After almost four years of working out (weekly) with a personal trainer, I’ve decided to go it on my own. The lady I’ve been working with is very good. Four years ago an hour of her pain cost about $25. This week the fitness center (I assume it was their decision) raised her hourly rate to $50 an hour (there were a couple of bumps along with way). $2,600 a year + a few hundred for club membership and you’re right at three grand a year. I can buy a used car for three thousand dollars, so we parted ways. It reminded me of breaking up with a girlfriend in high school. Painful. I stuck as long as I did because I figured I’d stop working out altogether withour the weekly reinforcement. And now we’ll see.

I’m just guessing here, but I figure I must own five or six hundred pair of reading glasses. And I can lay my hands on maybe a dozen of those. But the good news is they are cheap and disposable. And the better news is my vision is (still) almost 20-20. That’s the word from Dr. Wankum. I was half-way expecting to need full-time specs, but not yet. Waiting for the doctor, with all the eye exam gear surrounding you, is a fine time to think about all the beautiful things there are to see.

“Virginity pledges” — public promises to remain virgins until marriage — do not protect the young people who make them from the risk of engaging in unsafe sexual practices that could lead to sexually transmitted diseases. Some pledgers engaged in alternative sexual behaviors in order to preserve their virginity. In fact, among those who had not had vaginal intercourse, pledgers were more likely to have engaged in both oral and anal sex than their non-pledging peers. Among virgins, male and female pledgers were six time more likely to have had oral sex than non-pledgers, and male pledgers were four times more likely to have had anal sex than those who had not pledged, the research shows.” .

— Study in the March 18 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health

From USAToday story: Starting at age 50, people begin to lose 12% of their muscle strength and 6% of their muscle mass every decade. But weight training can reverse these effects in a big way. Two to three months of weight training three times a week can increase muscle strength and mass by one-third, making up for three decades of loss of muscle strength and muscle mass.

A year ago my LDL was 130 (HDL 73). That’s boderline high and my doc encouraged me to watch my diet. By April this year, my LDL was 114 (HDL 72) so he started me on Lovastatin in an effort to get it under 100. My LDL is down to 75 (HDL 75), a reduction more than 40% (just like it says on TV). You can exercise and eat right but if heredity is working against you, go with the drugs.

I have been working out regularly (3-5 times a week)for three years. I thought that milestone was coming up in August but I had ’em check my record at the fitness center and the madness started in June, 2001. I’ve already become something of a bore on the subject so I’ll stop here. But I feel great.

“Researchers analyzed swabs taken from 42 neckties worn by physicians and medical staff as well as 10 neckties from security staff at the medical center. The swabs were cultured on laboratory plates and analyzed for the growth of microorganisms. Of the 42 neckties belonging to the physicians and medical staff, 20 contained dangerous bacteria that can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, blood infections and other illnesses.”

With birthday #56 looming, I’m proud to report that I have never been in better physical condition. Ever. As a child, I wasn’t this fit. And I owe it all to very nice lady named Traci Booth. Yes, I have a personal trainer. I started working out with Traci more than two years ago. It’s my one great extravagance. No way I’d keep at this without our weekly sessions. If you have trouble sticking with an exercise program, here’s your answer.