The first wealth is health. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today is another health sharing day.  I found these articles very helpful and I hope you do, also.

Running for any length or speed reduces risk of death:
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/28/running-speed-duration-study-health-fitness-mortality-risk-death/13282817/

Is eating meat as bad for an athlete as smoking?
http://www.trailrunnermag.com/health/daily-nutrition/article/330-no-meat-athlete

Using diet to quadruple breast cancer survival:
http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/29/quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=quadrupling-breast-cancer-survival&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=5732d4faf3-RSS_BLOG_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-5732d4faf3-23307913

Diabetics should take their pulses:
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/diabetics-should-take-their-pulses/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=diabetics-should-take-their-pulses&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=3e905edbd6-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-3e905edbd6-23307913

Why the President of the American College of Cardiology went vegan:
http://drjaygordon.com/in-the-news/the-president-of-the-american-college-of-cardiology-goes-vegan.html

Petrichor=Lovely

     How appropriate to read this definition today.  It is raining lightly and beautifully and continually this morning.  We never get gentle rains here in Colorado.  I will have to dig out a raincoat to walk the dog, who will be an unholy but happy mess by the time we get back.  I needed a rest day from exercise anyway so it will be perfect  
     Petrichor must also be the smell of spring and thawing earth.

    Be the change you want to see in the world

     Yesterday my friend Sue and I used coupons for a free "gravity" workout which uses weight-bearing on a machine with a slide-board and pulleys. The first few minutes were a snap, but by the end of the hour I was so sore!  To quote Sue, "We fought the gravity, but gravity won."
     Today is my free P.T. sports assessment.  I hope he can determine what physiological weaknesses I have,  I can tell from the few yoga classes I have taken that I have a lot to work on.
 

     Here is an appropriate Youtube song for today.  Did you know that Dean's and my first official date was to a B.J. Thomas concert?

                                   (email subscribers must go to blog to view videos)

"Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day."

Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892 - 1950

I will be the gladdest thing  
    Under the sun!  
I will touch a hundred flowers  
    And not pick one.  
  

What if?

I <3 to run

Morning walk detour through the tall grass.

     Charleigh's prey-drive list includes one more thing.....I will really have to work on the "DANGER" command.  The rattling sound absolutely fascinated her.  She wanted that snake sooooo badly.
     We also saw a big garter snake, but it zipped off before Charleigh could get too excited, unlike this snake which had claimed his territory and was going no where for anyone.
     There is a good reason for leash laws around here.
     It seems to be the time of year when it would be prudent to move all of our walks to city sidewalks.
   

     Last night was Diva Night at the Boulder Running Company Littleton store.  It was a huge party with music, food, drink, fun, and lots of giveaways.  I won a free P.T. injury evaluation at a local P.T. clinic!  Family members have recommended I do this for a long time.
      I'm the short mustached person waving from the back. Note to guys....it is impossible to drink beer when wearing a mustache.

Here is a link to a great article on how to buy running shoes.  The American College of Sports Medicine, no less, recommends neutral lightweight shoes with minimal heel to toe drop and to avoid shoes with high, thick cushioning (the current fad).

http://sportsgeezer.com/2014/how-to-buy-running-shoes-an-authoritative-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-buy-running-shoes-an-authoritative-guide

A good idea.

       

Overboard  Published on July 23, 2014

                                   

Wanna hear a joke?

 From http://frenums.tumblr.com/tagged/my_art

Are you signed up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor?

     Check your Driver's License.  If you are not registered to be a donor, please correct that. Over 119,000 people are awaiting transplants nation-wide.
     Today was Denver's Donor Dash to honor donors and celebrate recipients.

     It was a wonderful event and a beautiful, although hot, morning.  Dean was a donor. Two individuals can see today thanks to him. I ran to honor him. I think I will try to do this annually.  Maybe someday I will even get faster?????


(Overall 1121 out of 4191, Women's rank 500 out of 2358, division women 60-64 11th place out of 155. 12:05 per mile)  The numbers sound better than I actually did because there were so many walkers. P.S. It was a 5 k.


   

Only in suburbia

     Autumn is clearly approaching even though the temps will be getting up in the mid and upper 90's every day.  It was still dark out at 5 AM.  Just look at the size of the velvety antlers on this guy as he sauntered casually by my dog and me.  Kudos to my dog who remained very calm as the deer walked within 10 feet of us.  She has actually come a long way in her training compared to where she started.
     Beautiful isn't he!

Addendum

     This is an addendum to my blog from 2 days ago.

                                                                        Hippie Peace Freaks



“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” 
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Namaste

Hippie Peace Freaks

Alas for those that never sing, But die with all their music in them!----Oliver Wendell Holmes

                                                              shared from Hippie Peace Freaks

     I have a friend who is doing an internship in music therapy.  What a fantastic idea to do this in an organized way for those people who are sick, in hospitals, and nursing homes.  I think most of us find our way with own music therapy.



Music's the medicine of the mind. ~John A. Logan


Music is the medicine of the breaking heart. ~Leigh Hunt


You are the music while the music lasts. ~T.S. Eliot


Music is what life sounds like. ~Eric Olson

Stretching helps

 Run Nerds Rock

A walk in the park

     Today I took Charleigh to Deer Creek Canyon Park for a 3 mile walk.  She has never been there.  Here are a couple of shots of the view.  You can actually see the humidity.

   

     This picture was taken in July of 2012 at the same park. Look at the smile on that face as he tears down that final hill.  A part of him will always be here in this park, enjoying the nature, the view, and pushing himself to be his best, as long as we remember.

A non-runner's guide to runners

     I thought you might enjoy reading something amusing today.  Enjoy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/a-nonrunners-guide-to-run_b_5566824.html


     I found a huge spider in the basement and let it live so it could eat whatever bugs it can find down there, but then later I accidentally mowed over a garter snake.  It slithered off into the flower bed, but had a long bloody gash in its side.  I hope karma balances out in the end.  So sorry little snake.


     Here is another link to an article on how much sitting negates your workout benefits.
http://www.runnersworld.com/health/how-much-does-sitting-negate-your-workout-benefits


     And here is an outstanding music video which everyone needs to watch.  I love it.

                                    (email subscribers, go to blog to view)


       The disconnect in our culture:

I feel this way some days.....

     I guess I shouldn't read the headlines. They are depressing.

     Meanwhile, who can resist this cute face requesting a belly rub?  Not me. I was trying to stretch....that is my blue yoga mat on the left.

It reminded me of this funny video...Yoga with pets.

(email subscribers to my blog must go to blog to view videos)

I like this....

                                                         Hippie Peace Freaks


     I got home late last night (for me) so I needed this little bit of motivation to get me up and out the door this morning.  It did the trick.
     Daughter Kate took me to Drums along the Rockies at the Broncos stadium last night. It was a drum corps competition.  I really enjoyed it!  I always did love a good drum corps and marching band.  The sheer variety of the performances was amazing.  The weather was perfect.
     It looks like although there was no rain where we were at the stadium, I did get some by my house finally.  Woo Hoo!
     Plus, a really sweet and polite 7 or 8 year old young man got off of his bike and held a gate open for Charleigh and me.  Chivalry is not dead!  It will be a good day.

Fingers crossed

     The rain has passed us by once again.  Someday it will rain here, right?  There is a chance again for later today.....

     My brilliant dog just got a blanket caught in her collar and terrified herself as it chased her around the house!

     I have been following the Hardrock 100 on Twitter feed.  Kilian Jornet won in 22 hours 41 min., breaking the record by 42 minutes.  What an amazing athlete.  Tequila at mile 31 at 13000 feet elevation?  He's crazy.  I like his fueling with Kit Kat bars, though.  It is funny that he stopped and took pictures along the way and still blew away the course record.
     There is a 48 hour cut-off so there are a lot of amazing athletes out there.
    http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/trail-running/kilian-jornet-shatters-hardrock-100-record_107922

     Meanwhile I have a friend who wants to start running so all I did today was a few 30 second repeats of slow jogging, just enough to give her a taste of what it is like without her getting discouraged.  I feel guilty. Isn't that the sign of a runner....you feel guilt when you see other people out running and you aren't?

     Have a great weekend everyone.

"The universe is wider than our views of it" (Thoreau)

     I read a very interesting study which shows that standing tall helps when making the big picture decisions.  I found this fascinating and will try to remember this next time I am in a quandary about something.  I'll stand on a chair or climb a hill or a mountain, or just think soaring elevated thoughts.

 "perceived physical height directly affected whether test subjects took a metaphorical “50,000-foot view” or “street level” approach to decisions."

     Here are links to the study.

http://sportsgeezer.com/2014/to-make-big-decisions-it-helps-to-stand-tall/

http://www.futurity.org/head-height-problem-solving-729282/


     It reminded me of this classic scene from the movie "Dead Poets Society"

                           (email subscribers to my blog must go to the blog to view the video)


Carpe Diem.

Saturday Morning Run group

     Here is a picture of my Saturday morning run group.  My Charleigh-dog and I are on the far left with my friends Sue and Michelle.  Saturdays are my social run rime.  We mostly walk and talk while making our way around the lake at a park.  I just wanted to show you that I am still out there plugging away....not getting any faster but still there. And Charleigh is still nuts as we go through the prairie dog towns.  She wants to catch one of them soooo badly.

"Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake."  Wallace Stevens

Hoping for rain

     It has been soooo hot and sooooo dry.  Here's hoping for some rain today....40% chance!   Woo Hoo!

      Today is a day to share interesting medical news. This first link is depressing.....20 minutes of sitting is as bad for you as 20 minutes of exercise is good for you, so it negates all that exercise.  Sedentary behavior involves watching tv, driving, and reading!   Oh no, I'd hoped reading would be exempt.
         http://sportsgeezer.com/2014/two-hours-of-sitting-negates-20-minutes-of-exercise/


     Here is a video on the anti-cancer potential of sweet potatoes.  I love sweet potatoes so this is good news.
     http://nutritionfacts.org/video/anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=anti-cancer-potential-of-sweet-potato-proteins&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=a9366d89d9-RSS_VIDEO_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-a9366d89d9-23307913


     Here is a blog on how animal proteins may cause auto-immune disease. It is very interesting.
        http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/03/how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-animal-proteins-may-trigger-autoimmune-disease&utm_source=NutritionFacts.org&utm_campaign=fe6cd7d480-RSS_BLOG_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_40f9e497d1-fe6cd7d480-23307913

Wow

     I wish I knew where this view is located!  I like the sentiment too.  Only one more long weekend day left.

                                                        Be the change you want to see in the world

Happy Holiday Weekend

     This always makes me smile.

                                       shared from The runner in me

Life

   

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”  Hunter S. Thompson

    

Vegetables over drugs, and TV

     Here are a few links to health articles that I found interesting.

     It is so nice to know that cardiologists are now starting to prescribe a plant based diet over drugs for heart disease.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/heart-disease-treatment-using-vegetables-over-drugs-1.2652191


     Here is another study showing that watching TV slowly kills viewers.  Every time I am tempted to get a TV, I remember this. I know myself.  It would be too easy to just plop down and watch whatever is on, even when there is nothing on! It is like having junk food always available.

http://sportsgeezer.com/2014/tv-kills-slowly/


     Here is a new study published in the Journal of Family Practice on plant based diets and heart disease.  Of the compliant group, the event rate of recurrence was 0.6 %.   For the non-compliant group who went back to the standard american diet and standard cardiac care, the event rate of recurrence was 62%.  That is 100% difference!

http://dresselstyn.com/JFP_06307_Article1_watermark.pdf