Anti- Aging?
Aging Seems Like An Inescapable Disease!
Don’t let it get you down!
Use FitOldDog’s Anti-Aging Toolbox
My goal? To inspire you to benefit from every minute of your life!
The Issues!
Genetics – just deal with it.
Diet – find the best for you
Exercise – do it safely.
Philosophy – think about it.
Luck – “What goes around, comes around.“
Imagination – try on your negative socks!
The Question!
Age gracefully?
Or
Do not go gently into that dark night?
It’s your call. It’s your life! Don’t waste it!
Healthy aging mind. Keep learning and changing. It’s the best way to live life to the full. Question the obvious!
Healthy aging body. Safe exercise, good nutrition, sound ethics, intellectual pursuits, kindness to humans and animals. And a general state of balance.
Healthy aging physical balance that derives from the study of body awareness. Another of my passions – it’s the only way to keep this old body of mine injury-free, and out on the Ironman course.
Healthy aging for the older athlete. Well, that’s me in my 70s. I’m inspired every time I meet other people in my age group at races.
Healthy aging heroes. They keep me going when the going gets tough. Like Kurt and Elizabeth. Ironman keeps us out of assisted living.
Healthy aging aortic heroes. Helped so much in my case. If you have a health challenge, find people like Pauline. They will get you through the tough times. Pauline found me several years ago, via this blog. Pauline and her husband, another runner, Bob, came all the way to Cleveland, Ohio, to support me, before my second aortic surgery.
Healthy aging kindness. As we age, we develop more empathy for others, I think. Due to life’s experiences. This has been an increased empathy for animals. See my new web site, You Can Save The Animals. I first went vegetarian, and then vegan. I never looked back, and I’m loving all the food variety.
Healthy aging products. Designed under the FitOldDog brand, to save the animals. To raise awareness of the plight of animals on factory farms. I really love this work.
Healthy aging business. My abdominal aortic aneurysm taught me a lot about the important things in life. This resulted the creation of FitOldDog and Old Dogs in Training, LLC.
You can sign up for my newsletter at this link.
And you will receive a download link for a free pdf copy of my ebook, on staying fit and active into old age.
Healthy aging diet. I migrated from a largely meat-based, Paleo Diet to Plant-Based Vegan. This is improving my health and how I feel about myself. It is definitely helped my prostate health.
My nutrition journey:
Healthy aging training. Still doing the Ironman – next one is the 2016 Louisville race. I just love the sport, especially the vitality that it adds to my life. Yep!
Healthy aging fitness at work. I think it saved my life at the 2010 Lake Placid Ironman.
This ‘healthy aging blog’ has evolved since it was initiated in response to my abdominal aortic aneurysm, in August 2010.
The discovery of my aneurysm, and the consequent abdominal aortic aneurysm stent graft placement, scared me to death. At that time, I was focused on reaching out for someone to talk to about my situation. Those days are now, fortunately, behind me. I have overcome fear of stent failure and I’m getting on with my life.
One objective of this blog is to provide motivation, inspiration, and an information resource for anyone interested in developing their own program of safe exercise for better health. Emphasis is placed on endurance sports with special reference to health challenges that might cause people to give up the dream of being an athlete. It is never too late to get in shape. We can all be athletes, in our own way. Just for the joy of it. The trick is to develop a balanced life philosophy.
Living with aortic disease can be an interesting challenge. Undertaking exercise with an aneurysm, whether repaired or with a stent graft, or not, has to be done with care, taking into account all of the key variable – see my blog post on Benefit/Risk Assessment For Regaining Your Sport.
I am supporting these efforts by marketing a number of downloadable e-books or white papers, which provide a synthesis of subjects that interest me. Two such products include guides to aortic surgery recovery and fixing plantar fasciitis.
Healthy aging benefit/risk analysis. Take care, as you recover from life’s challenges. I highly recommend a careful benefit/risk analysis. Considering all of the important variables. As you get back on with your life.
Healthy aging fun. Finally! My mantra is, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” You have to party sometimes. But earn it first. I climbed 6,000 feet on my bike, after a 50-mile ride, to earn this beer. At a triathlon training camp, in Arizona, in my late 60s. A mere youngster!
Happy training, my friends. Whatever you do, don’t become a prisoner of your particular health challenge.
Wishing you happy trails.
Kevin Morgan aka FitOldDog
I had just finished a brutal 25 km trail run and had never been as tired. Having been an endurance runner for 25 years with a marathon pb of 2:49 and a 17:14 5km, I should not have been that tired, despite being a 52 year old female. A week or 2 later I finally checked out the pulse in my abdomen I had noticed a few months previously during yoga, and it was discovered to be an AAA. It has been monitored for almost 4 years now, currently 4.5-4.6 cm. I have low blood pressure and have never smoked (and am female!) so the consensus it that it is likely genetic. I have continued to train; no more marathons or brutal trail runs, and I try to keep the effort below 80%, stay near Class 1 hospitals and run with a buddy. This will be fixed eventually, but if there are other athletes out there with similar issues, I too would be interested.
Hi! Pauline,
Sorry to hear that you have an AAA, however, after about five months of blogging you are the first AAA case to reply to my blog. I have had plenty of spam, was hacked once, and now I don’t feel completely alone in the AAA universe. If you ever want to make a post/write an article on this blog, please let me know. If enough people turn up I was planning to create a forum, or chat room, or we could use the forum already being run for us at angioplasty.org at http://www.ptca.org/forumtopics/topic_AAA_stent_graft.html.
I often wonder about the arbitrary 5 cm cut-off for surgical intervention versus watching and waiting when we come in all different sizes, and surely our aortas do too! I guess it is important to do a careful risk benefit analysis. I think that we are both very lucky to have spotted that abdominal pulse and that we are endurance athletes and not sprinters or weight lifters.
So! Thanks again very much for writing. I am new to blogging, but I find it very therapeutic. I still have my eye set on Kona, how about you?
Cheers,
Kevin
I’m amazed that they don’t fix something like that immediately! Especially with your kind of active lifestyle.
p.s. You and I share the same marathon PR (me, Boston, 1978).
Good pb, especially at Boston. Mine was in Huntsville, Alabama in 1986 – which qualified me for the US Olympic marathon trials – too bad I’m Canadian! They won’t fix the AAA until the risk of it rupturing equals the risk of dying during surgery. I don’t seem to be a candidate for a stent at the moment, either due to my youthful age, or the tortuous nature.
I agree that finding the pulse was fortuitous. I found mine during yoga, and the fact that I was pretty lean helped. As far as screening goes, there’s no cost in Canada, but not a lot of awareness. I’d never heard of AAA until my doctor diagnosed it; my subsequent research led to a fair bit of anxiety, which has been really helped by staying active. Unfortunately, early diagnosis isn’t much use unless there is something that can be done to slow or stop the growth rate.
Too bad you have to live with such a loaded risk-risk tradeoff.
So did you run the Canadian Olympic trials?
Hey Kevin,
This is Gail from Dr Hokes office. I asked you about core strengthening exercises that would help my bladder issues. I couldnt find anything on your site, or maybe I over looked it. I need your help.
You are an incredible guy, you are an inspiration. Keep up the awesome work. : )
Hi! Gail,
Just go to the tag cloud and click on ‘core’ and it will take you to several posts that contain links to core exercises. The set I use right now can be found at the URL below, and it is linked in one of my posts on training whilst traveling:
http://www.coachr.org/core_stabilisation_training_for.htm
Let me know if that works. I had to make your post public to reply. If you want me to keep it private I can ‘unapprove’ it. I do like having these kind of things on my blog, however, as it will slowly lead to people talking.
Thanks for the encouragement, by the way, and keep up the training. If you need to reach me, my e-mail address is kevin.t.morgan@earthlink.net.
Cheers
Kevin
Hi Kevin,
I’m a 34 year old trail runner, diagnosed with AAA yesterday, still in shock I think. A physiotherapist picked it up during an unrelated treatment. I had CT scans done last night and turns out I have 3.6mm AAA. They’ll monitor it on a 3 month cycle and operate if it goes over 5mm.
Naturally one of the first questions I asked was, “can I still run?”, they said aerobic activity was a great idea, but not anaerobic. However, I think I’ll abandon my plans on a 100km debut next year. I’ve been running about 4 years, and am in the best shape of my life. I’m both saddened and extremely grateful that it was found.
Cheers
Jon
*cm’s not mm’s.
Hi Jon, sorry to hear your news, but glad you contacted me. My first question was, “Can I still do my Ironman training.” I had to work it out for myself, they had no idea. Yes! It is a shock. Took me ages to find anyone to talk to. Pauline, in Canada, continued to run with a 4.9, which recently increased in size and she is off for surgery in a few months. You should talk to her, for starters.
Rule #1: don’t become a prisoner of your aneurysm.
I wonder how it was diagnosed at only 3.6. I found mine, at 6.9, and I could have easily missed it if I hadn’t been in such lean condition. I completed the Lake Placid Ironman with the thing, only 10 days before I worked out what was going on. I’m lucky to be alive.
In your case, however, I wonder what your baseline aortic diameter was, and you have no idea if it is very recent or has been there for years.
If it was me would I run that race? I think the answer would be yes. Endurance sports are ideal, as long as you avoid activities that shock that region of your body. You could actually pay for more frequent scans using ultrasound, which is not that expensive. However, for my own protection, I must say that I don’t dispense medical advice (disclaimer! Excuse the interruption).
I’m pretty tired right now, long evening with Deb’s kids for her autistic older son’s birthday, which went well. Let’s communicate further, and maybe you could tell me more and I might be able to provide you with ideas on how to approach continuing with your sport. I would hate to see you miss your race for a non-risk. It would be good to see the scan – is it tortuous and thin walled or just a small bulge, is it near or involving the renal arteries, and so forth.
We each have to do our own risk-benefit analysis. You’ll get over the shock, don’t worry, and you’ll find that it contributes to your life in positive ways, surprisingly enough.
Ask questions and I’ll try to help you get the answers you need. I’m in training for the Los Cabos Ironman, March 17th 2013. Do I worry about my stent breaking? Sure. Do I plan to stop training? No way! Low impact endurance sports are perfect for our condition.
You are not alone, just give it time. My life has changed for the better in many ways, but at first it sucked, big time, and now it seems like a blip in my life that improved the way I think.
Hang in there.
Kind Regards,
Kevin
I spotted that, as you sure wouldn’t be a runner with an aortic stenosis of that severity! I’m a pathologist by training, btw. -k
Hi Kevin,
Yes let’s keep in touch please. I’ve written a blog post about it here
http://jknztracks.wordpress.com/
I’ll write back to you soon in more depth.
Thanks,
Jon
Kevin – love what you are doing and we really need to talk. I have some ideas to help promote your message. Can you send me your phone number so we can chat?
Hi Bill, I can be reached at (919) 357-3226. Still a lot to learn. Hope you are well. Cheers, Kevin (aka FitOldDog)
Kevin – Have you read the following:
Swim Speed Secrets for Swimmers and Triathletes: Master the Freestyle Technique Used by the World’s Fastest Swimmers
http://www.amazon.com/Swim-Speed-Secrets-Swimmers-Triathletes/dp/1934030880
Thanks Jez, I will read, learn, and review. Much appreciated. Old Dogs have lots of new tricks to learn, especially in the water. -k
Hi,
My name is Mike and I was diagnosed with a 3.8 cm AAA in 2008. They found it when CT scan for kidney stone was done, I had another in 2013 and it was seen as 4.8 cm. by ultrasound. I will repeat the CT in June of this year to monitor growth. I am 61 and am good general health. The doc has talked about doing a stent placement in the future. Since hearing this I am riddled with anxiety. I read about everything on the computer and it makes my anxiety worse. Is there anything positive you can tell me about the stent procedure?
I am happy to have had this found before a rupture, but can,t quit worrying about this. I am sure the anxiety has not helped the blood pressure.
I understand you can live a pretty much normal life after this procedure.
Nice to find somewhere I can vent.
Thanks
Hi Mike, chill, you’ll be fine. You have two choices, open repair with a graft or a stent.
I found my AAA when it was 6.9 cm, in 2010, as the result of an abdominal pulse and odd symptoms in an Ironman race – that race actually saved my life. I had a Cook Zenith stent installed about 4 days after the diagnosis was confirmed by US and CT. It has functioned well, and I returned to Ironman training after about one month. The following year I completed the Lake Placid Ironman, as first on the planet with an AAA stent graft. I did displace one arm in a bike wreck in Las Vegas in 2013, but that was fixed at the Cleveland Clinic, and once again I’m back in training. So the stent has been effective. I might have chosen the open procedure, but it can come with a big risk of impotence (I had no interest in that idea), and the surgery really beats you up, plus it comes with a number of risks associated with open abdominal surgery.
Before you make this decision I would talk to people on the AAA Awareness Facebook page. Pauline, a friend and avid runner, had open surgery and it sounds like a better repair, but the risk of impotence is not an issue in women. It’s an anatomical question.
At 4.8 cm you have time to decide, but don’t stress the area by rowing, so get educated, stay calm, and get the fix you want. If you want to talk you can always call. 1(919) 357-3226.
Yes! One can get back to a normal life, you just have to think about what you’re doing, which is what my blog and e-book are all about.
I repeat, stay calm, and you’ll be fine.
Kind Regards,
Kevin
Mike, if you’re interested, you can see my video, made by Cook Medical, where you’ll see what I did with the experience: http://www.viddler.com/v/aac3858 It’s been quite a trip, so far. -k
Hi Kevin,
My name is Mike Gardo, and I’m reaching out to you on behalf of Mike Egan. Mike is an elite triathlete, professional endurance training coach, and co-founder of PAINCAVE- a company offering indoor cycling training videos.
I came across your blog a couple of months ago and thought it would be great to get you and Mike in touch. We’ve been looking for well-written blogs where Mike might be able to contribute a guest post, and considering he is also familiar with fighting back from surgery (for his B-cell lymphoma- you can read his story at http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/mike-egan), I thought your site could be a great place for him to contribute a post on overcoming adversity, recovering from surgery, or a similar topic.
If you think you might be interested in partnering with Mike and PAINCAVE for a post, please let me know! Feel free to email me any time. Thanks- I hope to hear from you soon!
Mike
Boy, I wish I could do a sub-11. Great stuff. Love to have a post on my site, as it’s all about encouraging people to return to a full life after major health challenges. Thanks for the info and the link, cheers, kevin
I purchased your book looking for somebody or something related to my situation. Although I had a 95% blocked artery and needed a stent, your story about understanding our body, mind and doing what is possible is very inspiring. I am a triathlete who has just gotten my 2nd hip replaced Dec 2nd, 14 in India by the famous Dr. Bose. I now have two hip resurfacings and fully intended to compete in Ironman and endurance racing. I am 61 years old and my heart decease is somewhat genetic. I did complete Kona Ironman last year and love to race.
I am 4 days from having my stent put in, the Doc says things went well, minimal heart damage and everything else looks good. I am in the process of meeting with a cardiologist, to review my information and form a plan to get back at it best i can. I was mending well with my hip and had a olympic distance tri scheduled for the end of March and a 1/2 I.M. scheduled for June. I went to the gym today and walked and stretched and did light core stuff. I think what your doing here is great, helping others that have similar choices and experiences find out what to do, how to do, where to go… etc. When I had my hips done we had a site called surface hippies.. These were folks going though the same stuff.. what a blessing. I bought and appreciate your book.. just started but look forward to learning.. Thank you so much!!! Rick Rubio 🙂
Hi Rick, I love your attitude. I, like you, plan to keep on going, having just recovered, largely, from the effects of subluxating my pelvis in the bike wreck at World’s Half IM in Las Vegas in 2013. What a journey, including a second aortic surgery, and plantar fasciitis (which turned out to be a blessing in someways, how odd). Keep up the great work. Your comments on my blog post on benefit/risk calculations would be of interest to me, as you clearly plan to get on with your life. I hope we meet at a race one day. Kind regards, and thanks for your kind words (we all need encouragement from time to time). kevin
Thank you for your reply Kevin. Just scheduled an appointment with my cardiologist and am very interested in eating and living to reverse my heart disease as much as possible. Keep up the good stuff you do!!
Rick