ELEPHANTS MAY NOT CAN FLY, BUT . . . . . . .

Some of you may know that I have had trouble with my hips following both of my Camino pilgrimages. Now, I consider myself reasonably fit, so why would I, of all people, have hip pain following a long walk? I have a great orthopedic surgeon here in Houston that I have known for years, Leland Winston, so I went to him to check me out and just confirm there was nothing wrong other than old age and maybe some mild arthritis. After all, I have put my hips under much higher stress over years of weight lifting than the average guy. So, to confirm that neither of us thought it was more than a bit of overuse, I had an MRI Wednesday, and as expected, I am just a wimp and there is nothing more than slight arthritis in one hip. So he sent me back in the wilderness with a clean bill of health, and the admonition to lighten up on the amount of weight I push around, and that I have no problem with. Oh yeah, he told me to quit whining. 🙂

At 67 years old, he is hobbling around like an old man, himself, but he has a reason. Both knees are shot. He played tackle on the Rice University football team and took quite a few blows on those knees. He has been the team physician for years and years. I guess there is just something about getting old. Guess none of us get through it unscathed.

I am thinking about incorporating anti aging, fitness, nutrition and strength training into my blog. What do you think? Would any of that be usefull? I have been on this path for 30 years, at somewhat an extreme level for 2, but the basic formula is the same whether you just want to slow down the aging process or compete in bodybuilding as I have done all these years. It is just a matter of degree. I reserved a wordpress name over a year ago which I have never used, but am thinking of firing up. It is called “Arresting the Decline”. All of us are a aging every day, but there are things that we can do to slow the process, or arrest the decline. Most of us don't even do the obvious, but if I can inspire one or two, then maybe it was worth the effort. I guess I will see how motivated I am.

I do have a personal training certification, but my best credential is the following picture. These pictures span 30 years of fitness, starting with age 39 when I first started strength training. I started competing in bodybuilding at 50 years on a challenge from a nutritionist friend, Keith Klein, founder of the “Institute for Eating Management” in Houston.The second picture was taken at age 51 on stage, when I won the 40 Year Old and Over contest, and the third picture was taken at age 69 in my backyard. I did not compete that year, so I had not specifically watched my diet and training on a hard core basis. Point is, I don't have to be contest prep fanatical to maintain my level of fitness. I think it is signifsnt that there is 18 years difference in the second two pics but they could be interchangeable.

I competed twice after turning 70. In the first competition, I won the Over 70, won the Over 60, and placed 4th in the Over 50. In the second, I won the Over 70 and placed 2nd in the Over 60.

Not such a good shot as I had to copy out of Facebook, but you get the point. At 70, I was the leanest I had been for competition since age 52. And, no, I don't attempt to or have any reason to stay this lean except for competition.

So far, in the last 21 years, I have competed in 18 competitions, placed and win 26 trophies, of which 11 were first place. I think one of my objectives now might not be to inspire and motivate others. Changing your body or level of health or conditioning, like any other endeavor in life, requires only two things…….knowledge and discipline. You have to know what to do and then you have to do it. Simple, but not easy.

Wow, that was a sidetrack from today's topic. Sorry, but it derived from why I was at the hospital on Wednesday, and it was at the hospital that I found the primr topic of today. I saw something so profound I wanted to share it with you.

We all know, with the exception of Dumbo, elephants can't fly. Well, I am not going to tell you that I have seen a flying elephant, but what I am going to show you is almost as strange to me. Even if I and seen a flying elephant, I wouldn't tell you as you would have me committed, and rightfully so.

At the Houston zoo they have art therapy for the inhabitants. Without further fanfare, I will direct your attention to the following Houston zoo artists.

 

Not much more I can say about this except that animals are amazing. We don't give them near enough credit.

 

 

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