Shape Up

There is something that many people (including me) forget about at times. That one thing is keeping in shape. If you are out of shape when you need to take to the woods or any other event that would tax your energy and strength, you are not going to survive. I am not talking about going hog-wild and lifting weights, running ten miles a day and doing all kind of other exercises. I am simply talking about being in good enough shape to be very active if the need arises. 

Where do you start? That depends on your age and your present shape. It also depends somewhat on your health. If you have a bad heart, back trouble or some other health problem, there will be some things that you cannot do. If you do have health problems I would definitely suggest checking with your doctor on what is okay for you to do. He may even give you a list of exercises that are okay for you to do. Many writers advise anyone over forty or over fifty to go to a doctor and get a checkup before starting any exercise program. Personally, I am going to leave that up to each individual. I am well past retirement age and do not check with my doctor each time I want to change (especially increase) my exercise program. I feel that I know my own health and that there are things that I can do and things that I cannot do. I would not think about running a marathon but think nothing of walking at a four-mile-per-hour clip for half an hour. 

So, what do I consider a good exercise program? That depends on your age, present health, weight and desires. By desires I mean how fit do you want to get? My first choice for any exercise program is walking. Younger people may want to jog or run. I do not believe in jogging or running as I feel it is hard on the knees. However, I would never discourage anyone who wants to run from doing it. Personally, I walk three times a week, (Mon., Wed. & Fri.) for one-half hour each time. The only running I do is, once a week during my walk I will do wind sprints. I will walk for five minutes then run for fifteen seconds. This is done to improve my breathing. the fifteen second run is a sprint. I go all out and then slow back to my regular walking speed. I do most of my walking on an unpaved road. What the road amounts to is driven down sand. It is a railroad access road that runs along railroad tracks near my home. I do some walking on blacktop, but never on the day that I am going to run. I think that hard surfaces are especially hard on the knees. 

I also try to ride my bicycle at least once a week. My wife and I both have mountain bikes and like to go out to a nearby national wildlife refuge and ride on gravel roads. We ride at a leisurely pace and sometimes ride for a couple of hours. We do stop occasionally to take a drink of water or to observe some wildlife. However, it is still good for the heart, your breathing and your legs. 

As I managed to pick up a middle-age pot belly when I was in my mid-fifties, I try to do some sit-ups or other ab tightening exercise on Tues. and Thurs. If I do not get to them every time it is no big deal. I live on five acres and stay active gardening, cutting and splitting (by hand) firewood and other physical labor around the place. These are the only things that I do to stay fit. At the present time I am about ten or fifteen pounds overweight. This seems to happen every winter as I am not as active and every summer I take it back off. 

To give you some kind of an idea as to the shape I am in, this past month (May 2009) I climbed a local bluff. It is about a half hour climb and a little tricky in places. I forgot to take my GPS so I do not know how high it is but as far as we know I am the oldest person to climb that bluff. I went up with a forty year old construction worker/contractor and his thirteen year old son. They both had been to the top previously, so they knew the way up and which crack and crevices to use. I totally enjoyed the experience.

The only other exercises that I do is some stretching exercises. I normally stretch before I go bicycle riding and before I do my sit-ups. I do not normally stretch before going walking but probably should. 

There you have what I consider survival exercises. One thing that could be added if you have the time and inclination and that is to take up a martial art. It does not matter which one. What matters is that you have a good teacher and that they keep you fit and limber. When I was a little younger I did some martial arts work and it kept me in good shape. You can also do as much more than I do as you want to. I consider what I do as a bare minimum, but it is all I have time for.

Until next time "SURVIVE" and check out my other blog:

http://www.therealamericnpolitics.blogspot.com