Category Archives: Exercise

Get moving

Exercise, Food

A Committed Five Minutes

Leave a comment

Yesterday, my sister told me about a coworker of hers who is so overweight that the weight is really beginning to affect her health. Her health issues have gotten the lady’s attention and she’s ready to make some changes. She has a stationary bike and has committed to ride it for five minutes in the evenings.

Just five minutes.

bike wheel clockIt’s easy to discount that as “no more than five minutes,” but, if you are or have ever been profoundly overweight, you know that it means “I can make it for five minutes. I can do this.” And that is truly how it starts. I’ve said it before (but I think it bears repeating) that many of us think that we have to start an exercise program going all out. I’ve got to run a marathon within the week, after all, no pain no gain, right?

Poppycock!

To begin with, I really did just walk my dogs. I added little accidental exercises throughout the day like parking further from the door or taking my shopping cart all the way back inside the store. Pennies make dollars. Steps make miles and ounces make pounds. The longest journey really does begin with a single step, or, in this case, five minutes on the bike. I am so excited for this lady! She will begin adding minutes before she knows it. She’ll start pushing herself as she sees that it takes longer for her to be out of breath. She’ll celebrate every additional second that she is able to last on the bike.

She’s also beginning to look at her food a different way. After lunch one day, my sister commented to the lady – we’ll call her Willa (like I willa do it) – about her lunch. Willa had eaten a grilled cheese sandwich and french fries. My sister pointed out that while the meal had been filling, there hadn’t been much nutritional substance to it. Willa had fed her body oils and carbohydrates with just the teensiest bit of calcium and protein hidden away in there. They started talking about nutritionally dense options, which makes “dieting”so much easier. At least my sister and I think so, meaning that 100% of Doty girls surveyed agreed – a HUGE margin!

It’s just like when I was a lifeguard. We were taught that after blowing the whistle to get a swimmer’s attention, give them a positive action since they typically hear only the last word you say. For instance, if a kid was running, rather than shouting “don’t run!” I yelled “walk!” The word told them what they could do rather than what they couldn’t. It seemed to work well with the water-logged kiddies and it works just as well with sugar-addicted goddesses.

So, join me in celebrating Willa’s baby steps towards better health and let’s stop focusing on restrictions that make us feel deprived and, instead, focus on freedoms that make us feel more empowered.

Exercise, Food, Habits, Social Issues

Wet Hair Doesn’t Cause Diabetes

2 Comments

“Get in here and get dried off before you catch your death of a cold!”

How many times did you hear that growing up? Luckily, my mother didn’t cut short my playtime in the rain with that silly sentiment. Playing in the rain or going outside with wet hair does not give you a cold. Contact with several viral bodies of a rhinovirus does.  Playing in the rain or going out with wet hair may lower your body’s ability to ward off infection, which would make you more susceptible to the virus, increasing your risk of developing a cold.

The actions still didn’t “make” you get a cold any more than eating fast food “makes” you get diabetes.

diabetes memeNow, hold on there, sister! Haven’t you been spouting for months and months that the unhealthy American diet causes diabetes and heart disease?

Well, without rereading every single post, I can’t say that I didn’t phrase it that way; however, if I did, I misspoke (or miswrote, whatever). I was reminded of that this weekend when a childhood friend shared the meme you see here.  There are several different types of diabetes; but there are two main types that we’ll talk about now – Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 diabetes used to be called juvenile diabetes because its onset normally occurs before age 30. For whatever reason, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. My great-grandmother had this type of diabetes and my friend’s son has it.  They both drew the short straw on this one. They were going to become diabetic regardless of what they ate or did. According to the Mayo Clinic, somewhere between 5 and 10% of diabetics have this type.

Type 2 diabetes used to be called adult onset diabetes and I’ll give you one guess to figure out why. This is the kind that I’m normally talking about when I refer to the effects of obesity. Roughly 90% of diabetics have this type. Of those, about 80% are obese. According to the International Diabetes Foundation, obesity is a factor that increases the risk of diabetes; but, it’s only one of several risk factors. None of them cause diabetes, per se, but they significantly increase the risk a person has of developing the disease. Wait a minute! What about that other 20%? The ones who are not obese? Like my great-grandmother, those diabetics drew the short straw, too. Either they were exposed to some other factor or they were going to become diabetic regardless of what they did.

The human body is a ridiculously complex organism and our environments are no less complex. How our environments and behaviors affect our bodies is, well, it’s frankly too much for me to consider this time of day. My mind is boggled at the mere notion. While we like to think that we are smart enough to know all of the answers, the billions of dollars that are spent each year in disease cause and cure research remind us that we’re not as smart as we think we are. We are still figuring the relationships between genes, environment, disease and organism. We don’t know exactly how they all fit together and, it’s my belief, that we never will.

Just as non-smokers develop lung cancer and teetotalers develop cirrhosis of the liver, people with healthy lifestyles develop diabetes. It just happens that way sometimes. Those people were either genetically predisposed for it or were affected by some other environmental factor. Have you been affected by a factor like that? Have I? There’s really no way for us to know until we develop the disease or we don’t. That’s out of our control.

So, the smart move here is to control those things that we can control, like the risk factors related to lifestyle. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat them in a more natural state. Exercise often.

And, for goodness sake, before you catch your death of a cold, wash your hands and don’t touch your face. Here’s a tissue.

 

 

 

 

Body Changes, Exercise, Food

A Sure Thing

Leave a comment

“Psst! Hey, buddy! Over here. I gotta tip for you in the third. Starduster. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s a sure thing.” racing form

Uh-huh. Right. Nothing’s a sure thing….except when it is.

I’ve shared with you that for several months I felt very angry that I failed at some things professionally despite doing what I was told would ensure success. Get a degree. Check. Put in more effort than required at work. Check. Well, nothing really ensures success, does it? I’ve spent decades working and doing my very best, believing that professional success and appropriate compensation would follow. Only it didn’t happen that way and I was some seriously ticked off about it.

Yesterday, I was talking to my son and that subject of “if-then” arose – “If I work hard, then I will be rewarded.” We talked about how disappointing it is when you realize that the “then” you want doesn’t necessarily follow every “if.”

Except in MMORPGs, diet and exercise.

If I put in the time and effort on, say, World of Warcraft, my character will level up. It will gain the power I need for it to have to accomplish the goals I have for it….or so I’m told. I don’t know from massive multi-player online role playing games. I don’t have the patience for them; but, given their enormous popularity with a wide range of people, clearly, others do have that patience.

In terms of diet and exercise, the MMORPG king and I discussed the American culture of helplessness and victimhood, and how that shows in our increasing waistlines. “My family are all big-boned.” “It’s my genes. All my family are big; so, I’m going to be big, too.” “I don’t have time to eat healthy. It’s drive-thru or nothing.” “I travel too much and it’s impossible to eat healthy on the road.”

Poppycock.

Unless your family are brontosaurus, you’re not THAT big-boned. Now, okay, so there are some real, physiological reasons for obesity – hypothyroidism for one – that make it extremely difficult for a person to achieve and/or maintain a healthy weight. And, while eating healthfully at restaurants isn’t easy, it is possible. So, that list is total crap. Just garbage lies that we tell ourselves – and I say “ourselves” because I told myself many of those very same lies. And, worse, I believed them!

We are not victims of our genes. We are not helpless against circumstances. We have the power to make the changes….if we want to.

Here’s a sure thing: if we change the food we eat to primarily plant-based foods (limiting refined sugars and with only a small percentage of those foods being from grains) we will achieve and maintain a healthy weight. If we exercise regularly, conscientiously, and correctly, we will see changes in our bodies. Period. Those are truths you can take to the bank.

If I stop ordering burgers and fries and, instead, order salads (and use only the tiniest portion of the dressing) at the drive-thru, I will lose weight. If I go to the gym three to four times a week and I lift weights as guided by a knowledgeable personal trainer, I will see results. My muscles will become more defined. I will become stronger. My body will burn energy more effectively. It will happen.

I hear people say all of the time that they “can’t lose weight.” Pardon me, but at the risk of repeating myself, that’s crap. I’ll buy that they haven’t been able to lose weight before – I’ve been on those same diets; but, I will not accept that they are unable to do it…ever. There’s no cosmic jury that points at us and says, “That one. The one with the red hair and the mole by her lip. Let’s make her fat forever. Let’s make her think that she can lose weight when she really can’t.” (insert maniacal laughter) NO! THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN! I’m the redhead with the mole. I’m living proof.

For far too long, I believed that Fat was my only sure reality. Now, three years and 94 pounds later, I know that my only sure reality is the one I chose. In the world of diet and exercise, IF I eat appropriately and exercise committedly, THEN I will see results.

It’s a sure thing.

 

 

 

Exercise, Thought Patterns

Just Because…A Human Lives Here, Too

3 Comments

“I’ll take ‘Blog Goddess Jon Anne Doty’ for $1000, Alex”

“Fastidious Housekeeper”

“What is ‘apt description’?”

“No, I’m sorry! What we were looking for there was ‘What is an implausible epitaph’?”

les-miserables-madame thenardierYeah, that’s what will happen if I’m ever a Jeopardy category. Some poor schmuck (who never read my blog) will lose a grand. Fastidious housekeeper? Me? In the immortal words of Madame Thenardier: Don’t make me laugh!

My Just Because plan for the weekend was stormed out. I had planned to go to Normandy Lake and learn to paddle board; however, scattered and isolated thunderstorms were predicted all weekend long and I spent WAY too much time as a swimming instructor and lifeguard to even think about going on the water in a storm. While I was thinking about a Plan B, I began to do a little housework and, soon, cleaning my house became my Plan B.

Now, you’re probably thinking that housecleaning is more of a Have To than a Just Because. Well, here’s the thing: because of my bizarre schedule, when I’m at home, I’m usually writing or asleep, mostly asleep. I do dishes, floors, laundry and the stuff I have to do to function; but, dusting, window cleaning, floor scrubbing, and closet organization just doesn’t happen. If it’s pretty on the weekend, I want to be outside in the sun before I really do turn into a vampire. I don’t want to be inside doing housework. So I don’t. However, as a result, sometimes it’s a little hard to tell that a human lives in this house with the Horde.

So, on Saturday, after breakfast with co-workers at a local buffet (more on that tomorrow) and a trip to the Farmers’ Market on the Square, I did household chores. I took off my recycling, shampooed carpets, washed curtains and windows, bathed dogs, flea-treated cats, organized closets and drawers, scrubbed floors, and donated clothes. Today, I will finish organizing the kitchen, wash linens, iron clothes (while watching movies), and read.

And, when I go to sleep, I will be tired. I will still be disappointed that I didn’t get to paddle board; but, ultimately, I will be okay with the rain that kept me indoors. Just Because my house is once again a home.

Exercise, Thought Patterns

Play It Again, Stella

1 Comment

As I think I’ve mentioned, I have quite the menagerie – two dogs, four indoor cats, and several feral kitties that I feed. So, when my friend Sean (he of the fabulous socks) and his wife had only two dogs themselves, theirs would come join our pack when the Opreas would go out of town. (Click on the link. Yes, Sean and Erin really do look like that. Crazy fit!)

241913_10150981526903197_988149809_oAnyway, they have this one Lab mix named Stella. Stella has had some traumatic events in her life and has rather a unique personality as a result. But one thing about her is all Labrador – that dog loves to fetch! As a human, this game has a short life-span for me. Five or ten throws and I’m pretty much done. Not Stella! She will bring the ball back to you to throw again and again until you throw your arm off with it. Then, she’ll bring the ball AND your arm back to you. She just loves to play.

Which reminds me of children and how they love to play. As adults, we lose a lot of that. We run for exercise, to make a meeting or to beat that extreme couponer to the check-out line. We don’t run “just because.” Now think about toddlers. When was the last time you saw a toddler walk anywhere? They typically don’t. They run. They run because it’s new to them. They run because everything around them is exciting and they want to get in on it as soon as possible. They run because they can. They run for joy.

As adults, it is SO easy to let the day-to-day slog of going to work, paying bills, fixing leaky faucets, grocery shopping, vet visits, etc., to drain our joy. Under daily pressures, the easiest thing in the world to forget is to have fun – real belly laughing fun.

This weekend, do something just for the fun of it. Go to a movie or to a batting cage. Play miniature golf or regular golf. Go for a swim or a hike. Lie on a blanket on the grass. Do something “just because.”

I’ve already got a “just because” planned for myself. Check back with me on Monday to see how it went. Until then, enJOY your weekend and your holiday!

Remember to play.

Body Changes, Exercise, Thought Patterns

Memories of Beast Mode

7 Comments

I’ve never climbed Mt. Everest and, unless they install escalators and coffee shops the whole way up, it’s unlikely that I ever will. Just watching movies about it makes me feel cold and winded. In spite of my inexperience, I’ve made a couple of assumptions. For instance, I assume that the first climb is the most difficult. Subsequent climbs probably aren’t a cakewalk; but, I assume that, in those climbs, there is both comfort and confidence in the knowledge of a previous successful climb.

Bodhi, my workout, um, partner
Ferocious Jungle Kitty Bodhi, my workout … um … partner

Yesterday, I did my exercises (planks, leg lifts, squats, sit-ups and push-ups) and I struggled with them. Part of the struggle was more with the Ferocious Jungle Kitty Bodhi who was “helping” me plank. (He’s really not as helpful as he thinks he is.) The rest of the struggle was with my muscles that are just weak! As I did my three sets of ten push-ups….with open hands….on my knees, I remembered when I was kickboxing. I was able to do my push-ups on the first two knuckles of my fists and on my toes. I could do sit-ups until I got bored with doing them. I was strong – stronger than I’ve ever been in my life! I was practically G.I. Jane, man! I was a beast!

I was. But that was two years ago.

Rats.

Just thinking about it made my spirits flag and sapped my energy. At that point, I had a couple of choices:

  1. I could continue down that road of thinking about what I lost – what I let go, really – my strength and fitness. I could revert to my old self-defeating thought patterns that end up with me in the freezer section with a spoon, or
  2. I could strengthen my newer, empowering thought patterns that end up with me being a beast.

I chose to feed the right wolf.

Okay, so I’m no beast today. But, like the climber, I know I’ve done it before. It really does give me comfort and confidence that I can do it again. While my schedule and budget don’t allow for kickboxing anymore, I do have a living room floor and can do a great deal of strength training using my own body weight. While I will still be on my open hands, resting on my knees for tomorrow’s push-ups, I know that in a few weeks, I’ll be on my toes again. And, in a few more weeks, I’ll be back on my knuckles.

I am strong. I am determined. I am capable.

And I’ve climbed this mountain before.

Exercise

Departure Time

Leave a comment

As I shared with you awhile ago, my mother took me to the American cemetery at Normandy the summer I was 18. That afternoon quite literally changed my life. It gave me an appreciation for soldiers in general and World War II solders in specific that I had not had before. This weekend, my appreciate for those men and women grew even more.

My friend Ryan works for a group called The Collings Foundation. They are on their 25th anniversary Wings of Freedom tour where they go all around the country with restored B-17, B-24 and P-51 aircraft. They give people the opportunity to tour the aircraft and (the best) to go for rides on them! On Saturday, I went for a little ride on the B-24 aptly named Witchcraft. Even before take-off, I was completely bewitched. My face hurt from all the smiling I was doing and all I could say was, “Oh, wow!”

Here are a few of the photos I took:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you live in or near Bowling Green, KY, the aircraft are there today and tomorrow. Other upcoming stops are:

  • Jeffersonville, IN
  • Lexington, KY
  • Altoona, PA
  • Belmar, NJ
  • Wilmington, DE
  • Cape May, NJ
  • Farmingdale, NY
  • Oxford, CT
  • Norwood, MA
  • Hyannis, MA
  • White Plains, NY
  • Morristown, NJ
  • Westminster, MD

The Greatest Generation is dying off quickly. If you know any of those vets, talk to them, listen to their amazing stories. And, if you live near any of the cities listed, do yourself a favor, check out the tour schedule and go see or take a ride on these beautiful, historic aircraft.

Exercise

Feeling Soxy

7 Comments

(Ba dum dum)

Yesterday we talked about how crucial it is that you wear the right shoes when you’re walking, running, or standing for long periods. It took me a while to learn it at work; but, after I learned it, I’ve had several great conversations with coworkers on what shoes have worked best for them. I get as many different answers as the number of people I talk to. But, another issue that comes up nearly every time is socks.

Yes, socks.

I discounted it for ages. I mean, really. How much difference can a sock make? It’s a little woven thing, for crying out loud. I can see where its breathability would make a difference, but the cushion? Nah.

Well, that was my opinion before my sweet friend Sean (the jerk and personal trainer) gave me some Nike Dri-Fit socks for my birthday. Before I wore them, I was perfectly happy with my inexpensive little white socks from Target.

nike dri-fit socksThen I wore these and I am no longer content with my cheap little socks.

Turns out, these socks truly do make an appreciable difference. In fact, I was shocked at the difference. I don’t know if it’s the little bit of cushioning at the heel and toe, if it’s ribbing around the arch, or if it’s the material keeping my feet dry. I imagine it’s a combination since the effect is probably the result of a significant investment by Nike in the development of these little wonders. These socks do cost more than my socks-by-the-bag; however, the cost is totally worth the difference in how my feet, knees, and hips feel at the end of a shift.

Because I spend so much time on my feet at work and because my knees are not really ready for it, I have not started running again – although I do dream about it. I’m interested to see the difference the socks make on a run.

I’d love to hear from you if you know!

So, again, the right tools for the job – when framing a house, use a Stiletto hammer, not a ball-peen one. To avoid blisters, wear gloves that fit. When running, walking, or standing, wear the right shoe for the surface and duration. And to keep your feet really cozy, wear the right socks.

Dang that Sean for increasing my sock budget! Bless the man for making my feet more comfy.

Exercise

Stiletto Is a Hammer and Mizuno Is a Tool

5 Comments

I think I’ve told you about how much I stand and walk at work. I sit down for no more than 45 minutes over the course of my 10.5 hour shift. Some nights I stand in one place for most of that; other nights I walk the whole night. In either case, I’m on my feet. Back in November, when I was working as a peer coach, I did walked all night, every night. One Sunday morning, my feet hurt so badly that I literally could not walk. I crawled from one sitting place to another until the naproxen kicked in.

A "pair" of shoes I once took to another job so that I could take a walk at lunch.
A “pair” of shoes I once took to another job so that I could take a walk at lunch.

I never knew feet could hurt that badly! The bones in the balls of my feet felt like shards grinding against each other with every movement. It was agony!

The very next shift I worked found me at the nurses’ office asking about shoes. The nurse on duty told me to get either: 1) hiking boots, 2) trail running shoes, or 3) cross-trainers. He said that the higher the model number, the better the support would be for me walking on concrete. He also told me to get at least two pairs and to alternate them. The air bubbles in the soles require about 24 hours of rest to get back to their original shape.

I had been wearing a single pair of regular running shoes. After a 50-hour work week, their soles were pancake flat! No wonder my feet hurt!

I took the nurse’s advice and bought two pairs of New Balance cross-trainers from Joe’s New Balance Outlet online. I got some really terrific shoes at a great price and they were narrow, too! I have a really hard time finding shoes that fit my narrow feet well and was ecstatic to find shoes that fit me on that site.

Six months passed and the shoes finally became so fatigued that they no longer provided the support I needed. Logic would say that since I was so happy with my purchases from Joe’s before, I would go back there again, right? Oh, please! I had to try something new.

I bought three pairs of Saucony shoes at a local store for about the same per pair cost as Joe’s. Walking around the store in the shoes, they were heavenly. They were not so heavenly after walking on concrete for several hours. Only one pair of them is really designed to hold up to that kind of wear. The other two pairs are really made more for running and they just don’t provide support for long hours.

So, I’ve learned my lesson.

Just like with anything else: use the right tools for the job. Running shoes are for running. Their spring provides just the support needed for a nice run; however, for hours of walking on concrete, they fall flat……really flat….painfully flat. Walking on stone calls for a firmer sole, like the one found on cross-trainers, trail runners and hiking boots.

Um, just like the nurse told me.

Exercise, Thought Patterns

When It’s Enough Progress

2 Comments

20140420_150449-002Okay. So is it murder or justifiable homicide if I run down one of my neighbors with the lawnmower? (This is assuming I could catch them with the push model.) Alright, alright. It’s bad form. But what if they provoked me by saying that my “man should out there taking care of the yard work?”  The “man” in this case is a nine-year-old black labrador who was, at that moment, sitting in the backyard either: A) licking himself, or B) eating grass in preparation for the 2 AM living room barf-a-thon he had planned.

I’m not kidding, this happens to me regularly – strangers walk past my house and make this comment while I’m working in the yard. It floors me every single time and I still have no appropriate response to such an inappropriate statement.

What’s wrong with me doing my yard work? I happen to like it – well, now that I’m not 100 pounds overweight and subject to heat stroke at any second during the process.

It’s great exercise and a wonderful way to use the sun to boost mood. As a Reluctant Vampire, I see the sun only a few hours during the week and usually only one day during the weekend. Yesterday, I spent nearly all the daylight hours outside and it was fantastic!

In recent months, in addition to neglecting much of my housework, my blog, my correspondence, etc., I have neglected my yard, making my home look more deserted than not. Last weekend found me cleaning out the flower beds, the gutters and the roof. This weekend found me clearing up debris and completing an annual chore I dread – mowing down the Fairy Ring.

20140420_150355-001Long before I bought this house, there was a large tree in the middle of the yard surrounded by grape hyacinths. While the tree is long gone, every year, this ring of tiny, purple flowers appears and I am enchanted. They remind me of A Day in Fairyland, one of my favorite childhood books; so, although I know that real fairy rings are made of mushrooms, I always think of this dainty, purple circle as one. Sue me. Anyway, I just love them and hate to mow them down. Still, rumor has it that I’m an adult; so, I must take care of my responsibilities as I can. That means mowing the yard when I have the opportunity, which was yesterday – before the flowers were finished blooming.

I finished the front yard, but not the side or back yards. Exhausted, I called it a day.

Show of hands: who all thought that being a grown-up would be all about eating whatever you wanted and staying up as late as you wanted? Yup. Me, too. This whole adult thing has turned out to be nothing like it looked in the brochure. The list of things needing attention always seems to be more extensive than either the time or the energy available to address it. The list of bills always seems to outstrip the funds handy to settle it. Things never seem to get to a point where I can really relax and say truthfully, “Everything is done.”

Everything is never done.

So, I suppose that being an adult is less about bedtimes and more about pacing – knowing how to prioritize, how to reprioritize and when to call it a day.