57a
Posted in Personal on November 14th 2010 by Randy Reichardt.: Hard to believe at times that I am 57, living in my 58th year. Recently I received two new credit cards, and found myself staring at the expiration dates, both of which are when I’ll be in my early 60s. I find it next to impossible to comprehend such numbers, but I’m grateful to still be alive and kicking, to coin an 80s’ musical phrase. But as one gets older, one tends to pay closer attention to how one’s body is functioning, as it were. Earlier this year, I was told by my physician that I have Type II diabetes, based on blood sugar readings on previous blood tests. He advised me to work on a better diet, and to begin exercising regularly. I met with the community nurse at the Family Medicine Centre, and it was a wake-up call. I had to get an eye exam, and have my feet checked for circulation. I was told that diabetes, when left untreated, can lead to blindness and poor circulation, which in turn can lead to loss of limbs. Yikes. The nurse gave me a monitor to check my blood sugar, and I also have a blood pressure monitor. I use both regularly and record the readings each time.
While I have not been idle when it comes to physical activity, I am one who does not enjoy, in any sense of the word, working out, at the best of times. I knew I had to do something, so Fate intervened. At the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in August 2010, I met a woman who was working backstage in the same area as my crew (Performer Hospitality). Early in our conversation, I learned she (Laura) was a personal trainer, and a few weeks later, we met to discuss a potential program. I decided to go ahead with 10 sessions, and to date, we have met 15 (or 16) times. Generally I meet her at the Kinsmen Field House, and I work through a series of exercises she organizes for that session. The exercises include some using free weights, barbells, weight machines, and occasionally, the TRX Suspension Trainer. I’ve made marginal progress so far, and plan to continue working with Laura indefinitely. To offset the weight and resistance training, I do 30 minutes on the upright cycle in my basement three to four times a week. The long range goal is to continue this regime indefinitely. The trick is to continue to make myself do it!
In June, after travelling to Kingston ON and New Orleans LA, I have not been “on the road”. This will change in a couple weeks, when I fly to Boston to spend a week in Cambridge. I’ll be in a studio apt, close to Harvard. I am going there to hang out with friends I have made there, mostly via Facebook, and to do so in places like Atwood’s, Lizard Lounge, and Toad, three clubs I was in when I was in Boston last November. The last three trips I took at this time between 2007-2009 were to attend a conference in downtown Boston. While that conference is on again, I’m not attending, but the desire to return and hang out with good people in Cambridge was too strong to resist. I’m looking forward to going, and seeing performers like Kristin Cifelli, Ruth Peterson (The Wild Sea), and Tim Gearan.
