PandaEndurance.com

2012-01-29T06:01:00.001-08:00

I will not win because I have better stuff than them, I will not win because I have a fancy health club to go to, I will not win because I'm more talanted than they are, I will win because I train harder than they do. When that starting gun sounds it doesn't matter who you are, what matters is what you did to earn this day.

War Panda

2012-01-29T05:59:00.001-08:00

The Blog is working again!!!!

Dress for stress

2011-02-08T04:42:00.000-08:00

Many people who begin an exercise program start by spending money. Exercise outfits, shoes, health club memberships, watches, music players, navigation devices and performance enhancers. You can buy gadgets that tell you your speed, the calories you burned and even record your route. You can buy gels and drinks that keep you going when your body has run out of stored energy. You can even buy belts with pockets and loops to keep it all in. There are backpacks that are actually a giant canteen with a tube to suck the water from as you exercise.

A natural activity like walking or running becomes a very expensive endeavor. What was play now becomes an expense that must be planned for and then you can become so hung up on the gadgets and garments that you lose one of the basic reasons to exercise, releasing stress. If you could just get a new pair of tight knee high compression socks then your shins wouldn't hurt..., The list of items you can't do without becomes endless and there is always that 'something', that if you had it you could be so much faster and go so much further.

So what do you really need? The most important pieces equipment are good fitting comfortable shoes designed for how your body moves. Get professional help when picking them out, a running specialty store is the place to go for your initial fitting. The sales people at most stores like Foot Locker and Finish Line do not know how to fit you with the proper shoes. If you must take a day trip to another city to find a running specialty store then do it, it's worth the effort.

When buying your exercise clothes, go with function instead of fashion. Pants that are to long and drag the ground behind your shoes my be fashionable but can also injure you. Buy pants that fit comfortably a pair of pants or shorts that are to tight in the waist will restrict your breathing and will chaff you to tears. Shirts also need to allow freedom of movement and not have tight places that rub. Once you have a comfortable pair of shorts or exercise pants and a loose fitting T-Shirt, along with a proper pair of shoes you are ready to go.

I prefer to keep my exercise attire simple and functional but the goodies and gadgets make it more fun and interesting as you progress. New stuff makes a good reward for reaching your goals and to keep it fresh. But at the beginning just get the basics and get out there and get your miles in. Earning your stuff makes it more special.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Standing Outside the Fire

2011-01-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

At least once a month I like to listen to the song, "Standing Outside the Fire". It is the theme song for the Special Olympics and is full of meaning for all athletes. Adult athletes especially should listen to it once in a while.

Some of the words will really hit home for anyone who has trained for an athletic event, be it a local 5K walk or a World Championship competition. To be willing to lay it on the line, to give it your all, to give full measure. I have done 5K races and been so spent at the end that I didn't have the strength left to peel my after race banana. Those are the times when regardless of the results, I'm at peace with my effort.

I might have finished in the middle of the pack but I know I gave it my best. When I see the guys who run the race and then run it again since they didn't get enough, I wonder, how fast could they have done it if they had really put their heart into the effort. I think that is what separates the really great athletes from the thousands of others who could be, if they would just push through into that magic effort level of champions.

To have the courage to see what it feels like to push your limits is indeed a glimpse of magic for an athlete, no matter if your a 20 year old collage sprinter or an over 60 race walker. If we train for health and fitness, then a really hard effort isn't really necessary. But if you train to see just what your made of and to learn what you are capable of then you have to push those limits.

Next time you train, go full throttle, hold that effort as long as you can and then hold it a little longer, see what happens. Perhaps you will find yourself in a magical place. When you stop standing outside the fire and dare to burn. It might just change your whole way of thinking about what you can do.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda.

How NOT to do a Goofy Challenge

2011-01-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from Walt Disney World where I completed an event called the Goofy Challenge. This event consists of a half marathon on Saturday and then a full marathon the following day. An event such as this should never be taken lightly and the chance of injury is significant. You should never do such an event without at least a minimal amount of training. All that being said......

Sally had never done an endurance event before this year, during this year she had trained for and successfully completed two 5K races and a 10K. Her official half training started toward the end of October so she had at best two and a half months to get ready. About this same time our weather turned unseasonably cold so her training was walking in the mall. I started her with walks of 30 min 4 days the first two weeks, walks of 45 min 4 days the third and forth week and walks of an hour 4 days a week the next two weeks. Then we added a walk of an hour and a half one day a week for 2 weeks along with 3 other days of an hour. Then she increased to a walk of an hour an 45 min for 2 weeks and finally a walk of 2 hours for two weeks still keeping the other 3 days at an hour. She did the half marathon walking at a pace right at 16 min a mile, with a potty stop and 2 stops to massage out a toe cramp she completed the distance in 3 hours and 38 min.

I've said many times and it's worked for a lot of people, that working up to a couple of 2 hour walks can get you through a half marathon. Unfortunately this was all the training I got also. I had developed a bad PF injury and was just recovering when Sally started her training. I was going to increase my training during that time but ended up catching a bad head and chest cold the last 2 weeks before the trip to Disney.

The half with Sally went smoothly for me and except for tired feet I felt fine. Then we walked the two miles back to the hotel, had a light lunch and took a shower and a nap. When I woke from the nap I couldn't put weight on my right foot. I hobbled into the bathroom and ran a tub of hot water and sat in it massaging my feet and calves, after about 30 min of this I dried off and tried walking again. I could walk but my foot was still very tender. We walked a couple of miles to Epcot and back slow and easy, to get some dinner. Then I took some Advil and went to bed. At 2am when it was time to get up I was able to walk pretty good so decided to try to do the marathon.

I grabbed a couple of pool towels on the way to the bus so I could sit on them at the staging area and the start. I knew I had a slim chance of finishing with the training I had leading up to here so as soon as I got to the staging area I sat on my towels and didn't get up till time to walk to the start corrals. At the start corrals I sat on my towels till it was time to go. Then I stood up and did some easy stretching and got ready to go.

When our corral started I was with Robert and we had decided to do our own race and not try to stay together. I went out at a 14:30 pace and my plan was to just try to hold that pace as long as possible to build up a time buffer for later in the race when my lack of training was going to be a demon to battle. I ended up keeping that pace for the first half and then finally slowing to about 15 min a mile for the second half. I had problems with soreness in my right arch, my left toes and balls of both feet. I popped a couple of the pain tablets at the Med tent and pressed on. I drank Powerade at every water stop and had about 4 bananas and a couple of gels. My energy level stayed good and the pain pills took the edge of my foot issues.

I was enjoying the race but expecting any time to have a melt down but the slow pace and the just keep moving attitude worked. I finished in 6:33, not pretty but in the book and then it was beer and party time. I did come away with a new confidence and resolve to get my fitness level back to where it needed to be.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Preparing for Battle

2010-12-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

The new year is a good target time to begin a life style change with better eating habits, regular exercise and lowering your stress level. But a life style change is still a change and it must be prepared for. You have to be thinking now about how and what and where you will begin. When the day comes to begin you should be excited and ready.

Starting a life style change is not going to be easy. Your fat cells are hardened from all the battles they have fought in the past, with on and off diets and even periods of fasting. Your muscles will resist your new demands to move and your mind is going to cling to the comfort of the past. Make no mistake you must prepare for this battle.

You prepare by first making a commitment to yourself that you are going to win, you are going to win because you want a new life style. You must commit for those you care about, your health is a gift to them because you will be around to be with them and not die young or be a burden to your family when you get older. You must commit that you will be a strong and healthy life partner to your significant other.

Plan now where you will do your walks and plan for what you will do on days that it's to cold or rainy to be outside. If your going to join a health club start investigating now, find out costs and read the ratings that the members give. Look for a place that has to offer all that you want, if you plan on swimming as one of your exercise routines that make sure you find clubs that offer a pool.

The last and most important is to "KNOW THAT YOU ARE WORTH IT"! You are worth whatever efforts that it takes to make the changes.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Paying for it.

2010-12-23T06:10:00.000-08:00

We are closing in on a new year. This is the time that many make a resolution to regain the fitness they once had or they want to become truly fit for the first time in their lives. Unfortunately for the vast majority this means spending money in hopes that the cost will motivate them to stay with it.

A health club membership costs a couple about $500 to a $1000 a year. Health club owners love January, that's when they rake in the most money for the year. Club members, those that stay around and work at staying in shape hate January because that is when the club is busiest. After January the new members are into that wonderful soreness that just won't seem to go away or they have an injury that has already sidelined them and made them think this fitness thing is just to much trouble.

Buying equipment, the most common being treadmills and stationary bikes seems like a good way to go especially if you live in an area that has long winters. The last couple of years that's been pretty much all of us. But what happens is after a few uses the new addition to the living room becomes just another piece of furniture. Treadmills become a great place to hang coats and to set things that you are just not quite sure where to put yet. The longer they are there the less and less you notice them.

Buying exercise clothes as a way to motivate yourself doesn't work either. Just one outfit, especially if your a woman, can be costly. Shoes, shorts, tights, Capri's, pants, shirts, jackets, sports bras, hats and visors...... The list goes on and on. But just having the clothes doesn't make you do it, you can sit on the couch and think about which outfit you would wear today but that doesn't make it happen.

Ok so what is the magic and that makes it happen? What is the cost and how do you make sure you get your money's worth? Well, tough question and one that has gone unanswered for as long as people have been gaining weight and getting out of shape. That answer has to start and stop with you. How bad do you want it? How much effort are you willing to put into a new life style?

A good start is to put on comfortable clothes and your most comfortable shoes and go out for a walk. Walk for 30 min, thinking about how it feels being out moving under your own power. Do this every other day for a week. If after a week you are still doing it treat your self to a reward, buy you a new pair of walking shoes. After another week buy you another piece of your outfit. Keep doing this, keep doing the time and earn your rewards.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Time to Hunt

2010-12-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

In less than a month many of us will be toeing the starting lines of the Disney, half marathon, full marathon and Goofy challenge. Thousands of others will be doing half and full marathons all over the world. These are races to only a few of those thousands who will be there. For the vast majority it's a call to arms. It's a decision to live, to be free of the chains that have bound us all our lives. It's taking a stand, it's over coming the fear, it's our drawing a line in the sand.

We all have our personal demons, the demon of weight, the demon of feeling inadequate, the demon of failed marriages and the demon of never being enough. The demons of fear and doubt, the demon of not being rich enough or pretty enough. We are controlled all of our lives by these demons that have enslaved us.

These long distance events are an avenue for us to fight back. When we train for and complete an endurance race we are proving we are not slaves, we are free. The path to the finish line is symbolically a path to our destiny, we have to fight our way through those personal demons that stand in our way. We have to draw our sword and march forward, each training run or walk a small victory, each sore muscle a badge of honor, every step forward a stab in the heart of our demons.

It's time to mentally draw our sword, and prepare to hunt those demons that plague us. It's time to hit them hard and show them no more mercy than they showed us. It's time to put to rest our feelings of doubt and take charge of our lives. When the marathons are over, if we gave full measure, we will be changed forever. What we do with that change will be our personal destiny.

Get your best Grrrrrrr going and get ready to hunt your demons next month, you will have lots of company.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Moving Forward

2010-12-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

One of America's Elite Dreamers, Walt Disney, told us to "Keep Moving Forward". He reminded us to keep dreaming and to never give up in our quest to realize those dreams. Strong words and words that are just as powerful now as they were many years ago when he coined that phrase.

We are all on a journey. Every step we take is a step toward our personal destiny. Each step is a step into the unknown, we've never been this far before. But we need not fear this unknown or falter because of self doubt. Another wonderful phrase is, "knowledge is power", many others have walked before us blazing the trail with their sweat and determination. We can learn from these others, if we just listen.

Countless Pilgrims before us have walked the same trail and written about what lies ahead, they have mapped their journey from cradle to grave for others to read, evaluate and take from it what they need. We have the journals of many great warriors, dreamers and philosophers, we have the words of those who enjoyed immense wealth and from those who lived in poverty. This journey of life belongs to all of us, no matter our status in life or the size of our bank accounts.

I challenge everyone to not just learn from the journey of others but to blaze trails of their own. There is a lot of life before each of us and it hasn't all been lived before. We are all an experiment of one and a when an opportunity arises to push our personal limits we owe it to ourselves to pursue that opportunity. Be it learning a new skill, taking a chance to accomplish a difficult task or just become more comfortable in our own skin, we should "Keep Moving Forward".

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Has This Happened to Any One Else

2010-12-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

All through my adult life I wore a size 8.5 shoe. Then about age 40 my feet started growing larger, I went into size 9 then 9.5 and now at age 59 I'm having to go into a size 10. I have always been a runner or a walker so I don't think it has anything to do with muscle growth nor does it have to do with body weight since I have fluctuated up and down some over the years.

I have a friend that swears that as you grow older your ears grow larger and of course men's ears get hairier as they grow older. But I haven't ever researched feet growing larger as you age. I'm going to look into it though, since it affects shoe fit and comfort for adult athletes. I may have stumbled onto something that is common but no one has given it much print.

Shoe fit is critical when your an endurance athlete since you spend a lot of hours training and races are often over 2 hours and can last much longer. It's common knowledge that your feet swell as you exercice for long periods so you should wear a half to a full size larger shoe to exercise in than your work and dress shoes.

If anyone else has experienced this please let me know. It will be worth getting some print on the subject if it does affect other people. It may be a contributing factor in a lot of foot issues.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Holiday Stress

2010-11-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

At the risk of being called Scrooge I'm going to go on record saying that to many people put themselves under way to much stress over the Christmas season. To start with the Christmas season shouldn't be 3 months long as the retail stores would have us believe. It should be at the most the week before the day.

The first year I was married, in the early 70s, I maxed out my credit card buying gifts for my new wife. The credit card bills still weren't completely paid off when the 8-track player and cassettes I bought her that Christmas had become obsolete. I learned something from that, don't spend money you don't have for gifts. The person your buying for will feel guilty because they didn't spend so much and you will have the ummm JOY of the bills after the holidays are over.

It's much better to give within your means, the people you are buying for have an idea how much money you have so they would feel much better with a nominal gift that says I was thinking of you without being a burden on your checkbook.

A good gift for a family is a vacation. That has worked well for me with the January Disney race adventure. Then everyone in the family can buy something while on vacation, for me that's usually new shoes or some new exercise clothes. People who love Disney like I do can usually find a nice t-shirt that's Disney related and sometimes even one that is race and Disney related.

This year think before you buy and have a plan that saves you the stress and your credit card the big hit. A small gift card makes a wonderful gift and allows the person you give it to the opportunity to get something they want. Don't forget a gift card to a restaurant is a wonderful gift and gives the receivers a excuse to get out for the evening, something they probably don't do enough of anyway.

Let's all make the Christmas season the special time of joy it's meant to be and not a season of stress and worry over gift giving.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Economy Of Life

2010-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I blogged but life has calmed to a dull roar so I should have time to write again. Thank you for being patient with me.

My thoughts today are about economy of our resources in all aspects of our lives. Just as we need to turn out lights when we leave a room and turn the shampoo bottle upside down on the shelf so we get every drop, we need to conserve our personal resources.

We have just so much energy available to us each day. If we use that energy for positive uses then we end the day with a satisfied feeling and we probably accomplished something that needed doing. But when we waste our limited energy on negatives like worry and stress then we end the day wondering where the time went. When we are stressed all day we feel like life is passing us by and we are right. We have but one life and it needs to be lived and not spent in worry about things that are not as we want them.

We must empower ourselves to solve our own problems so we can get on with the living and stop the road blocks from holding us back. To many people don't accept the responsibility for their own happiness, they blame others. I've known people who were done with a necessary task as soon as they could think up an excuse for not being able to do it.

There are things that we can't control, but there are a lot more that we can. When we wake each day we have to make a committment that we will live this day and not waste it, I promise that we will never have a chance to live this day again. But each morning that we wake we have another chance and a new beginning.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Tying the knot

2010-09-24T07:01:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when you wake up in the night an idea is there that won't let you ignore it. I had one of those last night. I woke at 3:45am with the strong thought that I needed for Sally and I to say our vows at the pre race staging area before the Disney World half in January.

Last January my trip to my happy place was just horrible. I just divorced my wife of 24 years, I was alone for the first time at Disney, I was totally untrained and it was record cold conditions. This time when I toe the starting line I will be in the company of a lady who befriended me and helped me through the hurt and got me moving forward again. It seems so necessary that I share that happiness with the people who helped me through this difficult time.

I have a lot of planning and getting permission from Disney to do this. I need to find an ordained minister who would like something to do for 30 min before we move to the starting area. I have had a year of good luck and have managed to get a house and save the money for the trip and the races but there just isn't anyway to have a real Disney wedding. But this is a celebration of happiness and a new beginning, money can't buy that anyway.

My journey to this Disney World marathon weekend started back in May of 2006. I had been battling with a badly scarred Achilles tendon for a couple of years and I was doing a 5K cross country race. Every step on the uneven grass was torture. When I was limping away from the finish I decided that I wasn't ever going to go through that again. The Panda was born that day. With every step I limped I became stronger and and more determined that Dave the athlete was not going quietly into the night.

I started on a journey that day with a mission to accomplish along the way. I tried to run hurt for a long time because I couldn't imagine being a walker, that would be just unthinkable. I had to prove to myself that a walker was indeed an athlete. Accomplishing that I wanted to be there for others who needed a life time sport to keep them healthy and strong.

About a year into my journey I was on a training walk up a long hill when a little field mouse joined me and ran along with me for a while before turning off into the grass. That day I had the message on the walking site inviting me to get involved with Disney racing. Up until then I had no idea that Disney World had races or that there were people that made them a part of their wellness plan. I'm very honored to be involved with the Disney racing groups.

Thanks for reading and if anyone knows who I need to contact to get permission for a quick saying of vows at the pre race area please let me know. If anyone reading this is a minister and wants to lead us in our vows I would be grateful.

Marrying Panda

Worry

2010-09-16T03:40:00.000-07:00

Most of us use a tremendous amount of mental energy in worry. We worry about everything in our life, our money or lack of it, our relationship, our children and a million other things. We use so much of our mental energy in worry that there is often not enough left for really living.

Often the things we are worrying about are the things that carry over into an argument with our spouse, children or co workers. How dare them not be worrying about the same things we are.

When we carry worry over into our exercise time we can't perform as well as we are capable because you can't have a good workout with negative thoughts. A good way to deal with this is to first recognise it and then tell yourself, "There is nothing I can do about this problem right now so I will not worry about it right now and dwell instead on something positive".

We often make a problem more than it is by letting it become a major concern instead of something that is really insignificant. Many times the fix is easy and quick if we would just do it. For example if your worry is about an issue with another person then it's time to approach that person and put it behind you. Taking a walk with your life partner is a great time to discuss concerns. Extending a hand in friendship is a good way to end old feuds with a co worker or friend. A call to a family member or friend is a great way to say it's time we were part of each other's lives again.

If your worry is over money, worry won't get you any but putting that energy into a liveable solution might. Remember the walk with your spouse or life partner is a good time to discuss solutions.

When you use your energy for living and not spending it in worry you will be a lot happier and a whole lot healthier.

Thanks for reading

rambling Panda

Multi Tasking

2010-08-23T04:21:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's generation gap but I'm having a hard time with the new trend of "Multi Tasking", or doing several things at once. Doesn't that mean that we compromise the quality of what we do to get more accomplished?

Trying to do to much at one time is a fine way to be stressed out most of the time. We really don't resolve things when we just do them on auto pilot. If something is worth doing it's surely worth giving it our full attention. Especially if it involves others, like our families and friends. I was just to busy to realize my, fill in the blank, was needing my attention.

Everything you buy works better now than it ever did, but that is because the technology got a lot better over the years, but the quality of workmanship hasn't kept up. You can bet the people that were inventing that new technology were giving it their full attention.

My hero Walt Disney's favorite words of advice were, "keep moving forward", but that doesn't mean full speed a head with out giving it your full attention. We have to slow it down a bit and take some of the tasks off our plate so we can properly do the important ones.

When we get a day off we usually have a whole list of stuff we need to get done, then we hurry through each trying to get it all done. We do a lousy job of trimming the grass, saying "I'll get that other part done next week", (just like you said last week), we hurry through each task and don't give any of them the attention that is required because our mind is on the next task.

Maybe if we decreased the amount of things we were trying to all at once then not only would our quality go back up but maybe it would open up jobs for others. Perhaps it's time we were craftsmen and women again instead of machines going full on all the time.

At least when you are not working and doing what the boss demands, try to slow down a bit and do a better job of what you do instead of a faster job. You might even be healthier for it.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

The Taming of the PF Monster

2010-07-28T10:48:00.001-07:00

Well it appears that I've beaten back the planter fasciitis that I've been suffering from for about a month. I'm really tickled about healing it so fast since I've known people who have suffered for years from it. That wasn't an option for me since I had to get back to racing shape before the State Games.

I'll start by recounting how I ended up with PF to begin with. I had been steadily improving by doing my walk training every other day and pool running and good stretching on the opposite days. About a month ago I decided to add two extra days of hard race walking workouts to my training plan. This did several bad things: First it violated the golden rule of training; don't increase more than 10 percent each week and never increase distance and speed workouts both in the same week. Also by doing more walk training I was doing less stretching since I didn't do the stretching after a walk like I did after a pool workout. It took about 3 weeks of this to give me a good case of PF.

PF is pain on the bottom of your foot especially around the heel. It's worse in the morning when you first get out of bed and if you try to train on it. It's constant but those are the worse times. Any time you are on your feet or walking it's painful.

Healing it effectively and quickly required a lot of different actions:

Not walking barefoot even in the house, go from bed to well cushioned shoes.
Wearing compression socks (Tight fitting) to bed, this is like wrapping with an ace bandage.
Buying cushioned insoles for all my shoes, work, play and training. The sock liners that come in most athletic shoes are not very cushioned.
Rolling my foot on a tennis ball several times a day for a massage of the injured area.
Stretching everyday, not missing a day, everyday. I found that going to the gym hot whirlpool was good because it keep the muscles warm since I couldn't warm up with training, but a tub at home with hot water works also.
Taking Advil in the morning for the pain and swelling and then Aleve for all day pain relief.
Icing the bottom of my foot with a water bottle that has been in the freezer.

Doing all these things and resting from training for 2 weeks did the trick, I'm back to training but building back up slowly and I'm going back to the every other day walk training schedule with pool work and stretching on the opposite days.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Change Your Life

2010-07-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

Have you felt like you have been just going through the motions and not really living? Life just isn't exciting, nothing but same old routine, day after day? Then it's time for a change isn't it?

There is only one way out of the rut and that's to get proactive and take charge of your life. Take your life and shake it up, start doing things that are not part of your day after day routine.

Today is a good day to start. Everyday you put off taking charge is another day of "Oh Hum". If you don't normally exercise then get some sneakers on and go for a walk, better still grab your significant other and take them with you. Are you a shy person, then be naked in the house for a while today. Been a while since you have been to a movie? Then take your lover and see something powerful that stirs your emotions, share a large popcorn.

Start facing your fears. If there are friends and family members you haven't talked to because of something in the past then pick up the phone and call them. Putting long dead differences behind you is cleansing. Have a coworker that you don't talk to because of disagreements in the past, then extend your hand in friendship, get over it and put it behind you.

Go to the beach, go hiking, go exploring a new city, there are lots of adventures that are close to home and inexpensive. Rent a convertiable, go somewhere on a weekend trip. Get out of the house see new places. Have friends over for and grill burgers, play a board game, anything that isn't on the computer.

There are countless ways to change your life. Gather your spouse, family or significant other and have a planning meeting, the subject, "Where would you like to go this weekend". Take charge and shake up your dull life, it will change you forever.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Super Powers

2010-07-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

We have been treated to a lot of movies over the last 10 years, based on Comic Book Heroes. We have met Batman, The X Men, The Fantastic Four and a host of others. We all, adults as well as children have day dreamed of having powers and extra ordinary abilities. What if we really did have the ability to do what others only dream of?

We, humans, are an amazing creation. Most of us have no concept of the abilities we already have. We simply can't comprehend how amazing we really are. To start with most people have never tried to see what their minds and bodies are capable of.

A super power is by my definition being able to do something that others find difficult or impossible. Let's start with the power of patience, very often we do something to soon because we just couldn't wait and we settled for less, when if we could have just waited longer we could have had much more.

Will power is indeed a super power. If you can develop it, and you can, you can accomplish amazing things: you can lose weight, stop smoking and other unhealthy habits, you can even keep form embarrassing yourself by keeping your mouth shut when you would really much rather create a scene.

How does one train their since of patience, self control, will power and other powers of our minds? We already know the basics of training our bodies to develop our athletic powers but powers of the mind are more difficult.

To start with you have to want to have more control over your thoughts and actions. You have to want to resist temptations before you can start training your desires. If you want to be more in control then start by controlling your cravings. "I want a snack, but I'm not hungry and it's to late to eat since I'm going to bed soon", ever thought that and then ate a pint of ice cream anyway? Once you give in your at peace and content with your comfort food.

Wish you had the POWER to resist those cravings? Wish you had the patience to wait without getting frustrated and bubbling over with stress? Well you can, you just have to want it and start developing your powers.

Practice saying NO to yourself when you have an unhealthy craving or desire. Just as you have to force yourself off the couch to train your body you have to learn to say NO to your cravings. I will not eat late, I will not light another cigarette, I will wait till I'm hungry to eat.....

Think about the things you wish you had the power to change and then get started, tackle one change at a time and each time you don't give in you have increased your power.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

"Earn This"

2010-06-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

In the movie, Saving Private Ryan, Ryan was told to, "Earn this", by Tom Hanks as he was dying. The squad that was tasked with saving him were all killed, but Ryan lived. At the end of the movie Ryan went to the cemetery where Tom Hank's character was buried and told him how he had tried to live a good life and "Earn", the sacrifice that those men made, that he should live.

We all have that opportunity to earn our place in this world. We must earn the right to have words like; courage, honest, honor and kind, describe us. We adult athletes have the means to show our courage, when we choose to go on, in a long race or training walk/run, when we have nothing left we prove our courage and determination. We can't go out and slay a dragon to prove our courage but we can darn sure go the distance.

To a soldier honor is one of the strongest life goals. You are prepared to give full measure for your country. To live without honor is unthinkable. Most of us don't go to battle each day but we go to work. In this day of bad economy having a job is never a sure thing. I'm a firm believer, however, that a man/woman with honor will find work, because to not work is unthinkable. It may take a little time to think it out but they will keep moving forward.

We all need to remember to respect each other. When we are there for others, then those others are there for us. I'm living proof of that. When I was beaten down by a bitter divorce, the people I needed to help me were there for me. Thank you my friends, I shall never forget your kindness and support.

There is no greater disrespect for another than to lie to them. When we lie we live without honor, we live without honesty and we live without courage. An honest person is one who can be truly at peace. We must all strive to live with and promote honesty both to others and ourselves.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Free Form

2010-06-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

Today was, I believe, a turning point in my training. It was hot, 82 degrees with high humidity. My plan was to have an LSD to start acclimating to the heat of summer and working on endurance. Then I had one of those moments. The song lyrics, on my iPod, were, "Freedom comes when you learn to let go". Wow, talk about a Revelation, the light bulb came on and I realized something I'd been missing.

I went into free form mode. Suddenly technique was natural not something I was forcing my body to do. Because I just loosened up and let it flow. Now this was my first long distance on a really hot day this year, but the pace was easy, my body was responding to the rhythm. My original plan was 10 miles but by 9 miles I'd had plenty. It was an amazing workout but I didn't force it, I went with how I felt, my body performed well, but when I started running out of steam I stopped.

I had a couple of rough spots, the first when I hit where my normal long distance walks stop, six and a half miles. Then when I passed a fence with a large angry pit bull behind it. My heart rate soared there and finally when I was nearly run down in a cross walk by a couple of guys smoking and drinking beer. The driver had to swerve the old Buick wide to keep from hitting me.

I can't wait to get to the track next week and practice what I learned today about letting go and letting the motion flow.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Heat Training

2010-06-14T07:31:00.001-07:00

I have spent a lot of my life in hot climates. Four years in Southern Louisiana, nine year in the Las Vegas desert and five years in Okinawa. All these places were very hot and in the case of Vegas, although not as humid, very extreme temperatures. I leaned a lot about training in the heat from my years of running in these climates.

To start with we were designed to not only survive but to thrive in these temperatures. Human civilization, according to what our best scholars can figure out, started in the hotter climates. We only later branched out to the other areas of the planet.

I learned that you need to stay hydrated all the time, keep a drink handy all day so you can drink some several times an hour. The old rule of thumb of 8 eight ounce glasses of water is a minimum. If you exercise in the heat every day that's not enough. Remember this: It's an old American Indian saying, "it's the water in your body that does you good, not the water in your canteen". Basicly that means if you are heading out into the heat for a hard workout you need to have all your required fluids in you not in a bottle you are going to be sipping during the workout.

I don't drink during a 5K and I will only occasionally take a drink during a 10K. But I will go into the race well hydrated and start drinking again as soon as the race is over. During a 10 mile or longer race I will hit all the aid stops and drink the Powerade or Gatorade, I drink that for the fluid but also the electrolytes and calories. Since you burn a 100 calories a mile, the calories from the sports drinks helps you feed your cells with easily digested sugars. Solid food takes to long to digest to do you any good. That's why Goos and Gels are so popular. Fruit will digest quickly also so a lot of longer races will have bananas and oranges on the course for the athletes.

Another observation I've noticed over the years is that sometime after the heat of the year starts that I will have a workout where I feel the heat really bad and I get a dizzy feeling. I will stop working out when this happens and cool down with water and shade or air conditioning if available. But after this happens once, my body handles the heat much better. It's like I'm feeling my body acclimate to the heat. This has happened many times and I've learned that untill it does I need to stay close to where I can get water and cool down. Once it happens I can start doing longer walks where I cover a lot of distance.

Heat is dangerous but heat is also not a reason to stop training. It just needs to be respected and you need to be prepared for how you will react to heat training. Stay hydrated and untill your sure of how the heat will affect you, stay close to help.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Rethinking

2010-05-29T05:18:00.000-07:00

It was believed for a long time that running a 4 min mile was impossible, couldn't be done and anyone trying was just fooling themselves. Then once someone did it, lots of runners followed. Now it's a right of passage for elite runners to break through that once impossible wall. It was all in how it was perceived. If you believe something is impossible then it is. Now that doesn't mean if you believe something is possible that you can do it, but if you do believe and you have the ability, then you have a shot.

As a senior athlete, I pretty much figured that higher level competition was impossible. Then a famous race walking coach and competitor, Dave McGovern, told me that there were 2 walkers, on the US Team, that were over 50. That was like a lightening bolt striking me. What! I just assumed that level of competition was reserved for the younger athletes.

Now don't get me wrong, I doubt that I will ever be that good, but now I do believe it's possible to achieve more than I thought before. So I've changed my attitude, diet and training methods a bit. I've decided to find out just how much I can achieve. Starting with this years State games and Senior Olympic trials and then next year the Senior Olympics. After that I'll just have to see how far I've come and decide my next step.

There is an old saying, "Your Attitude determines your altitude".

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Being and Doing

2010-05-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

There are many phases or levels of walking, running or run walking. The first few months are the times of discovering your own body again. Where you are strong, where you are weak and all that's in between. Those beginning months are when every week and sometimes everyday are new personal records of distance and speed. As your body adapts to the stress of exercise your mind becomes dependant on that wonderful feeling of motion.

The next level of motion is doing the race events. It's a whole new world when we join others. We are no longer just someone out getting in better shape, this is the time we realize we are indeed athletes. We are not fast or lean yet but we are well on our way and we have started to form dreams and goals.

After a few years of doing the races and steadily improving we get to a point where we begin to feel that we are as strong and fast and lean as we are going to get. We are having fun with our training and racing but it's beginning to get stale. It seems that the excitement is not there like it used to be. We enjoy the company of our friends we see at our races and those who sometimes train with us. But something is missing.

The next level is not one that just counciously happens. At this level we differ greatly in where we branch out. Some just quit and take a break for a few weeks or months or years. I have been there several times. Often quiting for years before suddenly getting the desire again to lace up and begin again. Other times we advance to long distance and move up to marathons or ultras. Instead of 5Ks and 10Ks we do the half and full marathons. Races become a good excuse to travel and a race becomes a mini vacation and and adventure.

The next level is one that writers have tried to describe for years. It's like the zen of motion. It's where we are there doing our miles, not because we are training for something but because we just enjoy the being and the doing. It's where we no longer even time our runs or walks but just do them because it's the best time of our day. It's when we meet others to do some miles just because being with good friends in the open air, with the sounds and smells of the world around you is just about the best feeling in the world.

Whatever level we are in our journey to health and happiness, being in motion should be a part of it. Our wonderful bodies were designed for motion not for sitting around watching life go by.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Waiting For Adventures.

2010-05-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

I've been on the planet for a long time and one of the things I've noticed is that way to many people spend their lives waiting to live. They wait for vacations, they wait for holidays, like Christmas to get together with friends or family and they wait hoping for others to visit. They can't wait for the days to go by till the event comes up. Even more sad is that a lot of people wait for some happiness that never comes.

I'm an adult athlete, one of the big advantages to that are that my adventures come everyday. Today I'm off work so I'm driving down to Nashville and meeting another race walker to train on the hills. This fellow and I don't get to see each other very often except on Disney trips but this year we decided to do some training together. We only live 60 miles apart so we decided to not wait till January each year to enjoy each others company.

There are some online groups of runners and walkers that do races all over the country. These frequent weekend trips are wonderful breaks from the routine of work and a chance for adventure and seeing friends. I used to just see these friends a couple of times a year and spend the rest of the time longing for trip time to come.

Last year my world was turned upside down by a separation and divorce. I was in a fog for a while there and realized when I emerged from that fog that I'd been in a rut for a long time. I had spent a lot of my life waiting for my fun times and adventure instead of having those good times every week and often every day.

Now I train a lot more with others instead of alone. When you train with others every time you get together is a new adventure. A new chance to be with friends and to have awesome discussions. We have solved all the worlds problems during our walks and vented our troubles with someone who cares. I truly have the brothers and sisters I had never had before.

Each day now is another chance for an adventure, each weekend is a chance for a new trip to see other places and do races in interesting locations. I still do the Disney trip or two every year but now I don't just wait around for them, I'm to busy living.

I have a Disney friend who is a quilter, she gathers friends and family and has sewing "Bees", touching cloth is a stress reliever and a way to explore her creativity. Her quilting Bees are a chance to have fellowship and new adventures.

No matter what your interests are explore ways to enjoy them more often, don't wait for special events. Life is to short not to have fun and adventure as often as possible.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Dear Mr President

2010-05-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

Mr President, with all due respect you are looking at health care from the wrong angle. You need to think it terms of making the nation well not making it mandatory to have health insurance.

I'm sure you are asking yourself now, "How do I go about that", so glad you asked, get you a bottle of water and I'll tell you.

To start with wellness has to start at the top. Yep right here with you. Federal incentives for cities and towns that build walker and bicycle paths through out the city. No federal funds for highways unless you make the paths. Businesses that put in showers for employees to use if they bike, walk or run to work, would be able to not only deduct the expense of the construction but would get extra points toward getting federal, state and city contracts. Fitness friendly businesses would be offered tax incentives.

People who purchase a bicycle or bicycles for the family can deduct that expense directly from their federal income tax. Not only is it a step toward health but a step toward lessening our dependence on foreign oil.

All expenses that are fitness related are also directly tax deductible, exercise clothing, expenses related to going to events like walks, runs, marathons, swimming events and bike tours. Each city will provide health clubs that are inexpensive with information and help for new exercisers. Private health club memberships are tax deductible. Low interest loans for someone starting a new health club.

Insurance companies will give healthy person discounts for people who keep themselves healthy. Think safe driver rates for good drivers. Those who smoke will be given free stop smoking counselling and free patches or gum to help with stopping.

I know this is a fantasy but it's how we need, as one of the most unhealthy of nations, to think. We are getting fattier and more addicted to the "good life" every year.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Feeling the Power

2010-04-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this for Robert on the eve of his quest for a slot on the team that represents Tenn in the National Senior Olympics. Bob and I train together, but should he make the Tenn team and I make the Kentucky team we will be competing against each other.

Will that be a problem? Nope it will be an honor to compete with him, against him, not at all there is gold, silver and bronze to be brought home.

When I went to the national Senior Olympics in 2007, I was not at all worried about winning, after all there were 3 people in my age group there that had a current world age group record or had previously held one. Just to know, not believe, but to know that I belonged there at that starting line on that day was enough.

I was a new, self taught race walker. A sport where not only speed matters but every motion of your body is under the scrutiny of judges. For me the mere fact that I'd earned the right to call myself an Olympian and have the chance to show I was worthy of being there on that day with the best in the nation, was enough.

I trained to finish the races strong with proper technique and enjoy the experience. I'm training differently now and Bob is a big part of that training. We are training to continually be better, faster and stronger athletes. We share a vision and a passion, we are over 50, but we are not slaves to the number of years we have been on the planet. We look at those years as preparing us for what is to come. A future and a destiny that's yet to be told.

Bob, I salute you and tomorrow when you compete on the field of honor, my thoughts will be with you. Get your best Grrrrrrr on my brother and earn the right to go forward. We have a date with Houston and destiny next year.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Timing your training

2010-04-21T12:27:00.001-07:00

The absolutely most effective and the most dangerous training is where you go hard to the edge and stop. Going over the edge results in a good chance of injury, but if you time the effort exactly right you get the maximum benefit.

I had a reminder of this fact this week. I often do training walks 2 days in a row and sometimes even 3 days in a row. But Monday I walked hills late evening, Tuesday I walked hard about mid day and Wednesday I did a hard 8 miles, in the early morning. So instead of 3 hard walks over 72 hours, in reality I did them in 48 hours. I woke up Thursday morning quite sore all over and my feet were very sore on the bottoms.

I think I stopped just in time, any further training would, I'm sure, have resulted in some type of injury. I just did pool workouts the next 3 days and stayed off my feet as much as possible. I was finally feeling good again by the next Monday. I probably came back stronger but I almost over did it big time. That foot pain felt like it could easily have become a PF strain.

When a muscle is asked to preform when it's tired and hasn't recovered from the last workout it's very easy to strain or pull something. Once you pass that edge a long recovery is usually required.

It's like weight lifting, if you have a really super lifting session you will come back stronger, but if you try to lift again before the muscles are rested they can easily fail. Slow but steady progress is the best way to train whether it's weight lifting, running, walking or biking.

Along with that slow and steady progress is getting enough rest between workouts and not trying to squeeze in extra training.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

World Affairs

2010-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of natural disasters happening on our planet here lately. Now I know that there isn't a lot we can do about the earth quakes, floods and volcanoes but our personal fitness can be our salvation.

When we are so out of shape that day to day living is a physical struggle how can we possibly hope to survive a disaster. Our fitness can be not only what carries us to safety but our loved ones also.

Ever watch one of those disaster movies? The heroes in them are in good shape and very fit, that isn't just a made up movie thing, to be able to help yourself and others you have to be strong and have good endurance.

Those miles you walked/ran and those hours you spent in the pool, weight room or the exercise class can be the difference in your survival and the survival of those you love. These disasters are not just in the movies, just watch the news.

We have the potential every day to be in a dangerous situation. Not just natural but man made. Terrorism, personal attacks, attempted rape or arson, there is an endless list of possible situations where your fitness can mean survival. A car wreak in a blizzard can become a life or death situation.

Each of us have the responsibility to keep ourselves fit enough to survive and to help our loved ones when necessary. Ask yourself if it were up to you to be the hero when a hero is needed, would you be up to the challenge?

Think about this the next time your having motivation issues.

Thanks of reading.

Rambling Panda

What does it take.

2010-04-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be one of the best athletes in your sport? Ever wonder about the guys that win their age group in the races? Ever wonder what they did that you didn't? Have you ever thought that's where you wanted to be?

I have no idea what it takes but I'm on a journey to find out. I may never arrive there but I'm learning with every strep on that road. I'm learning that the first hurdle is myself and my personal motivation and determination. I've learned that it has to start with believing in yourself, even if your the only one who does.

It takes attention to the details. It takes accomplishing all the parts. The stretching, the resting, the intensity and the healthy eating, for weight control. There are no magic formulas and we are all different. We have to train to strengthen our weaknesses. Some of us have tight calves, some have weakness in certain muscle groups and some of us have imbalances that we need to correct.

We have to commit to do the training regularly, that means every day is part of our training even if the plan for the day is rest or recovery. We need to keep training in perspective and fit it in where it belongs. Make some part of your day, your time and use your time for your training and not for TV.

Many things are more important than our sport, our family, our work and for each of us the ranking of stuff is different. But our health and self esteem are important also. That's what sport gives us, an outlet to push our limits and shoot for goals, goals that are only important to us.

Life gives us nothing but a chance to be, what we do with that chance is up to each of us.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Remembering our place.

2010-04-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

As adult athletes we often get to feeling real good about ourselves. That is a good thing, actually a great thing. But we need to keep it in perspective to. Yes regular exercise makes us a better person in a lot of ways, but it doesn't make us better than others, just healthier. To often we begin to look down on others as we feel better about ourselves. Yes we have a good idea and we need to spread that knowledge to others. But all to often we come across as arrogant rather than as helpful.

It's better to be an example of what can be than a preacher of "the way", we are not Prophets we are just people on to a good thing that makes us healthier and hopefully happier than we were before we started. The benefits of walking, running, biking, swimming ect.... are amazing, it really can seem like a miracle but it's just us taking charge of our own lives. Yes everyone can benefit from regular exercise and as examples we can show those wonderful results.

Anytime we try to force someone to change, they are going to resist, it's human nature to resist change. We all have a comfort level that we want to protect at all cost. But fellow adult athletes we should spread our ideas of how to be healthier, we just need to do it in the right way.

By being a positive example you can make a difference in those close to you. You can be a source of knowledge on how to get started, you can help someone else stay motivated once they do get started. We can be strong in supporting what we believe in. I personally no longer give my business to restaurants that allow smoking. As far as I'm concerned having a smoking section in a restaurant is like having a peeing section in the pool.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

New Walkers

2010-04-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

It's beginning to become spring weather in America, finally, and with the weather change a lot of people start thinking about getting in better shape. Being a beginner is the hardest and most rewarding time for an adult athlete. When your starting out you actually start feeling better and improving every day. When your an old seasoned war horse like me improvement comes only through hard regular training.

It takes your body about 15 to 30 minutes to warm up. Your gauge that your body is warmed up is when you begin to sweat. This is important to remember for a lot of reasons. First of all what happens when you warm up is that blood is channeled away from places like your digestive system to your muscles that are doing work. That is the time when you actually begin to train your body. These programs that tell you to walk 3 times a week for 20 min are missing the boat. You need to walk easy for 15 to 30 min until you begin to sweat and then walk for 20 to 30 min with your body warm and efficient.

Having said that any walking is better than staying on the couch and if you're in very bad shape then perhaps you can only walk to warm up yet. So let that be your first goal, walk to warm up 3 times a week. Work up to walking for an hour 4 to 5 times a week. Just like lifting weights when you can walk easy for 10 min, then the next time try to walk for 11 min and so on. Like weight lifting you have to regularly increase the weight, (distance) or (speed) to get improvement.

Walking is a complete sport, it differs from running in lots of ways; To start with when you run you do it by lifting your knees and landing on your feet. Your basically pounding your feet into the ground to get your forward motion. I was a runner for 30 years so I'm not anti running, just pointing out a fact. Preparing for a long event like a marathon is much easier for a walker than it is for a runner because your body recovers from training much quicker. Walking uses more muscle groups than running. When you walk the stride should start from your hips and butt and continue down your legs. Your arms and shoulders are worked with your arm swing which should be mostly to the back. Along with gentle stretching after you exercise, walking will work all your muscle groups.

In my next blog I'll talk about finding the right shoes and attire for walking. YES it makes a huge difference. Your shoes and sock combination will make or break your walking future.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Rest as Cross Training

2010-03-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

I decided to write on this subject when I fell asleep last night doing a blog entry. No matter what sport you train for, even if your sport is just living a healthy life style, the best cross training you do is getting enough rest. Without adequate rest your just continuing to tear your body down not build it up.

When we do a hard workout we tear up our muscles, the muscle fibers actually get microscopic tears. They get lactic acid, the waste from doing the motion, pooled around between the fibers and you feel soreness. When you don't get enough rest all these things continue to happen without your body having a chance to repair the damage and remove the waste.

When you do get enough rest, especially sleep, your body will repair the damage and build the muscle tissue back stronger that it was before. That's what Training is all about, getting stronger and being able to exercise longer.

Your muscles are like car engines, they get fuel and oxygen delivered to them by the blood stream, they do their motion, and expel the lactic acid (exhaust) back into the blood stream. When you do this over a long period your body can't keep us so you have more lactic acid built up than the blood can remove. But during rest your body can get rid of the lactic acid that was left behind. When it continues to build up you feel it as soreness. The soreness becomes deeper and more uncomfortable the longer you go without rest.

Some people wrongly think that more and more exercise is required to get stronger. You just compound the damage when you workout even harder with out getting enough rest. So make rest a part of your training routine and you will not only make better gains but feel wonderful while your doing it.

Rambling Panda

Training to Walk Faster

2010-03-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

This last couple of months has been a experiment in the art of walking fast while keeping legal race walking form. The faster you walk the harder it is to keep all your parts performing like you want.

There is so much to think about, I try to imagine I'm going down steep stairs no matter if I'm on flat road or going up a hill. That keeps me walking with my feet in a straight line and helps get the hip drop right. That hip drop is good for a few extra inches of stride.

Being old and stiff I will never have that smooth rolling gait that you see on the worldclass walkers. But there are things even I can do. Keeping a good, mostly to the rear arm swing is good for keeping my stride flowing and keeping me from feeling like I'm walking on stilts or like a robot. The other is making sure I'm landing heel first instead of getting up higher on my foot. I'm walking with another walker who breaks into a shuffling run when he starts landing more toward the middle of his foot.

The stride has to start from your glutes and hips and not just your legs. When you start trying to go faster this gets harder, you have to start the stride by moving your hip forward with power. I've noticed that when I do a hard race my upper glutes are pumped like when a bodybuilder works on one muscle group. Hip forward and knees raises , not like a runner raising and lowering his knees for speed hip forward and knee is raised as your leg pushes forward not up like a runner.

I've been getting in some good 200m and 400m times but I need to have someone video me to make sure that my technique is as I think it is.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

To Abs or not to Abs!

2010-02-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder why you can tighten your stomach and it feels nice and hard but you have no definition? You do feel a thin layer of soft pudgy covering it though, right? That thin layer is what is causing you to not see any definition. So what do you do about it?

Your body doesn't know that you make a good living and can eat regularly and when ever you want to. That's because it's designed for survival and you keep sending it the wrong messages. Your body is always prepared to help you survive the hard lean times and when you tell it the lean times are here it goes into overdrive to protect you.

Your body doesn't know that you are trying to lose a little weight, it only knows that when you cut down on your intake of calories that you must be going into a lean time so it slows down your metabolism and starts storing fat, fat for you to live on now that the lean times are coming. The bad thing about this is that the body can make all the fat cells it feels you need and fill them, it can't destroy them. A fat cell is like a storage balloon, your body can make it and fill it, but then it can only empty it not destroy it.

So when you do lose weight to where you have a nice flat stomach, you still have that layer of empty fat cells covering your hard earned abs. So what do you do? All you can do is remove as much of the fat stored in the cells as you can. The only way to get rid of those empty cells is to have them removed by surgery.

What is one to do then if they want to get as close to those defined abs as possible? You need to convince your body that it's ok to empty the fat cells. Always eat a little something before you start your workouts. That way your body knows food is available so it will release the stored energy you need. Then when you have finished your workout eat a little something shortly after so your body is content that food is still available. Yep it's as easy as that.

When you do a hard workout and you haven't eaten anything since the day before your body thinks the hard times are here and will not release anymore stored energy (fat) than it has to. That means less energy for you and a workout that's harder than it should be.

Then during the day eat small meals about 5 hours apart. If you just eat a few large meals the body is going to take advantage of the extra calories to refill those fat cells with energy for later.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Crosstraining

2010-02-22T16:07:00.000-08:00

Crosstraining means exercises that are different from your primary form of training. For a walker or runner that means activities other than walking or running. Crosstraining should make you better at your primary sport, unless you are just seeking overall fitness in lew of practicing a primary sport.

The first thing you need to do to plan your crosstraining is determine which muscles you are using with your primary sport. I'm a race walker so I use the leg muscles that propell me forward more than the muscles that raise the knee. So I do an exercise like running in the pool with a high knee lift to work those muscles.

I walk on level hard surfaces normally so an exercise like hiking trails or even just walking on grass will work my legs differently. In addition walking or hiking works the stabalizer muscles that help with balance. You can't go fast on grass or dirt but you can build strength.

A good way to crosstrain with your primary workouts is to vary the speed and the elevation. I do hills at least once a week and if I can I'll do some hill work with every workout. Hills not only build strength but they make you faster in races with hills. The muscles used for hills are used differenty than the same muscles on flat land.

When you vary your speed you work different fibers in your muscle, everyone had heard of the fast twitch and slow twitch. When you do accelerations, sprints and interval track work you are working the whole range of muscle fibers.

Hummm, sounds like you can crosstrain and do your primary sport all at the same time, what a concept. A walker uses more core and upper body muscles that running but you still need to make sure you are as well rounded as possible. Classes like pilaties and muscle pump are great for hitting all the upper body muscles if the instructor's routine is a good one. But you can do a routine that works everything with just a little thought as to which muscles are working when you are doing a routine.

Our bodies have muscles on the front, back and sides so you need to make sure you get some twists and bends during your exercise. A good way to do that is to add trunk twists to your warm up and toe touches to your cool down. Remember don't stretch before exercise stretch when you have warmed up, or better yet after your training to cool down.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Finding Me, Am I Out There?

2010-02-21T07:18:00.001-08:00

This year has been a time of mixed emotions and mental healing for me, I was officially divorced a month as of yesterday. I have had ups and down but the ups are getting longer and the downs are getting shorter. So to celebrate the one month anniversary I decide to make some changes.

To start with I went through my cabinets and evicted the junk, out went the trail mix, the Pringle's BBQ chips and the peanut butter crackers. When I go to the market again there will be no more large frozen pizzas or Hot Pockets. That phase of finding comfort in food is at an end. I don't need it and I was eating it pretty much because it was there anyway.

I was feeling sleepy last night after I got home from work, I had been up since 5am anyway, so I went to bed at 7pm. I'd been fighting off a cold so the extra sleep helped with that to. I slept through to 5am this morning and woke feeling refreshed, optimistic and without the cold symptoms.

After my morning banana, vitamin, glass of water and cup of coffee I headed off to the mall for a 4 mile walk. My energy level was amazing and I had one of my fastest mall walks ever. It's hard to go fast in the mall because of the turns and the other walkers. I should be able to walk regularly outside again soon, since hopefully the weather is changing.

What does all this have to do with finding me? Well I've been using to much mental energy wondering about where I'm going to find another companion and not enough energy finding out who I am. I've decided to let the princess finding just happen when it will and press forward with being the best me I can be.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Winter That Seems to Never End

2010-02-12T05:01:00.000-08:00

A lot of us here in the United States are suffering through a record amount of cold and snow. Winter will end, I'm sure of that, it always has before. Till it does though all of us, especially my adult athlete friends need to keep our spirits up. We are all not acclimated to this like our brother and sister athletes in the northern states and Canada, but we can get through it and come out stronger.

Most of us had been training well before this last round of cold and snow so our muscles are strong and our endurance base solid. It takes about 3 weeks of inactivity to begin to lose a significant amount of fitness, so an occasional rest period if not over a week straight will probably do most of us good. It gives us a chance to heal the little nagging injuries and rest our bodies for the coming of spring and more intense training.

So just what does one need to do to keep from being totally out of shape by the time winter is over? For one thing we need to stay as active as possible and keep our schedules regular. If you normally get up at 5am (or whatever time is normal for you) to begin your day and get your miles in, keep getting up at 5am. Even if you can't get out and do your miles you need to keep your regular schedule so as soon as you can get out your ready. Getting in the habit of sleeping in will become a habit that you have to break later and that can be hard to do.

When you are snowed in or it's just to cold out, it's been in the teens here seemingly forever, you need to use the extra time you have, from not being out doing miles, to do other constructive things. Read a book or catch up on the magazines that interest you. Runner's world is a good one to keep up with the exercise world. Read one of the books that motivates, like John Bingham's "The courage to start", even if you have already read it before. Watch stuff on TV that is real world like the Discovery Channel, NOT reality TV junk.

If you create then now is a good time to catch up on that. If you sew, paint, write....... then do it, create something. We all have stuff we wish we had more time for, so now we have some extra time for it. Keeping our minds sharp is just as, or more so, important than keeping our bodies hard over the worst of winter. If we are mentally as well as physically rested we will be able to get back to hard training easier.

Keeping limber is important. Stretching and using your stick is important to keep your muscles feeling good. We don't want to start back training stiff as a board. That's especially important for us over fifties athletes. We tend to stiffen up with inactivity, so for us some type of stretching routine is very important.

I know we all want to growl at the weather but it's part of life and we have to sometimes just get through it. We will come out of it stronger.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Football Games

2010-02-08T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the Super Bowl, where the best teams form the two leagues meet to battle for bragging rights to who is the best of all. There is usually a team that is favored to win and another that is expected to lose. So many times though the team that is the underdog will win and win big. So what happens, do the people giving the odds not have a clue what they are doing? Or is their something else going on?

Perhaps there is no way to predict the spirit and determination of the people playing? Sports have a way of imitating real life and that's why we love our sports, both watching and playing. Throughout history the underdog has proved that through the power of it's spirit that if you want it bad enough you can overcome seemingly impossible odds.

The United States is a prime example of how a group of people with a dream and a fighting spirit can beat the odds. Our rag tag army of farmers and businessmen took on the most powerful nation and the invincible war machine of the British Empire and won their freedom. History is filled with such stories. The mighty Mexican army was stopped stone cold by a small Garrison of warriors at the Alamo, our own version of the 300 Spartan warriors that became the inspiration to the Greeks and gave them the grit to overcome certain defeat.

We are, most of us anyway, not warriors facing an advancing army or a team taking the field of honor. But we are all of us warriors of life, we go to battle everyday, carving out a life for ourselves and our families. We have to do this by a set of rules set out by our societies. But can through our sports live by our own rules. We can decide what risks we are willing to take, we can decide how far we will push our comfort zones.

When we train for races like the half and the full marathons, we decide we are going to take the risks. We decide how much we are willing to suffer and how much we are going to sacrifice. We decide how tough we can be. We decide that "Hell Yes We Can". We might start out carrying a lot of fluff or we are horridly out of shape, but we decide that we are going the distance and nothing is going to stand in our way.

Last month we gathered by the thousands to face conditions that would have most people thinking we had lost our mind. Maybe we had, but it was our decision. We chose to stop watching from the sidelines and get in the game. We decided that we were what was happening, and we decided we didn't give a rat's whisker of the risks we were going to win our freedom. Our freedom to choose our risks and overcome them.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Being Again

2010-02-03T15:59:00.000-08:00

There is an old saying, "I'd rather be a has been than a never was", but what if you could, "Be again"?

A lot of us are pretty beat up by the time we are in our 40s and older. We either have years of inactivity to over come, if we are going to start living a healthy life style, or our bodies are feeling the miles. Either way we have to reevaluate where we are and where we are going.

When I retired from the Air Force I was a lean Warrior with years of hard physical exercise and thousands of miles of running under my belt. My body was feeling the miles to, my Achilles were damaged and I had heel spurs on both heels. I retired and did nothing physical for 7 years.

When I did start back exercising it wasn't long before something started giving me problems. For me it was my left Achilles. I had been back to running for a couple of years and I tore it causing scar tissue and making running painful. Every race was a personal worst. Finally after trying to run hurt for a year, yeah dumb I know, I switched to race walking. I could do that without hurting and could still enjoy the racing I love.

I'm going to try to qualify again for the National Senior Olympics by placing in the top three at the state games. I have good memories of past races but I want to keep making memories. So now my focus is on race walking rather than running which is part of the past. It's never good to live in the past, regardless of how good the past was.

There are lots of ways for adults to stay active and competitive without having to endure pain and discomfort. I have a lot of friends that have turned to bike riding or swimming. The events that draw the most competitors at the senior (over 50) Olympics are the swimming and tennis competitions.

If your getting ready to start a new career as an adult athlete or wanting to start back again after a long layoff or injury, there are a lot of activities that will work. You just have to decide what you want and then go after it.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Staying comfortable in the bitter cold.

2010-01-29T05:25:00.001-08:00

I just returned two weeks ago from doing the Goofy Challenge at DisneyWorld. Several of you went with me and did the half, full or Goofy. We froze! The problem with Disney and many of the larger marathons is that you have to be in the staging area for a couple of hours before the race even starts. Including wait time may of us were in the cold, unprotected except for the clothes on our backs, for over 9 hours.

Almost everyone took off their heavy layers once they took off and got warm. Problem is, a marathon is a long race, as you get nice and sweaty, you also get soaking wet from the sweat. Once your wet the cold air and wind begins to make you feel cold, even though you are moving and burning calories. Those athletes that stripped down to shorts and just a thin shirt, once they had that initial warm up, were off the side of the road hunting stuff that others had thrown off so they could put something on and get warm.

I was unprepared for being cold for that long. I have done training walks several times with my walking group in temperatures as low as the teens. The difference is we don't stand around very long before we start and we usually are done within an hour to and hour and a half. So even though we are soaked with sweat we are quickly warmed up in our cars on the way home.

Once clothes get wet they don't insulate you from the cold like they did when you were dry. I wore a pair of Nike dryfit gloves, medium weight. They work fine for my cold training walks but once they got soaked through with sweat my hands were freezing in them. Layering matters with gloves also.

I took a trip to Gatlinburg after Disney and picked up some nice stuff from the hiking stores there. I bought two hoods, a light weight and a medium weight. That covers the ears and also that exposed skin of my neck. I bought a pair of light weight dryfit gloves to wear under the medium weight gloves so I would get a layering effect. I tried the light hood and glove layering this week on a 19 degree 6 mile walk and was very satisfied with the protection.

It's not hard to layer on your upper body by wearing several shirts, starting with a tech layer first. Then ending with a wind proof shell. But if you neglect your hands, neck and face you are going to be cold during a long event in the cold.

Next time I race a long cold event I will be better prepared and have a more comfortable and much warmer time of it.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Living in Balance

2010-01-24T06:46:00.000-08:00

Our earth is an ecosystem, one of the truths about ecosystems is that they must stay in balance to survive. Our own bodies are also ecosystems and the same rule applies. Many of the problems we have with our health, fitness and happiness, is directly related to that balance.

There is a Asian belief of Yin Yang that is all about balance in life. A theory of physics is that for every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction. Even in the very core building blocks of matter is the balance of negative and positive.

One of the gauges for us to measure our own balance is through our happiness. If indeed balance is fundamental to our well being then if we are out of balance we would tend to be stressed and unhappy. Ask yourself are you happy. If you answer truthfully that you are not as happy as you would like to be then perhaps it's time to do some self evaluation. What needs to change to make you happier? Maybe your not getting enough sleep, or perhaps your working to much, or even in this current economy not working enough to keep your bills paid.

If your caught up in the economy and perhaps lost some portion of your income, God bless you, I don't know the answer. Perhaps starting on a new career path? On the flip side if your working to much and you have no life outside the workplace then you need to work on changing that.

I have a wonderful friend who catches sexual predators who pray on children through the Internet. He buffers the horror of his job with a love of travel and Disney. He even takes his lunch in a Disney lunch box. He balances his job, which is filled with stress and negativity with the magic and wonder of Disney.

Another problem is our eating habits, ever hear the term "Balanced Diet". That means you better keep the veggies coming. The old American Heart Association guidelines are still far better than any "you buy it" diet system out there. It's a simple matter of making sure you are getting all the vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and carbs you need.

When your stressed it can often be directly related to your life having an imbalance. Are you getting enough love and affection? How about your feelings of belonging? Are you content with your life, think about what needs to change to make you feel more content. It may be a matter of getting back in balance.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Training: To Plan or not to Plan!

2010-01-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

I want to address a concern I have with training plans for races. You can download or purchase a hundred different canned plans for finishing a race distance. You can get plans to train for every distance from a 5K to a Marathon. Plans are like diets there are plenty of them out there and they all have in common that they are not a life style change but a means to an end. The vast majority of people that even finish a plan will do their race and will be so tired of the long training and the being accountable that they are overjoyed to stop doing it.

A better way is start a life style change that works into your schedule and be in shape for a race anytime you feel like doing one. The person that has the willpower to follow a training plan can certainly instead put 5 workouts a week into their schedule. There are two good times to do your workouts, before work or after work. No brainer there huh? Mornings are the most convenient for most since you normally have to shower before work anyway so all you have to squeeze in is the hour of motion.

I said an hour of motion, 5 days a week. Twenty minutes ain't gonna do it if you want to see good results and improve. It takes an average of 20 min of easy exercise to warm up to work out. Then you need 3o min of moderate to hard effort and 10 min easy to cool down.

So let's analyze that for our walkers. You walk comfortably brisk for 20 min, then pick up the pace to where you are feeling the effort but can maintain it for 30 min. Then you slow back down to the comfortable warm up pace for 10 min. You are in motion for an hour and most people can do that from the beginning. Time and not speed is the goal. Speed will increase as you get into shape.

Partner this program with eating better. Make a commitment to cut out a lot of the junk calories and replace with nutrition. Sodas are just chemical mixes and can be replaced with plain water for a huge health boost. Same with snack foods, replace with raw veggies or real food like fruit, nuts ect. Cut out the deep fried food for another heath benefit. Changes like these will compliment your exercise very well.

Now just doing this 1 hour a day 5 times a week will prepare you for a 5K within a very short time. Not to race it but to finish it. Then after a few months you will really start feeling good and your endurance will improve by leaps and bounds.

Then when you want to do a longer race like a half or a full, the first thing you need to do is decide how much more time you can spend training on one of your workout days. Working up to a walk of 2 hours every other week along with walking your hour the other 4 days will prepare you for walking a half and a 4 hour walk every other week will prepare you nicely to finish a full marathon.

A life style change will be much better than a race plan. It's at your pace since your going by time and it's not going to burn you out like a plan that doesn't fit your schedule.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

We really don't know

2010-01-03T07:19:00.000-08:00

In this day and age it's hard for some of us to believe how much more we could learn about our selves and the world around us. It appears as though we have most everything figured out and for people like me a lot of it is stuff I can't comprehend anyway. Telephone, TV and especially Internet are just plain magic to me. The hints that something like nano technology is just around the corner is just an extreme WOW. Heck I still try to touch the stuff in 3D movies that seems like it's flying around me.

But do we really know as much as we think we do or do we just put it in neat little boxes so it looks like we have it down pat. I'm going to use a well known example to make a point here. For hundreds of years China was completely cut off from the rest of the world. So stuff like medicine and healing took a whole different path than it did in the rest of the world. They developed the amazing acupuncture techniques. It's still used today because it works, in many ways better than our own medicine that is based on giving drugs to treat our sick and wounded.

A problem with advancing technology is that we share our results, so everyone is going on the same path. The history of China should show us that if you don't share technology then you find more paths. That can be a lesson for all things. Even in the world of sport and fitness. We in the "Developed" countries have it down pat with our technology. If that's true how come so many of the "Third World" countries are dominating in the sports of endurance? A Kenyan runner who has never seen a computer or driven a car can beat runners from countries that have the latest in high tech training methods.

Yes we should share what we know but we shouldn't make that mean that we should stop looking for answers to the same questions. We really know very little about our world and our bodies. The next big advancements in health and fitness thinking could very well come from the person who is getting off the couch today and taking their first steps to get their weight down and get in shape. That's why your panda is always looking at what he sees working for himself and others and not so much what's written.

When we start believing we know it all, we usually have a hard time learning more. Just like the Kenyan runner winning the race, he really is glad that the runners behind him have such good high tech training programs. To him he sees it as holding them back, could be he is spot on right.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

"Yeah We Bad"

2009-12-30T03:50:00.000-08:00

In the movie Stir Crazy, Richard Pryor, walking into prison, "Yeah we bad". To show the big mean looking inmates that they we not guys to be messed with. For my fellow road warriors going to DisneyWorld next week, that's the attitude to take with you. The training is pretty much done and the rest is just getting it done.

The Disney events are the bad distances, the 13.1 mile half marathon, the 26.2 mile full marathon and the insane Goofy challenge where you do both. We go to challenge our selves and to slay some personal demons of self doubt.

Going into these races is kind of like going to war, that's why I call my fellow athletes road warriors. When we first made the decision to do these distances, they seemed impossible. But like troops preparing for battle we trained our bodies. We made ourselves strong and tough. We ate better and slept better when we could. We prepared for our coming battle.

That battle looms now just before us. We leave next week to take our place on the field of honor. We bring with us only what we can carry into the fight. Our Gels and special electrolyte mixes. Our high tech uniforms and foot gear chosen carefully. Nothing escapes our pre race check list, Body Glide, nails trimmed, throw off clothes to keep us warm till the start.

Now is the time to take a final inventory of our race attire and our supplies. Florida can be hot, cold or anywhere in between. Nothing worse than standing for hours freezing before the start and being stiff and tired from shivering before you even start. So like a good troop be prepared to do battle despite the weather.

The main weapon you take into battle is your attitude. Go in knowing you will win, not dwelling on your fears and doubts. Your work is done now is the time for the glory of victory.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Happy New Year!

2009-12-27T18:29:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when everyone is saying Happy New Year. We really mean it to, we want everyone to have a better year than they had last year, we especially want that for ourselves. Does the year changing really mean anything? It doesn't unless we use the change as a catalyst to spark action.

We can make resolutions and we can want those changes, but unless we put our wants into goals and the take action to meet those goals we are going to have basically the same year as we did last year. We have to believe the changes we want are possible and we have to believe we have the power to make them happen.

We have to be realistic also. I'm going to win the lottery and be set for life is a nice daydream but it ain't happening. We have to take positive action if we are going to see gain. Just wanting and dreaming will get us no where unless we use those dreams as a blue print for the path we will take. We have to have some control over what we want to change to. We can do things like be positive, lose weight or train for a sport. We can become a better person.

We can also make changes that make our lives better, like patching up friendships or extending your hand in friendship to a co worker who you have had a tense relationship with. It's never to late to mend old hurts. You can ease some guilt by getting back in touch with family members you haven't kept up with or call the friends you haven't talked to for a long time.

The list of things you can do is endless, you just need to think about what in your life needs changing and get started.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Where is home?

2009-12-24T03:53:00.000-08:00

Divorce is one of those times in your life when you should reevaluate yourself and become reacquainted with who you are and where you are headed. The old saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life", is never more true.

I started with a cleansing. Except for my clothes, everything is new. I don't have a lot yet and I'm ok with that. I don't want anymore baggage than I can carry. When y0u have lots of stuff you have to have a place to put it and that reduces how I can define home. We all tend to call home the place where our stuff is located. I'm wondering if maybe that thinking is to restrictive for me right now.

I'm going to try to start thinking of home is broader terms. Could home be a general area that I feel comfortable in like the mountains or the coast? Could it be a town or city where I feel comfortable living. Of course with the economy the way it is home at least for a while is where my job is.

For the first time in a great many years I'm without a companion. I hope that is a temporary condition. Could it be that home is where not only I but this future life mate feel the most comfortable? Because when you get down to the basics of human survival, the place you belong is next to that life mate, where ever that may be. We are after all a nomadic species. So that even as we wonder we are never lost because home is right next to us.

Completely on the flip side is feeling that a place to call my own can be where I belong. Unfortunately a place you can truly call your own is only an abstract term as all the people who lost their homes because of the current economy and the back lash of the run a way inflation in the housing market, found out.

I'm leaning toward the belief that life is a journey and being beside the person you most want to be is a good working definition of home.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Moving On

2009-12-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've been ready to write but I know that for me getting back to writing is part of healing. I reach out with my writing, putting my thoughts and feelings out there to be shared. That's necessary because it's normal to feel a hit to your self esteem when your life makes unpleasant changes regardless of how necessary they were.

I decided today that it's time to evaluate a lot of things. My self, my dreams and my reality. I'm looking first at me and what I need to change. First off I need to get back to quality training and healthy eating. Both have suffered this year, I've done more fried food this year than the last 8 years combined. I wasn't sleeping well and that has fortunately changed. I sleep good now as well as take a nap after my workouts whenever possible, (now doesn't that make me sound old). These are my easy changes to make, I have absolute control over them. My cravings will get in the way but if I'm serious about moving on they will be tolerable.

My dreams are such that I can still realize them, it will just be with a different companion. Of course the search for another will be a top priority for the next months. I'm looking for a new relationship with as little baggage as possible. I suppose there are people out there without a ton of baggage they are lugging around. I'm not looking for Barbie or anyone close, just a good solid lady to share my life and dreams.

My dreams are to buy another small house next year and live there till I can retire in 8 years and then spend a few years traveling looking to see if there is anywhere I/we would rather be. Then moving there if that paradise does exist.

Current reality is that I really can't complain about anything. I have a good job and hopefully the economy won't cause the company to close smaller stores like the one I work at. This day and age one never knows. I'm alone but only as far as a live in companion, since I have several amazing friends that watch out for me. I also have a wonderful son that is keeping tabs on me.

So all in all I have to say the future is bright. I will be glad to fast forward a year and see where life has taken me.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Singular Wellness

2009-12-12T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well it appears that I'm going to get some first hand experience in coping with the stress of being single. Doesn't it seem that everywhere you go people seem to always be coupled up? Well right now I contemplating where someone goes on vacation when they are single. I'm a social person and like to share experiences and memories.

I'm a big fan of Disney but just can't imagine doing that alone. I love the 3D Movies there, The Great Movie ride, Spaceship earth and many many others but they are things to do with another not by yourself. Or are they? Last week I had a desire to go to the theater and share popcorn. Again not ready to do something like that alone and at my age it seems everyone I know is married.

I suppose as time goes on I'll meet other single people and acquire other single friends. Having been married for the great majority of my adult life I have to relearn how to make friends with other single people and how to ask them to do things with me.

I am learning that I have a lot more freedom to do things when and how I want to. I take naps when I feel like it and eat when I'm hungry rather than just at regular times. I get up early to train and then go home for a snack and a nap before work. After work since I work evenings is usually just a snack, check mail on the computer, do a few quick posts and off to bed.

During the first week I had a couple of beers each night before bed to help me get sleepy but that is long since past and I'm sleeping good. I wake without an alarm every morning and then crawl out of bed for coffee and a bagel to wake up with before I'm off to the days workout.

But each day gets better and each day I get mentally stronger again so I should have everything figured out soon, it's not like I'm the first person to ever be single.

Thanks for reading.

Rambing Panda

For all things there is an end and a beginning

2009-12-10T14:59:00.000-08:00

For all things there is a beginning and an end, that's the way of our lives and our world. No matter how good, bad or indifferent all things will end and then something new will begin. It's like a good movie, we hate for it to end but we know it will and we are sad that it does but enriched because we had the opportunity to experience it.

A phase of my life has come to an end and I'm sad for it but from that I must move forward. I have made a decision that moving forward means doing Bad Water in 2011. Bad Water is a 135 ultra endurance race across Death Valley. It's considered the toughest endurance event in the world. I'm going to try to badger a couple of friends into doing it with me. One friend has to turn his life back to the positive side and needs this as much as do I.

One of the reasons we get into doing distance events in the first place is to put a positive goal out there in front of us. A goal to finish a half or full marathon or to complete the Goofy at Disney are all goals that I've used to stay focused on moving forward. I've done those and now I need a new challenge. That challenge will be the Bad Water race.

The people I will ask to do this with me will more than likely, at least at first, think I need to be locked up for my own safety but I believe this is the next step on the road to my destiny. I do think it's become time. Like the old French Foreign Legion, you join to forget the past and live for the moment. I need to put the past behind me and learn to live for the moment again.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Tears of the Heart

2009-11-29T04:10:00.000-08:00

One of the truths that I'll be following is that if you cling to your positives and back away from the negatives it will help with the healing.

Training and racing are a positive and a constant for me. It's healthy, relieves stress and takes up time that could be spent in unhealthy pursuits. It's easy to fall into a hole with depression that is hard to crawl out from. Even if you do make it back to the light your mind and body can be wreaked. I'm not going to allow that to happen.

One of the most common health conditions in the United States today is depression. We are in an economic crisis, the housing market is horrid, jobs are hard to find and if you have one you keep your mouth shut about what you don't like. I think the high rate of depression and the high rate of obesity are directly related. It's comforting to sit and eat, instant gratification, life sucks but the snacks and junk food are so good. We always have in the back of our mind that once this life crisis is over we will get back to a healthier lifestyle, but once you fall in the hole it's hard to climb out.

Having high self esteem is one of the major antidotes for depression you have to care enough for yourself to fight for your sanity. Yes depression is a type of insanity, it's curable and treatable but if left unchecked it can be terminal. As you fall deeper into the hole your drinking and possibly even drug use dramatically increase.

So my watch cause for now is look out for my heart, my sanity and my future. I don't want to do things now that will cause me to jeopardise any of those. I want to come through this with all intact.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Life Changes

2009-11-27T02:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my wife and I decided to go our separate ways. Now that old saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life", has special meaning for me. Since this is a blog about wellness, and part of wellness is handling the stress of partner changes, I thought it would be ok to write about this.

The challenges are many and some are going to be difficult. One of the stages you go through is the guilt stage, "could I have done better". Even when the change has been a long time coming it's never easy and you judge yourself. The task now is to try and do as you had wish you had done before.

I'm going to make a promise to myself that I will come through this stronger than I was before. I know I'll go through some difficult periods but with the right frame of mind I think it will be ok. I will have the do stuff period of getting a new house for me and buying everything to put into it.

Thanks for reading.

Single Panda

Racing and Eating

2009-11-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

People involved with firearms have had a debate going for a hundred years about what is better a little bullet that goes really fast or a big bullet going slower. Same goes for getting advice about what to eat before, during and after a half or full marathon. You have completely different points of view.

Some people will tell you that if you eat anything before a race it needs to be very light and at least an hour before. Other people can be seen chugging a sports drink to wash down a bagel just a few minutes before the race starts. Other people look like they are going on a grand adventure with their belt filled with special foods and drinks that are "Scientifically developed", for optimal performance.

During a race it's the same thing, some people have special fluids, gels, Goos and food to eat along the way. I've seen everything from peanut butter sandwiches to beef jerky being eaten on the move.

I'm going to give you my take on this subject. I was a competitive runner for over 30 years and a race walker after that. In addition I worked with a lot of military personnel, helping them get in shape to pass their required fitness tests and athletes training for competition. So I have some opinions derived from experience and trial and error.

My personal pre competition meal is a cereal like Special K or Cheerios, with a banana cut up on top and skim milk, I add a glass of water and a cup of coffee. I'll eat this about 2 hours before start time. I eat and drink that far ahead for a couple of reasons. 1. I want the meal digested and not sitting in my stomach. A meal eaten shortly before you start will still be pretty much there when you finish your race, so it really didn't do you any good because your body had to channel blood to your stomach for digestion of that meal and that means some of the blood that would have gone to your muscles has gone to digestion instead.

A runner because of the bouncing has more problem with stomach distress than a walker so it's even more important for a runner not to have a belly full of undigested food. My number 2. reason is that I don't want to have extra potty breaks. Your body uses the water and other fluids for a lot of purposes. One important use is to clean out the waste from the cells and send the "Sewer water" out as urine. This is important since your body is removing lactic acid from the exercise effort. But starting the race with your stomach full of water will just cause you to have to make a pit stop soon after you start when the potties along the way are the most crowded.

During the race you use an average of 100 calories per mile. In a half marathon you really don't need to eat anything. You have more than 1300 calories already stored in your body for use. Just drinking the sports drinks will supply you with plenty of extra calories along the way. Sports drinks are a good idea because they have the salts and sugars to replace what your using. The food in your stomach from a pre race feast is just going to sit there and make you uncomfortable.

In a marathon you do need to keep your calories coming in but not with food, once again you need the sports drinks for fluid replacement and the salts and sugars. But it doesn't hurt to use a gel or Goo if you have used then in training and they sit well with you. I will eat several banana halves during a marathon and toward the end I'll have a couple of gels and maybe a bag of sports beans. When you don't eat a little along the way during the marathon you start really running out of energy somewhere between miles 18 and 22. A cup of sports drink at every water stop is a good idea and if you want to add a sugary product like a gel or Goo it's ok. But you don't need to eat a gel every mile! And once again real food will not be digested and supply energy unless your body sends that blood needed for muscle performance to digestion instead. A sugar product is for all intents and purposes pre digested.

Of course you want to drink a little water or sports drink at every water station. Dehydration will get you during the race long before you will starve to death. A good way to gauge your hydration level is to look at the color of your urine. If its dark yellow your getting dehydrated and if it's clear your ok. You want to go to the race with clear urine not dark yellow. You start a marathon dehydrated and your going to be in trouble before it's over and you probably won't finish.

After the race eating is pretty much up to you. But remember your body has just been challenged to a difficult task and it's weak. Avoiding strong drink and very spicy food is a good idea unless you want to be very uncomfortable. I like a few cold beers and something like baked fish or a pasta and chicken dish. Of course when you finish you want to drink a few bottles of water and or sports drink, your biggest challenge is dehydrating.

Thank you for reading.

Panda Rambling

Crunch Time

2009-11-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Those of us that are going to Walt DisneyWorld in January for the half marathon, full marathon or the Goofy Challenge are now within 7 weeks. It's down to crunch time. By now you should have all your equipment choices picked and ready to go. Especially shoes, don't plan on hoping to find the perfect shoes at the Expo the day before.

Right now your training should be going good and you should be injury free. The last three weeks are your taper period so you really have only 4 weeks of LSD and hard training. So you should be nearing the end of whatever training plan you have been following.

WHAT!!! You haven't been following a training plan and have been just going at it in a hit or miss, mostly miss schedule? What the heck are you going to do?

Well if you are injured, deal with that first. You will not want to be already hurting when you are in the corral waiting to start. Fixing whatever injuries you might have are the most important thing you can do right now. You can always do activities that don't stress your injury while you rehab it. Biking, swimming and pool running are good ways to train while your rehabbing that injury.

Training plans are ideal and if you can the best way to train for finishing a long distance event. But life has a way of slapping down our best laid plans. So what do you do if your now 7 weeks away and haven't been following a good plan? This advice is for my walkers and run/walkers. A runner who is planning to run 26.2 miles and hasn't trained might want to consider walking or at most alternating running with long walk intervals.

A walker who is in overall good shape can finish a marathon. If your training hasn't been the best this year now is the time to start doing EVERYTHING right. Start eating properly and see if you can drop a few of those extra fluff pounds you have been thinking about losing. Get serious about your stretching. Loose muscles do everything better.

Training when you are playing catch up needs to be different from a what you would do in a 6 month plan. To start with train for time not distance. You need to train your body to stay in motion for 3 to 6 miles one day and if your doing Goofy you need to be able to handle 10 hours motion over two days. You can do that. Don't worry about speed worry about your endurance. You need to be able to stay in motion, your training to finish not win. If you have an hour, walk a brisk hour a day, if you have 3, 4 or 5 hours on the weekend then get out there and walk.

You don't need 3 weeks to taper if you've only trained a month. You need to keep walking regularly right up to the last few days. Two days of rest will do wonders for you, especially if it's active rest like enjoying the Disney Parks.

Time is running out but there is still a good chance to finish your events with last minute preparing, if you do it properly.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Stretching it.

2009-11-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

Why is it so darn hard to remember to take the time to stretch after you exercise? The benefits are huge and it really does help. So why is that the part of our training that most of us neglect?

Your stride is easier, smoother and longer when your muscles are limber. When you have tight places that is where your smoothness and stride length will get hung up. Also limber muscles can exercise longer because there is less internal resistance.

To start with stay hydrated. Dry muscles are tight and easily injured muscles. Make sure you drink your water. Hummmmm, that's another thing we neglect, even though we all know it's vital to getting the best from your body. I wonder if the two are connected. Things like stretching, staying hydrated and even icing sore places are where a lot of us, me included, miss the boat sometimes.

Things that don't feel like exercise get put on a back burner because when we do stretching it doesn't feel like a workout, it feels like resting and we have much more important things to do right then. If we have an hour we are going to run, walk, swim, do weights or whatever our "real" workout is that day. We don't take up real exercise time with stretching.

When we do add stretching to the end off our workout, and I don't mean throwing a leg over something and leaning into it for 30 seconds and taking off to change, we accomplish a lot. To start with we get the lactic acid that we built up moving on out. Soreness is often that same lactic acid pooling up in your muscle tissue. We increase the range of motion of our muscles. We actually make our muscles and tendons stronger by keeping them limber.

So the moral of this story is: To perform at your best your muscles need to be limber and have the longest range of motion possible. Hydrated muscles are stronger, looser and less prone to injury.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Walking Breaks

2009-11-05T06:09:00.000-08:00

There is a school of thought that walk breaks during a long distance run will help you go further and faster. The theory being that your body recovers from the strain of the running during the walk breaks. Jeff Galloway has made this style of long distance running called run/walk famous. A good many marathoners have used this idea to train for and finish their races.

Before I became a race walker I ran. My running career spanned many years from the late 70s to the mid 90s. During that time I experimented a lot with different techniques and ideas. One being the run/walk. In a nut shell, I didn't find it helpful and actually felt that it hindered me. My experience was once you broke stride from running to walking it was hard to get back into the run stride again.

I'm talking about the technique of running for a certain amount of minutes or a certain distance then walking a minute and running again. I found that is got progressively harder to start the running stride again. I did fine with longer breaks like run 10 min walk 10 min, but the short walk breaks really messed with my stride. I found that slowing my running was easier and once I felt recovered picking the pace back up. The same goes now with my race walking, if a pace feels to hard I'll back off for a while and then come back to it. This is easy to test on a treadmill.

When making the transition from faster to slower and slower to faster, I have found that if you let your arms lead your legs will follow. A proven technique for going faster when you can't get you legs to go any faster is to try and get your arms moving faster. Let your arms lead the pace and it helps the transition.

If you have tried the run/walk and it works for you then by all means use it. But experiment with using it in different ways, you just might find a way that works better for you. During training is the time to do this experimenting not during you race. You need to have all the bugs worked out before the starting line. Nothing makes you feel worse than to be ready for a race and then do something that causes you problems. Like going to fast before you have warmed up properly.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

The Scars of our Lives.

2009-10-27T06:14:00.000-07:00

Although it doesn't seem like it at the time, the trials and troubles of our lives are what makes us who we are. We may not be as physically beautiful after life has had it's way with us, we are a lot tougher and way more interesting. I'm often accused of being deep, whatever that really means. I like to think of me as not so much deep but experienced. Live has kicked me around more than my share and sometimes I wonder why I keep climbing back in the ring after I'm throwed out.

One thing I have learned over the years is that life will have it's way with all of us. We can be on top one day and trying to climb out of a hole the next. This recession is giving a lot of us a lesson in that very thing. I have good friends that have gone from very well off to wondering if they are going to be able to make the mortgage and still eat. Most everyone I know has taken a big hit to their retirement accounts. Once again telling us we are not as in control as we think.

One of the most vital things we can do is to not lose our self respect. In hard times it's so easy to be lured by the comfort of food, the escape of drink or the lowering of our personal standards. It's easier to blame someone else than it is to accept the fact that sometimes you are just not calling all the shots. Life will have it's way with you. Friends and family are a blessing and not a place to lay blame for your own misfortune. We have to learn to roll with the punches and try to come back stronger.

I have a lot of patient friends and racing buddies who were around in the great depression. These are the people who are the kind that save for what they want and won't take on debt except for a home, which they get paid off as soon as possible. They learned a lesson back then that most of us are learning today.

We may carry the scars of our battles with us but we can still hold our heads high, heck we may not be winning but we aren't beaten either. We will be stronger if we don't lose faith in ourselves and keep in mind that our situation is not our fault. When we do screw up we need to just take personal responsibility and press on. But when we aren't responsible we need to press on with being the best person we can be. Our regular exercise now takes on the duel role as stress relief as well as making us healthier.

We will all survive these difficult times and be stronger for it.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

A hand up.

2009-10-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things we do in our lives is to give as many others a 'hand up' as we can. This simple act goes completely unnoticed by anyone else except you and them. Yet it's being applauded by maybe more than you realize. If you believe as I do that there forces at work in this world that we are not supposed to understand, just accept, then maybe your kindness is noticed after all. Maybe when/if you stand in judgement those small acts of kindness will be more precious than you ever imagined. Perhaps everything else you have done will pale in comparison.

We adult athletes and marathoners have a unique opportunity to help our fellow athletes get through their races. Everyone who has ever gone the 13.1 mile half, the 26.2 mile full or the awesome 39.3 Goofy, will come away with memories of people who either helped them or they helped. You might not be able to remember much clearly a few years later, but I can surely guarantee that you will remember those that you encouraged and those that encouraged you.

You never know when your kind words of encouragement may be all someone needs to turn their life around. To help them realize they do have worth, to show them that there is good in the world after all. It's often those little things in life that make the most difference, we just never know. There is much that is wrong in our world but you have to opportunity to be one of the things right.

The beauty of encouragement is that it costs nothing but a few moments of your time and a few beats of your heart. Going out of your way to help someone might actually be the shortest path to being who you would really like to be. Yesterday I helped a man in a wheel chair get over a curb so he could get into the Mall. I said "Brother I know you could do this on your own but I would be honored to give you a hand". He was a little older than me and wearing a cap with the patch for the 82nd AirBorne on it. I figured he had earned a hand now and then. We shook hands and made eye contact, both of us enriched by the moment.

Fellow athletes and fellow citizens of the world, be part of what's good and right about life, not part of what's ugly and wrong.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Reality

2009-10-19T06:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people forget that the Internet is not just a make believe world, but real people. Those real people have real life concerns and real feelings. The Internet can be the most amazing and wonderful place, filled with sharing, giving and receiving friendship and support. Or the Internet can be a place of horror, the cruelest in people coming out. Everyone saw the story about the woman who convinced a young woman that she was so useless that she killed herself. That woman is such a good example of the black side of the cyber world.

People tend to forget that when they are having fun really going after someone that they are hurting a real person. How someone can get such glee from destroying another person is something I will never understand. When I was a member of the Runner's World Forum, three guys decided to go after an overweight woman who was looking for support and friendship, stuff she wasn't getting out of her real life. These guys went after her hard with the constant put down, harassment and private messages about how useless, ugly and stupid she was. She also ended up taking her own life. I was one of the few people who had befriended her and tried to be supportive. I'm proud of myself for not turning my back like so many others did. In the end I wasn't able to make a difference but at the time I didn't realize how bad it was. I will not make that mistake again.

Another problem out there in cyber land is the evil that awaits children. I have a dear friend that is on the front line in that battle and he will be the first to tell you we are losing that battle, the evil is overwhelming. As parents we need to be aware of the threat to our children. But it doesn't stop with kids. There are millions of made up personalities out there. People can be whatever and whoever they want in cyber land. They can post pictures of who they would like to look like and claim that it's them. They can lure people into their make believe world and that is never going to have a good outcome.

We can't change it all but what we can do is conduct ourselves on the net as we would in real life. It's ok to enjoy a role playing game but remember that it's a game. When you sense that someone is hurting, reach out with your friendship and support don't take that as a challenge to see how bad you can hurt them. Be the person you really are. Everyone is not going to be who they are but we don't have to support that.

Every positive change starts with one person.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

The path less taken

2009-10-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

All of us are on a journey. It starts when we are born and ends when we are called to whatever awaits us in the next life. We are pretty much powerless to control the before and after but we can surely control most of what happens between.

Having been on the planet for a long time I've come to have some insight into the paths I've taken and the ones I wished I had explored. We only get one shot at it and unfortunately it's not like planning our class schedule or a shopping list. I think most people really are doing the best they can all the time, it's just that sometimes our best is not very good and we make choices we later would love to take back. But also fortunately it's usually not a one mistake life, each day we have a new chance and a new opportunity.

One piece of advice I can give willingly is not to let money overly influence your decisions. Some of the happiest people I know are poor as church mice and some of the saddest are well off. Often making that money consumes your whole life and being and the years spent chasing the dollar are gone forever. I was at the Gym one rainy morning and doing my training on the treadmill. Next to me was one of the wealthiest Doctors in town. He was very out of shape and very overweight. He and I started talking, basically as an old man at 50 he was trying to regain some of the years he had lost making his fortune.

Letting outside influences dictate what you do is never the best, when you do you go by their dreams and values and not your own. If you want to travel and see some of the world then do it. Even if you have to give up the toys to have the memories instead. Sometimes you will find that doing what you really want will give you way more benefits than you imagined. For one thing good stuff seems to come your way because you took control of your life. That happened to me when I decided to become involved with DisneyWorld. On the surface it appears to be an over priced and an over crowded tourist trap. But when you get into it you realize it is so much more and actually life changing.

My life is not one of riches or glory, but I think I'm on the right path. I'm amazingly healthy, can truly call hundreds of people friends and I feel that a few of them are able to look at themselves a little differently because we met. I know I'm changed forever because I knew them. My memories are my wealth and my strength comes from being able to hold my head high, secure in the knowledge that I have earned each day.

Choose the paths you travel well and believe in what your heart tells you.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Live without excuses.

2009-10-13T08:30:00.001-07:00

Some people go through life with the attitude that as soon as they can come up with an excuse why they can't do something they are finished with that task. The effort isn't put into getting something accomplished or trying and failing but the effort is in thinking up and excuse. This is a self defeating attitude and unfortunately an attitude that a lot of people share.

I have a military background and one of the positive aspects of that is not living by excuses. If your sick and can't come to work then you are at the clinic for treatment. If you can't figure out how to do something you get someone to help you. That's called the concept of team. When we need help with our training, healthy eating, or even just staying sane, we all need a helping hand at times. Asking for help is way more better good than just thinking up an excuse.

We all hit road blocks especially with motivation. We are not criminals if we are having trouble controlling our will power. We just need guidance. People feel guilty about not having the motivation to control their eating, or getting out for their miles and start feeling guilty. Then we come up with an excuse for letting our selves down. "I was really feeling sore today from a good workout yesterday so I didn't exercise today", is not an excuse. Making a conscious decision not to workout with a valid reason like this isn't an excuse. Just being lazy and pulling an excuse out of the air is different. If just don't want to do then don't but be honest with yourself.

A big part of wellness is taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions. Being honest with ourselves goes a long way toward making that happen.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Dare To Dream

2009-10-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a hard week for a lot of us since many of our group are at this moment gathering at The House of Mouse. We warriors that are unable to answer this call need to remember that our chance will come in January.

For a great many this January will be a life changing experience. Whether you are doing the Half marathon, the full marathon or the seemingly impossible Goofy Challenge, the January events will be a life time memory. For everyone it will be amazing but for some it truly will be a journey to self acceptance.

When we take on the baddest of distances we do so much more than just cover ground. We discover and we explore that marvelous person that we are. When we go further than we feel is possible, we redefine possible. When we overcome fear, we are no longer chained by it. When we discover the power inside us all, we are changed for ever.

There will be times during your race that will seem overwhelming. That's when you have to draw strength form the magic that will be all around you. The bright colors of the teams, the glowing lime of the WISH, spreading their love and caring, the purple of the TnT warriors, chasing closure after losing a loved one with their efforts and shared hardship, the bright orange of the DisneyRunning, promoting health through motion.

During the worst if you open your heart to the magic you will hear the spirit of thousands of warriors who have come before you, their spilled sweat, tears and blood making the path hallowed ground. All along the way there will be people reaching out to you with encouragement and cheering, yes the cheering will be for you. If you think you are alone at the back struggling, look to your side, someone will be there, it might even be this silly old panda. No princess will be left behind.

For now we must refocus on our dream and get the preparation done. Now our job is to keep our desire strong and get our miles in. Right now we are earning that victory of finishing, conquering the challenge of the distance.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda.

Winter Wonderland

2009-10-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely in the air. It's much cooler especially in the mornings. The leaves are beginning to change colors and the Canadian Geese can be seen flying south. We are about to the end of the growing season and our lawns are going dormant. The world around us is preparing for the coming winter, which by all predictions will be a cold and wet one.

As adult athletes we need to prepare for winter as well, winter training. The long time runners, walkers and bikers have made peace with the season changes and just press on. For them it's just business as usual, just different scenery. But for those who are new to living a lifestyle that includes regular exercise, winter can be a problem.

To start with the days are shorter and it's harder to get yourself out the door when it's not only cold but dark as well. So the first hurdle is to get your motivation tuned up. You can do that by remembering all the reasons you started living a healthy lifestyle to begin with. Look at all the positive results you have seen so far. If you don't continue with your life training you will begin to lose your hard earned fitness.

This is an outstanding time to have a training buddy. When you have someone who is waiting for you, then you are more certain to get up and go. It also helps when you can help keep each other motivated. When you are freezing you nose off it nice to have someone to tell, whose nose is freezing off as well.

Winter means new warmer workout clothes. You don't have to spend a lot on it either. I would recommend 3 tech shirts with long sleeves, Target has the Champion brand that is very inexpensive. But every shoe company has decent stuff and a lot of specialty companies. I personally like the Nike clothes but can't wear their shoes. A couple of pair of running pants will be good and a lined tech material jacket should get you through the winter just fine. For me the most important article of winter gear is gloves. I have some nice tech material gloves that I wear on days that I won't be taking the gloves off. For races and days where it's going to be warming up while I'm out I wear the cheap brown cotton work gloves. I can just throw them down and go on in a race. Next most important for me and a top priority for some is a hat that will come down over your ears.

Winter is sunglasses time just as much as summer. Remember polycarbonate lens material, it's shatter resistant and light. The glasses will not just keep the sun out but just as important the cold wind which makes your eyes water.

Keep wearing the shoes you regularly train in, switching shoes will just as always cause problems. When your training shoes work for you don't worry about rain and snow. Your wet shoes will dry quicker than the knee problems you get, from the wrong shoes, will heal.

Good mental and physical preparation will make winter exercising as much fun and productive as summer training.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda.

Magic Stuff

2009-09-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

There is a Senate investigation going on, as I write this, into the supplements that make claims to enhance athletic performance. A lot of them are synthetic hormones and steroids. There have been a lot of health problems related to their use. Don't use this crap guys. You are putting your trust into something that is totally not regulated and it's on the market to make money not to make you a better athlete.

What does work? Of course regular exercise, regular rest and eating good healthy food is magic in it's self. But their are other ways to enhance your performance and if we are in tune with our bodies or bodies will tell us what they want. We know our body will let us know if it's thirsty and if it's hungry, but what else does it tell us?

Our bodies are wonderful gauges of our needs. They will tell us their basic needs. Cravings are ways for the body to communicate needs. We crave salt when our electro lytes are low, we crave fat when we haven't been getting enough. Our bodies tell us when they need to be held and comforted by human contact.

We have the most amazing intelligence, no living thing has ever come close to us in smarts. But the bad part of that is that we sometimes forget that we are also an amazing animal and that animal part has all the survival instints of other wild things. We need to seek a balance with body and mind. Your body might be telling you, "Hey dude, I need a big slice of fish, some steamed veggies and a nice hunk of dark bread". While your mind is thinking, "Mmmm, beer and brats".

The message here is listen to your body, not the advertising companies. Your body is the smart one when it comes to survival. The drug and supplement companies just want your money. there is magic and it's already programed into us by our creator and we need to trust that program.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Power Surge

2009-09-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

To many of us buy into the negatives that other people put on us. We can only be defined by the thickness of our waist or the size of our bank account, instead of the goodness of our hearts if we choose to be. The cost of our clothes or the beauty of our face is not the measure of our character.

We all need to look within for our worth not at what we have or don't have that others do. When we look within we find our real power. We are as tough and solid as we choose to be, the power to over come has to come from within. Others can help us to focus on what we want, like finishing a marathon or getting a collage degree but others can only do so much for us.

Today try an experiment. Imagine you are an exotic sports car and you have pressed down the gas pedal. Feel that surge of power. You are strong and can accomplish anything you desire. Now use that power surge to got up and get stuff done. Tackle chores that you have been stressing over. Clean out the garage or straighten your closets that look like World War 111 was fought in there. Just go, use that power for an awesome workout, use it for a road trip. Do something, you are power, use it.

When we spend a day doing instead of sitting we feel much better about ourselves and we sleep better at night. Even when you have a day you want to put your feet up and just relax, accomplish something. Check in with friends and family that you owe a call to. Better yet make a date for a meet, a coffee date, dinner a movie or a training walk together. There is so much we can do to make our lives fuller. We never want to get the habit of sitting on the couch and doing nothing except watching TV or playing on the computer.

I'd be willing to bet if you are bored then there is a friend some where that bored also. Contact them and make both of your days better. Try it bet it works.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Sleeping off the weight

2009-09-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

One of the most neglected ways of keeping your weight under control is to get the proper amount of sleep. People need to average 8 hours of sleep. Most of us get 5 to 6 hours. That is not a winning equation, it sets us up for failure even when we have the best intentions.

To start with sleep is when we repair the damage that exercise causes in our muscles. With out this healing we get steadily more sore. You get to the point where you are stiff and sore all the time so you cut back on your exercise. When what you really needed was an extra couple of hours of sleep a night.

Another problem is eating late at night. Your craving is the strongest late because your body is telling you it wants something. It does want something sleep and you give it food. Bad for a lot of reasons. One is we don't need those extra calories we need sleep and two the blood that should be channeled into your muscles for healing is instead transferred to the digestion system to process that food. Umm, guess where that processed food goes? How about into the fat cells that you worked so hard to empty the day before.

So how do you add extra sleep into your schedule? Start by going to bed 30 min earlier. I bet you wait till a TV program is over and then go to bed, right? Forget that program and use the time for sleep instead. After that becomes a habit, go for making it a full hour earlier. How about the other end of the night. Do you get up early for some relaxation and wake up time? I do, that is my time for writing and waking up before I start my day. I choose to cut my night shorter and keep the early rising. But if you feel you have to watch that TV show or need that time to unwind, then can you get up a little later?

Think about it and see if you can find a way to get some more sleep. It's worth the effort because it's during the sleep that you actually become stronger from your workouts.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Magic

2009-09-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

When we are children we live in a world that's filled with mystery and wonder. Every walk has the possibility of encountering most anything, "Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My". There is a delicious mystery to life that makes us anxious to get out and see what's there every day. Sleep late, heck no there is to much going on to miss it.Then we grow up and become so much smarter and to busy to be concerned with what might be out there that we don't understand. We don't have the time or energy for anything that doesn't fit in the proper slot.What if we could rediscover our inner child that is so excited about life. Even though we "Outgrow the Magic", that doesn't mean it's not there. There is so much wonder, excitement and mystery out there that it's really amazing.We don't even have to go looking for it past our own nose. There is a world of stuff we don't understand about ourselves. As an adult athlete we are learning everyday what makes us tick. We are an experiment of one and we can spend a lifetime just learning who we are. We have strengths and we have weaknesses, all are part of who we are and why each of us are unique.Never let your self stop learning and exploring. Take new routes when you walk or run. Invite others to share the experience with you. Explore learning how to do new things, buy a hula hoop, get your significant other and go to the park and play disc golf. Learn to play golf or tennis. If you haven't been swimming for a long time go. When was the last time you went fishing, hiking.There are many things about the world we live in that are still a mystery to even the "smartest" scholars, some things may not be meant for us to understand, they may just be for us to enjoy, not to pick apart. We do still live where the "Wild Things" are but we are to civilized to notice.

Panda on weight loss 2

2009-09-19T04:29:00.000-07:00

When we were designed we came with a wonderful system of survival. Our bodies have a built in reaction to danger, (STRESS), called flight or flight. When we were frightened, (STRESSED), we had a choice to fight back or to haul butt out of there. There wasn't much that caused stress that wasn't dangerous since we were pretty basic in our needs and wants. To fuel our flight or flight needs, the body released calories, (Sugar), to our cells so they could take care of business and the required business was physical and we needed the turbo boost of fuel. The stress was generally short lived, we either won the battle or got away.Now we have stress coming at us from all sides and it can stay with us for a long time. Our bodies can't tell the difference between mental and physical stress. When your boss, spouse, child, bills ect... cause you stress, your wonderful body responds with what it can understand to help you, more calories are released for you to take care of business. Even though you didn't react physically your body now has you craving food to replace what it thinks you used to defeat or run from the attacking beast it thinks you just faced.
There is a good scientific explanation to all this, with enzymes being released that cause other enzymes to react and send signals to your brain. The fact that there is no physical threat is not relevant to the body, stress requires preparing for action.So how does one function here with your body thinking you are in danger but your stress is just you having a bad day at work. To start with you can realize what's happening and know that after you are put in that stressful situation and you will start craving food. This is why so many people eat as a reaction to stress and can't understand why they are so helpless to resist food when they are upset.You can be ready with a plan to counter the cravings when they hit. The cravings will come and go quickly, you just have to wait them out. A walk, a trip to the restroom to wash your hands, having some water, or calling a friend can help you, anything that keeps you busy till that craving passes. What you don't want to do is think well I'll just eat a little bit, yep that isn’t happening, try stopping once you start, you can eat for about 20 minutes before your brain gets the message that your tummy is full.
If the stressful situation is around a meal time go ahead and have your meal and eat it slowly and chew it well, small bites so it will last longer and get you through the cravings without over eating.Another interesting little tidbit along these lines is what happens to your training plans when you are stressed. Being stressed will tire you out. Your body has been in action mode, nothing happened and later when you want to exercise to release some stress you don't have much energy left. Stress will tire you mentally also, your body not only wants food it wants rest. You had to fight or flee so you are tired.
One of the advantages to doing your workouts in the mornings is you turbo charge your metabolism with vigorous exercise. Since your body is already releasing stored fuel for your increased metabolism to burn it isn’t so effected by normal stress. You are usually more relaxed after working out so you are more relaxed during the day to. If we could get some good exercise when ever we feel stress we would have the best of all situations. We would have a way to work off the stress and the fuel to keep us going strong. That’s why if it’s possible to take a brisk walk when your stress level gets to much you can deal with it better.
　
　
　
Breakfast
　
You should eat something for breakfast. Yes this is the most important food you take in all day and vital to getting control over your weight. Remember how your body reacts if it thinks you are starving? Well you haven’t eaten since the day before and your body is hungry, give it a good healthy meal and it will perform well for you. It will also release the calories you need for working out hard.
Being a Southern raised guy I love eggs, sausage and home fries. But that is a high fat meal that shouldn’t be eaten very often, I have my that breakfast about once every month or two as a special treat. My normal early morning meal is a whole grain cereal with a banana cut up on it, skim milk, a cup of coffee and a glass of water. I take a multi-vitamin every morning but except for an occasional soreness, that is the only supplement I take.
I can eat my cereal breakfast and an hour later do a hard workout or two hours later race. With the traditional eggs and sausage meal racing would be uncomfortable for several hours. That is because complex carbs like the cereal and banana are digested much quicker by your body, they are also absorbed and processed into fuel much quicker.
A lot of people have to workout very soon after they wake, simply because that is the only time available. If you don’t have the luxury of eating breakfast and then relaxing for an hour or so before working out at least eat some complex carbs like a half a bagel, a piece of fruit or a half a peanut butter sandwich. Complex carbohydrates are still in food form and not processed into sugar. Candy and soda are examples of simple sugars. Eat your carbohydrates in food form instead of simple processed form. This will give you energy and tell your body to keep releasing calories for you during your workout.
Once you are done with your workout have something more. Research has shown that muscle recovery and growth is more efficient if you have a small second meal of protein and carbohydrates within 20 min of finishing your workout. I usually have something like a bagel with peanut butter or a banana after I get back home from my training session.
Meal Frequency
　
I personally find that I need to eat a small meal every 5 hours or I start getting a hungry feeling.

Panda on Weight Loss

2009-09-18T04:10:00.000-07:00

There has probably been more money made writing DIET books than from all the Text Books ever written for school children. I know few people who will say they wouldn’t want to lose “a few pounds”. That seems to be the universal desire when it comes to health and fitness. Most Doctors and scientists have varying views about what fitness is but all of them pretty much agree on keeping your weight within a certain range. I would venture to say that the three things people most want to change are their weight, their financial status and their social life. The first will probably affect the other two because when you feel good about the way you look you are generally more positive about everything in your life.
I think weight loss should be kept as simple as possible. Counting calories, weighing your portions, keeping track of points and only eating food manufactured by a weight loss company will work short term but it’s not something that you will want to keep doing the rest of your life. What you need for lasting results is a life style change. A change that you can continue without feeling the need to run screaming into the night.
The first step in being in control of your weight is learning how your body works. Knowledge is power so it’s time to power up. We are a wonderful design, we are able to survive in conditions of extreme heat and cold. We can survive on very little food and we can perform amazing feats of endurance. Our bodies are very adaptable but have one huge flaw, they believe what we tell them with our actions. We have to learn how our body reacts in order to regain control of our eating patterns.
It’s not so much how we eat but what we eat and when we eat it. There have been so many studies on what to eat, when to eat it and why we should do it that way. We will evaluate the best practices.
You have plenty of food to eat and you eat more than you need, your body takes that to mean that you are storing up your reserves for the hard times ahead. So it stores the extra food as fat. You keep doing it even after all your fat cells, (Think of these fat cells as storage sheds), are filled to over flowing. So your body thinks, “Hum the coming hard spell must be a bad one”, and makes more fat cells to store the extra food in.
You go on like this for a few years and all of a sudden think, “Oops, the waist line is shot so I better cut back”. You learn from your friends, that are all of course diet experts, dieting is easy you take in less calories than you burn. Cool you can do that. So you go from eating pretty much anything you want to eating almost nothing. Your body, since it believes in you thinks, “Hum, the hard times finally are here”. So your body being the wonderful adaptable design that it is lowers your metabolism so you can survive the hard times with out using up your fat reserves till absolutely necessary.
With a lower metabolism you have way less energy and feel pretty lethargic most of the time. You start losing a little weight but your body fights to keep every ounce. Of course it’s not long before you are tired of this and go get you an instruction manual, a diet book. Depending on what you get there is usually a revolutionary idea behind the book. After reading a few of these you are getting very confused so you go to a Weight Watchers or a TOPS, or other Doctor approved program. Now don’t get me wrong here, these are good safe programs and you get good information form them. The problem is that if you want lasting results we are right back to that life style change.
There is a very unique thing about fat cells. Your body will build them as long as you keep telling it you need them. But you can never get rid of them. Not without surgery anyway. We can empty them but they are still there. Your body keeps the stretched skin that came from all those filled fat cells needing room to expand also. Our wonderful bodies are doing their thing by making more skin cells to accommodate our expanding girth. Remember the fat cells are like storage sheds. You can empty them and be thinner but they are still there and so it’s much easier to refill them than to have to make more. That’s why you can put weight back on quickly once you stop your diet program. So once you stop starving yourself and then start eating your old way again, you not only put any lost weight back on quickly but your body is even more efficient now at making those new fat cells. It is convinced that it kept you from dying when you were going through a time where you were not getting enough food.
The sooner you can stop his yoyo effect the better off you will be for a lot of reasons. Unfortunately you can’t increase the size of your blood vessels and the amount of blood you have, so you are pretty much limited to the amount in your body and the speed it can flow. You can’t increase the size of your lungs so you are also stuck with the limited amount of oxygen you can bring in. The problem is the fat cells are living and have to be nourished just like the cells that do work, like the muscle cells. That takes a toll on your whole system. So until you stop building and filling those fat cells you are becoming more and more inefficient. The fuel and oxygen required to maintain your fat storage takes away from the rest of the body.
Fat cells don’t help you move so they can’t do work. But you have to feed them and remove their waste just as you do your muscles cells. If you are supporting a hundred extra pounds of cells that give nothing back you are not going to be very efficient. The good part is you will be getting more efficient as you lose those excess pounds. Muscle weight is different, muscles do work so they earn their keep. Also most people have heard that muscle weighs more than fat, that’s true. That’s why when you first start doing everything right you may not see much change in the scale. You want to lose inches more than you want to just lose weight. Let how your clothes fit be your gauge not the scale.
Muscle is much more dense than fat so it weighs much more. Ten pounds of muscle gained will not be nearly as noticeable on your body as a ten pound fat lost. But when you combine the two a muscle gain and a fat loss the scale reading doesn’t change, but your once ‘over snug’ pants are now falling off of you. You will not gain as much muscle weight as will lose fat weight over time but at the beginning you may and not see the scale move. Building muscle mass is a whole new world. You have to work hard toward that end. This book is about getting back into shape with a lifestyle change, not a book about body building, but often when a person does get stronger and starts feeling super charged with their new energy level they tend to look into other areas of fitness.

Eat like a champion

2009-09-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

When we start on the path to better health and fitness, having the proper equipment and exercise advice is fine but another vital link is proper nutrition. What you put into your body is as important as what you do with it.

I found that the one best thing I ever did for my nutritional habits was to stop eating deep fried foods. Basically if it's deep fried it's not food. I still have my token burger and fries about once every couple of months but that's it. Cutting out the fried food is tough because for a lot of us that's our comfort food. That goes back to the days when we worked physically hard and food was often hard to come by so we had to pack all the calories we could into a meal. Well now most of us don't have physically demanding jobs and we are not wondering where our next meal is coming from. If anything we eat to much to often.

Water is our number one nutritional need. We can live a while with out food but we can't go long without water before our body starts shutting down. So the first and most important thing you can do for proper nutrition is drink your 8 glasses a day as a minimum. Coffee and that chemical mix we call soda doesn't count toward that 8 glasses. Juice, and other caffeine free drinks do. If your not hydrated you can't perform anything the way you should, from exercising to even just thinking.

The next thing you want to remember is that the concept of DIET should be banished from your vocabulary. Dieting is slow starvation because you are consuming less food than your body requires to live, the theory there is that your body will make up for the deficit by releasing and burning your stored fat. Bad thing is the body knows it's in starvation mode so it releases the stores very slowly and slows your metabolism way down.

So if dieting isn't the answer what is? The answer is eating the proper amount of good food and adding exercise. When you exercise you build muscle tissue and that muscle tissue will burn the fat and your metabolism will we super charged giving you plenty of energy. The increased muscle working to keep you in motion will consume your fat stores much quicker than a starvation diet.

Our body burns carbs for fuel so that is our biggest requirement. Protein repairs muscles after a day of motion and all the things required to keep us alive, like our heart beating. Fat is required since our body needs a small amount to process a lot of the vitamins and minerals we need to function and stay healthy.

I future blogs, we will discuss the proper mix of carbs, fat and protein.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Training to train.

2009-09-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

The most critical time for starting an exercise program and following a healthy life style is the first couple of months. This time can make it or end it. Most of the people that start out are motivated and ready to make it happen. They have goals and a strong desire to make changes that they have thought about for a long time.

The problem is they don't get proper guidance. They see written instructions and get advice from people who don't remember what it was like to be a beginner or worse still, never started themselves. The best advice I ever heard was take it easy and then slow down. You have to build slowly. Most people end up up sore and discouraged or even injured.

If you have been a couch commando for way to long then you have to go easy. But and this is a big big but, you have to do more than just warm up, the real building happens after your warmed up. Warmed up is when the body finally channels blood into the muscles. That increased blood flow is when the muscles can start doing their thing.

Warm up takes about 15 or 20 minutes, so if you exercise for 20 min, 3 times a week like a lot of programs tell you, then you never get anything but the warm up not the training. Even when you are just starting, walk easy for 15 to 20 minutes and when you begin to perspire you are warmed up and ready to train. After that warm up period then do your walking for another 20 to 30 minutes at a brisk but comfortable pace.

A person who has not exercised for years should never try running till they can comfortably walk briskly for an hour. By the time you can walk for an hour you have built up enough muscle to support your feet, ankles and knees. If you try running when you can't even walk briskly for an hour you will have problems.

Another area that is a problem when your starting out is your abdominal muscles. Your back will start hurting sometime during your start up period because your back muscles are stronger than your tummy muscles so the back has to do more than it's share of the work. Twists, turns, bends, leg raises and crunches are all good ways to strengthen your tummy muscles but like the leg muscles it has to be done slowly at first and then build intensity only after they are stronger.

Being a successful adult athlete is possible for the majority of people, regardless of how long it's been since you exercised. But the longer it's been the longer it's going to take to get fit enough to start doing quality workouts. Don't get discouraged, the time spent taking it slow and easy will mean the difference in making it and not making it.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

If the shoe fit's life is good.

2009-09-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

A lot of my walker and runner friends are gearing up for the January Disney World Marathon, half Marathon and Goofy Challenge. The most important equipment you will buy is your shoes and socks. When I first started running in the 70s shoe buying was much simpler. Most shoes were of the neutral cushion type and you just needed to find some that fit good and felt good. Times have changed.

When you go to look at shoes now there are lots and lots and lots... of every kind and purpose. You really can't do the best job of picking them out on your own. So here is my advice on shoe shopping:

Go to a running/walking specialty store. If you don't know where one is look on line for a local running club in your town or a nearby city. Then email them for a store recommendation or call them if there is a phone number. They may also have a link to the stores they approve of. Once you find a store go there and let them fit you for the proper shoe type. If you have to travel to another city, do it, it's that important.

When you arrive at the store, ask for someone who is trained in shoe fitting. Most good stores have people that have been trained by the shoe company reps and can get you in the right type of shoe. The wrong shoe can cause you structure problems and end your running/walking career before it even gets started good.

Once your proper shoe type is determined, then ask to try on every shoe in your size that fits the category. The shoe store will understand. Try on each one, a half to a full size larger than your regular shoes. Walk around the store in each, run or walk on their treadmill or where they have designated for you to run around. Narrow it down to the 2 pairs that you like best and feel the best. Don't look at price, more than likely what you finally pick out will not be the most expensive anyway. But a shoe that's $25 dollars higher is worth the money if it's the most comfortable. If you can afford it buy the two pairs that you like best. If not write down the information on the other brand. Shoes get changed or discontinued so having a backup is vital.

When you try on the shoes do it in the socks you plan to wear. They must be of a wicking material and fit you snugly. Cotton tube socks are cheap and called athletic socks but they are useless and will cripple you with blisters pretty quickly. The running store can recommend good socks for you to. Buy them there that day to thank them for helping you pick the proper shoes and even if you order on line most of the time, visit your store a few times a year and make a purchase, you need them to stay in business.

With the proper shoe and sock combination you will be way ahead of most people who begin exercise programs. A year from now you will more than likely still be working out, lots of people who didn't get the proper start are back on the couch.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Temptations.

2009-09-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

There is a poem about a woman who finds a poor half frozen snake. She takes it home, gives it milk and honey and wraps it in silk to get it warm. After the snake is warmed up it bites the woman and kills her. Just before she dies she asks the snake, "Why did you bite me, I cared for you". The snake replied, "You knew I was a snake when you brought me in". That poem is a wonderful lesson about the temptations we face in our lives.

Many things we know are bad for us, make us feel so good. Drugs, alcohol, cheating on our significant other all give us a feel good. Even though deep down we know it's destroying us. We crave those feelings. We drink to access because we crave that drunk feeling, knowing that the next day we will pay with a hangover for those feelings. I was a smoker for 35 years and the last 5 years or so I would tell my self this cigarette will be my last, because I knew that I was poisoning myself. But I couldn't stop. That few minutes of need over came my good sense.

That feeling of new love is so wonderful like a drug in it's self. But that feeling doesn't last, the freshness and intensity fades over time and then you wonder where the excitement is that you felt for this other person.

We follow a cause or join a group, just to have a sense of belonging. Even though we often know that group is just using us. We like knowing we are part of it. Like a politician who tells you that if you will just vote for me, all your troubles are over. That politician doesn't give a darn about you, just your vote and you know that but you want that feeling that comes from thinking that maybe this time will be different.

We all have the same temptations and face the same demons. It's how we respond to those temptations that makes us the person we are. I was talking to one of the guys in the gym this morning who had just completed his first triathlon this week end. Was he on a High? Hell yes he was, he was riding the drug of accomplishment. He said that morning he was excited and nervous like back when he was in collage and had an important game that day.

We can get our highs and our feel goods and we can get them the right way, without feeling guilty. We can have the satisfaction of doing something well, accomplishing a difficult task or helping others accomplish there goals. The possibilities are endless, we just have to look for them.

My crowd has discovered the awesome feeling of finishing marathons. Whether you walk, run or a combination, that finish line is sweet. But even sweeter is over coming your fears and winning your own respect.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Muscle Heads

2009-09-05T05:40:00.000-07:00

It wasn't long ago that people thought athletes were mentally challenged. Everyone who grew up in 60s and 70s like I did remember that the "Jocks" were considered muscle heads and not as smart as the rest of the class. The common stereo type was the football player that the coach got into all the easy classes so he could keep his grades up.

Well now we are beginning to realize that starting to exercise early is as important as doing well in the academic classes. We all know sucessful people who die young from heart probems or have a compromised lifestyle because of being diabetic brought on by their weight. To bad it took us so long to realize this.

Now we are facing a unique situation where our children are often getting no exercise at all, even Physical Education is now an elective at most high schools. Video games have replaced active play. What kind of future are these kids going to have? A life of sickness, obesity and dependence on medications, followed by dying in middle age.

I don't see kids running around the neighborhood playing anymore. The only ones I see on a bicycle are adults. What are we doing to our newest generations? Is it any wonder that our nation is growing more over weight every year?

What can we do about this national concern? To start with we can be a positive example of health and fitness instead of being an example of the problem. We can set the example with our own eating habits. It doesn't do much good to talk to kids about avoiding addiction when we are addicted to soda, cigarettes and television.

Our children follow the example set for them, when you complain about everything in your life, like your job, the bills, your looks, ect.... Our children learn to complain also. What happened to being glad you had a good job that paid the bills? When we set the example for being happy with our own life, that is the example they have to follow instead.

Let's all step up and be the examples of what we expect of our children.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Total Wellness

2009-08-28T05:37:00.000-07:00

Wellness is not the same as fitness, wellness is the total of how at Peace you are with your fitness, your memories, your actions and your daily happiness. Wellness is a goal but not a tangible, like a 32" waist is a tangible and visible goal. Wellness is not so easily recognized. So how does one know if they are being successful in their journey to wellness?

To start with take an inventory of your life right now. How happy do you feel? Are you troubled by events going on in your life? Are you working at a job you hate and have a tense relationship with one or more co-workers? Is your exercise and healthy eating plan going as well as you would like. Are you uneasy about some of the things that have happened previously in your life? Is there a friend or family member that you need to get back in touch with? Do you need to patch up issues or disagreements with a friend, co-worker or family member?

These are all speed bumps on the path to wellness or happiness. After thinking about where your life is, compare it to a year ago. Are you happier now? Or were you more at peace then? What have you done to accomplish the goals you have set for yourself?

You do control your own happiness, you really do. If you have a tense relationship, extend your hand in peace, if the one you have the tense relationship with doesn't take your gesture, and it must be a genuine gesture, not half hearted, then stop letting it bother you. If you have made the attempt and you are comfortable that you have done all you could then the ball is theirs to return or drop.

If your miserable at your job, figure out what it is about your job that you dislike. What could you change to make it more satisfying? Be creative, figure out exactly what would make it better and then decide how to change it.

If you want some help looking at some part of your life, email me and we will talk about it.

walkingthedistance@yahoo.com

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Credit Rating

2009-08-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today I did a home equity loan to consolidate a bunch of small bills, pay off the initial home mortgage and make everything tax deductible. Made good sense all around. When you have a good credit rating you can do things like this and you are offered the best rates right off the bat. The loan closed in 24 hours.

I mention this to make example of why it's important to keep a good credit rating. It's very very important. When your credit rating goes down you pay a lot more for any money you borrow. I pay 3.9 percent on a car loan, they can charge up to 30% for people with a low credit rating.

It can even effect your employment potential, since a lot of companies what to know how you handle your own resources before they let you handle theirs. Especially companies like banks, accounting firms and management positions.

Your credit rating is so important that it's worth the effort to keep up with your payment obligations even if you have to sacrifice somewhere else. Now having said all that, I know there are a lot of people that are in crisis mode right now that's not their fault. The falling economy has cost a lot of people their jobs. When that happens you have to contact your creditors and let them know what's going on. Most of the time they will work with you.

The last thing you want to do is avoid them and hope they will go away, they won't.

Thanks for reading.

Thrifty Panda

Healing

2009-08-22T04:51:00.000-07:00

I want to present a fresh way to look at getting back into good shape and beginning your journey to health and wellness. Getting into good shape is actually healing your sick body. When you are sick, your body doesn't do anything very well. You lack strength and energy, you ache all over and generally feel crappy. Your mental energy level is low and just about every issue in your life seems over powering.

Getting into good shape is very similar to recovering from the flu or other such sickness. Actually strong healthy people don't get a lot of colds and flu bugs. Your immune system has also become much stronger.

Your joints don't ache at the end of the day when you have strong supple muscles holding everything in proper alignment. When we have our weight down it takes pressure off everything. A case of soda or beer weighs 10 lbs so if we have 50 lbs of extra fluff it's like wagging 5 cases of soda every where we go. Wonder why your back hurts at the end of the day.

If you are just beginning an exercise program, you are actually beginning to heal your sick body. You are beginning to recover from the poisoning it has endured all your life. The high fat greasy food, maybe the cigarette smoke, the regular soda (chemical mixes) habit, all are poisons that we need to heal from. Muscles that have decayed from inactivity have to be brought back to health so they can serve you.

Make today the day you begin your healing.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Days and Times that Define Us.

2009-08-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

There are times in our lives that we remember because they were the times that define our lives. We are, as the analysts say, the net result of our environment and our experiences. I like to think that we are more than that, we become mentally stronger and better with each passing year, not just molded.

Today as I was walking at a 12:20 pace, the miles effortlessly slipping by. My mind was not in my legs, dwelling on how hot it was or how hard the uphills were. Instead I was back at the opening ceremonies of the National Senior Olympics. That week was one of those defining times. We marched in with the Governor of Ky leading our Ky team. After each states team had marched in, Bruce Jenner ran the torch in to light the Olympic Flame and start the games. He and Peggy Flemming held the torch to the light the flame. I was only one of 12,000 athletes there to represent their states and battle for the medals. But when that member of the US Olympic Committee, that sanctions games, got up on the stage and told us that during the next week's competitions, win or lose, we were all Olympians. I felt pretty special.

Sometimes during a hard training session or a race I'll think back to that night. Then I'll "bear up" and find some extra strength. We all have those times in our memories, the times we felt more, special, blessed. We have those times, sometimes we are the only ones that know or we think care. But we have those days, those times, those moments.

It could be your first kiss, the day you married, your graduation the birth of your baby. It could be a memory of a speaker that touched you with their words. Think about the times that you felt on top of the world. Then when your facing a hard workout, race or even a crisis in your life, find that extra strength in those memories.

Thanks for reading.

Stronger Panda

Back to Relentless Forward Motion

2009-08-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Now that grand baby has arrived and is safe in his little warmer at the hospital it's time to switch from baby watch to exercise mode again. Anyone besides hitting a slick spot right now and having a hard time getting the miles and exercises in.

Many of us are training for the races at DisneyWorld in January. Everyone should be building base miles and time in motion right now. Here are some of my ways to get the panda moving:

Fill your iPod or MP3 with kicking motoring tunes. For this I like, "Eye of the Tiger", "Standing outside the fire", "Ballad of the Alamo", "Gotta fly now", "Born to be wild", "Untamed" and "How bad do you want it".

Remind your self why you started exercising to begin with.

Make a list of who besides you depends on your health and energy.

Remember the goals you have set for yourself. They are promises you made to that wonderful person who looks back at you from the mirror, don't let you down. You are worth the effort.

Avoid people you know are going to be whinny and negative about everything. Try to spend more time around the people in your life that make you feel special.

Ready set go, we can do this!!!!

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Dealing With Injury

2009-08-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

I want to dedicate today's entry to a dear friend having knee surgery. Best thoughts of love and healing coming your way darlin.

We all face them as we travel along the path of healthy living. The journey to wellness is often littered with little setbacks. It's part of the deal. But we can keep those setbacks just minor inconveniences and not journey stoppers. With regular exercise there is going to be soreness, strains and pulls. Occasionally there are going to be times that we have to get help from a doctor.

Most injuries can be treated with the R.I.C.E. method. The R. stands for rest, the most important. I have a sore Achilles tendon from a couple of hard races so I'm taking it easy for a few days till I'm back to normal.

The I. stands for ice, every day I'm icing my tendon for 20 min, then letting it warm up for a half hour and then icing for 20 min more. The ice tricks your body into increasing the blood flow to the injured place, to warm it up, that increased blood flow promotes healing. Like the old "the squeaking wheel gets the grease" theory.

The C. is for compression. Not all injuries require this but some like sprained ankles do benefit from it. You have all seen people with the Knee braces and ankle braces. They do a couple of good things, one is to keep side ways motion to a minimum. The other is to provide support and keep swelling down. One of the best things you can do for your joints, especially the knees is to have strong leg muscles, ALL THE LEG MUSCLES. When you support your joints with strong muscles you cut way down on the chance of injury. Most injuries that are not a result of trauma are from an imbalance in muscle strength.

The E. is for elevation. Now this sounds like a direct contradiction to icing but it's not. Elevation, keeping your feet up to rest a knee or ankle will keep swelling down. The ice increases blood flow but you don't want the blood to pool there and cause swelling. An injury is damage and you need the blood to be bringing nutrients to the injured cells so they can heal and take away the waste. The swelling doesn't do anything good for you so keep your feet up and use the ice.

My injury to my Achilles was caused by over extending my stride when going down a steep hill to fast and not from an imbalance. So it's a long term project for me. I have had in the past issues with muscle strength imbalances. When I first started running, in the early 70s, I had back pain. The back pain turned out to be weak abs, yep, stomach muscles. My back muscles were stronger than my abs so the back had to do more than it's share of the work when I ran. I started doing ab work and quickly cured my imbalance and felt much better.

An easy way to make all your muscles stronger is to vary your workouts. If you normally just walk or run/walk briskly for a few miles 5 times a week, or run a few times a week, try this. One day walk on the road or sidewalk, the next time do at least a portion of your walk or run on grass. Then the next time find a place with some challenging hills. Keep alternating your terrain like this and vary your speed, do some faster bursts during you walking or running. Just doing these things will make ALL your leg muscles stronger. Add an exercise for your tummy and upper body a couple of times a week and your there. I push mow my yard to make sure I get some upper body work.

Thanks for reading.

Balanced Panda

Control

2009-08-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

The world we live in today has a lot wrong with it. But most of what's wrong is what we have created for ourselves. How did we ever get to the point that most of the world is in a state of war or heightened alert. Just about every nation is having internal problems. Even our beloved USA is divided as we haven't been for over a hundred years. Our religions are squaring off and there appears no middle ground.

But where does that put each of us? Most of us have family, friends or even ourselves that are on the front lines of the many conflicts going on through out the world. Many more of us, our families and friends are affected by the depressed economy. It just seems so over powering to see family members, friends or ourselves struggling to survive and not lose our homes and savings.

What can we do? Well we truly have control of only two things, our own thoughts and actions. We can choose to be negative and worry about those things we can't control, or we can be positive and work toward improving what we can. Do we have any hope of making a difference in the lives of others and in ourselves. Of course we do.

When we keep our thoughts positive that makes a difference in everything we do and it directly affects everyone we deal with. Everyone knows people that they just love being around because they are always so up beat. While you know others who you really hate being around because they always try to bring everyone down to share their misery.

Often the up beat person is the one you would expect to be down and bitter because of all the crap life has thrown at them and the sad sacks really have every reason to feel blessed. It's all in how you choose to see the world around you. Yes the world situation isn't the best but it's been worse and it could be much worse. We have lived through depressions before and we have had good times.

Life is like that it goes in cycles and there isn't really anything we can do about that individually. But we can control what we can and keep our on spirits up. If we keep positive that will affect our own happiness and it will spill over on everyone we come in contact with.

So start the day with a smile and a kind word for everyone and make today the day we start the healing.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Panda

Gambling

2009-08-09T06:21:00.000-07:00

I want to dedicate today's rambling entry to the people who have chosen a helping profession as their life's work. There is no higher honor than to get down in the trenches and be the one that helps when people are the most afraid, hurting and the most venerable. Our Nurses, Police officers, Teachers, Firemen, Social Workers and military. These people that take responsibility for making life better for others the best they can. Many people work but these people give everything they have to give, they put their heart and soul into their work.

Gambling is very popular, the hope and chance to be a winner. So much of our life is a gamble, I'm not talking about money, (What sick mind ever came up with that money idea anyway), but most everything we do is a gamble. Almost every action we take is a gamble. From our choice of a life mate to choosing our friends we gamble that we made good decisions and won't get our feelings crushed.

Wouldn't it be great if we had some insider trading information to make those decisions easier. We would know which ways were going to end in happiness and which decisions were going to enrich us. Well I believe I can pass on a few simple truths that can help those choices and decisions be less of a gamble.

Anything done to better yourself is worth the effort. Acquiring more knowledge is always a way to win. Any knowledge gained makes you a better more well rounded person. Even if it's just knowledge about a hobby or an interest totally unrelated to anything else in your life but just something you are interested in. History for example will probably not help you do your job better but knowing where we have been makes it easier to understand how we got to where we are and where we are going. Gaining more knowledge about fitness makes being a recreational athlete more efficient.

Living a better lifestyle is always a winning path. Eating healthy, getting your body moving and giving up harmful addictions will make you a winner every time. The longer you keep at it the better you will feel and the better you can deal with the stresses in your life.

Now back to the heroes I mentioned at the beginning. We all wonder if there is anything after life and if we have earned any reward with our actions. Well much smarter people than I have spent their lives in study of that question. But in my simpler way I have to say if there is a reward for how we live our lives it has a direct connection to how much we helped others. It's never a gamble when you do what your heart tells you is right.

I have been around the helping professions most of my life and have deep respect for those that are there for others when they are needed the most. How much courage does it take to be there. The teacher who walks into that class room every day and takes responsibility for our future generation. The police officer that is racing through the night to respond to a call for help. The fireman who goes into the burning building to rescue someone. The nurse that will never give up while there is the slightest hope.

Next time you cross paths with someone in a helping profession, say thank you. Imagine what life would be like with out those angels.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Skunky Race

2009-08-08T07:43:00.000-07:00

I had a race this morning in Franklin Ky. The race was in two parts: The runner's (red #s) started 5 minutes before the walker (black #s) race. Trouble was there were several of the black #s that took off running with the red #s, I didn't stay for the results and awards but I imagine that caused quite a quagmire.

I have a problem with an Achilles tendon with scar tissue. It was still sore from last weeks 5K and it raised it's ugly head after the first mile of this race an I basically race walked with a limp the rest of the race.

Mile one split was 11:09 and that was my best mile, mile to was 23:41 and total time was 37:16, a personal worst.

Now all that being said, my training has been pretty hit and miss. Which is ok for long slower distance races like half and full marathons. But for races where it's full out for 2 to 3 miles you need the speed training to stay competitive. So out of the ashes of this skunky race a new panda Will arise. Like Rocky when he finally gets his head straight and goes for it, the panda will learn from this.

It's time to get my best Grrrrr on and get it done.

Thanks for reading.

Racing Panda

Follow your Heart

2009-08-07T04:47:00.000-07:00

Most of us do the best we can everyday. It's just that some days our best is better than on other days. But if we do what our heart tells us is right then everything will come out ok. We will sleep better at night also, secure in the glow that we did do what was right and not what was popular.

I've been on the planet a long time, long enough to know that when you don't do what's right but what's popular the memories of that follow us all the rest of our days. When people need you it often interferes with what other people expect from you. You have to make decisions which has priority. I want to share an experience of mine, of a mistake I made, I followed my sense of obligation instead of my heart.

When I was the supervisor of the flight simulator at Nellis AFB. I was also the committee chairman for the base cub scout pack. I had a very sharp young airman working for me who was getting married soon and wanted to be the best he could be so he would get promoted ahead of schedule to better support his new wife to be. I had been helping him along with his military studies and he had just been chosen airman of the month for the squadron. Well I was leaving the base chapel where I'd been teaching a budgeting class and on my way to the scout meeting when he came up to me on the street with tears in his eyes. He said "Sarge I need to talk". Well I was running late for my scout meeting so I told him, "I have a meeting to go to but when it's over I'll call you". he said ok and walked away.

Well his girlfriend had called off the marriage, his reason for being driven. Well after I blew him off he went back to the dorm and started tearing it up. He even ripped a sink off the wall in the community bathroom. Then took an over dose of a prescription med. We got him to the hospital and he pulled through. But there was nothing I could say to him that would make up for my error of judgement. My explanation and my I'm sorry wasn't enough.

I went away from that experience with a new attitude toward the feelings of others. That is a big reason that my hand is always held out to help another. I have since then gone to collage to get a degree in social psychology and counselling. Then I spent 9 years serving as a first sgt whose job one was helping his troops. I was very very good at it because of what that young airman taught that young sgt many years before.

I don't think, I know that when you act from your heart and do what's right not what's popular you become a better person. You also become a happier person. You are at peace and content with what you have done, not laying awake at night worrying.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Respect

2009-08-02T04:01:00.000-07:00

When I retired from the Air Force I accepted a position as the general manager of the largest dating service in the country, Perfect Match. I got the position because they wanted someone with a degree in psychology and counselling Basically what the company did, this was pre Internet, was to match people based on questionnaires they filled out when they joined. They paid as much as $3500 to join, in hopes of finding a person to love them. I had clients from all walks of life, from a female judge, to a male news caster, to strippers, to medical personnel.

I gained a lot of insight about people from that job. Both from the way they viewed them selves and how they viewed each other. I had some long talks with several of the clients to help me accomplish what they had paid to much money for. I learned that looks were higher on the man's shopping list than on women's list of wants. Women were more often looking for a manly man with a kind heart when a man wanted pleasing looks. Yep, guys are guilty as charged there. But an amazing thing happened, if I matched a woman with extra fluff and a great personality with a guy, I got better feed back from the guy than if I matched him up with a little hard body that was not interesting to talk to.

One of the things that both men and women had in common was a desire to be respected. Nearly everyone I talked to was concerned that their dream date would respect them and accept them as they were. I heard that word, respect, a lot when I was having my long talks with clients. A guy who treated his date like a lady got lots of points from the woman. The gal that acted genuinely interested in her date piled up the points as well.

Even though we talk about being modern and high tech and with it and all that, the dream date for both men and women is the old fashioned kind. The girls want to be treated like a princess, opening doors, helping her on with her coat and pulling out her chair for her will make up for a being a little slack in the good looks department. A lady with a personality will beat out the Barbie every time.

When I talked to clients that had been married or in previous relationships I discovered that lack of respect by their partner was a big part of the breakup. So my take on it, respect is a non negotiable factor of a successful relationship, whether it's a friendship or a marriage. I'm willing to bet that an attitude of respect will help with every interaction we have with other people.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Look at what you no longer see.

2009-07-31T05:11:00.000-07:00

An amazing thing about us is that after a while we take the people we can absolutely depend on for granted. That friend that is always there for us. The spouse or partner that loves us with out condition. The co worker that goes out of their way to always try to make your day special.

We sometimes get to a point that the actions of these people have become so normal to us that we just really don't think about it. Like a child who knows that mom is going to have their clothes washed and supper ready. They don't really even think about it, it's just part of life like the soft bed at the end of the day, it's going to be there and doesn't require any thought.

So today let's all of us think about those people that make our lives bearable. Take the time to make some phone calls and give out those well deserved hugs. Let those people know that you really can't do without them.

How many marriages fail from neglect? What if you let your significant other know that they do mean the world to you. When was the last time you told them that? Don't you think it's time to just do something together as lovers not just room mates? One of life's great pleasures is going to a movie, your ladies head snuggled to your shoulder and sharing a popcorn. Or a moon light walk holding hands and talking about the wonderful memories you have shared and the adventures yet to come.

Stop at the market and pick up a big veggie and dip tray for your co workers. Thank those that help you and extend your hand in forgiveness and friendship to anyone that you have not been getting along with. I bet they are ready to make up to.

Today notice the people that you depend on and let them know how much you care for them.

Thanks for reading

Rambling Panda

Staying Flexiable

2009-07-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

Everyday we face challenges. Some of them we see coming and we can think them out before we deal with them. Usually though the really important issues blindside us when we least expect it and give us no time to prepare. Here lately there is a lot of blindsiding going on to everyone we know with the nation's economy going down. Just about every family I know is being hurt in some way by the job market.

Talk about being helpless, how do you respond to a dear friend or family member when you get a call that they have lost their jobs due to down sizing or companies closing. It's hard when that happens to someone, especially if they were good hard workers and supported their employers. It ranks right up there with finding out you have a serious illness as to how devastating it can be.

I don't have any answers, and lots of people who are economically smarter than me are at a loss right now how to handle it. But when you do have friends or family that have received bad news, here is something you can do.

You can reinforce the fact that your friend is a good person. Often loss of a job can make a person lose a lot of self esteem. Once the anger goes away the feelings of failure and depression set in. That's when your staying in touch and letting them know they are not failures is very important. Let them know they are precious to you and you value their friendship. Your genuine concern and caring is priceless, don't be shy about letting your friend know how important they are to you.

Love and caring are strong forces, often the best gift you can ever give or receive.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Harness the Power

2009-07-25T06:59:00.000-07:00

All of us have a limited but immensely powerful resource. The power of our own mind. Has this ever happened to you? You are worried for days about something and it gets so overwhelming that it finally makes you sick? A big part of a wellness lifestyle is keeping your mental energy in control.

I know what you are thinking, no I'm not full of Panda Poo. You do really have the ability to use your power to make everything in your life better, yep you do. To start with you have to believe that no matter what is going on with you, it has a fix and it has an end. I know that can be very hard to believe but it's true.

When you have issues that are using up all your energy you have to take some back and the quicker the better. Also your mind is like a battery and needs to be recharged regularly. Today, do this: Ask yourself this question, is there anything I can do today, right now, this minute to fix my problem? If the answer is no then do this: Make a agreement with yourself that since you can't do anything about your problem right now, "I won't think about it for the rest of the day". "I'm going to do something that makes me feel good". I'm going to make love, I'm going to eat my favorite dinner tonight, I'm going to the park and take a long walk with my iPod....

Do something that makes you feel good and stop punishing yourself for the situation. Your not a bad person so stop the punishment. Let your heart and mind recharge for a little while. Unless you have a bear on your tail you probably have some wiggle room to clear your thoughts for a while. Once you do feel better then try to look at your situation as though it is someone else in the hot seat not you. Usually there is, it's your spouse who is going through it also. If so then include them in the advice above, take them to that dinner or whatever you decided to do.

Ask for help, if you can't look at something from an outside prospective. If it's job, or lack of it, related go to your local unemployment office and ask for an appointment with a counsellor, you are not an expert they are. I'm doing a job I love because someone else suggested it, the thought of becoming an optician never crossed my mind till the opportunity presented it's self.

If your concern is family related and you follow a religion ask for an appointment with your pastor or priest, they are trained counsellors. They and the unemployment counsellors are free assets by the way. What ever it is, if it's getting bigger than you then ask for help.

Keep yourself recharged. Lots of things will drain our energy fast. Fighting with your spouse, your friends, co workers and family are all horrible drains on our energy. One of the hardest things to do is forgive and put it behind you, but it's necessary to live. Especially important is to forgive yourself, if you have caused the situation you are in then remember you are a good person, you made some errors in judgement or actions and get it behind you. It will eat at you till you do.

I'm going through that right now, as a man who feels he failed as a parent because his child didn't turn out the way he wanted. I'm trying to practice what I preach and I have to admit that once I stopped trying to fix blame and look at solutions it's getting better. The alternative was to lose not only my child in my life but my lady as well.

When things get overwhelming, use your power to make it better, not to make yourself suffer.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Blog Followers

2009-07-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

I write as often as I can, I know I miss some days because my heart and mind are on another mission. But this is my place to speak my thoughts and hopefully pass on some of the knowledge I've gained over the years mostly by trail and error but also by listening to smart people who can see what others often don't.

I want every one of you who follow my writing to know that it means more to me than you imagine. To know that someone is listening is a comfort that strengthens me and encourages me. Please know that I care about my fellow adventurers that are trying to make a difference in their lives both for them selves and for those that they can influence to care more for them selves.

We of all living things have the power to make our lives better and to help each other. We are very special, unique in all the universe, but we often lose sight of that and get in our personal ruts. We forget that we have power. Power to change and improve, Power to control our thoughts and Power to help our brothers and sisters when they need us.

We are all of us just a small, tiny, but not insignificant part of the world. Each of us has value and power and if enough of us care about our selves and each other we can move, not mountains but something more amazing, we can change the world and make it the Paradise it was meant to be.

All of you you read my writing thank you. I don't take it lightly, I'm honored beyond words.

Dave

Balance

2009-07-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

One of the bad things that walkers and runners do is way to much of their training as just running or walking. The problem with that is balance. Especially when training for a long distance event. I know plenty of runners and walkers who do no other forms of exercise at all.

One of the most famous coaches in the sport of race walking says the you should do the majority of your training time walking, but not all your time. The next most important thing for you to do is flexibility exercise. And even he will tell you that before he walks he does a routine of leg swings and other dynamic motion, then a stretching routine after.

The next most important thing is to do some type of cross training that complements your primary sport. For distance runners, doing speed drills, hill repeats and stairs are excellent cross training. For walkers, hiking, running and stairs will complement very well. In addition to a cross training that complements you also need to do activities that work the muscles that are not directly used in running and walking.

Riding a bike is great but doesn't give you much of an upper body workout. Activities like swimming, Pilate's and weight training are of course great ways to hit the muscles not used in walking and running but there are a lot of others also. Playing a sport that uses your whole body is the best for overall conditioning but most of us don't have access to a soccer team to play on or a water polo team. So we have to find ways to improvise.

One of the best all over training activities is trail running/walking on rough terrain. Great for balance and strength building. No contact sparing with a partner is an intense workout that uses your whole body. That's why boxing and martial arts have breaks between rounds, 3 min of sparing will leave you more spent than a hard 5 miler. Try it. But remember wear the gloves and no contact.

What ever your sport, if you strengthen all the supporting muscles as well as the primary ones you will do your sport much better, be much less injury prone and a better all around athlete.

Thanks for reading.

Cross training Panda

Breathe for Power

2009-07-19T04:59:00.001-07:00

When you are going to race and you want to perform at your best there are a few tips to give you an edge. I know everyone has heard start slower so you don't burn yourself out during the first mile. Well if you warm up properly you can start right out at your planned race pace.

Warm up done right takes a good half hour. Start with brisk walking for 10 to 15 min till you are feeling loose and moving smoothly. Then add short bursts of speed walking (or running if you are a runner), bursts of 25 to 100 meters. Alternate brisk and speed for another 10 min. Once you start sweating then relax with some gentle stretching for a few minutes. No hard stretching just do the stretches gently and get your whole body not just your calves. Throwing your leg up on a picnic table and bending into it is not a stretching routine.

Take your last potty break about 15 min before the race starts unless there is a big group and few porta-potties, then go earlier so your not standing in line and losing the effect of your warm up. What I usually do is while I'm doing my warm up walk I'll be scouting for a gas station with a bathroom or an out of the way porta-potty or building with a restroom at a park. Then I can use it just prior to going to the start.

When you are standing at the starting line. Breathe as deeply as possible and at the end of the exhale push with your diaphragm to get that last bit of stale air out of your lungs. Repeat slow deep breaths and exhales with a push right up to the starting gun. What your doing is getting your blood oxygen level as high as possible. I do this during a race also when I've gotten into a grove and I'm getting ready to make a move on a racer I want to pass. When your blood oxygen level is charged with the deep breaths you sort of turbo charge your muscles so you can get a little extra from them. It's short lived but it's enough to move up on someone.

You do not want to start panting like a dog with short shallow breaths, your re-breathing the same air since your not completely emptying your lungs and refilling with fresh oxygen. Your muscles are like engines they burn sugar but just like any burning if you take away the oxygen the fire goes out, but if you increase the oxygen the fire burns hotter.

Doing the right pre race warmup and breathing can give you a much stronger race.

Thanks for reading.

Racing Panda

Set standards.

2009-07-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

When we join a company we agree to adhere to their standards. When we belong to a religion we agree to follow the teaching that faith is based on. When we are part of a society we agree to obey that nations standards or face punishment. Why then can't we make that same kind of commitment to our own lives.

We can set standards to live by. We can agree not to smoke, not to eat deep fried food and on and on. Sit down with a tablet and pencil or your word processor and write out your own standards. Write down what you will not do, like eating a high fat snack after 8pm, get it down and be specific. Put it down on paper so you can see it. Imagine you are starting your own nation or company, write out the rules.

Then after you have written out your "Will not do" list, then work on your "Will do" list. Once again be specific. "I will be a positive example in what I do, If what I'm getting ready to do is not something I would want my children to do, I won't do it".

Once you have your lists of standards to live by, then work out a punishment and reward program. Things like if I resist a piece of cake at work I can buy a small gift for myself when I get off. Or I ate that piece of cake at work, I knew it was the wrong thing to do and as punishment I can't watch my favorite TV program tonight when I get home.

When you do a full week of living by your listed standards then reward yourself with a larger gift, like a date night with your spouse. Or punish yourself by being weak by scheduling a clean the closets or drawers in the kitchen night instead.

The whole idea here is not to treat yourself like a 10 year old but to stop doing the things that sabotage your best health and fitness efforts. It's a way to at least make yourself realize that you are doing something you promised yourself you wouldn't and maybe not do it the next time because of feeling guilty.

Be master of your actions and be your own example that you can control of your life.

Rambling Panda

Why don't we believe what we tell our children?

2009-07-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

We preach to our children that it's ok if we are not as pretty or as fast or as rich or a million other things as someone else. When we have kids ball teams they all get a trophy because we want to teach them that they are as important as anyone else on the team. Everyone contributed. When we have kids races everyone gets a ribbon or medal no matter what place they came in. We tell them that it's ok if they have birth defects, they are beautiful in their own way. It's ok that your hair won't comb right or your nose is to big, that is what makes you unique and special.

So why don't we buy into that concept ourselves? Once we are grown up all the teaching is out the window. Why/how can we tell our children that and not believe it for ourselves. One reason is we feel like we are competing against the rest of the whole world. Have you ever entered a room full of people and felt that you we the oldest, the fattest, the ugliest, the worst dressed, ect... We are constantly comparing ourselves to everyone else.

One of the basic truths is we are all created equal. Your thinking yea right, I can eat a flippin donut and gain 10 lbs and Barbie over there can eat a side of beef and still be a hard body. Well we are all different and like we tell our children that's what makes us special. We do all contribute to the world. We are all beautiful if we want to be. A good first step is to smile more often. Even a pretty person looks dull if they are frowning all the time.

We have to decide for ourselves that we are just as important as anyone else. Tell you a secret, you buy into it and believe it and others will believe it to. I'm sure everyone reading this knows people who aren't good looking or thin or rich or whatever but you respect them and think they are very special. You know others who are drop dead pretty or handsome but have no personality what so ever.

Maybe it's time we started teaching each other what we teach our children. It's ok to be different. What's not ok is to let ourselves go. Just because we are not as pretty or as rich as someone else doesn't mean we can't make the best of what we have. We can do what we can with the hand we were dealt. We can be a real example to our children and not just giving them false hope.

We are a group of people who are striving to make ourselves better with the body and mind we have. We are leading the way to real wellness, not just of body but of happiness. True happiness starts with accepting ourselves, our limitations and our potentials. When we can look in the mirror and say "Ok I have some extra fluff, but I'm working on it" we have the right attitude. We are all unique and special and we are all needed.

We can't change the whole world but we can change the way we look at our place in the world around us. We can expand on our strong points and not dwell on our limitations.

Rambling Panda

I Don't Wanna!

2009-07-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

One of our princesses, (I call all our ladies princesses because they are the warmth and softness that helps to smooth the rough edges of our lives, for that they deserve royal treatment), made a comment that it was easy to get out and go for a run or walk but it was hard to get motivated to lift weights.

I believe that is because running, walking, biking and swimming are natural activities. That side of us that isn't completely domesticated yet likes to get out and move. Lifting weight is not a natural activity, it's an extremely good way to build muscle but it's not something we would do normally. A few people would disagree with me but it's not fun either. We have fun when we go for a run, a walk, a ride or a swim, we are out in the fresh air seeing the sights and doing what he enjoy doing, moving free.

When we lift weights, in order for it to be a meaningful exercise we have to get past the fun stage and into the work stage. I have the same motivation issues with doing speed intervals. My fast walking over distance is fun, I'm enjoying it. But when I go to the track for speed intervals it becomes work, it's beneficial but it's hard work.

So what do we do about that problem. The extra things we need to do are to much like work and we can't seem to ever get motivated to do them even though they are probably just what we need to take our fitness and race times to a higher level? Good questions deserve quality answers.

First of all we need a new outlook on exercising for fitness and for building strength. A lot of people will go out and run or walk for the recommended 20 min 3 times a week and leave it at that. Are those people healthier for that, of course. But we are looking at things differently now right? We are not looking for the minimum to keep our risks of a heart attack lower, we are looking for fun, adventure and the thrill of racing, even if it's just racing against ourselves.

So with that new way of looking at our exercising how can we do the extra stuff that will make us stronger and keep it fun? Someone once said that when American runners want to get stronger they go to the gym, when a Kenyan runner wants to get stronger they go run some hills. Humm, building stronger legs by finding a route for your run or walk that has a few hills. That would be more fun than leg lifts right. How about running or walking on grass at a park or over fields, the softer surface makes you work harder and builds strength. How about hiking or trail running to add both the hills and the soft surface to build stronger legs. No place around where you live to hike? How about steep hills to walk up, or stairs.

If you think about it you can find ways to use your fun workouts to get a wider range of fitness. We can do our speed training by doing some accelerations during your walking and running. Speed up between power poles, then slow back to normal between the next to poles and repeat several times.

We can also get in some good total body training with everyday activities like hand washing the car instead of taking it to the car wash. Mowing with a push mower instead of a rider. Raking leaves is a great arm and back workout. Pushing a broom, vacuum or mop when your cleaning house is great upper body exercise. Just put a little extra effort into it and make it a workout.

Keep an open mind and look for ways to make your chores and workouts more effective and more fun.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda

Proud Panda

2009-07-12T06:27:00.001-07:00

Last night I was beaten in a race by someone I've been helping to train. Another one of the guys I have been training with won a walk race in another city. The driving force behind the Panda Endurance concept is to promote fitness and wellness but also to promote fast walking.

John Bingham championed the cause of making it be ok to be slow. He helped people realize that even the slowest runner is still an athlete. I want to promote that you don't have to run at all to be a serious athlete. You can be walker and still be a strong, fit athlete. The more people that take up fast walking the sooner it will be a mainstream sport like running, swimming and biking.

This area I live in, Southern Kentucky is fast becoming a Meca for fast walkers. We have a lot of races that are pure walking, separate from the run races. The competition is intense and most races will have several senior Olympians. Lately more younger athletes are getting into the fast walking as a change from running.

A walker can train exactly like a runner, with Long Slower walks to build endurance, short fast waking to build speed and the combination walks where you go a medium distance at a steadily increasing pace. Any run training method can be adapted to fast walk training.

One of the biggest benefits of the walking over running is that it's easier on the body, even though more muscles are used. A fast walker will burn at least as many calories in a workout as a runner putting out the same effort. Another plus for the walking is that recovery time from a hard workout is shorter. Especially when training for marathons, a runner doing a 20 mile training run is really trashing their muscles and that requires recovery, the older you are the longer the recovery period to. Training for senior athletes is much different, not in the types of training but in the recovery.

Big cheers for my walking buds who did good this weekend and for what you did for the sport. You never know how seeing you excel will inspire someone else to change their own fitness level and become a recreational athlete.

Thanks for reading.

Proud Panda

Money and Health

2009-07-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

I was thinking last night about how interrelated money and health are in the world today. To start with, money gives us options, options we wouldn't have without it. A healthy body does the same it gives us options. We can literally do things with a strong healthy body that we couldn't do without it. I'm not talking about just sports either but an endless range of activities. We can do everything from playing with the kids to having a satisfying love life if we keep our selves in good physical shape.

Money is the number one cause of stress in this country. Yep, tons of studies out there to back that up. Husbands and wives fuss over money even more than the children or sex now, surveys show. What do people do when they are stressed, they eat or spend money, or both. It's a good bet that if your credit card debt is out of control so is your waistline.

Another problem that is that when times get tight the health related stuff is cut back first, expenses like workout clothes, gym memberships and race related expenses are out the window. Then we eat to ease our stress and not the veggie burger either but comfort food. Did you know that since we went into this current economy crisis that fast food places are still doing super. Fast food, ice cream and movie rental stores are thriving, so are the sales of beer and cigarettes. Yep even with the mega taxes on cigarettes they are still selling well.

Now what is wrong with this picture? We are in a budget crunch and we can still afford to go to Wendy's or pick up a bucket of Kentucky Fried, but we can't swing a new pair of exercise shoes to replace the ones hurting our feet. I saw someone at the Minute Mart the other day, looked like a laborer worker of some sort and he was getting two hot dogs and a coke then asked for a pack of cigarettes. Well when he found out the price of the smokes he put the hot dogs back and just got the coke and the cigarettes.

Right now a lot of us are slapped silly by the economy. But we can't loose sight of what's really important. Remember this mess will end and wouldn't it be nice if it ended with us still having a healthy strong body instead of us weighing fifty more pounds and stressing about that also.

Thanks for reading.

Healthy Panda

Mad Panda Grrrrrrr!

2009-07-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't really a wellness post but in a way it is to. Part of being free and dealing with stress is to speak your mind. I'm thinking that poor Bankrupt Las Angles Calif shouldn't be footing the bill for all the crowd and traffic control for the Michael Jackson memorial and funeral. If you put on a race that isn't for a charity you usually have to pay for the police that are required to control traffic for your race. The news announcer said that is would require millions of dollars of overtime pay and take police officers away from the jobs they need to be doing. Jobs like protecting the citizens.

The city did put out a web site with a plea for donations to help with the cost. Hummm, the Jackson estate is worth over half a BILLION dollars, why the heck is that cost not coming from the Jackson estate.

I'm sure that the laid off city and state government workers who are losing their homes and life savings will understand that this is more important than them. Grrrrrrrr! They are going to have elephants there for Gods sake. This is a circus and a prime example of what's wrong with our country.

I have sent emails to Obama, my congressman and to Arnold. I'm just one old fellow with an attitude, but if enough people agree with me there may be hope for us yet.

Thanks for letting the Panda vent.

Mad Panda

Make each day count!

2009-07-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Every day that we do nothing but work, eat, watch TV or get on the computer is a day we have let get away. Think back the last few weeks can you remember something you did on each of those days that was, fun or exciting or interesting or even scary? We as civilized people have largely given up our physical life, everything now is geared for mental. When we go to work our bodies are just a case to take our brain to work, we do nothing really physical.

When the computer showed up on desks we no longer even had to get up to go to a file cabinet. Heck we don't even have to get up to change our TV channels. Every generation is required to move less and less to live. But is that living? Is our body becoming obsolete? Not no but HELL NO it's not!

If we want to just go through the motions of being alive, just exist, then we can pretty much do without our bodies, it just has to take us to the car and in and out of buildings. But there are several things wrong with this. First it's not living it's existing. We need to move, we need to have our body strong. Everything we do from making love to playing in the park with the kids to competing in sports requires a strong healthy body.

Our health is up to us, we have a lot better chance of fighting off every disease and condition that can afflict us if we are strong and healthy. We have a lot less chance of getting the bad stuff to begin with if we are active and healthy. If we all ate better and exercised more and had a more interesting, fun life we would pretty much see the end of everything from type 2 diabetes to depression.

Most of the people who read this have already bought into the need for a healthy life style but we all need to help the people we care about get involved. Plan family trips to places where you can hike and play and and have fun in motion.

Thanks for reading.

Healthy Living Panda

Dare to Dream

2009-07-05T06:13:00.000-07:00

When you dare to dream you can see your self not just as you are now but as you can be. Some of the greatest people in history were just ordinary people who could see them selves making a difference in the world.

There are so many things wrong with our nation and our world right now that we need heroes, not the heroes that ride in on a white horse and shoot the bad guys with silver bullets, but ordinary people who are willing to be good examples. We are in the middle of a health care crisis that we created by over eating, consuming chemicals and not exercising. Be a light in the darkness. Dream of your self being an example of a better way.

Don't worry that you are out there in front of God and everybody walking or running when you are carrying a lot of extra fluff. You are a point of hope for others who have been afraid to be seen exercising because of their own fluff.

Be an outspoken voice against the filth that is clogging the Internet. Our cyber world is a wonderful place, but it's also a playground for people with no morals. We need to say "Hell No" to the people who are doing horrible things to other people, videoing it and posting it on the net. When you see that kind of crap email your congressmen and senators, email the attorney general. Express your displeasure to everyone you can think of. Don't be silent, be a voice for what's right.

Tell the people who are on the front lines you are proud of them. Tell your child's teacher that you know how much courage it takes to be responsible for our future generations learning. Wave at the policeman you see driving their routes, let them know you support them. If you know someone who has a son or daughter serving in the military, let them know you are proud of them.

We are all such a tiny part of our world but if enough of us try just a little harder to be more involved we can begin to make a difference. But it all starts with each one of us dreaming that we can be better and take the steps to improve our selves.

Thanks for reading.

Dream Panda

Natural Power!

2009-07-03T06:04:00.000-07:00

When you walk into a Vitamin and Supplement store you see row after row of wiz-bang, latest and greatest miracles. You are assured that if you take this or that your arms and chest will grow and your waist will shrink to a ripped band of tight muscle. Just spend enough money and you can have the body you have always dreamed of.

I spent many years working with training programs for military personnel. Now let me tell you something about the military. There is a tremendous amount of research that goes into building our warriors. The Human performance Lab in Dallas, under the wing of Kenneth Cooper has been an advisor to the military since the 70s. Well guess what? There are no, that's right you heard it here first, there are no supplements that are better for making you stronger, faster and more agile that good wholesome food, plenty of pure water and hard exercise.

We are victims of the power of advertising. Those supplements are only good for building the bank accounts of the manufactures of supplements. Now I know you are going to hear from people that are going to swear that a chemical mixture helped them grow bigger muscles, well they probably took the supplement and ate properly along with hard work at the gym. It wasn't the supplement but the good food and hard work.

These chemical mixes are not regulated and are often found later to actually be harmful. That product that we saw on the TV ads so often, Hydroxy Cut, has been linked to several health problems. Listen to the panda don't use the supplements. Take that money you would spend for supplements and use it for good exercise shoes and a membership at a health club, not on a magic potion.

Now I know I'm going to step on toes here but I wouldn't recommend anything except a name brand multi vitamin. Everything else is a waste of your money and could be dangerous. If you must take something, make an appointment with your doctor and discuss it with them. I think you will find that the majority of them would agree with me that good food is the best supplement. I had the opportunity to work with the full knowledge of a large military hospital and discuss this with doctors of all specialties, I found none that suggested a mix of chemicals over a proper diet in conjunction with regular exercise.

Thanks for reading.

Natural Panda

Yes I can!

2009-07-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

There is a saying that if you have the right attitude that everything is possible. That's is true to an extent, being positive with take you further than being negative. But no amount of positive thinking will help you do something that's just not going to happen. I can be positive that a pro ball team will discover me while I'm working out at the gym and offer me a million dollar contract, but it ain't happening. I can be positive I'll wake up tomorrow so pretty that I'll be the next movie star heart throb, but I won't.

But when we put that positive thinking to work on something that really is possible, then it's magic. You may not be the next action hero but you can get and stay in good physical condition. You can with the right attitude and the proper action do some amazing things. Walking or running regularly probably won't make you a super star but it can take you places you never imagined possible. Several of my friends have with just a regular walking or running program and eating more healthy completed marathons and even ultras.

Positive attitudes along with the powerful spirit we all possess to overcome the road blocks that life throws at us will allow you to do a lot. You have to start with a "Yes I can" attitude and then make it happen. You have to be a bit of a dreamer and keep the dream going. If you just say I'm going to lose 10 lbs, that's a good short term goal but you can't look at that as the finish line but as another milestone on a larger journey. The journey I speak of is a long healthy life, a life filled with joy and accomplishment.

As we get older we have to adapt and adjust our outlook at what we are capable of but we can't sell ourselves short either. We have to give a little ground but we still need that, "Yes I can", attitude. Eating right, getting regular exercise and enjoying life isn't something we have to give up as age, with the right attitude, proper preparation and realistic expectations we can continue to have awesome times.

Every January a lot of people with that, "Yes I can", attitude gather at Walt Disney World for a celebration of health, fitness and life. The magic and the energy flowing there has to be experienced to be believed. We need to carry a little of that magic with us every day. Keep saying to yourself, "I can do this", and then make it happen.

Thanks for reading.

Rambling Panda