Reboot

[Pawlowski6132]

I believe that keeping your weight at normal levels, a healthy diet and aerobic exercising are controllable keys to a long life (assuming no lethal accidents or genetic issues). Some of the posts have touched on these but, nobody has mentioned Sarcopenia. This is age related muscle degeneration. We lose between half to one percent of muscle mass per year starting around age 26. I think many of the ailments and fragility experienced later in life could have been avoided had proper strength exercises and stretching been a part of weekly habits.

Think about how strong and robust you were at 25! Is it no wonder that there are blown out knees, tweaked backs and necks, fatigue, exhaustion etc. when there has been significant muscle degeneration PLUS carrying around an extra 25 lbs of fat?

[tgtaylor]

I agree 100% with the above. Beginning in January I added weight training 4x weekly to my workouts and adjusted my cardiovascular workout to 22 minutes 5x weekly at a "vigorous" heart rate which for me is 122 to 130 beats per minute. With weight training it's important to exercise each of the major components of the body equally.

Thomas

[Tin Can]

I believe in labor, I have always had very physical jobs, often outside. I stretch, move, walk and lift tons.

Even now in retirement, I keep at it.

Formal exercise is never my choice.

I have never had a desk job. Never wanted one.

[Steve Williams_812]

Reboot -- a wonderful and frightening action. As 61 approaches I wonder about the road ahead and can swing between mature regret and childish indifference. I prefer indifference, especially when I'm sucking down chocolate doughnuts and salty potato chips like I've done for 55 years. Piles of journals dating back to age 15 echo the same themes -- eat better, exercise more, work harder. I've failed at the first two and go to work some days with my pants unbuttoned allowing my belt to do the work of keeping them up. But it can't be the doughnuts.

The worst activity is doing family math -- my dad died at age X, I'm 61, X minus 61 equals the time I have left. Damn insidious thinking and I try to stay away from it.

For the past two years I've had photography on hiatus. The personal work, the work I do on film. Everything else I do professionally with a digital tool is just a way to keep the lights on. A few weeks ago I turned the lights on again in the darkroom and have begun working again. I feel lighter, more hopeful, less old. I've pulled my 8x10 camera out and have been working to figure out how to haul it along with tripod and film and gear on my Vespa scooter. Riding is a perfect meditation for me. Photography is something akin to meditation but not quite that. I'm interested in putting them together.

Anyways, thanks Kirk for the thoughts on a reboot. I should attempt one more often.

[Kirk Gittings]

Thanks.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep"

Here is a large part of my inspiration these days, vibrant students from all over the hemisphere every semester.