the good people and the other good things in my life. I know that the things I read, the things I watch, the things I listen to, the people I spend time with... all these go to making me the person I am. So I better choose well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/327 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fit-athlete-during-training-on-running-track-3756042/

Abundance. It's a life-changer. I was producing Patti Brunner's podcast, which you should all check out, by the way, it's called Truth of the Spirit. She also does a YouTube video for each episode. PatriarchMinistries.com or you can also get there from PaduaPodcastNetwork.com, where all of our podcasts reside as well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFever.com/325 Photo by Ian Turnell: https://www.pexels.com/photo/assorted-fruits-stall-709567/  

I've been letting my current injuries stop me, and I'm running out of excuses. Today the temperature is 79, and we have probably a little more much-needed rain to go today, but we've been in a heat wave, so for personal health and safety reasons, I couldn't go outside and walk. But I have been walking more as I spend more and more days in the office and not the home office and I get my own groceries, and go to church. My calf is weak but there is virtually no pain that I'm experiencing right now. The physical therapist says no more than a 1/2 mile. No problem there, that's usually how I start back when I've been out for an injury. Today I've let the rain discourage me, but as long-time listeners will know, I walk in all kinds of weather, as long as there isn't lightning or something truly dangerous. The other thing about episode 86, from which today's excerpts come, is activity and beauty. That bachelor party was cool because I was hanging out with friends, some new, some old, and being active, and being out

Due to health issues, I am taking an indefinite break from the show. No new episodes will be published for a while. http://RunningAFEVER.com  

Obsession ... single-mindedness ... tunnel vision. How important is balance to health and longevity? When I say it like that, I think of balance as a kind of scale on which my life activities are weighed, like the scale the blindfolded Lady Justice holds in her hand. In the corporate world, "work-life balance" is a buzzword these days. It's actually one that I take seriously, at least from that perspective. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/323 Photo by Damir Mijailovic: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dancer-in-overpass-bridge-in-city-5654493/  

This episode relates my trip to The Hive, a local restaurant a couple of towns over from where I live. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/322 Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-person-slicing-a-sandwich-with-vegetables-4963610/  

I didn't really witness much patriotism at all on Independence Day this year, though I did attend a fireworks show. The place where my parents live is across the street from an Elks club and they have a show every year, so this year I went. It was nice. Nothing spectacular. I have seen fireworks shows in Boston at both Independence Day and New Year's Day celebrations and those were pretty impressive. And the shows I've seen at our local minor league baseball park, Arvest Park, home of the Arkansas Naturals, have been pretty well done also. But sometimes it's not about the show, it's about who you enjoy it with, and it was nice just sitting back with my folks and watching the pretty sparks fly. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/321 Photo by Baluc Photography : https://www.pexels.com/photo/fireworks-display-in-dubai-6598291/  

We have been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Northwest Arkansas, many consecutive 3-digit temperature days. Sunny days are nice, but at those temperatures, no one should be outside, and the electric bills skyrocket with the air conditioning constantly running all day. One of the things on my long-term to-do list is getting some shade trees planted. I planted some privacy trees a couple of years ago, but they will never be tall enough to provide shade. Long-term to-do list is a nice way of saying things I continually procrastinate. So I mainly just don't go out in these temperatures, but even if it gets down to the chilly 80s, and I'm talking Fahrenheit here, for you people in Europe and any other places where you use Celsius as a temperature scale. In that case, it would be somewhere around 25-30 degrees. Even if it gets that cool, the advice here is good, drink plenty of water, wear loose clothing, and dog tags may help too, so if you die of heat exhaustion, whoever finds you will know where to sen

Yeah, my body, bones, tendons, and muscles are kind of a mess right now. Interesting that the archery bow image was used back then. My podiatrist used this when he explained the fascitis that I started experiencing as soon as the cast came off my ankle. There's a song about the foot bone being connected to the leg bone etc. And it really is all connected. So the very tight Achilles tendon I had could have been taking pressure off the fascia, which is a ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes and forms the arch. Now that there's more play in my Achilles, I'm feeling the tightness of that ligament, which is probably what is causing the pain on the bottom of my heels. Whew! Yeah. So I still think flexibility is key, and I even sort of made a pact with a friend to get into yoga or something. History repeats itself if I don't learn from it. Those annoying old sayings are old for a reason. There's truth there. And the truth is what we seek. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVE

Guess what? There ARE training robots? I put a bunch of links in the show notes; check 'em out. Episode 80 is a good one for me to hear now. Back then I was in physical therapy, and I've got some similar things going on right now, aches and pains and all that jazz. I am actually in physical therapy again as well. So this week I had a covid false alarm and had to cancel PT. Hoping to get back to my three-a-week schedule starting Monday. Both knees are stiff now, and I have the same arm pain that led to the situation I was in in episode 80. So now I know what it is. I stopped doing traction every day, and I stopped doing all those PT homework exercises they had me doing back in '18. The sedentary life I've led for the past couple of years has not helped either, so I am pretty much back at square one. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/318 Photo by Lukas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-survey-spreadsheet-590022/  

Achilles was a mythical great Greek warrior, the son of Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, who, upon his birth, dipped baby Achilles into the River Styx, making him invincible. However, she neglected to let the water cover the heel by which she held him. And so, this was the only part of his body that was vulnerable to injury. He eventually died when he was wounded by an arrow which struck his vulnerable heel, which is why we refer to a person's weakness metaphorically as his "Achilles heel". I've never heard of anyone else dying from a heel injury, which also makes him pretty special, I guess. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/317 Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-wearing-rubber-shoes-7298422/