Hi folks,
I learned about exercise from many people, one of which was Bruce Lee, via his books and my Jeet Kune Do instructor, Erwin (haven’t seen him for years – really nice guy). Ironman training or not, I couldn’t handle one of Erwin’s classes today. I remember Bruce Lee writing that one should incorporate exercise into your daily life, and not confine it to the workout area. This included climbing stairs (which I limit to 10 floors in hotels, for logistical reasons), biking around town, and walking. I think that it is easy to forget what great exercise walking can be, and it is almost risk free, whilst strengthening your cardiovascular and respiratory systems, toughing tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, and fascia, in addition to entertaining and thus rejuvenating your mind. Here are a couple of videos that I made whilst walking Scooter (feisty little dog) today, so it has my visual perspective.
I tried to shoot the second video clip from Scooter’s (odorant dominated) perspective, but unfortunately couldn’t capture the smells (not available on my iPad), which means I missed most of the fun. If you want some insight into the life of Scooter, I recommend that you read that creepy but excellent book, ‘Perfume,’ by Patrick Suskind, which is nicely reviewed at Sophia’s Book Blog. I received this book as a gift in the mail from a fellow presenter at a course on sensory systems years ago; I was into noses then, so I was invited to present an overview on the sense of smell. This book turned out to be a great gift because it changed my view of the world, causing me to wonder how other creatures ‘see’ things, such as fish with their lateral line system and slugs who view the world through a mist of mucus (I bet that it is crystal clear to them because mucus has magical properties) – but then, come to think of it, so do we, as mucus is a critical covering of the front of our eyes that protects these vital organs from excessive dryness.
Scooter’s Walk (without the fun/smelly bits):
So don’t underestimate the value of walking as general conditioning, my Ironman friends, and then one day you maybe able to chase the deer with Scooter.
What’s that little red thing in the first video? It looks a bit like a cat with a coat on.
Williamson’s book Tarka the Otter is written from the viewpoint of Tarka. When writing it he spent a lot of time on the banks of the Torridge and the Taw. His neighbours thought he was loopy (In other aspects of his life he was loopy).
It is a good yarn with a sad end.