Org-Fitness Today!

Bad News Boomers

Most of the news coming out about Boomers is typically good. We think of ourselves as wiser, wealthier, and healthier than past generations. Maybe that is just our thinking! (?)

I read over on SportsGeezer, a new report is out from Beth Soldo, a sociologist from the University of Pennsylvania. She reports that we are more stressed out, are not in as good shape, and we get hurt more than our predecessors at age 50.

You can read the full report here and check out SportGeazers post here.

We're lucky we live Hawaii, we don't have the excuses of places in other climates with bad weather, etc. These days, you can find reports to support just about any viewpoint or perspective.

I think I am going for a run!

Mission Possible - Badwater and Don Fallis

I like to write about something a bit lighter on Friday's and today I want to let you know about a friend of mine, Don Fallis.

As many of you know, I like to run. It's one of my passions. OK, some might say an obsession. :-) For the last five years, I have been actively involved with the HURT (Hawaiian Ultra Running Team) running group. Don was one of the first people I met in HURT and in his welcoming and accepting manner, took me under his wings, to learn about ultra running.

Now Don has always been pretty humble in achievements and life in general. However I want to let you know about something he is undertaking. Don has been accepted as an entrant into the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is no ordinary ultra. Don has finished other 100 mile runs, however I think they have all been on trails. The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135 mile road race run from Badwater in Death Valley up to the Portals on Mt. Whitney in July.  Will it be hot?? That's an understatement!

You can read more about Don and his adventure at his site, here.

I'll conclude with this: Don is 65 years old and is running this as a way to build awareness for keeping active and not letting age stop you. Did I mention he is a Type II diabetic? Go check out his site.

Here is Something to Think About

I got this in an e-mail from Sylvia Leduc last night. She is a coach on the mainland. This is really thought provoking and challenging. I wish there was a way to get it viewed by more people here in Hawaii. Our public education system is in dire need of reorganization, leadership, and change. Yet due to strong unions, government mis-management, and numerous other reasons, Hawaii's public schools continue to operate in mediocrity. Because of this, there is a huge number of private schools and those who can afford to, send their kids to private schools and this acts as a bleeder valve and takes the pressure off from anyone seriously doing much to improve the public schools.

Click here to view this video. Make sure your speakers are turned on. AHS stands for Arapahoe High School.

Click Comments below to share your thoughts after viewing this.

Holiday Weekend: July 1 and July 4th

As I write this, we in America are getting ready to celebrate our nation's independence on July 4th. For most people in the United States, it will be a long weekend of picnics, beaches, and an annual celebration topped off by fireworks.

As my wife is Canadian, I am reminded that July 1 is Canada Day. This Canadian holiday has been celebrated since 1879 on the the first of July. It was originally called Dominion Day. To read more about the origins of Canada Day, click here.

Make it a great weekend, whatever you are doing. Take a moment to think about the freedom and responsibility we have as Americans. Tune in to some of the Live 8 broadcasts, and just know there are a lot of people way less fortunate than us in the world. I hope the activities of this world event can make a difference.

Fitness and Fun!

There is an article in today's Honolulu Advertiser that is titled, Fitness is a 5-part Exercise. The article defines these five components as flexibility, muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, muscle endurance, and body composition.

This is a good way to think about our overall workouts and fitness since they are all interrelated. It is so easy to get stuck into just doing one thing--running, swimming, or weights at the gym. Since I spend a lot of my time out on the trails and road running, I like to throw in some strength or resistance training as well.

Memorial Day Weekend or Bank Holiday, It's the Official Summer Kick-off!

TGIF--Thank Goodness it's Friday!

This weekend in the U.S. marks the start of summer with people celebrating Memorial Day and for many people, having a three-day weekend.

I have found a cool resource on Apple's iTunes service--the Radio section that has connections or live feeds from many different stations across the U.S. and even some great international stations. I will sometimes listen to a station in Los Angeles that broadcasts NPR and other great info early in the morning--Hawaii time.