We Each See The World Through Our Senses In Slightly Different Ways So Be Involved In Your Exercise Plan

Willbe is still wondering about those strange pigs that just don’t smell right – wish I’d caught the shot of him sniffing the big pigs butt. Typical dog!

Hi folks! Thanks for stopping by!

Click figure to hear FitOldDog’s interview by Bill Vick about this approach to Ironman training.

I recommend that the critical first step for any exercise program be the study of body awareness, if you want to minimize injuries and other setbacks, which requires the honing of your observational skills.

The key objective of this blog, and the related business, Old Dogs in Training LLC, is, in fact, to promote a program of safe exercise for better health. Like healthcare in general, we each need to take some responsibility for our situation, as only you really know how your body feels. It was body awareness, combined with Ironman training, which saved my life from a rapid, and probably painful, death that would have ensued had my abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) burst in 2010. Yep! Exercise saved my life, with the help of body awareness training.

Early morning sitting, observing with my eyes, ears, nose and skin, not judging or labeling. How does the tree know when its lower leaves are the right distance from the ground, or are they trimmed by deer? This arrangement creates a great microclimate for moss on the ground beneath.

It is important to realize that each living creature on this planet, including your doctor, sees the world in a slightly different way. Take dogs for instance! Until recently I assumed that dogs, macrosmotic creatures (having a strong sense of smell), were led around largely by their noses. We were surprised the other day to notice that Willbe, our Labrador retriever, enthusiastically sniffed the butt of a bronze pig in Asheville, NC. Clearly, the visual signal of a raised tail attracted his attention. He left looking very confused and bemused. The tail was up butt where was that interesting smell. His view of the world, in this case, is a combination of multiple senses. We each have different strengths and weaknesses for each of our senses. For instance, I am mildly red-green color blind, which cause me to wear pink trousers until someone asked me why – I thought the were green. I am also completely unable to smell indoles (key players in the odor of dog feces), which has advantages and disadvantages, but my ability to detect ketones (when someone is a little sick) exceeds that of anyone I know. Furthermore, my lack of tolerance of loud noises, which can be physically painful, creates some challenges in my life, which is often directed towards total silence. We are each unique when it comes to the Smörgåsbord of the senses!

Another great store in Asheville, NC, USA, a great place for bloggers. Forget the name of the store, sorry!

From time to time, it pays for each of us to stop what we are doing and truly observe our surroundings with each of the senses available to us. This calms the mind, and opens your psyche to new thoughts, feelings. Furthermore, improving your skill with external observation will flow over to your internal world, helping to clarify feelings in your mind and body. This leads to improved awareness, which can then result in your ability to resolve problems, be they psychological or physical, before they become crippling.

Just stop and observe, and then integrate your inner and outer worlds into a healthy whole.

-k @FitOldDog