More to Movember

Mustaches and beards are plentiful despite it now being December. The craze that began in New Zealand/Australia has continued to gain momentum and participation worldwide. There is a problem though... men are still dying needlessly. The movement originally was begun to bring attention and raise monies for men's cancer/research/awareness. Most guys I know or have talked to are just growing out their facial hair to be a part of a trend, with no knowledge of the greater cause. Last year, I grew my beard and then sported a mustache to bring attention to men's health issues. Being a health professional, I see or hear about men who suddenly have serious health crises that potentially could have been avoided. Hoping to inspire others last year, I also got a full health physical, the results of which I discussed freely with my patients. Getting a physical frequently can help one prevent or avoid serious health problems such as heart disease, cancers, etc... Too often, I hear "he looked so healthy" when someone tells me about a recent death. Most of us have heard of 'silent killers' relative to health. These silent killers are non-discriminating when it comes to their victims. One may be the toughest, fittest looking dude on the block or in the gym; but if genetics and/or other factors are not in one's favor, these silent killers will take their toll.

Next time you grow out your beard/mustache, think about making an appointment for a physical or health check-up. Protect yourself and your loved ones from silent killers and health crises.

Smoothies for health

I can think of nothing better than a smoothie for a healthy snack/meal or to recover from a workout, plus kids love them as evidenced by Mr. Smoothie (my son) in the photo. You don't need a lot: a blender and some creativity. Research has told us that we do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, so drinking them in a delicious concoction will help us improve our intake. I find that frozen fruits or veggies are best because their involvement negates the need for ice. I am not one for diluted drinks, including the adult ones. I will drink my water by itself thank you. I find that a ripe banana, frozen or not, acts as a great base upon which to build your creation. I like to get premixed fruits, with berries and melons, pineapple and mango, etc... I also find that either unsweetened almond milk or green superfood juice work best for me. One can get wilder than those two drink bases, but I am going for nutritional bang here. Whether it is calcium from the almond milk, or all the nutrients in the "green", I am getting something extra healthy and delicious. I have experimented with different superfood additives, such as maca and lucuma powders, and chia seeds; but in the end, I have gotten away from them as I have not seen a huge difference with or without them. Almond or peanut butters are also great additions as well as granola. I personally am not a yogurt eater, but one definitely can add some for calories and texture. After a workout, I do like to add whey protein powder to my mixtures for the recovery/rebuild benefit the protein supplies. All the amino acids present in the powder help damaged muscles regenerate and strengthen, as well as help the immune system stay super-charged. Sugar is also unnecessary with all the sweet fruit juices with naturally occurring sugars. So pull out your old blender, buy some ingredients and get creative.

I'm still here

Welcome back! I have not been diligent with my blogging since last fall/winter. I will attempt to catch up my limited audience with what has gone in the collective Russells' lives this past year. For those of you who have read my posts in the past, you know that my wife Tiffany and I are parents of a wonderful, soon to be(January) two year old Duncan. It is with him that I/we have spent most days doing the family thing. He and I spend a lot of time at the beach, even as it cools off. My beach cruiser bike has an I-bert seat on the handlebars that he really enjoys. This seat allows him an un-obstructed view of the world we are cruising. He has really progressed physically, such that I bought "us" a skateboard that he has begun to learn to scoot around on in the street and driveways adjacent to our house. I can not remember what I did before he arrived in our lives. I definitely do not spend as much time idling as I did before. We have become very structured with our schedules as is required when a child jumps in the mix. As for our training and racing, we took the entire year of 2013 off from racing. We are currently slated to race the Oceanside 70.3 triathlon in March of 2014, so we are busy training for that event. We have taken several trips to North Carolina this fall for Tarheel football games, followed by hilly bike rides in the greater Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Hillsborough area. It has been fun to workout with Tiffany again, as this is something we did a lot of before Duncan.

As for me, I hit the 40 year old milestone a few weeks back and I lived to speak of it. I plan on terrorizing the Masters division as best as I can now that I am officially in my 40's. I am following the old "train smarter not harder" gameplan. I am going to strive to keep up with this blog and keep everyone abreast to our goings on. Derek