one year from now

i love jack lalanne. the older i get the more i love him! today i turn 59 but i am not excited about it at all because i want to be 60! in 1974 when jack turned 60, this is what he did:

“For the second time, he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf. Again, he was handcuffed, but this time he was also shackled and towed a 1,000 lb (450 kg; 71 st) boat, according to his obituary in Los Angeles Times in 2011 and his website. However, according to an account of this event published the day after it occurred in the Los Angeles Times, written by Philip Hager, a Times staff writer, LaLanne was neither handcuffed nor shackled if each of those terms has the conventional meaning of ‘tightly binding the wrists or ankles together with a pair of metal fasteners.’ Hager says that LaLanne ‘had his hands and feet bound with cords that allowed minimal freedom.” But “minimal” clearly did not mean “no” freedom, since elsewhere in the article Hager describes LaLanne’s method of propulsion through the water as “half-breast-stroke, half-dog paddle” which is how you swim with your hands tied.'”

WTH?!?!!? is that insane or what? jack really did show in his actions that what he preached about exercise and diet can produce incredible fruits.

most people think that it is inevitable that as we age we will get weaker and have health issues. while i really believe that there are no promises about health and death, i do not accept as fact that our health will decline just because of age. jack once stated that the main reason that people become weaker as they age is due to muscle loss. by definition. he also said…

“Dying is easy. Living is a pain in the butt. It’s like an athletic event. You’ve got to train for it. You’ve got to eat right. You’ve got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they’re the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take out. Exercise is king and nutrition is queen: together, you have a kingdom.”

so this morning i am thinking about a new fitness goal to do on my 60th birthday. as much as i admire jack lalanne, i am not going to do what he did. he is one of a kind and i cannot swim! but there can be something different. right now, my baseline for fitness is the crossfit WOD called the cindy.

i test myself every three months; my ongoing goal has been to do at least 20 sets. for my 60th b-day, maybe i can add a weight vest like the guy in the video?

or perhaps do a physical challenge that is totally new?

if you are reading this, i’d appreciate if you could give me a suggestion/challenge to consider?

i’ll figure it out in time. but for now, i can say that i am grateful that i have been physically healthy throughout the years and i hope that my eclectic training will continue to evolve in the future.

let us pray:

Lord, You invite all who are burdened to come to you. Allow Your healing Hand to heal me. Touch my soul with Your compassion for others; touch my heart with Your courage and infinite Love for all; touch my mind with Your Wisdom, and may my mouth always proclaim Your praise.

Teach me to reach out to You in all my needs, and help me to lead others to You by my example. 
Most loving Heart of Jesus, bring me health in body and spirit that I may serve You with all my strength. Touch gently this life which you have created, now and forever. Amen.

( https://catholicreadings.org/a-prayer-for-health/ )