When I recently joined a gym my overriding, long term goal was to be able to easily lift and carry any combination of camera and lens I desired, for hours at a time, until the end of my life. You know, fighting off sarcopenia and maintaining critical balance. I've always thought of myself as being pretty fit already but my newly acquired trainer suggested I keep a log of my actual exercise for a week. Seven days of book keeping. A spreadsheet of anti-sloth. We decided not to count everyday steps like walking to coffee or shopping. But I included everything in which my primary objective was....moving around with intention.
After today's weight workout at the gym we went over my "take" for the week. I swam five masters swim workouts this week with an average of 3200 yards per day giving me a total of 16,000 yards of combined fast and moderate speeds, spread across all four strokes. A bit less than ten miles of swimming. I did four different days of long, intentional walking averaging four miles per day for a total of 16 miles which translates to something like 10,000 steps per day. I did three hour long episodes of weight training using machines as opposed to free weights. When sprinting in the pool I try not to exceed a max heart rate of 155 beats per minute.That's just safe cardio training. When I do the weight machines at the gym I'm opting for low to medium weight loads but higher reps. I watch people try to lift their maximums but with three to five reps and I'm wondering how they plan to use the excess muscle mass. My theory, shared by the kinesiologists at UT swimming, is that you want good strength and preservation of muscle mass but that adding too much extra mass inhibits needed flexibility and adds weight that you have to then drag through the water. High reps and low to moderate weights are optimal for swimmers.
A good health target for me is to keep my resting pulse rate under 60 (for sure) and under 55 if I can. I got on the scale today at the gym. With clothes and shoes I tipped the scales at 158 pounds. I rewarded myself later by having an extra helping of fresh blueberries on my Greek Yogurt and muesli. I'm about five pounds over my weight from when I started swimming in college in 1974. My best gauge for keeping weight balancing on track is to never buy pants with a bigger waist size. The pants will tell you, uncomfortably, if you need to drop some weight.... Being in good shape is fun. And a life long pursuit; not a hobby to be picked up and put down like seasonal decorations. Sure, it's easy for me since I'm still young. But that's what I said in my 50's and my 40's as well. As to specific diets....I've done research that shows changing a diet a 60+ might help you drop weight, reduce blood sugar etc. but there's only so much you can do for your health with diet alone. And an occasional piece of dark chocolate --- or a nice glass of red wine --- seems to make life even more worth living.
Part of enjoying my walks is taking along fun cameras and lenses. I walked on Saturday after B. left again to help out with family stuff in SA. For some reason I decided that it was a "smaller/lighter" day. Maybe it was because the temperatures were in the high 80's that day. The Leica CL called out to me as did the charming, sharp and happy little Sigma 18-55mm f2.8 lens for the L mount. It's really small and light but even at f2.8 it's very sharp and capable. I shot around 300 frames and edited brutally when I got back home. I sure like the look of the camera's color and the lens's sharpness. The pair work well together.
Every year Porsche comes to SXSW, rents a big vacant lot right on Congress Ave., just down the street from the state Capitol, and does a big ass dog and pony show for the week. At this point they were less than a week away from completion. In two and a half weeks it will all be gone.
I was frankly a bit shocked when I opened this file up really big on my iMac Pro Retina screen. The detail is just amazing and that Monochrome HC setting in camera seems to know exactly what to do with the sky. There are no "color filter" options in the CL menu. It just comes perfectly equipped for B&W.
Linen shirt for Spring. Hat for Summer and Trail Smith pants for year round.
Divers watches taking a well needed break so I can wear my tiny little Seiko automatic.
No extra wrist stress on that day...
My take on the depressing collapse of American taste and culture.
So, if I add anything more to the exercise and walking with a camera schedule I might never have time to schedule any actual work. Tempting. So tempting.
someone just reminded me about buc-ee's again, the youtube videos seem to have expanded "we lived at buc-ee's for 24 hours!", doesn't look very diet friendly, I've lapsed but had success with the slimming world diet, don't know if that one made it to the states, it's basically low carb and processed food, except for 15 points worth (called syns) everyday, like you can have a small packet of candy etc
ReplyDeleteCorrect you are, the photos look great. Color, contrast, dynamic range, work.
ReplyDeleteNow might be the time to start looking at a Porsche to transport your Leicas to the next job. :)
I think that once you crest 65 it's a bit gauche to buy a Porsche. Well, I guess it might be okay to get one of the Porsche SUVs but I'm always embarrassed for old, paunchy guys with gray hair and tri-focal glasses trying to look macho and sexy in Carreras and Boxsters.
ReplyDeleteOr trying to get out of them.
DeleteHope I didn't step on anyone's toes....
ReplyDeleteThat shot of the Frost Tower is spectacular and the second black and white building photo says it all re in-camera B&W processing. The second circular bike rack grouping suggests a line of ballet dancers. All this added fitness vitality seems to be invading the creative domain.
ReplyDelete(Ahem) We don't call them tri-focals any more - they're "progressive lenses." At our age, it's important to be Hep.
ReplyDeleteNever move to larger pants. Though, I always have 2 sizes. One is 1" larger that my main size. Because: layered winter clothes need to fit somewhere. For a couple of decades my size has settled at 1" larger that what I wore in college. I credit consistent long distance cycling and other activity like downhill skiing, hiking, walking 5 miles to nowhere, and rarely sitting around (except for post production days where I stop and comment on blog posts). Instead doing 'things' is my preferred state.
ReplyDeleteNearly at the 3 year anniversary of quitting the gym because of the health thing that went on. You may have convinced me it's time to go back. Or maybe it was wrestling several stuffed lighting/stand cases around on a job recently. I don't remember them being that heavy.
I believe I'm more alert or have more clarity when I'm more fit. Besides, got to live up to a repeat client's expectations who credits their ambitious upcoming schedule to my "consistent stamina" during days in the field.
Ouch! My toes!
ReplyDeleteHowever...you don't ride two-seaters because you want to look macho and sexy, you do it because it helps you remember when you might possibly have edged toward macho and sexy. Also, because they feel good. My SL550 regularly sucks the handles off the pickups on I-25, when I go past. But, the hard fact is, when you're over 70, women no longer see you, unless they're also over 70. They literally don't see you. I've been second in line at a fast food place and after serving the first in line, have had the counter girl go straight to the third in line.
That tall narrow shot of the buildings looks like a Bernice Abbott shot in New York, I think back in the 30s. And that's a good thing. Except, I like yours better, because hers was in grainy B&W.
When I saw the tall narrow buildings shot, my immediate thought was: "That's a perfect cover for The New Yorker magazine."
ReplyDeleteThanks Gordon, that sounds cool !!!
ReplyDelete"A good health target for me is to keep my resting pulse rate under 60 (for sure) and under 55 if I can."
ReplyDeleteWondering what the rationale is for those numbers . . .
metrics of cardiac efficiency. The quicker your pulse drops down from exercise the better shape you "might" be in. And a lower pulse rate "might" indicate better cardio pulmonary health.
ReplyDelete