i Practice What I Preach

I have believed in the importance of exercise for good health ever since high school when I was on the the cross country and track teams. I was never a very good competitive runner, but I believe I still benefit from the training for distance running I did so many years ago.

I kept running (mostly non-competitively) until I was in my 40's and the pavement pounding got to be too hard. After giving up running, I took up bicycling and particpated in quite a few long-distance rides, including the MS-150 ride sponsored by the Washington Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. There are many athletic events like this in which people pay to participate and raise money for the charity. In doing so, they do good for themselves and those less fortunate. A spectator at the start of the MS-150 ride one year was an MS victim in a wheelchair. His sign read, "Your legs help mine!". I found that sign very powerful. Since many of these events are strenuous, one has to train for weeks or months before participating in them. I can't help but think that the training plus participation builds an exercise habit that is good for one's health. I have not seen any data on this in my studies of fitness and sports, but I feel confident this is so.

Have any of you out there in cyberspace built an exercise habit as a result of training for and participating in charitable exercise events (e.g., marathons, triathlons, shorter runs, walks, bike rides, etc.)? I would love to read your responses.

Now I am in my late 60's and i still try to stay active with a mix of exercises--golf (waliking the course, not riding), bicycling, weight training, swimming, and, most recently, yoga. Yes, yoga, the apartment complex where my wife and I spent the winter in California offered group yoga lessons. I was the token male in a couple of them, and I took private lessons from the instructor as well. Her name is Robin Downes, and I recommend her instructional video which I now use Yoga Flava for Relaxation.

I do think more men should take up yoga and perhaps other forms of exercise in which most of the participants are woment like Pilates. I believe it helps greatly to improve and maintain flexibility. We men should consider exercise programs on their merits (Yoga has been endorsed by the American Council on Exercise!) rather than on whether they are masculine or feminine. We can learn a lot from what women are doing in exercise. If they can benefit from boxing, wrestling and weight lifting, we can benefit from yoga and pilates.

What do you think about that?

Ken Harris