Our lives to a considerable extent comprise a triaging or titration of influences and activities. There are endless voices out there in the outside world barraging us with ideas of what we should do: build muscle! focus on core strength! Reduce BMI! Work on flexibility! Focus on balance!
My buddy Mark, a physician, gave me a "prescription" for push ups maybe a year and a half ago when I was out in Seattle. According to it I was to do three sets of push ups -- starting at 10 -- every other day for two weeks, after which I was to add a couple. So two weeks 3 x 10, then 3 x 12, 3 x 15, and so on. I made it all the way to 3 x 25 before falling off the wagon, onto which I can't climb back just now, though I still throw in 25 a few times a week now.
With DuoLingo I just "won" the Diamond, or top league, which is to say I was in the top 10 (top 5, actually). My prize for that is staying in the Diamond League. Hooray. It is taking about half an hour a day but I do feel my common Indo-European strengthening as I alternate days of Italian, German, and Ukrainian. But should I keep on with it? I did read that it is good for offsetting cognitive decline in older people in one place. Then again, I just saw that I had written about this within the last couple of weeks so maybe the benefit is limited.
In today's journal there's a piece on how some "older people" are letting go of things (including books) and activities. I haven't read it yet but I probably will. Then again, periodicals are one of the other things I have been working hard in recent years to let go of. They flow through my house constantly, New Yorkers, Economists, Atlantics, alumni mags etc. Ultimately when the stacks get too thick I just have to put them in the recycling bin and carry them to the curb. Usually that conveys its own sense of accomplishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment