I got a spiffy new watch as a farewell gift from the SmallCorp Board last month, but I continue to mostly wear my Apple Watch. It does such a great job measuring movement & fitness activity – I would miss wearing it. I am very diligent in closing out my fitness rings every day. I might missed a few days, but generally I get them … Continue reading Ringing Up Exercise
I ran across these two charts recently and couldn’t help but scratch my head at what is going on in this country. This first chart shows healthcare spending. It’s been steadily growing +5.8%/year on average over the last 20+ years. That’s a whopping 2.4x the rate of overall inflation. The steady growth in healthcare spending stands at odds with political promises that came with the … Continue reading Healthcare Woes
Summer is still a fortnight away, but I’m not ready for it. I’m a bit beat up. Spring sports – tennis & softball – have me nursing a painful Achilles tendinitis injury. I’ve been doing everything I can to get it back in shape. Stretching exercises, lifts in my shoes, and wearing Skechers in the house. Still, it’s been a slow road. In the last … Continue reading Stretching Into Summer
Summer 2023 started with a bang in May – I was so excited to get back outside and do outside things! In mid-May I raved about the great weather that had rolled in and all of the activities that were underway – including that new-fangled Pickleball! A month later, I noted that my Jeep was filled with tennis gear, my softball bag, a few golf … Continue reading A Man’s Got To Know His Limitations
A friend posted a picture of her grandmother celebrating her 103rd birthday this week – that’s some milestone! Since my birthday is also in April, I got to thinking about the odds of reaching three digits. I found this interesting online calculator that gives you an estimate of your likelihood to reach the century mark: livingto100.org. The doctor who hosts it – Doctor Thomas Perls … Continue reading Birthday Calculator
When I rejoined the Apple Watch club last year – after 4 years without wearing a watch of any kind – my son warned me not to become “a slave to closing your daily fitness rings”. He knew that I can be a goal-oriented fanatic and closing one’s daily rings can be addictive. How right he was … I was off to the races soon … Continue reading Slave to the Rings … or Master?
We just returned from a wonderful two weeks in New Orleans and a Caribbean cruise. Our son is off of college this month on ‘J-Term’, so we took a very early spring break when he has time to enjoy it with us. It wasn’t all ‘No Responsibility January’ however, this was a busy trip with a lot of walking and some fun adventure activities. One … Continue reading Climbing Into The New Year
Last month, I fell short of my monthly walking goal for the first time since I stopped working 30 months ago. My goal is 12,000 steps a day and I’ve reached at least that many steps whether sunny, rainy, cold, or snowy until I averaged just 11,755 in October. Related: Fitness Activity in Early Retirement I could have probably jumped on the treadmill for ~75 … Continue reading Walking In A Winter Wonderland
For the last 6 years I worked at the MegaCorp I officially early retired from, I was a Corporate Officer and had the benefit of getting Executive Health benefits. Since we live in Minnesota, that meant I could go to the Mayo Clinic or a similar program (I usually went to one closer to the office) and be put through a full-day physical once per … Continue reading Work Stress & Health – By The Numbers
Early retirement isn’t just about finances, it is also about keeping yourself healthy. I am happy to report that I have continued my diligence in tracking my fitness activity into my second year of early retirement. My daily fitness level is up dramatically compared to my former working self. Since April of last year, I have boosted my daily steps by almost 70% to an … Continue reading Fitness Activity In Early Retirement
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