Author: George Banker

Greetings to everyone! Depending on what part of the country you’re from, you could be in the middle of a heatwave. If that’s the case, then just slow down and take it easy.

Speaking of taking it easy…

It’s been two years this month since my mitral heart valve repair, and I am not fully adjusted. I sometimes find myself locked in the past. I’m referring to what I used to do when I should really be focused on what I can do.

This is the time of the year where two conditions can work against you: dehydration and hyponatremia. The best defense is to ensure that you hydrate during the day if you are training in the late afternoon or evening. During your training you should have some type of sports drink and not just plain water. It does not take long for dehydration to set in. One way to tell is if you feel thirsty then it is too late. There may be a tendency to over drink to remedy the dehydration and it can cause the other condition hyponatremia. These two conditions affect your performance and they are preventable.

Are you a master at taking care of others? The telephone rings, and it’s a friend who needs your ear. The children need help with their homework. Your boss needs you to work late to meet a deadline. The list goes on and on. Have you ever stepped back and asked, “Where is my time?” 

It’s easy to pick up a magazine with articles about health and fitness, how to improve a running time, or how to increase muscle size, all of which are positive. There are barriers for every sport known, but how do you overcome the obstacles?

Does it take a support system, or can an individual tackle the situation alone? In keeping with sharing information and motivation and overcoming barriers, this column is about the barrier of anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by weight loss; difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image. People with anorexia generally restrict the number of calories and the types of food they eat.

The key to your fitness program is motivation. You must learn to fight off distractions and find a balance.

This column will take a different direction than the usual running focus and look at the sport of Taekwondo. According to the World Taekwondo Federation, the sport is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional arts that teaches more than physical skills.

It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind.

We are entering the joyous time of the year when the demands on your time increase and the fitness training slips. You must rely upon some good time management.

The following are useful words for the novice and refreshers for the advanced.