Wisdom is the prime thing

According to this ABC News article:

Standing burns 17 percent more calories than sitting; so give up your seat on the bus or stand when you’re on the phone. In a study, overweight people spent about 2½ more hours a day in their chairs than leaner people did.

There’s a great graphic on The Boston Globe’s website called: How to Nap. From the article:

Research on pilots shows that a 26-minute “NASA” nap in flight (while the plane is manned by a copilot) enhanced performance by 34 percent and overall alertness by 54 percent. One Harvard study published this year showed that a 45-minute nap improves learning and memory.

My favorite part of the article was that a study last year showed that just thinking about taking a nap brought down blood pressure!

I was a bit surprised to read an article about basic tenets of good fitness and find out that point number 3 is to floss your teeth regularly.

People tease me about one of my key training principles: I recommend that you floss twice a day. Yes, floss. Why? Well, if you ask any dentist or dental hygienist, they will tell you that not only does flossing save your teeth, but new research tells us that it might be the best thing you can do for your heart health. It seems that keeping small dental infections at bay is a great thing to do for the rest of your system, too.

His statements are inline with recent research about the link between flossing and healthy hearts. The reasons aren’t clear yet, but doctors postulate that the same bacteria that causes mouth diseases is responsible for plaque in the heart. Articles have been published the last decade suggesting that flossing regularly may help to prevent heart attacks.

Besides the health benefits…

He continues:

But, there is a point beyond the issue of cardiovascular health. If someone asks me to design a multi-year training program that peaks with an Olympic championship or a Mr. Universe victory, but can’t set aside two minutes or less a day to floss, well, then why are we all wasting our time? And that is the issue here: what are the secrets to long-term fitness? Sadly, most of us “know” this already, but let’s decide right away to rededicate ourselves to taking these simple concepts and running with them.

Unfortunately, the point of this paragraph isn’t completely clear to me. But I understand him to mean that a real winner must be willing to make the small sacrifices on a daily basis to live right. As David Starr Jordan wrote:

There is no real excellence in all this world which can be separated from right living.

Why floss?

This seems to be the lesson borne out by an interesting page I found, (a good read!) written by a person who started flossing twice daily and describes the inspirational impact this had on his life. In fact, now he appears on seminars as an inspirational speaker, telling the story of how he started flossing daily (!). He relates:

It is a powerful feeling to be in control of yourself. Teeth not flossed are out of control. Daily flossing was just one step. Daily exercise soon followed which made me feel even better. I then built the habit of eating more foods that are good for me and less that are not. I built better work habits that made me more prosperous. And I make time to do things I enjoy most. I may have never known this happy life of mine if I hadn’t started flossing daily. I can honestly say these are the best times of my life thus far and I am hopeful and optimistic about the future.

Definitely read this amazing, inspirational article about Cliff Young.

From the article:

The whole nation thought he was a crazy old man to undertake an almost impossible feat. Most feared that he would die trying. But this humble old man proved all the critics wrong.

Cliff Young, at 61 years of age, participated in 1983’s Sydney to Melbourne race. Considered to be the world’s toughest race, with a distance of 875 kilometers [543 miles] and taking at least 5 days to finish, Cliff Young entered the race against world-class athletes. Read how he achieved the unthinkable and inspired a whole nation.

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Jade Mountain in Taiwan is the highest peak in Northeast Asia, coming in at 3,952 meters (12,966 ft).

The hike is demanding, especially the last 0.2 km, when you are buffeted by strong winds and the sun is not high enough to bathe you in its warmth. Oxygen levels are depleted at such altitudes (barometric pressure is 40% less than at sea level), making each step a study in concentration. Thankfully I didn’t catch any H.A.A. (High Altitude Amenorrhea).

The picture above comes from Yushan’s official webpage. Here are some pictures of our hike: » Read the rest of this entry

Some may call my methods for picking out running shoes “unscientific”, “lacking any valid basis”, or “lame”. But when I found out that “ASICS” stands for “anima sana in corpore sano” (a healthy spirit in a healthy body)… I knew that these were the shoes for me.

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Yesterday was the San Francisco Marathon, and my first time running more than 20 miles. It was quite an experience!

According to the marathon website, San Francisco was rated as the number one running city in America. And I believe it.

It was a beautiful course, a fun run, and an unforgettable experience. The last 6 miles were mentally draining, but still a joy. My official time was under 5 hours, which was better than the 6-hour time I expected. Most importantly, I ran the course to the finish and had a great time doing it.

Who knows, I might even think about running another one some day…