anndody

I have spent the evening exploring how to increase the links on this oh-so-popular blog, and the keywords, so that even more viewers would be drawn, like so many moths, to the beacon of my blog. I have uploaded the site to www.feedburner.com; and hope that that will bring in many more of you, dear reader. But, I was thinking how, of all technological advances, what has helped me the very most, is that of audio podcasts. Each day , as I carry my route, or work out, or just drive on my commute or... anywhere at all!- I listen to my ipod. That's right, although my vehicles might be from ages past, I also have little speakers that, with my trusty ipod plugged into: give me universal, worldwide, internet/radio coverage. I rejoice in listening again to Steve Dahl! I started listening to Steve as I started my postal career, 30 years ago.... he was also starting his career, in Chicago on the LOOP station. He was funny then, and still is now. He's on for 5 hours daily, on JACK FM ...

Making jerky! As part of the "Paleo/ancient Greek-Roman" diet, which I recommend, jerky is about #1 in the " Classical Diet! In the classical diet, which I think is correct as a "pre-industrial" diet, jerky would have been a mainstay. When you slow cook already lean cuts of meat, in this case beef, your cook off the fat, and wind up with a really lean source of protein. Also, what a great way to have portable (lunch) protein! Each Sunday, I enjoy firing up the smoker, putting in some good hardwoods, and letting the smoker "do it's thing". You wind up with the ultimate nutrition source- portable, available, and right there for the upcoming week. I would recommend making jerky, or, if you must, buying jerky for food "on the go". It's a natural!

Here is my truck- a Ford F100. 1962... I've been wondering lately, just why I enjoy driving it so much. Just what is so great about driving an old truck around? Some people "get it", and think it is so cool... others think it makes about as much sense as heating your house with charcoal. An old vehicle is kind of like a theme park ride. That's the answer. Every time I get into that old truck, it's like I'm at Walt Disney World, on the Amazing 1962 Truck Ride . Really. I climb up (you have to hoist yourself into these old trucks!), slam the (all steel) door shut, pull the choke (you have to know exactly how much, according to current weather conditions), and then... turn the key. It's never a given that it will start... it'll turn over, but: Did I choke it right? Did I push the choke in, just after it caught?? Is it my lucky day, punk? You get the picture: it's not just a drive to work- it's an adventure! And the ride to work, in this cas...

Forward shoulder raise, low position Side shoulder raise, middle position Front shoulder raise, high position A couple of months ago, I was standing up on a ladder while working on my house. Suddenly, the ladder began to fall and, in desperation, I maneuvered my body in such as way so as to prevent myself from severe injury. Well, I survived, but my shoulder took the brunt of the accident (partial dislocation) and I thought I might have even torn my rotator cuff. For a good month, I experimented with the proper solution to bring it back to 100%; and this is what I discovered: Isometrics were the best prescription. I hope the above photos are adequate illustration. I got the exercises from two books by John E. Peterson, Pushing Yourself to Power and Isometric Power Revolution , both by Bronze Bow Publishing. Both are treasure troves of useful exercises, with dozens of exercises that you can perform with self-resistance, and no equipment whatsoever! The exercises are VERY effective!...

The importance of another kind of fitness, "financial fitness", cannot be underestimated. After all, we can't live without money, as we well know. Money is not all important, as too many seem to think; but... important! Think of Ebeneezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol"- now, he should have concentrated more on isometric neck exercises, and hindu push-ups- less on his portfolio of investments... But "moderation in all things": So, set up an IRA. And a 401K. Contribute, at least for the FIRST 20 years! (Ironically, the contributions become much less important as time goes on, since the investments start making more than anything you can put in!!) And that is a GOOD thing! So, you have a 401 K. Fine, put the assets into stocks, for now. NOT A MONEY MARKET, lame-o no earning fund!! But, how about your Roth IRA? This is where your NEW hobby can start to shine. What new hobby? Why, your new investment hobby! With your computer, and, if you have LESS ...

Have you ever been invited to take money OUT of a church offering plate? I didn't think so. Well, that actually happened at our church today. The plates, filled with dollar bills, were passed down the rows and we were all encouraged to take a dollar! Our Pastor, Jenny, had supplied this "treasure", as she put it, from her own "Kingdom Account". She explained that this is an account she adds to gradually yet continually which she earmarks to help the church and others less fortunate. She encouraged all of us to take our new dollar and start a similar fund of our own. I think it was a masterful illustration in this sense: When you give forth, either money, talent, or sheer effort: You reap so much more than you sow! This is true whether you have a church you want to grow and inspire, an acappella singing group, or in this case, is especially true of your own health and fitness. The more knowledge and application you put into your effort, the more,...

This may be a brief detour from the "Wonderful World of Fitness" for a moment but a worthwhile one at that- As the son of two professional musicians and an amateur musician myself, what kind of music , (similar to what kind of exercise) do I consider to be the very best? Answer: vocal only music, usually in 3 to 5 parts! WHY? The answer is very simple. Because. Because it is the most pure, elemental, and basic form of music. All musical instruments are just approximations of the human voice; with the ability to amplify it, alter it, and otherwise mess with and to try to enhance the human voice. Usually, though, the effect is more like when you attend a concert and the volume is up WAY TOO HIGH.... (Sound familiar?) The whole performance is wrecked. When you hear a good performance of pure acapella vocal music sans musical instrumental accompaniment, you are hearing music in it's purest, most elemental form. Real music. Ancient music. Music without additives. Here is...

Here is what I did yesterday... all afternoon! I've got a few acres of woods, and many of the trees are now in need of being culled- dead trees, scrubby ugly troll-trees, lots of dead limbs, and... well, you get the picture: too many BAD trees! I got out the old John Deere chainsaw, and fired 'er up! I enjoy cutting trees, limbing them, and then "bucking up" the logs into sections. What I don't particularly like is picking up all the limbs, and transporting them into brush piles, and then loading all the logs into a trailer, and conveying them into my log pile by the campfire...but it's got to be done. I'm still sore! All over, since loading, dragging, and then again unloading whole trees is heavy, daunting work. But, as I see it, one reason we exercise is to have strong, functional, full-body fitness. And work like this is "the proof of the pudding"- you can either do it, or you can't. The wood could care less if you can run a "sub...

What a great old farmhouse. Nearly 30 years of living in it has given us an appreciation of its personality and history. We know it was built at the turn of the century: 1905 was the date engraved in the barn's wall. Though the barn no longer stands, the house has stood the test of time. Strong stone foundation, sturdy plaster walls, original woodwork surrounding the windows and doors. A century later, it's as sturdy as a rock! As we age, we can choose to emulate a house like this or we can crumble like the barn. It's largely a matter of the choices we make concerning nutrition, exercise, and even our attitude. Regardless of where we live or what we do, day in and day out, we can enhance our existence and even cross over into the territory of exhilaration. Want to try? My greatest discovery this past year has been the purchase of a Vitamix blender and the amazing concoctions I can create with it. Each morning I awake and add various ingredients to my blender: about 1/2 cu...