To ski over 30 feet in the air, perform the twists and turns they do, and land upright must require unbelievable coordination. My one complaint was television showed too much bobsledding. I know we all like different sports, but that sport is just not a favorite of mine!
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Andrew Collins is a Durham dentist who absolutely loves running. Collins is also quite a writer, and his book titled "On Running On: Lessons From 40 Years of Running" is an enjoyable and informative read. I am almost through reading the book, and plan to write more about the book and Collins in the near future.
He has really logged some impressive mileage in his running career. In his book he writes that he has run at least 50,000 miles, or more than twice around the circumference of the Earth. Collins is 73 years old, never has had a serious illness, and has a resting pulse of around 45. He still runs and is still looking after people's teeth, so I will share more of Collins' inspirational story soon.
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In a recent report Durham was found to be the 22nd healthiest city in the United States to live. This good news came from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.
Durham ranked 16th in the category of Health Behaviors, such as smoking, exercise, and nutrition. It was 17th in Physical Health, which included chronic diseases, sick days taken, physical pain and daily energy. Durham was 18th in the country in the category of Work Environment.
Being ranked 22nd out of all the large and medium sized cities in the United States for health is pretty impressive.
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I love the following quotation from William Blake, as it is pretty easy to relate it to the negative effects not exercising has on our bodies: "Expect poison from standing water."
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I always keep my bird feeder in my front yard full of seed, as I enjoy watching birds eat and sing. It took me about a year, but I seem to have made my feeder squirrel-proof at last by using a shepherd's hook. Squirrels must be the most acrobatic animals out there, and also quite the runners.
The fastest human can run about 10 meters a second for about 10 seconds. An average squirrel can run 20 meters a second for 4 or 5 minutes.
Here is another human to animal comparison regarding running. The fastest humans can run about 18 miles an hour, while a cheetah can run 46.
While on the subject of running, it was thought that this type of exercise would be beneficial way back in ancient times. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, who lived from 460 to 377 B.C., recommended "sharp runs so that the body may be emptied of moisture." In other words, there is nothing wrong with a little sweat!
Lewis Bowling teaches at N.C. Central University and Duke University. He is the author of several books on fitness and sports. His Web site is www.lewisbowling.com. Lewis is available to speak to area organizations. He can be reached at 530-6224 and at Lewis_Bowling@yahoo.com.
