My Story

Can't see.  Can't hear.  Varicose veins.  Walks with a limp.  High blood pressure.  High cholesterol.  Forgets things.  Has had 7 orthopedic surgeries.

Bikes 150 miles or so a week.  Does CrossFit.  Can dance all night.  Works 60 hours a week.  Has more energy than most 20-somethings.

What if I told you those two were the same person?  It's true.

This story is about me.  In avoidance of narcissism, you're gonna hear the good and the bad. 

My story really starts about the time I was 5, when my dad had his first heart attack.  Yes, you've heard that story here before, maybe too many times, but that's what old people do--they tell the same stories over and over again.

But that heart attack is so much a part of my life up until this point that my story has to start there. 

I don't remember much else about that far back.  I remember that my dad suddenly had to assume a sedentary lifestye immediately.  A short, wiry fellow with tons of energy, he was always doing something.  Always.  Then...nothing.

Heart care back then basically consisted of Coumadin and doing nothing.  And a low fat diet.  We would travel to a Kroger's in Knoxville for their corn oil margarine because that was the only kind that my dad liked.  No eggs.  No fried food.  Skim milk.  I never knew anything else. 

Later, another heart attack forced my dad to retire and my mom to go back to work.  Part of the heart care science back then was that you couldn't hold your arms over your head.  I remember building this 2 step contraption that allowed me to hang clothes on the clothesline to dry because my dad couldn't.

We raised bees but since my dad couldn't do any physical labor, taking care of them was my responsibility.  I "robbed" the hives of their honey, with my mom's help put it in jars, and sold it in front of our house on Highway 11, back then one of the main routes south and north through Tennessee.

Beekeeping was later my very first merit badge in Boy Scouts.  Scouting introduced me to some good men who filled a gap that my dad couldn't fill because of his physical limitations.  Scouting also provided me with some incredible leadership training that I would surely have never gotten otherwise. 

When I built my own treehouse in the backyard (out of rescued materials) at about age 12, my dad sat in a lawn chair at the bottom of the tree and talked me through it.  If I ever bent a nail, instead of beating it on in, my dad insisted that I pull it out, straighten it out, and do it again.  (Nails were not something you discarded.)

My dad always wanted me to be an athlete and football became my passion.  I quit growing in the 10th grade so I was never the star I had hoped to be but to this day, nobody ever took more away from the game.

My dad couldn't attend my games.  Too much excitement wasn't good for the heart you know.  My mom later told me that my dad would sit at home and listen to all my games on the radio, crying much of the time.  I can't even write that sentence without choking up a bit.

So I decided that I was not going to become a heart patient.  I would do everything I could to stay healthy.  Exercise?  Daily.  Eat right?  Perpetually.  Live a healthy lifestyle ?  Every moment I can.

All those things at the top of this column?  Yeah, that's me.  Too many candles on the birthday cake and not the best gene pool.  But one thing you can be sure about--those things aren't going to beat me.  The second paragraph is my testimony to that.  And to my dad.

More Little Things

Still thinking about all those little things that athletes can/should do to succeed.

Like always showing up ready.  Definitely a little thing.  But hugely important.  It's the mental preparation part.  Show up to practice ready to go.  Show up ready to play. 

I work with the MHS kickers a little bit.  Mostly I try and not mess them up.  But I do tell them to visualize what they are about to do, just before they do it.  Visualize your steps.  Visualize the contact with the ball.  And always, always visualize the ball splitting the uprights.

That works with other sports as well.  I never took a basketball shot that wasn't going in.  When it left my hands, it was going in the basket.  Obviously it didn't really end that way all the time but there is no doubt that it helped.

Do the little things like get enough sleep.  I confessed to failing in this one but several recent studies have clearly shown that proper rest is an important part of the training of an athlete. 

And acclimatizing to the heat.  Don't keep your house iceberg cold if your sport is outdoors in the heat.  It doesn't have to be drastic.  Maybe just a couple of degrees.  Same for your vehicle.  Maybe roll down the windows instead.

Little things like treating people nicely.  What's that got to do with sports?  It shows integrity.  And a life of integrity means you're going to be more reliable and thus a better teammate. 

I mentioned eating last week. The old nutrition saying is "garbage in, garbage out."  That adage has never been proven wrong.  If your diet is healthy, your body is healthy which means you can train harder and perform better.

Do you really need burgers and pizzas and all that fried stuff?  How about lean meats, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and fewer desserts and carbs?  Get past the habits and the cravings and you'll be surprised how well you feel and perform.

It's the little things.  Like showing respect.  Listen to your coaches.  They really want you to succeed.  Your success is their success.  Their job is to help you be better.

It's the same thing in the classroom.  Teachers have the same goals--to help you to succeed and get better in life. One of the great pleasures of being a teacher is when one of their students becomes a successful adult.

And by the way, go by and thank them for it.  A handwritten thank you note is nice.  Social media works. 

Do the little things like be on time.  Doing so is a measure of discipline and discipline and dedication are the cornerstones to athletic success in any arena. 

Maybe do a little extra after practice.  Run a few more wind sprints.  Stop to stretch.  Think about what you could do better tomorrow.

It's the little things.

Do The Little Things

I listened this week as Clemson Coach Dabo Swiney addressed his team at The White House.  Always inspiring and never boring, Coach Swiney talked about the "little things" that he asked his football team to do.

Obviously it has worked for them.  They were almost there last year and this year won the NCAA National Championship.  You might know that I'm a pretty big fan:  My son played football at Clemson and they treated him very, very well.

But it got me to thinking about those little things and what all our athletes might do to in that category to improve their chances for success. The littlest of those little things that I could think of was tying your shoes. 

Several years ago, football players were turning their socks down over their shoes.  It was really strange and then they would tape them to the front of their shoes. 

I didn't like it then and I don't like it now.  Today, I would refuse to let a player take the field like that.  Then, it was argued that it was a matter of self-expression and...well...what could be the harm.  I caved.

Let me digress a bit.  I don't let my football players "spat" their shoes.  Spatting is when you put athletic tape all around your ankle and shoe.  The problem is that it does nothing good. 

It doesn't protect the ankle.  It doesn't keep the shoe on better.  And it sure does get in the way if they have an ankle injury and I need to get down to the skin to examine the ankle.

So why do they do it?  They see the college and pro players doing it.  Don't get me started on why the pros might do it.  They will do anything that they think might give them an edge.  Anything.

Those football players should hardly be your role model for game preparation.  Check under the category of PED's (Performance Enhancing Drugs) if you want an explanation for that. 

So back to that sock over the shoe thing.  The season when it was all the rage (and I was privately seething about it), we were in the semi-finals.  Now I must tell you that I had argued that it was a bad idea primarily because it made your shoes slippier.

Guess what happens in that semi-final game?  We are ahead and only have to stop a final drive to win the game.  Our defensive back (one of those sock-puller-downers) slips, falls down, the other team throws across the top, and wins the game. 

Think one of my kids ever had their socks pulled down over their shoes again?  Oh goodness no.  Never. 

So use your uniform like it is meant to be used.  Tie your shoes.  And learn to tie them in a way that secures your shoe to your foot and allows you to perform at your best.

Other little things?  I've probably rambled about that sock thing too long.  But eating right means everything.  And it's not just the pre-game meal.  How you fuel yourself everyday affects how you practice and play.

I do have a problem with kids that adorn their uniform with everything except fringe and tassels.  I've seen athletes spend more time putting on all their sweatbands and pads here and there...why it's like a teenager getting ready for the prom.

Put on your uniform--it's what it's made for--and go play the game. 

What Gets You Up in the Morning?

Let me begin with a disclaimer.  Part of this is going to be a "do as I say, not as I do" type of thing.  Let's just say that I don't get enough sleep  and we'll return to that in a moment.

Probably the number one thing that gets me up in the morning is my dad's heart attack at age 45.  Let me explain. 

I was 5 when my dad had that first heart attack.  Soon after, he had to retire from his job and basically do nothing (heart care in those days).  I grew up determined not to follow that same path.  As a result, exercise and eating right have been a part of my lifestyle since a very young age.  Maybe it's why I went into healthcare.

So every morning when my alarm goes up and I might be tempted to hit the snooze button (for the record, I have no idea where the snooze button is on my alarm clock), I might think of my dad and the totally sedentary life he had to lead because of his heart and I pop right up and head in for a workout.

Oh, there are other reasons.  I love my job.  When that alarm goes off, I hop up excited about the possibility of what the day might bring and what problems the next patient might bring me to fix.

When that stops getting me all pumped, I'll retire.  (So all of you that see the bonfire on the birthday cake that belongs to me, I ain't quittin' any time soon.)  Think about it--I walk into an exam room for a new patient that I know nothing about, decide what is wrong and what needs to be done, then start them on the road to better health.

I've got a buddy that long ago retired but gets up way before dawn to get his exercise in.  He finds that if he does it then, he's got the whole day to do anything he wants.

Others I know get up because people are depending on them to be there.  My wife gets up because of responsibilities. 

I've always done my exercising early.  It removes most of the excuses.  If I had to depend on lunch hour or after work to get in my workout, it probably wouldn't happen.   So when my alarm clock goes off at 4 AM (yes, 4 AM), I head to the gym. 

My personal philosophy is that those earliest of hours belong to me.  Even when my kids were growing up, that was my schedule.  I could get my exercise in and still be there when they woke up. 

Back to that sleeping thing:  I know that 7-8 hours is the best for good health.  I don't get that.  Just because I don't get it doesn't mean that you shouldn't--you should!   Evidence of the need for adequate sleep is overwhelming.

So what's my excuse?   I don't know...it's complicated.  I have a problem in saying "no" so I'm always over-committed.  Part of it is the bicycle.  It's my favorite form of exercise but it takes a lot of time. 

And my patients are either in pain or dysfunction or both and I have a really hard time turning anyone away.  So my schedule is always packed.  There are many nights when I'm up late doing patient notes.

Anyway, that's my story.  What gets you up in the morning?

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

When you read this, I will just have gotten back from vacation.  A week at the beach with family. 

When I first went into practice, vacations were rare.  They just didn't quite fit into the budget. 

When the kids got a bit older, we usually went somewhere for a week.  Never more.  We did some pretty cool things because my wife was a travel agent back then.  But heaven forbid that we would take a second week.  Maybe a long weekend now and then.

Since 2005, we've taken an annual vacation with our kids and their spouses and finally their children.  On this trip to the beach, there were 12 of us.  That's been the case since 2013 when we took our preemie 3 month old with us.  We must have been insane that year.

Twelve people.  We've done this enough that we all have our routines and get along amazingly well.  I'm the chief cook (really).  There's nothing I love more than to get up and have breakfast ready for everyone as they rise from their slumbers.  I generally visit the grocery store every day.  These people eat a lot!

Every morning, the kids get up with me and we all try to be quiet and let the "adults" sleep.  Finally, somebody gets hungry and that's when the kitchen gets cranked up. 

With twelve of us, dinner out is a bit problematic so we end up cooking in most evenings.  Again, yours truly is in charge.   Nobody complains.

For me, it is time connect with the family.  I know for a fact that I work too much and am generally gone more than I need to be.  My wife, the saint of the family, is there for everything for those grandkids.  Me, not so much.

Work, career, bicycle, farmwork...I let lots of things get in the way.  But not this week.  They get my all this week.  And I like nothing more than to enable them to have the time of their lives.

I got this idea from Harold "Sonny" Lambert many years ago.  Take everybody on your vacation.  Make it easy for them to go (or hard to turn down).  Let the cousins get to know each other better.

Oh sure, I need a bit of an escape from my normal routine from time to time.  It does me good.  I hardly looked at the clock this week.  We ate when we were hungry and slept when we were tired.  I was barefoot or in sandals almost from the time I left the house until I got home yesterday.

I don't lounge on the beach much when I'm there.  I have a friend whose ideal vacation is to pull a lounge chair to the edge of the beach and read a book while drinking fruity thingies.  Not for me.

As begats my lifestyle, I was always doing something. Oh, occasionally I let my mind roam a bit and I did read a good book while gone. But activity was the order of the day.  You could count the time my backside was in a lounge chair in minutes. 

Usually by this time, I've segued into some point or other.  Not so much today.  What you get today are pointless ramblings about my vacation. 

Or maybe the point is that we all need vacations from time to time, maybe just for different reasons.

Legendary Doctors

I arrived in Maryville on December 10th, 1977, probably 8 hours after graduating from UT-Memphis (the U-Haul truck was loaded and sitting outside the Mid-South Coliseum).  I started my first job as a physical therapist at Blount Memorial Hospital two days later.

So my first job was with BMH.  My last job will be with BMH.  In between have been lots of stories.  You get some of those in this space.

In the late 70's, health care in America was growing, expanding, and becoming more evidence-based.  At BMH there was a cadre of stellar physicians, many of which were nearing the end of incredible careers.

I arrived and was immediately in awe of the medical community.  Legends like Drs. Henry & Jim Callaway, Drs. WW, WC, and Clay Crowder.  Dr. John Yarborough.  Dr. Jim Proffitt.  Dr. Marvin Peterson.

And then Dr. Bob Haralson, Dr. Jim Ricciardi, and Dr. Bryan Smalley at MOC were providing up-to-date orthopedic care.  It's why that after a two year hiatus (I usually refer to it as my sabbatical) in West Virginia, I returned in 1981 to open my own practice.

What I recall most vividly about those physician legends is how they took in this young, green physical therapist who might not always have known what he was talking about and treated him with respect, even seeking his opinion.

The Callaways, brilliant surgeons in any setting, would stop and talk to me and were genuinely interested in what I was doing and what I was thinking.

I have never stopped being appreciative.  Dr. Homer Isbell would sit with me in the cafeteria if I were there alone instead of heading to the room reserved for the hospital's doctors. 

Dr. Haralson opened doors to sports medicine for me.  Dr. Ken Bell and I took opportunities provided to us and ran with them for many years.

So where's all this going?  You never know what influences you have over people.  Kindness and respect displayed constantly yields great results.  Maybe not today, but eventually.

And mentors and role models can be found anywhere.  What those fine gentlemen were teaching me was how it should be done, teaching me how to be the professional that I hope I am today. 

I've complained before about Charles Barkley's statement that he wasn't  going to be anybody's role model.  Well, guess what Chuck...people are looking at you all the time.  And the more popular you are, the more people are looking at you and modeling your behaviors.

Lots of kids, both boys and girls, look up to sports stars.  They want to grow up just like them.  The good ones embrace that responsibility and act accordingly.  The bad ones--well, let's just say that we have to teach our kids how to pick out the good ones.

Sometimes even those will disappoint us but never forget that at the end of the day they're humans too and subject to the real world issues that can impact all of us.

So lest you haven't realized it yet, regardless of your setting--a hospital, school, or sports arena--little eyes are watching you.

Good Health is for Everyone

I'm always talking about how to be healthy and lots about sports and sports injuries.  But what if you don't really consider yourself an athlete?  What if you're older?  Or have medical problems?  Where do you fit in all this?

Let me tell you about several folks that fit in to all this stuff about health and wellness and fitness.  I'm only going with first names (maybe even fake names) but these are real people.  I mask their identity a bit because I want you to identify with what they're doing, not with who they are.

Let me tell you about Bo.  He's 73 and has had more than his share of health problems.  His movement is slow and deliberate but every single day, he's doing something active.  He's doing it to combat the ravages of age and disease.  I think he's winning the battle.

I'd also like to tell you about James.  I still consider him an athlete.  He has probably slowed down but he still maintains a very active lifestyle, biking, running, strength training.  He does it for his own health and so that he can continue to take care of his wife, who is confined to a wheelchair.  If he's not there and not physically able, what's to become of her?

And in his words, "as long as I can continue doing what I'm doing, it will keep me from depending on someone else for help." 

And Mae.  81 but doesn't look it at all.  Long ago retired, she doesn't fit the mold of who you would think would be a regular in the gym.  But even on days when she doesn't visit the gym, she is active, walking and leading a full, busy lifestyle.  I'm convinced her time in the gym allows that lifestyle.

John is a pickleball player.  At 74, he flies airplanes, travels, and generally does pretty much anything he wants to. 

And then there's Randall.  A powerful man at 84, he tosses around weights that I won't even touch.  Another gym regular, he isn't seeking to reclaim past athletic glory as much as he is maintaining a piece of his persona. 

Oh, and he is missing his left leg.  It's been missing now for 80 years.  Hasn't slowed him down much.  I would still match him against a lot of younger people in a lot of things.

So what's the point?  Aren't these just the gym superstars, people who are blessed?  Not at all.

An active lifestyle is available to anyone that puts in the effort.  And it can be life changing at any age.

It's not just for those that have been active and fit all their lives.  One of those above smoked for 60 years.  Another stayed drunk for 6 straight years one time.  Yet, they figured it out.

So what's it take?  You've got to see your primary care physician.  They have to give clearance for anything like this that you want to start. If you've got medical issues, get them fixed.

I would suggest that you see your physical therapist, who can help you with any issues like flexibility, posture, and biomechanical issues that might become injuries down the road.

You've got to dedicate yourself to it.  If you think about it, you've got more time for all this once you retire.  That means fewer excuses.  And it really is never too late to get started.  Just ask all of those that I mentioned. 

Oh wait...you can't.  They're in the gym or in the mountains hiking or whatever else they want to do.