Reflections, My Promise

While I have been a little short on posts for this site I would like to get something logged in for the new year. Since time flies so fast it will be August before I know it. My advice for the new year and resolutions are just go back to my previous blogs and see what it says about goal achievement for the New Year.

Here are some fun reflections on life, that may draw a few giggles:

1. Never raise your hands to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected.
2. I’m not into working out. My philosopy is no pain, no pain!
3. I’m in shape. Round is a shape!
4. I’m desperately trying to figure out whey Kamikaze pilots wore helmets!
5. Do you think illiterate people get the full affect of alphabet soup?
6. I’ve always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific!
7. Even notice when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at you, but when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the window?
8. Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
9. You have to stay in shape. My mother started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 now and we have no idea where she is.
10. I have six locks on my door, all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three of them.

Remember exercising the heart is the most important muscle in the body. I promise that if you exercise that muscle 3-4 times per week for 20-30 minutes and minimum heart rate(75% of maximum rate, found by taking your age from 220), you will have done all the exercise you need. There are no less than a 100 ways to achieve this heart rate.

For today,

mike greer

Vitamin D Importance, Aging Can Be Fun

VITAMIN D: My sources say the hottest new healer now is Vitamin D, yep that same ole vitamin that is called the “sunshine” vitamin. Lack of this sunshine vitamin is linked to cancer, heart disease and diabetes--and at least one third of the population does not get enough. So, how do we go about getting enough of this little jewel?

It is hard to get enough D through food, since there just isn’t much out there except in mushrooms that are rich in D. Fatty fish such as salmon can provide some Vitamin D but when it comes down to it, ole sunshine is the real source. Okay now you say, well what about skin cancer dangers? Well just like anything you can get a good safe dose with 5-10 minutes of midday(10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.) sun on your arms and legs. This will provide you about 3,000 IUs of D to a light-skinned Caucasian. Getting that amount 2-3 times a week is enough for most, but those with a big deficiency may need it daily. Adults up to age 70 should get 600 IUs of vitamin D a day, and those over 70 should get 800 IUs a day. Vitamin D is also available in supplements; however, before getting alarmed check with your doctor to see if you have a deficiency.

UPSIDES OF AGING: Sorry I didn’t realize there was an upside to aging but as I experience this every day and realize that it is inevitable I really enjoyed this information that makes some good points on the positives of aging. For many elders, it says, life past 70 is better than they imagined it to be. It’s filled with challenges but lots of new horizons. Here are some points that were given by a noted gerontologist: ATTITUDE-If your attitude is that you’re still good, you still enjoy life, there’s still purpose in your life, you’ll do well. GREER POINT-now the secret to this is to position your self where you can feel this way. If you hang around aging people who do not feel this way then you are doomed. You must figure out a way to stay in the “main stream” of life, and that is easier said than done for many. EMBRACE THE OPPORTUNITIES-Each decade and each age has opportunities that weren’t actually there in the previous time. They have been joys in each stage of lie. The thing is, people are so afraid of getting old. Don’t worry about it. It’s an adventure. GREER POINT-couldn’t agree more with these statements; however the key to having this feeling and attitude is maintaining good health. So, nutrition and exercise is a key ingredient to being able to maintaining a good attitude. Your health is your true wealth!!! YOU HAVE SAGE ADVICE TO GIVE-As experienced people of this world, part of the aging process should be the ability to share this with younger people. As you age you gather knowledge and experience that should be worthwhile to the younger generation. GREER POINT-While the accumulation of knowledge and experience is correct the ability to share it with the young is more challenging than one might think. Depending on the culture you are in determines how much you can really share. In the culture I happen to be in, which is the one I know the most about, the young do not have the same respect for the elderly. Sometimes they feel you are in the their way to success or they do not have the patience to sit back and listen. With the new electronic means of communicating it has changed our world to instant and continuous communication that many times leads to not getting things done. When I go out to dinner with people in the 25-40 age groups I find that the first thing they do is pull out their cell phones and then they start texting. When I am out with people in my age group 65-75 you never see their cell phones since they communicate the old fashion way, with their minds and mouth.

The real key to healthy, happy aging is to feel good in the age that you currently are. Never wish to be younger but to be healthier as the years go by. Then you have the knowledge and experience to share this with whom ever may want to listen.

Mike Greer

Bad Drink, New Product-Astaxanthin

It has been some time since the last posting and I really don’t have any good excuses other than I have been real “busy” and just haven’t paid any attention to this site. That is the bad news, but the good news is that I have some really good stuff to give you today.

Dr. Weil is considered one of the real authorities on healthy aging. I have his book on my shelf and receive his weekly online newsletter. This past week I received some information that I will pass along that is informative and may be helpful. He suggests that to prevent weight gain, and prevent drinking potentially un-healthy beverages you consider eliminating the following drinks:

• Coffee drinks, substitute green tea
• Summer cocktails, Margiritas(800 calories) substitute Red Wine(60-100 calories).
• Juice drinks that are not real juice, but are flavored juices. Go for 100% juice only
• Soda-there is no good food value in carbonated soda, substitute water.

While attending the Kona, HI Ironman expo I noticed a new supplement called Astaxanthin(pronounced asta-ZAN-thin). Cyanotech Corporation naturally produces it at their facilities in Kona, HI. It is sold direct or through retail stores that stock it. It is NOT sold by multi-level network marketing companies. It is a thoroughly researched product that appears to have many great features and has proven to produce the following excellent results because of the antioxidants derived from the family of compounds called “carotnoids.” Here are some of the things this product has done for other people and could possible do for you:

1. Reduce aches and pains from arthritis, joint soreness, etc.
2. Control deadly “silent inflamation”, that causes heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc.
3. Give energy, increase strength and improve endurance
4. Work as an internal “sunscreen” and improve the skin’s natural beauty
5. Improve the body’s immune system
6. Protect the eyes and brain from damaging free radicals and oxidation
7. Support cardiovascular health and normal cholesterol levels

Sound too good to be true, well who knows except they base their claims off of actual human case studies. Since they offered an expo deal I bought two bottles and have been taking them, as directed, since October 5. They explained that you will not really feel any dramatic changes instantly and that it could take up to 60 days. I will report back after I finish the second bottle. I am training for three half marathons in November, December and February, so this should be a good test. But, I do want to point out that the product is for EVERYONE not just athletes.

For further information please go to their web site: www.nutrex-hawaii.com.

Got to get out of here and do a long run!!

mike greer

Strong Bones

When I was a teenager growing up and being a West Texas football player I believed that if I drank lots of whole milk I would be stronger and faster than anybody. So, I drank 1 quart of milk with each of my three meals per day. Whether I was the strongest or fastest I do not know for sure, but I do know I was healthy and had very few injuries through out my 13 years of playing football. I attribute that to my consumption of that pearly while stuff called “cows milk.” It is my belief that it is critical in the early years of a persons life and it has life time benefits. After my recent bicycle crash the doctors tell me that my quick recovery and lack of broken hip bones was attributed to my really strong bones. To me that is “proof in the pudding” as to my early feelings about the healthy benefits I was receiving from consuming milk.

Here are some milk facts to consider: Milk is one of the best sources of calcium and about 72% of the calcium in the U.S. food supply comes from dairy foods. Calcium in soy milk is not as readily available for the body to use as it is in cow’s milk. One cup of milk has the same amount of calcium as 3.5 cups of broccoli. Also, flavored milk offers children a package of essential nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin D.

So, as you pass by another dairy during your many travels, how about a little thank you to those hard working black and white Holsteins! Their hard work in producing a very healthy product for the food chain deserves a strong salute of thanks!

Mike Greer

Goal Achievement

Too much is said about goal setting as opposed to goal achievement. All through my life I have heard about goal setting so it just becomes second nature to think that way. But in reality there is really too much “setting” and not enough “achievement.” After achieving my goal of returning to triathlon competition in the time frame I set, let’s give this a second look and see why it worked:

a. The first step was to set the goal of returning to triathlon competition and this was done the day after the crash. So, it gave my mind instant reasons to start thinking “well” and feeling that healing process going on.

b. The time frame given to me by the doctors was 8 weeks for recovery, so I decided on the Tall City Triathlon since it was 9 weeks out. It also gave me something to visualize since I know the course so well.

c. The sprint distance race was suited for the first time back and was not an extremely long course, so again it was a realistic approach to the come back.

d. As I began to work out I took it very easy to see how the body was going to respond. When I started feeling good in one area, i.e. the swim, I just started increasing the distance in work outs. While the distance did increase the intensity did not, since I did not want to chance more injury to an old injury. My first swim was for a 1,000 yards and it was very painful on the rib, so I backed off the next time in the pool.

e. When the swim, bike and run workouts started to come around with no pain I increased the distance and the intensity. This happened on the bike first, then the swim and later the run(I guessed the run would be the toughest and it was).

f. When showing up for the actual race I went through the normal pre-race warm up agenda for me and it felt good. When the swim started I felt very very normal and well, so full speed ahead on the bike and the run. Bottom line: I felt great and actually beat my time from last year by 2 minutes, with the same course and similar weather conditions.

In conclusion, goal achievement in anything is a step by step process but the following must exist: A goal must be realistic(I would not have chosen an Ironman distance race for the first competition back), and it must be set as soon as possible so that the mind can start visualizing the success or achievement. It should be so rehearsed in the mind that when you show up for the actual competition it just comes naturally.

Mike Greer

8 Weeks is Done

Wow time scoots by very fast, seems like I was writing about my required 8 week recovery from my bike crash and now it is done. So, how is the body and am I ready for the Tall City Tri and the W. man’s home city of Midland, TX. Well, I can say that it has been a full 8 weeks and today I did a brick work out just to fine tune and see if I am ready for the July 30 showdown with swimming, biking and running. I just completed a brick workout of 22 miles on the bike followed by a 4 mile run in the 98 degree temperature. Conclusion and bottom like here is, “I AM READY, BRING IT ON!!”

mike greer

Floating

How about this for a lead in, “Escape Your Body”, A Truly Euphoric State. Recently I was introduced to this theory of floating your body in a very silent and private room. You put your body into 10 inches of water and 1000lbs of dissolved Epsom salt. When they say float, they mean float. You actually feel like you are on top of the water. The quietness and dark also elevates you to an extreme state of relaxation and meditation. While I only spent one hour in the tank I came out feeling just like the literature and attendant told me I would. My initial motive was to try something new and see if it would help my bruising and swelling of the left hip. Turns out it did help a lot and my body felt even better the second day after the session. To learn more about this go to: www.escapeyourbody.net. We have a great location in Lubbock and I am sure there are many locations in other cities.

Mike Greer