Summer and Exercise

Narasimha was recently asked to write a few articles for our local paper. He was running out of time, so I helped him with one of them (the one he did on his own was on Alzheimer's dementia). Here is the article that we wrote that was in the local paper - it's kinda long, but we enjoyed writing it, and maybe some of you would enjoy reading it. He told me they were published on Saturday, just a few days ago. What do you think of our article?

Summer and Exercise

Summer is here! And with the warm weather here, it is the perfect time to start an exercise program if you don't already have one established. Here are some guidelines for fun and safety when exercising in the summer, whether you're a seasoned pro or first-time exerciser:

Involve the whole family! Studies have shown that children who exercise on a regular basis are less likely to be overweight over the course of their whole lives, and often have better mental and physical health than their peers who do not exercise. It is safer for children to exercise with adult supervision, and exercising with your kids is a great way to spend extra time having fun with them.

Take advantage of the heat! There some fun things to do in the summer that we as Iowans don't have the luxury of enjoying during other seasons. Many of these things involve water. Take up swimming, boating, or other water-related activities. Put a sprinkler in the yard and run through it with the kids and pets. Just remember water safety - always supervise children when they are enjoying the water, never be alone in the water, and always have enough life jackets for everyone who is along, whether or not they consider themselves to be good swimmers. Remember: Alcohol/street drugs and water activities are a dangerous combination.

Out of the water! There are also many things to do on dry ground: get the bike out of the garage (remember the helmet), dust off those roller blades (remember the pads), join a gym and begin a weight-training regimen, go for a walk, play a round of golf (walking the course is better than driving a cart), play a game of softball, shoot some hoops in the driveway or at a park, hike on a trail, join a yoga or Pilates class, or go to the playground and play with the kids. Even things like yard work get you up and moving - plant and maintain a garden or mow with a push mower.

Safety first! It is always important to be responsible and follow rules of safety when exercising. Always follow water safety (see section above for specifics). Always supervise children. Always be aware of the potential of heat-related illness (see section below for specifics). Always use proper protection equipment for your activity or sport (padding, guards, helmets, safety goggles, etc.). Also remember to apply sunscreen and bug spray, when appropriate. Beware that mosquitoes and ticks can potentially carry diseases like West Nile Disease and Lyme’s Disease, among others - wear proper repellants and check for ticks.

Be aware of heat-related illness! It is important to remember that our bodies are not meant to operate at their best under the most extreme conditions, and Iowa heat can be very extreme during the summer months. Don't over-exert yourself in the heat of the day. Drink plenty of fluids - not just water, but also drinks such as Gatorade that help replenish lost electrolytes. If you start to feel fatigued, weak, faint, have nausea and or vomiting, headache, muscle aches, dizziness, and irritability, or symptoms that resemble a flu-like illness you might be suffering from what is called Heat Exhaustion. Heat Exhaustion can be treated with rest, getting out of the hot environment, and correction of dehydration and electrolyte abnormalities. Cool the body gently with ice packs applied to the neck, groin, and underarms. For mild cases, oral rehydration with electrolytes like Gatorade usually is adequate. For more severe cases (feeling very dizzy and feeling like passing out when standing up) IV fluids may be needed.

If this progresses to a state where a person's body temperature is above 104 F and there are subtle symptoms of impaired judgment, bizarre behavior, hallucinations, altered mental status, confusion, disorientation, and possibly coma (sweating may or may not be present), this could represent a medical emergency called Heat Stroke. If these symptoms set in, seek emergency medical care immediately. Remember, children, the elderly, and animals can be more sensitive to the heat, but can't always tell you how they feel. Always have plenty of fluids available when you are caring for others, and watch carefully for signs of heat-related illnesses in those you spend time with.

Avoid exercise-related injury! Some exercises seem to cause more injury than others. Remember, there's a difference between general aches and soreness from beginning a program, and an actual injury. When you begin a program, it is completely normal to have sore muscles for a few days to a few weeks. Proper stretching of muscles, adequate hydration, and even the application of a hot/cold pack can help alleviate this soreness until your body adjusts. Sticking with your program is also important to make the soreness go away - if you start up and stop and then start up again, you will often feel sore every time you start your program. An actual injury is different than just being sore. If you walk or run, especially on uneven surfaces, be careful not to hurt your ankles/knees by "rolling" an ankle or twisting a knee. If you have just taken up a high-impact activity (running, basketball, etc) avoid injury to joints (with proper strength training and support) and shin splints (pain, minor or severe, in the lower half of your leg). If you have too much joint pain, or develop shin splints, try an activity with lower or no impact, like swimming, biking, yoga, or water aerobics. Always use the proper equipment when participating in any activity to reduce your chances of injury (guards, pads, goggles, etc.) For any swelling of a joint or a bone after a contact injury or fall, or an injury that causes intense pain, seek medical care soon as this could represent an injury that needs to be treated sooner rather than later. If you have an injury that will not get better in a few days to a couple of weeks with rest, ice/heat and the use of over-the-counter pain relief, make an appointment to see your doctor.

Talk to your doctor! If you have not exercised for a while and have medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, emphysema or bronchitis, history of seizures, talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program. With exercise, if you ever have chest pain, heart palpitations, lightheadedness, excessive shortness of breath, stop exercising and talk to your doctor as soon as possible.

Move! As with exercise in any season, some is always better than none. Get off the couch - go for a walk in the evening with a friend, go to the pool and walk laps around the shallow end (the resistance of the water will make you work harder than walking on dry ground, and you'll keep cool), or contact a professional to find a program catered specifically for you and your needs.

Be consistent and have fun! In order to see physical improvement, you have to start a program and stick with it. Try to find something or a few things you enjoy and schedule time to do them 4-5 days a week. And make sure it's something you enjoy - you'll be much more likely to stick with your program and see results if your program consists of things you really enjoy doing. Once you have a program that you can follow, gradually increase your workout. If you walked 10 minutes a night every night last week, go for 15 minutes every night this week. As you feel more and more comfortable with your routine, try to add or increase your "aerobic" exercise - this is the exercise that makes your heart beat a lot fast than it does when you're resting, and is the kind of exercise that has the best health benefits.

Enjoy your summer!

ISTJ

I just took a quiz on Facebook, and it asks you a bunch of questions, and then assigns you to a personality type, using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I got the results of ISTJ. Based on the quiz, I am Introverted (vs. Extroverted), Sensing (vs. Intuition), Thinking (vs. Feeling), Judging (vs. Perceiving). I definitely agree with the Introverted and Thinking, I can kinda see the Sensing, and I don't know what I think about the Judging. I think the whole picture is probably pretty accurate, because I did a web search on my type, and some of the details they listed for people of this type describe me to a T (results I found on Wikipedia here).

I think there's a book out about these types, and if you can figure out what type you are, and the types of some of the people close to you, you can kinda interpret your interactions (say with like a spouse, child, close friend, etc.). I don't read into it too much, but I think if used/considered appropriately, it might be kinda fun and maybe even helpful in some ways.

If you're on Facebook and you want to do this, you have to add the application (you can get the link off my page), and if you don't have Facebook, I am sure there are tests on the internet you could find.

Do you know your "type"? Does it describe you well? If you know me, what do you think about my results?

Wacky Wednesday

I know it's been a while again...I've been working on some things that are taking some time. Eventually I'll post those, but for now, here's something I did yesterday...

I used to like to mow. At our old house, our yard was about the size of a postage stamp, so even if I weed-eated around the whole house and the whole fence line, and mowed the whole yard with a push mower, I was done in like 30 mins. Now we have a big yard, which I love for some reasons. It's great for the dogs and potential kids, and we live in the country, so it's quiet and peaceful, and is actually one of the main reasons we decided on this house. But wow is it ever painful to mow. By the time I'm done weed-eating here I can't feel my arm (because the machine is so heavy and it takes forever) and then you have to push mow around like a million trees, a swing set, and a very long fence line (inside and outside). And then the riding part after all this takes at least a few hours. To do the whole yard well probably takes at least 5-6 hours.

So anyways, I always put it off as long as I can. I bet our neighbors don't like us because a few of them have Better Homes and Gardens yards. Yesterday it just had to be done. So I cheated, and skipped the weed-eating and push mowing, and was just going to do the rider in the front. I just wanted to be done, so I was driving the mower about as fast as it would go. Narasimha was in the back yard grooming the dogs. We have a ditch that goes along the road in the front yard, and it's curved, and then there's this (not well-kept, of course) landscaping thing in the front right at the top of the ditch, and it has these big bricks going all the way around the outside of it. Ok, now stay with me if you made it through all that... I was mowing, and I went down into the ditch, and back up, at a funny angle, headed toward the bricks from the landscaping. I was turning to go along side the bricks, and I accidentally ran into the bricks, mower full speed, with my front tires turned, and the mower leaning at an angle as it was turning out of the ditch. When I hit the bricks, the mower stopped instantly. I was tipped to the side like the mower was, and the next thing I know, the impact of the stop has put me on the ground, on a hill, beside my mower with the blade still very much moving. The mower is new, so since I fell of and my weight was off the seat, it shut off pretty quick. But still, the first thing I thought as I was landing (and I was landing about as fast as I realized I was falling) was that "I'm going to get mowed!" And then I wondered, without me on there leaning away from the ditch to keep it up, if it would just roll onto its side, right onto me. But, none of the above. As I was getting up I didn't even bother to see if any of the neighbors had seen me, I was so embarrassed (although now I wonder if they did).

I am thankful I didn't get hurt, although my elbow is a little sore because I think I landed funny on my arm. It probably could have been really really bad, but it's not, so it just makes for a random and funny (hopefully, since I put it here for you to read) story about my Wednesday.

Proud To Be An American...

Happy Birthday to America! We had a fun at a picnic with family and friends at my parent's house today.

Hope everyone had a good time with whatever you did today - Thanks to all in our country's past and present who make celebrations like today possible...

The Move: One Year Later

It was one year ago today that Narasimha started his new (and current) job. It was around a year ago that we moved from our first home together as a married couple, changed towns and churches, and basically had all we were comfortable with turned upside down.

About a year and a week ago we packed up all our things and our friends and family moved us from our simple home, which we purchased a month after we were married, to a rental in our current town. This rental was in a questionable neighborhood, and was infested with bats, mice, pigeons, bugs, and probably other things I don't even want to know about. We lived there for 3 months, until the city basically kicked us out because our landlord wouldn't fix the house enough to have it up to code.

Fortunately, after living there only 2 months, we found a house to purchase, and for one month we had overlap so we could start some kind-of major home improvements in our new house and still have a place to sleep.

What we miss from our old town:
- Our church.
- Our friends.
- Having friends.
- Some aspects of the town.
- A brand new house that felt like ours and didn't have problems or need major fixes.

What we have gained in the move:
- A sense of the strength of our marriage. We have now been through a few big trials together (infertility, and a move to a new town we aren't crazy about) and I think we both feel closer through surviving these trials.
- A few good friends for which we are grateful.
- Closer to family - Kristina's family is less than an hour away.
- A job that, besides the occasional glitch, Narasimha is really happy with.
- Financial and material blessings.
- A house, that when improvements are done, will probably be comfortable for us and maybe even start to feel like home.
- A new puppy Bella :)

What we still want:
- To feel more at home and associated with our church.
- Spiritual growth - together and individually. We both feel very lacking in this since the move.
- To know of some purpose why God has decided to have us here.
- To start our family asap.
- To stay in touch with the friends we left.

I just can't believe it has been a whole year since we left. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday we were there, and comfortable, and normal. Sometimes I can hardly remember the phone numbers of some of my best friends. Some of our friends have added to their families, and some are about to. Our friends have children who are growing like weeds, who we will probably hardly recognize when we see them again. Narasimha has been practicing all by himself for a whole year. I can still mentally walk through our old house and remember how things looked, and where things were. I can almost even remember what it felt like to be very much more settled than I am starting to wonder if we'll ever be here.

Life is full of changes, whether big or small. We can either embrace them or be stuck living in the past.