HEALTH AND FITNESS continued
HEALTH AND FITNESS con't. next column
Ethan
Payne
Getting to know Ethan Payne
of Ethan Payne Home Inspection
Favorite type of house? I like a ranch style
farmhouse with a wraparound porch. I would
love to buy some land outside of Carthage. I like
country living; I like having my own space.
What advice would you give young people?
Never give up. You can fail, but you are never a
failure. You just have to get back up and keep
going. Don’t ever give up!
In high school, everyone wants to be the best.
No one talks about their failures, but the testing
makes you strong. If you keep the pain buried
inside, then how are you going to help anyone
else? It’s OK to talk about what you’ve gone
through. It’s OK to hurt—everyone does. You have
to go through the bad things to get to the good,
and we need to start talking about it.
Any local favorites? I really like the Farmer’s
Market in Southern Pines. And I love Mexican
food.
Church family? I attend New Covenant
Fellowship in Carthage where everyone comes
with open arms.
How would you summarize life? I’ve been
through a lot in my life. You just have to take it
one day at a time, little steps at a time. Every day,
I have to make a choice about what today holds.
For instance, when I first started working out,
I hated running, but I made myself run. Once I
did it, then I felt great. When I lost the 75 pounds,
I knew that I could conquer anything! When I
was studying for the test, I didn’t want to study,
but I had to make myself do it. Once I did it, then
I felt great. Learning the discipline found in hard
work makes life worth living.
How would you encourage young people
regarding hard work? Everyone has a choice to
either work hard or be lazy. With everything I’ve
gone through, I’ve always tried to do a good job
and have a good work ethic.
If you really want to do something, then you
just have to do it. You have to show up on time.
Charge the right amount of time on the time card
and put in the hours. ☐ See Front Page Story.
Spring Is Blooming,
But Are You?
by Mark C. Ford, CPT
Yes, the temperatures are getting milder, the
birds are chirping, and the flowers are starting
to come out of their winter mode. I think most
people would agree that Spring is their favorite
time of year.
It is also a great time of year to get rid of the
inevitable rust that has accumulated over the
Winter. No, I’m not talking about the garden
tools in the shed, but rather the “rust” that has
probably built up around the waist line and other
areas due to holiday festivities and inactivity in
general over the last few months.
Understandably, it is a little harder to stay
active when it’s windy and cold outside. The
recliner and fireplace look much more appealing
than bundling up and heading to the gym or
outside for some exercise.
But now that the climate is a little more
hospitable, there really is no excuse not to get
out and get moving. Research has shown that as
little as 30 minuets a day of exercise can improve
your overall physical condition tremendously.
And, not surprisingly, just making sure you do
a nice amount of walking can improve your
physical and mental approach to each day.
Speaking of which, I would like to shift
gears and talk about something I feel a lot of
people could benefit from. Which is trying to
be “Mindful.” As a Certified Personal Trainer,
the bulk of my education has been related to
physical health and well being as opposed
to mental health, and I do not profess to be
an expert in this area. But I have done some
research and have a fair amount of knowledge
that I am happy to share.
Being mindful simply means to live in the
present. Mindful people tend to not worry
about past unpleasant experiences nor fret
unnecessarily over events they are facing in the
future. Studies have proven that as much as 90%
of what we worry about never occurs. That’s an
awful lot of dread for nothing. Of course it is
impossible to not acknowledge certain events,
but when we begin to dwell on them is when it
becomes problematic.
As a rather avid golfer, I try to approach each
round in a mindful way. Trying to not worry
about the bogey (or worse) I just made. Or the
tough par 3 over water that is just around the
corner. But doing my best to concentrate on
the task at hand and just hitting the ball where
I want it to go. The games greatest players are
masters at this. Jack Nicklaus for example
looked as if a lightning bolt could strike five feet
behind him when sizing up an important putt,
and he wouldn’t even notice. This concept can
be applied to everyday life with a little practice.
Deep breathing exercises and concentrating
on each breath is a good way to start. There
is also a procedure called “block breathing”
which is inhaling for 5-7 seconds, holding the
breath 5-7 seconds and then slowly exhaling
for the same. Continuing for 5 - 10 minutes.
Professional athletes are known to do this before
an important event as a method of relaxation.
The hardest part about beginning a exercise
routine is simply getting started. It should begin
with a physical exam by your doctor to make sure
you are capable of additional exertion safely.
After you have been cleared, a consultation with
a professional can help you with a “road map” to
health. We generally try to make it interesting as
well. You definitely want to make sure you vary
your routine. The quickest way to get bored with
your program is to continuously do the same
exercises over and over again. Also it doesn’t
really benefit you to just keep working on the
same areas. You want to “surprise” your muscles
occasionally for best results.
Another way you can make things more
interesting is by finding someone who wants
to achieve the same goals as you. A little
competition and maybe even a friendly
wager can go a long way in keeping yourself
motivated. After a while, you will feel you have
missed something if you didn’t get some type
of activity on a particular day. Of course, there
are going to be days when your schedule simply
won’t allocate any extra time for exercise, and
that’s fine. A day or two of rest is recommended
occasionally. It is possible to over–train if you do
not allow some resting time as well. Your body
will tend to tell you when it is being worked too
hard, usually through injury. Fortunately, this is
not something I see very often but still needs to
be mentioned.
So if you’re not living an active lifestyle, let’s
make a commitment to get up, get out, and get
moving and bloom your best blossom ever this
Spring. You will be surprised at how much fun it
can be! ☐
Mark Ford is an ACE (American Council on Exercise)
Certified Personal Trainer who specializes in training
individuals age 50 and over in the comfort of their homes.
Contact Info: (910) 975-2572 or mford42@nc.rr.com.
No. 138 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. p.35
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