Activitybased Lifestyle

-- I did my uppers today.

The Recreational Runner

Well, it seems by now, after nearly nine half-marathons and a dozen 5k's and at least a 10 miler, I can call myself a runner. But what kind of runner am I? I am 46 years old, my Oxygen Saturation is merely 98 percent, my heart rate can go low to 65 but can get up as high as 90 during the course of the day of work, my blood pressure in somewhere in the vicinity of 110's - 120's over 50's - 80's which places me under the category of majority of people nationwide. These are my stats now, now that I exercise regularly and try to eat as healthy as possible. These do not guarantee a perfect health for me. Tomorrow I can STILL suffer from a heart attack or diabetes or a stroke or suffer from cancer, anything. There is nothing sure in the world of health nowadays.

But my point in promoting exercise and healthy lifestyle is first, it is my job for the past twenty years to talk about health with patients (I am a PT) and second, I was also unhealthy in my past. I have a joker co-worker who told me that 'God gave man only a certain number of heart beats and my friend did not want to use all of his quickly'. He is the most anti-exercise person I have met and I'm sure there are many people like him. He warns me of my running -- how, in the next decade or so, my legs would just get irreparable damages and I will undergo nasty operations. I agree with him on that score. He warns me of becoming so confident of having a good health that I might ignore signs that are masked by 'good healthy feeling', and sure, I also agree with him on that. I agree that exercise, specifically running, does not make one person immune from heart attacks or strokes. But it can 'reduce' the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

During my unhealthy years, when I smoked a pack a day and ate any fatty food around, I had colds at least 7 times a year, my blood pressure was in the 140's over 90's, my cholesterol at one time went up to 290, I was fat, sleepy, and always dragging. And I was only in my 30's. The first time I went to a Doctor, he became so concerned he thought I should be hospitalized. My readings for him were very very critical, he was afraid I'd suffer 'something catastrophic' soon.

That was nearly seven years ago. And I am still here, surviving. Since that visit to the Doctor, I have made radical changes to my life. I started running, joined the gyms, chose my food carefully (most of the time) and reduced stress by not subjecting myself to so much unwanted hassles in life. My weight has gone down (not much though) and my muscles have gained definition. Though I look older now, I still can out-run an inactive man who is half my age. But this is not a sign of super health or an assurance that I won't suffer from anything. Sometimes I experience momentary palpitations(which last seconds) and if I've eaten salty food, my blood pressure rises up.

There are immeasurable benefits I gained from being active besides improving health numbers. Running outdoors and working-out in the gym are consistently two things that make me happy. Obviously I can not pursue them everyday but when I do, they melt off the daily stressors in my life with gusto.