It's Never Too Late

You've probably heard me say that I get ideas for columns from lots of different places.  My grandkids.  On the back of my bicycle.  Driving down the street. 

I asked someone this week for suggestions.  She's a patient of mine right now so I'll leave her name out of it but she wanted a column on beginning a running program at an advanced age.

Now she's hardly an advanced age but I guess she does qualify as someone that might be considered someone late to running, having only started in the last couple of years.

I immediately thought of my friend Ed, who is a living, breathing example of being a little  "late" to running.  So let me introduce you to Ed.

Ed Dennison is 67.  He had been up and down with his exercise routine for years, knowing that he needed regular exercise in his life but just not sticking with anything for long.

His wife had been a member of the Ruby Tuesday corporate gym and encouraged him to join up there.  That was 10 years ago.

He remembers well when he walked in the door the first time.  A staff member looked at him and declared "oh, you're a runner."  He insisted he was not.  A second staff member said the same thing.

His answer was that running was punishment.  And that's how he had looked at running for roughly 57 years. 

Those same staff members talked him into doing a 5K anyway.  I suspect their idea (well done!) was to give him a goal to work toward.  When he went home to tell his wife, she, shall we say, did not agree that it was a particularly good idea.  She refused to attend that first 5K.  Even his sanity might have been questioned.

He did that race anyway and was hooked.  He immediately signed up for the next one.  His wife did attend that one and then signed up for the next one herself, the Reindeer Run (this December will be her 10th anniversary in that race).  She's been running ever since.

A big part of this story is about Ed's wife Kay.  Ed did everything growing up and lots of things as an adult.  Kay, on the other hand, was never an athlete although both their kids were outstanding athletes.

And, as they say, the rest is history.  In his running career, Ed has run 4 marathons, the first at 60.  He's done too many 5K's and 10K's to count and at least 25 half marathons, averaging 2-3 a year since he first got started.

Today, you will find Ed still running but he's also coaching for a group called No Boundaries, a program offered through Parks & Rec which provides instruction and coaching for budding and experienced runners, focusing on the three Parks & Rec races in Blount County. 

There are all different sorts of runners in No Boundaries.  One of their primary goals is to reach those that have may have not even been regular exercisers and make help them fix that.

A lot of folks in No Boundaries hardly walked in the beginning and now they are regular runners.  Ed is the perfect spokesman for that.  When someone tells him "I'm no runner" he can tell them that he wasn't either.

This weekend, Ed has been in DisneyWorld where he will have ran a 10K  yesterday and a half marathon today.  Back to back.

What's next?  A half Ironman.  And not just any Ironman, the one in Kona, Hawaii.

Let's Have a HEALTHIER TENNESSEE!

This Friday (April 15th), there is an event at the Blount County Chamber of Commerce that I think you might be interested in.

"Healthier Tennessee" is an initiative from Governor Haslam's office with the goal of improving the health of all Tennesseeans.  The local program is led by Blount BEneFITs program and starts at 11 and ends at 2 offering a broad array of events, displays, and presentations.

There will be cooking demonstrations, a bicycle tour along the Greenbelt, and lots of information on things like weight management, diabetes control, and all kinds of healthy habit ideas.

Healthier Tennessee will have programs on how to stay healthier in the workplace.  Healthier workers are more productive and you make more working than you do sitting home sick or injured.  (Sounds like a win/win situation to me!)

There are a lot of resources available to Blount Countians that can help in the pursuit of good health.  Our own Health Department offers all kinds of programs and Parks & Rec provides us with tons of opportunities to be active.

Blount BEneFITs (get it...BE n FIT s)is a local program provided by my employer, Blount Memorial Hospital. 

Now think about that for a minute.  Here we have a hospital funding all sorts of initiatives to make people healthier and keep them out of the hospital.

Initiatives like smoking cessation, weight management, and emotional health.

It really isn't a contradiction.  Hospitals are (or should be) in the business of making people healthy.  

The old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is so very true.

And I might add, so very less expensive.  When over 17% of the GNP is spent on health care, we all have an obligation to do everything we can to prevent illness, injury, disease, or disability.

For a modern health care system, it has rapidly moved up the priority list.

So what can we do?

You may recall my column from a couple of weeks ago in which I covered "The Best Exercise Program Ever."  And if you recall the content, you will know that I am a firm believer in the proposal that the BEST exercise program that you can do is THE ONE THAT YOU WILL DO!  

Not everyone runs marathons or hikes the Appalachian Trail.  For some people, a daily walk on the Greenbelt is perfect.  Do the little things.

And the little things do add up.  Maybe it's parking farther away in the parking lot at work than you usually do or maybe it's taking the stairs instead of the elevator. 

From an exercise standpoint, that's what Healthier Tennessee is all about--taking small steps.

Maybe the first week you just walk around the block.  And aim to walk twice around the block.  Pretty soon, you are likely to be looking for bigger challenges.  

And there's lots of other little things we can do.  

We should all eat better.  Lose weight.  Stop smoking.  Lead by example.  Raise active kids.  Find the joy in physical expression.

Don't know how to do all that?

Join us on April 15th, 11 AM to 2 PM, at the Chamber of Commerce and you can find out!

The "R" Word

As I fast approach my 63rd year, the "R" word keeps popping up. "When are you going to Retire?"

Uh...never?  (Well, maybe that's not quite true.  But I don't have  plans to retire any time soon.) You see, I'm one of those increasingly rare birds--I actually look forward to going to work.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday finds me in the Total Rehabilitation clinic at Cherokee.  Tuesday and Thursday are reserved for those management responsibilities that make my job sound more important than it really is.  We have excellent managers at all of our clinics and the title "Manager of 

Outpatient Rehabilitation" requires less time than I want too many people to know.

Yep, when the alarm clock goes off in the morning, I spring from bed (sort of), excited for what the day may hold for me.  People come see me in pain or having had surgery or with an injury or disability and are there for me to help them get better.  And then I get to be on the MHS football sidelines. 

Nope, not gonna mess with that gig.

I even heard from one of the doctors that refer us patients.  His comment to one of my colleagues:  "I didn't know Joe was still seeing patients."

Uh...yeah.

Don't get me wrong, I love my life at home.  I've got my small farm set up just like I want it.  

Blueberries.  Blackberries.  Cherries. Apples.  Raspberries.  Raised beds.  A re-built barn.  Plans to put out a lot of Black Walnut trees.  And maybe even a vineyard.

And oh my goodness do I look forward to getting home to my wife each and every day.  My children and grandchildren may be the light of my life but my wife is my rock. 

I have lots of interests outside work.  Besides my bicycle, I travel, paint, write (obviously), garden, hike, and paddle my canoe around.  I'm active in my professional associations and teach at seminars from time to time.

The retirement thing probably came up more often on that recent mountain bike trip I took out west.  I was with my buddy Dr. Ken Bell who recently retired and I had always said that when he retired it would make it hard for me to continue to work. 

Well, it has, but I'm still not ready. 

And why do we retire anyway?   Do we retire because we're "supposed to?"  Is there a certain age where we are expected to be thinking about retirement?

A lot of the candidates for President are at an age where most others are thinking of retirement.  Clinton is 68.  Trump is 69.  Sanders is 74.  Cruz is a youthful  45. I think I'm just getting started!

Is there something that you always wanted to do and work always got in the way?  Could be time to retire.  Are you tired of doing the same job?  Could be time to look for something else to do.  A lot of people look completely out-of-the-box and find something that they could only dream of doing.

I suppose I could be a fly-fishing guide (but then I'm not really very good at it).  Or a bicycling guide (although I'm already doing that a bit right now).  But no, I'm gonna stay at it.  When it stops being fun, maybe then I'll retire.  But I'm having too much fun right now.

As long as that holds true, you know where you can find me.