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.