2011 Highlights

Mug shot in the Nordic style of woodcarving from Wisconsin

Mid-summer rain Hiking in North Carolina

I had a busy summer.  I read several good books on training, attended a conference and numerous workshops on Functional Training.  I kept clients busy with workouts between my weekend trips and longer family vacations.  I went to Missouri, Wisconsin, and North Carolina this year leaving only Oklahoma for next year when it's 20 year high-school reunion time!  

Racing and training with Wheelworks Multisport went well.  I even won my division at the Quassy Rev3 race (photos link) in Connecticut and at the Whaling City race in New Bedford, but still, nothing motivated me to write articles.    

Then in July August, and September my trips to see family travels and to race in several new triathlons (USAT Age Group Nationals in Burlington, VT and the Pumpkinman Half-Ironman in southern Maine) kept me running strong with my fastest paces ever in triathlon and juggling clients around my travel times.  

Healthy good veggies from home

 Food continued to be a minor and fun obsession over the summer.  Fresh veggies from our Red Fire Farm CSA share filled us with kale and summer squash.  These were once again my staples for Paleo-influenced eating as whole veg, low grain eating became more my norm. I ditched a lot of sugar and refined grains except when mandated by homemade holiday celebration treats including fine pastry and sometimes, yes, homemade toffee.  There were also a few take-out treats like this meringue cookie found after seeing the Boston Ballet's Nutcracker.

Snowman that doesn't melt...he's meringue!

I barely spent any time on the computer with blogging.  August had me strong with group workouts and a good, lean body fat percent, but still nothing to write about.  Waiting for inspiration to strike, I left blogging and followed twitter feeds on exercise and health more closely.  I also joined the Google+ social networking site but still found it dull compared to Facebook.  Breaking news on exercise science and the latest tips to motivate healthier lifestyles didn't turn my head for long.  I tweeted and I waited for dialog or feedback of any kind, not just the ego-stoking retweets, but it all felt moot.  There was so much more summer to enjoy -- so I went to the river and took up rowing!    

Sculling Level 1 class was a good time!

Single person rowing, or sculling, became a minor obsession in my Tues/Thurs adult lessons at Community Rowing Inc  How I wish I'd discovered crew and ERG'ing while back at UC Berkeley and living in the Bay Area, California, not Massachusetts.  It could have been pretty great to row back then as I'm learning it a little late now.  At least I'm eating well and healthier than ever even if my local access to produce isn't quite as bountiful.

A beautifully balanced salmon salad eaten in SF, CA in Dec 2011

Finally in late October fall really did arrive and I got very busy again with clients.  My hours with SunnyDayFitness clients (~5 per week) and Healthworks clients (~25 per week) took over my planning and marketing time.  I was all about the hustle this fall, and now I feel a little sad for it.  How could I let my writing go for so long without notice?  Who did I disappoint by not sharing more ideas more often?  Anyone?  No one?  I won't really know, but I do know that I feel bad that I missed those months and wrote so little. 

So maybe you fell behind on something, too?  Could 2012 be your year to step back into stride with that lost passion for exercise?  Maybe returning to the old exercise habits won't do this time around?  Let me know if you are looking for something new, OK?  We just might find it together in 2012.  Get in touch if I can help or comment on "What you missed in 2011 and want to find in the new year".

Peaceful and Happy Holidays

Getting older, Not fatter

Getting older gracefully is something many aspire to do.  Some people, however, want more than that.  Flying into our 90s is the dream... right? Look at Olga up there -- she's flying!!  She wants to age with speed, agility, and athletic achievements in age-group competitions.  But getting to the top of "masters" divisions or the "senior games" isn't as easy as it used to be for the Olgas of the world.

Nowdays instead of ever-shrinking 65-70 and 75-80 year old competition brackets, they're growing...  more about that in a future article  But first, the bad news remains:  we lose 10% of our lean muscle every decade.  Only strength training and regular exercise can prevent muscle loss.  Left unchecked, the lost muscle is replaced with fat.  

So for a woman who starts out in her 20s or 30s with a relatively healthy 80% lean, 20% fat body she'll enter her 40s with a 70% lean, 30% fat even IF her weight stays the same.  Her sizes will go up ever so slightly and it may "not matter much" at first, but there are consequences:   

Everything feels pudgy.  Energy levels drop.  Life gets harder.  

People already in their 40s and 50s folks know that losing weight gets harder as we age, and why is that?  It's because the metabolic engine that is our lean muscle mass is getting eaten away.  Like termites gnawing away at wood, fat creeps in to replace our muscle as our own bodies only naturally conserve and build strength in youth but atrophy with age.  

Hormones have a role in this process, no doubt, but rather than hitting the needles and popping pills... why not use the muscle you have to conserve the metabolism you need to age gracefully and healthfully.  

As reported by the NY Times, there is inspiration to be found in the 80-year olds who stay fit with good, old-fashioned work.  Consistency is the key.  And researchers learning more about aging every year:  

Some researchers now see aging itself as a kind of mitochondrial disease. Defective mitochondria appear as we get older, and these researchers say that they rob us of endurance, strength and function. There’s evidence that for young patients with mitochondrial disease, exercise is a potent tool, slowing the symptoms. If that’s true, then exercise could also potentially be a kind of elixir of youth, combating the ravages of aging far more than we thought.

Sunny and SunnyDayFitness training sessions can help you, Olga, or anyone interested in aging gracefully.  Why don't you e-mail Sunny for a complimentary session today?