Wellness - Life Style Choices – Exercises for a healthy & possibly long life.

An ongoing project, but here are some of my observations to date, not rocket science, and  based on a simple approach, good old common sense. I haven't quoted sources, but the internet will supply reliable ones if you choose wisely.

Fundamentals:The basis for a long & fulfilling life include;
- a joyful acceptance, appreciation & celebration of the gift of being alive
- a intimate & trusted partner in the journey of life
- a responsible, rewarding involvement with society thru work or volunteering
- caring relationships with family & friends 

Longevity:  Some are blessed with “good genes” – the rest of us need to make choices that that allow us to live a life of self- fulfillment, meaning & purpose, care for our bodies & cope with life’s stress. A positive attitude, a regular fitness program & adequate (7 to 8 hrs) of sleep, are a firm basis for living a long & healthy life. 

Tools: Useful specifics are suggested. 

Philosophy: Pragmatic realist – see with clear eyes, use the best knowledge available. No myths, unproven remedies, or assumed approaches. – a scientific, deductive, evidence driven approach, science as a world view.

Ethics: the Golden rule – do unto other as you would have them do unto you – a simple rule but challenging & very difficult to live by.

Lifestyle: Healthy eating and strenuous aerobic exercise maintains weight, reduces body fat, increases lean muscle mass and results in higher resting metabolic  rate, enhanced insulin sensitivity and reduced cardiovascular risk. Resistance exercises increase muscle mass, elevates resting metabolic rate, enhances muscular endurance and reduces muscle mass loss during caloric restriction and aging. This lifestyle is more effective than drug treatment in preventing mental and physical diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and in slowing body degeneration through aging. As they say "use it or loose it".

Healthy Eating & Supplements: I chose a basic “Mediterranean” style of healthy eating. The following have been added over the years, almond milk, 40 gms of dark chocolate or 2 glasses of red wine, yogurt with live & active cultures, Vitamin D, Calcium, CoQ-10, baby Aspirin, & Omega 3 fish oil.

Exercise: There is a magic pill for wellness, disease prevention & longevity – the pill to swallow is - doing  your exercises. My approach involves an organized routine of calisthenics, stretches & aerobic exercises, 5 days a week, with staggered days off. I find that unless I get up in the morning & do the routine I just can’t find the time & “life” takes over. I take the time by myself, for myself & enjoy the freedom of the “escape”. Remember consistency is crucial; you are what you do in the last 48 hrs. When in condition you can quickly recover from a 2 weeks of inactivity, but after a month you are back to baseline.

The program started with the old 5BX program used by the military & has been modified & augmented over the years. The exercises in red have been added due to specific neck & shoulder problems (as recommended by my physiotherapist). The sequence is choreographed, & the chart keeps track of your progress. Start at a level you are comfortable with & progress at your own pace. Reward yourself as you progress to your target. I learned of the 5 Tibetans only recently & found them a welcome addition to my routine. They will also be a useful alternative while making auto trips which involve overnight stays. 

In doing the relaxation routine breathe in on the count & out with an extended “relax” followed by your metabolic target. “you healthy & content 49'r …” Dr. Deepak Chopra suggests that you can set your biostat, which is a mental set point for your biological age, by repeating it frequently. A little optimistic I think but it is easy to think the count & it extends the relaxation pause. When relaxing focus on specific areas in the body & if it does not relax easily, “giggle “it or slightly tense & relax. When you feel the relaxation you can work it up your body in a wave.  ie, toes, arch, ankles, calf, knees, thigh. The do forehead, eyes, ears, jaw, & neck, then hands, arms, chest & back. You should be very in a very comfortable & content state when you reach the count of 60.

The Relaxation Response., Benson 1975: A scientific validation of age-old wisdom, evoked in religious ritual & transcendental meditation.  In addition to the deep relaxation in the exercise program I try to practice the relaxation response for 10 to 20 min. once a day. Fortunately in my job, I had the time at lunch, either sitting at my desk or lying on the couch at home. Now that I am retired it is part of my afternoon snooze.

The following chart & articles give further details of the exercise program

Addendum #1, age 78

1.    Monitoring  Heart Rate

The following  excerpts are  from WebMd

If you have heart disease and your doctor has forbidden you to exercise strenuously, monitoring your heart rate during workouts is a good way to avoid pushing your heart into the danger zone. Heart rate monitoring can also make sense for serious runners, cyclists, and other athletes who are eager to optimize their aerobic fitness.

But otherwise, there's no pressing need to know your heart rate.

Maximum Heart Rate declines about seven beats per minute for each decade

The latest formula is the one published in 2001 by Tanaka in theJournal of the American College of Cardiology: Multiply your age by 0.7 and subtract that figure from 208. For example, a 40-year-old has a maximum heart rate of 180 (208 - 0.7 x 40). Age 80 is 152 (208 – 0.7 x 80)

Formulas aside, maximum heart rates vary, even among people of the same age. "The formula is only relevant for groups of people," Levine says. "For individuals, the prediction is off by plus or minus 10 to 20 beats per minute."

Regular aerobic exercise makes your heart stronger and more efficient, meaning that your heart pumps more blood each time it contracts, needing fewer beats per minute to do its job.

The so-called "aerobic" or "cardio" zone for working out is 75% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. For age 80 it is 114 to 130 beats per minute 

The calculation at

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/hr_calculator_new.html

For age 80, resting 60 gives a Aerobic zone of 138 – 142 bpm.

2.    Back Exercises

I have also modified my back exercises to relieve a small pain I was developing in my lower back & to follow the advice to do exercises which keep the normal curvature in the “hollow“ of the back.

Lying: Rollups were replaced with Crunches, lifting shoulders of the floor.

Tibetan #2, Over the head,  was replaced with on the back Leg lifts up to 45 degrees

3.  Breathing
I have noticed a "loss of breath" after doing the push ups in the routine so, after a little research, I adopted the "breath in through the mouth" on the exertion portion of an exercise and  "breath out through the nose" on relaxation. Seems to help.

PUFFIN Sprit Rig

Every project involves some research - this article provides a good background on the sprit rig.

I learned of this version of "taming the clew" after the rig for Puffin was completed and sold.

In designing the rig for Puffin we wanted to keep the spars short, so that they could be bundled with the sail for storage inside the hull.  Standard aluminum tubing, Holt-Allen fitting & pop rivets made assembly neat & simple.

The sketch of first version of the leaboard shows the method of attaching it to the hull. The wing nut is more convenient when inside the hull.

               


The original sketch of the fixed blade rudder.

The final design for the leeboard & the swing blade rudder.

Lines & Fittings

The sprit-rig for PUFFIN

Notes on the handling of the Sprit Rig.

Comments on PUFFIN by an experienced sailor .

The following is a step by step description of  setting up the sailing rig.

h   The sail is stored rolled up on the mast in a sail bundle with the boon & sprit. When storing the rig, the sail peak is folded to the mast before rolling the sail up on mast. A couple of shock cords hold the mast, boom & sprit package together.

The Sailing kit includes, a large stainless steel  bolt, washers & wing nut for the leeboard, rubber nonskid for insertion between leeboard & outer hull, wrench & shackle tool for leeboard bolt, sheet with snap hook (line to control boom) & a flag/wind indicator.

The sailing equipment includes, oars stored in the oarlocks (the emergency motor), a paddle for close in maneuvering, leeboard & rudder.

    The swing blade rudder is unfolded, the tiller slipped under the traveller & the rudder lodged with its pintles in the gudgeons on the transom.

The leeboard & nonskid are installed & the bolt is tightened firmly with the wrench & shackle tool & the wrench lanyard loop taken thru & over the horn of the cleat.

The sail and spars are stored in a bunde. To get started the shock cords are removed from the sail bundle to release the mast with the sail wrapped around it, the sprit with black tape & the boom showing the 2 blocks, 2 fairleads & outhaul line.

This is other end of the mast, sprit & boom (with gooseneck). Also shown are the mast steps in the seat & deck. The snap fitting on the fwd seat & a second snap fitting on the aft seat holds the sail rig bundle in place when trailering or towing.

Unroll the sail from the mast & place the mast with the snooter block up. When stored the loop at one end of the snooter line is hooked over the cleat & the other end is tied to the cleat with a half hitch.

Instal the flag in its clip on the mast.

 Undo the snooter line from the cleat on the mast.

Place the snooter loop over the pin on the end of the sprit & tie the loop to the sprit with at the short line & a square knot.

 Secure the other end of the sprit to the sail peak with the short line & reef knot.

 Lift up the mast & pull the snooter line (it should still be in the block on the mast) to extend the sprit & the sail. Do a turn around the cleat & “cleat it”.

Hold the sail erect & insert the mast into the deck fitting & the step in the seat. End of snooter line is cleated to cleat below fwd. deck to secure sail rig in case of a roll Note short downhaul taken thru cleat on mast.

Snooter & sprit will look something like this.

Boom showing 2 blocks for sheet , 2 fairleads, line & cleat for outhaul.

To secure sail, end of outhaul line goes thru first fairlead, thru eye in sail & thru second fairlead & is secured with a stopper knot. Sail is also held close to boom with short line tied with reef knot.

 Rotate boom so that blocks are at the bottom & outhaul is on starboard side of boom.

Gooseneck of boom is slipped over mast.

And secured with another short line & reef knot to sail lacing.

Next step is to snap sheet to traveller loop.

End of sheet is taken thru 2 blocks on boom & small bowline knot tied in end.

Loop in knot is secured on cleat.

 Rigging is ready to go but sill needs adjustment

Tighten snooter  & outhaul & sail flattens ready for sailing.

PUFFIN was a joy to sail & gave me many hours of enjoyment at anchorages.

Coming back to DRIFTER

PUFFIN 7' 9" (2.3m) Bolger - Bain fiberglass yacht tender - dinghy

The building of Puffin involved several skills; naval architecture, woodworking and fiberglass fabrication and was certainly a challenging project. The design approach is detailed in "the Folding Schooner" by Philip C. Bolger.

The following are quotes from the book and correspondence with Bolger.

Fiberglass fabrication requires a "plug" or full size model of the hull. Fiberglass molds are then made over the plug. The plug is removed & the fiberglass hull is "laid up" inside the mold. 

Construction of the plug started with a  "strongback", a level rectangular frame, on which a "keel" and "ribs", cut the match the stations in the plans, are mounted.

Notches in the  keel & ribs help locate & secure them in place.

Next step - strip plank where possible & build up the bow layer cake fashion.

Carving allows the bow shape to emerge.

Next step the finished "plug" goes to the fiberglass shop & once the molded hull is received it is ready for fitting out.

Preliminary trials indicated that Puffin met the designer's expectations for  capacity, stability, towing, rowing, motoring and sailing.

A Puffin was chosen by Paul Howard & Fiona McCall as tender for Lorcha during their world circumnavigation. "All in the Same Boat" describes their Atlantic adventure.

"Still in the same Boat" continues their trek across the Pacific and Indian oceans and home to Canada.

Paul and Fiona were very pleased with Puffin's performance.

For several years a Puffin also served as tender to Drifter, a Albin 27, on Lake Superior, the North Channel of Lake Huron, Georgian bay, the Trent-Severn and Rideau waterways. See  AlbinCruisers Information ,  http://www.albincruisers.blogspot.ca/

A quick sketch suggested that Puffin would fit over a small motor mounted on it own mount.

Detailed measurements indicated that no modifications were required to the swim platform or dinghy, but an extension to the motor mount (for the emergency outboard) was required.

Puffin is raised or lowered with lines which are the ends of the bow line (painter) and stern line of the dinghy. The loops (Bowline Knot) at the ends of the line fit snugly over the horns of the oar locks & can be slid on or off with some difficulty.

To raise Puffin, stand in the cockpit,  snug up the lines & “snap up” the oarlocks & give a strong pull, pushing on the transom with one leg.

The two supporting brackets are unclipped from the transom & clipped to the brackets on the dinghy seats. The lines are removed from the oarlocks & coiled for storage .  

The coil is formed in one hand & a length of line left loose to wind around the coil & to insert a loop between the coil & the windings - the end of the line with the Bowline Knot is passed thru the loop.

The lines are hung from the dinghy oarlocks for storage and easy access.

Skids provide protection on rocky or sandy shores.

Puffin & crew explored many isolated anchorages.

Puffin also provided enjoyable sailing around many anchorages and their environs. The sailing rig design, fabrication and setup is described in another blog.

Puffin makes a pretty picture at anchor.