After injuring my shoulder a few weeks ago, I finally realized that my workout regimen during the past 7 years was causing me problems. Although I gained strength in certain movements and learned to move more gracefully, I over-specialized. This contributed to injuries, lack of progress, a general loss of strength, overuse and muscle imbalances….
Core Exercise
Although I write about fitness and exercise fairly regularly, I suspect that very few people who know me realize how important it is to me. Those who know me well know that I workout regularly. They occasionally comment on my early morning workouts referring to my dedication, willpower, fitness compared to my peers, etc. It’s…
Death Of A Kettlebell Icon
Recently, I learned that someone I admired died last year. Steve Cotter was the founder of the International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation. When it comes to kettlebell training and fitness, Steve was an icon. I first learned about using kettlebells from his book and videos in 2012. In fact, I just reordered his book last…
Newsbreak
During the 2 week Christmas through New Year’s holiday there was a dearth of news, podcasts and minute-by-minute Trump updates. I expected this. It was a relief. I listened to more music. I found alternative podcasts covering different subjects outside of current events and doom forecasting. The last time I noticed this much relief was…
Underwater
Since I stopped swimming a few days ago, I felt like a weight has been removed from my shoulders. I wasn’t expecting to feel this way. I guess all the little annoyances that accompanied swimming bothered me more than I had realized. Or, I put up with them because IIWII. But now that I don’t…
Focusing On The Small Stuff
I mentioned my nagging shoulder injury in my last post. Over the past 6 weeks or so that it has been bothering me I’ve taken a number of steps to deal with it: All of this enabled me to function – somewhat. But the constant pain and lack of improvement drove me to go to…
Weakling
A week or so before Christmas I tweaked my glute and left leg. I hoped it was a minor strain – which has been a regular consequence due to my age, active lifestyle and unrealistic obstinacy regarding my physical capabilities at times. Then, on Christmas eve, it got worse. I recognized it was a sciatica…
Let There Be Light
I hate being cold. But since I live in North Carolina I have to deal with it every winter. A few weeks ago our first winter forecast called for low temps in the single digits. I thought about how cold I’d be walking the dogs. I thought about how I’d be shivering for hours while…
No Easy Answers
Online and in media, people often ask: These make for compelling (I guess) sound bites, interview closing lines and Twitter posts. However, beyond providing distractive entertainment and content filler, they don’t help anyone. For life’s biggest problems, there aren’t no easy answers and no shortcuts. You don’t need someone to provide easy answers. If these…
There Is No Safety Net
On a recent Money For Couples episode a couple in their early 50s said they wanted to pay for their children’s college and provide a “financial safety net” for the children’s future. Without hesitation, Ramit said, “You cannot afford to pay for your children’s college. There is no safety net. You don’t have enough money.”…