The 50 Plus Male

If there’s a sport other than golf that can evoke a plethora of emotions so dichotomous to one another (relaxation vs. frustration, joy vs. rage), I’ve yet to come across it. I took-up the sport in earnest about ten years ago. I’m talking lessons followed by practice, more lessons followed by more practice, more lessons followed by…well, you get the idea. I actually felt a not so small measure of terror the day I played my first round, but once I made it off the first tee (yes, I had to take a mulligan), I was fine. I dissolved into the beauty of the course, letting the privacy it offered from the outside world shield me from my mundane daily responsibilities and worries.

Flashing forward to today finds my clubs gathering dust in the closet, not having played one round in the last few years. I’ve only been to the local driving range one time in recent memory. There’s no rhyme or reason why this has happened. My wife and I still vow to play the game some day (note: this is the only sport my wife will partake with me); the thought of all those lessons (and money) going for naught doesn’t sit well with us. More importantly, we simply had a good time during our brief affair with the game.

  In the course of some of my recent leisurely reading, I’ve come across a new set of “rules” for golf that I think will dramatically increase my resolve to stick with it the next time I pick-up my clubs; in fact, I strongly believe all 50 plus males who have a passion for the game may find  an uptick in their level of enjoyment should they decide to play by these new “rules,” so graciously proposed by Mr. Donald A. Metz of Devon, Pa.

Here are a few of his more important changes I can live with:

1. On beginning play, as many balls as may be required to obtain a satisfactory result may be played from the first tee. Everyone recognizes a good player needs to “loosen up” but does not have time for the practice tee.

2. A ball sliced or hooked into the rough shall be lifted and placed in the fairway at a point equal to the distance it carried or rolled in the rough. Such veering right or left frequently results from friction between the face of the club and the cover of the ball, and the player should not be penalized for erratic behavior of the ball resulting from such uncontrollable mechanical phenomena.

3. A ball hitting a tree shall be deemed not to have hit the tree. Hitting a tree is simply bad luck and has no place in a scientific game. The player should estimate the distance the ball would have traveled if it had not hit the tree, and play the ball from there, preferably from atop a nice tuft of grass.

4. There is no such thing as a lost ball. The missing ball is on or near the course somewhere and eventually will be found and pocketed by someone else. It thus becomes a stolen ball, and the player should not compound the felony by charging himself with a penalty stroke.

5. If a putt passes over the hole without dropping, it is deemed to have dropped. The law of gravity holds that any object attempting to maintain a position in the atmosphere without something to support it must drop.

6. A putt that stops close enough to the cup to inspire such comments as “you could blow it in” may be blown in. This rule does not apply if the ball is more than three inches from the hole, because no one wants to make a travesty of the game.

I know what you’re saying, “Bobby Jones must be rolling over in his grave,” but just think how much more pleasurable the 19th hole would be for everyone…

-Neal

This posting is a follow-up to my August 3rd post in The 50 Plus Male, “Refining The Physically Fit Male—Surviving The Urban Jungle.” I regard that as one of my more important editorial pieces since it revolves around improving our health, specifically in the “newly” recognized area of functional fitness.

While the August post dealt with the MovNat fitness philosophy, today I want to introduce two specific pieces of fitness equipment that many 50 plus males may prefer to utilize as an addition to or in lieu of use of free weights. First we will discuss TRX suspension training, followed by a brief discourse on working out with bands.

The TRX (total resistance exercise) system was invented by ex-Navy SEAL squadron commander, Randy Hetrick,  when he was seeking a way to keep his men in shape with an apparatus they could use in any type of environment. The TRX is basically two industrial-grade nylon straps with cam buckles sewn to rubber handles (for your hands) and foot cradles, attached to an additional anchor strap/carabiner that you can connect to a beam, tree limb or any other type of firm anchor . The entire piece only weighs a couple of pounds and can be kept in a companion mesh storage bag.

  The result is a highly efficient suspension system that uses your own body weight for resistance. When your feet are suspended, you are forced to engage your core muscles. You can adjust the straps and the position of your body to develop your own personalized workout because these actions will  increase or decrease the level of difficulty for a given exercise. Don’t worry if the idea of even minimal suspension seems too daunting; you can just grip the handles and lean back to perform multiple exercises that cover the major muscle groups. By enabling you to increase your strength, flexibility and balance simultaneously, you are provided with a well-rounded functional fitness routine that allows you to better handle life’s daily mundane requirements such as lifting and climbing. For more information you can visit the TRX web site, www.fitnessanywhere.com.

Many of us, especially when we were “south” of 50 years old, only equated strength training with free weights. Nothing else was considered other than grunting and sweating while we pumped iron.  Well, I’d like to remind you of another type of strength-training apparatus, elastic bands; basically  surgical-grade elastic latex tubing (found in premium band systems) of varying lengths and colors attached to plastic handles encased in foam, with a door anchor component at the other end.  Length and color denote the varying amounts of tension when the tubing is stretched. The handles will have carabiners attached (once again, only in high-quality kits) that enable you to instantly click on various combinations of the tubing to enlist a multitude of resistance-level choices. 

The bands allow you to mimic almost any type of sports movement and can provide many benefits:   increasing your strength/boosting your aerobic conditioning/adding muscle/reducing your chance of sports-related injury. You’ll find yourself burning calories much more efficiently while improving cardiovascular fitness. As with suspension training, band training can pretty much be done anywhere. This is particularly beneficial for those of us 50 plus males who travel extensively for business.

I can recommend two band systems for you. The first is made by Bodylastics, found at www.bodylastics.com. (For full disclosure purposes, I must note  this system is also offered through The 50 Plus Male Store, but I’m not pushing this system over any other; it’s ultimately up to you to decide). The second system is the SuperBand system (www.ihpfit.com), developed by J.C. Santana, M.Ed., C.S.C.S., of the Institute of Human Performance in Florida. Mr. Santana is one of the country’s leading authorities on band training, and has been written about in Men’s Health magazine. One final note of caution: care must be taken when exercising with bands in combination with the door anchor component.  Please make sure the bands are securely anchored in the door; if not and the bands break free from the door, they can snap back and hit you—possibly resulting in significantly painful injury anywhere in your lower extremities (guys, I’m talking about a major ouch and discoloration; you won’t have any “spring to your step” for a couple of days).

Folks, I don’t presume to present myself as a fitness expert…my sole intention is to educate you on proven functional exercise alternatives to your current regime. Both the TRX system and exercise bands are used in many fitness facilities throughout the U.S., which provide utilization and safety guidance. For use at home, premium-grade systems will offer an instruction book supplemented with a training DVD.

-Neal

“Happy times are here again”…no guys, I’m not singing the familiar refrain from the tune of the same name written in 1929 that served as FDR’s Presidential campaign song in 1932, has appeared in countless movie soundtracks, and is best known by our generation as the unofficial theme song of the Democratic party.  I’m in an upbeat mood because my hometown baseball team, the Phillies, clinched the National League Easter Division crown last night and are headed for the playoffs.  Let’s face it, October baseball is played at a much more entertaining and intense level than any other part of the season. 

This is the third straight year the Phillies have accomplished this feat, a mark of consistency generally not occurring  with great frequency in the world of sports these days.  Yes, we’ve had our  teams of each decade:  for example, the ‘70’s crown belonging to the Pittsburgh Steelers in football, and the ‘90’s crown resting with the Chicago Bulls in basketball.  The true kings of consistency in sports, possibly for all-time, are the Red Auerbach/Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics and the venerable New York Yankees of yesteryear baseball lore. I raise the consistency theme because it’s doubtful we will ever see real dynasties in sports again.  Nowadays, if a team is fortunate enough to win two consecutive championships, “dynasty” begins appearing in our sports columns.

While many of us 50 plus males have yet to reach senior-citizen status, we are old enough to remember when the makeup of our hometown teams’ personnel didn’t vary from year-to-year nearly to the degree it does today.  Now, in the era of big-money sports where owners and fans alike are thinking “what have you done for us lately,” we find ourselves in many cases rooting for this year’s rent-a-team, as player loyalty is no longer defined by playing on a specific team for the long-term; today it’s all about the dollars and serving as hired mercenaries to the highest bidders (admittedly, sports agents are major culprits here too). 

So, while the good times have arrived for fans of the eight playoff-bound baseball teams, how many of you are truly emotionally vested in the outcome?  Unless the core of your team has been home-grown through its farm system and buttressed with maybe a couple of key trades through the years, as opposed to the wholesale annual personnel moves that have become the norm, asking for your ardent loyalty isn’t warranted.  There’s nothing wrong with having passion for the game; sports after all provides a primary outlet for us to live our dreams though the pros and vent by the water cooler.  Yes, many towns still have rabid team fans, particularly for football domestically and soccer world-side, but we 50 plus males know the difference between frenzied behavior versus indisputable sentimental loyalty.

-Neal  

note:  “Happy Days Are Here Again” song facts courtesy Wikipedia

My first sign was that I had become a step slower; the younger guys were beating my defense.  Then came more telling signs such as hamstring pulls, cramps in my calves and finally, a torn rotator cuff (which required an operation resulting in the insertion of four pins into my shoulder).  In short, the mind was willing, but the body was not…basketball, football, it didn’t matter; I simply wasn’t the “old me.”

A relatively new term, “boomeritis,” has been coined by a well-known and respected orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Nicholas DiNubile, who has treated members of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team and Philadelphia Ballet.  The term refers to what Dr. DiNubile, in an msnbc.com article by Lisa Daniels, calls a mind-body mismatch that describes the alarming increase in sports-related injuries suffered by middle-age patients (i.e. boomers).  Many of us 50 plus males fall into this category.

Let’s face it, we all would like to turn back the clock and athletically perform at the same levels as we did 20-30 years ago.  To this end, many of us push ourselves beyond acceptable limits in our efforts to remain physically fit.  Walk into any health club and you’d be amazed at the portion of   members comprised by people 50 plus years of age. Have you noticed the large number of “mature” men and women competing in 10K races and even triathlons in your locale?  This certainly isn’t a disturbing phenomenon, it’s just that we’re not following proper exercise regimens in many cases.  Some of us are also totally caught-up in our work during the week and have consequently become weekend warriors.

In a Sept. 20th article in The Philadelphia Inquirer written by Lini S. Kadaba, 60 year old Los Angeles-based sociologist BJ Gallagher is quoted as saying that “intense physical exertion is to be expected by folks who have traditionally broken the rules…we’ve defied authority and now we’re attempting to defy Mother Nature.”  The key is to listen to your body and know when to exercise (pardon the pun) some restraint.  You know that eating moderately will help keep your weight down; doesn’t it follow that moderation in physical activity will help reduce your chance of injury?

For many of us, our DNA won’t allow us to stop pushing ourselves when it comes to workouts or participation in sports.  We need to learn that vanity and ego have to take a back seat to common sense.  It doesn’t necessarily mean any loss of swagger, just less immobility and discomfort.

-Neal