A Fat@$$ Looks at 50

First of all, you should know that I stole the title of this post from Jimmy Buffett.  He first wrote "A Pirate Looks at 40" for (depending on which internet site you visit) a bartender friend/acquaintance/legend at a watering hole in Key West.  The song speaks of things not done, maybe life's regrets, and maybe chances not taken.  Buffett followed up on this with his autobiography, A Pirate Looks at 50, in 1998, when he was actually turning the magical age that stares me in the face at this time.  So I thought I'd steal a little, because I love Jimmy Buffett...  So listen while you read:



 I have conversations with people about birthdays and age quite a bit.  Teaching high school means that I get to see kids hit some milestone birthdays - usually 16 (driver's license) and 18 (voting, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and a host of other "adult" privileges that suddenly become legally available to them).  I've talked with former students and my own kids, usually at birthday celebrations, that there are also lots of "pointless" birthdays, and that once you get beyond 21 everything is pretty much just people making fun of you because you're old.  (Seriously - 19 and 20 are pretty unremarkable, right?  You can already vote, you can buy and do several new legal adult things, but you can't legally buy alcohol, for instance.  And 22?  23?  Who cares?  But let a guy hit 30, for goodness' sake, and people start bringing canes, black balloons, and "Over the Hill"-themed cakes with black frosting to the party...)  And 30 is now 20 years behind me at this point.

So how do I feel about turning 50?  I have no idea.  Mostly because I've never been 50, and I don't know how I'm supposed to feel.  Let's take an inventory of "feelings:"

• I'm in the best physical shape of my adult life.  I weighed less in 1995 but was not as physically active, etc.  So that's out - I don't feel "physically" old.
• I am in a place of security and stability in my life.  Two great kids in fine universities, a stable job I've held for 22+ years (27+ if you count the beginning of my teaching career; 30-something if you count that I decided what I was going to be when I grew up sometime around age 15-16), a house in a great community, etc., etc.  So that gives me many years of great experience and maybe even some wisdom, but it doesn't make me "old."
• I have been married to quite possibly the only person in the world who could put up with me for this long.  Just passed the 24-year mark with Dana, as a matter of fact.  And we started dating in 1986/87, so we've both known each other longer than half our lives...  I'd honestly hate being "young" and going through all the dating and other nonsense right now, so although 28 years together is a long time, that doesn't make me "old," either.
• I have great friends of ALL ages.  Some of them keep me "young", for sure - in just the last year I have tried longboarding for several yards at a time, mountain bike and road bike rides with folks of a different "generation" than mine, and conversations and experiences that make me laugh and enjoy my time with the 15 - 30-ish age group.
• I'M THE YOUNGEST KID IN MY FAMILY.  ALL of my siblings will always be older than I am!  (Sorry.  Couldn't resist that one...)   

Now I'd be leaving out some things if I didn't at least mention some "old guy"stuff...

• Bifocals happened since I turned 40 or so.  Those really suck.  It's an age thing, too - very few people need bifocals before age 40, and pretty much everyone's eyes weaken with age.
• I have some profound hearing loss due to my job, which has resulted in me having to use hearing aids the last year.  It officially has nothing to do with age at this point, but you just don't see a lot of hip young guys wearing them, ya know?
• I lost my hair so long ago I don't even remember it, really, so I guess this one could go in either list.  I certainly don't miss having it; if it's not there I don't have to take care of it or spend money on it. 
• OK, this has to be mentioned...  Maybe you saw Bill Cosby's "49" comedy presentation several years ago.  Hilarious.  And the part where he talks about ear hair?  Holy cow, it's funny because it's TRUE.  What the heck is it about the aging process that causes ears, nose, eyebrows, and other random parts of your body to suddenly sprout wild, uncontrollable hairs???  Seriously, a few times a year I'll get this rogue filament growing out of the side of my left ear.  Stands there all nice and proud, saluting the world as it makes me look ridiculous.  "Woo-hoo, I made it!  Nothing is supposed to grow here, but I've defied the odds.  Hello, world!!"  Damn things...  I still remember the first one.  Anyway...
• I'm nearly down to my wedding day weight, but I'm pretty sure I looked better then - the weight seems to cling to different places with each passing decade!  Working on getting rid of the side fat right now.  Where the heck did side fat come from?  Man boobs?  Don't get me started...
• Things do seem to fail faster and heal slower at this age - tendinitis, for instance, which was never an issue when I was younger.
• I'VE RECEIVED TWO MAILINGS FROM AARP.  Enough said.  (OK, except for this - who can retire at 50??   More on that later.)

"Does turning 50 bother you?"  No more than any other age, I suppose, though this number seems to have more significance for some reason.  But again, I don't know how I'm supposed to feel, act, or whatever.  So I'm still doing it the way I always have.

OK, let's talk retirement.  The AARP has indeed sent me two separate mailings about joining their organization, and I probably will.  But I will say that the only reason I would retire at 50 is so I could still do lots of fun and cool stuff.  I would LOVE to have more time to ride, more time to hang with friends, more time to be as lazy as I want to be.  Too bad that whole eating and paying the electric bill thing is so important...  So I can't retire, but why would I?

What else do people think about when they're 50?  Apparently that they'd like to stay being 50.  In a recent non-scientific telephone survey from NBC's Today show, a majority of respondents said that 50 - yes, 50 - is the best age.  Apparently we're still young enough to do cool stuff, but old enough to know better kind of thing.  You can read it for yourself if you want to.  This probably indicates why so many men my age finally buy themselves a Corvette: they're old enough to afford it and still young enough to enjoy it for many years.  (And they don't have to share it with their kids...)

Ever since I turned 42, though, I've thought a lot about things from a strange perspective: my dad was 42 when I was born, so I frequently wonder what it would be like at my age to have a kid right now.  And honestly, I don't know how he did it.  I'm not a huge fan of little kids (my own were OK...), and having a 7-8 year-old right now?  Can't even imagine.  Yet I have two HS classmates who were recently blessed with children and are loving every minute of it, as I am sure I would.  I just can't get my mind around it at this time!

Speaking of kids, I have a bunch in my life that make it awesome.  Nathan and Erin, my two biological ones, get time here first, because there have probably been too many times that other kids ended up with priority somehow.  Nathan is an amazing musician, and he and I have gotten to work together at the bike shop this summer.  He has even joined Dana and me in a quest for a healthier lifestyle: a 28-day detox with me to start the summer, and a 30-day cleanse beginning the day after that.  He's lost 15 pounds and lowered his blood pressure (which was unusually high for his age and weight class).  

Erin and I are cut from the same cloth, as the saying goes.  If you appreciate my cynicism and sardonic ways, then you will love Erin.  She can rant with the best of us, and blames me for teaching her.  "I learned from the best!" she will say as she finishes a tirade...  She also did a detox with the family last winter, and has adopted a vegetarian diet; she's not quite willing to give up some of the things that vegan requires.  We are just glad she's healthy and aware of what goes into her body.

Other kids?  Wow...  I'm around teenagers almost every single day of my life.  It's hard keeping up sometimes, mostly with what the current language and expressions are, but also with the energy level.  THAT has changed in the recent past, though, with the caffeine-free old guy able to match them stride-for-stride and then some as they work through their over-tired days (a future post needs to deal more with kids' eating habits and how I am beginning to believe that there is a solid connection between diet and ADHD and other teen maladies).

But kids are great.  I've written about a few - Jared, Daylin, Jalen - who have inspired or pushed me (or driven me to the hospital...), but there is not enough room or time here to write about all of them.  The ones who text and ask how I'm feeling after my crash; the ones who constantly give me grief, smiling the whole time as they poke at my idiosyncrasies; the ones who still stop by well into their 20s or even 30s; the ones who trust me enough to help them through their latest life-changing issue.  I am blessed to know them and be a part of their lives and have them in mine.  A couple years ago the saxophone section gave me the "World's Best Dad" award.  How cool is that?  And this year I get to spend several hours of my actual birthday with about 25 of them: the section leaders and DMs in the band have leadership "camp" this week, and the last day is my birthday.  Honestly, I can't think of a much better group to spend my day with.

So there it is.  50?  Old?  Feelings?  If any of the above make me old, then I guess I am.  How do I feel about it?  I FEEL GREAT.

I Promised to Never Do This...

I grew up in the 70's, basically; the era when people first, I believe, became serious about quitting smoking.  My mom quit, an ex-brother-in-law, my brother, sister Pam, and lots of other adults in my life at that time.  And during that time and the ensuing few years, I noticed a trend among the quitters: they became annoying as hell.  Every time they saw someone smoking they'd talk about how amazing they were feeling because they had quit, then they'd proceed to basically tell everyone within earshot that the health benefits of quitting were second to none, and that all the people in the world were stupid for smoking.  (Which is all true.  But boy, was it annoying.)

So I promised myself, based on that idea, to not ever be that way about stuff.  I don't know your circumstances.  Why would I presume to tell you how to live your life?  So yeah...  I'm breaking that promise for this one occasion...

If you'll recall this post from February you'll remember I had the best annual physical of my life.  The doc wanted to follow up in about six months, which was yesterday.  And things were even better.  I've lost ten more pounds since then.  I have maintained my healthy lifestyle.  I have been taken off my blood pressure medication.  Please re-read that last sentence.

My father died at age 71 due to complications from heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.  Pretty much ALL of which are preventable adult-onset diseases.  About 20 years ago, just before he died, my family doctor was a little concerned about my BP.  So we talked about diet and exercise, and I cut down on salt and caffeine and things went well.  For about the next fifteen years or so my BP was OK, but never "low."  It was basically just under control, until a few years ago, when I started getting regular readings in the 130/90 to 150/100 range.  Once I even got turned away from giving blood because it was too high!  My internist said then that since high BP has a genetic component, at my age there wasn't much to be done and he put me on a low dose of meds.  And it remained a good thing until about a week ago, when I started feeling dizzy upon standing up, especially after kneeling or bending.  One morning, according to the home BP monitor, my pressure was 95/66.  "PADDLES!"  "CLEAR!"  (I know, that's a heart thing, but still, I was pretty sure I was dead.)  So, knowing I had an appointment this week, I didn't take my medicine for a few days.  And yesterday, in the middle of the day, unmedicated, taken by a pro, my BP was 112/78.  Wow.  So I thought about writing this.

And here is what I would like to say.  And please forgive the rant to which you are about to be exposed; I know you're not used to hearing me rant.  But someone has to say it, I think:

 

No, really.  STOP .  Stop eating junk.  Stop drinking poisonous chemical soups made from high fructose corn syrup and sugar with added chemical flavors and sugars.  Stop eating things you can't pronounce.  (OK, you can have quinoa.  And kohlrabi is all right, but I still don't know what it is...)  Processed foods are not of this world!!  Lately there's a Speedway commercial in which the participants are happily dancing about, carrying giant jugs of frozen HCFS with artificial flavoring and looking all happy about it.  (A 22-oz Extreme Strawberry Speedy Freeze has an astounding 49 grams of sugar!  That's over four tablespoons, or a quarter cup of sugar.  And that's the 22-oz size.  They're all dancing with the 32s.)

I don't remember the last time I had a Diet Coke.  Has to be last October.  I don't remember the last time I had heartburn, either.  Or diarrhea (sorry...).  Ben and Jerry's must be losing money in the stock market, because it's been almost a year, I think.  (OK, six months.  But still.  And hey, at least B&J doesn't use weird chemicals when they make their ice cream.)  

I see the things kids eat at lunch, and even before I decided to change things it made me want to scream.  One kid brings in three cookies and a Gatorade from the cafeteria virtually every day.  NOT for dessert.  For LUNCH.  Still others supplement their "nutrition" with full-sugar sodas.  And don't get me started on energy drinks.  Those things were one step above illegal when I was in high school, and now the companies sponsor sports teams and stuff.

Want to know what else is healthier around here?  My colon.  (Sorry again...)  But I did have part of it removed a few years ago;  I dare you to Google images of diverticulitis.  Seriously.  It's awful.  And my doctor tells me it used to be reserved for people in their 70s or so, and now he sees guys with it in their late 20s.  He blames processed food.  Apparently your colon needs some exercise, and like playing video tennis, processed food doesn't really cut it.

I know it's difficult.  And I know I will fail on some level myself.  Even yesterday I downed a significant amount of Peanut M&Ms, but my habits are far better than a year ago.  Can you exercise more?  Of course you can.  Can you eat  better?  You know how it goes: if I can do it, you can do it.  Seriously, I have ZERO willpower.  If I can lose almost 40 pounds, anyone can.  It's not rocket science.  It might be food science...  The right kind of fuel makes all the difference.  Trust me, your body will thank you.  Mine has.  So has my doctor.  And Nurse Letty, who's like everyone's mom at the doctor's office.  There's nothing quite like a smile and high praise from Mom, and that's exactly what I got yesterday.  She even talked about the VIP treatment I seem to be getting around there, with the doc himself getting me from the waiting room (full disclosure - we go to the same church, but he's never come to get me before the last two visits).  

Stop complaining about heartburn.  Because it's your body telling you to stop eating what you're eating.  Stop complaining about your "beer gut," (there's officially no such thing, by the way).  I have never had what anyone would call a "flat" stomach, but I will tell you how much flatter and better-feeling it is the last 6-8months.  

See, the thing I managed to figure out (totally on my own, obviously; no one has ever suggested this might actually be the case) is that diet and exercise make a difference.  Together they make a bigger difference.  Who knew??  Wait a second...  EVERYONE knows that.  We just don't do it.

 

I'm a Junk Food Junkie (and vegan is no guarantee...)

I've decided that the self-pity train has basically run its course, so I will try not to subject my vast readership to too many more updates on my broken body issues (like forced left-handedness, potential theological or other issues, or graphic descriptions of my injuries, because it's kind of time to move on), but since I just took the time to link to those posts, you should read them if you haven't yet!  

No, it's time to get back on the original track (see how I did the train reference again?) of this blog - the things I struggle with eating and exercise-wise.  Nathan and I have been working together at the bike shop a lot this summer, and yesterday we went out for breakfast before he started his day.  We ended the day with the family getting Jimmy John's at 9:30 p.m. due to our weird schedule, and this morning he and I are paying the price, so to speak, so I thought of this post that's been knocking around my head for a while.

I'm a fan of convenience foods because, well, because they're just so darn convenient.  And I'm pretty sure that folks my age and maybe a little older were kind of on that cutting edge of prepared, boxed, bottled, frozen, and otherwise "look! you, too, can have it all, and it's so easy" kind of things: breakfast cereals of ALL varieties, chips, candy, pop, etc.  (I know these all existed prior to my knowing about them, but it seems like my generation was the one where they really entered the mainstream.)  My mom actually owned a waffle iron.  I never saw it in use, because we could go buy Eggo waffles for the toaster.  And they were delicious!  (One of my earliest memories of "maybe I have a problem" was one Saturday morning when mom went to work and I was up early.  When my dad woke up and came to check on me in the family room, his first words were, "what the hell are you eating?" as he looked at the potato chips and can of Pepsi next to me on the floor.  Hey, it was Saturday morning cartoon time!!  Come on, Doc!  Give me a break here...  I was about 11, I think.)

Know what, though?  That breakfast was VEGAN.  Yep.  MMmm, Pepsi and chips.  I was vegan before I even knew what the word was!

Here are some other vegan items, in case you were wondering:

 

I know I said "other," but these are my favorite!

Mmmmm...  Breadsticks.  (If they're made with eggs, they're not vegan, but you can easily do French bread without eggs.)

OK, Pop Tarts without frosting suck.  But they're vegan.

EVERYTHING'S better when it sits on a Ritz.

OMG!!!  FRITOS ARE VEGAN?????

I haven't tried these, but am not against the idea :)

So.  "OK, just what the heck is your point?"  Hang on, I'm getting there.  The thing is that pretty much everyone (I learned that statistic in a non-scientific survey entitled "what do you think about the vegan diet" that I pretty much asked myself the question for) figures that the vegan diet is a healthy diet.  I'm here to tell you as a lifelong fan of convenience foods that nothing could be further from the truth.  Like ANY diet, food plan, lifestyle, or whatever you call how you get nutrients into your body, vegans can be subject to the same problems and issues that caused the problem in the first place!

Wait, what?  That sucks.  You mean I have to watch what I eat even if it's free of all of those nasty animal products that cause high cholesterol, increased weight gain, etc.?  Yep.  And sugar?  Dude.  Sugar is vegan!  It's a plant!  Wooohoooo, get my spoon and bring my box of Froot Loops (mhmm - also vegan).  Wow.  This could get ugly again.

BUT...  All is not lost!  I've mentioned that I'm a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, and I learned lots of great things from them.  The first leader I was fortunate to be acquainted with, Nancy Bruins, had several great little sayings to remind us of things.  (My favorite, though it doesn't fit what I'm saying, was "true fact?"  She would ask that when she said something obvious, like "if you eat three elephant ears at the fair, you'll be off your plan for the day. True fact?"  And we'd nod and chuckle.  Nancy passed several years ago, and the world lost a very cool person.)  One of the other things from WW - "if it's icky, be picky!"  Sometimes, when craving something sugary, I'll grab for almost anything.  And sometimes it's not so good!  And yes, sometimes I'll eat it anyway because I want the sweetness.  Icky?  PUT IT DOWN and walk away.  It's not worth it.  (I do understand that the obverse of this is to go find something you do like, like a bag of m&m's, but still...)  

Here's the best one, though, and it works for me most of the time.  I don't know if "red light foods" is a WW term or if Lisa came up with it herself, but it really works.  She talked about levels of food based on health, cravings, points, etc.  For me, the "cravings" category was the strongest.  And she would have us rank them - "green light" foods were things that were in the program, that we could eat without getting out of control, and that were considered healthful.  So veggies, fruits, and many other obvious things went in that category.  Yellow lights were things that we knew could potentially cause trouble but weren't the highest risk.  Red light foods?  Don't even start them.  I have a whole list of red light foods.  There are things I should never even start eating, and I try to keep them out of my house.  Friends of ours have a little candy dish in their kitchen that is always filled with m&m's.  RED LIGHT!  "Oooh, look, m&m's!  And moments later a half-pound bag is gone.  So I try to keep away from them, because I know it will end badly.  How do people keep those in the open, out of the bag, and not just devour them?  Clearly not a red light food in that house.

Now I find out that there are vegan foods that have to be red lighted.  I'm not sure how many others out there can demolish the above-pictured bag of Fritos in a single sitting.  I can.  And I'm not even breathing hard.  Unfrosted Pop Tarts would be a green light food for me, because I'd maybe eat one.  Not a fan in general; take off the frosting and there's no point to the thing at all.

And my journey of discovery and health continues on the path that I've chosen.  The foods you choose, be they vegan, paleo, vegetarian, or omnivore, are up to you.  Any or all of them can cause weight gain or other problems for your body and health, though, so you need to know the potential for anything that you try.  Yesterday's meals for me did include eggs and cheese (call me a non-vegan or whatever you want, I still love the occasional egg and don't plan to give them up), and I even had some sausage in my hash brown omelette.  THAT I can easily give up, but it's still something that I enjoy eating.  

Back on the wagon today!  The best about doing all of this is realizing that 1) I don't feel as good when I don't eat well; 2) I know that I can be satisfied, even full, when I do eat well; 3) because this isn't a "diet" I don't feel like I've cheated per se.  I know I can readjust and get back on track easily (whoa, another train thing, though I used "track" again...).  Maybe #3 is just a different mindset or outlook for me, though.  I mean, I still cheated, but maybe I've decided a more positive thought for what happened.  Those who really know me are wondering if I had to actually look up the word "positive" to check how it's spelled...  (I didn't, by the way - I can be very positive  that something will go wrong, after all.)  

So there you go.  Please forgive the rambling nature of this one, but sometimes I don't really have the time to connect all the dots; you'll have to do that yourself today!  I'm off to do some stuff for the day, like go to school, have a coffee with a friend, and then PT, bike ride, and chiropractor, so the blogging has to be done.  See you soon!  I'll leave you with this, from some point in my past:

It's a Right-Handed World...

Well, faithful followers, it's been six weeks since the end of my summer cycling season, so I thought I would update you on my recovery as well as some of my frustrations and observations.

First of all, I started physical therapy last week, and the therapist was reasonably impressed with my range of motion after just over a month.  (She is the same one I was working with on my tendinitis, etc. in the spring, and as I was leaving last week she said, "if I remember right, I told you to be careful when you left last time."  And she was indeed right; I was almost home free with well-functioning shoulders two days before my crash.  We even discussed the idea of being done with therapy and saving one or two appointments as follow-up visits!  Ah, well...)

I have been doing some very light riding on the road after several sessions on the trainer.  I am riding my Cannondale Bad Boy outside, which is pretty upright.  I added a high-rise stem and lowered the seat a little to take more pressure off my arms and shoulders.  I think I am going to switch to the mountain bike, though, and get the added benefit of the front shock; PT is concerned about any road vibration traveling through my shoulder and affecting the healing of the break.

Speaking of healing, apparently there's nothing they can really see on an X-ray for several more weeks, so the doctors rely on what I tell them and what they and I can feel as far as movement, etc.  There is relatively little movement in the break area, but occasionally I feel a sharp pain there, which indicates that the broken edges are rubbing together and/or the newly-formed bone is irritated due to movement.  The collarbone, being broken in the middle, is now the weak link in the chain of rotation, so if I bring my arm across my body too far, IT starts to rotate instead of my shoulder, bringing about the pain.  Good times!  And because of how that area is constructed, it's pretty impossible to cast it or do anything besides keep it as still as possible during the day.  I have been cleared to not wear the sling, but I still try to keep my arm relatively relaxed and out of the way.

Which brings up the title of this post.  I learned early in the healing process that being left-handed (especially since I'm very right-handed) is not very easy to deal with!  Obviously since I'm nearing 50 (18 more days) and am totally right hand dominant this is a true statement, but in general lefties indeed have to adapt to everyone else's preferences.  Paper towel dispensers in public restrooms, lots of entry doors, heck, even the zippers on pants are all geared to right hands.  Now this might not really be a big deal if I'd grown up as a lefty in the world of rights, but when the goal is to keep my right arm from rising above my shoulder level (so paper towels from the bathroom are tough to get) and I'm not supposed to pull or push with it too much (try opening a door to a business by crossing your left arm over your body and pulling it to the right...), it becomes apparent that lots of things at least face a direction that makes it easier to do them with your right hand.  I have mentioned the paper towel dispensers and zippers; they are indeed connected.  I will leave you to your own conclusions as to one of my dilemmas.  Fortunately I am able to do lots more stuff with my right arm at this point, but the first couple weeks were very challenging!  I even switched my belt in my jeans around so I could pull it closed with my left hand!

Other things that I've observed?  

• Your body strives for balance even if you are strongly dominant with one hand/side.  I can't count the number of times that I've tried to do something with my left hand and it's difficult to do because my right side wants to help.  Not as much because I'm used to doing it that way, but because that's the way things operate.  That whole "equal and opposite reaction" kind of thing, I suppose.
• It's surprising where the effort really is when you're doing something.  I brewed a batch of beer the other day, with some assistance from Nathan and Dana in doing some lifting and carrying.  For the most part I did it without using my right arm much.  There were a couple instances, though, where I knew I had to do something backward from the norm, and I found out that even though I usually do it "right," the actual effort comes from the left.  So when I planned ahead and switched from what I usually do, it didn't work!  
• There are lots of times during the day, in the course of normal activities, in which one arm or the other crosses your body for something.  I'm not talking about way across, either; just passing the center line.  Which means, for me, anyway: I apply deodorant to both pits with my left hand (it's getting pretty flexible).  I haven't thoroughly washed my entire face in six weeks.  I still brush my teeth mostly left-handed (still doesn't feel right...).  Showering and drying off are a challenge.  Putting my contacts in has gotten easier but is still not back to normal.
• I am actually quite glad that this didn't happen during the school year.  Even though it has totally wrecked my summer (I usually ride between 500 and 600 miles each in June and July, for instance), I can't imagine trying to work a full schedule even now after six weeks.  My back muscles usually last about 3-4 hours at the shop, at school working at my desk, or whatever I'm doing at home before I need a significant rest period.  They're protecting my ribs, according to the medical professionals, and that makes sense.  But they get pretty tense and sore!  I'm down to two short shifts at the shop (and thankful for an understanding owner!), and when I go to school to get stuff done I manage about two hours at a stretch before something has to change or I have to be done.  Although the collarbone was the more horrific-looking injury, my ribs have been the ones that have caused the most pain and suffering.  "Oh, your ribs are just along for the ride," was the statement of the PA at the orthopedic surgeon's office.  "They're used pretty constantly, so you'll feel that for a long time.  They'll heal up fine, though."  Yep.  That seems to be accurate so far.
• I'm a pretty impatient person.  I know that this comes as quite a shock for some of you...  It's very annoying to feel fine but still not really be able to do anything.  The PT pretty firmly vetoed getting on the road bike any time soon at all; between the increased fall risk (true enough, I guess, based on rider position) and the road vibration without a lot of shock absorption available, she doesn't want me shaking the bones apart.  And even though I might not notice it, and it may not be a serious issue, the more of that stuff I do the longer it will ultimately take to heal properly and completely.  So I will continue my two or three ten-mile rides per week, slow and easy, and make sure I am very careful about how and where I'm riding my upright frames.  Maybe a fat bike ride on the beach would be good: soft, squishy ride on a soft, squishy surface.  And it's always slow enough that falls are easy to stop by just putting my feet down.
• I have to say that this is another instance in which I am so thankful for health insurance and other benefits.  There has been zero hesitation on my part to first go to the ER, followed by visits to the orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, and the chiropractor.  I even called my family doc to see if he wanted to see me for a follow-up (he didn't).  I basically took the last five days off of school, using several of my accumulated sick days.  I have frequently thought, over the last several weeks, about what life would have been like without that available to me.  No sick days?  I guess I'd either have lost pay or gone to work in serious pain.  Physical therapy not covered by insurance?  No insurance at all?  Sure, after the ER visit (they can't turn folks away regardless of ability to pay) I could have made it to recovery in a sling and following what the docs there had told me.  But my insurance is indeed very good, so no problem.  My point here is that my job, level of income or education, or any other factor, should NOT be a factor in my level of health care, but for many people that is exactly the case.  Can we continue to think that this is OK?

OK, that's enough of that last thought.  It's a beautiful Sunday morning and I am planning another batch of homebrew later today, and the upcoming week has no fewer than three dinners planned with students/friends/former students (sometimes these categories intertwine), more prep for band camp (the drumline has begun rehearsals already!), and in general more reminders that life is pretty great.  My weight fluctuates around three pounds or so, still hovering in the area of a 35-38 pound loss overall.  THAT could certainly be a lot worse based on my activity level!

Stay tuned for some kind of 50th birthday post, in which I admit that I have received not one, but TWO solicitations from AARP...  I've never been bothered by a milestone birthday (30 and 40 were no big deal), but the sound of "50" is definitely different.  I'm certainly in the best shape of my adult life, so the number is just a number; I'm not sure why this one sounds different than any other.  You'll have to come back and see if I figure it out!!

Questions I've Been Asked

If you've been reading my stuff for a while, you remember a few posts ago - "Things I've Heard."  I thought I would take a slightly different tack on this one and relay some Q&A that I have experienced.  So here we go!

"But what can you EAT?"  This is a fun one, because Dana and I have been what I call 95% vegan for about eight months.  (She is way closer to 100; I slack in the eggs and occasional pizza departments.)  And the answer is so ridiculously simple.  Plant food.  No animal products.  So no meat, fish, eggs (well...), etc.  Some vegans take this as far as also using no honey, because honey is an animal product.  I don't think I really get that one, because when I refer to "animal products" I am referring to actually eating the animals and their meat or milk, etc.  I don't see honey as being the same, but some people do, and I can respect that.  The list of things we can eat is really pretty huge, and it's been a surprisingly easy transition for us.  To be honest there has been a LOT of pasta (which we try to buy gluten free, because we both feel better when we don't have gluten - more on that later), PLENTY of Mexican (not that this is a problem!), and an abundance of salad-type things (which can get a little old...).  But if you do a simple web search you can find tons of vegan recipes.  Some of our favorites are things like Vegan Mac-n-Cheese (from the Detoxinista - find it here) made with cashews and nutritional yeast; Mexican Lasagna, which is what it sounds like - a layered dish with lots of awesome Mexican flavors (Margaux Drake made this one - her recipe is here); and a really wild "pulled pork" sandwich made with jack fruit, which is some kind of Asian vegetable...  The lasagna dish is the only one that makes sense from an expectation point of view; the mac and cheese and the BBQ thing shouldn't taste or feel like they do, but they're great.  At Erin's open house we featured a mac-n-cheese buffet, and the vegan stuff was gone first.  (Check out the Post Punk Kitchen for one of our favorite cookbooks - Vegan With a Vengeance.)

"So how do you get enough protein?"  This one is a little tougher to answer and to accomplish for some folks, but the simple answer is "nuts, nut milk, and many different high-protein vegetables."  Kale, asparagus, and several other green leafy veggies are high in protein.  Peanuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, lentils, peas (I hate peas...), tofu (it's an acquired taste...), chickpeas (I am a hummus junkie!!), and many other easy sources.  My own personal challenge is making sure I get enough of the high-protein stuff in during the day instead of all carbs, which is very easy to do.  Whole wheat pasta, brown rice pasta, etc. are relatively protein rich compared to the regular stuff, though.  Based on my recent numbers at my annual physical I think I am doing fine.

 "Why couldn't you do the paleo diet?"  No reason.  If that's your thing and it makes you happy and healthy, then you should do it.  I think I got into the whole "I can eat whatever I want as long as I exercise" myth, and the radical change in lifestyle had to happen in order to combat that.  See, I would say things to myself like, "I'll just ride a little farther tomorrow" to justify eating this or that thing, and none of them were good decisions food-wise.  The vegan idea kind of forced me into a new way of thinking so I couldn't do that.  I had the same trouble with the Weight Watchers program, I think.  I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, and I learned lots of great stuff from two great leaders in their program.  I lost 25 pounds the first time I joined WW.  And I think part of it for ME, anyway, was the "rules" thing.  I need them, and the plan provided them for me.  The plan changed over the years to make it far easier for folks to have normal, every day foods in moderation, which is great for most people, but didn't work for me.  Because I simply can't go to McDonald's and have a regular burger and small fries (12 points, according to this); I'd go with that plan and end up with the Big Mac and large fries, totaling a whopping 29.  I'd promise myself I'd ride farther the next day, or eat less for dinner and that sort of thing, you know?  So now there are places and things that are just OFF my list, and that helps me more.  Weight Watchers has been ranked #1 in weight-loss diets, #3 in best diets overall, and ranks highly in several other categories you can see here.  And it is great for so many people and I applaud the efforts of the corporation and the leaders and the results of their members, but it no longer worked for me.  Please don't read anything else into that paragraph!!

"What about gluten?"  Well, if you believe the latest, there's a possibility that gluten allergies, and even sensitivities, don't exist.  I don't know what to believe here, but I will tell you what I told the person who asked this question: I feel better when I'm gluten-free or watching my gluten intake.  There's less bloating, less discomfort in my digestive tract in general, I don't feel all lethargic, etc.  I don't think I have a gluten allergy or am even sensitive by the medical definition (as in I don't have Celiac disease), but I can't argue with how I feel when I eat less of it.  And let me tell you what a FAN I am of gluten-related products!  Bread, bagels, pasta, baked goods, etc.  I love them ALL.  "Man cannot live by bread alone?"  Let me at least give it a try!  I'll make a good run at it!  So I have cut way back on it, and am using more sprouted grain breads and such, but we've only found exactly ONE excellent gluten-free sandwich roll (burger bun...).  Everything else that's gluten-free falls short somewhere in the taste/mouthfeel/bite categories.

"Don't tell me you've given up BEER?"  Oh, please.  It's not gluten-free, it's not necessarily vegan, and...  Oh, never mind.  You can have my pint glass when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.  Besides, I have way too much invested in my brewing equipment!

"What is it like on the bike and stuff for you?"  Between the weight loss of almost 40 pounds and the different fuel for my body, I have NEVER been stronger or faster on the bike.  The last ride I took before the fateful crash was with the Tuesday night group, and I rode with the "Hot" group and kept up for 30 miles.  My average speed at the end of the night was nearly 19 MPH, and that figure had never even entered my thoughts prior to that night.  Indeed you are able to ride faster in a group, and I had two trusted and faithful buddies who kept pulling me along and taking my turn at the front the last few miles, but that was a ride not to be believed based on my history.  The food choices and fuel I'm using must have at least something to do with it, right?

As you can see, LOTS of research went into this post.  I love Google...  Let me know if you have any more questions!