Tag: health

Near My House: A Cyclist Hit By Van

Carl Setzer

Deeply alarming news for me:

From the Everett Herald: “Cyclist hospitalized after van driver hits her in Lynnwood“

So, though glad no “serious” injuries occurred, I feel a bit dis-ease. This happened a very short drive, and rather short walk from my house. With that, I pass by this exact spot several times a week as part of my regular walking/exercise regimen. As an avid cyclist (though a rather fair-weathered one right now) I ride past here quite often, too. From middle-school through high-school, I walked and rode past this intersection at least twice a day. Thus, my connection to this stretch of asphalt runs deep.

For me to see something as senseless as DUI/injury accident this deep into my personal geography unsettles. Reminds me of the tenuous nature of life, the randomness that permeates all our days. The great line “there but for the grace of God go I” captures my current feeling.

 

A new concept for me: smokestorm

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The greater Seattle area has been dealing with unhealthy air quality for the past few weeks. Smoke from wildfires, first from California then British Columbia has choked us. So Cliff Mass, a well regarded climate scientist from the University of Washington, coined the term”Smokestorm“. 

The air quality has impacted most of us. I don’t have any asthma issues, service felt the impact. Mostly that my chest has felt congested, and I get winded far more easily. People in vulnerable looks have her but much, much worse. 

The rain over the past few days, though light, has been welcome. Most of us, though, wanted a good, solid rain. First to clean the air, but also to help extinguish these fires. 

How have you dealt with the smokestorm? Hopefully you’ve been able to find ways to make life pleasant. I’d like to hear what you’ve learned, seen, felt. 

October Fitness & Health Thoughts

Carl Setzer

Last night I spent about an hour in the gym, mostly focused on cardio. It’s been a bit since I focused like that. Miss it. Yet I was pleased at my performance. My intermittent workouts haven’t been too detrimental.

I noticed my weight creeping back up, though. Probably a function of a dreadful diet. So I restarted using my food tracker. That works nicely, nuisance that it is. 

This time of year challenges me, fitness-wise. Dark, wet and cold: getting outside becomes uncomfortable at best, painful at the worst. The darkness adds a bit of danger, since cars have a hard time seeing me. I manage that well, I think. But it’s still unpleasant. And fatty, yummy foods start manifesting more. Double negatives. 

My health concerns don’t wane, though. Things like diabetes lurk, and I want nothing to do with that disease. Must. Keep. Focused. The value of gym memberships, and bit being to off-put by them  

Another area of active balancing. 

Me and My Neti Pot!

Carl Setzer

Last week was pretty awful for my allergies, with all of the smoke coming down to greater Seattle from BC. So, with a dollop of rain on Sunday, and the changing winds, our smoke has cleared and my allergies have been far less cranky. Well, for a few days.

Now, though, something has started blooming. I’ve noticed a nice fragrance, but then the burning itching starts in the ol’ nasal passages. That’s where my neti pot has become a dear friend.

The clearing granted by the flushing of all things nose-y has, for years, made my life better. Allergy meds have had their place, don’t get me wrong. I greatly appreciate where we’ve come in that regard. Remembering the old days, of the drugs that filled you with grogginess, or the ones that amped you up (once I think I actually was having heart palpitations. Even though they aren’t perfect, they’ve been wonderful, really improving my life.

That silly neti pot, though. It flushes out the worst irritants, doesn’t dope me up or amp me out. This little bit of ancient technology has been, well, life-changing. Seems silly, perhaps, but I’m quite grateful I discovered the thing.

Though I love tech, and high-tech solutions, there’s value in the simple, and ancient. Flushing out my poor nose with water; who would’ve thought that we be the most dramatic learning in my adult years…at least in regards to living with allergies.

Resisting Infirmity

Carl Setzer

Yesterday, while out on a walk, I saw an older man struggling with a walker. A young woman (my assumption; his daughter) worked hard to help him into her car. Seeing such drives me; resist infirmity with vigor!

Currently, my fitness regimen is a blend of taekwondo, walking, cycling and weights. I want to add kayaking and cross-country skiing. Oh, and hiking, which can tie to walking. This region has such lovely places to do all these, it would be sad not to.

I’m seeking to combine strength, flexibility and balance. These are the critical elements to prevent infirmity. I envision myself as an old man, robust and healthy, surrounded by friends and family. A worthy goal, methinks.

The tyranny of the scale

Carl Setzer

Just weighed myself. To my horror, I’ve gained 6 pounds! Huh? I’ve been diligent about taking my calories, having solid confidence in my data. My pants are another belt notch tighter. I can see better definition in my upper body. “How could I have slipped”, you might ask. My answer: it’s more complex.

Besides running and cycling, I’m into taekwondo. Actually, martial arts is my primary fitness activity. And that’s the main complicating factor. Recently, I’ve focused heavily on core training. My abs, arms and back have been worked hard. I was frustrated by failing to get past ten pushups. And I’m getting results. I can do more, way more pushups and crunches. But muscle weighs more (pet unit volume) than fat. Thus, significant muscle growth often gains weight faster than fat loss will lose it.

So many folks’ single health metric is weight. Really, we should add other pieces: arm, leg, chest size, distance, time, weight lifted, etc… All of these are more important measures of fitness. And, if fat loss is the goal, then BMI.

My goal is better health, to grow fitter. More pushup capacity, to be able to run with joy, and greater endurance with my running and cycling. Over the next year or so, I want to ride the Seattle to Portland, run a 5k, increase my flexibility and crank out more pushups than the twenty-year-olds in my taekwondo studio.

That will serve me better than simply focusing on weight. And my vision is long-term.

New Running Online Community

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Over the past few months, I’ve been working hard to get my fitness level back up. Years ago, I was a hard-core runner and cyclist, with many hours/miles logged. Though I’ve slipped on cycling, it’s still a regular part of my life. However, running has not.

Back then, there was a zen quality to running and cycling. Now, cycling still has that quality. Running, however, is simply work. There are moments, when I run, that I feel my mind slip away into the rhythm of my cadence. Moments, fading into work.

Having accountability, connection, makes the return to this level of fitness much more fun. So, seeing on GeekWire that Brooks and MapMyFitness have started a new community makes me feel good. Run Happy looks like it might really add something to the fitness community. I look forward to seeing how this evolves.