As part of a recent routine physical, I got some blood work done and tested positive for a mutation of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene, which encodes the enzyme of the same name. MTHFR is a key enzyme involved in the metabolism of folate, which is involved in the production of red blood cells. Genetic […]
People often say, “Everything happens for a reason,” or “When one door closes another opens,” or “It wasn’t meant to be,” or some other version of the same idea. I wonder if that‘s all really true, or if humans say things like that as a coping mechanism to make ourselves feel better when bad things […]
On my 10-mile run today, I thought about distractions. Life is full of distractions that divert our attention away from what we’re doing and what we want to accomplish. Most situations that come up during the day are distractions. Even as I sit writing this paragraph in a coffee shop after my run, there […]
Every time I watched Michael Jordan play basketball, I was amazed at how he moved his body over the court, got past defenders, and drove toward the basket. It was as if each of his individual movements were scripted, even though he was really making them up at that instant, his body knowing what to […]
I just got back from the Footlocker National High School Cross Country Championships at Morley Field in Balboa Park in San Diego. The top 40 girls and top 40 boys from around the U.S. (top 10 from each of the country’s four regional championship races) earn a trip to San Diego, a stay in the […]
I haven’t spent a lot of time writing my blog lately. I often wonder how many people read blogs anyway given how most people can’t wait to tell me how busy they are. If people are so busy, who’s got time to read other people’s blogs? LOL. One of the reasons I haven’t been writing […]
Ran 11 miles along beautiful Mission Bay today, picking up the pace for the last 2 miles. While much of the rest of the U.S. is starting to get colder, it’s getting hotter here in Southern California, with temperatures near 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius for my international readers). I’ve never liked running in the […]
In the fitness industry, I hear the term “mix it up” a lot. Personal trainers, group exercise instructors, and coaches consistently tell their clients and athletes to constantly change the training stimulus to ensure adaptation—to “mix up your workouts.” In marketing their services, I see personal trainers say that when you train with them, “every […]
At the track meet I competed in yesterday, I was talking to an acquaintance in his fifties before the start of our race. He told me, “After all these years, I still get nervous before every race.” I smiled and responded, “That’s because you know it’s going to be uncomfortable.” To which he responded, “That’s […]
Long flights are a great opportunity to reflect, especially on the return trip. On my flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles, I thought about the clinics I taught in Istanbul, the people, and Father’s Day. I went to Istanbul to give a series of presentations and workshops to the fitness instructors at Hillside City Club, […]