Fun run from the walking dead
Look at the face of a person skiing. OK, that sounds dangerous. Instead, look at the face of a person who has just made that final steep run and slid into the back of the lift line. Smiles. Maybe a look of steely self-satisfaction. Ruddy exhilaration. Actual human emotion. Now go to the gym...
Sunday hash: February 26, 2012
Odd lots and bolt ends from the past week: As pointed out in an earlier post, research demonstrates that “exercising with an interactive computer game improves brain function among the elderly.” Now comes news that you might not need the exercise part of that: a study by North Carolina State University...
Good design turns our head (again)
When it comes to basic survival needs—like potable water—it is irresponsible to recommend a product based on anything less than functionality. So we are not recommending the CamelBak All Clear UV Microbiological Water Purifier, because haven’t tested it. (Yet.) We can only say this: if it reliably does what it claims it...
Are pot-blocking seniors starting to waffle?
As we approach the end of national Medical Marijuana Week, it seems like a reasonable time to review where older people stand on this issue and the larger matter of a more comprehensive legalization. The research shows what you already know: on pot, people seem to have difficulty making...
The problem is that everything will hurt you
If you lift weights you can rupture an aneurysm. If you sit calmly at work or at home, you risk increased coronary disease (which is why some people insist on saying that “sitting is the new smoking”). If you run or play volleyball, you can damage your knees. There...
Can seniors run barefoot? Should they?
Running barefoot combines the joys of being naked (at least on your lowest extremities) and not paying for expensive footwear (although most of the major shoe companies have introduced poorly identified “five-finger” shoes, some of which cost $150 or more). And then there is this other joy: If you read...
The world needs more exer-games
We have been telling people this for years: what the world needs is an exercycle hooked up to LCD display and a game console, so when you are training during these dark cold months you can stop watching Nancy Grace on the washed out TV at the gym and, instead,...
Old people: not as drunk as the young but hornier than you think
The Centers for Disease Control has release a report of American drinking habits that “astounded” researchers. Note that word: researchers don’t normally admit it when they are astounded, unless it’s by something enchanting, like a new species or subatomic particle. When you say you are astounded by human behavior that...
Saturday stew: December 24, 2011
For those who don’t want more Christmas pudding, here’s another helping of Recreati stew. Digestible, delectable and full of good cheer: Don’t blame the holidays for your gut, Canadians. In a study conducted by Molson (yes, the brewer), most people say they’ll gain from one to nine pounds over...
Saturday Stew: December 17, 2011
Hey, this week we’re out on schedule with our week’s collection of miscellaneous bits and pieces. Don’t tell us there’s no such thing as progress. Or discipline. Or time on our hands. Years ago, we read a reference to the preposterous number of calories chocked into a single serving of...
Toward a new definition of extreme sports
Two stories this week raise the issue of what we are talking about when we talk about extreme sports. Typically, the term is used to describe anything really dangerous and really unusual: physical activities pursued by a few people at the far end of the bell curve of crazy. (Base...
Winter kills
Winter is the odd season when the mere act of stepping outside can cause pain; it is also, often, void of smell. And it’s a time of death. Extreme heat may make for more dramatic photographs and garner bigger headlines but—in the developed world—cold is a bigger killer. (In fact,...
