THE MORNING POST…(or exercise!)

This summer is HOT!  Anybody remember last sumer?  We had 2 weeks, maybe 3.  It was all foggy, here in Playa.  Another story in the valley, I mean it’s always hot in the valley.  I love the fact that people say that they love the valley, that it’s really NOT that hot.  105, 106, 107; that’s hot.  Any way you put it, that’s hot.  My parents were telling me that in Las Vegas, 111-113.  It’s DRY, though.  I don’t care if it’s dry , humid, whatever, anything that hits 3 digits, too much for me.  I know, I’m a pansy these days; but that hot stuff, not for me.  It certainly makes for good beach day.  That’s why I like to take my workouts down to the beach on weekends, it’s really great.  I’ll do stuff that I won’t generally do here; lateral running,(great for the hips and hip flexors); backwards running, (great for glutes and hamstrings); soft sand lunges, great for quads and balance.  The list goes on.  Sometimes I’ll do squats, maybe 75% of a regular squats; talk about some BURNING legs!!  When I’m done, I LOVE  the walk back to my truck, and a stretch in the park.  What a way to start the day!  Here’s the best part: no equipment, which is why I’m mentioning this.  Anybody can do what I’m talking about here, and anywhere!  Yes, I’ll admit, the beach is great, but there’s so much that people can do with NO equipment, and be as progressive as with equipment.  So if you’re in a “hot zone” as I like to call it, do it first thing in the morning, even in the dark.  I have an alley in the back of my garage, and sometimes I’ll be out there before the sun comes out, (ok, call me stupid!), but when it’s hot, sometimes I can’t sleep.  Might as well do that 1/2 hr workout early; doing all that cardio movement, you don’t need to do more time than that!

When I grew up, Peoria, Ill., was, (and still is) a hot and HUMID place.  When you live in it, you don’t know the difference of hot and humid, vs. hot and dry.  You just go, and do.  I remember playing baseball, Little League and high school, and just sweating, and sweating.  Could have lost 3-4 lbs during a game; all salt of course, but boy, did that work up an appetite.  I feel so sorry for my mother back then, with all the food that we ate!  We always had more than enough, too!  We would eat, then go out and play another pick up game.  How about that?  No TV, no video games, and our heads were always up, not down to view a screen.  Sure, we didn’t have all that stuff, back then; but who would want to stay IN, and watch TV?  Outside, baby, that’s where all of the activity was!  I think we’ve all gotten a little soft; so this is the pick up game!  Go outside, get a walk/run in.  Walk the dog, walk that ONE block to go to the store for the beer; that first one will be fantastic!  (should I be promoting beer drinking, sureeeeeee…).  The point is, make some of your activity physical.  Trust me on this, time is not THAT important.  I think that it actually makes the day speed along.  Do I need to give my dog 3-4 walks per day.  Probably not, but I know that he likes it, and as I get into it, SO DO I!!  I highly recommend this.

So tomorrow is going to be hot, so I’m heading down to the beach, early, to get it on!  When it’s done, you just want to say hi to everyone.  “How’s your run”, as they run by you; or you stop and pet their dog as you pass each other.  It’s just a wonderful way to start your day.  There’s a nice bootcamp down there, run by my friends Texas and Marcus.  There’s a martial arts class; another  private martial arts swords class run by a friend of mine, Steve.  There’s something for everyone; and if you can’t decide, come join me, and we’ll do what you can do!  There’s no rules, just “can”!  I would love that, actually love for someone to approach me and say, “come join me, do what I do”.  I would absolutely love that.  Anything is possible!  I’m never going to say that I can top out anybody, or anything, but I’ll give anything a chance.

Then the breakfast!  I’ll have already had my juice,(before I go out), so now I’ll dig in, something healthy, but very enjoyable.  Cafe Milan has a great breakfast, with a lot of characters in there.  Tripel, (333 Culver) is fantastic, but doesn’t open until 10:30, so if your morning is later, I would DEFINITELY  go into that place!  It’s a weekend, enjoy your time.  Remember what we talked about before, time is not that important, enjoy it!  You’ll be glad you did.

So until next time, (no pun intended), enjoy yourself; and once in a while, check out the sky, and say “thanks”.  You’ll be glad that you did.

Enjoy…

Scott