THE TOP 15 TOP FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2021 Happy New Year! Happy 2021! The most popular fitness trends change every year as you can see comparing this survey with last year’s post The Top 14 Fitness Trends for 2020 and the posts two years ago The Top 12 Fitness Trends for 2019 and three years ago The Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2018. However, the year 2020 was the most memorable in many of our lives including those in the fitness industry. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Many health clubs are closed, or at the very best restructuring their...
KEEPING FIT DURING THE HOLIDAYS It’s been difficult enough for us to get in our exercise during this pandemic. Add holidays to the mix and most of us find keeping fit less of a priority during this busy time. It probably also has to do with colder weather keeping us inside, those hearty seasonal meals, and maybe adding in some holiday cheer. Heck, the gyms aren’t open and who wants to stick to a diet. Plus, you don’t want more stress and trying to keep to your usual workout program might do just that. Still, staying physically active will give...
THE 20 PERCENT SOLUTION Here in Southern California—and much of the rest of the state—we’re back to “stay-at-home” restrictions. Restaurants are now closed for outdoor dining as well as indoor, only leaving pickup and delivery options. Gyms, hairdressers, barber shops, movie theaters and bars have all been required to close again. The reason, of course, is that over the past few weeks the number of new Covid-19 cases has skyrocketed in California (and most other states) and hospitals are running out of beds. So now, as each of California’s region’s I.C.U. capacity falls below 15 percent, residents will be required...
TIME TO RUN A VIRTUAL RACE? Little did I know when I ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon last January that it would be my only event of the year. During this pandemic—for good reason—every race or triathlon I would have participated in has been cancelled. Yet, some of the races have instead offered a virtual run. Almost daily I receive email invitations to “compete” in events I’ve done in the past. I haven’t bothered opening most of them—I couldn’t see any point in joining an “unreal” run. Still, this year I jumped into producing a virtual art fair. I had...
MAGNESIUM—ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH? I’ve read that a majority of us seniors aren’t getting enough magnesium. That’s not only because we aren’t eating enough magnesium-containing foods but also because aging causes decreased adsorption of magnesium in the gut and increased excretion in urine. In addition, many of us are on medications that can lower this mineral’s stores. Why is magnesium important? The mineral plays a vital role in assisting hundreds of enzymes carry out chemical reactions in the body such as building proteins and strong bones and regulating blood sugar, blood pressure and muscle and nerve functions. It also acts...
SQUASH FOR THANKSGIVING I tried to find what kinds of food were served at the “First Thanksgiving” celebrated between the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans in the fall of 1621. But we have only a couple of brief passages about the feast from the Pilgrims. Venison and lobsters were for sure on that menu and maybe even turkey, since there were plenty of wild ones in the neighborhood. Plus fruits indigenous to the region: blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries and, of course, cranberries (but not as a relish). And squash. Squash is native to North America,...
WHO GETS THE VACCINE FIRST? I’m sure you’ve heard the wonderful news of the past few days that both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidates have shown efficacy ratings of about 95%. This is far more than most scientists expected. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy & Infections Diseases at the NIH, tells us that “from both a scientific and potential public health standpoint, this is an extraordinarily important advance.” Neither company has yet publicly shared their data but independent clinical trial monitoring boards have reviewed the results. And if all goes well, the FDA...
CHOOSE THE RIGHT MATTRESS TO MANAGE YOUR LOW BACK PAIN We’ve both lately been waking in the morning to low back pain. Stretching helps, mild exercise helps. But might getting a new mattress also make a difference? Probably! The mattress we’ve had for ?? years sags in the middle and is no longer all that comfortable. But we’ve held off getting a new one because we not only don’t know what type of mattress to look for but also the steep advertised prices. Finally, I did some research on what type of mattress is best for us folks with low...
WALKING WISELY For the next couple of weeks I’m ultra-occupied with presenting a virtual art festival: Sacramento Arts Festival Live! Still, I want to keep up my weekly posts. Because I don’t have the time to do any in-depth research I’m going to pass on to you a couple of recent short articles that Harvard Medical School sends me regularly as part of a subscription. This week I’m sharing their article on proper walking to protect your neck. (For a more thorough look at walking please refer to my post from 2 years ago, The Benefits of Walking.) Next week...
DIVERTING DIVERTICULITIS I’ve never paid much attention to the diverticulitis-diverticulosis connection. I hardly knew what diverticulitis was and never even heard of diverticulosis. But the other day I read that this diverticulosis becomes extraordinarily common as we age. It occurs in 10% of people over age 40, in 50% of people over age 60 and affects nearly everyone over age 80. I looked for more information online and found the February, 2019 Harvard Medical School article Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis. Here are excerpts from this article: What Is It? In diverticulosis, small pouches develop and bulge out through weak spots in...
