C a Carolyn Dean MD ND |
5:30 a.m. (6 a.m. on a slow day) I’m out of bed and watching the sky turn pink over the Pacific.
I start my day with some wall push ups. That’s where you stand against the wall and push yourself off with your arms. This builds your upper body strength, posture and keeps the shoulders from rotating forward (i.e. slumping!).
Next I do 10-15 minutes of stretches. Some call it yoga but it’s really just stretching postures. Most of what Westerners associate with “yoga” has as much to do with yoga as Wonder Bread does with Holy Communion.
The stretching gets me limber for my super squats (see Module 7 of Future Health Now!). I’m doing several sets of 12 each day. They really get my pulse racing.
At no particular time of the day my husband and I head out for a 10-minute walk across the neighboring golf course. That brings us to a concrete ocean boardwalk for another 35-minute speed walk in my MBT anti-sandals (www.us.mbt.com) to our favorite beach.
We swim, snorkel, boogie board and generally enjoy ourselves for 30-45 minutes and then walk home. I drink a large can of coconut juice and go back to work. (Oh, and I shower too!)
If I don’t have enough time for the beach I’ll swim in our community salt water infinity pool.
At least that’s what I do five days a week. Not necessarily Monday to Friday because my self-employed, outdoor lifestyle – where work and play have become one – has lost all sense of such concepts.
Once a week I bike uphill to my Hui Garden. I’m amazed that I can now go the whole distance in low gear without taking a break. I used to have to stop and walk my bike three to four times.
And once every week or two I have a two-hour full body Lomi Lomi massage.
Is it challenging? Yes (except the massage!).
Is it fun? You bet. I don’t even think of it as an “exercise routine” – it’s more like scheduled play time.
Moving out of the Big Apple to Hawaii sure forced me to increase my endurance. All this exercise is part of the reason I feel healthier and younger at 60 than I did at 40.
In fact, one day at the beach, I was diving while my husband was waiting on a wave and watching me from a distance. Another surfer swam over to him and asked, “Is that your son?” “No, it’s my wife!” he said.
Maybe you could share your fitness routine with me and the other readers of my blog by leaving a comment in the box provided below.
Aloha,
Carolyn Dean MD ND
The Doctor of the Future
P.S. While setting aside time for focused and intense exercise is important – you should still try to fill your entire day with exercise. Whether it’s climbing stairs, doing 12 super squats while you wait for the kettle to boil or walking backwards instead of forwards (which burns 10 times as many calories – see Module 2 of Future Health Now!) – keep moving and stay active. If you have a desk job take five-minute breaks every 30 minutes and do some super squats and stretching.
P.P.S. For my most recommended 22 stretching, cardio and muscle-building exercises click here to become a member of Future Health Now! Future Health Now! is a series of 48 weekly "consulting sessions in print." Every seven days, I guide you step-by-step on how to add natural practices to your daily routine. Daily consistency will undoubtedly give you the best chance at lasting physical and mental health.
Comments