Starving middle-aged men in China

On Sunday I received an e-mail reply from a cyberspace fitness brother from a different mother.  A couple days earlier, I sent him an e-mail sharing a fitness topic of common interest.

His reply opened my eyes to what many already know.  Here’s an excerpt of his reply: 

“It’s great to hear from you. I'm in Nanjing China for the next month (I manage a team of software engineers here). The link to your blog is not working here due to the Great Firewall of China.”

This is absolutely terrible!  

My Pierini Fitness blog is not available to hundreds of millions of Chinese middle-aged men who are starving for my guidance.  

As ambassador of all middle-age men around the world, I must rectify this situation.  What should I do?

Maybe I’ll travel to Beijing, China on a humanitarian mission.  I’ll ask for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping demanding his immediate involvement in tearing down the Great Firewall of China.

I’ll remind him of his country’s binge drinking problem that has reached epidemic proportions among middle-age men and beyond.  I’ll also explain the reason for this epidemic.

Chinese middle-aged men thirst for my Pierini Fitness blogflections but they’re nowhere to be found in their cyberspace world.  

In a desperate act to quench their thirst, these poor Chinese men are resorting to alcohol to fill the void in their lives.

So you better eat your cyberspace plate clean of my Pierini Fitness blogflections because there are starving middle-aged men in China.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Yesteryear photo of Burt Reynolds

Of the many topics my wife and I discussed on Saturday, one had repetition to it and that was the color of my moustache.  

I think her eyes and mind are getting tired looking at my salt and pepper upper lip warmer.

In a style best described as a gentle nudge, it seems like Mrs. Pierini Fitness believes a little color to this middle-aged man’s ‘stache might make the world a better place.

I don’t do good answering a “What do you think?” question so my response to its repeated asking can best be described as elusive and weak. 

Such an act, I pondered, would lessen or eliminate my ability to take fun stabs at all those middle-aged men who regularly “juice” their hair and ‘stache with artificial-looking colors because I would now be one of them.

It would forever rob me of my coveted identity of “that guy who walks down a beaten path and who dances to a different drummer.”

Well true to my non-committal self, I didn’t say no and I didn’t say yes while suspecting that answer will only bring the same question being asked again and again.

If she asks me too often, I’ll tell her to knock it off and quit looking at that yesteryear photo of Burt Reynolds.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Cards close to my chest

In yesteryears past, I’d have a ritual of preparing written fitness and strength goals for a new year.  

Being a numerically-oriented person, these goals were expressed in numbers such as times, repetitions, training frequencies, loads lifted and the like.

I’ve always favored objective measures because my weak mind can easily deceive me by using perceived effort as a barometer.  I firmly believe there’s deception in perception, at least for me.

Well this year I have no written fitness and strength goals.  I’m taking a more relaxed approach.  It doesn’t mean I don’t have goals but at this point in my life, they’re more contemporaneous and real time or live in development.

Imagine watching television and regularly-scheduled programming is momentarily interrupted for an important news development that flashes on the screen. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program because we’ve just learned Pierini has announced he wants to run a six minute mile.  And now we return to regularly-scheduled programming.”

I’m sure this relaxed approach can serve me well but may not prepare me for setting any new personal world records in 2014. I’m OK with this probability.

My 2014 fitness and strength journey will still have an upward destination, or at least an upward vision while being mindful that I’m driving an older car.  I might have an unplanned minor injury or two in my journey just like an older car might break down or get a flat tire along the way.

This will be a journey best be described as “two steps forward and one step back” with, hopefully, a series of “net one step forward” advancements in arriving at my 2014 destination. 

Whatever and however it turns out to be, my goals will not be plastered on billboards across America for all to see. 

Instead, they’ll be kept more to myself as if I was a competitive and high-stakes poker player keeping my cards close to my chest.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Coffee straight and strong

My joy for a great cup of coffee is genetic and was
passed  on to me from my Dad.  RIP dear Dad!

It just dawned on me that I’ve not really written much about coffee considering how much I enjoy my morning cup eight days a week. 

I’ve written about everything else under the sun here at Pierini Fitness but coffee has only been mentioned in passing and generally on Sunday in the context of we’re closed for business.

Well I’m determined to change that but you’ll not get another of my long-winded discussions today.  Nope, you’ll have to go surfing to find other bloggers who’ll put you to sleep with a meandering and probably funny blog-share about how coffee fits into their life.

I’ll be straight to the point.  I drink one cup of coffee in the morning.  About half the time I buy it while on the go and the other half I prepare it at home. 

When I buy it on the go, I favor Peet’s Coffee over Starbuck’s.  Peet’s is primarily a San Francisco Bay Area fine coffee establishment but they have locations elsewhere in California and seven other states. 

I like Peet’s because they make their coffee how I like mine – STRONG!

But the best cup of coffee is the one I prepare at home.  I generally use a French Roast coffee bean and finely grind them just before brewing my morning solo cup. 

I prepare my cup using drip brewing, a method which involves pouring water over ground beans in a filter so that the water seeps through the ground coffee, absorbing its oils and essences.  The end result is an awesome flavor unbeknownst to those lost souls confused with a cup of tea in hand.

When my cup is full, I’m ready to immerse myself in a morning sipping delight.  I don’t ruin my amazing beverage with anything robbing its bold and rich flavor like sugar or cream.

Those are for sissies because real middle-aged men drink their coffee straight and strong.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Do more pull-ups!

Santa Monica Beach circa 2006

I’ve made a 2014 business decision to resume weighted pull-ups in my training mix.  

They’ve been a favorite back building staple of mine in training times past.

Taking it slow and easy, this was my weighted pull-up workout last week:

First I spent about three rounds of ten-count each hanging from the pull-up bar to prepare myself for the work ahead. 

Then I did the following with all loads expressed in lbs:  #1 = bodyweight x 5 reps - #2 = 15x4 reps - #3 = 25x3 reps - #4 = 35x2 reps - #5 = 45x1 rep - #6 – bodyweight x 10 reps. 

That was it for the day. 

Then, a couple days later I did four sets of changing grip pull-ups and chin-ups as part of a superset while doing dumbbell bench press work.  

Here’s what I did that day:  #1 = standard-grip pull-ups x 8 - #2 = standard –grip chin-ups x 8 - #3 = wide-grip pull-ups x 8 - #4 – wide-grip chin-ups x 8.  All reps were at least two short of maximum.

There’s nothing spectacular about either of these pull-ups workouts and I’m a far cry from my yesteryear pull-up prowess.  I’m OK with that because I’m in pretty good pull-up shape for the pull-up shape I’m in.

Slowly, safely and surely, I’ll improve and hopefully match my yesteryear efforts of an 82-lb. weighted pull-up and a 100-lb. weighted chin-up.  They're a little harder now because I’m about 20 lbs. heavier and at least five years older.

There’s really no hurry because what will I do when I get there?  I know the answer – do more pull-ups!

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Pierini Polenta antipasto

Most middle-aged men are decent cooks and each of us has our own specialty.  Mine has changed over the years. 

About ten years ago, homemade soups were my specialties and later Tex-Mex style fajitas became this chef's special.

I've always liked my culinary creations more than my wife does so that means larger servings for me.

My favorite is now antipasto I’ve named Pierini Polenta. Allow me the privilege of sharing my recipe with you.

Ingredients

My wife and I frequently shop at Trader Joe's, a food specialty retail store with locations in nine U.S. states so if by some chance you're reading this from the tip of South America, there's not one in your neighborhood.  

Trader Joe's Organic Polenta comes in an 18 ounce tube and never needs refrigeration before opening. It's completely cooked — just heat before serving. I slice it into cookie-size servings, drizzle each piece front and back in olive oil and then heat in a convection oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.

While the polenta is being heated, I stir fry, in a pan of olive oil, a combination of diced sweet mini bell peppers and red onions sprinkled with dry basil (fresh basil also works and is actually better). Eventually, I add sun-dried tomatoes during the last couple minutes. 

It's a matter of personal preference how much of the sun-dried tomatoes to add; too much is overwhelming and not enough fails to capture the flavor accent it provides.  

You'll need to discover your own preference.

My final topping are small slices of mozzarella cheese.

It's an accent topping that shouldn't overwhelm the other flavors.

Take the heated polenta out of the oven and top each slice with the stir fried combination of sweet mini bell peppers, red onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Then top with the sliced mozzarella cheese.  

You're finished culinary delight should look something like this:  

You might like to savor your piatto di antipasto with una bottiglia di vino.

Hey middle-aged man, give it a try, put on your apron and make a batch and impress your wife and friends.  

After your plate is wiped clean, lick your lips and wipe your middle-aged man moustache clean and, while thinking about the culinary delight you just experienced, shout "era squisito" that Pierini Polenta antipasto.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

The obese middle-aged man stooge

Three Stooges Larry, Moe & Curly

A study published by a United Kingdom think tank – what the heck is that? – reported a quadrupling in the number of overweight or obese people in developing countries from 1980 to 2008.

The Overseas Development Institute, the name of this think tank, says one third of all adults worldwide or 1.46 billion people are now overweight or obese.

Somewhat of a surprise to me is that by 2008, more people were overweight and obese in developing countries (904 million) than in richer countries (557 million).

How times have changed from long ago when parents used to tell children, “ there are starving children in China” reminding us how fortunate we were to have a full plate of food and how those starving children in China would give anything to be in our shoes.

None of us probably ever understood how eating our dinner plates clean helped a child in China.

So just like long ago, in a left, middle and right lineup of three middle-aged men, one of us will be the obese middle-aged man stooge.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Frankenstein with gray hair

Last month’s 21^st Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine in Las Vegas provided more evidence of our fascination with what the mainstreamers call “anti-aging.”  This annual event recorded significant growth in both exhibitors showcasing their wares and attendees.

I’ve previously written my disdain for the “anti-aging” term, preferring instead “gracefully aging”; you can read my rant here: In pursuit of gracefully aging

Apparently, these days, events like this are talking about the latest anti-aging tools like chemical peels, stem cell therapies, new lab tests for various bio-markers, and new obesity protocols.  

New obesity protocols; what happened to good old-fashioned duct tape in the olden days?

It also was an exhibitor showcase featuring the latest neutraceuticals, compounding pharmaceuticals, aesthetic equipment and high-end skincare products for those high-end elder-folks having money to buy them.

One exhibitor shared the following:  “Doctors are starting to learn more about what nutritional supplements can do for their practice and even themselves.” 

Might you hear the sound of a cash register “cha ching” during your next doctor’s office visit while your doctor gives you a hard sell for some new and pricey anti-aging vitamins?

All this anti-aging stuff comes at a cost, both in dollars and cents but also accompanying risks. 

I don’t know about you but this stem cell therapy stuff seems like an expensive bottle of anti-aging elixir called hope.  

It also brings monster movie images to me of an eccentric and mad scientist trying to create a grotesque elderly yet virile creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.

You know, like a romantic Frankenstein with gray hair.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

So you want to live to be 100?

John E. Bakos, M.D.

That’s not a question I’m asking you but the title of a new booklet I recently read.  

Its author is John E. Bakos, M.D., a good friend of mine.

Dr. Bakos has been a medical doctor for over 50 years since graduating from Ohio State University in 1962.

His easy-to-read 48-page booklet appeals to medical knowledge meatheads like me who need spoon-feeding with straight-forward explanations sans any technical medical gobbledygook.

Dr. Bakos presents his “no pill cure” for high cholesterol, which is associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, strokes and peripheral vascular disease.  He defies conventional wisdom and advocates a simple solution to getting high cholesterol down to a healthy range which he defines as total cholesterol between 90mg and 140mg.

Dr. Bakos states, “If heart attacks, strokes and other peripheral arterial diseases could be eliminated as a cause of death, our life spans could be 20-40 years longer with a huge decrease in associated debilities.”

Early in his booklet, Dr. Bakos states that cholesterol is a very necessary molecule enabling our body to function as long as it stays in its box (normal levels).  It helps hold all the body’s cells together as part of the membrane surrounding every cell in our body.  It’s also a vital ingredient in our brain and nervous system.

But high cholesterol, defined by Dr. Bakos as total cholesterol above 150mg, is not healthy because it begins to park itself in the walls of the larger arteries in our body.  This causes our blood vessels to narrow with the result being arterial inflammation and, eventually, calcification. 

Eventually, with continuing narrowing of our blood vessels, we are at greater risk for heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease.

One subject my dear doctor friend addresses in his booklet is whether exercise lowers cholesterol.  Dr. Bakos is adamant it doesn’t. 

WebMD, a popular health information website with tools for managing health, states that medical researchers aren’t entirely sure how exercise lowers cholesterol and, until recently, most weren’t sure just what the connection was.

Part of the confusion about the effect of exercise on cholesterol stems from the fact that most early cholesterol studies focused on both exercise and dietary changes, making it hard to determine which of these factors was actually making the difference.

According to one research finding, even though moderate exercise was not as effective in reducing LDL or increasing HDL components, it did keep total cholesterol levels from rising.

Dr. Bakos is much more direct about this connection in his booklet, arguing there’s none.  His opinion is that exercise (by itself) will not help to lower cholesterol in our body because cholesterol isn’t a fuel.  According to Dr. Bakos, we can run or exercise hours a day and it (alone) will not lower our blood cholesterol.

He offers a simple two step non pill approach to lowering cholesterol while acknowledging the existence of less desirable methods of prescription medicine and the risks of their long-term use. 

And what is his simple two step non pill approach?  Dr. Bakos’ new booklet has the answer.  Post a comment below (only I’ll see it) with your e-mail address and I’ll tell you how to purchase your copy directly from Dr. Bakos and he’ll autograph if for you. 

But before you run out and buy it, look at yourself in a mirror and ask the following question:  So you want to live to be 100?

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

Happy New Year 2014

Today is another day of life meant to be fully-experienced with breaths of fresh air we inhale while basking in and enjoying a beautiful bounty in the Garden of Eden of our Heavenly Father. 

It’s another day to receive blessings and carry crosses, both of which are exclusively and uniquely intended for us.  

Our blessings are no greater than what we deserve at the moment while our crosses to carry are no great than what we’re capable.

It’s another day to gracefully age while enjoying the company of loved ones.

It’s the first day of what hopefully will be a Happy New Year 2014.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum