Insanity defined

I don't think I have a problem with road rage.   I really don't.  

Oh, I've seen it in action.  My father-in-law seemed to capture the market on road rage.  He used to wish for a bazooka to use on those that would cut him off in traffic.

I get impatient from time to time and if you're really stupid when you drive I might utter a disparaging remark or three but I never want to take somebody out.   I've occasionally tooted my horn at somebody but even that is pretty rare.

But just the other day, a twenty-something ran a red light, pulled out in front of me, and never looked.  While smoking and talking on the phone. 

If it hadn't been for my stellar reflexes, good brakes, and tires with reasonable tread on them, I would certainly have t-boned her.

So when I pull up next to her at the next red light, I tried to get her attention.  Just a gentle wave, really.  Not to say anything ugly but to remind her to be safe on the road.  But she was too preoccupied to notice my waving.

It wasn't long ago when we heard once again about a legislative mandate that would prohibit the use of cell phones while driving.   Since I use the cell phone to work while I travel, I'm not really in favor of that.   I use a hands-free device, which to me renders my phone conversations no more "distracted" than talking to another passenger in the vehicle. 

But research indicates that I might be wrong and this driver may change my mind.   If we all have to do without our cell phones while driving just to keep her off the streets, then so be it.

There is little doubt that distracted driving is dangerous.   A 2010 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that 995 people were killed in 2009 because of cell phone use. 

A University of Utah study examined cell phone use by using a driving simulator.  They found that motorists using either hand held or hands-free cell phones were 9% slower to hit the brakes and concluded that they were more likely to crash.   They also found that there was no difference between those that used hand held phones and those that used hands-free devices. 

Other studies have compared distracted driving because of cell phones to driving drunk.  The evidence is not something those of us that drive while talking on the phone want to hear about. 

So on this fateful day with this particular driver, I conducted my own research.

Let's see...talking on the phone (hand held device), smoking, driving, not paying attention to traffic.  The Joe Black Institute for Safer Driving has concluded that this driver was crazy.   That the chances that she will be involved in a traffic accident within the next 24 hours was extremely high.

Driving is, by itself dangerous enough.   Throw in talking on the cell phone and the risk is increased.  Smoking, eating, reading, putting on makeup, yelling at the kids in the back seat...throw in any of those and it becomes ludicrous.   I'm gonna call it "multiple-distraction" driving and it is crazy and irresponsible.  

 The debate may rage for a long time about just what the impact of driving while talking on the cell phone may be.   And judging from an informal survey I conducted at a later date (at least half of drivers I encountered on my way home from work were on the cell phone), pretty much everybody does it.

 So you can conduct your own research and reach your own conclusions.   But the next time I see somebody doing anything more than driving and talking on the phone, I'm pulling over.

Caroline Haynes: One Remarkable Lady!

Caroline Haynes won another tennis championship recently.  This one was the Southern Sectionals.  She won both the singles and doubles championships. 

No one will be surprised:  Caroline makes a habit of winning tennis championships.   She is our most accomplished tennis player.  She has been nationally ranked for many years and competes in singles and doubles all across the country.

She has been THE driving force for tennis in this community for a long time.  Only the late Jack Murphy has had near the influence on tennis here that Caroline has.

But here's the thing...this is one she hadn't won.  In the singles finals, she beat the person that beat her last year.  And Caroline beat her soundly, 6-2, 6-1.   And along the way, she beat others easily that she has had trouble with in previous years. 

I did a column on Caroline several years ago, describing her as being 65, looking 45, and playing like she was 25.   Nothing has changed.   She still looks younger and plays better than most people around here at any age.

At an age (74) when most people see retirement as the chance to slow down, take life easy, Caroline is turning it up a notch or three. 

And in that Southern Sectionals singles championship?  Her opponent was 69. 

This was a really big tournament.   It bodes well for Caroline's chance for a national championship.    She has since also competed in an international doubles tournament in Vancouver and lost a tough finals match.

So what is different?   Why at 74 is Caroline still getting better?

Several months ago, Caroline came to me and asked me to recommend what she could do to improve her game.   She and I have had a professional relationship for many years.  It has been my job to keep her healthy and competing. 

Most of the time, I was treating a variety of injuries.  This time it was to help her with her game.

What I found was that Caroline needed better core strength.   My recommendation was CrossFit.  She soon started working with CrossFit instructor Steve Bright.

I've written about CrossFit here a couple of times.  CrossFit is a program of exercise that falls under the classification of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).   It focuses on exercises that involve multiple joints, is short in duration, and (obviously) high in intensity. 

It isn't easy and it isn't for everyone.   There are other forms of HIIT, most notably P90X.   There is solid evidence that HIIT is very effective in developing much better overall fitness.   And it is very effective in developing core strength.

Too often, athletes mistakenly believe that the key to success is to just work harder at their sport.  In other words, to get better at tennis you simply need to play more tennis.

Not so.   You need flexibility, skills, fitness, and, yes, core strength.   Ask Caroline.  As my daddy used to say, the proof is in the puddin'.

New Year's Day Column: Welcome, 2012

It's New Years Day!   New Year.  New day.  New beginnings.

So what are you going to do in 2012?  What are your resolutions?  Is this the year that you do everything right?

Like exercise regularly?   Regular exercise may be the best thing you could do for yourself and it is the solution for so many of the things that plague us.  Everything from the obvious (obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure) to the subtle (depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, glaucoma).

Staying fully engaged in an exercise program isn't easy.   To use a cliche, if it were, everyone would do it.   But with proper motivation and commitment, you can do it.

I'd like to give you a few hints on how to make it work for you.

First, find an exercise partner.   Being accountable for your exercise is huge.    If you rely only on your own will power, you will occasionally fail.   If you are meeting someone for a run, workout, or bike ride, you will find fewer excuses.

And excuses are everywhere and easy to find.   More on that later.

A partner also makes it more fun and if it is fun, you are much more likely to do it.  And whether you want to admit it or not, everyone has a competitive nature, which means an exercise partner will make you work harder and get more out of your exercise. 

I highly recommend exercising in the morning.   Yeah, yeah, I know...you're not a "morning" person.  But remember that thing about excuses?  Exercising in the morning takes away lots of excuses.

As the day goes along, you find more and more excuses.  You planned to exercise during your lunch hour but you forgot to pack your lunch so you've got to go get something to eat.  Or you don't really have time since you will have to shower and all.   I mean, you can't go back to work with a wet head. 

Or maybe you plan on working out after work.   But then you work late or forgot to pack your clothes or you are really tired and just need a break or there are a million things that your family needs from you.

See?   As the day goes on, the excuses just get easier.    So exercise at the first of the day.  Get it done and minimize the excuses.  Besides that, morning exercise will bump your metabolism up, helping you burn more calories throughout the day and will make your day much more productive (it's been thoroughly proven).

To stay engaged, you've got to have some element of fun to your exercise.  Or at least make it interesting.  Just how many hours can you spend on a stationary bicycle or treadmill?  

The joy of sport engages some.   Bicycling on our beautiful country lanes.   Running the Greenbelt.  Hoops with some buddies.  Tennis, swimming, hiking...we live in an area that gives us incredible options.  For some, it is all about competition, even if the competitor is yourself.   Trying to beat your best time in a 10K?   Or win the league championship?

You've got to have variety in our exercise program.   The same thing, day after day, cannot be sustained.

You can't wake up in the morning and try and decide when you might exercise that day.   Your exercise program has to be a part of your daily routine.   If it's 6 AM on a Thursday, you know that you are going to be in the gym (or whatever schedule works for you).

And your commitment cannot be for a finite time.   You can't say "I'll do this for 3 months and see what happens."  No, it must be a part of the lifestyle that you adopt.