• Category Archives Fitness

  • Week 1. Day 1

    Posted on by beno Comment

    I have always wanted to run the length of a full marathon. (Not an actual marathon, too many people).
    42.2 kms
    26 miles.

    We have run a few halfs and always enjoyed them. Figured now is as good as a time as any to start training.
    I am going to follow the Hal Higdon method. Basically you just ebb and flow the miles slowly building up the distance. He has a few plans and I picked one of the intermediates to follow. The only change I am going to make is to swap Friday for Saturday (For obvious reasons).

    I wanted to have my fitness devices in place before I started so I could track my progress, but since CES is this week and I am not 100% happy with what I have or what my choices are, I am going to hold off and just go with the fitbit and Strava for the most part.
    We will blog about this topic in due course.

    So. Week 1 Day 1.
    Cross. This means anything other than running. Today, I will be doing free weights with Benson after work in the gym. If that does not work out, then I will see about hitting the HOA pool after work and doing some laps.
    Basically anything to get my cardio up, but not stress my legs.


    Fitness 📎and tagged

  • Inflamed Depression

    Posted on by beno Comment

    Could inflammation cause depression?

    Researchers: Depression May Be a Physical Illness Linked to Inflammation

    Although current treatments for depression mostly focus on brain chemicals such as serotonin, scientists now think inflammation throughout the entire body (triggered by an overactive immune system) may be the root cause of the problem. Widespread inflammation, they posit, could be producing feelings of unhappiness, hopelessness, and fatigue.

    No studies have been done as yet, so it’s all up in the air at the moment, but at least someone is asking questions… so why am I interested?
    I have consistently found that if I have too much sugar or carbohydrates, the next day I wake up feeling like I have been hit by a truck.
    My torso feels like it has a boa constrictor wrapped around it, and my joints are very stiff and sore, this will persist for hours, if not all day.
    In short, I feel like parts of me are very inflamed.
    I’m not yet to the point of keeping a food diary, but pasta, scotch (whiskey), stout, beer and any sort of cake or cookies are known triggers.

    Food for thought.


    Fitness 📎and tagged

  • Depression Diet

    Posted on by beno Comment

    I think we eat pretty well. Roughly based around the Paleo diet, I am the fittest I have ever been. I don’t think it’s any surprise to any of you that I struggle with a bit of depression, so it was that I was led to read this article.

    Clinical Trial Finds Diet Works for Depression

    Felice Jacka PhD is a trailblazing researcher at Deakin University in Australia who is calling the world’s attention to the powerful impact of food on mood.

    Worth a read, there are lots of bits I would like to quote, but its a quick read, so take a moment if you are so inclined and take a look.
    Bottom line, Freddy and I are thinking of taking a step back from the roughly Paleo diet we currently follow and just see if it could use some tweaking in light of this information.


    Fitness 📎and tagged

  • Electric mountain bikes are a real thing

    Posted on by beno Comment

    I know Gary has a set of electric bikes. I love mine so much I brought it with me from Australia (have not hooked batteries to it since I got here, but that’s probably the topic for yet another blog)…. I was interested to read a bit more about how hard core not just electric bikes are becoming, but specifically electric mountain bikes.

    https://www.cnet.com/news/electric-mountain-bikes-charge-trails-sea-otter-emtb-race/#ftag=CAD590a51e

    E-mountain bikes are rarities in the US today, but they’re spreading just as they did in Europe, said Claudia Wasko, who leads the North American e-bike systems group for Bosch, the dominant maker of e-bike batteries and motors. “The market in the US is five to 10 years behind,” she said.

    Plenty of consumers are already convinced. E-bike sales should grow to $24.4 billion by 2025, up from $15.7 billion in 2016, analyst firm Navigant predicts.

    Thats some serious money…. I guess people like hobbies and recreation. Old guys that have good jobs and empty nests that want to get back out there, but don’t have the fitness….

    Anyway, go read it if you are interested.
    I think the takeaway for me is that electric bikes are growing up. They are bringing more of a common everyday thing. They will come down in price. People will have one in the garage and pull it out on the weekends.

    I know I want one, but not at 6 grand…. will just have to wait another few months.


    Fitness