I was at the swimming pool today and started thinking. Yeah, I know that's dangerous in my case. Most of the guys that show up are older and have heart problems. Some of the younger ones do too. In fact, a significant number are swimming as part of a recovery program for heart problems. In the locker room, they're always trading stories and advice about beta-blockers, angioplasty, bypasses etc. That got me thinking - given Doug's recent problems - about the fact that some of these guys waited until _after_ their heart problems to start looking after themselves (the "fear of God" syndrome). No, I'm not suggesting Doug is guilty of this - absolutely not. His stories on this forum over the years let me know he takes care of himself (well, generally - I still wonder about his mental health given his tendency to paddle when most of us hunker down indoors :-). Anyway - I know I'm preaching to the choir on Paddlewise, but perhaps you could take a second look or make a comment to friends and family. Take the time to get your fitness and diet sorted out before you end up becoming an expert on fibrillation and beta-blockers. You know - if all you do is paddle for exercise, that's not enough. Get out and swim/walk/cycle/whatever between the paddles. You'll feel better and paddle better. And you'll reduce the probability that you'll end up with staple marks across your chest. If you are one who's family history/genetics pretty much predicts the inevitability of heart problems as you age, being fit will make you better prepared to deal with the consequences. Anyway, Paddlewise is better for paddle stories than recovery stories, so let's take care of ourselves and each other. Mike PS - and the planet. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> Take the time to get your fitness and diet sorted out before you end up > becoming an expert on fibrillation and beta-blockers. You know - if all > you do is paddle for exercise, that's not enough. Get out and > swim/walk/cycle/whatever between the paddles. You'll feel better and > paddle better. Absolutely. Given all the preparation and requirements that come with paddling - getting to the water, coming back, rinsing/cleaning the boat, 3-hours (at least) time window, reduced paddling possibilities in winter (short daylight, colder temps - whatever).... I don't think most of those who are still working can paddle more than 2 or 3 times a week in summer. Gym or cycling is definitely the way to go - I think for those over 50 non-impact activities are better (so jogging woudln't be the best thing to do). *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
alex said: Given all the preparation and requirements that come with paddling - getting to the water, coming back, rinsing/cleaning the boat, 3-hours (at least) time window, reduced paddling possibilities in winter (short daylight, colder temps - whatever).... I don't think most of those who are still working can paddle more than 2 or 3 times a week in summer. Gym or cycling is definitely the way to go - I think for those over 50 non-impact activities are better (so jogging woudln't be the best thing to do). I respectfully would like to present an alternate view. I am 58 and was in my first kayak race in 1967. I quit racing in 1994 and still paddle at least 150 days a year. So kayaking is not particularly damaging to the body. I still train as if I were racing and, importantly I think, I am still very serious about maintaining flexibility. I stretch a lot and do balance and flexibililty exercises in the boat. [most of the balance and flexibility exercises came from Paddlewise people a few years ago when I was putting together my symposium class called, not too obviously, "Balance and Felxibility in your Boat.") I have a job that requires 3 hours of commuting a day. I am fortunate enough to have chosen where I live according to access to water. When I lived in Chicago I was a mile from Lake Michigan. In the suburbs I used to live four miles from the DesPlaines River and now four miles from the Fox. So I don't have the issues about long travel or rinsing the boat. In an hour and a half I can be dressed, to the river, do my workout and back in my house. Workdays are shorter, high-intensity paddles; weekends and vacations are longer and less intense. I paddle as long as the temperature/wind chill is above ten below zero Farenheit. Below the dams the water is always open, although this year I was reduced to going in circles on a quarter mile stretch of open water. And the boat and paddle get pretty heavy with ice in cold weather. But being a fanatic has its benefits. I weigh the same as I did at age 12, although, darn it, the weight is in different places now. All my fitness indicators are good and I never get sick. Although that is probably more due to the fact that I paddle in rivers with a bit of raw sewage in them. (Illinois allows municipalities to dump more raw sewage into rivers in the Winter.) Twenty minutes at a high heart rate is a decent workout for those days when time is short. All a matter of priorities, and a bit of palnning and a bit of luck. Jim Tibensky *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jim Tibensky wrote: > I respectfully would like to present an alternate view. > > I am 58 and was in my first kayak race in 1967. I quit racing in 1994 > and still paddle at least 150 days a year. So kayaking is not > particularly damaging to the body. I still train as if I were racing > and, importantly I think, I am still very serious about maintaining > flexibility. I stretch a lot and do balance and flexibililty exercises > in the boat. [most of the balance and flexibility exercises came from > Paddlewise people a few years ago when I was putting together my > symposium class called, not too obviously, "Balance and Felxibility in > your Boat.") > > But being a fanatic has its benefits. I weigh the same as I did at age > 12, although, darn it, the weight is in different places now. All my > fitness indicators are good and I never get sick. Although that is > probably more due to the fact that I paddle in rivers with a bit of raw > sewage in them. (Illinois allows municipalities to dump more raw sewage > into rivers in the Winter.) Jim: You neglected to tell us what you weighed at age 12. Brad *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Bradford_Crain said: Jim: You neglected to tell us what you weighed at age 12. I sometimes managed to get up to 140 pounds, like when I applied for a job as a lifeguard at a Chicago beach and they had a minimum weight of 145. I got the job even though I never made the weight. My more normal weight was 135, still is, with forays into the 120s during the racing season back when I raced slalom. when I was 12 and through high school I swam and played water polo. Didn't discover paddling until age 17. Not bragging, or at least not too much, but I hoped to make the point that 45 years of constant, intelligent training has paid off so far. And, by way of full disclosure, I had polio and my left leg has no muscles, so I probably should have always weighed a bit more. Jim Tibensky *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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