Running: A Fever

This episode is a quick update on what's going on with me, just another human living in the age of COVID-19. It is mid-may as I record, on a wet day at Lake Atalanta, the city park in Rogers, Arkansas. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/208  

So I've been reading about Einstein and learning quite a bit about his theories. I really had no idea what relativity meant. In college I knew a physics major who would say: " Attitude check: I hate this place...Relative attitude check: My mother hates this place." Read the full post: http://RunningAFEVER.com/206  

Today my friend Jill and her dog Sachi join me at Lake Atalanta for a social-distanced jaunt and discussion about how the world has changed recently and how the COVID-19 virus has affected how we live, exercise and try to keep ourselves healthy. Read the full post at: http://RunningAFEVER.com/209  

I’ve not been working out for a few weeks now. It started as a problem with my foot. It was difficult to wear most of the shoes I have. For a while I was wearing only my walking shoes everywhere. And when I walked I still had pain. So I stopped walking and playing racquetball. And for some reason I stopped lifting weights as well, even though I could probably have lifted in my walking shoes without too much trouble. This is fine. I’ve had these injury setbacks before and always come back. But this time something was different. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/205  

This is a special episode. I am releasing it immediately, though I am still on a break until June. I'll call it RAF207, it is being released out of order. I'm recording in March of 2020. I know that probably everyone listening to this is affected by this issue. I thought you might want to know my thoughts and how I am approaching things. What we are talking about is a virus. It is part of a category of viruses known as corona viruses. It is also referred to as the Coronavirus, Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan Coronavirus (named after the supposed origin province in China), or COVID-19, which means Coronavirus disease of 2019. The official name is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/207  

"Breaking News" .... I am going to be taking a break from the regular release schedule starting now (November 2019). I think it's important to explain this to you and what the near future holds for the Running: A FEVER podcast. It's now been two years since we started, so congratulations! In November 2017 I was exercising once per day and recording once per day. I released episodes weekly at that point. Becuase the show was mostly just about my journey and my personal experience on the road to better health, I was able to do twice-weekly episodes even after going to a more reasonable exercise schedule. The episodes have been coming out every Wednesday and Friday since February of 2018. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com  

Do you do New Year's resolutions? What are your goals for the next year. Why not set them now so you can get a head start? That's what I like to do, and this year is no exception. I started doing this when I started the podcast. I did a 'Life Plan' in November of 2017. And since then I have looked at this time of year as a time for planning the coming year. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com  

I'm in the studio today because I am still having trouble with my toe. I think I can exercise, but I can only wear my walking shoes and I need to use these special pads. I'm all out of the pads, because it looks like the healing process will take longer than I had hoped. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/202  

Episode 101 was called Running A FEVER 101, and I thought it would be appropriate 100 episodes later to have something similar, not just about the show, but a summary of some things we have learned. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/201  

For our 200th episode I thought I would take you along on a typical day with me, from rising at 4:30 a.m., through my workouts and meals, through to the end of the day. My routine is very different than it was when I recorded episode #1. I wake up and get to the gym by the time they open at 5:00 a.m. Today I'm playing racquetball. I alternate racquetball and lifting weights. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/200

What is good cholesterol, and what is bad? We're concerned about cholesterol because it has become common knowledge that too much can lead to heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in most of the developed world. But cholesterol isn't all bad. There is also good cholesterol, and if you have enough of that, your risk of heart disease actually drops! So what are the types of cholesterol, which is good and which is bad, and how do we get more of the good kind and less of the bad? Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/198

The original source for this topic is Dr. Anne Brunet, PhD, a video from the Stanford University YouTube channel. This is very much from an academic, research point of view. So not a big-picture view of what causes a shorter or longer lifespan. Some of it is actionable, but some is just research. specifically on 'model organisms' - animals that have similar aging profiles to humans. Mice. Worms. But very interesting in terms of some things that could have a big impact on longevity. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/198  

38 countries have downloaded RAF in the last year. Sweeden has fallen to #5, they used to be #2. Australia has taken over the #2 spot and they are really coming strong. Germany is a surprise at #2. I would think it would be the UK or another English-speaking country, but I'm happy to have my German listeners. Welcome! And I'd love to hear from you. So what do we know about Germany? Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/197  

This topic was suggested by reader Hollie, who commented at http://RunningAFEVER.com/189: "Hi, I аm thinking аbоut lооsing weight. I dоn’t knоw whаt рrоgrаm I shоuld fоllоw. Whаt dо yоu think аbоut red teа рrоgrаm?" So, first I want to discuss red tea itself, then we'll get into what Hollie calls the "red tea program". Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/196  

A little expert information from my friend Robert Smith, RN, a specialist in dialysis, as we hike the Yellow Rock Trail at Devil's Den State Park. http://RunningAFEVER.com  

Today I take a peaceful relatively short walk at a new part of Lake Atalanta, peaceful Pleasant Ridge, which is more of a walk through the woods than a walk around the lake like the other loop I have taken in previous trips here. As I walk this lovely trail I reflect on my "old new strategy". This refers back to episode 70's "new strategy". At that time I was transitioning from a program of mostly walking to one of mostly strength training, with some evening cardio built in. My walks had lengthened to at a full five-point-screw-five miles, and I started only walking once every week or two. Meanwhile I would lift weights every weekday. That worked well for what I needed at the time. I built a lot of muscle in my first year of serious weight-lifting. But I was walking twelve miles a week at my slow pace. Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 216 (-59) Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 4.86 Miles (580.88) Steps: 12,318 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 147.99 (+5) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 31%

Today I record from the traction machine, which may not be a first in the entire history of podcasting, but it is definitely a first for this podcast. However, you'll get to see it again as part of our milestone 200th episode coming up in a few weeks, including some video. Yesterday I was a bit of a grouch, because I did not get a perfect score on my biometrics screening. I was overweight by 3 pounds, and missed the waist measurement by an inch. My blood pressure was also high, but I will appeal that because only a few days prior, I had a great reading at the cardiologists office. In that visit he cut the dosage of one of my blood pressure medications in half. So I'll be able to use that documentation to circumvent the bad blood pressure reading. They use some pretty cheap equipment in the screenings, and there have been many complaints, re-measurings, and appeals due to bad blood pressure measurements. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/193 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 217 (-57) Wor

I am in the final weekend before my annual biometrics screening to determine how much I'll have to pay over and above my insurance premiums for my health plan at work. So I am busy eating nothing and trying to burn as many calories as possible. I'm recording while walking on my treadmill. Since I'm not eating, I did not want to go out on the trail and find myself undernourished a couple of miles from my car. So that's why I'm here on the treadmill. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/192 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 221 (-54) Workout time: 10 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 0 Miles (464.04) Steps: 6,120 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 152.65 (+9) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 31% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 7 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat

These are shoes specifically designed for weightlifting. They came in a nice box completely black except for the Adidas name and logo in white. This is the Adidas Powerlift 4 in blue, because I have chosen blue as my default color for 2019. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/191  

The entire package comes in a black drawstring bag with the Mandrill Workout logo screenprinted on it, including their monkey face mascot. A card came inside welcoming me to Mandrill Workout and professing that "Bobo" is the founder. There is apparently an ebook instruction manual, which I have not read, but I'm going to, for reasons I'll get into. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/190 Weight 7-day Avg. (change since Jan 2018): 223 (-51) Workout time: 0 Minutes Total Distance (total since Nov 2017): 0 Miles (464.04) Steps: 6,098 Muscle Mass 7-day Avg. (change since Aug 2018): 147.15 (+11) Body Fat 7-day Avg.: 31% Daily Sleep Duration 7-day Avg: 7 hours 2019 Goal: 15% Body Fat