There is an interesting Ted talk on this topic entitled Run for your life! At a comfortable pace, and not too far by Cardiologist James O'Keefe. He argues that more vigorous exercise like running (and other aerobic exercise of similar intensity) has an inverted U-shaped curve of health benefit. Doing some exercise confers significant health … Continue reading How Much Exercise Is Too Much? →

I posted on May 17 that I had gained a bit of weight (17 lbs) after my bike crash. I had not been weighing myself nor tracking my food intake for a few weeks, instead trying to eat healthily and intuitively. And there was the unfortunate combination of that and not being able to keep … Continue reading Taking Health and Fitness Up Another Notch →

My repaired shoulder is doing pretty well 6 weeks out. I just had my fourth session of physical therapy and my PT, Rob, says my range of motion is very good so far, about in the 90th percentile. And today after my fourth session I got remeasured, and all the joint angles have improved by … Continue reading Shoulder Rehab Update- 6 weeks Postop →

My last ride during my stayventures. This one was on June 10th. Time for me to start blogging about new adventures. Fortunately I'm healed up enough to go hiking again (carefully!) and should be cleared to ride outside in a couple of weeks (carefully!). Today I rode out New avenue which hugs the eastern foothills … Continue reading Rural Treasures East of Gilroy →

Another post from my Stayventures backlog, this one from June 9th. I talked about one of my favorite places to ride, Coyote Creek trail, in a previous post. Today I went further north on it towards San Jose. Just past Metcalf road you encounter Coyote Lakes, a local fishing and waterskiing spot: The long green … Continue reading Coyote Creek Trail Northern End and Hellyer Park →

I wrote this about a week before my surgery, during my "stayventures" period. This is a favorite local bike-hike of mine. The last mishap I had, along with tearing my rotator cuff, also strained my achilles, so I've been babying it for a few weeks with no hiking. It was nice to be able to … Continue reading Surpentine Trail to Rosendin Point →

I came across this video on Netflx. Grant Korgan is a talented multi-sport athlete (mostly outdoorsy stuff like skiing and mountain biking). He gets injured badly in a snowmobile accident, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down, although he starts to get some use back in his legs during rehab. His wonderful wife Shawna happens … Continue reading “The Push” →

This was written on June 9th, part of my backlog of "stayventures". The other day I rode by Redwood retreat road southwest of Morgan Hill and said I'd return to it soon. I decided to do that today. This road dead ends after 7.09 km (4.4 miles), with really nice scenery on the way. Mostly … Continue reading Redwood Retreat and Mt Madonna Roads →

I had a funny incident today on my walk. My achilles, which I strained back on May 8 in the same hiking fall that tore my rotator cuff, is finally feeling good, so I went for an hour today. This is me setting out. A few minutes into my walk I passed a young woman … Continue reading You Shouldn’t Be Walking! →

A lot has been written on this topic, including an entire book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey and Eric Hagerman. Exercise helps with mental health issues like stress, PTSD, depression, and anxiety. It also plays a helpful role in treating addiction. The latest book I've read on … Continue reading Mental Benefits of Exercise →