Running: A Fever

One of the most important things to me, as I have been doing this research and practice and work over the last few years, is that I need to become an expert at my own health. Different people have different hungers, different preferences, different tolerances. The enormous quantity of information available on health is both a blessing and a curse. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/329 Photo by Andres  Ayrton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/faceless-woman-showing-fresh-apple-and-sweet-doughnut-6551090/

In the determination of right, the game between right and wrong, we need some rules. This is a universal tenant of being human. It's why we have codes of morality, religion, and even laws. So, when I set out to do something the right way, I need to figure out the list of rules I need to follow to accomplish this. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/328 Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

I don't always follow my own advice. But I do appreciate, these days, the good people and the other good things in my life. I know that the things I read, the things I watch, the things I listen to, the people I spend time with... all these go to making me the person I am. So I better choose well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/327 Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/fit-athlete-during-training-on-running-track-3756042/

Abundance. It's a life-changer. I was producing Patti Brunner's podcast, which you should all check out, by the way, it's called Truth of the Spirit. She also does a YouTube video for each episode. PatriarchMinistries.com or you can also get there from PaduaPodcastNetwork.com, where all of our podcasts reside as well. Read the full post at http://RunningAFever.com/325 Photo by Ian Turnell: https://www.pexels.com/photo/assorted-fruits-stall-709567/  

I've been letting my current injuries stop me, and I'm running out of excuses. Today the temperature is 79, and we have probably a little more much-needed rain to go today, but we've been in a heat wave, so for personal health and safety reasons, I couldn't go outside and walk. But I have been walking more as I spend more and more days in the office and not the home office and I get my own groceries, and go to church. My calf is weak but there is virtually no pain that I'm experiencing right now. The physical therapist says no more than a 1/2 mile. No problem there, that's usually how I start back when I've been out for an injury. Today I've let the rain discourage me, but as long-time listeners will know, I walk in all kinds of weather, as long as there isn't lightning or something truly dangerous. The other thing about episode 86, from which today's excerpts come, is activity and beauty. That bachelor party was cool because I was hanging out with friends, some new, some old, and being active, and being out

Due to health issues, I am taking an indefinite break from the show. No new episodes will be published for a while. http://RunningAFEVER.com  

Obsession ... single-mindedness ... tunnel vision. How important is balance to health and longevity? When I say it like that, I think of balance as a kind of scale on which my life activities are weighed, like the scale the blindfolded Lady Justice holds in her hand. In the corporate world, "work-life balance" is a buzzword these days. It's actually one that I take seriously, at least from that perspective. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/323 Photo by Damir Mijailovic: https://www.pexels.com/photo/dancer-in-overpass-bridge-in-city-5654493/  

This episode relates my trip to The Hive, a local restaurant a couple of towns over from where I live. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/322 Photo by Karolina Grabowska: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-a-person-slicing-a-sandwich-with-vegetables-4963610/  

I didn't really witness much patriotism at all on Independence Day this year, though I did attend a fireworks show. The place where my parents live is across the street from an Elks club and they have a show every year, so this year I went. It was nice. Nothing spectacular. I have seen fireworks shows in Boston at both Independence Day and New Year's Day celebrations and those were pretty impressive. And the shows I've seen at our local minor league baseball park, Arvest Park, home of the Arkansas Naturals, have been pretty well done also. But sometimes it's not about the show, it's about who you enjoy it with, and it was nice just sitting back with my folks and watching the pretty sparks fly. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/321 Photo by Baluc Photography : https://www.pexels.com/photo/fireworks-display-in-dubai-6598291/  

We have been experiencing a bit of a heat wave here in Northwest Arkansas, many consecutive 3-digit temperature days. Sunny days are nice, but at those temperatures, no one should be outside, and the electric bills skyrocket with the air conditioning constantly running all day. One of the things on my long-term to-do list is getting some shade trees planted. I planted some privacy trees a couple of years ago, but they will never be tall enough to provide shade. Long-term to-do list is a nice way of saying things I continually procrastinate. So I mainly just don't go out in these temperatures, but even if it gets down to the chilly 80s, and I'm talking Fahrenheit here, for you people in Europe and any other places where you use Celsius as a temperature scale. In that case, it would be somewhere around 25-30 degrees. Even if it gets that cool, the advice here is good, drink plenty of water, wear loose clothing, and dog tags may help too, so if you die of heat exhaustion, whoever finds you will know where to sen

Yeah, my body, bones, tendons, and muscles are kind of a mess right now. Interesting that the archery bow image was used back then. My podiatrist used this when he explained the fascitis that I started experiencing as soon as the cast came off my ankle. There's a song about the foot bone being connected to the leg bone etc. And it really is all connected. So the very tight Achilles tendon I had could have been taking pressure off the fascia, which is a ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot from the heel to the toes and forms the arch. Now that there's more play in my Achilles, I'm feeling the tightness of that ligament, which is probably what is causing the pain on the bottom of my heels. Whew! Yeah. So I still think flexibility is key, and I even sort of made a pact with a friend to get into yoga or something. History repeats itself if I don't learn from it. Those annoying old sayings are old for a reason. There's truth there. And the truth is what we seek. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVE

Guess what? There ARE training robots? I put a bunch of links in the show notes; check 'em out. Episode 80 is a good one for me to hear now. Back then I was in physical therapy, and I've got some similar things going on right now, aches and pains and all that jazz. I am actually in physical therapy again as well. So this week I had a covid false alarm and had to cancel PT. Hoping to get back to my three-a-week schedule starting Monday. Both knees are stiff now, and I have the same arm pain that led to the situation I was in in episode 80. So now I know what it is. I stopped doing traction every day, and I stopped doing all those PT homework exercises they had me doing back in '18. The sedentary life I've led for the past couple of years has not helped either, so I am pretty much back at square one. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/318 Photo by Lukas: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-survey-spreadsheet-590022/  

Achilles was a mythical great Greek warrior, the son of Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, who, upon his birth, dipped baby Achilles into the River Styx, making him invincible. However, she neglected to let the water cover the heel by which she held him. And so, this was the only part of his body that was vulnerable to injury. He eventually died when he was wounded by an arrow which struck his vulnerable heel, which is why we refer to a person's weakness metaphorically as his "Achilles heel". I've never heard of anyone else dying from a heel injury, which also makes him pretty special, I guess. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/317 Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-wearing-rubber-shoes-7298422/  

Friday, June 11, 2022, a date that will live in infamy, is when I started having symptoms of covid-19. After 2 years of living cautiously according to CDC guidelines, and a full 2-1/2 years after we first hear about the SARS-COV-2 virus, it's finally happened. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/316   Photo by Michael Davis Media  

Keeping stats is a good idea. It helps me to see my progress and identify areas that need improvement and importantly, areas where I'm doing well. It's important to recognize when you're doing a good job. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/315   Photo by Andres Ayrton: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-person-on-weight-scales-6550832/  

At this point in episode 78 I'm focusing a lot on building muscle mass, which is a good part of an overall health plan I think. It can be overdone, as my cardiologist has repeatedly told me. It's a slow process, and I think the keys are to get enough protein and overall calories and just workout every single day, or most days, for a long time. The bulking-and-cutting process I briefly refer to... well I never really got to that point, but I think my idea of just trying to maintain a steady weight while changing my body composition was right on target. If you're a bodybuilder and your high bodyfat number is 10-15, bulking may make sense. But I've never broken 20. And bulking is hard for me to control. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/314 Photo by The Lazy Artist Gallery: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-doing-exercise-inside-gym-2247179/  

Don't go to extremes. This is something I'm at times not very good at, for example, the exercise extreme that got me into my current ankle injury. At other times I'm probably too good at it. I make changes at a glacial pace. So I didn't start with a whole regimen of supplements, before-and-after-workout shakes and snacks, and so forth. So don't worry if you're overwhelmed when I talk about these things, I am too. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/313 Image by zuzyusa from Pixabay

Once I went to my primary care physician Dr. Bicak. I told him about my dietician, who kept forgetting I didn't like avocado. He said I could learn to like it. And I think that's probably true. But my dislike for it pretty much precludes that because I can't bring myself to eat it. Not the end of the world, I think, but after all, I am on a health journey, and I can't ignore something just because I don't like it right now. The dietician says it is a superfood, like oatmeal or beans. So it is probably worth the effort. And I'm thinking of ways I can make that happen. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/312 Photo by energepic.com from Pexels

In the corporate world, I hear this buzzword. It's not a major buzzword or buzz phrase, like "outside the box", "unconscious bias", etc. But in my world, I hear it now and then. It refers to a range of choices. You generally cannot get a size 48 t-shirt. Instead, you get an extra-large. Instead of 50 sizes, you get 4 or maybe 6 choices. Sometimes this kind of thinking helps when a business is trying to streamline and be more efficient, though the customer may prefer a wider range of choices. And the fewer sizes available, the less accurate the sizing becomes. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/311   Image by Johanna Pakkala from Pixabay

I am better able to handle temptations when I am healthy. That's not exactly obvious. On its face, that statement might be seen as a mistake that should be stated the other way around: when I am able to handle temptations, I am healthy. In fact, both are true. Read the full post at http://RunningAFEVER.com/310 Photo by Doris Morgan on Unsplash