The less you do...the less you will be able to do. I was reminded of this
truism back in June when the public pool opened up. I generally swim in the
pool during summer time and then just quit for the other 9 months out of the
year when the outdoor pool closes at Labor Day. I felt that I do many movement
related activities that are just as good as swimming such as weight training,
jogging, yoga, mountain biking, cross country skiing, etc. Well, the day after
my first day back in the pool my back was pinched as well as my shoulder.
Apparently weight training, jogging and mountain biking is not the same as
doing the backstroke.

I first leaned of this concept that the less you do...the less you will be
able to do from my Mom. One day she got dizzy while bending over. My dad told
her that he would bend over for her, so she would not get dizzy. Apparently he
did not realize that the less you do...the less you will be able to do.
Well, his well meaning help only encouraged more dizziness in Mom since the
fluid
in her ear that regulates equilibrium and balance would stagnate from less
movement. Mom then complained about getting dizzy when she got out of bed.
What was her answer? She would sleep in a recliner at an angle so she would not
have to lie down and go through the dizziness. The angle gradually kept
getting steeper until she had to sleep sitting almost upright. What is V's
response to all this dizziness? If something make me dizzy I do more of it and
make
myself even more dizzy.

On a walking trail I met a retired doctor the other day. He was bent over
and quite distorted. I talked with him at length about his exercise program. He
does plenty of walking - walking bent over which through gravity keeps going
in the wrong direction. But he did no weighs training, no yoga or stretching,
no work on righting his posture through various other mechanical methods. He
was not distorted due to ill, health he was distorted from years of going in
the wrong direction with his posture and his life. I planted many seed in
him, but do not know if they will sprout. I've noticed many MD's that are
supposed to be experts at health yet they fail terribly when it comes to
themselves. BTW, what was I doing on the asphalt walking path? I was
rollerblading and
running my gas powered motoboard. (skateboard) The motoboard goes 30 mph and
provides good speed training as well a balance and equilibrium training. (It
kills you legs after 20 minutes of standing in the horse stance) I also get
some fabulous stares from the local Ohio Valley people seeing a 51 year old
with a gray goatee riding it! I tell them I'm from Los Angeles - so that
explains it!

As we age we seem to lose many abilities. Now, losing some skills is fine,
but losing most of them is not. Personally I have to be mindful of many areas
as I like to be as well rounded as possible with my health. I was doing some
rock climbing a few years ago near Malibu and did OK after I got warmed up. A
year later after laying off all climbing, when I returned to the same place
to climb I had knots in my stomach when I first viewed the climb. It looked
scary to me, but once I got at it and started to climb, the knots disappeared.
This also taught me that the less you do...the less you will be able to do.
If I cant get some climbing in I try to pull out the ladder for some 2 story
work or climb a tree

This year was reminded this same lesson the first time I got back on the
high dive in June. The high dive seemed too high for me, so I stayed off it the
last few years. This year I got back on the high dive. I do not do anything to
brag about on it, but just going off it was a good improvement for me. Was
hoping to do some back flips off the less high springboard, but did not get
around to trying them this season. My regular diving improved in any case and
At 51, I am grateful for any improvement. Guess I'll just have to dream about
the back flips for now.

This weekend starts a local GNCC style dirt bike course opening. It is only
opened for 7 days a year for public riding, so I do not get enough dirt bike
action in any longer. The 2 places I rode at last year shut down, so have to
curtail my dirt bike work. Dirt bikes provide much in the area of equilibrium,
balance and speed training. Also provide much physical exertion and when you
ride em you will feel it later. Doing wheelies is also great training for an
old dog like me. One young neighbor lady came out her house to chase me down
the street to scold me for doing wheelies in the street. What is the other
option that would please her...a rocking chair and slippers? I hope to be
doing wheelies down the street when I'm 80 if I live that long. Tonight when I
got out my dirt bikes for the first time in a couple months was reminded of the
less you do...the less you will be able to do. My back was sore and wrist
got pinched a little when I came down from a wheelie in my backyard. When I go
out tomorrow will wear some wrist supports and a kidney belt but will keep on
keeping on.

Height training, speed training, balance and equilibrium training many areas
to train ourselves. If you aspire to be a mountaineer there is cold training
as well as high altitude training as good preparation. If you ski then speed
training is good. But speed training on skis is different from speed
training on snowboards as I found out last year. And speed training in snow
sports
is different from speed training while driving a motorcycle. and speed
training while driving a motorcycle is different from speed training while
sprinting
the 100 meters. Cross training is important, but many activities do not
exactly replace certain activities, so the moral of the story is do all that
you
can do, for a day will come when you cannot do it any longer and all you can
do is watch. This year will seek out a public indoor pool for the other 9
months cause in addition to doing my weight training, jogging, speed training,
mountain biking, cross country skiing, snowboarding and yoga - they are not the
same as doing the backstroke.




V (Male)


For access to my earlier posts on voluntary simplicity, compulsive spending,
debting, compulsive overeating and clutter write: _vfr44@..._
(mailto:vfr44@...) . Any opinion expressed here is that of my own and is
not the
opinion, recommendation or belief of any group or organiz



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