Well Past Forty

With these early days of autumn in the northern hemisphere this is a perfect time to chat about The Great Outdoors and our interactions with it. 

Store shelves are full of pumpkin and maple treats and some healthy items, However, I caution that we should remember the Immortal words of Jack LaLanne. He advised, 

 if man made it don’t eat it. 

LaLanne foresaw the unhealthiness of processed and ultra-processed foods, and their future prevalence. Sure, American food has become convenient. However when we’re talking about the inflammation and oxidation caused by excess fat, too much salt, and too much hidden sugar – I think it’s appropriate to go au naturel – what do you think?

Back to our 10th calendar month of 2025 with its Harvest or Hunter’s Moon.

 Let’s celebrate quiet and rowdy times in our Great Outdoors, including the treasures of our national parks, our local parks, our beaches, mountains, our urban and rural trails.

Before “man” discovered farming to feed the tribe, “he” was on the move as a hunter and gatherer. I appreciate that lifestyle, as heart disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and obesity were most likely unheard of.

When in doubt, try to emulate some of our globe’s healthiest populations in Scandinavia and in Blue Zones.  Just check how big is the difference between time that Scandinavians spend out of doors compared to us!

And while you’re at it, try to properly pronounce Friluftsliv. This Norse world means open-air living…. Don’t you just love the Scandinavian saying, 

“there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”?

• Dressing in layers, as our Moms and Dads used to counsel us, is a great starting point to transcend “bad clothes”.

For me, early October meant donning “right” biking clothes for the hot, humid, and episodically wet Southeastern USA:

Next, I travel to Boston, then to Annapolis,  Maryland for rowing and college reunion activities.

This year’s Head of the Charles Regatta is 17-19 October. Most of us know how dicey the autumn New England weather can be  –  from idyllic Indian Summer conditions to early sleet and snow… We Rowers will be on the water for ~ 90 to 120 minutes.  The 3-mile race takes about 15-17 minutes depending on conditions for men’s crews on Saturday, October 18th. So, it is the warm-up and post-race time to get from and back to our boathouse that demands good clothing decisions.

Everyday a Holiday

With a mind-body alignment to make every day special, we can view holidays as milestones or benchmarks.  And remember that living the open-air dream life doesn’t always mean exercise.  Check out what Community Care Physicians offer as ten great autumn activities. Yup, raking leaves and rucking around to see fall colors are two of ‘em.

We can also celebrate that American Holiday of Skeletons, Ghosts, Goblins and Associates on October 31st.

At the Savannah/Hilton Head airport, I found my Economy class seatmate on American Airlines:

That passenger has a lean and hungry look – doesn’t it?

While checking on the Celtic origin of Halloween, I learned that the ancient festival of Samhain in Ireland marked the shift from light to dark days, and then from living to the dead. Irish immigrants wore costumes to ward off visiting spirits who crossed into the living world. Turnips were carved with spooky faces to ward off the spirits until pumpkins were substituted. 

Then, sometime in the 8th century A.D, A Catholic Pope named Gregory established All Saint’s Day on November 1st. I find it interesting that some cultures honor deceased predecessors in their cultural or religious Days of the Dead.  Honoring good folks, and not just miracle-performing Saints in the Catholic faith is a respected tradition.  

Shifting from family to sweaty endeavors, you might ask:

Is there a “patron” saint of athletes and rigorous endeavors?
– The answer is yes. 

And wouldn’t you know that the designated saint was not himself an athlete?

Saint Sebastien

Sebastien stood up for freedom against the Roman Empire. When Emperor Diocletian learned of Sebastien’s faith – he ordered him to be executed. Lo and behold, Sebastien survived a hail of centurion arrows. His resilience and endurance typify the values of courage, perseverance, and faith of archers and athletes in their own lives.

citation https://hallow.com/saints/sebastian/ 

We don’t need to, or don’t want to, be martyrs like that 3rd century Sebastien was. Yet, I see nothing wrong with a remembrance of a patron underdog who didn’t give up.

Mantras from Vince Lombardi, Yoda, Admiral McRaven, Sir Winston Churchill and countless others bolster my thesis for athletic perseverance and resilience.

Sebastien didn’t have the benefits of X Factors and many ergogenic aids that we can tap to be STRONG TO SAVE.  Perhaps therein lies a lesson. Digital fitness devices, and synthetic X Factors cannot sweat for us.

I ask you to invest a little of your time for this chat about prudent and safe ergogenic (“work producing”) aids that can help us. You may recall my keen desire to have you pursue your endeavors and goals naturally. Thus, my emphases here will be on natural and legal aids that fall into these five classes:

1. Nutritional
2. Physiological
3. Psychological
4. Pharmacological, and

     5.  Mechanical.

• You note that exercise pills, anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) are rightfully missing from this classification of work producers.

I am not focused on #5, mechanical aids, such as shark-like body swimsuits that gave Olympians nicknames like “Human Thorpedo”. Luddite that I am – I advocate the same bike, clothing, rowing shell, etc for all competitors. I want to celebrate athletic achievement – not the boosted mechanical performance.

Nutrition? Caffeine drinks are a good example of natural and legal ergogenics that can be dietary or taken as supplements.

Physiological? I don’t like blood doping.  Yet I do partake of massages, accupressure, and self-myofascial release (SMR).

Psychological? I advocate mental tips and hacks to get into a state of flow and inner peace to perform at my best.  You and I certainly see Olympic gymnasts, and professional athletes wearing fancy headphones to listen to calming and/or motivational sounds before competitions.

Nutritional? I am just fine with 3rd-party approved substances like Acetyl L-Carnitine, and FDA-approved Creatine supplements. I speak from experience that my aging process impacts my metabolism and efforts to change my trajectory of sarcopenia. So, with physician awareness and approval, I do take carnitine to aid in my exercise recovery.  Any creatine that I consume is from natural sources.  Please know the difference between grass-fed and grass-finished meats.  In short – if you don’t want grain-fed / corn-fed meats, invest a little more money to enjoy grass-finished meats. 

Organ of the Month?

No – it isn’t the LA Dodgers’ organist that I’m mentioning.  This month, it is our multi-talented and multifaceted liver to celebrate.

Thanks to Johns Hopkins for this image of a human liver”:

I ask you to be uber-enthusiastic about liver kindness – as in practical ways to make this invaluable organ healthier.

After all, healthy livers store glycogen to fuel endurance activities, and perform about 499 other important functions. Metabolic health is an overarching reason to treat our livers well!

• Weighing in at about 3 pounds for an adult, our livers sit slightly to the right of centerline and just below our diaphragms.

Yes – these 5 guidelines for healthy livers sound simple.  So – follow  SIMPLE SELLS habits for Liver Health!

1. Moderate alcohol consumption
2. Exercise and be true to anti-inflammatory lifestyle diets
3. Avoid environmental toxins and unwashed produce.
4. Prevent Hepatitis A, B, and C
   1. Safe sex!
   2. Wash hands (HEp A)
   3. Get vaccinated!
5. Be careful with ingested medications and herbs.

Did you know that a top reason for liver malfunction or failure is…drumroll…supplements?

That’s a WRAP for the month of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Next month, I’ll delve into men’s health and tell you why I support the MOVEMBER Movement.

All Treats, not tricks in a spirit of Staying Well Past Forty,

Dave Frost

Ps. BOLO – Be on the lookout for Well Past Forty online training packages that are being produced.