Hi folks, This is an invited post by Andrea (Andi) Cumbo, my writing teacher. I recently heard a 'serious writer' say on National Public Radio that "blogging is graffiti with punctuation." I, like many bloggers, work hard to do better than that, and I must admit that I took exception to this comment. So I signed up for one of Andi's courses, during which we aspiring authors were challenged ... Read more
FitOldDog Core Exercise Video Two And Thoughts On Our Center(s) Of Gravity
Hi folks, Core strength and flexibility are critical for your training, performance, posture, dance, general mobility, and many other activities. What exactly the core is has to be experienced, and I am still in the discovery stage. There are several definitions out there, one of which is "your body minus your legs and arms." This implies that your head is part of your core. Is it, I wonder? Another ... Read more
Don’t Underestimate The Value Of Walking Your Dog As A Conditioning Exercise
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 ... Read more
Video Demonstration Of A Simple Pain Reduction Technique For Arthritis In Your Fingers
Hi folks, In a previous blog post I described minor arthritis in the fingers of my left hand, which is probably just one of the maladies that comes with aging. Such minor health issues can be an annoyance, whether you are training for better health or undertaking a challenging training program for competition. My cycling buddy, Rory, has almost exactly the same issue, with swollen joints in several fingers. This ... Read more
Shoulder Blade Movement And Meet My Coach
Hi folks, Every time I turn around someone is telling me to loosen up my shoulder blades, which are pretty stiff. I must admit that they were essentially 'stuck to my back.' Several years of massage, Gyrotonic, Pilates, Feldenkrais, and recently Continuum, have improved them a great deal. I now include thoughts about my shoulder blade motion into my training and dancing, to good effect. I made a short movie today, ... Read more
A Continuum Dance Lesson Video For FitOldDog By Rebecca
Hi folks, As a component of my approach to exercise for better health and Ironman training, I have incorporated dance lessons using Continuum. Today I enjoyed my lesson so much that I wanted to share it with you in the form of a video prepared by my teacher, Rebecca, of Evolving Therapies, Chapel Hill, NC. This approach is fascinating, much more difficult than it looks and it takes a strong core, ... Read more
Dancing As An Expression Of FitOldDog’s Training Philosophy
Hi folks, Just thought that I would bring you up to date on my dancing, as it is certainly becoming an integral part of my exercise philosophy for better health. Furthermore, much to my surprise (at the age of 68), I am actually making progress, spontaneously moving to ZZ Top the other day. Nick (13) was really impressed. During my run this morning, I found that if I engaged my butt-dancing skills I ... Read more
FitOldDog Exercise Video #3: Two Simple Core Exercises
Hi folks, There is much more to effective core training than sit-ups or crunches. The best approach, in my opinion, is thorough training in Pilates. I have attached a video that shows two exercises I like for their simplicity. My Pilates instructor, Tara House, helped me to make this video at the Spira Pilates Studio, whilst Deb operated the iPad 2. You can find a lot more information about core training on ... Read more
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