I experienced an uh-oh moment yesterday after I tried to download all my current directories from my cloud via zipping. Guess what - my zipping code was wrong and it managed to zip only the folders and not the smaller files. I was terrified for a bit. My only saving grace was the backup, which (thankfully) I subscribed to last week. I didn't think it would be hopeless since most of my websites utilize drupal and joomla and my databases are still intact in my localhost, but I could not imagine all the time I spent building them going to waste. I was too afraid of spending time to re-do what I did the last couple of weeks. That will disrupt the routine of my life. You see, I can sometimes get so immersed into programming. I am what you call a 'full stack developer' and once I get in front of my monitor, the world disappears. And that is the story of most of us. We just could not switch tasks as quickly as we want to especially when we are immersed in something that we enjoy doing. But, we need to learn how to incorporate different tasks in our daily activities. Like today I had to do a run 5 miles before I sat before my computer to program.
What I have discovered is this:
1. I understand that there is no such thing as a perfect line when it comes to healthysport lifestyle. There is always a kink along the way and we need to accept that. In my case no matter how I'd like to get regular with my daily exercises, certain hassles do come: fatigue from work, family emergencies (or not), an injury or painful spot somewhere, lack of motivation, laziness, bad weather, poor company, and my best excuse is: "I have something better to do." I try to counter these excuses by focusing on the outcomes of my exercises, not the struggles.
2. You can't rely solely on your willpower unless it is a matter of life and death. For many of us, exercise does not occupy the top of our priorities especially when we don't have a compelling reason to do so. I try to utilize as many tools as I can use to motivate me to exercise. I choose to live in a place close to running trails, I read health books and articles, I blog about my exercising(like this), I read about others who exercise, I monitor myself.
3. Speaking of self-monitoring, I am currently using the following iphone apps - Glucosuccess(this is a study for diabetics conducted by Massachusetts General Hospital) , Runkeeper (monitors running pace, distance etc) and Loseit! (monitors daily food intake). If interested, use these terms to search Apple apps. I have been monitoring a lot of my personal data waaay before all these apps came about. I was into Garmin watch in the past for my running; I also used Polar pulse reader which provided me feedback in my heart performance during runs. Whereas before I religiously collected my distances, pace and personal records, nowadays I monitor things like my blood sugar, blood pressure, A1C, cholesterol and overall well being. I am in the process of creating a simple Healthysport app to monitor my runs and exercises.
4. I am still very slooow in moving towards strengthening and weight lifting which is an important (if not the most important) form of exercise for aging and diabetics. In aging, muscle bulk is reduced by a few percent every year hence the need for bulking up and among diabetics, having big muscles means big natural consumption of body sugar. Unfortunately, strengthening of muscles if not done properly leads more to injuries than strength. At my age, I need to be careful in subjecting my body to weights, I always start slowly and no more than 45 minutes each session. I have learned quite a few lessons in the past.
5. Which I need to constantly remind myself about. That joke about 'You know you are getting old when you wake up with pains you don't know where they come from' is true. I recently treated a 94 year old man and asked him about the secret of his long life, he abruptly answered, 'Don't get old.' I think his secret is marrying a woman half his age. My bathroom mirror reminds me of the face of new normal in getting old. There must be a simple formula with our body's response to aging. I guess if you want to feel like 20 years old, your body should do what a 20 year old is capable of. If you want to feel like 30, you should be able to do what a 30 year old could do, etcetera. Guess what, the best I can really do right now is being 40. Trying to act like 20 or 30 when I am 50 may lead to injuries. The other side of the coin is this: If you want to feel like 70 when you are 20, then act like 70. Other than being pathetic, you must be the saddest person in the world if you do that. I guess it is over when you feel like your age after you reach 80.
