Old Men Working Out....Summer Swan Song!

Patricia headed back to school this morning, I know she was sad to see her summer end...today was teacher's meeting day and tomorrow the rug rats return....meanwhile I will adjust to not having her around during the daylight hours on the weekdays.  Today I headed out to Minster to check in at the Doc's.  Since I was put on some new meds to counteract the Dermatitis and Toe Nail Fungus....yep, just as disgusting as it sounds, about a month ago, they needed to draw blood(always fun getting it out of me..not!) to make sure the drugs did not destroy my liver.  I could have told them the million or so gallons of beer over the last 45 years probably already had done a job on that...but regardless, I gave them some of that red stuff, and headed home.  The results will be in tomorrow....hopefully no effects from the meds, because they sure did a job on the Dermatitis, which is already gone, and are clearing up the toe nail stuff, slowly but surely.....

Once home, I began what will be a regular workout session on the home gym, and treadmill.  About a month ago, I decided to make a determined effort to get back to weight lifting on a regular basis...no, not the heavy lifting I did 12 to 15 years ago, but lighter weights with more reps.  The days of pushing up a few hundred pounds from a bench are gone....62 year old joints just don't act kindly to that...but I still figured I could raise the free weights with enough reps to get some of my lost strength back...and also use the Weider Machine to do the rest of the muscles some good...hopefully without throwing out my back or tearing something loose.

The last few times I have started a return to weight lifting, the back and neck didn't reactindly.  This time a month into it, things are going well...so far.   Still some back tightening, but nothing that seems to sound any major alarms.  I have been amazed to how quick I outgrew the routine and have had to add some reps and heavier weights to the 3 days a week sessions...heavier weights, but not heavy weights, those days are gone forever.  I will be happy at benching 150 pounds, 3 sets, 15 reps per set...as opposed to the 200 pounds 3 sets of 20 I used to do back when I was 47...but no longer 47 and no longer willing to put that abuse on my arms, back, legs, and joints.  The rest of the workout on the machine, is as well too easy, so will slowly kick those reps and weights up a notch as well.

It's been two years ago this Labor Day that I went on the Diabetes 2 diet to reduce my weight and Blood Pressure....within 9 months I had dropped from 215 pounds to 183, and my BP had dropped from 150/85 to where it is today, about 130/75.   The BP is holding steady, while over the past 6 months I have regained about 8 pounds, despite working some 200 sporting events as an umpire/official.  Seems you can't stop Mother Nature....especially if you still insist on drinking beer and eating red meat.  So over the weekend I decided to add the treadmill back to my weight training.... I have not been able or willing to get out and walk every morning...just too damn hot, or else I have had some other excuse, lame as they were.

So today, I pulled the treadmill out from the wall, set it up in front of our DVD/VHS TV station, where I watch movies and other old shows on DVD....and started off on what I plan on being a 5 days a week walking workout.  I started out with 35 minutes at 3mph on a 5% incline, while watching  "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"....I breezed through that....and am hopeful that my legs and lungs will get the workout they need to get me through football season, and into the much more physical world of basketball officiating.

Wish me luck, at 62 years old, and carrying about 192 pounds on my 5' 10" frame(lost an inch somewhere over time)...I know I can't do what I did at 27, or 47, but I sure the heck can get off my butt and stay as healthy as possible, and drop a dozen or so more pounds....because I hate sitting around much more than I hate working out.

No games until Thursday, just a rules meeting tomorrow...then the Regular High School season kicks off this Friday Night.

back later>>>>

Photos-The basement in the 88 year old house, converted Parsonage, is as old as the house....and still much the way it looked when it was build in the fall of 1923.   But with as big as the main floor and upstairs are, I see no reason to make it into a living area...however that doesn't mean it goes to waste.  I have my shower, the laundry, and weight rooms, down in the dark gloomy recesses of the "cellar"...We also use it for food storage, both dry bulk and the freezer are set down there.   And my officiating and umpire equipment as well as everyday clothes hang as well....so it gets it's use.   With the weight training back in my routine, it will get more now that it has over the past couple of years.  Meanwhile I will do the Treadmill upstairs where I can watch the tube or DVD reruns of "Seinfeld" or some other mindless film.