Hi Folks,

Invited blog post by Rebecca Amis Lawson, dance and Continuum instructor.

FitOldDog has been coming to see me for a while now. We work on his alignment, posture, movement dynamics and patterns that are inhibiting his performance in his sport and life.

Often we will use a modality called Continuum. Although Fit Old Dog has posted about it, it is now time for a more thorough description of this self-care practice. So here goes………………….. Thoughts, feelings, movements, sensations – it all happens in the terrain of your physicality. The most direct way to learn about yourself is by developing your ability to listen to yourself as an embodied being. The journey is simple and at the same time more radical, subtle, surprising, and stranger than you probably imagine.

Think of it: “Every cell in your body is sorting, selecting, rejecting and communicating in countless exchanges of information based on past experience and current circumstances.”

Rebecca gives FitOldDog a lesson in balance on the roller. Click image for link to video store.

This is the heart of intelligence. Science, medicine, fitness, psychology and spirituality are all converging on a future that is involved with accessing the body’s capacities to go beyond what the rational mind can achieve. The practice of Continuum can help you to understand the body’s way of knowing and draw from its well of insight and ingenuity.

• Do you have patterns in your body that are causing you pain or movement restriction? Are you interested in a practice that can bring ease and vitality to your body?
• Do you want to live with more adaptability, acceptance, and love?

Which animal is more fluid than the octopus? You can learn a lot by watching other creatures.

Let me say it one more time. Closed systems deteriorate.

Whether politics, relationships or muscle tissue, a system that is stuck in pattern will deteriorate. If our tissue was as fluid and adaptable as the Octopus, we would be able to adjust to the amount of effort or load required given the context. No more, no less. For over 45 years, Continuum has been exploring the profundity of the fluid system as one resonant stream of intelligence…within our bodies, planet and galaxy. Fluid molecules choreograph tissue structure and affect communication and the energetic nourishment that is available to us. So what do we do in this practice?????? Using sound, breath, and micro-movement, the Continuum practice works to revitalize the fluid system and de-densify (open up) tissue. An “opening” occurs resulting in a renewed flow of energy that can allow the body to rediscover and experience healthy functioning.

Rebecca demonstrates exploration of fluid body motion with the aid of a weighted ball.

Energy is literally unleashed as our tissue is restored to a state of receptivity and readiness. There is a dissolve of “personal paralysis” as restricted, repetitive patterns are altered. The feeling state that emerges is calm yet energized. The individual is subsequently more alive and ready to perceive and experience the moment with renewed interest, curiosity, and creativity.

When the patterns of compression from repetitive training continue without good postural and alignment support or an imbalance of tissue over or under use, we get injured, have pain, or do not perform optimally. If we can begin to listen to ourselves as an embodied being, catching the patterns that no longer serve us, open the fluid choreographer and intelligence of our physicality body’s capacities to go beyond what the rational mind can achieve, well……………… you got it, you are going to feel better, move more effectively and perform your sport proficiently and with reduced risk of injury!

Rebecca Amis Lawson has been whole-heartedly involved in dance, psychology, movement and therapy for the last 35 years. She is an Authorized Continuum Movement Teacher, has a MA in Dance/Movement Therapy, and a BS in Psychology. A professional dancer and teacher for over 25 years, she also has had extensive training in alignment, ideokinesiology, effort/shape analysis, authentic movement, yoga, Pilates, connective tissue massage and improvisational movement. In her work, she has been able to coalesce psychological mindedness, a love of dance, and a compassionate spirit. She offers a therapy that is revelatory, expressive, and self-creating.

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

Both of these eggs were purchased recently, and came from locally raised chickens (not a store). The difference between the very fresh eggs from chickens living on bugs in the pasture (left) and those from chickens receiving quite a bit of corn and the eggs hanging about for a bit before they reach you (yolk fragile), is pretty obvious. Look carefully at your food if you want it to be at it’s most nutritious.

Chose your food with care for optimal nutrition.

Since going Paleo, to very good effect, I’ve been eating even more eggs than before. I always try to buy the best eggs I can (tempted to get some chickens of our own), and when you lay (excuse the pun) your hands on eggs from chickens living on bugs you’ll find that they are REALLY tasty!

The benefits of a Paleo diet have been multiple, including, (1) I achieved ideal race weight with no effort or food restriction, (2) I don’t need to eat during long workouts or races, and (3) I feel better for it.

Look carefully at your food, and always seek the best ingredients you can find is my advice.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

This little 7% grade hill used to intimidate me at the end of a long ride, but with much harder climbs under my belt, like the Mountains of Misery final 3-mile 8-16% grade, this hill turned into a bump that I can ‘big ring’ if I put out 300-400 watts. You sometimes have to decide who is boss, you or the hill!

Endurance sports require a great deal of mental training, whether you are young, old, a professional athlete or an age grouper having fun.

It took me a long time to learn the key skills of cycling, and I still have plenty of progress to make. Over the years, my hill climbing has improved considerably through the process of ascending many hills and watching what works best for me. Again, stay aware of what is happening in your body, and don’t listen to music, listen to your body. There seem to be a number of keys to success on the climb:

1. Relax your legs, or you’ll be fighting yourself and wasting energy.
2. Undertake some really challenging climbs to build the confidence you need to know you can do it.
   

   At 6000 feet up Mount Lemmon, Tucson, Arizona, USA, for breathtaking views followed by a great but very cold descent.

3. Sit up on the bike, with good posture (NOT in aero position), to permit full use of all key cycling muscle groups, especially gluts and hip flexors.
4. Learn when you can and cannot ‘big ring’ a hill – meaning, “Is it a hill or a roller.“
5. Find your optimal cadence, which may be a faster spin (90+ rpm, fast twitch muscle fibers) or slow grind (50-60 rpm, slow twitch muscle fibers), and don’t sit in between these spin rates – works for me anyway.
6. If you’re with a group and you’re being dropped, “Change up and suck it up,” to build mental endurance.
7. Learn to shift the load between muscle groups, such as resting your quads by engaging your gluts.
   

   Click image for free instructional video about FitOldDog’s first Continuum lesson from Rebecca.

8. If you’re in a triathlon, leave enough life in your legs for the run. Until you gain sufficient skill in this area, use a wattage meter and determine your safe ceiling wattage. For me, during the Lake Placid Ironman, I learned to never go over 250 watts, whilst ignoring all those bikes going by – I see plenty of those people again as they walk the run.
9. Ride with stronger cyclists from time to time, and try not to be dropped (though you will be eventually).
10. I repeat, relax into the hill! Relaxing your jaws can help with this, for which I use a trick taught me by my Dance and Continuum teacher, Rebecca, as follows: take a mouthful of water, swill it around in your mouth, swallow half, leave the rest in your mouth and move your tongue around so its tip can feel the air-water interface, and just explore that feeling across the surface of the water for a few minutes or more (always makes me think of Gollum and his underground lake). This will help to relax your jaws, and thus your hips, which spreads to your legs, all contributing to a better hill climb. Strange but true. Thanks Rebecca!

Happy hill climbing, and don’t forget to enjoy the view when you get to the top and the thrill of a descent well-earned.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!

You meet some really neat people at these races, this guy for example. We had a great chat for the last half-mile as we pushed each other along.

From time to time people ask what motivates me to compete in Ironman races, which many consider bad for my health. I reply that, (a) Ironman saved my life in 2010, and (2) I just enjoy them. But is that really why I like to continue with this strange, and apparently pointless, sport of swimming 2.4 miles from point A to point B, followed by cycling 112 miles from B to C, and running 26.2 miles from C to D? If you want to start, and consistently continue, a program of safe exercise for better health, especially as you age, exploring your motivators, and finding one that works, can be critical for success.

So why do endurance athletes, especially older age-groupers, put themselves through such rigorous training? It involves quite a bit of expense, lots of pain, time juggling, and even expensive visits to a health professional if you screw up and make that one disastrous little mistake.

Endurance races involve quite a lot of pain, and you must learn to distinguish between good pain and bad pain.

I can only speak for myself, so here is my list of thoughts on why I continue to undertake endurance sports into my 7th. decade:

1. For better health? – Yep!
2. To look my best and attract a mate? – Sure!
3. To brag to my friends? – Don’t think so, they’d just crack on me.
4. For fear of death, a different angle on ’1′ above? – Maybe!
5. Because it’s there? – Nope, there’s plenty of other things that are there!
6. To get me out into nature? – Yep!
7. Because I can compete in the same races as my son, Nigel? – Most certainly! What a treat!
8. Because the tapes running in my head implanted by my mother say that I should? – Nope! She didn’t seem to approve of such exercise, though Mom did value education highly.
9. To feel the water on my skin during a great swim? – Yep!
10. To feel the pleasure of running or cycling in the rain? – Yep!
11. To enjoy a challenging bike ride with a friend? – Yep!
12. To be part of a group? – Nope, I do much of it alone!
13. To meet great people? – Yep!
14. So I can admire my muscles in the mirror? – Nope, never did get into that, oddly enough. I prefer to look at women.
15. So Deb (a nurse) can continue to say she would love to take blood from me because I have such great veins? – No! I wish she would stop doing that!
16. To create an identity for myself? – I hope not, but it could be the case!
17. To inspire and motivate other people with a health challenge to get out there and live? – Most certainly!

But at the end of the day, for me, the reason is simple. It’s about training not racing, and experiencing life now; I do it so that I can enjoy my 7-mile run in the rain this evening.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

Tao te Ching, translation by S. Mitchell

Hi folks! Glad you came by!

This picture, taken in our porch, symbolizes the choices you have when training (20 min. cords instead of 1.5 hours pool trip), and the need for rest – in a hammock listening to the family is good. They love to be listened to. Photo by FitOldDog.

It is a true work of art to integrate Ironman training with a balanced and healthy family life, but it can be done with a little thought and compromise.

Conversation with Deb:

Kevin – “Say, Deb, what do you find to be the advantages of my Ironman training?”

Deb – “Well, 1. You are happy, 2. You are fit and healthy, 3. You set a good example for the kids, and 4. You motivate me to exercise too.”

Kevin – “And what would consider to be the real disadvantages?”

Deb – “That’s easy, the time commitment and when you are training hard you become inflexible.”

Long workouts, such as my favorite, pre-taper, 80-mile bike ride followed by a 10-mile run brick, can be a strain on the family because they essentially take all day. Furthermore, as you approach the line between maximum training level and overtraining your mood can change. In fact, bad moods can flag overtraining, so use this indicator to remember that sometimes less is more.

It feels good to know that there are people out there concerned about your safety, but this concern can be stressful to family and friends.

Try to offset family stressors by using the following tricks:

1. Explain and re-explain the race season, so they understand that truly long workouts only occur for a limited period, this being the couple of months prior to race season.
2. Replace selected 6-hour road rides with 3-4 hour trainer rides, as they are almost as effective and shorter time-wise. They also give you the appearance of being at home. In fact, you are at home if there’s a crisis. Furthermore, the family knows that you are safe on your trainer, reducing worry. Road riding is the most dangerous aspect of our sport, so call home from the road from time to time, and show them your road ID and bright lights.
3. Try to minimize worry for your family as you train or race, as worry creates stress, and eventually leads to resentment.
4. Substitute a cord workout (20 min. max for me) for the weekend swim workout, which takes 1-2 hours by the time you drive to the pool, change and so forth.
   

   Participate in local sports activities with family members, like this ‘paint run’ with Nick and Deb, even when it isn’t strictly part of your training plan.

5. Substitute intensity for volume whenever you can, which I do not recommend for older athletes.
6. Maximize the effectiveness of your training by remaining fully focused as you train, with no earphones or other distractions. Remember, a key aspect of endurance sports is mental conditioning. Carrying ‘entertainment’ as you workout results in, (1) substandard mental training, and (2) an inability to listen to your body, thus increasing your risk of injuries and suboptimal performance. In fact, if Lao-tzu was an Ironman triathlete, I’m sure he would have said, “When training, be completely present.” 
7. Offer your family a vacation in association with your major races, making them a part of an appreciated team. Everyone likes to be appreciated.
8. Include your family in your workouts, especially if they are faster short distance athletes, because they can pull up your pace – for instance, I always run track on Sunday afternoons, and invite family members who like to run. We follow this with a visit to a local restaurant where we have a great time. It helps to develop family-inclusive rituals.
9. 

   FitOldDog’s little family, Deb, and his step kids Jess and Nick, in kayaks in Paradise Bay, Hawaii (a great place to stay). Do stuff with your family!!!

   THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL – listen to the advice of Lao-tzu, of about 2,500 years ago, and be completely present when in the family. You will be surprised how many brownie points can be earned by becoming a skilled listener (endurance athlete or not, for that matter). These brownie points will go a long way towards offsetting any negative impact of your training regimen on family life.

If you have any other ideas please let me know, as my supportive family and friends, who like to see me from time to time, sure would appreciate it.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

There’s a trick to controlling your race season, especially if you are an older athlete (takes longer to recover) combined with a busy program, the trick being to avoid injuries, whilst maintaining your fitness level.

FitOldDog uses a soft roller to find tight spots and let them relax. In this case I’m addressing a chronic tendency for my flexor hallicus longus to tighten after long runs.

With time and practice you learn how to balance recovery time with maintaining your training level for key races. I was pretty nervous about 10 days ago, knowing I was heading into the Mountains of Misery Century Bike Ride (hard climbing for about 10 hours) to be followed seven days later by the Raleigh Half Ironman. All of this being training for the Lake Placid Ironman, only seven weeks later. Such a race and training load can readily lead to overuse injury, especially if you push things too hard during a race.

I consider winning an endurance race to include (1) enjoying the day, (2) feeling I put out my best, (3) not vomiting or passing out, (4) coming through the finish line feeling good, (5) being able to enjoy a celebratory dinner with family and friends afterwards, unmarred by nausea, and if you’re lucky, (6) placing.

Flexor hallicus longus, the site of one of FitOldDog’s persistent areas of tightness following long runs. I’m sure it can be addressed with Feldenkrais. Let’s try!

The key to achieving such goals is to focus on body awareness between races, fixing tight spots before they become injuries, such as plantar fasciitis, through the use of massage, body scanning, and the gentle application of rollers.

After a hard race, I carefully explore my body for tight muscles or myofascia, which can tug on tendons and joints and throw your skeleton out of line. Once identified, I fix these areas of my body by applying rollers, stretching or lengthening exercises, and controlled resumption of my training program.

Pretty simple really, but remember my mantra:

“The next sports injury is only one little mistake away!”

If you want to stay in the game as you age you have to increase your level of vigilance when it comes to body awareness. You can learn all about this by purchasing our video series. If you don’t take care to fix problems early on, you’ll be sidelined eventually, you mark my words – don’t I sound like a self-righteous old guy?

Well, as my eldest son, Nick, says (often), “Someone’s got to do it!”

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!

The primary goal of this blog, and my recent e-book, is to assist people with the art and science, and I do mean art, of getting back on with their lives after a major health challenge, such as abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery.

My e-book emphasizes the importance of undertaking your own personal risk-benefit analysis or assessment. This is the process whereby you determine the risks associated with doing or not doing what you are really passionate about, such as golf in the case of Alan who has an ascending aortic aneurysm or in my case Ironman training with an AAA stent graft.

But how do you undertake a risk-benefit assessment?

A friend of mine said recently, “Kevin, it’s easy for you with your veterinary medical and pathology training, but essentially impossible for the average person.” This is defeat before you start, and it will lead to you putting your life entirely in the hands of your doctor, which is not an approach I recommend. The trick is to generate reliable data about your condition and associated risks posed by your preferred activity, convert this information into knowledge, which takes a little worthwhile work on your part, leading you to develop the wisdom you will need to make your critical decisions (e.g. golf no golf?).

Interesting book with very valuable ideas about communicating with your doctor.

Doctors, as much as they can help us, are not only motivated by the desire to improve our health. Their decisions are also influenced by the potential for litigation, and a generally cautious approach to what you should and should not do.

As a physician, Philip Nye, whose thoughts I really appreciate, recently stated on our AAA Facebook Awareness page, “Nobody wants to be the person who said “go ahead” and then something bad happens, so it is far easier for them to play safe and say “better not”. Trying to ask questions about risk levels may be more fruitful than asking “can I do …” then you yourself can make a decision.”

Can you imagine your physician recommending sky diving as a hobby during your treatment for diabetes? Probably not! But such a hobby could motivate you to get in good shape in preparation for your first landing, and thus motivate you to live an active life. Doctors are great, but they maybe personally scared of sky diving, and it’s your life, not theirs, that is on the line! Remember that!

This is why I stress in my book the need to consider all aspects of your condition, list the risky activities, such as deep squats in the gym in my case, and find a way to eliminate them without abandoning your interest. Then list the risks associated with an inactive life, such as depression or poor health. This provides general background.

Use time, patience, introspection, all the data that you can find, including the opinions of as many skilled health professionals as you can find, advice on forums, and your relative desire to do whatever it is you love to do.

Then proceed by making a complete record of your condition, followed by asking questions of your health advisors, such as:

1. What is my surgery site like, how fragile is it, and when will it be fully recovered and stable?
2. Could you show me pictures or a video that would explain it fully for my level of medical training? 
   

   Click figure for link to remarkable video showing deployment of a Cook Zenith AAA stent graft, just like mine.
   

3. What kinds of movements would put stress on my surgery site? [excuse the misplaced number 3; it's because WordPress sometimes does some weird stuff that I just cannot fix - otherwise it's great, so thanks for everything WordPress staff].
4. Would you consider [insert activity] dangerous in my specific case? If they say yes, ask why, and request specific knowledge supporting their conclusion. A vague impression can provide misinformation so beware.
5. If you were in my situation would you do [insert activity]? If they say yes or no ask for supporting information, knowledge and examples.
6. Where can I find people to talk to who have been through this surgery and continue with an active life-style, especially if they pursue my favorite sport [insert activity]?
7. Are there forums where this situation is discussed? See my useful links tab for some examples.
8. What would you advise if your son/father/grandfather or daughter/mother/grandmother was dealing with this situation? Keep pushing for an opinion, and chase these opinions to a place where the advisor really knows what they are talking about (a rare thing indeed, I’m afraid), or don’t. Beware your health advisors ego as it can get in the way; I suggest you consider reading Love, Medicine and Miracles by Bernie Siegal, for clarification on this point.
9. Which health indicators should I monitor to ensure regular personal assessment of my health status in relation to my surgery, such as pulse rate and quality, blood pressure, and so forth?
   

   Example of blood pressure data that I used to work with my health professionals. This issue self-corrected about 18 months later, as I expected, permitting me to cease taking the medicine, along with the inevitable side-effects.

10. Any other questions that come into your mind – me, I searched the web, found papers indicating risks associated with rowing and other activities that induce dangerous pressure in the lower abdomen, and proceeded to avoid them. I also sought information on the nature of my stent with respect to risks of metal fatigue from cycling (I spin the pedals about 1,000,000 times per year), and built this knowledge into my training.

Keep asking questions of yourself and others, as this is a life-long situation. If in doubt drop me a line about the condition and maybe I can help you to solve the riddle, as I am attempting to do for Alan.

At the end of the day it is your call as to how you live your life.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

Chowing down post-race. Ironman is about family, friends, and challenges that help you deal with the real ups and downs of life. Rupert (AAA stent) and I did well, qualifying for Ironman 70.3 Worlds Championships. It all happened on the run! Photo by Randy.

Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!

Randy, FitOldDog’s friend, running inspiration, great support crew and photographer. Photo by Deb.

I had a great Ironman coach a while ago, and I still do in my head, Chris Hauth.

I decided to stop his coaching plan for two reasons, (1) I walked away from a well paid job to start this new life, so I can’t afford to do anything that doesn’t help raise revenue to support my Ironman lifestyle, and (2) I seemed to be the only person who could work out what kind of training is safe and effective with an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) stent graft. Chris’s words of wisdom still play in my head, and they recently carried me to a success (my family would say overdue success, FINALLY!), qualifying for the Worlds Triathlon Championships, 2013, to be held in Nevada.

Couldn’t resist putting this here; hell, it took me long enough.

Several years ago in Lake Placid, Chris said, “Kevin, the real carnage happens on the run, so get out there and do it,” which I did in the Raleigh Half Ironman, yesterday, capturing the first spot at mile-10 on the run. I can hear Chris saying, “About time!”

My family was overjoyed, whilst my youngest son and real triathlete, Nigel, said:

“Awesome!!! Now just do the same thing at Placid!!!!”

Note the careful use of the number of exclamation marks, meaning this is not the time to stop training because of one success! Kids!!!!!

OK! Nigel’s right! Off to the pool with Rick today for active recovery, and hit the trails tomorrow.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

I’ve had wristbands attached during my life for only two reasons, surgery and triathlons. They each come with their own feelings, but I must admit that I prefer the excitement of triathlons.

Once I was going through a hard time in my personal life, and commiserating with a friend, when he said, “Good and bad feelings come and go, but either way it means you’re alive!” I digested this fact, and somehow it made me feel better. Then another bus came along in due course, and all was fine.

This is one reason I like Ironman training, the excitement of the races. It’s infectious and motivating, making all that training worth the effort.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.

An example of high cadence (frequency of hand jiggling) work in this cafe latte by Neal at The Looking Glass Cafe in Carrboro, NC, USA

Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!

Nearly lost my footing as I stepped onto this bag on a slick floor – rules broken, (1) stride too long, (2) not watching where I was going. Rules that saved me, (1) fit and flexible, (2) well-developed sense of balance, (3) agility, gained through Ironman training and a lifetime of sports.

I nearly crashed to the ground today, as I stood on a small bag lying on a slick polished floor, lying in wait as a trap for the unwary, or should I say the unaware.

Due to a good general level of fitness and agility I avoided injury, but not without some effort. If you watch elderly people walking, you will notice that they tend to take tiny steps, for fear of falling, I suspect. The faster ones combine this with a high cadence (foot turnover rate). If you want to survive well into old age,  it is especially important to avoid falling, with all of it’s attendant risks of broken legs or hips, and even brain damage and death.

Look up “awesome” in the dictionary, and you’ll probably find a picture of 86-year-old gymnast Johanna Quaas.

The skills required to avoid falling as an elderly person are best developed before you reach an extreme old age, including:

1.  Sense of balance, which can be developed simply by standing on one foot in a safe place with your eyes closed.
2. Narrow stance coming from your inner lines (dance training will teach this), with a short stride – just think about the effect of a long stride on my interaction with that slippery bag. It’s simple physics or mechanics. To increase your speed increase your cadence, rather than stride length.
3. Flexibility, as a tight body is more easily injured: “What is brittle is easy to break.” Lao-tzu, Tao te Ching, translated by S. Mitchell.
   

   This is the kind of thing you would miss if you fell and were stuck in a hospital bed, potentially for years! Prepare for old age so that you can continue to live your life to the full.

4. Strength, as well developed, flexible muscles and bones, can save you in a fall as you will tend to bounce instead of breaking, but you have to work to keep them that way; just see this article on the issue at Bicycle Lab.
5. Agility, because as you start to fall you just might be able to save yourself by remaining agile into old age, like this remarkable lady.
6. Awareness is really the key, as spotting the trap before stepping into it will save you every time.

FitOldDog’s Mom, Joan Key, tying her shoes at age 93, and still no major flexibility issues.

Train yourself to move safely in order to remain mobile and continue to enjoy the world into extreme old age, including a visit to your local coffee shop.

My Mom went out for tea under her own steam into her mid-nineties by remaining independent and flexible, thanks to the care provided by my kind sister, Marian.

-k @FitOldDog

 Important Note: These posts do not provide medical advice. You should always consult your physician before undertaking or significantly modifying an exercise program.

Copyright © 2010 Kevin T. Morgan aka FitOldDog, Old Dogs in Training, LLC.