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.