mvanert

To health, nagging cough continues, this is the fourth or fifth week. Geez!

Finally, I am almost over the longest lasting cold I’ve ever had. So much so that I returned to the gym and my regime of workouts. It was not easy to get going again. For the past three plus weeks the only exercise I’ve had was to walk for an hour once or twice a week.

February was an awful month, weather-wise. I don’t remember one that was so cold and with so many snow days, not a lot of snow, just a lot of cold days with snow threatening.

But February is gone and as of Monday so is March. The leaves are coming out, fresh and with my favourite shade of green. Daffodils, tulips and other spring flowers are making their appearances bringing hope with them. It is my favourite part of a year.

I haven’t been very good at keeping this blog up, it seems there has been a lot going on with me, business-wise and life in general. 2018 has come and gone and has been a pretty good year despite my mom’s death at a ripe old age of 89.

I should be so lucky.

She wasn’t very mobile these past few years but she didn’t complain, she enjoyed her routine of watching old sitcoms and 70’s TV whether it was M*A*S*H or The Golden Girls or Hill Street Blues she enjoyed them all, over and over. She lived in her house for all but the last couple of months which was good.

My dad celebrated his 90th birthday in September and everyone was there, his first and second family. Eight kids with my mom, four with his current wife.

I travelled a lot this past year, to Arizona, Spain, Ottawa and California (a couple of times), a good two months of the year on the road. Most of it was good, some, not so good.

I have decided that laughing will be high on my agenda of things to do this year. Most of us don’t laugh enough whether it be at ourselves or at the world in general but I have decided I’ll be happier if I laugh at life and with life, the good and the bad.

There’s not a lot left for me, life that is.

It’s interesting to me to reflect on the reality of nothingness that is to come. It would be nice if there was something after death, though I have my doubts. I am given lately to think about what will be the effect of my life on this reality I will leave behind. Right now it is the legacy of my son and daughter, both who have become amazing people. I am not so ignorant as to think I have much responsibility for how they have grown and prospered but, a little bit, maybe.

I don’t do “New Years Resolutions” but I have plans and one part is to write more.

Wishing everyone well this new year, 2019.

1988 is when I first conceived of my story The Theft of the Twelve Days, a story about a man who is set upon stealing Christmas from a small city in British Columbia, Canada. I had a first draft done years ago, 1989 I think, but somehow I lost it and have had to re-write it. Each year I have had hopes to have it finished before December 12th in hopes of releasing a chapter a day leading to the finale, Christmas. Each year until now I’ve not succeeded. Thirty years is a long time to write a story, it is time to finish it.

My previous post was from my FB page and the response I’m getting from friends and relatives has been astonishing to me. I had no idea that posting what was just a random thought on my health would draw such incredible support. You can see the post here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008239418723.  

Thoughts on my life today. What follows is me sharing where I
am, health-wise with family and friends.

I’ve been going to my local gym for more than eight years now on a 2-4 times a week schedule, ever since my heart attack and quad bypass. Up until recently I have been focused on reaching and maintaining a modest level of fitness, which I have done and with which my doctor has been happy with, but it has meant not changing, not getting better, not improving, not boosting my goals (meaning increasing the the amounts of weights I have pushed or the length of time on the treadmill or laps in the pool). I have been maintaining, nothing more.

I’ve decided to change that approach and am now increasing the weights I use and adding more variety to my workouts. I don’t kid myself, I’m never going to have a “six pack” stomach (and have no desire or motivation to have one) but there is no reason why I can’t be strong enough to enjoy life, to lift my grandkids up in the air occasionally. I will plateau at another level at some point though I have not decided what that level will be.

Today is a good example of the changes I’ve made to my routine. Up until recently I’d do 45 minutes of something, whether in the pool or a combination of weights and treadmill. Today I did 15 minutes on the treadmill at a moderate pace, a 1.5 degree incline then did 20 minutes of weight training (10 different stations) and adding 15-20lbs to my usual weights so I am up to 105-110 lbs for each of 12 reps I do (up from 90 lbs at each station) which means I’m really pushing the last two or three reps and feeling the ‘burn’. When I no longer have the ‘burn’ at a certain level I will increase the weight. I decided rather than doing one or two types of training a day I’m going to do three by adding 25 minutes of lane swimming so the total active time is 60 minutes of what I think is a pretty good routine followed by 10 minutes in the hot tub. This reminds me of how I trained for the Ironman though not at the same level of intensity. I am looking to build some more muscle and burn more fat. I plan on following this routine at least three times a week for the foreseeable future.

Another part of this is eating habits. I am carrying way too much fat. Pat and I have changed eating habits starting about two weeks ago. Now we don’t eat before 10am or after 6pm as part of an intermittent fasting regime. I like the discipline needed to do this.

My rationale for all of this? I am 66 y.o. and want to be around for at least the same number of years as my father who just turned 90. With all the health problems I’ve had it is going to be hard, I’m not kidding myself. I want to see my grandkids grow to adults and to see more of the world and to do that I need to look after me wherever I can.

Growing old is hard in so many ways I’ve never appreciated before and if I can make it easier I will by extending myself for as long as I can.

I’ll never compete in another Ironman, those days are gone, but I can still run my race and that’s what I am going to do.

muscle and burn more fat. I plan on following this routine at least three times a week for the foreseeable future.

Another part of this is eating habits. I am carrying way too much fat. Pat and I have changed eating habits starting about two weeks ago. Now we don’t eat before 10am or after 6pm as part of an intermittent fasting regime. I like the discipline needed to do this.

My rationale for all of this? I am 66 y.o. and want to be around for at least the same number of years as my father who just turned 90. With all the health problems I’ve had it is going to be hard, I’m not kidding myself. I want to see my grandkids grow to adults and to see more of the world and to do that I need to look after me wherever I can.

Growing old is hard in so many ways I’ve never appreciated before and if I can make it easier I will by extending myself for as long as I can.

I’m not kidding myself, I’ll never compete in another Ironman, those days are gone, but I can still run my race and that’s what I am going to do.