Low Carbs: Further Defined

Apparently I generated a lot of discussion when I talked about my switch to a diet that was low in carbohydrates and high in (good) fats.  The discussion ranged from curiosity to doubt to "how could you do that with the holidays approaching!?!"  Others simply asked me to explain what I was eating now.

For the record, in October I made the decision to significantly reduce the carbohydrates in my diet.  That was a radical change for me. I was a carb animal.  Carbs for breakfast.  Carbs for lunch.  Carbs for snacks.  Lots of carbs on the bike.  Bread, potatoes, rice, pasta.

Let me qualify this right now by saying this isn't for everybody.  Medical reasons can vary.  And not everybody agrees with this anyway.  I just ask that you do the research.

OK, so what has it meant for me since then? 

It means I shop differently.  I don't check calories or fat grams, I check carb content.  I shop for "whole" foods.  Foods without additives.  Fruit, vegetables, meats.  When I go through the checkout lane at the grocery store, most of the stuff in my buggy has a name that I know. 

It means I have to shop more often because I avoid preservatives and go for fresh stuff.  And yes, it does mean that it is more expensive.

Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, greens, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, and-insert shudder here-brussels sprouts).  Fruit (apples, bananas, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, pears, pineapple).  Nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios).  Foods that defy classification (mushrooms, avocados, eggs, olives).  Beans and peas of every sort.

Lots more meat.  Beef (grass fed when I can find it), chicken (I prefer free range), pork (pasture raised), and seafood (wild caught, always).  Benton's bacon (oh yeah...it might finally be healthy!)

Things without additives.  Like butter.  Milk that I can trace to the farm where it came from.  The same for cheese.

What's missing?  Things made from refined sugar and refined flour. Very little potatoes or white rice.  No pizza or pastries.  No more cereal.

I love bread but save my bread intake for really great bread.  Same with desserts.  It used to be that I had to finish a meal with something sweet.  Always.  And it didn't matter if it was that good or not. Now, if it isn't really, really good, I pass on it. 

I spend a lot more time in food preparation.  I usually make a sausage/egg casserole on Sunday night that is breakfast every morning.  Lots of salads and dressing I make myself.  I've always cooked with olive oil so that's no big deal.

Pancakes made with almond flour and coconut flour.  Try it.  You will be surprised.  Topped with fruit instead of...well...instead of what I always used.

Why did I do all this?  For cardiovascular health.  I don't need to lose weight but it's a good way to do that too.

Conventional wisdom for my entire lifetime has said that dietary fat was the biggest problem and the quickest way to poor cardiac health.  Conclusive new studies from the National Institute of Health tell us something completely different.

The American Heart Association now acknowledges that refined carbs (flour and sugar) are the dietary bad guys in weight control and cardiac health.  Dietary fat, not so much.

You've still got to have some carbs.  Athletic performance demands it.  If I don't have some carbs on a bike ride, I quickly fall behind.  But those need to be complex carbs and not the pure sugar that I used for too long.

I've preached moderation in everything for years.  The same is true for a low carb diet.  I still "cheat" from time to time but I do it only for something really good.  Like my wife's pecan pie on Christmas Day.

But all this is more lifestyle change than diet and indulgences are more just part of enjoying life than betraying what I am convinced will help me live longer and healthier.

What is a Redneck?

I got called a "redneck" the other day.  I was on my bike and someone took exception to me being on "their" road.  Forget the fact that they were driving a beat up 4 door sedan belching smoke and covered with bumper stickers proclaiming their...well...red-neckedness.

Redeck?  I don't know.  Maybe.   Depends on what you mean.  

When you get down to it, maybe I am.  I've always been involved in farming (small scale now) and I think that's where the term got its origins.  Farmers who had to be outside all day, every day tended to sometimes get a sunburned neck.

Except for a 2 year sabbatical to West Virginia, I've lived in Tennessee my entire life (so far).

I grew up in Loudon, Tennessee (rural east Tennessee/3 stop lights in the whole town) where pretty much everybody was in the same socio-economic category.  Most families were supported by one of the local factories.

Houses were small and tidy, yards were mowed, everybody had a garden, and there was only one home with a pool in the backyard.

Actually, it was the only pool around.  If you wanted to swim, you had to catch a ride to Lenoir City or hit the Tennessee River. Everybody went to church. Boys grew up to play football.  Girls were majorettes, cheerleaders, or basketball players.

We went fishing and ate what we caught.  We went hunting and did the same.  Most of us could tell when the dogs had a coon up a tree and knew where to be when the dogs would bring the rabbit back around. 

Today, I drive a pickup truck but don't own anything camouflage.   I no longer hunt or fish but that has more to do with time than anything else.  I live on a farm and love my overalls.  Redneck? Call me what you want to.

There are a lot of prejudices about the south.  Uneducated.  Slow.  Toothless.  Where everbody goes by two names.  Like "Billy Joe" or "Bobby Sue."  Unless they go by "Bubba" or "Junior."

I've written here before about my friend who is Southern Belle through and through.  She regularly makes two-syllable words out of words originally intended to be one syllable. With no small measure of southern charm, she also kicks butt in the real estate world. 

I do get frustrated with the southern tendency to butcher the King's English.  Double negatives kill me.  Confusing "they're, their, and there" just means you didn't pay attention in English class.  But 

I've heard the same in Manhattan.

I guarantee you that there are English teachers from my school days that find it incredible that I write a newspaper column.  And more than one would roll over in their grave if they knew I've done this for 29 years.

I don't often sound quite like some might expect.  Oh, I guess to someone from Michigan or Maine I still have a southern drawl but not too much.  But I love everything that makes me southern.

In the south, we're all about good food, good times, respect for the family, and being polite.  

Respecting your elders.  Holding the door open for others.  Always saying hello.  Did I mention good food?  And football.

The rest of the country has to admit, we play pretty good football in the south.  Although I have a strong love of the ACC, it's hard to deny that the SEC is the premier football conference in America.

And while Indiana may be basketball through and through, Bobby Knight has been through a couple of jobs since a team from there went to the national championship.  Seems like Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina are perpetually at the top of the ranks.

Although I'll have to give that guy named Geno his due, Pat Summitt is still the greatest basketball coach ever and the Lady Vols (forever Lady Vols) are the greatest basketball program in women's basketball history.

So here's to The South!  Born in the south, I'll likely die in the south.  Just remember...nobody retires and moves north.

Is Joe 40 or 80?

This was on one of my favorite cartoons the other day (which is where I turn as soon as the sports page is finished):  "We're not as dumb as it seems.  We're not as smart as we think."

Seems pretty simple, huh.   For some reason, it made me think of teenagers.

I deal with teenagers every day.  In a lot of respects, it is my favorite demographic.  I like the idea that maybe I can help somebody become a better adult.  A better parent or partner. 

Many times, I have commented how my work with these teenagers helps keep me young.

In Coach Derek Hunt's health class recently, a discussion about physical therapy led to my name being mentioned.  It turns out that I have had a lot of those class members as patients at one time or another.

The discussion turned to speculation about how old I might be.  Guesses ranged from 40 to 80.  I know better than  to be complimented by the 40 or deflated by the 80.  The real number (61) lies smack dab in the middle and means that collectively they were right on the money.

I believe their guesses have more to do with the fact that I've been around here for a long, long time.

I first arrived in 1977 when I took my first physical therapy job at Blount Memorial Hospital.  Two years later, I left for West Virginia.  In 1981, I returned to Maryville and opened my private practice.

I've always been interested in sports medicine. I had been an athlete since my earliest days and had decided on physical therapy as a career while in college and trying to decide whether to be a football coach or a doctor.  Physical therapy seemed the perfect blend of the two.

The first Athletic Trainer at Maryville College was Mike Sabatelle.  He and I shared a vision for athletic health care in this area.  My first game on the sidelines at MHS was in 1982 which means that this year was my 33rd year on those same sidelines.

I've seen a lot in those 33 years.  From the '84 MHS team that should have won it all to the '85 and '86 Heritage High teams that were certainly good enough to do the same (and almost did).

The 1987 Greenback team that won a state championship was special as was the 1989 AHS team that also won it all.   I've been on the sidelines for all of those.

And then you have the twin city dynasties that Maryville and Alcoa have created.  Yep, great memories all around the block. 

I mentioned last week about a player on the opposing team in a varsity football game that had a concussion and his parents were nowhere to be found.  There was another player in the same game that tore his ACL.  Same story--no parents in attendance.

I don't see much room for an excuse there anyway.  Our children are our biggest responsibility.

I also saw this quote recently:  "Your child's success or lack of success in sports does not indicate what kind of parent you are.  But having an athlete that is coachable, respectful, a great teammate, mentally tough, resilient, and tries their best IS a direct reflection of your parenting."

That pretty much sums it up.   

Low Carb Diet

Just this week, I finished a month on a new diet.  Well, it was more than a new diet, really.  It was more of a lifestyle change.  My weight hasn't been a problem for a long time.  This one was more complicated than that.

Let me back up a bit.  You may know the story--my dad had his first heart attack when I was 5.  I've spent my life in fear of the same and have exercised and eaten "right" ever since because of that.

Lately, I've been trying to be more proactive about my health.  I've seen my primary care physician, my cardiologist, my gastroenterologist, and my physical therapist.  I've consulted with a sports performance physician, a nutritionist, and a health coach.

The result was that I needed to make some changes. 

I gave up caffeine.  I know that doesn't sound like much but for me it was huge.  I start my day with a cup of coffee.  Strong coffee.  The stronger the better. 

It's a good thing that my friends over at Vienna Coffee Company make a tasty cup of decaf otherwise I would be stuck to stuff that doesn't have a lot of taste but is merely hot.

And I've switched to a low carbohydrate diet. Now this might not sound like much either but I have been a carb animal for most of my life. 

Breakfast?  Carbs.  Always.  Carbs on carbs.  Lunch?  More carbs.  I love bread, desserts, potatoes, and rice. 

Since age 5, when my dad had that first heart attack, I've followed a low fat diet.  Skim milk, nothing 

fried, no eggs, infrequent red meat.  And lots of carbs.

Medical science now tells us that we may have been wrong about it all.  That the low fat/high carb diet may not yield the results that we sought.  That high carbs may contribute to heart disease and 

good fats may help prevent it.

The bottom line is that I was consuming too many carbs and that it was bad for me.  It may not be the same for you.  You need to seek that piece of medical advice for yourself. 

But for me, things have changed.  For the past month, I have minimized my carbohydrate intake.  No potatoes, no rice, no desserts.  No dairy, no legumes.  None.  Not even my beloved Frito's.

Mostly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, green leafy vegetables.  For a month, I've eaten at least a salad every day.  And lots of lean meat and eggs. 

I spend a lot more time in shopping and food prep.  I have always read labels but now look for carb grams instead of fat grams . To say this is a huge emotional leap for me is putting it mildly.  Suddenly, fats (good fats) are good for me.

It's been hard, especially on the bike. As I reset my system to burn fat (which all of us have plenty of) from burning carbs (which we need to constantly ingest), I was sluggish and more than once got dropped in a group bike ride.  A month in, it has gotten better.  I'm not there yet but I'm getting there.

For the next few weeks, I will gradually increase my intake of good carbs, avoiding simple sugars and refined flour.

None of this has been easy but I am convinced that it will help me be healthier and live longer.  

Little Eyes Are Watching

Last week, I wrote about the impact that educators can have on our lives and the influence they have on the adults we become.

Our lives are filled with episodes, mere moments really, that change us.  That make us who we are.  For better or worse. 

When they happen, we never realize at the time that our life just got changed. 

I've told the story here about how my high school football coach changed this underachieving youngster (me) by his words "if he works at it, he can be a good one."

From that single comment, delivered to someone visiting football practice who was asking about me, I developed a work ethic that has served me well.

Just this week, I watched a colleague talking to a young athlete.  I was on the other side of our clinic so couldn't hear her words. 

It seemed like (and later confirmed) my colleague was complimenting the girl's hair and then her sweater.  You could see the delight in the in the youngster's body language. 

Maybe she didn't get complimented often.  I know that my colleague is a wonderful lady herself and a positive role model for those athletes that she serves.

What I watched was just further affirmation of the influence we can have on others without even realizing it.

For some reason, my wife and I have watched a couple of movies in recent weeks that featured basketball coaches that did a lot of yelling.   They were successful so they probably did a fair amount of coaching too but I'm pretty sure nobody looked at those coaches and said "that's who I want my child to play for."

The last coach that I encountered around here that I didn't particularly care for got the attention of his players by stomping his foot on the ground. 

Acting like a 3 year old is what I used to think about when this coach would stomp his foot on the floor.  I've watched the youngest of my grandchildren when he is at wit's end about something.  He sometimes demonstrate the same stomp.  Where do they learn this stuff?

I wonder if that's how this coach wants to be remembered.  I doubt it.  He probably just wants to be remembered by this wins.

We must always think about the influence we are having on others, every moment of every day.  I try and take that attitude.  Every moment.  Every day.  

For me, it all started (in another story I've told too many times) when a buddy and I were doing something we shouldn't have been doing at about age 10 and a young mother watching us told her small child "don't grow up like them."  It changed me.  On the spot.

We tell our athletes that they should be role models, that little eyes are always watching you.   Well, they are. 

Watching how you act, how you run, how you play the game. Hearing what you say and how you say it.  Copying your mannerisms and your attitude.

What do you want to be remembered for?

Tribute to Educators Everywhere

Tom Rothwell died last Sunday.  He was 91.  He was also my junior high principal.

I'm gonna get right to the point of today's column:  Teachers, coaches, principals--what you do counts.  You are influencing young people in ways that you probably never know about.

I've spoken about my high school football coach, Bert "Chig" Ratledge (although he will never ever ever be anything but Coach Ratledge to me), and the influence he has had on my life.

Mr. Rothwell was the same way, affecting generations of young folks as an educator, principal, and coach.

He was also a family friend.  I have great memories of visiting his home in downtown Philadelphia, Tennessee.  He collected hand guns and I was fascinated by that.

He and my dad seemed to really connect.  They probably couldn't have been more different in a lot of ways.

Mr. Rothwell had a full head of regal hair as long as he lived.  I don't remember my dad without his male-pattern baldness.  Mr. Rothwell went to college while my dad finished only 6th grade.  Both served in the Navy in World War II. 

One was tall, the other short.  One was quick-witted and perpetually in motion.  The other one moved and spoke slowly and with grace.  Yet both were highly intelligent, passionate about a lot of things, and totally devoted to their families. 

His daughter Ann and I went to school together from kindergarten through high school.  She and I remain friends today.  A couple of years ago, Ann and her dad came to a concert that my gospel quartet did at a church in Sweetwater.  His presence there remains a memorable honor for me. 

I can remember being in his office as a 6th grader, my transgression long forgotten.   I'm sure I was trembling with fear.  As was common in that day, he had a paddle in the corner but that's not what frightened me. 

His disapproval was far, far worse than any physical punishment he could have dished out.  Such was the respect that I had for him.

And I wasn't alone in that.  I've heard the same story many times from others that attended Loudon Junior High School.

I had him as an 8th grade science teacher.  I'm not sure why he was teaching that class but it was during a time when I thought that it wasn't too cool to be a "brain."  I wanted to be a "jock."  He straightened me out with his expectations for me.

Interestingly enough, it was about the same age that my daughter had the same dilemma.  I'm betting that it was a teacher at Maryville Middle School that helped her get through that stage.

Mr. Rothwell coached basketball from time to time, but I never played for him.  Football was always my sport. 

Because of grandsons, he has been a fixture at Alcoa High School football games, always wearing a hunter's orange cap in the stands so those same grandsons could find him.

He called me Joebee for as long as I can remember.  He will be missed by many.

For you teachers, coaches, and principals:  When the hours seem long, when you think no one cares, when the job seems thankless, be reminded that you are making a difference in somebody's life. 

Your job is not always teaching math and grammar and science.  A lot of the time it's about building adults.  

Fitness 102

I got stopped in the parking lot just the other day.  "You've told us what not to do (bench press, et cetera), how about telling us what we should be doing?"

My question back to him was "what do you want to accomplish?"

"Live longer, stay healthy, protect my joints, maintain muscle tone."

Sounds like the same thing that pretty much everybody that exercises regularly wants.  So I promised this column.  On the spot.

What should you do?  Here's one man's opinion.  Nothing here is new.  I've listed all this stuff before. 

Exercise regularly.  Not just every once in a while.  At least 5 times a week.   52 weeks a year.  

Sound like a lot?  You gotta figure it in context.  One of my favorite cartoons says "what fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day?"

The strength of any fitness program is in persistence.  It's often not the person who works the hardest.  If you give it all you have every single exercise session, you're going to burn out or get injured or both.  It's not so much the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare but longevity breeds success when it comes to your fitness.

In other words, if you stay with it, it will work for you.

Find a partner.  Or partners. 

Two big reasons.  Accountability and competition.

Accountability.   If someone is looking for you to be there to join them in a workout, you'll make some of those sessions that you would otherwise have skipped. 

Competition.  You will work harder if someone is working with you.   It's just human nature.  You will try harder, go longer...just generally put more effort into it if somebody is along for the ride

Having a partner in your fitness pursuits also makes it more fun.  Maybe misery does love company but the camaraderie and friendly teasing that comes from a group effort makes the time go easier.

Find something that you can enjoy doing.  Maybe not every workout.  Sometimes you just don't want to be there but need to put in the time anyway.  

But playing games or doing what you enjoy makes any program sustainable.  Tennis, basketball, cycling, running (although I can't personally vouch for running--if you see me running, take off--something is chasing me).

It's got to have two components:  strength training and cardio training.  If you can mix the two, as with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), then you may have found the magic formula.

I've said it many times before:  The most important muscle you have is that one in the middle of your chest (your heart).  You've got to work it to keep it healthy.  But to protect our joints so that we can stay active, you've got to mix in some strength training.  It's more important for the 50-something to lift weights than it is for the 20-something.

Just remember that every day, you've got to get your heart rate up and keep it there long enough to develop good heart health.

The "See" Muscles

Some of the most fit people in Blount County are women.  As I gaze across my desk (a countertop, really), I see a group of mostly women working hard in a CrossFit class. Nearby, a couple of guys are grunting under too much weight on a bench press. 

I've said it here before;  the bench press is just an exercise that I don't understand.  It serves very little useful purpose from an fitness or athletics standpoint. 

You might assume that an offensive lineman on a football team needs the ability to push forward against an opponent.  But any good coach will tell you (heck, even the few mediocre ones know this) that if you are pushing straight in front of you, you are already beat. An incline bench makes a lot more sense. 

I suppose that a program of heavy lifting that includes the bench press could be useful in building bulk in those athletes that need it.  It's just that too much bench press (indeed, too much emphasis on the front chest muscles) builds a muscle imbalance that inevitably leads to shoulder problems.  In my clinical practice, it is the source of most of the chronic shoulder problems and a good number of the acute problems that I see.

You've heard this before too, but what exercise does one young lifter always ask about when talking to another young lifter?  Yep--how much can you bench?

So when I tell an athlete that they are forbidden from doing the bench press, I've rocked their world.  

I might as well take away biceps curls too.

Oh, and about those biceps curls...they're pretty useless too.   Think about what sport huge biceps might be an advantage in.  Yeah.  Me neither.

But these guys I'm watching are all focusing on those "see" muscles so I guess there's something to those "see" muscles that males seem so intent on developing. 

"See" muscles?   Those that you see when you look in the mirror.  Biceps.  Triceps.  Pecs.  Maybe the abs.

What those lifters don't understand is that the muscles that you really can't see, those in the upper back for example, are just as important.

A lot of my patients, young and old alike, have shoulder problems.  And certainly not all of them are due to lifting weights improperly or to the bench press.

If you think about it, our world is in front of us.  Most jobs are performed with your arms in front of you.  Operate a computer as all or part of your work?  Then you spend a good part of your day with your arms in front and your shoulders rolled forward.

Drive a vehicle?  Same thing.  Stock shelves?  Think about it. 

What this leads to is the same thing as what happens to those that do too much bench press:  the shoulders roll forward with the muscles on the front of the chest being stronger than the muscles in the back of the chest, further contributing to that forward shoulder position.

The solution?  If your strength training program is the culprit, then do a lot more work on your upper back and the back of your shoulders.

If the computer is the problem, you've got to learn to do exercises that strengthen those same areas, particularly the muscles between your shoulder blades.  It's also important to take breaks throughout the day and stretch your shoulders up and back.  

The Mirror of the Soul

It has been said that the eyes are a reflection of one's soul.  That maybe you can tell all that you need to know about somebody by looking into their eyes.

I had a discussion just last week about hiring someone based on intuition.  It started when someone said that they were scheduled for a three hour interview for a position they were seeking.

Three hours?  What do you do in a three hour interview?  What could you possibly ask that would take that long  to answer?

No, I generally make my decisions on those matters in three minutes.  Or less.

Keep in mind that I've been in a position to make judgments about whether to hire someone or not for over 35 years.  I've made a few mistakes but made a lot more good decisions than bad ones. 

I believe my bad hiring decisions happened when I didn't pay attention to my intuition.  When someone talked me into hiring someone that I had a bad feeling about.

I believe in first impressions.  I've learned to trust those first impressions.  I want to look them in the eyes. 

Will they look you in the eyes?  There was a coach around here not too many years ago that couldn't look you in the eyes.   The first time I met that coach, he looked everywhere in the room but at me.

I predicted the failure that marked his coaching tenure here.   A person that can't look you in the eyes just simply can't be trusted.  He did fail.  Miserably.

I believe you can see confidence in someone's eyes.   And by the same token, you can see fear.  If you're an athlete, you know what I'm talking about.  You know when your opponent is beat.  You can see it.

My son tells the story of when he first lined up against a couple of All-American defensive linemen from Florida State.  The year was 2000 and he was a redshirt freshman at Clemson.   They were slobbering and yelling unmentionables at this 19 year old across the line from him.

But what he remembers is the look in their eyes.  He describes it variously as wild, out-of-control, frightening.  I suspect it was more than a little intimidating.

I believe that confidence is a big part of what makes some effective leaders.  Followers are looking for clues.  Is this someone worthy?  How do you walk into a room?  How do you enter a conversation?  What does someone see when they look in your eyes?

I watched a high school football player exhort his teammates to extra effort just a couple of Fridays ago.  The intensity in his eyes made you want match that intensity with effort on the football field.  

Heck, I even started looking around for a football uniform.

Is there a sparkle in their eyes?  Those are the people that you want to be around.   They are the ones that make you want to work harder, to play harder, maybe even to be a better person.

Back when I worked with our church youth group, I was always conscious of what my kids saw of themselves when they looked in my eyes.  Did they see that I appreciated them for who they were?  

That I loved them unconditionally?

The mirror of the soul?  I believe it is so.

Letter To My 25 year old Self

You may have heard about the book about a collection of letters that people have written to their 25 year-old selves.  A lot of regrets are expressed, a lot of second-guessing is done, and the end result is actually a pretty good reflection of mostly the mistakes we have made.

In that spirit, I'd like to write a letter to the 25 year old Joe Black.

It would have been 1978 and I'll use today's date, October 19th.  I was working as a Staff Physical Therapist at Blount Memorial Hospital.  My first child had just been born and I was looking around at some career options.  So, here goes.

Dear Joe:

Remember the story about Curly Clark and his four girls?  You (we) used to say that you couldn't imagine a life with four daughters.  All those girls?  All that estrogen? A house with five women just seemed beyond tolerance.

And then Whitney Elizabeth Black was born and it became "OK God, if you want to give me all daughters, I'll be just fine with that."  She was that special and dude, you and her are going to have such a great relationship but I'll not spoil the rest of it for you by sharing the details.

What you committed to back then was raising your daughter without gender-based limits.  Stick to that (you did) and it will work out great for both of you.  She wasn't the basketball player that you always thought she would be but she found HER sport, which was volleyball and, by the way, she was pretty darn good at it.

I'll spill the beans a bit and tell you that you'll have a little boy in a couple of years and he'll become everything you dreamed of and more.

But be a bit more gentle with your children.  Be less demanding.  You'll do a good job about not missing things but quit crying over spilled milk.

About that career thing.  You're considering going back to school but be open-minded about doors that might open to you.  You've got some really great goals for your career.  Keep your eyes on those goals and you'll be fine.

But I've got to tell you that you should be prepared for some twists and turns along the away. Goals can and do change.  As you grow older, it seems like you get better at figuring out what you really want in life.

And here's a hint:  that grad school thing...you'll get around to it but not for a long, long time.  Let's just say that you will become Dr. Black down the road but not in the ways that you were thinking.

In just a few years, Dr. Bob Haralson will ask you to come help out with the Maryville High School football team.  Don't turn him down.  It just might lead to one of the best gigs of your life.

Don't be afraid to take chances.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes.   You'll make a few along the way but just like a coach has trouble criticizing a player for getting a foul because of hustle, keep trying.  

You'll learn a lot from the mistakes you make along the way.

Hire a babysitter and take your wife on more dates.  Go on more vacations.  Try long weekend trips.

Get rid of the white lab coat and ties.  You'll look just as professional in polo's and running shoes.

Oh, and those tortoise shell glasses you'll be tempted to buy.  Don't. 

Yours truly.

Should My Child Play: Part II

Let's continue down the path that I started on last week. 

If you will recall, I was writing about sports participation and the personal/family decision of whether it was worth it or not, considering all the negative things coming out about sports recently.

As I still another young athlete's season end with an injury, it seems clear that this is an important decision...maybe one of the more important decisions that your family might make.

But let me start with a confession.  I'm an only child.  Yep.  Always have been.

Bet you couldn't have guessed it.  I'd like to think that maybe my parents found perfection in their fist born and decided that they couldn't do any better.  The truth is that my mom tried to have children after me but wasn't able to. 

You've probably heard all the stereotypes about The Only Child.  Selfish.  Self-centered.  Bossy.  Doesn't play well with others.  Spoiled. 

My parents knew the burdens of growing up without siblings so they made sure that I had lots of opportunities to interact with others my age. 

Boys Scouts.  Church activities.  Camps.  Summer recreation.  Art lessons.  Played in the band.  And (you guessed it) sports.

I regularly had what today are called Play Dates.  My parents made sure I had lots of friends and plenty of opportunities to spend time with them.

You probably know that I ride a bicycle.  A lot.  Probably too much.  But you didn't know that on my very first bike ride, on my brand new bike, I wrecked rather spectacularly, leaving much of the skin from my face on the pavement of Robinson Road. 

And you probably know that my friend Bill Crisp died recently of complications from a bicycle wreck.

But still I ride.  With no plans of stopping.

We can't live our lives in fear of what MIGHT happen.  If we let fear drive our very existence, we might never leave the house.  We would certainly never ride a bike or even drive a car and forget those things called motorcycles.

We would take no chances and only do the safe thing.  I suppose my parents at times would have liked to keep their only child in a protective bubble, keep him safe from harm.

But that is not living.

Living is doing what we love.  Living is not letting fear keep us from pursuing happiness... From chasing our dreams.  And that most surely requires taking risks, of stepping outside our safe zone. 

Maybe for you that's running for a touchdown or stealing second.  Maybe it's putting all you have into a cross-country course or getting up every morning at 4 to go to swim practice.  It certainly might involve taking some risks.

In sports, you will find beauty and grace and music in among the blood, sweat, and tears. 

Do I want a grandchild of mine to play a sport that much of the world might find dangerous?   If that is where their heart is, if that is what makes them alive, then so be it.  I'll sit in the stands and cheer them on and hug their grandmother when she cringes when something, anything happens.  And pray mightily that it doesn't.

CrossFit Endorsement: Part 2

So here's the follow-up to yesterday's treatise.

CrossFit is a brand name.  There are other programs that are similar.   And there are a lot of rally great personal trainers that are providing really great programs.

What I'm really talking about is High Intensity Interval Training, or HIIT.  That's the basis for what I believe to be the most effective fitness programs available today.  And I also believe that it is the best way to pursue high levels of fitness that have come along in...well...ever.

Again, I digress:  My first college degree was in Physical Education.  My fall-back plan was to go on to graduate school and teach Phys Ed at the college level, if I didn't get into physical therapy school.  I was an athlete then and still consider myself an athlete, so I've always been a student of human performance.

Through luck, persistence, and the good graces of Department Director Ann Hightower, the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center admitted me to their program.  Because of that, my day job since 1977 has been in health care. 

All things related to fitness, exercise, and the pursuit of health through an active lifestyle have been a big part of my life and my career ever since.  That's what led me to open a fitness center, Cherokee Health & Fitness, in 2003. 

And one of the smartest things we ever did was to hire Steve Bright as our Fitness Manager.  Steve was the one that brought CrossFit to Cherokee Health & Fitness.

But back to what lies at the core of CrossFit, High Intensity Interval Training.  The problem is, HIIT just isn't sexy.  It isn't marketable.  So you've probably never heard of it.

HIIT programs not only work, but they fit today's lifestyles.  By their nature, they can be done in a much shorter period of time than what has been typical of the industry since fitness gyms started appearing in the 70's.  It isn't too farfetched to finish a program during your lunch hour, shower, and get back to work in time to grab a sandwich

Good HIIT programs emphasize core strength, body weight exercises, and exercises that demand involvement in multiple body parts.  An isolated biceps curl has no place in a HIIT program.  It's just too much of a waste of time.

Moving rapidly from one exercise to another, in the method commonly called circuit training, provides an effective cardiovascular workout while also providing good strength training. 

And just as there are good rehab clinics and bad rehab clinics, there are good gyms and bad gyms. 

A good gym insists on good, safe technique.  A good gym allows everyone to go at their own pace.  

In a good gym, you don't have a bunch of people standing around a solitary lifter screaming "one more rep!" or similar encouragement that inevitably leads to injuries.

A good gym provides balance, supervision, and a positive approach to their programs.  A good gym eschews dogma, acknowledging that all people are different.

Find that gym and you've found a home.  

A Physical Therapist Endorses CrossFit!

In case you're getting this for the first time, let me introduce myself.  I'm a physical therapist and an athletic trainer.  I've been practicing for almost 37 years and in 2005 received my Doctorate in Physical Therapy. 

I've been fortunate to see and do things in these two professions that seem highly unlikely for a small town boy whose only acclaim in high school was as the smartest football player.  I count among my friends the giants in these professions.  People like Tab Blackburn, Mike Voight, Kevin Wilk, George Davies, Terry Malone, Barb Sanders, and on and on.

A couple of years ago, I did a presentation at a big physical therapy meeting.  About 500 people attended a program that a colleague and I did on treating patellofemoral dysfunction.

During that presentation, I happened to mention that I send a lot of my patients to CrossFit classes after I am finished with them.  Several months later, I heard from one of the attendees that this was met with a collective gasp from the physical therapists in the room.

Apparently, many of those in attendance felt that it was quite surprising/radical/irresponsible of me to send my patients to CrossFit.  I guess I wasn't paying attention.  I didn't catch that one at all. 

Let me step back a bit and tell you about my work setting.  The clinic where I see patients is basically a 14,000 square foot warehouse, with the physical therapy clinic occupying about a third of that space and a fitness center the rest.  Housed within the fitness center is CrossFit CHF. 

A simple countertop separates the two sides and my desk is a laptop resting on that countertop.  So basically I am looking out at a CrossFit gym when I sit at my desk.

We opened CrossFit-CHF in 2007 as part of Cherokee Health & Fitness (hence, the CrossFit-CHF).  It was the first CrossFit gym in the area.

My patient load is essentially extremity orthopedics with a heavy emphasis on sports.  This clinic was built with sports physical therapy in mind and serves that purpose, in my opinion, quite well.

I'm a biker (non-motorized version).  In 2008, I seemed to hit a plateau on my bicycle. Our fitness director, Steve Bright, suggested I start CrossFit workouts. 

I have always been a "fitness buff."  There really hasn't been a time in my life when I didn't exercise regularly.  But in 2008, at age 55, I guess I was at a bit of a crossroads.  About to be old, getting closer to retirement, and being told it was time to slow down.

I also had enough of a paunch that I didn't really like to take my shirt off. 

Hey, at 55, you sort of expect that.  I was a regular on the bike and did some strength training a day or two a week.  But the shape I was in was not really that good a shape.  I had long since reconciled myself that this was the way things were going to be--that it was part of getting older.

But Steve convinced me that I could do things better, so I started doing CrossFit.  Three days a week with the other four days on the bicycle.

Lo and behold, my performance on the bike got better.  Lots better.  And slowly but surely, my body changed.   It didn't take long until I was a bona fide CrossFit junkie.  I had, as they say, drank the Kool-Aid.  

Now, six years later, at age 61, I am in the best shape of my life--better yet than when I was invincible and in my 20's. I'll leave it to others to describe what I look like with my shirt off but that's not what's important anyway.

What's important is that my core strength is darn good, if I do say so myself.  My overall fitness level?   You might want to talk to the small cadre of buddies that I work out with for the answer to that one. 

Through the years (pre-CrossFit), I had multiple orthopedic surgeries.  Heck, knee surgery was what got me into physical therapy in the first place.  Dr.Ken Bell (orthopedic surgeon extraordinaire) and others have kept me patched together. 

But here's the big thing:  Today, I have little or no joint pain.  I can climb stairs 2 at a time without problem or pain.  Sure, I limp from time to time, maybe when I've really abused my knees such as on the descent of a particularly strenuous hike.  I do have a right knee that is particularly worn out and not as strong as my left.

But I take no medication for that.  Not an ibuprofen. Not acetaminophen.  Nothing.  Na da.  I give the credit for that to the core strength that CrossFit has given me.

Before CrossFit, I thought it was ludicrous for a man my age to do squats.  And God forbid that I would ever again touch a deadlift bar.  Power Cleans were for much younger people than me.

Now those things are part of my workouts on a regular basis.

And...get this...in six and a half years of doing CrossFit workouts, I've never been injured.  Never. 

So here's the bottom line:  I'm healthier than I've ever been (except for that pesky blood pressure problem--you can't escape your gene pool), I have very few aches and pains, I can keep up with people much, much younger than me, and the reason is CrossFit.

My patients that have gotten into CrossFit thank me for it.  Without exception, they are healthier because of it. 

Injuries?  Sure.  From time to time.  But injuries are going to happen and I'd a lot rather have injuries that are the result of an active, vigorous lifestyle than the health problems that are inevitably produced by a sedentary lifestyle.

Why does CrossFit get maligned as the source for injuries? Well, it is, by its nature, pretty competitive.  Those that compete in the CrossFit Games are in an athletic competition and CrossFit injuries at that level are about the same as with other competitive events.

I'm not saying that I'm not competitive.  With my group of buddies, it's not competitive until one of them is catching up with me.  Then it's on.

Their goal is to catch the old man.  Mine is to keep them at bay.

But I'm smart enough in my workouts that I'm not going to do anything to hurt myself and therein lies the key to staying injury-free while doing CrossFit workouts:  You've got to be smart about it. 

Know your limits.  Push your envelope, just don't shred it. 

As for those health care professionals that are aghast that I encourage patients to participate in CrossFit workouts, all I can say is come work out with me. 

Should My Child Play?

Some recent tragedies in sports have prompted a bunch of folks to question the value of sports participation.  Everything from domestic abuse to catastrophic injuries--the bigger the stage the greater the uproar. 

Ray Rice.  Concussed quarterbacks at Michigan.  13 year olds with ACL injuries.

But at the local, personal level, the questions being asked are maybe just as profound.  Should my child play sports?  Is the risk of injury worth it?  Does it give our children a sense of entitlement that produces dysfunctional adults?

I've asked and answered those questions here many times.  My kids DID play.  And my son's football career was ended with a devastating injury during his fourth year of college football. 

I'll go ahead and play my hand by telling you that I truly believe that the adults that they have become (good, responsible, active) is a product in no small part because of that sports participation.  And if you ask them, they will also tell you that they would do it all again.

But for you, maybe it's different.  Maybe it doesn't seem quite worth it.  Everybody has to make a value judgment on that, deciding what is best for their family and their children.

How about this:  Take a step back and ask yourselves why you want your kids in sports in the first place.

Only you can answer that question for you and your family, but the bottom line is that active children become active adults.  With Tennessee being the 3rd most obese state in the nation, you don't have to look far to realize that our children need to be more active.

Do you have to play sports to do that?  Certainly not.  I've glorified my own childhood by sharing memories of playing football in the street, swimming in the creek, and playing pickup basketball in everybody's back yard.

The value of "play" cannot be overstated. 

But I also know that opportunities to play like we did when I was a kid are just not there today.  

When I share with my now grown kids, who have kids of their own, about getting on my bike in the morning and leaving for the day with the single instruction to be home for dinner, they find it pretty incredible and absolutely impossible in today's world. 

Sports provide our kids with those opportunities.   Yet, organized sports cannot nor should not fill the whole picture.  When my kids were growing up, we did crazy things like white water canoe on the Nantahala, rock climb at Look Rock, and hike all over the Smokies. 

We played at the park and went to the zoo and built things in the yard.   Those types of things are all still essential.

Do you want your kids to do things that you couldn't or didn't do?   Some call that living vicariously through your children.   Much preferable is that you want your kids to have opportunities that you didn't have and maybe sports are a big part of that. 

That's OK.  As a matter of fact, I believe that is the basic premise behind successful parenting:  That we want our kids to be better, bigger, smarter, happier, healthier...all those things and many more...than we were.  

That NEVER means that you're going to send them to every camp, make sure they get on the "right" team, or buy them everything that they might possibly need to fulfill YOUR dreams for them.

It ALWAYS means that you are going to provide them with opportunities to grow and develop, to find their own way, to mold them much as God might fluff clouds.

The Boring Plan to Good Health

I'm a creature of habit.

My exercise regime is a habit.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'm up at 4:40 to meet some 

friends at the gym to work out. 

On Tuesday and Thursday, it's a bike ride from Cycology.  On Saturday at 8, it's another ride from a variety of spots around Blount County.  Winter and summer--same schedule.

It is rare that I miss a workout and even more rare that I miss a bike ride. 

My eating is based on habit.  Every Sunday morning, I have the exact same breakfast.  2 eggs, 2 pieces of Benton's bacon, 2 pieces of toast with pumpkin butter.

Breakfast at work is the same bowl of cereal (Kashi Strawberry Fields, extra dried strawberries, skim milk) at 6:15 then start work at 6:30.  Every day. 

Mid-morning and mid-afternoon, I've got to have a snack the minute my body tells me it needs one.  I keep a container of almonds close by, just in case.   I'm more likely to brown bag for lunch than go out.

And before that Saturday morning ride, it's 2 whole wheat Eggo's, fruit, and milk.

A lot of the rest of my day is the sameness of habit.  Every day on the way home from work, I call my mom.  It may only be a 3 or 4 minute conversation, but it is still important.

Maybe it's a hint of OCD but I pack my truck for the next day before I go to bed, I get to airports way too early, and if I'm late for a meeting, something is wrong.  I believe that on time is late--that early is when you need to arrive.

Some might call all this boring.  I think, not so much.  It's a routine that just works for me. 

Let's look at the exercise thing. 

I believe that the best time to exercise is in the morning.  It cranks up your metabolism and sets the tone for the day.  If you do it early in the morning, you won't find available to you any of the excuses that seem easy later in the day (didn't have time, too tired, boss called a meeting, et cetera, et cetera). 

I believe that we exercise better with others.   Miss a CrossFit workout and the guys in my group will be texting with disparaging comments within the hour.  Biking is just more fun in a group . 

And the eating thing-eating three meals a day and healthy snacks along the way is important.  With the exception of the Benton's bacon, I really watch fat grams (sometimes I watch them going down the hatch).  Not a big fan of refined sugar and flour and avoid processed meats like the plague, but I have not jumped on the no-carbs bandwagon.  I still like my carbs.

Too many people are "yo-yo's" with their diet and exercise.   I believe it is more important to be consistent with what you do.  The sameness to my routine means that I exercise regularly and eat sensibly.  All the time.  Always have.

I think I'm going to stick with my boring plan.

I picked up a magazine the other day.  Inside was an article about "The 10 Best Places To Watch A Sunset."

This was the day after I had been witness to a gorgeous Blount County sunset. 

Let me tell you a little bit about where I live.  We built our house on the top of a ridge that has a pretty good view of our mountains.  We can always see Chilhowee Mountain and on most days can see beyond to the Smokies.

On a clear day, we can see from Thunderhead Mountain to Gregory Bald.  It's why we bought the property. 

When we built our house, I wanted it turned away from the road a bit so that it ran parallel to the mountains.  I wanted to take full advantage of the mountains.  Our builder thought that would be "weird" but did it that way anyway.

From our mailbox, you can see to the Cumberland Plateau on a clear day.   I was always told that you couldn't sell a view or something like that but the bottom line is that it was what I wanted...it was where I wanted to build my house.

Then, when I drive into town, I see Maryville with the backdrop of Three Sisters.  It's one of my favorite things.   And everybody in Blount County gets the same thing.  I bet half the houses here have a decent view of the lake or the mountains.

My first reaction to that magazine article was to look to see if Blount County happened to be on the list.  Alas, it was not.  The list of 10 had places that were memorable for what you see when you look down, not when you look up. 

Places like the Grand Canyon.  Key West.  The Empire State Building.

But they missed the point.  Those are your surroundings, not your view.  To enjoy a sunset, you've got to look up.   And given the right atmospheric conditions, a gorgeous sunset can happen anywhere.  It belongs to no one area, no one locale. 

Beautiful pinks and oranges fringed by the perfect blue.   Clouds that might be wispy or might be fluffy.  Colors so perfect that you don't want to look away because there's a chance that they will be there only for a moment and then be gone.

There are many times that I've seen that sunset and ran inside to tell me wife to come look at what I found.  It might seem child-like to her but she long ago discovered how and when to indulge me.  

Too often life got in the way and when we stepped outside, the majesty was gone.

So by now you may be wondering where this is going.   I've got several points to all this, most of which have some relevance to the sports pages where you find this.

See the beauty of where you are.  It doesn't matter where you are right now, it can still be a beautiful place.  And place is less important than the view.  The game is hard?  Yeah it is, but at that moment, do you really want to be anywhere else?

Seize the moment.  Enjoy where you are right then, right there.  I've heard plenty of coaches tell their players to enjoy a good win or a solid effort.  Not long ago, I wrote here about enjoying the sights and smells, even of practice.

Look up, not down. Keep your head up so you don't miss what is most valuable around you. 

When things are tough, know that there's a sunset to see somewhere.  And when it comes, at that moment it doesn't belong to anybody but you.  

Competence and Persistence

In recent weeks, I've talked about a variety of things that should lead to a successful athletic career. 

I talked about Dylan Jackson and work ethic.  I talked about playing a variety of sports as you grow up, avoiding early sports specialization.  I talked about picking your parents (and your gene pool).

More on all that later.

I recently visited a physical therapy practice in Atlanta for the purpose of helping them be more successful.  It is a young practice that is struggling to make ends meet, which isn't really that unusual.

I look back to 1981 when I started my own practice.   I can't recall exactly how long I worked before I drew my first paycheck but it was way too long.  I believe it was day 3 before I even saw my first patient (and although I don't remember his name, I do remember that he came in with a neck problem and was a notorious local bootlegger).

I remember when the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990 was enacted, which made making a living in physical therapy a lot harder.  Our mantra was that "good work will sustain us" during tough times.  I think we stayed true to that.

Anyway, my final bits of advice to that young practice were that competence and persistence will lead to ultimate success in your physical therapy practice.

Competence and persistence are also key ingredients in athletic success. 

Competence.  In athletics, you've got to be able  to do the job.  You've got to have the basic skill set.  It means mastering the basics.  And then building from there.

In baseball or softball, you've got to be able to swing a bat effectively.  Few people that can't connect with the pitched ball are going to see the field.  And if you can't hit a curve ball, you're going to see lots and lots of curve balls.

You've got to be able to field a grounder.  And throw a ball effectively.  Maybe that's why it is still considered by many to be America's Game:  It is at its heart a simple, basic game.

In basketball, you've got be competent on offense or defense (preferably both) or you won't see the court.  In running, you've got to either be fast, able to sustain a good pace for a long time, or be able to jump over things while running pretty doggone fast.

In football-block, tackle, throw, catch, run...there's room for all types.  But the bottom line is that you must be competent in certain skills to be successful.

And there's persistence.  Throughout my growing up years, I kept a copy of Rudyard Kipling's "If--" on the wall of my room.  The message I got from that was to stay the course, to be true to your values, to be persistent.

Persistence implies the long term.  Persistence works harder and longer.  Persistence is still at it when all others have given up.  

Diversity in Sports Development is Crucial

The first organized sport I ever played was football.  It was the 4th grade so I was nine years old.  Where I'm from, there were two teams back then for all ages up to 8th grade.  That means that as a nine year old, I was playing with 14 year old 8th graders, some of whom were already shaving.

I don't remember being frightened but maybe that's just memory loss.  Or maybe I was just too dumb to be afraid.

My best year on that team was 6th grade, when I was the starting left tackle for the Indians who won the league.  We thought we were just about the best team in America, with Jackie Lefler at quarterback and Gordo Watson and Mike Hooker at running back.  

You've heard me talk here about the summer recreation program in my hometown, where one day we might divide up and play baseball while another day was kickball, dodgeball, crafts, or flag football. 

And then on our own, we would play everything.  Basketball, tennis, street football...you name it.  We made contests out of everything from throwing rocks to catching fish by hand.

The main point is that we were always doing something.  I wrote an article about growing up that way not too long ago but the reality of it is that world doesn't exist anymore. 

Gone is the day when a 10 year old could leave on a bicycle in the morning and stay gone most of the day.  

Organized sports seem to be the best avenue available to the children of today for sports performance.

And that's OK too.  I've announced here before that my son's first favorite sport was gymnastics and his favorite gymnastic event was the balance beam. 

Thanks to Pat Dial, early movement education was stressed at Maryville Gymnastics.   Learning how to move your body, balance, coordination--all those things came with gymnastics, which may be the perfect first sport for children.

These days, the next sport is usually either soccer or baseball/softball.   Both have their merits.  Soccer teaches eye/foot coordination while baseball and softball teach eye/hand coordination.  Soccer is usually the more active sport and kids seem to grasp the objectives of the game better.

Travel ball for baseball and softball, where teams are put together for the sole purpose of playing weekend tournaments, is common beginning at about age 8 and widespread by age 10. 

For boys, football might be the next sport, although girls could probably play at that level (and a few do).  Mo'Ne Davis might open doors for more than little league baseball. 

Basketball, volleyball, swimming, tennis, track:  There are opportunities everywhere for participation and participation is good.  The bottom line is that playing lots of different sports is crucial to athletic development (and, if the truth be told, that's what a lot of parents are looking for anyway). 

I will tell you this:  If somebody says that your child is a "natural" and that if they will concentrate on this one particular sport they will surely be a star and a college scholarship recipient, run from them.  If they do this before your child is in high school, run and hide.

Biggest Lifting Mistakes

Keep in mind that my career is taking care of injuries.  Shoulders, knees, feet, ankles.  Hips, backs, necks, heads. 

For the record, I don't have any of those acronyms that designate that I am a strength coach or a personal trainer, like my colleague Tracy Martin, who in addition to being a physical therapist and an athletic trainer is also a CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist) and a Titleist Performance Instructor. 

But I have spent my life around athletics and have been known to frequent the gym.  I even used to own a gym, Cherokee Health & Fitness. 

And if you ever visit the Total Rehabilitation office where I see patients (Cherokee), you might find my desk interesting-it consists of a countertop between the rehab side of the facility and the fitness side.  That way, I can do my work on the rehab side but also be available for "minute" consultations with members of the fitness center.  And those happen every single day.

So forgive me for having strongly held opinions about what is good and bad about strength training and fitness.  It's just that I get to see the complete spectrum from injury thru rehab.

Among those strongly held opinions:

●Unless you are preparing for a competition, there is no place for single repetitions in anything.  No "single rep max."  That is where injuries occur.

●About that competition:  that's where a lot of injuries occur.  CrossFit (of which I am a huge advocate) has been a bit maligned because of a rather high rate of injuries.  In my opinion, those injuries are the result of the competitive nature of CrossFit.

Let me explain that a bit.  In CrossFit, you are always in a competition with yourself, with the clock, and often with those you are working out with.  That makes you work harder, which is part of the good side of CrossFit.  Formal CrossFit competitions are also huge right now.

The problem is that when you exceed your limits, your risk of injury is increased.  The key is to know your limits and stay within them.

●There isn't a lot of value to a flat bench press.   It isn't really a functional activity so its value in sports performance is negligible.  It is also the one exercise that is overemphasized more than all others.

Particularly in younger lifters, the bench press is the gold standard for their perception of how they are doing in the weight room.  "How much can you bench" is a common question among that demographic. 

Yet the overdevelopment of the front of the chest that is the inevitable result of too much emphasis on the bench press yields injuries.  Among weight lifters, it is the single biggest source of shoulder injuries that I see in the clinic.

●Be careful with full squats.  A heavily weighted squat in which you go all the way down as far as you can go is really hard on the knee. I have seen lots of torn menisci from full squats.

Let me close with a few tidbits.  It is more important for the 50+ person to participate in regular strength training than it is the 20-something.  It is extremely important for those prone to osteoporosis (mostly female) to participate in strength training.  Many of the effects of aging can be reduced by good fitness and regular visits to the gym.

Ode to Offensive Linemen

I hate the term "skill players" in describing members of any given football team.  Maybe because I was never one of them but it still has implications that I will never like.

When I played football, I was one of those guys with his hand in the dirt.  Even though I wasn't that big, lack of speed made me a lineman from pee-wee football on.   In high school, I was a linebacker and offensive tackle.

Yep, 5'11" and 195 pounds at offensive tackle. 

My son was also an offensive tackle (and defensive tackle in high school) but at 6'5" and 290 pounds, he was a bit better suited to that position than I was.  He was a heck of a lot better than me at it too. 

His skills carried him to 1st team All-State in high school and a successful college career at Clemson University.  But always, always with his hand in the dirt (with the single exception of his first year in organized football when he was a pee-wee league quarterback).

Offensive linemen are the unsung heroes of any good football team.  Ask any running back how far they would get without a decent offensive line.  They know.

Offensive linemen are the ones down in the trenches where blood and guts prevail.  Where the game is won or lost.  Often injured, they learn to play through pain and emerge on the other side better men because of it. 

The myth of the big dumb lineman is all myth.  I think the collective GPA for the seniors on my son's high school offensive line was well over 4.0.  They became an oral surgeon, a nurse, a nuclear physicist, and a lawyer.

So much for that myth.

For the most part, offensive linemen are big and have always been big.  There was a study done several years ago of linemen in the NFL.  Offensive linemen had been big their whole lives.  Defensive linemen, for the most part, were pretty average sized for most of their growing up years but in high school or college, suddenly grew.  A lot.

The analysis of that was that a child that is always bigger than the other children must always be controlled, even passive.  Gentle giants, if you will.  If the big kid is ever aggressive, they quickly get the label of bully. 

My son fit that description.  Always a head taller than pretty much everybody in his class, he had to be gentle.   In middle school, we used to offer to pay him to foul out of a basketball game.  In pee-wee and midget football, he wouldn't so much tackle somebody as he would grab them and lay them on the ground. 

I've watched David Ellis, offensive line coach at Maryville High School, mold young men of all sizes into effective offensive linemen.  There may be no better coach around than Coach Ellis.

Most offensive linemen are quiet, unassuming young men that do their job and don't expect the accolades that come with being the one to cross the goal-line or throw the deep route.  They accept their lot and take great pride in doing their job well.

So today it's hats off to the offensive linemen of the world.  

It's My Job!

It's been over 5 years now since Blount Memorial Hospital acquired Appalachian Therapy Center, the local rehab center of which I was majority owner.

I've probably said it a million times but BMH bought my practice and then gave me a job doing what I was already doing.  I've been blessed in so many ways for a long, long time and I'm pretty sure that in the long run, this is going to be another one.

My job is technically Manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation.   We have six outpatient offices where we provide a variety of rehabilitation services.  Much of what we do is physical therapy but we also provide services in occupational therapy, speech therapy, athletic training, and massage therapy.

That doesn't even begin to describe what all we do.   When most people think of us, they think about orthopedics and sports.   But we do a lot more, most of which you probably don't know about.  Aquatics, lymphedema, stroke rehab, hand therapy, wound management, cancer rehab, balance and vertigo programs.  These days, lots of rehab following joint replacements.

I'm blessed in that I get to go to work every day and do exactly what I love to do.  See patients, work with sports teams and athletes, work with a great team of clinicians and support staff.  And weekly write this column.  I've been doing it for about 29 years now and it is definitely a labor of love.

I will likely work until it isn't fun anymore or until I can't do the job well anymore.  I've got some key people in my life that have promised to let me know when that latter one happens.  But that's not why I'm writing this. 

I first moved here in 1977.  My first job out of physical therapy school was at Blount Memorial Hospital.  So BMH was my first job after graduation.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be my last.

In 1979, I moved to Bluefield, West Virginia for what I've called a 2 year sabbatical.  I returned to Maryville in 1981 and opened what would later become Appalachian Therapy Center.  I've been here ever since.

I've raised my family here.  My grandchildren are now all here and in local schools.  Even though I'm not a native, I've never been made to feel like an outsider.  This community is in my blood and I'd like to think I am part of the local fabric.

The life that is available to all of our citizens is what brought me here in the first place.  It's the people, the history, the schools...everything.  It's why I've stayed.

A third of the county is in a national park.  How cool is that?

Lakes and rivers form most of the other side of the county.  Everything in between is rolling, pastoral, beautiful.

The people...oh my.  Smart.  Friendly.  Accepting. 

From a health care standpoint, it's amazing what is available here.   Great hospital.  Top flight physicians.  I know them better than almost anybody and I can tell you they are good and smart and worthy.   They take care of me and mine.  Always have.  Always will.   

So today, I ask that you stop and think about how blessed you are to live here...about what a wonderful place this truly is.  Thank you, Blount County, from me and mine.