It was over 100 degrees, here in Texas, as my son graduated high school.
Our out of town guests weren't buying the "But it's 'dry' heat" line. So, much of the weekend was spent eating and searching for air-conditioning.
Sometimes it is just too hot to trot.
Exercise Frequency Goes Down as the Heat Goes Up.
The Economist recently printed a chart showing that people who live in colder states exercise more than those who live in warm ones.
A recent report by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declares that only 64% of Americans surveyed can be described as physically active (defined as over 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or half as much vigorous activity). Almost a quarter get no exercise at all outside the workplace.
The report offers a breakdown of exercisers by state. In general, it seems that people who live in cold states like Alaska are more likely to get their weekly work-out than those in sunny Florida.
The biggest outliers from this correlation are Hawaii, where 70% are energetic, and Tennessee, which has the lowest percentage of active people despite a lower average temperature than several other states.
If you could only accomplish one goal, yet it would only take 24-hours to achieve, which goal would have the greatest positive impact on your life?
What a great question! After you answer it, set a deadline to accomplish that goal ... and (here's the important part) do something to work on it, or take you towards it, every day.
They started showing up at the gym I go to ... then someone in the office wore them when we worked-out together. Part of me thought it was "pretentious", and another part thought it was "silly"; turns out ... they are worth trying.
Here's a confession; I'm now of an age where it made sense to judge a workout by how much my feet and ankles swell. The well-cushioned athletic shoes that I have been wearing, do such a good job of masking impact that I wasn't noticing how my running form was hurting my body. Instead, I just thought the damage was simply a result of getting older.
Apparently, I just forgot how to run. A few weeks in those silly looking barefoot running shoes has made a huge difference.
Studies show that barefoot running prevents injury, and can even enhance performance! A professor at Harvard led a research team that looked at the "impact collision force" (when the foot hits the ground) of runners in shoes compared to barefoot runners. The impact was actually reduced by two-thirds by running in bare feet. Basically the difference is in how the foot lands on the ground. Barefoot runners land each step more on the ball, or the middle of the foot, which is more gentle to the foot.
In contrast, runners in traditional athletic shoes tend to land more on the heel. As a result, our thickly-cushioned modern running shoes may actually be causing stress on our joints and feet because we're not landing the way we were meant to do while running.
If you decide to try out this age-old running style, it's best to gradually transition yourself for a few weeks. Listen to the signals from your body. Otherwise, you may feel sore while you get "back on your feet" - and start using muscles you probably forgot you had.
Trying to lead a healthier lifestyle? This data visualization can help you filter-out the marketing hype to help you find the vitamins, minerals and herbs that deliver tangible benefits ... versus those that serve only as a "Guaranteed Genuine Placebo".
This is an updated interactive model of the most current research data.
It is interesting because of the health research itself ... and also because models, like this, have far-reaching applications. It comes from the site Information is Beautiful.
Heather Dorniden, from the University of Minnesota, races the 600m at the Big 10 Indoor Track Championships. What happens reminds what a race really is about ... and, perhaps, what life is really about.
You never know where a spark of inspiration will come from. Sometimes you get it from a quote or a story; other times it might come from a question ...
The truth is that sources of inspiration are always there for you. The question is whether you are looking for them or notice them when they show up.
Here's a source that I value for its practical wisdom and insights.
"Today Is Your Day to Win" is a series of 99 daily lessons, delivered by e-mail. On more than a few occasions, it brought me a message right when I needed it.
It is written by Mike Brescia of Think Right Now, and it doesn't cost a cent. Of course, to get the benefit, you will have to invest some time and mental cycles to consider the content.
"What can I do now that will prepare me for tomorrow?"
------------------------------ Today's Fast Session ------------------------------
Often the most frustrating thing that any of us feel on a regular basis is to want something really bad, and not be able to get it right away.
Yes, it's frustrating. But it's usually not realistic, is it? ...
It's getting so that it's increasingly rare to find people who are truly willing to put in the requisite time necessary to get the traits or items they want. Our world today is trying to teach us that we must get what we want immediately; that it's our right. And that's why so many of us are jealous, smoke or drink, are overweight, use drugs, etc. ...
Life is NOT like school.
In school, you can trick yourself into thinking you're doing great if you cram for exams and get decent scores. It is possible to get fairly good grades for a while that way.
But you don't learn it. You're likely to just remember it until the exam is over... maybe.
That's why new college graduates often find it difficult to find a decent paying job. Companies like successful work experience. In college, you can fool the system and yourself. In the professional world and in most other areas of life, it's a lot tougher. Almost impossible.
Real life is truly like a farm.
On the farm, you must move the rocks, buy seeds and all the other stuff, plant the seeds, buy and maintain the equipment, pull weeds, keep the pests away, water the crops, buy and sell the animals, feed them, nurse the sick ones back to health, fertilize, etc. And you need to keep up with it all everyday...
Or you won't have a crop at the end of the season.
Life is like this, too. Just like a farm, you can't "cram" in life. Don't be fooled. Don't believe the lies that others want you to believe. You want to believe it. I know you do. But think.
The people who have the things you want earned them. And don't believe they just got lucky. Luck takes work.
Put the effort in today and you'll get luckier and luckier. Will it be immediately? Probably not. Beat this into your head... Anything worth having takes time to get it.
When I'm tempted to believe that I should have something (before I've earned it), I think of my grandparents.
They owned a farm.
And I realize that life can be long and that I can't put tomorrow before today.
Then I look at my goal, put my shoulder down and keep going...
They say memory is the second thing to go, as you get older … but I forget the first.
However, based on how hard it is getting for me to see at night (and the fact that I now have little flashlights stashed all over the place), my guess is that eyesight is the first thing to go.
It turns out that my vision wasn't as bad as I thought it was; but my choice of lighting was worse than I realized.
In an attempt to be environmentally conscious and have light bulbs that supposedly last longer, I started purchasing these strange curly fluorescent bulbs. My mind told me that they were fine, but my experience proved otherwise.
Recently, I switched to the natural spectrum bulbs from Verilux, and it's like somebody finally turned the light on. Externally, they may look the same, but they make a big difference. I can read again, my eyes don't hurt at the end of the day, and that strange tint on photos or web-cam videos is replaced with a much more natural palette of colors.
Coincidentally, I'm reading a book by Temple Grandin, an autistic woman with insights into how natural surroundings either calm or disturb animals and humans. According to her book, it turns out that one of the primary anxiety triggers is fluorescent lighting and its incessant flickering.
We spend so much time thinking about what we put in our bodies (like organic foods or vitamins), but to feel healthy we also should think about what we surround our body with ... and a full natural spectrum of light is a good start.
There are times in life when it is hard to imagine finding a path to victory.
So often the answer is as simple as committing to the outcome desired, showing-up, playing full-out, and giving your best until there is absolutely nothing left.
