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Heart Health for Life | |||
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Issue No. 9
If you enjoyed
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Today's Heart Health Articles1. Millen's musings. 2. The Dog Days of Summer 3. New web pages. I have been spending a lot of time the last few weeks revising and improving the website. 4. Heart Health Tip: 5. Laughter is the best medicine. Millen's Musings Since It had been nearly three years since my last treadmill "stress" test my family physician suggested that I have it updated. It was also the 15th anniversary of my 6 way heart bypass operation and although I feel great I was curious how I would do. Dr. Manni, the cardiologist who conducted the test grinned from ear to ear as he said, "You came through with flying colors. Keep on doing what you're doing." For those of you who are interested (and to do a little bragging) I lasted 10 minutes with the last 2 minutes at 4.2 mph and a 15% grade. Summer has arrived here in the San Joaquin Valley of California and although we don't have to contend with hurricanes or tornados the weather man says the 100 degree plus "dog days" will continue into the foreseeable future. I think you will enjoy the article. Gene The The Dog Days of summer have their redeeming features... especially when it comes to exercise.
I have to admit that exercise sometimes slips out of the top ten on my To Do list. In the San Joaquin Valley of California where we live the heat climbs above the 100 degree mark during much of June, July and August. There is an upside to this misery however. It gives us a perfect excuse to avoid exercising. For centuries this season of clammy, oppressive summer weather has been known as “Dog Days”. Since my dog hates this kind weather as much as I do I never could figure out why they named it “dog days”. It seems that this term was coined in ancient times when people watching the stars would make out different images, including dogs. During late July the “dog star” is in conjunction with the sun and the scholars believed that this was the cause for the extremely unbearable weather during this time of year. The official period of Dog Days runs from July 3 to August 11. It goes without saying that no one should start an exercise program during dog days. As a matter of fact it should be against the law. It’s always a good idea to keep a good stock of excuses on hand just in case someone mentions that you need more exercise. Probably the one that works best for me is “I’m just too busy”. It really makes little difference that within a few short steps of my office is a completely equipped exercise room. Or that it takes only 29 minutes to get a complete cardio and strength workout. If you are too busy, you are too busy. And busyness is a trait to be admired, right? After all, the bible gives us the warning to “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazy fellow. Learn from their ways and be wise.” What could be busier than an ant? Subject closed. A word of caution on how you phrase your excuses. Don’t fall into the trap of saying, “I don’t have time.” This opens the door to the rebuttal that everyone has the same amount of time and that maybe you should take a look at your priorities. One of the best reasons to avoid exercise is that it just isn’t natural. If exercise is really as good for us as it’s cracked up to be how come we don’t crave it like we do chocolate? If God wanted us to exercise He would have designed us with an exercise gene. Eve offered Adam an apple. She didn’t say, “Let’s run around the garden.” Yes, I know that Jesus walked everywhere he went, but what other mode of transportation was there in those days? Owning a dog opens up a wealth of opportunities for not getting involved in exercise. Taking your dog for a walk is a good ploy to get people thinking that you are a dedicated exerciser…especially if it’s a small dog that likes to do a lot of stopping and sniffing like my schnauzer, Rocko. Rocko can spend as much time investigating a new smell as a forensic team at a crime scene. Sometimes he gets in a hurry if he sees an attractive female canine but he is usually content to saunter at my leisurely pace. Since Dog Days won't last forever it’s not too soon to be thinking about what excuse will work best when the weather changes. Here’s one that works every time. Talk a lot about your plans to begin exercising. As I was chatting with a couple of friends this week one of them commented that they talk about getting started every single day...and they’ve been doing this for months. I was envious of their strategy. That’s taking procrastination to a whole new level.
If all else fails tell people that the dog ate your workout shoes. New and revised web pages
Heart Health tip
1. The Power of Consistency. What you do today does make a difference!
Laughter is the Best Medicine
True stories taken from Test your IQ. Q. Why don't blind people sky dive? Q. Why did Pilgrims pants always fall down.
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