Blood Pressure Tests

Just Do It

Just Do It

Do you know your blood pressure? And do you know your resting heart rate?  How often do you check?  Do you know how and why you have the numbers you do?

Also known as a no-brainer, putting it off and being afraid to know are not good. I check it virtually every time I’m in a Wal-Mart or Publix Grocery Store, for free, at one of those testing stations.

What would happen to your results if you walked five days each week, fitting in 15-30 minutes (or more) each time? And what would happen if you did that for five years in a row?

Last night’s results at Wal-Mart:

Show Me The Money

Show Me The Money

Share

Merry Christmas from Lane 8

And on this day was born a child.  In a manger, at the stable. No room at the Inn.  And they called him Emmanuel.

Impossible?

Perhaps nothing is impossible.  Perhaps impossible is nothing.

Lane 8 is a simple website and blog.  Even the first Lane 8 business card was handmade, in five minutes. And  5,000 were printed and taken to Finland.

August, 2009, in Lahti, Finland, the Master’s Track & Field World Championships drew 5,300 athletes from 80 Countries, with the same Olympic spirit as the official Olympic Games.

Many of the Master’s athletes celebrate Christmas, and that little boy everyone calls Emmanuel.

Lane 8 is simply a humble beginning. Not at all unlike a child born in a stable.

Lane 8, Finland, 2009

Lane 8, Finland, 2009

Merry Christmas from Lane 8.

Handmade t-shirt, Finland

Handmade t-shirt, Finland

Peace on Earth, good will toward men.

Share

Gold’s Gym Was Packed Yesterday

My son and I went to Gold’s Gym yesterday.  It was packed.  That’s great to see.  Yet even though Gold’s Gym was crowded, the people exercising represent such a small portion of the population.

When I drive to and from work, or on errands, there are occasional joggers along the way. Again, a small portion.

Maybe the ones who exercise regularly are missing the boat.  Perhaps they are the crazy ones.  Wasting their time on the frivolous pursuit of a sound body.  Not a perfect body.  A sound body.

Wasting their time and energy by rearranging their schedules to make exercise fit.  Passing on “delicious” foods, or skipping second helpings, in an effort to practice healthy moderation.

What’s wrong with that small portion of the population?  What a bunch of self-indulgent individuals.  They remind me of the people on the airplane who put the oxygen mask on first, before offering to help the person next to them.

Share

People Like Being Unhealthy

People Like Being Unhealthy.  In fact, you probably like being unhealthy.  And odds are you know a lot of people who also like to be unhealthy.

Right?

Absolutely.  Why?  I have no idea.  None.

But I have a hunch, but it’s only a hunch.  Know what it is?

People must love it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so unhealthy. Seriously.

If it’s not true, then go ahead and convince me this is incorrect.  Go ahead please.

Hey, the whole point of Lane 8 is to challenge you (and me) to set awesome health goals, go after them, reach them, and then maintain our health goals for the rest of our lives.

This requires DAILY effort.  Which is why I write this Lane 8 blog every single day.  Got it?  Every single day is our great opportunity to focus on our health.

It is not easy.  Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.  But it is always worthwhile.  Figure it out or live with regret.  There are no other choices.

Share

Our Body Is A Gift

Yet we ignore this priceless gift.

Well, we ignore it until we start to here from it.  Aches and pains. Wake up calls.

We can be fairly certain that these will afflict us all.  The question is, it seems, “Can we slow down, minimize, or stop altogether, these physical challenges”?

At 50, even though I’ve seen a lot, there is much that hasn’t been seen.  What I do know, is that trying is better than worrying.  At least if we get ailments, and wake up calls, we can live with the Peace that we did our best.

Share

There Once Was A Man From…

…Nantucket.  Wait, that’s not where we want to go today. Met a businessman, 62, on a flight yesterday.  He was reading “Bicycling” magazine.  He looked great and had an incredibly healthy “glow”.

So naturally, because it’s a quirk I have, the question jumped out, “Are you a cyclist”?

“Yes”!, he affirmed. And he went on to explain that he was returning from cycling America’s second toughest century (100 miles) ride.

Obsessed with truth and meaning, quite naturally, additional questions jumped out, including, “What motivates you”?   He explained how in his stressful job (and who among us doesn’t have a ton of stress?), the way he keeps things stable, is to exercise.

We all know this don’t we?  Deep down inside, we all know that exercise is a key to living well.  Yet, quite naturally, I can’t for the life of me, figure out why so few people do anything about it.

Share

Lane 8 Travels Again

Lane 8 is on the move.  No, not to a Master’s Track and Field Meet.  Good guess though.

Traveling to give a speech.  That’s what I do.  I’m a professional speaker.

Actually, I’ll speak anywhere to anyone, as long as it’s something I’m passionate about.  Church, Parenting, Children’s Religious Education, Boy Scouts, Home Owner’s Association, Master’s Track and Field, Wellness, Fitness, Health, Mid Life Celebration, Impossible Goals, Blogging, Social Media, Social Networking, Addiction, Behavior Modification, Gardening.

So anyway, until social media policies are better defined, it is incumbent on employees to do their best with the interpretation of general guidelines. There are so many employees who where out ahead of corporate social media policies.  So now, these companies have to play “catch up” to reign in what was never defined.

This will take some time, and companies are being decently patient, by allowing their employees to make the changes that the new guidelines call out. Facebook, LinkedIn, My Space, Blogs, Websites, You Tube, Flickr, Posting Comments, Chat Rooms, personal email – the list is endless.

It’s smart business if you ask me.  And just like anything else, including our health, the sooner we start, generally speaking, the sooner we see results.

Share

Did You Get Enough Rest?

Did you get enough rest last night?

Rest is way under-rated.  Have been struggling with this one for about two months. This is unusual, because I focus very hard on rest.  It’s one of our critical success factors in staying in top form – mentally, physically, spiritually, and even financially.

First the trip to Finland, followed by two solid months of very busy travel schedules.  And with the World Championships under my belt, there was no looming big, motivating goal.

Bottom line, we all have to figure this out.  If we don’t, we are doomed. It’s a vicious cycle.  Always has been, always will be.  But you already knew that, right?

Share

Good new, bad news?

Good news, bad news?

Bad news is I still have left heel pain, intermittently.

Good news is the staff at Florida Hospital rehab center said I’m the most symmetrical person they’ve ever seen.  :)

What else would they say?  It’s their job to make people feel good about themselves.   Let me tell you, it sure worked yesterday.  :)

The goal was to test my core.   Why?

After three consecutive years of season-ending injuries, it’s time to start a season with a good, honest look at weak spots and opportunities.

While I still have work to do, overall, my core and symmetry is excellent.

Gotta go run five miles.  I’m praying for a pain-free run, plus world peace, an end to hunger and poverty, and a wish that everyone will be blessed beyond measure today.  Carpe diem, jeff  :)

Share