About 10 years ago, a local orthopedic practice ran an ad stating that our skeletons, specifically our spines, have the responsibility of supporting our bodies. In response I wrote a column titled “No, They Don’t” (which if the rest of this interests you, you can find on our website…page 4… Read more »
Author: shs
I’ll keep trying…
For my last Viewpoint column in August, I wrote some dialogue. My reading has gravitated lately to authors who use plenty of dialogue rather than long descriptive writing. One of the recognized best, Elmore Leonard, explained his writing as not including the parts he usually skims or even skips when… Read more »
Planning, problem solving and imagination
Because being physically healthy has been my life-long interest (I grew up with a father who was a physical therapist), that’s the area I naturally gravitate toward in these “To Your Health” columns. During a recent search into self-motivation, self-discipline and focusing, I stumbled into some interesting information I’ll share in a minute. First… Read more »
On aging gracefully
Gracefully: “In an attractively elegant way. In a respectful and dignified way. Polite, kind, pleasant, mannerly, charming…” Those are some of the dictionary definitions and synonyms. While there’s a lot of good to say about them, from this man who’s clearly in his fourth quarter, I say BAH! Sounds too… Read more »
Patience please. I’ll tie it all together…
In the early 1990s, shortly after taking office, Bill Clinton hosted a summit of the leading international economists to attempt to find some consensus moving forward. In the mountains of paper data to be evaluated, one word was relevantly (in retrospect) missing: the Internet. Which, of course, was not only… Read more »
Please forget about increasing your life span
How’re you feeling? Are you tired? Sluggish? Have lots of surplus daily energy? Does your neck feel stiff and its range-of-motion restricted? How about your low back? Do you feel like you need to stretch just about everything and loosen up? Do you have arthritic joints? Too much body fat?… Read more »
Barb and Sue: Two women I knew
In today’s (temporary) lifestyle of reduced activities I have plenty of time to ponder all sorts of stuff. I was thinking about different people I’ve been fortunate to know in this short, short life. While I knew each of these women rather well at different times in my varied life,… Read more »
Balance
I’m guessing the first thing that comes to mind is not falling. While there’s nothing more important, there are some additional considerations I’ll get to in a minute. But first let’s address not falling. If any of you have fallen, or had a friend or relative fall, you know how… Read more »
Friends
Living by myself as I have for about 15 years, since my youngest daughter started college, has been a new chapter, like coming home after a lot of activities. It’s been very nice. Adapting to change is pretty close to the top of the list of prerequisites for a healthy… Read more »
We won’t stay the same.
Even with its unique challenges and changes, 2020 went by fast. 2021 will too. Life and time don’t allow us to stay the same. We can improve ourselves in 2021 or we will decline. Because it’s January, lots of folks have good intentions (resolutions) for the New Year! And many of those… Read more »
Between now and then…
Well, it’s a beautiful morning mid-October 2020, but you’ll be reading this in December. Between my writing and your reading, there are a few events with the power to change a lot in our lives. As I write this, the California wildfires have burned more than four million acres (the… Read more »
If you’re starting to exercise at home…
…which, considering the obvious challenge of keeping crowded gym’s surfaces clean while practicing any semblance of distancing, makes a lot of sense for many. So to be safe and effective please consider: What is the actual function of the specific muscles you’re trying to train? And are you training them… Read more »
A whole new generation…
Stumbled on this quote recently and it started me thinking. (Hey, living by myself with my social life somewhere between dramatically reduced and non-existent, I have plenty of time for thinking.) “The children now love luxury; they have contempt for authority and love chatter in place of exercise. They contradict… Read more »
It all started with… free time and curiosity
I live by myself so after completing my self-imposed honey-do lists, getting in my exercising, of course, and adapting to this new routine of no routine, it was time to broaden my mind. I have a column due, an admitted preoccupation with current events (I’m not allowed to mention), so I… Read more »
A challenge…
I’m writing this column in mid-March but you’ll be reading it in May. I sure hope this viral threat has turned in a positive direction by then. My challenge is to write this column without apprehension of impending disaster or smart remarks about 2020 as the year of the toilet… Read more »
In praise of Viewpoints…
I enjoy the opportunity to express my thoughts in these “Viewpoint” columns. A lot of good discussions with readers, clients and friends have been generated. Exchanging different Viewpoints is something I value and appreciate. I learn so much when the Viewpoints are different from mine and conversely, I learn nothing if we’re already like minded. Much of… Read more »
OK, but is it sustainable?
When I started with private clients more than 20 years ago, I inherited quite a few with similar stories. With minor variations they went something like: “I worked with a trainer a couple of years ago and it was really effective so I want to get started again.” Hmm… This… Read more »
You’re doing what…?
Oyster Pointer: We know you’ve done some fundraisers before, but what are you planning now? Mont Blanc. It’s the most spectacular mountain in the Alps, the highest peak (15,774 feet) in Europe. But unlike my climbs of Kilimanjaro in Africa (19,351 feet), this challenge is a bit different. In what… Read more »
Hi…
Some of you reading this have made “resolutions” about various ways you’re going to improve in 2020. Because I help folks do that all year round, I’m going to write about how to be successful. The specific goals are yours and whether or not they’re realistic, well, that’s yours, too.… Read more »
Claustrophobia or…?
The information questionnaire before I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro a few years ago asked what seemed a very strange question: “Are you claustrophobic?” Huh? I’m accepting the challenge of attempting to climb 19,351 feet, the highest mountain on the continent of Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain on our planet. Why… Read more »