"Where Are You At 62?" or "Where Will You Be"? part 1

Rained last night, that seems to happen every few days....but the sun, albeit in cool conditions, is back this morning.  The coming weekend looks seasonably cool but sunny, then rain returns for early next week.

"62"

Sixty-Two...not some home run record to be broken, but an age barrier, that I reached last March...frankly, given the family history of the Houseworth men, I am somewhat surprised that I reached that goal...perhaps that is one of the reasons{besides being sick of being a Government paid Bureau-rat} that I retired at 53...or at least semi-retired, in order to do things I really wanted to do.  I managed to travel the US in RVs for more than five years, delivering them to various dealers and locations throughout the country.  I also had gotten back into baseball umpiring before I retired, then I decided to try my hand at football back in 2005, and added basketball a couple of years later.  Retired?  Sure, but I figure I'm busier now than I ever was riding around Mercer and Van Wert Counties, inspecting and ruling on all things Environmental for those two Health Departments over the years.

I also worked in broadcasting for 25 years, the last 20 on a part time basis, after working as a broadcast news hound full time back in the late 1970s.  Yes, I managed to work, without really working at all over the years...sure I tried my hand at factory work early on, then bartending, and of course I've written about my four year Air Force stint as a Security Police guy both stateside and in Vietnam....all-in-all, I've been there, done that, and seldom look back with regrets.  I don't know how long I have left on this earth, but I plan on living them out on my terms...arrogance?  ego?  Perhaps, I've always been a smart ass, who usually says what he believes and thinks...thus sometimes getting me in trouble...when I was 17, even in my 20s, I would be concerned about what people would think of me and my lifestyle...no more.  Other than my wife, and perhaps my kids, that is something I don't concern myself with.

Weight Lifting____

 When I joined the Air Force in 1968, I was a lean{i.e skinny} 5'9" 135 pounds...by the time those four years were over, I was 5' 11" and about 185.  Over the next 25 years I stayed about at that level...finally gravity started to catch up, so I figured if I was to eat and drink like had been doing, I better get back to the gym.  In the 1970s I used to run about 3 miles a night...usually around town and through the Fairgrounds which was close to my Brandon Street home in Celina{just a block from where I live now}...however I had gotten away from that, and along with the back problems{from a couple of motorcycle mishaps}, it put me in a sedentary lifestyle.   Determined to get out of that rut, I decided to take up weight lifting at the ripe old age of 44 and pick my treadmill workouts up as well.   And I did.....over the next 10 years I was workout hound.

However, the extra workouts also increased my appetite for fatty foods, and beer...sure I might have increased my biceps and triceps, but my waist line grew from 34 to 38.  The weight went from 185 to 225... and after retiring from the health department in 2002, along with the RV travel, the weight stayed, the workouts slowed to a crawl.  It became a battle....

Finally in the fall of 2009, with the weight at 214 and the BP up, and the cholesterol and pre-diabetes setting in, I figured it was time to being the workouts anew...sure I was getting a good workout with my officiating, especially during basketball season, but I felt I needed more....after several starts, stops, a couple bouts of back problems, things seem to have come full circle.  The weight lifting is back as part of my life, and in addition to my officiating and umpiring, I walk the fairgrounds or hit the treadmill at least 5 days a week.

 Things are looking up...except the weight, which dropped from 214 to 185...it now is hovering around the 190 mark...and I could lose 10 or 15 if needed.  More on the basement routine on the next installment.

Next...The Basement Workout Routine.....or how I learned to love my dungeon....back later>>>>

Photos-At 62 I've finally gotten back into a weight lifting routine, my ego is not enough to believe I can do what I did at 50, but I'm please with my results over the past couple of months...so far.  My 88 year old basement looks much like it did when the original church parsonage was built in late 1923....and I like it that way.  Food and Ammo storage, furnace, central Air, my shower, antique rooms, TV, junk, washer, dryer, and my "Jake" Bench and Weider Workout Center....no frills, just my personal clutter, which can be moved to suit my needs.  The basement needs to impress nobody....